Iron Man [Book 2]

Field Test

The next day, we were in the lab. I was playing with a small flame, while Stark was working on the arm of his suit. The T.V. was on, and on the news. As the woman began to tell what was happening in Gulmira, there was a line of people walking past her and the camera man.

"The 15 mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, in a modern day Heart of Darkness. Farmers and herders from the peaceful villages have been driven from their homes. Displaced from their land by warlords emboldened by a new-found power."

The more I listened, the more angry I became. I turned to the screen as it cut to a fighting scene. There was a truck, with several men shooting at people, and in buildings. The newswoman then explained the group that was causing this was the Ten Rings. The leader appeared, smoking, as he gave an evil smirk to the camera he had noticed.

"These men are heavily armed and on a mission," she continued, as we saw a few men unloading weapons.

Stark stood up, still wearing the metal arm. As the reporter continued, Stark stood beside the sink, before turning to his right, facing the garage. He lifted his arm, and fired a blast at one of the lights, causing it to explode in a mass of sparks, surprising me be this action.

Slightly smirking, he walked forward a few steps, and was standing near the door leading to the living room. He looked at his reflection, before firing at the glass. Then he fired at the remaining panes of glass, and shot them, causing them to shatter into a thousand pieces.

Seeing this, I realized that something inside him snapped.

After dressing in a black jumpsuit, Stark stepped onto the mat, that he had practiced on earlier. The mat opened, and the pieces of his suit came out, and the mechanical arms began to assemble it around Stark. The arms screwed the pieces together, making sure they're secure. He lifted his arms, and the arm pieces were placed on him, as two more arms waited to place the front and back of the suit on his body.

Standing beside him, I saw the arc reactor glow bright as the suit began to power up. Putting his arms down, the helmet was placed on both sides of his head, before the faceplate was fastened, and the eyes began to glow.

"What are doing?" I asked, staring at him as he walked off the mat.

I most likely knew what his answer was, but I wanted to be sure.

"I'm stopping those terrorists in Gulmira," he answered, before walking to the hole he had created after his first test run.

"You could get yourself killed, you know," I stated.

I wasn't given an answer.

I sighed.

"You could use backup," I began again, covering up my worried tone.

He pointed to his computer, at the back.

"You can watch my back from there," was all he said, before flying through the hole.

Sighing, I walked over to his desk.

"Jarvis?" I called, sitting in the chair, and facing the screen. "You there?"

"I am, ma'am."

"I need to keep an eye on Stark," I began. "Think you could help?"

"Of course."

Jarvis unlocked the computer, and got it ready for me. When it came on, all I can see was blue skies.

Third Person

Tony flew through the sky, heading to Gulmira. Hearing that he was no longer on the Board, and that the Ten Rings were still using his technology, he felt only one emotion.