###**Chapter 17 – The First Enemy**

Chapter 17 – The First Enemy

[Tony Stark's POV]

The whiskey in Tony's glass swirled lazily as he tapped his fingers against its side, the ice clinking softly. He was supposed to be celebrating. The world had just learned who Iron Man was. The press was eating it up. His name was on every channel, every newspaper.

But the high had already faded.

He set the drink down on the table beside him and exhaled. There was no going back now. Iron Man wasn't just an idea anymore—it was real. And real things had consequences.

Nick Fury had made that clear.

SHIELD's presence had increased around Stark Industries. The Department of Defense was breathing down his neck. Everyone wanted a piece of the future he'd just announced. But that wasn't what bothered him the most.

It was Obadiah Stane.

No messages. No calls. No attempts to manipulate the situation in his usual fatherly, patronizing way. Just… silence.

And silence?

Silence meant something was coming.

"JARVIS," Tony said, rubbing his temple, "run a deep scan on all Stark Industries' manufacturing facilities. Look for any unauthorized projects, anything that stands out."

A pause. Then, "Sir, that level of inquiry would require overriding security protocols."

Tony scoffed. "JARVIS, let me be clear: I don't care about security protocols. Do it."

A longer pause. Then: "Understood, sir."

Tony exhaled, leaning back in his chair. His eyes drifted to the Mark III armor displayed in its open case. He wasn't done. Not even close.

And if his gut was right, things were about to get worse.

---

[Severence's POV]

Below the surface of Stark Industries, inside a restricted lab hidden from even the company's highest security clearances, a monster was being born.

Severence watched from the edges of perception, a silent observer in a world that did not yet see him.

The engineers moved in coordinated chaos, their voices low, their hands swift. Stark's blueprints had been stolen and reshaped into something grotesque.

Where Tony had designed with precision, Stane had built with brutality. The prototype was crude, its form too large, too heavy. But its purpose was clear—war.

And war did not need elegance.

Severence had seen this pattern before. Men who feared change. Men who resented losing control.

Stane was not interested in technology. He was interested in power. And power built on fear was always the most dangerous kind.

The Unmaking did not rest at Severence's side. He did not wield it idly. He did not sever fates lightly.

But he understood something about Tony Stark.

This was not just about stopping Obadiah Stane. This was about defining what Iron Man would be.

And if Stark could not overcome his past, he would have no future.

---

[Obadiah Stane's POV]

Stane adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves as he stepped into the dimly lit laboratory. The glow of the arc reactors reflected off the unfinished steel of his creation.

The Iron Monger.

The name wasn't official yet, but it didn't matter. He wasn't interested in fancy branding. This wasn't some idealistic dream like Stark's.

This was about survival.

Tony had put a target on his back the second he announced himself as Iron Man. That armor had changed everything. The board was panicking. Governments were watching. Investors were questioning leadership.

And for what?

Some childish fantasy of heroism?

Obadiah exhaled slowly, stepping closer to the massive suit. It wasn't complete yet. The reactor was still missing. But that problem had a solution.

Stane turned to one of the engineers. "How soon before we can activate it?"

The man hesitated. "We… we still need Stark's arc reactor."

Stane's face remained unreadable, but his tone hardened. "Then get it."

They didn't need Stark anymore.

But they needed his technology.

And Stane had always known how to take what he wanted.

---

[Time Skip – Two Days Later]

[Tony Stark's POV]

Tony's hands were steady as he lowered the modified arc reactor into his chest, its familiar hum settling into his bones. The Mark III armor stood in front of him, waiting.

JARVIS had found something.

Multiple shipments, off the books. Hidden orders, increased resource usage, all leading to a single location.

And the biggest red flag?

Obadiah had cut him out of the company's security systems.

Tony should have seen this coming.

He ran a hand down the cool surface of the armor. This wasn't just business anymore.

This was war.