Free Fall

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Just as Killian's men were shooting at the security personnel, the ground base had detected through the data on the plane that something might have happened on the plane.

"Sir, Air Force One is in a critical condition." A staff member reported to the chief, "There are signs of shooting inside Air Force One, and the temperature is soaring."

After hearing the report, the officer quickly came to his side and ordered: "Quickly bring up the footage."

Then they saw the Iron Patriot flying out of Air Force One through satellite footage, and the officer asked, "Is that Rhodes?"

At the same time, Tony had also arrived on Air Force One, and then he saw Killian's men. He grabbed one and pressed him against the wall, demanding, "Where is the president? Tell me quickly."

"Oh, he's no longer on the plane," Killian's man answered, then immediately heated his hands to the highest temperature and grabbed Tony's suit by the wrist.

This time, Tony's suit gradually became unresponsive and started shutting down.

Then Killian's man took out a remote control and said, "You should go enjoy the high-speed airflow. By the way, speaking of airflow, how many people can you save?"

Then he pressed the switch on the remote control, and a hole suddenly exploded at the tail of the plane. The pressure difference between the inside and outside was too great, and since the plane was flying at high altitude, people began falling out of the gap one after another.

Tony knew he couldn't waste any more time, so he activated the energy cannon on his chest and shot Killian's man directly through the chest.

As the enemy collapsed, Tony muttered, "See if you can recover from this!"

Then Tony flew directly out of the gap in the plane to rescue those who had fallen out.

Tony asked Jarvis, "How many people are down there?"

Jarvis quickly scanned and answered, "Thirteen people in total, sir."

"How many can I carry at a time?"

"Four!"

After getting Jarvis' answer, Tony quickly flew headfirst and soon caught up with the first person, a woman who had fallen last.

Tony rushed to her side and grabbed her. Hearing her scream loudly, he comforted her, "Relax, relax. Why are you screaming?"

At this moment, Tony saw her name tag: "Heather."

Then Tony said, "Heather, listen to me. You see that guy over there? I'm going to fly over, and you catch him. Got it?"

"I understand!" After getting a positive answer, Tony began to act.

He led Heather to another falling person and had her grab onto him. To ensure they wouldn't let go, Tony electrified their arms slightly.

After two successful attempts, Heather caught the man. Tony encouraged her, "See? It's simple. Now, one more."

Tony repeated the process, gradually gathering all the remaining people in a chain on both sides of him.

Just as they caught the last person, they were nearing the water. Fortunately, just before impact, Tony turned on the thrusters to slow their descent and then safely placed all thirteen people into the water.

Flying over them, he checked on their safety.

"Well done! Great teamwork, everyone."

Watching them wave and thank him from the water, Tony smiled before preparing to leave.

Tony muttered, "I just wonder how Kai is doing. Has anyone been rescued?"

Then Tony returned to Rhodes' position. Seeing Tony return, Rhodes asked, "Any good news?"

Tony said, "The good news is that they were all rescued."

Just as Rhodes was about to celebrate, Tony added, "But the president was taken."

Rhodes' excitement faded instantly. He sighed in frustration, "Well, I guess Kai will have to rescue both the president and Pepper."

After hearing this, Tony asked Jarvis, "Jarvis, is it time?"

"Is this a family reunion plan, sir?" Jarvis inquired.

"Yes."

At the villa in Malibu, a crane had been brought in to clear the wreckage of the underground laboratory, and most of it had been removed.

At that moment, a circular door opened on the ground, revealing a massive multi-level space filled with various combat suits Tony had built. Now, Tony had activated them—it was time for them to go into action.

Meanwhile, Killian had arrived at his other base, a large ship on the shore, where he injected Pepper with additional doses of the Extremis virus.

As the Extremis entered her system, Pepper woke up.

Taking in her surroundings, she immediately said to Killian, "Do you think Tony will help you?" Then she shook her head. "Impossible."

Killian smirked and leaned in. "Actually, I captured you not only to provoke Tony Stark, but also for a more... personal reason."

Killian hesitated awkwardly, searching for the right words.

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "The spoils?"

Killian was momentarily stunned but then nodded, confirming her words.

Before their awkward exchange could continue, a sudden noise from outside interrupted them. Listening closely, it was the distinct sound of an approaching Iron Man suit.

As the sound grew louder, its true form was revealed.

When Pepper saw the Iron Patriot, she felt a wave of relief and joy.

But then she heard Killian greet it, "Good evening, sir."

The next moment, the Iron Patriot's front opened, revealing the person inside.

When Pepper saw his face, she was in disbelief—it was the president!

Killian had used the Iron Patriot suit to abduct the president, making him his prisoner. Pepper immediately realized that something must have happened to Rhodes, and from there, she feared that Tony might be in danger as well.

However, when she thought of Kai's abilities, she felt reassured. After all, Kai was incredibly skilled. He should be able to protect Tony and himself from danger.

(End Of Chapter)