Chapter 32 - Climax of the Show

The wind howled through the broken skeleton of Stark Industries' upper infrastructure. Smoke curled from fractured steel beams. Concrete dust hung in the air like fog. Below, in the ruined heart of Sector 16, a wide crater fumed with steam and scorched metal. Inside it, half-buried and inert, lay the mechanical behemoth that had nearly torn the city apart.

Tony Stark hovered overhead, his suit groaning with strain and low energy warnings. His HUD flickered occasionally, trying to calibrate in the aftermath of the high-altitude drop. For a moment, everything was still.

He breathed heavily. Oxygen levels inside the suit were stabilizing, but his pulse was still wild.

"I swear to God, if this guy gets up again..." Tony muttered, eyes narrowing.

From his rooftop vantage point, Glenn observed the crater with professional calm. Illyana sat next to him, casually picking through the remnants of her popcorn. Phil Coulson remained standing but had now allowed himself to relax slightly.

Tony's voice crackled through their comms.

"Oh, don't mind me. Just had the fight of my life up here. You all look like you're on a movie break."

Glenn smirked and tilted his head toward the crater. "And you still look like you lost a bet with gravity."

"Popcorn, Glenn? Really?" Tony asked, exasperated.

"It's caramel butter. You want some?"

"Don't test me. I will crash into that rooftop just to steal it."

Illyana lifted the bag and offered it toward the sky. "Too slow, Iron Chef."

Tony hovered slightly lower now, still wary of the Iron Monger's dormant form.

"Jokes aside, I think he's still breathing in there. Or plotting. Either way, I've got a stupid idea."

Glenn raised an eyebrow. "Are you about to ask me to do something crazy? Because I haven't even digested my last sarcastic monologue yet."

Tony's tone shifted, more serious now. "I need you to go into the lower sector. There's a manual override terminal for the arc reactor. If I lure him into position, I need someone to overload the core. Full burn. It'll fry everything—including that rust bucket."

Coulson's head snapped toward Glenn. "You're talking about detonating the company's energy source?"

Tony replied first. "More like making it sneeze lightning at the biggest target in the city."

Glenn sighed, long and theatrical. "Of course. Because when rich people have problems, they always ask the guy with gloves and a nicotine habit."

He handed the popcorn to Coulson. "Hold this. Try not to finish it. I like the burnt kernels at the bottom."

Coulson looked at the bag like it might explode too.

Illyana tilted her head. "You're really going?"

Glenn adjusted his tie and started walking toward the rooftop edge.

"Sigh, I have to set up the climax of the show," he said.

Illyana grinned. "Want backup?"

"Nah, I've got this one covered. Stay with them. If this goes sideways, make sure no one's left to clean up the mess but me."

She nodded.

Tony, watching from above, adjusted his suit's altitude and recharged his palm thrusters for one more engagement.

"You sure you can pull this off, Glenn?"

Glenn leapt effortlessly off the roof, dropping two stories onto a bent fire escape, then descending into the fractured halls of Stark Industries.

"Tony," Glenn said coolly. "I've dodged bullets, crushed deals, and talked a vampire into therapy. All you need to do is make him follow you."

Tony smirked inside his helmet. "Copy that."

From deep inside the crater, the hiss of hydraulics began again.

Iron Monger was not done.

The metal giant roared back to life with terrifying fury. Flames licked the edges of its chassis as it emerged fully from the rubble. Its eye glowed brighter, now fueled by raw hate.

From a distance, wails of sirens from police were on going like an orchestra.

Tony instinctively raised his arms to fire a repulsor blast—but too late. Iron Monger barreled forward and tackled him midair. They crashed into the remains of a Stark Industries vehicle bay, the roof collapsing around them.

Inside the crumbling structure, Tony rolled away just in time to avoid a devastating punch that cratered the concrete beside him.

His HUD screamed in red: Armor integrity at 42%. Power at 17%.

"Great," he muttered. "I'm basically a tin piñata with a temper problem now."

Stane snarled through his speaker. "You don't deserve any of it! The company, the suit—none of it!"

Tony barely blocked the next punch, sparks flying from his arm servos. He tried a counter-pulse but Iron Monger caught his wrist and hurled him across the factory floor.

Glenn, watching from the secondary level of the building, muttered, "He's treating Stark like a ragdoll in a mech convention."

Illyana's voice came through the comms. "Tony sounds winded. He needs an opening."

Tony crashed into a generator wall, triggering a spray of electrical sparks. He groaned, climbing slowly to his feet.

"Glenn," he huffed, "any day now."

"Working on it, Sparky," Glenn replied. He moved through the shadows and ducked beneath a sparking conduit.

Iron Monger stomped toward Tony, each step denting the steel floor. "I built this company, Tony! You just played around with toys!"

Tony darted forward, used his boot thrusters to slam into Stane's chestplate. It knocked Iron Monger back—but not down.

Tony's HUD flickered. His suit's strength was fading. Stane swung again, connecting with his shoulder, sending Tony spinning into a pile of crates.

Integrity: 28%.

Tony coughed inside the helmet. "Okay. This hurts more than it looks."

Illyana and Coulson watched from above, both concerned.

Glenn moved into position in the lower reactor chamber, flipping open the control panel. He glanced up through the glass ceiling where Tony was dragging himself across the floor.

"Tony," Glenn said smoothly, "just a little longer. Lead him to the core."

Tony activated his last burst of flight, circling Iron Monger and drawing him into the center of the structure. Debris rained down from above.

"Come on, big guy," Tony goaded. "Follow me. I've got something shiny for you."

Stane lunged, landing in the arc reactor chamber.

Tony's voice rang in Glenn's ear. "Push the button. Do it now!"

Glenn cupped a hand over his ear. "What was that? Say it again? Poor signal."

"Glenn Peterson!" Tony shouted in nervously.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't blow a gasket, Stark."

Glenn pressed the override.

"Hey, Stane!" Tony called. "Remember when you stole my company? Say goodbye to the floor plan."

The reactor roared to life, blue-white light pulsing. Magnetic feedback surged upward in a beam that enveloped Iron Monger. The entire chamber erupted in a massive pillar of plasma.

Ironmonger including Obadiah Stane, still smoking slowly fell into the chamber, pummeling down into the giant arc reactor which causes an explosion.

Glenn turned and walked away from the control panel without watching it explode. "And that's why I charge double for energy-sector gigs."

Illyana, watching from the rooftop, smiled. "Show-off."

Coulson just blinked. "That's... one way to handle a hostile acquisition."

--

The sun rose over the Pacific, painting Malibu in a soft palette of gold and violet. Stark Industries was quiet for once, save for the cleanup crews still sweeping through the scorched and twisted wreckage of Sector 16. The previous night's battle was now history, but its scars remained in every smoldering beam and melted circuit. And the world was already watching.

At the edge of the city, the press conference podium stood tall before an audience of media personnel and government representatives. Security agents stood along the perimeter. Col. James Rhodes stepped onto the stage first, flanked by military officials. The crowd hushed. Camera shutters clicked in a slow staccato rhythm.

Rhodes adjusted the microphone, taking a moment to scan the crowd before speaking.

"Good morning. As many of you know, there was a significant event last night involving Stark Industries, the city infrastructure, and an unidentified mechanical threat. We can confirm that civilian casualties were averted, and the threat has been neutralized."

A reporter shouted from the front row, "Was this linked to the Stark weapons program?"

Rhodes smiled politely but didn't flinch. "You'll have to wait for Mr. Stark's statement. What I can say is that, thanks to fast response coordination between law enforcement, SHIELD, and a few—let's say—unexpected allies, the city was saved."

Laughter rippled briefly through the crowd. Someone murmured, "Unexpected allies?"

Behind the curtain, Tony Stark straightened his tie in a mirror. The bruises on his face had faded thanks to medical nanogel, but the weariness in his eyes remained. He wore his favorite dark pinstripe suit, red tie knotted sharp and confident.

Pepper Potts stood beside him, holding a folder.

"Just stick to the cards, Tony," she said gently.

Tony peeked at the bullet points. "Deny everything. Smile. Pretend I was on vacation."

"You were on vacation. With a giant metal monster."

He gave a half-smile, but his eyes trailed toward the curtain.

"Is Glenn here?"

Pepper blinked. "He left before sunrise. Said something about contracts and early deal with a desperate man."

Tony nodded slowly. "Of course he did."

Coulson stepped in from the side. "Mr. Stark, you'll be next."

Tony turned to him. "Agent Coulson. I meant to ask—how do you guys even write your acronyms on coffee mugs?"

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Laser printing. It's confidential."

Tony chuckled, then added, "And thanks for not shooting anyone during the whole... apocalypse."

Coulson gave a slow nod. "I was going to ask you about something, actually."

Tony's brow furrowed.

"You said something on the comms last night. Right before the arc reactor overloaded. You mentioned someone named Glenn Peter—' something."

Tony froze.

"Slip of the tongue," he replied quickly. "I meant Handyman. Uhh, I remember I just said Glenn last night, right?"

Coulson's stare lingered.

"Oops!"

Tony shrugged, smiled. "Everyone gets one."

With that, he stepped out onto the podium.

The crowd applauded, camera flashes igniting like fireworks.

Tony stepped to the mic. "Okay. Let's get one thing out of the way. There's been some... speculation."

He opened the folder Pepper gave him. Read the first line.

"'I was on a yacht. Doing yoga. With friends.'" He paused. Looked out at the sea of expectant eyes.

Closed the folder.

"The truth is...I am Iron Man."

Gasps. Screams. Flashbulbs.

Coulson, still behind the curtain, sighed. "So much for the cover story."

Pepper just facepalmed.

While she was handling the aftermath of Tony's confession, Coulson stepped away from the stage, moving to a quiet corner near the service entrance. He checked to ensure his line was secure, then made a call.

A voice picked up on the other end. "Coulson."

Coulson kept his tone low. "Director Fury, we've confirmed something. Stark accidentally mentioned a name—Glenn Peterson."

There was silence on the other end, followed by Fury's voice: "So the Handyman finally has a last name."

"Yes, sir. He was on the field. Neutralized potential casualties, supported Stark, but vanished right after."

"Keep it on file. For now, we don't move. But keep eyes on him."

"Understood."

Coulson ended the call, slipping the phone back into his coat.