| Marvel: In the Beginning... | ||||||||||
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A sighting of Mallen came in early in the morning. Tony quickly stashed the robotic Iron Man in the plane and then got into the upgraded Golden Avenger armor to go face Mallen. The flight out was uneventful but the meeting was not.
The sheer insanity and rage within Mallen was a frightening thing for Iron Man to face. The two fought viciously, Mallen proving wily and strong with the enhancements of Extermis. Still, it seemed as if Iron Man would win until a new surprise appeared.
Mallen had these strange claw-like pincers appear that were able to pierce the Iron Man armor. Combined with an electronic discharge, it completely short circuited the armor. Mallen threw Iron Man hundreds of feet in the air, and when he crashed down, his already damaged body was further battered.
Maya was watching from a safe distance and as soon as Mallen left the scene, she rushed to save Iron Man. Getting Iron Man in the truck was far from easy considering his weight, but she snuck him onto the research center and used her technology there to get him out. Inside, was none other than Tony Stark.
Tony Stark's body was busted up, bleeding and burnt. Further examination showed internal damaged other than merely his heart. It would be a miracle if he survived. "Maya, the...Extermis serum. Use it."
Maya's eyes widen, "Are you sure Tony? You saw what it has done to Mallen. What if it happens to you?"
Tony smiles brokenly, "I am...not Mallen. Last resort, use it." Little did Maya know that Tony has not only be learning about Extermis, but had also done some editing to the last sample she had of it.
When injected with the Extermis super-serum, a cocoon of blackness soon surrounded Tony. Cracks formed in it with the color and glow of hot lava. Maya sat in a chair, trying to figure out how to explain the days Tony will be missing to his 'bodyguard' Pete Wisdom. Already he was asking questions on where Tony was, as she was informed upon sneaking Iron Man in.
Maya kept busy, making excuses to Pete Wisdom, and monitoring Tony's condition the best she could. However, instead of days later, the cocoon started to break apart only hours later much to her shock. Were her calculations wrong?! "Tony?" Her voice is soft and she's watchful.
Tony soon opens his eyes and looks down at his chest, the chest plate is still there. But he starts to move around as the cocoon breaks apart and frees him up. "I...don't feel any pain." He soon sits up with Maya checking his vitals. "I feel strange though...my backup armor. The briefcase in your lab. I need it."
Maya hooks Tony up to the sensors once again and double checks for internal damage. Other than his heart, all the recent injuries have been healed! "It is in the corner, I brought it to hide it from your bodyguard so he really thought you were gone."
Tony grins suddenly, "I haven't felt this good in ages," and then it starts to happen as he looks over to his Iron Man briefcase. His skin starts to transform into something golden. Tony lets out a yell of surprise and jumps up.
"Will you hold still Tony?!" Maya sounds exasperated! She pushes him back onto the table and continues monitoring him. "Your wounds appear healed but for the heart, and your skin...it isn't normal flesh anymore. I'm not sure on the details of the property, but perhaps physical protection like Mallen has. There appears to be electrical current sort of going through it too..."
Tony nods, "I have to go after Mallen." He starts to remove the monitors and goes to walk toward his briefcase.
"Will you hold up Tony? We don't even know where he is right now!" Maya sounds concerned.
With a grin, Tony looks over at her, "That's fine, I think I have an idea." His mind is going crazy, "I am going to ask a special organization for help. Though the price they ask in return likely won't be real pleasant," he adds a little sourly.
Maya doesn't look pleased, "That isn't the point! Let me finish examining you, something isn't right with the Extermis super-serum!"
Tony leans forward and shockingly steals a kiss from Maya! "That's because I made edits to it last night and during the wee hours of the morning. Sorry for not telling you."
Maya starts cursing even as Tony activates the Iron Man suit and gets ready. Maya glares at him, "I can't believe you did that."
"It worked though, where is the best exit? Oh, that way." Iron Man starts to head out.
"Wait, how do you know that? You weren't shown this area of the research center?!" Soon though Maya is calling out to empty space because Iron Man is gone, and she is stuck dealing with Pete. She might rather face Mallen than deal with Pete's questioning.