"Boss, you're seriously sending us in together?"
A limping agent stared at Coulson. They'd barely arrived when Luke was already hammering the Iron Monger. Metal clanged; the villain's helmet crumpled. The rookie's knees shook.
Coulson's London op had wrapped—Nick Fury could haggle with Hellsing now. "Got a better plan? Stand here and clap?"
He shot his agent a withering look. Soft leaders get ignored; Coulson played the hardass on purpose. The kid swallowed the urge to say, You first.
Guns up but fingers off triggers, the team advanced. Luke didn't look murderous—just pissed. Dark skin, huge blade, zero body count. S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't NYPD; ten empty mags weren't required.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG.
Luke pulled every punch. One full swing and Obadiah Stane would be red paste. Bull-Kathos-forged steel laughed at Stark alloy.
"Damn it!"
The walking tank thrashed. Luke treated it like a teddy bear. A wild haymaker crumpled under one boot; servos screamed. The helmet stayed glued to asphalt.
"Talk!" Luke barked, straddling the neck, warblade ringing like a gong.
"Who the hell are you people?!" Obadiah's voice cracked through the dented grill. Thirty seconds ago he was king; now he was a piñata.
"I told you—ruined my date."
SMACK. The helmet rang sweeter than a ripe melon. Luke hated melons.
"My apologies," Obadiah lied, thrusters igniting. Blue flame roared; Luke wobbled.
First time in fifty years someone had used his head as a bell. He hated the sound.
Iron Monger shot skyward, dragging Luke like a cape.
Flying supers were rare. Good call, Stane.
"You can FLY?!" Luke whooped, elbow smashing the shoulder joint, arm snaking around the neck—textbook choke. Armor pinched Obadiah's jaw.
"Land or we both die!" the blade hissed past his ear.
Obadiah's bravado lasted half a second. Assets > everything. Without Tony dead, he was finished anyway. Threaten the threat—old trick.
Luke answered by shearing the helmet clean off.
Bald, stunned Obadiah stared into furious brown eyes.
"WE'RE DEAD!" he whimpered.
Luke rolled his eyes. "This is the guy who challenged Iron Man?"
Thrusters coughed smoke rings, gave one last pathetic spurt, then quit. Thousand-meter freefall.
Luke sighed, speared the chest plate, muscles coiling.
"Quit whining."
Jessica floated up, catching the flying helmet like a frisbee. "My turn. Compensation's settled."
Tony streaked in, grabbing the other arm. "You're welcome."
Together they guided the broken tin man earthward, city lights blinking below like paparazzi flashes.
Obadiah kept praying. Luke just wanted his date back.
(End of chapter)
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