[20,000 Feet Above Afghanistan]
"Sir, it appears the United States Air Force is quite persistent," J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed, his voice calm despite the blaring alarms.
"Yeah, I noticed!" Tony shouted.
He banked hard to the left. The Mark 3 handled like a dream, but the two F-22 Raptors were glued to his tail. They were the apex predators of the sky—fast, agile, and armed to the teeth.
"Target locked," a pilot's voice crackled over the open frequency. "Engaging."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., dump the flares!"
The suit deployed a cloud of hot magnesium flares. The heat-seeking missile veered off, detonating harmlessly in a cloud of smoke. The shockwave rattled Tony's teeth.
"Okay, playtime over. Let's lose them." Tony engaged the thrusters to maximum. He shot straight up, climbing vertical. The G-force pressed him into the suit. Most pilots would pass out. The Arc Reactor kept Tony awake.
But the Raptors followed.
"Rhodey!" Tony yelled into his comms.
[Edwards Air Force Base. Operations Room.]
Colonel James Rhodes watched the radar screen with a sinking feeling in his gut. The "Bogey" had just taken out a terrorist cell and was now outmaneuvering their best jets.
"Colonel!" The comms officer shouted. "We have a phone call. It's... it's Tony Stark."
Rhodey grabbed the phone. "Tony? I'm a little busy right now. We have a situation."
"I know," Tony's voice came through, breathless. "I'm looking at it. On the radar. That 'Bogey'? That's me."
Rhodey froze. He looked at the screen. The dot moving at Mach 2.
"You?" Rhodey whispered. "You're the... Tony, you're in the unauthorized aircraft?"
"It's not an aircraft, it's a prosthesis! Listen, call them off! I'm trying not to hurt them, but they're getting twitchy!"
"You're asking me to ground our jets because you decided to play dress-up?"
"I just saved a village, Rhodey! Call them off!"
Rhodey looked at the general standing nearby. He looked at the screen. He closed his eyes.
"Whiplash One, Whiplash Two," Rhodey said into the mic. "Disengage. Repeat, disengage. Target is... a training exercise gone wrong."
The Operations Room went silent. Everyone stared at Rhodey.
"Copy that, Colonel," the pilot replied, sounding confused. "Disengaging."
[The Disney Concert Hall]
The final note of Flight of the Bumblebee hung in the air. Sebastian lifted his hands from the keys.
For a second, silence. Then, thunderous applause.
Sebastian stood and bowed deeply. He adjusted his cuffs, his eyes scanning the room. Obadiah Stane was fuming near the bar, his speech completely forgotten.
"Mr. Michaelis!" Pepper Potts rushed over, looking flushed. "That was... I didn't know you played."
"One picks up many hobbies over a lifetime, Miss Potts," Sebastian said smoothly.
"And Tony?"
"Sleeping like a baby," Sebastian lied. "I just checked the... monitor."
Suddenly, Obadiah stormed over. He looked like he wanted to strangle the butler.
"Where is he?" Obadiah hissed. "I know he's not sick. I checked his house. He's not there."
Sebastian didn't blink. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper that only Obadiah could hear.
"Mr. Stane, if you went to the Young Master's home uninvited, you are lucky the security protocols didn't incinerate you. I suggest you focus on your donors. They seem quite bored."
Obadiah grit his teeth. "You think you're clever. But I know something is going on. And when I find out..."
"You shall do nothing," Sebastian interrupted, his smile vanishing. "Enjoy the canapés, Obadiah."
Sebastian turned and walked away. His phone buzzed.
"Sebastian? I'm five minutes out. Prepare the landing strip. And maybe a pizza. I'm starving."
"Pepperoni or Jalapeño, Sir?"
"Both. And don't tell Pepper."
[Malibu Mansion. The Roof.]
Tony descended from the night sky. The adrenaline was fading, replaced by exhaustion. He hovered over the garage, the thrusters cooling.
"Power down," Tony commanded.
The suit landed with a heavy clank. The robotic arms began to dismantle the armor. Piece by piece, the red and gold fell away, revealing a sweaty, bruised Tony Stark.
"Welcome home, Sir."
Sebastian stepped out of the shadows, holding a pizza box in one hand and a towel in the other.
"You missed a hell of a show," Tony said, grabbing the towel. "I dog-fought the Air Force. Rhodey is gonna kill me."
"I am sure Colonel Rhodes will understand. Eventually," Sebastian opened the pizza box. "I, however, had to endure three hours of small talk with weapon manufacturers. I believe my night was more arduous."
"Did Obadiah buy the 'food poisoning' story?"
"He is suspicious. But he is always suspicious." Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly. "He has been spending a lot of time in Sector 16. I sensed... old metal."
Tony paused, a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth. "Sector 16? That's where I crashed the Mark 1."
"Precisely."
Tony chewed slowly. "He's trying to reverse engineer it. Good luck. Without the Arc Reactor, it's just a fancy paperweight."
"Unless," Sebastian said softly, "he finds a replacement."
Tony tapped his chest. The blue light glowed through his shirt. "This is the only one in the world. And it's staying right here."
Sebastian looked at the reactor. He looked at Tony.
"Sir, demons are bound by contracts. Humans are bound by ambition. Be careful. A desperate man is often more dangerous than a demon."
"Relax, Seb," Tony smirked, walking toward the stairs. "I'm Iron Man. What's the worst that can happen?"
Sebastian watched him go. He blew out a candle on the workbench. The smoke formed the shape of a skull before dissipating.
"What indeed," Sebastian whispered.
[End of Chapter 8]
_________________________________________________________________________
🔥 Hey legends! Quick updates! 🔥
💥 Can't wait for the next chapter? Good news—ALL advance chapters are available on Patreon for just $5! No more waiting, just pure binge-reading goodness! 🚀
👉 patreon.com/cyci07
✨ Power Stone Challenge! ✨
If we hit 100 power stones, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters! Let's see if you guys can make me suffer! 😂
💬 Enjoying the story? Leave a review and let me know your favorite moment so far! It helps the novel grow and reach more readers!
Thanks for all your support—you guys are awesome! ❤️