Late Night – Stark Mansion
As the night deepened, the tipsy Rhodey and Yinsen were taken home.
Only Pepper, Tony, and Malrick remained in the mansion.
Malrick lounged on the sofa, full from a good meal and drink, his gaze fixed on the distant ebb and flow of the ocean. His thoughts wandered.
Tony glanced toward the kitchen, where Pepper was quietly cleaning up, then back at Malrick, who seemed lost in thought. He hesitated, clearly torn about saying something.
"Hey, Malrick."
Malrick snapped out of his daze. "Hm? What's up?"
Tony shot a quick look toward the kitchen. "Didn't you say you were planning to check in on Obadiah tonight? When are you heading out? And keep it quiet—don't let Pepper know. If she hears, she'll call it reckless and threaten to quit again."
Whenever Tony risked his safety, Pepper's go-to move was to threaten resignation.
Not that she ever followed through.
Malrick gave a lazy glance toward the industrial complex. "I'll wait till Pepper heads out."
He leaned forward slightly, then suddenly straightened, eyes narrowing. "Hold on—Obadiah's still at the plant… Damn it, Tony, we need to go now!"
Grabbing Tony by the wrist, Malrick dragged him toward the exit.
He shouted back toward the kitchen, "Pepper! Tony and I are going for a walk—back soon!"
"Hm? Alright!" Pepper called out without looking up.
As they stepped out, Tony lowered his voice. "Wait—what did you see that's got you so rattled?"
"Obadiah's talking to his contacts in Afghanistan," Malrick said grimly, voice low.
Tony's face dropped. "What?"
Before he could ask more, Malrick grabbed him again, and they took to the skies.
They arrived swiftly at Stark Industrial Park.
Most of the office building was dark—except for Obadiah's corner office, blazing with light like a beacon in the night.
Malrick hovered them silently outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Inside, Obadiah sat at his desk, back turned to the window, speaking into a glowing screen.
"He's on a video call… with the Ten Rings?" Tony's voice was tight. "Can you hear what they're saying?"
"Nothing good. Listen for yourself."
Malrick touched the window lightly. A faint click—he lifted an edge, then gently removed the entire pane without a sound.
Tony looked stunned, but before he could say anything, a voice from inside the office cut through the night air.
"Your leader died because of your deal. Before we continue cooperating, you need to compensate us."
Obadiah's furious reply followed immediately:
"You let Tony Stark escape, and now you're demanding compensation? I told your boss to make sure his body disappeared! How could you screw that up?!"
"That's not our concern," the voice replied coldly. "Refuse, and we'll tell Tony Stark everything. He might be willing to pay for the identity of the one who betrayed him."
Obadiah's jaw clenched, his eyes filled with fury.
"Aren't you afraid I'll cut off your weapons supply?"
"Tony Stark shut down the weapons division. You're not worth much anymore."
Unshaken, the terrorist pressed again:
"So what's your answer? Refuse us, and we go public. Accept, and we move forward."
Obadiah's expression slowly shifted. The corners of his lips curled into a practiced, politician's smile.
"Of course. I accept… on one condition."
"Name it."
"I'll lure Tony overseas again. This time, you kill him. I'll supply a fresh shipment of Stark weapons to bait the press. He just shut down the weapons division—seeing his tech back in the battlefield will force him to act."
"We'll take it from there. The Ten Rings never fail twice."
With that, Obadiah ended the call.
Silence settled over the office. Obadiah sat motionless for a moment, then his smile twisted into a snarl. Rage erupted like a volcano.
"Idiots! Useless idiots!"
He swept everything off his desk in one furious motion—papers, mugs, gadgets crashing to the floor. He grabbed the mouse and hurled it against the wall, shattering it.
"They let a spoiled playboy escape! Unbelievable!"
Outside the window, Malrick turned to Tony, whose face was pale with disbelief and betrayal.
"Show's over," Malrick muttered, then floated them both into the office.
He landed quietly and cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt."
Obadiah froze.
His eyes darted toward the voice, and his face went ghostly pale when he saw Tony and Malrick standing before him.
"Tony… Malrick…?" he stammered.
Tony's eyes blazed with fury. His jaw was clenched tight.
Malrick pointed to the monitor. "We heard everything. Got anything else to say?"
Obadiah's lips trembled. "Wait… That was a misunderstanding. Malrick, you—why are you still here so late…?"
He forced a nervous laugh, opening a drawer beneath his desk. "There's a reason for all this, I swear. I've been under… tremendous pressure—threats I couldn't ignore—"
He suddenly yanked out a pistol, chambered a round, and aimed it at them.
"Step back—hands up!"
In a blink, the warm, avuncular mask was gone. What stood before them now was a man unhinged.
Tony raised his hands slowly, stepping protectively in front of Malrick.
"Still trying to protect him?" Obadiah sneered. "Touching."
Tony's voice was low and cold. "Obi… I trusted you."
"And I wasted thirty years of my life playing second fiddle!" Obadiah shouted, spittle flying. "I founded this company with your father, Tony! I supported you—catered to your whims—and what do I get? Nothing!"
His eyes darted to Malrick. "That outsider gets half the company, but me? I get scraps. You think that's fair?"
Obadiah waved the pistol. "You were supposed to die in Afghanistan. Malrick was supposed to vanish in deep space. But no—you had to ruin everything!"
He advanced, gun shaking in his hand. "You forced my hand. Now I have to wipe the slate clean."
Tony looked at him, anguish and fury warring in his expression.
Then he closed his eyes.
"…Do it, Malrick."
"As you wish, boss."
Before Obadiah could react, Malrick vanished from behind Tony and reappeared in front of Obadiah like a blur of motion.
A massive hand clamped down on Obadiah's throat like a steel vice.
"Ghk—!" Obadiah struggled, eyes bulging from lack of air.
He couldn't understand how it happened—how Malrick crossed the room in a blink. He clawed at Malrick's arm in vain.
Malrick's gaze was calm, pitiless.
Without a word, he flung Obadiah straight through the shattered window.
Three seconds later, the distant thud of a body hitting the ground echoed through the office.
"…That had to hurt," Malrick muttered.
He moved to the desk, plugged in a data cable from his phone, and connected it to Obadiah's computer.
"Jarvis, extract all incriminating data, and send it to the authorities. Make it look like Obadiah committed suicide out of fear of exposure."
"Understood, Master Malrick," Jarvis replied smoothly.
Malrick turned back to see Tony still rooted in place, his expression hollow.
He walked over and gently clapped him on the shoulder.
"It's over. Go get some rest… or go find a few cover girls to take your mind off things."
Tony blinked, then managed a weak smile.
"You little punk…"
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