[Tony managed to climb up, gripping the edge of the glass roof, but Obadiah didn't immediately attack him. Instead, he took his time, smashing the surrounding glass in a cruel game of cat and mouse.]
[Pepper, watching in horror, screamed his name. Meanwhile, Obadiah sneered. "How ironic, Tony!"]
["You tried to eliminate weapons from the world… yet you invented the greatest weapon of all!!!"]
[Tony braced himself against the railing and shouted, "Pepper!!!"]
[Obadiah, oblivious to Tony's plan, continued his monologue. "And now… I'm going to kill you with it!"]
[He launched a missile from his left arm's missile bay—but due to his malfunctioning targeting system, the missile veered wildly off course and struck a nearby wall instead.]
["Damn it! You actually disabled my targeting system!" Obadiah roared, glaring at Tony.]
["Press the button!!!" Tony ignored him, shouting desperately to Pepper below.]
[Pepper hesitated, unwilling to press the switch. "You said you'd wait until you were clear!!!"]
["Don't just stand there, damn it!" Obadiah growled, firing another missile. This one also missed spectacularly.]
["PRESS IT!" Tony yelled louder. He knew that his suit wouldn't conduct the electricity, meaning he wouldn't be harmed. But Pepper didn't know that.]
["You'll die!!!" she cried, refusing to press the switch.]
[Obadiah launched yet another missile. This one came closer—but still missed its target.]
[The impact shook the roof violently. Tony lost his grip on the railing, now holding on with only one hand.]
["PRESS IT! NOW!!!"]
[Pepper hesitated for a second longer, then, trusting Tony, she slammed the switch and immediately ran for cover.]
[A massive surge of energy burst from the Arc Reactor, releasing a blinding beam of blue-white electricity that shot into the night sky.]
[Tony was blown sideways by the explosion, while Obadiah's Iron Monger suit, lacking proper insulation, was instantly overloaded.]
[Electricity surged through the metal frame, paralyzing him completely.]
[The entire night sky lit up as the intense energy beam illuminated New York, the blinding light visible for miles.]
[Finally, the reactor's energy was depleted, and the beam vanished.]
[Obadiah, now completely incapacitated, plummeted downward, crashing directly into the Arc Reactor below.]
[The moment he hit, the reactor exploded.]
[On the roof, Tony instinctively turned away from the blast, shielding himself from the fiery shockwave.]
[As the explosion settled, Tony collapsed, unconscious.]
[His old-model Arc Reactor flickered, sparks crackling weakly—then, slowly, the dim light of the reactor reignited.]
[In the distance, Pepper's voice echoed through the destruction. "TONY!!!"]
"Wow… that was insane," George muttered, still processing what he had just witnessed.
"But why did Tony, who was closer to the explosion, survive… while Obadiah died?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.
Tony had taken a direct hit, yet walked away with minor injuries. Meanwhile, Obadiah, despite standing further away, was fried to death.
He glanced at the people around him, but none seemed to have an answer.
George sighed. He considered asking his daughter, Gwen, when he got home—but admitting he didn't understand something was a little embarrassing.
Fortunately, when he got home, his youngest son asked the exact same question.
Gwen, without hesitation, explained the science behind Tony's plan.
George finally understood why Tony kept yelling for Pepper to activate the switch—he already knew he would survive.
[At a press conference, Rhodey stood at the podium, keeping a straight face as he spoke complete nonsense with absolute confidence.]
["Everyone has received the official explanation regarding last night's incident at Stark Industries!"]
["According to unconfirmed reports, a prototype robot malfunctioned, causing significant damage to the Arc Reactor!"]
["Fortunately, a highly trained security specialist—equipped with Stark's top-secret technology—was able to neutralize the threat!"]
[Tony, sitting at home, casually flipped through a newspaper while watching Rhodey spin the story on live television.]
[Pepper, standing beside him, carefully covered the scars on his face with makeup.]
[The front-page headline of the newspaper read in bold letters: "WHO IS IRON MAN?"]
["Iron Man… Huh. That's an interesting name!" Tony mused, smirking. "I mean, it has a nice ring to it!"]
["Technically inaccurate, though. The suit is a gold-titanium alloy—not iron."]
["But hey, people will believe what they want."]
[As he spoke, Coulson suddenly entered the room.]
[Without a word, he handed Tony a small card.]
["Here's your alibi."]
[Tony blinked, taking the card. "Okay?"]
["According to official records, you were on a yacht at the time. We have port documents proving you spent the night in Avalon Harbor."]
["Fifty eyewitnesses have signed off on it."]
[Tony raised an eyebrow. "You know… we could just say that Pepper and I were alone on an island that night."]
[Hearing this, Pepper yanked the eyebrow stickers off Tony's face. He winced in pain.]
[Coulson, unfazed, continued, "This is your official statement. Just read it."]
[Tony frowned, flipping through the three small cue cards. "Hey, wait a second—there's no mention of Stane here."]
[Coulson's expression didn't change. "We're handling it. He went on vacation. You know how dangerous small aircraft can be."]
[Tony narrowed his eyes slightly but let it slide. "And the fabricated bodyguard? He's… me. I mean, that's a pretty big weak link."]
[Coulson smirked. "This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark. Stick to the script, and you'll find that people will believe whatever we tell them."]
[Then, glancing at Pepper, he added, "You have 90 seconds before the press conference."]
[With that, he turned and left.]
[Pepper called out to him, "Agent Coulson! I just wanted to thank you—for everything you've done."]
[Coulson gave a small chuckle. "Just doing my job. You'll be hearing from us. We'll be working together again soon."]
["Your organization… what was it again? Strategic Homeland Defense—"]
[Coulson cut her off with a smirk. "It's called S.H.I.E.L.D."]
[Pepper's eyes lit up. "Oh, good! Finally! Something easy to remember!"]
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