While Leon Hall was setting his board and divining the future in preparation for his upcoming promotion ritual, the other players on the chessboard had also begun to make their moves.
Underground R&D Center, Stark Industries.
This place had been transformed by Obadiah Stane into his own secret kingdom.
He gazed fanatically at the massive, monstrous Iron Man armor nearing completion before him—the Iron Monger.
With the “bait” Tony had delivered right to his doorstep, the heart of this war machine had finally found its perfect solution.
“A genius…
an absolute genius…”
Obadiah could not help but laugh aloud.
Then, he looked down at the silver suitcase in his hand, which the mercenaries had brought back as a shield of sorts.
The case was opened, revealing a small pile of mysterious ashes and an analytical report written by Tony Stark himself—something Obadiah could not fully comprehend but knew was of immense importance.
He did not understand the underlying science of this substance, but through Tony’s report, he understood its effect: [Probability Mist], a cognitive interference field capable of severely disrupting precision electronic targeting systems.
“God…
this is a gift from God!” Greed and fanaticism burned in Obadiah’s eyes.
“Tony, your greatest advantage is all those fancy electronic toys of yours!
And now, your strongest spear is about to face my most mysterious shield!”
He could not wait to see the look of utter despair on Tony’s face when the Mark Armor’s targeting system completely failed.
***
Malibu Beach, Tony’s Mansion.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Tony knew very well that now that Obadiah possessed the unknown variable of the [Whispering Leeches] ashes, his proud technological advantage would be severely diminished.
The final battle would be incredibly difficult.
Although he had kept a fallback plan in reserve, triggering it required the reactor to enter a high-output state.
Without the aid of technology, he might not even survive long enough to reach that point.
But he had no choice.
He had to shoulder it all.
While upgrading the Mark III Armor, he dialed a private number.
“Rhodes, it’s me.”
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Colonel Rhodes’ helpless voice: “I knew that was you in the sky.
What is it this time?
Do you need me to write another report for you?”
“It’s much worse than that,” Tony said, his tone more serious than ever.
“I need a favor.
A personal request.”
“…Go ahead.”
“Ensure her safety, no matter what.
Right now.”
Rhodes froze.
From Tony’s tone, he could hear a grim determination, as if the man were settling his final affairs.
“Tony, what is going on?”
“Just do as I say, Rhodes.”
Without explaining, Tony hung up the phone.
However, he had no idea that this well-intentioned arrangement would trigger an alarm he could never have anticipated.
SHIELD, Triskelion Headquarters.
“Director Fury, we’ve intercepted a call between Stark and his military contact, James Rhodes,” an agent reported.
“Stark requested that Rhodes immediately secure Pepper Potts.
Based on our psychological profiling models, Stark is preparing for a war he isn’t entirely confident he can win.”
Nick Fury turned around, his single eye flashing with a sharp light.
“He’s securing his weakness.
Inform Coulson to initiate Plan B.
Under no circumstances is Rhodes to reach Miss Potts first.
We need a more controllable ‘witness’.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
Late at night, the office of the CEO of Stark Industries remained brightly lit.
Pepper Potts massaged her temples, trying to alleviate a throbbing migraine.
The documents piled on her desk resembled a small mountain, each one like a poisoned arrow pointing directly at Obadiah.
But behind these cold numbers lay a rapidly mounting dread.
Her intuition was screaming inside her head—a massive storm was brewing.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
She looked up and saw Natalie Rushman, the assistant she had personally hired into the legal department.
But Pepper’s gaze quickly bypassed her and landed on the figures behind her.
It was a man in a business suit with a polite smile, accompanied by several stern, imposing individuals.
This was definitely not an internal corporate meeting.
“Good evening, Miss Potts.” The leading man wasted no time, presenting his badge immediately.
“Agent Phil Coulson, FBI.
There are some matters we would like to discuss with you.
Regarding Mr.
Tony Stark.”
Tony?
Pepper’s heart sank instantly as her worst premonitions began to materialize.
Half an hour later.
Coulson slid an encrypted file toward her.
“We have reason to believe that Obadiah Stane is secretly engaging in illegal arms trading and poses a direct threat to Mr.
Stark’s safety.”
Coulson’s words acted like a key, instantly unlocking all the doubts in Pepper’s mind.
The fragmented, illogical details of the past connected into a complete, horrifying narrative.
Her face turned pale.
“What…
what do you want me to do?” Her voice trembled with an anxiety she didn’t even notice.
“Mr.
Stark is currently in extreme danger,” Coulson said solemnly.
“We need you to enter Obadiah’s office and retrieve direct evidence of all his illegal transactions from his computer.
Our team will provide technological support.
Once we have the evidence, we can arrest him immediately.”
Pepper looked at Coulson, barely hesitating.
For Tony’s sake, she was willing to take any risk.
“Alright,” she agreed decisively.
Seeing her agree, Coulson nodded with a smile and then looked toward “Natalie” standing nearby.
“In that case, Agent Romanoff will be fully responsible for your safety.”
Under Pepper’s astonished gaze, “Natalie Rushman” stepped forward.
The professional, sweet smile on her face vanished, replaced by the cool, efficient demeanor of a top-tier agent, as if she had transformed into an entirely different person in an instant.
“Let’s reintroduce ourselves, Pepper.”
Her voice became low and magnetic.
“Natasha Romanoff, SHIELD agent.
From now on, I will be protecting you closely until Obadiah is apprehended.”
A trace of quiet contemplation flashed through her sharp eyes.
Her original mission had been to approach that mysterious Diviner—a target so elusive that he had given her quite a headache.
It was as if he possessed an all-seeing eye; whether she went directly to the Divination Parlor or tried to orchestrate a chance encounter on a street corner, Leon Hall was like a slippery loach, always managing to perfectly avoid her in the most baffling ways.
Having failed to make direct contact after much effort, SHIELD had no choice but to use Stark’s circle as a breakthrough.
While this mission was nominally about protecting a witness, the Director had privately given her another objective: to use her access to Stark’s inner circle to find another opportunity to get close to the mysterious “Diviner,” Leon Hall.
She hoped this roundabout strategy would finally bear fruit.