Tony's villa perched atop a small island, its snow-white walls standing in sharp contrast to the tawny landscape. The seaside mansion was the kind of place that sparked longing in anyone who laid eyes on it. Dawn was just breaking, and the sea's surface shimmered with the first light of day.
On the shore, reporters jostled for position, their camera lenses trained on the mansion. A few television helicopters refueled and circled back, maintaining their vigil. Just as anticipation reached its peak, an armed helicopter appeared over the horizon, instantly capturing everyone's attention. Cameras swung toward it, and a collective gasp rose from the crowd.
Suspended from the helicopter's skid-style landing gear was a figure impossible to miss. Clad entirely in silver-white armor, he gripped the landing gear with one hand while the other held a massive bronze warhammer. A hood obscured most of his face, and a black cloak billowed dramatically in the wind.
Reporters zoomed in, adjusting their lenses to focus on his face, but all they could see was a narrow slit in the metal mask. Not even a glimpse of his eyes was visible.
The armed helicopter swooped low over the mansion, scattering the television helicopters like startled birds. No one wanted to risk catching the attention of the heavy machine guns mounted on its sides.
Inside the villa, Tony Stark had just been roused from sleep by Jarvis. He was in the process of summoning his latest modular armor when a thunderous crash erupted from above. Debris rained down as a hulking figure descended through the ceiling. The intruder swung his warhammer with precision, smashing the armor components that had been flying toward Tony.
When the dust settled, Tony's eyes widened at the sight of the silver-armored figure standing before him.
His gaze shifted to the warhammer in the man's hand. The hammerhead was adorned with primitive patterns and the carving of an angel, which made Tony frown slightly.
"A knight?" he asked, his tone uncertain.
Before the armored figure could respond, Tony shook his head and muttered, "Your armor doesn't look like anything from history. More like something out of a TV show. Real European armor wasn't this flashy..."
As he spoke, Tony raised his arm, and a beam of energy from his Pulse Cannon shot toward the intruder's mask.
Simultaneously, an independent armor piece—a robotic arm—flew toward the man's back, its fist clenched. It was clear Tony had grown smarter since their last encounter.
But it wasn't enough. The armored figure raised his arm without turning his head. With a swift, fluid motion, he swung the warhammer in a full arc, leaning to the side and lunging forward.
The robotic arm was sent flying with a single strike, and the Pulse Cannon beam narrowly missed its mark, grazing past his ear. In the next instant, the massive hammerhead came crashing down toward Tony's head.
Tony's leg armor deployed just in time, and with a push from his hands and feet, he zipped backward, narrowly avoiding the gruesome fate of having his head smashed like a rotten watermelon. The warhammer struck the ground with a deafening boom, embedding itself into the floor and sending cracks spidering out in all directions.
Despite the intense recoil, the armored figure's grip on the hammer remained steady. He yanked it free and charged forward with long, determined strides. Tony retreated, dodging and attacking as he summoned more armor components to attach to his body. The battle was far from over.
The helmet whistled past Hong Fei's legs with a sharp swoosh. Tony's eyes lit up, already anticipating the catch. But in the next instant—clang! Hong Fei's warhammer came crashing down from above, smashing the helmet into the ground. The metal itself remained intact, but sparks erupted from the shattered internal circuits.
Tony's eyes widened.
"Jarvis! What are you waiting for?!" he barked.
Outside the window, a low rumble grew louder. Hong Fei turned his head just in time to see a suit of armor hurtling through the glass. The impact slammed him into the wall, sending chunks of debris raining down. Within seconds, he was buried under the rubble, completely out of sight.
Tony exhaled in relief. He raised his arm again, summoning the remaining pieces of his armor. They flew toward him, assembling in a blur until he stood fully suited.
Just then, two women stepped hesitantly through the doorway, hands clasped tightly. Their gasps echoed as they took in the chaos.
Pepper released Maya's hand and hurried toward Tony.
"Tony, are you okay? What's going on this time—"
"Stop! Don't come any closer!"
Tony raised his hand, but his warning came too late.
Swoosh!
A silver-armored hand shot out from the rubble near Pepper's feet, gripping her ankle. She screamed, her voice piercing the air. Tony's heart raced. He instinctively aimed his palm cannon, but the fear of hitting Pepper made him clench his fist instead.
The targeting reticle appeared on his display, locking onto the silver arm. The missile bay on his shoulder rose—only to reveal emptiness.
"Sir, this is just a prototype," Jarvis intoned. "It's not equipped with ammunition."
"I already know that! I don't need a reminder!" Tony snapped, lunging toward Pepper.
The rubble beside her shifted abruptly. Hong Fei emerged, lifting Pepper upside down in one fluid motion. She screamed again, clutching at her safety shorts to cover herself.
Tony's fury boiled over. He swung his fist, but Hong Fei's warhammer struck upward, catching the armor's chin. The impact sent Tony flying backward. Without hesitation, Hong Fei hurled Pepper toward him. Tony adjusted mid-air, catching her gently in his arms.
Hong Fei turned his attention to Maya Hansen, who stood frozen behind him.
She was the scientist who'd shared a brief fling with Tony on that fateful New Year's Eve—December 31, 1999, the turn of the century. Tony had been in Bern, Switzerland, celebrating with Ethan, Maya, Killian, and Dr. Wu, who hadn't yet made an appearance.
The assassination attempt had been intercepted, sparing Ethan's life. Hong Fei knew Ethan was alive and well, though few considered what Tony's existence meant to him. Ethan had escaped the militants' grip, stepping out of the shadows of war and the loss of his family.
As for Killian—the night Tony stood him up had driven him to the dark side, indirectly causing the chaos Tony now faced. Tony often lamented that he'd created this demon with his own hands. But Hong Fei disagreed. The seeds of destruction had been sown long before that night.
If people could become major villains just by being stood up, there would probably be murders happening every minute in this world. That's right, the ones dying would be those who did the standing up. Tony was, at best, the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the responsibility certainly couldn't be placed entirely on him. What kind of person Killian became was entirely up to him.
The people he met were naturally part of his life. Moreover, when he went to find Tony back then, he should have anticipated the possible consequences. Standing upstairs for a whole night—to put it nicely, it was persistent dedication to his ideals; to put it bluntly, it was being stubborn. In the end, when he couldn't handle it himself, he could only blame others. Who could he blame?
Fortunately, he wasn't hopeless; at least he became stronger immediately after turning to the dark side. That said, it wasn't strange that Tony would take the responsibility for such things onto his own shoulders; he had always been like that—a person who was often annoying, but occasionally warm.
As an aside, ever since he returned from being kidnapped, Tony had basically refused to participate in any party activities himself. The first party he threw after returning home was for Hong Fei, but Hong Fei left halfway through; the second time was when he was suffering from palladium poisoning and thought he was going to die, but that time was also ruined by Hong Fei and Rhodes together.
In other words, ever since becoming Iron Man, he had never attended any parties filled with alcohol and women, normal banquets excluded.
Back to Maya Hansen. She was a biological scientist, and on that night at the turn of the century, she and Tony had a frank and deep exchange of life.
However, when she came to find Tony yesterday, Tony had unsurprisingly already forgotten her, which should be considered normal. How many people could remember a member of the opposite sex they slept with over a decade ago? Don't talk nonsense, everyone be honest!
Hong Fei looking at her was naturally not because she was beautiful, nor because she had a fling with Tony, but because she was a biologist, and she could be said to be the initial originator and actual promoter of the entire Extremis project. She played the role of a chief engineer at A.I.M.
If a comparison must be made, one could look at Dr. Helen Cho, who was currently in charge of the entire "Regeneration Cradle" project. Of course, Hong Fei could swear to Odin that in his heart, Maya was completely incomparable to Dr. Helen Cho.
Seeing Hong Fei turn his head, the shock on Maya's already surprised face deepened. She turned to run, but Hong Fei was faster.
His heavy metal boots clanked on the ground, and soon he grabbed her by the nape of her neck. Dragging the kicking and struggling Maya back, Tony happened to be helping Pepper stand up.
The two sides faced each other. Hong Fei spoke, his voice changing drastically: "Do you still want to save this one?"