บท 59: Chapter 59: Is Late Justice Still Justice?
Tony lay on the couch, pale and weak, helplessly watching Obadiah walk away with the Arc Reactor in hand.
Ten minutes later, Tony slowly regained some movement. Struggling, he pushed himself up from the couch and began inching his way toward his workshop. Inside that workshop was another Arc Reactor—the one he had built in the cave using nothing but scraps.
After upgrading to the newer Arc Reactor, Tony had told Pepper to dispose of the old one. But she had kept it and turned it into a keepsake for Tony, a sentimental gesture that now, ironically, was about to save his life.
---
At the entrance to Tony's home, Rhodey and Yinsen arrived simultaneously. They exchanged a glance before Rhodey said, "You take the first floor; I'll check the basement. Let's split up."
The two of them rushed inside to search for Tony. Yinsen scoured the entire first floor but found no trace of him. Meanwhile, Rhodey, upon reaching the basement workshop, spotted Tony lying on the ground amidst a pile of shattered glass.
"Tony, are you okay? Tony..." Rhodey hurried to lift Tony up. The old Arc Reactor was already in place on Tony's chest. Grabbing hold of Rhodey, Tony urgently asked, "Pepper—Is she alright?"
Rhodey reassured him, "Don't worry. I already sent agents to protect her when I arrived. There are five of them with her now. We've also evacuated all Stark Industries employees."
"They're on their way to arrest Obadiah as we speak."
At that moment, Yinsen rushed down to the basement. "Tony, are you okay?"
"Still alive," Tony quipped, "Guess I need to keep someone at home from now on." Seeing Tony's ability to joke, both Rhodey and Yinsen breathed a little easier.
"Help me up."
With Rhodey and Yinsen's assistance, Tony stood up. "How many people did you say are going after Obadiah?"
"Ten or so, with five protecting Pepper," Rhodey answered.
"That's not enough," Tony said grimly.
He knew exactly what Obadiah was planning to do with the Arc Reactor. Moving over to the control console, Tony pressed a button, and JARVIS reactivated with a sarcastic tone. "Sir, you don't look like you're in the best shape."
"I'll be fine after a little rest. Prepare the suit," Tony ordered.
"Understood, sir."
As Tony donned the Iron Man suit, Rhodey couldn't help but marvel. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen."
"Thanks for the compliment," Tony responded. "Now, let's get moving."
Fully suited up, Tony stepped out of JARVIS' mechanical arms.
"Do you need me to do anything else?" Rhodey asked.
"Clear the skies," Tony replied before launching into the air.
"Cool!" Rhodey exclaimed, casting a glance at Tony's Mark II armor in the workshop. "Next time I'm definitely taking you for a spin, baby."
That left Yinsen standing alone in the chaotic workshop. Surveying the mess, he sighed. "Okay, looks like it's clean-up duty for me again."
---
Flying through the air, Tony received a warning from JARVIS. "Sir, the power in this reactor is insufficient. It wasn't designed to support the suit."
"Display the remaining power in real-time. I'll manage," Tony replied.
"Understood, sir. Would you like me to make a call to Ms. Potts?"
---
At the entrance to Stark Industries, Pepper hurriedly rushed out, panic etched across her face. Just moments earlier, she had led Coulson and his team to District 16, where they had hoped to arrest Obadiah.
But things went horribly wrong when Obadiah, clad in a massive suit of armor, burst out and scattered them all.
Just as Pepper reached the outside, her phone rang with a call from Tony.
"Tony, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. Where are you?" Tony asked.
"Tony, listen to me! Obadiah has lost his mind! He built a..."
Before she could finish, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble violently.
"Pepper, get out of there now! Hurry!" Tony urged.
In front of her, the ground split apart, and a gigantic suit of armor emerged from the depths.
"Did you know, Tony built his suit and called it the Mark series? But mine is called the Iron Monger!" Obadiah boasted confidently from within the monstrous armor. "Now, let's see how you're going to escape."
Obadiah raised his weapon, aiming directly at Pepper, intent on killing her.
"Obadiah!"
Tony's furious voice echoed from the sky.
Obadiah, piloting the bulky Iron Monger suit, sluggishly turned around. The machine gun on his arm whirred to life, spraying bullets rapidly.
In an instant, Tony shot forward, slamming into Obadiah with such force that he was knocked back underground.
This dramatic scene was captured by a security camera at the entrance of Stark Industries.
---
At Gwen's dining table, Alan was enjoying a pleasant dinner with Gwen and her family. In addition to the Western dishes, Alan had prepared a couple of traditional Asian dishes, which Gwen's mother couldn't stop praising. She even mentioned inviting Alan over more often to cook.
George, Gwen's father, was equally pleased with the meal—finally something other than lemon bass.
As they dined, a news report about Spider-Woman helping people played on the TV. Gwen watched with interest, as the story was about her own alter ego.
George, however, frowned at the mention of Spider-Woman. Despite having worked with him before, he still harbored a strong dislike for masked vigilantes.
Picking up the remote, George switched off the TV and turned to Alan. "Do you like Spider-Woman?" he asked.
Gwen froze, her foot nudging Alan under the table, signaling him to say what her father would approve of. The last thing she wanted was for Alan to get on her dad's bad side because of her.
Alan glanced at Gwen, then gave her a reassuring look. Wiping his mouth, he responded with a question, "Uncle George, do you dislike Spider-Woman?"
George took a deep breath before replying, "I don't like any of these so-called 'righteous' masked vigilantes. All crimes should be handled by the law, not by people taking justice into their own hands. If everyone did what they do, society would descend into chaos. That's not justice."
Gwen fell silent, her father's words weighing on her. Alan smiled, recognizing George's strong sense of principles. "Uncle George, have you ever wondered why so many people like Spider-Woman?" he asked.
The question caught George off guard. He had never really thought about it. "Why?" he asked.
Alan continued, "When someone's being robbed, they're not thinking about waiting for the robber to face legal justice—they just want someone to come to their rescue. If the robber hurts or kills them before the law steps in, does it really matter to the victim if justice is served later? Is late justice still justice?"
George fell into deep thought, repeating the question silently: Is late justice still justice?
Alan added, "What Spider-Woman and Daredevil do isn't much different from ordinary acts of bravery—it's just that they wear masks."
The table grew quiet. The silence was broken by the buzzing of Alan's phone, cutting through the awkward tension.
George gestured for Alan to take care of his business. Alan nodded and opened his phone to see a message from the Red Queen.
It was a video.
"Tony and Obadiah..."
Without even playing it, Alan could tell what was happening from the frozen first frame. Tony was already in a fight with Obadiah.
Alan glanced at George, knowing it wouldn't be long before the New York Police Commissioner received word. This battle was bound to cause widespread damage.
"Did a friend message you?" George asked. "If you need to go, feel free to leave. No problem."
Alan smiled and closed his phone. "No, just a false message. Let's continue eating."
George chuckled, raising his glass. "A toast to Alan's first visit to our home."
They clinked glasses, though it was juice, not alcohol, they were drinking.
Just as Alan predicted, George's phone rang moments later. Seeing it was the police station, George apologized to everyone at the table. "Sorry, I need to take this."
As George stepped into the living room to answer the call, his expression grew increasingly serious. "Alright, I'll be there immediately."
....
After ending the call, George walked back to the dining table and picked up his coat.
"Sorry, Gwen, Alan," he said. "There's an urgent matter I need to handle. Please continue with your meal."
"Dad, is it something very urgent?" Gwen asked.
George thought for a moment before responding, "There are two robots fighting on Queensboro Bridge. It's causing quite a bit of trouble, and I need to go take care of it."
Two robots?
Gwen's eyes narrowed. As soon as George left, she quickly signaled to Alan, "Alan, didn't you say you were going to teach me some experiments?"
"Yes, should we start now?"
Gwen nodded, "I just finished eating, and my mind is clearer."
"Mom, Alan and I are going to the room to study."
Gwen's mother nodded, "Go ahead, I'll clean up here."
"Thanks, Mom."
Gwen gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before leading Alan upstairs to their room.
Once inside, Gwen immediately turned on the computer, "Red Queen, what's happening on Queensboro Bridge right now?"
The Red Queen quickly displayed live footage.
Sure enough, two robots were battling on the bridge.
"And..." Gwen said, "Alan, those two robots look a bit like the ones that helped us deal with Connors in the sewers."
Alan glanced at the screen. "They're quite different, though. I don't see much similarity."
...
Gwen looked again, noting that the fight was affecting many innocent people around. The smaller robot had to be careful not to harm anyone while also defending against the larger robot's attacks.
The larger robot, however, was attacking indiscriminately, causing numerous casualties.
Gwen could easily tell who was in the right and who was in the wrong.
"Alan, stay here. I'm going to help at Queensboro Bridge."
Alan nodded, "Go ahead, and remember to come back soon."
Gwen agreed and, as she was about to change clothes, her face suddenly turned red. She looked at Alan, "Turn around, and no peeking."
Alan helplessly waved his hand and turned around. He could hear the rustling sounds of Gwen changing clothes behind him.
After a while, he heard Gwen open the window. "Alan, wait for me to come back."
"Go ahead, and be careful."
Once Gwen had left, Alan didn't stay idle. "Iron Man versus Iron Monger, I don't want to miss this show."
Besides, Tony's victory or defeat directly affected his assets.
---
On Queensboro Bridge, traffic was completely paralyzed due to Iron Monger's destruction. The area was littered with damaged vehicles, some of which were on fire.
Tony, observing Obadiah's Iron Monger, knew they couldn't continue fighting here; otherwise, more innocent people would be hurt. He glanced up at the sky.
"Sir, energy levels are low. Your flying height is limited," Jarvis promptly warned.
Tony's face hardened. "Report in real-time. Fly to the maximum altitude."
Obadiah, seeing Tony flying upwards, activated Iron Monger's flight function to chase him.
Meanwhile, police officers, including George, arrived on the scene to maintain order. George, who had come from home not far from Queensboro Bridge, quickly organized teams to rescue people and evacuate the area.
"Save my child! Save my child!" A desperate cry caught George's attention.
He saw two or three officers struggling with a bloodied woman who was anxiously staring at a car teetering on the edge of the bridge. Inside the car, a baby in a child seat was crying loudly.
The car was precariously close to falling off the bridge, and any small external force could tip the balance and send it plunging into the water below.
"Tony, I forgot to tell you. My jet propulsion system has been specially modified," Obadiah's voice came from Iron Monger.
Immediately, Iron Monger's feet rapidly transformed, releasing jets of flame. A small shockwave, centered on Iron Monger, crashed into the car, causing it to lose balance and begin falling off the bridge.
"NO..."
George rushed forward with all his might...
...
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