Chapter 53: Chapter 53 The Death of Ivan Vanko
Pepper followed several police officers out of the expo, saying as they walked, "When they arrive, ask them to guard the southeast and west exits."
A police officer nodded and said, "We closed the No. 7 subway line..."
Pepper immediately asked them to arrange a bus to take people to the subway that was not closed. The other party agreed without hesitation and asked Pepper if she wanted to go with them.
Pepper said, "I'm going to wait until everyone is evacuated before I leave."
"Ok!" The police officer nodded and began to arrange the work.
On the other side, Natasha discovered an Iron Soldier approaching Tony and the others, and immediately notified Tony and told him.
"This one looks different, the energy index is particularly high!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ivan Vanko flew above Tony and the others wearing an iron armor.
After falling down, Ivan Vanko opened his mask and looked at the two people in front of him.
"It's great to be back!"
"The situation is not good!" Rhodes looked at Ivan Vanko's armor with a serious face. The previous ones were nothing compared to this one.
As Ivan Vanko opened his hands, two whips carrying high voltage electricity were swung out, shining in the dark night.
Because Rhodes did not get his upgrade from Hammer, there was naturally no famous scene with the "ex-wife", but in fact the reason why the "ex-wife" did not play a role was purely because the distance was too close.
The "Ex-wife" needs a high-speed boost and needs a certain distance to work. If the distance is too close and it explodes, Tony and Rhodes will die together. It can only be said that Rhodes did not understand how to use this thing.
Tony aimed at Ivan Vanko's uncovered head and instantly fired twelve micro missiles from his shoulders, trying to kill Ivan Vanko by surprise.
Unexpectedly, Ivan Vanko reacted very quickly and closed his mask before the missile hit him. The micro missile could only cause some sparks on his armor.
Ivan Vanko would not sit still and wait for death. He directly hit the two men with two whips. Tony and Rhodes avoided the attack from two directions respectively.
Then Tony, relying on the armor's ability to protect against electric shocks and absorb electrical energy, grabbed the whip and tried to take it back.
Unexpectedly, Ivan Vanko's steel armor was too heavy, suppressing his Mark VI in weight and strength, and directly threw him out and smashed him on the rock.
Rhodes wanted to launch a sneak attack, but Ivan Vanko wrapped the whip around his waist, pulled him over, and punched him hard, knocking Rhodes to the ground.
Seeing that Rhodes was in a bad situation, Tony immediately rushed forward to rescue him. Ivan Vanko had to give up the idea of finishing off the opponent and punched Tony, sending him flying.
Rhodes took the opportunity to fire his palm cannon at him twice, then accelerated and distanced himself before he turned around.
Tony steadied himself in the air, turned around, and used the acceleration of gravity to knock Ivan Vanko, who was facing away from him, off balance.
Rhodes, who had distanced himself from Tony, fired palm cannons without hesitation. Although several consecutive rapid palm cannons failed to break Tony's defense, they made Ivan Vanko unable to take care of Tony and he could only raise his arms to resist.
Tony also took the opportunity to distance himself, and the two of them began to fire palm cannons at Ivan Vanko in the middle from the left and right. Ivan Vanko swung out his whip and wrapped it around Tony's waist.
When Tony saw the energy of the armor rising continuously, an idea suddenly came to his mind. He grabbed the whip with his hand to prevent Ivan Vanko from whipping him back, and then asked Rhodes to pull away and charge the palm cannon.
At the same time, he began to accumulate strength. Seeing that the situation was not good, Ivan Vanko immediately grabbed Tony's feet with another whip and pulled him to the ground, but he also exposed his back.
Rhodes fired a charged palm cannon at his armor, successfully injuring Ivan Vanko. Tony also took this opportunity to lie on the ground and fired the palm cannon with full energy.
Ivan Vanko's armor was continuously attacked by two charged palm cannons and finally couldn't hold on, causing a lot of malfunctions. Ivan Vanko himself was also hit by Tony's palm cannon and was dying.
The two men walked up to Ivan Vanko, who was lying on the ground. Before they could say anything, Ivan Vanko said, "You lose!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the reactor on his body began to flash red, and at the same time all the steel armor began to flash.
Rhodes instantly realized that the Iron Soldiers would self-destruct and they had to get away quickly. Tony immediately thought of Pepper's safety.
The two took off at the same time and rushed towards the expo at full speed. At this time, Pepper, who was still at the entrance of the expo, looked at the iron soldier who began to flash not far in front of him.
Before she could figure out what was happening, Tony rushed to her, picked her up and left as she screamed, and then the Iron Soldier exploded.
Tony held her and flew to the roof of a building. The rapid acceleration made Pepper have difficulty breathing. After landing, she pushed Tony away.
She couldn't accept this thrill for a moment and suddenly wanted to resign.
Tony walked forward, "That's surprising!" He felt that Pepper was just looking for an excuse to be angry with him because he concealed the fact that he was going to die.
Pepper explained that she was not making excuses, but Tony held her hand, "You deserve better treatment. You have always taken good care of me. If I am destined to sacrifice, I hope I can go without regrets. I can't lose you, Pepper!"
Pepper's eyes turned red as tears welled up, her emotions finally overcoming her composure. She tried to hold back, but a soft sob escaped. Tony, standing close, couldn't bear to see her like this. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed her gently. At first, Pepper was taken by surprise, but she soon melted into the moment, her arms wrapping around him.
The intimate moment was abruptly interrupted by Rhodes clearing his throat. "You two are kissing like a couple of seals fighting over grapes," he quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Pepper pulled back immediately, her cheeks flushing red. She stammered, trying to explain, "I… we weren't—"
Rhodes waved her off with a grin. "You don't have to explain. I heard it all."
Tony turned to Rhodes with an exaggerated glare. "You'd better get out of here right now," he said, pointing at him.
Rhodes smirked. "I got here first. Go find your own rooftop."
Tony couldn't help but laugh at the comeback. "I thought you'd run out of jokes by now."
Rhodes tilted his head with a mock-serious expression. "That was the last one."
The banter lightened the tension, and Pepper managed a small laugh, wiping away her tears. After the exchange, Tony turned to her, his voice soft. "Thanks, Pep. You really hit her hard back there." He was, of course, referring to the verbal blows she had delivered during their efforts to de-escalate the chaos.
Pepper nodded, her usual confidence returning. "Someone had to."
Rhodes, however, wasn't done. "Speaking of hitting hard, my car got blown up back there," he said, crossing his arms. "I want to borrow one of your suits."
Tony's response was immediate and firm. "No! Absolutely not."
Rhodes stepped forward, unbothered by the refusal. "I wasn't asking, Tony. You said you needed teammates, right?" Before Tony could argue, Rhodes closed the mask of the Mark II and took off into the sky.
Tony let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head as he watched his friend disappear. "That guy," he muttered, though there was no hiding the small smile playing on his lips.
With the chaos at the expo finally under control, Tony and Rhodes managed to turn the tide, preventing Ivan Vanko from causing further destruction. The cost of the damage was high, but their efforts had saved countless lives and prevented what could have been a catastrophic loss.
In the aftermath, the recognition for their heroism came swiftly. Washington, D.C., decided to honor both Tony Stark and James Rhodes for their bravery and quick action. Ever the showman, Tony didn't hesitate to use his SHIELD connections to arrange a little poetic justice. He ensured that the senator who had always been critical of him would be the one presenting the award.
Tony could already imagine the scene: the senator's forced smile and barely concealed disdain as he handed over the accolades. The thought alone was enough to make him chuckle.
But that was a story for another time. For now, the immediate crisis had passed, and the world could breathe a little easier—at least until the next inevitable challenge.
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