Marvel's Iron Lady

Due to the limited tools at hand, the Iron Armor Mark I could not match the Iron Spider Suit, which used nanometal technology to allow for seamless donning and removal. Miss Stark had to expend considerable effort to fully fit Dr. Yinsen into the metal frame, set up the weapons, and attach the armor plates.

"Yinsen, are you nervous?"

"Are you kidding? I feel like I'm locked inside a metal coffin, just waiting to die."

Perhaps the pressure was too much; Yinsen's usual scholarly manner gave way to a rougher, more candid tone.

Miss Stark wasn't offended—in fact, she welcomed the opportunity to bridge the gap between them. Although they had both been imprisoned by the Ten Rings, she hadn't interacted much with Yinsen. He appeared amiable and refined, yet inwardly, he was guarded and cold. She didn't even know if they could call themselves friends—survivors of a shared ordeal, maybe.

Outside, they heard commotion—someone banging on the door, accompanied by phrases she couldn't understand.

"They…ah, they must have caught on to our little project, haven't they?"

Inside his iron shell, Yinsen's face tightened in alarm, clearly worried that the Ten Rings would barge in and execute them on the spot.

"Not 'must have.' They already know."

But Miss Stark showed no signs of panic, keeping her focus steady as she tightened the final screws on his armor before turning to a nearby computer. An old relic, the ivory-colored body bore marks of age and disuse. Its specs wouldn't make it to any thrift store, yet she had managed to swindle it from the Ten Rings.

She had explained that the missile's microchip required detachment from satellite controls to allow for manual operation and detonation. They had accepted this explanation and provided her with the outdated machine.

The Iron Armor Mark I used a rudimentary transmission system. To ensure Yinsen could move, she programmed a basic mechanical control script using Python. Since it was only an auxiliary script, it allowed for simple movements—walking, raising an arm—though it lacked flexibility and sometimes jammed. All she could do was hope it would work.

Ignoring the enemy outside, Miss Stark focused intently on her computer screen, fingers flying over the ancient keyboard. Just outside the iron door, several Ten Rings guards had clearly lost their patience and began to unlock the door, intending to investigate.

BOOM—CRASH!!!

As they opened the door, the iron chain tied to the handle snapped, setting off the gunpowder-packed bomb. Flames erupted, illuminating the cave and shaking the mountain. Although she hadn't added any shrapnel to the bomb, the guards closest to the blast died instantly, sprawled across the cave floor.

"They…they broke through, didn't they? Quick, get behind me!"

After the explosion, Yinsen's panicked voice trembled as he glanced toward the door.

"All's well, Yinsen, they're not coming out of this."

At his concern, she gave a slight smile and shook her head, calming his nerves. His protective urge might've been a touch chauvinistic, but she could see he genuinely wanted to keep her safe.

"I'll go pick up their weapons. Once the program loads, you're good to go."

After typing the final command, she turned toward the door. Smoke billowed out, obscuring the view.

"Wait, that's too risky. We should move together once I'm ready!"

"Yinsen, I'm an American—we're all raised to handle guns, and besides, I grew up in a munitions company."

"But—"

"Trust me, I'm tougher than you think. I'll be counting on you to clear the path."

While she reassured Yinsen, chaos erupted outside.

The Ten Rings immediately noticed the prisoners' disappearance on the monitors and sent guards to check. When they heard the explosion and lost contact with the first team, it became clear that something was terribly wrong. The tattooed head of the Ten Rings gang sent in a second group but kept his distance, likely out of self-preservation.

The next group of Ten Rings members made their way through the winding cave toward the cell, only to find devastation. Bodies lay scattered across the floor. When they stepped closer to investigate, more traps were triggered, and a fresh explosion echoed through the cave.

"What the hell is happening? Are you okay?!"

Trapped in the Iron Armor, Yinsen craned his neck to peer down the cave corridor, though he couldn't see a thing.

"Relax, I set two proximity mines under those bodies. Anyone who steps on them—goodbye."

Miss Stark's voice came from the shadows, an AK-47 slung over her shoulder, her hair tied back and her body armored in a bulletproof vest taken from one of the fallen guards.

The computer gave a bright, crisp ping—the loading bar was complete. Miss Stark turned to Yinsen, her face breaking into a smile.

"Alright, grab the control lever in your gauntlet, and you're free to move."

Another blast rocked the cave, and the Ten Rings commander decided it was time to see for himself. He would go in, but only after equipping himself with a bulletproof vest and letting his men clear the way first—better safe than sorry.

The third group entered, but the moment they stepped inside, they froze at the sight of a massive iron figure looming in the darkness. These trained fighters, well-versed in open combat, assassinations, and bomb-making, had never encountered anything like the iron giant before them. It left them dumbstruck.

Their hesitation was Yinsen's opportunity. Although still a reserved scholar, he had his own simmering rage. His family had been killed, his hometown obliterated, and he had become an unwilling captive of the Ten Rings solely for his technical knowledge. If he and Miss Stark were to make it out alive, he would need every ounce of the Iron Armor's strength.

The terrorists lifted their weapons, firing wildly at the iron giant as if only by emptying their guns could they stave off their terror.

Bullets clanged against the armor, sparking against the plating. Yet the cave was hardly an ideal shooting range, and many rounds ricocheted, bouncing off the walls and striking the shooters themselves.

The Iron Armor Mark I emerged from the onslaught with only surface scratches. The terrorists gaped, staring at their unscathed target, then back at their guns, unable to comprehend.

Seizing the moment, Miss Stark's precise shots picked them off one by one, sending them to their eternal rest.

She followed behind Yinsen, using his iron-clad frame as cover to take out anyone who crossed their path.

Yinsen was hardly passive; his iron fists smashed any enemy in his way into the cave walls. The sound of bones breaking mixed with gunfire, creating a grim symphony.

Seeing their ranks decimated, the Ten Rings soldiers panicked. Some continued to fire, oblivious to ricochets hitting their own comrades. Others broke down entirely, abandoning their weapons and scrambling out of the cave, desperate to escape this iron nightmare.

With the Iron Armor around him, Yinsen forged ahead, taking down anyone in his path.

The Iron Armor's power was measurable in tons, crushing any who dared to confront it. Unlucky few found themselves shot by ricocheting bullets or smashed by the metal fists, ribs puncturing their lungs as they lay gasping on the floor.

Miss Stark watched with a touch of pity, her heart softening despite herself. She ended their misery with her Glock, sending them to their maker.

The Ten Rings hadn't anticipated facing a monster like this; they hastily retreated from the cave entrance, setting up defensive lines and even a Browning M2 machine gun scavenged from a U.S. military Humvee. Explosives, however, were off-limits due to their proximity to stores of munitions—they weren't that reckless.

Each step the Iron Armor took reverberated through the ground, the metallic clang echoing like a bell, unsettling the terrorists further.

Yinsen didn't stop, his iron steps carrying him to the cave's entrance. He stood there, imposing against the backdrop of pouring rain, as the terrorists waited, huddled around the M2, faces taut with dread.

The M2's standard model, the Browning .50 caliber machine gun, was used by infantry and mounted on military vehicles, designed to target light armor and low-flying aircraft.

The commander who had ordered the machine gun wasn't entirely a fool—he knew that heavy caliber rounds were likely the best option against the Iron Armor.

Unfortunately for him, Yinsen pressed the red button on his control stick before they had the chance to fire.

Miss Stark had informed him that this button fired a lightweight missile, with a single use. After that, he'd have to rely on the suit alone to withstand the machine gun's fire.

With a click, a small but deadly missile launched from the Iron Armor's right arm, hurtling into the massed crowd beside the machine gun.

The crude missile, made from whatever materials Miss Stark could scrounge up, wasn't especially powerful but served well enough for tightly packed groups. The explosion threw the men around the machine gun off their feet, the air filled with screams.

"Consider it an advance payment on their dues. Pity the boss wasn't here."

Miss Stark appeared at the cave entrance, lips curling as she surveyed the carnage. But there was no sign of the tattooed commander, who seemed to have vanished. He likely sensed the situation and slipped away, leaving his men to fend for themselves. But this was far from over.

He would return someday, repenting his crimes before her.

"Yinsen, help me carry this into the cave."

Miss Stark gestured toward the remaining munitions stockpile, tapping on Yinsen's iron armor.

"You want to…alright, I understand."

Though they had only known each other for days, they had forged a unique bond. Yinsen could sense her intentions almost intuitively.

With the Iron Armor's help, Miss Stark moved the Ten Rings' stockpile of munitions deep into the cave, stacking them together.

Once Yinsen was freed from the armor, she left it at the cave's far end but took the almost-drained Arc Reactor.

Several minutes after they exited, a deafening explosion shook the mountain. Blast after blast reverberated, burying the cave, its secrets, and the remaining Stark Industries munitions.

"Destroying those weapons doesn't erase the connection between Stark Industries and the terrorists."

Standing beside Miss Stark, Yinsen watched the distant cave explosions, sighing softly.

"True. But you know too much, Dr. Yinsen. Ever thought of that?"

The link between Stark Industries and Afghan terrorists had nearly resulted in their CEO's kidnapping. If word got out, and those who had fought and lost loved ones in the fight against terrorism discovered that Stark Industries was supplying their enemies, public outrage would be immense.

Families of fallen soldiers would be the first to demand justice, followed by the courts and even rival arms manufacturers, whose markets Stark had cornered.

The storm of criticism could destroy the company—Miss Stark hated threats like that.

Still, she had no intention of forcing Obadiah Stane into a corner, even if he had some involvement. She didn't want to alienate her last remaining family member.

"You're not going to kill me to keep it secret, are you?"

Yinsen gulped, a bead of sweat appearing on his brow. He knew she was capable of killing without hesitation.

"Of course not…I'm joking, Yinsen."

Miss Stark's stoic face softened into a warm smile, startling Yinsen—he'd never seen her like this before.

"I know your family was lost to war, and that you have nowhere to go. How about you come to America with me? Think of it as a favor returned—you saved my life. Without you, we wouldn't have escaped."

In the distance, the hum of helicopter rotors and beams of white searchlights signaled the arrival of American forces.

Before this escape, Miss Stark had hacked the terrorists' Wi-Fi, contacting Rhodey back at Bagram Airbase and giving him her location for a rescue.

"I'll take you to Bagram Airbase. If you don't want to go to America, I'll give you a bank card with a hundred million dollars, and you can go anywhere you like."

"If you come back with me, you'll have a job—a chance to witness the world's transformation."

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