<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/77/Iyyl.jpg) </div><hr/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>  Name:</strong> Tony Stark<br/>  <strong>Title:</strong> Avenger<br/>  <strong>Affiliation:</strong>  Humanity<br/>  <strong>Location:</strong>   Rurouni Safehouse, master workshop<br/>  <strong>Tags:</strong> None<br/></span></span><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: comic sans ms;">Part 1</span></span><br/><br/><br/>So the kids had been taken care of.. well Domino and Wolverine by now were well on their way to the left coast of the good ‘ol U.S. of A. Abigail by now should have Sandstorm and dealing some damage to.. well everyone else. The Marines were doing their best to hold Tokyo, but it was a losing battle. He hopes he is wrong on that last count. As for Paige.. Tony could tell she was anxious to check on her family. He’ll have to make that happen.<br/><br/>All of the little plans he had put into motion were coming together. And now it’s time for one last plan here in the safehouse.<br/><br/>Tony stands in the middle of his advanced workshop, doing his best to keep his mind on the task at hand. Finishing his work. Getting back into the world proper. Really making a difference at last. He perhaps underestimates how much he has done already, or perhaps he doesn’t see it as enough. He is clad in dark colored pants and a dark grey tank top, the arc reactor imbedded in his chest glowing softly through the shirt. He looks down at his hands as he flexes them. Tony just doesn’t feel the same since he injected all of those experimental nanites into his body. Who knows what sort of long term effects they’ll have. Maybe someday he’ll go around trying to inject other people with nanites and informing them that ‘resistance is futile’ or something.<br/><br/>++Sir, final testing has been completed. All systems are ready.++   He continues to stare at his hands, turning them over slowly as he speaks.    “So you’re saying it’s now or never, huh?”   He draws in a slow and a deep breath, looking up now.    “Okay… deploy.”   Tony takes a few steps back as the floor opens in front of him, perhaps 20 feet away. A platform rises from the floor, and upon it sets what looks like a red and gold case of some kind. It’s about the size of a backpack, or a suitcase. Tony stares at it critically, already seeing problems with the ‘final’ product. But it’ll do for now. Now he turns in a slow circle, his back to the case.    “Come on, hit me. And be gentle, this is my first time.”   He glances over his shoulder as small circles along the case begin to glow softly, and the case then rises up off of the platform. It turns there in the air, as if someone were getting their bearings.<br/><br/>There is a pulse of power, and the case suddenly zooms right towards Tony’s back. He winces as he senses it getting closer, only thinking about how badly impact will hurt. But it’s really not so bad. The case makes contact with his back, and straps extend over his shoulders suddenly. Tony stumbles back with the sudden, unexpected weight, but quickly steadies himself.  ++Third stage initialization.++   Jarvis says in a calmed tone, monitoring the whole event very carefully. The case sitting on Tony’s back abruptly seems to start to collapse, and then extends itself along Tony’s back and then his arms and legs. Part of it is a very mechanical unfolding, much in the same way the rocks guarding his safehouse’s entrances would do. But part of it almost seems like.. a liquid of some kind. A red and gold metallic liquid, oozing all along his body. The combination of the two methods is enough to completely cover his body in about 5 seconds, save for his head. Tony tilts his head back a little as the harness for his helmet wraps itself around the back of his head and along his jawline, the faceplate then drawing up from the case and along that harness. With a loud ‘clank’ sound the faceplate slams shut, and the virtual environment within the helmet comes to life.   “Whoosh”   he exclaims as he now takes an unsteady step forward, the armor itself finally settling into place. The parts that once were a liquid like state are now solidified, forming the joints and partial power systems of his armor. Repulsor emitters along his body begin to glow softly, as does the circular arc display on the front of his chest.<br/><br/>++The Mark VIII’s systems seem to be stable. Power output 56% above expected levels.++  Tony can only grin like a damn fool under the faceplate as he takes another step forward. He does feel a little disoriented… this armor is the most advanced Iron Man armor ever conceived. Hell, he’d wager the most advanced armor period ever conceived.<br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/08/MKVIIIA_copy.jpg)<br/><br/>Suck it, Crimson Dynamo and Doom!<br/><br/>The virtual environment in his helmet is quite different also, showing almost 360 degrees of a panoramic view of the world around him.<em>That’s</em>going to take some getting used to. He suddenly raises his right fists, and with his mental command the gauntlet shifts it’s shape and energy output. It forms various devices, all in rapid succession.   ++Multifunction variable output gauntlet tests are successful.++  Tony nods as he still grins, now turning in a slow circle, growing more accustomed to the advanced sensory input.  ++All defensive and offensive weapon systems are online. Power output has stabilized. Flight systems ready. Nanotechnology stabilized in final form.++   “So what you’re saying is it’s time to kick the tires and see what this baby can do?”    ++I don’t think I said that at all, sir.++<br/><br/>Now his softly glowing eyes turn towards Paige as he speaks.   “I’ll be back. Gonna get you a ride so you can check on your folks.”   He nods to her as he now turns, and the jets in his boots ignite. He is lifted off the ground, his palm repulsors also activating to act as stabilizers. His gaze draws towards the entryway in the ceiling, which slides open with his mental command. With a burst of power he flies up through the opening, and is racing along the metal and cement corridor, his body twisting and turning with each curve.   “WOOOOOO!” He cries out excitedly, his form now bursting forth from a hidden exit high on the mountaintop. In a matter of seconds he is high above Tokyo, just as he was when he first arrived here. Though things are vastly different now. He gazes down at the city, now picking up radio transmissions from all around him. He listens to the transmissions, but he doesn’t actually hear many of them. He just feels so… exhilarated. All the work he has put into this armor, and it’s finally paying off. He feels better than he has in years.<br/><br/>He just wishes with all his heart his loved ones were here to share in the moment.<br/><br/>++I am detecting what seems to be a distress signal.++<br/><br/>Tony is snapped out of his melancholy by Jarvis’ voice, and now he hones in on the specific radio signal Jarvis spoke of. His hands pivot only a little bit, causing his body to turn towards the western edge of the island of Tokyo. He remembers much of the resistance forces in Tokyo were there, along with more than a few Marines.  “Amplify signal.”   The transmission gets a little more clear as his sensors now start to pick out the distant fighters, showing their positions in his helmet.<br/><br/>==-ome kind of monster! Tokyo forces are calling it kuyjew!==   Tony rolls his eyes a little. He probably means ‘Kaiju’, Japanese for ‘strange beast’. Whatever it is..   ==It’s tearing us apart! We need help!==   it’s decimating them. Sounds like a job for Iron Man.<br/><br/>++Shall we?++    “Surely.”   Tony says in an upbeat tone. Power is routed to the boosters, and he jets towards the scene of the battle, hitting double digit speeds for the short burst. And the scene is like something out of a bad horror movie. Okay, welcome back to reality Tony. He stops above the battle, seeing 4 of Apocalypse’ troops moving in on a group of resistance fighters. The armored Apocatroops are armed with conventional weapons… his targeting computer locks on the guns, and instantly information about them is displayed next to them. Colt AR-15 SP1 rifles.. nasty. And God damn he loves this suit. Anyways.. from the looks of it, those Apocatroops are about to execute 3 Marines and a civilian.. no way that’s happening. Tony suddenly descends, his hands extended towards Apocalypse’ troops, the ground under him cracking from the sudden weight. They fire at him (and the Marines and civilian) at the same time, and just as they do Iron Man’s fingertips glow a bright yellow. The bullets are upon him in less time than it takes to think, but they don’t seem to do anything. Indeed they have been stopped, but not physically by deflecting off the armor. Instead all of the bullets have been collected in a rapidly spinning ball in front of Iron Man, almost as if they were instantly magnetized. They continue to fire, and every single bullet is drawn to the spinning sphere of spent bullets.     “…I…Iron Man…”  one the Marines mumbles out as he stares in awe. He had already decided he was going to die at that moment. Until a miracle of glistening red and gold fell from the sky. Apocalypse’ troops stare in confusion, and actually try firing another few rounds. But the same effect. They all appear to be human, but obviously augmented for physical strength and endurance… according to his scans. They lower the guns and Iron Man’s fingers abruptly stop glowing. As soon as he does, the bullets all fall to the ground in front of him with a pleasant ‘tinktinktink’ sound. He keeps his hands extended in front of him as he now speaks, a soft humming sound suddenly building along his arms.<br/><br/>“My turn.”<br/><br/>Repulsor rays explode from the palms of his hands, hitting 2 of the Apocatroops square in the chest, causing them to fly backwards. One of them dashes towards Iron Man, but he beats him to the punch, literally. Iron Man launches himself forward at almost the same time, covering the ground in half the time, and punches the fighter in the side of the head with all his considerable strength. The enemy’s body jerks to the right and falls to the ground. The last of the Apocatroops raises his gun towards the captive men, but Tony is quick enough to fire a quick burst from the repulsor emitter mounted on his back to cause the gun to go flying from his hands.  Yep, he loves his armor. He now turns to face the last of them, and he stalks towards him. The man’s face shows fear for a moment.. but then relief and a certain arrogance. Why? Because the cause of the resistance fighters here getting beat up suddenly shows up. Iron Man first detects faint tremors in the ground, and then from one of the repulsor emitters/cameras mounted on his back he sees something.. very big and very shiny coming at him. Racing towards him in fact.<br/><br/>Ah hell, he knew this felt to easy.<br/><br/>Iron Man starts to turn, but by the time he’s able to lift his hands towards the oncoming… thing.. he is grabbed in a bear hug that would turn a mountain to dust. Tony grits his teeth as he’s lifted off of the ground, and then thrown very hard onto the ground again. He lands on his back, and his jet boots fire to push him away from this thing. The stabilizers on his back fire and he’s back on his feet suddenly, motioning the Marines and their pal to take off. A quick scan reveals just what he’s up against.<br/>(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/20/Ironclad.jpg)<br/><br/>++Michael Steel, alias Ironclad. Ultihuman strength and endurance.++    “Ironclad? Seriously? I have to fight a ‘B’ villain from 20 years ago?”    Iron Man complains as Ironclad suddenly charges him again.   “Whoah!”   Iron Man calls out as he launches himself into the air in a cloud of dust, barely getting out of Ironclad’s reach.   “And here I was about to make a joke about Iron fighting! You ruined the moment, asshole!”   Tony calls out as he points his palms towards Ironclad, who just grins. He fires full strength repulsors at Ironclad, but they just deflect off of his body.   “Huh… okay.. well at least he can’t fly. Jarvis, give me some options.”   And just as he says that, Ironclad launches himself up, grabbing Iron Man right out of the air. Tony gasps as he is grabbed… this guy is way faster than he should be… and he almost seemed to float in the air a moment. They both land roughly and Ironclad pins Tony to the ground, and he proceeds to hammer his fists down over and over against Iron Man. Tony brings his fists up in an attempt to deflect away blows, or at least lessen the damage.   “Jarvis I think we need to update his strength level!”  He says as he feels his power systems being taxed by the cruel onslaught.   ++Unfortunately I must agree, sir.++<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 16pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: comic sans ms;">To be continued..</span></span><br/>