Seated in Obadiah limousine, the car drove into the heart of New York City. Obadiah took a glass of champagne from the car refrigerator and handed it to Raiden.
"You must be curious about why I asked you here," Obadiah said, stretching his arms and leaning back in his seat.
"A little" Raiden replied, tilting his head.
"Tony is still too young. He sees and knows too little. Look at the world outside" Obadiah said, pointing out the car window.
"How rich and beautiful it is, how prosperous this city is. But the reason it can be this way is because of war!"
Obadiah pointed at Raiden, swirled the champagne in his glass, took a sip, and continued
"America needs war. War brings money, brings profit. Do you know how much compensation the U.S. government pays for a dead American soldier?"
Raiden shook his head.
"Four hundred thousand dollars. But when you add various insurances to that number, it becomes one million four hundred thousand dollars! That's a substantial amount of money, enough to give a struggling, low-income family a better life" Obadiah said, shaking his head.
"And do you know how much profit we make from the weapons we sell in a year?" Obadiah asked, lowering his voice.
Raiden looked at Obadiah and shook his head again.
"Hundreds of billions of dollars. That's pure profit, an unimaginable amount of money. Part of it goes into the pockets of the more than seventy thousand Americans who work for us, and another part goes into the U.S. government's coffers through taxes. The rest, aside from what we keep for ourselves, is reinvested into weapon production. This cycle is what makes America so powerful," Obadiah said, gesturing excitedly with his hands.
"In the process of producing weapons and developing arms, skyscrapers rise from the ground, countless companies survive within our supply chain, and countless people get jobs and livelihoods," Obadiah said, looking into Raiden eyes.
"And all of this is fundamentally because of us... But Tony doesn't understand. He can't see the bigger picture. He only sees what's right in front of him. He wants to end the war, you know? When he flies around in his toy suit in the Middle East, all he's doing is destroying Stark Industries," Obadiah said in a low voice.
"America can't do without war... but it can do without Stark, you know?"
"Tony is a smart man. I believe he knows what he's doing. He's doing what he thinks is right, and that's his freedom," Raiden said calmly.
"Freedom?!" Obadiah face showed anger, a kind of inexplicable rage.
"What he's doing will destroy everyone—himself, his father legacy, the more than seventy thousand Americans who work for Stark Industries, and countless other Americans who are affected by Stark Industries."
After speaking, Obadiah gently touched his face, calming his emotions, and said.
"Tony may not have truly returned to America. He's still lost in that cave. But you're his friend, the one who walked out of that cave with him. I've taken care of Tony for decades, but I've never seen a friend like you by his side. I hope you can help him."
"How can I help him? I don't think Tony needs anyone's help" Raiden retorted.
"His decision to shut down the weapons manufacturing division after his return has left everyone dissatisfied—not just the shareholders, but also the U.S. government and the American people! To protect him, I had to stop him from returning to the company." Obadiah paused here, took a sip of champagne, and continued.
"But Tony has created a weapon, an unparalleled weapon, one that could end wars. Of course, we don't necessarily need that weapon. Let that Iron Man suit go to hell. What we need is the reactor in his chest. We could pivot and become an energy company—that's no problem. But the issue now is that Tony has hidden that technology. He's unwilling to use it to save himself, to save Stark Industries." Obadiah spoke sorrowfully, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
Although Raiden memory of the movie plot was mostly hazy, he was certain of one thing. there was only one Iron Man, and that was Tony Stark. This meant that Tony would never hand over the reactor, and Obadiah efforts would be in vain.
Seeing Raiden remain silent, Obadiah added.
"I hope you can persuade Tony—for his sake, for the sake of the American people."
"Why do you think I'd succeed? I've tried, but I failed. Tony is a stubborn man" Raiden said, shaking his head in confusion.
"He's no more stubborn than you..." Obadiah paused, waved his hand, and said "Never mind. I believe there's always a way. I can't just stand by and watch Tony destroy Stark Industries. I'll do everything in my power to persuade him."
Raiden remained silent, feeling that Obadiah was... well, a bit odd.
The car headed north and drove into an estate—a very large one, complete with its own golf course. Such properties weren't cheap near New York. Obadiah led Raiden out of the car and walked to the front of the estate. Spreading his arms, he said.
"Look, isn't it a beautiful estate? This is a gift for you."
Raiden examined the estate's grand entrance and nodded, saying "It's an extravagant gift. Is this a bribe? Are you trying to bribe me into persuading Tony? Obadiah, that really won't work, trust me."
"No, no, Raiden, this is just a gift. I like you, and I think we can be friends. Welcome to New York," Obadiah said with a smile, his expression friendly and sincere.
"Wow," Raiden said, running his hand over the exquisitely carved marble gatepost. He smiled and nodded.
"This is a very nice gift. Thank you."
Since someone was willing to give, Raiden was naturally willing to take. Although Raiden always felt that Obadiah gave him a strange vibe, he couldn't possibly eat him, so what was there to fear?
"Here." Obadiah handed Raiden the keys to the gate and a property transfer agreement filled out with Raiden's name. It was a complete agreement, with everything filled in—except for Raiden signature as the concerned party.
After handing over the items, Obadiah turned and walked back to his car.
Raiden watched Obadiah retreating figure and said.
"Thanks, Obadiah."
"No need to thank me. You can call me Obie if you like, but I hope you'll continue to help Tony. After all, there's still so much in this world that Tony doesn't know, isn't there, Raiden? I look forward to our next meeting." Obadiah waved without turning around, then got into the car.
Raiden watched the car drive away, his brow furrowed with confusion. Obadiah was... truly intriguing.
Obadiah had left Raiden with too many questions, but fortunately... none of that mattered! What mattered was this! The mansion! Here I come!
Raiden turned and walked into the estate. Since he couldn't make sense of it all, he decided not to dwell on it. For now, Raiden only thought was to enjoy this wonderful life.
....
Meanwhile, in Obadiah car, the driver asked.
"Boss, where to now?"
Obadiah gazed out the window, his eyes filled with a hidden murderous intent, and calmly replied, "To the airport."
That night, at a private airport owned by Stark Industries in the outskirts of New York.
Two planes, fully loaded with Stark Industries' private armed forces, took off.
Their destination—the Middle East!
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