At the entrance of Stark Industries headquarters, Pepper, with an imposing demeanor and Coulson, along with four agents, got out of their car and walked through the gates of Stark Industries.
"Zone 16, Zone 16? Where is Zone 16..." Pepper led Coulson and the others through the building in search of it.
Fortunately, Pepper knew that Zone 16 was located near the arc reactor, so it didn't take long for them to find it.
It was a seemingly ordinary small door, covered with yellow warning signs, and a simple "16" written on the doorplate.
"This should be it, right?" Pepper muttered to herself.
After all, this place was somewhat different from what Pepper had imagined. She had thought Obadiah would have hidden it well or made it extravagant, but she hadn't expected it to be so simple and ordinary.
"Let's go in," Pepper said to Coulson behind her, then swiped her access card on the door.
The door didn't open. Pepper swiped the card several more times, but the metal door remained unresponsive. Pepper turned to Coulson and said.
"My card isn't working. Maybe Obadiah set up some permissions. The door won't open. Perhaps you professionals should give it a try."
Coulson raised an eyebrow and lifted his right hand. Immediately, one of the agents behind him stepped forward and handed Coulson something.
"Wow, what's that? It looks like a..." Pepper frowned as she looked at the object in Coulson hand.
Coulson stepped forward and attached the object to the door. Pepper watched in amazement and asked.
"Is that chewing gum? Or is it some kind of lock-picking device?"
"Miss Potts, perhaps we should step back a few steps" Coulson said to Pepper. As he spoke, the gum-like lock-picking device on the door began to flash and emit a "beep beep beep" sound.
"Oh, okay!" Pepper quickly took several steps back, turned around, and covered her ears.
"Pooooop~"
"Oh, did someone just fart?" Pepper asked nervously, her eyes tightly shut.
...
Inside Zone 16, in front of a massive suit of armor, Obadiah was admiring his creation while inserting the reactor into the circular cavity in the chest of the armor.
Suddenly, in the silence of Zone 16, a crisp sound echoed, standing out in the stillness. Obadiah quickly looked toward the source of the sound—it was coming from the direction of the door. Someone was here!
...
"That little thing was quite interesting. I'm sure Tony would love it," Pepper said as she walked, surrounded by Coulson and the agents, who were armed and protecting her.
Zone 16 was pitch dark, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing. They reached the innermost part, which resembled a workshop.
A two-meter-tall suit of armor hung quietly from chains.
"It seems you were right. Obadiah really was making a suit of armor," Coulson said, his eyes fixed on the armor.
Pepper stepped forward and gestured at the armor, saying.
"I thought it would be much bigger than this." As she spoke, she shook her head.
Suddenly, Pepper seemed to sense something and turned around. Behind them stood an empty, massive iron frame, large enough to hang something enormous, but now it held nothing except for a few dangling cables.
"Go and check around separately. Be thorough don't miss anything," Coulson instructed his team.
As Coulson and his team dispersed to inspect the area, Pepper stood beneath the large iron frame, gazing at the hanging cables, lost in thought.
"Clink."
Suddenly, the sound of chains scraping against each other echoed behind Pepper. She quickly turned around, but there was nothing there—only a few massive chains swaying in the air.
Pepper stepped forward to examine them. Beyond the huge chains lay a void of darkness, impossible to see through.
She shook her head, thinking she might be too sensitive. Then, a circular glow emerged from the darkness, followed by a pair of enormous eyes awakening, their eerie blue light piercing through the shadows.
"Oh! Crap!"
Pepper turned and fled.
"Open fire! Now!" Pepper, running in her high heels, appeared in front of Coulson and the others.
"Ms. Potts, what's wrong?" Coulson asked urgently.
Pepper didn't respond, continuing to run toward the exit without looking back.
Coulson, puzzled, turned his head. Suddenly, a massive figure charged out from the direction Pepper had come from, barreling forward like an enraged bull. The surrounding structures seemed fragile under the impact of the figure's collisions.
"Fire!" Coulson instinctively ordered his team to shoot, but the bullets were utterly ineffective against the massive steel armor.
The combined firepower of Coulson and his four men couldn't harm Obadiah in the slightest. The bullets left no marks on the armor, only occasional sparks to prove their existence.
Obadiah didn't waste any time on Coulson and his team. He completely ignored their gunfire and charged past them, effortlessly taking them down with a few casual strikes.
"Such power, such power is truly magnificent" Obadiah exclaimed ecstatically inside the steel armor, utterly captivated by the strength he now wielded.
"But it's not enough! Far from enough!" Obadiah roared within the armor, his gaze fixed on Pepper fleeing figure in the distance. Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he shot forward.
Despite his massive, somewhat bulky frame, it didn't hinder his speed at all. Instead, each step he took seemed to carry immense force.
Pepper glanced back in panic, realizing that the distance between her and Obadiah was rapidly closing.
Fortunately, just as Obadiah was about to catch her, his hand nearly within reach, an inconspicuous, ordinary small door saved Pepper life. Obadiah enormous body slammed into the wall, the tiny iron door far too small for his massive frame to pass through.
Pepper escaped from Stark Industries, standing at the main gate. She looked back, relieved to see that Obadiah hadn't managed to follow her out.
After slightly easing her tense nerves, Pepper dialed Tony number.
"Tony?"
"Pepper! Pepper, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, are you alright? You know, Obadiah has gone mad!"
"I know, I know, listen to me, you need to get out of there right now!" Tony said urgently.
"Obadiah has built a big suit, a massive suit made an iron" Pepper said urgently.
"I know, Pepper, you need to leave, get out of there!" Tony said, frantic with worry.
"It's okay, Tony, Obadiah can't get out, he's trapped in... oh my god!"
Tony heard Pepper scream over the phone.
"Pepper? Pepper! Fuck!" In the sky, a red and gold figure streaked towards New York City at supersonic speed.
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