The Invincible Iron Man #1

[fan4]

The Invincible Iron Man #1

Iron Lies

Written by Timothy Eklund
Edited by Aaron Martel

Flash bulbs lit up multi-millionaire Tony Stark’s face as he smiled at the many reporters gathered at the press conference. The press conference took place in one of the many meeting rooms of Stark Tower. The subject: what Tony Stark will do with his new company, Stark Enterprises.

“Sir, what do you think about the dropping stock prices since your arrival?”

“Sir, is it true you fired many of the old employees?”

“Sir, what possibility is there of bankruptcy?”

The reporters all questioned feverishly, until the silver walls rang with the clamor of speech. Tony Stark tried to answer all of the questions as best he could, but the sheer amount was getting the better of him. Just as he was about to call the meeting to a close, a question caught his ear.

“What is your connection to the Iron Man?”

The words echoed in his mind. Was his secret out? Had they guessed it? He quickly regained his composure and probed the crowd for the reporter who had said it.

“I have no connection with Iron Man, or any of the so-called Marvels,” he said.

The reporter soon spoke up. He was an older man with a small moustache. His name tag identified him as Frederick Fosswell. “Sir, then how do you explain the Iron Man’s frequent appearances around this area, or how his trips always seem to end here?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea of the intentions or activities of the so-called Iron Man, and now I’m afraid that I have to call this session to a close.”

Tony Stark stepped off the podium as the reporters began to collect their things and the camera flashes died down.

He walked down the hall to his private office. Soon, he started feeling weak, and hurried as fast as he could to the solitude of his office; when he got there he closed the door and locked it.

[fan4]

“Look! It’s Iron Man!”

Days later, the gray form of Iron Man raced across the sky, his bulky gray armor forming a long streak as he sped towards his destination. His antenna picked up police reports from the ground and fed them into his helmet, where his human ears heard it. He had heard a report of a police chase along a New York road, and he was now speeding in that direction through the air. Soon he could see the speeding car, with the police not far behind. He raced after the car and, passing them, landed just in front of them. The drivers of the car were surprised at the sight of him.

“What the hell’s that?” one yelled.

“Just keep driving!” the other one yelled back.

The Iron Man lifted his arms up and fired his repulsor rays at the car, slowing it down until it stopped right in front of him, at which point he punched straight through the engine, destroying it. The criminals got out of the car and one nervously pointed a gun.

“St-stay back! I-I gotta gun!” He shook as he said it. His partner ran away, just as the cops drove up and stopped in front of him. The Iron Man was not fazed by the threat and started walking towards the first criminal, who nervously fired. The bullet bounced off the iron armor. The criminal fired again and, shocked, started to run away. The second bullet also ricocheted off of Iron Man’s armor, as did all the other bullets. Soon, the criminal’s clip was empty, and the two surrendered and were arrested.

Before the policemen could thank Iron Man for the deed, he soared off in the direction of Stark Tower hurriedly without a word.

[fan4]

Word spread quickly of the Iron Man’s victories and Tony Stark’s denials. Soon, almost everybody was talking about the gray-hued superhero and the multi-millionaire Tony Stark. There were many theories. Some thought the Iron Man wasn’t human, but a machine built by Stark; others thought that the Iron Man was some kind of communist spy. Everybody had an opinion however, and many argued over it when they were bored. Soon, Stark announced another press conference, and the hype soon built up. Everybody hoped that light would be shed on the Iron Man issue.

Soon the day of the conference arrived. The press poured into the Stark Tower meeting room; along with the press, the conference was being televised on several news networks. Instead of seeing the smiling face of Tony Stark when they walked in, they saw the armored form of Iron Man. Many of them stopped and gasped at the sight, but soon they regained their composure and proceeded to ask questions.

“Who are you really?”

“What is your connection to Tony Stark?”

“Where does your loyalty lie?”

The metal man raised his arms, motioning silence. After the reporters quieted down, the Iron Man began to speak in a distorted metallic voice.

“Hello. My name is not important. My old life will be forgotten. Now I am only Iron Man. Once I was much like you… This is the story of the creation of Iron Man.”

The man in the armor began his story.“I was a newly recruited bodyguard for Tony Stark, and I was to accompany him on his business trip to Vietnam. A rebel band of Vietnamese did not take kindly to our arrival and shot down our plane. The pilots and other guards died. Only Mr. Stark and I were left. They soon captured us and imprisoned us. I did my best to stop them, but in the end I failed. They commissioned Stark to build hi-tech weapons for them, and left us alone. In secret, Mr. Stark created plans for a metal suit that would bequeath great power to the wearer. I assembled it, and, since Mr. Stark did not have the stamina to wear it, I put it on. When our captors came to check up on us I made short work of them and we escaped. While running through Vietnam, I stepped on a mine and I became fused to the armor, and so I cannot take it off. We met an American pilot by chance, and he flew us back to America.”

“So, that is my story. I now stand as both Stark’s bodyguard and protector of the people as well.” With an electronic click, the Iron Man finished his story, bowed slightly, and left the room. The press soon reverted back to their loud, questioning state, but the Iron Man was neither answering nor coming back. They soon left slightly unsatisfied.

[fan4]

In his private office, Tony Stark took off the iron helmet he had worn through the press conference. He took off all of the armor except for the breast-plate, which he plugged into an outlet in the side of the wall. He was not happy with himself. He was not happy with what he had become. The press-approved version of his story had left a bad taste in his mouth, as it did not do justice to anyone he had met in Vietnam on those fateful days…

To be continued…
Next: Iron Truths