The Invincible Iron Man #3

[fan4]

The Invincible Iron Man #3
The Mandarin, Part One

Written by Timothy Eklund
Edited by Aaron Martel

“So, is there any other business to discuss?” asked Tony Stark during the weekly executive meeting at Stark enterprises. He and several other executives sat at a long metal table. All wore expensive suits and had a small stack of papers and a pen on the table in front of them. Most lazily fidgeted with the pens and Tony Stark seemed to be the only one truly enthusiastic about the meeting.

“No?” asked Stark. The meeting was finally drawing to a close. “Well, then, meeting adjourned.”

At that, all of the people at the table stretched, gathered their papers, and left the room. Tony Stark remained, checking over some documents. Tony Stark was a tall, handsome man, with a small, black, moustache and goatee. His dark hair was heavily gelled and he smelled of expensive cologne. His blue eyes glinted mischievously. He wore a plain gray business suit and a plain black tie over the gray iron breastplate that kept him alive. He had just inherited Stark Enterprises, a company devoted mainly to the development of arms, as well as other various inventions. He was sitting at the metal table and inspecting a document detailing the news of the company when two people walked into the conference room. One was Virginia Potts, his new secretary; the other was Harold Hogan, his new chauffeur.

“Ah, there you are, sir. We were wondering if we could take an early lunch break,” said Hogan to Stark.

“No, not at the moment…” Tony Stark looked up from the document at the two newcomers. “Virginia, is it true that our planes to Vietnam are being shot down?”

“Yes,” said the secretary. “And please, call me Pepper.”

Tony Stark smiled slightly. “Okay, Pepper. But, why are the planes being shot down exactly? And by whom?”

“I don’t know really, though I assume the Vietnamese rebels would be the culprits. I can send an order for somebody to look into it,” said Pepper.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll go myself. And don’t worry, I’ll bring Iron Man.” Tony Stark stood up and walked out of the room still studying the document. Pepper and Harold sat down.

“So, how do you like the new boss?” asked Harold Hogan cheerfully. He was a slightly pudgy man with brown hair. He wore a disheveled suit with a bow tie.

“I don’t like him,” replied Virginia “Pepper” Potts. She was a very beautiful red-haired woman wearing a small red mini-skirt and jacket. “He reminds me of a vulgar pig,” she said with disgust.

“He doesn’t seem all that bad to me!” exclaimed Hogan, surprised at the remark.

“Well he isn’t attracted to you!” she replied loudly.

“Heh, that’s true,” said Hogan with a slight grin.

“And he’s always drinking, too. I just… don’t like him…”

[fan4]

China, December 1999, the offices of Cheng Innovations

In a small office in China, two men sat. One of them, a small, important-looking man, sat at the desk. It was his office. The other man was tall, and had long dark hair. His fingernails were long and sharpened. He wore a gray business suit. He sat in a chair facing the desk and sneered.

(*Translated from the Chinese language)
“<Even though you are a verified genius and you have earned this company large amounts of money,>”* the small important man spoke, “<I am afraid I have to let you go. Your ideas have become far too radical for this company. You talk of exploring the sacred Valley of Spirits and you have an unhealthy lust for power. I’m afraid this company cannot be held responsible for your actions any more. You have a day to pack up your belongings and go.>”

The important man raised his hand and showed the other man the door. The long-haired man got up and left. He left the building without saying anything or gathering up his belongings. He went straight to his home and began to plan…

[fan4]

China, January 1st, 2000, the Valley of Spirits

The long-haired man had planned long and hard. He had prepared to venture into the forbidden Valley of Spirits. Now, referring to himself as the Mandarin, he had set forth into the valley. The Valley of Spirits was a forbidden valley in the heart of China that was entirely encircled by mountains. Rumors spread that the valley was haunted or magical, and the Chinese government deemed it illegal to set foot in the valley and outposts were set up along the mountains to keep everything out and keep whatever was down in the valley in. The Mandarin climbed a steep cliff on one of the mountains. This was the only area that was not guarded so he had to climb up the sheer wall. He had armed himself with an elephant gun in case of an emergency or if he encountered anything out of the ordinary in the valley. He planned to discover what had caused the strange happenings in the valley, kill it, and utilize its power.

After a long climb, he reached the top of the cliff and began to descend the mountain. He soon reached the forbidden turf of the Valley of Spirits. What he saw he was not prepared for. He saw a land covered with ice but in spots burned with fire. All along the ground there were huge stone hands reaching out of the earth. He realized why the valley had been labeled as haunted and was quite frightened but he pressed on through the strange valley. He stumbled over the ice and avoided the stone hands. After a long walk he came to a small grove of trees, around which the wind blew very hard and lightning crackled. He entered the grove and found it very dark inside. He stumbled about for a while when suddenly a vast amount of white light poured from everywhere and the darkness dissipated. He quickly put his hand to his gun when a strange being stepped forward. It was a tall, brown being with great fangs and a snarling gaze; the head seemed dragon-like, but below the neck it appeared human.

>>Do not be afraid.<< He felt the words in his mind. >>I come in peace. I am an alien to your land from the planet Maklu-4.<< The being stopped just in front of the Mandarin, and held out his hand. The Mandarin realized that this was his chance and quickly pulled out his elephant gun and shot the alien at point blank range. The alien paused, shocked for a moment, and then fell to the ground dead. Not feeling even the slightest pang of pity or remorse, the Mandarin began searching the alien’s corpse. The alien apparently had no special tools except ten rings that it wore on its hands. The Mandarin pulled these off and inspected them. As each one came off, the wind died down, the lightning stopped, the fire and ice disappeared, and the stone hands grew back into the earth. The valley had returned to normal.

After collecting all ten of the rings off of the alien, the Mandarin proceeded to explore the rest of the valley. Soon he came upon what appeared to be a crashed alien spacecraft. It was long and sharp with a visible cockpit and door. The Mandarin walked up to the door and it opened automatically for him. Inside everything was dusty and dirty and made of chrome. It was a very simple spaceship with only one room. The room only had one small computer terminal and a small steering control. The displays by the steering control were all dim, but the computer shined brightly. The Mandarin moved closer to the computer.

>>Hello.<< Again he heard the words in his mind. >>I am the ship computer. How may I be of service?<<

“<Um, hello,>” said the Mandarin in Chinese. His voice was very raspy, as if he had a very nasty sore throat.

>>You do not need to say it out loud. I can read your thoughts.<<

“<I prefer it this way,>” said the Mandarin. “<I would like to know, first of all, how I can understand you and how you can understand me. Surely Chinese is not taught on Maklu-4 or whatever planet it is you are from.>”

>>You see, the inhabitants of Maklu-4, along with their computers, do not listen to the sounds you are making, but rather sense directly the meanings you are trying to convey. Is there anything else you wish to ask me about?<< The screen of the computer never varied from solid blue.

“<Yes. I found these rings,>” The Mandarin held up the rings he had stolen from the dead alien. “< And I was wondering what they do and how I would use them.>”

>>The rings you are referring to are the latest technology to be invented on Maklu-4. Invented in the year 1165 A.D. they-<<

“<These rings were invented in 1165? How long ago did this ship crash?>” the Mandarin interrupted.

>>On November 16th, 1165.<<

“< Well then, what is the average life-span of one of your species?>”

>>Approximately one thousand, two hundred years,<< responded the computer.

“< I see. Proceed with the explanation of the rings.>”

>>The rings each provide a specific ability to the wearer. The left little finger grants the ability to project ice from the ring; this ring is adorned by many golden rods. The left ring finger increases the wearer’s psionic energy. A diamond appears on that ring. The left middle finger emits large amounts of electricity. A diagonal rod appears on that ring. The left index finger provides the ability to emit a jet of flame and is adorned by four rods. The left thumb can emit various forms and intensities of light. Two small circles appear on that ring. The right little finger can create an area of absolute darkness and is adorned with eight small circles. The right ring finger fires a disintegration beam, but must be recharged for twenty minutes between uses. A square appears on that ring. The right middle finger causes air to move at high speeds and create a vortex. A single large circle appears on that ring. The right index finger shoots various forms of energy. A star appears on that ring. Finally, the right thumb can rearrange molecules. A small circle appears on that ring. You control these rings with thought alone. Have your questions been answered?<< The computer became silent.

“< Yes, that mostly covers it,>” said the Mandarin as he put on the rings. “<I hope you don’t mind if I test them out on you.>”

>>What do you mean?<< inquired the computer just before the Mandarin heartlessly blew it into oblivion with the ring on his right index finger.

The Mandarin soon left the alien spacecraft and the Valley of Spirits. On the way back, he walked up the easy way instead of the steep cliff. As he got to the top the men guarding the valley turned around to look at him in shock. The Mandarin quickly blasted them with a beam of fire from his finger. He then made his way home. There, in his luxurious home, he practiced using the rings for years. He learned the properties of each and every ring and reveled in their power. He also planned for the day when he would rule the world. Over the years his lust for power grew and grew…

[fan4]

The present day, in a plane over the Pacific Ocean.

Tony Stark sat on the comfortable seat of his private jet, growing hot under the gray armor of Iron Man. The plane ride had been a long one, but the plane was nearing its destination in China, where the supply planes had been shot down. Tony Stark did not like it. It reminded him too much of another plane ride. It reminded him of the plane ride to Vietnam that was shot down and resulted in the birth of Iron Man. Iron Man was not a person that Tony Stark particularly liked, and he had grown tired of the metal breast-plate that he was forced to wear because of a heart wound.

The plane landed on a runway at a small Chinese airport. Iron Man stepped off the plane and as the pilot prepared to fly back to America, the jet suddenly exploded. Men in commando uniforms quickly scurried onto the runway and began to fire machine guns at Iron Man. Iron Man leapt into action and quickly glided to the men and began to beat them up and twist their guns. Soon all of the attackers were unconscious.

>>Ah, I see you dispatched my minions. Good, that means I can test my newest creation! Prepare to meet… Ultimo!<< The words rang in Tony Stark’s head. He shook his head to clear it when a large impact on his back knocked him over. He turned around to see a huge thirty-foot gray robot. It was made of metal and designed to look human. Iron Man fired his repulsor rays at the thing, but they did nothing. The robot walked towards him and raised its foot. Seeing what was coming, Iron Man flew out of the way just in time as the huge metal foot came crashing down on the spot he had been standing. The shockwave from the stomp knocked him out of the air and he landed on the ground. The robot didn’t give him a chance to rest, so he quickly got up and flew up towards the robot’s head, searching for a weak spot. The robot quickly reacted, and blasted him out of the air with force that emitted from its eyes. Iron Man landed again on the hard ground and cringed in pain. He summoned his last strength and prepared his last assault on the huge robot. He flew into the sky and, dodging eye blasts and metal limbs, made his way to the back of the robot, where he latched on with all his might and started ripping off chunks of metal. This did not faze the robot who continued to try to reach Iron Man. Iron Man soon broke through the outer layer of armor and started ripping out electrical cords. After Iron Man had pulled out as many wires as he could, and broken metal and wiring littered the runway, the giant robot finally toppled, and Iron Man stumbled to the ground. Thinking the battle to be over, he dropped his guard and passed out…

[fan4]

He reawakened in chains. He had been stripped of his armor except his breastplate and chained to a dusty stone wall. A Chinese man with long dark hair and ten fancy rings said in a raspy voice, “Ah, you are awake, Mr. Stark. I see you defeated my Ultimo with ease, but you will not find The Mandarin such an easy target, I can assure you…”

To be continued