NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Hell on Highway
(A/n: I am so good at naming.)
The California sun was setting over the Stark Headquarters as Pepper Potts stepped out, escorted by two imposing Kane International operatives. Her vehicle was waiting at the curb while an armored SUV with 6 additional bodyguards waited ahead.
Inside her handbag, carefully sealed in a containment unit, was Tony Stark's old Arc Reactor. She placed a hand on the bag. Tony told her to destroy it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was a relic of the man who had returned from a cave with a new purpose.
Obadiah Stane leaned over a dark conference table in a Hammer Industries sub-facility. The call came through on a secure line. "The old reactor Stark discarded... Pepper Potts has it with her. She's transporting it personally."
Stane's fist clenched, his expression twisting with resolve. He didn't want a substitute. He wanted the real deal... the core of Stark's genius. 'Why chase scraps when I can claim the source itself.'
He made a call.
"Deploy the strike team," he ordered, his voice low and menacing. "I want Potts… and that reactor. Bring them to me. Now."
---
On the coastal road leading out of Los Angeles, the SUV convoy followed a lazy curve by the cliffs. Then everything exploded.
A missile soared from the hills and slammed into the leading SUV. The vehicle flipped in a booming voice. Smoke and fire flooded the highway. Pepper's sedan skidded hard, crashing into the divider.
Black-clad mercenaries on both sides of the canyon opened fire.
Inside the flipped car, Pepper groaned, dazed. Her guards slipped out, weapons drawn, already exchanging gunfire with the attackers. The mercs advanced with military precision and attempted to flank them.
"Sir! We've got a situation on Route 19. Convoy under attack. It's Ms. Potts."
Alex Kane was already moving. "Dispatch the Response Team. Prep my chopper. I'm heading there now."
---
By the time Alex arrived, the canyon road had become scorched chaos. Mercs surrounded the wreckage. Kane operatives were already in a shootout, holding the line.
The helicopter hovered for only a second before Alex leapt out, descending in a swift drop. The air shifted as his boots slammed into the pavement with purpose.
Bullets tore toward him.
With a flick of his fingers, sheets of warped metal—specially designed and fabricated to maximize his telekinetic control—lifted into the air, forming a dynamic barrier. Bullets pinged off the shifting shield, never touching their mark.
Enhanced by the perfected Super Soldier Serum, his body flowed like liquid steel. He struck with inhuman speed, killing three attackers instantly.
More mercs scrambled back. One panicked, dialing a secure number.
"Sir… We can't get through! This guy's not normal! It's impossible!"
Obadiah Stane listened in silence, with rage filling up inside him. Then he stood.
"Commence Project Titanfall. I'll go there myself."
---
Ten minutes later, a reinforced transport truck barreled onto the highway.
Kane operatives turned, weapons raised, but the vehicle didn't stop. It skidded to a halt, spun, and the entire rear container hissed open with a mechanical groan.
From the dark interior stepped a giant.
Sixteen feet tall. Alloy-plated. Red eyes glowing.
The Iron Monger.
Stane's voice boomed from the Iron Monger's speakers, distorted and full of venom. "Kane!!"
Alex hurled a twisted SUV door with a burst of telekinesis. The chunk of steel struck Iron Monger dead-on but bounced off with a metallic clang.
Stane responded with a volley of micro-missiles.
Alex reacted instantly, sending out a pulse that diverted the explosives upward. They exploded in the sky like grim fireworks.
"Interesting," Stane's voice echoed from the suit. "That ability... telekinesis, is it? I'd love to open you up and see how it works."
Alex didn't reply. He felt it now. The weight of it. He was overpowered. Not because of power... but sheer scale.
Then his earpiece chimed.
A static voice of Tony came through.
"Hey 'Showtime', looks like you're a bit outgunned. Mind if I even the playing field?"
With a sonic boom, red-and-gold comet tore down from the clouds. Iron Man landed between Alex and Stane in a blast of light and dust.
Alex shook his head with a light smile. "Look who's stealing the spotlight."
Tony rose, the faceplate opened, eyes fixed on the Iron Monger.
"Miss me, Obie?"
---
Meanwhile, inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters...
Nick Fury stormed into the command center, his one eye immediately locking onto the surveillance feeds.
"What the hell is going on in Los Angeles?"
An agent turned. "Sir, we have a live situation. Two armored units appear to be clashing, one confirmed to match the armor from the Gulmira incident. The other is new, unregistered, and much bigger. We've also got a Priority Threat Level 6 individual on the ground - Alexander Kane. The situation's escalating fast."
Fury's eye narrowed.
"Get me visuals on the scene. Now!. And tell Coulson to get there ASAP!" He paused and continued a beat later, "And get me Agent Romanoff. Tell her I've got a new assignment for her."
The war had just gone public.
---
Back at the battlefield__
Stane roared, charging. Tony fired repulsors, but Iron Monger's armor absorbed the blasts. Stane fired back, but both Tony and Alex countered, deflecting the missiles.
"Tony! The fusion cores on its back... aim there!" Alex shouted, his Spider-Sense flaring with precision.
Tony nodded. "Distract him!"
Alex gathered what was left of his strength. With a guttural cry, he hurled debris directly at Iron Monger's face.
"Still think I'm just a lab rat, Stane?!"
Iron Monger swatted the junk aside, but it was cover. Tony flew in from behind, unleashing a concentrated repulsor beam at the exposed fusion core.
BOOM!
One of the cores detonated violently, staggering the giant suit with the shockwave.
Stane howled. "YOU THINK THIS CHANGES ANYTHING?!"
Tony's faceplate slid shut. "It changes everything."
As the titans clashed, Alex pulled Pepper behind cover.
Suddenly, a system prompt lit up in Alex's vision.
[1000 SP spent.]
'What the—?'
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Protective shroud initiated using SP. Observation by higher beings is blocked. Mission parameters updated: Defeat Obadiah Stane. You are now authorized to take initiative. Rewards: Unlock more shop items. One-time purchase from the weapon section of the System Shop. One critical clue for future application.]
Alex blinked, then grinned, his teeth stained with blood.
"Finally."