"Tony, what's going on with you lately? Did something happen?" Garus asked as he entered Tony Stark's lab, only to find the billionaire obsessively tinkering with his Iron Man suits, muttering to himself.
Tony's mind was flooded with memories—flying a nuclear missile through the wormhole above New York, Baron Strucker effortlessly tearing apart his armor and locking him in a darkened cell.
"Garus, is there any way to enhance my body?" Tony finally paused his work and looked at his friend. "My suits are powerful, but I'm still just an ordinary man. My reflexes are too slow, and I can't bring out their full potential."
Garus thought for a moment. "Maybe the Extremis virus would work, but the risk is enormous. If the enhancement fails, it could kill you." He sighed. "Most superheroes in America gained their powers by sheer chance—something unrepeatable. Otherwise… you could try learning magic? I know the Ancient One."
"Yeah… let's not do that."
"Mr. Stark, several armed helicopters are approaching," J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly warned.
Before Tony could respond, a deafening explosion shook the lab, blasting a massive hole in the wall. Outside, enemy forces were already launching missiles.
"Who the hell are these guys?!" Tony's heart pounded. He never expected a direct assault on his home. He hadn't even put on his armor yet.
"I'll handle them." Garus leapt up, catching the incoming missiles and hurling them back at the attackers. Before the next wave could hit, he dashed forward, his footsteps cracking the floor beneath him.
Mid-air, Garus had a realization—this was likely connected to Dr. Aldrich Killian and the Extremis project. Despite all the changes in events, some things were still unfolding as he remembered.
Even though AIM was under the control of Azeroth Tech Corporation, it seemed Wilson Fisk had let some things slip through his grasp.
Onboard the helicopters, the hired mercenaries from AIM stared in horror as Garus rocketed toward them.
"What the hell is he doing here?! Retreat! Now!" They knew they weren't equipped to handle someone like him. Even Iron Man was a challenge—this was supposed to be a quick strike.
"Boom!" Garus swung his sword, slicing a helicopter clean in half. The crew aboard plummeted toward the sea below.
The remaining helicopters, realizing the situation was dire, immediately changed course.
"Trying to run?" Garus swung Frostmourne mid-air. Two thin spatial rifts split open, severing another pair of helicopters in an instant.
Watching the attackers plummet, Garus caught one of them and soared back toward Tony's villa. He needed to confirm whether Killian was behind this.
By the time he returned, the mansion was in ruins—concrete debris and shattered glass everywhere. Pepper Potts stood amid the wreckage, anxiously watching Tony, who was sitting dazed on the ground.
Garus restrained the captured mercenary with icy chains and shook Tony's shoulder. "Tony. Tony!"
Tony snapped back to reality and looked at Garus. "Can you get me the Extremis virus?"
"You want to enhance yourself with Extremis?" Garus looked at him in shock. "The success rate isn't great. If it fails, you'll literally explode. Not even ashes would be left."
"I've made up my mind." Tony's voice was firm.
"Tony, you don't have to do this," Pepper protested, her face clouded with anger.
Tony placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Pepper, I'm tired of this. My armor isn't reaching its full potential because my body is too weak. Ivan Vanko, these attackers today—without my suits, I'm nothing. If Garus weren't here, I wouldn't even be able to protect myself, let alone you."
"Garus, talk some sense into him!" Pepper pleaded.
Garus merely shrugged. "Not my call."
"Let's deal with this first," he said, turning to the restrained mercenary. The man had been knocked unconscious during his fall. Garus dumped a bucket of water over his head, jolting him awake.
The mercenary's eyes darted around, realizing he had been captured.
Tony activated part of his armor, slamming a metal fist into the man's gut. "Who are you? Who sent you?!"
The mercenary groaned, clutching his stomach. "You really think I'd tell you?"
"You don't have to," Garus said calmly. He plunged his hand into the man's chest—and pulled out his soul.
"How about now?" Garus asked, his fingers wrapped around the struggling spirit. "Or would you prefer a taste of Hell's torment?" Death magic coiled around the soul, preventing it from passing on.
The mercenary stared in abject horror. He could see his own body lying on the ground, while his hands—his whole form—had turned ghostly and translucent.
Pepper and Tony were equally stunned. They had never seen anything like this.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the mercenary's spirit wailed, breaking down. "My name is Benson! I'm a mercenary! We were hired by AIM to kill Tony Stark!"
Garus smirked. "Just as I thought. Now I know exactly who's behind this. Time to settle things."
Tony barely had time to react before Garus opened a portal and disappeared.
"Hey!!"
At AIM headquarters, Andum knocked on the door of a private office before stepping inside. "Dr. Killian, the mercenaries failed."
Killian didn't seem surprised. "They were just disposable grunts. This time, we send in our own people."
Andum hesitated. "Doctor… there's something else. The mercenaries ran into Garus. One of them was captured."
"What?!" Killian shot to his feet, his confidence suddenly wavering. He wasn't ready to face Garus yet. "Pack everything up—we're leaving. Now."
"What about the agents Mr. Fisk sent to keep an eye on us?"
"Kill them. We can't afford loose ends," Killian ordered. "Gather everyone involved in the Extremis project. We're leaving immediately."
Without wasting another second, Killian began packing his research—Extremis data, experimental notes, and anything else of value. Time was running out.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON