As Parker left, it took less than three minutes for the left hand and right leg pieces of Tony's armor to arrive, flying through the broken window.
Putting on the two pieces, Tony wondered, "Where did the rest go?"
Elsewhere, Harley saw the warehouse door shaking and ran down with the key. Before he could unlock it, the armor pieces burst through the door, flying off on their own.
Watching the departing armor pieces, Harley smiled, knowing Iron Man was back.
In the Villa, Jiraiya looked at Tony's two armor pieces and laughed, "Buddy, isn't that a bit too little armor?"
Tony responded helplessly, "I don't have your space tools to carry armor around."
"Damn, one day I'll develop a space device and integrate it into a wristwatch, so I can carry my Mark suit everywhere."
Kankuro, serious, said, "Mr. Stark, I believe you can develop it."
It didn't take long for the rest of the Mark 42 armor to arrive and assemble on Tony. Catching the last piece, the faceplate, Tony put it on.
"Good to see you again, Jarvis."
"Hello, sir."
Jiraiya, noticing the battle damage on Tony's armor, commented, "Wow, is this the battle-damaged version? Your style has changed."
Tony, with a self-deprecating tone, replied, "Doesn't it look cool?"
"Guys, we need to head out."
Tony prepared to take off, but the suit didn't respond. Clearly, the propulsion system had an issue.
"Damn it."
Tony cursed and said, "Looks like we need Trevor's speedboat."
Jiraiya patted Tony's shoulder and said, "Let's go."
The three quickly found Trevor's speedboat and headed towards their target.
On the boat, Tony checked his suit and realized the thrusters were low on power, so he started recharging them.
While charging, Tony said, "If that guy gave the right address, we should get there soon."
Jiraiya asked, "What's the plan? Capture Killian or eliminate him?"
Tony thought for a moment and said, "If he doesn't resist, we'll spare him."
But it was clear Killian wouldn't go down without a fight.
Tony then took out his phone and called the Vice President.
The Vice President, at home, quickly answered, "Hello."
"Sir, this is Tony Stark."
"Welcome back to the land of the living," the Vice President replied.
Tony said, "We believe you are the next target of the Mandarin."
"We need to get you to a safe place immediately."
The Vice President refused, "Mr. Stark, I'm about to have honey-glazed ham, surrounded by capable agents."
"The President and Colonel Rhodes are on Air Force One and are very safe."
"I think we're fine."
Hearing this, Tony urgently said, "Sir, according to my information, Colonel Rhodes has been captured by the Mandarin, and the Iron Patriot suit is in their hands."
"If the Patriot is with the President, then it's not Rhodes inside."
"Damn, they're planning to kidnap the President. You must notify the people on that plane."
The Vice President calmly replied, "Alright, I'll handle it. I'll have the guards secure the area."
"If necessary, F-22s can arrive in half a minute."
"Thank you, Tony."
Tony nodded, "It's up to you then."
The Vice President hung up. His security advisor approached and asked, "Anything wrong?"
Handing over the phone, the Vice President smiled, "Everything is perfect."
He then walked into a room, kissed his daughter, who was in a wheelchair, on the forehead, and said, "I love you, sweetheart."
The Vice President's daughter had a leg amputated.
Despite his promise, he did nothing to secure the area or alert the President.
…
Meanwhile, at the airport, the President, saluted by a group of soldiers, headed towards Air Force One, ready to board.
At that moment, the Iron Patriot landed with a loud noise, catching the President's attention.
Seeing 'Colonel Rhodes' in the Iron Patriot suit, the President smiled, confident in his safety.
Saluting the approaching Iron Patriot, the President said, "Colonel Rhodes."
"Good to see you. This makes me feel the safest."
The Iron Patriot saluted in return but didn't speak, following the President onto Air Force One.
Once everyone was aboard, Air Force One took off, following its predetermined route.
…
Elsewhere-
Tony, worried about the President's safety, said, "Jiraiya, I'm still concerned about the President. The Iron Patriot suit was my design; regular agents and soldiers aren't a match for it."
Jiraiya replied, "You can't save both the President and Rhodes simultaneously."
Just then, Jarvis spoke, "Sir, there's news from Malibu. The crane has finally arrived."
"They're clearing the basement door now."
Tony asked, "What about my suit?"
"It's charged to 92%."
Tony looked outside and said, "I'll make do with it."
"Do either of you know how to pilot a speedboat?"
Jiraiya and Kankuro shook their heads, "We haven't learned."
Tony told Kankuro, "This is easier than controlling puppets. I'll teach you."
"Once you know how, continue towards the target. I'll remote control the Mark 42 to support the President."
Kankuro nodded, "Alright, teach me."
After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Actually, I can run on water faster than a speedboat..."
Tony shook his head, "No, that's too conspicuous."
…
At 5 PM, Air Force One was in the air. Savin, wearing the Iron Patriot suit, locked two agents wanting to take selfies with him in a compartment, then melted the door handle, trapping them inside.
Savin then walked to the President's office.
Seeing the Iron Patriot, the President asked, "Anything wrong, Colonel?"
Savin looked around the room, picked up a Statue of Liberty figurine from the desk, and threw it, impaling a man sitting next to the President, killing him instantly.
The sudden change stunned the President, but the nearby agents reacted quickly, drawing their guns and shooting at the Iron Patriot.
The bullets did nothing to the suit. Savin, in the Iron Patriot, killed all the President's security personnel, then grabbed the resisting President and slammed him against the wall.
Opening the faceplate, Savin said, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. President."
Seeing the person inside wasn't Rhodes, the President realized Rhodes must have been compromised and said, "If you're going to kill me, do it quickly."
Savin smiled, "Calm down, Mr. President. That's not the Mandarin's style."
###
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