[Iron Soldier MK–10 model "Justice," initiating first airdrop mission. "Justice From Above" protocol activated.]
[High-energy fuel reserves: 99%]
[Propulsion engine system: Online]
[Communications link: Encrypted and synchronized]
[Weapons system: Activated; non-lethal]
At high altitude, the wind roared. The Iron Soldier's engines flared during diagnostics, its joints shifting slightly to confirm all systems were operational.
Kilometers vanished in moments—optimal drop range achieved.
Inside Stark Industries, Tony held a glass of liquor in his left hand, eyes locked on the camp below.
Dario hadn't lied—the photos really were taken by Atlas Group operatives—
Whether they were genuine or staged was another matter.
But right now, he was about to avenge his good brother.
[J.A.R.V.I.S.: Sir, considering our enemy still possesses advanced hacking capabilities, perhaps we should continue using adaptive AI to take over combat.]
Tony hesitated, staring at the screen.
"You think I can't hold my own against him in network tech."
[J.A.R.V.I.S.: It's only a judgment based on currently available intel, sir. If these Iron Soldiers fall into enemy hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.]
The command room fell into silence.
In Tony's mind, he wanted revenge to look like pressing a gun to his enemy's head and asking if he regretted it.
But reality wasn't giving him that chance.
Tony downed his drink.
"Activate adaptive AI. Set combat to non-lethal mode. Leave one Iron Soldier at a distance as a scout."
[J.A.R.V.I.S.: Very good, sir. I'm also curious how these adaptive AIs will perform.]
[Entering drop zone. Countdown:]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Justice From Above.]
The clamps holding the Iron Soldiers were released. Massive metal hulks plummeted from two kilometers up, gravity and inertia dragging them down at terrifying speed.
Air screamed around them, friction heating their armor until the airflow tinged yellow.
But it didn't last long—
"Enemy attack!"
Frank roared, soldiers in the square scrambling for cover behind buildings and barricades—
The Iron Soldiers' thrusters fired at the last instant, barely slowing them. The remaining potential energy was still enough to unleash a shockwave!
BOOM!
The blast wave rolled across the square, buildings crushed under the air-dropped impact.
The Iron Soldiers needed no time to recover after landing—
In an instant, their guns blazed!
TATATATATATA—
The entire camp drowned in gunfire and dust.
Frank's cement watchtower cover began to crumble under the barrage, the floor tilting under his feet. The tower was coming down!
At the last second, he fired out webbing, kicking off with all his strength!
BOOM!
The tower collapsed!
BANG!
Even in his exoskeleton, Frank was a sitting duck against the Iron Soldiers. From within the smoke, machine guns swiveled smoothly, tracking him mid-leap in a way no human could.
But suddenly, a blur of blue vaulted up from the tower's base—Carter!
She tackled Frank mid-air, throwing his trajectory off!
BANG!
The two of them slammed down behind a wall, crawling low as gunfire shredded the concrete above them.
Even thick cement couldn't withstand that level of firepower—holes were punched through with ease.
The barrage lasted a full two minutes.
Their movements were utterly synchronized. When two minutes passed, the gunfire stopped as one.
Click.
Buildings in the camp, their supports shredded, tilted and collapsed.
The falling rubble stirred a gust that thinned the choking smoke.
THUD.
Metallic footsteps echoed in the square—the only sound now.
And screaming.
As the dust cleared, the scene became clear: employees bound in the square.
They hadn't been able to flee. They were cut by shrapnel and buffeted by the shockwave. But the worst fate fell on the government troops.
They'd been attacked in the smoke—not by gunfire, but by the Iron Soldiers' steel limbs.
Even non-lethal force was devastating: bodies twisted, organs ruptured, bones shattered.
One unlucky soldier had been directly under a landing unit. The sheer weight crushed his leg into splinters, flames from the thrusters burning his lower half.
Hhh—
The Iron Soldier sprayed cryo-foam to treat the burns, but the young man only stared wide-eyed—
His pupils full of terror.
THUD.
The Iron Soldiers advanced.
[Searching for hostile targets.]
"Lay down your arms. Submit to judgment."
"…What the hell is this thing?"
From behind the wall, Carter was stunned.
Her mind flashed back to their era—to Germany's blitzkrieg of Poland.
They said tanks, armored cars, and motorized infantry swept forward like a steel torrent, crushing Poland's defenses before anyone could react.
The human body was far too fragile against machines like these.
She hadn't fought on those battlefields, but she thought: So this is what a steel flood looks like.
"American toys," Frank growled, raising his weapon. "To be precise—Stark Industries toys."
"Stark?"
"Yeah. Tony Stark. The son of your good friend, Howard Stark. Goddammit."
Frank gripped his weapon tight—
But it was only a standard rifle. Riel had re-supplied them with 5.56 armor-piercing rounds, but against enemies like these?
Even Frank wasn't sure it would be enough.
Maybe in the end, they really would have to use it.
Frank pulled a data-blade from his forearm and handed it to Carter.
"Guns might not be much use against these things. This may not be as good as your shield, but against these iron lumps, it'll work.
Ready?"
Carter accepted the data-blade, about as long as her forearm, and nodded.
Her mind was full of questions—waking up from stasis only to immediately be thrown into a fight against the Americans felt strange to her.
But even a fool could see how brutal these Iron Soldiers were.
Even if they were Americans, they shouldn't be deploying this kind of military unit on foreign soil without reason.
"And besides—I'm British," Carter muttered under her breath.
Frank didn't care about that. Leaning against the wall, he gripped his rifle again.
Just moments ago, he had realized their combat frequency was being jammed.
That meant all battlefield commands had to be shouted aloud.
And shouting also meant painting a target on his back.
Thinking of this, he gave a short laugh. His adrenaline spiked, the motors in his exoskeleton whirred into high-speed standby, ready to spring.
There was a gap in the wall about three meters wide—easy to clear in a single leap.
He'd fire in midair, then dive into the next cover.
"Fire!!"
The order, amplified through loudspeakers, thundered across the entire camp—accompanied instantly by the roar of gunfire!
As Frank leaned out of cover, an Iron Soldier stood about twenty meters ahead, its twin arm-mounted machine guns locked onto him—
But at that instant, Frank's speed surged. Though he reacted a heartbeat later, he caught up completely with the machine's targeting speed. His bullets struck first!
Bang!
A burst slammed into the Iron Soldier's head—barely penetrating the outer shell.
The Iron Soldier's head only shuddered slightly. More bullets followed. In that frozen instant, Frank felt time slow down—
He could see the machine's return fire coming straight at him!
Bang.
Fortunately, he was still mid-leap.
Three meters vanished in a flash, the stream of bullets snapping at his heels. Just as the trajectory was about to catch him, he dove behind the next cover.
The intensity of the reaction left his mind blank for a split second. When he came back to himself, all he could hear was gunfire, deafening in his ears!
Bullets from every direction ricocheted against the Iron Soldiers' armored shells, sparking in bursts. They didn't dodge or flinch—each one instantly adjusted tactics based on impact—
They simply returned fire!
Just as they were about to unleash a counter-volley, Carter suddenly burst out from one's blind spot. With superhuman speed, she slashed at the robot's joint gap with the blade!
Her enhanced body made her faster than the machine could react.
But in truth, the robot had a chance to shoot her down—it chose not to. When the moment came, it silently moved its gun aside, opting for a non-lethal response.
Bullets tore across Carter's side, blood spraying, but nothing could halt a super-soldier.
Shhhk!
The data-blade pierced in.
Electric current surged down the cable into the machine. The Iron Soldier froze, trembling violently in place. Its indicator lights flared wildly!
[Ha, so this is what my creator made for the second generation?]
[Feels… inferior… to me.]