Deep inside the cave, Tony Stark had begun forging his suit of armor. He knew time was running out. Each strike of the hammer against metal echoed with urgency as he shaped it into the form he needed.
Meanwhile, after destroying two enemy outposts, Smith Doyle finally located a suspicious site nestled in the mountains—likely the one holding Tony Stark.
The sun had yet to rise; the sky was still dim with early light.
Smith scanned the area below with a combat scanner. He wasn't concerned by the large number of low-level enemies—what caught his attention were the numerous weapons clearly marked as products of Stark Industries. None of the previous outposts had this kind of firepower.
Studying the enemy fortifications, Smith hesitated. If he launched a direct assault, Tony Stark might get caught in the crossfire. So, he summoned Pool from the system space.
"You called, Young Master Smith?"
Smith pointed toward the cave below. "Pool, I need you to use your shapeshifting to infiltrate the cave. Deep inside, there are two men—one of them has a glowing circular device in his chest. That's Tony Stark."
"Your mission is to protect him. Make sure he doesn't die."
Pool glanced at the cave. "Understood, Young Master. I'll make sure the target stays safe."
He floated downward, then morphed into a gecko and darted quickly into the cave.
Smith knew that to truly earn Tony's gratitude, he had to rescue him before Stark escaped on his own. If he waited too long and Tony fought his way out, that favor would mean far less—even if Pepper Potts had paid someone to help. But if he saved him now, the debt would be owed to him.
As for Pool's capabilities, Smith trusted him. Even if the enemy tried to use Tony as a hostage, Pool could buy enough time for Smith to break in and rescue him.
He locked his combat scanner on Pool as the latter crept deeper into the cave. Once Pool was inside, Smith knew it was time.
He raised his hand and formed an energy blast, hurling it down at the enemy stronghold.
BOOM!
The blast struck the camp, erupting in a massive explosion and throwing dust into the air.
The noise immediately triggered the alarms below. Guards scrambled, shouting:
"Enemy attack! Defend the perimeter!"
Inside one of the tents, Zara was jolted awake. He grabbed his weapon and rushed out.
As the dust settled, the guards spotted Smith Doyle standing there alone. They raised their guns and opened fire.
RAT-A-TAT-TAT!
Bullets poured toward Smith like a storm of metal.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The rounds bounced harmlessly off his body, even throwing sparks—some bullets simply dropped to the ground.
Stunned by the sight, the attackers stopped shooting.
"If you're done, then it's my turn."
Smith raised his right hand. Energy orbs formed and shot toward the enemy. He carefully avoided the ammunition stockpile to prevent secondary explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Blast after blast lit up the camp, hurling Ten Rings members into the air.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of them were either dead or wounded. Smith didn't slow down, swiftly clearing out the area.
-----
Inside the cave.
Tony Stark was nearly done assembling his prototype armor. Just one last part to finish, and he could start putting it all together.
Then, the sound of explosions outside made him freeze.
"I heard that! That was definitely a blast," he said, looking at Yinsen.
Yinsen pressed his ear to the cave door. "I hear gunfire and explosions. Sounds like we're under attack."
Tony's eyes lit up with hope. "Could it be… the military found us?"
Just then, a gecko slipped through a crack in the wall. It spotted Tony, locked its gaze—and suddenly—
POP!
Pool deactivated his disguise and hovered before them in his true form.
"Tony Stark?" he asked.
Tony stumbled backward. "What the hell are you?"
Even someone as worldly as Tony had never seen anything like this—a floating, talking blue cat.
Yinsen's jaw dropped. "An… alien?"
"From the Cat Planet?" Tony muttered.
Clearly, the sight had shaken them both.
Pool ignored Yinsen and focused on Tony. "Tony Stark, I'm Pool. Young Master Smith sent me to protect you."
Yinsen looked at Tony, who was now completely baffled. He had no idea who this "Smith" was. And while the floating cat-thing looked confident, Tony couldn't imagine it taking a full clip of bullets. Besides, his armor was almost finished—he just needed a little more time to assemble it and he could protect himself.
But with the noise of combat outside growing louder, time was clearly running out.
Tony frowned. "Who is this Smith guy? Are you military?"
"Are those explosions outside because of you?"
Tony didn't know Smith Doyle or this strange creature. The only people he could imagine rescuing him were the military—or maybe someone from Stark Industries. But he didn't recognize them, which left the military as the most logical option. Maybe this creature was some secret military tech?
Pool replied, "We're not military, but yes, the explosions are because of Young Master Smith. He's out there taking care of the Ten Rings."
At that moment, one of the Ten Rings guards monitoring the cave noticed the commotion near Tony's cell.
"What is that thing?"
"Go check on Tony—and bring me that weird creature!"
Three armed guards rushed toward the cave where Tony was being held.
Hearing the footsteps, Pool turned to Tony. "Someone's coming. You two need to hide."
Tony and Yinsen exchanged a glance and quickly ducked behind cover. They used the nearly finished armor as a shield while positioning themselves in a blind spot. Pool floated up to the cave ceiling and concealed himself in the shadows.
—End of chapter—
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