Tony Stark's words had barely fallen when the man with the gun suddenly turned around.
"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked by the speed of light?"
A blinding flash burst from beneath Kai's feet.
Without mercy, Kai lashed out—his kick connecting cleanly and sending the man flying through the air.
"Flash Finger Gun!"
A dazzling beam of light shot from Kai's fingertips, streaking through the sky.
Before the man could even react or explode, the brilliant light pierced straight through his head.
Bang!
The man's lifeless body hit the ground with a heavy thud. The glowing Extremis energy under his skin slowly faded away.
Watching the corpse grow still, Kai turned to Tony and smirked.
"Oh my, you're really a mess, Tony."
"This is the second time I've saved you. It'd be unreasonable if you don't give me a raise."
As he spoke, Kai pulled off the handcuffs that had been binding Tony Stark.
"A raise? The last thing I need is money," Tony muttered, rubbing his wrists. "But I didn't expect Killian to send someone after Mrs. Davis too."
He frowned. "That means her document must be very important."
Tony led Kai to the bar and retrieved a folder tossed in the corner. "With this, we can definitely find out more."
"So you still don't know where Killian's base is?" Kai asked.
"That's right!"
"Then why are you even here?"
Tony spread his hands. "When Happy got seriously injured, I had JARVIS analyze all the suicide bombings over the past two years. Tennessee showed some very strange data."
"There's been more than one bombing here, and all those involved were former soldiers."
"So I set this place as my destination. Before I even arrived, the Malibu villa got attacked."
"When I blacked out, the armor flew me here automatically—straight to my target."
At this point, Tony raised the document and said confidently, "So, buddy, while there's still time, I need to repair the armor. With this information, we're one step closer to Killian."
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
"This is already the ninth suicide bombing case we've received," Maria Hill reported grimly.
Nick Fury's one good eye narrowed as Hill continued, "Since last night, bombers have appeared across multiple state capitals. Killian's clearly trying to create chaos—to cover his tracks."
"I'm not sure how many people have been injected with Extremis, but if we don't stop this soon, there'll be more casualties and panic."
Fury placed a file on the table. "How did he leave New York without us noticing? Any leads?"
"No." Hill shook her head. "We even used S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites to sweep every inch of the city, but it's like Killian vanished into thin air after leaving the commercial street where Happy was injured."
She handed over a folder. "This is AIM—the high-tech company under his name. These are his recent partners: several politicians, businessmen, and even military contractors."
"Colonel Rhodes's armor was modified by AIM," she added.
"You think these people helped Killian escape?" Fury asked.
"There's no solid proof," Hill said seriously. "But think about it—escaping our surveillance and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellites? That's not something ordinary people can pull off."
She took a sip of her cold coffee before continuing. "If it were just AIM, fine. But what I'm really worried about… is that AIM—or Killian himself—might have ties to Hydra."
Fury frowned deeply, silent for a moment. "Are Kai and Tony still in Tennessee?"
"Yes."
"Then let's give them some support. Grant Tony limited access to a few S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites. With his brain, he'll find Killian faster than anyone."
"Yes, sir," Hill replied. She turned to leave.
Giving Stark limited satellite access wasn't a big deal. As long as the key systems stayed locked, even Tony Stark wouldn't uncover S.H.I.E.L.D.'s real secrets.
The Next Morning
"Finally! The armor's repaired!" Tony stretched, cracking his stiff shoulders.
He waited for a sarcastic reply from behind him—but got silence instead.
Turning around, he realized Kai was gone.
Just as Tony reached for his phone to call him, the door opened and Kai walked back in, holding a paper bag.
"Wow, you actually bought breakfast? Did you know I was hungry or something?" Tony asked, snatching the bag.
He peeked inside and grinned. "Bread, jam, milk—hell, even a cheeseburger! Didn't expect you to be this thoughtful. I'm touched… maybe I really should give you that raise."
Kai sat down beside him, munching on his own sandwich. "For a hundred-thousand-dollar breakfast? I think it's worth it."
"What?" Tony froze mid-bite.
He looked at Kai like he'd just been robbed. "What kind of breakfast costs a hundred grand?"
"You said it yourself!" Kai replied casually. "This morning, when Harley went to school, I asked if you wanted breakfast. You were too busy fixing your armor and didn't object."
"No objection means agreement. So—deal done."
He pointed at the bag. "Bread, jam, milk, and your favorite cheeseburger. Since I paid attention to your preferences, that's another fifty grand."
"F**k you," Tony grumbled, flipping him off as he sipped his coffee.
"I swear, one day you'll be the richest man in the world—just because of me."
Kai smirked. "That's the plan."
Tony chewed on his toast, then said, "By the way, S.H.I.E.L.D. just gave me limited satellite access."
He slid the Davis file across the table. "Take a look—this guy was injected with the Extremis virus."