Tony didn't aim.
He fired by instinct.
The repulsor blast struck near the Ten Rings commander, knocking the bald warlord off his feet.
Then Tony turned and began walking out of the cave.
Outside, chaos erupted.
Gunfire roared.
Dozens of militants opened fire simultaneously.
Heavy machine guns stitched the sand and rock around him.
Bullets hammered against the Mark I armor, sparks flying with each impact.
Tony raised his arms.
Twin flamethrowers ignited.
Sheets of fire cascaded downhill, forcing the attackers to scatter. Several fighters dropped their weapons as flames engulfed their positions.
But the Ten Rings were seasoned fighters.
They regrouped.
A heavy machine gun team repositioned to Tony's left flank and opened sustained fire.
The barrage forced Tony down onto one knee.
The Mark I armor could withstand the punishment…
but the recoil, weight, and sustained impact were overwhelming.
From the shadow dimension nearby, Karl knew the moment had come.
Shadows rippled across the battlefield.
Black figures emerged silently behind the militants.
Shadow ninjas struck in perfect coordination — blades flashing once before vanishing back into darkness.
At the same instant, Karl stepped out of the Shadow World.
Blue light flared in his eyes.
Cold exploded outward.
The desert air crystallized.
Ice surged across the sand.
Every remaining terrorist froze mid-motion — expressions locked in shock beneath a growing layer of frost.
Gunfire stopped.
Silence fell.
Tony looked up.
A young man stood before him, examining the crude armor with open curiosity.
"Heh… who are you?" Tony asked through the helmet speaker. "And how exactly did you do that? Mutant?"
Karl smiled.
"My name is Karl. I'm here to rescue you. I've been looking for you for two months."
He glanced at the frozen battlefield.
"And no — not a mutant. My abilities aren't genetic."
Tony let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
He was safe.
For the first time in weeks.
"I can actually feel the cold in the desert," Tony muttered. "That's new."
Then his voice hardened.
"I need to destroy these weapons."
He looked at the Stark Industries logos stamped across the missile crates scattered around the camp.
Shame burned hotter than the flamethrowers.
Karl nodded.
"Go ahead. I can fly."
Tony gave a crooked grin.
"Let's see if you can keep up, ice boy."
He fired a micro-charge into the stacked munitions.
BOOM.
A chain reaction detonated through the weapons cache.
Fire roared skyward.
Tony engaged the Mark I thrusters and blasted into the air.
Behind him, crystalline wings of ice formed across Karl's back — angular and translucent, refracting sunlight into blue prisms.
He launched upward after Tony, matching his climb.
At altitude, the Mark I began to fail.
The improvised jet system sputtered.
Stalled.
Tony dropped like a stone.
"Not good—!"
Karl dove.
A curved ice ramp formed beneath Tony seconds before impact.
The armored suit slammed onto the frozen slide and skidded forward across the sand instead of shattering on impact.
Karl flew ahead, extending the ice path to bleed off the momentum.
Tony slid to a halt.
Safe.
The ice dissolved into vapor.
Tony lay there a moment, then burst into breathless laughter.
"That… was incredible."
He pushed himself upright.
"I thought I was done for."
Karl landed nearby, frost dispersing around his boots.
"You owe me three favors now, Tony."
Tony snorted.
"Two. Definitely two."
Karl raised an eyebrow and pointed behind him.
Shadow hands rose from the sand.
Yinsen stepped out of darkness.
Tony froze.
"My God… Yinsen?"
Yinsen smiled.
"He saved me."
Tony rushed forward and embraced him, armor grinding loudly.
Relief flooded his voice.
"You're alive… you're actually alive."
After a moment, Tony turned back toward Karl.
"Alright, Frozen Boy. Three favors."
He glanced around the empty desert.
"…where exactly were you hiding him?"
"The Shadow World," Karl replied. "Think of it as… the other side of reality."
Tony processed that for half a second, then shrugged.
"Sure. That tracks with my week."
He removed part of the helmet assembly, squinting at the sun.
"So how do we get out of here?"
Karl folded his arms.
"That depends. Nearest U.S. military base, New York, or your home in Malibu."
Tony blinked.
"You can take us straight home?"
"Yes."
Tony stared at him.
"No planes? No airport? No customs? That seems deeply illegal."
Karl shrugged.
"Tell me where you want to go."
Tony turned to Yinsen.
"You're coming with me. Going home won't change anything. With me… you can help people on a scale that matters."
Yinsen hesitated only briefly.
"…then I will come."
Tony nodded, satisfied.
Karl smiled.
Shadow ninjas emerged behind them.
Hands rested on Tony and Yinsen's shoulders.
The desert vanished.
They stepped into darkness.
Tony looked around the shadow realm — an endless black expanse filled with faint crimson glows moving in the distance.
"…okay," he muttered.
"That is definitely new."