Synopsis
Iron Man's wearing an old suit of armour he dug up at Avengers Tower. He stops someone using the tech from modern Stark devices in a suicide bomb. He explains that all current Stark hardware can detect when it is being used for nefarious purposes, and it contacts him. (In case anyone thinks this is an invasion of privacy, it's all declared in the terms of use small print.)
But he gets taken in for questioning by Maria Hill, Director of SHIELD, who wants to know what happened in the months he's been with Mandarin. Tony Stark explains how Mandarin infiltrated the code that's been running his body since he underwent the Extremis process in the 1st arc of Iron Man (2005). It turns out that he was infected by something in the mind backup Maria retrieved for him during World's Most Wanted. This also explains some of his behaviour before joining Mandarin, including getting drunk.
Tony claims to have removed the bad code, and he's OK now. But Maria doesn't know how he can prove it. But she has to let him go.
During the interview we are treated to a flashback following the end of last issue. Bethany Cabe flew Iron Man, Ezekiel Stane, Blizzard, Living Laser, Whirlwind and the members of Triumph Division and China's Dynasty team back from Mandarin City in China. Stark later was given a medal by the Chinese government. Stark learns from Hill (and the flashback shows us) that Bethany lent Zeke Stane a mobile phone to contact his girlfriend Sasha Hammer, because he'd been a secret prisoner of Mandarin for even longer than Stark. Neither of them are pleased about that breach of security.
Stark hides himself away, building a new Iron Man outfit. He doesn't take calls, even from Pepper Potts and James Rhodes. Pepper is still angry that Tony and Jim let her believe Rhodey was dead, as of #515. Tony didn't know who he could trust at that point. And it turned out that Pepper was a source of leaks, via the AI JARVIS in he Rescue armour.
We learn that Stark has confiscated the Rescue suit, and Rhodes' armour as well.
We also see a scene where Iron Man (still in old armour) has defeated a giant robot, but is fed up with the same old things.
Now Tony goes to see Bethany, and asks her about the phone she lent Zeke. They find the message he sent "Coming home tell your mom love Z". Stark rings Sasha's mother Justine Hammer to warn her that Stane is coming to kill her. But Justine is angry that the Chinese are now back doing deals with Stark Resilient rather than Hammer Industries, so she won't listen to him. Until she finds Zeke and Sasha in her car.
Pepper later tells Tony that Justine has gone missing.
Stark arranges a party to thank his friends (Pepper, Rhodey and Bethany plus Mrs Arbogast. Tim Cababa, Walter Macken and Carson Wyche). And also to say goodbye, at least for a while. The new suit is a spacesuit, and Iron Man's off to explore the universe.