Ultimate Iron Man II (2008 series) #2

In the bunker of the terrorist training camp, Iron Man and War Machine can’t tell which of the two men fighting is the boy’s father they have promised to save. The men sort it out as one kills the other and the victor is the kid’s father. Tony opens the faceplate to reveal to the father and son that he is human, not a robot, and asks which side he is on; the father wisely says he’s with them. The man directed them to a spot under a pillar. It turns out to be booby-trapped so Rhodey protects the father and son while Tony takes the brunt of the blast, losing his right arm. He discovers a metal box under the bomb. Then Tony leads Rhodey away to see what the returning copters do. What they do is to blow the bunker apart, without any effort at recovering the “robots.” Tony has his recon team pick up his severed arm….

When the government men meet with Si Ma to report that the robots were lost, she informs them that she knows exactly what was going on and she shows them what was in the box that was recovered, also telling them that the secret info was copied, digitized, and distributed while this very meeting is also being recorded. We learn the box contained plans for a nuclear weapon and claims there are two of them, one in Manhattan and one in Washington, and the government men are sent back to verify the info. Meanwhile, Tony knows that he was meant to find the plans, which are real enough so he wants to wait to see who the bomb builders contact first, the government or Stark….

Obadiah Stane visits Howard Stark in prison and tells him that he is carrying explosives in his abdomen. Stark ducks and covers while the guards take Obadiah out—where he does what he came for, mind-controlling one of the guards and ordering him to kill Stark….

Outside, Obadiah meets up with Dolores, who asked him to do this in exchange for learning who really killed Obadiah’s father. Dolores tells him he had Whiplash do it and takes the kid back to the Baxter Building….

That night, the hypnotized guard enters Howard’s cell where he is playing checkers with another guard. The hypnotized guard shoots the other guard in the head but when he turns his gun on Stark, Howard picks up the checkerboard and hits the guard in the throat with it, killing him.

Tony gets word and wonders who is behind Obadiah and what it has to do with the bomb plans found at the terrorist camp. At the prison infirmary, Tony and Si Ma inform the warden that they will be leaving the War Machine “robot” to guard Howard. Tony also assures the Warden that the guard who tried to kill Howard was under mind control, comforting his family. Then Tony is approached by the government men who tell him the terrorist have made a demand: they want Tony’s robot or they will blow up a city. Tony refuses but he needs to know who sent the message. So he has the Iron Man “robot” capture Obadiah Stane in his room at the Baxter Building and calls him on the phone to tell him they know he helped frame Howard and drugged the guard who tired to kill Howard. Iron Man holds him over the drop until he gives the name of the one behind it all: Dolores, and promises he is the only one who can arrange a meeting with Dolores.

And the next day as Tony decides to trust Obadiah, the kid calls Dolores and promises he can deliver Iron Man….