Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The story opens with Tony Stark in an earlier Iron Man armor fighting the sentient Armor that has been spawned. Then the flashbacks show us how we got to this part. Returning to the lab after the Armor has killed Whiplash, Tony confronts it and it claims that it was merely acting on Tony’s deepest desire and questions why Tony would be upset when he had earlier planned to shut down its consciousness. The Armor also reveals it has taken control of Jocasta so that Tony and it can have some alone time. Rumiko Fujikawa arrives and the Armor admits her, warning Tony not to let its secret slip; the Armor refuses to leave Tony’s side (with a veiled threat to Rumiko). She repeats her confession of love to Tony and he declines to respond, sending her out in tears. The Armor then mentions unfinished business….
Tony and the Armor go to San Francisco to confront Trevor Donohue, who had hired Whiplash to kill Iron Man. Donohue denies everything and the Armor becomes violent, wrecking part of Donohue’s office. Tony apologizes and hustles “Iron Man” out of the room. On the plane back to Seattle, Tony explains the concept of “evidence” to the Armor which begins to run down, alerting Tony that it does have a weakness. Tony claims that the Armor has more to learn before they can work together….
On a lighter note, Pepper and Happy visit a carnival and end up kissing….
Tony and the disguised Armor attend Whiplash’s funeral with Tony hoping the Armor can learn the ramifications of death, here, that the villain left behind a young son and that by reading Tony’s thoughts it knows how Tony felt when his own parents died….
Back at the lab while the Armor is recharging, Jocasta calls Tony to the Armory where he dons an earlier armor and confronts his sentient enemy, which is where the issue began. The two battle with the Armor becoming jealous that Tony is wearing another one and finally ripping it off Tony piece by piece. The Armor then takes Tony to a remote island where the Armor demands that Tony “either learn to be totally mine” or die….