Tony has only minutes to work out how to defuse the bomb. To make things harder, Doc Ock keeps needling him, and even attacking him with his artificial tentacles. But Stark has also found he can generate a thin armour without triggering an automatic explosion, so he can fight back.
Octavius also had a 2nd string to his coercive bow. He had sent Electro and Sandman to hold Tim Cababa hostage. But Pepper Potts and Len Pimacher had interrupted this ploy, with a fight which ended by blowing all the electrics in Broxton.
Now the villains are fleeing. Tim's head is injured, and Len stays to look after him, revealing a relationship between them that we didn't previously know about. Pepper goes after the duo, with her repulsor-based powers. But they get away.
Tony realises that he can't stop the bomb. So he does the only thing possible. He grovels before Otto, begging him to stop the explosion. He says that Octavius was always the superior scientist. But Doc Ock's only response is to leave.
On the way out he casually explains that there is no bomb. There is nuclear material, which Iron Man's sensors could detect. But it was never in danger of exploding.
Tony heads to Broxton and Pepper explains what happened. She mentions that Len and Tim are a couple. And that Pimacher exhibited some unexpected martial skill (last issue). Tony shrugs it off, but it makes him wonder if Len is the mole in Stark Resilient.
A couple of days later Tony, Pepper, Tim and Len make their pitch to Thor and the Asgardians for Stark Resilient to be given the contract for rebuilding Asgard (destroyed in Siege). They get the job.
Later Otto Octavius is gloating over a recording of Stark begging. Tim is bitching to Len and Pepper that Tony has now taken Tim's design for New Asgard and given it to the Asgardians (or the Avengers?) to rebuild themselves (for some Avengers reason). And they all witness the 'meteors' that strike Earth in Fear Itself #1.
Give that special marvelite a timely gift
Story #2How I met your mother
Writer:
Matt Fraction. Penciler/Inker:
Howard Chaykin. Colorist:
Edgar Delgado. Letterer:
Joe Caramagna.
Synopsis
This is the story of how
Tony Stark's parents met.
Howard Stark owns a hotel/casino (and probably other things). He sees a woman trying to deliberately lose lots of money at baccarat. She's also trying to avoid 2 men, who take her to a limousine containing
Obadiah Stane. Howard tries to intervene but the woman says everything's fine and they drive off. Howard doesn't believe her. He gets his staff to track Stane down.
Next thing we see they're staying at Stark's hotel, and Stane is complaining on the phone that he's come a long way to meet the owner, and won't sit around waiting even if he has been given the hotel suite for free. Stark enters and chats up the woman, until Stane's 2 bodyguards arrive. Howard and the woman KO a guard each, and escape.
Hotel staff turn up and ask Stane to leave the hotel Meanwhile Howard and the woman drive off, exchanging names. She is
Maria, his future wife.
Characters
Good (or All)
Howard Stark, Maria Stark.
Enemies
Obadiah Stane.