Invincible Iron Man (4th series) #10

The Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas: one of the harshest prisons in the US, and Tony Stark’s friend James ‘Rhodey` Rhodes aka War Machine has been locked up in there for weeks. On his way to the courtyard, a prison guard offers Rhodey a cell phone and tells him there’s a call for him. Suspicious, Rhodes refuses to touch the phone. He doesn’t want them to have a chance to frame him for possessing contraband. The guard tells him to accept the call and accept that he has friends in high places.

“Yo,” Rhodey speaks into the phone and is told to hold for Tony Stark. Thank God, he mutters.

Stark, in the meantime, is playing Black King at a Hellfire Club party, pretending to be drunk and sharing amusing anecdotes about his past. A butler comes with a phone and announces he has a call on a new sim card. They will destroy it, when he is finished.

Tony takes the phone and announces he was Iron Man as a greeting, hello? At least it sounds like one of them is having fun, Rhodes greets him wryly. He’s not, Tony assures him and looks for a private place where Rhodey can yell at him. He asks how he is and promises he is working on several initiatives for him. He’s paranoid, Rhodey replies, and sure this phone call is somehow going to be used against him. What did Stark want to talk about? Flabbergasted, Tony bursts out, Rhodey called him, right?

Rhodey looks around the prison courtyard and sees several muscular prisoners beginning to surround him, while there is a distinct lack of guards.

That very moment, Feilong enters the Hellfire Club and enthusiastically greets Tony, who realizes that Feilong set this up, hoping to watch him listen to his friend get beaten to death. Tony whispers into the phone that Rhodey’s life is in danger. Hang up and get ready to fight!

A tattooed giant grabs Rhodes and announces that he’s got a message for him. Don’t care! Rhodes grunts and headbutts him. He gives as good as he gets, but he is one man against many.

At the Hellfire Club, Stark sees red and is about to attack Feilong. However, Wilson Fisk interjects himself between the two of them. Tony orders him out of his way. Fisk calmly explains that the arrangements Tony had commissioned from him were implemented in the Polunsky Unit several days ago.

Back in Texas:
Suddenly, the fight breaks up, as sand rises from the ground. A giant fist made of sand hits the attackers. One of them hasn’t got the message and tries to attack Rhodes with a knife but is held back by a new prisoner wearing a power inhibitor. Rhodey recognizes him as the Living Laser. Behind him, the Sandman reforms. Turns out, when Wilson Fisk wants someone in prison protected, it is as good as wearing armor.

The Living Laser introduces himself as Arthur Parks and Rhodey will be his bunkmate until they get out of here. Sandman adds their employer hired them to make sure nothing happens to Rhodes till he gets out. Parks helps Rhodey up and mentions that the hardest part was getting to Texas fast enough and getting arrested. What did he do? Rhodes asks. Hit a cop, Park replies.

Sandman, in the meantime, disappears into the ground again.

Rhodes continues the phone call and tells Tony he is impressed. Tony is glad he is alive to be impressed. He begins describing the plan. Rhodes interrupts and tells him to do what he needs to win.

In the meantime, the warden informs Feilong that the hit didn’t happen and the target now has some super-powered muscle. Feilong swears and schemes again.

Rhodes is grateful but surprised that Tony hired some criminals. Parks laughs that Stark currently couldn’t afford his day rate. So, who does he have to thank? Rhodes asks.

Flashback to several weeks ago:
The office of the White King:
Stark berates Wilson Fisk, he needs his friend back out of jail and Fisk wants his wife back, so play ball! He needs Rhodes to win!

With a smirk, Fisk orders Emma (dressed as Hazel Kendall) to explain how this works. Emma explains that Tony needs to ask. Fisk waits and Tony finally swallows his pride to tell Fisk he needs his help. Fisk puts a hand on his shoulder and assures him he shall have it.

Present:
The Kingpin warns Stark not to make him protect his investment in him again. Is he sure he needs Feilong alive? Until he gets what he needs out of his head, yes, Stark replies. But there is going to be a line to kill him. His assistant Hazel has called dibs – in fact it’s a good thing she’s not here—

Of course, that moment “Hazel” shows up and sees Feilong in the crowd. Tony sees her angry look and she prepares to remove the power dampener ring from her finger. With a frozen smile, he asks her for a word and drags her into a private room.

He asks her to hear him out. She flat out refuses. She has borne every humiliation but she will not play Hazel for this murdering pig, so step aside! Tony stands and explains he has made progress with his designs, but Feilong has information in his head he needs, and they need to do this right! If she wipes Feilong’s mind, she prolongs this war and, if she takes off the ring, she will bring Sentinels to this door.

Emma touches the ring and orders him out of her way or she will make him pay. When he doesn’t comply, she kicks him in the groin. Emma suggests he suit up and get ready to fight or start running. In thirty seconds, Feilong will be braindead and she expects the minute after that the Sentinels will arrive.

Stark crawls after her, telling her she can kill Feilong, but not those machines, and he doesn’t know exactly what he’s baked into those Sentinels! He knows from Synch that his countermeasures to Magneto are in there. And he needs to know what else!

Emma hesitates as he continues that he is engineering a solution, but he needs more information! And he needs to know what his father found outside this reality. Now that he is defeated, it is Feilong’s new focus! He picks up the ring and begs her for some more time.

That moment, Feilong enters the room, asking where they are keeping the good liquor. He takes in the scene before him: Stark on his knees before “Hazel,” a ring in his hands, and bursts out whether he is marrying the help?

Emma and Tony have a quick telepathic conversation. She chafes at being restricted. She tells him to get what he needs quickly. She dreams about avenging them all! He knows, he replies telepathically, and adds with his voice he promises to make all her dreams come true. He puts the ring on her finger and they put on a show for Feilong by kissing.

Later, back among the crowd, Tony makes a show of thanking Feilong, who is understandably surprised. Tony claims none of that would be happening for him, if he’d still be wasting time in that armor saving people he doesn’t even know. Retirement suits him, he just needed the push! He is very welcome, a bemused Feilong replies and asks why he was doing that nonsense anyway. Tony explains he’s an addict and addicts gotta addict! He traded the booze for adulation – it’s a hell of a drug, but the comedown’s a bitch. Booze is tastier. He takes a drink. Plus, she was a possible human resources nightmare for him. Longtime relationship, longtime employee. She’s cheaper to marry – plus he wanted something Feilong couldn’t take from him!

Feilong asks if he is invited. Tony almost says yes, but realizes that would probably cause Feilong not to come, so he replies no. Feilong warns him he won’t’ know any real peace, until he tells them where Frost escaped to in his Iron Man armor. He must know! Stark replies, the answer is obvious. She went to Mars. Before he took a blowtorch to the mark 70, the black box told him it had been to the moon and then Mars via a teleport of some kind. If he were Feilong, he’d worry about the mutants rebooting Mars Attacks. He turns away, leaving Feilong looking concerned.

The happy couple tell everyone assembled the news and Emma decides she died at the Hellfire Gala and went to hell.

Tony whispers he has been tinkering in an old sex dungeon with a shag carpet. He needs a real place to work. This is going to buy them time away from prying eyes. With a frozen smile, she whispers back, good idea. She ought to pry her eyes from her head.

Reddick the butler (and the only one in the know about Emma’s true identity) congratulates them. When Emma assures him that it’s going to be a very long engagement, Tony interrupts and orders him to pack their things - they are heading for Las Vegas!

En route in the sports car, Emma groans that Feilong had better show up if they are going to go through with this. Tony points out that, technically, he is the only one getting married. Hazel Kendall is just… a suit of armor! Emma can throw the identity away after they win. And please throw away the X-chain she is wearing! She replies she found it in one of her coats. It was a gift from Forge. There will be no more of it.

They arrive at the hotel and do what they are expected to do. Dinner, dancing, romance. At night, Tony puts on his new Mark Nil stealth armor. He tells her not to wait up. He has a busy night. She replies she has some X-Men business. If she doesn’t show up in the chapel, she is either dead or didn’t even want to fake-marry him.

Iron Man takes off. The armor is a good stealth suit but lacks the power he needs to fight Feilong and the Sentinels. So, he breaks into Zeke Stane’s secret labs and robs him blind. He relatively quickly gets rid of the defense drones and steals what he needs: a machine that builds other machines. And Captain America organized a driver for him to take this to the Morlock Tunnels. Said driver is Deadpool, who wheedles for an invitation to the wedding and is summarily ignored.

A quicks shower and change of clothes later, Tony heads to the wedding chapel. He isn’t nervous, until he sets eyes on her. She looks beautiful and Tony realizes Emma Frost is going to break his heart. He looks surprised, she smiles. He replies that he wondered if one of them was going to get cold feet. She asks, what if Feilong doesn’t show or does so with an entourage? Then they do it the hard way, he replies, and tells her she looks wonderful.

As if on cue, Feilong enters, grinning he just couldn’t help himself. He takes a seat in the empty pews as the ceremony begins. Emma telepathically warns Tony that Feilong will have psychic defenses, so stay close.

Emma takes off the inhibitor ring, tucks in their officiant for a little nap and then links with Tony to have both of them dive into Feilong’s mind.

The astral plane:
Emma’s mental image is that of the White Queen, Tony’s of his first Iron Man armor. They smash the wall into Feilong’s mind. They find a memory of Feilong watching a filmed message Howard Stark had left behind for Tony. Feilong destroyed the message later, but now Tony gets all the info from Feilong’s photographic memory. Emma downloads all the intel about the Sentinels and states the man is a monster.

Tony watches the message and when his father greets him, he greets back with a smile. Howard in his message explains about a metal outside the periodic table that shouldn’t exist - because it exists outside their universe. If he is successful, this could be more important to humanity than iron was to their ancestors. He leaves after some personal additions and apologies to Tony.

Tony realizes that Feilong is noticing their presence in his mind. Feilong attacks him and literally throws him out of his mind. Emma calms Feilong down and implants a suggestion to prevent him from connecting Emma Frost and Hazel Kendall. She peeks deeper into his mind wanting to know the reason for his hatred. First, she is unimpressed - quite an ego. And the theoretical discovery he stole from Tony’s father sounds a lot like the mutants’ mysterium.

Tony tells her to hold that thought. Feilong is obsessed with Tony’s father. Let’s take a look at Feilong’s!

They are in for a surprise, as they learn that Feilong’s parents were mutants. He was born without powers and resented them. While he tells the story that he was abandoned by his parents, it is quite the opposite - they loved him for who he was, and he hated them for what he was not.

What a waste! Emma sighs. Tony tells her he has the Sentinels schematics and the message from his father. He’s got everything he needed. Feilong’s fate is in her hands. It’s her call but, if she does it, make it look like a stroke.

Emma considers making him confess everything, but Orchis would just kill him. She decides he needs to stay alive, so the world learns the truth. She makes him forget everything before leaving his mind.

Barely a minute has passed and the officiant declares them man and wife. They kiss and Feilong watches, smirking and unaware of what has transpired.

While Emma is still talking to the officiant, Feilong tries to recruit Tony for Orchis, offering him a way to save face and regain a stake in his old company. After the honeymoon, of course. Tony, jokingly threatens Feilong, should he plan to crash their honeymoon as well. And he has a little something under his nose. Confused, Feilong touches his nose to find he has been bleeding. “Hazel” offers him a tissue. Tony tells him they’ll see him whenever they make it back to Hellfire.

The newlyweds drive off and Tony asks about mysterium. Emma explains that Howard apparently had the theory but probably never got his hands on it. It’s a metal that’s only available to be mined by mutants from a place outside space and time they call the White Hot Room. The were using it as more soft power after the terraforming of Arakko.

She shows him her X-shaped keychain made from it. How much more is there? he asks. If they could get offworld, she could get him as much as he needed, she replies. How much will he need? All of it, Tony replies.