Ch 1
The story opens with Madison Star narrating a story about how we create our own demons. In a flashback to New Year's Eve 2013, Madison, meets a botanical scientist named Riley Griffin in Fire Kingdom, and arrogantly avoids crippled scientist Roy Killian , who wants Madison's backing in his endeavor, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Riley has an experimental plant. Riley has been working on experimental (and in some cases unethical) biological research in plants that causes their DNA to change drastically and has the power to cure incurable diseases and paralysis.
In December 2015, it has been quite some time after the events of Mushroom Kingdom and the Avengers Initiative. A haunted Madison Star has obsessively built several Rescue armor suits in her mansion. Madison works on a new model, the Mark 42, which is modular; all the suit pieces fly to her and recombine. The first attempt at making the MK42 work is met with a funk version of "Jingle Bells" with Madison dancing while the pieces are coming at her. As per the course, Tony of course completely ignores any safety measures that JARVIS takes. It ends rather poorly when Madison is thrown across the room attempting flight with the MK42 and it shatters into pieces. JARVIS of course gloats with an "I told you so" moment.
Madison then continues her story about creating demons. She then talks about how she turned on the TV to find a new terrorist at work called "The Mandarin" . The Mandarin hijacks American airwaves and makes his American debut by taking credit for the bombing of a Sarasaland military station in Sarasaland that killed the wives and children of soldiers out on maneuvers. Princess Daisy's initial response to the Mandarin however makes him the butt of the jokes of late night talk show hosts: It seems the only thing that Daisy able to come up with is to take the MK8, the suit worn by Princess Amber and formerly known as "War Machine" and have it repainted, rebranded, and reintroduced as "The Iron Patriot".
Madison later asks Amber in a restaurant what's really going on with the Mandarin. Amber tells Madison that while the media and the press only know of three bombings attributed to the Mandarin, there have been at least six more that have taken place off the books. Amber explains that she's now operating MK8 as the "Iron Patriot" (formerly known as War Machine). While the two are coming to an agreement that the name chosen was horrible, Tony is confronted by a group of kids who want his autograph. Madison jokes that the Toad looks very much like Ralphie from A Christmas Story. A Toad girl asks how Madison was able to escape the worm hole in Mushroom Kingdom , causing her to freak out. Madison makes a B-line for her Rescue suit and enters, JARVIS explains that Madison is suffering a massive anxiety attack.