Hey guys this is the sequel to Shards of Obsidian and I hope you enjoy! I don't own Iron Man, only Obsidian. (btw to see Obsidians new costume, check out the picture on my profile!)
"It's been one year since the criminals of the world united and subsequently took control of our nation. But thanks to the efforts of our heroes, such as Iron Man, Rescue, War Machine, and Obsidian, the corrupt regime was overthrown, and the slow process of rebuilding New York began. In addition to the massive damage to structures, many criminals are still on the loose, released from prison to work as their army. We urge all citizens to be aware of any suspicious activity and report it to the authorities."
David rolled his eyes, before tuning the radio to a different station. One year. He can't even believe it's been that long. Everything just passed by like it was only a day. His arrival in New York as Obsidian, meeting Whitney, being on the run for months, fighting in the battle for New York, and taking down Magneto with his friend Hailey.
He even changed his uniform as well. He still kept the gauntlets from his armor, but everything else was different. It was a variation of a S.H.E.I.L.D. tactical uniform, colored pitch black and grey, with a hood and eye mask, and adorned with a large black O.
His thoughts were interrupted when a slender pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and Whitney sighed, kissing his cheek gently.
"Hey" she said softly, "What's wrong?"
David sighed and looked at her, and that's when she noticed the clippings of The Ghost being sighted in New York.
"Him again?" she asked and her boyfriend nodded.
"Seems he's been taking on a few small jobs over the past year, but about a month ago, he just…vanished. No news, no hero killings, nothing." David said in exasperation, "Plus I'm also trying to keep pressure on the Maggia, just to let Count Nefaria know we are watching."
"Any luck on that?" Whitney asked, sitting next to him while looking over the files S.H.E.I.L.D. gave them on the Maggia.
"So far they've been trying to smuggle in energy weapons from Latveria, but I took care of that a month ago."
Whitney looked at him sadly and sighed, putting her hand on his, "That's not the only reason you're watching them is it? You want information about Ghost, and Nefaria is the most likely person to have it."
He nodded slowly, "He almost killed you, that night when we learned our identities? He knows who we are, but why hasn't he talked yet?"
"He's a mercenary, he only talks for the right price." She chimed in. David rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his chair with a small yawn.
An alert flashed on the computer, causing David's eyes to snap open.
"The Maggia are making their move at the shipping docks." He said, grabbing his costume. He looked up and saw Whitney sauntered to him, dressed in her Madame Masque outfit.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, causing her to smile.
"I've been waiting for us to do something fun together. Don't bother talking me out of it, you know how stubborn I am."
David rolled his eyes, pulling up his hood, "A trait we both share unfortunately."
She laughed, following him to his motorcycle and sitting behind him, holding on by his waist as they sped off.
Count Nefaria, leader of the Maggia gang, watched with an impatient glare while his men were unloading the shipment of drugs and weapons. They were burning precious time, taking on a job this big. The heroes were really impacting the Maggia's hold over their territory. They couldn't afford another setback. He turned to his second in command and snapped, "Make this fast, or else it will be your head!"
He nodded as Nefaria, entered his car and sped off from the docks. He turned to the others and said, "Well you heard him! Get moving!"
One of the men carried his crate to the respective truck, when a pair of hands grabbed him roughly and, with a yelp of surprise, he was pulled into the darkness.
The group turned sharply, looking for their now absent comrade. A few flexed their hands on the handles of their weapons, looking this way and that. One man lost it completely and tried to make a break for it, before he even made it a few yards away, a dark shape snatched him up, carrying him screaming into the night. The group leveled their weapons at the alleyway where he was captured, when a sleek figure landed among them. Before they could react, Madame Masque pulled out a pair of Taser guns, firing at the two Maggia thugs next to her. The men collapsed as currents of electricity caused their bodies to convulse on the ground. One man threw a punch at her, which she sidestepped and took him down with a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The melee drew the attention of the other Maggia, who raced toward the brawl.
One aimed his rifle at the girl when a hand grabbed the barrel of his gun and, in an impressive feat of strength, bent the barrel downward. The thug looked up in surprise to see Obsidian, who smirked before pulling the gun from his grip, and ramming the man's head into a metal shipping container. With ease he front flipped into the group of thugs, who barely had time to register his presence before he started his attack. One pulled out a shotgun, aiming it at Obsidian who was batting aside the gang members easily. Not missing a beat, he tossed a small device, which exploded in a bright flash of light, blinding the man. He fired a stray shot, which went wide, when Obsidian grabbed the weapon and slammed it into the man's face, dazing him before receiving an armored fist to the jaw, knocking him out cold. The duo worked in perfect unison, taking out the Maggia goons in less than a minute.
Madame Masque looked at Obsidian and gave a small smile, "You missed a spot."
Obsidian rolled his eyes, kicking another Maggia in the head, knocking him out. "Nefaria made a run for it before we cleaned up here. At least it wasn't a total waste. From the looks of it, stopping this pickup will set back the Maggia for another month at least."
Madame Masque looked over the heap of unconscious men. "Police are on their way, let's head back. They don't need our help with these." She huffed, kicking another moaning Maggia.
"Another delivery, totally ruined by Obsidian!" Count Nefaria yelled, looking at the head of the Serpent, a group of tong gang members who seceded from the Mandarin, and a group of escaped prisoners from the prison.
"He has kept all of us from gaining any momentum since the fall of the old regime." Said the Tong, "Otherwise we would not have agreed to this meeting Nefaria."
The Count looked at the Tong confused, "I did not call this meeting. I assumed you did."
"You're both wrong." called a voice. All heads turned to see the Ghost leaning over a balcony above them.
"I called this meeting." He said matter-of-factly, walking down the steps.
"What do you want Ghost?" asked the Tong.
"Simple. You need Obsidian out of the way permanently. I can arrange that." He said looking at the assembled gangs.
"And in return…?" Count Nefaria asked with a little hesitation. Ghost scratched his masked chin in thought.
"Oh nothing much, just the service of your men, some weapons, and twenty million dollars." He said with a slow nod of his head.
The assembled gang looked at him in shock and outrage but ghost interrupted them, "If you don't like my offer you can ask someone else to do it, assuming Iron Man or his friends left anyone competent enough that could do it."
The men fell silent while the cold truth sunk in. With a sigh Nefaria and the others agreed to his terms.
Ghost looked out at the skyline of New York, "Enjoy tonight Obsidian. You survived me once, but not this time. By sunrise tomorrow, Hell awaits you."