The sky is overcast in Malibu...especially over the main building of Stark International.
Stane sits alone, on his desk, waiting for the sun to set. He can't say he prefers what's going on over in Old Persia...
Stealthily, Su Lin enters. She apologizes for interrupting, but she thinks that Tony has run off...again.
In an alternate timeline, the one that Stane prefers, he scoffs, and says something like, "Let him run. With luck, he's dead by now. If there's one more thing this company doesn't need, it's another Stark."
But in this one, Stane stands, and feigns concern...best he can, being a general stone-face when it comes to friends and family. Howard was like a brother to him...and sometimes more like a father than Stane would have patience for. Even so, he meets Ms. Lin in the middle, and takes her wrists in his hands.
"All will be well in the end, Ms. Lin," he tells her. "I thank you for all you do to make sure my old boss's son doesn't die of starvation or heatstroke. It's women like you that keep corporate officers like me from going crazy. If only more of you dug the peasants who do the real work of this company."
Ms. Lin looks up at Stane, confused. She can't tell if he's trying to be helpful, or plotting to betray her...
"Put the word out, Ms. Lin," Stane says, letting her go, and returning to his desk. "Little Tony must be found at all costs."
"Yes, Mr. Stane." With that, she leaves. Stane goes back to his brooding.
The sun sets over the Pacific. Ashore, everyone on the famous Malibu beaches is just about ready to retire...
Not Stane. He sits alone, in a wardroom. Tonight, he expects visitors. He expects to wield judgment, for losses made in Old Persia.
Mad Thinker shows up, with a lot of his androids. He insists that they're doing everything they can, out there.
Stane grins, opens a suitcase, and puts a recoilless rifle together. When he's done, he loads it, aims it at Mad Thinker's chest, and fires.
He leaves a hole in the wall. That probably wasn't his best move...
Even so, Stane salvages a central unit from Mad Thinker's severed head, opens it, and reprograms it. In his aftermath, his many androids come to life, and fix the wall.
"Your labor was conscientious," Stane admits, "but not premium. Even so, I've got a new team of androids on this. Unlike yours, they WON'T fail me."
Stane retires to an elevator. And from there, he retires to his lair.
Down there, his Iron Monger suit is almost ready for deployment. All he's got to do is wait for his Chessmen to clean up what he'd rather not himself...
