QUARTERFINALS: IRON MAN VS. IRON PATRIOT
On top of the Giza Plateau in Egypt, two teleportation pads are set right in front of one of the pyramids, where seconds later, both Iron Man and the Iron Patriot appeared in a flash of light. Upon arrival, Iron Man took a moment to look around his surroundings, and for the most part, appeared to be pleasantly surprised. "Egypt, huh? Well, I know I'm supposed to take a business trip here in a couple of weeks, but I didn't think I'd be here this early."
This comment caused J.A.R.V.I.S., the Shellhead's trusty A.I., to butt in. "QUITE SO, SIR. HOWEVER, I SHOULD REMIND YOU THAT SINCE YOU ARE NEAR THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, ONE OF EGYPT'S, IF NOT THE WORLD'S MOST TREASURED…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, 'exercise caution,'" Iron Man chimed in, sounding irritated. While he knew that J.A.R.V.I.S. was trying to be the voice of reason, literally and figuratively, he was not in the mood for it. "Relax, J.A.R.V.I.S ., I'll try not to make too big of a mess." After answering his doting A.I., Iron Man turned and narrowed his eyes at the Iron Patriot himself. "Or at least, not as big of a mess that I'm going to turn Norman into!"
Moments later, the Ref Bot soon showed up, announcer's face and all, and hovered over between the two armored fighters. "All right, gentlemen, are you ready?" he asked, receiving quick nods from both men in response. Afterward, the announcer commanded the Ref Bot to rocket up into the air and let out this one word that would start the final match of the CoC Quarter Finals. "BEGIN!"
Both men heeded the announcer's call, but it is the Patriot who started things off by holding up his left hand and firing a repulsor blast, aiming for Iron Man's belt buckle.
Upon seeing the attack coming his way, Iron Man powered up his jet boots and rocketed up into the air, saving his belt buckle from getting destroyed. While airborne, the Shellhead bent forward and mentally commanded two compartments in his shoulders to open and dropped two circular, smart bombs at the Patriot
below.
The Patriot, on the other hand, managed to protect himself by giving his armor his mental command, and seconds later, a forcefield covered his body. Naturally, this protected from the smart bombs, which exploded upon making contact and thus created a large cloud of smoke. Though he managed to save himself, the process of creating the forcefield required the Patriot to stand still, and as the smoke started to subside, he had no choice but to start moving around to deactivate the forcefield. Moments later, the armored Thunderbolt received quite the shock when he spotted Iron Man coming down like a comet falling from the sky and going for a right hook. Acting fast, the Patriot used his right hand to catch the Shellhead's fist, then placed his left hand behind the Golden Avenger's helmeted head and threw him to the ground.
Even though Iron Man's attack failed, he still managed to control his fall by rolling on to the ground and ended up in a kneeling position. The Golden Avenger then looked over his right shoulder to and spotted the Patriot coming towards him with a left hook. Seeing this as an opportunity to fight back, the kneeling Shellhead managed turned around, then held up his left arm to block the punch, and responded by standing up and throwing a right uppercut to the Patriot's chin.
This punch did stun the Patriot, but not for long. For he soon spotted Iron Man holding up his right hand and charging it up for a repulsor blast, with the target being the Thunderbolt's built-in buckle. This forced the recovering Patriot to step in and use his left arm to block and push Iron Man's right hand downward, causing him to blast the ground instead. A split second later, the Patriot took this opportunity to hold up his right palm, intending to fire a blast of his own into Iron Man's faceplate and stun him long enough to leave his buckle open for a stronger attack.
Fortunately for Iron Man, though, he managed to use his left hand to grab and hold the Patriot's energy-charged palm outward to the right side, forcing the Thunderbolt to fire his blast into the air. Afterward, Iron Man pulled his right hand back, then spun around and delivered a spinning right back fist, nailing his armored opponent in the right side of his head and making him stagger backward. At first, Iron Man couldn't help but be utterly amazed at what he had just done, for he had no idea that he was capable of such a counterattack, wearing his armor or not "J.A.R.V.I.S…."
"YES, SIR?"
After shaking off his amazement of what he just did, Iron Man quickly got into a boxing stance once he saw the Patriot shake off the effects of the back fist. "After we save the others, remind me to thank Steve for the self-defense lessons."
"DULY NOTED, SIR."
The Patriot, now fully recovered and enraged on how he could allow Iron Man to land such a blow, charged towards the Shellhead with his left fist cocked back.
Keeping Cap's training in mind, Iron Man naturally anticipated this, and once the Patriot got close enough, held up his left arm to block.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be something that the Patriot was hoping would happen. For it turned out, the Thunderbolt feint the left hook, all so he could use the right hand to deliver a hard middle punch to the Golden Avenger's abdomen, forcing him to bend forward. The Patriot, now in control, powered on his jet boots, and in the process, gave Iron Man a rising left legged knee strike to his faceplate, sending the Shellhead up a couple of feet off the ground and landing hard on his back.
Once airborne, the Patriot hovered over the fallen Iron Man and pointed both of his open palms down at him. "Face it, Stark," said the Thunderbolt as he charged up his hands to fire his blasts. "This world needs a newer, SUPERIOR Iron Man! A role that's tailor-made for me!" With that declaration, the Patriot fired two blasts, aiming for Iron Man's buckle.
Fortunately for Iron Man, though, he saw the blasts coming and acted by pointed his hands and feet downward, powered up his repulsors and jet boots, and zoomed upward, causing the Patriot's blasts to hit the ground and create a small hole instead. The Golden Avenger then rolled backward and popped back up on his feet, and upon recovery, looked up to the stunned Patriot. "The only thing tailor-made for you Osborn is a prison jumpsuit!" the determined Iron Man called out, then activated his jet boots once more and rocketed back up into the air and straight towards the Patriot himself.
The Patriot spotted this and fired two more repulsor blasts in response, only for the flying Iron Man to dodge them by spinning in a helix pattern. Just as he saw the Shellhead cock his right fist back, the Patriot hovered over to the left side to avoid the incoming uppercut.
Despite missing, Iron Man still refused to give up, and as he turned to the left side to see the Patriot flying towards him, he quickly deactivated his jet boots so he can throw a right legged front kick.
Sadly, the Patriot quickly used both of his hands, as well as his armor's speed, to catch Iron Man's foot, all with a smirk behind his faceplate. With a firm grip on his armored enemy's foot, the Thunderbolt spun around at speeds rivaling that of an F-5 tornado. A split second later, he released Iron Man's foot and sent the Shellhead straight towards the top of one of the pyramids, which strangely enough seemed to be reflecting off a light at the top.
However, despite being thrown at high speeds, as well as having that light flashed in his eyes, Iron Man still refused to let any of these things stop him, mainly because since becoming a superhero, he's endured worse. Besides, the Shellhead knew that it was another 'surprise' from The Patriot, which prompted him and thus gave this command. "J.A.R.V.I.S.! Gonna need some shades!"
"RIGHT AWAY, SIR!" J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, and at that moment, caused a pair of tinted lenses to slide down and cover the helmet's eye holes. This not only protected Iron Man's eyes from the glare but also gave him an infrared vision, which allowed him to see the body heat of two people
These people were two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents wearing cloaking suits and riding a hovercraft, which was invisible due to cloaking technology. They were stationed on top of the pyramid to secretly provide the Patriot with an unfair advantage, with one agent holding a mirror to reflect the light from the sun, and the other carrying a gun-type weapon designed to deactivate Iron Man's armor.
Soon after seeing this danger, Iron Man saved himself by kicking his feet forward and powering on his jet boots, with the rocket exhaust so powerful, it blew the invisible agents off their hovercraft and sent them sliding down the pyramid. A feat that Iron Man knew that they would survive thanks to their cloaking armor. Seconds later, Iron Man, spun around and sped straight towards the Patriot, then retaliated by holding his left hand out and firing a repulsor blast, which in turn made a direct hit on the Patriot's faceplate, both stunning and blinding him. Now having the Thunderbolt right where he wanted him, Iron Man quickly delivered a right downward punch, nailing the Patriot in the side of his helmeted head and sending him flying down and crashing into the ground below.
Though the attack was powerful, it didn't keep the Patriot down for long, as he sat up though still having to shake the cobwebs out. It wasn't until he saw a shadow over him that he looked and saw Iron Man coming down towards him again, forcing the Thunderbolt to roll to the left side and causing the Shellhead to punch his right fist into the ground, creating a small crater. After saving himself, the Patriot got back up on his feet, charged his jet boots, and sped towards Iron Man while he was still kneeling.
Iron Man, on the other hand, saw the Patriot through the corner of his left eye and pulled his right hand out of the ground, then used his left hand to catch the Patriot's incoming left punch. As such, he fought back by using now free right hand to throw a mean hook.
The Patriot let out an irritated growl after seeing that his attack thwarted, and once he saw Iron Man throw a middle punch towards his buckle, he returned the favor by using his right hand to catch the Golden Avenger's wrist. Now in a stalemate, both armored fighters interlocked their fingers and began a test of strength in a bare-knuckle tie-up, each trying to overpower the other.
As Iron Man squeezed with all his might, the tinted lenses roll up, revealing his brown eyes. "Your smoke and mirrors aren't going to help you this time, Norman!"
"So, you have managed to hack into my files?" replied the Patriot, sounding annoyed but at the same time, not surprised. "Which leads me to assume that you have something to do with Gwen Stacy escaping?" Upon saying that, the Patriot could feel Iron Man's grip loosen, as well as see the shock in Shellhead's eyes. All which made the Thunderbolts' leader smirk behind his faceplate, knowing that he must've 'entered his head.' "Yes, I know. But I'm not worried, I'll have her back soon enough."
Iron Man quickly shook his head to regain focus, refusing to give the Patriot the satisfaction of knowing that he has him nervous, and thus went back to squeezing. "Well, if you think I'm going to tell you where she is, you're even crazier than I thought!"
"Oh, I don't need you for that, Stark," the Patriot replied smugly, then leaned back and delivered a hard headbutt into Iron Man's faceplate, with enough force to stun him and make him let go of his hands. This also allowed the Thunderbolt to throw and a right backhand, nailing the Shellhead just above his left eye and sending him straight into the ground. "I already have help in that department."
Meanwhile, back in Nick Fury's safehouse, Nick, Beast, and the rest of the 'Secret Warriors' were watching Iron Man's match via the large computer screen, all invested in the match as well as worried. Also watching was that of Gwen, who looked on in concern for Iron Man as soon as he found himself on the losing end. For while she was glad that Peter was not in any more danger, that didn't mean that she didn't care for his teammates. Suddenly, however, Gwen felt a sharp pain in her head, as if a hot poker was piercing through her skull and into her brain. As such, she began to rub her temples, but it brought no relief.
Beast saw Gwen grabbing her head in pain and was understandably worried for her. "Gwen, are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine, just a headache," Gwen replied, despite this being not at all true. It was more than just a mere headache; in fact, it put most migraines to shame! But, something made her give Beast that answer. Some strange force that was not only causing her pain, but also making her say things she didn't mean, but she didn't know what. And it was that same force that made her ask this seemingly innocent question to the people keeping her safe. "Does this building have a bathroom?"
Nick, while still focused on the screen, was the one who answered the teen girl. "Down the hall, first door to the left."
As for Beast, the doctor in him felt that this was more than a mere 'headache,' but must be stress-related. As such, he reached in his pocket to pull out a small bottle of Aspirin, opened it to shake out one tablet and presented into the Gwen. "And be sure to take this. It should be enough to help with your headache.
"Thanks," Gwen said with a grateful smile, despite new throbbing migraine. And after taking the tablets from the furry X-Man's large hand, she turned and walked out of the room.
As Gwen walked out, Sharon continued to watch the match, growing more worried as she watched Iron Man take a right cross to the faceplate from the aggressive Patriot. "My god, Stark's getting killed out there!"
Nick, however, remained vigilant while also keeping his eye on the screen. "Relax, Carter. To his credit, Stark has been in much worse jams than this, and always came out on top. I'm sure he'll do the same here." After seeing Iron Man take a left uppercut to his chin, the usually reserved Nick narrowed his brow, secretly worried for the Shellhead. "He better!"
Meanwhile, Gwen was now in the bathroom, her headache stronger than ever, and with pills in her shaking right hand. And though the pain was immense, it wasn't why the girl's hand was shaking, but rather it seemed to be moving on its own, and she was trying to regain control. Sadly, Gwen would have no success in this regard, and as she moved her hand made its way over the sink and dropped the pills into the drain. Much to the pain-filled girl's dismay. "W..What's going on?!" asked the suffering Gwen, where she then felt some control of her hands, thus placed them on her head and tightly closed her eyes as she felt the pain grow stronger. "Why is this…w-why…?" As the pain grew stronger and stronger, Gwen began to feel something else that scared her even more. Meaning that she could feel her memories began to fade away. From her father, her friends in Midtown High, and even Peter!
To make matters worse, she could also feel her emotions, including her own fear, began to disappear as well. Finally, after a few seconds, Gwen felt her thoughts and memories all disappear, causing her to let out a moan as she let her muscles relax and allowed her hands to drop to her sides and dangle limply. She then opened her eyes to reveal that they had changed from a lively blue to a lifeless pale. Gwen only stood there with her mind now nothing but a blank void, and all that remained was that of a calm, male voice.
"Gwen?" asked the voice in a calm, soothing tone. "Can you hear me?"
"…Yes," Gwen replied in a monotone, almost robotic voice.
"Splendid," said the voice, sounding pleased. "And I can see through your eyes that you are in a place that's, well, unsanitary, to say the least. Therefore, you need to go to a place where you'll be much safer. And, more importantly, a place where you are needed."
There was only one answer the now mindless, zombified Gwen could give. "Go…where I'm needed."
Elsewhere, in what appeared to be an old art studio, sitting on his work table was that of…
PHILLIP MASTERS/THE PUPPET MASTER: (a bald Caucasian man who appeared to be in his late forties, early fifties, dressed in a white shirt and blue pants, but wearing an apron and black gloves and holding a small, glowing life-like sculpture of Gwen Stacy, one that was composed of atomic clay which he used to control people's minds.)
Also in the studio was that of a male African American S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hold an iPad-like device that was projecting a holographic image of Gwen Stacy for Phillip to model his sculpture out from. Moments later, the picture soon changed to that of Maria Hill.
Upon seeing the picture change, Phillip addressed Maria with a full, tooth-filled smile. "Well, Agent Hill, I now have control of the girl's mind as you instructed. Where do you want me to send her?"
Maria, still looking at Phillip with a distasteful expression, nevertheless gave him this next order. "Have her come to the following location…"
Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Iron Man was still on the ropes as he leaned back to avoid an incoming left hook from the Patriot. Finally, as the Golden Avenger saw his armored opponent go for a right, he retaliated by holding up his right arm to successfully block the attack. Iron Man then managed to sneak in a left jab to the Patriot's faceplate and followed up with a fierce right cross that connected to the Patriot's right eye, sending him staggering back a couple of steps. Now back in control, Iron went on the offensive by stepping towards the dazed Patriot and threw a left hook of his own.
However, the Patriot managed to spot this, and a split second later, ducked to avoid the punch, then passed underneath Iron Man's left side, ending up behind him. As the Patriot popped up and spun around, he waited for Iron Man to turn and face him. Once he did, the Thunderbolt held up his right fist, were on the top of his gauntlet popped out a long barrel, and shot a large flame right into the Golden Avenger's faceplate, causing him to quickly hold his arms up over his head and take two steps backward.
Naturally, for a man in a metal suit, this proved to be more of an annoyance to Iron Man. "Flamethrower? Really?" asked the irritated, as well as unimpressed Shellhead, then felt the intense heat suddenly stop, which led him to deduce that the Patriot must've stopped his attack, which caused him to lower his arms. However, much to Iron Man's shock, as well as further frustration, the Patriot himself was now gone and nowhere to be found. "Oh, brilliant."
Up in the air, the Patriot hovered above Iron Man, who by this time was searching for him. Moments later, the Patriot made his move by pointing his left hand downward, took aim at the unsuspecting Golden Avenger, and shot a small missile out of the top of his left gauntlet.
Luckily for Iron Man, he heard the missile's exhaust up above, and as he looked up, he saw the missile coming his way and seemed disappointed as he used his left hand to catch it quickly. "Annnnd, that's just sad."
Up above, the Patriot could only smile behind his faceplate, for catching the missile was precisely what he wanted Iron Man to do. "Oh, yes, it is, Stark…for you!" replied the confident Thunderbolt as he made both of his hands into fists for the people watching the match via the Ref Bot, but in reality, he was using the tip of his left thumb to press a button in his left palm secretly. This caused thousands of small nanites to crawl out of the missile and in between the small plates in the fingers of Iron Man's gauntlet and into its circuitry.
Something in which J.A.R.V.I.S. detected. "Sir, I'm beginning to pick up-"
By the time J.A.R.V.I.S. warned Iron Man, however, it was already too late. The nanites all simultaneously began to admit electricity, resulting in the Shellhead getting electrocuted from inside his own armor and causing him to scream in pain.
The Patriot himself grinned upon seeing Iron Man in such agony. Because one, he enjoyed seeing his enemies suffer, and two, he was glad to see that the nanites succeeded in doing their primary job in making the Golden Avenger leave himself open for attack. The Patriot seized the opportunity and flew straight down, landed right in front of the screaming Iron Man, and gave him a hard right uppercut to his chin, all the while powering on his jet boots and sending both him and his tormented opponent up into the air. Now airborne, and with Iron Man still in his sights, the Patriot mentally activated the targeting system in his helmet and locked on to the Shellhead's buckle. "Time to end this with a bang!" The Patriot declared as he charged up his star-shaped uni-beam and fired a powerful laser blast out of his chest plate. This attack proved to be successful, as the blast ended up making a direct hit on Iron Man's buckle, and in turn, caused yellow energy to completely consume the Armored Avenger's body and freeze him in place as he landed hard on to the ground.
This act was seen worldwide, even by those in the Garden. All which caused the loyal Thunderbolts fans to cheer, and shocked silence from those who supported the Avengers.
As for the two remaining Avengers, Spidey and Ms. Marvel were just as stunned in seeing their leader being defeated, but it is Ms. Marvel herself who is the most vocal about it. "STARK!" she exclaimed distraught, knowing that Iron Man had just joined her fellow Avengers who were defeated and were now being held prisoner by the enemy.
Spidey himself stood in hushed silence as he looked at the screen to see the frozen Iron Man lying on the ground. "No," he thought in dismay, then caught a small glimpse of the small missile that Iron Man dropped and knew that something that little couldn't possibly do that much damage. This led him to deduce that it must have taken down the Shellhead in a different and underhanded way, in that it shorted out his armor somehow. The Web-Head then spotted the Patriot hovering down to the ground, and thus narrowed his eyes at him in anger. "Osborn, you cheating scumbag!"
Back in Egypt, as the Patriot landed safely and right next to the fallen Iron Man, the Ref Bot routinely hovered right next to the armored Thunderbolt. "And here is your winner…THE IRON PATRIOT!" said the announcer, which resulted in the crowd back in New York to give a reaction mixed with cheers and boos.
As the Patriot looked at the Ref Bot's screen, he gave the Thunderbolts fans a nod of acknowledgment, then turned and looked down at the defeated Iron Man with a smirk behind his faceplate. "As I said, Stark," he thought. "I believe I'm more deserving of the title of Superior Iron Man." Moments later, his smirk was replaced with a disgusted scowl. "And to think that I once admired you as a businessman…until you lost your edge and stopped making weapons. But don't worry, once this tournament is over, I'll be putting this armor, as well as your company's tech, to good use."
WINNER: IRON PATRIOT