Killian's hideout was a repurposed offshore drilling platform—a fortress of steel and fire, bathed in the glow of industrial floodlights.
As Tony streaked toward the platform, J.A.R.V.I.S. displayed heat signatures all over the rig. Extremis soldiers. Enhanced, regenerative, and psychotic.
"Alright, boys," Tony smirked. "Let's see how much heat you can take."
He hit the first wave of soldiers like a missile. Repulsor blasts seared through the air, sending enhanced goons flying. One leaped at him, his skin glowing red-hot from Extremis. Tony dodged, grabbed the guy by the collar mid-air, and slammed him face-first into a steel beam.
Behind him, another Extremis soldier hurled a flaming projectile. Tony spun, activating a wrist-mounted shield that absorbed the heat and fired it back, melting the attacker's arm clean off.
Killian's voice crackled through the rig's speakers. "You're persistent, Stark. But let's see how you fight without your toys."
Flames erupted from the floor. The rig's structure groaned as explosions rocked the platform. Tony dodged falling debris, weaving through fire and steel.
Then he saw her.
Amii. Tied to a steel beam, unconscious, flames licking dangerously close to her.
Rage coiled in Tony's gut.
Killian stepped forward, the fire illuminating his molten veins, his smirk smug.
"She's my leverage, Stark. Give up the suit, and she lives."
Tony flexed his gauntlet, repulsor humming. "Yeah, see, that's where you miscalculated."
With a flick of his wrist, he launched a mini-rocket straight at Killian. The explosion sent him sprawling.
Tony sprinted toward Amii, blasting the restraints off. "Come on, sweetheart, time to go."
Her eyelids fluttered open, dazed. "Tony…?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. And I'm about to un-alive this flaming piece of crap."
A guttural roar cut through the air as Killian reformed from the flames, his body regenerating at an impossible rate.
Tony clenched his fists. "Alright, Hot Hands, you wanna dance? Let's dance."