Chapter Eighteen: Tony’s Methods

On his way back, Tony Stark was intercepted by two fighter jets. After a tense and exhausting game of cat and mouse, Tony finally made it back to Stark Manor in New York. Upon returning home, he immediately instructed Jarvis to compile all the evidence of Obadiah Stane’s crimes.

Tony then announced that he would convene a board meeting that evening, and he also requested Colonel Rhodes to be on standby, ready to act upon his signal. Though he had created the Iron Man suit, it was not yet time to reveal it to the world. He had no intention of using the armor recklessly; doing so would defeat his purpose of atoning for his past misdeeds.

Without his suit, Tony Stark was but an ordinary man, and he worried that Obadiah Stane, if driven to desperation, might resort to violence against him. Even though Obadiah had managed to engineer Tony’s removal from the board, the news that Tony himself was calling an emergency meeting still held sway.

All those with the authority to attend the Stark Industries board meeting received the summons. The company had already been rocked by an attack earlier that morning, so the board was due to convene and discuss the best course of action. Now, at Tony Stark’s urging, everyone gathered together.

Obadiah Stane, upon hearing of Tony’s intention, felt a chill run down his spine, but he chose to attend nonetheless.

The clock struck five in the afternoon. Security patrolled the perimeter of Stark Tower. Inside the boardroom, Tony Stark sat at the table, surrounded by a circle of corpulent, elderly board members, none of whom was Harvey Ambellica. Tony was unsurprised. Harvey must have already guessed his intentions and actions; otherwise, with so much anxiety among the shareholders, Harvey would never have missed an opportunity to discuss strategy.

Obadiah Stane had already bought off most of the other influential shareholders within the company. Half the board was in his pocket, which gave him the confidence to show up. For now, the lines had not been completely drawn, so decorum still prevailed.

“Tony, what did you want to say by calling us here?” Obadiah asked with a disingenuous smile.

“Before I explain, I want you all to see something,” Tony replied, ignoring Obadiah’s pretense and giving a command instead.

“Jarvis, play it.”

Upon receiving the order, Jarvis began projecting the compiled video evidence. The footage clearly showed Obadiah Stane instructing the Ten Rings to kill Tony. The timestamps in the corner revealed that the conversations had taken place a month before Tony had decided to travel to Afghanistan—his itinerary had long since been compromised. There was also video of Tony’s ambush and near-fatal injuries a month later.

More damning still, the footage showed Obadiah negotiating with the Ten Rings terrorists, telling them to kill Tony once his usefulness had been exhausted.

The boardroom was plunged into stunned silence. Even those shareholders who had been swayed by Obadiah’s promises now felt a chill in their hearts. They had sided with Obadiah only because Tony had unilaterally decided to close the weapons division, damaging their profits and fortunes. That was why they’d joined Obadiah’s camp and ousted Tony as chairman.

Yet none of them had imagined that Tony’s supposed two-month “vacation” in Afghanistan had been an ordeal of calculated murder. If Tony had not laid out this evidence, they would have remained utterly in the dark.

If Obadiah could eliminate Tony so quietly, what would stop him from doing the same to them if they ceased to be useful, or chose the wrong side? Tony had survived through sheer luck or divine favor; not everyone could expect to live through a terrorist attack.

“Obadiah Stane, you watched me grow up, and I always regarded you as an uncle deserving of respect. Over the years, our cooperation may not have been seamless, but we each played our part in making Stark Industries stronger. I never deliberately kept my inventions or plans from you. I believed we had a good relationship. But I never imagined the day would come when I’d be betrayed by my own uncle.”

Tony’s voice was tinged with sadness as he looked at Obadiah, whose face was now dark and grim, his crimes laid bare for all to see.

Remembering everything, Tony realized that from the moment his test launch succeeded, and the military showed interest in Stark technology, Obadiah had immediately called him—not out of concern for the project, but to confirm whether Tony had reached the designated military base in Afghanistan. Once he had, Obadiah promptly tipped off the Ten Rings. The memory disgusted Tony.

Finishing his speech, Tony pressed a button.

With a loud bang, the boardroom doors burst open. In marched Colonel Rhodes and a squad of FBI agents, their footsteps echoing in perfect unison. In an instant, their pistols were leveled at Obadiah Stane. The board members sat frozen in terror.

“Obadiah Stane, you conspired with terrorists and betrayed national secrets, resulting in the loss of valuable American lives. You also attempted to murder Tony Stark. You are under arrest,” Colonel Rhodes declared.

With Obadiah’s resources, there was a chance he might escape conviction for attempted murder. But conspiracy with terrorists and treason meant the rest of his life would be spent behind bars.

Obadiah rose to his feet, saying, “I want to make a call. There are still things I—”

But before he could finish, before his hand had even reached into his jacket, Colonel Rhodes fired a single, thunderous shot. Obadiah Stane fell dead on the spot.

The loss of his men and the blame from his superiors had weighed heavily on Rhodes. Now, knowing it was Obadiah’s treachery that had cost his brothers their lives, he gave no chance for excuses or explanations.

“Take him away,” Rhodes ordered coldly, glaring at the trembling shareholders.

Two soldiers carried Obadiah’s body from the room.

“Now then, let’s resume our meeting. It’s time to discuss the future direction of Stark Industries,” Tony announced, his expression unchanged—a man who had walked through the crucible of Afghanistan was not easily rattled.

Not a single shareholder dared oppose him, now that it was clear Tony Stark had powerful military connections.