Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

As the night deepened, the tipsy Rod and Ethan were picked up, leaving only Pepper, Tony, and Leon in the mansion.

After a good meal and some drinks, Leon sat on the sofa, gazing at the rising and falling sea outside the window, his thoughts drifting.

Tony glanced at Pepper, who was cleaning up in the kitchen, then at Leon, who seemed lost in thought. He hesitated, his expression betraying that he was holding something back.

"Hey, Leon!" He finally couldn't hold it in and called out.

"Huh? What is it?" Leon snapped out of his daze, slightly confused.

Tony glanced at Pepper and lowered his voice. "Didn't you say you were going to see Obadiah tonight? When are you heading out? And don't let Pepper know—it's too dangerous. She'll just threaten to resign again."

No matter how much Tony messed around, Pepper always kept a straight face and continued working.

But when it came to Tony's safety, her go-to threat was always resignation.

—Not that it ever worked.

"We'll wait until Pepper leaves," Leon said casually, glancing toward Stark Industries.

"Obadiah should still be at the industrial park. Wait, he's— Damn it, Tony, we need to go now!"

Leon grabbed Tony and pushed him toward the door.

He didn't forget to call out to the kitchen, "Pepper, Tony and I are going out for a walk! We'll be back later!"

"Huh? Okay!" Pepper replied.

As they left, Tony whispered, "Wait, wait! What did you see that got you so worked up?"

"Obadiah is contacting his Afghan 'friends.'" Leon kept his voice low.

"What?" Tony was stunned. Before he could react, Leon grabbed his arm and took off into the sky.

They arrived at Stark Industrial Park in no time.

Only a few office lights were still on, but Obadiah's office was lit up like a beacon in the night.

Floating outside the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Leon and Tony could see everything inside.

Obadiah sat at his desk, his back to the window, speaking to someone on a video call.

"He's talking to terrorists?" Tony's expression darkened. "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Not good things. Listen for yourself."

Leon placed his hand against the window. A slight shake loosened the gap, and with a careful tug, he silently removed the entire pane of glass.

Tony's eyes widened in shock.

Before he could say anything, a voice from the office caught their attention.

"Our leader died because of your deal, so before we work together again, you owe us compensation!"

Obadiah snapped, "You let Tony escape! And now you're demanding compensation?!"

"I told your leader to make sure Tony Stark was dead! How did he screw that up, huh?"

"Not our problem. If you don't pay up, we'll tell Tony what you did," the terrorist threatened.

Obadiah's expression turned icy, his rage barely contained.

"And if I stop supplying you with weapons?"

"Since Stark shut down the weapons division, you're not much use to us anymore."

The terrorists were unfazed.

"Will you pay or not? If you don't, I'm sure Tony Stark will pay for the truth."

Obadiah clenched his jaw, struggling to contain his fury.

Then suddenly, he laughed, his expression shifting to one of false warmth. "Alright, fine! I'll compensate you. But I have one condition."

"Name it!" The terrorist perked up at the prospect of payment.

"I'll make sure Tony goes abroad again. This time, kill him."

Obadiah laid out his plan. "I'll provide Stark weapons. Use them to draw media attention. Tony just shut down weapons manufacturing—when Stark weapons flood the battlefield, he'll have no choice but to react."

The terrorist chuckled. "Understood. Leave the rest to us. We'll make sure to finish the job this time."

Obadiah grinned and ended the call. "Perfect."

With a beep, the screen went black.

Sitting in silence, Obadiah's smile faded, replaced by something darker.

Then, rage erupted.

"Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"

He suddenly stood, sweeping everything off his desk. He grabbed the mouse and hurled it against the wall, shattering it.

"They let a damn playboy escape?! Useless trash!" he roared, his voice shaking the windows.

Leon glanced at Tony, whose fists were clenched in fury. He knew Obadiah's little show was over.

Taking a step forward, he led Tony inside.

"Well," Leon said casually, "Sorry to interrupt."

Obadiah froze, his rage snapping into panic.

"Who—!? Tony?!"

Cold sweat dripped down his face as he turned. Standing opposite him were Tony and Leon.

Leon looked irritated.

Tony's eyes burned with betrayal.

"We heard everything," Leon said, pointing at the computer. "Anything to say for yourself?"

Obadiah visibly panicked but forced himself to stay calm.

He raised his hands in surrender, his mouth trembling. "Leon… what are you still doing here so late? Listen, this is all just a misunderstanding—"

"Save it."

Obadiah's mind raced for an excuse.

Awkwardly lowering one hand, he reached for his desk drawer.

"There's a powerful force behind all this… They threatened my life, forced me to—"

"Kill you!"

In one swift motion, Obadiah yanked out a pistol, loaded it, and aimed at them.

"Hands up. Step back!"

Gone was the friendly uncle. In his place stood a ruthless villain.

"You don't want to do this," Leon warned.

Tony pursed his lips, blocking Leon as he slowly stepped back.

Obadiah sneered. "Still trying to protect that little brat, huh? How touching."

Tony's fury deepened.

"Obi… Obadiah," he said quietly. "I trusted you."

"Did you?" Obadiah smirked, pointing the gun at Tony. "That's sweet."

His smirk faded into a sneer. "But now that you know, I don't have to pretend anymore."

"You were just a golden goose to me, Tony. I co-founded this company with your father, worked under you for decades—what did I get? Nothing!"

He pointed at Leon. "Even that outsider stands to inherit more than me!"

"Only by killing both of you can I take what I deserve!"

Obadiah clenched his fists. "Tony should've died in Afghanistan. Leon should've been lost in space. But you escaped. And now, tonight, you just had to see everything!"

His eyes burned red as he shoved the gun at Tony's head. "You forced me into this. Now I'll burn it all down!"

Tony stood still, jaw clenched, eyes filled with grief and rage.

The cold barrel pressed against his temple.

"Go ahead, Leon," he muttered.

Leon grinned. "On it, boss."

Before Obadiah could react, an iron grip crushed his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You—!" Obadiah choked, his face turning red.

His bulging eyes locked onto Leon.

How? How had Leon moved so fast?

He tried to lift his arms in one last struggle.

Leon barely spared him a glance before tossing him straight out the window.

Three seconds later, a loud thud echoed below.

"Why bother?" Leon sighed.

He walked to the desk, plugged a phone into the computer, and hacked in.

Stark Industries' executive computers weren't online, so hacking required a physical connection.

Obadiah had already violated protocol by making a direct video call.

"Jarvis, retrieve evidence of Obadiah's crimes. Forward it to the police. Make sure the report states he committed suicide out of fear and jumped."

"Understood, Master Leon."

Leon turned back to Tony, who still stood motionless, looking dejected.

Walking over, he clapped Tony on the shoulder.

"It's over. Go home, get some sleep. Or, I don't know—maybe date a few more cover girls this week. Relax."

Tony blinked, his sorrow faltering for a moment.

Then, he exhaled. "You little shit..."

...

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