Synopsis / Summary / Plot
This issue has 4 interleaved strands which I shall unravel here.
It's 6 months after the last issue. Tony Stark is working for Mandarin in Mandarin City, but not mixing well with the villains who are also there.
Mandarin wants Stark to build Titanomechs for him. Ezekiel Stane tried, but failed in #516. Stark tells Mandarin he needs certain materials to make them work. Mandarin treats Stark's manner as insubordination, and punishes him. But will presumably get hold of the stuff on the list.
Tony returns to work, where he is 'helped' by Zeke Stane. Zeke has had his IQ drastically reduced by Mandarin since his rebellion in #518-519. From their conversation I guess that some of the things on the list are for Tony's own secret purposes. And they can only hope Mandarin doesn't work that out.
Zeke is the only one who'll eat with Tony in the canteen. Melter tries to cause trouble, but Stark holds his own until Melter starts to use his power. This is forbidden within Mandarin City, and Mandarin remotely triggers the Omega protocol. This appears to give Melter a severe headache, but the other villains say it will set off the bomb in his chest.
Tony uses his repulsor chest implant to save Melter. Mandarin isn't happy about this, and has Stark fitted with an armoured vest that will prevent him from using his repulsor device like that again. And threatens to kill Stane as well as Stark if he tries to remove it.
Meanwhile his old company, now just called Resilient, has continued expanding the use of repulsor technology. Now Carson Wyche presents the Swarm, their answer to cloud computing, a host of molecular processors that will follow you around, and communicate with other Swarms.
Afterwards the team (Mrs Arbogast, Tim Cababa, Bethany Cabe, Walter Macken, Carson Wyche and Splitlip the Dark Elf) gather to celebrate. And josh gay Tim about a date he's just had. Everyone is pretty much recovered from Spymaster's attack. Tim is in physical therapy, and Carson has a walking stick.
In the 3rd strand the events surrounding the original Detroit Steel Doug Johnson are having an impact on the fortunes of the Hammer girls. It has all come out how they covered up his death in Paris in Fear Itself, and then tried to cover up how he reappeared and ran amok in their HQ last issue. Their ally Gen'l Babbage informs them that the government is cancelling Hammer Industries' contract, and all the Detroit Steel Corps have been recalled from their roles propping up dodgy dictators overseas. And then he commits suicide.
Justine Hammer plans to regroup. Blame Babbage for everything, and concentrate on US business deals for now. She expects overseas demand for Detroit Steel protection will return as their other allies Mandarin and Stane continue to cause trouble. He daughter Sasha blows up at the mention of her boyfriend Zeke's name, because he isn't answering her phone calls. She obviously doesn't know what's happened to him in Mandarin City.
Lastly we follow the new 'Iron Man' (secretly James Rhodes), who is stopping a jailbreak led by Vibro. Iron Man takes down Vibro, and is then congratulated by Pepper Potts in her Rescue armour. Rhodey doesn't let Pepper know who he is, and leaves her to keep the other escapees under control until they can be returned to their cells.