Synopsis
Iron Man 2.0 was flying Suzi Endo to the Baxter Building to talk to Mr Fantastic about beating the Palmer Addley Infection. But on the way they were attacked by the original Iron Man, who's been taken over by the virus.
James Rhodes beats off Iron Man, rescues Suzi from falling, and resumes racing towards the Baxter Building, chased by Iron Man. At the last instant Invisible Woman throws up a force field to keep Iron Man out.
Reed Richards is trying to improve Tony Stark's vaccine, but the virus keeps mutating beyond it, as it did last issue. Suzi suggests they stop trying to defeat the virus in the bloodstream, because genius Palmer Addley had made that impossible. She suggests instead they defeat it in the brain. It takes but a few seconds for Reed to work out what she means. (But of course we're still in the dark.)
Iron Man has somehow made it past Invisible Woman, so Rhodey goes out to fight him. He tries to get through to Tony Stark, but his opponent's voice informs him that Addley (via the virus) has taken over completely. It also says that the virus is not Addley. Palmer Addley is truly dead. But the virus is what Addley wanted to be. And the stage where the infected people fight each other is just a step on the way. Soon those infected will be under the virus Addley's complete control. Now America, soon the world.
Meanwhile Reed and Suzi have devised a light show that they'll broadcast all over New York. It has been tuned to attract the attention and calm the recipient down. But once again the effect only lasts a short time. Reed realises that the system needs a human brain to drive it to be properly effective, and puts on a helmet that will connect him.
But Addley/Iron Man isn't going to give him another chance. He drains the Building's power with an EMP, even Reed's lab. As Iron Man 2.0 flies in the EMP hits his armour too. Stark's own armour is of course not affected.
Then Rhodey sucker punches Iron Man with what looks like a taser blast. If it had really been Tony Stark inside the suit, he's have known the 2.0 armour was also immune. And that armour can now act as a power source for a new transmission.
Reed is still reeling from being caught in the helmet when Iron Man attacked. So Suzi Endo puts it on, despite the inherent dangers Richards had warned her about. The light show is broadcast again, with Suzi's message to calm down superimposed over it. And this time New York really is saved.
But Tony Stark's brain is still occupied by Palmer Addley. Iron Man has been operating with his mask open (which is how he got infected last issue). Rhodey signals for Mr Fantastic to sneak a hand round and close the faceplate. Even though this cuts him off from the light transmission.
Jim then uses info given him by Tony as a safeguard for situations like this. He can infiltrate the Iron Man armour. Once inside he calls on the buried Stark to fight back, and throw Addley out of his mind. Which of course he does.
Then the 2 Iron Men head out to save the rest of America, and then purge the rest of the world of the Palmer Addley Infection.
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