Enter The Mandarin (June 1990)

The Mandarin had watched when they had defeated Fin Fang Foom. it had been him that had brought him to New York and awakened him. Now he saw what he was up against and he had no fear. Times square was packed with people and cars. Brightly colored billboards lined the buildings and police officers directed traffic. It was a loud and busy place and a perfect place to show these people that they were not safe. That this ‘Iron-Man’ could not protect them. And so he began…

Balls of fire and bolts of freezing cold flew from his hands. His ten rings, one on each finger had a specific power and he intended to use them all. One ring was a shield that deflected bullets and another turned vehicles into meat grinders or bombs that exploded with a deadly and fiery result. People screamed and tried to run but even as they did he attacked them. Men, women and children, all the same to him and as they ran they died by the score as he unleashed death and destruction all around him.

Isabella’s phone suddenly rang. It was her sat phone but the number that came up on the LCD screen was unknown to her. When she said hello the voice on the other line was a surprise. “Hello Isabella,” Frank said but there was a lot of noise in the background. He was there with his van but so far everything he had thrown at this...man, it looked like a man, had bounced off of some kind of shield.

“I dont have time to talk, There is something happening in Times Square, people dying, hurry,” He said and then she heard an explosion and the phone cut off.

Isabella had been feeling well but she couldn’t put her flinger on what was wrong exactly. She just didn’t feel like herself. She began to wonder if she might actually be pregnant this time. The last time she had thought she was pregnant she had been extremely disappointed. She was contemplating taking a new pregnancy test when she suddenly heard the sat phone ring. She picked it up and was shocked to hear Frank’s voice. She heard what he said and wanted to be sure he was alright but he hung up before she could ask him.

Forgetting about the pregnancy test she rushed down to the lab where she found Tony with James.

“Something is happening downtown. We need to get our suits and get down there as quickly as we can.”

The men scrambled over to the platform where their suits would be put on them. “Isabella, you take Steve, we’ll scout ahead,” Tony said quickly as his suit began to be put on him by the small, robotic arms. Once in their suits Tony and james took off. Steve had gotten into his uniform and put his shield on his back. Isabella had 2 handles one on her side and one on her shoulder that popped out when she activated them. Steve climbed up on her back, hooked on with a small D-clip and she took off with him. These newest suits could carry several tons so Steve was nearly nothing on her back.

Tony and James scanned the area. It looked like a warzone. Police and fire trucks were on their sides. Some smoldered and burned while others looked like odd things that he didn’t know what they were from this distance. Bodies were strewn all over and the buildings had seemed to have grown walls to block anyone from leaving. People huddled in alleys, in buildings, behind cars or just laid down as if they were dead just to avoid being a target. One man stood at the center of it all. The Mandarin was obviously of asian descent with long, white hair, black pants and he wore no shirt. From his hands he projected fire and cold as an officer rose up to fire at him a ball of frost hit him and his body became encased in ice instantly.

“Ok Rhodie, lets split up and try to double team him,” Tony said. They were not going to wait for Isabella it seemed. As they did Rhodie’s bullets bounced off of some kind of force field. Tony flew up, landed and attacked from the other side. His repulsor beams hit the Mandarin and flung him hard into a burned out car. The Mandarin shook his head and turned around and face them.

“So, Tony Stark, finally you’ve come. Good...good, do you like my handy work? I offer their deaths in your honor,” He said with an obvious accent. “I don’t know who you are or why you’ve killed these people but your going to pay for this,” Tony said and then he attacked.

Malia Montoya was looking forward to going home and relaxing. She was exhausted from a long, difficult day. Shad just finished closing up the veterinary practice she ran in downtown Manhattan when she suddenly heard screaming coming from the street. She put down her purse and ran to the window to look out. She could see people of all ages running and screaming. In the distance she could see smoke. She knew that something was very wrong and that she needed to help. She pulled out the charm she wore on a chain around her neck and held it in her hand. She closed her eyes and began to chant in the Cherokee tongue. She was summoning Nanyehi the spirit mother that gave her her powers. She could feel her awakening inside of her and stretching out, like an eagle stretching its wings. In that moment she felt a connection to all of her ancestors from the past who had carried this same charm, including her own mother. Within moments the transformation was complete. Malia stood in the center of the room dressed in a doeskin dress. Wrapped around her head was a beaded headband with several feathers hanging down to her shoulders. She wore a beaded choker necklace and moccasin boots. Her arms, fingers, and wrists were decorated in silver and magnificent turquoise. She looked in every way the Native American princess that she truly was.

She stepped out of the building and suddenly she took off into the sky like a hawk. She flew towards the area of destruction and could see a man of Asian descent below and it appeared that he could project fire from his hands. In the air she could see Iron Man and another man in a suit that she did not recognize. Malia flew through the air without any assistance. Isabella arrived with Steve and was stunned by what she saw.

"Uh, Tony...do you know this woman?"

Tony did not respond as he flew toward the man and suddenly stopped as if he had ran into a wall. The Mandarin held up his other hand as Warmachine fired at him from behind and a second shield repelled his bullets. Tony fell to the ground and The old man performed a martial kick at him as he began to stand back up. Tony was flung back and crashed hard into the face of a brick building. He grunted as he landed and his HUD filled up with alarms. Warmachine moved nimbly as he continued his sustained fire on the Mandarin.

Steve unhooked from her and landed right next to the old asian man. The mandarin tried to punch him but when he tried Steve’s shield blocked the blow and the mandarin was blown back from the force of his punch vibrated back against him. Steve followed up by tossing his shield just as the Mandarin sat up and his shield struck him in the chest then deflected up and at an angle back toward Steve. He moved to catch it. The mandarin was flung back by the hit and crashed into the side of an undamaged cab.

Malia saw how their appeared to be walls around the square. Walls that stopped people from escaping the carnage. She turned into a form of a rhino and she charged head first toward one of the larger walls. Once she hit the wall it blew apart and crash down around her. Once the people saw that they began to stream out and away from the danger. The Mandarin stood up once more just as Tony got back to his feet. It was then that Isabella saw a black van that she thought she recognized. To her horror a man lay near the van dressed in black fatigues and covered in weaponry and she knew who that man was. His black trench coat still smoldered and he did not move or even appear alive to her eyes.

Isabella couldn’t figure out who this woman was. She was quite beautiful and striking though in her appearance. She appeared Native American and was indeed dressed in Native American clothing. However, Isabella began to wonder if she wasn’t a mutant of some kind. Clearly she could fly and Isabella’s mouth dropped open in shock when she saw the woman charge head first into a brick wall. She made a hole big enough for the trapped citizens to get out of. She was fascinated but then her eyes fell upon a van that she recognized. Her blood ran cold and her heart seemed to stop in her chest when she saw Frank laying still on the ground.

“No!”

She rushed over to him and was relieved to see he was alive, although it was just barely. She quickly began to utilize her medical suite to try and save his life.

Malia possessed the spirit of a mountain lion and looked at Mandarin.

“Why are you hurting these people?” she demanded.

The Mandarin smiled and he pointed a gnarled finger at Iron Man. “Because he protects them...don’t you Tony Stark!” he growled. “Twice you’ve disrupted my plans though I doubt you even realized it. Now my estates and my fortune are gone! And I will not rest until Tony Stark suffers the same fate!” He said.

Tony looked at the young woman and blinked. So did James who thought she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. “So your a coward...whoever you are,” Tony said as he stepped up beside Malia. James landed and stood beside them. “My name is The Mandarin,” The old man said but no one knew that name it appeared. That only seemed to anger the man though. “You got a beef with me, bring it to me old man,” Tony said haughtily to try and bait him.

Frank wasn’t breathing and she saw that his lips had gone blue. She had to rip his coat away from his flesh then used a cooling mist to coat his burns though most of them looked superficial thanks to all the gear he wore. She brought up her diagnostic device and even as she looked at it medications were shifting and preparing in her gauntlet. She injected him with them and then her suit began to power up so she could shock his heart back to beating again. She could not know how long his heart had actually stopped. If it was too long she knew she would not be able to bring him back.

“Charging to 320 Mrs. Stark,’ Jarvis said. “Once the charge was complete the tone in her helmet from it peaked. “Clear!” Jarvis warmed and as she touched his chest with her palm Frank’s body jolted. Her readout was still a flat line. “Maximum charge is 360 Mrs. Stark,” Jarvis said.

The Mandarin looked around, He had nearly destroyed the square and people screamed or cried from their injuries or from those that were dead. It made him smile. “We’ll meet again Tony Stark,” He said and then he clapped his hands together and he was suddenly gone.

Malia was not happy that the man vanished. She could not sense him around and that meant he had gotten away. She sighed but there was nothing she could do about it. If he ever returned though when she was nearby she would make him pay for hurting innocent people.

She turned and looked at Tony Stark. “Do you know who that man was or why he is after you?”

Isabella did her best to remain calm, although she felt panic rising up inside her heart. She needed Frank to live. He couldn’t die on her. She waited until the charge was at maximum and then placed her palm on his chest again. This time, to her utter relief, his heart began to beat again.

Tony retracted his mask just like James did. “Jarvis, who is The Mandarin?” Tony asked. “The Mandarin is Zhang Tong. At one time he was a wealthy and powerful businessman with a family that dates back centuries. Records show that in the last decade his families dynasty has fallen do to bad investments. He has been accused of trying to subvert the chinese government and start a world war using several of your own missiles that you had re-acquired sir,” Jarvis said.

Malia tilted her head as she listened and then nodded in understanding. “Ok, so I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours...we’ve never seen you before, who are you?” Tony asked but he also kept an eye on Isabella who was working on someone in the distance. “I’m Tony Stark..Billionaire, entrepreneur, Iron Man, Inventor...etc etc. And this is James Rhodes, We call him Rhodey, or Warmachine but dont let that turn you off, he’s really a nice guy. “Rhodey,” she repeated and smiled at how the name sounded.

“We should go Tony...Emergency services are coming,” Steve said.

Franks heartbeat was not terribly stable but she had done what she could for him. She knew he needed to be in a hospital under a real doctor’s care. She saw the others look in her direction. “And that’s my wife, Isabella,” Tony said.

Malia of course knew who Tony Stark was. You had to live under a rock not to know his name. Even his wife's name, Isabella Stark, was becoming very well known. She did not know James Rhodes though. However, he was quite handsome and she found herself liking the way he was looking at her. She pulled out the charm and said something in Cherokee under her breath. Moments later she was dressed not as she had been a moment ago, but in scrubs. The scrubs had the name of her veterinary clinic embroidered in the upper right hand corner.

"My name is Malia Montoya. I'm also known as Spiritwalker as I have the ability to posses the spirit essence of any animal and gain their core physical qualities."


Isabella had started Frank's heart, but she knew she needed to get him to a hospital. He needed to get to SHIELD as she couldn't take him to a regular hospital. She instructed Jarvis to alert SHIELD that they were coming.

"Tony! I need to get him to the SHIELD hospital."

“Then we’ll wait…” Tony said. “No, I’m not going to wait,” Steve said. James could not take his eyes off Malia. He wanted to tell her that he liked the name Malia but what Steve said drew him. “I’ll take you home,” He said with a small sigh and turned back to Malia. “It was nice to meet you, Malia,” James said then activated the handles and d ring for Steve to latch onto him.

“Well, I better get back...look me up, I can help if you need help,” Malia said then gave James one last smile and stepped away from them. Steve nudged James. “Alright alright, we’re going,” James said and then they took off into the sky.

Tony looked over at Frank. “I really need to get that biobed up and running,” He said as he looked at Frank. “His shoulder looks badly burned,” He said. Frank did not stir. “You alright hun? You did everything you could,” Tony said.

Tony and Isabella got Frank to SHIELD and he was taken immediately into the hospital. Isabella was quite upset over what was going on with Frank and she attributed that to why she was physically feeling the way she was...that is until she nearly collapsed. She was taken back herself to be examined. Tony nearly got into a physical altercation with a doctor that wouldn't let him come back and told him to wait, but Phil finally got Tony to sit down.

About 45 minutes later the doctor came back out and escorted him back to see Isabella. She was sitting up in a bed and was on an IV, but appeared much better than she had a little while ago. The doctor left them alone. She gave Tony a little smile as he rushed over to her side to ensure she was alright.

"I'm fine Tony. I promise." She became quiet for a brief moment before speaking again. "Although I'm not going to be able to go out on any missions for a while. It's probably not safe for a pregnant woman to be out doing what it is we do." As she saw her words sink in to his brain she smiled happily at him.

Tony did not like being separated from Isabella. Not for a moment. He didn’t trust SHIELD but he liked Phil Coulson. He talked to him about Steve and told him how messed up it was for Nick to do what he did to him. And he also told him what they knew about the SSB and their ‘project’ that involved a little girl. Phil didn’t seem surprised he knew everything and didn’t comment further on that.

Finally they told him he could come in to see Isabella and he moved right up to her, sat on the bed next to her and kissed her cheek. “Well you look better, what's going on babe?” He asked as he looked toward the door. When she told him that she was pregnant, he turned to face her and a smile came to his face. “Really?” He asked and when she nodded his smile grew and he leaned in and kissed her. “I’m going to be a father,” He said as he kissed her again as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him several more times. “I love you Mrs. Stark,” Tony murmured into her lips. “I need to get you home,” He said. When her expression changed he told her that they aid Frank would be alright.

Isabella was elated about finding out she was pregnant and seeing the genuine joy in Tony's eyes made her even happier. However, she was still concerned about Frank. She wanted to go see him, but Tony told her that they she wouldn't be able to see him until tomorrow. She sighed and relented and allowed Tony to take her home.

By instinct she went to pour herself a glass of wine, but she stopped herself and then smiled and shook her head. "I think it's going to take me a while to get used to not being able to have a drink." She grinned and walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him a few times. "I guess we'll just have to figure out a different way to celebrate."