Iron Man: Master of Machines/The Stark Dilemma

The Stark Dilemma is the first issue of Iron Man: Master of Machines.
==Transcript==
A scene of New York at night is shown.
*Tony (VO): My name is Tony Stark. You probably know who I am. "The Invincible Iron Man" is what they've been calling me. Everybody loves me. They cheer my name when they see me, my friends are proud of me, and I love every moment of it. I honestly don't know what could ruin this for me.
A giant explosion is seen in the middle of New York as it cuts to Tony in the Iron Man armor, with half the mask ripped off, his armor broken, and him bleeding from his head, nose, and mouth.
*Tony (VO): That'll do it...
A man in a giant grey suit walks up behind Tony and picks him up.
*Grey Man: Remember, Stark... I am the man who beat you.
*Tony (VO): So, this has a long story behind it. In fact, a full year's worth of story behind it. I'll try and crunch it down into just the important parts though. But I'll try and keep everyone who isn't familiar with me filled in.
A man is shown rushing through the halls of a hospital.
*Tony (VO): Like I said, I'm Tony Stark. I was born on January 11 in New York Hospital.
Howard Stark bursts into the maternity ward and runs up to a pregnant Maria Stark.
*Howard: How is she?!
*Doctor: Everything's fine, don't worry. She's doing great.
Maria lets out a high pitched scream and it cuts to years into the future as a college student standing in a crowd screams in joy.
*College Girl: That's Tony Stark!
Tony steps out of a night club with a smirk on his face as the crowd around him begins snapping pictures.
* Tony: Chill ladies and gentlemen... yes, it's me, get all that ogling out of your system!
The college girl runs up to him.
*College Girl: Mister Stark, sorry for coming out of nowhere like this, but we're talking about you in my college right now and I just wanted to say that I'm a really big fan!
*Tony: Studying me, huh? well, come with me and I'll give you a private lesson.
The girl hugs his arm and starts jumping up and down in excitement.
*College Girl: Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!!
She starts walking off with him and waves to a group of people in the crowd.
*College Girl: Bye guys! I'm going on a date with Tony Stark!!
They both get inside Tony's limo and begin driving off. Tony pushes a button inside of the limo and two glasses of alcohol are poured. Tony offers the girl one.
*Tony: Scotch?
*College Girl: Oh, sorry, I'm only 20, can't drink alcohol yet.
*Tony: That's only a problem if people find out!
The girl reaches for the glass and it cuts to Tony's house, with the girl being far more excitable and jumpy than before. Tony claps his hands and all the lights turn on.
*Tony: Welcome to casa Stark!
*College Girl: This is nuts, I can't believe it! I'm actually in Tony Stark's house! ohmygodohmygod!
*Tony: Yes, I know, I'm amazing!
*Tony (VO): I wasn't.
*Tony: Smartest man in the world, Tony Stark!
*Tony (VO): That would be Reed Richards.
*Tony: I'm incredible, aren't I?
*Tony (VO): Factually incorrect.
*Tony: I'm extremely nice!
*Tony (VO): Nope.
*Tony: And humble too!
*Tony (VO): Just keep digging that hole, don't I?
*Tony: Well, make yourself at home. You know what they say, mi casa es tu casa!
All of the lights go out
*Tony: Back-up lights on.
Red lights turn on.
*College Girl: ...Is that normal?
*Tony: Not usually. Must be a blackout or something. I am rich after all.
*College Girl: What does that mean?
*Tony: Well, when you're rich more things will break down for you.
The girl says nothing.
*Tony (VO): I just wanted to brag that I was rich. Which is stupid.
Tony and the girl walk over to a small door.
*Tony: Behind here is the box that controls the lights of the house. Something might've short-circuited.
Tony opens the door, revealing the box has been turned off manually. Tony's face drops.
*Tony: ...Did you touch it?
The girl is revealed to be staring in horror at the ceiling. Tony looks up, revealing ten shadowy figures looking down at them from the ceiling window.
* Tony: Uh... lady...
* College Girl: Yeah...?
Tony grabs her and starts charging.
*Tony: Run!!
The shadowy figures start bursting out of every room and charging for Tony. Multiple of them start jumping on top of him. The girl screams and another one chloroforms her.
*Unknown Man: 我们只需要他...
A final shadowy figure takes out a metal pipe and bashes Tony in the back of the head, knocking him out. Cut to Tony sitting by himself in a cellar. A door opens and a few men begin yelling at each other in Chinese. An older Chinese man is pushed into the cellar with Tony, who gets up and helps the man off the ground.
*Tony: You okay?
*Old Man: Yes, I think so...
The man puts his glasses on. A man in ninja gear stands over the two.
*Man In Ninja Suit: This is Ho Yinsen. He's been here for a while. He's your new cellmate. He'll tell you the rest.
The man leaves and locks the door.
*Tony: Ho Yinsen...? are you who I think you are?
Yinsen stares at Tony and smiles lightly.
*Yinsen: I could ask the same to you, Mister Stark. I forgot how long I have been in here. Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years?
Yinsen laughs.
*Yinsen: But... truth be told, I don't think I care anymore...
*Tony: ...Who are these guys...?
*Yinsen: Right, how rude of me... very sorry... they are called the Ten Rings... they're trained in multiple forms of martial arts and are led by a Mandarin whose name no one knows, not even his own men...
*Tony: This group is led by an orange?
Yinsen looks at him.
*Tony: Sorry, bad joke. What do they want from us anyway?
*Yinsen: A weapon... a weapon that will top all other weapons...
*Tony: A nuke?
*Yinsen: Worse...
*Tony: What's worse than a nuke?
*Yinsen: That's the scariest part... I don't know...
*Tony: Well... what will they do if we just refuse? just say no!
Tony runs to the door.
*Tony: You hear that you bastards!? I refuse to make you--
*Yinsen: Tony, don't!!
Tony bashes his fist against the door and there is a large explosion.
*Tony (VO): Knocked out twice in one day... just my luck, huh?
A heart monitor is shown, slowly beating while multiple doctors surrounded by Ten Rings soldiers attempt to stabilize Tony with the help of Yinsen. Tony's pulse slowly fades until he flatlines. Moments later, Yinsen pulls out an odd-looking object and rams it into an open wound in Tony's chest, causing his heart to beat again and for Tony to gasp for air.
*Tony: What... what the hell just happened...?
*Yinsen: Are you okay? You were dead for a few seconds.
*Tony: I'm fine, I'm fine... what the hell is this?
Tony grabs the object in his chest.
*Yinsen: It's an invention of mine. It stabilizes the heart but at the cost that it must be constantly charged.
*Tony: You... saved my life?
Yinsen smiles at him. Later, the two are back in their cell, Tony taking a plug out of the object on his chest.
*Tony: Fully charged.
*Yinsen: Excellent.
*Tony: Hey, I was wondering, why'd you save me?
*Yinsen: What?
*Tony: Is it because I'm rich? Do you want, like, money or something? cause if you do, I'm good for it, I just wanted to kno--
*Yinsen: No. I want nothing from you. I saved you simply because you were in need of saving.
*Tony: Oh... that's... honorable of you.
*Yinsen: My family respected honor and loyalty above everything else. They died when I was young, so I've attempted to keep their memory alive by being as kind to others as they'd want me to be.
Tony doesn't reply.
* Yinsen: Yeah... I understand why...
* Tony: What's that meant to mean?
* Yinsen: ...Let's get to work.
* Tony: Right... that weapon's not gonna build itself.
* Yinsen: Wrong.
* Tony: It... can build itself?
* Yinsen: No. We aren't going to build their weapon, Mr. Stark. We are going to build the thing that gets us out of here.
* Tony: What?
* Yinsen: Two scientists working together, surrounded by military-grade weapons? I don't know why they didn't expect us to revolt.
* Tony: Heh... I figure you're right.
Tony grabs a hammer and walks over to Yinsen. A montage is then shown of the two working on a project in secret. When it's finally done, Tony blowtorches something together before walking off and clapping his hands in excitement at the sight of the Iron Man MK I armor.
*Tony: Woo! Five months of work and we're done! Five more and we'll have yours--
Yinsen is revealed to have a melancholy expression.
*Tony: --Done... Yinsen?
*Yinsen: Five months...
*Tony: What's wrong?
*Yinsen: How many close calls have we had in these past five months?
*Tony: Uh--
*Yinsen: Too many to count... there's no way we'll be able to keep the armor a secret for another five months. And they'll destroy it if they find it... Tony... I'm old... I've been getting progressively sick, my studies require me to be exposed to radiation, and I've aged so much in only a few years. How old do you think I am?
*Tony: Um...
*Yinsen: I'm 50, Tony... We can't waste our time on this. If one of us were to break free from this hell, I'd want it to be you...
*Tony: What're you talking about?
*Yinsen: Break free without me, Tony.
*Tony: Wha... I can't! You--
*Yinsen: I'm not asking you.
Yinsen grabs the MK I helmet and puts it on Tony.
*Yinsen: I'm telling you... Break free from here and live the life I didn't get to have.
*Tony: Yinsen...
*Yinsen: But I do have one request... I have a daughter... When you break free from here, track her down for me. I haven't seen her or her mother in so long... please make sure they're okay when you get out... for me... please Tony... I'm positive I'm going to die soon... you have plenty of years to go.
*Tony: ...You're a good friend, Yinsen... thank you...
Yinsen nods at Tony. Two soldiers are shown walking past their cell.
*Yinsen: <Death to the Mandarin!>
The soldiers stop at the cell and see Yinsen looking at them through the hole in the door.
*Yinsen: <The Mandarin leader of the Ten Rings! May whatever god is listening strike him down where he stands and lay his reign of terror to rest!>
*Soldier #1: <What're you talking about?>
*Yinsen: <And death to both of you!>
*Soldier #2: <What did you just...?>
*Yinsen: <The two of you who do what he commands without thinking for yourselves! Death to the Mandarin! Death to the Ten Rings!>
*Soldier #2: <What's he saying?>
*Soldier #1: <It seems the fine Dr. Yinsen has finally snapped.>
*Soldier #2: <What do we do?>
*Soldier #1: <The thing we're hired to do. Put him down...>
They enter the cell and shoot him down. They're about to leave when they hear something and turn around. Instantly, they're set on fire and killed. Out of the shadows steps Tony in the MK I.
*Tony (VO): He didn't have to do that... but he did... just so they would open the door and set me free without knowing... He sacrificed himself for the sake of helping one man... That's a hero if I've ever seen one...
Tony picks up Yinsen's corpse and starts walking out with it. Many soldiers attempt to shoot him down but the bullets bounce off him and he burns them in response.
*Tony (VO): It was during this that I noticed that my fake heart, my "Arc Reactor" as I later called it, wasn't running out of charge. Later on, I found out it was because Yinsen made the suit a charger I could wear. I mean, goddamn, the man thought of everything...
When he makes it to the end of the cave, several soldiers are waiting for him and open fire, ending with one launching a small rocket at him. Tony survives all of them and is revealed to be curled up in a ball with Yinsen's corpse after the rocket hits him. He gently places Yinsen down and gets back up.
*Tony: My turn.
Tony unleashes a massive blast of fire and burns everyone around him.
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