"The Hammer Falls"

A powerless Iron Man plunges to the streets of Los Angeles. The Raiders hover above him. Raider-2 says, "My new long-range power draining systems work perfectly! Now we can finish Iron Man off!"

The three Raiders swoop down in pursuit of Iron Man. Iron Man quickly assesses the situation. "If I hit the street I might hurt someone, but there's no way I can pull out of this dive without power. I've got to try to direct my fall away from the people below. Wait, the Raiders are catching up to me. What are they doing?"

Raider-3 snatches Iron Man from mid-air. "We're gonna take you someplace where we can peel you apart piece by piece," he announces.

"These guys really are as stupid as they look," thinks Iron Man. "My suit is powered by Beta particles, so it constantly recharges itself. Whatever they used to drain me isn't operating right now... I guess they think if I show signs of regaining strength they'll drain me again. But by the time we get to wherever we're going, I'll have enough power to turn the tables on them."

Jim Rhodes glares Blacklash in the eye. "Alright Blacklash. If it's a fight you want..."

"Wait a minute, Rhodes," Blacklash says as he steps back, his palm in the air. He slowly retracts his whip and places it on his belt as he speaks. "I'm not here to cause trouble... at least not for you. I need your help."

"_You_ need _my_ help?" Rhodey asks as he begins pondering his best escape. Surely this is a trap, right?

"Yeah, I need your help. I want to turn state's evidence. Help the feds lock up Hammer."

"You're turning against Hammer? Why?" Rhodey still can't believe what he's hearing.

"Because things have changed with me. My wife died, and now I got a kid to think about. (see Elektra #7 - Ninja Matt) I figure I can get out of the business, get in the witness protection program, give my daughter a good life, and maybe finally do something that'll make my mom proud of me."

"Okay, Scarlotti. Let's say I buy this. Why would you come to me?"

"Because I thought Stark could give me protection, and since there's no way I could get in touch with Stark without tipping off Hammer, I figured you were my best shot."

"Alright, Scarlotti. I'll talk to Tony. When and where do you want to meet?"

"Right here tomorrow night. Thanks Rhodes. I owe you one."

The Raiders find a secluded spot away from the bright lights of the city.

"Now comes the fun part!" Raider-3 exclaims with glee.

"You're right," Iron Man replies, unable to supress the wry smile beneath his emotionless faceplate. Before the Raiders can ponder the meaning of Iron Man's words, he quickly verifies that he has regained enough power to activate his trump card, and he does. Iron Man generates a localized electromagnetic pulse. The pulse temporarlily disables all electronic systems within a half-mile radius, including the four suits of armor in this dark alley.

The Raiders drop to the ground, unable to move. "What's going on? What happened?" Raider-2 screams. "I drained your power!"

"You didn't count on the fact that my armor constantly replenishes its power supply," Iron Man says as he slowly moves towards the Raiders. "I regained enough energy to activate an e-m pulse. Your armors won't function for the next several minutes. However, Mister Stark has upgraded my armor so that I still have mobility after an e-m attack, much like a car that retains power steering when the engine shuts off. Which means I can still do this."

Iron Man kicks each of the Raiders in the head. The force of impact is enough to knock them unconcious.

"Now I've just got to get to a working phone and call someone to pick these jokers up," Iron Man thinks as he stiffly walks out of the alley.

In New York a young man and his friend Joe return to their home in an alley.

"T'day wuz a good day, 'ey kid? We found sum good grub today!"

"Yeah, Joe. It was pretty good." The young man is troubled. He has no memories before he appeared in this alley a few days ago (in Iron Man #342 - Matt). It has been a difficult ordeal. Although he is not sure who he is, he is sure that he's not used to living such a meager existence. If only he knew who he was, and where that mansion was he keeps seeing in his dreams.... Oh well, enough time to ponder that tomorrow. Now he is weary, and lays down on some cardboard, in the vain hope of getting a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Jim Rhodes pays a visit to Tony Stark's office. Tony, although surprised by the visit, is nevertheless glad to see his friend. Although Tony does not realize it, Jim Rhodes is having difficulty believing that this man is truly his friend. However, Rhodey is willing to take a gamble on the chance Hammer can be put away for good.

"What can I do for you today, Rhodey?" Tony inquires when Rhodey enters the office.

"It looks more like what I can do for you. Or rather, what Mark Scarlotti can do for you," Rhodey enigmatically replies.

"Blacklash? What do you mean? He's been Hammer's lackey for years."

"Yeah, but apparently he's had a change of heart. He and Hammer approached me yesterday, trying to intimidate me into selling my shares. Scarlotti visited me again last night, alone but in costume, and offered to turn state's evidence to lock Hammer away."

"I don't believe it! It must be a trick!" Tony replies, astonished at the turn of events.

"He seemed serious to me. Said something about wantin' to protect his daughter. He wants to meet with you tonight."

"This is too good an opportunity to pass up. Things are playing against Hammer even better than I dreamed. But why would he approach you?"

"He said he couldn't get to you without Hammer finding out. Do you want to meet with him?"

"I was hoping to catch Hammer using illegal methods to get your shares, but if Blacklash is willing to testify, we could shut down his whole criminal organization. I'll meet with him- or better yet, Iron Man will."

"You don't think Shellhead will scare him off?"

"If he wants protection from me, I'd assume he wants Iron Man. Besides, if it's a trap I want to be prepared. Where's the meeting?"

"At Rhodes Air."

"I can't wait."

That night Rhodey waits impatiently in the parking lot outside the offices of Rhodes Air. He glances at his watch for the thousandth time. "I can't believe I didn't think to ask Blacklash what time he'd meet me. It's one in the morning. He's not gonna show."

Just then, Blacklash emerges from the shadows. "Been waiting long, Rhodes?"

"Long enough. You're serious about this?"

"I sure am. Where's Stark?"

"Mr. Stark couldn't make it. Will I do?" Blacklash starts at the unseen voice. He looks above him to see Iron Man slowly decending from the pitch black night sky.

"Iron Man! I'm not surprised you're here. You guys got no reason to trust me after my history. But I'm tellin' you the truth. Now can we get outta here? I've got a bad feelin' I may have been followed."

"You were. I've been tracking the approaching figures." Iron Man activates his loudspeakers. "Whoever you are, you can come out now. I know you're there."

Spymaster, Blizzard, and Boomerang step into the light. "You should know better than to turn against Mr. Hammer, Blacklash. We're not lettin' you leave alive," announces Spymaster.

Iron Man wastes no time trading speeches with Hammer's hit squad. He simply blasts Blizzard in the chest with a repulsor blast and swoops toward Boomerang. "Rhodey, get Blacklash out of here!" he shouts as he slams into Boomerang.

"Hey, I can take care of myself!" Blacklash retorts as he activates his whip. He lashes out at Spymaster, who dives out of the way as he unholsters a blaster. Spymaster opens fire at Blacklash, whose spinning whip absorbs most of the blast. However, it does not absorb enough and Blacklash is knocked onto his back. Spymaster approaches, preparing for the kill....

Iron Man pins Boomerang to the ground. As Iron Man hit him, Boomerang had been preparing to throw a boomerang. He manages to release it before going down, but does not come close to hitting our hero. Iron Man gives Boomerang a quick lovetap to knock him unconcious. Just as he turns to deal further with Spymaster and Blizzard, Boomerang's weapon returns to hit Iron Man square in the chest, at which point it promptly explodes. By this time, Blizzard has recovered from the initial attack and begins freezing Iron Man's armor.

Spymaster aims and prepares to finish off Blacklash. The sonic boom of a bullet pierces the air. Spymaster, in a state of shock, stares at the hole which has suddenly appeared in his right forearm. "Unless you want another one just like it, back off, Spymaster," warns Rhodey, holding his familiar Beretta.

The Blizzard continues to attempt to freeze Iron Man, but his thermocouple is compensating for the effects. Iron Man relentlessly advances on the Blizzard. "S-stay back! Get away!" Blizzard's voice trembles as Iron Man continues to stride toward him. Without saying a word, Iron Man reaches out and grabs the Blizzard.

"Will you guys never learn?" Iron Man punches the Blizzard, knocking him out.

He turns to Rhodey and Blacklash, who is now struggling to his feet. "This just gets easier and easier," the armored Avenger says. "I almost wish someone would give me a real challenge for a change. Now, let's get these guys into custody and get Blacklash in contact with the authorities. I want to make sure Hammer goes down tonight."

Early the next morning, Justin Hammer boards his private jet. "I suppose I'll have to lie low until I can get this matter cleared up. It's a shame, but perhaps I got overconfident this time," he thinks. "Pilot, head for my private island, please," he says over the intercom.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hammer," is the pilot's reply.

Federal agents emerge from the cockpit. "Justin Hammer, you are under arrest."

Next Issue: So Iron Man wants a challenge eh? Well, be careful what you wish for. Just when Tony thinks he's going to get a chance to relax and finish analysing the Titanium Man's weapon, Fin Fang Foom and Titanium Man both decide they want to talk to Mandarin! Of course, our hero gets caught in the middle, but what's he gonna do when another Iron Man shows up to cause even more trouble? Find out next time!