STARBORN: XXII –FLAWS
2000
GULMIRA, AF
The night was pitch black, starless, a military Humvee made its way through the hot zone without any difficulty. The village of Gulmira was dead silent, without a soul on the streets, the desolated village would pass of as a ghost town but nobody would care enough to even think of it. The Humvee transported an important asset of the Ten Rings, the man that had made a deal with the devil or maybe it was the other way around. Upon arriving, the Humvee station itself in front of the small camp of the Ten Rings, Obadiah Stane exit the car wearing his famous three-piece suit and Oxford shoes.
The first thing the current Stark Industries CEO notice was the lack of soldiers guarding the tent. They were all wearing bandages in different parts of their bodies, Obadiah found himself impressed by the works of Tony Stark. Stane nodded at his military squad, a silent indication to wait for his signal, from the tent emerge the man who had failed to do as told. "Welcome."
Obadiah gave him a curt nod before following him inside the tent, Raza took a seat on his old chair where the light allowed Obadiah to see his scarred face. "Did I come at a bad moment?"
Raza offered him a dark smirk before gesturing to his face. "Compliments of Tony Stark." Obadiah raised an eyebrow. "He came to finish what we started."
"What was meant for you to end." Obadiah stated. "If you'd killed him when you were supposed to, you'd still have a face... and men."
Obadiah threw a glance outside of the tent before fixing his tie and meeting Raza's dark stare. "You paid us trinkets to kill a prince." Raza narrowed his eyes while rubbing his ring finger subconsciously. "An insult, to me and the man whose ring I wear."
Running out of patience Obadiah said. "I think it's best we don't get him involved in this. I've come a long way to see this weapon, show me."
Raza stood up from his seat, slowly making his way to the back of the tent where something was hidden below a piece of cloth. Obadiah followed him, taking small steps as Raza snatch the blanket off revealing a suit armor, poorly put together by strings. Raza step away and made his way to his seat while Obadiah circle the armor, taking in Tony Stark creation with pieces of metal he must've took from his own weapons.
"His escape bore unexpected fruit." His brown eyes stare at the suit armor as memories of the recent attack in Gulmira flashed through his mind.
"So this is how he did it."
Raza stare at Obadiah. "In war, one soldier can only do so much, but an army of enhanced super beings can end all wars." Obadiah walked away from the metal suit as he approached Raza with an arc eyebrow. "Stark didn't escape alone, Alora Stark set my camp on fire before she collapsed then came a warrior angel and took out all my men. Brute force won't get you what you want."
"And according to you, what is it that I want?"
Raza smiled darkly. "Absolute power."
The Ten Ring leader grabbed the file from his desk and offered it to Obadiah Stane. With curious eyes, Obadiah grabbed the file and open it revealing the face of Alora Stark along with her personal information. "What is this?"
Raza only watched him with a passive face, Obadiah kept on reading until he stopped, his blue eyes scan the word over and over again until his eyes hurt. Obadiah took a deep breath, feeling as if the world was his ally for giving him this important piece of information. This evidence alone can give him what he was already planning on getting, absolute control of Stark Industries, he knows Alora will most likely look for him and ask for an explanation. With this evidence alone he can get her off his back forever and also leave her on the streets along with her self-absorb brother.
"Is this legit?" Obadiah glances at Raza who nodded slowly.
"Have my sources ever fail you, Obadiah Stane?" Raza cocks his head to the side.
"For now we're fine, anything else?" Obadiah wonders, Raza motions at the rolled schematics at the end of his desk. Obadiah places the file in between his arm before unrolling the schematics and take a look. "What's this?"
"The insides of Tony Stark's mind." Obadiah lies them on the light board and begins to arrange them one by one until it formed the iron suit Raza had retreated for him. "Everything you will need to build this weapon." Raza took a sip of his drink before he continues. "A man who possess the Stark gifts, could rule from the pacific to the Ukraine—and you dream of have the Stark throne, we have a common enemy."
Obadiah turn to face him, his greedy mind unable to share his vision. Stane had to share everything with Howard Stark, always second to him and somehow he hoped he would've made him CEO instead of his problematic son. But when Tony Stark effective immediately became CEO, Obadiah Stane had to bite his tongue and pretend everything was alright when in reality he was tired of being second. He was deserving of that empire, one he helped Howard Stark become worldwide. Tony Stark is an unstable disease that comes and goes as he pleased, Alora never caused him trouble, Obadiah really did like the youngest Stark but he knew that her loyalty resided in family.
It unable her to see beyond and that means trouble for Obadiah. "If we are back in business, I give you these designs and information as my gift. In return, I hope you will repay me with a gift of iron soldiers and the female Stark's blood. We have a buyer who is willing to pay billions for more blood."
Obadiah nodded as he began to roll the schematics before putting them under his arm along with the file, he placed his hand inside his right pant pocket as he curls his hand around the sonic taser and take it out. Obadiah walked over to Raza's left side and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a pat before turning on the sonic taser releasing a high pitch sound that gave the person temporal paralysis. Raza lays stiff in his chair while blue veins appeared on the side of his face where the sonic blast occur, Obadiah took off the filtering buds and put them away on his pockets.
"Technolgy and science has always been your Achilles Heel." Obadiah chuckle as he stares at the wide eyed Raza. "Don't worry, it'll wear off in fifteen minutes—but it's the least of your problems."
Obadiah eyes travel to Raza's hand where the famous ring resides, without thinking he pulled the ring off his finger and threw a wink at Raza before leaving him behind. Upon leaving the tent, Obadiah notice Raza's men on their knees and unarmed, he approached his head guard. "Crate up that armor and the rest of it..." Obadiah spare the Taliban's a glance before meeting his Head Guard eyes. "...send them to their virgins."
The Head Guard nodded firmly before they both parted ways, Obadiah got inside his Humvee and took the liberty to read what Raza had found of Alora's past. Muffle sound of gunfire filter their way inside the military car but Obadiah didn't seem faze about it, he was more curious about why Howard Stark would adopt a human freak instead of a normal human. He knew her mother probably didn't want to deal with a mutant kid.
"Kalum." Obadiah mumble, his brain connecting the dots. "He must know."
Obadiah let out a joyful laugh, this was all playing too well for the greedy man, now he could easily turn each one of them against each other. Amazing how secrets can be the downfall to everything, now he needed to wait for Alora to come looking for him and his plan will begin.
Closing the file and placing it on his lap, Obadiah lean back and let out a content sigh. "Vincit qui se vincit."
He conquers who conquers himself.
✶ ┊사랑병 ˎˊ˗
↳ ScriveFiorella_ Note
CODE RED! CODE RED!
Obadiah knows!! Things
Are not looking great for the
Stark siblings.
Who's the eager buyer Raza
Spoke of?😏
You guys have no idea how
Important this story is, its
Literally the heart of Bellator
Series so watch out for any
Suspicious clues.
Stay safe kiddos💕