Iron Man: Femmes Fatales

by Greenberger, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780345506856
• ISBN10: 0345506855
• Edition: Original
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2009-09-29
• Publisher: Del Rey

Summary

Tony Stark, the billionaire industrialist-turned-superhero Iron Man, falls prey to the schemes of two tantalizing temptresses, both as stunning as they are lethal, and a fatal chink in his armor is revealed--a flaw that could lead to his downfall and the city's doom. Original.

Author Biography

Robert Greenberger is the creator of Comics Scene, the first national magazine covering comic books, comic strips, and animation. He has worked for DC Comics and Gist Communications, and he served as director of publishing operations for Marvel Comics. Greenberger is the author of numerous novels, including adventures set in the Star Trek universe, and is the news editor for the trendsetting online popular culture site ComicMix. He lives with his wife, Deb, in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Excerpts

Prologue


 Richard Andrew Stoner sat at his desk and cursed. The room was dark, lit largely by a desk lamp and his computer screen. The shadowy space was sizeable, with a meeting table, chairs, credenza, and a couch against the wall. It was another all- nighter, and Stoner was certain he would hear about it from Caroline. But he had little choice. He was building an operation the likes of which had never been attempted before. As a result, there was no rule book to follow, nor mentor to guide him. Instead, he was entrusted to figure it out on his own, from scratch. 

His wife had known what she was getting into, marrying a career military man. She would just have to understand. And there were so many lives involved. . . . The very thought both exhilarated and terrified him— not that he would ever show it. It was not how he was trained. 

That the bud get was seemingly unlimited didn’t hurt. If he needed anything— regardless of how exotic— he could have it delivered within twenty- four hours. Armed with that knowledge, he plunged ahead and hired, purchased, and delegated. 

He ran a rough hand through his hair, which had started to go gray. He was powerfully built, and prided himself on staying in shape as an example to others. Every morning began with calisthenics and weight training, and Stoner made time for target practice each week, sampling all the new ordnance that had been arriving from around the world. He’d never imagined preferring a Glock to a Colt, but he adjusted. He felt as if he hadn’t left his office all day, and realized there was a reason for that. He hadn’t. Reaching for his coffee mug that proclaimed “World’s Number One Dad” in a colorful crayon typeface, he tasted the coffee and spat it back. Worse than cold, it was stale. 

Stoner decided he needed an orderly, with standing orders to freshen the cup hourly. 

Nowthat’sa great use of personnel,he thought wryly. No, he’d just need to have a coffeemaker installed in his office, with an ample supply of the strongest stuff money could buy. That was the only way he was going to make it through the late nights. 

On his sleek desktop were folders bulging with information on potential recruits, requisition forms, status reports, phone messages, urgent notes from department heads, and cata logues to help outfit his army. 

Why did I ever let them talk me into this? 

He had resisted when called. He was a field officer, not a desk jockey, and he hadn’t felt comfortable with the enormous undertaking the Executive Council had laid out for him. But they had persisted, and with good reason. A clear and present danger had introduced itself— one he recognized as a threat to freedom on a global scale. 

That made it a military conflict, something with which he had experience, and no matter what the matériel he requisitioned, what he needed first and foremost would be troops he could trust. That Stoner could cull his team from the best armies throughout the free world still struck him as unprecedented— it made him feel as if he was assembling the ultimate all- star team. 

That was how the Council had sold him on the idea, knowing from his record during the desert war that his men would follow him through the gates of hell. His greatest achievement was that he had brought the majority of them back alive. Giving him another opportunity to lead, and to choose from the cream of the crop— it was exactly the right thing to get him to take the job. 

How cou

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Excerpted from Femmes Fatales by Robert Greenberger
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.