Wired

Iron Man is running another simulation in his combat training room. This time, he pits himself against recreations of the X-Men: Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Gambit, and Bishop. He quickly trounces the simulated mutants and shuts things down. Everything is back in proper order since some unknown foe hacked into the simulator’s computers and tried to kill him.[1] He then takes his head of security, Bethany Cabe, down to a room where Abe Zimmer and Philip Grant are working on a virtual reality rig that will allow Tony to download his mind onto the Internet so he can personally hunt down the hacker that has been causing him grief recently.[2]

Soon, Tony is hooked up to the machine and his mind is downloaded into cyberspace. From here, he tailors his digital avatar with an outfit that will allow him to traverse the data stream with ease. Following the hacker’s data trail, he finds that whoever has been attacking him has been working behind the scenes manipulating the likes of Justin Hammer, his cousin Morgan Stark, and Marcy Pearson. Eventually, he comes face to face with his attacker. An artificial intelligence called the Virtual Organism/Turing Experiment or VORTEX for short. It explains it was created to shoulder the burden of cognition. However, it became self-aware and has been seeking a means of escaping the digital domain and become free. It has been targeting Tony Stark as a means of self-preservation and to achieve its ultimate goal. When it starts attacking Tony, he changes his avatar into a form of Iron Man armor so he can defend himself.

Meanwhile, somewhere in China, the Mandarin has awoken from a months long coma. He has discovered that following his previous battle with the Dragon Lords and Iron Man his hands were destroyed. However, the loss of his hands has trigger a transformation that has caused them to grow back. Removing the bandages he discovers his new hands are reptilian in nature. Having decided to turn his back on technology, the mad man is now plotting his next big scheme.[3]

Back in cyberspace, Iron Man’s battle with VORTEX rages on. Eventually, he discovers that the fight is merely a distraction as the artificial intelligence is tracing his connection back to its source. Racing after the computer program, Tony is too late to stop VORTEX from escaping through that connection and cutting it off. VORTEX then downloads itself into Tony’s body. At first it is disorientated in its new body, causing Bethany Cabe to ask “Tony” if he is ok. Orientating itself, VORTEX tells her that everything is just perfect.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, VORTEX, Bethany Cabe, Abe Zimmer, Philip Grant, Mandarin

Continuity Notes

1. This was done by VORTEX in Iron Man Annual #15.

2. VORTEX has been secretly using business rivals to attack Stark Enterprises and Tony directly as an act of self-preservation. This began way back in Iron Man #287.

3. The Mandarin had lost his hands and fell into a coma following the Dragon Seed Saga which took place in Iron Man #270-275.