Noble Kale rode in silence, the flames that danced around his skull flickering wildly in the wind. Long ago, he'd lost his life because of a love that was forbidden, being reborn as a Spirit of Vengeance. Over the years, he'd been revived alongside a series of hosts, all of whom shared his bloodline. In his current incarnation he was bonded to Daniel Ketch, a Brooklyn-based young man whose sister had been mortally wounded before his very eyes. Noble and Dan formed a powerful team, both of them brimming with a desire to see evil dealt with in the harshest manner possible: with the aid of the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare, their victims were forced to make peace with their inner demons... a punishment far worse than death.

Behind him, the women called Hag screamed in agony. She was chained to the back of the Ghost Rider's cycle, being dragged across hot asphalt. Her inhuman nature meant that she recovered almost as fast as the flesh was torn from her body, but it did nothing to stop the pain.

Overhead, Iron Man watched in growing disgust. When the Rider had first begun his torture of the woman, Tony had made to stop him... but the Ghost Rider had argued quite passionately that this was his affair and Tony couldn't argue with that. Hag and Troll... Deathwatch... the Ghost Rider. They existed in a world far removed from the boardrooms of Stark Enterprises or the hallowed halls of Avengers Mansion. This was a world that Iron Man did not like the look of -- not one little bit.

<Tony?> Jocasta asked, her voice sounding oddly comforting to him. Despite the fact that she'd recently tried to kill him, Iron Man trusted her with all his heart -- a fact that had allowed him to make the difficult decision to allow her to interface with his new armor, which had been picked up during a visit to an alternate universe*.

(*Back in the abso-freaking-classic crossover between M2K's Avengers and JLU's JLA!)

"What is it, J?"

<Bill Foster has left for the conference in Hong Kong. I convinced him to take Mainframe with him for protection.>

"I bet he didn't like that a bit," Tony muttered, narrowing his eyes as Ghost Rider pulled off the road, letting Hag roll to a stop behind him. It looked like the villain was finally ready to talk.

<You're right... but I think I managed to impress upon him the need for it. The real reason I'm bothering you, though, is something concerning Pepper and Rumiko.>

"Why didn't Rumiko call me herself?"

<She's at the hospital with Pepper. Happy's condition hasn't changed... but he seems to be haunting Pepper.>

"Come again?"

<Pepper says she's received phone calls from him... and that she saw a ghostly image of him. The image said that you had to be warned... that someone you thought was dead was still alive and was holding Happy hostage.>

"Wonderful," Tony whispered. He flew lower, landing near the prone form of Hag. "So you're telling me we've still got the Mandarin out there, plus all the madness with Whitney, this affair with Deathwatch and now someone's holding Happy's spirit prisoner?"

<That sums it up nicely, Tony.>

"Tell everyone that I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can. I'm in the middle of something."

<I think they assumed you were. Rumiko said that you were never not in the middle of something.>

Tony winced at that. He had been ignoring her a bit lately, focusing on straightening out his business affairs and dealing with numerous threats to Iron Man. "Listen, J... tell Rumiko I'm sorry about being away so much lately. I--"

<I'll let you tell her that yourself, actually. It'll mean more coming from you, I think.>

Tony sighed, wondering if Jocasta was still hurting over his recent rejection of her. "Thanks."

Ghost Rider strode towards Iron Man, his skull somehow radiating cold fury. "I know where Deathwatch is. She finally decided to talk."

"Great -- then let's get this over with. Where is he?"

"114 E. Lieber St."

"But that's... that's just down the road from Mr. Stark's house," Iron Man replied, keeping up the ruse that he and Stark's armored bodyguard were two separate people.

"Yes." Ghost Rider stared into the darkness. Just past those trees lay Deathwatch's estate. "He's probably been watching this whole thing."

"There goes the element of surprise," Iron Man said.

James "Jimmy" Stark soared through the skies, his gleaming red and silver armor making him feel invincible. The suit was based on his father's designs, but Jimmy was quite capable of his own advances in engineering and he's modified this one on several occasions. Right now, he was tapping into XM radio, laughing to himself at what was passing for hip culture these days. Ninety percent of these acts would be gone over the next decade, replaced by the movement known as Neo-Emo, which had swept the youth culture in Jimmy's own time.

Iron Lad's mood darkened a bit when he thought about his past... which was the future of this world, if he didn't do something to stop it. Though there were good things to come, like his father's ascendancy to the White House, those things had been balanced out by a lot of darkness: the Mandarin's rise to power in the Jade Empire, whose iron grip had spread throughout Asia, being foremost amongst them. The desire to make sure that the Mandarin -- and his daughter, who was around Jimmy's age and annoyingly attractive -- didn't become as unstoppable in this world as they had in his own had led Iron Lad to ally himself with a younger version of his own father, breaking one of the fundamental rules that his teammates in the Force Guard lived by. Though time travel was tantalizingly easy in their era, it was also forbidden due to the strains it placed on the timeline. Though most changes created divergent time streams, there had been documented cases of entire realities blinking out of existence.

You always worried too much, Jimmy.

Iron Lad froze in midair, looking around quickly. The female 'voice' that had echoed through his head was familiar... all too familiar. "Lin?" he asked aloud, fearing the answer that would come.

Look to your left, my love.

Jimmy turned, spotting her atop a television station roof top. She was gorgeous, her lithe form wrapped in a green and gold kimono that accentuated every curve she possessed. Her jet black hair was pulled back, emphasizing her high, proud cheekbones and emerald green eyes. Her name meant "beautiful jade" and she lived up to it in every respect, for she was the daughter of the Mandarin... the heir to the Jade Empire... Iron Lad's arch foe... and his sometime lover.

Iron Lad rocketed towards her,  landing a few feet away. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. His heart was racing, a mixture of happiness and disappointment warring within him.

"I came back a few months before you did," she answered, her English excellent and without any trace of accent.

"That's impossible."

"With time travel, nothing is impossible. I learned where you had gone and I followed, making sure to arrive at an earlier point in time."

"Why?"

"You seek to foil my father... I seek to make sure the Jade Empire arises, even stronger than before. You saw my father's dragons... didn't you wonder why he had them so much earlier than before?"

Jimmy swore under his breath. He was torn between attacking her right now... and taking her into his arms. "You're better than this," he said. "Your father uses you. He doesn't love you."

"Some would say the same thing about your own father." Lin stepped towards him, her lips parting in a smile. "The Jade Empire will reveal itself today. Come and stand at my side."

"You know I can't do that."

"Why? Because our fathers are enemies? Let us end the feuds between us... lie together naked in the grass and let them slay each other if they wish!"

Jimmy hesitated but finally shook his head. "I'll stop you. You know I will."

Lin's face took on a sad cast. "Then you'll die. Because this time, there can be no turning back, nor can there be any mercy."

"You shouldn't have come back here," Jimmy whispered. "Why didn't you just let me save the world?"

"Because I love my father, no matter how he might feel about me!" Lin's voice took on an angry tone and she stepped back Iron Lad. A set of glittering rings on the fingers of her left hand caught Jimmy's eye. "And in our own time... my father is dying. His dream will be unrealized. But by coming here, by helping him... I can give this gift to him. In this world at least, Iron Man and the hated West will fall!"

"It doesn't have to be that way! Let me--" Iron Lad reached for her, but a shimmering light began to surround her, enveloping her in a transportation beam.

Lin turned away from him at the end, her last words ringing in his ears. "The next time I see you, Jimmy... will be the last time."

Iron Man scanned the interior of the mansion before him, marveling at the interior design. The home of Stephen Lords was laid out in a strange manner, with four large wings snaking out from a square like center. Tony could 'read' a number of energy signatures -- at least two dozen men, all in extremely good health. "You said he uses ninja?"

"Yes," Ghost Rider replied, revving the engine of his bike. "Shall we enter?"

"No time like the present," Tony agreed. "Let's keep the mayhem to a minimum, shall we?"

The Spirit of Vengeance's response, if there was any, was lost in the roar of his motorcycle. The bike accelerated forward quickly, racing right through the front door, shattering it into  shards of wood and steel.

Iron Man followed after, wondering again how anyone could possibly work with this figure on a regular basis -- the Ghost Rider had once been a member of the Champions, hadn't he? Or was that the other Rider? The whole thing confused him.

There was no opposition to greet the heroes as they moved down the foyer into the central room, a massive structure with high ceilings and a brightly burning fireplace. There was little furniture, save for a leather couch and a desk in the far corner. Iron Man knew they were surrounded, however, for his armor detected numerous life forms in the rafters and in the dark areas of the room. "Here they come," he warned, seconds before the area became alive with the dancing, dark forms of sword-wielding ninja.

Iron Man was grateful for the high ceilings as they allowed him to take the air, giving him an advantage over the ninja on the ground below. He fired his repulsor blasts down upon them, taking out half a dozen in a few seconds. Just when he thought everything would go smoothly, a heavy weight slammed down onto his back and he turned his head just enough to see that a ninja had dropped down from the rafters and landed straight on top of him. The ninja brought the hilt of his sword up and then slammed it down into the back of Iron Man's helmet twice before Tony spoke up.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Death to my master's enemies!" the ninja shouted, repeating the motion once more.

"Point of advice -- when you're taking on somebody's who's gone toe-to-toe with the Hulk, bring more to the table than a sword." Iron Man electrified the outer surface of his armor, sending his attacker into spasms of pain. The ninja slid off Iron man's back and landed hard on the floor below when the attack ended.

Down below, Ghost Rider was dealing his own brand of damage. His mystic chain broke apart into shuriken, striking down a number of his foes before he ever laid hands upon them. A select few were chosen to bear the brunt of his much-feared Penance Stare.

Within moments, the room was filled with the groaning bodies of their ninja attackers, while Iron Man and Ghost Rider stood side-by-side, surveying the scene.

"Nice job, gentlemen." The sound of applause made both heroes turn, where Deathwatch was entering the room. "I must admit, however... I didn't anticipate that Mr. Stark would send his armored guard dog after me quite so soon."

Ghost Rider took a step towards his old foe. "Your crimes end today."

Deathwatch opened his arms wide. "Really? And who's going to stop me?"

Iron Man narrowed his eyes, surprised by the man's bravado. "Give it up. You're outclassed -- and you have to know it."

Deathwatch chuckled. "At the risk of sounding like a bad action film villain... bring it on."

Pepper Hogan stood in her husband's hospital room, staring at his body. It was strange... since seeing that image of him in Rumiko's apartment, she'd become convinced that the figure before her now was nothing more than an empty shell. The real Happy was somewhere else, being held against his will by yet another enemy of Tony's.

"He's not coming, is he?"

Rumiko Fujikawa was nearby, having driven her friend back to the hospital after their recent scare. "Tony's involved in something, but he's coming here immediately afterwards."

Pepper's beautiful features scrunched up into an angry expression. "Pepper's hurt because of his friendship with Tony. And you're telling me that he's too busy to come help when he knows my husband is in trouble?"

"I'm sure it's important...."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," a man said.

Rumiko jumped when she realized that someone was standing at her side. He was tall and thin, with bone-white skin. He wore a dark black suit and sunglasses, the pink of his eyes showing briefly. He was an albino, one who smelled faintly of cinnamon. "Who are you?" she asked, finding her voice after a moment. Pepper seemed equally stunned, but had moved protectively to her husband's side.

"My name is Solomon... and I am a friend, though you do not know me." The albino moved closer to the hospital bed, but Rumiko moved to block his path. "I mean him no harm."

"How did you get in here? Tony's got guards posted outside the door."

"I have means of travel that are not detectable by ordinary means," Solomon replied, his voice sounding like it dripped with honey. It was a Southern accent, but difficult to place. "I can help you find your husband, Mrs. Hogan."

Pepper spoke up for the first time since he'd arrived. "You know where he is?"

"Oh, most certainly... and he is in a dire situation. We must make haste."

Rumiko looked at Pepper. "We don't know that we can trust him," she reminded her friend.

It was no use, however. Pepper had seized upon the hope offered her and was moving closer to the stranger. "What can I do?"

Solomon reached out and took her hand. "All you have to do... is trust in me."

Deathwatch nimbly dodged the first of Iron Man's assaults, drawing upon the energy he'd leeched before the heroes' arrival. Able to derive strength from the psychic pain and death he forced upon others, Deathwatch was able to tap into reservoirs of strength that normal men and women could never fathom.

He sprang forward, catching Iron Man off-guard. Locking his hands around the sides of Tony's helmet, he tossed the Golden Avenger aside like a rag doll. Iron Man landed in the fireplace, the flames racing along his armor but doing no real harm.

Ghost Rider, meanwhile, had moved behind Deathwatch and wrapped him up tight in his mystic chain. "No more will die at your hands," the Spirit of Vengeance warned.

"If you fought half as well as you talk, Rider, you'd be unbeatable." Deathwatch flipped Ghost Rider forwards, using his skills at martial arts to turn the tables on his foe. Once freed of the chain, Deathwatch delivered a powerful kick to the Rider's midsection, causing him to double over in surprise and pain.

Iron Man raised his right gauntlet and released one of his newer weapons: a series of small metal spheres that immediately circled towards Deathwatch and surrounded him. They danced about like butterflies, avoiding the villain's angry swats, until one of them finally shot forward and embedded itself in Deathwatch's skin, via a small but sharp probe. The others followed suit, until Deathwatch resembled a human pin cushion.

"What are those...?" Ghost Rider wondered aloud, stepping back from his thrashing foe.

"Neural shockers. He should be down for the count in about 3... 2... 1."

Just as Iron Man finished the countdown, Deathwatch suddenly screamed in pain. It was a brief but shocking cry, followed closely by the collapse of his body.

Ghost Rider approached his fallen foe, the skull-like features of his face managing to show his concern. "He is unconscious....?"

Tony nudged Deathwatch with a boot. "I'd say so. Nobody this side of a Thunder God is going to--"

Deathwatch whirled about, grabbing hold of Iron Man's leg. "Feed me," he whispered.

Tony gasped as his heart seemed to wither within his chest. All the life inside of him seemed to be drawn downwards and out through his leg, channeling into the man called Deathwatch. He thought of Rumiko... and of Whitney... and of all his friends. Was it going to end here? Like this? He'd always pictured himself falling in battle with one of his old enemies, like the Mandarin or Ultron.... not dying at the hands of a second-rate killer with a necrophilia bent.

Ghost Rider slammed a fist into Deathwatch's skull, repeating the action until the villain had released his grip on Iron Man... but the damage was done.

Iron Man began to fall forward, his vision darkening.... and then were nothing save for the soft thump, thump, thump of his heartbeat.

Bill Foster sat on the private jet, reading through a number of business proposals. His head ached from all the information he was trying to cram into it and he wondered for the thousandth time why Tony Stark had called upon him to do this job... he understood that Tony wanted to spend more time on his Iron Man activities and his charities, but to turn over his portion of Stark-Fujikawa to someone who had no experience being a CEO? "It's insane," he said aloud.

Mainframe, the yellow and gray robot who resembled Iron Man in many ways, snapped to attention. "Did you say something, Mr. Foster?"

"Call me Bill." Foster leaned back in his chair, looking out the window. Hong Kong was below, playing host to a major business conference that could do wonders for the ailing company. I just hope I don't screw this up. Hanging out with the Champions is one thing, running Stark-Fujikawa is another.

"Very well... Bill." Mainframe looked out the window, scanning the city. "I'm reading a large amount of electromagnetic activity...."

"Is that unusual?"

"It's far above normal levels. Perhaps we should--"

The plane tilted suddenly and Bill cursed as his papers scattered across the floor. He was immediately reminded of the recent attack on Tony's helicopter, which had also tossed him about. He was getting very tired of this. "What's going on?"

Mainframe had stayed in place thanks to his magnetic boots. "A city has appeared before us."

"A city?!"

"Yes." Mainframe reached down and helped Foster to his feet. "There."

Bill felt his mouth fall open in disbelief. There, hovering above Hong Kong was a massive city. The entire thing looked like it had been carved out of jade, giving it a strange green glow that almost hurt his eyes. "What in the name of God is that....?"

Mainframe moved away from him. "I shall investigate."

"The hell you will," Bill answered. "You get on the horn with the boss. Tell him we need Iron Man. Pronto."

Mainframe watched as Bill moved towards the door. The pilot was pulling the plane up and away from the floating city, meaning that they were soon going to be over the mysterious new arrival. "And you...?"

Bill yanked off his tie and tore open his shirt, revealing a blue and white costume beneath his clothing. "I'm going in."

Before Mainframe could stop him, Foster had thrown open the door and jumped into the air. He enlarged his frame as he fell, finally crashing to the streets of the jade city with a tremendous roar. The city shook from the impact and several nearby windows shattered from the force. He rose to his full fifteen feet height. It had been awhile since he'd gone into action as Giant-Man, but it felt good. Real good -- better than flipping through paperwork, that was for certain.

Bill watched as people began to emerge from the buildings, most of which were strangely primitive looking. There were no skyscrapers here -- few were more than one story and several looked like small huts carved out of green glass. The men and women who stepped into view matched their surroundings, though their clothing came in a wider variety of colors. They were mostly barefoot, with wide frightened eyes.

"Who's in charge of this place?" Bill asked, wondering if he should shrink down to regular size to avoid frightening them.

"That would be my father," one of the women said, pushing her way to the fore. She was more confident-looking than the rest and wore several gaudy-looking rings on her fingers. "Welcome, Bill Foster."

"You know me?"

"Of course... the mighty Giant-Man. Or Black Goliath. Which is it these days?"

"Doesn't matter. What's this place called? Who's your father? Who are you, for that matter?"

"So many questions," she laughed. "My name is Lin. And you are a guest in the Jade Empire. As for my father... he should be known to you. He is called the Mandarin."

Bill blinked in surprise, as a huge shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a huge dragon descending upon him, maw open wide to expose rows of sharp teeth. "Uh-oh."

Tony woke up slowly, feeling like his consciousness was buried in a deep pit. When he finally found the strength to open his eyes, he found that he was no longer in Deathwatch's home... instead he was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar place. He sat up a little too fast and immediately regretted it.

"Greetings, Tony."

Iron Man felt his blood chill in his veins. He looked towards the door and saw the impossible. "Vision*?"

(*The Vision was destroyed in Avengers # 13, hosted right here at Marvel 2000!)

"Indeed. Ghost Rider wished to make apologies to you for having to leave so quickly. He trusted that you would be safe in our care. He has taken Deathwatch with him."

Iron Man stood up, still staring. He felt weaker than normal, lingering effects of Deathwatch's attack, he mused. "This is impossible. You're... dead."

The Vision tilted his head to the side. "I was rebuilt some years after the incident you are remembering. I am from the future, Tony... but we need your help. We had hoped to find Iron Lad without altering the past, but it is too late. The Jade Empire is here."

"The future... You're from the Force Guard?"

The door opened wider behind the Vision, revealing more colorful figures: a girl in the Whizzer costume, a female version of Thor, Cap's old partner Vagabond...

"That's us," Vagabond confirmed. Gone was the bloom of youth that Tony remembered. This was a woman now, hardened by years of battle. "We need you with us."

"Why not just contact Jimmy?" he asked.

"Because he's already en route to Hong Kong," the Whizzer said. "And once Lin's got her hooks in him, he's useless."

"Hush," Vagabond warned. She continued to study Iron Man. "The Mandarin has help in the form of his daughter from the future... he's awakened the great Wyrms. And I believe he's got Bill Foster, as well."

"Bill? How....?"

"Whilst thou slept, a call did come," Thor Girl said.

Iron Man stared at her for a moment. Good lord, he thought to himself. It's like seeing Thor in drag.

"You'll need some backup," Vagabond continued. "You're... not well."

Iron Man coughed, feeling his chest seize up. "I'm fine. You can fill me in on all the details while we're en route."

Vagabond nodded, though she knew that he had no business going into battle... not with death standing so near to him. Beneath that armor, he was rotting and didn't even know it. But they might need him... his strength, his experience. The Mandarin had to be stopped.

TO BE CONTINUED

In Iron Man # 39: The Jade Empire is here! Join Iron Man, Iron Lad and Bill Foster as they enter the lion's den -- guest starring the heroes of the Force Guard!