Iron Man moved carefully toward the aerodyne, trying to see
into its star-cracked windows.  He didn't really want to get involved,
but if there were American soldiers here, they might need his help,
and he couldn't very well just walk away.
	"HOLD IT!" a voice barked from behind him.  The voice sounded
very Western.  Iron Man froze.
	"I'm an American," he said, putting his hands up.
	"Turn around.  Real slow," the voice commanded.
	Iron Man complied - then almost laughed when he saw that the
man who was giving him orders held nothing but a standard-issue 9mm
autopistol.  He'd been half-expecting a LAAW or something.
	More reassuringly still, the guy was definitely an American,
or at least definitely not Chinese; he was over six feet tall and
black, with close-cropped hair and the jumpsuit of a U.S. Army aviator.
	"Look, Warrant Officer... Rhodes," Iron Man said after peering
at the name tape on the man's jumpsuit, "I'm on your side.  Really.
Do I sound even vaguely Chinese?"
	"Take off your helmet," Rhodes said, emphasizing his point
with a pistol gesture.
	"I can't."
	"What?"
	"I can't take off my helmet.  It's bolted on.  You'll have to
take it off me if you want it off.  The wrench is in one of my belt
compartments."
	Rhodes gave him a skeptical look.  "... uh-HUH," he said.
	"It's a prototype," Iron Man said, a bit lamely.
	"I bet," Rhodes replied.  He eyed the unusual figure before im
for a moment, then sighed and holstered his sidearm.  "I don't suppose
my nine would do much to stop you anyway."
	"Not unless you've got kinetic penetrators for it," Iron Man
replied.