Tony Stark had been attacked by a mysterious man...
Within just a few hours, all sorts of outrageous rumors were already circulating online. Headlines ranged from "Attempted Assassination in Broad Daylight" to "Alien Attack on Iron Man." The internet's creativity was boundless.
On the way home, Arthur handed Ruby the wheel while he reclined in his seat, a faint smile on his face as he amused himself by reading the news on his tablet.
It had to be admitted — people really knew how to keep a topic "hot."
"So… who's the guy who tried to assassinate Tony?" Jean asked, frowning.
In her mind, it made no sense for the Ministry of Defense to be involved in something like this. Sure, they could be many things, but not stupid enough to attack someone like Tony Stark.
There was only one plausible explanation: revenge.
"Actually, Tony's practically the victim in this story," Arthur said casually.
"Victim?" Jean and Gwen exchanged incredulous glances.
Arthur just gestured.
"Ruby, pull up everything you can find on Ivan Vanko."
Within seconds, Vanko's scowling face and personal history appeared on the tablet's screen. As they read, the two women finally understood the situation.
Howard Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. had planted the seeds of this problem decades ago — but the one reaping the consequences now was Tony.
"I always thought the Arc Reactor was Tony's invention," Gwen said, surprised.
"Same here," Jean agreed. "But apparently, Howard was the one who designed it. No wonder so many people considered him an unparalleled genius."
Arthur nodded.
Howard wasn't the only one to have worked with the Tesseract, but he was certainly the one who did it with the most finesse. Hydra and even S.H.I.E.L.D. themselves had tried… with far different results.
Hydra had focused on extracting energy to create weapons; Captain Marvel on developing a light-speed engine to help the Skrulls; and S.H.I.E.L.D., after Howard's death, had basically fallen into a technological limbo. No one could even decipher the notes he'd left behind.
(Speaking of which… Nick Fury has probably already figured out what's going on…)
---
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
The video of the attack on Tony was sent immediately. Fury, standing with his usual stern expression, watched it intently until something caught his attention.
"Hill, play that again."
"Yes, sir."
The footage restarted. When it reached the moment Tony donned his new Mark 5 armor, Fury raised his hand.
"Pause."
He stepped closer to the screen.
"Zoom in on the chest."
Hill complied.
"Now pull up images from the fight against Iron Monger."
The screen displayed a side-by-side comparison.
"You see it?" Fury asked.
Hill, ever professional, responded immediately:
"The Arc Reactor has changed. It used to be circular… now it's triangular."
Fury felt a knot in his stomach.
"Call Romanoff. It's time. We're going to talk to Stark."
---
Stark Mansion
After the incident, Pepper had given Tony a lecture worthy of an Italian mother wielding a rolling pin. Resigned, he stayed quiet in the office while she left with Happy and Natalie to deal with the press.
Bored, Tony was still wondering how he'd lost that race to Arthur when the door opened.
"Mrs. Rushman…" he said with his trademark roguish smile. "Did Pepper forget some paperwork?"
But he quickly noticed something strange — Natalie began unbuttoning her blouse.
Once, Tony would have rolled right into the moment. Now, however…
"Look, Mrs. Rushman, don't get me wrong, but the one in love with you is Happy. I should probably call him — I'm sure he'd love this."
Natalie's expression didn't change.
"Tony Stark, I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. My real name is Natasha Romanoff."
"What?" Tony blinked, giving her a once-over. "So… you're a spy?"
She pulled a stack of documents from her bag.
"I was sent by Director Nick Fury to monitor you. You're showing clear signs of palladium poisoning. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a solution."
That got Tony's attention. He'd always suspected Fury had ulterior motives — and now it seemed he was right.
"The Director wants to speak with you privately." Natasha set a small device on the floor.
"Holographic communicator…" Tony murmured. "At least you guys have fun toys."
A blue light projected upward, forming the image of Nick Fury in his unmistakable leather trench coat and perpetual I'm always annoyed expression.
"Tony Stark," Fury said in a grave tone.
Tony turned to Natasha with a thoughtful look.
"Who, in the 21st century, still wears a leather trench coat? Throw on some sunglasses, Fury, and you'd look exactly like Morpheus from The Matrix."
Natasha bit her lip to keep from laughing, but failed. Fury shot her a look that all but said Control yourself, and she quickly resumed her professional composure.
"I'm not here to banter with you," Fury replied flatly.
"Good, Bald Cue Ball. Then just tell me what you want." Tony leaned back, crossing his arms. "And if you're here to sell me some miracle pill, let me warn you now — I don't buy anything that comes with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s extended warranty."
"Bald cue ball?"
Fury felt his blood pressure spike. His fingers even trembled for a second, but he took a deep breath. Arguing with Tony Stark was like trying to teach table manners to a cat — pointless and exhausting.
He knew Tony had an almost supernatural gift for mocking people, and worse, he did it with a smile that made it clear he was enjoying himself more with every second.
"Just tell me what you want, Fury. I'm busy," Tony insisted, giving a lazy wave, as if dismissing a waiter. "I've got a very important meeting with myself in a few minutes."
Fury suppressed a sigh. He wasn't here to trade insults.
"The man who attacked you today is Ivan Vanko, son of Anton Vanko," he began, his voice grave and deliberate. "He's involved in manufacturing and selling weapons to the Middle East."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Wow… a criminal who sells weapons to terrorists? What a twist! Next, you'll tell me he also kicks puppies and cuts in line at the movies."
Even with the joke, his expression hardened at the accusation. Since his last incident, Tony had developed a special hatred for two kinds of people — terrorists… and those who supplied them.
He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly.
"Wait… how do you even know this guy? Don't tell me he's one of your super-secret 'special agents.'"
Fury, with his usual impassive look, knew exactly where Tony's mind was going — straight to the wrong conclusions.
"You think you're the only one in the world capable of building an Arc Reactor?"
Tony opened his mouth to fire back automatically — something along the lines of Of course I am, show some respect — but stopped himself. Until recently, he would have confidently claimed no one could ever recreate his reactor.
But now… things were different.
First came the new element left behind by Howard. Now, here was a man who had not only built an alternative Arc Reactor but had used it to try and barbecue him.
He shook his head, a mix of irritation and disbelief.
"So you're telling me I've spent years thinking I was alone at the top, and now I find out there's an Arc Reactor club? What's next? You going to tell me there's also a knitting circle with super-spy uniforms?"
Fury's face didn't change, but Tony was already smirking — the smirk of someone who had just found another reason to tease.
"Well, at least this explains one thing…" Tony said, feigning deep thought. "You've been so busy hunting down reactor guys that you haven't had time to polish that natural lightning rod on your head. Want me to send you some SPF 200 sunscreen?"
Natasha, standing beside him, looked away to hide her laugh. Fury, for his part, just took a deep breath, repeating the mantra he always used when dealing with Stark: Don't strangle the billionaire. Don't strangle the billionaire.
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."