"Retrieving information..."
"Subject retrieved: Iron Man — Tony Stark."
"Loading…"
On New York Avenue, inside a narrow alleyway, Iron Man Tony Stark, Captain America Steve Rogers, Dr. Bruce Banner, and Ant-Man Scott Lang—who had all traveled from the future—stared in shock at the virtual screen projected before them.
"F***k, that is definitely not me."
Tony Stark was the most stunned. He even cursed out loud, because what he saw on the screen was unbelievable.
On the virtual display, the year shown was 2008. Tony Stark had just escaped from the Afghan terrorist base, defeated Obadiah Stane wearing the Iron Monger armor, and boldly announced at a press conference that he was Iron Man—uttering the now-legendary line: "I am Iron Man."
"Okay, I admit it. I looked pretty cool back then. I mean—I'm Iron Man."
Tony paused the video proudly and pointed at his past self on the stage. Rogers and the others, familiar with Tony's ego, ignored him. Tony had no choice but to continue playing the footage.
In 2009, Tony Stark defeated the super-criminal Whiplash, Ivan Vanko, crushing his plot to seize global power. Tony held another press conference.
"In this world, super criminals continue to appear, threatening the safety of New York and the entire globe."
Three months later, after disappearing from public view, Tony Stark returned and held yet another press conference.
"Before Whiplash, I've defeated countless super-criminals, destroyed HYDRA's conspiracies, and eliminated terrorists threatening national security. But it's not enough… The world has me, but one hero isn't enough. We need order. And we need safety."
On the screen, a suited Tony Stark spoke confidently. Behind him, a massive projection displayed various disasters: super-criminal attacks, conspiracies, natural catastrophes, and more—filling the reporters with dread.
Slap.
Tony snapped his fingers. The center of the stage lowered, and a platform rose up.
On the platform stood a colossal, four-meter-tall machine.
A gold mechanical body. A single, enormous eye. Even before it activated, the reporters could sense its terrifying power.
"Shit, that is NOT me."
Tony paused again. The metal robot on the screen was obviously a Sentry unit. Tony stared at it, muttering to himself.
"Well… this is definitely not the past we know."
Captain Rogers studied the robot with a solemn expression, his brow creasing. What he said next made everyone's heart sink.
Tony resumed the video. Facing reporters' questions, the Tony Stark on the screen opened his arms as if embracing the world, while the robot behind him activated and lit up.
"Sentry Model-03 Guardian. This is my answer—order and safety."
"The Sentry will be the Asgardian of this city, responsible for all your security."
His voice echoed throughout the press hall. The Sentry's single eye glowed, its hands lifting as red energy crackled in its palms.
The reporters erupted instantly. No one doubted Tony Stark—super genius, superhero, protector of the city. His influence was absolute.
The footage sped up, displaying years of events.
Ever since the Sentry announcement in 2009, the robotic Sentinels began overseeing daily life in New York.
Criminals, super-criminals, illegally enhanced mutants—none escaped Sentry detection and elimination. New York City became more peaceful than ever.
The Sentry program's contributions were obvious, and public approval skyrocketed. Stark Industries continued upgrading them.
From the original Sentry-03 model, the design evolved across dozens of generations. Starting in New York, Sentinels spread across the world, becoming protectors of major cities.
The U.S. government even built a statue of a Sentry to commemorate its service to American peace.
At the same time, militaries from various nations began offering cooperation deals to Stark Industries—they wanted Sentry technology.
Tony Stark refused.
More footage flashed by. One Sentry faced hundreds of armed terrorists, fired a beam of freezing energy from its single eye, and instantly turned the entire group into ice sculptures.
"Oh, now THAT is sci-fi."
Tony's eyes shone with a mix of shock and admiration. As a genius, he knew robots could theoretically be upgraded with elemental combat modules—ice, fire, electricity—but he had never achieved anything like this.
Yet despite all this information, he couldn't find Captain America, nor any familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They were simply… gone.
"Veronica, search for information on Captain America—Steve Rogers."
Tony gave the order. The current projection closed and a new one opened.
"Sir, no active information exists for Captain America. Records show only that a body suspected to be his was found by an icebreaker. No further data is available."
Veronica's emotionless response stunned everyone. In this peaceful New York, something deep and unseen was lurking—an abyss waiting to swallow them.
"Well… seems like we need to investigate. If the Chitauri never attacked Earth, it means something in the timeline went wrong. Maybe we've entered a Möbius loop… and the parallel universe created by a time divergence has already formed."
Tony frowned. When they travelled through time, he noticed a strange device embedded in the program. He didn't know its purpose then… but now it seemed unmistakable.
Someone had already altered the future—long before they arrived.
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