Agent Coulson left the Malibu workshop with a furrowed brow, the enigmatic card from Leo clutched tightly in his hand. The last piece of advice—read Norse mythology—was unsettling. S.H.I.E.L.D. dealt with espionage and advanced tech, not fairy tales, but the cold calculation in Leo's eyes suggested it wasn't a joke.
Tony turned back to Leo, still holding the newly minted triangular reactor core. "What wish does that guy have? World peace? A lifetime supply of Captain America action figures?"
"No," Leo replied, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "He wants to see his idol, Captain America Rogers. It should be soon. He's about to be thrust right into the heart of a cosmic event. Do you want to see the old man, frozen for seventy years?"
"An old man who's almost a hundred years old and probably smells like freezer burn? No interest, Leo. Now, let's get back to work. I have a suit to finish and a life to save."
Tony carefully placed the glowing, blue-white core into the Mark VI chassis.
"Mr. Stark? How's the research on the new element going, biologically speaking?" Leo probed, his interest piqued not by the engineering, but by the new element's effect on Tony's body.
"Incredible. Simply incredible," Tony exclaimed, his voice filled with scientific wonder. "It's an incredibly strange, clean elemental energy, and its efficiency is probably ten times that of a palladium metal reactor—maybe more. The power density is off the charts."
Tony gestured to the faint, subtle glowing sensation on his chest where the element was flowing into him. "And yes, it seems to have some mysterious, regenerative effects on living organisms. The toxic palladium burns on my chest are already receding. The effects are uncertain, but positive, and I'd love to conduct some proper biological experiments to understand why it's essentially reversing cellular damage."
He turned around and watched with barely masked irritation as Leo put the remaining six Vibranium Arc Reactors into a small, nondescript black backpack, treating them like spare change.
"Leo, I still need to conduct weeks of further testing and improvements! New elements are not that simple! These things are priceless!"
"You can continue to improve. I, however, have prior engagements." Leo adjusted the strap of the bag, making sure the precious cores were secure. "Peter called me yesterday. He asked me to go back today to watch the Expo show with him. The whole world is heading there for the military demo. So, I won't stay here and watch you tinker."
Leo replied with a casual smile, his internal gold-infused bones humming with new power. He didn't even need to touch the bag to know the reactors inside were ready. His Iron Bones were now stable, and the energy need had quieted, but he knew this clean, new energy was temporary—a fantastic booster, but not a sustainable source for his true cultivation. He needed tons of the stuff, not milligrams.
His internal calculations complete, Leo's solid golden wings quickly unfurled from his back. He didn't wait for a reply, transforming into a streak of shimmering light that shot out of the newly repaired hole in the roof, heading toward Santa Monica.
Tony stared at the spot where Leo had disappeared, crossed his arms, and rubbed his chin with one hand. He wasn't entirely convinced Leo hadn't just stolen enough energy to power a small city.
"Jarvis," Tony murmured, his gaze falling upon a stack of carbon nanotube diagrams. "Do you think a suit of armor made purely of reinforced carbon nanotubes, with diamond weaving, could withstand and stop Leo if he ever turned hostile? Run the simulation for me."
In just over ten minutes, Leo returned to his humble garage apartment.
He quickly scanned his inventory: there was no more high-quality metal left at home for him to continue his cultivation in the immediate future, but the six extra reactors in his backpack were safely placed under the reinforced floorboards of his small room, a nest egg of pure, clean power.
Looking at the ancient manuscript of the 'out-of-body experience' lying on the bedside table, he realized he hadn't focused on the purely spiritual side of his cultivation for a while.
He picked it up, looked at the densely packed, ancient Sanskrit text on it, and then put it down again.
"Forget it, I won't force the soul-splitting. Anyway, I don't need sleep, and I mostly spend my time cultivating the physical body. I just wanted to see what my soul actually looks like."
"I'll return it to the Ancient One in a few days. I've almost memorized the entire book now, front to back."
Leo changed out of his tight, gold-threaded shirt, put on some more normal, casual clothes—a simple hoodie and jeans—and then went out to meet Peter, who was practically vibrating with excitement in the living room.
Everyone was getting ready to go to the World's Fair. New York City was bustling with frantic energy and traffic today because of the massive military exhibition and the promise of new technology.
Not long after Leo and Peter left, a phone call bypassed all security protocols and rang directly into Tony's lab.
"Incoming call, sir. Number not displayed. Source trace disabled," Jarvis reported, sounding perplexed.
"Well, that's a security flaw," Tony muttered, but he was excited. He was off the S.H.I.E.L.D. leash. "I can answer the phone again. That's fantastic. Put him through."
Tony sat back down at his computer, expecting to hear from Coulson. "Coulson! How's the magical wonderland of New Mexico treating you?"
"Tony. How are you? Ha! I've doubled the speed, Tony. I warned you!" Ivan Vanko's mocking, thick Russian accent blared through the speakers.
Tony's blood ran cold. "You don't sound like a dead man, Ivan."
"You too, Tony. Still a hypocrite," Ivan sneered.
Tony's carefree smile instantly crumbled. He frantically reached out and pressed the mute button so Ivan couldn't hear his voice.
"Jarvis, track the incoming call immediately. Now!" he ordered, his voice tight with panic.
Ivan continued his monologue of vengeance, unaware he was talking to a muted audience. "The history of the Stark family will be rewritten tonight. What your father did to my family over the past forty years, I can do to you and your company in less than forty minutes."
"Sounds like a good chat, Ivan, but I'm busy. Let's have a good talk later," Tony replied into the mic, forcing a casual tone for the recording.
"Jarvis, where is he? Give me the location!"
"Accessing the Oracle telephone network. Tracing the source signature: East Coast, Delta region, Manhattan and adjacent boroughs... Wait, the signal is a rapid-hopping V-LAN. Locating it level by level..."
Jarvis was tracking it rapidly, but the call had already ended, and the tracking stopped dead.
Tony sprang to his feet, a wave of cold dread washing over him. Ivan's still alive? He's in New York? What is he planning to do?
He turned his head and saw the news feed on the computer screen next to him, which was running a continuous loop of tonight's Expo coverage.
Justin Hammer's smiling, oily face appeared above the headline: 'Hammer Industries: Defending Peace.'
Tony's eyes widened as the realization hit him like a physical blow. The Expo. The showcase. The military showcase. Ivan wasn't targeting Tony's house; he was targeting Tony's image, his legacy, and most importantly, the people attending.
He looked back at the new reactor, still humming in its test rig. He had no time left. He stepped forward, picked up the new, powerful core, and decisively stuffed it into the gaping hole in his chest plate.
"Gentlemen, we are in a high-stakes situation!" Tony declared.
"Jarvis, continue stress testing with the new element flowing into my system. And override all safety parameters—assemble the Mark VI immediately."
"Sir, the Mark VI is only at 93% structural integrity. We haven't fully tested the new power grid integration under maximum load. The risk is immense," Jarvis protested.
"I don't want to hear about risk, Jarvis. Assemble it. Now. If Ivan is at the Expo, I have to be there."
The new, brilliantly blue-white reactor slowly began to pulse on Tony's chest, its light stable and overwhelmingly powerful.
Miraculously, the black, necrotic patterns that had marred his chest for months—the toxic scars from the palladium poisoning—gradually disappeared as the clean, stable light shone through his skin.
The new elements were slowly flowing into Tony's biological system, causing a subtle, restorative change. He felt stronger, clearer, and alive again.
As the night began to truly fall, Leo and Peter, who had just finished off some incredibly greasy New York street food, heard the faint ringing of the discreet Bluetooth earpiece Leo was wearing.
He casually picked it up and put it on his right ear. "Mr. Stark?"
"Leo, listen to me! Ivan is not dead, he's alive! My last trace placed him in Manhattan. I think his target is most likely tonight's Expo military performance. He's going to attack the showcase."
"I'm already here, Tony. I'm walking toward the main hall now. Everyone here is in immediate danger. Ivan must have received significant funding, probably from Hammer. Tonight is definitely not going to be simple. He's aiming for massive collateral damage."
Leo glanced at the dense, excited crowd surging around him. "With me already at the Expo, nothing will go disastrously wrong with the crowd. You go find Ivan, or the control center. Focus on cutting off his support. I'll handle the ground threat and the evacuation."
"Okay, thank you, Leo. But be careful of the safety of the crowd. If there's any trouble, lead them immediately to an open area, like a rooftop. Ivan's real target is me! And please, for the love of God, take good care of Pepper for me; she's here too."
"Understood." Leo ended the call.
Leo led Peter by the hand, navigating the throng toward the main exhibition hall, which was a beacon of light and deafening music.
The announcement was blaring from the external speakers: "...And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Please welcome the man who has secured America's future and is here to deliver the military's dream: Justin Hammer! His presentation is about to begin in the main hall!"
Peter's eyes lit up when he saw a vendor selling licensed Iron Man merchandise nearby, complete with flashing lights. He pulled Leo over excitedly.
Leo indulged him, spending twenty dollars to buy a ridiculously oversized, glowing Iron Man mask, which also came with a free glowing Iron Man glove.
Leo smiled genuinely as he watched Peter happily playing with his new, cheap toys, practicing his 'repulsor beams.'
Ivan, you're not just going to fight Iron Man, are you? But you also engineered these mindless robots, designed to cause widespread destruction and kill everywhere, dragging hundreds of civilians into the conflict, and almost killing a sweet kid like Peter. You truly are completely hopeless.
The two tried to enter the main hall, but they were stopped by a large security guard checking credentials.
Leo, without missing a beat, pulled out an authentic internal Stark Industries Executive work card that Tony had specially issued to him a few weeks ago for "easy access to secure files and the company gym."
Only then were they able to enter the gigantic main venue smoothly, taking a position near the back, amidst the standing-room-only crowd.
At that moment, Justin Hammer was giving a truly spirited, yet completely embarrassing, speech on stage, full of cheesy patriotism and self-aggrandizement.
He was audaciously mocking Iron Man's character, calling him a "selfish diva" and an "unreliable weapon," which made Pepper Potts, sitting in the VIP section, visibly frown and shift uncomfortably.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Hammer shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at the ceiling, "today I will introduce you to a brand-new face of American military might! A future where peace is enforced, not debated: the Hammer Steel Soldiers!!"
The stage plunged into darkness, and several specialized lifting platforms rose dramatically.
"For the Army! The Green Battalion!"
Eight imposing, khaki-green Steel Soldiers with extended anti-tank cannons mounted on their backs rose up, their systems hissing steam into the air.
"For the Navy! The Blue Armada!"
Eight light blue Steel Soldiers, each carrying a massive six-cell missile launcher on its shoulder, appeared, looking heavy and menacing.
"For the Air Force! The Dark Hawks!"
Eight dark blue, heavily streamlined Steel Soldiers appeared, their arms equipped with integrated rapid-fire machine guns, designed for aerial combat.
"And finally, for the Marine Corps! The Camo Legion!"
Eight camouflaged Steel Soldiers appeared, armed with twin grenade launchers and rapid-fire machine guns held in their mechanical hands.
"But wait! There's more!" Hammer screamed. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to introduce the first true prototype, the Total Threat Response Combat Armor, a suit of power and purpose, and its dedicated pilot, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes!"
A ninth, even more robust and heavily weaponized steel armored vehicle emerged, riding its own platform. It was equipped with a massive, six-barreled mini-gun mounted on its back, missile launchers protruding from its shoulders, and powerful machine guns and grenade launchers integrated into its arms.
Every single one of these features confirmed that this was a steel armor platform built for maximum, devastating firepower.
A round of enthusiastic, yet slightly nervous, applause erupted from the audience, who were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the armament.
However, at that precise moment, a small, blinding point of light appeared high in the distance, rapidly approaching the Expo center.
It was the classic combination of bright gold and shining red, now featuring the distinct, stable inverted triangle on the chest—Iron Man had arrived in the new Mark VI.
The crowd immediately erupted. Everyone around couldn't help but stand up, clapping, cheering, and screaming louder than they had for the drones. Tony Stark commanded attention.
Suddenly, a strange electrical surge rippled through the stage. Thirty-three steel figures—the thirty-two drones and the War Machine suit—simultaneously raised their left hands, not in a salute, but aiming their main cannons directly at Tony.
Tony, who was hovering in mid-air, didn't react for a moment, thinking it was part of the show. "Rhodes, is that your idea of a welcome committee?"
"Tony! It's not me! That's not me!" Rhodes' panicked voice screamed through the comms. "I can't move! The suit is locked up! I'm completely locked out of the system! The entire system has been compromised!"
"Run! Tony, get out of here!"
"Too late, Stark. Let's play outside," Ivan's voice crackled mockingly over the public comms and the suit's frequency.
Tony didn't even have time to search for Pepper's figure in the panicked crowd. He spun on his heel and quickly initiated a high-speed vertical ascent.
All thirty-three gun barrels—the drones and the stolen War Machine—moved in frightening sync with Iron Man's retreating figure. Their tips began to spit deadly fire as sparks flew, ready to unleash hell.
Leo instantly stretched out his small hand, not toward the drones, but toward the closest exit to the crowd.