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*****
At this moment, Ivan Vanko was still under the impression that Tony was dying. He had no idea that Tony no longer cared about the threat of palladium poisoning. When faced with Tony's question about the tech, Ivan saw no reason to hide the truth. He answered simply, "Anton Vanko. My father."
"Never heard of him!"
Tony mentally sifted through his memories, searching every corner of his mind for that name, but he came up empty. He truly had no recollection of anyone named Anton Vanko.
Ivan's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second. His entire family had viewed the Starks as their ultimate lifelong enemies, fueled by decades of bitter resentment, yet the man standing before him didn't even remember their name. It was, perhaps, the greatest insult imaginable.
"I will watch you fall into the abyss, step by step, Tony Stark!"
After casting a venomous, predatory glare at Tony, Ivan clamped his jaw shut, making it clear that the conversation was over.
"Then you can enjoy the view from your cell. I'll be sure to send you a nice bar of soap."
Tony stood up to leave. He wanted to head back immediately and investigate that name. As he walked out of the interrogation room, Tony's mind was heavy with the implications of Ivan's existence. Regardless of how famous or powerful he was, he couldn't replace the legal system; eventually, Ivan would have to be handed over to the authorities for processing.
Now that the immediate threat of his own death was gone, Tony found himself worrying about the bigger picture.
The operation of a suit of Iron Man armor relied on two indispensable pillars: a power source and an operating system. A suit of iron wasn't something you could just put on and move in; it required an incredibly sophisticated system to assist the wearer. While there were other technical hurdles, these two were the core. As long as someone possessed those two things, replicating his armor was no longer a pipe dream.
Tony knew the destructive potential of his tech better than anyone. It was why he had the confidence to declare to the media that he had "privatized world peace."
Consequently, he could not allow this technology to proliferate. This was the sole reason why he had remained unyielding in the face of the military's constant demands, whether they used soft persuasion or heavy-handed threats. He had been convinced that his technology was unique and peerless—that even if others wanted to copy it, they simply couldn't. It was this very confidence that allowed him to boast that no one would be able to crack his secrets for years.
Unfortunately, he hadn't expected someone to actually do it, let alone attack him in such a public manner, ensuring the entire world witnessed the vulnerability.
Tony understood the subtext of Ivan's words perfectly. If he couldn't prove that his technology was safe and exclusive, the government and the military would use public safety as an excuse to force him to hand over the armor. Various factions would descend like sharks sensing blood in the water. He couldn't imagine what the world would look like if every private interest and rogue state possessed a legion of Iron Men.
I cannot let things escalate to that point, Tony thought grimly.
Upon exiting the detention area, Tony was met by a worried Pepper Potts. Standing beside her was the woman of the hour, the new assistant who had shown such remarkable composure, Natasha Romanoff.
"Tony!"
Pepper rushed forward, checking him over with frantic eyes. Only after seeing that he was physically unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief. "Who was that man?"
"We'll talk about it back at the house."
Tony looked at the swarm of reporters gathered at the entrance, his brow furrowed in annoyance. This was supposed to be a day of celebration, but with the opening ceremony ruined, no one was in a festive mood. Ignoring the journalists who were hovering like cats scenting a fish market, Tony climbed into his car and drove straight back to his villa.
However, what Tony didn't know was that shortly after his departure, a group of men arrived at the facility where Ivan Vanko was being held.
"This matter is now under our jurisdiction."
The newcomers flashed their identification, which bore a distinctive eagle emblem. The local official in charge seemed to recognize the department. His face paled slightly, and he obediently handed Ivan over without a second thought.
Ivan had no interest in who was taking him. He followed their instructions passively, confident that his "performance" at the track had proven his worth to the right people.
In fact, he was right. By the time Tony reached his villa, Ivan had already been covertly transferred to a secret location. During the transfer, a faint, chilling phrase could be heard whispered among the guards:
"Hail Hydra!"
The following day, Fini turned on the television and felt as if he had traveled back in time to the days when Tony first announced he was Iron Man. Almost every channel was dominated by coverage of the billionaire.
The difference this time, however, was that under the subtle manipulation of certain behind-the-scenes forces, the narrative was focused on doubt and demands.
And what were they demanding? They wanted Tony to surrender the Iron Man technology to the state!
Watching a panel of "experts" on TV provide organized, logical analyses of why Tony shouldn't hold such power, Fini found the whole spectacle rather entertaining. He wondered how Tony would play his hand this time.
Because he was concerned about the general stability of New York, Fini decided to take Skye with him when he went to Kamar-Taj for his training. Returning to the ancient sanctuary brought back many memories for her, but unfortunately, she still couldn't manifest even the simplest spell. It seemed her talent for the Mystic Arts was non-existent. Thankfully, she had long since accepted this reality and didn't let it bother her.
Time flies when life is peaceful. The holiday break passed by in the blink of an eye.
A full week of quiet living actually made Fini doubt whether he was still in the Marvel version of New York. Since the attack at the race track, Ivan Vanko had seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. There hadn't been a single peep from him.
Fini even took a moment to check on Hammer Industries. He found that while Justin Hammer was predictably trying to ride the coattails of Tony's recent scandal, he hadn't made any grand, boastful claims. If he had been the one to rescue Ivan, this level of restraint was highly uncharacteristic of him.
The only noteworthy event was that Tony eventually reached a compromise.
War Machine was born.
Because of Fini's intervention, Tony hadn't spiraled into the total despair of palladium poisoning. He hadn't gone on a self-destructive streak or thrown a wild, drunken birthday party. Fini had assumed that the War Machine armor might never come to be, but it appeared some things were destined to happen.
Rhodey was Tony's best friend. Back when Tony was kidnapped in the desert, Rhodey was the only one who refused to give up, searching relentlessly when everyone else assumed Tony was dead. He was one of the few people Tony trusted implicitly, and he served as the vital bridge between Tony and the military. From that perspective, the birth of War Machine was perhaps an inevitable outcome.
With Tony's compromise, the authorities seemed much more satisfied, and the tide of public opinion began to shift. Fini didn't care much for the politics, but he remained curious about Ivan Vanko's whereabouts.
Fini wasn't the only one wondering.
Tony was also confused. When he heard the next day that Ivan had been transferred, he didn't think much of it. But when he tried to follow up later, he was told that Ivan Vanko had been "executed in secret."
The other person with questions was the one-eyed Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury. He had only just discovered that people within his own agency had authorized Ivan's transfer and subsequent "disposal." He didn't recall issuing any such orders, and his legendary intuition told him that something was very wrong.
Just as Nick Fury was preparing to launch a deeper investigation, a conversation was taking place in a hidden, high-security bunker.
"Fury seems to have noticed a discrepancy. We have to cut him loose."
"But he's a rare talent! It's a waste."
"To ensure the success of the Project, now is not the time to risk exposure. We must abandon him."
"Fine."
One of the men sounded slightly regretful, but then his tone turned intrigued. "He seems to have prepared quite a few 'gifts' for Stark. We can use those to divert Nick Fury's attention."
"Proceed then. Let him go. Hail Hydra!"
"Hail Hydra!"
(End of Chapter)