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*****
Phinney couldn't stay by Skye's side forever. With the new semester starting, he had to return to school for his classes. However, Ivan Vanko's mysterious disappearance remained a nagging weight on his mind, making it impossible to feel truly at ease.
Before heading out to school, he repeatedly cautioned Skye: "Remember, if anything happens, call me immediately. Or go to the Sanctum and ask for help."
"I got it, I got it!"
Skye waved him off impatiently, her eyes never leaving her computer screen. She had heard that exact sentence several times already. While she knew Phinney was just worried about her, it felt like she was being treated like a little girl. After all, technically, she was the older sister!
Phinney sighed helplessly. At this point, he actually hoped Ivan had been rescued by someone like Justin Hammer. At least then the situation wouldn't be so alarmingly unpredictable.
Back at school, the students were still buzzing with the excitement of the recent holidays. Because of Tony Stark's recent surge in popularity, they had plenty of gossip to chew on. Many were still debating the events of the recent Stark Expo keynote.
Billy, who had been there in person, became the center of attention. He basked in the curiosity of his classmates, and the attention from several girls managed to thoroughly wash away the bad mood he'd been in since being fired.
"Phinney, I heard you were there that night too?"
A few curious students tried to ask him for details, but Phinney intentionally shook his head. "There were too many people, and I was pretty far back, so I didn't see much. Billy knows a lot more; you should probably just ask him."
Sensing Phinney's lack of interest in the topic, the others didn't press him—except for a few girls whose interests clearly lay elsewhere. Phinney, feeling a bit cornered, had no choice but to recount some of the more mundane sights from the expo to satisfy them.
Two more days passed. The mundane routine of school life almost made Phinney wonder if Tony had already dealt with Ivan in secret. Just as he was considering reaching out to Tony to check on the situation, the revenge against Tony Stark finally began.
3:00 PM.
Ed was an employee at Stark Industries, working out of the iconic Stark Tower. Thanks to his solid skills, he had managed to wrap up his day's work early.
His favorite part of the day was standing by the window after finishing his tasks, looking out at the city below. The view from such a height always gave him a profound sense of satisfaction. But today, as he stood by the glass, a steel machine suddenly dropped down right in front of him, nearly making him jump out of his skin.
Immediately after, another robot flew over. Within moments, the exterior of the building was swarming with steel drones. They hovered in the air, their silver metallic bodies shimmering in the sunlight, while the crimson indicator lights in their eyes cast a cold, mechanical glow.
"Is this the boss's new technology?!"
Ed's initial fear quickly turned into curiosity. It was world-renowned news that Tony was Iron Man; only he could build suits like these.
"Hey everyone, come look at this!" Ed shouted, waving his colleagues over.
The others looked up, and upon seeing the countless robots outside, they were predictably startled. They crowded around the window just like Ed, wondering what would happen next. Although a few sensed that something felt "off," most of them shared Ed's sentiment—this was likely just another grand gesture from their former boss (and current boss's boyfriend), Tony Stark.
While Ed and the others watched from inside, several drones landed on the ground to stand guard at the entrances. A large crowd of onlookers gathered outside the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of the show.
Meanwhile, the man controlling these machines, Ivan Vanko, was happily "inviting" the object of his revenge.
Though he had spent the last few days in a dark place enduring some "minor" torment, he had been quite cheerful once a preliminary cooperation agreement was reached. He had even happily kept a bird as a pet. Most importantly, he had achieved his goal: he now possessed the power to destroy Stark.
At Tony's Malibu villa.
"Sir, there is an incoming call from an unknown number."
Jarvis's voice made Tony pause his work on the armor. Holding a wrench in one hand, he replied casually, "Is it the agents? Patch it through."
"Hey, Tony!"
The voice on the other end caused Tony's expression to change instantly. He dropped his tools and rushed back to the computer terminal, his face grim. "It's you. Ivan Vanko. You're still alive."
"As long as I haven't seen you die in agony, of course I am alive."
On the phone, Ivan's voice sounded jubilant. Tony, however, was far from happy. He signaled Jarvis to begin a trace on the location while stalling for time.
"Then I'm afraid you'll be waiting forever."
With revenge so close at hand, Ivan wasn't in the mood for petty bickering. "Tony, the history of the Stark family is about to be rewritten today. What your father did to my family forty years ago, I will do to you in forty minutes!"
"Sir, I have a lock. The location is near your Tower," Jarvis reported.
Tony's heart tightened. He yelled into the phone, "What are you planning to do?"
"I hope you are ready!" Ivan didn't answer; he simply cut the line.
"Jarvis, bring up the situation around the Tower!"
Tony immediately ordered the feed. When he saw the dense swarm of armored drones filling the air and surrounding the ground of his headquarters, he froze for a second. Even with his new element and the Mark VI, dealing with that many targets at once would be incredibly difficult.
Bang!
Tony slammed his fist onto the table. He wasn't the type to give up easily—after all, he was the creator of this technology.
"Call Pepper!"
"Yes, sir."
The call connected, and Pepper's confused voice came through: "Tony, there are a lot of..."
"Listen to me, you need to leave the building immediately!" Tony interrupted, his voice frantic. "Evacuate the personnel and the crowd. Whatever you do, do not approach those robots!"
Sensing the sheer panic in Tony's tone, Pepper didn't even have time to ask what was happening before Tony hung up. He needed to find a solution, and he needed it now.
When it came to asking for help, the first person Tony thought of was Phinney. Besides, Phinney had that mysterious organization behind him. While stepping into the Mark VI armor, Tony hurriedly dialed Phinney's number.
However, Phinney didn't spoil Tony the way Pepper did; he didn't just pick up the phone at any given moment.
"I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Phinney has declined the call. Analysis suggests he is currently in class."
"Find the principal's number!" Tony barked at Jarvis, his desperation clouding his judgment. "Tell them I want to donate an experimental building and that construction needs to start immediately. Tell them to give the students the day off!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tony realized how ridiculous he was being. Forcing down his anxiety, he gave a new command: "Forget that. Just keep messaging him. Tell him there is a life-or-death emergency!"
Back in his classroom, Phinney was trying to focus on the lecture until his phone buzzed for the third time. Sensing that something was wrong, he checked the screen. When he saw the barrage of SOS messages from Tony, he knew an "accident" had finally occurred.
He felt a mix of surprise and worry, but also a strange sense of exasperation. Was Tony treating him like the Tathagata Buddha now? Why was it that every time a problem cropped up, Tony came running to him for a miracle?!
(End of Chapter)