Ever since the Harlem incident, Tony Stark had been operating like a man wound too tight.
He practically lived in the Malibu workshop. Caffeine and extra-greasy pizza sustained him. The air constantly smelled of scorched metal and ozone.
Pepper tried—repeatedly—to drag him out into sunlight. Or at least into a full night's sleep.
Every time, she found the same sight:
Dark circles. Wild eyes. Genius on fire.
"I'm fine, Pep," Tony muttered without turning around, calibrating the micro-missile pods on Mark IV's forearm. "I just found… inspiration."
Behind him stood the new armor.
Mark IV.
Sleeker. More refined. Reinforced titanium-gold alloy. Brighter red and gold finish. Powered by the new triangular arc reactor—three times the output of Mark III.
During a classified midnight test flight, Tony had punched through Mach 3 and briefly skimmed near orbital altitude.
It was intoxicating.
But Levi's punch still haunted him.
He could fly higher.
Faster.
But that raw, earth-splitting force?
He didn't have it yet.
"Not enough…" he murmured, staring at scrolling holographic data.
---
The Announcement
At the next board meeting, Tony dropped a bomb.
"I'm restarting the Stark Expo."
Silence.
"Next month. Flushing Meadows. Same grounds my father used."
Shock rippled across the room.
"Tony, that's insane!" Pepper protested. "We just stabilized the stock. Project Ark is barely launched. This is reckless."
"No," Tony replied firmly. "This is perfect timing."
He tapped the glowing arc reactor in his chest.
"The world needs to see our future. Not weapons. This."
Clean energy.
A new era.
The board members shifted uncomfortably.
"It's too soon," one director objected. "The tech isn't fully scaled."
"I'll decide that," Tony cut in.
Then he glanced toward the quiet figure in the corner.
Levi—Anthony Chen—had been spinning a pen idly.
"Second-largest shareholder," Tony said with a smirk. "Care to weigh in?"
All eyes turned.
Levi stopped the pen and smiled mildly.
"I support it. In fact, I'll personally fund half the expo's budget."
Tony gave him a look that said: Good answer.
Pepper sighed.
This train wasn't stopping.
---
Meanwhile
A "GODFATHER-LEVEL" classified file arrived on Levi's system.
Ivan Vanko.
Photos: Moscow slum apartment. Peeling wallpaper. A white cockatoo. Anger in his eyes.
S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance was exhaustive.
Recent purchases:
High-intensity plasma conduits
Military-grade capacitors
Graphene filament
Monaco Grand Prix tickets
Levi leaned back.
Arc reactor blueprints + grudge against Howard Stark + Monaco.
Clear trajectory.
Vanko would build plasma whips.
He would attack publicly.
Humiliate Stark on the world stage.
"Interesting."
Levi considered copying something from him.
Engineering talent? Redundant.
But plasma energy shaping…
Constrained high-energy weaponization had niche utility.
Maybe worth observing firsthand.
He dialed Tony.
Loud music answered.
"Yeah?!" Tony shouted over noise.
"It's me."
"Oh. You. What's up?"
"Your expo is drawing global attention," Levi said casually. "Attention attracts resentment."
"You think someone's coming after me?" Tony scoffed. "Let them."
"Not terrorists. Legacy."
Silence.
"You inherited your father's brilliance," Levi continued. "You also inherited his enemies."
Another pause.
"I'll look into it," Tony finally said, tone heavier. "Thanks."
"Break a leg at the expo."
---
One Month Later
Stark Expo – Opening Night
Flushing Meadows overflowed with people.
Media from around the globe. Tech enthusiasts. Investors.
Night fell.
Music thundered.
Lights exploded across the sky.
Then—
A red-and-gold comet streaked downward and slammed into the stage.
Steel boots dented reinforced flooring.
The helmet retracted.
Tony Stark spread his arms.
"I'm back!"
The crowd erupted.
Fireworks. Spotlights. Roaring applause.
In the sea of spectators stood an unremarkable man in a baseball cap and plain jacket.
Levi.
Face altered. Height subtly adjusted. Presence muted.
He preferred anonymity.
From here, he could feel everything—
Tony's arc reactor output surging confidently.
Every security feed.
Every exit point.
Every pulse of energy in the park.
On his internal system interface, the Ability Replicator icon glowed softly.
Ready.
The show had begun.
And somewhere in the world—
A man with electric whips was preparing his own entrance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~