"I am Iron Man."
Vincent Hall casually closed the news app on his phone.
"My thunder has been stolen."
Desire Points from the "Ice Demon" were slowing down. No matter how terrifying he was, Vincent couldn't compete with the global charisma of Tony Stark.
But Kingpin's death had a silver lining. With his criminal empire exposed, the public actually approved of the Ice Demon's actions. He was becoming an anti-hero.
"Finally, I can relax."
Vincent checked his portfolio.
With Tony's announcement, Stark Industries stock went vertical.
The Arc Reactor. The Mark III armor. The promise of clean energy. The market went insane.
[Stark Industries (SIA): +80%]
The short-sellers were liquidated. Every 5% tick upward doubled Vincent's principal on his leverage.
After paying off the loans and interest, he was looking at a 20x return on investment.
He was no longer just rich. He was "buy a small country" rich.
His phone rang incessantly. Bankers, hedge funds, brokers—all trying to reach the mysterious investor who had cornered the market.
Vincent hung up on all of them.
Their margin calls were not his problem.
One Month Later.
Graduation was approaching.
Vincent enjoyed the last days of his high school life. He walked the halls with Gwen Stacy, openly dating, ignoring the whispers.
Peter Parker had secured his internship at Oscorp.
"Dr. Connors must be close," Vincent muttered. The Lizard was coming.
But for now, Vincent had other priorities.
He kept his schedule strict: School with Gwen during the day, "cardio" with Jessica Jones at night.
He needed to burn off the excess energy from his Hydro-Kinesis upgrades. Jessica, with her super-durability, was the only one who could handle him.
Lately, she had started avoiding him. "I need a break," she'd texted. "My hips are killing me."
SHIELD HQ. Triskelion.
"Natasha, drop the Stark detail. This is the Ice Demon file."
Nick Fury tossed a folder onto the table.
Natasha Romanoff—Black Widow—picked it up.
"A high school student? You're kidding."
She scanned the file.
"Hell's Kitchen massacre. Kingpin execution. Ice Burial technique. Barton compares him to Magneto."
Natasha frowned. "His parents were killed by gangs. He spent two years gathering intel before striking. He only targets criminals. I don't see a psychopath. I see a kid with a code."
"A kid with the power to freeze New York City," Fury corrected gravely. "If he loses control, millions die. We can't risk it."
"So what do you want me to do?" Natasha asked. "Assassinate him?"
"No. He's eighteen. And according to his psychological profile... and his book... he has a weakness for women."
Fury leaned forward, his one eye fixed on her.
"Seduce him."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "You want me to honeypot a teenager?"
"He's an adult," Fury countered. "And if we can't recruit him, we need to influence him. Make him like us. Make him trust you."
"Plan A failed," Fury continued. "Coulson and Barton couldn't get close. You're the best at this. Get close to him. Find out what makes him tick. And if he goes rogue... neutralize him."
Natasha sighed. "Fine. But I'm charging overtime for babysitting."
Midtown High.
A woman in a white blouse and gray pencil skirt walked towards the school entrance.
She adjusted her glasses.
"Erik, are you sure he's a mutant?" she whispered into a comms device.
"We need to know, Raven," Magneto's voice replied. "If he is one of us, bring him to the Brotherhood. If not... verify his threat level."
Mystique—Raven Darkhölme—sighed.
"Fine. Let's see what the Ice Demon is made of."
She touched her glasses. Blue scales rippled across her skin for a microsecond.
Her face changed.
She now looked exactly like Ms. Juliet, Vincent's homeroom teacher. A beautiful, strict brunette.
The real Ms. Juliet was currently sleeping peacefully in a closet, sedated.
Mystique smoothed her skirt and walked into the building.
[System Alert]
[New Targets Detected.]
[Target 1: Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow).]
[Target 2: Raven Darkhölme (Mystique).]
[Mission: Double Jeopardy.]
[Objective: Two dangerous women are approaching. One wants to recruit you. One wants to test you. Show them the Demon doesn't play by their rules.]
[Reward: Gold Blind Box.]
Vincent sat in class, staring out the window.
He smiled.
"Finally. The big leagues."
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