CHAPTER 27
c27 Ivan: Put on the armor and fight me fair and square.
Time rewinds to October 25, 2010.
Moscow, Russia. In a modest room.
Tony Stark's press conference is being broadcast live on TV.
In front of the screen, an elderly man lies in a bed, frail and weak.
Standing in front of him is his son, Ivan Vanko.
"It should have been you on TV, living a life of luxury, adored by thousands. But I'm sorry. All I can give you is my knowledge. I'm sorry, my son."
With those final words, Anton Vanko passes away unexpectedly.
The man places flowers on a tombstone and mutters: "I promise, I'll make them pay."
With that, he turns and walks away.
At the same time, Tony Stark is thriving.
He's learned to use magic to remove the missile fragments lodged in his chest and to solve the palladium poisoning problem.
He has a tense exchange with a congressman and Justin Hammer during a hearing.
He's successfully integrated his physical training and magical abilities, making his armor even more powerful.
Tony is now wearing the Mark IV suit and, with a thought, opens a portal.
Yes, Tony has learned how to open dimensional portals with his mind.
This allows him to use the portal spell strategically in combat while wearing his suit.
The armor soars toward the portal.
Through the portal lies Tony's beach house in California.
Inside the villa, a party is in full swing.
Tony doesn't need a special reason to throw a party—he just enjoys himself.
He sheds his suit and dances onto the stage.
"Hi, Russell."
"Hi, Gwen."
Russell and Gwen are also at the party. Since learning how to traverse between universes, Russell frequently visits Earth-404, picking up Gwen to visit George's family.
"Gwen, care to dance?"
Tony's enthusiasm is infectious, so Russell, too, is eager to get involved and extends his hand to Gwen.
"I prefer the drums," Gwen replies, pointing to a nearby drum set.
"However, Russell, I'll take you up on your offer."
Gwen takes Russell's hand, and they glide onto the dance floor, catching everyone's eye.
Gwen moves with the grace of a seasoned ballet dancer, her movements fluid and elegant.
Suddenly, Russell senses someone slipping into the room.
Could it be? Ivan Vanko?
A bitter rivalry between the Vanko family and the Stark family is well-known.
Russell hopes Ivan won't cause a disruption; he's enjoying the dance.
If Ivan does decide to stir things up, it would be their personal grudge to settle—not Russell's.
Russell has no intention of stepping in—this is between Tony and Ivan.
More importantly, Russell knows Tony can handle it.
As the dance concludes, Russell leads Gwen to a corner of the room.
Seeing the confusion in Gwen's eyes, Russell explains:
"There's a good show coming up. We can watch it from here."
"A good show?" Gwen asks, her ears perked.
"Don't worry about Tony," Russell reassures her. "We're not involved in this personal feud."
Boom! Boom! Bang!
With a series of explosive sounds, the wall collapses.
Ivan Vanko storms into the party hall, his chest exposed.
Bang!
His electric whip cracks the ground, and Ivan grins, locking eyes with Tony.
"Oh ho."
Tony strides forward confidently.
"Sir, what are you doing crashing my party?"
Ivan remains silent, swinging his whip cord. Tony dodges the strike, slightly embarrassed.
"It's rude to attack without a word," Tony taunts.
Ivan steps closer, his whip crackling as he approaches.
Tony remains unbothered, already thinking of his counter.
"Tony, be careful!" Pepper warns urgently.
Immediately, she and Happy rush to find weapons to assist Tony.
Tony, however, isn't fazed.
"I'm really upset you interrupted my party," Tony says, snapping his fingers.
Suddenly, two golden beams of light appear under Ivan's feet.
Loki's influence on the portal is clear.
"Free fall is something you deserve to experience."
Ivan stumbles, confused.
"What's going on?" he exclaims.
Before he can react, his whip cord is severed by the portal's edge as he begins to fall.
Another portal opens just in time, and a mechanical arm reaches out to snatch Ivan's chest reactor.
The arm delivers the reactor to Tony, who inspects it carefully.
"Impressive tech, though it's got a few flaws. You could make a small fortune by tweaking it."
Tony looks at Ivan with curiosity.
"Why attack me?"
With a beam of energy, Tony slows Ivan's fall, then closes the portal.
Bang!
Ivan crashes to the ground, groaning in pain.
Struggling to rise, Ivan spits out a mouthful of blood.
"Enough of your tricks! Put on the armor and fight me properly!"
Tony shrugs.
"You've already lost," Tony says, pointing to the broken whip cord and the reactor in his hand.
Ivan stands firm, his pride unbroken.
"I didn't lose. My skills haven't failed."
"Your skills?" Tony laughs. "You're talking about this replica?"
"It's not a replica!" Ivan shouts, his anger rising. "The Stark family are thieves."
"Thieves?" Tony counters, raising the reactor. "Are you talking about yourself? Where did you steal my design from?"
Ivan points at Tony's chest.
"You didn't die because of your father. You survived because of mine."
Tony looks confused.
"What does my father have to do with this?"
"The Ark Reactor was a collaboration between my father, Anton Vanko, and Howard Stark. Without my father, you would've died in Afghanistan. Though it seems palladium poisoning feels a lot worse."
Ivan lets out a grim laugh, spitting more blood as he collapses.
Tony watches quietly, not responding.
His relationship with his own father was strained, and he knows little of Anton Vanko's history with the Stark family.
It seems Tony has more to investigate regarding Ivan and his father.
"Send him to the police," Tony orders calmly.
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