Chapter 30: The Edge of the Storm
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May 2010 – Flushing, Queens – Stark Expo
My boots hit the rooftop of the main Expo hall, repulsors hissing as they cooled. Below me, chaos. Hammer's drones, meant to parade his sad attempt at imitating my tech, were now rampaging through the event like mechanized wolves. Civilians screamed and scattered in terror, their panic rippling across the massive venue. Explosions tore through pavilions, sending plumes of fire into the night sky.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., assessment."
"Twenty-four drones remain active. Colonel Rhodes' armor is compromised and under external control. Additionally, Ivan Vanko's location remains undetermined. He is likely operating remotely."
I exhaled through clenched teeth. "Because it's never just one problem at a time."
A drone locked onto a fleeing family, targeting systems spinning up. I dove, cutting through the air, and fired a repulsor blast. The energy bolt struck center mass, sending the machine crashing into a pavilion, sparks flying as its circuits fried.
"Rhodey, talk to me," I called through the comms, dodging another hail of bullets from above.
"Not having a great time here, Tony!" Rhodey's voice was strained. "Suit's locked up tighter than a bank vault. I've got weapons, but I can't aim for shit!"
"Hang tight, buddy. I'm working on it."
Then I saw them—WHA.
Valeria Monroe and Dash.
Valeria moved like a phantom, her silver-coated armor gleaming under the Expo lights. Every step she took sent shockwaves rippling through the pavement, disorienting the drones closest to her. She flicked her wrist, releasing a kinetic blast that flipped an attacking drone end over end before it crashed into a burning food stand.
Dash, on the other hand, was a storm of blue lightning. A blur of speed, he weaved between enemy fire, slashing through drones with strikes too fast for my sensors to track. Five of them fell in the span of ten seconds—dismantled before they could even react.
I smirked. "Well, I'll be damned. You guys actually showed up."
Valeria's voice crackled in my comms. "We don't sit back when the world's about to go to hell, Stark."
Dash skidded to a stop beside me, air crackling from his sudden deceleration. "No offense, but I wouldn't trust you to pray for us anyway."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Let's clean this up."
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The Fight for Control
The next ten minutes were a warzone of fire and steel.
Valeria ripped through the enemy with surgical precision, targeting weak points with devastating efficiency. Dash was everywhere and nowhere at once, taking apart drones before they could even process his movements.
Me? I stayed in the sky, weaving through missile fire and blasting threats before they could cause too much damage.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., override Rhodey's suit. Now."
"Attempting to regain control, sir. However, Vanko's encryption is highly advanced—"
"No excuses."
I shot downward, landing with a heavy THUD beside Rhodey, who was still struggling to wrest control from his hijacked War Machine suit. His shoulder-mounted minigun spun up, a mechanical growl as it locked onto me.
"Rhodey, if you can hear me, I need you to hold still for a second—"
"TONY, I SWEAR TO GOD—"
Before I could react, a shockwave exploded through my suit, my HUD flickering as static crackled through my ears.
Then I heard his voice.
"You are too late, Stark."
And then—
Everything erupted.
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The Arrival of Whiplash
I hit the pavement hard, armor screeching as I skidded across concrete. My systems struggled to reboot, alarms blaring. As I forced myself up, I saw him.
Vanko.
He walked through the wreckage, his new suit a monstrous evolution of his first design. No longer just whips—this was full-body armor, plated and reinforced, with electrified coils coursing through his limbs. His gauntlets burned with arcs of energy, illuminating his wicked grin.
"Hope you are ready, Stark," he sneered, snapping his whips forward. The ground melted where they struck.
I groaned, shaking off the pain. "Oh, come on. I just fixed this suit."
Valeria and Dash regrouped at my side, their expressions locked onto Vanko.
"He's mine," I said.
Valeria hesitated before nodding. "We'll handle the rest."
Dash smirked. "Try not to die, Stark."
"No promises."
Vanko struck.
I boosted backward, thrusters flaring as I dodged his electrified whips. But he was faster than before—more controlled, more precise. His strikes came hard and fast, forcing me to stay in the air, weaving through his relentless assault.
"You think this is game?" Vanko growled, sending a whip arcing toward me. I twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the energy lash as it carved through a Stark Expo banner.
"No," I shot back, firing a repulsor blast. "I think it's a pain in my ass."
The blast hit him dead center, but his new armor absorbed the impact, redirecting the energy into his gauntlets. He snarled, retaliating with a shockwave that sent me tumbling.
I gritted my teeth. This wasn't going to be easy.
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Final Gambit
The battle tore through the Expo grounds. Sparks flew, drones exploded, and fire raged in every direction.
Eventually, Rhodey broke free from Vanko's control, his War Machine armor reactivating with a vengeance. "Alright, Tony, let's put this bastard down."
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Side by side, we pressed Vanko back. His whips slashed through the air, but we countered with overwhelming firepower.
Then, as he stumbled, something changed.
A low hum began emanating from his armor.
"J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"Warning. Self-destruct sequence detected."
My stomach twisted.
"Oh, you son of a—"
Vanko laughed, his eyes burning with manic satisfaction. "You lose, Stark."
I cursed under my breath.
Valeria's voice cut in. "We'll handle the civilians. Get out of here."
"Go!"
Rhodey and I didn't hesitate. We shot into the sky, grabbing Vanko's suit and dragging it upward.
Then—
BOOM.
A blinding explosion lit up the night, consuming the air with fire and shrapnel.
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Aftermath
When I came to, I was sitting on a broken piece of debris, helmet off, chest rising and falling with exhaustion. The Expo was in ruins.
WHA operatives moved through the wreckage, securing the site.
Valeria approached, arms crossed. "You owe us."
I smirked. "Put it on my tab."
She shook her head. "One day, Stark, you're going to have to decide which side you're really on."
I didn't have an answer for that.
But something told me—
I'd need one soon.
To be continued…