"Spare me! I just wanted to test if the Iron Man name was as powerful as they say. I wasn't trying to kill you!"
Ivan Vanko could feel death creeping in on him. Panic set in, and he began to beg for his life.
If Tony Stark killed him here in New York, even though he'd be dead, Tony would surely face some backlash. Even if it didn't ruin him entirely, it would certainly stir up quite a mess.
But Tony had dragged him away from New York, far from the eyes of the public. With his connections to the military, it would be easy to cover up his death, ensuring no one would ever know what happened.
Vanko wasn't afraid of dying; he just regretted not being able to drag Tony Stark down with him.
"Too late," Tony responded coldly.
With that, the thrusters on Tony's suit ignited, and with a sudden burst of speed, the air cracked with a sonic boom. Ivan, without the protection of his suit, was caught in the violent vortex and torn to shreds.
Tony then followed up with a blast from his repulsor cannon, turning what remained of Vanko into ash.
After dealing with the mess, Tony turned and flew back toward New York, treating the entire ordeal as little more than a minor distraction. He soon arrived back at his home.
Harvey had watched as Tony dispatched Ivan Vanko with ease.
He knew that this would put an end to the plans of those who sought to use Vanko's knowledge to create an army of suits to rival Stark Industries.
In the original timeline, Thor was supposed to arrive right around the time Tony dealt with this problem, and everything would follow its course.
Although the plan had shifted somewhat, Vanko's appearance meant Thor—and Captain America—would soon emerge.
Harvey pulled back his observing gaze, deep in thought.
Before this, no matter how close Vanko came to killing Tony, the most Tony would've done was throw him in jail.
But now, after realizing Vanko had truly intended to end his life, Tony didn't hesitate for a second.
Since joining the Void, Tony's methods have changed. He was less merciful, more decisive.
As long as Tony remained level-headed and didn't violate the teachings of the Void Church, Harvey wasn't concerned with his change in attitude.
Satisfied, Harvey turned his attention back to the game in front of him.
Even though the Marvel Universe was different from the one he knew, the gaming world had remained mostly unchanged. It was 2011, and a few new titles had been released, giving him something to pass the time.
Most people in the U.S. had no idea Tony Stark had just killed someone, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had picked up on something.
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury replayed the footage over and over again. Watching how Tony had ruthlessly killed Vanko without a second thought made him wary.
As the son of Howard Stark, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony was expected to naturally align himself with their cause.
As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't cross certain lines, Tony was never supposed to turn against them.
But ever since Tony's interactions with Harvey, his behavior has changed.
Tony had once agreed to work with S.H.I.E.L.D., but only under a specific set of conditions. Unless the threat involved superpowered individuals or extraterrestrial dangers, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't call on him.
Even more, they were strictly forbidden from entering Tony's estate without permission. If they did, Tony would have the option to leave the Avengers entirely.
In short, Tony held the power in this relationship, not them.
With Tony now more unpredictable, they had to reassess how they handled him.
At that moment, Nick Fury received a secure message on his phone.
After reading it, his eyes narrowed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They finally had a reliable asset to counter Tony Stark.
Back at home, Tony was greeted by Pepper.
"Where have you been, Tony?" she asked. "Why do I smell blood on you?"
"A lunatic came after me and tried to kill me, so I took care of it," Tony replied nonchalantly.
"You've been keeping a low profile—who did you manage to piss off now?" Pepper asked, still confused.
"Jarvis, fill her in," Tony said, not wanting to explain it himself.
"Certainly, sir," Jarvis responded.
"Miss Potts, the man who attacked Mr. Stark was named Ivan Vanko, the son of a former enemy of his father, Howard Stark…"
Jarvis then proceeded to explain the entire situation in detail, even showing video footage of Vanko's initial attack to assure Pepper that Tony hadn't killed anyone without reason.
"Oh, I see," Pepper said after watching the footage. "Well, go get that suit cleaned. I don't like the smell of blood."
"I don't like it much either. I already sent Jarvis Mark II to handle it," Tony replied, having already changed into his casual clothes and emerged from his lab.
Since joining the Void, Tony's senses had become sharper. Even the faintest whiff of blood was enough to bother him, let alone the thick stench that clung to his suit.
Tony wasn't obsessive about cleanliness, but he wasn't fond of bloodstains.
As Tony and Pepper continued talking, Jarvis suddenly chimed in.
"Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D. has made a discovery. They believe they've located Captain America."
"Captain America? Isn't his statue still sitting in some museum?" Tony asked, surprised.
"To be precise, they've discovered his body, frozen in ice. He's currently being transported back to New York," Jarvis explained.
"Normally, anyone frozen that long would be dead. But thanks to the super-soldier serum, Captain America survived," he continued.
"So, you're telling me this relic from my father's time is still alive?" Tony muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"That's correct," Jarvis confirmed.
"The old man survived being frozen for decades… huh, the world is full of surprises," Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief.