It has been months since the transformation of Stark Industries had begun. The world had taken notice. Now, Tony had to ensure no one could challenge it and cause unnecessary trouble.
In the end, Vanko tried to disrupt his plans and sow discord so Aegis had no choice but to act. He can't have someone else form an Iron army and force him to do unnecessary work.
That's just one of the problems.
The clean energy sector was a battlefield now. The moment Stark Industries announced its breakthroughs in arc reactor technology, corporations, governments, and even former defense contractors started scrambling. Some wanted in. Others wanted to stop him.
That was expected. Tony had never played small.
Which was why this next phase wasn't just about innovation, it was about control.
Pepper walked into Tony's office first thing in the morning, a thick file in her hands. "We've got problems." She said, setting it down in front of him.
Tony, still leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk, raised an eyebrow. "And here I was, hoping for a 'Good morning, Tony, your hair looks fantastic today.'"
Pepper gave him a look but didn't indulge him. "Multiple companies are trying to patent technology similar to the arc reactor. Some are just fishing for a payout. Others might actually have something useful."
Tony pulled the file closer, flipping through the reports. He recognized a few names, some startups, some long-established companies trying to pivot. None of them were on his level. Well, that's to be expected, currently, his mind was already beyond the confines of the word 'genius'.
Still, the fact that they were trying meant one thing: people were starting to think they could compete with him.
"There is no need to panic, Pep." Tony said, stretching. "Let's do some shopping. Who's worth acquiring?"
Pepper, who came prepared, slid another document forward, already prepared. "Three companies stand out. One's a promising AI-driven materials engineering firm, better lightweight composites for reactor casings. Another is a quantum computing startup, they can help with the process simulations faster. The third is working on wireless energy transmission. If they figure it out, we won't even need infrastructure to deliver arc reactor power."
Tony grinned. "Hmm... They're barely useful but yeah, buy them. We need manpower for expansion."
Pepper sighed. "Tony, these are multi-million-dollar companies. We'll need negotiations, agreements—"
"Fine," He said, standing up. "I'll make it personal."
And that was how Tony Stark ended up walking into boardrooms across the country, personally dismantling egos and buying out companies on the spot.
Of course, not everyone was happy about Stark Industries' rapid expansion.
---
The U.S. government had been watching ever since he shut down weapons manufacturing. Now that he was making a new global power source, it was only a matter of time before they tried to interfere.
It started with subtle moves, regulatory pressure, trade restrictions, unexpected audits.
Then came the direct approach.
Tony sat across from a group of senators and defense officials, sipping his coffee as they did their best to intimidate him.
"Mr. Stark, national security concerns require that certain technologies remain under controlled development. You can't just deploy arc reactors without oversight."
Tony leaned forward, setting his cup down. "I think you're confused. First of all, I have the oversight and second, you don't control me. Stark Industries isn't a government contractor anymore. We make our own rules." He remembered the billionaires in his past life who always got away with everything.
A senator cleared his throat. "Mr. Stark, with all due respect—"
"—there's none," Tony interrupted, flashing a grin. "You're scared. You've built your power structure on controlling energy resources, and I just made your entire system obsolete. So now you're scrambling to find a way to leash me without making it obvious. Problem is, I don't play by your rules anymore."
There was silence. A few exchanged glances.
Finally, one of the officials spoke carefully. "You must realize that if you refuse to cooperate, it will create… difficulties."
Tony exhaled, standing up. "Let me save you some time. You can't force me to give you what you want. You can try sanctions, fines, lawsuits, I'll find workarounds. You can try public pressure, I'll make you look ridiculous. And if you even think about using force, well…"
He leaned in slightly, voice casual.
"You don't know what I'm capable of."
The room stayed silent.
Tony smirked, clapped his hands, and turned to leave. "Great talk, everyone. Let me know if you ever figure out how to keep up."
---
By the time Tony returned to his Malibu mansion, he knew the attacks would come next.
Not direct ones, at least not yet so he will respond in kind. There would be corporate espionage, cyber warfare, sabotage. The people who thrived on the old system wouldn't sit back and let him replace them.
So he did what he always did, he got ahead of the problem.
"JARVIS, tighten all cybersecurity protocols. Triple encryption on all Stark Industries servers. Install quantum key encryption on all proprietary designs."
"Already done, sir," JARVIS responded smoothly. "Additionally, I've detected multiple intrusion attempts on Stark servers within the last twenty-four hours. None were successful."
Tony nodded. "They're getting desperate. Let's make it impossible for them to catch up."
And because he never relied on just one solution, Tony made another move, a little low but extremely effective.
A few hours later, scandals of some politicians started to circulate around the internet. With clear pictures and videos attached, JARVIS easily riled up the internet communities.
Because of this, media was having a field day.
This bought Tony a few months of peace since this politicians were nothing but thick-skinned. Other than the ones who were sent to jail with the subsequent investigations, the others refused to let go of the matter.
At this point, the arc reactor was no longer just a power source, it was beginning to be a global disruptor.
But Tony already expected this.
For decades, the world had been built around oil, coal, and gas. Governments, billionaires, and industries had spent trillions maintaining that system. They did not want change.
But Tony had made it inevitable.
Pepper stood in front of a massive digital display, presenting a world map dotted with Stark Industries energy hubs.
"Phase One is nearly complete." She said. "We have industrial arc reactors supplying clean energy in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Tokyo. Phase Two expands to developing nations."
"New York? That means the Stark Tower is done?"
"Yes." Pepper nodded.
Tony grinned, "Then we can finally change headquarters to the tallest building in the world."
Pepper only sighed at his boss' antics. She's already used to his whimsical decisions. But since nothing has failed so far, she decided to just let it go.
Tony nodded, arms crossed. "Anyway, how are the old energy moguls reacting?"
Pepper smirked. "They're panicking. Oil stocks are dropping. Lobbyists are throwing money at politicians, trying to delay approvals. But every day we operate without failure, more governments start seeing us as the future."
Tony grinned. "Good. Let them sweat."
---
A few weeks later, in a high-profile energy summit, world leaders and corporate heads gathered. The mood was tense. Tony sat at the center of the storm, completely unfazed.
An oil executive stood up, red-faced. "Mr. Stark, you're destabilizing global energy markets! Your arc reactors threaten millions of jobs!"
Tony leaned back, smirking. "You mean your jobs. The ones that keep the world locked into pollution and outdated tech? Yeah, those are obsolete now. If you really care about people without jobs, send them to me. We're always short on hands because of our expansion."
A European diplomat chimed in. "You can't just bypass international regulations!"
Tony shrugged. "I'm not bypassing anything. I'm just winning."
The room erupted in arguments, but Tony knew the truth, they were scared because they were losing control.
And he had no intention of stopping.
The impact of Stark's technology rippled across industries.
Oil companies collapsed. The price of crude plummeted as nations turned to cheaper, unlimited arc reactor energy. Automakers scrambled. Electric vehicles surged as old combustion models became worthless overnight. Nations with oil-dependent economies suddenly faced crisis-level instability.
Some countries embraced change. Others fought it.
But no one could ignore it.
Tony expected political pushback. He expected corporate sabotage and now they're getting antsy and more hands on.
Within a day, two attempted cyberattacks on Stark Industries' energy grids, A high-profile assassination attempt. And one attempted to hijack a Stark Industries shipment in the Middle East.
Someone wasn't just resisting change.
They were declaring war.
---
Back at Stark Tower, Tony stood in his new private lab, staring at a glowing miniature arc reactor on his workbench.
"JARVIS," he muttered. "Who's behind the attacks?"
"I've narrowed it down to three culprits, sir."
A holographic display lit up, showing suspects:
A coalition of energy moguls funding sabotage efforts. Certain governments trying to steal Stark technology. Former military-industrial leaders furious about losing their stranglehold on defense contracts.
But Aegis Protocol was on top of everything so their attempts failed in the end.
Tony exhaled. "So it's not just one enemy, it's everyone."
JARVIS responded dryly. "That does seem to be a recurring pattern, sir."
Tony smirked. "Then let's remind them who they're messing with."
---