The stage lights poured down like molten gold over Tony Stark.
He stood there—center of the world.
The crowd's cheers roared like a tidal wave, and he rode it effortlessly.
"I'm back!"
Four words detonated across the expo grounds.
In the sea of people, Levi lowered the brim of his baseball cap slightly. He stood unmoving, like a reef against the tide.
Tony was born for this. He understood spectacle instinctively.
"I know you missed me," Tony said, pacing in rhythm with the music, arrogance polished to perfection. "But tonight isn't about me. And it's not about the suit."
He gestured behind him.
The massive rotating globe lit up in blue—like a tamed star. Howard Stark's dream from half a century ago.
"My father told the world what the future would look like—right here on this ground," Tony said, voice dipping into practiced solemnity. "He planted a seed. He just didn't get to see it bloom."
His hand pressed against the triangular arc reactor in his chest.
"What he left behind… was the future. Tonight, I bring that future to you."
His voice sharpened.
"People say Stark Industries was built on weapons. They're wrong. It was built on creation. On changing the world. And that begins with energy—clean, efficient, limitless energy!"
The globe ignited with flowing blue light veins across continents.
The crowd exploded.
Levi watched without expression.
The higher the build-up—
The harder the fall.
Right on cue, the lights flickered.
Then went dark.
A piercing electrical screech ripped through the speakers. The globe began flashing erratically. Smoke curled from its seams.
The crowd froze.
Confusion.
Then fear.
On stage, Tony's smile vanished.
Inside the helmet, JARVIS spoke urgently.
"Sir, the primary control system is under external intrusion. The attacker is attempting to seize the energy core. Firewall bypass detected."
Tony's eyes sharpened.
In the audience, Levi had already felt it.
A foreign signal probing the expo's energy network.
His senses extended outward like an invisible web.
He located it quickly—an apartment in Queens.
Crude arc-reactor energy signature.
Unrefined.
Primitive.
Ivan Vanko.
Early move.
Interesting.
Levi chose not to interfere.
He wanted to observe.
On stage, Tony grabbed the mic.
"Looks like we have an enthusiastic audience member testing our cybersecurity," he said casually.
The giant LED screen behind him lit up with cascading green code and a flashing red skull icon.
The crowd roared, assuming it was part of the show.
"JARVIS," Tony snapped, "deploy SkyNet Firewall."
Code surged.
"Let's set a little trap. Make him think he's winning. Give him a false access corridor. Then flank him with quantum encryption and—"
He made a hammering gesture.
"—cut him off. And maybe replace his hard drive with dancing cat videos."
The red skull vanished.
Green "SECURE" icon appeared.
Lights restored.
Music resumed.
Thirty seconds.
Crisis over.
The applause was thunderous.
Then—
A slick, over-groomed man in an expensive suit rushed onto the stage.
"Tony! My friend!" Justin Hammer beamed artificially. "Quite the scare! If you need real security, Hammer Industries is happy to provide—our systems are reliable."
Tony stared at him.
Then took the mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Justin Hammer. CEO of Hammer Industries."
The smirk sharpened.
"I remember your drone demonstration at the Senate hearing. The one that spun in circles like it was having a seizure. Justin, are you still running on dial-up?"
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Hammer's face turned crimson.
Tony leaned closer, voice dropping cold.
"Get off my stage. This is an adult party."
Two security guards escorted Hammer away.
Humiliated.
Shaking with rage.
In a shadowed corner beneath the stage, Hammer pulled out his phone and dialed someone, voice venomous.
Levi watched from afar.
A faint smile touched his lips.
A revenge-driven engineer.
A publicly disgraced weapons manufacturer desperate to prove himself.
Perfect.
Two key pieces had just connected.
Now—
Monaco awaited.
That was where the real performance would begin.
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