"Sir, urgent news."
"What's going on?"
Fury responded, noticing the serious tone.
"Five minutes ago, Valentino posted a message on his official page—where he usually uploads his works—and exactly ten seconds later, he deleted it."
"And what's the problem with that? Another painting?"
"Worse, sir. It was a message. And according to analysis, it was meant for us."
Maria Hill replied quickly, prompting Fury to grow serious. This one mattered.
"For us? Show me."
Hill approached Fury's desk and placed a few papers on it. The first page contained the message, the rest were preliminary analysis. The message read:
[ Harlem. In exactly 2 days. A battle between two superhumanly strong individuals will take place at night.
Military Target: Emil Blonsky. Genetically altered, no control.
– Attack from a distance, not close range.
– Avoid using helicopters near the target to prevent casualties. They can be taken down.
– Provide Hulk room to maneuver; for that, it is recommended to cordon off the area.
Priority: evacuate civilians before 9PM. ]
"I see. There are lots of gaps. Suggests he wrote it last minute. Maybe his powers don't let him see whatever he wants, or maybe he saw this at the last moment."
"Analysts think the same. Also, the message suggests helping Hulk, which would be impossible for the U.S. military. Based on that, the message wasn't for them. And given he deleted it right away, it wasn't meant for the public either, but for whoever's watching him. In other words..."
"He knows about us," Fury interrupted, continuing the train of thought.
"Not just that—he seems to know our goals too. He assumes we'd help Hulk. He knows way more than we thought."
It was to be expected, knowing the subject could see the future. Still, the idea that someone out there might know everything about them was unsettling—even for Fury, ironic as that was.
"Sir, what should we do about the message?"
"Isn't it obvious? Of course we'll follow it. It lets us avoid unnecessary casualties and maybe even gets us on the good side of two potential future Avengers."
"Understood. I'll notify the teams immediately."
With that, Hill left the room.
[ Nothing important on Tony Stark's end—SHIELD saw my message, as expected, and they're preparing. That's good. On the other hand, Banner arrived in the U.S. and reunited with Betty Ross, no changes there. However, SHIELD seems to have located and secured Thor's hammer early—apparently they studied the painting and were ready in the area. Everything's going smoothly. ]
---
~ Day 5 of Surveillance ~
Tony Stark stepped off his private jet. He was in Monaco for a car race, and the second he laid eyes on the cars, he got excited and decided he was going to race. Normally, that'd be impossible—but he was Tony Stark. With the right money, someone would sell him any car.
But his thoughts were interrupted by JARVIS.
'Sir, news. Based on current crowd, contestants, weather, and other factors, the current scene matches the painting 'Whiplash in Monaco' with 79% certainty. However, considering timing and likely upcoming movements, I can confirm with 97% certainty the event is about to happen.'
"So a crazy guy with an electric whip shows up in Monaco today, huh? Always wondered what his goal was, but since I'm here, it's pretty obvious it's me."
After watching a few races, a man approached Tony and asked if he was going to race.
Tony, already expecting today's showdown, wasn't too worried. He simply said yes.
What he didn't expect was for the crazy guy to show up while he was racing—almost slicing him in half.
"Damn it. I should build some kind of armored car. JARVIS, write that down."
'Noted, sir. Though I must say, that's a terrible idea.'
"C'mon, don't say that—"
"TONY STARK! My name is Ivan Vanko. I will avenge what your father did to mine. Die!"
While Tony argued with JARVIS, Vanko shouted and swung his electric whips at him.
Of course, Tony wasn't just chatting—he was also suiting up. It was a portable emergency armor. Since he upgraded his arc reactor, it could do almost everything the others could, with some defensive shortcomings, but unmatched offensively.
"Hey! Don't you villains usually wait until the hero finishes suiting up?"
"DIE, STARK!"
As Vanko kept lashing out with his whips, ranting furiously
"That technology isn't yours, Stark! My father created it! Your whole family are thieves and..."
Before he could finish, Tony blasted him with a laser, sending him flying.
"You didn't let me finish suiting up, and I didn't let you finish your villain monologue. We're even."
Tony smirked.
"Alright, let's not drag this out."
Vanko lunged again and actually landed a hit with one of his whips. He grinned.
But he didn't expect Tony to suddenly grab the whip mid-swing.
"Come on, you think I didn't know you'd be here? We've been tracking you for months. Of course I came to Monaco with countermeasures."
"Check this out. This armor is designed to absorb energy through the gloves and redirect what it can't handle back out."
"Congrats, Vanko. You're officially the first person my custom anti-villain suits are named after. This one's the Anti-Whiplash Armor."
With that, Tony yanked the whip, sending Vanko flying toward him.
No way a regular human could resist that kind of pull.
By the time Vanko let go, it was too late—Tony's fist was already crashing into his face.
Knocked out instantly.
"Well, that went nicely. Although… he's got a copy of my arc reactor. Not bad for a knockoff."
'Sir, based on his words, I ran a trace. He appears to be the son of one of your father's former partners. There was a falling out—his father wanted to use the tech for power, while yours wanted it for progress.'
"So they found out, kicked him out, and now the son wants revenge. What a cliché story. First time I agree with my dad on anything."
Tony actually looked a little proud. He did agree with Howard Stark on that—weaponizing tech had already caused enough destruction. He didn't even want to imagine what arc reactor tech in the wrong hands could do.
"Alright, let's hand this guy over and head back."
'Sir, I recommend he be held somewhere with tighter security.'
"Why's that, JARVIS?"
'Analyzing Laplace's last painting—the one at the Stark Expo—Hammer Industries lacks the means to build those rogue armors. But their power sources match Ivan Vanko's reactor by 80%.'
"I see. I was wondering how that cheap copycat built a mid-level arc. So most likely, Hammer will break him out and use him to build armors, hoping to one-up me. But Vanko's personality doesn't seem like the obedient type, which probably led to the rogue armors we saw in the painting."
While Tony mentally mapped out what would happen next, a grin spread across his face.
"Well, that wouldn't solve the problem. But I've got a better idea."
"Tony!"
A worried voice called out, rushing toward him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You care that much?"
Tony joked with Pepper Potts, surprised when she simply nodded with concern.
"I'm alright, don't worry. I took all precautions to face him, been preparing for months. I wouldn't take risks—not knowing there are people who care about me."
He smiled warmly at her.
Just as they had their moment, someone interrupted.
"Excuse me, sir. Please hand him over. We have to press charges."
"Oh, sure. But keep an eye on him."
"Don't worry, Mr. Stark. We'll handle him."
The officer said as they walked off.
---
Later that night, Ivan Vanko was aboard a private jet in the U.S., having escaped Russian prison with help from Justin Hammer, who wanted him to build weapons.
Hammer looked at Vanko smugly, as if expecting obedience.
"I want you to build me what you made for Tony Stark—but better."
He continued explaining his grand plans, his obsession with beating Stark Industries, how he'd do anything to win…
But he was suddenly interrupted by a sarcastic voice—one he recognized immediately.
"Wow. Those are some terrible plans. Seriously? Villains teaming up to take down the hero? Be more original, Hammer."
Tony Stark's voice came through a mic hidden in the plane.
"You know, I thought catching you would be harder. But all I had to do was track Vanko after his escape, then listen in and record all your 'plans'—or as the judge will call it, your confession. Voilà! Guess I'm playing cop now. Justin Hammer, you're under arrest for orchestrating a prison break, illegally bringing a fugitive into the country, and a bunch of other crimes I don't feel like listing."
"...Damn it."
[ Wow, that was a great change. Tony prepared in advance, took down Vanko easily, and even prevented the entire Stark Expo disaster before it even started. This is the kind of change I want to see thanks to my paintings. This is how knowing the future should be used. Just as expected from Tony Stark—the savior of the entire Marvel Universe. ]