"Spectators of Chaos"
Tony, along with Natalie and, of course, Owen, arrived at a party where many rich people were chatting and mingling around the place.
"What's up, Owen? What are you doing here?" asked a voice that Owen found very familiar. He turned and saw Nicolás, accompanied by a beautiful blonde woman.
"And what are you doing here?" Owen asked, looking at him with surprise.
"Permanent vacation, and escaping the old man and his dates," Nicolás said with a triumphant smile. "For a moment, I thought I had sent you to deal with me," he added, still smiling.
But then his gaze fixed on Natalie, and his expression quickly turned fearful.
"You… better not get near any of my cars," he said quickly, looking at her like she was a destroyer.
Natalie ignored him and walked away without a word.
"It's better if I keep her away from you guys," Nicolás said, looking at Owen, then walked away with his Girl.
Owen just shook his head.
Meanwhile, he saw Tony chatting with Elon Musk before quickly leaving the place.
Owen knew what he was up to, but this time he was just going to be a spectator.
…
Owen was sitting quietly, enjoying some snacks and a glass of wine while watching TV. A race was about to start, and everything seemed calm.
Suddenly, Pepper burst into the room, frowning, visibly upset and worried.
"Owen, have you seen Tony?" she asked urgently.
Owen didn't answer right away—his mouth was full—but he raised an eyebrow and pointed toward the screen.
On TV, the camera focused on Tony… just as he took the driver's seat in one of the race cars.
"Tony?!" Pepper exclaimed angrily. "Owen, stop him!"
"I'm in the same time and space as you—I don't have teleportation powers," Owen replied with a shrug. "And… the race has already started."
Frustrated, Pepper huffed while Natalie, who had been nearby listening, smiled ironically.
"Must be fun spying on a reckless genius," Owen muttered with a mocking smile.
Natalie forced a laugh and then followed Pepper, who was already leaving decisively to find Happy.
Owen stood up and calmly walked to the terrace overlooking the track. Then he climbed onto the roof for a better view. From there, the cars looked like lightning bolts sliding across the asphalt.
He pulled a compact pistol from the holster hidden on his back.
"I won't interfere… unless there's a risk of death. Altering time more than necessary could cause unpredictable effects," he muttered to himself, aiming forward.
In the distance, a hooded man jumped down from the stands and landed on the track. He threw off his cloak, revealing metal whips crackling with live electricity.
"Here we go…" Owen murmured, eyes narrowing.
The drivers started to brake, but it was too late. Two cars managed to dodge, but the third was split in two by a plasma whip that cut through like butter. Chaos erupted. More cars crashed trying to avoid the debris.
Then Tony's car appeared, skidding skillfully. He dodged the wreckage, but his vehicle was hit on the side, splitting the chassis. Tony reacted at the last second and jumped out just before another whip cut through.
He rolled on the asphalt, narrowly avoiding a deadly shock. When he looked up, a whip descended on him like an electric serpent. He had no time to scream or move.
BANG!
A shot rang out over the crowd's roar. The whip was deflected by millimeters and slammed into the ground a foot from Tony.
Owen lowered his weapon slightly, expressionless.
"Not your time yet, Stark."
Tony immediately got up and ran to a car that had just arrived: Happy and Pepper were inside. From the window, they threw him a metal case.
Tony caught it in midair, activated it, and the Iron Man suit assembled around his body in seconds.
"Now we're playing," Tony muttered.
Whiplash waited, his whips spinning like storm serpents. One lunged straight at Tony, but he caught it with both hands. Electricity sparked along the metal, making the armor vibrate, but it held.
Tony wrapped the whip around his torso, enduring the pain, and used the momentum of the spin to propel himself forward. He punched his enemy with a brutal repulsor-powered blow, sending him flying several meters through the air.
The villain crashed onto the pavement, stunned. Tony approached, tore the glowing core from the chest of Whiplash's improvised suit—a near copy of his Arc reactor—and shut it down.
Pepper rushed to him as soon as the fight ended.
"You okay?" she asked, clearly worried.
"Yeah. You got here just in time," Tony answered calmly, though his pulse was racing.
"We would've arrived sooner, but some stupid delivery guy got in the way," grumbled Happy. "Had to knock him out to clear the path."
"It's okay, Happy. Though it seemed like he was doing it on purpose…" Pepper said, recalling the look of the young man who had stepped in while everyone fled the scene.
…
Meanwhile, not far from the racetrack, a young man watched the events from a terrace, a smug smile painted across his face. His eyes followed with a sick fascination the spot where, seconds before, Tony Stark had faced death.
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tsk, tsk… I wanted to see if I could change the course of time… but it seems it's not that easy. Still, it was fun. I almost made it."
The young man, with dark hair and a confident gaze, shifted his eyes toward the roof from where the shot had come. He knew someone had interfered, but the distance prevented him from seeing the shooter.
"Should I go find Killian… or New Mexico? Hmm..." he muttered, turning around and walking away as if it were just another show.
As he moved through the crowd, he talked aloud to himself, ignoring the puzzled looks of passersby.
"I think the next target is Thor… Oh, right, Captain wakes up. Hmm, there was another story between those before the Avengers, but I don't quite remember which one exactly. Doesn't matter. I need to get some power before the Chitauri invasion. That will be the perfect moment to appear as a savior… to shine! Hahaha…"
His laugh wasn't one of joy, but of boundless ambition. He wasn't looking to save the world. He wanted to dominate it… and have all the heroines fall at his feet.
Then, a voice snapped him out of his daydream.
"Hey, kid! I've been looking for you."
Braian turned with a raised eyebrow. It was Justin Hammer, approaching with a wide smile and false camaraderie.
"You keep surprising me: first the Stark trial, and now this… You're a real genius," Hammer said, patting him on the back. "When you came to my company talking about Stark, I thought you were a fraud. But… seems like you have good contacts."
Braian responded with a confident smile, as if he already controlled the conversation from the first second.
"As I told you, Mr. Hammer, our group sent me to make deals with you. We give you information… you give us technology. A reliable and mutually beneficial affiliation."
He lied with astonishing ease. No such group existed, but just mentioning it was a trump card in case Hammer decided to betray him.
Braian knew perfectly well what would happen. He knew who Vanko was, what Tony would do, how the heroes would move, and when the villains would strike. And with that knowledge, he wove his web calmly, patiently… and with venom.
"Come on, kid, let's try to contact… what did you say his name was?" Hammer asked as he guided him toward his car.
"Iván Vanko," Braian answered without hesitation. "His father was the real creator of the arc reactor. Stark only perfected the idea."
"Perfect," Hammer exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let's go see him."
Braian followed without rush, walking with the elegance of someone who has already won before starting. Everything was going according to plan.
He glanced at Hammer from the corner of his eye with a crooked smile and muttered barely to himself:
"Fooling an idiot… is so easy."
And he continued after him, like a shadow stalking its prey without being noticed.