According to the original plan, Ivan Vanko had come to Monaco following his father's dying wish — to settle a score with Tony Stark.
Smart and calculating, Ivan had chosen his position on the track with precision.
It was a straight stretch. Any driver would have enough time to see him and swerve. No sane racer would plow straight into him.
Flames began to ripple across Ivan's body as the yellow protective jumpsuit burned away in strips. The fire revealed the exoskeleton bolted to his frame — and with a flick of his arms, two electrified whips unfurled with a sharp crack.
Ivan didn't have Stark Industries' resources, but he had inherited his father's genius. He had built his own miniature Arc Reactor and an armored harness, rigged with those lethal whips. The suit gave him both protection and attack power in one vicious package.
A silver-and-red F1 car came screaming toward him. Ivan's lip curled.
"I said—stop!"
SNAP!
The whip flashed white-hot, slicing the car clean in half. The vehicle spun out, slammed into the guardrail, and erupted into a fireball.
Crowds screamed. Spectators bolted from the stands.
Ivan never even glanced at the explosion. His gaze was fixed on the prize — Stark's car.
Tony had only seconds to react, braking hard, but he was already too close.
Ivan swung. The whip carved through Tony's F1 racer from nose to tail, forcing Tony to eject and roll to safety. Even slowed by braking, the impact could have killed him.
The cars behind swerved, slowing to avoid turning him into roadkill.
Ivan pressed forward. Tony used the wreckage as cover, but the whips tore through metal like it was foil.
"Hahaha! Tony Stark! Iron Man! And you hide like a turtle? Come on — fight me!"
Up in the VIP box, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan were on their feet.
"Happy, give Lock the red case!" Pepper urged.
The red suitcase was handcuffed to Happy's wrist — Stark's portable armor. Happy shoved it into Lock's hands.
"This is the suit! Get it to Tony!"
Lock stared at them. "Really? You're not going down there yourselves?"
In the "original plot," he remembered, they had braved the chaos to deliver the armor. Now they were tossing the job to him without hesitation.
Pepper grabbed his arm, eyes wide. "Tony can't hold out much longer—please!"
Lock sighed, snapping the chain from Happy's wrist with one hand. He turned to Natasha Romanoff, seated just behind them.
"I'll be back in a minute. Keep these two safe."
Natasha nodded sharply.
The spy's poise and beauty caught Lock's eye — enough to make him grin and lean in to plant a quick kiss on her forehead before vaulting over the railing.
Pepper and Happy exchanged a look and then turned to Natasha with knowing smirks, making the Black Widow flush slightly.
"What?" Natasha said, eyebrow raised.
Pepper teased, "Are you sure you've only known him a few days? You two act like an old married couple."
"Yeah," Happy added. "You turn down rich, handsome Tony, but you go for Lock?"
Natasha had no good answer. They hadn't known each other long, but it felt different — like they had.
On the track, Tony was running out of cover. Ivan smashed through the last piece of wreckage and raised both whips for the killing strike—
A red case flew through the air, smacking the whips aside and landing in front of Tony.
"Tony, he's yours," Lock called out. "I'll get the bystanders clear."
"Got it!"
Tony flipped the latches. The suitcase unfolded and wrapped around him in a seamless flash of silver and red.
Now this was Iron Man.
But with the stands still packed, Tony kept it close-quarters. Bullets and micro-missiles were off the table. The two men clashed in a storm of sparks.
Ivan's harness might have looked crude, but the power in those whips was terrifying. Lightning lit the air as they exchanged blow for blow. The whips bit into the armor, leaving molten scars — but not breaching it.
The crowd, instead of fleeing, roared in approval. Lock scowled from the sidelines. Cultural difference, huh?
Ivan saw his moment. The whips lashed out, wrapping tightly around Tony's neck. Sparks flared. The armor hissed as the arcs began eating through the weakest part of the suit.
Tony strained, realizing that if the neck seal gave way, the fight was over — permanently.
"Lock! A little help here?"
The tone was half-joking, but Lock knew better. Tony Stark didn't ask for help unless it was desperate.
In a blur, Lock was between them, hands closing around both electrified whips. Smoke rose from the contact. The air stank of burning flesh.
Ivan's eyes widened. "Impossible! How—"
Lock yanked. Metal screamed. The whips tore free from Ivan's gauntlets.
Freed, Tony surged forward, slamming Ivan to the ground and ripping the Arc Reactor from his chest plate—only to hear the whips still crackling.
Dual power sources. One was mounted on Ivan's back.
Tony ripped that out, too, and Ivan finally went limp.
The crowd exploded in cheers. They had seen Iron Man finish the fight, but not Lock's intervention in the shadows.
As security dragged Ivan away, he spat one last threat at Tony:
"Stark! What you and your father stole from me — I'll take it back!"
Lock just shook his head.