Iron Man was puzzled. This man came for revenge — but he had never offended someone like this. Could it be… a grudge from his father's generation?
When he saw the bone-deep scars on Lock's hands, Iron Man was unexpectedly moved.
"Thanks, Lock, for saving my life again."
"You're welcome. Even if I didn't step in, you'd have found a way."
"Lock, don't be modest. I'll remember this."
A soft ding chimed in Lock's mind — Iron Man's trust had just gone up another two percent.
Iron Man thought Lock was just being humble, but Lock knew the truth — his system hadn't even triggered a "save person" prompt. Tony hadn't truly been in mortal danger. He had only interfered and, unintentionally, stolen the spotlight.
Still, the electric whips had been brutal. After only a few seconds of contact, his hands had nearly been severed. Thankfully, the Hulk's blood in his veins was earning its keep — the wounds were already knitting back together.
Back in the VIP seats, Natasha and Pepper hurried to their men, fussing over them.
Happy was left awkwardly to one side, clutching the armor case.
Natasha touched the raw scars on Lock's hands. "Need me to get some medicine?"
"No. A day or two, and I'll be fine."
She gently brushed away the charred skin. "Does it hurt?"
"It did at first. But the moment you touched it, it eased up. Guess you've been holding my hand the past two days so I don't get hurt again."
"Hmph… only the devil would believe you."
The two sat together quietly, feeding Happy a full serving of dog food. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and coughed loudly.
"I'm just saying — maybe wrap it up. Tony, if you don't leave soon, the European police will show up with paperwork."
Tony hated bureaucratic trouble. He left immediately.
Back at the residence, Lock said to Natasha,
"I need your help. The guy who attacked today was Ivan Vanko. His father once did research with Tony's father. I want to know exactly where he lived in Siberia."
Natasha didn't even ask why. "Okay. I'll tap S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intel network. Shouldn't take long."
A short while later, she handed Lock an address from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Lock called Yinsen.
Brought to the U.S. by Lock, Yinsen had been working with Dr. Stern on recovery potion research, with little progress so far.
Lock had few people he could truly rely on. S.H.I.E.L.D. was useful, but not his own, which made certain tasks inconvenient.
"Yinsen, I'm sending you an address. Go there, find a bird, and bring it back safely."
"…A bird?" Yinsen stared at the address. Siberia? Bring back a bird?
Still, if Lock said it, it mattered. Yinsen didn't press, took the money, and left immediately.
Yinsen was used to surviving in chaotic regions and knew how to open the right doors with enough cash. Dr. Stern, on the other hand, was a pure academic — sending him would be hopeless.
That night, Tony decided to visit Ivan in prison, taking Lock with him. He wanted answers.
Anyone with tech like Ivan's could sell it on the black market and live rich for life. Attacking Tony directly? That had to be personal.
But Tony had never even heard of the man.
In trison, Ivan told his story.
During the Soviet era, his father had been sent to the U.S. to work with Howard Stark. Together, they developed the Arc Reactor — but back then, the device was huge, impractical. Only a prototype remained at Stark Industries.
When the Cold War began, the U.S. accused Ivan's father of espionage and deported him. Ivan's father believed Howard had betrayed him to steal sole credit for their work.
Back in the USSR, the turmoil that followed destroyed his career. Once a brilliant scientist, he died in poverty.
Before dying, he told Ivan: The Stark family is thieves who stole my glory.
Ivan, already well-versed in the tech, was inspired by Tony's miniaturized reactor. Lacking Stark's resources, he built an exoskeleton with electrified whips — and came for revenge.
"My father wasn't a thief," Tony said firmly. "It was joint research."
"Lies!" Ivan snarled. "Your father branded mine a spy to take the Arc Reactor for himself!"
They argued, but there was no evidence — only bitterness.
As they parted, Ivan smirked. "Palladium poisoning's a real bitch, isn't it?"
Tony froze. The recovery potions Lock gave him kept him alive, but only barely — each bottle neutralized just one day's worth of poisoning.
Lock spoke calmly. "Palladium poisoning isn't unsolvable. You just don't know enough."
Ivan scoffed. "Unless you invent a non-radioactive element that can power a reactor, it's impossible. Such a thing doesn't exist."
"It exists," Lock said. "Your thinking is too narrow."
Both Tony and Ivan barked, "Impossible!"
Lock stepped forward without warning, his hands stabbing into Ivan's chest.
Ivan screamed — until Lock pulled out a beating heart.
Without a word, Lock poured a vial of recovery potion into Ivan's mouth. Green light flared. Before their eyes, a new heart regenerated in his chest.
Ivan touched it in disbelief.
Lock tossed the still-beating old heart at his feet. "You're a frog in a well, Ivan. Your world is too small."
Without waiting for a reply, he left. Tony followed, still shaken.
"Lock… is there a new element?" Tony asked.
"It's not here yet. Research it, and it will be."
"That's… not how physics works," Tony muttered.
"You'll see."
Tony sighed. Lock had too many mysteries to unravel in one lifetime.
Then it hit him. "Wait — you showed Ivan the potion on purpose. You're trying to recruit him."
"Yes. He's a genius. We'll need him."
"Aren't you worried he'll keep using tech for evil?"
"The evil he can do is nothing compared to what's coming."
"Then why not recruit him now? I can have him transferred to the U.S."
"The time hasn't come."