As the system finished explaining the rules, the words on the big screen vanished — and a new clip began to play.
On-screen, Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff sat across from each other in a dimly lit office.
"Is this the target of the mission?"
Natasha picked up a file from the table, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow.
"Tony Stark?"
Inside the theater.
Watching himself on the big screen, Tony Stark froze for a second.
When he saw his new assistant "Natalie" sitting across from Nick Fury in that office, he suddenly stood up and shouted:
"F***! That woman was a spy sent by that bald guy? I knew he had bad intentions!"
In another theater.
Natasha's eyes narrowed as she watched the same scene unfold.
She immediately realized the problem — this mission could fail.
After all, the [Spoiler System] was also bound to Tony Stark.
The footage continued to play.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" Natasha asked, setting the file down.
"Steal the core data of his armor? Or just steal a suit?"
Nick Fury shook his head. "Ever since Tony Stark announced that he's Iron Man, the eyes of the world have been on him. Congress wants to get its hands on his armor, and several hidden forces are also coveting his tech."
He leaned back in his chair and added, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has been keeping many of those threats off his back, but Tony's behavior is getting stranger and stranger."
Fury's tone hardened. "I need to know what's happening to him."
Natasha considered his words, then nodded. "How do you want me to approach him?"
"How do you evaluate Tony Stark?" Fury asked, studying her.
"Arrogant, self-absorbed, reckless," Natasha replied calmly. "But… he's also a genius. A man who never stops moving forward."
Nick Fury nodded with satisfaction. "That's an objective assessment. Since you think so highly of him, I'll leave this task to you."
"No problem," Natasha said, picking up the file again.
In the theaters.
Tony, who had just sat back down, cursed under his breath. "Perfect. The bald guy and the redhead teaming up on me. Figures."
In another screening room, Nick Fury frowned slightly.
"Hmm… Let's see if this video answers my questions."
The projection continued.
On the screen, Tony Stark was throwing a wild party.
He and James Rhodes got into a heated fight — both wearing suits of armor.
After Rhodes flew away in the armor, Tony dismissed the remaining guests.
When the house finally fell silent, he slumped against the counter, exhaustion and bitterness on his face.
"Sir," Jarvis' calm voice echoed. "You shouldn't wear the armor again. It will worsen your palladium poisoning. Also, you haven't had your… drink today."
"Oh, come on, Jarvis," Tony muttered, shaking his head. "I'm dying anyway. Why should I waste my last days choking down that disgusting green sludge?"
Jarvis hesitated. "Perhaps there's another solution, sir. Palladium toxin—"
"Save it, Jarvis. Don't sugarcoat it," Tony cut him off.
He stood up, surveying the wrecked room.
Then, out of nowhere, he smirked. "Hey, Jarvis… what do you think about me entering a car race?"
"Uh… Sir, I don't think that's a wise idea."
"Who cares? I'm dying, Jarvis. Let me have some fun before I go."
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Palladium poisoning… dying?"
Nick Fury muttered as he watched from his theater seat.
"No wonder he's been acting so erratic lately. He's become more arrogant, more reckless — even let Colonel Rhodes wear one of his suits."
He instinctively reached for his pocket to make a call… only to realize there was nothing there.
"So, no personal items in this screening room, huh?" he muttered, giving up and turning his attention back to the screen.
In another theater, Tony stopped cursing. A wry smile crept onto his face.
"Great. Even this damn system knows I'm dying."
The footage shifted again.
Now, Tony sat before a holographic projection, blue light glimmering over his determined expression.
"Dad," he murmured, eyes locked on the flickering image. "Even after all these years, you're still teaching me. Jarvis, let's get to work."
"Sir?" the AI responded.
"The key to the future… Maybe we can create a new element — one that solves the palladium problem once and for all!"
Tony jumped to his feet, renewed energy flooding his movements as he began working on his new design.
In the screening room, Tony leaned forward, eyes glued to the screen, not wanting to miss a single detail.
For the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope — a way to survive.
At that moment, Tony Stark completely forgot about Natasha being a spy or Nick Fury's secret manipulations.
All he cared about was one thing:
How did I create that new element — and how the hell did I pull it off?
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