Bab 256: Chapter 257: Death of the Black Panther and War Machine!
"No, you missed one more instance." Natasha Romanoff added, "Doctor Strange turning dark, have you forgotten? Although it didn't directly show Tony's death, that universe was destroyed, with only Stephen left. How could Tony survive?"
"So, Tony, you're really fortunate to be alive in our world." Phil Coulson said.
"No, he didn't survive in our world either. He snapped his fingers to defeat Thanos." Nick Fury said, "Tony, oh Tony, why is death your fate in every world?"
"It's probably a problem with my luck." Loki said, "Unpleasant fellows like Iron Man are disliked by the universe, not tolerated. That's why he's a tragedy in every universe."
"Maybe the tragedies in other universes have nothing to do with me. As long as I'm not a tragedy in our world, that's fine." Tony Stark chuckled, "Loki, you might be disappointed. In our world, I won't die."
The video continued playing.
While Tony Stark didn't get injured like before and even managed to build an Iron Man suit in the cave, he still held a press conference upon his return.
"Mr. Stark, were you injured during the attack?" a reporter asked.
"No, but my whiskey spilled." Tony Stark said, "It was a 1926 Macallan whisky, so I'm pretty certain that's a war crime."
"Sorry, sir, I'm Harry Whittington from the British Post. Did you learn anything from your trip to Afghanistan?" another reporter asked.
"Yes." Tony Stark said, "Don't go anywhere without a Four Seasons hotel."
"Mr. Stark, has this experience changed you?" a female reporter asked.
"I saw young Americans getting killed, and the ones killing them were the weapons I created to protect them." Tony Stark said after taking a sip of wine, "I realized we need to do better, create stronger weapons, so they can fight even more fiercely."
The butterfly effect was evident here. Originally, at this point in the timeline, Tony Stark was supposed to shut down his weapons division. But in this timeline, he wasn't captured or injured, so his mindset was completely different.
"So, I want Eric Stevens, the Navy SEAL who saved my life, to become the new Chief Security Officer of Stark Industries." Following that, Tony Stark announced another major news.
Eric Stevens stepped forward, and he and Tony Stark shared an intimate embrace, with camera flashes clicking endlessly.
"Lieutenant, Lieutenant, I'm Kristen Eiffelhart." A female reporter raised her hand to question Eric Stevens, "What were you doing in the Kunar Province?"
"Saving me, of course. We've been through this, haven't we?" Tony Stark answered.
"It's quite strange because his unit was stationed 400 kilometers away on the day of the attack." The female reporter said.
"Are you trying to say that he knew about the attack in advance?" Tony Stark asked, clearly annoyed.
"She's right." Eric Stevens admitted directly, "I discovered a plot to assassinate Tony Stark while undercover in the Ten Rings organization."
"There you have it!" Obadiah Stane, hearing this, became anxious and immediately stepped in, "Let's end this here."
"Yes, you're eager to end this, aren't you?" Eric Stevens said, "Because these plans were funded by Stark Industries' Chief Operating Officer, Obadiah Stane."
Suddenly, there was an uproar in the room.
"Tony, I don't know what this kid is talking about." Obadiah Stane quickly explained to Tony Stark, "Let's leave here and talk about this."
"No, no need to worry, I brought the evidence." Eric Stevens directly displayed the evidence on the large screen at the press conference venue, "Electronic transfers, bank documents, phone records—go online and check, I've put them all there."
Obadiah Stane still remained the mastermind behind the attack on Tony Stark in this reality, but his fate was different from the original timeline's Stane. Tony Stark didn't create the Iron Man suit, so the confrontation between Iron Monger and Tony Stark wouldn't happen.
But he was still pitiable. He became a stepping stone, a means for Eric Stevens to gain Tony Stark's trust.
Eric Stevens saved Tony Stark's life, which already made Tony Stark trust him immensely. Now, by exposing the assassination plot, Eric Stevens had earned even more of Tony Stark's trust, to the point that Tony named him the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Stark Industries, taking over Obadiah Stane's position.
"Colonel Rhodes, what have you found out about this knight in shining armor?" However, Pepper Potts hadn't been blinded by all of this. She had maintained a skeptical attitude towards this sudden appearance of Eric Stevens and had tasked Tony Stark's good friend James Rhodes to investigate the newcomer.
"He graduated from Annapolis at 19, got a master's degree from MIT a year later, and gained some reputation after joining the Navy SEALs and becoming a member of the elite Ghost Reconnaissance Team, specializing in high-value target missions." James Rhodes handed a document to Pepper Potts.
"Must have been tasks involving cleaning pipes." Pepper Potts said.
"Assassination tasks." James Rhodes said.
"Oh my god, thank goodness I double-checked." Pepper Potts exclaimed in relief.
"As a kid from Oakland, he's really impressive." James Rhodes, like his buddy Tony Stark, had a good impression of Eric Stevens. "Pepper, what exactly are you worried about? Besides the whole assassination thing."
"Many people would want to get close to Tony Stark and establish connections, and my job is to figure out what they're looking to gain from him." Pepper Potts explained.
"So, what did you find out?" James Rhodes asked.
"Nothing at all." Pepper Potts replied.
While Pepper Potts was astute, she couldn't possibly be as crafty as Eric Stevens, who hailed from Wakanda. If she could figure things out based solely on a document, that would be quite surprising.
Moreover, Eric's true identity was highly classified, even unknown to the people of Wakanda—no one knew there was a Wakandan prince stranded elsewhere.
And if you didn't know Eric Stevens' true identity, how could you possibly uncover his true intentions?
Tony Stark really did trust Eric Stevens wholeheartedly. Not only did he appoint him Chief Security Officer and Chief Operating Officer within a day, but he also brought him to his home.
Here, Eric Stevens displayed exceptional acting skills. During their conversation, he casually mentioned his university thesis—a design for an autonomous combat drone.
Tony Stark, with his deep pockets, a desire to repay favors, and a quick decision-making nature, gave his nod. "I'll help you complete your design! Even in the worst-case scenario, we'll just end up with the world's most expensive Gundam figurine."
"Tony, I'm going to analyze the situation thoroughly." Eric Stevens cunningly showed his true colors at this moment. "Reasonable improvements can turn it into a self-regenerating power source."
"You're right, it's a good idea." Tony Stark said, "Just that it was all used up during battles before."
"Not all of it." Eric Stevens took off a pendant from around his neck, revealing a small piece of Vibranium.
After Tony Stark's analysis, they deemed Vibranium feasible. But that small piece wasn't enough; they needed more.
Where could they get more Vibranium?
Tony Stark quickly thought of someone—the person he knew and had even crossed paths with due to Ultron—Ulysses Klaue, the man whose arm was severed by Ultron for mentioning Tony Stark.
"Ulysses Klaue?" Pepper Potts immediately expressed her opposition.
"Sorry, do you have the right to say that to someone in my tax bracket?" Tony Stark sat in his chair and said dismissively.
"Tony, don't forget that Stark Industries doesn't do business with black market arms dealers." Pepper Potts said.
"She's right, Tony." Eric Stevens said, "I agree as well."
"Wait a minute, what did you say?" Pepper Potts was greatly surprised. This guy actually seemed to be on her side?
"If this is exposed, the shareholders will withdraw their investments. We'll need diplomatic cover." Eric Stevens continued.
He wasn't actually siding with Pepper Potts; he was throwing the idea onto James Rhodes.
"Send Rhodey!" Tony Stark immediately said, "Alright, he's a USAF officer and a company military consultant. We can easily bring him in."
James Rhodes, Tony Stark's buddy, always supported Tony and, like him, had no doubts about Eric Stevens. Immediately, they both went to a scrapyard on the African coast to meet Ulysses Klaue and make a deal.
"It's truly rare—how would an American come to me for a deal?" Ulysses Klaue remarked.
"To make the world better, sometimes you've got to get your hands dirty when necessary." James Rhodes said.
"Well said, those words could be stitched onto a pillow as a motto." Ulysses Klaue remarked.
After a few meaningless pleasantries, James Rhodes proposed to inspect the goods. Ulysses Klaue opened an iron cabinet, revealing a compartment full of Vibranium.
"Where did you get all of this?" James Rhodes was shocked.
Just then, someone burst in.
The newcomer moved effortlessly, appearing and disappearing without a trace, navigating through this heavily guarded place with ease. Even the well-trained guards were no match and were taken down one after another.
Without a doubt, the newcomer was Black Panther, T'Challa.
Bang, bang, bang! When Black Panther finally arrived on the scene, James Rhodes pulled out his gun and started shooting.
"This conflict has nothing to do with you, Colonel." T'Challa said as he casually disarmed James Rhodes.
"Is that so? I don't feel that way." James Rhodes retorted.
"I just want to bring the Vibranium back to its rightful place." T'Challa said.
"Sorry, that's not possible because of that." Eric Stevens appeared, holding a Sonic Disruptor Gun, and with a swish, he fired it.
Under the rolling sound waves, both James Rhodes and T'Challa fell to the ground.
"Eric, why?" James Rhodes asked.
Even if he was foolish, he knew he had been set up.
"A better question is, why be a soldier for your oppressors?" Eric Stevens took off the glove from Black Panther's suit and put it on his own hand. "Fighting for them, dying for them?"
"Son, if you want to change the system, you have to become a part of the system." James Rhodes said.
"No, you can destroy them all." Eric Stevens plunged a claw into James Rhodes' chest.
"Rhodes and T'Challa are already dead; who's next?" At this point, Stephen Strange couldn't help but say.
"My bet is on Tony." James Rhodes said.
"I'm betting on Tony too." Steve Rogers said, "Even if Tony is foolish, he won't just let this go. Eric can't be seamless; Tony will definitely uncover him. And once Tony uncovers him, it means Eric is going to be killed."
"Tony is no longer Iron Man, and Eric, he's an experienced executioner. Tony is not his match." Clint Barton said.
"Tony, have you already produced that Sonic Disruptor Gun?" T'Challa asked. As he was knocked down by that gun in the video, he was concerned.
"Don't worry, T'Challa. I used to produce similar gadgets before, but now Stark Industries' weapons division has been shut down. I no longer produce weapons." Tony Stark said.
The following scene shows two coffins—one for T'Challa, carried by the Royal Guard of Wakanda, and the other for James Rhodes, carried by the Air Force.
The "Astronomia" meme music starts playing at an appropriate moment, adding a hint of humor to this sorrowful moment.
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[END OF CHAPTER]
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