A Different Tony Stark

As Tony expected, it wouldn't go smoothly as one would hope.

The hit came in the middle of the night.

Tony Stark wasn't caught off guard, he had already anticipated a response after cutting off Stark Industries' illegal supply lines to black-market buyers. But he didn't expect the legendary Red Room to be the one knocking on his door.

The attack was surgical. A team of elite assassins infiltrated one of Stark's private residences, bypassing top-grade security systems as if they weren't even there. They moved like shadows, weapons drawn, silent as death.

But Tony Stark wasn't just a billionaire anymore. Even though he wasn't Iron Man, he was more than that.

J.A.R.V.I.S. detected them the second they stepped foot inside, activating countermeasures designed specifically for covert threats. The moment one assassin reached for her blade, Tony didn't even need to make a move, the room flooded with non-lethal electric pulses, scrambling their neural links and forcing them into unconsciousness.

By the time they woke up, they were restrained in a hidden Stark facility, no longer enemies, just prisoners.

Tony watched them from the other side of the glass, arms crossed. These weren't ordinary mercenaries. They were young women, trained since childhood, with lives stolen from them before they had a chance to choose their own fate.

"Do we have a source yet?" Tony asked, glancing at J.A.R.V.I.S.'s screen.

"Their biometric data and residual implants confirm affiliation with the Red Room, sir." J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. "These are Black Widows."

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Of course, they are."

He knew the Red Room's reputation, shadowy, near-mythical, and untouchable. No one knew where they operated from. No one had ever burned them down. Until now.

If it was anyone, they will have problems in tracking them down, but not him.

Tracking the source of the attack wasn't easy, but Tony Stark had resources. It took weeks of relentless work, backtracking shell companies and hidden accounts, using his advanced AI and cyber-warfare tools to reveal the layers of secrecy. After accomplishing the task that could've been done in a few seconds if he used his telepathy, an ability he refrained from using too much, he didn't call SHIELD. He didn't go public. He didn't negotiate.

He wanted to erase them, using the weapon he secretly made that no one else knew, something he drew from what Hydra wanted to accomplish but BETTER. There's also a part of him not wanting to go for the overkill against these 'mortals' so he won't use his superpowers.

With a combination of high-orbit surveillance, infiltration drones, and precision strikes, Stark Industries' technology dismantled the Red Room in a single night. Hidden bases exploded in coordinated attacks, data centers were wiped clean, and key operatives disappeared without a trace.

By the time the world realized the Red Room was gone, there was no evidence pointing to Tony Stark. To SHIELD, to the authorities, to every intelligence agency, whoever did this was a ghost.

---

Expectedly, there were surviving Widows. Tony didn't want to kill those people who he knew can be saved from going to the dark side based on their thoughts.

All of theme were given a choice.

Tony stood before them, no Iron Man suit, no security detail, just him.

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this." He said, hands in his pockets. "You were weapons, and now you're free. You have a say in what happens next."

The room was silent. Some of the women, still wary, still broken, stared at him with unreadable expressions.

"You can walk away. I won't stop you. You'll have new identities, money, a fresh start. And if you don't want to remember any of this, I can erase it. Of course, it's given that you won't remember me because if you don't stay with me, you can be targeted with that information. Also, I don't want this kind of attention. You will forget how you got out. No debts, no obligations."

A few of them visibly relaxed. Others still held their guard.

"But," Tony continued, "if you want to do something with the skills you've got, if you want to make up for what the Red Room made you do, there's a place for you."

Some of them scoffed. "As your personal army?" One of them, a redheaded woman, challenged.

Tony smirked. "No. As people who get to choose what kind of future they want. Protection, intelligence, counter-ops, whatever keeps this from happening to anyone else. Because honestly, I don't need an army."

No one understood back them what he really meant other than being extremely rich that he could do almost everything.

A few looked at each other. Others looked down, uncertain.

Then one spoke up. "Can you erase the parts of my life before this together with my time in this organization?"

Tony hesitated, then nodded. "If that's what you want."

One by one, they made their choices. Some, decided to leave so Tony left them with some money and their new identities. He knock them out and when they woke up, each of were in a different location and no recollection of what happened. Others stayed, deciding to reclaim their futures.

Ultimately, although it was already pointless since Dreykov was already dead, Tony also removed the brainwashing they received from the Red Room.

And just like that, Tony Stark became the man who ended the Red Room, without the world ever knowing it was him.

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