The millions in cash had naturally been delivered by Shadow Ninjas.
Karl did not view Juggernaut or Yelena as disposable subordinates. They were part of his inner circle now.
Yelena, with Red Room training, could obtain funds through covert channels without leaving a trace.
Juggernaut, on the other hand…
Karl strongly suspected Cain Marko would simply walk through a bank vault door if he ever needed money.
So it was better to provide it properly.
After Christmas, things were quiet.
Chinese New Year was still weeks away.
Only one event stood out in Karl's mind.
Tony's Monaco trip.
In the original timeline, Ivan Vanko would attack there.
Right on schedule, Tony called.
"Monaco. Race weekend. You in?"
Karl smiled faintly.
"I'll come."
Soon, Karl boarded Tony's private jet.
Tony.
Pepper.
Natalie Rushman — a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff.
Juggernaut.
And Karl.
Karl's eyes lingered briefly on Natasha.
SHIELD was still following its usual pattern. Fury had placed Natasha close to Tony to monitor his palladium poisoning and assess Iron Man's stability.
Tony noticed Karl looking.
"Hey," Tony said casually, sipping a drink. "You've already got May and Raven. Don't even think about it."
Karl rolled his eyes.
Tony still had no idea he was being monitored by a Level 7 SHIELD operative.
Natasha, meanwhile, discreetly observed Juggernaut.
SHIELD had extensive files on Karl.
Extremely dangerous.
Unpredictable.
Reality-distorting abilities.
Now there was a new figure beside him.
Massive.
Muscle density abnormal.
Energy readings unstable.
Natasha catalogued silently.
High threat.
Monaco.
The Grand Prix circuit was packed.
Luxury cars, media, elites.
Justin Hammer approached confidently—
Until Juggernaut turned and stared at him.
Hammer stopped mid-step.
He forced a smile and retreated.
Karl didn't even acknowledge him.
Tony and Karl both prepared to drive.
Pepper was not informed.
"What do you mean you're racing?" she demanded.
Karl shrugged.
"I won't die."
"That's not the point!" Pepper snapped.
Tony grinned and walked toward his car.
Juggernaut glared at the racing lineup on the display screen.
He physically could not fit inside a Formula One cockpit.
This offended him deeply.
The race began.
Karl did not hold back.
His reflexes far exceeded normal human reaction speed. Even without using teleportation, he controlled the car with unnatural precision.
He accelerated aggressively.
Tony, competitive as ever, pushed hard to keep up.
Then—
Track workers appeared.
Out of nowhere.
One man stepped onto the circuit.
He extended his arms.
Twin plasma whips ignited — crackling with blue-white electrical arcs.
Ivan Vanko.
His makeshift arc reactor glowed through his chest harness — crude, but functional.
In the comics, Vanko was tied to Crimson Dynamo and Soviet energy research.
In this timeline, he had reverse-engineered Stark reactor tech from Anton Vanko's designs.
He lashed out.
The whip sliced through an approaching race car.
The front half separated.
The vehicle flipped violently into the safety barriers.
Chaos erupted.
Drivers braked instinctively.
Rear-end collisions triggered explosions.
Ivan advanced methodically, targeting vehicles with deliberate intent.
Tony's car came next.
Ivan's whip struck.
The car split open.
Tony was thrown from the wreckage.
Pepper screamed from the viewing area.
"Happy! The suit! Move!"
In this version of events, Tony did not yet have the Mark V briefcase armor deployed.
Happy drove the Rolls-Royce directly onto the track against traffic.
Karl saw everything.
He continued driving directly toward Ivan.
Ivan lashed at Karl's car.
The whip tore across the chassis, flipping it.
At the moment of impact—
Karl vanished.
The car rolled violently.
From the stands, Juggernaut stood.
He did not think.
He ran.
When Juggernaut runs, concrete cracks.
He smashed through a retaining wall and landed onto the track with seismic force.
Natasha sprinted behind, assessing.
Tony struggled upright.
Ivan swung again—
And suddenly stopped.
Juggernaut's hand closed around him.
The whip wrapped around Juggernaut's arm—
Sparks exploded.
But mystical power is not mere flesh.
Cyttorak's energy flared faintly.
The plasma current dissipated against his durability.
Juggernaut lifted Ivan by one leg.
"Where's my boss?!"
He did not wait for an answer.
He slammed Ivan into the track.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Concrete cratered.
Ivan's armor cracked.
The arc reactor flickered violently.
Juggernaut continued.
Tony stared in disbelief.
Pepper and Happy arrived just in time to witness the one-sided brutality.
Ivan's whips lashed weakly against Juggernaut's body.
They did nothing.
Finally—
"Tank."
Karl's voice echoed calmly.
He stepped through the hole Juggernaut had made in the wall, dust settling around him.
Completely unharmed.
Still in his racing suit.
Holding a bottle of liquor.
Juggernaut stopped immediately.
He dropped Ivan.
Karl tossed him the bottle.
Juggernaut took a long drink.
Ivan lay broken on the asphalt, barely conscious, arc reactor flickering erratically.
Tony looked between Karl and Juggernaut.
"…Remind me not to race against you again."
Karl simply took a sip.
Monaco had just changed dramatically.
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