Natasha reached him seconds later.
She didn’t waste time with introductions.
She seized Hammer by the collar, slammed him across the nearest table, and pinned him there hard enough to rattle everything sitting on it.
"Talk."
Her voice was calm.
That somehow made it even more intimidating.
"Who’s behind this?"
"W... what?" Hammer grimaced as his shoulder screamed in protest. "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
"Let me go!"
"I can fix this!"
"You’ve had your chance."
Natasha increased the pressure on his arm.
Hammer hissed through clenched teeth but refused to answer.
Not because he was loyal.
Because admitting the truth could ruin him forever.
A familiar voice drifted over from behind her.
"I might be able to help."
Evenson walked over at an unhurried pace, hands in his pockets as though the Expo hadn’t just descended into chaos.
Hammer looked up.
Recognition flashed across his face.
"...You."
He’d never forgotten the strange country doctor who’d humiliated him in public.
Some embarrassments branded themselves into memory.
This was one of them.
"That’s right."
Evenson smiled pleasantly.
"Good memory."
He stepped forward and rested a hand lightly on Hammer’s forehead.
There was no flash of green fel fire.
No dramatic incantation.
No obvious display of magic.
Only an icy pressure that pierced straight through Hammer’s thoughts.
His pupils dilated.
His entire body convulsed once.
Then again.
"I... I..."
His voice became slow and distant, each syllable dragged from somewhere far below the surface.
"...Ivan..."
"...Ivan... Vanko..."
Natasha’s eyes narrowed.
"Where is he?"
"At..."
Hammer swallowed.
"...Hammer Industries..."
His expression became completely vacant.
Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
At that moment, asking him to recite next year’s tax code probably would’ve worked.
Evenson withdrew his hand.
"That was easier than expected."
Natasha gave Hammer one last look before turning back to Evenson.
"I’m going after Vanko."
"You stay here."
"Protect Pepper."
"Works for me."
Evenson shrugged without the slightest complaint.
"That’s what Tony’s paying me for."
The rest of the operation was better left to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha was more than capable of handling the infiltration herself, and Evenson had no interest in inserting himself into every problem simply because he could.
Sometimes doing your job meant... doing only your job.
Natasha didn’t waste another second.
She was already moving before the sentence had fully left his mouth, disappearing into the chaos as she headed for Hammer Industries.
Hammer Industries
Ivan Vanko’s Workshop
Rows of monitors bathed the workshop in cold blue light.
Live combat footage streamed across every screen.
One by one, Hammer’s drones disappeared from the tactical display.
Explosions blossomed across the map as Iron Man carved through the robotic army with ruthless efficiency.
"They’re falling faster than I expected."
Sarah stood with her arms folded, watching another drone vanish from the display. Her tone was calm, almost conversational.
"It looks like your toys aren’t much of a match for Iron Man."
Ivan barely glanced up.
"They’re not supposed to be."
His voice carried none of Justin Hammer’s panic.
"They’re expendable."
"They exist to slow Tony down."
Every drone destroyed was another second bought.
Another burst of ammunition spent.
Another fraction of power drained from Tony’s armor.
As far as Ivan was concerned, they were ammunition, not soldiers.
When it came to killing Tony Stark...
He intended to do that himself.
Revenge deserved a personal touch.
Suddenly, the room flashed crimson.
A shrill alarm echoed through the building.
SECURITY BREACH.
UNAUTHORIZED INTRUDER DETECTED.
Ivan’s eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"They found me."
Someone had broken into Hammer Industries.
If security had already escalated to a full lockdown, there was little point hiding any longer.
He rose from his chair.
"Looks like it’s time."
Before he could take a second step, a slender hand settled on his shoulder.
Then pushed.
Ivan dropped right back into his seat.
The large Russian engineer strained instinctively, only to discover he couldn’t move at all.
It would have looked ridiculous to anyone watching.
A mountain of a man pinned effortlessly by a woman half his size.
Sarah looked down at him with a pleasant smile.
"One question first."
Ivan sighed.
Of course.
"What about the things I asked you to do?"
"I finished everything."
He answered immediately.
There was no point arguing.
Experience had taught him that life became much simpler when Sarah was satisfied.
"The money’s been transferred."
He shrugged.
"It wasn’t my money anyway."
If Justin Hammer wanted to bankroll revenge, Ivan wasn’t about to feel guilty spending it.
"And the Whiplash armor?"
"The blueprints."
"The research files you gave me."
"I organized everything."
He pointed toward a thick document case resting on the workbench nearby.
"It’s all there."
Sarah walked over, opened the case, and quickly flipped through the contents.
Whiplash schematics.
Engineering notes.
Technical calculations.
Every page was exactly where it should be.
She closed the case with a satisfied nod.
"Good."
Then she looked toward the surveillance feed.
One monitor showed a familiar figure weaving through Hammer Industries with astonishing speed.
Security guards rushed in from every direction.
None lasted more than a few seconds.
Some were unconscious before they even understood they were under attack.
Others found themselves hanging upside down from cables, trussed up so thoroughly they resembled oversized spiders waiting in a web.
Natasha Romanoff was making excellent time.
"Looks like I’ll be the one greeting our guest."
Sarah lifted the document case.
"You’d better finish your revenge before she comes back."
Ivan finally stood.
This time she didn’t stop him.
He smiled.
A cold, humorless expression.
"Don’t worry."
"I’ve waited years for this."
"I won’t waste the opportunity."
Sarah gave a small wave without looking back.
"Have fun."
Then she walked toward the exit.
Not to escape.
To intercept the Black Widow herself.
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