Most scientists were blunt. Plenty were arrogant, too.
Ivan Vanko simply took both traits to absurd extremes.
The computer controlling the Hammer drones and the War Machine armor wasn’t even password protected.
Seriously?
If he’d been too pressed for time to implement proper security, he could have at least slapped a password on the screen saver. Anything would have been better than leaving the entire control system sitting wide open on a desk.
To be fair, there was one layer of "security."
The interface was entirely in Russian.
That might have stopped Justin Hammer and his employees, who couldn’t read a word of it.
It meant absolutely nothing to Natasha Romanoff.
Russian was her native language.
Within minutes she had mastered the control software. Her first priority was obvious. She severed Ivan’s remote access to the War Machine armor, forcing the modified Mark II to shut down.
When the suit rebooted, control returned to Colonel James Rhodes.
Apparently even cutting-edge military technology still relied on the oldest troubleshooting trick in history.
Turn it off.
Turn it back on.
"Your new power core is impressive," Natasha said after linking her terminal to Tony’s armor with his permission. "Energy output is significantly higher, and your vitals are stable."
Tony exhaled.
"Looks like I’m not dying today. Thanks."
He couldn’t help thinking about it.
SHIELD had pointed him in the right direction...
But the breakthrough itself had come from his father’s research.
That didn’t count as owing anyone a favor.
...Right?
A new voice suddenly cut into the channel.
"Wait... what?"
Pepper.
She’d been connected the whole time.
"You were dying?"
Tony winced.
"...I’m fine now."
"Tony."
Pepper’s expression darkened.
"What happened?"
"I was going to tell you," Tony said quickly. "I just didn’t want you to panic."
"You were going to tell me... after you almost died?"
Her voice sharpened with every word.
"You were going to let me find out afterward?"
Natasha quietly watched the argument unfold.
After the day she’d had, seeing Tony get thoroughly cornered by his girlfriend was oddly therapeutic.
Then Pepper suddenly looked away from the screen.
"And you knew too, didn’t you?" she demanded.
The accusation wasn’t aimed at Tony.
It was aimed at Evenson.
"So that’s why Tony suddenly hired a health consultant."
Evenson blinked innocently.
"...Why am I involved in this?"
"Why didn’t you tell me?" Pepper demanded. "I’m the CEO of Stark Industries. You’re an employee."
"I work for Tony," Evenson replied with a shrug. "He hired me. Besides... you never asked."
Pepper stared at him for several long seconds.
"I understand."
Her expression became perfectly calm.
"Evenson Richter."
"You’re fired."
For a brief, horrifying moment, Evenson felt a chill race down his spine.
He instinctively looked around.
Left.
Right.
Up.
Down.
Why did he suddenly feel like a gigantic steel door was about to fall from the sky and crush his feet?
Nothing happened.
Unfortunately...
His premonition came true anyway.
"In light of your deliberate concealment of the CEO’s medical condition," Pepper continued sweetly, "your compensation has been revoked."
Every penny.
Pepper knew him well enough to identify his greatest weakness.
Taking away his paycheck would hurt far more than any bullet.
"...Wha..."
Evenson’s face froze.
"...WHAT?!"
He lunged into view of Tony’s display so suddenly that both Tony and Natasha jumped.
"TONY!"
"Tell me your girlfriend isn’t serious!"
Tony hurried to calm him down.
"Easy, easy. She’s angry. I promise you’ll get every dollar."
There was no way he was risking Evenson walking off the job over a few hundred thousand dollars.
Not while he still needed someone protecting Pepper.
"Evenson."
Natasha interrupted before the panicking warlock could spiral further.
"What?"
"Where’s Justin Hammer?"
Hammer Industries was crawling with Umbrella personnel.
There was no chance Justin was completely ignorant.
At minimum he needed to be taken into custody before someone helped him escape...
Or silenced him permanently.
Interrogation could come later.
Along with discovering exactly who that infuriating woman behind all this really was.
Natasha’s eyes narrowed.
"I’m going to enjoy that conversation."
"The police already took him."
Natasha blinked.
"...What?"
"I called them."
"You... called the police?"
She stared at him.
This entire incident involved international terrorism, advanced weapons, illegal technology, and a conspiracy reaching far beyond anything local law enforcement was prepared for...
And this man had dialed 911.
Then again...
How was he supposed to know the full scope of the situation?
Natasha sighed.
At least Hammer hadn’t escaped.
SHIELD could always claim jurisdiction later.
"Tony," Natasha warned, studying the tactical display. "The drones are converging on your position."
A dozen red markers closed in simultaneously.
"Guess it’s cleanup time."
Tony turned toward Rhodes.
"Rise and shine."
The incoming drones had never been intended to fight Iron Man in a straight battle.
Their conventional weapons barely scratched either suit.
Their armor fared even worse.
Repulsor blasts tore through them.
Missiles shredded them.
Tony’s cutting laser sliced the entire squad cleanly in half.
"Another one’s coming," Natasha reported.
"This one’s different."
"Energy readings are off the charts."
Tony spotted it on his HUD.
A massive armored figure dropped from the sky like a meteor.
The impact shook the ground.
The faceplate folded away.
Ivan Vanko smiled.
His English carried its unmistakable Russian accent.
"It’s good... to be back."
Rhodes stepped forward.
"I’ve got just the thing."
He proudly raised one shoulder.
"Hammer said this one’s special."
A tiny missile emerged.
Locked on.
Fired.
It struck Ivan square in the chest.
Thunk.
The missile bounced off the armor...
Hit the pavement...
Sparked pitifully...
And died.
Silence.
Tony slowly turned toward Rhodes.
"...Hammer weapon?"
Rhodes wanted the ground to swallow him.
"...Yeah."
Tony sighed.
"I thought so."
He launched an entire volley of micro-missiles.
Unlike Hammer’s masterpiece...
His at least exploded.
Unfortunately...
They accomplished almost nothing.
Ivan charged.
His electrified whips screamed through the air.
His armor wasn’t made from the same advanced alloys as Tony’s, but Sarah’s technology had transformed it in another way.
The armor had become an extension of his body.
No lag.
No mechanical delay.
Every movement responded directly to his thoughts.
Tony and Rhodes immediately found themselves on the defensive.
Ivan always seemed to move just ahead of them.
Every time Tony lifted an arm to charge a repulsor...
A whip lashed toward him before the shot was ready.
Every attack was interrupted.
Every opening disappeared.
It was like fighting someone who could read the future.
"I..."
Ivan opened his helmet again, grinning.
"...am complete."
Victory felt close enough to taste.
Unfortunately for him...
Villains who stopped to gloat rarely enjoyed long careers.
The instant his attention shifted...
Tony and Rhodes rolled in opposite directions.
Ivan instinctively lashed out with both whips.
Exactly what they wanted.
Each man caught one whip around his armored forearm.
Then they pulled.
Ivan’s balance vanished.
His incredible reaction speed no longer mattered when he couldn’t move.
Tony looked across at Rhodes.
"You thinking what I’m thinking?"
Rhodes grinned.
"Absolutely."
Both suits raised their palms.
Twin repulsor beams erupted simultaneously.
The blasts collided directly in front of Ivan.
Merged.
Expanded.
Then detonated into a blinding sphere of white energy.
Ivan’s armor had been built to withstand kinetic weapons.
Energy attacks were another story.
The explosion shattered the suit.
Only the helmet kept his skull intact.
His nervous system had already fused with the machine.
Pain barely registered anymore.
Failure...
That he could not accept.
"If I die..."
Ivan laughed.
"...then everything dies with me."
Every drone’s arc reactor suddenly flashed crimson.
Including his own.
Tony’s expression changed instantly.
"Oh, no..."
He remembered the disabled drones lying near Pepper.
If they exploded...
He blasted into the sky without another word.
The Stark Expo came into view.
Pepper stood beside Evenson.
A disabled drone lay only a short distance away.
Its reactor blinked red.
Tony’s heart nearly stopped.
He poured every ounce of power into his thrusters.
"Evenson!"
The warlock spotted him immediately.
"Tony! Wait! Stop! I..."
CRASH!
Ten yards short of reaching them...
Tony slammed face-first into something invisible.
His body spread against the transparent barrier before slowly sliding downward.
"...already put up a shield," Evenson finished.
With drones about to self-destruct...
And debris constantly falling from the battle overhead...
Keeping a barrier active around Pepper had seemed like common sense.
Tony groaned.
"...Next time..."
He slid farther down the barrier.
"...lead with that."
The collision had been hard enough to crack the magical shield itself.
Fortunately, the armor had absorbed most of the impact.
Unfortunately...
The drone chose that exact moment to finish counting down.
BOOM!
The explosion launched Tony back into the air before he’d even touched the ground.
Evenson watched him disappear into the smoke.
He sighed.
"...Yeah..."
"My paycheck really is in danger."
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