Peter POV:
The conference chamber buzzed like a disturbed hive. Executives from Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon and Stark's old rivals sat pale-faced, scrolling through data feeds provided by Parker Defense Solutions.
I stood at the podium, my voice calm. "You've seen the schematics for the Patriots and the StarHawks. But this..." I gestured and Clanker projected a hologram of a matte-black rifle with faint blue accents. "...is my answer to individual infantry weapons."
[Image]
The weapon disassembled midair into schematics, revealing crystalline lattices around a compact fuel cell.
"Derived from my own imagination, engineered with energy stability matrices. Variable output. Low setting for non-lethal stun. Mid setting for armor penetration. High setting… burns through six feet of reinforced concrete. Powered by self recharging capacitor mags that can fully recharge itself in 2 minutes after firing 200 to 500 shots depending on the power mode. Also, the glowing accents can be turned off."
Gasps filled the chamber. One of the defense CEOs muttered, "That rifle just killed our next twenty years of contracts."
Tony leaned back with a grin. "You're welcome."
Pepper elbowed him.
Ross's voice cut in. "Enough talk. We want proof. Out on the field."
Nevada Testing Range
The desert heat shimmered as convoys rolled into the proving grounds. The generals were there, arms crossed. Nick Fury arrived with Maria Hill, his single eye sharp and calculating.
Rows of Abrams tanks, Bradley IFVs, Stryker Infantry carriers, HIMARS missile batteries and radar trucks lined the sands. In the skies, F-22 Raptors circled alongside Quinjets, courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D. AWACS, their contrails scratching the sky while the F-14's prepared for dogfights.
Opposite them stood my machines. Five Patriots, towering combat walkers bristling with weapons, dark armour drinking the sunlight. Overhead, four StarHawks hovered silently, their dark fuselages seemingly absorbing light itself. And on the ground, Frank Castle and his squad of ex-special forces soldiers stood. Clad in Warrior platforms, rifles quiet with contained energy.
A general raised a hand. "Begin the exercise."
The desert exploded.
Air Superiority Trial
The F-22s surged forward, engines roaring, locking onto the StarHawks with radar sweeps. But the screens inside their cockpits went dark, scrambled by the standard E-warfare suites of each StarHawk. Pilots cursed as their systems rebooted, only to find blips vanishing.
"Where the hell are they?" One screamed into his comm.
The StarHawks moved like predators. At Mach 8, they ripped past the F-22s, leaving sonic booms. Missiles fired only to vanish into cloaking fields or be spoofed by quantum radar jamming.
One StarHawk dipped, nose-mounted lasers set for training mode hypothetically carving through a missile battery on the ground without a trace of explosive warhead left. Another soared vertically, then dropped like a hawk onto a Quinjet, disabling it with a stealth dummy missile.
Nick Fury's single eye widened. "These things are a beast."
Ground Superiority Trial
On the sands, Abrams tanks opened fire. The Patriots took it. Armour piercing sabot shells slammed into them, sparks flying, but Lithium Triteride armor held. One walker crouched, then fired its railgun-plasma hybrid's railgun. An Abrams tank crumpled and turned into shattered debris.
"Mobility test." My voice echoed through the speakers.
Boosters ignited. The Patriots jumped. Forty-ton mechs launched into the air, slamming down behind Bradley IFVs. Their plasma guns cut through armor like paper. Cluster rockets arced skyward, swatting incoming drones mid-flight in a flurry of sharpnel.
The generals watching turned pale.
Infantry Trial
Ross barked, "Deploy the Marines!"
Dozens of troops advanced, armed with America's finest rifles and body armor. Frank Castle smirked beneath his helmet.
"Fresh meat boys!!!"
The ex-special forces surged forward. Exoskeletons boosted every stride. HUDs flickered with enemy markers. The new rifles hummed as concentrated photon bolts cut through cover, shredding steel barriers. Soldiers scattered as Frank ripped a heavy machine gun out of its emplacement with augmented strength, swinging it like it was nothing.
One by one, Ross's men fell back, stunned, pinned or forced into surrender.
Observation Deck
The dust settled. The battlefield told the story. Parker Defense Solutions had annihilated America's cutting-edge arsenal without losing a single unit.
General Ross's jaw was tight. He looked ready to explode. But Fury stepped forward first, voice surprised.
"Well. Looks like the world just changed again."
I stood tall, arms folded. "No. It didn't change. I just showed you the future. What you do with it determines whether humanity survives it."
The generals whispered among themselves. The defense executives looked broken. Ross's glare promised a storm later.
But Fury? He just watched me with a flicker of something between respect and wariness.
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