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"They'll call it 'for the sake of national security,'" Ethan said calmly. "And that guy with electric whips just gave them the perfect excuse."
He let out a slow breath and looked out the window, imagining his once-perfect life slowly crumbling.
"So," Tony asked, "what did you actually do to that whip guy?"
Sharon kept her eyes on her laptop as she continued digging into information about the mysterious attacker. "Non-lethal neuro-suppressant gas. It targets motor control and balance. He'll wake up with a headache and zero memory of the last few minutes."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No permanent damage?"
"No," Sharon replied flatly. "He'll be in custody before he can even stand."
Tony nodded. "Good. I do have some questions for him."
Then Ethan spoke again. "So… he was clearly targeting you," he said, glancing at Tony. "My scanners showed his power core was very similar to your arc reactor."
Tony stiffened slightly. "Similar how?"
"Design philosophy," Ethan replied. "High-density output, compact containment. Crude, but effective."
Tony shrugged. "I don't know how he got that far. But I'm already looking into it. JARVIS is tearing through everything as we speak."
"Someone helped him," Ethan said calmly. "Or at least pointed him in the right direction."
Happy glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "You guys talk about this stuff like it's a broken car engine."
"To us, it kind of is," Tony replied.
Sharon spoke again. "Either way, he wasn't acting alone. His timing was too clean."
"Hm. He clearly knew your schedule, Tony," Ethan said, nodding. "Even that you'd be racing."
Tony nodded grimly. "So there's a mole in my company."
He paused, then spoke clearly. "JARVIS, find out who inquired about my schedule recently."
JARVIS acknowledged immediately, taking on the task.
Soon, they arrived back at the hotel where Ethan and Sharon were staying. The car pulled to a stop, and Ethan and Sharon stepped out.
"I'll keep you both updated on the attacker," Tony said.
Happy pulled the car away, disappearing into traffic. Ethan watched it go for a moment, then turned to Sharon.
"Call Coulson," he said quietly. "Tell him to get me out of this mess. I'm hoping S.H.I.E.L.D. still has its ways."
Sharon nodded without hesitation. "I'll also keep our lawyers on standby—to deal with anything the government throws at us."
Ethan nodded once, trusting her judgment.
As they approached the hotel entrance, they were met with a line of reporters stretching across the sidewalk—cameras raised, microphones already pointed in their direction. Questions were being shouted nonstop, overlapping into noise.
Hotel security was already in place, forming a tight corridor and keeping the press at bay. With practiced efficiency, they ushered Ethan and Sharon inside, allowing them to enter without slowing down.
The lobby doors slid shut behind them, muting the chaos outside.
Ethan exhaled slowly. "That was fast."
"News spreads faster when it involves explosions and billionaires," Sharon replied calmly, already pulling out her phone.
She stepped a few paces away. "Coulson, it's Sharon. We need a favor—and we need it now."
While Sharon worked, Ethan was already back in his hotel room.
"I hope it's just a simple problem," Ethan muttered, rubbing his face.
A memory surfaced—an old movie scene where Tony was forced to give up his armor, only for it to later be turned into War Machine by Ivan Vanko.
Though now that Arasaka has acquired both Vanko and his suit, Ethan thought as he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, I wonder where Justin would even get one from now.
Half an hour later, Sharon messaged him: The jet is ready.
Ethan didn't waste a second.
He was back in New York before sunrise, the city lights still glowing faintly as the jet touched down. By the time he reached the mansion, Coulson was already waiting inside.
"It's a pity your first-ever Vacation had to end up in such abrupt manner," Coulson said mildly.
Ethan shrugged as he sat down on the couch. "It is what it is."
From the corner of the room, Storm stepped forward.
"Ethan-sama, from now on, I'll be accompanying you everywhere," she said, her voice firm and leaving no room for argument.
Ethan simply nodded. He already knew refusing wasn't an option.
Sharon spoke next. "It was an attack on Tony."
Storm turned toward her slowly, eyes sharp. "And you should have neutralized him faster," he said. "What if, while you were fighting, something went wrong? What if Ethan-sama had been hurt instead?"
The room grew noticeably colder.
Sharon lowered her head. "I'm sorry, sir," she said quietly.
It's not like Ethan is weak, she thought inwardly, but she didn't say it out loud. It was still a mistake on her part—she should have neutralized the attacker immediately and returned to Ethan's side without delay.
Storm stared at her for a long second before speaking coldly. "You need more training."
She nodded again, accepting it without protest.
Coulson cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Alright. Here's the situation. The attacker has been confirmed as Ivan Vanko. Russian national. Highly intelligent. And more importantly—he didn't build that tech alone."
"He's the son of Anton Vanko," Coulson continued. "Anton and Howard Stark worked together on an early prototype of the arc reactor. Vanko wanted to weaponize it for military purposes. Stark refused."
Coulson's expression hardened. "Howard had Anton imprisoned and confiscated all files related to the reactor."
"But clearly," he went on, "Anton managed to leave behind partial data. Ivan recovered it and completed the reactor based on his father's notes."
Ethan waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care who's sitting in my prison or whose grudge this is," he said flatly. "What I want to know is how you're going to get the government off my back—and off my company."
The room fell silent.
Coulson met his gaze. "That," he said carefully, "is going to be… complicated."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"Then simplify it," he replied. "Because I'm not handing over my tech."
He leaned back slightly, his voice calm but firm. "You know it's too dangerous. If I give it up once, others will expect me to give it again and again."