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Ethan looked at her for a moment, then gave a small, shake of his head.
"Don't underestimate him," he said. "People like Hammer don't need talent. They just need access."
Sharon crossed her arms. "Access we won't give him."
"No," Ethan agreed. "But the government might. Which is why the demonstration matters."
She nodded. "Even your weakest tech might be something they have never seen before."
"I'm planning to set a ceiling," Ethan replied. "Show them something strong enough that they stop asking for more—but not strong enough that they think they can't copy it."
Sharon thought about that. "And Stark's armor?"
"That's their distraction," Ethan said. "They'll focus on Iron Man tech while ignoring everything else I'm keeping locked away."
A brief silence followed.
"You're using Tony as bait," Sharon said bluntly.
Ethan didn't deny it. "Tony chose to go public. I didn't."
She sighed. "He's not going to like this."
"He never does," Ethan replied calmly. "But he'll survive."
Sharon glanced toward the door Coulson had exited through. "What about Vanko?"
"Most likely Justin will recruit him," Ethan said calmly. "He'll want Vanko to rebuild the tech armor for him."
"Shouldn't we stop that?" Sharon asked. Storm also looked at Ethan, waiting.
"Why should we?" Ethan replied. "Justin is basically digging his own grave. The more illegal things he does, the more leverage we'll have to push him out of the picture—and Hammer Industries will fall right into our hands."
He paused, then added coldly, "Besides, letting Vanko roam free isn't entirely bad. If he shows up again with upgraded armor, I'll have a perfectly valid reason to kill him."
Sharon frowned. "We shouldn't kill him."
"We'll see," Ethan said flatly.
Storm didn't comment, but his silence showed he was on Ethan side on this.
Ethan stretched slightly. "Alright. I'm going to test a few weapons—things I can show the military when they call me in."
As he turned to leave, Sharon's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen.
"Speak of the devil," she said. "You're scheduled to demonstrate your weapons next Monday. Location: Air Base Delta."
Ethan nodded. "That gives us three days."
He turned and headed toward the stairs. "More than enough."
A short while later, Ethan was back in his basement lab.
The lights flicked on automatically, rows of sealed cases lining the walls. Holographic displays came to life as he walked past them.
"Three days," he muttered. "Let's make a good impression."
He tapped a command, and several weapon prototypes rose smoothly from their racks—sleek, compact, and clearly far beyond anything conventional.
"Not too powerful… but more than powerful enough to crush Hammer," Ethan murmured.
He started by removing the energy-based weapons, setting them aside. His gaze shifted to the more conventional, gunpowder-based firearms.
"Hmm," he muttered thoughtfully. "Armor-piercing rounds and explosive rounds should be more than enough."
With a few gestures, he dismissed several overly dangerous options.
"No need for smart rounds either," he added, removing those as well.
He stepped back and nodded to himself.
"Alright. Final picks: thermal, toxic, EMP, explosive, and armor-piercing rounds. That should be enough for a showcase."
He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a handgun.
It was Lizzie—the ionic-tech handgun inspired by Cyberpunk 2077. It was something he made from his memories of the game but is more customizable as it just not only piercing rounds but other rounds too even smart targetting ones.
The weapon hummed softly in his hand.
It could be charged, switch firing modes on the fly, and deliver piercing, explosive, or specialized rounds depending on configuration—deadly when needed, but controllable enough to pass as "demonstration-safe."
Ethan turned it over once, examining the finish.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "You'll do."
Ethan placed Lizzie back onto the worktable and waved his hand again.
More cases slid open.
This time, the heavier weapons rose from their mounts.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's balance things."
From the Heavy Projectiles Weaponry, he selected a compact rail-assisted rifle. It looked simple on the outside, but the internal Electro magnetic system allowed it to fire reinforced rounds at extreme velocity.
"Looks normal enough," Ethan muttered. "But hits like a truck."
Next came a heavy machine gun—shortened barrel, reinforced frame, and a recoil-dampening system that made it usable by a single operator.
"This one's for intimidation," he said flatly. "No one will dare to move in front of this Anti-Tank."
He then also decided on some missiles as he opened the next case.
Inside was a small, compact missile unit—no larger than a ball pen. Clean design. Minimal markings.
Ethan stared at it for a second.
"This is the party stopper" he mumbled.
The missile wasn't flashy. No dramatic exhaust. No loud warning systems. But the specs spoke for themselves—bunker vaporization, pinpoint accuracy, and controlled blast radius.
"One shot," Ethan added. "And nothing more is needed."
He closed the missile case and moved on.
Next, he focused on melee weapons and non-lethal options.
Several slim racks slid open, revealing compact batons, reinforced combat knives, and short-bladed as well as Katanas weapons designed for close quarters. Ethan examined them briefly.
"Melee is simple," he said. "Reliable. No electronics to fail."
He selected a collapsible baton with adjustable impact strength and a short, reinforced combat knife made from layered alloy.
Then he turned to the non-lethal section.
"This part matters," Ethan muttered.
He opened a case containing specialized knockdown weapons—tranquilizer guns and compressed dart launchers. The system allowed precise dosage control based on target mass.
"These could knock out an elephant in seconds," he said calmly, "or a human if needed."
A compact pulse weapon rose next—designed to overload the nervous system without causing permanent damage. It caused instant muscle shutdown and unconsciousness for several minutes.
"Clean. Fast. No bodies," Ethan said.
He paused, then frowned slightly.
"Hmm… just in case, let's pack an energy weapon too—but the weakest one I have."
He reached into another cabinet and took out a handgun. Unlike the others, it had cylinders instead of a traditional magazine, with a compact battery core mounted beneath the frame to supply energy.
"Plasma Gun, Mark One," Ethan murmured.
It was the very first prototype he had ever built after getting the Slaughterpine. Since then, he had created dozens of improved versions—but even this early model was far beyond current military tech.