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Gasps, cheers, and frantic camera flashes filled the hall as people stood to get a better look.
Iron Man—no, War Machine—stood tall under the spotlight, the armor's presence alone commanding attention.
Justin very deliberately avoided mentioning who had actually modified the suit.
To most of the audience, the assumption came naturally.
Hammer Industries.
Whispers spread instantly.
"Did Hammer upgrade Iron Man too?"
"So he can modify Stark tech now?"
"That armor looks different… heavier."
Sharon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Aria scoffed under her breath.
"He really let them think that."
Justin continued, feeding into the misunderstanding.
"With cutting-edge improvements," he said smoothly, "this armor represents the perfect balance between man and machine."
On stage, Rhodes took a step forward. The armor moved flawlessly, heavy yet controlled.
Justin beamed, clearly enjoying the moment.
"A hero leading an army of machines—now that's progress."
The applause continued, louder than before.
But Sharon remained seated, calm and unmoved.
"Let him enjoy it," she said quietly.
"Reality has a way of correcting misunderstandings."
Aria's lips curved slightly.
"And when it does, it's usually very loud."
Her words had barely faded when a sharp sonic boom ripped through the expo hall.
A red-and-gold figure came screaming down from above.
BOOM.
The stage cracked as Iron Man landed in a classic superhero pose, repulsors blazing for a split second before powering down.
Gasps echoed through the hall.
Cameras went wild.
"Oh—looks like we've got Mr. Stark himself here!" Justin said, forcing a laugh as he stepped back. "Justin Hammer—big fan."
Tony straightened slowly and looked around, his helmet tilting toward the drones, then toward War Machine.
"Okay," Tony said casually, "either I missed a very important meeting… or someone's about to explain why my tech is being paraded around like a knockoff action figure."
Inside his helmet, Tony muttered,
"JARVIS, find Ivan Vanko among the crowd if he is here."
"Searching," JARVIS replied.
Tony's helmet snapped toward Justin.
"Where's Vanko?" Tony asked flatly.
Justin blinked, then shrugged.
"Uh… I don't know what you're talking about."
Tony scoffed.
"Don't pretend. I know those drones. I know the architecture. And I know you didn't build them."
He pointed at the machines behind Justin.
"Vanko did. You just slapped your logo on it."
Justin's smile twitched.
"And you?" Tony continued, turning toward Rhodes. "Rhodey… what the hell are you wearing?"
Before Rhodes could respond—
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.
Every single combat drone snapped to attention.
Targeting systems activated.
Red targeting lasers locked onto Tony from every direction.
"What is this?" Tony asked, looking around.
Justin frowned as his comm lit up.
"What is happening?" he snapped. "Why are they activating on their own?"
The guests panicked. People stood up from their seats and began backing away in fear.
At the same time, the Arasaka guards moved.
They stepped in front of Sharon and Aria in perfect formation. In an instant, sleek energy panels expanded outward from their suits, linking together into a square-shaped translucent barrier that surrounded Sharon and Aria completely.
Many, watching from the crowd, gasped.
"What is that?"
Rhodes looked down at his HUD as warning symbols flashed.
"Did Hammer do this?" he asked.
The drones also target him as this time unlike in movie Ivan wasn't controlling War machine.
Because this wasn't Hammer's control system.
War Machine was now running on Arasaka's bonding and security protocols. Ivan Vanko had no access to it.
"Its most likely Ivan" Tony said.
Tony glanced at Rhodes again.
"Also—why are you so big now?"
Rhodes replied flatly,
"Ethan made it like that."
"Not gonna lie it does look imposing" Tony said as Rhodes nodded.
Suddenly, Rhodey raised his arm.
A compact launcher slid open, and a small device fired into the air.
THUMP.
A pulse expanded outward.
In the blink of an eye, every drone's lights flickered.
Then died.
They froze mid-motion and collapsed to the stage floor, lifeless.
Tony whistled.
"Huh. That was effective."
But then—
A low mechanical hum echoed through the hall.
One drone twitched.
Then another.
Their cores glowed again—not blue, but a violent red.
"Okay," Tony muttered. "That's not good."
"They're self-detonating," Tony added quickly. "Must be a fail-safe."
"I can still take care of that," Rhodes said calmly.
A panel slid open along his forearm. Instead of missiles, a wide dispersal nozzle emerged.
FWOOOM.
A dense wave of pale foam blasted outward, spreading like a controlled shockwave across the stage and into the air.
The blinking drones were hit mid-activation.
Instantly, they froze.
The foam expanded and hardened in seconds, encasing each drone completely—midair, on the floor, even half-raised—locking them inside thick, stone-like shells.
The red glow vanished.
No explosions followed.
Silence fell over the expo hall.
"…That was much more effective," Rhodes said, looking around. "Even if they detonate now, nothing would happen."
Tony stared at the frozen drones, then at the hardened foam.
"Just how much did Ethan put into that armor?"
Rhodes shrugged slightly.
"Enough to call it the One-Man Army: War Machine."
Applause erupted—louder, as they saw how easily War Machine stopped the detonating bombs.
Then—
The lights above the stage flickered.
A sonic boom cracked through the hall as something descended from the sky, slamming down onto the stage with crushing force.
Another armor.
This one was even bulkier than War Machine.
Its frame was massive and brutal, wrapped in white, glowing whip-like energy that coiled around its body like living restraints. From each arm, three energy whips extended, crackling and hissing with raw power. The armor radiated menace—cold, heavy, overwhelming.
Tony felt it instantly.
That thing is huge.
Whoever stood inside turned his head toward War Machine.
"I guess I still underestimated that Arasaka Brat," the man said, his voice distorted and echoing through the armor.
"I didn't think he will solve these traps so easily" Ivan said looking at his drones which were frozen solid.
Rhodes looked at him "You must be Vanko"
Tony, on the other hand, couldn't ignore the obvious—
Why I am the shortest here, I was the one who even invented this suit tech first
Inside his helmet, Tony muttered quietly,
"JARVIS, make a note. I need to build a bigger armor."