At a remote, shuttered factory in Queens, New York, three or four cars unexpectedly pulled up. Surrounded by seven or eight bodyguards, Justin Hammer slowly stepped out of one of them.
After glancing at this factory—which even he himself had never known existed, yet was registered under his name—Hammer strode inside.
"What was that guy's name again? Ivan Vanko, right? He's from Russia?" Hammer walked as he compared the information he had just looked up with his secretary.
Ivan Vanko was a mysterious man. According to the intelligence Hammer had received, the government had taken his fingerprints in an attempt to uncover his past, only to find that there was no information on him anywhere online.
As a result, Hammer had obtained very little useful intelligence. But none of that mattered, because there was only one thing he needed to know: this guy had replicated the Arc Reactor, the core component of the Iron Man suit.
At the Military Committee hearing, Tony had guaranteed that no country would be able to crack the Iron Man suit's technology within five to ten years. He had even humiliated Hammer, saying that Hammer Industries would not manage it even in twenty years. But now? Arc Reactor technology was about to fall into his hands.
He could already imagine the situation Tony would soon face. The main reason Tony had managed to keep the Iron Man suit at the Military Committee hearing was his absolute technological lead. Tony had claimed he would use that power to protect the public.
Without question, Tony had fashioned himself into a superhero, a hero as powerful as Superman. But Ivan Vanko's appearance had revealed that this hero was not as powerful as people imagined. He had been bloodied. He was no longer invincible.
And those who had once