Justin Hammer

The stage lights poured over Tony Stark like molten gold. Standing there, he was the center of the world. The crowd's cheers were a tsunami, and he was the man riding it.

"I'm back!"

The two words slammed into everyone's ears, then detonated.

Chu Hang pulled the brim of his baseball cap lower. He stood amid the crowd like a reef that the tide could not wash away. Tony really was a born performer. He knew exactly how to make people go crazy for him.

"I know you missed me." Tony paced across the stage, every step landing on the beat of the music, the arrogance in his smile perfectly measured. "But don't rush. Tonight's star isn't me, and it isn't this suit of iron."

He raised a hand and pointed to the enormous model of Earth behind him. It rotated slowly, glowing blue like a tamed star. This was the dream his father, Howard Stark, had left behind more than fifty years ago.

"My father, Howard, stood right here back then and told the world what the future would look like." Tony's voice deepened through the speakers, carrying a deliberately cultivated solemnity. "He planted a seed, but sadly, he never lived to see it bloom."

He paused and pressed a palm against the triangular reactor in his chest. It glowed with the same light.

"What my father left behind was the future. Today, I'm putting that future right in front of you!"

His voice suddenly rose, like a blade piercing the night sky.

"Many people say Stark Industries was built on weapons. They're wrong! The foundation of Stark Industries is creation! It's the determination to change the world! And the source of it all is energy! Clean, efficient, inexhaustible energy!"

The instant he finished speaking, countless blue bands of