Black Widow Arrives

Hammer Industries' underground research and development center was lit in a harsh white glare, bright as an operating room.

Justin Hammer wore an expensive custom-tailored suit, his hair slicked back to a shine. He was enthusiastically showing Ivan Vanko his "masterpiece."

"Look at this, Ivan! Look!" He pointed at the rows of neatly arranged Drones like a child showing off a new toy. "Titanium alloy shells, the most advanced targeting systems, and every one of them is equipped with Gatling guns and micro-missiles! This is what the future of warfare looks like!"

Ivan Vanko wore a gray prison uniform, his hands tucked into his pockets as he stared expressionlessly at the Drones. He looked at them as though they were piles of scrap metal.

The previous night, Hammer had "gotten" him out of a heavily guarded prison. A private jet had flown him directly here.

"Where's the software?" Ivan finally asked, his voice hoarse and thick with a Russian accent.

"Uh, the software..." Hammer's smile stiffened. "It's still being debugged. But that's fine—the hardware is perfect! Once we solve the software problem, they'll fly and fight! My team is working on—"

"Your team is made up of idiots," Ivan cut him off bluntly.

He walked to a control terminal and casually tapped a few keys. In the distance, a robotic arm assembling a Drone suddenly twitched. Its movements went out of control, and it forcibly bent a newly installed Gatling barrel, sparks flying everywhere.

"This garbage," Ivan said without looking back, "isn't even as good as Tony Stark's toys from ten years ago."

Hammer's face twitched, but he forced out a smile. "That's exactly why I need you, my friend. You're the only genius who can stand against Stark. As long as you help me perfect these Drones, money, women—whatever