With the arrival of the Iron Soldiers, Hammer Industries returned to its original valuation.
John appeared in Vanity Fair magazine as a silhouette.
Other than Tony Stark, John was the only person to receive that treatment.
But the downsides were obvious, too.
When John encountered a tall beauty who had "accidentally" twisted her ankle in the elevator, he gave Hattie a look.
John walked out first when they reached their floor.
Smiling, Hattie stopped the woman with the twisted ankle from leaving the elevator.
Then she called an ambulance, scaring the woman into an instant recovery.
After all, ambulances really were expensive.
Hattie brought in the documents and placed them on John's desk, her voice teasing. "That's already the fifth woman to throw herself at you this month."
"The illustrious Mr. Wick."
John had a headache. These people all saw him as the next Tony Stark.
He genuinely had no interest in sleeping with models.
Faced with Hattie's mockery, John said resentfully, "You should have Orlov deal with them. He's the best at this sort of thing."
"I certainly won't tell you that Mr. Orlov uses binoculars at the office every day to watch those women fluster you." Hattie really did have a wicked streak. Smiling, she added, "It's his daily entertainment."
Orlov used to avoid the office altogether. Ever since discovering this new amusement, he would even sit in the surveillance room, grinning broadly and making bets with his subordinates.
John made a mental note of that. He would have to make Orlov pay.
I, the Wizard King, hold grudges!
After finishing the Hammer Industries paperwork at Taran Industries, John went to the underground laboratory to check on Ivan's progress.
The Second-Generation Fighter was complete, rebuilt on the original frame.
Ivan was swinging his whips, strike after strike, recreating