Night fell over New York, with the city's lights twinkling in the distance.
The Stark Industries Expo, a massive event that would last for a year, was buzzing with excitent.
This event, focused on science and technology, was ant to reflect on the past and look to the future.
Tonight, in the massive semi-open glass exhibition hall at the heart of the venue, Hamr Industries was about to present a stunning display of its weapons and equipnt.
Justin Hamr, with full confidence, gave this presentation an eye-catching title:
"The Ga-Changing Bombshell!"
Well… if you say so.
On a rooftop in the distance, Kagura Hitomi sat on the edge, dressed in a sleek tactical suit, her long legs casually dangling.
She watched the Stark Industries Expo with interest.
Her futuristic goggles displayed real-ti footage from surveillance drones, offering a clear view of the event.
Whether this presentation would truly "change the world" remained to be seen, but it was clear that Hamr Industries was likely to be the one getting "blown away."
At that mont, Justin Hamr stepped onto the stage with an enthusiastic tap-dance, beginning his speech.
No surprise here—he was clearly a huge fan of Tony Stark.
His flamboyant style mirrored Tony's in the most obnoxious way.
Above the venue, surveillance drones from Rhode Island Industries activated their optical camouflage, monitoring the event's every move.
Kagura didn't actually harbor much dislike for Justin Hamr.
He was a typical businessman—polished, with high-society manners.
He wasn't flawed in terms of personality or character, just… a bit too eager at tis.
He was, after all, Tony Stark's biggest fan, though perhaps a little too obsessed?
He was confident, humorous, and a smooth talker with a sharp business mind.
His only real flaw? Well, maybe his intelligence was a bit… lacking.
As a casual drinking buddy, Justin Hamr was fine—he could be entertaining.
But as a business partner? Probably not reliable.
And his reliability, or lack thereof, was about as solid as the infamous "Ex-Wife" weapon from Hamr Industries.
Kagura had interacted with Justin a few tis under her Bruce Wayne persona when helping establish Rhode Island Industries.
He'd left a decent impression then. Unfortunately, his vanity and jealousy ultimately led him down the wrong path.
'Beep beep'
Her comms buzzed.
"This is Natasha. Routine check-in. I'm near Hamr Industries' headquarters. No abnormalities detected."
'Beep beep'
"This is Bucky Barnes. I'm patrolling Queens. No issues here."
Iron Man was still a little while from arriving, but to prevent Ivan from sabotaging the expo, Kagura had already sent Natasha and Bucky to patrol the city.
The communication range for remotely-controlled battle armor couldn't be too far.
Even Rhode Island Industries would struggle to handle the level of real-ti data transfer needed for precise command execution.
Cortana had calculated that Ivan's hiding spot was sowhere within New York City's limits.
The Hamr Industries weapons exhibition continued.
Unmanned Iron Man-style battle suits, powered by palladium-based arc reactors, began to rise from the stage.
The audience erupted in cheers.
At that mont, Justin Hamr was the star of the show.
This was his shining mont.
Revealing his unmanned battle suits, he believed he had outdone Tony Stark technologically, planning to win big contracts, monopolize the market, and kick Rhode Island Industries out of the way.
Then, he'd marry a beautiful heiress and climb to the peak of success.
Ah, dreams were always nice… but reality might be a little different.
Kagura, still on the rooftop, quietly watched the event from afar, feeling the night breeze play through her double ponytails, bringing a touch of cool comfort.
Ah, I really do love this world.
It's a place where I can live passionately, think deeply, and pursue the things I truly want to do.
Far in the distance, a bright teor streaked across the sky.
[New Iron Man Armor, Threat Level: High, Friendly]
[New Arc Reactor, Powered by Unknown Elent, Confird Energy Boost.]
Hmm, do we have to label Stark's technology as "threatening"? That's a little creepy.
Kagura muttered under her breath, standing up.
"Cortana, track the data flow from the event, especially the signals controlling the unmanned Iron Man suits. Be ready to pinpoint their locations, and activate the drones' electromagnetic interference devices."
"Command confird, Master."
Cortana replied, "Detecting remote control signals, pinpointing location now. Estimated range: 3 kiloters."
In Kagura's goggles, a map of New York appeared.
A red, semi-transparent circle marked the source of the signal, which was steadily shrinking.
At the sa ti, Rhode Island's drones, hidden by optical camouflage, began to descend, activating their electromagnetic jamrs aid at the unmanned battle suits.
"Current estimated range: 1 kiloter."
The signal grew more precise, finally locking onto an area in the outskirts of New York City.
"Natasha, Bucky, I've sent you the coordinates. Get moving."
Kagura said, gracefully stretching her arms before leaping off the rooftop.
On the nearby square, the "Halo" transport's optical camouflage was disengaged, and Kagura quickly entered.
"Engines on. Cruise altitude, ready for support."
"Command confird. Subsonic navigation mode activated."
By the way, where is War Machine? It's still a bit odd that Mark 2 hasn't shown up.
Her transport soared into the sky, beginning its patrol.
At the Hamr Industries showcase, Tony Stark had just appeared, facing off with Justin Hamr.
"Tony Stark. Well, well. I'm surprised to see you here," Justin said, clearly taken aback by Tony's sudden appearance.
He turned to the audience, using the mont to make a show of it.
"Hey! Look who's here! Tony, co to see the new tech that's going to defeat you?"
"You've upgraded your armor too," Justin remarked, tapping Tony's new reactor, "But switching the chest light to a triangle isn't really an upgrade, my friend. Co take a look at these unmanned battle suits—that's an upgrade!"
"'Iron Man is '? Maybe back then, you could use your tech to maintain world peace, and no one could defeat you. But too bad, Iron Man is outdated now. Tis have changed."
Justin continued with his mocking, "You know what your problem was? Arrogance, greed, possessiveness, and underestimating your competitors."
"Finished?" Tony Stark asked, unfazed by the jabs.
"The people here are in danger. Evacuate them imdiately. And where's Ivan Vanko?"
"What? I... I don't understand. Ivan? Who's that?" Justin feigned innocence.
"These unmanned battle suits are all Hamr Industries' own creations..."
Before he could finish, the unmanned battle suits behind them suddenly activated, and Ivan Vanko's voice blared through their speakers.
"Tony Stark, butcher, thief, coward—you destroyed my father, ruined my family," Ivan said.
"Today, I'll destroy everything you've built!"
Ouch, that sure was a slap in the face.
Kagura, watching through the drones from a distance, couldn't help but comnt.
"Signal locked. Coordinates synced."
Cortana reported, pinpointing Ivan's location.
Looks like the show is about to begin!
........................................
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
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