Locke Technologies only recruited the best.
Not the talented, not the skilled only true geniuses.
Ivan Vanko wasn't one of them.
Bloodshot eyes glared at Nolan Locke across the ruined warehouse, rage burning so hot it bordered on madness. "Nolan Locke! Don't blame me for what happens next. You never should've interfered in this!"
Nolan's lips curved faintly, unshaken by the man's fury. He only raised his voice.
"Red Queen."
At once, the AI obeyed.
A thunderous boom split the night. The warehouse roof crumpled as a massive drop-pod came crashing down from the sky. The ground trembled with the impact, the steel crate embedding itself deep into the concrete floor.
The sight startled Ivan, halting his charge. His eyes flickered between Nolan and the smoking pod as its reinforced doors hissed open.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Six Terminator T-1000 units marched out, liquid-metal bodies gleaming with predatory menace. Their synchronized steps reverberated like war drums, a mechanical army summoned at a word.
Ivan snarled, but before he could act, another boom split the air. A second pod slammed into the ground, its doors snapping open to reveal something far more terrifying Nolan's Thorhammer Armor.
Ivan's expression soured, his confidence slipping into unease. If he hesitated any longer, he was done for.
With a roar, he charged, energy whips flaring to life in his hands. The deadly arcs of crackling power slashed through the air toward Nolan. But before he could reach his target, the six T-1000s swarmed him like wolves closing in on a wounded beast.
Ivan swung his whip in a wide arc, cleaving one of the liquid-metal assassins in two. The machine split apart with a screech of shearing steel. For a moment, relief sparked in his chest until the halves shuddered, then melted back together, re-forming as if nothing had happened.
Ivan's face twisted in shock. "Impossible…"
The Terminator lunged again, utterly unfazed.
The T-1000s had only one real weakness: their power cores. And those cores weren't fixed in one place. Finding and striking them in the chaos of battle was like trying to catch a single firefly in a thunderstorm.
For every swing that landed, every whip that tore through metal, another machine would simply stitch itself back together and return to the fight.
Gritting his teeth, Ivan pressed on. He had no choice. Retreat meant death.
Meanwhile, Nolan calmly stepped into the Thorhammer Armor as the suit sealed around him piece by piece. With a hiss of hydraulics and a burst of energy, the armor activated, encasing him in an aura of overwhelming power.
For Ivan, the sight was enough to send a chill down his spine.
This wasn't just any armor. He had seen this form before the very same in which Nolan Locke had annihilated Abomination without breaking a sweat.
No one stood against Nolan in this state and lived to boast about it.
The final lock clicked into place. Nolan reached over his shoulder and drew the plasma greatsword. Its glowing blade thrummed with energy, heavy enough to crush steel beams yet in his hand, it moved as lightly as a feather.
"Ready?" Nolan asked casually, voice calm, almost amused.
Ivan's lips curled back in a snarl, but before he could reply, Nolan moved.
Boom.
The ground beneath Nolan's feet cracked apart as the suit's low-thrust boosters ignited, propelling him forward faster than Ivan's eyes could track. In a blink, Nolan was already upon him.
The plasma blade came down with a hiss. Sparks erupted as Ivan's whip-armor screeched under the strike. His supposedly invincible exosuit split open like paper, torn in a single slash.
Ivan staggered back, shock freezing him. His father's legacy, his pride and labor, the culmination of everything he had built it couldn't withstand even one blow.
He wasn't Tony Stark. He didn't have Stark's fortune, factories, or armies of engineers. Every piece of his armor had been painstakingly cobbled together from scraps and stolen alloys. Strong, yes, but never strong enough against plasma steel wielded by Nolan Locke.
Ivan raised his whips to retaliate, but Nolan was already gone. His speed was inhuman, darting in and out of reach, striking with precision before disappearing again. Ivan's mind reeled. He had believed his whip-armor could rival any suit in existence. Now, he realized how laughable that thought had been.
Nolan reappeared, blade flashing once more. With a single strike, he severed one of Ivan's whips clean in half. Sparks fizzled as the weapon clattered uselessly to the ground.
Without the whips, Ivan had lost seventy percent of his combat ability.
Nolan wasted no time. His boosters flared, ramming his armored shoulder into Ivan and sending him flying across the warehouse. The impact shook the walls, debris raining from the ceiling.
Before Ivan could recover, Nolan seized his shattered armor, dragging him down with crushing force.
Boom!
The warehouse floor cratered as Ivan slammed into it, his whip-suit crumpling under the impact. Circuits fried, armor plates shattered. The battle was over.
Nolan stepped back, letting his faceplate retract with a hiss. He exhaled softly, almost bored.
"Not bad. A decent warm-up."
He reached down, pried apart the ruined armor, and pulled Ivan from the wreckage. The man's eyes burned with despair, his breath ragged.
Nolan crouched, meeting his gaze. His voice was calm but edged with amusement.
"Think about it. Killing Tony Stark will never give you what you want. You want revenge? Then don't kill him. Beat him where it hurts in the field he worships most. Defeat him at his own game. Crush his genius. Break his pride. Make him watch as you step over his so-called legacy."
His smile darkened. "For someone like Stark, that's worse than death. Trust me. I know because I've done it. More than once."
Ivan froze, caught between fury and disbelief. Nolan Locke had humiliated Tony Stark? More than once? The thought seemed impossible yet the confidence in Nolan's tone left no room for doubt.
Outside, the sounds of shouting grew louder. The chaos of the fight hadn't gone unnoticed. The airdropped equipment alone had stirred a commotion. Without satellites like Stark Industries, Locke Technologies had relied on private aircraft to deliver supplies. The noise had been deafening.
Soon, people flooded in. Agents, bystanders, even news crews. And among them, streaking down from the night sky, came Iron Man himself.
Tony Stark landed hard, repulsors flaring, scanning the scene. His eyes darted from Nolan to Ivan, to the wrecked warehouse floor.
"What the hell happened here?"
Nolan stepped up beside him, lowering his voice just enough for Tony to hear.
"Tony… you owe me another life."
Tony's brows furrowed in confusion, then realization dawned. His face soured.
This man this broken wreck on the floor had come to kill him.
"Son of a " Tony cursed under his breath, teeth gritted. Aloud, he barked, "Whoever he is, I could've handled it myself!"
Nolan only chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Neither man spared Ivan another glance. The defeated Russian could only stare at Tony, hatred burning in his eyes. But his vengeance had failed. The price of that failure would be years perhaps decades in prison.
The attack had ended in ruin.
Later, Nolan strolled casually back toward Sharon Carter. She was already standing there with an empty ice cream cup in hand, looking ready to scold him.
Before she could speak, Nolan beat her to it with a grin. "Don't mention it. That ice cream? I told you to buy it for yourself."
The smile he flashed was sharp and confident, but Sharon only clenched her jaw. It didn't amuse her. If anything, it irritated her more.
Still, she was an agent. Her instincts told her Nolan hadn't simply gone for a walk. He had been up to something something dangerous.
"Come on, Carter," Nolan said lightly. "You should smile more. You look beautiful tonight, but that scowl doesn't suit you." He gave her a thumbs-up, unbothered by her glare.
Sharon snorted. "If you'd tell me what you just went off to do, maybe I'd smile."
"That's not going to happen." Nolan's grin turned mysterious, as though savoring a secret.
He straightened, brushing off dust from his armor. "Anyway, tonight's business is over. Time to leave. I've got a big order coming in, and with all the chaos lately, a little relaxation wouldn't hurt." He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "How about we take a walk by the beach? Just the two of us."
Sharon laughed dryly. "Shouldn't you be inviting your little girlfriend instead?"
Nolan only shrugged, utterly shameless. In this world, if a man wanted to grasp the stars and the sea, he needed more than strength. He needed a thick skin.
And Nolan Locke had both in spades.
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