The sky was filled with a swarm of steel automatons, their mechanical wings slicing through the air as chaos erupted below. Cities burned with the fire of their assault, and though their primary directive was simple to eliminate Tony Stark the man behind this carnage, Ivan Vanko, knew better than to expect an easy victory.
If he wanted to kill Iron Man, he first had to plunge everything into disorder.
Confusion was his ally. Only amid chaos could he strike effectively and escape unscathed.
He had already manipulated Justin Hammer to fund and manufacture his designs, but dying here had never been part of his plan. Revenge was all he wanted after that, he'd disappear. He had planned every step meticulously.
But what he didn't realize was that someone was already heading straight toward him.
From the chaos on the expo grounds, Nolan Locke watched with quiet frustration. His expression shifted between helplessness and irritation as explosions flared across the scene.
"Ivan Vanko… you really don't learn, do you?" he muttered.
Civilians were just collateral damage; the real danger was aimed squarely at Tony Stark.
For Nolan, however, his objective remained unchanged to find Ivan Vanko.
He already knew where Vanko would be. The Russian genius would definitely be in the main control room. Hammer Industries didn't have an advanced AI system like Red Queen or J.A.R.V.I.S. Even if it did, Vanko wouldn't have been capable of handling it.
If Nolan had been the one in control, a single word would have been enough. Red Queen could have seized control of every combat drone in the area, and J.A.R.V.I.S. would've done the same if asked.
But Ivan Vanko lacked that power.
He had to manually adjust every combat protocol in real time, or his drones would malfunction and go rogue. That limitation made him easy to find.
"Red Queen," Nolan asked calmly, "have you locked on to Vanko's position yet?"
"Currently scanning. Thirty-nine percent complete. Estimated time to finish: three minutes."
"Good." Nolan nodded, his tone steady. "Let's just hope Tony doesn't get himself killed before then."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. He wasn't particularly worried about Iron Man. After all, Tony Stark was resilient. But deep down, Nolan couldn't help but think rather mischievously he still hadn't given up the idea of recruiting Ivan Vanko.
Why? Because none of Vanko's drones had targeted him. Every one of them automatically avoided his vicinity. That meant Vanko had programmed them not to harm him.
That was all the confirmation Nolan needed Vanko wasn't his enemy.
And if he wasn't an enemy, then he was someone worth recruiting.
As for his feud with Tony Stark? Well, that was none of Nolan's concern.
Meanwhile, Tony was in the middle of a losing battle. After tossing Justin Hammer aside, he realized the drones' target wasn't random it was him.
"Damn it, Nolan Locke! Where the hell are you!?" Tony shouted over the comms.
"Maybe he's… dealing with his own mess," James Rhodes grunted as he fired a missile from the War Machine armor. Even he couldn't understand what had gone wrong tonight. The Hammer Industries Expo was supposed to be a demonstration of innovation, not an all-out war zone.
Luckily, Rhodes was here; without him, Tony might already be dead.
They fought side by side, cursing between bursts of gunfire as Vanko's drones overwhelmed them. Though their movements were clumsy and somewhat stiff, their overwhelming numbers and heavy weaponry made them a nightmare to deal with.
"Tony, any ideas?" Rhodes shouted, his voice laced with strain. "At this rate, we're toast!"
"Just hold out a little longer," Tony replied, glancing at his HUD. "My army's almost here."
Rhodes blinked. "Army?"
He knew exactly what Tony meant and a surge of relief ran through him. But his distraction cost him.
A missile struck his chest plate, sending him flying through the air.
"Son of a !" Rhodes roared, his armor sparking. Luckily, War Machine was built from top-grade alloys; otherwise, that single blast would have taken him out of commission. Even so, his systems flickered from the impact.
Tony wasn't faring much better.
Inside the control room, Ivan Vanko watched the fight with a sinister grin. Seeing Tony's armor falter filled him with euphoria.
Finally, revenge was within reach.
He tapped into a drone's communicator and sneered, "Tony Stark."
Instantly, every drone on the battlefield froze.
Tony's expression hardened as the voice echoed in his helmet.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"You don't recognize my voice?" Vanko laughed. "Of course not. We only met briefly. But your father oh, he knew mine very well."
He paused, his tone dripping with venom.
"Howard Stark stole my father's research. He destroyed our family. My father, Anton Vanko, died penniless and broken because of him. Now, you'll pay the price for his sins."
At the mention of that name, Tony's heart sank.
Anton Vanko his father's former partner in the Arc Reactor project. After the betrayal, Anton had been exiled, his career ruined, and his son had grown up nursing a hatred that spanned decades.
Tony's jaw tightened. "Your father was a failure. Just like you. No matter what you do today, you won't change the ending."
A faint smile curved beneath his helmet.
"Because my reinforcements just arrived."
Dozens of glowing flares streaked across the night sky Tony's Iron Legion had joined the fight.
Drone army versus drone army.
Tony's confidence surged once more. "Vanko, stay right where you are. I'll find you soon enough. And when I do, you'll die just like your father."
Vanko's smirk faltered as the Iron Legion descended, but he quickly regained composure, his expression dark.
"An army, huh?" he muttered mockingly. "Then let's see whose army reigns supreme."
He shut off communications.
Hundreds of drones surged forward under his control. For a moment, it looked like sheer numbers might overwhelm even Tony's Iron Legion.
Then the control room door creaked open.
Vanko turned sharply. Standing in the doorway was a figure clad in sleek, black armor Nolan Locke.
Two of Vanko's drones instantly aimed their cannons, ready to fire.
"Defense mode!" Vanko barked, halting their attack.
His cold eyes locked on Nolan. "I suggest you don't move. I'd hate to kill you, considering you spared me once."
Nolan chuckled. "Kill me? You think those tin cans can manage that?"
Vanko said nothing. He simply sat down, feigning calm.
"Maybe not," he admitted. "But it doesn't matter. The kill order on Tony Stark is irreversible. Even if you stop me, he dies."
Nolan's smile widened.
"Oh, Ivan. You really think you're in control here, don't you?"
He turned his gaze to the monitors, watching as Tony's Legion began to falter.
"You're right," Nolan continued. "I can't do this alone. Even my Terminators would draw too much attention if I unleashed them publicly. People fear what they don't understand and I prefer Locke Industries to be admired, not feared."
Vanko smirked. "Then you've already lost."
Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Not quite. You see, a few weeks ago, Locke Industries signed a contract with the U.S. military."
He paused, his tone light, almost amused.
"Allow me to introduce our newest project basic mass-production combat models: the NS5 Intelligent Robots."
As his voice fell, the sound of synchronized metallic footsteps echoed through the battlefield.
Tony and Rhodes turned toward the noise, confusion written on their faces.
"What the hell is that?" Rhodes asked.
"I didn't build those," Tony muttered, his HUD zooming in.
A wave of white humanoid robots surged forward, moving with fluid precision. They carried no weapons, yet they leapt and struck with superhuman agility, tearing through Vanko's drones with sheer numbers and brute force.
Within moments, the tide of battle had shifted.
In the control room, Nolan smiled at Vanko.
"Meet the NS5 units Locke Industries' next-generation AI companions. Designed as household assistants, but capable of so much more."
His tone turned sharp.
"They're not built for war, but they can fight when necessary."
Vanko stared at the screens, realizing the inevitability of his defeat.
"A perfect design," he murmured bitterly.
Nolan's grin deepened. The NS5 technology had been inspired by I, Robot efficient, adaptive, and cheap to mass-produce. And best of all, each one contained hidden backdoors only he could access.
When the NS5s eventually spread to every household across the globe…
Locke Industries wouldn't just change the world.
It would own it.
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