"La la la la, la la la la."Valkyrie Lingma hummed as she twirled a pen in her hand, reviewing the application documents in front of her.
"Huh? This guy looks interesting. Why would someone like him apply to a company like ours?" she said, glancing at the paper before turning to the interviewer beside her. "I want to meet this applicant."
The interviewer looked awkward. "Uh… but we already filtered him out before you arrived."
"Is that so?" Lingma blinked, then smirked as she looked back at the file in her hand.
"This might actually be a good idea."
"How long am I supposed to live like this?" John Walker grumbled. His post-retirement life wasn't going well, and another failed interview only added to his frustration.
He had applied to Vanko Technologies with high hopes. With his military background, he thought a cutting-edge tech company would surely value him. But the arrogance of the interviewer — combined with his own pride — cost him the opportunity.
"Working for a wrestling league isn't what I want. It's not the same as service life," Walker muttered before taking a long swig of beer.
Besides admiring his late brother, John Walker had another dream — to become a superhero. As a kid, he idolized his brother and Captain America. Now, with superheroes appearing one after another, that yearning had only grown stronger.
Unfortunately, Hawke Industries no longer needed security staff, and Stark Industries never even considered hiring him.
He wanted to join Vanko Technologies because some of his old army buddies had mentioned it. He thought, Maybe if the company grows, I could eventually get my own suit of armor — even if it's not the latest model.
"Guess I should've listened to my buddies and just reenlisted," he sighed, shaking off the thought.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang through his single-story home.
"Who could that be?" Walker frowned, wondering if it was an old comrade or someone from the wrestling league.
When he opened the door, a man of East Asian descent stood there — white lab coat, glasses, and an oddly excited look in his eyes.
"Hello, Mr. John Walker. My name is Zhan Ji Lingma, though I should note — I'm older than you, so you might as well call me 'Brother Lingma,'" he said with a mischievous grin. Despite Walker's clearly unwelcoming glare, Lingma didn't seem to care.
"I'm from Vanko Technologies. And that's that."
Walker stared at him coldly. Recognizing the intruder as Valkyrie Lingma, he scoffed and threatened, "If you don't leave right now, I'll put another hole in you."
"Wow! I like your attitude," Lingma said, eyes flashing with challenge. "Though I am aware of what your country's laws say about breaking into someone's home…"
He leaned forward with a smirk. "You can always test it."
Before Walker could react, Lingma pulled out a strange-looking belt.
"Henshin!" (Transform!)"Lemon!""Lock on!"
Kamen Rider Duke!
In an instant, John Walker felt as if the world had gone dark — he was standing in a shadowy room, surrounded by nothing but darkness. In front of him stood an armored figure, its eyes glowing with a light that reflected his own — a light called desire.
His mouth fell open, his hands rose involuntarily, and his knees gave out beneath him.
"This… this is the superhero I've always dreamed of becoming!"
"Looks like that guy's doing a decent job."Justin Hammer, dressed in a light-blue suit and polished crocodile-leather shoes, sipped red wine as he watched Iron Armor parts rolling down the assembly line.
"Did you take care of those matters?" Nathan Hawke asked casually.
"Hmph." Hammer snorted — but his heart was filled with anger.
"Not everyone in the military is your 'friend,'" Nathan said meaningfully.
"Relax. This time, I'll rise again," Hammer said confidently, gazing proudly at the factory floor.
"You plan to personally back Vanko Technologies?" Hawke asked, tone hinting at a deeper question.
"Uh, come on, who isn't a fan of powered armor?" Hammer replied with a wink.
Nathan Hawke internally shook his head. He could practically feel Hammer's pitiful desperation — like a vain mistress trying to impress her ex-husband. The military's true love was always Tony Stark, not you, Nathan thought. But here you are, still trying to seduce them back.
Now that Ivan Vanko had joined the team, the armor's design, practicality, and safety had vastly improved. For the first time, the long-oppressed Justin Hammer — forever overshadowed by Stark Industries — finally felt like the "main wife" of the defense world. And he was proud to take it all back, with interest.
"That's up to you," Hawke said. "But can you really control Ivan Vanko?"
"Of course. His lifeline's in my hands."
Hammer inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the factory — pride swelling inside him.
"Idiot," Nathan muttered under his breath.
According to Umbrella's intelligence, Ivan Vanko had recently been making secret contact with powerful figures — military officers, politicians, business tycoons.
There was reason to believe he was preparing something big.
Nathan Hawke was eager to see what Vanko would do — and if it turned out to be something evil, well… that might just give the world a reason to summon new heroes.
Everything was moving full speed ahead.
In the factory workshop:
"Ivan, I'll handle the press conference. You take care of everything from the control room," Justin Hammer ordered.
"But I'd like to attend too," Ivan said with a casual smile. "After all, this is my work."
"No, Ivan, you don't understand," Hammer insisted. "You're an outsider. You need someone to speak for you — someone who can help you gain recognition. That someone is me."
He continued, ignoring Ivan's cold expression. "Your foundation is still weak. Sure, Vanko Technologies may have my investment, but no one truly acknowledges you yet. Only my public support will make them realize you're part of Hammer Industries."
Ivan listened silently, then gave a dark laugh.
"In that case, you'd better be ready to support me," he said, raising a syringe and injecting it into his arm.
"You—!" Hammer's eyes widened. He spun around, trembling violently. His hands jerked upward, his legs gave out — and he collapsed to the floor.
Ivan Vanko looked down at him with an evil grin.
"I'm taking everything."
At a hotdog stand, Nick Fury sat at a table waiting for Tony Stark to arrive. He had a crucial mission — to persuade Tony to join the team he was forming: The Avengers Initiative.
Tony walked up, sunglasses gleaming, and said, "One hotdog."
Black Widow quickly handed one over.
"You're fired," Tony said flatly, looking at her.
"Whatever," Natasha shrugged.
Nick Fury gestured for Tony to sit. The two faced each other, Fury's tone serious and deliberate.
"Tony, we need you. The Earth is facing an unprecedented threat. I'm assembling a team of exceptional individuals to face it. You're the one who can help us."
Tony listened with a faint smirk.
"You think I'm a hero? I'm just a rich guy living the good life. Why make me part of your little project?"
Fury looked deep into Tony's eyes. He knew his personality well — arrogant, cynical — but also that only Tony had the intellect and capability to meet the danger ahead.
"Tony, this isn't a game," Fury said. "The world is on the brink of catastrophe. We need your technology — your mind. You have a responsibility to protect the future of humanity."
Tony smiled faintly, took a bite of his hotdog, and seemed unimpressed.
He wiped his mouth. "A Coke."
Someone immediately brought over a cold bottle. Tony took a long sip through the straw.
"Burp."
"I've always been protecting humanity's future — just in my own way. I don't need to play pretend with your little club. It's all just a game."
Nick Fury didn't get angry. He took a breath, then changed the subject.
"Tony, I didn't come just for that. The element in your arc reactor — it's poisoning you. If you don't fix it soon, it'll kill you."
Tony's expression changed slightly. His interest was piqued. "How do you know that? I've kept that secret tightly locked."
If you don't want your secretary to find out, Natasha thought to herself, I could tell you even more… But she stayed silent, glancing at Fury.
Fury continued, "We've been monitoring your situation closely. We know because your father was once part of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What!" Tony's eyes widened in shock. He frowned, disbelief flooding his face.
"So that's it? You mention my dad just to drag me into your family drama?" he scoffed half-seriously.
Fury slid something across the table.
"This belonged to your father. There may be something in it that can help you."
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