~Edwards Air Force Base~
A transport plane touched down on Runway 22...
Sean and high-ranking officials from the Department of Defense descended the ramp, the howling wind whipping at their clothes.
Alongside General Ross were Tony Stark's close friend, Colonel Rhodes, and several government officials from the Military Committee.
The energy weapons symposium had begun at 8 a.m. Sean had submitted Umbrella's cooperation proposal, which thoroughly detailed the concept and design of their energy weapons. By the afternoon, they had arrived at the nearby air force base for field testing.
As they entered the base, Sean spotted Justin Hammer... a bespectacled, businessman-like arms industry tycoon...
Ever since Hammer Industries acquired the weapons manufacturing plants sold off by Stark Industries, he had taken to calling himself a "visionary"... Some well-compensated newspapers had even embellished his image, trying to prop him up as a genius on par with Tony.
Unfortunately, the public wasn't buying it. Hammer Industries had long been a second-rate player in the defense sector, far from the towering giant that was Stark Industries.
Its leader, Justin Hammer, was thoroughly unremarkable, lacking any of Tony's dazzling credentials worth bragging about.
"Hammer Industries has always had good connections with the Pentagon's procurement officers," General Ross murmured under his breath.
Sean smirked faintly. Opponents like this, who posed no real challenge, didn't interest him in the slightest. Even Ivan alone could easily handle him.
"I don't recall Hammer Industries having any noteworthy new products," the young man remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
General Ross cracked a smile. As a high-ranking military official, he was well aware of Justin Hammer's actual capabilities, "We can't expect everyone to be Tony Stark. At least Hammer's stuff is cheaper than that playboy's..."
"...The Pentagon needs something to show off, too. Since Stark refuses to hand over his Iron Man suits, we have to rely on clueless hacks like Justin Hammer. He's trying to replicate the armor, even claims each unit costs $120 million. I've seen the prototype… and 'a pile of dogshit' is the only way to describe it."
For the general to resort to such language, Hammer's products must have been truly abysmal.
As they chatted, Hammer made his entrance in what he probably thought was a cool, dramatic fashion, followed by two soldiers pushing carts loaded with crates... likely Hammer Industries' latest weapons for demonstration.
"Ah, I know you, the famous 'Genius of New York'... And this must be your bodyguard?" Hammer greeted them with exaggerated enthusiasm.
It was clear he was trying to mimic Tony Stark's roguish charm, but the attempt was painfully clumsy. His expressions were forced, his demeanor overly theatrical... He was basically like a buffoon on stage...
"This is Ivan Vanko, Umbrella's chief weapons expert," Sean replied with polite detachment, "I hear you're about to sign a 25-year contract with the Pentagon. Congratulations. Hammer Industries is about to claim the throne of this industry."
"I like the way you talk." Hammer burst into laughter. Before the field tests began, he pulled Sean aside and whispered, "I know Umbrella wants a piece of the military procurement market too. How about a partnership with Hammer Industries? I'm way more generous than Tony, you'll get a bigger slice. Together, we'll dominate the market! Just hand over some of Umbrella's shares, and I'll show you my sincerity..."
The man might as well have worn a sign saying "I'm a gullible cash cow"...
Sean's lips twitched. He brushed off Hammer's pitch with a few noncommittal replies. The man was just another greedy businessman, eyeing Umbrella's potential and hoping to grab a share of the profits.
What he didn't realize was that he was poking a sleeping dragon. Beneath Sean's calm exterior was a possessive streak. He hated when others touched what was his. Whether it was Umbrella or anything else, anyone who overstepped would find him more than willing to flip the table.
A cold glint flickered in Sean's eyes, and vanished in an instant.
Hammer, oblivious, continued smugly. In his mind, extending an olive branch to Umbrella with Hammer Industries' "prestige" should have left Sean groveling with gratitude.
"It's your time to shine, Mr. Hammer," Sean said, steering the conversation away.
Standing before the Pentagon and Military Committee officials, Hammer eagerly unboxed his new weapons, boasting:
"The Claridge semi-automatic pistol, 9mm rounds... The M24 shotgun, manual reload, five rounds per magazine... 40mm grenade launcher, capable of firing tear gas and smoke rounds... The M134 minigun, six independent barrels, a literal metal storm that turns enemies into tomato paste..."
The blank stares from the crowd made Hammer falter. Sure, none of this was groundbreaking, but was a little reaction too much to ask?
"Guess I'll have to bring out the real showstopper." The head of Hammer Industries opened a sleek black case, "This is the Sidewinder missile, packed with Cyclonite explosive and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. It can level a three-story underground bunker in one hit. This is my Eiffel Tower, my Rachmaninoff's Third, my magnum opus!"
"...Elegant design, devastating power, pure as my Statue of Liberty. I call it... the 'Ex-Wife'." Hammer shamelessly hyped his own product.
The Pentagon officials, long accustomed to such theatrics, were far more interested in Hammer's knockoff Iron Man suits.
These weapons were irrelevant... what they needed was something flashy for next week's military expo, something to justify this year's exorbitant expenditures.
"You call this scrap metal a weapon?" Ivan looked genuinely baffled.
He couldn't comprehend how this junk (better suited for a pawn shop) had made it here.
Sean patted the Russian's shoulder, "Show them your masterpiece. This is your first step toward defeating Tony Stark. Let those Pentagon bigwigs see the Arc Reactor, the one no one could replicate in twenty years, solved effortlessly by you."
Ivan nodded silently. He had waited a long time for this moment. The grudge between Howard Stark and his father had now passed to the next generation.
Who would have guessed that behind Stark Industries' glittering empire lay two generations of the Vanko family's blood, sweat, and tears? While Tony Stark was hailed as a genius, Ivan had been struggling to survive the Siberian winters.
Ivan opened a black case emblazoned with Umbrella's red-and-white logo. Inside lay a heavy metallic firearm, its center housing the glowing core of an Arc Reactor, the entire weapon gleamed with a cold silver light.
The Russian hefted the weapon with one hand, activated the energy feed, and took aim at a thick steel plate in the distance.
A beam of eerie blue light erupted from the barrel, the recoil forcing Ivan back a step. The 60mm steel plate was punched clean through, leaving a gaping hole in its center.
The precision and lethality of the weapon visibly impressed the Pentagon officials. According to Umbrella's report, each energy weapon cost between $60 000 and $120 000... far more affordable than the exorbitant Iron Man suits, yet just as effective.
Meanwhile, Justin Hammer's eyes burned with naked greed as they were locked onto the Arc Reactor in the energy weapon. Though he tried to mask it, his expression was that of a starving wolf eyeing its prey, desperate to snatch that glowing prize for himself.
Hammer had hoped to secure long-term Pentagon contracts by reverse-engineering Tony Stark's armor, a deal that could propel Hammer Industries to new heights. But given his company's current R&D and manufacturing limitations, all he could produce were cheap imitations.
Now, Sean's energy weapons had caught his attention, especially that power core. It was practically a copy of the Arc Reactor. If he could integrate it into Hammer's Iron Man suits… it would be perfect.
Without a second thought, he tossed his beloved "Ex-Wife" aside. That toy was obsolete now. His mind was already racing with visions of Umbrella's energy weapons...