Marvel's Iron Lady

Ivan Vanko felt luck had turned its back on him. The makeshift reactor he had built with crude tools was crushed to scrap by a single kick from Miss Stark, leaving his cobbled-together armor in fragments. Surrounded by the NYPD, he had no choice but to surrender, raising his hands in defeat.

On the way to his holding cell, officers noticed he kept spitting up blood. A quick examination revealed he had suffered severe internal injuries, with a high risk of dying. They immediately diverted him to an ambulance, rushing him to the hospital for treatment.

Luckily, Miss Stark's kick hadn't been intended to end his life. Despite several broken ribs, abrasions all over his body, and considerable damage to his organs, these injuries were not enough to send him to an early grave. New York's emergency medical staff managed to pull him back from the brink within six hours, and after a brief period of observation, the hospital released Ivan Vanko back to police custody. He was sent to the NYPD's detention center to continue his recovery.

His actions had resulted in the destruction of public property and posed a severe threat to public safety. Normally, even if he was currently in a detention center, as soon as his crimes were fully investigated, he'd be transferred directly to prison. However, this time was different.

At the same time, individuals from multiple agencies barged into the NYPD's evidence management department, each aiming to seize the damaged reactor. They represented the Pentagon, the FBI, the CIA, and S.H.I.E.L.D.—in short, every entity that held aspirations regarding the Iron Man suit had shown up.

Unable to obtain anything directly from Miss Stark, these entities shifted their sights to Ivan Vanko, a man who had managed to produce a low-quality yet similarly functioning version of her reactor.

Based on satellite tracking data from Miss Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D. had excavated the original Mark I prototype from a cave in Afghanistan. However, it was nothing more than a bombed-out husk, lacking the vital arc reactor core as an energy source.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. realized Vanko might have the ability to replicate Stark's reactor technology, they immediately sent in their agents.

The CIA and FBI, both part of the U.S. government—one focused externally, the other domestically—had already detected Vanko's illegal entry into the country. They originally intended to arrest and deport him, but every agent sent to capture him had gone off the grid.

Before either agency could respond to the situation, Vanko had already confronted Miss Stark in New York, waging a battle beyond the scope of ordinary human intervention—one that had almost left Vanko a cripple.

Seeing the wrecked weaponry on Vanko's body, the two agencies finally understood why their agents had lost contact; conventional agents were no match for such high-tech weaponry. They weren't about to let it go.

As for the U.S. military—does the Department of Defense really need to explain what it wants?

Though each entity had different motivations, they all had the same goal: securing that knockoff arc reactor along with its creator, Ivan Vanko. What each planned to do afterward, of course, varied.

Meanwhile, despite all being part of the U.S. government, these agencies weren't exactly in harmony. They soon devolved into shouting matches as they fought over possession of the reactor and Vanko himself.

Even with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backing from the World Security Council, moving the Pentagon's priorities was no small feat. The FBI and CIA jointly resisting only added to the pressure on both the Department of Defense and S.H.I.E.L.D.—nobody wanted to lose the Russian scientist.

Vanko's crude arc reactor had caused tremors throughout American political networks and even attracted the attention of the Russian Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service, which were now seeking to extradite the scientist and reclaim his reactor for Russia.

Although Vanko's technology was clumsy compared to Miss Stark's, it still represented a technology far beyond current standards. Whichever party secured it would gain a lead in the next energy arms race.

Miss Stark had already stated clearly that the reactor technology she used to power her Iron Man suits would never be for sale, leaving them with no choice but to turn their attention to the bootleg product of Ivan Vanko.

On a side note, after Stark had framed herself as a superhero, S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately shifted its public relations strategy, quickly spinning her actions in Afghanistan as part of an anti-terrorist campaign targeting armed extremists.

While some unintended casualties might have arisen during this operation, potentially putting Stark Industries in the crosshairs, the mass investment by Stark Industries meant that most media outlets cooperated, reshaping the story into a narrative Jarvis directed.

The U.S. government's main interest wasn't the emergence of a wealthy superhero but rather the technology within Miss Stark's Iron Man suit. Everyone understood that the suit represented groundbreaking advancements; securing it could bring enormous leverage.

Naturally, the government and the Pentagon weren't foolish enough to demand the suit outright, knowing they had no such authority. Instead, they began subtly pressing those close to Miss Stark until James Rhodes, a colonel in Weapons Development, returned with a simple message.

Her message was short but unsettling: she already possessed a fully operational Iron Legion and would not allow any suits to be released to the market. They might as well give up, and if not, then they were welcome to settle it through combat to see who was stronger. Oh, and by the way, Stark Industries hadn't finished destroying its weapon stockpile.

This blunt statement, nearly a direct challenge, echoed loudly in the ears of the U.S. Department of Defense, raising the question of whether the American government could tolerate the existence of an independent armed force within its borders.

But here lay a problem: no one knew how large her Iron Legion was except Miss Stark herself. According to intelligence gathered by operatives, Stark Industries had halted the destruction of its weapon stockpile, and shipments were being quietly transported to various cities and hidden away.

When this information reached the Pentagon, it caused an uproar, followed by silence. The Department of Defense, which knew better than anyone else about the vast stockpile of advanced weapons within Stark Industries, understood the latent threat this posed.

In response, the Pentagon ultimately conceded, provided Miss Stark agreed to seal and eventually destroy her weapons stockpile. For the time being, the matter was settled. Whether or not the Pentagon had truly given up on her Iron Man suits remained uncertain. However, Ivan Vanko's sudden appearance offered them a fresh opportunity.

A week later, Vanko was removed from the NYPD's detention center. Although he was still healing, he should've been transferred directly to a prison cell. But as he stepped off the transport vehicle, he realized he wasn't in prison.

Though surrounded by high barbed-wire fences, he was actually in an army base, with watchtowers overhead and soldiers training in the yard. Occasionally, one would glance over, eyeing him curiously.

Ivan Vanko wasn't stupid. If he hadn't been sent to prison, then someone must have plans for his abilities.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, he was led by military guards into the main building of the base and into a conference room where he met a group of high-ranking officers.

Naturally, the Americans sought to gain Vanko's reactor technology, hoping to extract the core technology behind the Iron Man suit and advanced energy. Vanko, for his part, understood their ambitions and used it as leverage to secure certain benefits for himself.

"I want my freedom, not to be caged here like some animal on display," he said coldly. "If you want me to build a reactor for you, I'll need a physics lab in the heart of New York. And it has to be the best."

Vanko took his time, knowing he had the upper hand for now. He alone had this knowledge, and if they couldn't wrest the technology from that Stark woman, they would have to turn to him. As long as he had value, he could make whatever demands he wanted.

The officers exchanged a few words among themselves and, on behalf of the Department of Defense, accepted his terms.

After a flurry of classified maneuvers, Vanko officially joined the Department of Defense's Weapons Development Division. The Russian physicist Ivan Vanko was no more, replaced by a Russian-American named Ivan.

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