CHAPTER 104: THE HERO WHO ARRIVES WITH A SMILE

The night had only just begun, but inside the Hammer Expo arena, tension was already boiling beneath the surface.

Tony Stark had landed in his gleaming red-and-gold armor, walking straight toward Justin Hammer with that usual mix of arrogance and charm.

Rhodey, in the War Machine armor, stood on the stage, his cannons twitching with warning.

Hammer tried to seize the moment, raising his arms like a conductor before an orchestra. "Ladies and gentlemen, you see it with your own eyes! Iron Man himself here to—"

His words were cut short as Iron Man stepped forward, confronting him about Vanko. Their voices clashed in heated argument, sparks of tension rising higher with every word.

Then, without warning, War Machine’s shoulder cannon swiveled with a mechanical snap, locking directly onto Tony.

The audience gasped in unison.

And as if answering some silent command, every single Hammer Drone turned in perfect sync, weapons snapping into place—aimed squarely at the armored billionaire.

Tony’s voice hardened with disbelief. "Rhodey... is that you?"

Inside the suit, Rhodey’s face twisted with panic. "It’s not me—I can’t control it!"

The War Machine armor ignored its pilot’s desperate commands. His servos locked, limbs jerking with unnatural stiffness. The robots around him moved in eerie synchronization, like puppets under the grip of an unseen master.

The tension snapped like a string.

"Let’s take this outside," Tony muttered before his thrusters roared. He blasted upward, smashing through the glass dome above the arena.

The ceiling exploded into a shower of glass shards as Iron Man streaked into the night sky. Robots and War Machine launched after him in a storm of fire and smoke, bullets hailing down on his retreating figure.

Screams echoed as shards of glass rained down on the audience—only they didn’t.

Every shard froze mid-air.

The crowd’s panic turned into stunned silence. People blinked as the glittering fragments hovered like suspended stars above their heads.

Diana, who had calmly raised her hand when the glass broke, lowered it slowly and turned to Ethan. "...Is this the ’show’ you mentioned?" she asked dryly, one brow arched.

Ethan stood with hands in his pockets, his eyes faintly glowing white. A lazy smile played on his lips. "Not yet. That was just the opening act."

From the edge of the crowd, Natasha Romanoff had already whisked Pepper away toward safety. She turned her head just once, caught Ethan’s glowing eyes, and gave a subtle nod. He returned it with one of his own.

"Go on, Diana," Ethan murmured, his voice low but steady, carrying across the panicked silence. "Have some fun. End the date with a bang."

Diana’s lips curved upward. "Gladly."

With a shimmer of golden light, her casual clothes dissolved, replaced by her iconic battle attire.

Her crimson corset gleamed beneath the stage lights, etched with golden eagle motifs across the chest. A blue battle skirt flowed at her waist, trimmed with stars stitched into leather. The golden lasso hung coiled at her hip, pulsing faintly with truth’s glow.

Her bracers reflected the spotlights as she flexed her fists, and upon her back rested her shield—polished silver and etched with Amazonian runes. In her right hand, a longsword shimmered with a razor edge, eager for battle.

The crowd gasped. Many murmured "Wonder Woman?!" while others whispered nervously that she must be a cosplayer.

Ethan stepped forward with hands casually in his pockets. The frozen glass above them shifted, glowing faintly pink before crumbling into drifting sakura petals that rained gently down upon the arena.

The citizens, instead of fleeing, stood mesmerized as he made his way towards the stage with calm steps. With each stride, his clothes shifted, transforming into a pristine black suit with a white undershirt and long coat. Black boots gleamed beneath him.

"Fear not, citizens," Ethan’s voice rang clear, calm yet commanding.

The Hammer Robots unleashed their fury—missiles streaked across the air, guns roared in deafening bursts, and drones dove toward the panicked crowd on screaming thrusters.

But Ethan, striding unhurriedly toward the stage, lifted one hand with almost lazy indifference.

In an instant, every machine froze. Thrusters sputtered uselessly, rockets hung suspended midair, and bullets clattered harmlessly to the ground as if stripped of momentum.

With a flick of his wrist, he dragged them upward, their limbs jerking violently, suspended like marionettes strung by invisible wires.

His fist closed. Metal shrieked as every machine shattered, fragments raining harmlessly to the ground.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Cameras—though no cameramen touched them—turned automatically to focus on him. The live broadcast surged across the world, all eyes fixed on the smiling man in black.

He turned back toward the stunned crowd, lips curling into a slow, confident grin. His voice rang out like a promise, "Because I’m here."

The roar of applause shook the building. Some voices rose in unison, chanting his name, "Aeon! Aeon!" Others shouted "Dr. Carter!" while many simply cried his name with raw devotion—"Ethan!"

Inside, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of satisfaction. The little imitation of All Might’s flair had been cheesy—he knew that—but it worked. The people believed. And that was all that mattered.

Backstage, Natasha shook her head with a smirk tugging her lips. "Show-off."

Pepper frowned, confused. "Wait... you know him personally?"

Natasha’s eyes sparkled with amusement. "Let’s just say we’re acquaintances... and that he has a talent for making an entrance."

But the battle wasn’t over.

Several robots took to the air, ignoring Ethan, targeting civilians. Before Ethan could move, a blur of motion sliced through the area.

Shrrkk!

In less than a heartbeat, the robots fell in halves, sparking and broken.

The blur slowed beside Ethan, revealing Diana standing tall, sword dripping with sparks of molten circuitry.

The speakers, caught in some glitch, blasted triumphant music at the perfect moment. The audience froze again, stunned.

"...She’s real," whispered a young boy, clutching his father’s sleeve. "Wonder Woman is real!"

His father sighed nervously. "Don’t be ridiculous, Jimmy. That’s just cosplay."

But the boy’s eyes shone with certainty. "She even has the Lasso of Truth!"

Back on stage, Ethan snapped his fingers. The remaining robots were crushed into metallic spheres before he gestured to the ground.

Roots burst from the earth. Enormous trees sprouted within seconds, weaving around the spheres and holding them like ornaments.

The crowd gasped again.

Diana raised a brow. "Trees, Ethan? Really?"

He winked and his voice laced with showman’s confidence. "Gotta leave them with something beautiful to remember the night by. Besides, our company’s signature is going green—and you know, what’s important for a hero."

Diana tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "And what’s that?"

Ethan’s grin widened as he swept his hands out with a flourish. "Presentation."

Diana rolled her eyes, but a small smile betrayed her amusement.

He then turned to the audience, raised two fingers in a playful salute. "Just in case I don’t see ya... good night, folks."

The crowd roared as he shot into the air, Diana flying at his side, sword gleaming in the moonlight.

------------

Backstage, technicians frantically pounded at their consoles, their brows beaded with sweat as robot after robot on the main floor flickered with red eyes and marched with mechanical precision, ignoring their intended programming.

Pepper Potts moving stiffly near the doorway, "This is a disaster," she muttered, "Hammer swore his tech was safe—now look at this chaos."

She was already marching toward Justin Hammer, her heels clicking like gunshots against the floor, when Natasha paused mid-step. A voice brushed across her mind, calm, teasing, and unmistakably Ethan’s. ’So... what did you think of my little performance?’

Natasha’s lips curved into the faintest smirk. ’Dramatic. Showy. You definitely enjoy an audience.’

’I’ll take that as a compliment. For you, I can try harder next time.’

Natasha’s voice brushed through his head like silk. ’Try less hard,’ she teased, ’I’ll give you my final review when you’re done saving the city.’

Ethan chuckled inwardly, ’Then I’ll make sure to give you a performance worth grading... with flying colors.’

Her lips quirked, though she never looked his way. ’We’ll see, Dr. Carter. Don’t trip on stage before the curtain call.’

By the time the two women reached Hammer, he was hunched over his tablet, barking at his tech team. The men beside him frantically tapped at their devices, but nothing responded.

"This isn’t possible—just reboot it! Why isn’t anyone rebooting anything?!" Hammer’s voice was cracking, sweat beading along his temple.

Pepper planted herself in front of him, arms folded. "Justin, your toys just tried to kill hundreds of people. Care to explain?"

"They weren’t supposed to—this wasn’t me!" Hammer snapped, his panic rising.

While Pepper pressed him, Natasha’s eyes flicked toward the screen monitors. Her mental voice edged with dry humor. ’Did you spend that time flirting with me, or actually taking down the problem?’

Ethan’s laugh rippled in her head. ’Can’t a man multitask? Relax. Diana and I will handle the machines. You just take care of Hammer.’

Her mouth twitched. "That’s an easy task," she murmured—not aloud, but to herself.

Hammer’s voice pitched with panic, one hand glued to his phone, the other gesturing wildly.

"Why aren’t they responding? Try again! Connect to the servers!" he barked, sweat staining the collar of his expensive suit.

Pepper cornered Justin Hammer, her voice sharp as steel. "This is your mess."

"Miss Potts—this is just a small—small malfunction. Nothing we can’t fix, I promise you." He laughed nervously before snapping his fingers at one of his engineers. "Right? We’ll fix this, no problem."

Pepper stepped closer, her sharp gaze cutting through him. "This isn’t a malfunction. This is a catastrophe. And it has your name written all over it."

Hammer threw up his hands. "No! No, don’t pin this on me! I didn’t—"

But his protests were drowned out as Natasha stepped forward with fluid precision. She didn’t waste time with threats or drawn-out warnings.

Her hand caught his arm, twisting it behind his back with one effortless move. With a swift pivot, she slammed him against the nearest table, his phone clattering to the ground. The technicians froze, staring in shock.

Hammer yelped, face contorted in pain. "Ahhh! Wait—wait—what the hell, lady! Do you know who I am?!"

Natasha leaned down, her voice a whisper of steel at his ear. "Do you know what happens to people who waste my time?" She pressed harder, enough to make him wince. "If you don’t want your arm useless for the rest of your life, you’ll start talking."

Pepper blinked, stunned by the casual brutality. The other engineers exchanged nervous glances, none daring to interfere.

"I-It was Vanko!" Hammer shouted. "Ivan Vanko!"

--------------

Explosions thundered as Iron Man fought against War Machine and the remaining robots. Ethan and Diana soared into the fray.

"Go," Ethan told her, eyes scanning the wreckage left by the robots’ explosions. "Handle the bots. I’ll... tidy things up."

Diana tilted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You’re stalling on purpose, aren’t you?"

Living and training with him had taught her more than enough—she knew exactly what he was capable of. If Ethan wanted, this fight would be over in an instant. But instead, he lingered, showing off just enough to give the public their picture-perfect hero.

She frowned. "Don’t you think we should finish this quickly?"

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy combat, but needless prolonging—especially on their date night—wasn’t her idea of fun.

Ethan caught her meaning immediately, his grin softening. "Relax. I’ll wrap this up fast and make sure no one gets hurt. Meanwhile, you get to enjoy yourself—and build your name while you’re at it."

Diana sighed, shaking her head in mock exasperation before muttering something under her breath.

She then leaned and kissed his cheek briefly before whispering, "Try to impress me, darling."

A deafening sonic boom followed as she propelled forward, faster and fiercer than before.

Ethan hovered in the air before muttering, "Oh, I’m getting revenge for all that teasing, Diana. Just you wait."

He halted midair, hovering high above the wreckage. His eyes glowed with a pale, radiant white as he extended his hands, releasing rippling waves of Cosmic Power that surged outward like a living tide.

Broken streets reknit themselves, glass stitched seamlessly back into windows, collapsed stalls rose upright as if time itself had reversed. The terrified murmurs of the crowd turned into gasps of awe as their city healed in mere seconds.

But among the twisted scrap of defeated robots, Ethan did not lift a finger. Their shattered bodies remained scattered across the ground.

Those he had plans for later.

Satisfied, Ethan let the last flickers of power fade from his hands and tilted his head. His senses stretched outward—he could feel Diana’s presence alongside two familiar signatures.

The corner of Ethan’s lips curled. "Time to rejoin the play."

With a thunderous sonic boom, he rocketed forward, the night sky tearing behind him until he descended gracefully over the park. He landed atop a jutting rock with effortless poise, coat fluttering behind him.

Below, the scene was nearly resolved. Dozens of broken robots lay scattered like discarded toys, their metallic limbs twitching faintly. Diana stood among them, sword still gleaming as her lasso coiled tightly around the struggling War Machine armor. Rhodey cursed under his breath, while Stark frantically worked his HUD, trying to wrest control back from Vanko’s override.

"Need a hand?" Ethan asked as he slowly rose from the rock.

Tony turned just as Ethan descended toward him, disbelief flashing across his face. "Ethan Carter...? So the rumors were true—you’ve got some serious juice in you after all."

Diana, watching their exchange, rolled her eyes. "Honestly. Are you two going to stand here trading lines, or are we actually finishing this fight?"

Before Tony could retort, Ethan raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A faint pulse of white energy spread like a ripple of water.

The War Machine suit went silent, the glow in its arc reactor fading instantly. Rhodey froze, blinking in disbelief inside.

Tony’s visor snapped toward Ethan. "What the hell did you just do?"

Before Ethan could reply, the War Machine suit hummed back to life. The helmet retracted, revealing Rhodey’s bewildered face. He exhaled heavily, muttering, "Whatever that was... thanks, man." Then he glanced at Tony, grinning weakly. "And Tony... you can take your toy back. I’ve had enough fun for one day."

Diana, smiling faintly, loosened the lasso with a flick of her wrist. Rhodey looked around but said nothing further.

Ethan approaching with unhurried calm. His eyes flicked toward Diana, lingering. "And you—" his smile softened, admiration plain, "—you handled yourself beautifully, as always."

Diana tilted her head at him, lips curving upward. "Flattery won’t earn you forgiveness, Ethan."

"Oh, but it might earn me something else," he teased back, though her amused shake of the head silenced him for now.

Tony cut in sharply, visor reflecting Ethan’s calm expression. "Alright, Doc. Enough theatrics. You shut down a Stark-designed suit with a snap of your fingers. And that immune-plus protocol? You brought me back from the edge. So tell me—how the hell do you know about my father’s secret research on new element?"

Ethan’s smirk widened. "Another time, Mr.Stark. Tonight’s not the stage for that story."

Before Tony could argue, a shadow fell over the park.

WHAM!

The ground trembled as a hulking armored suit landed nearby, its metallic frame radiating menace. The helmet hissed open, revealing the scarred, hate-filled face of Ivan Vanko.

"I’ll make sure you die by my hands, Stark," Vanko snarled, his accent thick with venom.

Rhodey immediately raised his arm cannon, his face tight with fury. "Not tonight, pal. I’ve got just the missile for your ass."

The shoulder compartment clicked open, revealing Hammer Industries’ "Ex-Wife" missile.

It fired with a hiss—

—only to fall pathetically against Vanko’s armor with a hollow plink, like a pebble tossed against steel.

Rhodey stared in disbelief. "...That’s embarrassing."

Tony groaned, palm against his helmet. "I told you Hammer tech was garbage."

Diana shifted forward, lowering her stance. Her shield angled, sword gleaming as she prepared to strike.

But Ethan merely slid his hand back into his pockets, his voice calm, almost amused. "Tell me, Vanko... is this thing yours?"

All eyes turned.

Resting casually in Ethan’s palm was a glowing arc reactor—the very core powering Vanko’s massive suit.

The Russian froze. His armor shuddered once before going completely still, power draining away like blood from a wound.

"You—" Vanko’s eyes widened with rage. "How... when—?!"

Tony and Rhodey both gaped. "Wait—what?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Ethan twirled the arc reactor once between his fingers with an unbothered expression, "I picked it up."

Diana exhaled slowly while lowering her shield. "Of course you did..." she murmured before shaking her head in half-amused disbelief.

But Vanko roared, spitting curses in Russian. His suit may have been dead, but the override he’d built into Hammer’s machines remained alive. Across the city, the chest-cores of every remaining robot flickered blood red.

"If I fall," Vanko bellowed, "then everything burns with me! They will all explode!"

"Son of a—" Tony blasted him instantly, sending Vanko sprawling, armor sparking. "Ethan, take him into custody! I’ve got to get Pepper away from the blast radius!"

Without hesitation, Stark launched skyward, streaking toward the expo where Pepper was still too close to the danger. Rhodey followed seconds later.

Ethan, however, had other plans.

He turned to Diana, taking her hand. "Come. I promised you fireworks, didn’t I?"

Before she could reply, he pulled her with him, rocketing high above the city.

Below, every robot lifted into the air like puppets strung on invisible wires. Their glowing cores pulsed violently—then dimmed, muted by Ethan’s power.

He compressed their explosive energy into dozens of tiny, glowing orbs, each held in shimmering containment spheres.

Each order drifted into the sky, glowing softly like a lantern released into the night.

Watching the gentle lights rise, Diana’s eyes widened as realization struck—she finally understood what he had done.

Her eyes widened. "You’re... turning them into—"

"—fireworks," Ethan finished with a grin. "And only for you."

The spheres shot outward into the sky.

BOOM!

Brilliant blossoms of light erupted across the heavens, bursting into dazzling colors. Red, gold, violet, and silver flames bloomed like flowers, each detonation choreographed into a masterpiece.

The city below, still trembling from chaos, now looked upward in awe as the battlefield transformed into a festival of light.

Wrapped safely in Ethan’s arms, Diana leaned closer, her breath warm against his neck. "It’s beautiful."

Ethan’s smile softened. "And for this little surprise... I expect a gift."

Her lips brushed his cheek, then lingered against his mouth. "Isn’t someone still supposed to be under punishment?" she teased.

Ethan raised a brow. "Maybe. But surely you can... make some adjustments?"

Diana’s laugh was low and melodic. "Maybe." She leaned in, kissing him again, deeper this time. Ethan wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close as they drifted upward, slowly turning in midair.

Above them, fireworks bloomed and died, their brilliance painting the outline of two entwined figures against the night sky.

Ethan and Diana forgot the world below. As the final burst of lights rained across the night sky, the world below cheered at the spectacle, never knowing that the greatest fireworks were born not of machines... but of a hero who wanted a reward.