Chapter 17: Stark Expo's Climax: A Prank on the Avengers-to-be
The Stark Expo was no longer a symbol of hope and innovation; it was a warzone. The year was 2010, and Ivan Vanko, in a grotesque fusion of man and machine, had unleashed his army of Hammer Drones, taking control of Rhodey's War Machine suit and turning the gleaming exhibition into a theatre of destruction. Civilians screamed, running in chaotic waves, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone and burnt metal. Amidst the pandemonium, Tony Stark, battling both his palladium poisoning and a legion of rogue robots, struggled to regain control.
For Adam's now full team—Adam, Ghost, Punisher, Black Cat, and Natasha Romanoff—this was less a crisis to be averted and more a perfectly calibrated opportunity. Their objective was simple: maximize profit and acquire advanced tech from the ensuing chaos, all while navigating the thin line of "morally grey" actions. Saving the day heroically was entirely off the table; that was for the colorful, self-sacrificing types. This was about calculated exploitation.
"Quite the light show, isn't it?" Adam murmured, his voice laced with sardonic amusement as he watched the unfolding battle from a secure, System-augmented vantage point overlooking the Expo grounds. His Haki hummed, mapping the flow of the battle, identifying key drone schematics, and pinpointing moments of maximum chaotic efficiency. "Tony really knows how to put on a spectacle. Pity he's losing control of his opening act."
Natasha Romanoff, now fully integrated into the team, her movements sharper, her focus absolute, accessed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s comms network with chilling ease. Her years of undercover work and intimate knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protocols were invaluable. "Haywire drones, civilian casualties, Stark's suit is barely holding together, and Rhodey's been compromised," she reported, her voice a low, analytical hum. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is trying to contain the panic, but they're spread too thin. Fury's barking orders at anyone with a badge." Her intelligence provided critical intel, allowing the team to navigate the chaos with surgical precision. She was already identifying vulnerable data streams from the Hammer Drones, looking for opportunities to subtly disable them not out of heroism, but for a price.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: OPPORTUNITY DETECTED - HAMMER DRONE INTERCEPTION PROTOCOL.][COIN GENERATION POTENTIAL: HIGH. TARGET: DISABLE THREE (3) KEY HAMMER DRONES WITHOUT DISRUPTING OVERALL CHAOS. REWARD: 500 COINS PER DRONE.]
"Ghost, Black Cat, focus on drone core acquisition," Adam commanded. "Natasha, intel on where the most valuable prototypes are stored at the Expo. Frank, provide cover, keep the local law enforcement and any... unaffiliated heroes off our backs."
Ghost, a shimmer in the smoke-filled air, phased directly into the belly of a malfunctioning Hammer Drone, her cured molecular instability allowing her flawless infiltration. Her scientific mind, always seeking to understand and adapt, was buzzing with the possibilities of this new, chaotic technology. "Hammer's designs are crude, but the core processing units are surprisingly robust," she reported, a hint of scientific curiosity in her voice. "Siphoning data now. I can also reroute their internal diagnostics to cause a cascade failure in their navigation systems… for a suitable fee, of course." She wasn't destroying them for Tony's sake, but extracting valuable components and disabling them just enough to facilitate other profitable extractions for the team.
Black Cat, meanwhile, was a blur of silver hair and calculated agility. Her power to steal without touching was put to spectacular use, plucking high-value data chips from security terminals and even subtly detaching a prototype energy cell from a Stark Industries display, all while the explosions and laser fire raged around her. "This is better than any vault!" she purred, a thrill evident in her voice as she dodged falling debris with effortless grace. "So many shiny things, so little time!" Her enhanced agility and her unique power made her an unparalleled asset in this environment of sheer bedlam.
Frank Castle was a grim, silent force amidst the pandemonium. He moved through the screaming crowds, a phantom of controlled violence, not fighting for either side, but creating strategic diversions. A strategically placed smoke grenade here, a non-lethal (but painful) takedown of an overly zealous security guard there. His objective was clear: ensure the team's extraction routes remained open and that no heroic intervention impeded their profitable objectives. He saw the chaos as a tactical advantage, a cloak for their operations.
As Tony Stark, struggling to keep Rhodey from destroying half the city, shouted exasperated commands to JARVIS, Adam saw his opening for a true prank. He remotely accessed the communication frequencies of both Iron Man and War Machine, a feat only possible with System-enhanced hacking tools.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PRANK OPPORTUNITY DETECTED - TARGET: TONY STARK & JAMES RHODES.][REWARD: 100 COINS FOR HIGH-IMPACT, COMPROMISING AUDIO OVERRIDE. ADDITIONAL 50 COINS FOR VISUAL DISTORTION.]
"Alright, boys," Adam chuckled into his comm, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Let's give our armored heroes a little... motivational music."
Suddenly, amidst the deafening roar of explosions and the frantic blare of emergency sirens, a tinny, high-pitched rendition of a cheesy 80s pop song—Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up"—began blaring from Iron Man's external speakers. Tony Stark, mid-flight, blasting a drone, froze. "JARVIS! What in the name of...?! Turn that off!" he roared, his voice laced with comical frustration, echoing over their comms. But the song continued, a relentless, saccharine melody.
"And now for the pièce de résistance," Adam grinned, activating another System function. War Machine's targeting HUD, which Rhodey was desperately trying to use to lock onto Vanko's drones, suddenly glitched. Instead of enemy targets, a series of increasingly embarrassing childhood photos of Tony Stark—one of him in a tut, another with a bowl cut and braces, a third with a genuinely terrified expression on a miniature pony—flashed across his visor, accompanied by a high-pitched, childish giggle.
"TONY! What the hell is happening?!" Rhodey's voice, equally exasperated, cut through the comms. "My targeting system just showed me a picture of you in a diaper! I repeat, diaper!"
Tony, hearing Rhodey's furious exclamation, sputtered. "That's... that's classified! JARVIS, find the source! Now!"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PRANK SUCCESS! COIN GENERATION: 150 COINS.][ADAM'S CUT: 45 COINS. TEAM SHARE: 105 COINS.]
Black Cat burst into muffled laughter, almost dropping a valuable data drive. Even Frank Castle allowed a minuscule twitch of his lips. Natasha, usually so composed, had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent a smile. The internal amusement of the team, watching the Avengers-to-be flail amidst the chaos, was palpable.
As the battle raged, and Tony and Rhodey battled not just Vanko but their own hilariously compromised tech, Adam's team continued their quiet, profitable work. Data streams were siphoned, prototype components secured, and coins flowed steadily into the System's coffers. The Stark Expo was a disaster, a public humiliation for Tony Stark, but for Adam's morally grey team, it was a wildly successful day at the office. The chaos, once again, had served its purpose, and they had even managed to inject a little comedic gold into the serious business of global destruction.
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