"Not approved?"
Nolan frowned.
"On what grounds?"
"There are no grounds," the project lead replied helplessly. "We've followed up several times. Every response is the same. It's still under review."
As he spoke, several other department heads stood up one after another.
"It's not just the K9 Domestic Robot project. Our virtual film initiative is still stuck in the process as well."
"The LingMirror project too."
In the blink of an eye, five or six people were on their feet.
Each of them had one or more newly launched civilian projects that had been trapped in approval limbo.
At that point, Nolan understood immediately.
These were all lifestyle-oriented subprojects. In Nolan's long-term vision, they were foundational components for building the Rock technological ecosystem. None of them posed any security risk. Their technical threshold was not high. Some were merely improved alternatives to products already on the market.
They should have been the easiest projects to approve.
And yet, every single one of them was stalled.
"What's going on here?" Nolan asked coldly. "If someone is violating the law, I'll make sure they understand that Rock Technologies' legal department is not decorative."
One of the project leads shook his head.
"That's not the issue. Everything is technically legal. Every approval process has a statutory time frame, and we've confirmed that each step is being handled exactly within the allowed limits."
He gave a bitter smile.
"It's compliant, but for us, something that should take three days now takes at least three months."
He hesitated, then added quietly, "And it's not just approvals. I've noticed we're being targeted in other areas as well."
Nolan's expression darkened further.
Three days stretched into three months. And if other processes were delayed as well, that meant half a year just to establish a single project.
Half a year.
In business, half a year was an eternity.
That kind of delay was enough to erase every competitive advantage he had.
Worse still, the intent behind it was obvious. Once partners and clients noticed what was happening, many of them would walk away rather than endure endless uncertainty.
This was a kill shot.
One that should never have existed.
Nolan closed his eyes.
Could General Ross really pull this off?
No. That didn't make sense.
A military general, no matter how powerful, could not extend his influence across the entire commercial and regulatory system. If he could, the President would have him arrested for treason the next day.
There was only one explanation.
This was not an individual decision.
Just thinking about it made Nolan feel cold.
This was a decision from the White House.
Rock Technologies had been blacklisted.
When Nolan opened his eyes again, his expression had returned to calm.
"Boss…" one of the leads said cautiously. "This situation is dangerous. You may need to pull some strings."
"I understand," Nolan replied.
The meeting ended.
Nolan remained alone in the conference room, his expression shifting subtly.
After a long while, Susan walked in.
"Nolan, what happened?"
She had been dealing with production line issues and had missed the meeting.
"Someone is trying to crush me," Nolan said softly.
Susan paused, then smiled.
"That's normal, isn't it? With how fast Rock Technologies is growing, every major tech company out there probably hates us."
She was not worried.
Back when she worked for Victor, Doom Group had risen the same way. No matter how many blockades were put in place, as long as the products were superior, those obstacles eventually broke.
And she had absolute faith in Rock Technologies' products.
But Nolan shook his head.
"This time, it's not competitors," he said. "It's the White House."
Susan's pupils shrank. Her body trembled slightly.
"But why? Everything we do is compliant."
She personally oversaw these matters. There should have been no mistakes.
Nolan walked to the window, looking out over the vast sprawl of New York.
"That's exactly why this is terrifying," he said quietly. "Every move they're making is legal. This is the first time I've truly felt powerless."
He seemed momentarily lost.
"I believed that as long as I followed the rules, no one could bend them to override my will. But reality says otherwise. One executive order is enough to push Rock Technologies into a corner."
Susan stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
There was nothing else she could do.
"There has to be a reason," she said after a long silence.
Shutting down a company of this scale, one that was marching toward global dominance, could not be that simple.
Nolan nodded slowly.
"The only explanation is fear," he said.
His handling of Abomination had been too direct. His refusal to cooperate with General Ross. The appearance of the Terminator combat units.
All of it pointed toward one thing.
The politicians in Washington were afraid that he possessed power capable of threatening them.
Maybe even more than that.
The phone rang.
Nolan glanced at the caller ID and answered.
"Nolan Rock. I'm offering ten million per unit for twenty Thor's Hammer armors."
"General Ross," Nolan replied calmly. "I'll admit, your reach exceeds my expectations."
"This isn't reach," Thaddeus Ross said coldly. "You violated the rules of the game. Agree, and cooperation can resume."
The threat was unmistakable.
Nolan's voice cooled.
"Is this your decision, or the White House's? General Ross, you're trying to bury Rock Technologies. You're forcing me into mutual destruction."
There was a brief silence.
Then the line went dead.
On the other end, Ross slammed the phone down.
"That bastard still dares threaten me."
This time, he was acting on behalf of the White House.
Nolan Rock's defiance was a direct insult.
"Fine," Ross sneered. "Let's keep going."
He was the one holding the advantage.
If Nolan refused the easy path, that was his own fault.
Back at Rock Technologies, Nolan stared at the disconnected phone and spoke without hesitation.
"Red Queen. Activate the Sovereign Protocol."
"Sovereign Protocol activated," the AI replied.
Susan looked confused.
"What is the Sovereign Protocol?"
"Its purpose is survival," Nolan said simply.
As the protocol went live, a Rock Technologies facility outside New York came to life.
No one knew that beneath the office complex lay an enormous underground structure.
There were no humans there.
Only machines.
Every robot halted simultaneously. When they rebooted, new directives flooded their systems.
The Red Queen's holographic form appeared above the chamber.
A massive virtual display unfolded before her, filled with advanced weapon systems. Some came from Nolan's original world. Others were technologies acquired and refined in this one.
At the very center was a colossal design that dominated the screen.
The Sovereign Project.
Nolan had begun preparing it the moment he confirmed the existence of the Fantastic Four.
To him, they were not the real threat.
From the beginning, his only true concern had been Galactus.
The Sovereign Project existed for that eventuality.
But now, it was being activated early.
The project required astronomical funding. Rock Technologies could not support it fully.
But Nolan did not need the whole thing.
Only specific subprojects were enough to handle the current situation.
Two months later.
Rock Technologies' situation grew increasingly grim.
Yet thanks to previously released products, the company remained unshakable.
Nolan had anticipated this.
With a technological lead of at least thirty years, no competitor could truly replace Rock Technologies. That gap alone guaranteed longevity.
In fact, Nolan believed that was precisely why the White House dared to act this way.
Their goal was never to destroy Rock Technologies outright.
That would benefit no one.
They wanted him to bow.
To become an extension of Washington.
Perhaps even to remove him entirely and swallow the company whole.
Meanwhile, the Avengers Initiative was gaining momentum.
Captain America was already active.
Nolan had once been curious when he heard this world's Captain America was female. Now, he had no time to care.
"Nolan," Susan said as she entered. "General Ross has arrived."
Nolan nodded and stood.
This time, Ross was not alone.
White House representatives accompanied him.
"Mr. Rock," one of them said, extending his hand.
Nolan glanced at it, then sat down.
At this point, courtesy was meaningless.
The representative withdrew his hand awkwardly, irritation flashing in his eyes.
Ross spoke sharply.
"Rock, have you forgotten basic manners?"
Nolan chuckled.
"Skip the nonsense. You're trying to crush Rock Technologies. Why show up now?"
The room fell quiet.
One heavyset man stepped forward, smiling warmly.
"Mr. Rock, we've heard about your difficulties. We're prepared to offer three billion dollars in assistance. In exchange, we want twenty two percent of Rock Technologies."
He was confident.
He had watched patiently as pressure mounted. Now the company was strained, nearly frozen by cash flow issues.
Three billion would ease the crisis.
Twenty two percent would give Nolan the illusion of control.
Military and White House pressure completed the trap.
"There's no reason to refuse," the man said smoothly. "This is a win win."
"You're very well informed," Nolan replied. "Our funding tightens, and you appear immediately."
He smiled faintly.
"But no. Rock Technologies is not for sale. I can offer a loan at thirty percent interest. If that doesn't work for you, this discussion ends here."
Silence crashed down.
"Do you really think you can hold on?" Ross demanded.
Nolan looked amused.
"I thought we were allies once. You've disappointed me, General. Now you have two options. Convince the White House to send troops against Rock Technologies. Or get out."
Ross exploded.
"You are confronting the White House!"
"Incorrect," Nolan replied calmly. "I'm not confronting all of it."
Two months.
Did they really think he had done nothing?
Then Nolan spoke again.
"General Ross, Rock Technologies has filed a lawsuit against you for abusing your authority. For coercing and hunting Bruce Banner."
"Freedom is sacred. You violated it."
"I will see you removed from office."
"Damn it!" Ross swore.
He wanted to say he didn't care.
But he did.
His enemies would feast on this.
Ross steadied himself.
"You'll regret this," he said coldly.
After they left, Nolan made a call.
"It's your turn," he said.