Chapter 31: A Helping Hand

-------------------------5/31/10, Stark Expo------------------

After the glass falls, people are rushing out of the building. Those unaware of the situation are being instructed to leave by all the screens and projectors. While all that is happening, Damien spots three people running backstage. Justin, unknowingly followed by Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanov. Seeing that, Damien runs along the walls toward the backstage area.

On his way there, Damien uses his powers to follow Justin. Just in time to see him run to a technician sitting at a computer.

Justin: "What's going on? What's happening?"

Technician: "The Software's been overridden."

Justin: "What? What do you mean it's been overridden? What does that mean?"

Technician: "I think he slaved the drones."

Justin: "That's impossible. Call the Guards." Justin screams to his butler/personal assistant.

Jack: "All the phones are down sir."

Justin: "Well then call their….. Call their cells." Justin stammers and he freaks out to solve the problem.

Jack: "Their cell phones are not working either sir."

Technician: "He's locked us out of the mainframe."

Then Pepper and Natasha run up with Damien not that far behind.

Pepper: "Who's locked you out of the mainframe?"

Justin: "Please, Please, go away. Go away. I've got this handled." He says to pepper with his hand out to get her to pause for a moment.

Pepper: "Have you now?" Screams as she tries to figure out what caused the drones to go berserk.

Justin: "Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn't showed up, this wouldn't be happening.So, please, now go away. Thank you." He then turns back to the technician on the computer. Then whispers in his ear. "Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here. " Then Natasha comes up to him and grabs him by the shoulder and arm. "What?"

She then proceeds to put him in an Arm Bar. Then forces him face first into a table.

Natasha: "You tell me who's behind this. Who's behind this?"

Justin: " Ivan. Ivan Vanko." He barely stammers out because of the pain from the expertly placed arm bar.

Natasha: "Where is he?"

Justin: "He's at my Facility."

Just as she gets the answer she was looking for, Natasha leaves from back stage. As she is leaving, Pepper starts a phone call.

Pepper: "I need NYPD, Please."

Justin:" NO, NO, No!" He pleads as he is afraid of the repercussions of his actions.

Pepper: "Command Central."

Just as Justin is about to plead again, the image on the screen changes. The screen goes white and all you can see is the omnitrix symbol. Then it changes again, after everyone got a look, showing a compiled video of the major transactions between Justin and Ivan over the last week. Then a bunch of documents pop up showing the paper trail of everything Justin did to get Ivan out of jail as well as cover it up.

Damien looks at the info he sent over and proceeds to send the folder he made the other day with all of Justin Hammer's misdeeds to all major news stations around the country.

Damien: *Now my work here is done. Let me fix Rhodey's suit before things get too serious.*

Damien, while still camouflaged, runs outside the building just in time to see Tony save a kid. The kid in an Ironman mask and gloves was having a stare down with a drown as he raised a hand with glove glowing. Tony dropped down softly right behind the kid and blasted the drone with his repulsor.

Tony: "Nice work kid." He says as he takes of and the drones begin to catch up to him.

Damien then runs through the crowd and begins to lose his camouflage. He starts running from drone to drone disabling all the surface to air missile launchers with blades formed from his nanometalic gauntlets. Those he can't get to in time are temporarily disabled with his powers before he slashes the launchers off the drone. While doing this all the drones continue to chase Tony.

Tony finally gets the drones and Rhodey to follow him to the globe when he notices a little icon on the bottom left corner of his HUD screen.

Tony: "I'm Sorry Buddy. Had to thin out the herd. What's your 20?" A minie omnitrix symbol can be seen there and just as he clears the globe he hears a Robotic voice.

??: "You look like you could use some help. So I thought I'd lend you a hand."

Just as Tony was about to respond, Rhodey tackles him from behind and they crash into the Biodome. But as they fall Rhodey notices that his screen went white with a strange symbol in the center then he gained full control of the suit the moment he touched the ground.