"According to intel from below, Justin Hammer has already located Ivan Vanko and brought him back to New York."
Inside an undisclosed base, Sitwell glanced at Alexander Pierce, who appeared hesitant to speak. Sitwell allowed a small smile to form.
"What is it? Something on your mind?"
"Why didn't we just capture Ivan Vanko ourselves? Why inform Justin Hammer in secret instead?"
Now that Sitwell had asked, Pierce dropped his reserved demeanor and voiced his question.
**"It's not the right time. Fury is already starting to take notice of us. Right now, our priority is staying under the radar.
Besides, isn't it better to let Hammer do the dirty work—developing the armor for us—while we stay uninvolved? When the time comes, we'll reap the benefits without exposing ourselves."**
"But Hammer might not be able to 'house-train' Vanko."
Pierce understood Sitwell's angle, but his concern was real: if they handed Vanko over to Hammer, they might ultimately lose control of both.
"Pierce, I get it. I really do. But trust me—This isn't the time."
"Clark, see? Like this. When you throw a punch, watch for openings."
At that moment, Clark was being dragged into a freestyle fighting lesson by Tony Stark—because Clark had once admitted he felt his fighting style was too simplistic and lacked finesse.
Tony completely agreed. Having seen Clark in action, he knew this much: Clark's fighting was brutally straightforward—charge in, punch, slap, or kick.
With Clark's blinding speed, the style worked fine—perhaps even better. But still, it lacked nuance.
After all, that was the typical Kryptonian approach. Whether against the Zodiac or Steppenwolf, Superman always fought the same way.
Still, Clark suddenly remembered that one day, maybe years from now, a big purple guy might show up on Earth. And if that guy knew martial arts, Clark figured it wouldn't hurt for him to learn a few techniques.
After all, when Thanos fought Hulk in Infinity War, he combo-punched the green giant into trauma therapy. That alone proved how terrifying martial skill could be.
So Clark decided to learn some practical hand-to-hand combat. Ideally, Natasha Romanoff would've been the best teacher—but Clark didn't know where she was. He assumed she'd visited Stark Industries before, but despite frequent visits to Tony's place, he never saw her.
So, plan B: Tony. After all, with enough money, anyone could find a great teacher.
Surprisingly, when Tony heard Clark wanted to train, he decided to teach him personally. Although, Tony only covered basic attack motions—because no one was brave (or foolish) enough to actually spar with Clark. No one wanted to be hit by a speeding freight train.
So, while Tony sparred with Happy on the platform, Clark sat on the sidelines watching.
"Tony, if I try learning from you, I think you'll end up in the hospital."
Seeing Tony pull off a flashy combo on Happy, Clark couldn't help but tease him.
"Hey, buddy, to be honest—I don't think you need any of this. Hah!"
Tony smirked mid-sentence and landed a heavy punch on Happy, sending the man staggering backward like he'd been hit hard. Though his acting was a bit unconvincing.
Just as the two continued mock-sparring, Clark heard the familiar sound of high heels approaching.
"Cut it out! The notary's here. Come sign the papers."
Tony instantly recognized the voice—Pepper Potts.
"Hold up! I'm about to beat Happy!"
With that, Tony launched into another flurry of flashy moves.
"Hi, Clark, you're here too!"
Pepper greeted Clark with a smile upon entering.
"Yeah, Tony insisted on teaching me self-defense. Turns out I'm just the designated spectator. Pepper, Tony doesn't care about anything right now—you've got a ton on your plate."
Clark returned the smile. Since he visited Tony often, he and Pepper were familiar enough to talk casually.
"It's not too bad now. A lot of things were messy before because of my position, but now that Tony's handed over the CEO role to me, things are more manageable."
Poor Pepper still didn't realize Tony had his own motives for stepping down. She just assumed he was being lazy again.
"Then congratulations—huh?"
As Clark chatted with Pepper, he noticed a woman in professional attire walking in—and he happened to recognize her.
"She's from Legal. For something this official, we need a real witness. Besides—she's a looker. Want me to introduce you?"
Seeing Clark glance over at the new arrival, Pepper playfully offered a connection.
"Uh, better not." Clark scratched his head awkwardly. For some reason, it really did feel like he was struggling to find a partner lately.
"Come on, Clark—you've got to be bold!"
Pepper laughed, gave Clark a light pat, then walked over to greet the woman.
"Tony, I promise this is the only time I'll ask you to transfer the company to me."
"Just sign here." The woman opened her folder and handed the document to Pepper.
"Hi, Miss—what's your name?"
Tony walked up beside Clark, smiling, before turning to the legal rep.
"Natalie Rushman. Right, Mr. Clark?"
Yes, the woman was none other than Natasha Romanoff in disguise. After stating her alias, she shot Clark a sharp glance—almost like she was daring him to expose her.
"What's this? You know this gorgeous lady?" Tony raised an eyebrow at Clark.
"Haha, we've met once."Clark knew Natasha's mission and chose not to expose her.
If Natasha's cover were blown, Fury wouldn't get the intel he needed to evaluate Tony properly—and without that, he might never guide Tony to discover the new element. If that happened, Clark would have to awkwardly explain how he knew about the hidden blueprint in Tony's father's model.
After all, he couldn't just stand by and watch Tony die. Honestly, Tony had always treated Clark pretty well.
"…Oh. Got it."
Tony looked at Clark, then back at "Natalie," and gave a knowing nod. Their exchange of glances seemed to confirm a backstory Tony didn't fully understand—but he assumed something had happened. With that, he turned and walked over to Pepper.
As Tony walked off, Natasha leaned in and whispered:
"Thanks for not outing me."
"Weren't you on a mission? How'd you end up as a legal notary?"
Clark, seeing Natasha hadn't followed Tony, was happy to chat more.
But she just smiled mysteriously and didn't answer.
"Who is she?" Tony asked as he sat beside Pepper.
"Legal department. And if you keep staring at her like that, she might sue you for harassment. Plus, Clark might not like it."
Pepper didn't even look up as she replied—she was already neck-deep in her new CEO responsibilities.
"Clark cheering in anger? That's something I don't want to see. Also—boss lady, I might need a new assistant."
"Perfect. I have the ideal candidate. Just waiting for your interview."
"I don't have time for interviews. I've already interviewed her—in my mind. She's the one."
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