The Valkyrie's displacement engines roared with tremendous power, the sound reverberating through the hull and out across the landscape below. The bass rumble vibrated through metal deck plating, creating a constant physical presence that passengers felt in their bones.
Ten automatic servo robots equipped with heavy logging guns remained stationary in the cabin's corner. Their turtle-shell bodies held perfectly still, conserved energy. Occasionally they waved their curled mechanical tentacles in small adjustments, checking systems or testing movement ranges. Otherwise they existed in a state approaching complete dormancy, patient and waiting.
Another squad of five servo robots occupied a different section of the cabin. They'd activated their flight engines upon boarding, the repulsors maintaining low-power hover just above the deck. Each drone conducted independent weapons checks, laser emitters cycling through diagnostic sequences with soft whines.
At that moment, Nolan emerged from the foundry workshop. He'd replaced the power armor's Arc reactor with a fresh unit, ensuring maximum operational time. The speed-type blue power armor hummed with ready power as he drove it forward through the base.
He moved slowly through the passage connecting different base sections, his mag-boots producing steady rhythmic impacts against the floor. Each step carried him closer to the waiting Valkyrie.
Tucked beneath one of his thick armored arms, he carried a blue metal helmet that had just been fabricated. The paint still carried that fresh-from-the-forge smell, chemicals not quite fully cured.
When Nolan, his expression carefully blank and controlled, settled safely onto one of the cabin seats, the armor's weight making the mounting groan slightly, David took immediate action.
The Man of Iron, positioned in Valkyrie's cockpit and responsible for piloting the massive aircraft, drove the machine upward with smooth precision. Engines cycled to full power, lift generators engaging.
The metal ceiling panels above the hangar bay opened rapidly in response to transmitted commands. The heavy plates separated with loud mechanical sounds, hydraulic valves turning and locking mechanisms disengaging. The noise echoed through the underground facility.
With displacement engines roaring violently, pushing output to maximum thrust, Valkyrie rose through the opening without hesitation. It climbed steadily, breaking through into open sky, then banked and flew toward the distant horizon.
Today, Valkyrie could operate openly over New York City airspace without requiring stealth systems or evasive routing. The change represented a significant shift in operational freedom.
All of this was entirely due to Imperial Heavy Industries' reconstruction plan for Staten Island, which had successfully completed resource integration and established legitimate presence. The company had transformed from shadowy operation to recognized corporate entity.
Additionally, Madame Gao and Imperial Heavy Industries' lobbying department had repeatedly spent substantial funds paving the way through official channels. Money flowed to the right people in the right amounts, creating corridors of access and willful blindness.
The financial investments had effectively blinded most official oversight departments to activities that might otherwise draw scrutiny.
Nolan could state the situation bluntly without exaggeration: if S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted to launch a comprehensive investigation into Imperial Heavy Industries' operations, Nick Fury would face immediate resistance from multiple fronts.
The White House and numerous Congressional members would push back hard against any such inquiry. Their objections would be loud, public, and politically motivated by the substantial campaign contributions flowing from Imperial coffers.
Additionally, the hundreds of thousands of Staten Island residents who were currently thriving and building new homes under Imperial's reconstruction program would provide a "warm welcome" to any federal agents attempting interference. Public opinion could be a powerful weapon when properly cultivated.
Even if Nolan's enhanced abilities were somehow exposed to public knowledge, the revelation wouldn't prove catastrophic. His organization had grown into a powerful force that could not be underestimated or easily threatened.
The balance of power had shifted substantially in his favor.
Dust and loose gravel scattered across the ground flew away instantly, propelled by the powerful downdraft created as Valkyrie descended for landing. The displacement engines' output created miniature windstorms that scoured the immediate area clean.
The transport settled onto the ground with a heavy metallic groan, landing struts absorbing the impact. Engines cycled down gradually, the roar diminishing to a steady rumble.
The cabin's metal door opened slowly, hydraulics hissing as the ramp extended and locked into position.
Nolan, now wearing the blue metal helmet that sealed his armor completely, drove the power armor down the ramp. He stepped onto Mexican soil for the first time, mag-boots crunching against debris-strewn ground.
The next moment, automatic servo robots and servo robots rushed from the cabin in coordinated deployment. They dispersed rapidly around Valkyrie's perimeter, establishing a defensive cordon. Servo robots positioned themselves at key angles while drones lifted into low hover, sensors active and scanning.
Nolan swept his gaze across the surrounding area, the helmet's eyepiece providing enhanced vision despite gathering darkness. Dilapidated buildings stood like broken teeth against the skyline, their walls crumbling and windows long since shattered. Desolation marked every surface.
He turned to regard David, who was emerging from the cockpit with measured steps.
"David, where have we arrived exactly?"
"My lord, this is an abandoned urban sector located on the edge of the large slum known as Chimahuacán." David's synthesized voice carried clearly despite ambient noise. "This area suffered a serious chemical leak years ago. Very few people maintain long-term presence here due to lingering contamination. Therefore, it provides excellent concealment for Valkyrie."
David shook its tall metal body slightly, servos adjusting posture as it descended the ramp.
Then it raised one metal arm, pointing in a specific direction with mechanical precision.
"Moreover, this location is not far from where Miss Jessica's mobile phone signal disappeared. However, I must warn you that the basic network infrastructure here proves extremely backward. My surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities may be significantly limited."
"It doesn't matter, David." Nolan's voice emerged calm through the helmet's vox-grille. "We'll handle this the old-fashioned way. Use our feet to measure distance and use our fists to ask for directions."
The words had barely finished when Nolan casually checked the Seiko bolter gripped in his palm, confirming the weapon's readiness. Then he began walking forward without looking back, his stride purposeful and unhurried.
David shook its metal head slightly, the gesture conveying something between resignation and approval.
It first transmitted orders to five automatic servo robots, assigning them to guard Valkyrie against potential interference or theft. The machines acknowledged silently, taking up positions around the transport.
Immediately afterward, David led the remaining servo robots and combat drones in pursuit of Nolan's advancing form. They fell into loose formation, maintaining tactical spacing.
The fiery red sunset had gradually descended toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Long shadows stretched across broken pavement and ruined structures.
The earth prepared to enter long night hours, darkness creeping in from the east like a living thing.
With heavy, powerful steps that produced rhythmic impacts, Nolan drove his blue-shelled power armor forward. He passed slowly through dilapidated buildings that had been abandoned for years, perhaps decades. Nature had begun reclaiming spaces humans no longer occupied, vegetation pushing through cracks in concrete.
As time passed and they penetrated deeper into populated areas, Nolan's enhanced vision through the helmet's eyepiece registered increasing quantities of domestic garbage accumulating nearby. Refuse piled against walls and filled corners, creating mountains of discarded packaging, broken furniture, and unidentifiable waste.
Smelly sewage flowed freely across the ground, following channels worn by repeated passage. The liquid gleamed with chemical iridescence under fading sunlight, carrying stenches that would have been overwhelming without his sealed helmet.
Suddenly, Nolan experienced a slight illusion that felt disturbingly familiar. For a moment, he could almost believe he was descending deep into an unknown hive city from the Warhammer universe.
The parallel struck him with uncomfortable clarity. Poverty concentrated in vertical layers, infrastructure failing, humanity packed into impossible density while struggling for survival.
Especially wearing his completely enclosed power armor, the experience felt eerily similar to simulations he'd run through the Warhammer reality. The automatic servo robots shuttling back and forth beside him, performing vigilance tasks with mechanical efficiency, intensified the sensation considerably.
"David, do you believe it?" Nolan spoke quietly through the communication device, his voice meant only for his companion. "I have a strong intuition that our Battle Sister may have disturbed something significantly larger than expected. This feels wrong."
"My lord, with all respect, the greatest threats here should be drug dealers and gang members." David's tone carried notes of puzzlement. "I cannot identify anything else that should cause you such concern. These are ordinary criminals, not enhanced threats."
David glanced left and right, blue light flashing in its eye sockets as sensors swept the environment continuously.
Then it raised one metal finger in a small gesture of command.
The servo robots flying at low altitude around their position immediately responded, adjusting flight paths. They climbed rapidly into the darkening night sky, becoming nearly invisible as they gained elevation.
The drones had completely transformed into David's extended eyes, providing comprehensive observation of the surrounding environment from aerial vantage points.
"My lord, we are approximately five hundred meters from entering the slum's actual populated boundaries." David, monitoring feeds from the aerial drones, suddenly addressed Nolan's blue armored back. "There are already numerous traces of human activity ahead. Do we need to adopt a low-profile approach?"
Nolan showed absolutely no sign of slowing or stopping when he heard the question. His stride remained constant, purpose unwavering.
He answered without turning his helmeted head. "No. We need to disturb the nest, make noise, create chaos. Let those restless elements in the slums come to us voluntarily. Otherwise, finding Jessica's trail in this urban labyrinth will prove exponentially more difficult."
The logic was sound, if aggressive. Better to force enemy action than conduct exhaustive searches.
David nodded slightly, its metal frame dipping in acknowledgment. It raised no objections to this tactical approach.
The Man of Iron simply commanded the servo robots to intensify reconnaissance of the increasingly complex environment nearby. Sensor sweeps expanded, data streams multiplied.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Shortly afterward, accompanied by the terrifying sound of heavy armored footsteps echoing between ruined structures, the situation changed.
Humans who were almost naked, their bodies showing signs of severe malnutrition, had been searching through garbage dumps for anything edible or valuable. They raised their heads in blank confusion at the approaching sounds, primitive survival instincts triggered by the unusual noise.
The next moment, comprehension dawned. Their cloudy eyes suddenly opened wide with shock and fear.
Entire bodies began trembling uncontrollably in the stinking garbage heaps where they crouched. Terror seized them completely, rational thought fleeing.
"Monster! Monster!" someone screamed, the word breaking into hysterical repetition.
At that moment, a blue mechanical figure approximately two and a half meters tall slowly emerged from dark shadows between ruined buildings. The armor caught fading sunlight, ceramite gleaming with alien quality.
Machines shaped like beetles or turtles, their mechanical tentacles waving through the air in constant motion, also passed rapidly by the blue mechanical figure. They moved with insectoid coordination that seemed profoundly wrong to human eyes.
Heavy weapons mounted on the servo robots' metal shells tracked and locked onto all nearby humans. Targeting lasers painted red dots on chests and heads, marking potential threats for immediate neutralization.
At that critical moment, Nolan finished scanning the immediate area through his helmet's advanced eyepiece. The enhanced vision systems provided complete tactical assessment in seconds.
He suddenly raised one armored palm, making a gentle waving gesture that carried clear meaning despite the lack of words.
The automatic servo robot squad responded instantly, weapons lowering. They disarmed their threatening postures, returning to standard alert status. The targeting lasers extinguished, red dots vanishing from terrorized civilians.
However, just as Nolan prepared to bypass these non-combatant civilians and continue penetrating deeper into the slum's heart, simultaneously hoping to attract drug dealers and gangsters with guilty consciences who would reveal themselves through aggressive response, something unexpected occurred.
A barefoot child stood atop one of the garbage heaps, balanced precariously on unstable refuse. The small human clutched a puppy in thin arms, holding the animal protectively against an emaciated chest.
The child suddenly raised a face covered in dirt and grime, features barely distinguishable beneath the accumulated filth.
Crystal-clear eyes, startlingly bright despite terrible living conditions, widened slightly. The child's voice emerged small and hesitant, trembling with hope rather than fear.
"Hello... are you Iron Man?"
The question hung in the air, innocent and desperate.
Then the child continued, words tumbling out faster as courage built. "Are you the Blue Angel who came to save us from our suffering?"