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"You said no?"
Erik looked a little anxious. He knew exactly what could happen if the vampires got their hands on that much energy—and it was the last thing he or Dan wanted.
Stark smirked arrogantly.
"Of course I did. Nobody forces Tony Stark to hand over anything."
"You said no, and they didn't attack you?"
That made Stark puff up even more.
"After what happened at the Clauren Estate, I upgraded Stark Industries' defenses. Added a whole arsenal of anti-vampire weapons.
And those monsters? I analyzed the energy that red Kamen Rider released when he kicked those freaks to death. Then I built some high-yield bombs strong enough to vaporize them. If they'd tried anything funny, I would've blown them all to hell."
Dan felt like a thousand alpacas were stampeding through his brain. Yep. That was Tony Stark for you—only he could pull something like that off.
"So why are you here then?" Erik asked. "Looking for protection? Doesn't sound like you need it."
He had a point. From what Stark just said, he clearly didn't need help. And with an ego like his, asking for protection sounded way off-brand.
"You're right. I'm not here for protection. I'm here to propose a partnership."
"A what now?"
Erik and Dan exchanged looks again—had they heard him right?
"What's with the looks?" Stark said. "I'm asking to team up. That should be an honor. Most people would kill for a shot at working with me. The line for that goes from Stark Tower all the way to Siberia."
"…Heh."
Dan gave a cold chuckle at Stark's cockiness.
"What's with that smirk? It's kinda creepy," Stark said, scratching his chin.
"Anyway, I'll be honest—I might not need your help, but the people around me do."
That hit a nerve with Dan. He remembered—there was someone Stark really cared about. What was her nickname again? Oh right, "Pepper." But the events of Iron Man 1 hadn't happened yet. Their relationship shouldn't be that deep at this point.
Erik motioned for him to continue.
"Before I went to the Clauren Estate, those bastards had already gotten to someone close to me. It didn't end well.
I'm not afraid of retaliation. I'm Stark—I don't fear anyone. But I can't guarantee the people around me are safe.
So I've decided to fight back. Scare them off for good. Maybe even wipe these bloodsucking leeches off the planet entirely. Only thing is… when it comes to fighting these creatures, I'm a total rookie. So I need help from the experts."
Erik nodded slowly. Now it all made sense.
"So you came to me?"
Stark nodded.
"Yep. Honestly, I was gonna look for that red Rider first, but… for various reasons, I came to you instead."
Erik glanced at Dan, then spoke seriously.
"Listen, Mr. Stark. I admire your drive to protect humanity, but this isn't something an ordinary person should get involved with. Leave this to me. Just wait for the good news, alright?"
Stark waved a hand.
"No, no, don't kick me out yet. Let me finish."
He lifted his smartwatch.
"Hey, buddy—can I borrow your computer for a sec?"
Dan thought for a second, then stood up and gestured politely.
"Thanks."
Stark walked over to the computer, pausing for a moment—this thing was way more advanced than it looked. Just disguised with a basic shell.
He connected his watch to the system, and suddenly, the base's 3D projector flickered to life, showing scenes of Drive and Ixa hunting Fangires.
"Mr. Stark, spying on people is illegal, you know."
Erik shot him a glare.
Stark just shrugged like it was no big deal—I'm already here, what're you gonna do about it?
He quickly adjusted the projection and explained:
"Using Stark satellites, I noticed that you guys only show up after an attack's already happened. That's super inefficient. So I created a vampire detection system using my satellites. Now you can locate them fast and stop them before anything happens."
He brought up a map of New York with glowing dots marking each vampire location his satellites had detected.
Erik sat forward. Now this was impressive.
"Thanks, Mr. Stark. But how accurate is this system of yours?"
Stark answered with full confidence.
"One hundred percent. It's Stark-made. You can count on it. In fact, if you want, I can integrate this system directly into your base. That'll boost accuracy and range even more."
Erik considered it. He didn't see any reason for Stark to lie—at least not when it came to fighting vampires. They were clearly on the same side.
He looked at Stark and said sincerely:
"Thank you again, Mr. Stark. I hope this cooperation between us goes smoothly. But for now, I've got things to take care of."
Glancing at the projected map, he turned and walked toward the armory.
"Hey, take this."
Stark pulled a watch and an earpiece from his case and tossed them to Erik.
"This syncs with the detection system. It'll help you track the vampires' movements anytime. Stay in touch."
Erik nodded, geared up, gave Moon a quick look and a nod, then left.
As Erik disappeared, Stark flopped down onto the couch, pulled out a pack of dried blueberries, and started snacking.
While munching, he said, "Alright, kid, now we can finally have a good chat. Or should I say... Kamen Rider Drive?"
Moon's mouth twitched. Damn it, how'd my secret get blown again?
Seeing Moon's face, Stark grinned even wider.
"....."