Chapter 9: Companions and ConflictSummary:We catch up with how Rhodey has been taking everything that has been changing in his friend, as well as a new meeting between Stark Industries and the military leaders. The we skip along months and months, as Tony and Kara continue to work and Daisy begins to deal with old enemies.
Notes:Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, DC, or any characters that come from other works.
I also want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, and RhinoMouse for the inspiration their world of "Retirement Ended Up Super" provided.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextJune 20th, 2008, MCU
Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Pentagon Secured Parking Garage
No matter how much Rhodey tried, he could not corner his best friend Tony Stark before the meeting at the Pentagon this Friday. Unlike the last meeting, where he was not given an invitation to join, at least this time he was. Before that first meeting but after the invitations went out, the brass had started to fear that Tony blamed Rhodey for the man's capture and they were about to lose their best connection with Stark Industries.
James Rhodes himself started to fear that a little bit, so he instead threw himself into teaching the next generation of fighter pilots; which was his secondary assignment whenever Stark Industries doesn't have use of him. For the first time since Tony's abduction, Rhodey got to just lose himself in the feeling of breaking the sound barrier and performing aerial maneuvers that would be impossible even in the typical F-22 thanks to the Stark Industries upgrades.
His favorite part of being a teacher is always showing the new trainees where they can strive to end up eventually, but he knows it's just an excuse for him to get behind the stick and let loose. The air force long ago determined that his relationship with Tony Stark was worth over 10 fighter pilots of his caliber, so they would avoid risking him to live combat as much as they can. It irked him a little, but he knew that one soldier can only change so much, while having every soldier having the best weapons could change a war.
Once the first meeting passed, he was assured by his superiors that he was NOT on the outs with Tony, but that the meeting covered areas of a personal nature to him so it would be best if he stayed on base for a while longer. The whole situation just left Rhodey confused, of course it was personal, but that was why they had assigned him to his personal best friend! But orders were orders, so Rhodey would follow those orders.
The press conference certainly cleared everything up, he would have killed Stane if he had known about this beforehand. Honestly it's a surprise that Tony went to the proper authorities rather than do something… well... Something a lot more like Tony.
He was at the public tech demo this time, and honestly it seems that Tony has finally found someone to play at his level in the young Dr. Danvers. Tony has always been undermotivated due to his genius, but that seems to be gone now. Still, with the betrayal of Stane fresh, Rhodey continued to give Tony space unless he was contacted otherwise.
Over the last week, he has been busier than busy. His superiors asked him to push his fighter jet to the absolute limits of his abilities, that even if he crashes his jet it will be worth it to truly know the top performance possible. He did just that, learning new things about the jet and himself in the process, and thankfully survived the bail out that ended up being necessary. While the generals in attendance looked impressed, their worry due to the monsters of Harlem was still plain for him to see.
Luckily, Tony Stark has a solution even to that problem.
And didn't warn him.
At all.
He's not bitter, not even a little bit. Who would think that?!
Okay, fine. Rhodey knows he has some things to work through, but he spent 3 months looking for his best friend only to then be iced out for a month and a half. But then that all changed when Tony came in with his new plans to apparently fight the next Hulk himself?! After Tony finished his presentation, he left them for an hour to allow the military to talk about their initial reactions to his plan and contract.
General Gabriel has become Tony's number 1 supporter among the leadership and pushed for them to give their initial approval before sending it to the President for the official sign off. General Hale, on the other hand, was his most outspoken critic, but when asked for specific reasons all she had to say was that she didn't like giving this much power to an already very powerful man outside of the military. Which isn't an uncommon concern. But if the scuttlebutt he had heard was correct, General Hale shouldn't have even been in this meeting, but someone higher up pulled the strings to make it happen.
In the end, the Generals were about 70% for and 30% against, so Tony was given the initial approval while the Generals agreed to send it up with a recommendation to the President to sign off the program, code named Iron Man. Rhodey was finally able to catch up to Tony and Pepper as they were making it to their car to talk alone with him.
"Hey buddy, long time no see. Sorry I haven't had time to meet with you, been dealing with a lot as you can see." Tony's smile is genuine, so that is a small comfort at least.
"'Hey buddy'? That's what you open with? I haven't seen you in over a month and now suddenly you're deciding that you're going to be joining the military?!"
"Did you read the deal I presented in there? It clearly said I was not joining, to allow me the ability to refuse orders."
"Ah yes. I'm sorry, I was a little bit distracted looking for the knife in my back. Between blind siding me and claiming I couldn't pilot a suit as well, I'm feeling on the outs here." Rhodey lets the hurt be clear in his voice, this should be his best friend.
Tony looks at him, and takes a moment to really take in Rhodey's body language and bearing right now, before turning back to Pepper and Happy. "Why don't you two get in the car to give us space? We need just a couple minutes alone."
A quick "Yes, Mr. Stark" comes from both of them before they are alone again.
Tony turns back to him with a sigh. "You're right. I have been side lining you, but that's for a good reason. And as for the piloting of a suit thing, I think that is scientifically accurate. I've run some initial tests and if you can't work it, then no one in the armed forces can. And those Generals in there know that."
"Am I going to get to be a part of these tests? Seems like you're building yourself a blind spot by not actually having me there." Rhodey retorts, with his anger slowly ebbing away.
"Oh! That was by design." At Rhodey's confused look he elaborates. "The President and top military advisors would never take any deal I presented in the first draft. I'm almost certain they are going to come back and say that I have to allow you to test my suit and if you pass, either you get your own suit or take over for me as pilot of mine. They think they'll have me cornered and that I'm too full of myself, but really they're playing right into my hands."
Now that. That really stops Rhodey. Since when was Tony this forward thinking? Since when was he this political? Since when did he play people instead of bulldozing over them? But one other thing. "I can't help but notice you didn't actually say what the good reason for keeping me out was yet."
"Ah that… Quick question, if your superiors ordered you to tell them my secrets or spy on me, would you?"
"Tony, that would be an illegal order without cause, as a government contractor you have protections."
"Let's ignore that part. Let's say it was somehow a legal order. Would you do it?"
The awkward silence from Rhodey is enough answer for the both of them.
"And that's fine. You have your morals, I have mine. I'm just making sure that our friendship doesn't make you choose." Tony opens the door to the car and begins getting in, before one last note. "After all, did what I present in there feel like just 1 week of work that began because of Harlem, or did it feel like I've been working on it since I've been back?"
Rhodey's eyes go wide, realizing that Tony is basically admitting to working on this project far longer than anyone even had a guess at.
"See ya Rhodey! We'll get lunch soon, but I've had to take your access to the mansion out. Just to be safe for both of us."
Rhodey thought the Tony he got back would be the extent of the changes, but somehow Tony has changed even more since he has been back than from his captivity.
July 5th, 2008, MCU
Harold 'Happy' Hogan, Stark Home Gym
Happy Hogan, at first, did not like Kara Danvers and Daisy Johnson. In his defense, he was told that an experimental weapon was used to knock him out as soon as he saw them and then sent on his way with an order to keep quiet about the whole thing under his employment NDA.
So he feels justified in the whole thing honestly.
But in the end, he kept quiet about everything, even if he tried to keep an eye on them whenever he was around. Doing that made it feel like the 12 year old was laughing at him though, which just increased his frustrations!
Before the press conference, he was pulled aside to be told the truth for him finally. The two of them are empowered adults that only look like kids, so they had to forge their identities. But they are forming a very close alliance with Stark Industries, so keeping their secrets is at the top of his list.
Oh, Happy can tell he is being given a lighter version of the truth, but he works for a man who does work closely with the military. He is used to being given a cover story he needs to act like is the truth. In the end, though, at least things make sense now. He was shot with a tested gun from empowered geniuses forced into hiding, not a brand new experimental one, so they weren't playing with his life.
So he'll act warmer with the two and less suspicious of them… at least less suspicious of Dr. Danvers. She is a ray of sunshine that needs to be protected. The 12 year old is a demon that looks like a little girl and nothing can convince him otherwise. All of that amounted to today, when Happy heard that Mr. Stark was upgrading from workouts to actual combat instruction following the break they took for the small one's birthday and for July 4th, Happy made sure to get himself invited. He didn't want the two to teach his boss any dirty boxing.
When Mr. Stark and he were walking into the gym, the two girls had finished warming up apparently as they finished a round of yoga or stretching or pilates or something. The now 13 year old demon turned to them, apparently the leader of the class.
"Kara and I have been up for our morning workout for a while, so why don't you two get stretched out like we showed you Tony, while we do our normal equaled spar. Then we'll do basic instructions for both of you, followed by some low level spars to make use of that knowledge." Basic instruction? He was a professional boxer, he is a few levels above basic. And what the hell is an 'equaled spar'?
He doesn't have too long to think about it as Mr. Stark starts leading him in a warmup and stretching routine that concentrates on the full body equally, rather than being more focused on the upper body like he was taught. Maybe they do more street boxing that has more footwork? As they continue stretching, his confusion at the actions of the two girls only increases.
Overhead, the lights suddenly shift to a deep red, before drawing back a few notches lighter than the reddest it got. A function that just leaves him confused, as this facility used to be his temple, and the lights were never able to do that before. Looking over he can see the two girls seeming to do a mid-air arm wrestling contest, as Daisy adjusts the hue of the red lights from her phone until the two girls are tied in their arm wrestling.
Does one of them get stronger or weaker from red lights? I guess that explains the 'equaled' part of the spar, but what kind of powers deal with lights with a red filter?
The answer to all of his questions, and the source of his anxiety only increasing, soon comes. The spar that commences is certainly nothing like any boxing match he has been in, quickly clueing him in to the fact that this is 'fight' training, not boxing. It seems like every other second a person is being flipped, or punched so hard they fly into the ropes, or are having their feet swept out from under them. The punches connect so well that he can see them occasionally taking a moment to spit out some blood.
The weirdest part of it that it almost looks like they are flirting with each other at the same time? He is a little bit too far to hear the words, but despite the brutality of the fight they never stop smiling at each other and every hold seems closer to hugging than a true attempt to choke the other out.
Apparently Happy has stopped stretching at some point because Mr. Stark elbows him to snap him out of it.
"Trust me, Happy, I know. I got distracted the first time too. They look brutal but heal fast enough that this is less than us getting bruised. I think this is how underaged empowered express their romantic interest or something. But we're next, so you better finish stretching out or you'll regret it. The tai chi is somehow bad enough that I am not looking forward to this fresh hell."
Happy can only feel himself gulp as the 13 year old demon gives them a bloody smile from the ring, seemingly having heard them from across the room.
August 12th, 2008, MCU
Agent Phil Coulson, Auerbach Theatrical Agency
Agent Phil Coulson was not having a good time on this assignment, especially since he had made next to no progress. Reading over the dossier on Stark had led everyone to assume that they had an understanding of what was needed in order to get things headed where they needed to. Orders from Fury meant Coulson was SUPPOSED to do what he needed to in order to get a meeting, where he would offer up proof of what Obadiah Stane had done in order to gain the full story about Stark's escape. While Stark is being tight lipped about everything, the forensics only make sense if Stark was somehow able to walk around bullet proof. Paired with the almost depleted power core of some sort, meant some empowered suit of armor capable of letting a civilian clear out a terrorist camp.
Yet, every single attempt was being completely routed, and not even by Tony Stark himself! Cameras set up to monitor his home had their lenses fried by an IR laser controlled automatically. In person requests to his PA were directed to legal, which SHIELD's current status meant their operational security took priority so any threat of legal or press meant he had to back off. The next attempt was to have the local SHIELD office he was staying at hack into Stark's home security AI in order to gain access, but he was told in no uncertain terms that they had nothing that could even scratch the security let alone override it. It's possible that some of the items that come from immigrants to Earth that Fury keeps could do the job, but they aren't that desperate yet.
The nail in the coffin was the meeting at the Pentagon that Stark Industries insisted was invite-only. No matter how much they tried, they could not add in their own people as Ms. Potts was being unmovable on the matter. Either the list was met, or no meeting would happen, and with Stark's planned exit of the arms business people were getting desperate for any sign that he may back pedal. From there, hours AFTER the meeting, SHIELD learned that Stark was introducing products that were STILL causing even their science divisions to have no idea how he did it, and finally that Stark already knew and possessed proof of Mr. Stane's crimes. Even more crimes than what SHIELD knew of actually.
And Coulson honestly felt like Stark was nearly laughing at his next attempt at the tech demo to get a debrief together. If Agent Carter didn't assure them that Stark knew nothing of SHIELD with all but 100% certainty, he would assume that was the reason for everything so far.
They were apparently not only completely blind to what Stark was doing, but couldn't even offer him anything to get his confidence. Lucky for Coulson, he was on the west coast when the east coast disaster in Harlem happened. Whoever was in charge of deleting all of the video evidence of what had happened, is probably getting demoted down a couple levels.
At least he thought he got off lucky, then Stark came in like a knight in shining armor to give the government what they thought was exactly what they needed. The agreement that the President has since signed off reads like the Avengers Initiative but without the ability to actually order Stark when needed. Along with other roadblocks to actually having SHIELD be able to properly handle him.
Not even getting to stay at one of the most crucial classic SHIELD bases can lift his mood at this point, as he sees a call coming in from Fury, he knows he is going to have to go for a drive in Lola to deal with the headache.
"What can I do for you, sir?" And he does mean it, he needs either direction, more resources, or less operational constraints to actually make this mission work.
"I would love a lot more, but for now I think I'll settle on ANY progress from you. SHIELD is being blamed by a lot of people for the leaks still, even though the leaks came from everyone but us."
"I have yet to get eyes on Daisy Johnson, but Kara Danvers has been spotted from multiple angles in a variety of public appearances. She definitely appears to be 18 years old by all accounts, so I retract the possibility it was one of the teens from my diner. The good news is, I've been able to get some information off of Lt. Colonel Rhodes' phone alluding to Stark having started on his suit as soon as he got back from overseas. Seems you were right about the truth behind his escape."
"Well I'm just as disappointed your hunch didn't pan out. While both of the House El ladies passed the background check, something keeps drawing me back to it that I can't find a reason for. Them being rogue Skrulls would have actually answered a lot of questions."
"Of course, Sir. Do you have any reclassifications for me, or a reassignment?" He won't beg. But he'll come close.
"It's your lucky day, just not too lucky. No reassignment, but now you are being given the new parameters of being in a pure surveillance role. Keep an eye on Stark and his movements, see if you can get more information on those two ladies, but give up on getting a debrief for now. Agents in the Middle East are working the Ten Rings to keep them away from civilians, and turning them on both inner conflict as well as conquering other militant groups. We'll give Stark enough time to finish his suit and then see how he reacts to his captors making moves."
"Understood, Sir." He is a little bit uncomfortable with the plan, but they need to understand what Stark is capable of, and his agreement means he doesn't have to disclose that information unless the Lt. Colonel passes the flight test to get his own version of the suit. "Anything else?"
"That's all. Don't sweat the loss Coulson, we just got out played this time. It happens. We just need to be sure it doesn't happen again."
With that the conversation ends, and while Coulson is not the type to jump for joy at the change he is the type to go on a celebratory drive instead of a consoling drive. Here he comes, Lola.
September 1st, 2008, MCU
WHiH World News
Good evening everyone, and welcome to the nightly news here at WHiH World News. To start our updates, we have the news coming out of both Stark Industries as well as House El Revolutionary Origins. Months ago the world was shocked by the inventions that came out of the tech demo following the legendary 'Treason Conference'. In the end though, the stock prices and earnings forecasts did not rise enough for what the technology claimed it could do, because in the end most 'Tech Experts' were loudly preaching that the claims made were impossible. In the end, most people were incredibly excited for the future of SI, but were held back by the uncertainty and changes.
Well, now Tony Stark and Kara Danvers must be laughing in everyone's faces, because the Stark Phone and Pad released today, with the review embargo lifting last night. Reviewers and consumers alike are raving at them, as they blow every other competitor out of the water in every measurable way as well as having some incredibly updated user interfaces. Stark Industries has also announced the largest single military contract in US history finalizing last week, in the wake of the production line changes finishing, proving everyone wrong that the tech would not work. The US military believes in Stark enough that they have bought $83 Billion worth of their new inventions, and that is only the initial order to see if everything pans out how they want it to when implemented. Finally, the FDA has announced that they have given the dendrotoxin rounds their highest priority, and that all initial tests have gone well, in hopes non-lethal ammunition will soon make it into the hands of domestic law enforcement as soon as safely possible.
While the exact terms of the deal between SI and House El are still unknown, it is obvious that House El has been set up incredibly well going forward, and most shockingly, that the company will stay independent rather than being absorbed by Stark Industries as predicted. Specifically, Dr. Danvers has bought the land from a few struggling business buildings in downtown Los Angeles, and is reportedly now shopping around for an architect to build her company's HQ building. Quiet inquiries have also started going out for recruitment for the upcoming labs in the building, but it is purposefully going slowly as it will be years before construction is completed.
Finally, to finish off our business updates, we have international news about an American CEO. The CEO of Quinn Worldwide, Ian Quinn, was the target of another data leak by the mysterious group S.P.E.A.R., revealing that while he gives off the appearance of being a benevolent philanthropist who runs his company with ethics. Instead, he is a ruthless man who runs slave mines around the world unaffiliated with his company, while even his official mines shun regulations and cover up their high fatality rates. In the wake of the leak, it appears that S.P.E.A.R., or some other unknown group, has seized all of his digital assets, leaving him bereft of resources while stranded in Malta. A high speed car chase with local authorities soon broke out when the arrest warrant for Ian Quinn came through. Only to end fatally when a rockslide came onto the highway resulting in the death of the disgraced CEO, but luckily the pursuing authorities were able to avoid any collisions.
Now we turn to lighter news, as we explore-
"...Why are you all looking at me like that?... Fine, it was me. But Kara was becoming a billionaire, so I needed to as well!... Okay it definitely had more to do with him shooting me in the stomach, and his Gravitonium having led to the Destroyer of Worlds... Who wouldn't hold a grudge for that?! He was always going to be first."
October 7th, 2008, MCU
Tony Stark, Stark Malibu Home
The months they had, had flown by. While tests, and training, and rebuilds, and advances had happened, and they got further than he ever thought they could. In the end though, they knew it was always a race against the clock. Even if they ended up learning that Shield was actually helping them, if only to test Iron Man. So on that fateful day, as Tony and Kara were working to increase the efficiency of the repulsors in order to make up for the lack of Badassium, Daisy came down to join them in the workshop with the grave news.
"The various Ten Rings captains have finished their forceful recruitment drive of the other groups in the area as everyone is running out of money and resources. Both the bad and good news is that there is no clear winner so they are about to come to blows to decide who rules the area. The news that is only bad, is that they are all heading towards the central dip in the valley where the town of Gulmira is. The topography of the areas that the factions are picking to travel through seem to be specifically chosen for the inability of the Air Force to launch any proper strikes against them without causing ecological disasters in the area. So, if left alone, in a week's time thousands of terrorists will converge on the town. They will fight until a winner is crowned, who will then use the civilians from Gulmira as human shields to allow them to flee the area."
The words are like a death knell to them in the workshop. They hoped to have a few weeks more but two groups that looked like they could combine, instead split apart keeping this unbreakable balance. But they live in the real world, so they don't get what they always hope for.
"So, I could go over there and have it handled before anyone even realizes what has happened. Or, Tony Stark, if you can be ready in the next week then this could be the opening act of Iron Man, to protect the town and your friend's grave. So, what's your decision?"
This would be much larger than the debut of the original Iron Man, and much bloodier as well. Daisy is very careful to keep any judgment out of her tone. So the choice is truly his to make, but what is the right one? Tony thought he was sure, but now that he is looking down the barrel of the decision, he feels the reality of the situation come bearing down on his shoulders. He looks into Daisy's painfully young face, sporting a serious but comforting expression, and he decides.
Notes:Author's Endnote: I had a lot of fun with this chapter! Time jumping to go through all of the various viewpoints that we have yet to hear from, and a reminder that while even in the midst of a movie Daisy still has her own mission to work on. Ian Quinn is nice and currently unaffiliated, so makes a good target to go after now before she is ready to take on Hydra. Also helps Daisy gain credibility for her group, and resources that she can use to fund it without implicating Kara or Tony.
I had originally planned for another scene where the four of the Stark household have one of their board game nights forced on them by Kara, but other sections ran long. But soon we shall get into the Battle of Gulmira! The timeline I have says October 16th is when Tony learns at the charity event, but the Ten Rings were already at Gulmira by then, hence why we are a little bit before then.
Realized far too late that Daisy's birthday was in there, July 2nd, so it's a small note. I'll say that Daisy and Kara kept it small, as everyone is so busy with all of the work they're doing. Don't worry though, Christmas will be a bigger note and actually get a section! Meanwhile, I'm going with a March 10th birthday for Kara let me know if I'm reading any wiki's wrong.
Chapter 10: Broadcasts and BattlesSummary:The Battle of Gulmira has arrived, at a much larger and more public scale than before. Iron Man faces a much different debut than the original timeline.
Notes:Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, DC, or any characters that come from other works.
I also want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, and RhinoMouse for the inspiration their world of "Retirement Ended Up Super" provided.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextOctober 14th, 2008, MCU
Christine Everhart, Stark Headquarters
Christine Everhart was having a fantastic day, and yet she had no idea what the hell was going on or why. She had been talking with her boss over the mysterious SHIELD organization, which seemed like the boogeyman in the way it scared off any source that seemed to know more, when it happened. A contingent of military police officers had come into the bullpen, immediately setting everyone on edge.
Did someone come across classified documents?
Yet, despite all of their fears, it turns out that the officers were actually here to extend an offer. A secure press briefing was going to happen at SI HQ in just a couple hours, but it was completely different from other Stark announcements as this would be in complement with the military. Photo and video is allowed, but everything must be on a two hour delay once the brief starts, alongside no announcement of the press conference even existing beforehand. Invite-only chosen by Stark Industries, and Christine herself was Vanity Fair's invited correspondent. Finally, they needed to respect and use the chosen 'Code Name' for the project in all initial reporting.
That last note certainly sounded like a rule Tony Stark would push for.
Her boss looked like he swallowed a lemon that she was being proven again that she had made the right call sleeping with Stark all those months ago. So now, late into the evening, she was walking into the conference room with her camera crew behind her, only to freeze up at what she saw. There were about 8 news stations already in the process of setting up, with a space for a total of around 15 or so. That was in line with what she had been told, but what surprised her was everything else about the room.
The large windows were completely blocked off by curtains, with tv monitors lining the back wall, stopping anyone seeing in from outside the building. The podium and stage were taken down and most of the chairs that the press would sit in taken away. The spots for the press were instead on the outside of the room, looking into the center. In that area of the room was an array of workstations, with power cords and monitors everywhere.
At each station was a soldier from a variety of deployments; Air Force, Army, Military Police, Navy, and more, even going so far as to have a couple stations with people wearing jackets with a CIA label (although their faces were very particularly covered from any of the media's angles, and the ball caps helped to hide even the smaller details).
Finally, where the stage and podium once stood, there is now a formation of high ranking US Military Generals watching over the scene being set up around them, alongside some technological platform of some sort on the ground and centered. If she had to describe it, she would say that it looked like a sci-fi teleportation platform for people…? She really didn't have a guess for what it was.
Moving into the room, Christine spotted the placard for her and her team to set up and got to work. After doing what she could to get ready, she left the rest of the work to the camera crew and tried to get any information about what this was about. Her first target: the station right next to her which happened to have Amira Ahmed from FBX News, whom she has a professional relationship with.
"Was everyone taken straight here from their work, or was it just me? Because I have no idea what this is about." Christine opened with.
Amira, who seemed to have been completely set up and ready for a while, looked over at her and returned a smile to meet her. "I believe just about everyone here has the same story, except for me honestly. My crew and I were about to travel to Afghanistan a couple days ago to report on the coming conflict, when we were approached."
"Does that mean you've been given more details about this?" Christine asked in surprise.
"Not specifically said so, but I have an idea. The group I was going to cover is the Ten Rings, the group that held Mr. Stark captive, so when I was approached I originally said no. Then they told me that the very story I was going to cover would be better addressed here, but we had to be voluntarily sequestered until the press conference."
Christine was easily able to follow the train of thought to its conclusion. "So that means whatever this is, it is about the Ten Rings. I'm guessing that Stark has a grudge as well. So what do you think, a new weapon to be deployed against the group that held him?"
"That's what I thought at first too, but it feels wrong. Why would Stark Industries suddenly go back on the work and goodwill they have done with their non-lethal angle? If SI starts selling big weapons to the military again, it would ruin their credibility. But more than that, watch all the people at the workstations for a minute. What are they NOT doing?"
Christine turned to the, for lack of a better word, war room in the center and watched for a minute. Everything seemed normal, soldiers had finished setting up and were ready at their stations for the most part. Those moving would occasionally write something and-
"Wait. Why aren't any of them speaking a word? Some of them are writing down questions to ask their neighbor even?" Christine hadn't noticed before as the clamor of the news crews covered for the lack of talking.
"I don't know, and that's the point." Amira continued at her questioning look. "Whatever this is, secrecy is so important that they are taking NO risks to let it leak beforehand. All we can do is sit back, and wait for the news to come to us."
Luckily they didn't have to wait long. Within the next 30 minutes her crew, and everyone else, was set up and waiting. Suddenly all of the screens at the stations came to life, throwing a glow on the faces of the soldiers and agents, although the content of the computers was not in view of their cameras. Meanwhile the tv monitors in the back started displaying the Stark Industries logo.
From the door in the back of the room, walking in perfect military form came Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, known best friend of Tony Stark. As he got towards the front of the room, he snapped a salute to the array of Generals before him who saluted back. He then approached the last empty workstation nearest his position, before turning to the reporters.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the press, and of the world once this is released. My name is Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes of the United States Air Force, and liaison with Stark Industries. Over the past few months, the world has been rocked by fear and uncertainty from the fight between The Abomination and The Hulk that took place in Harlem. The military was unable to help, and it is only thanks to Dr. Bruce Banner gaining control for the first time that it wasn't a disaster of imaginable scale. The citizens of this great nation felt we had no response for the next time something like this happened, or they feared what the government would do to have an answer in the wake of the Super Soldier Serum Experiments leaks. Well I am happy to say that today, Tony Stark has an answer to that question."
Well that is disappointing that it is a new bomb or missile or something. And I thought he had changed.
"Right now, the terrorist group known as the Ten Rings has suffered a leadership struggle in Afghanistan. Right now 8 different captains, commanding a total of 4,219 armed militants, using 62 civilian hostages to prevent US air strikes, are converging on the civilian town, Gulmira, in order to fight for leadership."
That's… very specific numbers about the group. Maybe it is new spy devices that let them get this intel, so technically not a weapon?
"In just a moment, I will turn this briefing over to Dr. Tony Stark, where he will give an introduction to his newest project. Afterwards, I will be running command of the mission against the Ten Rings. I ask that reporters either stay silent, or speak quietly while giving your commentary to your cameras. This will be a live military operation, and you must act accordingly or be escorted out. Are there any procedural, not informational, questions?… No? Then let's get started Tony."
…What? This is an actual war room and not just something that is going to show off war games, or even view the actual war room? What the fuck has Stark made in order to justify this?!?
Despite expectation, Tony Stark does not walk in the same door that Lt. Colonel Rhodes walked in, after the man takes his seat. Instead the mechanical platform seems to power up for a few seconds, before light begins to shine up like a beacon out of it. Soon the beacon begins to shrink, and from within the holographic image of Tony Stark emerges.
Almost all of his public appearances, including weapons demonstrations, he is in full 3 piece suit… But this form fitting athletic outfit certainly reminds me why I slept with him besides the chance for a scoop.
All of the press are snapping pictures, or quietly speaking into their microphones to add their commentary. It has been known that Stark uses some holographic projectors in his personal workshops, but they are far too expensive and need full room dedication to make them work, which is impractical to anyone else except the eccentric billionaire. So for many, this is the first time seeing holograms and the detail is amazing, even if everything is colored in a cyan light with white detailing.
"Good morning everyone. Sorry I could not be there in person, but I thought this the best way to be sure you didn't have to be held for any longer than needed. Although I am certainly stretching the goodwill of the military with this exercise." While Stark turns to grin at the generals behind him, as if the hologram has eyesight into the room, plenty of generals give him a look that says they believe he has gone even further than should be allowed.
Ignoring any grumbles or whispered curses from the generals, Stark continues. "Even since my capture, I have been thinking more and more about the future, and the world that we will leave behind when there is only our descendants and our legacies left of us. The world is starting to change even beyond what I have shifted Stark Industries to match, so we must continue to change with it. The Abomination showed us that the world is quickly becoming a weirder place, as science begins to push the limits of what was thought possible. While the Hulk has shown us that just because someone becomes capable of more than what humanity can naturally, doesn't mean that they should be feared or hunted. I would name Dr. Bruce Banner a hero, not a monster."
Now that is an interesting take. The reactions to the Hulk have been almost bipolar, hot one moment and cold the next. He is a rising star one day, and a lurking threat the next. Outright calling him a hero, rather than just being thankful, is a much stronger and riskier stance to take.
"So I looked at that, and thought what if I could be a hero too? I can't be the Hulk, the hunt for a new Super Soldier Serum is a fool's errand. So I looked at what I can do with my abilities, gifts, and resources. From there, I found an answer. Because if there is one thing I can do better than any human in the world, it is that I can create and work with technology like no one else alive."
Christine can only think that this entire event has gone off the rails. Tony Stark's ego has gotten so big that he thinks he can do something about threats like the Abomination himself? Why is no one stepping in to stop this mental breakdown?
Quickly her words are forgotten as the hologram begins to come to life as robot arms, obviously from 'offscreen' from the holographic camera, begin to form the pieces of a metal suit of armor around Tony Stark as he finishes his speech.
"So I built a suit of armor, not just for me, not just for if someone else tries to capture or kill me again. But a suit of armor for the world, to help guard them from the things that go bump in the night. I can't promise to be perfect, but I can promise to do my best to be a true hero. And above all else, I promise that I am Iron Man."
With his last line the suit finishes forming around him, as a recording of Black Sabbath plays the associated song. The armor is sleek, it is robust, and most of all it looks very dangerous. The screens along the back wall show a colored version compared to the hologram, showing off the suit's red, gold, and silver design.
"What. The. Fuck." Christine completely agrees with Amira, even if she doesn't vocalize it the same way.
Quickly, the hologram of Tony- of Iron Man, launches straight up, because apparently the thing has rockets in its feet or something?!?
Lt. Colonel quickly reminds the now loud reporters about the purpose of this room, by quickly speaking into the microphone at his station, bringing order back to the room.
"Iron Man, this is Overwatch, and you are green lit for mission Iron Defense. Primary objective is to defend all civilians being held by the Ten rings and in the town. Secondary objective is to take out all of the rising captains leading the groups together. Tertiary and final objective is to take out as many enemy combatants until the rest are forced to surrender, and hold them until Black Hawks can come in to take control of the scene once you have it secured."
"What the fuck?" Okay, so Christine does end up joining Amira in expressing their bafflement out loud. Who could have seen this coming?
Moments Later
Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Stark Headquarters
Rhodey has known this moment was coming for nearly a full week now, and yet he still hates every minute of it. Tony is essentially gambling all of his credibility and goodwill with this one move. The Generals wanted his debut quiet, the contract said Tony is allowed the choice to reveal his identity or not. The Generals wanted to run extensive tests beforehand, the contract said Tony didn't have to give his full capabilities so they were only shown enough to give confidence in this mission. The Generals wanted Rhodey to either have his own suit or take command of the Iron Man suit itself.
Rhodey failed every test for both the 'Mark II' suit only capable of flight, as well as the 'Mark III' suit being used today (although Tony grumbled that he wanted to name it Mark VII for some reason, but was overruled?). The information on the screen flew by far too quickly for him to make any use of it, and when it was slowed down, he was unable to react to anything that required more reflexes than just hovering a few feet off the ground.
While Rhodey was icing his bruised tailbone and pride from those crashes, he really wanted to punch his best friend in the face for the smug look. Even if Tony turned out to be correct about everything with the suit.
After giving the bare minimum to the Brass to assure that only Iron Man could handle this mission, and a wager of a 75% discount on the military's next order of similar size to their previous for weapons if it fails, the military quickly got to work setting everything up for Tony's gamble. Tony meanwhile, secretly flew to the base in Afghanistan, to be set up in the FOB only a 15 minute flight away from Gulmira.
Or at least a 15 minute flight for something capable of flying AT LEAST Mach 4, not that Tony actually revealed his top speed.
All too soon, Iron Man was approaching the forces surrounding the town of Gulmira. The Ten Rings had blown all of their stored resources and money in the area for this power struggle. While great for the long term, in the short term it meant that every piece of Stark weapons, from guns to tanks that Obadiah Stane had sold them, was in the area.
His best friend, who was not a trained soldier, was about to give his opening moves in a large-scale battle. Meanwhile Rhodey had to remain objective, as he was serving as Overwatch for this mission. They had UAVs high in the sky to observe, but they would very quickly be rendered next to useless based on the initial plan Tony provided.
With a faster banking speed than any known craft, somehow not causing Tony to lose consciousness despite the G-forces he should be under, Iron Man flew high over the centers of the 8 distinct forces, still going at Mach 2.5. This wasn't a scouting run, as the area had already been scouted by some secret system of Tony's, instead this WAS Iron Man's opening move. From the back of the suit of armor was a mechanized backpack that carried enough munitions to shift the whole battlefield on its head.
Apparently the supply backpack was not something Iron Man would normally have, as it greatly affects his agility by covering the back boosters, but for a large battle he could have it for his initial approach before using everything and shedding it, thus freeing those boosters for the battle. And that's exactly what Iron Man did.
On Iron Man's first circuit around the approaching forces, the backpack emptied. Live fragmentation bombs were dropped on the command structure of the various factions, Thungergrenades were dropped in and around the areas holding the hostages to non-lethally incapacitate them to hopefully keep them safely lying on the ground for the duration of the fight, and finally smoke bombs encompassed the whole area in a thick cloud and when coupled with Iron Man's jamming capabilities left the Ten Rings unable to communicate any semblance of order.
The UAVs switched over to thermal imaging to maintain overwatch, although the explosions and fires breaking out across the camps made the job of getting a read on the situation difficult. Luckily the command structure is also receiving surveillance information straight from the sensors on the Iron Man suit as well. So many people are in the war room, because each of them are in charge of looking at specific aspects of the fight, and report back to him on their one area.
Before he can get any feedback on the opening move however, Iron Man is already on his second strike. While completing another circuit, the missile launchers on the legs and shoulders open up and fire directly at every tank and vehicle in the area. It completely exhausts both supplies, only leaving missiles in the arm compartments (that Rhodey knows of anyways), but seems to have amazing effects on the targets below.
Finally, Rhodey starts getting feedback on the effects so far, and relays the information to Ton- to Iron Man.
"7 out of the 8 Captains down!"
"10 out of 10 tanks in pieces!"
"23 vehicles hit, the other 8 appear to be too close to the civilians for Iron Man."
"Estimated 35% of combatants are down or injured!"
"All marked civilians are on the ground, and were outside the AOE of any explosions, sir!" They can't say for certain the human shields are safe, as there isn't a real way to know, but the news is as close as they will get.
"The surviving 2 anti-aircraft systems seem to be booting up and locking on to Iron Man!"
It seems that whatever system Iron Man has delivered similar reports already, as before Rhodey can even issue the command the suit takes a sharp dive before blowing apart the systems with the hand repulsors. The move is quickly followed up by similar quick dives to deal with the surviving vehicles, although they are even blown in such a way to try and provide cover to the presumed unconscious hostages.
Rhodey lets all of the information that keeps coming in soak in, without reacting with emotions to provide good overwatch. Finally he sees something that Iron Man seems to be missing.
"Good effect on targets so far Iron Man. I'm seeing high winds in the area which means you likely only have another 60 seconds of smoke coverage to work with. Additionally, nearly 25% of the forces appear to be rushing toward Gulmira for new human shields."
"Thanks for the heads up, Rhodey-bear, about the smoke. As for those idiots, I already have a system in place to deal with them." It takes all of his military training not to sigh at the lack of comms discipline coming from Tony.
"Whatever it is, Iron Man, it better hurry as-" Rhodey's words die in his mouth as he sees man after man fall down, presumably dead, during their mad rush to try and find cover in the town. Whatever system Iron Man has, it is completely invisible to every sensor and imaging means they have in place. It is also the thing that sends agents from the various letter agencies, FBI CIA DHS etc, into the biggest flurry.
Although… Is the Richter scale going off a little?
Pushing aside thoughts of the errant discrepancy, probably just a result from all of the explosives in the area resulting in the land shifting unexpectedly, Rhodey focuses back on what he is seeing.
Whatever invisible system seems to instantly kill the 12 closest enemy combatants to the town, every second on the second, with no discernable reason how. Enemies located on the exact opposite sides of town miles apart, drop dead at the same time. In the 60 seconds left of smoke, that system kills exactly 720 targets out of the charge of just over 1000 total. Since it prioritized the closest to the town each time, the frontlines are no closer to the town than they were when the mission started.
Finding out the details of that system, however, is not Rhodey's job. His job is overwatch, so he keeps his focus on the big picture even as the details are relayed to him by those around him. Iron Man was not idle during those 60 seconds either.
Moving burned out vehicles to provide better coverage for the hostages. Taking out any groups that were firing their weapons blindly into the smoke instead of taking cover. Using his repulsor blasts to cut off any avenue of retreat or escape. Finally, just as the smoke is about to clear, Iron Man goes to the surviving captain who had been holed up in the backlines of his faction, to capture and restrain him with some steel cables that eject from the suit's wrists.
Holding the last remaining captain in the air once the smoke clears, as well as finally seeing the devastation of the battlefield, causes the Ten Rings forces to pause and look for any direction of what to do next. This gives Iron Man an opportunity to shout out his demands. The onboard system seems to have a translation device, as whatever Tony says in English is repeated in the next 3 most common languages of the area.
"This battle has been lost, and your captains led you to your defeat. Surrender and lay down your arms now, I will not ask again."
After the translation runs, some of the more fervent believers raise their guns to try and take out Iron Man as he is stationary in the air. They are quickly met by some kind of guided dart system that comes out of the shoulders and kills only those who raised their guns, no matter how much cover they had.
"Anyone else want to try pressing me again?" Iron Man's voice this time is much harder than the first offer, making it clear that his mercy is at its end.
The statement is met with a clatter of guns, as the remaining Ten Rings throw down their arms. The few that hesitate are disarmed by their comrades, fearing that the next response won't be as directed as the previous one was.
The war room explodes into applause as Rhodey, as Overwatch, declares the area secure and calls in the Blackhawks that were waiting just out of range of the anti-aircraft systems to take control of the scene. Iron Man, despite expectations, begins leading rescue efforts by directing both the new POWs as well as the citizens of Gulmira that have come out of their homes.
By the time the helicopters arrive nearly 25 minutes later, all injuries are being given battlefield first aid, and all unconscious hostages have been taken into the center of the town.
It takes nearly another hour of search and rescue, even with Iron Man directing the efforts, to get a final tally of what happened. Comparing the looks on the faces of the press directly following the victory vs now, Rhodey can understand why Tony led the search and rescue despite the mental state he must be in. He said it in his opening speech himself, he wants to be a hero not a weapon of war. The goodwill he got by directing the aftermath, has probably pushed a lot of his reception in the right direction.
All the same, it is Overwatch's last duty to give the end-of-action report.
"I am honored to give the final numbers from Iron Man's debut. 7 out of 8 captains killed and 1 captured unharmed. No captured and injured, no escapes.
"1,932 out of 4,219 armed militants killed and 781 captured unharmed. 1,506 captured and injured. No escapes.
"61 out of 62 civilian hostages recovered unconscious but uninjured. 1 MIA.
"No injuries or fatalities to the residents of Gulmira.
"With that, I conclude the mission of Iron Defense as a success in all three mission objectives. Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the press, and thank you Iron Man."
With the mission over, the press explode in questions and flashes of cameras, as at the same time the news begins to air its delayed broadcast around the world. Showing everyone that Tony Stark is Iron Man.
Notes:Author's Endnote: With the butterfly effects taking change, Iron Man's first debut ended up being MUCH bloodier than in canon. Also, helps to set the scale/ tone I'm going for in this fic. It isn't 'Old Gods' bloody yet, but people will die. At the same time though, Daisy is going to fight an intergalactic warlord, so leading heroes to shy away from violence would hurt what she was sent to do.
So Daisy and Tony work out how to stack the deck in his favor as much as possible, both for combat and for press. Hence everything that happens in this chapter! This chapter is another that gave me a lot of trouble, but mostly because I kept rewriting what I had to try and make it sound better and to keep to the characters as I have made them. Let me know how I did!
Next we see the reactions to Iron Man, as well as get some of the info from behind-the-scenes that I hinted at but that Rhodey wouldn't know. Can you spot and guess what happened? With the next chapter we should be done with Iron Man 1! After that our heroes will be going into the 2.5 years from now till the start of Iron Man 2 in April 2011. That time will pass fast, but it won't be a time jump. Daisy and Kara have a LOT to do during that time.