Chapter 13
The door to the van opens and the sack is ripped off his head. They're in a very white room, there is a plane in the background. Justin Hammer is sitting at a table in the middle of the room.
Hammer welcomes him and says to get the handcuffs off of Ivan and apologizes for them. Someone takes the handcuffs off.
he tells Ivan that he's a huge fan and that he didn't want to make his first impression like that. He introduces himself to Ivan and says he'd like to do business with him. He tells Ivan to eat.
A waiter walks over. Hammer says that anything Ivan wants they have. he says that he'll have his desert first and that it was flown in from San Francisco but its an Italian dish. He says that its organic ice cream and that he has a sweet tooth. He says that Ivan has a sweet tooth for Toni.
"And now I'm uncomfortable." Henry mutters
He tells Ivan that his actions toward Toni spoke to him and that he knew that Ivan knew he was listening.
"I don't think he cares." Harry says
He says that he couldn't bear to have Ivan shipped off because it would have been a waste of talent. He tells Ivan that he shouldn't have tried to kill Tony, he should have tried to kill Tony's legacy. He says that he has the resources that Ivan needs and that he'd like to be his benefactor. Ivan says something in Russian. Hammer asks if he speaks English and he can get a translator if he doesn't, then asks if Ivan has understood everything that he's says.
Ivan says he has. They do a cheers. Ivan says he wants his bird.
Hammer asks if he wants a bird.
"No he wants his bird." Henry says, nothing would ever make him replace his cat
Ivan says he wants his bird.
Hammer says he can get him 10 birds.
Ivan says he wants his bird.
Hammer asks if he's talking about a bird he has in Russia.
"No shit." Henry mutters
Pepper and Natasha are sitting on the couch, both are talking on the phone. Pepper says that the fundamentals of the company are still strong after Monaco.
Natasha tells Pepper that the AP wants a quote.
Pepper tells her to fax them.
Rhodey enters and asks where Toni is.
"Someone's in trouble." James sang
Natasha says she doesn't want to be disturbed. Pepper says that she's downstairs.
On the TV, a reporter is talking about Toni, she talks about Toni's erratic behavior and asks if she can still protect them.
Pepper says that the events in Monaco proved that Iron Maiden never stopped protecting them.
Toni is in her lab, sitting in a car and looking at holograms of different newspapers referring to Ivan and Anton Vanko. JARVIS says that Anton Vanko was a soviet physicist who defected to the US but was suspected of espionage and deported in 1967.
"The height of the red scare." Nikolai muttered low enough that only Natasha, Anastasia, Steve and Bucky could hear him
JARVIS says that Ivan is also a physicist was convicted for selling weapons grade plutonium to Pakistan. He says that Ivan served 15 years in Kopeisk prison.
Rhodey puts in a code and enters the lab and tells Toni that she needs to go upstairs and handle the situation, he says that he's been on the phone with the national guard trying to stop them from taking the suits, and reminds Toni that she said no one would have the technology for 20 years.
"I said 5-10 years." Toni says
Rhodey says that someone had the tech yesterday and that its no longer theoretical, he then asks if Toni is even listening.
"Probably not." Clint says
Toni looks at him, Rhodey asks if she's okay. Toni gets out of the car, she starts to fall Rhodey helps her up and asks if she's alright.
Toni says she heeds to get to her desk. Rhodey holds Toni up as they walk to the desk. Toni tells him to get the cigar box and tells Rhodey that it's palladium. Toni collapses into her chair, Rhodey opens the box.
Toni removes the arc reactor, the core ejects. Rhodey asks if its supposed to be smoking.
"NO!" Harley, Henry, Bruce, Peter and several others yell
Toni says its neutron damage from the reactor wall. She hands the arc reactor to Rhodey, he takes the core out and says that Toni had this in her body, then asks about the marks on her neck, calling it a high tech crossword puzzle.
"High tech word puzzle?" Pepper asks
Toni plays it off as being road rash then takes the arc reactor from Rhodey and puts it back in her chest and thanks him and starts drinking something from a water bottle then asks Rhodey what he's looking at.
Rhodey says he's looking at her and tells her that the lone gunslinger act isn't necessary and that she doesn't need to do it alone.
Toni says she wished she could believe him and tells Rhodey to trust her. She says that contrary to popular belief, she knows what she's doing.
"I don't think you did." Remus mutters
Queens, New York' appears on screen.
A limo pull up outside of Hammer industries. Hammer and Ivan are walking through a lab. Hammer says that they can work in peace there and says that it must be fun to be dead because there's no pressure
"That's one way to look at it." Henry snorts
He shows Ivan the suits and says that he might have done a few miscalculations and rushed the prototype.
Ivan puts on his glasses and starts typing on a computer. Hammer tells him not to do that and that he'll be able to access it as soon as they generate encrypted passcodes. He asks if they can generate encrypted passcodes.
Ivan says something in Russian.
Hammer questions him.
Ivan says his software is shit.
"True I remember hacking into there for fun years ago."
"Ah the good old days." Nikolai says
"Before the civil war." Natasha says
"When Sam was scared shitless of me." Anastasia says
"Of course you terrified me, within the first day of moving into the compound and meeting all of you, I saw you shoot Henry for simply standing by you." Sam says
Seeing the concerned looks Henry shrugs "In her defense I had put laxatives in all of her food. And I shot her right after that."
"And then Nikolai shot you for shooting his sister, then Anastasia shot him for shooting Henry, then William shot Anastasia for shooting Nikolai." Sam says "And then then I shot William." Henry says
"How many times did you four shoot each other during the year we lived together and how come we didn't know about it?" Steve asks
"Quite a bit. And the doctor at the compound is a fan of several $100 dollar bills." Henry says
"Is there anyone sane in my life?" Pepper demands
"No."
Hammer says that Ivan blasted past the firewall. Ivan gets a latter so he can see the suits better. Hammer asks to show him where he'll be working and says that the suits are for viewing purposes because they cost 125.7 million each. Ivan pulls the head off of one.
Hammer tells him that that's where the pilots supposed to go but he's having trouble finding volunteers.
Ivan asks, in broken English, what Hammer wants the suits to do.
Hammer says that he wants them to make Iron Man look like an antique and that he wants them to put him in the pentagon for 25 years. He says he wants to go to the Expo and take a shit in Toni's front yard.
"What a terrible mental image." Peter says
Ivan says he can do that.
The scene switches to Toni's bedroom. Toni is looking at the rash on her chest in a mirror. The screen reads 'palladium concentration 89%'.
"Oh shit." Remus mutters
Natasha walks in with a box in her hands and asks Toni which watch she'd like to wear.
Toni buttons her shirt and says she'll give them a look. Natasha sets the box down and starts mixing a drink Toni asks if she should cancel the party.
"I should have." Toni says
Natasha looks at her and says she should. She walks over with a drink in her hands and says it's ill timed.
Toni agrees and says that it sends the wrong message.
She hands Toni the drink, she sips it she asks if its dirty enough for her.
Toni says she'll give the Jaeger a look and asks her to bring the watches over. Natasha picks up the box and hands it to her. She takes it from her, she sits on the arm of the chair and starts covering up the bruise by her eye. Toni says its hard to get a read on her and asks where she's from.
She says she's from legal.
Toni asks her if she can ask a hypothetical question. She asks if it was her last birthday party what she would do.
She says that she would do whatever she wants with whomever she wants.
"Let it be known I tried."
Toni is now drunk, wearing her suit, dancing. She fist bumps the DJ.
Toni and Pepper groan as Nikolai, Anastasia, Henry, Harley and Peter start cracking up as they remembered what followed this
Cars pull up outside the house. Rhodey is in one of them, on the phone he tells the person that within 24 hours, Iron Maiden will be on watch. He walks into Toni's house and over to Pepper and greets her. Bruce Wayne pulls up as the two meet, walking towards the house.
Pepper says she needs some air.
Rhodey asks her what's wrong.
"What wasn't is a better question." Henry says
They walk over to where they can see Toni she says she doesn't know what to do. Toni falls over.
Rhodey says he's making a call.
Pepper tells him not to.
Rhodey says he just stuck his neck out for Toni.
Pepper says she knows and she'll handle it.
Rhodey says if she can't he will.
Bruce furiously asks where his children are.
"This won't be pretty." someone mutters
Toni says that a question she gets asked often is how she goes to the bathroom in the suit, she pauses for a moment before saying that that's how she does. On the other side of the room Henry facepalms as Harley and Peter stare at Toni in confusion
"This is why I don't wear an iron suit." Henry says, patting his mother on the back as she put her head on the table and groans
Pepper walks up to her and takes the microphone and says that Toni knows how to throw a party.
Toni says she loves her.
Pepper thanks everyone for coming.
Toni says that they didn't have cake or blow out candles.
Pepper tells her she's out of control and that she needs to trust her.
Toni tells her that she's gorgeous
Pepper says that its time to go to bed.
Toni tells her to give her a kiss.
Pepper says that she won't be happy about this.
Toni tells her that she wants to kiss her.
"Not after you just peed yourself and announced it to a room full of a hundred people." Pepper says
"I'm sorry." Toni says
Pepper tells her she peed in the suit.
Toni says it has a filtration system.
Pepper says that it isn't sexy.
Toni says that they could drink that water.
"EW!" could be heard around the room as Toni sank low enough only the top of her head could be seen
Pepper tells her to send everyone home and grabs the bottle and hands Toni the microphone. Toni says that the party is over and that it was over for her an hour and a half ago. She says that the afterparty starts in 15 minutes and that if anyone doesn't like it they can leave. She points to the door, accidentally shooting at it. A girl throws a bottle in the air, she shoots it, spraying glass and liquid on the floor. Rhodey looks angry, then leaves.
"All three of you in the car now." Bruce says, startling the three brothers "Don't even try to argue with me." he says, Henry taking his brothers' hands and leading them outside the house.
Another bottle is thrown, Toni shoots it. Rhodey walks down the stairs and into Toni's lab. Toni looks into a mirror and shoots at something behind her. Rhodey gets into the suit. Another girl appears with a watermelon she throws it in the air and Toni shoots at it, using her chest beam. Rhodey appears behind everyone and tells everyone to leave. Everyone starts running.
Rhodey and Toni avoid looking at each other and the screen
Rhodey tells Toni that she doesn't deserve to wear the suit and that she should shut it down.
Toni winces
Toni turns to the DJ and tells him to give her some music to beat Rhodey's ass too.
"Oh no." someone says
'Another one bites the dust starts playing'
The future Avengers in the booth flinch violently at the song, Noah grabbing his mother's hand reassuringly as he leans into her and Arsenal
Rhodey tells Toni to shut the suit down and grabs Toni's chest from behind. Toni blasts them through the wall, they're now in the gym.
Toni gets up and starts walking away and tells Rhodey to put the suit back. Rhodey throws something, it hits Toni in the back of the head. Toni turns around, Rhodey throws something else, it hits a glass door.
"I'm glad I didn't have to clean this up." Nikolai mutters
Toni picks a barbell and knocks Rhodey across the room. She flies over to him and lands beside him and tells Rhodey that Iron Maiden doesn't have a sidekick.
"Well now you have two." Henry says, pointing at Harley and Rhodey
Rhodey hits Toni with a pipe. Rhodey kicks her and she goes flying through the ceiling, they're now in the bedroom. Rhodey flies in through the hole and asks if Toni's had enough.
All of the guests outside. Pepper is standing in the middle of the room, Pepper says that she's onto Natasha. Toni and Rhodey fall through the ceiling. Happy runs inside and grabs Pepper and tells her to leave. Natasha runs off. Toni and Rhodey are still fighting, everyone is watching. Rhodey and Toni start punching each other. She turns to the crowd and growls, they scatter.
Rhodey picks up a sink and wacks Toni with it, the force knocks her into the fireplace. They raise their hands at each other.
Rhodey tells her to put her hand down.
Toni asks if Rhodey thinks he has what it takes to wear the suit.
Rhodey tells her that they don't need to do this.
Toni tells Rhodey to takes his shot since he wants to be the War Machine.
"That's how you got your name?" Wanda asks
"Yes."
Rhodey tells her to put her hand down.
Toni tells him to take the shot. They both shoot, their blasts meet sending a shock wave through the room, breaking the glass. Toni and Rhodey are knocked back by the force. Toni sits up, looks around and watches as Rhodey flies off.