Iron Before Steel

Strange Visitor: Iron Before Steel

Chapter 10 – Family Ties Can Bind or Blind

September 22^nd, 2009 – Metropolis, IL

Kent Farm

Clark turned into the driveway and pulled up the gravel path next to the house. He could see his Ma standing on the porch smiling while a small blonde head practically bounced up and down in place next to her. He could see the broad smile on Ma’s face as she looked down at Kara and held her back from charging across the lawn to meet the car. Barkley sat next to the little girl, his tail thumping on the wooden boards of the porch and a panting doggy grin on his furry face.

“There’s my girl!” Pete called out as he opened the passenger side door and exited the car. A loud squeal signaled that the excitable child had escaped his mother’s grasp, and he could see her charging down the walk after hopping down the porch steps. Barkley was, of course, at her heels.

Clark glanced over his shoulder while he opened his car door to see how Bucky and Lana, sitting in the SUV seats behind him, got their first view of his “daughter”.

Bucky’s face showed just curiosity primarily. His eyebrows climbed high on his forehead as he unbuckled the seatbelt to escape the car. Besides that, the child that had just thrown herself into her ‘Unca Pete’s’ arms didn’t get much attention from the former assassin. Clark thought that maybe there was a touch of fear or hesitance in his posture, no doubt a holdover from the memories still tormenting the man during his nights. He likely would keep some distance for the time being until he truly trusted himself again.

Lana, on the other hand, was gaping at the adorable little girl. Her mouth hung open in shock, and her eyes were blown wide open as she saw a tiny human being spun wildly in a circle by their mutual best friend. Lana’s eyes darted toward Clark’s own at that moment, to which he could only respond with a shrug for the moment. He mouthed the words ‘We’ll talk later’ and was determined to explain the situation fully to Lana. They’d fallen out of contact in the past, and he wasn’t willing to allow that distance to creep back into their lives. She was already aware that Clark had distant origins, so it wouldn’t be any big risk to bring her into the know of where Kara was from as well.

He smiled at Kara’s laughs and squeals as Pete danced with her and Barkley on the lawn beneath the porch steps. She only noticed his approach when Pete wagged his eyebrows and pointed directly toward the approaching Clark. Kara wheeled on her feet and let out a cry before diving toward his legs. He laughed as he grabbed her and pulled her into a full-body hug, her arms encircled around his neck and face buried in his chest.

“You’re home! You’re home! Gramma said you were coming. We caught leaves, and I saw a deer! Three deers! One was a baby, and it was so cute. I want one! So does Barkley!”

The wall of words spilled out of the energized toddler, and Clark could only laugh in reply. His mother smirked down at him from her perch against the post at the top of the steps. Her eyes then slid over to the young woman slowly approaching from behind him, and the smirk fell away into genuine happiness. He could see tears gathering in her eyes as she quickly descended the few steps and met Lana next to him on the walk. Lana was still primarily focused on Kara but still welcomed Martha with a strong embrace.

“Oh my god, you are such a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart! How long has it been since you’ve been home? I can hardly believe it; let me look at you.”

Martha stepped back and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she drank in the sight of the young woman. It had been some time since the two had laid eyes on each other, and Clark knew that his mother had missed Lana’s presence over the years terribly. She’d always had a soft spot for Clark’s best female friend growing up and had harbored hopes that the two of them might eventually take their friendship to a deeper level.

It had never developed, and Clark wasn’t sorry for it – especially now with his life's varied complications. But he did regret that Lana’s absence had profoundly affected his mother. It was almost like losing a daughter for her when the girl left town for good after graduation.

Clark carried his little bundle of squirming bambino over to meet the new arrivals; Barkley happily pawed at his leg to remind him to pay some attention there, too. The pup earned a quick head scratch from Clark’s free right hand.

“Kara, I want you to say hi to a couple of people, okay? This is Bucky. He’s a new friend of Pete and I, and you might get to see him every so often here at the farm, but mostly, I think you’ll see him when you visit our house in the city.”

Kara perked up at that. “The city? I get to go soon? Gramma says the city is fun and filled with lights! I wanna go. Can we, please?” The girl beamed up at him with some hope in her question about New York. She turned to Barnes and said, “Hi, Uncle Bucky!”

Pete cackled at her immediate adoption of a stray into the family, much as she had done with Pete himself some months back.

Barnes returned a small smile and responded, “Heya, Squirt. That dog yours?”

That was the correct response. Kara erupted into a long explanation of who Barkley was, why he was the best dog ever, and how they spent much of their time on the farm. Barnes was surprised that the girl was so forthcoming but didn’t shy away from her attention like Clark thought he might. Barnes kept a respectable distance but didn’t make it seem like he was doing so.

And now he also was up to speed on Barkley the Wonderdog. Bonus.

Kara then turned to Lana, standing next to Barnes with a giant grin as she listened to the unexpected lecture on the fantastic merits and honors of Barkley.

“I know you. Your picture is in the house! It's in the bedroom and in the hallway and on the table by the TV and in the kitchen where Gramma works! I’m Kara!” she chirped with spirit and cheer.

Clark chuckled at the introduction and let Lana handle her own debut.

“Oh, my goodness. I’m your daddy’s old friend Lana, sweetie. He and I grew up together, with Pete, right here when we were your age! I lived just down the road. You are so pretty. Does anyone ever tell you that? And you have your daddy’s eyes, too!” Lana ducked her head close to Kara’s eye level as she spoke to seem less imposing.

Kara seemed unsure of how to respond when Lana called him her father. She was old enough to know that wasn’t true, having some memories of her true parents back on Krypton, but he had been acting in the role since her arrival. She looked at him briefly while Lana spoke - he could see the question behind her eyes. A simple nod from Clark let Kara know it was okay and he’d address it later with her when they were alone. He could catch Lana up as well when he had the chance.

Kara did preen a bit when Lana called her pretty. Clark made a mental note to ensure it didn’t become more troublesome as she grew. A little pride was good for self-esteem, but more could be a problem. Clark jumped into the lull in the introduction at that.

“She’s kind of like a sister to Pete and me, so it’s okay to call her Aunt Lana, Kara. How does that sound?"

Judging by the vigorous bobbing of a blonde ponytail, it sounded pretty good.

Martha corralled the group, taking everyone in and seating them comfortably in the den while she put on a kettle for tea. Clark dug some snacks out of the fridge. There was always something tasty to nibble on at Ma’s house. It was a long drive from New York, so some of them may be hungry.

I need to get that quinjet back from Forge and McCoy at the school.

Clark idly wondered what the two mechanically inclined mutants might have gotten up to with it in the months they’d possessed the advanced aircraft. He’d been spoiled by having it before and was looking forward to having it at his disposal again.

At least until he figured out the whole flying situation for himself.

“Pete and Lana are helping Kara get ready for bed. It’s later than she usually stays up; she was fighting off sleep to welcome you home. She should crash hard almost as soon as they get her tucked in. I’m so glad to see Lana here. It's been far too long,” his mother spoke from the doorway.

He turned and smiled. “She’s been looking forward to seeing you for a while. You two need to catch up in the morning. Us guys will likely sleep in, so you can enjoy quiet time with her before Kara wakes us all up.”

His mom nodded before a wistful grin spread across her face. “I’d always hoped that the two of you would figure things out, you know. It was a little dream of mine to see you two start your own family. Your dad and I loved her so much. But, after seeing how she was looking at your new friend, I know that’s never going to happen now.” She laughed at the end to let Clark know that her little dream had been long gone in actuality.

Clark had noticed the small touches and lingering glances between the two himself. It was not something he expected if he was being honest. A (very) small portion of him even felt a little jealous. Lana had been there for Bucky during his mental re-conditioning and had been a sort of rock that he had leaned on for those months of struggle.

She’d had her own small history with mental conditioning thanks to her mother, something Clark didn’t want to bring up ever again if he could avoid it. It was a common point of reference for the two of them, and they connected unexpectedly.

Clark knew that Barnes would need that human contact and more, so he hoped it would be a good thing in the long run.

And he knew he could kick Barnes' ass if he needed to also.

“Yeah, it seems they’ve got a little thing going now. Pete picked up on it immediately and tried to give him the shovel speech. Which is tough to do when the man is a superhuman nonagenarian, so I’m just providing moral support for everyone involved now.” Clark laughed with his mom at that.

“I can’t believe James Buchanan Barnes is sitting in our living room. If he were here, your father would act like a fool, asking him questions about Steve Rogers and the other commandos.”

Clark smiled. His dad was a bit like Phil Coulson in that way. Big Captain America fanboy.

“You’re taking the whole thing pretty well. It’s not every day that you have a man who’s been dead for 70 years sitting down for tea. I’m impressed, Ma.”

“Clark. Honey. After the way we got you and Kara, there’s nothing out there that could ever surprise me. This is old hat compared to spaceships falling out of the sky.”

Clark smiled. “Don’t jinx it, Ma. I think plenty out there, or up there, can still get a surprise out of you yet.”

“That’s fair. So, how long are you all staying?”

“Just a day or two. We have to head back to upstate New York soon. Bucky has asked for help with something, and I’ve already told him yes. It will be… let’s call it a big deal when it comes out.”

“Oh, well, now you’ve got me curious.”

Clark paused a moment. “Buck asked us to help him bring back Steve’s body. He wants to give him a funeral after everything. He believes Captain America deserves to be laid to rest with all honors, and he’s not wrong Ma.”

Martha’s eyes got wide, and she could only nod in return. “Of – of course. That would be an incredible thing to do, Clark. Your father would be so proud of you for wanting to help with that!”

Clark took a deep breath and glanced toward the living room. He knew Buck’s hearing was enhanced along with everything else, but Pete and Lana were back from putting Kara to bed – Clark would have to hurry upstairs to check on her himself in a moment – and they were both talking loud enough to cover any quiet talk from this distance.

“Well, Ma, that’s the thing. I’m not sure he’s dead.”

His mother started blinking in disbelief.

“Hear me out. Barnes himself was given a version of the super-soldier serum that Rogers had. Because of that, they were able to freeze Barnes throughout the years. They put him on ice in the form of suspended animation. Normal people can’t survive that. The ice crystals that form in the water of the body’s cells end up destroying the cell membranes and rupturing them. It kills them from the inside out. That didn’t happen with Barnes due to that enhancement.”

Ma nodded, following his reasonably straightforward explanation. “And you think the same thing has happened to Captain America?”

“I have reason to believe so, yes. They never revealed the details to the public about how the Captain died, but Bucky had access to more restricted information when he was… used… by Hydra over the years. He remembers a lot of it and knows that the US Government, among others, was looking for Rogers in the Arctic. If that’s where he ended up, it’s very possible that he could still be alive - frozen like Bucky. I didn't want to say it aloud if I was wrong. Don’t wanna get the guy’s hopes up, you know?”

And Clark did mean that. While he had every reason to believe that was precisely how they would find Steve Rogers since this universe seemed primarily derived from the cinematic version, there were no guarantees. Some things had already been different, and his presence alone caused further variations. It was better not to assume at this juncture.

“You’re a good boy, Clark. I’m proud of you,” his mother gently praised with a smile.

Well, he was trying to be.

_______________________________________

September 24th, 2009 – Malibu, CA

Stark Industries High-Security Labs

He carried the small box confidently out in front of him as he stalked down the hallway leading out of the secured wings of SI. He glanced at the package as if he was worried it would simply jump out of his grasp without reason or cause.

Up ahead, he could see the fork in the hall, manned by two armed security guards. Once through, he would take a left turn down the side path leading him to the admin offices and his final destination for the item safely tucked away in the box nestled in his hands.

“Evenin’ Doc,” one of the two guards – Gerald, he thought – greeted as he passed out of the secure area and swung left toward the CEO’s office. Or the COO’s office? He wasn’t sure with things the way they were right now, adding to his stress and concerns about this project.

He politely returned the greeting as he scurried down the hall toward the waiting Obediah Stane, who would be settled in his office even at this late hour. Time is money and all, or whatever those business types like to say.

He couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t matter in the end. He’d been given a task, a monumentally difficult one at that, but he came through as he always did. It was his purpose, both in life and here at Stark Industries.

He was content with that lot.

He swept past the doorway leading to the COO’s office, indicating that it was still officially the man’s title for the time being, and waved genially to the assistant who was just now packing up her things to head home for the evening. Cynthia, or Cindi, was it? Cyndi. He’d have to look into it. He hated being rude or giving his co-workers the idea that he didn’t find them important enough to remember.

He firmly knocked twice and then continued into the room.

Mr. Stane was seated behind his desk with the lights dimmed around him. The computer screen on the man’s desk cast a soft blue glow toward his face as he looked up in surprise at an unexpected guest. The lighting gave Mr. Stane an almost sinister look.

“Dr. Schwab? What brings you to my office at this hour? Shouldn’t you have gone home a couple of hours ago?”

No, that wouldn’t do. Mr. Stane should have known better than that. Once Irwin Schwab was given a task, he solved it. Plain and simple.

“Good evening, Mr. Stane. I have completed the assignment that you’ve given me. I wanted to bring it to you directly before heading home for the evening. Though, I must say, I do have several concerns I would like to bring to your attention before turning it over to your custody.”

Mr. Stane looked down at the box Irwin carried and quickly rose from his seated position. He circled out from behind the desk in a few short strides and swiftly plucked the box from the good Doctor’s hands.

“You finished it? Really?” He opened the box to gaze at the item within. Mr. Stane quickly looked back up to make eye contact. “Dr. Riva said it couldn’t be done. He insinuated that only Tony Stark could make this a reality.” Mr. Stane’s eyes bore into Irwin’s own as if seeking the truth of the matter from nothing but a look.

“Dr. Riva is a competent engineer and physicist, but he is incorrect in that assessment. It may have been beyond his capabilities, but I was able to bridge the gap between technology and theory to make it work. Now, I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. Mr. Stark’s design is, by far, superior. It has higher output, higher efficiency, and better durability. If I had to guess, I would say that this recreation of his micro-arc reactor technology is approximately forty to sixty percent the equivalent of his own.”

Mr. Stane’s eyes didn’t let up.

“But that is within the purview of the mandate that I was given. ‘Make it work’ and at ‘any functional level’ was what you told me, correct? I had to substitute several materials and make a few alterations to the design. I used Iridium instead of Palladium for the catalyst ring, which makes it more expensive, sadly. I was also unable to solve the leeching problem, so the ring will need to be replaced at least once every 18 months, perhaps sooner-”

Stane grabbed Irwin Schwab by the shoulder, stopping him from continuing.

“But it will work, correct?” It felt less like a question at that moment to Irwin and more like a threat. Worrisome.

“Yes, it will work as intended. I increased the size of the device by almost four hundred percent to offset the loss of power and efficiency versus Mr. Stark’s design, that doesn’t scale up evenly by the way, please be aware. You’ll have nearly the same output with the larger design, but it will overheat and crack more quickly. You’ll need to monitor its usage closely to ensure that does not happen.”

Mr. Stane pulled Irwin into a crushing hug, loudly laughing in celebration. Irwin didn’t often care for close physical contact, and this felt far less ebullient than acts of a similar nature usually did.

“Irwin, you magnificent bastard! I can hardly believe my eyes. I’ll be honest: I didn’t think you had a snowball’s chance of finishing this at all! I don’t believe I’ve ever been so happy to be wrong, though.”

Irwin tried not to bask in the praise; it was only his job, but he still felt a twinge of pride shoot through him at Mr. Stane’s words. Still, there was more that needed to be said.

“Well, I am most happy to have been of service, but as I said before, there are several issues that I would be remiss not to bring up at this time. First, I cannot possibly overstate how dangerous this technology is, even in its most inert state. It produces prodigious amounts of power, even this lesser version. Should it fall into the hands of people more unscrupulous than Mr. Stark and his company, I dread thinking of the damage they could cause.”

Mr. Stane gazed evenly at Irwin. “Bombs, I assume?”

Something in Irwin’s gut squirmed at the look that Mr. Stane was giving him.

“At the very least,” Irwin acknowledged. Mr. Stane nodded at that, and Irwin felt encouraged enough to continue. “I also mentioned the leeching effect. Essentially, microscopic amounts of the device’s core are shaved off during power generation. The metal eventually is completely eroded as a result. It isn’t too difficult to collect and dispose of the material that is bled out when used independently, but this indicates a major problem for Mr. Stark personally.”

Mr. Stane looked on with interest now. “Go on.”

“The palladium in Mr. Stark’s arc reactor is ‘leaking’ into his bloodstream, for lack of a better term. Over a long enough period, that material will build up to poisonous levels in his body. It will kill Mr. Stark if something isn’t done soon. I would be happy to offer my services-”

Mr. Stane interrupted at that point, a wide grin breaking out across his face as he stretched an arm around Irwin’s shoulders and began walking him through the doors and down the hallway at a quick pace.

“That won’t be necessary, Irwin. I promise to bring this matter up with Tony at the earliest possible opportunity. He and I may have our differences about the direction of the company and its future, but I have known him since he was a boy. He’s like a son to me.”

Mr. Stane’s smile didn’t meet his eyes, Irwin noted. The squirming in his abdomen only worsened. Irwin hesitated as Mr. Stane brought them to the door of one of the top-secret private fabrication labs that Irwin wasn’t cleared for.

Irwin had just one last thing he wanted to ask now.

“Mr. Stane… this will be used for some social advancement project like the rest of Mr. Stark’s current initiatives, correct? Stark Industries doesn’t make weapons anymore. We make the world better with the things we build now, yes?”

Irwin looked up at Mr. Stane with an expression of hope at that. He needed confirmation that this arc reactor tech would only be used to make the world safer. Cheap light and heat and things of that nature. Things that would benefit the human race and help take it to a new level of understanding and peace.

Mr. Stane’s smile was beaming across his face now. It was a smile big enough for television.

“Of course, Irwin! That’s what we do now. The thing with Tony and I will be old news soon. After that, you’ll see. Stark Industries will be going places no one could ever imagine. And it’s all thanks to you, Dr. Schwab.”

At that, Mr. Stane scanned his ID badge across the security reader and walked through the lab doors. Irwin caught the briefest glance of a large humanoid frame being constructed inside. It appeared to be covered in some type of metal armor or plating.

Irwin Schwab couldn’t help but think he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life, or maybe anyone’s.