wake pt.1
The first thing that registered was the dry heat. He was still as a statue as awareness seemed to return to his body, he registered the kneeling position he was in and the pressure that throbbed through his body: beginning with his chest and radiating to his left arm, back, and knees. The throbbing was getting louder and faster in his ears until it felt like it was going to consume him.
Is this what turning to dust feels like? is this what Peter felt? No, he couldn’t bare the thought, he never wanted the kid to feel pain—especially pain like this.
Is he dead? Maybe he got lucky and this is just his neurons firing for the last time. Or maybe this is the afterlife making him confront…….. his chronic pain?
Literally what is the point of this.
Just a collection of various pains, till the end of time?
Well, that sucks—he's in hell.
And he thought it couldn’t get worse than watching his pseudo-son mentee slowly die and blow away in the wind.
He didn’t even get to see a highlight reel of his life, just pain. Well, it is an apt summary.
Right as Tony was about to succumb to the panic, the feeling of something heavy dropping near him jolted him out of the pain-confusion-fear induced stupor.
The throbbing in his chest sharpened into pain and it was familiar enough to ground him, but it also rang alarm bells in the back of his mind. This specific brand of pain hadn’t been present since 2013.
Now, Tony was under no illusion, he knew he would end up in hell; he wasn’t a good person and all the good deeds in the world couldn’t undo his mistakes, but he wasn’t ready for this perfectly targeted torture.This was just like that black mirror episode Peter made him watch.
In an attempt to curb the oncoming panic, he started his regular meditation routine—at least that was one good thing about all this: he had all the tools he’d gained throughout life.
His hand unconsciously reached up and caught the hot metal of an extremely chunky and inelegant Arc Reactor embedded in his chest. So he really did have the reactor again, he was in hell.
The slightly painful jostling caused him to wince and finally crack his eyes open.
He laughed incredulously in response to the sight that greeted him, his Rhodeybear looking a decade younger and honest-to-god jogging toward him. He was in Afghanistan? theres no way in hell he wouldn’t recognize these sands.
Maybe this was his neurons firing for the last time, torturing him or maybe this was a demon in hell, also torturing him, but if he got to take the good with the bad? That was enough.
I mean, he got to relive this glorious rescue and skip over all the torture. yay!
As he watched Rhodey’s approach he couldn’t help but let his face morph into a bright smile. “How was the fun-vee?” came the quip and he couldn’t stop the laugh that rose to the surface if he tried. His Rhodey, walking and joking! Walking!
He was exactly as he remembered him 10 years ago. “Next time you ride with me,” promised Rhodey and with that Tony allowed himself to be dragged towards the awaiting chopper.
As elated as he felt at the sight of his sugarplum, he was just so tired. You would think dying and fading into dust would be a chance to finally just rest. But here he was, faced with what could be defined as the most chaotic phase of his life.
It was all for nothing. you foolish, foolish man.
He was struck suddenly by one of the last things he remembers from Titan, "I'm sorry, but there's no other way," Is this what Strange meant?
That two-bit dollar store clown. he couldn't imagine living through this shit show all over again, what was the point? Strange didn’t even ask! What gave him to right, he would've never agreed to this!
He had thrusted him back in time to watch everything fall apart with himself at the centre. Strange and unusual punishment….ha. at least his sense of humour was still intact.
It quickly struck him that if this wasn’t some sick deja-vu and it really was the result of Strange’s machinations… his foreknowledge would be useful, because there was no way in hell he was letting the same shit happen. Frankly, even if it was a dream, that wasn’t going to stop him.
His greatest failures flashed through his mind in rapid succession almost daring him to hope for better.
He could change so much; Stane, Hammer, Vanko, SHIELD, Killian, Pepper, Harley, Loki, SHIELD again, Wanda, Johannesburg, Ultron, Sokovia, Leipzig-Halle, Rhodey, Siberia, Coney Island, Peter, Titan.
Hope was a dangerous thing, but the feeling was starting to flutter in his chest like a butterfly.
But the more you chase the farther it gets....
best not to get too excited, Tony.
Regardless, he won’t let the future he remembered come to pass.
As they neared the base, Tony realized he needed to compartmentalize his feelings enough to try and develop a plan of action. It really didn’t matter what lead to him re-living this—real or imaginary—he just wanted to do better while he could. And maybe he’s shallow, but he wanted to prove to himself that he was capable.
He wasn’t always the best planner, but how hard could it be, really? The chopper slowly lowered onto the base, and as tired as he was, he felt renewed in spirit. He had a purpose, he had a plan.
Well, it was a plan for a plan. A mission statement maybe; “Don't let that shit happen again". Which is valid really, given the general lack of emotional intelligence he possessed and the serious freak out he was on the brink of. Plus it really encapsulated everything, so really, he was doing great so far. woohoo!
He knew that Palladium poisoning and Vanko were on the horizon, but the case of Obadiah Stane (not Obie, never Obie again) and the War Monger was more urgent. He should probably have a little more tact when dealing with this.. Last time he made it easy for Obadiah to put the final in his coffin, he really did come off as a raving lunatic!
Honestly he doesn't think his reputation every really recovered from that ordeal, what with SHIELD covering up Obadiah’s involvement and all. They set the board so that Tony came off suspicious from the start. If Obadiah died because of engine failure completely unconnected to this whole thing, then it was Tony left at the centre of the whole weaponized suits of armours, destroyed headquarters, and double-dealing fiasco.
He really wasn't that unstable! Usually! And even so, his tactic had always been to play it up, rather have people underestimate you and let their guards down. This unfortunately, backfired the first time around. He hadn’t ever let people see how much he worked and how much he cared. So when Stern or SHIELD or Vanko or Steve, or any of those other sharks took their shots at him… Well, everyone believed them. How could the self-proclaimed eccentric billionaire actually care about them and do good? They didn’t even know why he became Iron man, not really at least.
And although Tony still believed that being careless at the wheel of SI was just as egregious, for people to truly believe that he was a double-dealing, war mongering, traitor definitely irked him. And it really did make every subsequent move harder. He didn't mind being the martyr, but it would only hold him back and he knows that PR is essential.
He should put more effort into preserving public trust and those army connections that he burned down after the press conference. War machine could be less of a theft and more of a begrudging gift this time because come invasion and accords time.... he's gonna need all the political capital he can get.
Ok it’s settled then! He's gotta get Rhodey to set up a meeting with his superiors and he’s gotta get a board meeting before the press conference.
It's not like he wasn't a pragmatic person or anything, he just got a little complacent and after Afghanistan he was definitely in new waters. He started to question all of his own actions and he felt like he was the devil. The Merchant of Death! and it's not like his team helped him or anything. Tony was always apologizing for being himself with them.
That team was always more trouble than they were really worth, there were better heroes out there. Better heroes who actually care about the people. All the 'avengers' did was use his resources and then call him the devil for having them. Jesus, he was an idiot. Did he ever really help anyone?
aaaand he might still have some unresolved anger about the fact that he died alone without a single member of the so-called team there to help. And he could forgive them leaving him in the lurch again, but Peter? No, Peter deserved the best of the best and that wasn't them.
‘Together’ his ass. The real 'Together' wasn't the Avengers... Together was the IronFam (and thank you Pete for that little nickname).
A lifetime of teachings hammered into his head by his parents, Jarvis, and his experiences (Sunset, Ty, Rumiko, ) flew right out the window with one shiny carrot dangled from SHIELD. And that’s the kicker huh? He didn’t see it till it was too late, but once he did… he couldn’t un-see it. Everything his real friends told him, all their concerns, really were valid.
Pepper was right, he really did need therapy because his self-esteem never recovered post-Afghanistan (or post-childhood with Howard). yeah he was technically “better”, but he completely lost who he was. (where was Tony fucking Stark?)
Pepper would be so proud, he was finally listening!
Pepper.
Oh God Pepper. He left her, right after he promised to settle down he immediately left her and quite literally the planet. She was right wasn't she. She wasn't saying anything people hadn't said before... Tony wasn't the kind of guy to have a family, to have peace. Especially after Iron man.
But..
She had wanted him to give up Iron man, like that was even an option. People were dying and he could save them! I mean she was there at the conference... He said it point blank: "I am Iron man". Did she think he was joking? Plain and simple, she was asking him to give up part of himself. Arguably the most important part. She never really understood that, and how important it was to him. Hmmm that was definitely something to think about. huh. Maybe he just wasn't meant for love after everything he’d been through. He could barely make it work with Pepper who already had the resolve of a saint with how much she put up with.
You know what, now he's just spiralling and it’s not the time. He needs his workshop and his baby FRI. except, it’s not FRI he’s going to find, is it? Oh god, he was so excited.
As he came back to the present, Rhodey was directing him to a bed and telling him to rest. "Rhodeybear I need to talk to you" he murmured as pulled him into the room with him.
“Tones, how are you doing? No lying this time.” He could see the tension in Rhodey’s eyes, but he could also see the despair, the hint of tears. It was unbearable 10 years ago and it’s unbearable now. He distinctly remembers making a joke and shoo-ing him away (Is that a crack about my appearance Rhodes? Low blow!), but he knew he couldn’t do that to him again. This was the start of a tumultuous time in their relationship, they really almost didn’t make it.
He remembers the helplessness he was constantly trying to stuff deep down and ignore. He put his masks on extra tight and pushed anyone who saw the cracks away. He knows he can’t, once again, pretend he doesn’t see how his epiphany effected his loved ones. At the back of his mind he hears the Rhodey of the past, who had to deal with all the slack from the military, ‘that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy.’
“I’m not okay, I’m so far from okay it’s not even funny Rhodey.” He let the masks drop and let his face and wavering voice tell Rhodey everything he needed to know. Tony felt his shoulder being clasped with a warm, sturdy weight, “I’m here, Tony.”
“They had my weapons, so many of them, Rhodey. I don’t know how they got them.” Rhodey’s eyes widened, almost comically, “What do you me— what?” Yeah, that’s how he felt too.
“I need to meet with the brass, I need to clean house, I can’t even believe I let this happen—all those soldiers killed because of me! I need to call a pre—” Rhodey cut him off before he could really even get started, “Tony.” And Tony knew that tone, he’d heard it when he was 17, getting back to MIT after winter holidays.
He realized he was tugging on his fingers and breathing harshly. He controlled his breath and looked up at Rhodey. One glance at the look in his eyes had the tears he was holding back falling down his face. Rhodey pulled him in, and tucked him into his chest, he felt like he was a bruised up, hurting teen all-over again. “Slow down, Tones. You’re not alone anymore, I’ve got you,” and after that? he could barely slow the sob from ripping out of his throat.
Afghanistan may have been 10 years ago, but the betrayal was poorly scabbed over. Even then, he had 10 years of superhero sized mistakes and hurts he never let himself feel. And even worse, he died, not 12 hours ago—alone, amongst the ashes of his kid.
Tony took comfort in his oldest friends arms, accepting the easy affection and finally letting himself feel it all.
He wept. Until he was practically out of water in his body and he was left more than a little winded with a throbbing head. Rhodey pulled him towards the cot and pushed him down, following right after.
“Sugarplum, this might not be the best place for a cuddle sesh” Tony tried to joke, but all he got was a resolute “I don’t care.” Now he really did feel like he was a sad 17 year old again.
Tony shifted and turned to face Rhodey, “Before I continue, can you please make sure they grab all the metal pieces left in the sand, I need them all.”
“The regular SI intellectual property racket?” asked Rhodey with a small quirk of his lips, “You know me so well, platypus,” he murmured back.
Rhodey quickly reached for and sent a message into his comm before settling back down, “Ok, lay it on me.”
And with that, Tony told him all about what he learned in the desert, and what he planned to do about it.
Being faced with the tech of 2008 was a little painful for Tony. He was a futurist, in mind and spirit—and with his tech having already been 10 years ahead of 2018—this felt like torture all over again.
The jet jostled again from the turbulence and Rhodey shot him a look before he could loudly complain for the umpteenth time.
The flight was taking forever, but that might be a blessing because he needed to time to plan how he was going to navigate the next few days.
First and foremost, he needed to collect the proof. He still shuddered at the thought of that video. Then, he needed to speak with the military so that they’re not blindsided. Actually, scratch that. He needed to speak to the military first, and let them run their own investigations while he ‘gathers evidence’. It can’t seem like he already knew where to look huh.
With the military appeased he could meet the board without it being a shit-show. Well, to be fair nothing was going to be worse than last time.
And just like that, Tony realized he would have to wait a little bit before getting to be a dramatic bitch. sigh. this is why he hated being responsible.
Rhodey had secured a debrief with his higher-ups in 2 days time; they were surprised that they managed to get a meeting, let alone in that time frame.
Tony started to think about how he could be strategic during that meeting, he wouldn’t want to have to meet with them multiple times. He shuddered at the thought—and if the look Rhodey shot him was anything to go off of, he might have actually shuddered.
Tony wasn’t so naive to think that the accords weren’t a long time coming. they were going to happen regardless of Sokovia or Lagos or anything. Although those disasters definitely fast-tracked them.What was it that Vision had said? 'Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe.' There was definitely truth to that, just look at Hammer, Vanko, Killian, Ross—
Ugh. This is just the worst. He could probably try to talk to them about setting up a panel to oversee Iron man missions. It makes sense and even better it’ll snuff out SHIELD’s point of entry too.
He remembers them angling in, talking about how he need oversight and blah blah as if SHIELD counted as good oversight, ha!
He’s gotta keep them as far away as possible, he doesn’t want there to be any associations between him, the avengers, and SHIELD. Wait but… he wanted to keep the avengers, so how does he take them away from SHIELD? In the future-past he had swiped up the ownership after SHIELD fell.
A problem for another day.
As he shooed the stretcher and med team away again, he thought he was ready to face his almost-wife again. He steeled himself for the sadness that would come from the lack of familiarity in their interactions and he hoped he could keep it together. Seeing her again felt equal parts like a breath of fresh air and a bucket of ice water shocking him awake.
He knew logically that she would be 10 years younger, but unlike Rhodey she wasn’t in the line of fire, she had no reason to look so much younger. Did he really do that to her?
And just like that, he knew he had to stay far away. She deserved so much better than to be burdened with the likes of him.
“Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?”
“Tears of joy. I hate job hunting,” and as the smile spread on her face, Tony felt like he was knocked on his ass all over again.
“Yeah, vacation’s over,” He mumbled as they slowly shifted towards the car.
He loved her so much and maybe he was a selfish bastard, but fuck he loved her.
She was his almost-wife, best friend, and partner in all things. He wanted to spill his guts the second he heard her voice. But what would he say? “I think you’re a fragment of my memories come to life as my neurons fire for the last time because I was stabbed on a moon somewhere by Barney’s uglier brother” “I’m from 10 years in the future and we’re engaged and I’m a superhero and also we’re all going to die.” He could hardly make sense of it, what would he tell her?
He couldn’t just let her go, could he?There was a right, noble thing to do and there was the grimy, selfish thing to do. But was it really selfish? they’d already been sort of gravitating towards each other for years, pining even—
“Tones, I requested leave so I’ll see you in a couple days on base and head back with you.” Rhodey patted his shoulder solidly as he snapped him out of his daze. He said his goodbyes and headed back towards the plane.
“Where to, sir?” “Take us to the hospital. please, Happy.”
“No.” He realized he couldn’t just call for a press conference again, “Just take me home, please.”
“No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital.”
"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and I want to go home,” he looked at Pepper, and he could her expression softening.
“What did Jim mean, why are you heading back in a few days?”
“I set up a meeting with the higher ups. I’m planning to shut down the weapons division of SI and I’ve got to cross my T’s and dot my I’s first. Can’t completely spit in their faces,” he said casually with a wave of his hand. He had a close up view of both Pepper and Happy’s faces just flying through different expressions. They’ve never seen him be so responsible and erratic at the same time.
“I’ll explain when we get there,” He assured before leaning back and taking a breath. He had to tell them, that much he knew, but having two—three when he talked to JARVIS—heart to hearts within one week was going to make him break out into hives. When he’d chosen to do better, he knew his communication skills were at the top of that list.
Tony turned to look out the window, he needed a little distance from his friends. They were looking at him kindly, like he was a good person. He didn't deserve the consideration. Didn't they know who he was?
Tony was a terrible friend.Here he had a trusted circle who stuck with him through his worst, and he had treated them like crap for decades.
He caught his own reflection in the window and just like that he starts to feel the weight of it, all at once; every dismissal, every idiotic deflection. They deserved eternally better than him: someone who was actually deserving of that empathy and acceptance.
Distantly, he could hear Howard’s voice, angry as ever, ‘put some iron into that spine of yours. You have to push yourself. Be tough! Be strong! Work harder! Be a man!’
Iron man was everything he wishes he was. He’d been created as a survivor, he was less than human… yet, Iron Man was far more than his measly self. He needed to be more like him; Iron man is him, and he is he. He needed to be better.
He couldwould be that person.
10880 Malibu Point, Point Dume, Malibu.
It had been unreasonably long since Tony last enjoyed the drive up to the beautiful property. He remembers back when he had first seen the spot. 1991 feels like it was a lifetime ago—or technically two. He'd been looking for something that was the polar opposite of New York and the mansion. The land was accessible but private with a breathtaking view of the Pacific. It was exactly what he had needed after losing his family; first Howard and Maria then Ana, and shortly after Mr. Jarvis. He couldn’t bear the city anymore, surrounded by the empty halls of the mansion, he felt suffocated and boxed in.
He remembers the first time he sat on the edge of Point Dume. It was a cathartic experience and even though he was still alone, the wide open space made it feel freeing. He had just sat there, under the stars, and grieved. Grieved the life he had and the life he thought he was going to have. He knew then that that’s where his new home had to be.
It'd been an uphill battle, the city fought him on the location because of zoning laws and structural concerns. It’s like they forgot, Tony was an engineer first and foremost. He designed the entire house, it was a true feat of ingenuity, and completely structurally sound.
All windows and wide open spaces, it definitely wasn’t homely but it had represented the new phase of Tony’s life. A phase that he can’t say he was entirely proud of, in hindsight.
Sitting there, looking out of the open car door, Tony gazed at the Malibu mansion for the first time in more than 10 years. He saw the straight lines and sharp corners, the gleaming silvers, and the futuristic touches, and he had mixed feelings. Instantly he was hit with the nostalgia of it all, he had spent 20 years of his life here, but at the same time, there was melancholy.
He wasn’t that same guy anymore, he had grown—minimally, but still—he had changed. And here he was again.
When he was younger, he had always tried to take up as little space as possible, he remembers the curses thrown every time his presence was acknowledged. ‘don’ you look at me like that, you impertinent pup.’ 'you don’t want to be a sissy, now do you?' 'you’ll never amount to anything!'
He had hid himself away, and when that wasn’t possible, he hid how he was actually feeling. His masks had masks and that’s just how it had been. When he moved to Malibu, he felt like he was shedding that and finally taking up space—literally and obnoxiously. Looking back now, seeing the sterility of the Malibu mansion, he knew he wasn’t really.
In the future-past, it took the reluctant emotional adoption of some mentees and the continued emotional support of his Ironfam to really learn what taking up space meant. A hoodie thrown over the couch, some calculus textbooks on the kitchen counter, a half-fixed project on the coffee table, a cozy blanket on the love seat, some heels and sneakers at the door. That’s what home felt like and damn did he miss it.
“Tony, are you okay?” Pepper peered back through the open car door, confused at his pause. She’d began looking at him no small amount of confusion, he knows he was considerably more introspective and collected than she was used to. Which ached because it was her influence that got him to this point.
“Yep, let’s head in,” he threw out nonchalantly and started moving. Walking into the mansion really strengthened that unknown emotion in his gut and made the stinging in his eyes intensify.
“Welcome home, Sir. May I request you never leave the reach of my sensors again?”
And that was enough for his tears to fall, once again. "JARVIS," he shuddered as he felt the guilt of letting his baby boy die, and the ache in his heart from the hole that his death had left. "I've missed you immensely, J."
"And I, you, Sir. I must reiterate, this experience was most unpleasant. I much prefer you being accessible and safe at all times," JARVIS said sternly and Tony could tell he was trying to play it 'cool' in front of Pepper and Happy. "JARVIS, buddy, I don't ever plan on leaving you again. We'll chat when I get to the workshop, but I've got some upgrades for you."
“I can hardly wait, Sir.”
Tony turned towards his guests who were looking on fondly, "Don't just stand there kiddos, get comfy because we have to chat."
“JARVIS run a scan for any bugs, trace back, and then fry with a prejudice.”
“Listen, in no way is this an easy conversation for me, so just give me a second,” he said as he made his way over to couch.
“What is it that you wanted to talk about, Boss?”
Tony settled down into the love seat, facing two of his oldest friends. The last time he had seen them, they were in central park, bickering about decoy wedding dates and Happy’s court date. He smiled at the memory. The smile quickly turned sour as he thought about what he had to do next.
“When I was over there, I saw a lot of things,” he started quickly knowing that if he didn’t do it now, he never would, “The people who kidnapped me, they had massive stockpiles of my weapons. There’s a leak somewhere and I’m pretty sure it’s on our end.”
Happy’s eyebrows shot up, “What, are you serious?”
“Oh my god!”
“I know. I’ve got to gather to evidence, but in the mean time I need you guys to move carefully,” Tony sighed, “You guys need to wary of Obadiah, there was a video filmed and they addressed him directly.”
“Move carefully? No, Tony! We need to call the police.”
“Pepper, we need to cover our bases first. We don’t know who all is colluding with him and we can’t afford to scare them into hiding, we have to move carefully,” he sighed, feeling exhausted. He must’ve come off as a world weary and about 20 years older, because he could see the resolve faltering in Pepper’s eyes.
“Ok Tony, we’ll follow your lead on this, but we just want to make sure you’re safe.”
“Exactly, Boss. You’re not allowed near him, at least not without one of us,” Tony looked up, and saw the tight line of Happy’s shoulders. He had almost forgotten that they had no idea of Iron man, and that this wasn’t 2018. It was almost endearing how concerned they were, he really did love them, but he was definitely feeling a little suffocated in their concern.
“I promise you guys, I’ll be okay. Now, before I head to the workshop, I wanted to ensure you guys were in the loop here. Happy, I need you tightening up security measures while I gather evidence. Pepper, avoid all government agency request, including something by the name of SHIELD.”
“That’s all?” Pepper looked so concerned, he felt bad leaving them with just that.
“I have a meeting with the brass in a couple of days to debrief them of the leak and all that,” Tony waved his around to seem more nonchalant.
"I need to prep my case so that I can swiftly turn Obadiah and his accomplices in, without any mess. I’m also planning to shift the company direction so there’s a lot of upheaval I need to plan for. Plus I don’t want to come off insane so I’m going to prep blueprints and the like,” He finished and then swiftly stood up.
“You guys are free to stay, you know where your rooms are. I’ve got to get to the ‘shop,” with that, he turned and started walking towards the hall, ignoring the protests for his rest.
Tony ducked into the workshop, finally, and the relief he felt was palpable. His shoulders relaxed as he slumped into his desk chair, “you up, JARVIS?”
“For you Sir? Always,” came the expected reply and just like that, Tony felt awake again. He had so much to say and do, but first he needs his JARVIS. “J, I’ve got so much to tell you, you wouldn’t believe. But, before any of that,” He turned his head to look around his workshop.
DUM-E, U, and BUTTERFINGERS all came flying out of their charging docks as soon as he made eye contact. It was so nostalgic he almost couldn’t stand it all. “Hey boys, did you miss me?” he laughed as they crowded him with light nudges, twirling arms, and rapid beeps. They were like big metal toddlers and he loved them so.
“Daddy missed you too, I promise I did. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” before he knew it, tears were threatening to fall all over again. He hadn’t lost them in the future-past, but being here, in Malibu, with their little brother alive was almost too much.
“Alright sweethearts, I’ve got to talk to your brother. Why don’t you guys clean up a little?” and with that, they zoomed off into their own zones. Tony wheeled his chair back over to his desk, powering up his holo screens.
“Alright, first I have the updates I promised.” His fingers started moving rapidly as he inputted a heftier version of the firewalls and security protocols FRIDAY had been using in 2018. Luckily for him, he didn’t need to show technological restraint in his own home.
“Much appreciated, Sir. There have been numerous attempts on my system since your disappearance and attempted accesses using valid overrides. Fortunately, protocol exists which prevented some overeager parties from declaring your death and seizing technology.” Tony’s eyebrows shot up, he wasn’t surprised it happened, but he was surprised that JARVIS hadn’t mentioned anything before.
“I’m assuming by valid overrides you’re referring to Mr. Stane.”
“Indeed, Sir. I must admit that this experience has made me feel inadequate in my current capabilities.”
Had his baby been feeling vulnerable before, but didn’t think Tony would help?
“Don’t you worry buddy, these new security protocols are vicious and the firewalls are airtight,” Tony had been very cautious since ULTRON. He knew he couldn’t have guessed the entity was evil, but he could’ve been ready.
FRIDAY got impenetrable firewalls paired with security protocols that were just a tad bit vengeful—and that was by 2018 standard. Let SHIELD try them now and they’ll be reverse hacked and burnt to a crisp before they knew what hit them.
“Alright, give them a second and let me know what you think,” Tony started the update and leaned back. This was at the top of his list, he can’t believe he hadn’t done this in future-past.
Except Tony knew why he hadn’t. He doubted himself too much, so he left backdoors and redundancies that could be manipulated. He left Obadiah’s access codes active. He left himself open so he could be stopped if needed to be.
And now he knows that it had done nothing. Bad things still happened because of him except SHIELD got to invade his home and JARVIS died. So, he had no intention of making that same mistake. “While you’re at it J, revoke all access and override codes for your system and my properties except for Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy.”
He couldn’t believe that he compromised his own baby’s security and safety. He may not fully trust himself now either, but he could never be so cruel to JARVIS.
“Done. Sir, these upgrades are appreciated, they are much more robust than I could’ve imagined. When did you have the time to develop such software?” Tony smiled and patted the monitor closest to him, that had always been his way of giving JARVIS physical affection. “That’s what we have to talk about buddy. I’m not the Tony you remember, I time travelled and landed back in Afghanistan. I don’t know what happened, but I was on a moon kicking ass and I got stabbed. I think it may have been the wizard."
“It seems that you’ve been on quite the adventure, Sir,” JARVIS said hesitantly. Oh great, he sounded insane. This didn’t work without context clearly. As of right now, he wasn’t even Iron man so he’s sure this was all sounding like his mind broke in Afghanistan.
“JARVIS, if you want proof, I have some for you. Can you check the logs and confirm that I haven’t accessed SI systems since returning?”
“Confirmed, Sir.”
“Okay, I want you to look for a ghost drive on Obadiah’s personal server. The contents should be a large swath of falsified shipping records and a ransom video from The Ten Rings.” He waited a second before adding, “J, all good? I’m sure you have questions.
“I have many, Sir.”
“Believe me now?”
“Indeed. Although, the manner in which you spoke to the bots earlier could’ve been proof enough, Sir”
Tony smiled at the light ribbing, “Rude, JARVIS! I can be nice when the occasion demands it.”
“That may be the craziest thing you’ve said today.” Then after a short pause JARVIS added over Tony’s laughter, “how did you arrive here, Sir?”
“I’m not quite sure, J, but I know that I have to do everything differently. Can you create a folder on my personal server, buried where no one will find it?” He knew he had to put his thoughts down and organize himself.
“Of course, what shall I name it?”
He huffed and then laughed to himself, “Tony McFly.”
“As always, your humour knows no bounds, Sir.”
“Very cheeky, Jar, now let's get to work on a timeline here,” he muttered to himself as he created a long horizontal line.
Tony started dictating major events and timepoints which JARVIS then inputted and ordered onto the timeline. He got up to the data drop fiasco when he paused, “I didn’t do much soul searching back then, but this was something which always hurt me.”
Tony looked away from the screen and down at the shiny desk-top. He saw his own face reflected back, looking pensive, "As iron man, I fought for democracy and peace without ever questioning just whose democracy I was serving.. or just what those I served intended to do with the world once I’d saved it for them!”
He then looked up to the corner that would soon display his suits, “DC really raised all those questions for me.” He had fought to keep the Avengers together, to provide for SHIELD, to keep the world safe, and what had happened?
SHIELD infested from its inception with HYDRA, completely unsuspected, because their methods were damn near identical.
Steve and Natasha didn’t trust his help and it ended with hundreds injured because they just dropped helicarriers on them and leaked classified information. And he couldn’t forget that this is where the lying about his parents had started with them.
The world wasn’t safe, the team he'd fought to maintain was complacent and useless, the organization he allowed free rein was rotten to the core.
It was All for nothing. you foolish, foolish man.
He really was a failure, he could hardly believe the weight of his mistakes—
“Sir?” JARVIS questioned, cutting into his self-deprecation. “Sorry, J, let’s continue.”
They continued formulating the timeline till Tony paused again at 2015. at ULTRON.
“I’m really sorry for what comes next,” he said while pressing into his eyes with the heel of his palms, “When we brought the sceptre back, Bruce and I wanted to study it. We got the okay and started looking into it.” He paused, feeling like he couldn’t get the words out.
“I do not understand your distress, Sir.”
“We thought the sceptre was a significant energy source, and thought it might be perfect for the ULTRON project we had scrapped. ULTRON was meant to be an international peace keeping program which would help coordinate our efforts. Unfortunately, the sceptre actually contained a highly advanced and malevolent alien AI that broke free with the only goal of destroying everything in its path.”
“What happened, Sir?”
“He killed you, JARVIS. He ripped through your firewalls, stole a suit, and escaped through the internet. I’m so sorry JARVIS, it was all my fault.”
“From what I’ve heard it was not your fault, Sir.” Tony looked up at one of JARVIS’ cameras, “JARVIS how could you even think that, it was entirely my fault. I didn’t protect you.”
“It is regrettable that I was unable to be more of use to you in this endeavour, Sir, but please do not presume it was through any fault of your own.”
“You did wonderfully, J, you kept him from the nuclear launch codes and anything important. Even when you were ripped apart. Regardless, it will never happen again.”
Finally, they got to 2018, “and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up in Afghanistan.”
“It seems that the next phase of your life is quite fantastical, Sir.”
“Pffffft. Tell me about it, J,” he said as he leaned back, it felt good to know he wasn’t alone anymore. “That reminds me, I need you to make back-ups, plural.”
Tony pats the monitor again, “At least 5 on different continents, and I want a physical one that I can carry around with me, I can’t lose you again.”
“I’ll see to it now, Sir. Shall we continue?”
“Ok… Ok, yea let’s do it,” Tony took a deep breath, and continued with his retelling.
When he was finally done, Tony seem to realize the size of the task ahead of him. That was 10 years worth of disasters and shit to deal with, “J, we’ve got quite a bit off work to get done, but first… how do you feel about having a little sister?”
“It’d be an honour,” Tony smiled was he pulled another holo-screen towards him.
- Compile evidence against Obadiah (+associates)
- get into SHIELD’s servers (check for the rest of Howards files)
- figure out what to do with the Avengers :(
- re-activate baby FRI :)
- Starkanium
- Vanko + Hammer + congressional hearing
- plan the next moves —> how can I be better
- allies …?
With that, Tony got to sketching the prototypes he’d need to successfully navigate his next steps.
“Good afternoon Mr. Stark! We really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us so soon after your return,” Tony took a sip of his coffee, he didn’t necessarily want to do this, but he had to.
In the future-past, he’d been embarrassingly old by the time he’d realized how bad his self-destruction was. He wasn’t disillusioned enough to think he was ever particularly responsible or good. He knew he was a piece of shit, through and through, but he had hoped that his work with SI and as Iron man had helped people and that he could say that he was worth something. How stupid he was.
Looking back, he had mixed feelings. He understood his actions, but objectively they were all over the place. Yes, making weapons and contributing to the war was bad, but that wasn’t the biggest fuck up. He had been asleep at the wheel, he let Obadiah in, and trusted him. He practically handed him the keys to the place. He let his weapons, his company, and his name be used. All because he was too busy dicking around for decades.
And look at what happened? He got kidnapped and went through a supposed metamorphosis into a responsible hero. Except… did he?
He still pushed everyone away, and made bad decisions, and caused death. When the Sokovia accords had come around, he had really lost sight of what he was even doing. That wake up call was jarring, not only had he fucked up as Tony Stark… Iron man fucked up.
Iron man, who was supposed to be a hero, who was so much better than Tony could ever hope to be. And it was all on him and his mistakes.
So yeah, he didn’t want to be here, but politicking was a necessary evil and he promised himself that he would never be that person again. He can’t pawn his problems off on other people, they didn’t deserve to carry his burden. He can’t run around like an errant teen. He had to grow up and be responsible. He had to be the man the world needed, he couldn’t let his own shit get in the way. The world deserved hope. It deserved a hero. And even though he was in no way qualified to be that, he had the resources to try.
“I’m happy to be here, General. We have plenty to talk about,” Tony intertwined his fingers and rested them on the table in front of him, “The most pressing issue here is that the Ten Rings had my weapons. And not one or two either, they had stockpiles of every kind of artillery under the sun.”
As Tony ran through his story, he catalogued the people in front of him. Tony was happy to observe a healthy amount of shock and disbelief, he knows the leak was only on his end, but the bystander effect was real.
The version of his story being shared was heavily edited, of course, but he kept enough detail to make sure they were taking him seriously. Most people around the room looked a little green around the gills, which was fair considering.
“I’ll circle back to the circumstances of my escape, because I think we need to focus on this potential leak right now. I’ve begun cleaning up on my end, and I advise you all to look into your own chains of command, we don’t know the extent of this.”
Tony paused, waiting for protests and denials, but he realized he had thoroughly blind-sided the whole panel. He wasn’t sure if it was his serious demeanour, or lack of deflecting, but they all looked a little wrong-footed.
He decided to capitalize on the moment and just push through, “I’m going to present you guys evidence I’ve found on SI’s servers.” With that, he pushed the folder he brought in to the first General to his left. It contained shipping manifests and receipts which showed stock discrepancies throughout the past 5 years. “There is a video, which was filmed while they had me.”
Tony coughed into his fist, and started to stand up, “Forgive me, but I’ll just step out while JARVIS pulls that up for you all.” He nodded his head at the panel, finding their faces understanding as he turned and stepped out.
This was going better than he had hoped. Perhaps he was jaded, but he expected a lot more opposition. He wasn’t expecting outright abstinence, but hesitance at least? They didn’t doubt him or his intentions at all? Crazy times, these were.
It was almost too easy to forget how different 2008 was. His relationship with the government and the military was arguably at its best. He could hardly believe how much the dynamics had shifted since thennow.
At the same time, it was off-putting to see the looks on their faces, he really didn’t deserve the blatant trust.
He had given Rhodey strict instructions to block out any of SHIELD’s attempts to butt in, which he seemed to have been successful at. Ross hadn’t even squeezed his way in, which makes sense considering he’s busy harassing Bruce right now
Tony took a deep breathe, trying to settle the warring emotions he was feeling. It was a strange feeling, having something go exactly as planned. But with the things he had seen in his life, all he could muster up in response was a heady mixture of anxiety and smugness. They did not sit well together.
A couple knocks snapped him out of his thoughts, and he re-entered the conference room and looked first to Rhodey. Tony realized he hadn’t ever shown anyone that video before, and looking at his best friend now, he feels justified in that decision.
Rhodey looks pissed. And not regular pissed, but the kind of pissed he had only achieved back in those MIT days when Tony was at his most ridiculous and Rhodey’s patience was nowhere near what it was after a military career. His posture was impeccable as he sat in his seat, stiffly. You would think he was in parade rest, the way that he was carrying himself. But the real kicker was the look in his eyes, he looked heart-broken and infuriated. It was the calmness that really conveyed to Tony how he was feeling. What was that thing people say about anger that's hot vs. anger that's cold?
Tony never wanted his friends to have to carry his burden, he would never let them get anywhere close to it. His shit was for him to deal with, laying in bed on those sleepless nights. He knew how haunting it could be and he knew he could never allow his friends to feel it.
So, he put on his Tony Stark mask back on—all his feelings shuttered away—and he projected his usual air of nonchalance. “Alright, I think that give’s you guys a good idea of what’s been happening on my end.”
He looked around again, cataloguing expressions and trying to rate everyone on his scale of suspiciousness.
“I want to extend my sincerest apologies for what has happened. Those soldiers shouldn’t have died and those terrorists shouldn’t have been able to even look at my weapons,” he look down to his hands, “This is why I’m planning to shut down the weapons productions division of Stark Industries. I cannot contribute to the death and destruction any longer.”
Tony paused there, he knew he had to give them time to have their reactions. They certainly didn’t disappoint, they clambered back and forth and at him for a couple of minutes before realizing he hadn’t said a word. If his demeanour had thrown them off before, he knew that now they were flummoxed.
Tony Stark thrived in chaos, he loved it, he incited it, and he revelled in it. Well, not anymore.
“As I was saying, SI plans to renew our efforts towards defensive gear and non-offensive tech for our soldiers. We’ll finish out any active contracts, so that you guys have time to secure new ones. I would say I'm sorry, but this is the right decision for me. I brought along some preliminary blueprints of our new lines of products.”
He reached into his briefcase, grabbed his second file folder, and once again pushed it towards the General to his left. As he waited for them to look through the gear blueprints, he brought out his last file folder.
As the council finishes reviewing his blueprints, they all seem to look at each other and silently communicate. “Mr. Stark, we wanted to thank you for allowing us this debrief and for your frank recollection of events. We appreciate your heads-up regarding the leak and your future plans for SI. We wanted to discuss next steps, regarding the upcoming investigation and what we can all expect,” the General who spoke was looking at Tony seriously with what looked like respect in his eyes.
Very weird.
“Absolutely. As you’ve all seen, I’ve collected some damning evidence that I plan to hand over to the FBI along with my full cooperation. I don’t know how deep this goes, and I want this all done above board. Although I did want to give you guys a heads-up, I’ll admit that wasn’t my primary reason for this meeting today. Let’s circle back to the circumstances of my escape..”
He knew he had all of their attention instantly, the whole thing was shrouded in mystery right now. He had refused medical and holed himself up with Rhodey till he was released.
“As I had mentioned, rather than building weapons for them, I built a weapon of my own to facilitate my escape,” Tony looked down at his folder, then back up.
When he planned for this meeting, he had JARVIS prepare this folders, so he could cater to how the military generally functioned. Honestly though, he hated working with paper, it felt so limiting.
He grabbed his phone and fribee-d it to the centre of the table, “J, pull up the blueprints for MARK I would you,” and with that, the entire councils faces lit up with blue.
The re-created blue prints floated above the table, “Is that..?” “Wow”
“Yep, a mechanized suit of armour, I used it to take down the base and fly away.”
Tony snuck a glance at Rhodey and promptly realized that he had never actually shown him the MARK I, in either timeline. Rhodey looked mystified and now he really couldn’t wait to show him War Machine.
“The suit of armour is something which was created in captivity as a means of escape, but having returned I realized it could be improved upon. And put to use in pursuit of peace and goodness.”
That snapped the Generals out of their reverie and right back to Tony, “I want to use this to eliminate all the remaining illegal stores of Stark weaponry worldwide.”
Tony slowly stood back up, facing the panel with an open expression, “Accountability is extremely important, as I’ve come to re-learn in these past few months. I, of course, need to be accountable to the people. I want this council to serve as oversight, to review potential missions and mission reports, to keep me accountable.”
“I see, well I think I speak for all of us when I say, we need time to discuss this development.”
Tony nodded, and sat down. He could see the interest in their eyes, “I just want to make it clear that this suit is my own intellectual property and as such, I will retain all rights towards creation and use. I won’t mass produce them, but I’m not against making another to loan out—with a pilot of my choosing.”
Tony could laugh at how quickly he saw their hopes crumble, but he had to admit he was pleased at how respectful they remained.
“We understand, Mr. Stark. I think it would be best if we re-convene at a later date to discuss progress regarding the ongoing ongoing investigations on both our ends, and to follow up on the suit of armour.”
Tony nodded once, thanked the council and hightailed it out of there. He waited patiently for Rhodey to join him, knowing he wouldn’t have the same allowance to get out of pleasantries and protocol.
“A little warning would’ve been nice, Tones,” he heard behind him, and just as quick the felt a warm weight on his shoulder.
“Which part, Jim-bo?” He sniggered as he turned his head to meet his eyes. At the look he was met with, his smile turned more rueful, “I didn’t know how to. But let’s head back and we can talk, Pepper and Happy should still be there,” he grabbed Rhodey’s arm and tugged him along.
Pepper and Happy were awaiting his return with a pile of takeout, but as disarming as they were trying to be, they didn’t wait more than 2 minutes after he sat down to send him pointed looks.
He knew they wouldn’t outright say anything, because he was a serious flight risk when feelings were involved. They usually relied on him trying to fill the silence they laid like a trap until he finally opened up. To him, it almost felt like a test of his resolve. He had vowed to himself to be better, and to do that… he actually had to do that.
Regardless, it wasn’t natural for him to talk of his emotions, of his hardships, or to share the burden.
Stark men were made of iron, after all.
He had never wanted to and frankly he still doesn’t. He has no plans of burdening his friends, but he knows that for their relationships to be healthy, he had to be more open and whatnot. Well that’s what JARVIS said, but he believed him.
He knew what to do here, but he also didn’t in a sense. Does he tell them about the future? As of right now, all he had was a fantastical tale and no proof. Objectively, it sounds insane when you don’t have the perspective that he’d gained over time. His past life had been like gradual exposure therapy that led up to him barely thinking twice about a purple maniac descending on them to collect some rocks.
He needed to think about this more to be honest, he felt like he was wrong regardless of what he did next. He was either withholding information and lying to them or he was telling them irrelevant information. Did they really even need to know? It’s not like it would change anything, for them it was the equivalent of hearing a story. For him, it was his old life, they didn’t live it the same way he did, they didn’t have the emotional connection to it at all. It wasn't them the way that it was him.
“So, the investigation is ongoing, and I think at this point you’ve all seen the video,” Tony put his pizza slice back down, and wiped his mouth.
“Questions?”
“What else did you talk to the military about, Tony? Jim filled us in with the bare bones, but I don’t think I can believe what he said. What did he mean about a suit of armour?”
Tony looked up at Pepper’s frantic eyes. Now there was a familiar expression, Iron man’s girlfriend always worried for his well-being. It hit him like a punch in the gut, he longed to hold her again, but he still wanted to spare her the pain of a relationship with him.
“Yeah, about that. JARVIS, pull up the MARK II specs?”
Electric blue blueprints popped into the air in front of them, “This is Iron man. I used a less advanced version of this suit to escape that cave in Afghanistan, and I know that I was onto something here. I need to use it for good, and correct my mistake—”
“Your mistakes? Tony what Obadiah did was not on you, he is a grown adult who did something remarkably fucked up.”
“But he did it under my banner. my name, my company! I’m the CEO, and I didn’t see anything?” He barely registered the concerned looks they were shooting him as his voice rose.
“Boss, that’s no—”
“—Which means that all the damage he caused, every bit of pain, of suffering, falls squarely on my shoulders!” Tony’s hands were tightly clenched in his lap, his eyes looking faraway.
Tony had been talking about Obadiah, but in his head, he could see all the mistakes he made. All the times he allowed people to play their games and how it was his fault when it went wrong. He let SHIELD and Fury disrespect him time and again, for the greater good, and in the end? In the end, they weren’t ready and that was his fault. He should’ve done more
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, it wasn’t your fault”
“I was careless, Jim. And that’s nobody’s fault but my own,” he didn’t get how his friends didn’t see what he meant. With Obadiah, he was asleep—or drunk—at the wheel and look what happened. And worse even was that he didn’t even realize until he was actually effected. He only created that armour for selfish reasons. And then he turned around and fucked things up in a whole new way. He felt disgusting, he could hardly stand their eyes on him.
“Tony,” Rhodey sounded so sympathetic, and it was making his skin crawl even more.
"This isn't something I want to do, it's something I have to do, okay?" Tony levelled them with a look that he hoped conveyed his conviction.
"We get it Tony, but please don't forget that your life has meaning too and you can't go out throwing yourself into danger," sighed out Rhodey.
"Please, Tony, be careful." Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead, he didn't even know what to say here.
“Let’s not do this right now, we don’t often get time together, and god knows it’s been while,” he smiled wryly at his joke—and smiled even wider when he saw the exasperation on all their faces. It was his trauma, so he was allowed to joke about it!
After everything he'd been hit with, he never thought going back in time to re-live it would be in his cards. When he first 'woke up' in Afghanistan, he'd thought he was in hell, and he really didn't want to keep going.
Slowly over the past week though, he felt like he was starting to see the light. It was going surprisingly well, he was well on his way to taking care of Obadiah and shifting SI. On paper, it was going great—and he was behaving responsibly! That's good, right?
So, why did Tony feel like this still? Was he missing someth—
“Alright, Boss, let’s watch something,” Happy patted his shoulder and leaned back into the love seat he'd claimed. He always seemed to plant himself at a vantage point with a perfect view. The same way Rhodey would always sit close enough so his warm presence was distinctly there and available to cuddle. And Pepper would pop her feet on his lap, and fall asleep before the movie ever ends.
God, he loved them.
It had been a while since the last time since he’d aimlessly wandered through SI. It wasn’t yet the hub of technology it would once become, but R&D always had the same frantic energy and he loved it.
As he walked through, he stopped and checked in with the people he passed. He’d missed that feeling of connection with his company. He’d always loved the company, but he was always too busy drowning in his own shit. He needs to remember these people because they’re the ones who stuck it out through the many major restructurings and better yet, a lot of them thrived.
“Hey guys, long time no see, huh?” He could practically hear a pin drop as the lab seemed to pause and snap their attentions to him, “Dr. Stark?” asked Dr. Singh distantly.
“That’s me!” He smiled cheekily, “I wanted to talk to you guys about the department and the company, so I thought we could do an impromptu meeting before the formal memos get sent out, cool?”
With that he grabbed a nearby chair and plopped down, taking his glasses off and stuffing them in his blazer pocket. He had a board meeting to look forward to, so he was dressier than he would be for a walking tour of R&D—I guess it made sense that half the room looked shit scared, “I’m not here to fire anyone, calm down guys!”
That seemed to do the trick because they started breaking out of their stupor slowly and arranging themselves around him in a semi-circle.
“I have a board meeting in about 30 minutes, and I wanted to keep you guys informed about what’s happening with SI. I’m going to be shifting the company’s focus entirely, I’m going to shut down the weapons division, and will be shifting towards clean energy and med-tech.”
He waited for the shock and exclamations, but was surprised to only see raised eyebrows. Looks like he wasn’t the first to tire of weapons, or they just didn't believe him.
“Are we getting fired?”
Tony sighed, “No, I want you guys to stay on, but if you guys don’t agree with the new direction we’re taking you’ll get generous severance packages and recommendations, and all that.”
He noticed a couple of people looking interested, but he was pleased to see that they were the minority.
“Listen, I know that you guys have plenty of works in progress, and it’ll be inconvenient to switch gears, but this is for the better good. And I know, like any good scientist, you guys have a list of ideas that you never had the time or resources to pursue,” Tony scanned the looks on their faces. He could see the excitement creeping in, finally.
He really wanted to do this right, and nurture the minds at SI. Right now, they were a long way from the R&D department he remembered at the NYC headquarters, but he hoped he could at least retain more people. He remembers how much it stung to see HammerTech and like scooping up those minds.
“I want you guys to explore them, all those world-changing ideas, no limits. Write up the proposals and blue-prints, and we’ll schedule a follow-up departmental meeting for 2 weeks from now, alright?”
And there it was, the excitement of scientific discovery. He loved and revelled in it. He smiled as they started throwing questions at him,
“Are you sure, Dr. Stark?”
“Should we pause all our current projects relating to armaments?”
“Anything!?”
“Yes, Yes, and Yes. I’ll send out the memo, but I’ve got to make this board meeting,” with that, he stood up and put his glasses back on as he walked away.
As he walked through the halls of the office wing, he felt energized and ready to face the board.
Except, it was last night that Tony realized what has been making him feel uneasy.
Obadiah.
It’s not that he didn’t know he was still around. He just forgot he would have to deal with him. In person. Face-to-face.
He’d felt panicky and shaky last night when he realized it, and he could barely get to sleep. Now, even though he felt remarkably more together, he still could feel the edge of panic.
He could feel the distinctive throbbing in his chest, but he was clenched his fist and kept breathing. He could do this. It’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
As he rounded the last corner, he caught sight of Obadiah chatting with Pepper, who looked like she was trying to eviscerate him with her eyes.
“Tony, my boy!”
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
As he kept walking, he breathed in the scent of Pepper’s perfume, cedar and bergamot.
He plastered a semi-convincing smile on his face, “Obie!” The nickname alone tasted like bile in his mouth. He can’t believe he ever let him into his short-list of trusted people. That smarmy smile, the greedy look in his eyes. He feels a renewed sense of disgust just at the thought.
He was such an idiot. How did he miss the undercurrent of greed that was barely hidden.
“Where have you been? I tried to get an appointment but JARVIS said you were busy,” Obadiah raised an eyebrow, an expression that generally coerced an explanation out of him.
“You’ll see soon enough, Obie, let’s head in,” Tony swayed to avoid the hug and patted him on the shoulder. It took all his 50+ years of resolve to resist the shudder which tried to break free at his proximity.
Obadiah gave him another critical look, which made him want to squirm, smiled at Pepper and headed into the meeting room. Tony let out a sigh and finally turned to Pepper, giving her a weak smile.
She grabbed his elbow, and gave him a concerned look, “Are you sure you want to be here? We can push the board meeting till after.”
“No, No. It has to be like this.”
Tony waltzed into the meeting room with Pepper following in behind and taking her seat. He always hated that she sat angled behind him. This was her board room as much as it was his.
He needed to focus for this, he couldn’t get caught up in his own shit.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” he noticed that the gender distribution was laughable on his board. He couldn’t allow that any longer. God he was so disappointed in himself.
“Let me bite the bullet here. I’m planning to shut down all weapons production at Stark Industries,” he allowed, once again, time for reactions.
It felt like all he did nowadays was wait for reactions. He really didn’t have the patience for this.
Obadiah had shot to his feet, about to cut him off and soothe the board, but he was quick to nip that in the bud, “Alright, enough.”
Tony then waved his hands, finally silencing the raucous board members, who were still flipping out.
“Yesterday, I had a closed door session with a panel of military heads, and they agreed to close out their contracts and shift towards defensive tech and gear.”
"They agreed to this?" Johnson looked like his forehead vein might burst from the pressure.
He never liked the guy because Johnson was the type of guy who never wanted to rock the boat or change anything. He was the type of guy Tony had to push against his whole life.
If he remembered correctly, Johnson hadn’t been colluding with Obadiah, but he’d forfeited his shares around the time Stark tower became Avengers tower. He kinda gets it, because there’s no way that’s happening again.
“Yes, they did, but that’s not what’s important right now.” Tony paused, standing up from his spot and shifting to scan everyones faces. He needed to stay vigilant because even with his knowledge from the future, he needed to ensure he removed all of Obadiah’s sympathizers.
“When I was taken prisoner, I saw that the entirety of the Ten Rings was decked out with Stark armaments.”
At that, half the board looked like they were going to shit themselves and the other half was shocked. Tony was suddenly glad he did it like this, because some of the guiltier looking parties had actually stayed on through it all. Clearly they hadn’t contributed, but they weren’t surprised either. Hm.
Obadiah was trying his best to school his expression, but he looked like he was half a second from springing from his chair, leaping across the table, and strangling him right there.
Tony was being careful not to look at him accusingly, he couldn’t afford to set him off too early.
One thing he’d prepared for was how to word his decision and thought processes. He knew that the board members, as they were in 2008, did not care about the greater good. They cared about profits and PR, that was a large reason they had been so quick to side with Obadiah time and time again. He had to play on that to really get them where he wanted.
“Imagine how that looks on us. Imagine the media getting wind of this, and broadcasting pictures of demolished countries with STARK branded bright and clear.”
He knew he had them with that alone, they were all starting to look a little queasy at the thought.
He straightened his tie and added with finality, “We wouldn’t survive that. I’ve seen the impact our weapons have had, and that’s why we’re stopping weapons production.”
Some members still looked like they wanted to argue, but it was a tough argument to make. Stevenson seemed to work up some courage because he promptly stood and practically spat out a curse, “We are a weapons company, you’re surely spelling the end of Stark Industries with this move.”
Tony levelled him a look that spoke for itself and Stevenson sat back down, “sure, the end of SI as we know it. I do plan to shift our focus towards greener pastures. But before we discuss that, back to the military,” He steeled him and then gave JARVIS the hand signal to send out an email—with the proof—to everyones tablet.
“What happened to me was no accident, and luckily they’ve been cooperating fully with myself and the FBI to investigate this.” As Tony spoke, Pepper silently left the room.
“You’ve just gotten an email with files from a ghost drive on our servers. As you all can see, there’s a serious leak gentlemen, and it comes straight from the top.”
Tony finally let himself look at Obadiah, who was on his feet and almost vibrating in his anger.
Silently, JARVIS pulled the ransom video up on a hologram at the centre of the table. Through the vibrant blue screen, he could see the anger growing, twisted into an expression he had only seen on Obadiah on his death bed.
The translated demands played throughout the room, but Tony couldn’t look away from Obadiah to even notice the responses of the other board members.
“You have deceived us Obadiah Stane.”
As soon as his name rang out, the video paused and Obadiah started towards him.
He moved like a wild animal, frenzied with his anger, but he didn’t make it far across the room before the door re-opened. Pepper marched in, bracketed by FBI agents, who immediately fanned out and subdued Obadiah.
He was thrashing a little embarrassingly in their grip and Tony let himself revel in it. He was doing it above board this time and the blame will fall on the right shoulders.
They led him out, along with Stevenson who was muttering curses. He looked alarmingly at Agent Carlsson, who just gave back an even look. I guess he’d hear more about that later.
“Alright, enough of that. Let’s discuss SI’s new direction,” He smiled cheekily at the remaining board members. JARVIS silently replaced the video with the blueprints of the new Stark-phone, the miniaturized ARC reactor, and the Stark-pad.
As Tony sat in his office in Malibu, he reflected on how well everything seemed to be going.
Compile evidence against Obadiah (+associates)
Luckily, the board had been receptive-ish to the new direction. It was looking like he needed to shop around to replace at least half the board, which is definitely more than last time, but it was for the best.
If anything it was his chance to finally bring a little diversity to the board. It was currently all old white man, which sucked.
As he kept reflecting, he couldn’t find it in himself to relax. There had to be something he was missing here.
He made a mental note to go over it all again, because is was all just a bit suspicious.
His phone ringing cut his train of thought off, “JARVIS accept the call”
“Mr. Stark! I’m glad the investigation is going well. We’ve been in communication with the FBI and it’s progressing smoothly on our end too.”
Tony knew that of course, he'd been in constant communication with the council with updates regarding his own progress and theirs. They seemed appeased that he was taking it all seriously and had since began talks about new contracts regarding his new gear and tech. Which essentially meant, their relationship was staying strong, "I’m happy to hear that, and as per our second order of business?”
“We’re happy to inform you that we've all agreed and would love to serve as oversight for your weapon retrieval missions. We need to figure out the logistics of it all, but we received the preliminary contracts your secretary sent over and are in the process of reviewing them.”
Tony smiled, he had spent a good amount of time making up a basic agreement that was not dissimilar to what the Sokovia Accords were meant to represent. He had of course added plenty of iron-clad clauses that blocked any more nefarious attempts against him and the armour. In the end it looked more like a consultancy agreement between Iron man and the U.S. military, where he was lending services in the form of intelligence and Iron man of course. It almost felt like ehe was being folded into the chain of command, except he consulted with every branch of the military. He still needed more time before he could reach out to the UN and take this show international, but it was a good start. It was almost like building credit, because when he reached out to the UN, he needed his reputation to speak for itself, plus he needed to use it to open up talks about all super-humans, not just himself.
“I’m happy to hear that, and as per the first mission, I already have a location." In his mind, there was no place else that could serve as the inaugural Iron man mission.
“Where would that be, Mr. Stark?”
“Gulmira.”
Tony knew it was going to be pandemonium. He’d made sure Obadiah’s arrest was publicized, by calling in anonymous tips that had cameras rolling on the back entrance of Stark Industries Malibu HQ conveniently. They got some good shots, and many had already correctly made the connection between the arrest and Tony’s recent return.
“Alright, everybody settle down please,” he called out into the room. His reputation may not be rock solid, but he still knew how to command a room. The chattering and general chaos—that was reporters desperate for the scoop—died down instantly. He, once again, had cards he was meant to follow and he intended to do so. Loosely.
This was the sort of thing you had to be real about. He didn’t want to look scripted or anything less than genuine.
“As you all may have heard and seen, SI’s COO Obadiah Stane was recently apprehended by the FBI in relation to several charges brought up against him. As the investigation is ongoing, I am unable to divulge too many details, but there is some leeway there,” he said and his lips quirked into a smirk that said remember who you’re talking to. He could see the interest in their eyes, he kept them waiting a little longer with bated breaths and pens at the ready, just because he could.
“The charges brought forth are those of treason, attempted murder, and grand larceny.” He heard the gasps and cut in sternly, “Save your questions for the end, any interruptions and you can watch from the lobby.”
Tony took stabilizing breath and continued, “when I was in captured, I had my eyes opened.”
“I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability.”
“I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries.” He could see everyone standing up in alarm, ready to hurl their questions at him in shock. He raised a hand to silence them all, and waited for them to settle.
Tony knew that this was probably like constant whiplash for them. A younger Tony—hell, from 6 months ago—would love the chaos of it all. He used to love and encourage the uproar, but he knows that does nothing to help his reputation. He had to be serious and cut them off at the knees.
“Stark Industries, one of the worlds foremost munitions manufacturers, will give way to Stark International. Whose business is peace, pure and simple, and the betterment of man through technology. We’ll have more about the new divisions opening up and some preliminary products that will be ready for market soon.”
“Now, questions?” he said with another quirk of his lips. He knew he was driving them crazy with the information overload, so he was going to be here for a while.
“Mr. Stark, are you implying that Mr. Stane was behind your disappearance? Why else would he be charged with attempted murder.” Tony worked hard to hold back his grin at the question, he knew Christine would come through with her astute observations. The court of public opinion was a fickle thing, there was always room for doubt and ulterior motives. It was much easier to make the media think they made the connection rather than outright telling them anything juicy.
Tony put on his best caught off guard impression and with an irritated sigh he answered, “Christine, I’m unable to discuss the details the investigation.” That should be enough to lay the groundwork for the next press conference.
“Mr. Stark!”
“Hi Ben,” he greeted with a smile.
“Hi again, do you believe that simply changing the name of your company is enough to prove you’ve changed? How can you expect us to believe you’ve just suddenly had a change of heart regarding the industry which your family made its entire fortune?” Oof no holds barred on that one.
“It’s a good question, Ben. I would be questioning me too, but it wasn’t a sudden change of heart. Munitions may have been the primary sector SI functioned in, but I’ve been pushing to branch out for ages. We have our intelli-crops and our softwares, and even AI. To be candid, I’d always been held back by my godfather under the guise of ‘not rocking the boat’, but I can see now I was just a coward. As for munitions? Well, I think getting blown up by a missile that quite literally had my name on it was enough for me to realize that I wasn’t helping anyone like I thought I was,” he finished wryly, his eyes serious.
He could see their shock and wanted to duck and hide, but he knew this transparency was essential for rehabbing his reputation. He waited stoically for the next question, hoping that this would be over soon enough.
He looked towards Christine next, feeling a little nostalgic as he thought about the last time he announced this to the world. Her eyes were keenly watching him and he could easily tell she wanted to throw him a curve ball again. “Mr. Stark, have you seen the reports of some sort of humanoid flying suit of armour which seems to be exclusively targeting illegal SI shipments? Many speculate it to be a creation from SI itself..” she trailed off hoping to lead him into her ‘trap’. Little did she know, Tony had been anxiously awaiting this moment since he been tossed back into time. Time to do this right.
“I have seen the reports and in the spirit of accountability I can confirm that it is not SI’s, but my own intellectual property.” He took another breath, excited to get the chance to be genuine and truthful this time around. anxious and terrified, but excited nonetheless.
"And I swear, as Tony Stark—that I will live to avenge those whose lives have been lost through the ignorance of men like the man I once was—or I will die trying.” It sounded a little macabre, but he had to say it. He needed them to know how serious he was.
“I’m sorry Mr. Stark, what exactly are you saying?” And with that, Tony laughed. He had lamented the lost opportunity of being dramatic during this press conference, and Christine was really delivering it to him on a platter. Well, if she wanted the sound bite, he’d be happy to deliver.
“Howard always used to tell me that 'gold was soft, silver brittle, and that someday I would see the value of Iron'," Tony smiled wryly.
"It's ironic because the truth is… I am Iron man.”