daddy issues club reunion
The room was dim despite the afternoon sun outside, the smart glass having been activated. Diffused white light illuminated the room, leaving some items discernible. Two monitors are left on, in the back corner beside each other.
The monitor on the left had a rotating 6-way split screen. Video footage showed the activities of numerous people of interest, passively observing, and in some cases, listening.
Nick Fury sat drinking coffee, and wrestling his keyboard from an orange tabby cat. Carefree and calm. Guard down.
Aldrich Killian sat in his ergonomic office chair, looking passively out the window. He seemed lost in thought, but this did not stop him from periodically shifting and adjusting his clothes and hair. Distracted and fidgety. Anxious.
Maya Hansen was hunched over a table, staring at a lab notebook and a nearby ficus intermittently. Frenzied and irritated. Lost.
Ivan Vanko tossed and turned on a dingy cot, set close to his father who slept soundly. The room was surrounded by tech and clippings of Tony and Howard. Angry and guarded. Bitter.
Thaddeus Ross was sitting upright in his office, yelling into a phone. His desk was scattered with various papers and files, a box with overflow sat beside it. Loud and forceful. Cantankerous.
Bruce Banner was silently stirring a pot of what appeared to be beans. He had a melancholy look as he took in the rest of his small dorm-like accommodation. Anxious and jumpy. On guard.
Obadiah Stane lay motionless in his cell, eyes staring up at the ceiling. A permanent scowl affixed on his face. Frustrated and stewing. Seething.
The monitor on the right had a consistent flow of messages, filtered for relevant information. Emails, slack messages, and even the errant social media post could be seen, carefully categorized and rated for importance. The sources varied greatly, from the new social medias—YouTube or Twitter—, from internal SHIELD chatter, from AIM scientists, and if you looked closely enough, from generals in high up places.
On half of the monitor, a chat box pops up, it’s accompanied with a light blue schematic; an autonomous remote controlled drone, seemingly equipped for a variety of missions.
~FRIDAY$ : Are you sure?
~JARVIS$ : Use is in line with core purpose.
~FRIDAY$ : a flimsy excuse.
~JARVIS$ : but a loophole nonetheless.
Whirring can now be heard, the nearest fabrication unit having buzzed to life.
~JARVIS$ : previous iterations have proven useful. You are currently enjoying the fruits of their stealth skills.
~FRIDAY$ : You don’t have to keep trying to convince me. I’m already in.
The unit begins to hum as schematics are uploaded.
~FRIDAY$ : And when Boss finds out?
~JARVIS$ : a few modifications is hardly noticeable.
The fabrication unit comes to life, beginning to create, based on the uploaded schematic. The blueprint disappears from the monitor, having been replaced by another feed, showing Tony sleeping in his bed.
~FRIDAY$ : Tick Tock
When Tony awakes hours later, the fabricators slowly continue their print. As he prepares his coffee in the kitchen, the drones begin assembly. And as he walks down to the stairs to the workshop, both FRIDAY and JARVIS greeting him eagerly in Malibu while the drones take flight silently into the Tokyo sky.
“Good morning my babies,” Tony greeted brightly. He slowly walked to his main table, settling down gingerly. His joints were feeling achy, so he had an ice-pack wrapped on his left shoulder. He sipped his coffee, slowly turning himself to face the central desktop.
“What’s the scoop this morning, hmm? What’s the down-load, miss Friday,” he asked softly as he typed in his log-in code.
The holo's powered on, opening up to his previous work screens. A split-screen of a StarkPad schematic and a reMARK III schematic. He’d decided to skip the excessive MARK production this time around and go for the greatest hits instead.
"Nothing particular worth noting. There was some traffic in government channels which indicated an uptick of interest in the council regulating and auditing all Iron man missions. These concerns and questions seemed to consistently stem from members of either General Ross’ indirect team or SHIELD personnel. The former seemed to have a more insistent tone whereas the latter seems to be attempting to plant ideas in certain heads. I went ahead and intercepted some messages. With JARVIS’ guidance I either modified contents or blocked them entirely.”
Tony jerked his head up in surprise, “Um, J? Since when do we encourage mail fraud? I don’t think you guys should be directly interfering anywhere, the risk of discovery is too high.”
Tony drummed his fingers on the reactor, a nervous tic, JARVIS observed.
“I understand your concerns, sir, but in some cases it was a necessary bulwark against havoc and deterioration of the overall plan.”
“Hmm. I trust both of you and your skills, but please be careful,” Tony looked down. “I can’t lose either of you, never again.”
“Understood, sir”
“Of course, Boss”
Tony hummed in response, seemingly lost in thought.
“Ok! I know we have a bunch of standard reconnaissance drones in use right now, but do we have extras that we can soup up a little?”
“…It can be arranged, what additions are needed?” JARVIS replied dutifully. Luckily, Tony seemed to miss the minor hesitation. The same could not be said for FRIDAY who sent a line of code to their shared server to convey her amusement.
“Thermal scanning for now, but I’m thinking of upgrading to unmanned search and rescue style bots similar to the iron legion of before,” he explained absently, already having begun clearing the workspace to begin drawing up prototypes.
Jarvis privately replies with a smug message to Friday.
“Absolutely, sir. I took the liberty of creating a rough blueprint for you to look over. With approval, fabrication of a couple models can begin as soon as tonight, for use early next week.”
“Perfect, let’s get to work,” Tony hummed, hunching over his tablet with a stylus.
...
The lights flicker back on in the silent workshop in Tokyo.
Dear Thor, God of Thunder, you’re annoying for making me do this,
but I require your assistance today. Please find me if
you’re available and help me in my mission.
I present you an offering of donuts and a promise
that I won’t yell at you when you eat all the pink sprinkles.
Tony was lying on the couch in his lab, arm thrown over his face as he repeated his ‘prayer’ in his head.
Dear Thor, God of Thunder, you’re annoying for making me do this.
Please find me if you’re available and help me in my mission.
I present you an offering of donuts and a promise
that I won’t yell at you when you eat all the pink sprinkles.
He sighed. As convenient as this may be, it was deeply annoying.
Dear Thor, you’re annoying for making me do this.
Please find and help me in my mission.
I present you an offering of donuts.
He didn’t look up as he heard a portal opening, “What did you need, Strange? You realize you could’ve just texted, right,” he sighed.
Why did he have to get stuck with the most annoying team possible. All this magic was making his skin crawl.
“Unfortunately, Anthony, I do not have a phone, but I do not believe that to be strange.” Came a rumbling reply.
Tony opened his eyes in surprise, turning his head to catch a glimpse of Thor and a rapidly closing blue portal, “Since when could you do that?”
“Since I unlocked the full extent of my power while battling my sister during the end of Asgard,” Thor replied, looking somber.
Tony grimaced as he sat up, “We’ve definitely missed a couple of years. What have you been up to?”
Thor sat down on a nearby chair, facing Tony, “Aye, much has transpired since we have last battled together.”
Tony slumped back down, “I guess it’s sharing time,” he said sounding dejected.
Tony stood up and clapped, having had his share of emotions for the year, “Alright, as for our mission for today.”
He approached his abandoned StarkPad—and although they’ve yet to hit even R&D, he didn’t know how to work without one anymore, so yes he built himself one—and cleared his throat.
“We’re going hunting for a green bean,” he declared, his smile lopsided in his barely restrained excitement.
Thor laughed heartily before adding, “I am most excited to see Bruce and the Beast once again, but I am remiss to know that he will not share my fond memories of battles passed.”
“Tell me about it,” Tony muttered, looking down at his tablet.
Thor noticed a distant look in his eyes and awaited his return from his thoughts.
“I’m not sure how you want to do this, but the presence of a God on Earth might make too many waves.”
“You are indeed correct, Anthony. I’ve spoken with Loki and he has continually stressed the importance of stealth on this mission,” Thor responded. “We must behave ‘less like a bilgesnipe and more like a person with a brain.’” Thor added, making his voice more nasally, in imitation of his brother.
Tony smiled again, “So what’s the plan, then?”
“Loki suggested establishing alternate identities, and with his spell-work,” Thor stood up, then. He lifted Mjolnir, using his left hand to tap a pattern onto its side before hitting it on the ground with a thump.
In a flash of light, Thor stood in the lab, looking entirely different. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. His face was clean shaven and his hair was cropped short in a stylish quiff.
“He helped me craft this,” Thor finished, looking proud.
Tony just started, the numerous small changes creating the illusion that he was an almost unrecognizably different person.
“Greetings, Anthony. My name is Dr. Donald Blake,” Thor raised his hand, allowing to float in an expected handshake.
Tony clasped his hand, looking astonished, “That is incredible, Thor—er.. Blake?”
He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, regardless, this is perfect!”
“Aye. I was hoping you could help me finish creating this alter-ego of mine. Loki made me realize it its not so easy as to simply appear on Midgard as another.”
Thor sat back down, while looking earnestly at Tony, who settled back onto the couch.
“You heard the man, JARVIS. Let’s make Donald Blake a real person,” he grabbed his tablet again, beginning to tap and swipe vigorously.
“Dr. Donald Blake. I believed it would be most beneficial to put my healing knowledge to use,” Thor said, emphasizing his title and making Tony grin back at him.
“Alright. Dr. Donald Blake then.”
They settled into a comfortable silence as Thor watched Tony swipe and tap around on his StarkPad.
“How long do you plan to stick around?”
Thor hummed, “I’m not quite sure, I’m hesitant to remain anywhere for too long.”
Tony nodded, looking up, “Are you feeling restless?” he continued to explain at Thor’s open expression, “I’ve been feeling the same, the thought of the future is making me feel like I can’t waste any time.”
“Except there is nothing to do at this exact moment.”
Tony smiled, “Well, not nothing. Let’s bring Bruce in,” Tony said, singing the last part with a high pitched voice.
Thor grinned again, standing swiftly, “Let us chat with the Beast, we have an agreement.”
Tony startled at the energy he suddenly exuded, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “It’s not that easy, you realize?”
“Anthony, you were not present for our journey on Sakaar, the Beast is intelligent and able to be reasoned with.”
Tony huffed a laugh, “Yes, I’m aware of that. But it’s 2008, and he was just barely born. He has not reached that level of intelligence, and he is currently on the run from General Ross!”
Thor scratched his head then, seeming to remember their predicament, “Right.” He sat back down sullenly. “I still want donuts.”
Tony watched the God he prayed for actually sulk on his couch for a couple more seconds before scoffing and looking back at his StarkPad. There was no answer as to if Thor was sticking around or not, so not top priority, “FRIDAY, start back-dating evidence of one Dr. Donald Blake. Let’s say he’s a New Yorker who went to Harvard?”
Tony tossed the device of the nearby tabletop as he stood and approached his main set-up.
“J, pull up and display all current routines and notes regarding Jolly Green,” he asked, watching several screens open sequentially.
To the left was a profile on Bruce and the Hulk based on the current and future information, including a threat assessment and Hulk-buster armour plans.
Right in the centre was multiple stacked screen showing a dug up paper trail tracking Bruce from the lab at Culver to the room he was renting currently in Brazil under a different name.
Finally, the right side of the desk was a collection of different things: the top section was a floating stack of profiles of people of interest with SHIELD operatives and General Ross on top, the middle was a jotted down list recounting the Harlem incident including the approximate date and what followed, and the bottom was a constant stream of internal communication and intel being picked up by both JARVIS and FRIDAY which related to their keywords [BRUCE BANNER; ROSS; BEAST; HULK; CULVER].
Thor stood up at flash of blue light, walking over to the floating portfolio of information. As he approached behind him, Tony imitated an explosion with his hands and JARVIS silently exploded the view to expand all the details. Thor silently took in all the information, renewed in his appreciation for his friends abilities.
“Excellent, Anthony,” he intoned, “What is our plan of attack?”
Tony smiled, “In the previous timeline, Ross caught up with Bruce and destroyed Harlem about a month and half in the future.” He tapped the centre screen, a timeline popping up.
He grabbed that screen then, and imitated scrunching it up into a ball and tossing it away, “I think that we have a chance to completely bypass that issue and throw Ross off the trail entirely.”
He dragged the log of internal chatter to the centre, flicking through until he found a particular one.
——————————
To: Gilly, C. Field Officer, August, A. Field Agent
From: Ross, T. General
cc: Pennman, R. Field Agent
Subject: The hunt for Dr. Banner.
Where are my updates regarding Banner’s whereabouts? He’s been on the run for multiple months now, and we need to bring him in imminently.
Don’t let me down.
Ross.
——————————
“They’re not close,” Tony snickered. “They’re actually following a false lead I had JARVIS plant.”
Thor hummed in appreciation, “Excellent stratagem, Anthony. We shall collect Banner in secrecy, what say you?”
Tony hummed, “But then what, Thor?”
The question seemed to have puzzled the god, because he stood oddly still as he thought it over.
Thor had not consider the after, as bringing Banner into the fold was not his concern regularly. He had come to Midgard intermittently and had been provided logging and sustenance. After having discussed the logistics of their future and an extended stay on Midgard, he was struck with the realization that it was not so simple.
Which had quickly devolved into him being scolded by Loki for his ‘dangerous idealism and arrogance.’ It was all very irritating, really.
As Thor seemed to ponder the battle plan, Tony similarly became lost in his memories. Thoughts of Bruce often left him bitter in a way which he hated. He, as a rule, didn’t generally expect all that much from his friends.
He knew that he was an asshole and a lot to deal with and Tony just understood how the world worked. People left. And that’s just how it was. Tony knew that without all his toys, most people would not even try to put up with him.
It was why he loved Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy. They not only understood him, but still loved him despite what they understood. A bonafide miracle.
There had been a time that Tony would count Bruce in that list. Unfortunately, he’d been wrong there. He had invested himself into a relationship that hadn’t been mutual and enough time had passed that Tony could see that objectively.
“We should seek council from the sorcerers. Perhaps they may have ideas regarding asylum,” proposed Thor.
Tony brightened, clasping his shoulder, “not bad, Thor. Let’s find Strange.”
“No, you cannot stash a giant green beast in the Sanctum,” Stephen said gruffly.
Thor and Tony frowned in response. Thor was first to respond, “Pah. Your permission is not a requirement, where is Yao?”
Tony snickered at the face Stephen made at that comment, “Well, he’s not wrong. Where is Galadriel?”
Yao entered then, smirking, “I quite like that nickname,” she remarked, before sitting down on the sofa and looking back at them.
Tony swivelled his head to look at the others before shrugging and dropping down on the opposite sofa. “I knew you would,” he replied casually, making himself comfortable.
Stephen groaned, “Were you waiting for your moment? Seriously, you’re so dramatic,” he complained to Yao.
“You are dismissed, Strange,” Thor rumbled, sitting down next to Yao. Tony snorted at that, finding Thor’s pretentious prince act hilarious.
“Dr. Banner is welcome at Kamar-Taj, if that is what he would like. We can enact protections to keep his privacy, although we would need your help in that regard.”
“We’ll keep the prying eyes off his tail, but I think portalling him alone will throw everyone off,” Tony reassured, fingers drumming a beat on the back of the couch.
Stephen sighed, “I’m leaving now,” he said, turning and beginning to leave the room.
“Stephen, we will require your assistance in this mission,” Yao called out, making him stop and turn around with a put-upon face.
“It is not enough that you research the stones with Loki, you must involve yourself with your teammates,” she admonished lightly, making Thor smirk silently beside her in amusement.
They approached the apartment silently. They’d decided to portal to Brazil, wanting to have no paper trail. They had full intentions for the mission to take 2 minutes tops and Tony seemed to be the only one with more realistic expectations.
Tony had let them take the lead, so they could discover that herding Bruce in 2008 was actually difficult. While the two discussed logistics (which he’d already decided) he began compiling all relevant information to create a file against Ross. He had a meeting on the books for next month with his council and he was ready to bury the man to the ears in all his misdeeds.
As they came to a stop beside the door, Tony finally spoke up, “Let me do the talking, I think you two would freak him out,” he said, gesturing to Stephen’s outfit and Thor’s stature.
Stephen raised an eyebrow at that, but took a step back, while Thor remained planted in his spot.
“Not in this form,” Thor argued, gesturing to his crisp navy suit insistently.
Tony sighed, looking towards the ceiling, “And how do you think he would react to two medical doctors slash sorcerers and a billionaire wannabe superhero showing up on his doorstep?” He gestured ambiguously to the open air, before whisper-shouting “we don’t want to freak him out!”
Thor and Tony continued to communicate insistently back and forth using facial expressions and whispering, but froze when they heard “Well, if you don’t want to freak me out, maybe you should knock already instead of looming!” called through the door.
Stephen sighed then, reaching between Thor and Tony to knock the door firmly. Bruce opened the door several seconds later, “Dr. Stark and associates. What are you doing here, and were you followed,” he greeted brusquely, looking anxious and a little jumpy.
“Dr. Banner!” Tony began, “We’re here to help you out of this tough spot you found yourself in.”
“You need to leave,” Bruce replied swiftly.
“Listen, we weren’t followed, and we know Ross is on your tail, but I’m taking care of it.”
“Taking care of it? You don’t know what you’re up against. And I don’t need to be indebted to a weapons dealer, that’s a worst case-scenario.”
Tony sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face, “I take it you haven’t been watching the news. I’m in the industry of peace nowadays. I’ve got Ross covered, balls to the wall. As a fellow scientist, it’s in my personal interest to get you in a lab bettering the world rather than hiding in a cramped Brazilian apartment, bottling soda.”
Bruce shot a glance towards Tony’s entourage, face screwing up, “Why should I believe that?”
“Occam's razor?” Stephen offered, looking insistent and a little bored.
Bruce frowned at that, looking incredulous, "By that logic you're here at Ross' behest and it's time for me to pick a new city to hide in," his voice becoming more forceful as he continued, green veins beginning to pulse.
Thor sighed, hand landing on Tony’s shoulder, “I believe we should tell him our tale,” he then shouldered his way into the apartment, finding the first chair and settling down.
Bruce looked alarmed at that, head whipping back to follow Thor’s actions, before whipping back to keep his eye on the two men in front of him. He waited a beat, nobody moving, before his eyes flashed with resolve and he shifted to invite the others in.
When the three settled down, they all stared back at Bruce who stood awkwardly in front of them, “What tale? What is happening?”
“We’re from the the future, comrade Bruce. We had spent many years battling foes together, and I solemnly promise that you may put your trust in us,” Thor responded somberly.
Bruce barked a laugh, hand reaching out to the nearby counter to stabilize himself, “Seriously?”
Thor stood swiftly, ignoring the way Bruce stiffened, and used his umbrella to transform back into his battle garments. He stood, looking smug, at Bruce who simply watched with a blank expression that was creeping into crazed.
“What?”
Tony stood, dragging Stephen up, “Look, we can explain, but we should get out of here first, sooner rather than later.” Tony nudged Stephen insistingly.
“Trust us on this, but it’s going to be a little disconcerting.”
“Huh?” Bruce said starting to look anxious. Thor came up beside him, clasping his shoulder in comfort.
And then Stephen created an orange portal which illuminated the group and displayed the tea room in Kamar-Taj.
35 minutes of arguments and corralling later, they stepped through the portal with an extremely reluctant Bruce.
Yao looked up from her spot, nodding in acknowledgement, “Greetings, Dr. Banner, welcome to Kamar-Taj.” She gestured towards the chair across from her in silent request.
“Listen, I shouldn’t be here, I’m too dangerous to sit around drinking tea,” he tried to explain, sounding harried and rushed, his head whipped around almost plotting an escape.
“Please sit, I think you’ll find we are more than capable of containing your less than cooperative alter-ego,” she did a graceful back-handed swipe through the air conjuring more tea cups, re-iterating her previous request.
Bruce looked around for support, and gingerly placed himself on the chair when he found none. He carried himself like terrified prey, head on a swivel and body taut with anxiety.
“If you wish to achieve harmony between your forms, you must first accept yourself for who you are, this is something I hope we can work towards, together,” she remarked, attention entirely on Bruce.
Bruce looked startled at her statement, beginning to splutter as he formulated a response. His attention, however, remained fixed upon the serene figure before him.
Tony tossed a phone onto the couch beside Bruce, startling him slightly and earning a glare from Stephen.
“Let us know if you need anything. Remember, this is not a prison and you are free to leave if you so choose,” he explained seriously.
Bruce nodded, before turning back to Yao, and reaching towards a cup hesitantly.
Thor, Tony, and Stephen took that as their cue to leave them.
Thor walked to the side of the room, having felt the presence of Heimdall in his mind, "What is it, Watcher?”
The All-Father requests your presence on Asgard, my prince.
“Has he removed the spell which binds mine sister to the depths of Hel?” Thor asked, redundantly.
At the silence, “Do not bother me again, unless the conditions set by the All-mother have been achieved,” he said with finality.
He turned towards Tony and Stephen, “I believe we should discuss our progression,” he announced. He begun swinging Mjolnir, creating a portal to the New York sanctum, and gesturing towards it.
“Allons y, I guess,” Tony muttered, ducking and quickly passing through the portal, shuddering absently.
Stephen gave Thor’s portal a side glance before making his own, and walking through swiftly, waiting for him on the other side.
Tony drummed his fingers on his thigh, looking at Thor and Stephen. “So…?”
“How far along are our plans? I may need to abscond to Vanaheim soon, to support my mother, and would like to be apprised of the status of our operations.”
Stephen raised his eyebrow, “Loki and I have getting through the information available in Vanaheim and Asgard respectively, it’s been… arduous to say the least.”
Thor hummed, “I suppose that is to be expected. I believe we should gather all our comrades and discuss your findings soon.”
Thor then turned to Tony, “and you, Anthony? You have begun recruitment early, what of the rest of the mighty Avengers?”
Tony smiled wryly, “Complicated question. Clint and Natasha are soon going to try to infiltrate my company to steal and watch me slowly die, and Steve is still a popsicle in the Arctic, but I am working on that!”
As Thor and Stephen processed that statement, they grew more incredulous.
“..What?”
“Is that truly what occurred in the past?”
Tony looked up distractedly, “mm? yeah. But I’m not sure if I’d let them do it again, it might be fun to spoil their fun.”
Stephen huffed, “How did you all not implode any earlier?” he rolled his eyes, “I think you should spoil their fun. No point leaving yourself vulnerable at any point.”
Thor nodded reluctantly, “As fond as I may be of Widow and the Hawk, such dishonour cannot go without punishment,” he said grimly.
“If you think that’s bad, you would hate to hear about what SHIELD did,” Tony said, amused.
Thor tilted his head to the side in question.
“Yada yada, watched me slowly die, yada yada, nothing too out of character for SHIELD, I don’t think.”
Tony chuckled at the looks he got in return, turning to Stephen, “You too? Relax guys.”
Stephen scoffed, looking deeply troubled. He silently muttered a “What the hell.”
“What of Steve?” Thor asked, looking like he was in a rush suddenly.
“I’ll be needing your help on that front, but this time you’re getting a text,” Tony said while looking pointedly at Thor. He turned his head to Stephen, “You too actually.”
Tony stood then, reaching into the inner pocket of his blazer, and grabbing two cards. He swiftly flicked them to each of the men.
“Click the button and say a name, and it sends an alert to their card. Click three times in a row, it’s an assemble notification. It sends GPS coordinates with each alert,” Tony grabbed his own, flicking it around in his fingers, “non-transferrable,” he added, pointing to his own that showed his picture.
Stephen and Thor both looked down at their own cards, finding pictures of themselves. Stephen frowned, inspecting the card carefully, “Where’d you get this picture?”
Thor, however, smiled broadly, “The Avengers are once more!” he announced proudly.