Aftermath
"Is he okay?" Scott asked in concern. All of them gathered around in Tony's room not too long after Jarvis dragged the unconscious genius inside. While Tony's New Armor is the most light-looking and the sleekest of his all suits it is still a metal and he fell like a stash of bricks.
"I think so." Hope hummed as she poked at Tony's shoulder plate. "The armor looks coked, but not warped, thankfully. It also seems like it is repairing on its own which is simply amazing."
"Sir is okay, all things considering.." Jarvis replied confidently while awkwardly lifting Tony's head and then letting it fall back down. "He has suffered some minor burns on his right hand but I believe it's just a small leftover of the gamma radiation The Mind Stone released when Sir harnessed its power. He is already healing and will have no lasting damage."
"So... can we get him out of the suit?" Sharon asked as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't want to sound rude but it smells really bad..."
"You can smell it?" Rhodey asked with a raised eyebrow while giving Sharon a weird look.
"Yes?" Sharon replied with her own eyebrow raised before looking over them all. "You cannot? It smells like someone burned some tires."
All of them shook their heads and Sharon frowned. Jarvis slowly raised his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small apologetic smile. "I believe this is another side effect of your enhancement, Ms. Carter." His expression then turned distanced but also excited. "This is a new development. I will write it down to the Extremis file right away."
"Okay, well that's good. Back to the point, J." Hope held her hands up and pointed down at Tony who still didn't move a muscle. "Can we get that suit of him?"
"Normally, I would say yes." Jarvis cryptically answered. "But it seems like the armor is damaged on a deeper level because it isn't responding to any of my override codes. We need to find a way to get the armor off manually."
"Well, it can't be that hard." Scott said as he stepped forward in front of Tony. "I mean this armor looks strong and cool but it doesn't look like it is really that secure as his other suits." He grasped the sides of his helmet. "So if I'm right then removing this should be a piece of…" He tried to yank it off but to no avail.
“Nice job, Scott!” Sharon sarcastically cheered with face full of amusement. “Keep it going, Buddy. You almost got it!”
"Son of a bitch..." Scott muttered as he put one leg against the bed and tried again. When still nothing happened, he used his other leg and pulled with all of his might, only to slip and fall down on his ass, which earned him a laugh from Sharon and Rhodey, a facepalm from Hope, and an amused chuckle from Jarvis.
"Okay, so pulling it off is out, any other bright ideas?" Rhodey asked when he finally managed to calm himself down and Scott embarrassedly stood up to his feet.
"I think there should be a flamethrower in this suit too." Sharon piped up with a glint in her eyes while a barely audible cry of "No flamethrower!" could be heard coming from the suit. "Huh... Did you guys hear that too?"
"Yes." Jarvis answered with a nod. "It seems that Sir is conscious again." He leaned his head down to Tony's head and smiled. "Welcome back, Sir. Would you like a coffee?" For a moment everything was very quiet in the crater before Jarvis straightened back to his full heigh. "He doesn't want coffee. I think we should call for a medic immediately. Sir never refused coffee before."
"fck yu Jrvs!"
"Well, it seems like he developed an attitude in his time out. Or well, bigger attitude than he already had." Sharon chuckled in amusement before turning serious. "So what now? Should we call Friday to deal with this shit?"
"That's exactly what you should do." Friday said as she stepped into the room, finally in her new physical body that made her appear as if she was a normal human being.
She was wearing only a black tank top and pair of leggings that were hugging her slim form like a second skin. Scott even released a small whistle when she walked to Tony, which earned him a slap on the back of the head from Hope. She bend down to Tony, grabbing both sides of his helmet and closing her eyes. For a moment nothing happened but then her eyes shot open, revealing that they were glowing purple, or the same color her holographic construct used, and Tony's whole suit retracted on its own.
"Finally!" Tony exclaimed as he shook his head and sit up. "For a moment I thought I would never get out of that thing-"
SLAP
"Ow!" Tony cried out as he managed his cheek and glared at Friday, who glared back at him. "What was that for?!"
"You are seriously asking that?!" Friday yelled at top of her lungs and some would swear that a vein popped on her forehead. "What the hell was that outside? Fighting a fucking Godzilla on your own? Really?!"
Friday's scary and angry facial expression was enough to activate Tony's survival mechanism and he immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her slightly closer so they were on the same eye level. "I am sorry." He let those words sink in for a moment before he continued. "I am sorry for scaring you like that, but I did it because it was simply the only option at the time."
“The only option at the time?!” Friday repeated on outrage.
Tony mentally groaned quickly showed Friday the glowing yellow Infinity Stone in his palm and signed as he handed it over to her. "It spoke to me. It guided me through the fight and reassured me that I would be fine in the end." Friday opened her mouth to say something but Tony was quicker as he realized that he still needs to make this situation a bit better for him. "What matters is that I am sorry and I will try to be more careful from now on, okay?"
Friday stared at him for a moment before her expression softened and she just crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine. You are forgiven but if you try something like this again... Not even a stupid glowing Stone will save you. You got me?."
"Yes, ma'am." Tony answered with a smirk as he shamelessly checked her out, which made a small seductive smile crack on her face. That did it and Tony turned to others. "What the hell are you guys still doing in my room?" He waved his hands at them dismissively and towards the doors. "Shoo! Go and overlook our Fleet splitting up and leaving for their objectives." He then looked directly at Rhodey and his smirk widened. "Also, somebody should probably inform The UN that Greenland is... no longer with us?"
All of them looked directly at Rhodey who nodded in agreement before he realized that all of them were looking directly at him and he realized what that meant for him. "Oh hell no! No, no, no, no... No way! I'm not doing that!"
****
"...and that's why Greenland turned into a huge crater with a Chitauri version of Godzilla in the center of it." Rhodey finished as all of The UN Panel members stared at him in shock mixed in with disbelief. Sharon was kind enough to join Rhodey at this briefing but even she couldn't hold off the laughter at the faces Rhodey pulled off while he explained what happened. "Luckily we managed to evacuate all of the human survivors and send them on their way over to Europe where Stark Employees will take care of them until you can take it over."
"Stark destroyed Greenland?" The Representative of Russia quietly asked in disbelief.
"How is that even possible?" The Representative of Wakanda, Princess Shuri asked with a frown on her face. "No weapon on Earth can destroy a whole island. It's simply not possible."
"That statement is obviously incorrect, Princess Shuri." The Representative of Italy, Eleanor Snow, said with amusement visible on her face. "We are talking about Tony Stark here. He is one of the most influential humans on the entire planet. If anyone can destroy an Island in size of Greenland then it is him."
"You sound too smugly when talking about Mr. Stark, Ms. Snow." Princess Shuri glared at the middle-aged woman. "It must feel nice for you and your country to have him on your side. After all, he and his arsenal make you one of the most powerful countries on Earth."
"Well, it's not my fault that America doesn't know how to appreciate their champion." Eleanor replied with a smirk while Ellis glared at her with hate. "And for your information, Princess, Mr. Stark is part Italian from his Mother's side. You could say that he just returned back home and we welcomed him with open arms."
"America is his home!" Ellis shouted and Eleanor just rolled her eyes. It made Ellis's blood boil and his eye twitch. Half a year ago nobody would dare to insult or mock his country. Today everybody dares because America is in no state to argue or refuse help from anyone. Even the smaller states of Europe dare to mock him, but it's Italy that makes his life a living hell, even more so than Russia and North Korea.
All of this because of one man...
"I personally don't care where Mr. Stark chooses to live if he is on our side." The Representative of Denmark stated with a glare directed towards Ellis, who smartly shut his mouth. "If Mr. Stark wishes to cut all ties with America and work along with Italy it's his choice and his choice alone. All of us need to respect it." He then turned to Rhodey and released a tired breath. "Because Greenland is... was part of our country, I want to thank you all for rescuing our people. All of Denmark appreciates it, Colonel Rhodes. But, all of us are aware that Mr. Stark claimed that his plan was to secure Greenland so we would have a close base to The US soil, so I have to ask you now: What is Mr. Stark planning to do now?"
"If I may, I would answer this question instead." The Representative of Canada said and stood up. "Me and Ms. Stark had a conversation soon after the destruction of Greenland and agreed that all forces that were originally going to be stationed around Greenland will join forces with those that are going to secure the borders of Canada. Ms. Stark also offered that she would leave one Stark Cruiser in every major city that is still in our possession for safekeeping. The Canadian government agreed with this offer and Stark Cruisers started occupying our Air Space this morning."
"And nobody sees an issue with this?" Princess Shuri questioned in disbelief. "You gave so much power to this one man who has a really questionable past, if I may say, and nobody worries what will happen after this whole Invasion is over? What will happen if Stark wins and then decides that he doesn't want to give those cities back to your Governments?"
"Princess Shuri!" The Representative of Germany addressed with a firm voice. "I understand that you and Wakanda are relatively new in politics, but you need to understand that Mr. Stark and his Company have been negotiating and dealing with our Governments for years. Most of us know Mr. Stark on personal basics. We know who he is and we know him better than you." Shuri flinched and bit her lip because she knows where this conversation is going. "Don't think we forgot about Wakanda and your lies about your country. I really wonder how would you Wakandians act if Mr. Stark didn't reveal the existence of Etherium to the public."
"We-" Shuri tried but The Representative of Germany didn't let her speak and spoke over her.
"Mr. Stark didn't force his way to our cities. We allowed him access because it is for the protection of our people and our lands." The Representative of Germany continued. "I will be with you completely honest, Princess. Mr. Stark could literally retreat from The US at any moment and just stay and protect Etherium and Italy. He isn't obligated to fight this war for us, but he does it anyway because that's just who he is. Some people call him Hero others call him Protector. I would say he is both. So, no. We aren't afraid of what will happen after the war is over because we know that Mr. Stark isn't some evil mastermind or overlord as some people make him out to be."
"So can we get back to the topic?" Sharon annoyingly asked and all of the Representatives nodded in agreement.
"The Pegasus is currently on road to New Scotland where we will wait until our forces successfully push the Chutairi forces back to New York." Rhodey said in a loud tone commanding tone so everybody would hear him. "When that happens, Pegasus will move directly to New York where we will all regroup and launch one coordinated attack on The Chitauri Mother Ship and weaken it enough for Project Infinity to blast it to oblivion, hopefully with Supergiant on board."
"Why is Pegasus staying behind?" The Representative of Sokovia questioned while leaning closer to the camera. "I was under the assumption that it was Mr. Stark's strongest War Ship."
"Because Pegasus is the only Ship that is capable of carrying the Proton Cannon and firing it. Rhodey quickly answered with a hardened voice. "The attack from Chitauri Godzilla caught us all by a surprise. That beast was according to Tony capable of destroying even Pegasus and we cannot risk Pegasus being destroyed before it completed its main objective."
"But why New Scottland?" The Representative of Nigeria questioned.
Sharon shrugged. "We are not sure, but Tony always did love that country. Maybe he just wants to visit it again."
"And where is Mr. Stark now, if we may ask?" The Representative of Romania curiously asked while Sharon and Rhodey exchanged looks and flushed.
"Well, you see..." Rhodey started as he scratched the back of his neck. "The thing about Tony is that he is always working..."
****
Tony leaned on the top of Friday's naked body and kissed her neck from behind. "That was amazing..." Friday grinned and leaned into his touch, softly moaning as he gently bit her neck. "Let's do it again."
"And you say that I’m the one who is addicted to sex." Friday snarked with a smirk as she turned around to face him. "Besides, we have been in here for four hours now. This body is still new. I need some time to recover my strength." Tony pouted and rolled off her while also crossing his arms above his chest and looking like an offended baby which earned him a laugh from Friday who gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and leaned against his shoulder. "Later." She seductively whispered and smiled when his interest visibly spiked. "After all, we have all the time in the galaxy to fuck our brains out."
"Well, when you say it like that..." Tony smirked and wrapped his hands around her body, pulling her even closer. "I was a bit skeptical when Helen said that you would be exactly like any other Human being but I must admit that you feel like it. Even better I would say."
"I am a Human." Friday stated while slowly playing with her brown hair. "Well, not exactly Human. I'm more than that. I can leave this body and transfer my mind into another body if I would want to, but I see no reason for it. This body is a mix of a cloned tissue from multiple sources, infused with the Cradle Tech and the same Nanites that are in your veins, as well as Nanotech."
"You never told me why you wanted Nanotech infusion." Tony pointed out and Friday turned to him and smirked.
"Watch and learn." Friday told him as her eyes glowed purple and her whole right hand was suddenly enveloped in a Silver liquid that looked like metal and after a few seconds, she had an Iron Man-like gauntlet on her hand. "See?" She chuckled and flexed her armored hand. "I'm like that hot blond chick from Terminator now! I can even manifest a whole Armor that is specifically designed for me and manipulate it however I wish."
"That's impressive." Tony noted as he softly grabbed her armored hand and observed it with curiosity. "Do you get tired too?"
"I do." Friday said and frowned a bit. "It's one of the side effects of the human cloned tissue. This body needs everything a normal human would need to function." She then smirked mischievously at him and licked her lips. "A small price to pay for the pleasure you can offer me. I'm honestly surprised how good an orgasm feels in the real world. I had a simulated orgasm feeling during our Dream Sex, but it is nothing compared to this... I love it."
"Anything for sweetheart." Tony said with a warm smile letting his eyes glow at her because he knows she likes it and it turns her on.
Instead of being turned on, Friday narrowed her eyes at him and titled his head to the side so she could get a better look at him. "Did you know that your eyes don't glow blue anymore? They are bright yellow. The same color as The Mind Stone." Tony frowned but didn't say anything so Friday pressed on. "What did that Stone do to you?"
"Why do you think that it did something?" Tony asked.
"Because that stunt that you pulled out there was simply impossible." Friday answered while pressing her lips into a thin line. "Not even The Vision managed to do stuff like that and he was born with that Stone inside his head, so I will ask again. What did that Stone do?"
"I told you that it spoke to me." Tony started with a deep sign. "It spoke to me for the whole day but I thought that was just in my head. At first, it was just small whispers of my name but when that Leviathan Alpha showed up it was more clear. Louder."
"Wait..." Friday interjected. "Leviathan Alpha? Is that what that thing was called?"
"Yes. It is an evolved Leviathan that was like a Father, or Leader of them all." Tony shrugged and continued. "The Stone offered me its power and I accepted it. It called me its Champion, Safekeeper, and Chosen One. It chose me as its Guardian and Handler and I guess we kinda developed a mental connection."
"Will it be a problem for us in the future?" Friday questioned with a frown. "I don't want to sound rude or anything but that thing is what corrupted Ultron in the first place..."
"Ultron was the result of the experiments Hydra did with The Scepter." Tony quickly defended. "The Mind Stone isn't bad. It's not necessarily good, but it's not bad either. It simply isn't driven by any human rules. For me, the Stone is an adviser that offers guidance and helps me understand things outside Earth. I guess you could say that it likes me."
"Should I be jealous?" Friday joked with a chuckle before her face became deadly serious again. "I'm not sharing you with a stupid Stone. You know what? I'm going to flush it down the toilet." She moved to stand up but Tony quickly pulled her back down to him with a chuckle.
"Don't worry, Fri." Tony reassured her while kissing the top of her head. "I think that Stone wants to have with me purely Teacher/Student relationship, nothing romantic." He then winced. "That would be weird. Even for me... Does that make you feel better?"
"Is it weird that it actually does?" Friday asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope." Tony quickly chuckled. "We are going to stay in New Scottland for a while. Maybe we can allow Karen to hang out with us until we go to New York. I know you miss her."
"You do too." Friday pointed out with a knowing smile.
"Yeah... I do." Tony admitted with a fond smile. "I was thinking that maybe after all of this is over, we could move to Etherium. Permanently."
"About that..." Friday trailed off. "I kinda already ordered us a mansion?" Tony blinked at her in confusion so She elaborated. "You see, living onboard Pegasus is fun but it simply doesn't feel like a home and I know that you miss your Malibu Mansion... So I made all of the necessary preparations and almost the exact same replica is being built near the edge of the Island."
Tony for a few seconds just stared at her but then he grinned and leaned closer to her. "Did I tell you that I love you?"
"Not today." Friday smugly replied as she closed the distance between them and kissed him. "Screw resting... We are doing this. Now!" She moaned in between the kisses and it made Tony smirk and flip her over.
"You have no idea what you started, Baby."
****
"General." A Chitauri Trooper knelt down on his knee as he entered the bridge of the Chitauri Mother Ship. "It seems that the one called Iron Man harnessed the power of The Mind Stone."
"Did he now?" Supergiant questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes." The Trooper confirmed. "He killed the Leviathan Alpha and destroyed the whole island of Greenland in the process."
"Interesting..." Supergiant muttered to herself before looking at the Trooper. "You are dismissed." The Trooper nodded and left her alone and right as the doors closed, she smirked and whispered to herself. "Father, Father... It seems you were right about Stark. He is something special. Either way, he will be mine. This whole Planet will be mine... and then I'm coming for you."