Gifts and Curses

by sonicarutha

Reed Richards is a successful scientist who thought that he had it all, but after a botched mission to the Artic Circle leaves him and others empowered, how does his charmed life fall to ruin. Response to Connect Three Challenge. ON HIATUS.

Title: Gifts and Curses
Pairings: No obvious pairings
Rating: M (Will get more M as it goes on)
Warnings: There is OOC and language in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, Stan Lee and Marvel Comics do.
Explanation: This is going to need an explanation. I took up this idea when I was talking to Connect Three. Connect three has a Marvel Comics challenge where you turn it into a TV show. I decided to follow the rules of anything turning into something for television, taking A LOT of liberties, but that is the point. That is why there is so much OOC and stuff that didn't happen in the comics (which I have read.) There are also going to be a few self introductions through the first two or three chapters, so bear with me.

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"Dr. Reed Richards along with his partner Tony Stark have increased the worth of Stark Enterprises tenfold," Ben read as his roommate walked through the door. "You two are really a great team. They're referring to you two as a scientific powerhouse."

Reed moved to sit next to his friend, a cup of hot coffee in his hand as he looked at the covers of the magazines. "We have come a long way, haven't we?"

Ben looked into his friend's eyes as he threw the magazine to the table. "I'm proud of you, no matter what you think. I'm so proud that all of the dreams that you talked about in high school have finally come true. Now you have a great partnership, a great job."

"Tony is really great isn't he?" Reed stated as he took a long sip of coffee, his eyes closing as he stood up. "I have to get to work; I'll see you tonight, Ben."

"Alright," Ben stated as he watched his friend walk out of the door, to turn on the television to watch more interviews with the Stark/Richards powerhouse.

0o0o0o0o0o0

I am Dr. Reed Richards, this is my life. I am twenty-five-years-old and have the life that I always dreamed of. I have it all, money, fame, and a great partner. For the past year I have gone from a bight eyes man with college loans and only PhDs to keep him warm to a man who was on top of the world. I owe all of that to Tony Stark.

Tony Stark is not only the other half of the Stark/Richards powerhouse, but he is also the sole heir to Stark Enterprises. Tony is the only son of Howard Stark, our boss. I know why everyone is thinking, they all think that Tony is another mindless spoiled pampered brat that doesn't even know how to drive a car. I'm here to tell everyone that's not the case. Tony is a brilliant man with the IQ to match.

But that's not all, he's the one who does all of the heavy lifting as well. While I solely work on calculations, he's the one who actually runs the tests to see if we have failed again. We do fail every once in a while, but it hardly makes a dent in what we do. But now we have a plan that will make everyone that we do more than just child's science. We're going to change the world.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Reed walked through the door, removing the sunglasses from his eyes as he walked toward the elevator that would take him up to his office on the 30th story. He took a deep breath as he walked by the receptionist.

"Good day, Bambi," Reed greeted.

"Good morning, Dr. Richards," Bambi responded as she looked up from her computer. "You have a meeting with the CEO and the board in an hour. Mr. Stark is already waiting for you upstairs."

Reed nodded at his secretary. "Thank you, Bambi."

As he walked into the elevator, he took a deep breath. Even though for the month they had been preparing this he had told Tony that it was no problem, he lied. He was nervous about all of this; it was out of their element. This mission could either make or break Stark Enterprises. He couldn't mess this up.

Finally he made it to the 30th floor, departing from the elevator, walking forward to the office where he would be meeting with Tony. He watched as the various workers would run up to him and greet him, asking him questions. He didn't even have to think of the answers, he already knew what they all were. But to see the smiles on the workers faces as they moved back to their work was grand enough to give him a little strength to push himself along.

"Reed," Tony called out as the door opened. "Where have you been?"

"I was running a little late," Reed answered, he knew that Tony wasn't angry at him; he knew that Tony didn't feel like he was being betrayed that he was the one who was going to have to do all of the work. That was what Reed loved about Tony, the way that he was flexible with the moments where Reed wasn't going to be able to be depended on.

"Reed," Tony breathed. "When are you going to learn how to come to a meeting on time? You know one of these days I'll just go on by myself."

"Well you haven't been sharing a lot of the work with me lately," Reed breathed as he took his jacket off. "This lack of attention is making me feel invisible."

"You make yourself invisible," Tony muttered as he took a sip of coffee, he took a deep breath as he looked out the window down stories below them. "Are you sure this will work? My father has been a tight ass lately."

"Tony," Reed breathed as he looked into his partner's eyes, resting up against the window. "This is the best idea that we've ever had. It's foolproof. What's the worst that could happen?"

A smile rolled across Tony's face as he took a deep breath, gathering the files that were strewn across the desk. Reed was right; there was no way that it could get worse. After months of developing the plan, everything else was going to be a cakewalk.

0o0o0o0o0o0

I'm Tony Stark, and this is my life. I am twenty-two-years-old and I have the life that people would always dream of. Why did I just say people and not say what I've always dreamed of? Well, this life is far from what you want after you've worked your whole life. It's only been a few years since I graduated from MIT and already I have been put into a high-stress environment. It's nothing that I can't handle, but sometimes I wish I could slow down.

But even with all of that said I can only focus on one thing: the future. Dawdling in the past means nothing, it's done, get over it. However, the future is what is going to make us or break us. This plan that we have is going to make us. Or should I say this plan that I have. There are times where I feel like Reed is turning his back on me, too consumed with his own masquerade of fame, while I'm left waiting for him.

Yet he says that he will start to get better as time goes on, he's promised me that he's going to start to get better. I believe him. I have faith in him. I think that there is a chance that after this goes through; we will all start to understand that our life together is going to be a brilliant one, one that will last a lifetime.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Tony and Reed walked toward the door, the assorted files in Tony's hands, the younger man trembling as he thought about what his father was going to say to him. There was always more pressure on Tony, and Reed did nothing to solve that problem. When reed would leave early to work on plans from home, Tony would pull all-nighters just to keep the partnership alive. The dark circles that were constantly under his eyes were proof enough for that.

"Working hard?" Reed asked as he looked at the darkness beneath the young man's eyes. "You know, you could call me in once in a while. I could always help you through all of this."

Tony shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary."

"Why?" Reed asked, adjusting his glasses. "This is about us, not about you. We both have to do our share."

Tony took a deep breath. "Then no more going home to see Ben at seven every night."

"I'll do that if you give up sex," Reed chuckled, he watched Tony smirk. "Did you think that I believed that you were working until midnight? This building closes before then and there is more than one reason to turn your phone off all night."

"Okay you caught me; my heart isn't totally in our work. With all of the stress going on I'm just glad that Joanna is here to help me through it," Tony fell silent as the elevator door opened, both of them walking closer to the door that Howard Stark was behind.

The stress was high; they had spent months on this project. All of the hours, all of the sleepless nights, all of the alcohol would have meant nothing if they were to be rejected. Nerves kicked in and Tony started to shutter, his blue eyes filling with fear.

"Scared?" Reed asked.

"Yeah," Tony breathed.

Reed smiled as he placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Don't be, I'm here now. I'm not going to let you be alone during this. I know how you get when you have to do these things on your own."

There was something that confused even Reed Richards, and that was the fact that over confident, pompous Tony Stark melted into a puddle every time that he was faced with his father. He had seen in earlier meetings how Tony became ghostly pale, his eyes wide as he looked upon the CEO of Stark Enterprises. It was enough to make Reed never leave him alone during a meeting.

"Are you ready, Stark?" Reed asked.

Tony scoffed as he walked forward. "Is that even a question, Richards?"

Reed opened the door as Tony followed him. They froze as they looked at what was ahead of them. At the end of the table was Howard Stark, the CEO of Stark Enterprises, the father of Tony Stark. At that moment, Tony's body froze, his blue eyes staring directly at a man that he had once called father. Over the past couple of years they had been distanced to the point where Tony didn't consider Howard his father at all. To the point where he was just his boss, the one who gave him the okay to perform experiments and allowed his name to stay on the payroll.

"Good day, Mr. Stark," Reed announced as he walked through the door. "We're sorry that we were a little late."

"It's fine, I look forward to what you have to show me," Howard stated, his eyes moved to Tony. "Hello Tony."

"Mr. Stark," Tony stated as a response, placing the files on the table. "May I open by saying that this is by far my greatest work of art? This is going to put Stark Enterprises on the map."

"You say that about every one of your projects," Howard sighed as he looked at his son. "What makes this one different than the other ones that you have presented to me? If this is the best, it has to stand out the most."

Tony, with every bit of his confidence, walked past Reed so that he as solely what his father focused on. Reed looked at what his partner was doing, and sat down in one of the chairs, every nerve in his body was starting to give out as he realized this was deeper than just a project. This was his final chance to prove to his father that he was more than just a child; he could function on his own.

"We're going to the artic circle," Tony smiled, his voice filled with a passion that was so strong, Reed felt the fire crumbling through his skin even from the distance that he was at.

Howard laughed, Tony's eyes narrowing. "The artic circle?" he continued to laugh. "What are we going to look at? Polar bear? Ice-fishing? I know that you're bored in that office, boy…"

"It's not about recreation," Tony snapped as he backed away. "This is about finding a way to understand what the Earth's atmosphere is going to do to humankind," he watched as interest entered his father's eyes. "Stark Enterprises could prepare the world to what could be the worst of global warming…"

"Sunscreen?" the CEO asked. "Stark Enterprises does not promote sunscreen."

Tony's eyes closed as he took a deep breath. "You aren't letting me finish," he picked up a file. "It has been proving that the worst of the radiation from space is going to be coming in a two weeks. If we can figure out what it does to the human body, other animals, plant life, minerals, we could find a way to make immunities to so many ailments that humans have…"

"Like?" Howard asked, the subject piquing his interest.

Reed looked up at him. "We could find the cure to cancer…"

"Think about it," Tony continued. "A world with no cancer, a world with less disease, a world with longer life spans, Stark Enterprises could help cure all of this. We could be the revolution. We could be the future…"

Howard shook his head. "That's where you go wrong," he looked up at his son. "You always think about the future, never the present. What if at the moment where we are at the lab that we've set up there the radiation gets to us? We could be mutated. Is that the price you want to pay for something that might cure cancer?"

"I'll risk it," Tony breathed. "The walls of that building are pure vibranium. And even if it does manage to break vibranium, the machines that surround the areas can make a force field that can block out even the strongest of radiation."

"We've factored that into our calculations," Reed answered. "But there will be many scientists that will be needed."

"I will provide those," Howard answered. "I'm also putting Tony in charge of all of this. He will be the one that you report to."

Reed looked at Tony whose eyes were filled with fear. Tony knew that he was going to be the youngest one there. He was already three years Reed's junior, and Reed was a young scientist. In their equations they had proven Tony to be a better leader, but if it was the only way, Reed would take it. He looked at Tony's father and he knew why he had done it. The one who was in the lead would be least likely to get hurt.

"As for a pilot…" Reed started only to be interrupted.

"You're not intending on hiring Ben Grimm are you?" the CEO asked as he looked at Richards. "I'm not sure if I can trust him for this mission. I mean, NASA has laid him off, there has to be reason for that."

Tony then stepped forward. "Actually, we were thinking about hiring James Rhodes…"

"Rhodey?" Howard asked. "Your best friend who wasn't even committed enough to stay in the military?"

"He's an exceptional pilot and he has flown for me before. Not to mention, he is on the payroll. He's also an ex-medic as well," Tony walked toward his father, his blue eyes glowing with pride. "You can choose the scientists, if I can choose the pilot."

Reed felt as though he was stabbed in the back as he looked at what was before him. After all that he and Tony had talked about, Tony was unable to stay beside the agreement that they had saying that he was going to hire Ben to pilot the mission. As he watched Tony and his father speak, he felt as though during all of the days when he hadn't come into work, Tony had rewritten the plan. He watched as the Starks shook hands striking the bargain that stated that Rhodey was going to fly for them instead of Ben. Reed felt that once again in his life he was invisible.

As he watched Tony walk out of the room, he knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop this. Tony had wanted to prove to his father that he could do more than he thought he could. He wanted to prove to his father that he wasn't a child anymore. But Reed then stood up and started walking after Tony.

"Stark!" he called out as he walked after his partner, waiting for the elevator to arrive to their floor. "What was that?"

Tony looked at him soullessly. "Business."

"Business?" Reed asked as he watched Tony look away from him. "You said that Ben could fly for us. Then you just change your mind and hire Rhodes? And you let your father pick out the scientists that we take to the base? You just gave away everything that we had."

"We had to bend in order to get what we wanted," Tony breathed as he looked into Reed's eyes. "I didn't work that long to have this all rejected. This is going to work; this is going to push Stark/Richards and Stark Enterprises to new levels."

The elevator opened as the two of them stepped inside. Reed looked over at Tony who pressed the button to their floor. They tried not to look at each other. Reed was upset that Tony had change the plans, but Tony was upset that Reed would want to throw everything away just to get to the plan to go his way.

"Adjustments had to be made, but think of the future, Reed," Tony breathed.

"For your sake, this better go alright," Reed answered.

"It's just a pilot," Tony argued. "It's not like I went to a rivaling company to get approval. I haven't betrayed you."

"Yes you have," Reed countered. "You didn't even make it obvious that I was in the room…"

"Well maybe for once I wanted to be the visible one," Tony continued, his eyes looking forward as the door opened. "You have to trust me…"

Reed sighed as he rolled his eyes. "You're a stupid kid. You always have been," he walked up to be next to him. "Wonder what kinds of scientists your father picked out."

Tony smiled. "You know the usual kind that he hires, the tight-assed, neurotic ones," he looked at his partner. "The ones that make me want to quit this business while we're still ahead or make me grow up and start taking everything seriously…"

"But you won't let him get to you," Reed smiled.

"Hell no," Tony breathed as he walked out of the elevator, taking a cigarette out of his pocket. "This is everything that we wanted and more. This is all we ever wanted since we started this partnership."

Reed rolled his eyes as he watched his partner light the cigarette. "You know there's no smoking in the building…"

Tony chuckled as he exhaled the smoke. "Afraid of setting the alarms off?"

The older man quickly slid his fingers in between Tony's and grasped the cigarette, extinguishing it on the floor. A scoff escaped Tony's lips, his blue eyes lighting up as he watched his cigarette be murdered on the ground.

"You're going to clean that up," Tony breathed as Reed walked away. "Reed!"

Reed walked away from him, closing his eyes as he thought about what was going to be happening. They were going to do it; they were going to continue with this research. He could feel as though his life was complete. This was the beginning of a beautiful moment.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Tony Stark is awarded the title of the most brilliant young man of the century…"

"Stark Enterprises heir Tony Stark…"

"Tony Stark…"

"Tony Stark…"

"22-year-old Tony Stark…"

He turned off every television station. It was all about Tony Stark, the boy genius, the most intelligent twenty-two-year-old of the decade. He stood up as he walked to the table sighing as he grabbed a cup of coffee from the hard surface. It was going to be another night filled with nothing on the news but the greatness of Tony Stark. He had gotten sick of it.

"Let's see if we can't forget that little brat," he pressed his answering machine. He only had one message, and he knew who it was from, it was always the same person.

"Vic, are you there? This is Hank. Well it's obvious that you're either not there or you're avoiding me again. I really want to see you again, I'm worried about you. You know the number."

He sighed as he thought about the message. "Pym…" he breathed.

0o0o0o0o0o0

I'm Victor Von Doom, and this is my life. I'm twenty-five-years-old and unemployed. I have been since I graduated from college. I've been known for my brilliant mind, but my lack of character had always killed me. Science is my life, and I'm starting to get pissed watching people like Tony Stark calling all of the shots.

Tony Stark, I think of him as some miserable brat who doesn't even know how to wipe his own ass. The guy was born with money, he'll live with money, and he will die with money. He never had to work a day in his life. He never had to do anything and he gets awards and recognition as I sit here drinking beer from warm bottles and eating the same Chinese food I've been eating all week.

Money has been tight around here, but there are people who want to help me. That man is named Hank Pym. He tries to slip me money and take me out for drinks that he pays for, but every time I feel like I'm stealing something away from him. I feel like I'm robbing him of all of his hard earned money. There were days when I wish I would get a phone call that would forever change the way my life works.

I hear the phone ringing. I might be magical after all.

0o0o0o0o0o0

He moved to grasp the phone, his body shaking as he put it to his ear. "Hello, Victor Von Doom speaking."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Tony opened the door to his apartment, walking through the door, seeing Rhodey sitting on his couch, letting out a sigh as he moved closer. "Did you even think about going to work today?" he placed his keys on the table. "I called you three times; don't you pick up your phone?"

As Tony moved closer to the furniture sitting down next to his best friend as he took a deep breath. His eyes closed as he fell deeper into the couch, a smile rolling across his lips as he was about to tell him the news. Did he feel bad that he took the plan into his own hands and screwed what Reed said? No, he didn't. Not even slightly.

"You know how we're taking the trip to the artic?" Tony asked.

"You're father approved that?" Rhodey asked. "Wow, he really is starting to lose his mind."

"It'll work," Tony breathed as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Because you're going to fly for us…"

Rhodey laughed as he got up from the couch. "I thought you were going to have Ben Grimm fly you up there. Why did you change your mind to accommodate a less experienced pilot?"

Tony closed his eyes. "I can trust you, I don't know if I can trust Grimm."

"You've met him," Rhodey breathed as he leaned up against the wall. "Why did you really pick me…"

"You're experience with medical practices," Tony breathed, watching his friend shake his head. "We could get hurt up there. We could get destroyed up there; I think that we should have some sort of protection."

Rhodey shook his head as he watched his friend's eyes start to call out to him. "Tony, don't think like that," he sighed as the younger man's smile faded. "I'm not going to let them hurt you. I would rather die than watch you spill a drop of blood. That's why I want you to be a hundred percent sure these calculations don't fall through the cracks."

"They never have before…"

"A run of perfection can only last so long, Tony," Rhodey shook his head. "This is radiation; this is fatal material you're dealing with. One mistake and you won't have an opportunity to correct it."

"I won't make a mistake…" he smiled as he pressed up against the couch. "It's just a few days, we'll be gone before that storm even hits," he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, his body loosening up. "Has Joanna called?"

"Yeah, she thinks this mission is dumb as well," Rhodey breathed. "You're gonna kill yourself."

"No, I won't. I'm going to be doing experiments; I'm not going to leave the lab. If the storm comes too early, those force fields will block everything," Tony looked up at his friend's discontented look. "I promise…"

"I know you won't. Because I won't let it," Rhodey walked toward him. "The second the shit hits the fan is the second I get you out of there."

Tony looked out the window with a smile. "Rhodey," he moved closer to the couch. "Thank you…"

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm sorry," Reed stated as he took another sip of his martini. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know that Tony was going to change his mind."

"It's alright," Ben stated. "I'm just glad that you considered it. Stark knows what he's doing. But I'm just worried," he looked at his best friend. "That's powerful radiation you guys are dealing with. Deadly even…"

Reed looked into his glass, taking a deep breath. He knew the risk, something that Tony had been trying to avoid. They could get mutated; they could ruin their lives, but the needed to take the risk. Reed wanted to do it mostly for the scientific aspect; no one had ever done this before. If it was successful, they would be famous for years.

"So who are the other guys who are going to be on board with you? Anyone important?"

Reed closed his eyes. "I don't know," he took another sip. "But whoever they are, they are going to be making history."

---

Thank you for getting through that with me, this is by far the most risky fic I have ever written. I really want to hear what you have to say, and if you are interested in the challenge, contact Connect Three, I'll have a link to her profile in my profile. The next chapter or episode, we're going to meet some of the scientists that are going to be taken to the mission.

Like what you read? Feel free to PM me a requst (see profile for details.)

Feel free to review.