Born Of The Same Impulse
Summary: Barely five minutes into the past and Tony has already taken care of Ultron, thus prevented Sokovia, thus – hopefully – made sure that the Civil War would never happen. All things considered, he was doing pretty well!
Then he just had to look up his fellow superhero turned time traveller on the internet.
Star Surgeon Involved In Car Crash, Condition Unknown
Chapter 10
"It's a form of psionic and telekinetic energy," Tony explained, watching his notes grow in form of a transcript as he talked. "It manifests in these sort of red streams or blasts, kind of similar to what Loki uses."
Stephen hummed, looking at the notes thoughtfully. Once in a while – almost exclusively when Tony sent him an exasperated look – he remembered that he was supposed to test Tony's prototype, and squeezed his hand to a fist, straining his muscles against the resistance of Tony's therapy glove.
"I haven't managed to find a weakness yet," Tony confessed after another pointed glare made Stephen continue in his efforts. Tony pretended not to notice the eye roll that went with it. "Her powers come from an infinity stone, so in many ways they're as limitless as the stone's are."
As reluctant as Tony was to admit it, he was at a loss. Apart from what they'd seen in the future, Wanda's powers were the closest look at the stones' powers that they could currently hope to get. If they managed to find a way to counter her magic, perhaps they would be able to counter an infinity stone as well.
However, if they didn't manage it...
"Tony," Stephen said, speaking out what Tony had not been ready to acknowledge out loud. "We have to at least consider that it's not possible. They're the most powerful artifacts in all of the universe for a reason."
"If you know me at all, you know that I don't believe in the impossible."
However, Stephen wasn't completely wrong.
Tony frowned, swirling around in his chair to skim over his notes once again. His fingers moved restlessly as he thought, and the tap tap tap they made on his synthetic sternum sounded through his workshop in an endless stream.
If the myths were to be believed, the infinity stones were not simply from beyond their planet. They were from beyond the universe, had been the first to manifest and went before anything that had ever existed or would ever exist.
Tap tap tap.
Few living creatures knew about the stones' existence at all. Those who did knew barely more than a glorified bedtime story's worth of information about them.
Tap tap tap.
Tony certainly hadn't known about them before Stephen had given him the CliffNotes version just before Thanos' conquest had begun. They went beyond anything Tony had ever seen. They went beyond anything he had ever attempted to understand, not to mention what he'd attempted to build.
Tap tap–
Or not?
Tony's eyes dropped down at the place that had once held the glowing circle that had kept him alive. His gaze snapped back upwards, twitching around his workshop until he found the most recent version of the arc reactor. He may not need it to keep himself from dying anymore, but he still used it as a means to power his suit.
"Huh."
Stephen's hand went still as he looked up from his exercise. "What is it?"
"I think... I may have found a solution. Several years ago." Tony drove his chair over to the workbench that held the reactor. Cool blue light washed over his face and Tony picked up the casing to weigh it in his hands.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Calculations ran through Tony's head almost too quickly for him to keep up with. If he thought beyond his suits and found a way to utilize the arc reactor's power in more handy, more general ways... Too specialized, and it wouldn't be of use to anyone other than himself. But if he found a way to equip the others–
"Would you like me to wait in breathless anticipation for another few minutes, or should I go get myself a cup of coffee?"
Tony startled, his eyes snapping up to meet Stephen's unimpressed glance.
"The arc reactor," he blurted out, his excitement stronger than his urge to respond to Stephen's snark.
"The arc reactor," Stephen repeated. The rise of his eyebrow was practically audible.
"I don't know how," yet, "but I think the arc reactor is able to resist – or block – the infinity stones' power."
It took several heartbeats for Stephen to digest this new piece of information. "That should be impossible," he said, it should be, but not that it was. "Why do you think so?"
"It's done so before. At least I'm pretty sure that it did."
Tony pulled up the tower's surveillance footage back from the day of the New York invasion. While the camera had been destroyed like almost everything else on the floor, JARVIS had been able to save the footage it had recorded up until then.
On the screen a younger Tony was confronting Loki, his cocky attitude making it easy to forget that he was facing a god suitless and laughably outpowered.
"Back in New York, Loki didn't manage to brainwash me like all the other people he tried it with." At the same time that Tony explained, the footage showed Loki using the scepter.
"And on Titan," he continued, dots connecting rapidly in his brain so that his voice barely kept up, "when we fought– during the fight, my armor's shields protected me. They could hold off the energy blasts of the Gauntlet."
Stephen looked into the distance, frowning. Most likely he was thinking back to the fight himself. "You're... right," he said, a layer of disbelief – or perhaps wonder – in his voice. "But wait. You said that the Scarlet Witch was able to manipulate you. With the same powers the scepter has."
"That's because she went for the head." Despite what people – including, occasionally, Tony himself – liked to say, Tony Stark and Iron Man were not interchangeable. Despite the suit, there was still a squishy, vulnerable person underneath. "Loki went for the chest. Exactly where the arc reactor used to be."
"And your armor–"
"Runs on the arc reactor's energy. Exactly."
Stephen paused, thinking through what they had learned. Or at least what they suspected they had learned. They wouldn't know for sure until they could test their hypothesis.
"It's not much," Stephen said, eventually, "but one of us being resistant to the stones is a start."
"The armor is," Tony corrected.
"Yes. Your armor." Stephen frowned. "Does it make a difference?"
"It makes a huge difference." Tony pulled up several more files – dozens of them, containing notes and sketches in various states of completion: Gear, uniforms and gadgets, some of them more general while others where obviously meant for a specific member of the Avengers.
"It makes a difference," Tony repeated, "because it means I can equip the others."
Tony had invented the arc reactor first and the Iron Man armor second, and he had used its energy for other projects before. He could easily adapt other projects of his to run on the same power. Energy shields maybe, or weapons similar to his repulsors.
Although, those had done close to nothing in his fight against Thanos. For now, he would have to focus on the techniques that had worked, to a degree.
For a while, the only noises that filled his workshop was the clacking of his keyboard and the occasional comment from JARVIS. Seeing as the AI had the capacity to access years worth of data and blueprints of his inventions within milliseconds, Tony often relied on his help during brainstorming.
Eventually, Stephen made him pause by clearing his throat. "I'm as glad as you are that you've found a lead," he began, the careful tone of his voice suggesting that Tony would not like what followed. "But we can't avoid the topic much longer."
Tony could take a guess what Stephen was aiming for. With a sigh, he saved his notes and turned his back on them.
"Developing plans against the stones is all well and good," Stephen continued, now that he had Tony's full attention. "But Wanda is out there, right now. She's more than just a vessel for the mind stone's power. She's a person. A traumatized, mislead young woman who is unable to control an insanely powerful ability properly."
"I know she is."
"She needs help."
"I know she does. I just," Tony hesitated, pursing his lips. "Honestly? I'm not really sure how to deal with her."
Tony had never known Wanda well. It was difficult to, when she'd hated him from well before they'd first met. For admittedly very good reasons, but still.
Stephen was right. Even though it was easier to concentrate on the problems that he stood a chance fixing, that did not mean their other problems would disappear.
"I've been thinking about it," Stephen said, his voice slow and tentative, "and I think I might have an idea."
"Oh?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"I could teach her," Stephen said, quickly as though he was afraid the words would get stuck if he didn't get them out in time. "Or I could bring her to the Sanctum."
Tony blinked. "Your styles don't exactly look alike," he admitted, carefully.
"I know. But the Sanctum's teachings are about control first and foremost. A lot of it isn't linked to our magic at all." Stephen cleared his throat. "Control is exactly what Wanda is lacking. Perhaps I am able to help with that."
Tony hesitated.
"It's worth a try," Stephen added somewhat defensively.
"No, yeah. I know."
The thing was, Tony could easily imagine a post-joining-the-Avengers Wanda bonding with Stephen over their magical powers. Perhaps in a different reality, they might have become great allies, if not friends.
However, a Wanda freshly defected from HYDRA? The Wanda who had joined forces with a genocidal AI for the sole reason of attempting to hurt Tony, and hadn't seen the error of her ways until she'd realized that genocide very much included her and her brother? There was no Ultron to teach her that lesson, this time.
"Do you think you could handle her?" Before Stephen had the chance of taking the question as offense to his capabilities, he added, "Not the teaching part, but, well. Her?"
Stephen hesitated, actually contemplating the question. Slowly, he said, "I wasn't the greatest person myself before I became Sorcerer Supreme. Before the Sanctum changed my view on the world." He shrugged. "We already know that she's capable of becoming one of the good guys. Maybe she just needs someone to guide her."
Privately, Tony thought that having been an arrogant douche at one point didn't quite compare to having joined HYDRA in order to kill someone. Seeing as he was that 'someone' they were aiming to kill, perhaps he was simply a tad biased.
"I will talk about it with the Ancient One," Stephen continued, looking ahead thoughtfully. "I will not go behind her back if she decides that Wanda shouldn't be instructed in her teachings."
Tony realized that Stephen was no longer using the glove to practice. He wondered how long it had been since he stopped.
"You may wanna do some more exercises," he said, nodding towards Stephen's motionless hands. "It won't do anything unless you stick to the schedule."
Stephen's expression momentarily darkened before he managed to reign it back in. He started up the exercise again, although it was half-heartedly at best.
"Okay, what's the issue here?" Tony asked, sick of ignoring what was clearly bothering Stephen. "Is it the glove? Is it me? Would you rather do this on your own, privately?"
That's what Rhodey had preferred on bad days, when his legs refused to cooperate with the prosthesis Tony had built him and he ended up sprawled out on the ground more often than he managed to stay upright.
The difference was that Rhodey had always gotten right back up. Stephen looked like he didn't even want to try regaining his hands' mobility. He wasn't about to say it to Stephen's face.
"It's not that," Stephen muttered.
"Then what is it?" Tony tried to keep the frown off of his face. He didn't succeed entirely. "Come on, talk to me. What's the issue? What can I do to fix it?"
"There's nothing to fix." Stephen's lip tugged downwards in a frown. "Look, you want to know the issue? It hurts. It's difficult. It's inconvenient. None of these are good reasons. I can't give you one because there isn't one, okay?"
Stephen sighed and started up his routine again. He'd gotten better at disguising his dark moods, but now and again he couldn't stop them from shimmering through.
Tony on the other hand hadn't gotten any better at dealing with them. He stood to the side awkwardly, trying to come up with something to say. Something that would make it better.
A notification popped up on a hologram in his field of vision letting him know that he needed to leave for his next appointment. Tony grit his teeth in frustration.
Then he paused. Maybe… Yeah, why not?
"There's a PR trip I've got to go to," he said, twirling around in his chair to face Stephen. "A bunch of aspiring scientists presenting their research and projects, trying to pull in funding. Making an appearance makes me look good, you see. Inspire the new generation and all that."
Stephen didn't so much as twitch. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll–"
"Wanna come?"
Stephen blinked. "You want me to come with you?" His brows knit together in bemusement. "Why?"
Tony shrugged, going for careless. The less big of a deal he made the offer, the more likely Stephen was to agree. "PR gigs are incredibly boring. I have to suffer less if I'm bringing company."
Plus, Stephen seriously needed to get out of the tower. Regular visits from the Ancient One or not, it couldn't be healthy to be cooped up in one place for quite this long.
"I refuse to believe that there is anyone capable of forcing you to do any sort of PR against your will." Despite his words, Stephen carefully pulled his hand out of the therapy glove and rose. "... Alright. Why not?"
Tony didn't make an attempt to hide his grin. "Do you want to get there by limo or by helicopter?"
Tony saw regret flash through Stephen's eyes and grinned wider.
Stephen quickly realized that what Tony had told him was a bold faced lie. He couldn't bring himself to be mad about it.
From the very moment that the two of them entered the conference hall Stephen had to fight tooth and nail not to be left behind in the dust. Tony skipped to one science project to the other, interacting with the kids who had built them in a playfully snarky way.
Stephen could see passion sparkling in his eyes with not a trace of boredom to see. Tony loved being here. He loved doing this, Stephen could tell.
Seeing the kids' starstruck reaction at having Tony Stark compliment their work was enough of a consolation for Stephen to bear having to squeeze through a crowd of excited college students in the attempt not to fall behind an enthusiastic Tony.
"What do you think?" Tony asked as they reached a more secluded part of the hall.
A flush adored his still grinning expression. Ballpoint scribbles peeked out from under his sleeves where a discussion with a student had gotten heated enough to warrant mathematical emphasis and nobody had been able to produce a notepad quickly enough.
Stephen hid a smirk at the blue ink stain that had somehow ended up on Tony's cheek.
"You're not bored, are you?" Tony's expression dimmed ever so slightly. "We don't have to stay for much longer. I've almost finished the round. A bunch of people took pictures, should be enough to appease my PR department."
Stephen fought the urge to shake his head at Tony's ridiculous attempt to hold onto the excuse that had brought them here. "Don't worry about me. It's been... fun."
Tony shrugged, but couldn't downplay the way his eyes lit up. "I go to tons of these every year. Kind of prefer the small ones, to be honest."
Stephen could see why. The conference hall was tiny and cramped, but it also served to feel casual in a way that huge scale conferences failed to. Tony certainly wouldn't have the time to spend it hearing about the kids' projects, rather than hold interviews or speeches or whatever else was expected of him with for the media coverage.
"That last kid looked like he was about to faint," Stephen noted drily. "What did you do?"
"Oh, the usual. Complimented his project. Suggested a few additions."
Stephen raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"... I may have also paid for said additions. He mentioned that he was out of materials."
"Of course you did."
"They're so poor," Tony whined, his voice obnoxious and over-the-top. "And they're still somehow making their projects work. I don't know if I should feel sad or proud."
Clearly, Tony managed to do both. Stephen wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the day every single of the students had gotten a cheque covering the cost of their next few projects and more – even the ones Tony wouldn't have had the time to talk to himself.
"Um. I'm sorry, uh... Mr. Stark?"
Tony and Stephen both turned to face a timidly smiling girl. Behind her several more teenagers were engulfed in a heated discussion, although all of them fell silent at realizing that the two of them were watching. One of them stuck out her hand and waved. Tony smirked and waved back.
"I'm sorry, sir, but my friends and I were talking about those adjustments you mentioned. We think that it might be possible to improve the parameters to better facilitate the electronic harmonization. If we adjusted the frequency to just about–"
Stephen quickly tuned out the rest of the science talk. He was able to follow the basics despite engineering being somewhat removed from his preferred field – especially considering that the presentations had been designed to impress regular, non-tech savvy people just the same. Faced with Tony Stark, however, the kids quickly dove into technical details at such a rapid speed that Stephen was quickly left behind in the dust.
Stephen found that he barely minded at all. The outing may have been somewhat out of his comfort zone – especially seeing as he'd avoided going among people since the accident. It had also achieved what Tony not-so-subtly had aimed for by distracting Stephen from his injuries and the long road of recovery he had yet to overcome.
A/N: I'm gonna take a break from the internet for as long as it takes me to go see Endgame. For sake of my updating schedule I'm here, but don't expect to hear from me beyond that lol. I'm gonna drop the chapter and turn my WiFi right back off :P No chances of me getting spoiled, nossir!
To anybody who might be preparing a negative comment about Wanda right now: Please keep it to yourself for now and focus on something else. I'm trying my hardest to write a three-dimensional version of a character I didn't particularly like in the movies here, and that's enough of a challenge as it is. I'm taking my no bashing policy very seriously.
Beta'd by the wonderful Igornerd, To Mockingbird and PyrothTenka!
Please take a moment to let me know what you thought!
~Gwen