SOMEWHERE OVER CANADA, AUGUST 1, 1991 - 9:25PM
Still seated on the plane's cabin bench, Tony slid his helmet on, immediately feeling claustrophobic and unhappy that he wasn't able to install a HUD. The two eye holes in the helmet barely allowed him to see anything and his peripheral vision was almost non-existent. He was gambling a lot on his father's satellite network. He hoped it wouldn't fail him. It didn't help that the weather outside the plane was stormy. The turbulence had increased the closer they had gotten to Schmidt's supposed location and lightning occasionally flashed, illuminating the inside of the cabin with an eerie glow. It was not exactly the best circumstance to pick up even a 21st century cell phone signal, let alone pick up a signal in the scenario he found himself in.
He opened a small panel and flipped a switch on his right gauntlet and heard static inside the helmet. "Jarvis?" he asked "You there?"
"Of... sir... I... can you...?" he heard, the message garbled and unintelligible due to static.
Tony adjusted several dials and listened as the pops and hisses began to fade. "Can you hear me, sir?" he finally heard.
"I can hear you now," he said. "Can you hear me alright?"
"Perfectly," came the reply.
"Good," he said. "Let's hope it stays that way, but I doubt it. Are the cameras working?"
Tony could hear the slight whirring noise the pinhole cameras in the helmet made as they adjusted themselves based on Jarvis' controls. They were designed to transmit images from all sides of the suit to Jarvis, allowing him to direct Tony from a distance and act as his peripheral vision.
"They appear fine," said Jarvis. "The left side camera shows me that you are sitting next to Miss Potts. The right side camera and back camera are blocked at the moment, presumably because you are seated. The front camera shows me the wall of the plane. You're sitting near a window. Good thing I'm not there with you because the plane appears to be shaking a great deal, and the weather doesn't look too nice. I'd probably be sick. I hate flying."
As Jarvis spoke, Tony's vision began to narrow and his heart began to pound. "Jesus," he said, "what the hell was I thinking with this! This is nuts. God, I'm going to die aren't I?" he asked.
"Right now?" Jarvis asked in a calm voice. "I doubt it. According to the satellite GPS you're still only just passing over Newfoundland."
"Yeah," Tony said. "Right. Of course. I'm fine."
"You're better than fine, I should think sir. You're Iron Man," said Jarvis. God, that voice. Tony was going to miss it. That thought made him feel bad for the JARVIS he built. He didn't like thinking about his creation as second best. Nothing Tony built was ever anything less than spectacular.
"You've gone awfully quiet. Can you still hear me?" Jarvis asked.
"Yep," Tony said. "I was just thinking about the computer JARVIS, the one I built. About how much I love him. He's not the same though."
"Well he is a computer, and not a person," said Jarvis. "There is a difference you know."
"Blasphemy!" Tony said, only somewhat sarcastically. "Although you're right. He's better. I created him."
"Better than me?" Jarvis asked.
"No,' said Tony. "Never. Nobody's better than you. You're the greatest and I'm going to miss you so much."
"I miss you too, you know," said Jarvis. "Every day. Things could have gone so differently."
"Yeah, they could have," Tony said. "But they didn't. Things happened the way they happened. I'm just so grateful that I got more than what most people ever get. I got a second chance to say goodbye."
"You did," said Jarvis. "I'm very glad for that."
"Are you scared?" Tony asked, his brain barely having a chance to catch up with the question as it left his mouth.
"What would I have to be scared of?" Jarvis asked. "You're the one sitting on an airplane bound for an alien invasion."
"Dying," Tony said. "Really dying. I mean I could die but I don't know that for sure. I can still hope. You know. You must know."
"I do," Jarvis said. "And I'm terrified. Who wouldn't be?"
"I'm so sorry," Tony said.
"Don't be," Jarvis said. "It was worse when I thought the end would come and nobody would care. That I'd just be alone and nobody would remember me. Now, I know the truth. That I left a legacy, that I did something worthwhile with my time on this planet. That I meant something to someone. It makes it easier."
"Not something," said Tony. "Everything. I am who I am because of you. My entire life, everyone looked at me and saw my old man. Wanted me to be him. Personally, I've always been terrified that I was my mom and I think now that my dad was too. You were the first person to ever treat me like I was my own person, like I had an identity separate from them. You encouraged me to have my own interests, to be smart in a different way, to figure out what I loved to do. When you were gone, and then later once they were gone too... I lost that. Or maybe I buried it because it hurt too much and nobody seemed to care. Afghanistan and Iron Man helped me realize the kind of man I wanted to be, helped me re-forge myself into a person I could look at in the mirror and respect. But you shaped me, Jarvis. I need you to know how important you are to me."
"I do now," said Jarvis. "Thank you."
"Alright then," said Tony, "Let's test the outputs and signal strength and make sure we both know what we're doing while there's still time."
SOMEWHERE OVER GREENLAND, AUGUST 1, 1991 - 10:05PM
"Alright, everyone," Steve said firmly above the noise of the plane. Everyone looked up from their silent contemplation. "Let's go over what the hell we're going to do out there again one last time. There's a lot of moving parts to this plan, and I'm sure you all understand how important this is."
"I thought the last speech before the big game was supposed to be motivational, Cap. Rah Team, and all that?" said Tony.
"Yeah, well I've faced down Schmidt before," Steve said. "Believe me when I tell you that it's not going to be easy to take him out. And that's without the added distraction of two civilians in the middle of the fight and the fact that we're also trying to get home. Sorry if I'm not exactly feeling like we're on the winning team right now. Just do what you're supposed to out there."
"You don't have to worry about me," Tony said solemnly.
"Good," said Steve. "We'll be landing a good ΒΌ mile from the site. Iron Man, I want you flying ahead of us. Not too close. Just enough to get an idea of what we're up against, then report back. The last thing we need is you out of the fight before it begins, and we need to know how many hostiles there are and where the me from this time period's body is in relation to the fighting."
"I'm on it," Tony responded.
"Nat and Bruce, you two are staying out of it and hanging back. I need the two of you working to get the machine up and running that will open the portal back for us."
"I'm still not sure that's wise, Cap," Natasha asked. "I know Bruce is needed for set-up, but why leave me with him?"
"Because it may get hectic and I can't guarantee the fighting will stay contained, and if anything happens with Bruce the last thing we want is for Hulk to smash our only way home," Steve replied. "No offense, Bruce."
"Believe me, none taken," Bruce said.
"That machine is a priority for us," Steve said. "If Schmidt gets wind of what we're trying to do or that we have it, he could come after it. I need you there looking out for it. Worst case scenario, Bruce instructed you what to do, right?"
"He did," said Natasha.
"Then you finish the work and the Hulk enters the fray. Are we clear?"
"Makes sense," Natasha said. "But it leaves you and Tony pretty vulnerable."
"We'll be backed up by the SSR team," he said, nodding at the three other agents crowded into the cabin of the plane with them in full tactical armor. "And Schmidt should be distracted when he realizes it's me he's fighting. I'll keep him busy."
"And me?" said Pepper.
"You will be with Natasha and Bruce by the machine, away from the fighting," Tony said, cutting Steve off.
"No," Steve said firmly. "I've changed my mind on that, Tony. I want her with Peggy."
"Why?" asked Tony. "She needs to be somewhere safe!"
"And you think she'd potentially be any safer with the Hulk?" Steve asked. "I want Peggy safe as much as you want Pepper safe, Tony, but someone needs to protect me. The me in the ice, I mean. I don't really understand how all this time travel mumbo-jumbo works, but I do know that if I wake up when I'm not supposed to or if anything happens to me in this time, that would be bad," he said. "Right gentlemen?" he asked, sounding more unsure.
"That's right," said Bruce. "We've done enough damage to this era without adding to it."
"That's my thinking too," Steve said. "I'm convinced that you'll be safer with Peggy than with Natasha and Bruce, Miss Potts. Does that sound reasonable?"
"It does," said Pepper. "And I want to help any way I can."
"Excellent," said Steve. Tony didn't look happy, but even he knew that Pepper would be in danger no matter how she helped. "Once Tony scopes out where you need to be," Steve continued, "he'll give you cover while we get you in place. You protect me and get me away from the fighting as best you can. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," said Pepper. The others nodded in agreement.
"Good," said Steve. "Then we're ready." Peggy squeezed his hand in support.
Suddenly, a larger tremor hit the plane, the metal groaning like it was coming apart. The lights flickered, and the entire plane shifted, throwing everyone towards one wall. A boom echoed through the cabin, making everyone's ears ring, and alarms began to blare.
"We've been hit!" yelled the pilot. "Some kind of missile, I think. I'm going to have to take her down!"
"Nice timing with the speech, Cap!" yelled Tony. "Pep!" he yelled, and Pepper grasped his suit for dear life praying that they'd actually live to see the fight ahead of them.
"Everybody hang on! Grab onto something!" yelled Steve, hugging Peggy to him. Everybody gripped onto the benches or to any piece of the plane that they could get a hold on. "This could get a little rough! Bruce..." he yelled.
"I'm on it, Cap," he said, moving towards the emergency doors. "Natasha, do you remember my instructions?"
"You can count on me," Natasha said.
"Good," Bruce said, opening the emergency door and feeling the rush of air leaving the cabin. "Get us home," he yelled. "All of us." He let go and allowed himself to fall out of the plane as it continued to descend quickly, hoping for the second time in his life that his best laid plans to rid himself of the Hulk hadn't worked.
