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Okay, I'm totally prepared for all of you to go all "fan girlie." This chapter is for TheDoctorMulder. Don't worry. I know I'm screwing around with two things here and it can blow up in my face. But, let's just explore the possibility of "what if?" Don't let me lose you here. Good stuff still to come.

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Chapter 34 – Tony Figures it Out

The Doctor popped into the New York, high rise apartment. Pepper stood behind the bar. She smiled as she looked up and saw him. "Hi there, John! Tony finally get you, then?"

The Doctor rubbed his head as she walked over to him. "Yes. My phone wasn't working. He had to ring, Rose."

Tony walked down the stairs. "That's probably who I probably should have started with, honestly." He walked over and shook The Doctor's hand. "Thank you for coming out. I know you are a busy man."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, "Ah, I was just kicking the football with my brother when you rang. What's up?"

Pepper turned to them, "Hang on, I'm leaving. I'll see you later. We're still on for dinner, right?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yes. Unless I scare him too bad, Doc' and Rose are joining us."

Pepper smiled, "Wonderful! Alright. John, don't worry about whatever this crazy man says then. I'll see you all at dinner."

Tony looked surprised, "John? Why is he John?"

Pepper smiled and kissed Tony's cheek as she walked into the elevator and left.

Tony looked back at the Doctor as he walked towards the bar. "Nice suit! You didn't have to get dressed up to come see me!" Tony was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a black jumper. He had pulled the sleeves up.

The Doctor smiled, "I had a meeting this morning. I just haven't changed."

Tony poured himself a drink. "Drink?"

The Doctor looked curiously at him. "Is this is chat that needs one?"

Tony nodded. "Oh, I'm sure!" Tony poured the Doctor a drink as he sat down next to him at the bar. He sat the bottle between them.

The Doctor tasted his drink. "You are anticipating quite a chat. What is this?"

"Single-malt scotch! My drink of choice." Tony told him.

The Doctor nodded as he poured himself another one, "Not bad."

Tony rubbed his beard. "Okay. This is a chat that we need to establish from the very beginning goes no further than us. Can we agree on that?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at Tony. He nodded. "Okay, agreed. It stays between us."

"Not even Rose."

The Doctor shook his head. "I can't promise that."

"You are too damn co-dependent. Get some help. Okay, well. No further than Rose."

The Doctor crossed his arms and considered. After a few moments, he said, "Alright. Agreed."

Tony watched him. "Saw your interview last night."

The Doctor looked over at him. "Yeah?"

Tony narrowed his eyes at him. "We're friends, right? We can talk about this, right?"

The Doctor looked curiously at Tony. "We're friends. What are we talking about?"

Tony took a drink and sat down his glass. "How full of shit you are."

The Doctor laughed, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Tony raised his eyebrow, "A doctor in astrophysics and medicine, that became a secret agent. That's crazy."

The Doctor shook his head as he drank. "I didn't claim to be a secret agent."

Tony rubbed his beard. "Okay, this does sound like I'm attacking you. Umm… let me come at this a different way. Astrophysics. Where did you get that degree?"

The Doctor looked at Tony. "Why does it matter?"

Tony bit his lip. "Because I have no doubt you are as smart as you say you are. None at all. But, I have other doubts. Like, how can a man disappear that long. The only thing I can come back to is you weren't on this planet. And your little business trip you took with Pete. Now, he's suddenly experienced a complete recovery when you guys went someplace that your watches couldn't take you. You were not on Earth! You went someplace else and had them cook with his head! Believe it or not, man, you aren't the first alien I've ever known, you are just the first one to go on television and deny it."

The Doctor poured himself and Tony another drink. He smiled, "An alien. Me? I really don't see where this comes from."

Tony rubbed his beard. "Hey! I want to be clear about this. We're friends. You can trust me. I have no problem with where you are from."

The Doctor considered Tony. "Huh. This is really not the chat I was expecting. Interesting."

Tony took a drink and shook his head. "I know I'm not crazy. Just admit it. I tell you, I really do NOT care!"

"If you truly don't care, then why are we having this discussion?" The Doctor smiled.

"Phhh…. jackass. You know what I'm saying. No one has an IQ that high, which I think is really just a shit number Rose pulled out of her head. But, I've been around you enough to see things you shouldn't be able to figure out. These laser nets you got from someplace. That was from where ever you took Pete. Being able to explain my reenactment machine, all of this all adds up to this. You are from someplace where all of this just looks like child's play to you."

The Doctor took a drink and looked at Tony. "Okay, then I'll admit it. You're right. I'm not from here."

Tony slapped the bar. "Damn, I'm good! I knew it. From the first time Rose turned me down!"

The Doctor looked surprised. "Rose is human!"

Tony waved him off. "Ah, hell I know that. But, I knew there was more to this than anyone was letting on. Wow. How the hell did you meet Rose?"

The Doctor rubbed his face. "I bumped into her when I was chasing some aliens. It was … involved."

Tony nodded his head. "So, how many different species are you familiar with? What are you?"

The Doctor sighed, "You really want to know this? This is the reason you called me over here?"

Tony bit his lip. "Oh, this is just the beginning of this conversation."

The Doctor took a drink. "I'm what is called a Time Lord. The oldest people in the galaxy."

Tony nodded, "Time Lord, huh? So, not grandiose at all."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, you asked."

Tony thought. "Like a Lord of Time or something? Do you travel in time then?"

The Doctor nodded as he took a drink. "I used to. Not anymore."

"So, you have a ship. The Hamlet that you mentioned."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. That's not mine. I personally don't have a ship anymore. I lost it about two months ago. I'm in the market and plan to get one soon, though."

Tony nodded, "Wow. I'll have a friend with a space ship. Think of the trouble we could get into."

The Doctor laughed, "Oh, I assure you. I've probably already done it."

Tony laughed, "Oldest people in the universe, huh? So, how old are you?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not completely sure. You lose track of it. I usually just say 904, or something close to that."

Tony raised his eyebrow. "Damn. Old then! Well, I have to say you are looking great for your age."

The Doctor laughed as he took another drink, "Thanks."

"Are you familiar with other species? Dealt with them a lot?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "At some point or another, I've probably met them all. Had to negotiate something. Usually to get my ass out of trouble, or someone else's. Why?"

"Have you ever heard of the Rigellian Recorder?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yes. From Rigellian. They are sentient robots that explore new places and report back to their homeworld. A Recorder from there is like a ….. police officer. He holds a matter of legal authority. Why?"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Because I am about to tell you something that I've never told anyone. Not even, Pepper. I would rather it not go any further than between us. In fact, anything that is said, or shown here today, I'd like you to keep it to yourself."

The Doctor smiled, "Likewise."

Tony nodded, "Good! Square deal! I would like to know your opinion about this. Now you aren't bound by some sort of strange alien laws that would force you to tell them anything I would ever say?"

The Doctor smiled, "No. I'm under no one's authority but my own. You are safe to tell me whatever this is."

Tony poured himself another drink. "Okay, my parents died when I was 21 in a car accident. The entire world knows this. I didn't know if you did or not."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I didn't."

Tony ran his hand through his hair. "When my parents found out my mother was pregnant but the baby wasn't expected to survive, my father became despite for a cure. He made a deal with the Rigellian that his son would help accelerate humanity's technological growth to help the Earth thrive against the potential of an exterritorial attack. So, the Rigellian cured him and then bio-engineered him to do just that. This was while my Mother was pregnant with him. Everything was going great, until my father discovered that they had also included a kill-switch in the child. He decided he could make something to save this child, so he injected a bio-cocktail into him."

The Doctor looked shocked, "Oh, that wasn't a good idea. Did the child live?"

Tony shook his head. "Only a few hours after he was born. My mother told me about it once. I don't think my Dad could ever forgive himself about it."

"Did the Rigellian ever find out?"

Tony shook his head. "As far as anyone knows, I'm that son. I was adopted from an orphanage in Bulgaria. I was just a few days old. I apparently looked like the son they had lost. In fear that the Rigellian would find out, Dad came and got me to serve as a decoy. He taught me everything he could and then sent me to a boarding school when I was six to force all of this technical knowledge into me. In all of this time, they have never returned, but I fear that they might some day."

The Doctor poured himself and Tony another drink. "You're right. This is a chat that needed a drink. Wow. Well, from the experiences I've had with the Rigellian, I can see why your Dad did that. If they are still around, they will return. And they will be able to tell you are not the one they manufactured to do the job that was intended. Now, they were at war where I came from, so it's possible that their return will be delayed for many years. I'm not sure what the Rigellian are doing here, but I can find out."

Tony looked confused. "Explain what you are talking about. That made no sense."

"I'm from another Dimension as well. This Dimension is similar in a lot of ways, but I would rather know for sure what is going on before I tell you can dismiss this. You were right to talk to me about this. When I told you I'm only under my own authority, it's because there is no authority higher. I'll sort this out."

Tony nodded his head and sighed. "Got it. I appreciate your help on this."

"Man, have you ever told anyone about this?"

Tony nodded his head and held up one finger. "I told a buddy of mine. A Marine. He thought I was making up the entire thing. We had been drinking a lot that night. It was right before he was sent to Afghanistan. I did everything I could to keep him stateside. He insisted on going. He said it was his duty."

"What happened to him?"

"Killed. One of my own weapons did it. I was hit by the same damn thing when I was there for a weapons demonstration about three years ago. That's another thing I want to talk to you about. You are a medical doctor. Like a doctor-doctor. For people? Right?" Tony asked.

The Doctor smiled, "Of course."

"What do you know about hearts?"

The Doctor nodded. "Quite a bit. Why?"

"The bomb left shrapnel in my heart. I was taken hostage by some revolutionaries. Lucky for me, they also had captured Professor Ho Yinsen."

The Doctor's eyes lit up, "Wow! The Nobel Prize in Physics eight years ago. Brilliant guy!"

Tony nodded his head. "He saved my life. He took out as much as he could. Then he made an electromagnet and put it in my chest."

The Doctor looked shocked. "He did what?"

Tony smiled, "Yeah, it works as a pacemaker and also keeps the shrapnel from moving."

The Doctor pointed at his chest. "You have it now? Still?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I changed it into something else that would run a lot longer."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Tony. "Okay, let's see this then."

Tony took off his jumper and shirt. He had a small, glowing circle in the middle of his chest. The Doctor put on his glasses and looked at it.

"This is a small reactor! Your body will wear out long before your heart will with this. Well, maybe. How much damage was done to your heart?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. I've never let anyone see it. Questions, you know. Part Cyberman?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "I get that." He dug around in his pocket and took out the small ultrasound machine. He laid the plastic paddle to Tony's chest and sat the screen on the bar. They both looked at the image.

Tony smiled, "Okay, wait. Two questions. First, how did you fit that into your pocket?"

The Doctor answered, "Alien pockets. Don't worry about it."

"Do you always carry around an ultrasound machine or is something else going on?"

The Doctor closed his eyes quickly. "Damn it. Rose is going to kick my ass."

Tony laughed, "Oh, she might. How far along is she?"

The Doctor used the machine and looked at Tony's heart. He printed out a few images, "Just a few weeks. Do not tell her I told you! We're supposed to keep it to ourselves and I'm managing to tell everyone I meet. Damn it."

Tony laughed, "Rose should know you have impulse problems."

"I don't have impulse problems. I just need to start cleaning out my damn pockets."

Tony laughed at him.

The Doctor turned off the machine and laid the paddle on the bar. He spread out the images. "Alright. Let's see here. There are several pieces of shrapnel, just like you said. You can see it, here and over in here. Wow! No one should have been able to survive this. See right here, the muscle appears to have healed up around the shrapnel."

Tony looked at the images. "That's what I was worried about. There's no way to take it all out then."

"Is it causing you any pain? It probably isn't comfortable at all."

Tony shook his head. "I drink to numb it. Which I know you're going to bitch at me about."

"Well, you can take pain medicine or drink. Not both. I can get you some pain medication if you want."

Tony shook his head. "Whatever you think is best at this point. It's where I can't ignore it anymore."

The Doctor took off his glasses and sat back. "That means it is painful. I'll get you some medicine. You probably need to be on something to keep an infection growing out of that. Oh, Tony. What a mess. But, it can be fixed."

Tony nodded as he bit his lip. "So, medicine. What else?"

The Doctor shook his head. "The only way to get that generator out of your chest, and you live, would be to do a complete heart transplant. Are you on the list?"

Tony shook his head. "No. No one knows about this. Never saw a doctor about it. I didn't want to have to explain this." He tapped the generator.

The Doctor nodded, "I get that. I'm well connected at Walter Reed in Washington. I'll get you on the list and even find you someone to do it. We'll keep it quiet."

Tony took a drink. "A heart transplant. Ugh! Don't tell Pepper. She's always on my ass about this."

The Doctor pointed at the generator. "That is brilliant. Years ahead of anything Earth should even see now. Did you make that?" The Doctor put back on his glasses and gave it another look.

Tony nodded, "Yeah. This is the third, no fourth model. Pepper had to help me….install it. She told me she would never help me again do anything like that. I needed to see a doctor. It scared her to death."

The Doctor looked at him. "There is a port here. What are you plugging this thing into?"

Tony bit his lip. "Ummm…. Interesting that you ask that. There was something else I wanted to show you. Have I scared you off yet?"

Tony put back on his shirt and sweater.

The Doctor smiled at him. "I don't scare easy at all."

Tony poured them both another drink. "Well, I insist on a drink before I show you. One of the things, I believe you are going to want. And I've decided to let you have it. The other thing, you are going to hate. Oh, yes. I'm pretty sure of that. Rose told me how you are with guns and such."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at Tony. "Rose knows about this?"

Tony shook his head. "No. No one knows about it. Well, Pepper does."

They both finished their drinks and Tony took the Doctor down a spiral staircase. He typed in a code on a glass door and they walked inside. Tony held up his hand to stop the Doctor from entering. "Just a second. Jarvis! This is Doctor Johnathon Smith. He has complete access."

A computer voice replied. "Of course. Welcome Doctor Smith."

The Doctor looked surprised.

Tony walked into the room and motioned that it was alright for The Doctor to come in as well. The Doctor saw state of the art computers and robots all over. Tables littered with projects and tools sat all around. It was a place that Tony clearly spent a lot of time in. A sofa in the corner facing a television showed the news. It was muted. The coffee table in front of it was littered with at least twenty water bottles and empty bags of various snacks. The entire room was dim except for one corner that held a circular desk with four monitors. Tony walked behind the desk and clicked a few things, which turned on lights throughout the room. Then he rubbed his face.

"Okay. Questions. Go!" Tony said.

The Doctor walked into the room. "The voice? What was that?"

Tony smiled, "My personal assistant. Jarvis. He runs everything here. He's tied into everything. I wear a watch with him in there, and then your watch you gave me on my other arm. I look like I'm crazy I'm sure."

The Doctor rubbed his beard. "A.I.?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yep! My own creation. I couldn't find anyone that could put up with me. So, I made someone. Worked on him for years."

The Doctor couldn't hide his surprise. "But, you're not supposed to be able to do that, yet! What in the hell? Are you sure your genes haven't been altered? This is not right! This is … "

Tony laughed. "This is the reaction I expected from you. I'm telling you. Dad crammed all sorts of crap in my head. I have no idea if he did anything further. But, it wouldn't surprise me."

Tony walked over to join the Doctor who was walking around taking in his surroundings.

The Doctor pointed at him. "We'll do some blood work and I'll let you know. Damn, Tony. This is brilliant. Did you make all of this stuff?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yeah. I stay down here all the time. Sometimes I forget to go to sleep. It's a sickness. Pisses Pepper off. But, you haven't even seen the thing I'm proudest of. I've not freaked you out yet? Right?"

The Doctor rubbed his beard. "Nope! What is this thing?"

Tony motioned for The Doctor to follow him as he walked over on the side of the room that was dimmed. "Jarvis. Show the Good Doctor the suit."

"Which one, sir?" Jarvis asked.

"Ah, let's try to impress him. Show him the progression." Tony told him as the floor opened up and a metal suit rose out of the floor. Five others were reveled as doors slid back on the wall.

The Doctor stopped and put his hands on his hips. He said something in another language as he looked over the room. He put on his glasses and walked over to the suit in the middle of the room. He turned around and asked Tony something in another language.

Tony looked confused at him. "I only speak English and French. What is that you are speaking?"

The Doctor closed his eyes tightly. "Sorry. Explain to me what this is."

Tony shook his head. "This is what you probably won't like. It's a suit. It's made with a gold-titanium alloy to keep it from icing up when it's in flight. And to provide protection from….. well, whatever."

The Doctor looked back at him and pointed. "You wear this? You are using that generator in your chest to run this thing?"

Tony stood next to the Doctor and looked at the suit. "Yeah. There's another generator in it, so my chest only turns it on."

"Why would you build something like this?"

"To escape." Tony pointed at a silver model that looked to be the most primitive. "That was the very first one. I built that one with Professor Ho Yinsen. We ran it off of the first generator I made while we were still prisoners. Yinsen died as we were escaping. When I got home, I decided to continue working on it. Pepper is scared of them because they look so much like Cybermen."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. There's nothing Cybermen about them! But, I can see why she would say that. They look like Rigellian's exo-suit. That's odd. Well, I can see why you did that though. It probably makes it easier to move around in it. We are defiantly checking to make sure your Dad didn't do some bio-cooking on your genes. This is just strange. No one knows about these?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I had a situation where this idiot I worked with made one and we fought. We were seen, of course, in the suits. The news reported it was a military operation that had fought off a remaining Cyberman that had been found. I was never mentioned. So, I've just kept it to myself. I keep them down here."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh, bullshit. Don't lie to me. You don't keep them down here. You're out flying around in them."

Tony put his hands on his hips. "Yes, and shooting at people. I'll admit it. But, I've honestly only went to Afghanistan to aid the soldiers there. Especially, after Rhodey died. He called me for help that day. I couldn't get there in time."

The Doctor put his glasses back in his pocket and crossed his arms as he looked back at Tony. "The soldiers can call you for help?"

Tony shook his head. "No. Rhodey could. He knew about it. When he went, I went with him. I hid in the caves for days at a time. I was determined he was coming home. The other soldiers decided I was a rogue Cyberman and was just grateful I wasn't shooting at them. I've painted them all silver to keep up that disguise. Plus, it helps me hide in the sun when I'm flying."

"I'm still in shock about this! No one has ever figured this out?"

Tony shook his head. "No one knows they are here. Well, okay. You know now. Rhodey knew. Rhodey, the Marine, convinced me that people would lose their shit if they thought I had a Cyberman or something similar down here. The government would probably bring their tanks and take them from me. The more I thought about it, and saw the violence against people they thought were aliens, I believed him. So, I kept it quiet. Pepper knows, of course, and my friend Steve knows. He is a strange person. You'd like him. Extremely old fashioned."

The Doctor laughed as he looked the suit up and down again. "Old fashioned. That sounds fun."

Tony looked at the Doctor. "Alright. I think that's everything about me. And I'm pretty sure you have told me way more than you intended about you. Daddy."

The Doctor laughed, "Oh, very true."

"So, what are you thinking, Doc'?"

The Doctor rubbed his beard. "Oh, I'm still digesting this. This will take some time."

Tony laughed, "I get that. While you are digesting, do you prefer Doctor or John?"

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off of the suit. "Either one. I'm getting used to John."

"How many different names have you had?"

The Doctor looked back at him. "A lot. We shouldn't talk about that."

Tony held up his hands. "Cool."

The Doctor stood and looked at the suit. "I like this. I can't explain why. But, it's really just brilliant! I don't like the weapons part of it, but I love the overall everything else. Your personal assistant is compatible with this?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yep. As soon as it powers up. He's there. I had him speak with a British accent. Makes him sound like a butler."

The Doctor laughed. "You watch too much telly!"

"Telly?" Tony mocked. "Says the alien with the British accent."

The Doctor laughed at him and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, it's a problem I have."

"Rose says you are building a house." Tony began.

The Doctor turned around and nodded, "Yep. On a private island. Someplace I can take her and Genie where they will be safe."

Tony crossed his arms. "The thing I've decided to give you, if you want it of course, is a copy of my personal assistant. He would be helpful to you with everything you have going on. You can rename it, and make it sound like anything you would like."

The Doctor's eyes got huge, "Wow! That's extremely generous, Tony! Thank you! Why do you want to give that to me?"

Tony smiled, "Honestly, I know you are very intelligent and can probably help me improve it even more. Take it a copy. Muck around with it and see what you can get him to do. I'll warn you. He's a smart-ass, but it's because I've programmed him to get along with me."

The Doctor laughed, "I can tolerate that. Thank you, Tony." The Doctor shook his hand.

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