- Chapter 46 -
The next file in the list was quickly brought up. McCorrmick hoped that they would pay attention because what they needed to see was easy to miss. More than hoping, he needed Stark to be wrong. The world needed Stark to be wrong, for it to not be too late. "This file is from March 14, 2023. This is a reconstructed file."
.-.-.-.
"Well Jarvis, what do we have?" Tony asked cheerfully. He was sitting at his workbench. There was a small holographic projector on his desk. It was projecting an exploded view of the Solar Sails he was using for his telecom satellites. There were still improvements that he was making to them so that they could provide the power his satellites needed. It was a chore to have to retrofit his older satellites every time he upgrades the sails, but he still did it. Having them in the air was better than waiting years for this to be completely done. His satellites already had the power they needed to get the job done. Tony just wanted them to do it faster.
"Minister Popov has agreed to a meeting. His office has offered several dates next month as possibilities, sir," Jarvis replied. Time was running down.
Just a little more. Tony continued to sketch out the new traces for the interior of the sails as he spoke. The last ones were closer to what he needed but they still weren't quite right. "Good. Pick whichever one is soonest and schedule it."
"The soonest available meeting conflicts with an Avengers meeting that's been scheduled for several months, sir," Jarvis said.
That brought a dismissive handwave. "Send Pepper to it. I need to speak with the minister. I need the Russian government on my side if I'm going to start picking up major businesses in Russia." Tony sighed. "I need to start getting my factory equipment moving into Russian manufacturing. I want more of my equipment moving into infrastructure and utilities." What he wanted was to have products from any of his companies in every Russian house and business. That would happen eventually. His friends were going to spread across all of Russia as well. "I need my friends in Russia, J. You know that."
After a moment of deliberation, Jarvis' evolving code of ethics, which was part of his core coding, compelled him to object again. "This is highly unethical, sir."
"I know it is, but I want to meet him," Tony said quietly. I'll do anything I have to to meet that young man.
The alarm on the computer chimed, so Jarvis asked quietly, "Will you be heading out now, sir."
A bright smile touched Tony's lips. The Solar Sails designs saved quickly then he shut down the program. "Yes, I will. Are the kids ready to go?"
"Yes, sir. Colonel Rhodes has them waiting by the front door for you," came the quiet reply.
"Great! Time for ice cream." Tony slid off his seat and headed for the door to his workshop.
.-.-.-.
A small message popped up on the screen that read, 'End of Reconstruction' before it was closed. "That concludes this file," McCorrmick said quietly. When he looked around the room what he saw was irritating. No one seemed to have noticed it playing. It was too tame compared with what came before and what was coming next. "Pay attention!" he wanted to raise his voice to them. "Sit up and snap to!" was what his father always said during briefings if people were inattentive. The young man was only a corporal, not a colonel. He didn't have the authority to tell them that. A slightly resigned sigh slipped out of him. They'll see it eventually.
Stark Industries had been voraciously consuming businesses across the globe for years so Director Fury already knew about Stark's ever-expanding business interests. The buildup of wealth was one of the concerning things about Stark Industries to the World Security Council. SHIELD was monitoring the situation. This information wasn't necessary since he already had it. He was grateful that the file was so calm. It gave him time to think.
While Frey didn't know what ice cream was he did know it was a Midgardian sweet treat. It was nice to see that Rhodes was even taking his grandchildren out for treats with Anthony. His nephew-by-law had a love of randomly handing the children candies, much to Loki's displeasure. It was simple and soothing to think of the children having something nice. Frey was grateful for the brief moment of calm that the recording provided. It let him reach for more calm then he had. More calm was always better for the people around him. This wasn't one of the places where he be anything other than calm.
