Chapter 12

The words hung over her in the days to come. I am Iron Woman, plastered on every newspaper headline, played on repeat on the news as the world wondered what they would do with a new superhero and what it would mean for them.

She was hardly the first superhero to appear in the world. There was Captain America back in the forties, and Captain Marvel who had first emerged in the nineties. And while SHIELD might have tried to cover it up, it was hard to erase the tales that witnesses had told the press. And even despite that, her own cousin had confirmed it on an occasion, despite the fact that Toni very much did not have the required security clearance for such information. But Toni was smart and despite the need for secrecy, Harry had a hard time keeping things from her when he knew that if she really wanted to learn the truth of a subject, very little could stop her from finding it out.

But what she hadn't been entirely prepared to deal with was her Board.

"You cannot just fly around in a suit," Gregson, a newer member of her Board exclaimed. "Do you know what it will do to our stocks for our CEO to be flying around and pretending to be a hero?"

"I never claimed to be a hero," Toni said calmly. "And the stocks are doing fine. In fact, they're up twenty points, since the press conference. The stocks are even higher than they'd been before I got kidnapped."

"That's a short-term thing," Michaels scowled. "What happens tomorrow when you crash into a building in New York and our company's name is attached to the disaster? What happens if you accidentally kill civilians? What happens if you die in action? We hardly have another CEO who can step up and take your place. There was Obadiah who could have led this company but after his unfortunate accident there isn't anyone else named to be your successor."

She winced at the implication. She knew that Obie couldn't have worked alone, and Ava and JARVIS were currently combing through all of Stark Industries' data with a fine-tooth comb, looking for any other possible suspects to who had been helping him. And she would personally see to it that they never came close to her company ever again.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," she said simply, "And in the case it does, I'll leave a successor to my company in my will. But with that said, we must discuss the future of Stark Industries, as things need to change around here."

"We are a weapons company!" Gregson spluttered, "To suggest anything else is preposterous."

"And yet we have so many more divisions than just weapons," she said calmly, sliding her hands up to project data from the tablet she'd been holding to appear as a hologram before them. "Divisions such as our Technological Advancements, Medical Research, and Clean Energy, to name a few, combined, nearly bring in combined billion dollars of revenue, and that's with the minimum amount of investments we put into them. Imagine what could happen if we invested more? Military contracts can also be about defensive technologies, such as shields and protective gear; we can outfit them with body armour that is of higher calibre than anything available on the market. We can provide them software upgrades like nothing they've ever had before. We might not be making them missiles, but that doesn't mean they won't still be paying us the same amount as before."

She shifted the hologram to show the figures she had come up with and calculated based on the numbers she had, and she knew from their silence that they had agreed with her.

"Additionally, Stark Industries should become a Global name," she said, "We shouldn't just be a company who deals with militaries. Think about how much money we are losing by doing so. We already are coming up with navigation systems for the military. Think about how much money we could bring in if we sold a simpler model to the masses? One that helped them get around from point A to B without having to look at a map. We have the technology for holograms, think about how we could incorporate it into phones and StarkPads. We need to think of the bigger picture. Weapons might have brought in a decent profit margin but think of how much more we could achieve if we simply strived for more."

She loaded the data onto the tablets in front of them so they could go over the information themselves.

"And the Military would be interested in such products?" Michaels asked, slightly skeptically. "Surely they're unhappy about the lack of weapons."

"Our weapons were sold behind our backs to terrorists," she said coldly, "I am not producing anymore, and I still have controlling share of this company. Now you can lock me out, but then who would bring in these innovations? I'd just start another company and take my designs there. The Military will accept what they're given. I've already talked to Rhodes, and he has confirmed that the Military is more than interested in the designs I've shown him already. The advancements we can make is incredible."

"Alright," Michaels said, giving her a nod, and she felt some of the tension leave her.

She was so used to fighting every step of the way, like she had to with Roberts and O'Brian, who questioned every decision she'd ever made.

"You've proven with the numbers that this is beneficial," Gregson sighed, "This won't be easy, Antonia. Our stocks will fall as we change course and head in this new decision. But if you're right with these figures, then this is a smart move for Stark Industries, and we must trust your decision. You've already brought this company to an international level in the time that you've been CEO."

She nodded at them all, "I will implement this in several stages, the first of which involves launching several new satellites into space," she started, as she broke down her intentions for the future of her company.


"Aunt Peggy," Toni said softly, as she visited her aunt for the first time since everything had happened. It had been hard for get to get away to go to Washington, but she'd had Pepper re-arrange her entire schedule, much to the displeasure of several magazines and newspapers who had wanted to interview her and hadn't been able to get a single slot yet on her calendar.

Bu Pepper had gladly done so, knowing what the older woman had meant to Toni.

"Toni," Peggy said, carefully sitting up in her bed. Daniel had told her earlier that today was a good day, and in the years since Peggy had been diagnosed, good days came less and less.

There would be a day in the future when Peggy wouldn't recognize Toni at all, and every day would be a bad day. And that would be the day where Toni would break.

But she would take advantage of these days while she still had them. She'd take advantage of every last good day.

She would not lose another mother without getting to tell her just how much she loved her.

"How are you feeling, Aunt Peg?" she asked softly, sitting beside her.

"I'm okay, Toni," Peggy said, placing her hand on hers. "How have you been? I'm so happy to see that you're healthy after everything that happened in Afghanistan. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. I wanted to come find you, but Daniel was right. I'm hardly in peak condition anymore. If I had been a decade younger, I would have fought every man necessary until I brought you home."

She let out a slightly watery laugh, "I know you would have Aunt Peggy. I learned everything about what it takes to be brave from you. You've taught me that I need to stay strong in the face of adversity. You taught me that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to even when everyone around me is telling me I can't do it. If it weren't for your words, I wouldn't have survived it."

"And now you're a superhero," Peggy said, with a slight disapproving tone in her voice.

She looked slightly confused, "Aunt Peggy, it was you who taught me I need to stand up and fight for what's right. This is what's right. Obie was selling my weapons to terrorists. He was hurting others with weapons that I designed. It's up to me to put it right. It's my responsibility. I need to do this Peggy."

"Toni," Peggy told her sternly, "You have absolutely no training in this sort of thing. You have no idea what it takes to fight terrorists on a daily basis. You have no idea what it takes to put your life on the line every single day and have people at home wondering if you'll make it home. You've never had to deal with any of this. And that's fine! You're a brilliant CEO, and your innovations have changed the world. I've seen first-hand that you've made things so much better, and I am incredibly proud of you. But I will not have you putting yourself in harm's way so recklessly. Who is watching your back in the field? Who is there to keep you safe?"

"JARVIS," she said simply. "He monitors the suit and runs calculations constantly to ensure that nothing happens to me."

She paused for a moment.

"What would you have done, Aunt Peggy? If you found out that your entire life was a lie? If you found out that someone you had trusted had betrayed your trust, and was selling your weapons behind your back to terrorists? That he'd tried to have you killed? You wouldn't have stood for it. You would have done everything in your power to have made it right. You're the one who told me when I was younger that we are nothing without our morals. That we need to stand for what we think is right and fight against the world even when everyone tells us we're wrong."

Peggy sighed, "I know. You're right, Toni. I would do the same thing. I have done the same thing. I just want to keep you safe; you and all the children. But you're right. I would have done the exact same thing if I was in your situation. But with that said, I had training, Toni. I practised fighting every single day so I was never in a situation where anyone could use my gender against me. I want you to practise too. Suit or no suit, you need training. You cannot just become a superhero without any sort of practise."

She wanted to snark back; she'd been doing well enough so far, even if she didn't have any official training. But her Aunt only wanted what was best for her, out of love and out of concern for her. The lease she could do was at least acknowledge her Aunt's words, knowing she must have had a reason for wanting it.

"Okay," she said after a moment. "I'll ask Rhodey and Harry if they can help me train, if it makes you happy."

"Thank you, Ducky," Peggy told her with a smile. "I am proud of you. Not just for this, but for everything you've accomplished. You're a brilliant girl, and I'm so proud to call you family. And I know that your mother and Jarvis would have been so proud of everything you've done too."

Her throat tightened slightly. She noted the lack of mention over her father, but if Peggy had told her that her father was proud of her, she'd probably just laugh. They both knew it would be a lie anyways.

"I love you too, Aunt Peggy," she told her aunt, "I'll try and visit you more often. I promise."

"Be careful, Darling," Peggy said gently, "The world will stand in your way and oppose any new shift to change. You're going to face more and more difficulties in the coming years. But know that your family will always stand behind you. You are not alone, and you are very much loved and cared for. Do not let the world turn your compassion into hatred."

She was quiet for a few moments before Peggy spoke again, "Maria?" she asked, looking at Toni. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Toni were going away to Italy for the week?"

She kissed her aunt on the forehead, knowing her Alzheimer's had caused her to forget the entire conversation. She swallowed slightly, not wanting to cry, before standing to leave.

"Take care, Aunt Peggy," Toni said gently, as she slipped out the door.


It started off slow, what with her completely dismantling the Ten Rings. And then the rest of the terrorists in the East.

It wasn't easy; and it definitely had far more to do with than just dropping in and blowing up all their weapons as she had done the first time. Especially in countries where there was so much political turmoil.

She'd have extensive knowledge on all the areas before simply going in and getting stuff done, and each time, she'd make sure to have the permission of the government in the area. That was the whole point of coming out with the secret right? What good was holding herself accountable if she thought she was beyond the law? What good was any of it if she could just drop in, do whatever she wanted, and then leave?

She had to be better than that; she had to hold herself to a higher standard or she was just as bad as before.

She couldn't ever go back to that point though; the point where she was blissfully ignorant to what was going on in her own backyard. She needed to be more informed, in every avenue of her life.

So she listened to the political rumours. She dug in deeper into international affairs, learning what the rest of the world thought of her and her actions. She listened, and she took note. She heard where she was needed, and she reacted.

She had Ava and JARVIS calculate the possible outcomes before she went in and she went with the route that was likely to cause the least amount of damage.

She might have been known as the Merchant of Death before but the last thing she needed was more blood on her hands. She refused to let anyone else get hurt on her watch. She refused to be the cause of the loss of any more innocent lives.

Time Magazine had named her the Person of the Year a month after she'd first come out as Iron Woman, and the world had unanimously agreed.

She wasn't trying to be a hero.

She just wanted to make things right.

When the pilot of the Areodynamic Marvel crashed in the Congo, she had been the first to assist General Ross in saving him. Even if Ross had stated that they just wanted a superhero watchdog. She'd scoffed at him; she refused to be put on a lease for the government to control; she was not a weapon to be controlled, and she refused to allow him to do so.

She wanted to be better than what she was before. She refused to sit back down on the sidelines and let the world around her continue to crumble when she had the power to make a difference in it.

So she helped the world in any way she could. She saved kittens from burning buildings, saved kidnapped children, and fought for those who couldn't save themselves.

She wondered if Captain America would have done the same, if he had given the chance. He'd always believed in the little guy and wanted to fight for those who couldn't help themselves.

If he was still alive, would he approve of the things she'd done?

"Toni are you paying attention?" Rhodey asked, as she landed flat on the mat for the second time that afternoon.

"Yes sorry," she winced, as Harry helped her back up.

It seemed as if Aunt Peggy had Uncle Daniel organize her training sessions with Rhodey and Harry behind her back, and all of them agreed that she needed more hand-to-hand training, as she clearly did not have enough experience with it.

"You seemed a million miles away," Rhodey said, as she took a gulp of water, "Is something on your mind?"

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" she asked him softly, for probably the first time since she took up the Iron Woman armour.

"Do you think you're doing the right thing?" he countered, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes," she said simply, "I'm helping people and making a difference."

"Good," he nodded, "But for what it's worth, I agree with you. You're grown so much in the last few weeks. You've made the world feel safer already. You could have just made the armour and asked someone else to pilot it. Or you could have just shut down weapons production. Both of them would have been enough to change the world. But you've shown the world that there are those who will fight for their interests. You've shown the world that there are those who care about them, even when it feels like no one's listening. And I am so proud of you. You've come so far, and I'm so proud of all that you've done."

"Thanks," she said softly, and Rhodey pulled her into a hug.

"It doesn't mean that my heart doesn't stop every time I see you fly off into danger," he murmured. "I'm always going to worry about you, Toni. Which is why Harry and I are going to train you to properly fight until we're convinced that you're capable of landing a couple of punches and doing some damage to your opponents without a suit on."

"Which would be great to get back to," Harry smirked at her, "If the two of you old saps are done being all sentimental."

"Who are you calling old?" she scowled at him, "You're not that much younger than me, old man."

"You literally winced when you tried stretching," Happy pointed out, as he had taken a break from trying to coach her to properly punch a bag. "You're not getting much younger, Ma-am."

"You're all fired," she glared at them, "I don't need any of you."

"Sure thing, Boss," Happy nodded solemnly, "Should I take my leave now, or after you land on your ass a few more times?"

"Why do I even need to learn how to fight?" she groaned. "I always have my suit on me, and the suit has more than enough types of attacks anyways. I programmed it! It has different fighting tactics built into it!"

"What happens if you don't have your suit?" Rhodey raised a brow, "How will you save the world then? What if you get kidnapped again and they take away your suit from you?"

"Then I'll just build another," she threw up her hands, "I built the first one in a cave! I can just build more of them!"

"And now the world knows you're capable of such a thing," Harry warned her, "You will not be given the same amount of leniency as last time if such a situation arises. Do you think they'd give you the same access to the materials you need to be able to build a suit? They'd probably just shoot you in the head if you tried anything. And what would you do then?"

She grimaced, knowing he was right. "Fine! If we must then let's just get this over with. Clearly none of you are going to drop it until I learn how to do so anyways."

"Teach her how to feign attacks too," Uncle Daniel said, from where he and Ava were watching. "Peg used to do that all the time. She'd pretend to be weak because the world expected a woman to not be capable of handling herself and when they dropped their guard, she'd strike. If the world believes she is nothing without the suit, it would serve as an advantage to when they try attacking her without it."

Ava beamed, "JARVIS, can you run different fight scenarios that we can practise? Calculate the most common sorts of attacks that could occur so Toni can learn how to fight against them."

"Not so fast," Harry said, as Ava pulled back up her tablet to take notes. When his sister looked at him confused, he continued, "Don't think I don't know that you are planning on helping Toni on this crusade of hers."

"Of course I am!" Ava said heatedly, "If you think I'm just going to sit back and watch, then you're wrong Harold Michael Carter-Sousa!"

Harry raised his hands, "Of course I don't think that. But if you're going to do this with her, then you better learn a few moves too. Your involvement increases the chances of you getting hurt and I refuse to have you in danger because you refused to learn how to throw a punch."

"Dad," Ava said pleadingly, looking over at her father.

"Your brother has a point," Uncle Daniel nodded, "Ava, you should learn a few moves too, while we're here."

Ava groaned and Toni shot her a sympathetic smile.

She knew they were all doing this so she could protect herself in the future. But at the same time, there was nothing fun about falling down on her ass time and time again as she tried to learn how to fight hand-to-hand combat.

"You're doing great, Toni," Daniel smiled at her, as she finally threw Rhodey over her shoulder. Her Honey Bear winced slightly, and she beamed at him triumphantly. Maybe there was something to this after all.


She got home to her Malibu estate later than she had intended to. Being Iron Woman as well as CEO and Chairwoman of a Fortune 500 company was proving to be difficult, especially given all the new designs she'd been trying to push out the door.

It wasn't uncommon for her to get less than a few hours a sleep if she even got that many in a week.

She heard the beeping as soon as she entered, and moved carefully through the house, trying to find out the breach in her Manor.

"JARVIS," she said loudly, trying to get her AI to fill her in on just what had happened.

"Welcome home Ma-" JARVIS started, before getting cut off and shutting down.

She felt anger flow through her. Who had attacked one of her children in her own home? How dare someone try to do such a thing.

She held her phone close, ready to call the suit to her remotely if she needed to.

"I am Iron Woman," she heard a man mockingly say as she moved closer. He was shielded by the dark, and she couldn't make out his face. "Do you think you're the only superhero in the world Miss Stark?"

He moved toward her and she stood ready to fight.

Perhaps those training sessions had been worth it after all.

"You've become part of a bigger universe," he said, and Toni carefully moved towards him. "You just don't know it yet."

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, and he stepped into the light. He was wearing an eyepatch and a long black trench coat, but she recognized him before he even gave his name or credentials.

"Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD," he said, and she knew the man all too well as one her Aunt Peggy had carefully groomed for years; teaching him everything so that one day he would take her place. Unfortunately, her disease had meant she'd had to step down far sooner than she'd liked, but it seemed to work out for the man anyways.

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative," he said, with a smile on his face, and she gestured for him to sit down.

She knew who he was, but it was clear to her that he was unaware of that fact. For a man in charge of an intelligence agency, he clearly did not have all the intel he thought he had.

She knew it was largely in part because her father wanted her to have nothing to do with the organization, and Aunt Peggy had hid the fact that Toni knew more about them than they were aware of to keep her safe. After all, it hardly would do to have a civilian know secrets about an organization that thrived in the shadows.

"I see," she said, "And I suppose you want me to join your little boy band?"

She pretended to feign interest, when in reality, she had no interest in joining. The Iron Woman suit did not belong in the hands of the government, no matter the organization. And while she trusted Peggy would have created a trustworthy division, she knew the hearts of men did not always have the interests of the people in them. There was always corruption, always those who sought to exploit things to work into their favour.

"You must have heard about the incident with Bruce Banner by now," he said, handing her the tablet with the access to the Hulk Files.

Of course she had; the scientist on the top of his field who had turned into a monster overnight and wreaked havoc on Harlem? Who hadn't heard of him?

She'd tried to reach out to the man in the days following the attack, but he'd all but dropped off the radar. There had been several inquires if whether Iron Woman would be available to help fight off the monster, but she'd refused. The Military had it under control. Besides, she had a feeling that the real monster was someone entirely different and the world might not like if she sided with him. It didn't mean she didn't still have her scans running to try and find the Hulk. After all, the man was on his own and needed help.

"There's more superheroes than the world knows, Antonia," Fury said, "And a day will come when the world needs them all to unite under one team and fight for them. A team who will save the world, to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to fight the battles we never could."

"So you want me on part of a superhero team," she said, handing the tablet to him. "And if I refuse?"

"This is so much bigger than you or me," he told her. "This isn't about threats that even are contained on this world. It's about what's out there. What will come knocking on our door one day and whether we like it are not, we are unprepared for such battles. The world will need you. But if you want to keep fighting terrorists, then that's your right."

Aliens.

Like Captain Marvel?

She'd had so many questions she needed to ask, but she knew she wouldn't get the answers, not from him directly. She knew how men like him worked; they gave her enough information to let her think she was being given insider details, but in reality, they were just giving her enough to keep her interested.

But that didn't make the part about the aliens any less valid. If they were out there, then a day would come when the world would need to fight against them. A day would come when the world was forced to fight for their survival. And whether it was tomorrow or twenty years from now, they would need to prepare for it.

"I'm not interested," she said. "Iron Woman is not meant to be on a part of a team. She's not something that the government or any organization, even SHIELD, should be allowed to have control over. I appreciate the offer, but no thank you."

She could tell from the incredulous look on his face that he was unimpressed, but she stood by her words. If a day came where she needed to band together with other superheroes, then so be it. But she would not throw away her morals on a chance.

"I'll see myself out then," Fury stood quickly, "I hope you change your mind, Stark. The fate of the world depends on it."

When she was sure she was alone, she quickly brought JARVIS back online. She'd need to update his coding to ensure that no one ever turned him off again, not without her knowledge or consent.

"J, it seems like we have work to do," she told him carefully. "Look into SHIELD for me. Find out everything you can, including my father's work for them. They have something up their sleeves and I need to know exactly what it is that we're dealing with if we're going to be ready for whatever it is that's going to come our way."

"Search initiated, Miss Stark," JARVIS called out.

Her father had always kept his own secrets from her, and Hawking forbid he ever bring her in on anything.

She wondered offhandedly what he would think about his and Peggy's successor bringing her in on an organization that he wanted her to have nothing to do with. Would he be rolling over in his grave at the mere thought of such a thing? More likely than not, he'd think that she was unworthy to be working with them. He'd probably also think Iron Woman was a publicity attempt in order to gain her more fans. Not like the old man was ever thought she was capable of anything other than drinking away all her problems.

Not that it mattered anyways. Her father was a thing of the past, and she was a vision of the future.