TITLE: Iron Maiden - Days of Future Past
DISCLAIMER: The Marvel Cinematic Universe characters and everything from Earth-199999 belongs to Marvel under the umbrella of The Mouse of Doom, ahem, sorry, Disney... anything from other Marvel Universes / dimensions / timelines belong to their respective comic creators… basically, if you recognise it, it isn't mine... Please don't sic SHIELD on me, I'm just here for the fun.
Heathrow International Airport
Hillingdon
London
England
United Kingdom
March 17th, 2010
It was miserable in London when Tony and Morgan walked off of the Stark jet and down the ramp, looking ahead to the private car that had been organised ahead of time and was waiting for them.
It couldn't even be called rain properly, it was just a horrible fine mist in the air with dark grey skies overhead and not a glimmer of sunlight in sight, a very drastic change to California or Madrid, or even the skies they'd flown through over Belarus really.
The faces of the ground crew around the airport that were staring at the Stark Jet covetously and with amazement showing on their faces definitely made his day, and Tony simply shot back a shit eating grin as he headed over towards the car and climbed into the drivers seat, taking a beat to remember the drivers side was on the wrong side of the car before he waited for Morgan to get into the passenger seat so he could start the engine.
The warmth that came from the car's internal heating was definitely welcome, and made him wonder if British cars spent far more time and development on heating and comforts like that than American cars did.
It might be a curiosity to look into later, but wasn't really important in the grand scheme of things. Though the way the seats actually warmed up under his ass and heated his back through was a luxury he could definitely grow to enjoy.
Driving out of the airport and onto the main roads that led east and into the city properly, he watched in amusement as Morgan flicked on the radio and started hunting through the various stations for something they could both enjoy.
He knew Morgan was still a bit irritated over how Romanoff and Barton had insisted that they take care of Yelena and the armoured cyborg woman personally. He could understand it, the whole Red Room thing was personal for Romanoff apparently, but he could tell it had annoyed Morgan that they'd brushed her off so easily when she was probably the greatest mind on the subject of cybernetics in the world right now.
Romanoff had argued that she wanted to head to Morocco and get the Red Room's mind control stuff cleared out first before deciding anything about the cyborg woman's implants, insisting that she had the right to chose what to do about the implants for herself once the Red Room's control had been removed.
He couldn't really argue with that. If he'd been under mind control and someone else decided what to do about his Arc reactor, he'd have been pissed too.
So they'd left the two assassins and their unconscious comrades in Madrid. Romanoff had given him information about a safe house she would check regularly and was where she could be contacted, but that was as far as she was willing to go for now.
It was something at least, and Romanoff had confirmed that her and Barton would definitely be on hand for the invasion, but until then they were going to focus on clearing up the remainder of the Red Room and help the two brainwashed victims sort themselves out.
"FRIDAY, you got the details for that Doctor Hussain hooked up?" Tony asked aloud, knowing FRIDAY, FAITH and JARVIS would easily be able to hear him through Morgan's watch link thing.
"Indeed boss," FRIDAY's voice came out as Morgan lifted her wrist up so that the AI could be heard better in the car. "Doctor Hussain is currently the lead surgeon and head of the department for cardiothoracic surgery at King Edward the Seventh's Hospital." She confirmed. "Your meeting has been arranged and she has been informed of the sensitive nature of your request."
"Non-disclousure forms?" Tony asked aloud. It wasn't strictly necessary as his Arc reactor wasn't a massive secret, but if he could stop anything more leaking out to the media then it was definitely worth while getting things signed ahead of time.
"Of course boss, Miss Potts spoke to Doctor Hussain directly and had all the pertinent documentation sent through." FRIDAY confirmed.
"Got directions for me baby girl?" Tony asked aloud, looking ahead to where the main city of London was clearly visible in the distance, and with traffic not being that bad, they could probably make pretty good time into the city itself.
"Sending through to Little Boss's tablet now boss," FRIDAY chirped. "Beaumont street, Marylebone." She confirmed.
"That's in London?" Tony asked, double checking he had got the city right. He knew outright that his international geography was spotty at the best of times, and simply relied on JARVIS, or now FRIDAY, to keep him on track.
"Yeah, I've got it." Morgan laughed as she activated her tablets holographic screen and pulled up the map FRIDAY had sent over that was giving her real time directions as they drove. "About half an hour into the city, head for Soho through Notting Hill and we should be able to find it easily enough."
"That was a movie right? Notting Hill?" Tony asked casually as he kept driving on. "Julia Roberts and the guy with the floppy hair? I'm sure I remember that?"
"Dunno," Morgan shrugged. "Nothing I've watched has even been made yet, and oldies weren't really my thing."
"Oldies?" Tony snorted. Of course new movies today would be 'oldies' for Morgan. She probably knew every decent movie and TV series that was going to be aired for the next thirty years or so. "Anything interesting coming through?" He asked, looking over to where Morgan was idly going through emails on her tablet.
"Nothing major," Morgan shook her head. "Mom forwarded over a ton of contracts for you to look over. There's a few meetings booked in for when we get back. Looks like the satellite thing really kicked off. Got requests from Virgin, government contacts, NASA want a meeting apparently... oh, huh..."
"That sounds interesting?" Tony asked, flicking his eyes over at Morgan's surprised sounds.
"They want to talk about the International Space Station." Morgan said aloud.
"That's still a thing?" Tony asked in amusement. "I thought that whole thing had been decommissioned ages ago after the whole Columbia disaster thing." He mused on the thought. "That something we were involved in in the future?" He asked curiously.
"Not really," Morgan shook her head. "We had a few deals with the ESA about it, some funding and technology, never really did anything big with it though." She said with a shrug. "Mom didn't really like anything to do with space after everything that had happened, but we had a few contracts with them and got a new sensor grid hooked up through there, keeping an eye on anything coming near earth approach, early warning system stuff basically." She explained. "We fitted their gravity systems in place and had contracts to expand the scientific areas... but that all got cancelled when the place was decommissioned a few years ago."
"Huh," Tony mused, idly drumming his hands on the steering wheel as he considered that. "Wait... gravity systems?" He blinked, fighting the urge not to stare over at Morgan in shock. "Artificial gravity?" He demanded.
"Yeah," Morgan nodded. "That came after you... you know," She said apologetically. "It's all back engineered from Thanos' ship that crashed in the invasion. A few companies got it working, but ours was the best. Powered by Arc technology it was stable and we got some pretty lucrative deals out of it."
"Sonofabitch," Tony whispered in awe, trying to imagine the physics behind artificial gravity and how the hell people had actually managed to reverse engineer it from alien technology. "Have you got the designs for that? In the databases?"
"Somewhere," Morgan nodded. "It was a pretty niche thing for SI though, we only really did the ISS and then a few research labs who wanted to play with zero-g stuff back down here, no one else was really interested in it, and aside from spaceships, it's pretty much just a tourist attraction thing."
"Fair point," Tony mused absently. "Think you could knock something together with it? Outfit a room or something with variable gravity? Zero-g?" He asked curiously.
"Should be able to," Morgan said thoughtfully, drumming her fingers on her thigh. "It's nothing stupid really, power requirements are pretty high for a constant field, but nothing too out there." She nodded.
"Hook something up for the Expo, a decent sized thing so that people can walk... float through even, feel zero-g for themselves." Tony said with a grin. "I might have a play myself, sounds fun to float around like that." He chuckled at the thought. "Think NASA might actually wet themselves after seeing variable gravity systems that could be installed?"
Morgan snorted at that, amused by the thought. Gravity systems weren't something she'd ever really put that much time into. They were useful for shipping and moving heavy objects, and most top labs had them for various reasons and experiments, but aside from that they weren't really anything that would bring money in or posed any real scientific advancement.
Until Earth actually started building big space stations and interstellar spaceships, variable gravity fields were an amusing quirk of science to play with, nothing else.
"Think it's worth getting involved now?" Tony asked curiously. "The space station stuff I mean?"
"Nothing huge ever came from it by my time," Morgan shrugged. "It was a research thing, a few papers every year, stuff like that, but it was never part of any big breakthroughs or anything. "It shut down in thirty one, and got replaced by private systems. We had our own big satellites by then, so it wasn't really any great loss." She explained.
"Just worth us taking some more satellites up ourselves then and keeping it in SI, makes sense." Tony nodded.
"Looks like NASA want a deal for SI to work on the new gateway platform. Hitching a deal with Boeing on it as well, full cooperation and stuff like that." Morgan read off as she went through the email.
"I'll take a look later, see if it's worth it. Might be fun, raise public awareness, get the Stark name in the skies," Tony said with a grin. "Stick NASA on the maybe pile, I'll take a look and set up meetings for after the Expo."
Morgan simply nodded back as she relaxed back in the passenger seat, idly flicking through all the various emails that her mom had forwarded over for her and her dad to look through. There were definitely some interesting bits scattered through, but mostly corporate deals that she knew weren't really going to go anywhere.
Samsung and Apple were both still trying to get meetings apparently, both were going to be useless. By after The Expo when the Stark Processors, phones and tablets hit the consumer market, both companies would be obsolete and be counting down the days as their stock plummeted.
Compared to the new Stark Phones, there wasn't a single other smart phone on the market that could match their technology, and she knew it. Once they pushed into wider consumer grade electronics. TV's, and multimedia platforms, Samsung would go the way of the dodo too, and probably more companies like Sony and others would be feeling the pinch and scaling back by the end of the year.
They could probably make a killing in buying out those companies once their stock started falling and incorporating them into Stark International, but that was going to be a long term plan to think about later.
For now, medical was first. And once her dad got sorted and the docs figured out how to get that antique out of his chest, she would feel a whole lot better and be able to start properly focusing on Stark Medical and all the advances she could bring to the medical field in this practically prehistoric time of medicine.
Flicking her email closed and opening up FRIDAY's map again, she left the tablet active and simply laying on her lap as she focused on looking out the car windows as they started to get in to the city of London itself. It was still miserable out, and she definitely wished she'd brought a jacket or something, but at least it was different from the California sun that she'd endured for the past couple of months.
Anything different was good right now, so she simply relaxed back and enjoyed the drive.
Edwards Air Force Base
Lancaster
Los Angeles
California
General Baur was waiting in full dress by the security cordon of Edwards Base as General Pritchet's motorcade approached and slowly drove through the gate and into the base itself.
He took a deep breath as he stood to attention, watching as General Pritchet and his team got out of their various cars, all of their attention focused on him and the two Lt Colonel's flanking him.
General Baur wasn't a man of small stature by any means. He stood a good inch and half above the six foot mark, and was built pretty well after several decades of military service. He was solid and built in all the right places, and had never really felt small before until he stood in the shadow of Lt Colonel Rhodes' War Machine.
Standing next to the hulking armour he was all too aware that the War Machine armour stood nearly half a foot taller than him, and with it's sizeable bulk and intimidating stature, it took the spotlight and stole the attention off of everyone else without even moving an inch.
"General Baur," General Pritchet said as he came to stand in front of the inspection lineup, saluting General Baur back and nodding for him to stand at ease. "My God, I'd seen the photos and the reports... but this..."
"General Pritchet, this is Lt Colonel Rhodes, code-name War Machine." General Baur introduced him, fighting back the grin as Lt Colonel Rhodes snapped off a perfect salute, and he could only imagine just how much practice Lt Colonel Rhodes had put into that, because moving in that behemoth of a suit did not look easy in the least, but he made the salute look fluid and professional.
"At ease Lt Colonel," General Pritchet said with an approving nod and a wide smile. "This is definitely something. I've seen pictures of Stark's new suit, and the one he built for the woman working with him. They took a satellite into orbit just by themselves. But this..." He trailed off, looking over the War Machine armour with an appreciative grin. "This is a War Machine, pure and simple."
"Yes sir," General Baur smiled in agreement, stepping aside to introduce the other Lt Colonel with him. "General Pritchet, this is Lt Colonel Callaghan. She is the lead in the Angels program, and second in command of the squadron under Lt Colonel Rhodes." He explained.
"Lt Colonel," General Pritchet saluted back when Lt Colonel Callaghan saluted him, he'd seen her record and been briefed on her before, so it was nice to actually put a face to the name that was going to be the lead on the new squadron being put together.
She was reasonably tall, but fell short next to General Baur and the War Machine armour, but straight brunette hair that was pulled back in a regulation ponytail that fell exactly one inch below her shoulder line.
Just appraising her he knew that she was going to be the perfect choice for the Angels. Not only was she decorated and career Air Force, but from from he could see she was an attractive young woman who would likely be a perfect fit for the Air Force recruitment posters and media attention that was likely to follow the Angels official reveal at the Stark Expo.
"Are you ready to show us the facilities?" General Pritchet asked.
"Yes sir," General Baur nodded. "If you'd like to follow me, I will show you to the hanger designated for the War Machine and Angels squadron."
"Lead on General," General Pritchet said, gesturing for him to take the lead. "I understand from the reports that this base is now completely independent from the United States power grid. Is that correct?" He asked, because that had been one of the first questions he'd actually wanted to bring up after reading the reports.
"Yes sir," General Baur confirmed as they walked, seeing a few of General Pritchet's staff share glances at that and quiet whispers between themselves. "The hanger for the War Machine and Angels is powered by a Stark Arc reactor. It provides constant recharging for the Angels equipment, along with the computers and robotic systems necessary to house and maintain the War Machine armour." He explained.
"And this Stark reactor is now hooked up to the entire base?" General Pritchet asked curiously.
"Yes sir," General Baur nodded. "It was a discussion between Lt Colonel Rhodes and Doctor Stark, the reactor itself is a prototype in name. Currently only the third reactor of it's size that Doctor Stark has ever built. We agreed with Doctor Stark that he would be able to regularity receive information and readings from the reactor to compare with his other installations, and test for viability for larger projects. In return, the entire base is fed with a clean and uninterrupted power supply that cannot be cut off or manipulated in any way." He explained.
"It sounds like a pipe dream," General Pritchet admitted. "I'd heard that Doctor Stark was moving into the clean energy business, but I'd never imagined he was this far ahead of everyone else."
"Lt Colonel Rhodes?" General Baur asked, gesturing to the War Machine armour and happy that Lt Colonel Rhodes had kept the face plate up as ordered. "I'm given the understanding that Doctor Stark has one of the reactors in his own house as well?" He asked, trying to remember everything he'd heard when Doctor Stark and Lt Colonel Rhodes had been discussing them.
"Sir, yes sir." Lt Colonel Rhodes confirmed with a nod. "The Stark mansion is fully powered by it's own Arc Reactor now. As is the entirety of the Stark Industries complex." He explained. "I believe Doctor Stark is planning a larger reactor for the new Stark Building in New York, he's mentioned it a few times but I haven't seen anything official planned about it yet." He explained.
"I see," General Pritchet nodded at the report. "This is the same technology that powers the War Machine suit and Doctor Stark's Iron Man armour then?"
"Yes sir." Lt Colonel Rhodes confirmed. "Arc technology is proprietary Stark technology currently, I'll admit I don't have a full understanding of it myself, but Doctor Stark does, and he believes it's the future of clean power generation that could eventually be scaled up to power everything from cars and planes, to entire cities."
"Speaking of," General Pritchet mused on that thought for a second. "There's been some talks in the media, photos floating around, rumour mostly about a new Stark jet that's been sighted in Europe over the past few days. A VTOL private jet with engines that don't seem to look like any jet or turbine engine in any way, shape or form?" He asked.
"Yes sir," Lt Colonel Rhodes confirmed the reports again. "I saw the jet being built sir, it's based on the same reactor technology and it's engines... sir, I can't give a full report as I have only a vague understanding of the repulsor technology itself, but I know it works, and Doctor Stark indicated that the new jet would be able to fly for years without the need for landing or refuelling."
"That sounds like a miracle given form Lt Colonel," General Pritchet said, frowning as he considered what he was being told. "Is Stark Industries looking to move more into the aviation space then?" He asked.
"I have no idea sir." Lt Colonel Rhodes admitted. "Doctor Stark has said several times that he has very big plans for the company going forwards, but he hasn't shared any of those plans with me beyond throw away phrases and little comments about coming up technology."
"I'm asking because the White House is hearing more and more rumours about Stark International expanding to an international business." General Pritchet said with a firm look at Lt Colonel Rhodes. "Between his satellite, his new jet, the arc technology and the rumours I'm hearing about computer technology being released next month, the word is that Stark Industries are set to become one of America's largest businesses before the year is out."
"Sir, I know Doctor Stark mentioned ideas about acquiring international holdings for Stark Industries, but I'm certain that he has no plans on closing any of the American holdings or transferring them to other countries." Lt Colonel Rhodes explained. "If I may speak freely sir?"
"Granted Lt Colonel," General Pritchet nodded automatically.
"Sir, Tony wouldn't have entered contracts with the Air Force if he was looking to move his business out of the country. He's not only got our contracts here, but the new Stark Tower in New York being built, and he's expanding the Stark Expo to twice it's original size from what I've heard." Lt Colonel Rhodes explained. "I think he's planning on growing the company internationally, but everything I've seen tells me that he's going to be keeping a lot of his business here, and won't walk away from his contracts unless there's a good reason for him to do so."
"The problems with Senator Stern," General Pritchet nodded. "Very well Lt Colonel, I will take your remarks under advisement and inform The President of your beliefs. Hopefully you are correct in your estimation, because Doctor Stark is fast growing into a national treasure, and we cannot afford to see such an economic giant leave America for another country."
"General Pritchet, we're approaching the Angels Hanger now sir." General Baur interceded before Lt Colonel Rhodes could reply. "Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan will need to meet us at the display site for your evaluations."
"Very well," General Pritchet nodded. "Lt Colonels," He said with a nod, saluting back when both Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan snapped off crisp salutes before moving away. Lt Colonel Callaghan moving at a much faster pace ahead than Lt Colonel Rhodes in the War Machine armour could match.
"Sir, if you'd like to follow me, we'll begin the tour at the rear of the new facility, to show you the robotics and arming process for the War Machine armour, along with it's armament and reloading facilities. That will give you a clear idea of the armament capabilities that the War Machine armour possesses." General Baur explained.
"Very well General, lead on." General Pritchet nodded, looking away from where he could still see Lt Colonel Rhodes marching quickly down the side of the hanger and clearly moving as fast as he can, though the War Machine armour was definitely not made for running or any smooth or fast movement.
It was a tank in every real definition, slow, heavily armoured, but packed a hell of a punch. And right now he couldn't wait to see how it performed in the field and get a real feeling for just what sort of technology Doctor Stark was bringing to the table now.
King Edward the Seventh's Hospital
Beaumont Street
Marylebone
London
"Doctor Stark,"
Tony stood up as the door to the consulting room opened, it was a comfortable and pleasant room that they'd been shown to, clearly this was a private and very well funded hospital, but at the end of the day it still felt clinical and cold, a fake level of professionalism that clung to the room with an almost oppressive calming atmosphere that had probably been cultivated on necessity.
He couldn't imagine how many people had sat in this room and been given the worst news of their lives... probably far too many to count, and it was why he utterly hated hospitals with every fibre of his being, and avoided them whenever possible.
"Doctor Hussain," Tony put his best professional smile on as the doctor walked in, closing the door behind her.
"A pleasure to meet you Doctor Stark, I must say, when your people originally reached out to me, I was rather unsure as to why they wished for me to meet with you." Doctor Hussain said, gesturing for them to return to their seats in the room as she moved to take one of her own opposite the man himself. "The information your legal team provided did not give any answers, only posed more questions with the requirement of a non-disclosure agreement. I feel I must reassure you that we take privacy here very strongly, it is a piece of pride that this hospital has never leaked a patient's personal information, nor information about any treatments they receive here."
"That's good to hear," Tony gave the best smile he could at that after he'd sat back down.
"Before we begin however, I should inform you that this consultancy will be private, however I will need you to speak about your personal health and answer any difficult questions, so the choice of whether you need your companion here or if you wish to speak to me in private, is something I will leave up to you." Doctor Hussain said calmly.
"Morgan stays," Tony said, offering Doctor Hussain a smile that turned into an aborted laugh. "She's probably the only person on the planet right now that knows enough about some of the things I've going to talk about... you can ask me anything in front of her, she probably knows all of it already anyway."
"Very well, as you requested a consultancy with me by name, I feel I can make a rather pointed estimation as to why we are here... so, whenever you feel you are ready to begin Doctor Stark." Doctor Hussain said, gesturing towards Tony with a genial smile.
"First of, call me Tony," Tony smiled with a vague wave of his hand. "Secondly... right, I don't know how much you know about what's happened to me recently?" He asked, looking at Doctor Hussain curiously.
"I admit I have little time to follow the tabloids, I may catch the news now and again, but I pay very little attention to celebrity topics or that sort of thing." Doctor Hussain explained.
"Right," Tony nodded. "OK, last year I was in Afghanistan, long story, I won't bother you with the details." He waved off the comment before continuing. "The short story is that was at ground zero when one of my own shells went off. I caught the brunt of it to the chest." He explained, actually impressed by Doctor Hussain's control over her face as she nodded for him to continue. "I was wearing a vest, but some of the shrapnel got through. I'm talking tiny fragments, little shards, a few milometers each."
"I see," Doctor Hussain frowned as she contemplated what she was being told.
"Anyway," Tony continued on. "I was unconscious for this part, so I can only really tell you the basics." He explained. "There was a doctor there who saved my life. He put an electromagnet in my chest to stop the shrapnel from making it's way up to my heart." He explained, doing his best to talk about it without feeling the cold creeping around his chest from the Arc reactor housed there. "Right now it's the only thing keeping me alive. Best estimates are that if the electromagnet fails, I've got five, maybe seven minutes, ten minutes at the outside before the shrapnel gets into my chest. Either into my heart or my lungs, either way I'm pretty much a dead man walking by that point."
"That... is a rather horrific story, I must admit." Doctor Hussain admitted. "You have had medical tests done to confirm all of this?"
"Some," Tony nodded, not wanting to say he'd actually avoided hospitals like the plague out of fear that something might happen to the Arc reactor and leave him dead on the table before any doctors had a chance to do anything. "Right now I've got a proprietary piece of equipment powering the magnet, along with a fist sized hole that goes deep enough to catch my lungs when I sneeze." He explained bluntly. "So... that's my problem."
"I think I understand," Doctor Hussain said after a moment's thought. "I will say that the hospital works closely with veterans groups, and we have worked with shrapnel injuries and survivors before." She explained. "The first thing would be for me to arrange for an extensive routine of x-rays, so that we can identify exactly how much of the metal made it into your chest, along with the exact positions of the shrapnel and how much of a danger they possess to the nearby organs."
"Yeah I figured as much," Tony nodded absently. "If it helps, I can give you a run down of the exact materials used in the shell's construction. I can take a guess at which ones made it inside me, I have a pretty good mind when it comes to explosions and can reason out which parts survived the explosion and how much of it got vaporised when it went off."
"That might be helpful," Doctor Hussain admitted. "I assume if I asked to see the... I hesitate to call it a wound, but..."
"The hole in my chest?" Tony suggested, being as glib about it as possible. "No go." He shook his head. "Under this," He paused, pointing to the glowing nanite reactor core over his shirt. "There's a... basically a power system that's tied in to the magnet." He explained. "I've got it wired in pretty tightly so that none of the wires risk going anywhere." He explained.
"I see," Doctor Hussain nodded thoughtfully.
"If you think you can get the shrapnel out of me," Tony said, emphasising the word 'if' very clearly. "I should be able to hook up a portable reactor system to keep the electromagnet running but wired up from a distance. So you can get in and clean it all out. That's the theory anyway, I don't know enough about surgical procedures to plan anything further than that."
"While that is certainly a viable option, I would rather table any discussions about surgery until I can get a good indication of exactly what we are speaking about here." Doctor Hussain said firmly. "From what you have described, it would very likely be an extensive operation for which you would need to be sedated for the length of the process. Keyhole surgery might be an option, depending on the actual amount of shrapnel we are talking about and the specific locations involved."
"Right," Tony nodded absently, not liking the idea of being sedated for the entire thing one bit, but knowing it was necessary.
"Of course, the more viable option might be rather similar to open heart surgery," Doctor Hussain explained. "I do assume since you made several mentions about the placement of the electromagnet, that you will be considering cosmetic surgery to rebuilt the missing section of your... from the placement you indicated, I would assume the pars sternocostalis and sternum area?"
"If that means this area?" Tony asked, drawing a lazy circle around the nanite reactor core with his finger. "Then that's a big yes."
"Exactly how deep are we talking?" Doctor Hussain asked.
"Four, maybe five inches." Tony nodded, seeing Doctor Hussain's eyes widen. "Yeah, like I said, I can feel my insides hit it when I sneeze." He explained bluntly. "But what you were saying about cosmetic surgery? Definitely." He confirmed.
"Then open heart surgery might actually be far more beneficial to you rather than keyhole surgery," Doctor Hussain said after gathering herself together. "We can work around the existing wound and use the access to retrieve the shrapnel inside of you. Any further scarring from the operation can be then planned for and minimised while restructuring your pars sternocostalis and the surrounding tissue in your sternum." She explained. "Skin grafts will be needed during the recovery process, and it is likely to be several long procedures to recreate the soft tissue and evaluate what I can only assume is an artificial sternum of some description that is supporting the weight of the device implanted there."
Tony nodded absently at that, having already reasoned out to himself that it was going to be a lot of long surgeries to get himself back to his original health.
"I would hesitate to discuss anything further without seeing x-rays and knowing exactly what we are dealing with here." Doctor Hussain explained. "But from this consultation, I would like to get you booked in to start the initial exploratory procedures as soon as possible." She said, fully serious as she looked across the room at Doctor Stark.
"Fully on board with that," Tony nodded firmly. "I've got a lot in the fire right now, ideally I'd have put this off for another month or so, but I got convinced that I needed to start getting this done as quickly as possible." He said with a brief glance over to Morgan. "June first, I can be back here and get things started, by then I'll have got enough signed over to other people that they can take the reigns for a bit and I can step back from the major projects I've got going on."
"I would have preferred sooner, I will not say I am not worried about your continued health with that amount of shrapnel inside of you Doctor Stark." Doctor Hussain said, fixing Doctor Stark with a serious and slightly worried face.
"I know, believe me, I think about it practically every night too." Tony admitted with a grimace. "The electromagnet is stable though, the magnetic field is keeping the shrapnel where it is, and I know for certain it'll last at least the next couple of months. Give me until June, and I'll be here and ready for anything that needs to be done."
"Will you at least consent to some exploratory x-rays this afternoon, so that we can start putting together a more details diagnosis and discuss further options?" Doctor Hussain asked. "That is of course if your... technology, will be safe when exposed to projectional radiography?"
"I can do that," Tony nodded after thinking on it for a moment. "Are we talking a full CT scan here?" He asked, having looked up quite a bit to try and understand exactly what sort of procedures the doctors would need to do to understand and plan for the surgery ahead.
"That would be best, yes." Doctor Hussain nodded.
"Yeah that's fine, ionising radiation won't be a problem. If it was an MRI, then that would be a problem." Tony said with a dry laugh.
"Rest assured Doctor Stark, we are quite familiar with shrapnel wounds here and the necessary cautions when dealing with victims of these type of wounds." Doctor Hussain offered a genial smile at that. "Please, I will have someone bring some refreshments in to you while I see if I can make the necessary arrangements. I hope you will be comfortable here in the meantime." She said, standing up from her chair.
"Sure," Tony nodded, giving one last professional smile to Doctor Hussain before she left the room.
"You'd better phone mom, let her know." Morgan said, looking over to Tony with a small smile. "You know she's going to be happy that you've actually started doing something about that thing now."
"Yeah, probably," Tony chuckled. "Tablet?" He asked, holding out his hand for Morgan to throw over the small black pen like object, and pressing the silver button on the side to activate the holographic screen. "FRIDAY, you around baby girl?"
"I'm here boss," FRIDAY's voice came out of the future tech tablet perfectly and clear.
"Can you call Pepper, put me through," Tony asked aloud, idly poking the solid holographic screen that still amused him.
"Will do boss, putting you through now." FRIDAY's voice came back before the screen flickered for a moment and changed to so a spinning Stark International logo above a standard VOIP calling screen.
"At least the doc seemed nice," Morgan said with a smile, standing up from her chair and idly looking around the room, pacing around to give her dad some semblance of privacy while he spoke to her mom about what was going on, and the upcoming surgeries the doctor was recommending.
It would definitely be a load off of her mind to see her dad back to his full health, and she could easily take over the reigns of Stark Industries, or Stark International as it would officially be by that point, for a couple of months while he was recovering.
Between that and taking over anything that needed Iron Man's presence, she was going to make sure she was going to make her dad proud and let him take as much time as he needed to recover properly.
It was the least she could do, and once he was back on his feet, they were going to show the world exactly what Stark's were made of, and what they could accomplish together, and get the world ready for the upcoming invasion that would really test their technology and weapons prowess.
Edwards Air Force Base
Lancaster
Los Angeles
California
General Pritchet sat outside the evaluation area watching in awe as Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan put on what could only be described as the most impressive display of air superiority he had ever seen in his career.
He kept his outward expression professional, but even as he watched he could tell from the whispers and awestruck sounds from his aids that they were just as impressed, possibly even more so, than he was by the War Machine armour and Lt Colonel Callaghan's Angel wings.
Between the pair of them they had shown off speed and agility, along with a truly impressive armament from the War Machine armour. The first showing of that tri-axle rail gun had the entire military contingent suitably impressed, and the fact that it could be fired multiple times and was mobile gave the entire weapon an almost frightening level of independence on a battle field.
Lt Colonel Callaghan had truly taken everyone's breath away when she'd swooped down onto the evaluation field though. He'd seen pictures and diagrams of the Angel wings before, but nothing had prepared him for actually seeing them in flight.
General Baur had explained to him that the rather form fitting flight suit that Lt Colonel Callaghan was wearing had been developed specifically for the Angel wings, and contained a vast array of technology built into it, including various motion controls for the wings so that Lt Colonel Callaghan could actually use the movements of her hands and arms to control the wings themselves, giving her complete range of motion to augment her flight capabilities.
The flight suit itself was a dark Air Force blue, with thin looking silver metallic strips running up the full length of the suit and underneath the arms. A second silver strip ran across the top of her shoulders and down the arm, culminating in silver gloves that finished off the look nicely.
Her rank and name were proudly displayed on the shoulders and her chest respectively, and General Baur had confirmed that he had multiple flight suits ready for new Angels squad members, and more should they require maintenance or repair.
Apparently the flight suits themselves were suitably armoured, but General Baur had explained that Doctor Stark was already working on an external vest to provide extra protection for the torso, along with having somewhere to store equipment, ammunition and communications gear.
As it was right now the only extra equipment Lt Colonel Callaghan had was a silver belt that contained two rather futuristic looking pistols in holsters that hung down and were strapped to her thighs. A rather science fiction looking device on each of her wrists, that had been explained as 'sensors' and an interface for the Angel wings themselves, and a set of high tech goggles that covered her ears as well, and provided a microphone for communication.
All in all, it was an extremely impressive layout, and he could very well understand why General Baur was impressed with the technology.
The futuristic looking pistols that were part of the Angels getup were apparently some form of light energy weapon, he'd only seen the blue splashes of energy from them from a distance, but General Baur had explained that they were non-lethal weaponry only, and could easily be recharged rather than requiring constant ammunition replacements, which made them ideal for the Angels in flight.
He'd also explained that Lt Colonel Callaghan was constantly testing out other weapons in flight as well and evaluating which firearms could be used by the Angels squad, and which either had too much recoil to be used safely, or which were too unweildy to be carried safely during flight.
He could certainly understand that after seeing Lt Colonel Callaghan flying around, and was definitely looking forward to further reports so he could see for himself how the Angels squadron was going to grow and expand to a fully functional air superiority team.
"What do you think General?" General Baur asked, looking over to him as both Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan came down for a landing, Lt Colonel Callaghan's rather more graceful manoeuvre of swooping around and lowering herself to the ground so that she could land first and expend the excess momentum while running and folding her wings away was definitely very different to the way Lt Colonel Rhodes lowered himself slowly to the ground in the heavily armoured suit before landing with an audible noise as his extra weight impacted the ground under foot.
"Extremely impressive General Baur," General Pritchet nodded as he watched a few airmen come out to evaluate both Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan's equipment and ensure everything had been working as intended. "Your reports on the squadron ensuring air superiority were not hyperbole."
"No sir," General Baur gave a small smile at that.
"Is Doctor Stark willing to produce more amour like the War Machine, or perhaps the connected rail gun platform?" General Pritchet asked hopefully.
"It's not something we have spoken about with him as of yet sir." General Baur explained. "The exact price of the War Machine project hasn't been openly mentioned, but from what I understand of the technology involved, it would be rather a cost prohibitive piece of technology for the Air Force to purchase in large quantities."
"Hmm," General Pritchet gave a single nod at that, understanding that idea quite well. He could only imagine the sort of technology inside the War Machine armour, and as it was all proprietary Stark technology, the price for each unit was likely to be enough to make the bean-counters back in Washington DC actually cry. "And the rail gun?" He asked, looking for clarification.
"From what I understand, it is integrated into the suit and requires both the power source and the built in artificial intelligence to function." General Baur explained. "I have been reluctant to approach Doctor Stark about production viability given his rather protective stance over his technology. The fact he's willing to work with the Air Force and offer further technology as our deal grows with him means we are likely to see far more coming from him at his own pace, than if we approach him with specific numbers and weapons in mind."
"Doctor Stark has other projects for the Air Force in the pipeline already?" General Pritchet asked curiously.
"From what I'm aware of, yes." General Baur confirmed. "I haven't heard anything specific, but the mention of single man flight vehicles and something larger has been banded around a few times by him in passing."
"Interesting," General Pritchet mused on that. Anything from Stark Industries was likely to be 'interesting' in the coming years, especially with his new engine technology and technological advancements that seemed to be coming faster than ever. "And your report mentioned something about replacement limbs for veterans?" He asked.
"I've been speaking with several people already about that sir, I'm waiting on getting the go ahead, but provisionally I might have five veterans willing to speak with Doctor Stark about his proposed replacement limbs." General Baur nodded. "Doctor Stark hasn't pressed the matter, but I'm given to understand that he is going to be releasing the technology as a civilian option as well, so we are likely to see developments of it showcased at the Stark Expo event, and if not, I can arrange a time to speak to him and see the progress of the project myself."
General Pritchet nodded as that, thinking carefully about what General Baur was saying. "I understand Doctor Stark must have a lot in the air right now, and with the upcoming event, I am loathe to barge in on what limited time he must have available. After his event in New York however, I would like to personally talk to the man and speak freely about any upcoming projects he might have for the Air Force."
"I will let Lt Colonel Rhodes know so that he can speak to Doctor Stark and plan availability." General Baur said, making a mental note of that so he wouldn't forget.
"Good," General Pritchet continued on. "I can also confirm that Mitchel Base on Long Island has been repurposed by the Air Force again. It's going to be a few weeks to get everything cleared out, but officially it will be reopened as an active base by the middle of May."
"That's good news sir, I'll inform Doctor Stark that he can start work on the base after that date." General Baur said with a small nod.
"I'm certain he won't have time to focus on Mitchel Base at the moment, but you can let him know that it will be there and waiting for him whenever he is ready." General Pritchet explained. "We will have a lot more latitude with Michel Base with regards to Doctor Stark's... upgrades and custom needs, but once Doctor Stark is ready, Mitchel will be the official home of the War Machine and Angels, and will be primarily deployed from there to undertake any missions that require their presence." He explained. "Lodging areas are already on site, but severely out of date. They will be repurposed and expanded on to allow for the rather unique nature of the deployment there."
"Yes sir," General Baur kept his face professional at that piece of information.
"I believe that is our time gentlemen," General Pritchet said, looking at where Lt Colonel Rhodes and Lt Colonel Callaghan had long since left the evaluation fields and were likely waiting for them back at the main base. "I assume the promotion ceremony for Lt Colonel Rhodes is set for this evening?"
"Yes sir, we have everything ready and waiting." General Baur nodded.
"Very well," General Pritchet said as he stood up, his various aids and General Baur standing up bare seconds after him. "I'm definitely impressed with these projects, and my report to The President will reflect that. You're doing good work here General, and I'm happy to see the base has continued in General Meade's absence."
"Thank you sir." General Baur said crispy, accepting the professionally given complement as it was intended.
"Back to Edwards then, and I look forwards to seeing reports of what Colonel Rhodes and the Angels can accomplish on their first deployment." General Pritchet gave a rather interesting smile at that. "I don't have to tell you, but there will be a lot of people watching this project and seeing how it goes." He explained as General Baur led him and his team off of the evaluation area and back towards Edwards Base. "There has already been quite the push back regarding contracts with Hammer Technologies. I'm aware of several senators that have links and contracts with Justin Hammer that are pushing for more Air Force contracts to be awarded to them."
"I firmly believe that Stark Industries will provide much better quality and a higher technological superiority compared to Hammer Technologies sir," General Baur said respectfully. "I am quite certain that cultivating a long and lasting relationship with Stark Industries will benefit the Air Force far more in the long term than any short lived contracts with Hammer Technologies."
"My thoughts as well General," General Pritchet confirmed his thoughts as they walked. "I am simply making you aware that there are those who wish to see the Stark Industries projects fail, and will very likely be watching you closely until they have been firmly entrenched in deployments."
"Yes sir." General Baur nodded, he'd already assumed that would be the case, but to hear it confirmed by The White House was something else entirely.
He would definitely have to speak to Lt... Colonel Rhodes tonight after the ceremony, and ensure he knew that Washington, and other less reputable people, would be watching his career rather closely from now on.
King Edward the Seventh's Hospital
Beaumont Street
Marylebone
London
Tony and Morgan were back in the consultation room again after a few hours during which Tony had been through more x-rays and tests than he had ever been subjected to in his entire life.
Doctor Hussain had acquiesced to Morgan being present for the x-rays after seeing the actual Arc reactor in his chest and Tony explaining that quite literally only him and Morgan knew anything about the technology, and if anything was to go wrong at any point, Morgan would be the only person aside from him who could save his life.
It had been a dramatically sobering moment for Morgan, and quite an emotional one, as her dad verbalised that he not only trusted her with his technology, but actually with his life as well.
So she'd stood close and directed FAITH to keep a close watch on the Arc reactor readings while the doctors performed their x-rays and checked around the area of the Arc reactor, asking rather uncomfortable questions about how they had managed to implant such a thing, and how they had managed to cut through the sternum to make the housing without causing irreparable damage to the rib cage and the over all structure of the second and third ribs.
The part that had made the doctors turn in horror to him was that he couldn't answer them. He'd told them everything he knew, that he'd actually been unconscious and close to death during the operation, and had simply woken up in a terrorist cave in Afghanistan with the process complete, a hole in his chest, and an extremely primitive electromagnet implanted underneath, hooked up to a car battery to keep him alive.
"Lay it on me Doc, how bad is it?" Tony asked, trying to keep his flippant and glib attitude in full force as Doctor Hussain came back into the consultation room with quite a few x-ray print outs in her hand.
"Doctor Stark... I honestly do not think I have the words to adequately explain my... horror, feels like such a small word to describe my reaction to seeing your injuries." Doctor Hussain said, looking towards Tony with sympathy showing clearly on her face. "The fact that you underwent such a horrific procedure against your will..." She paused, the disgust at what had been done to him audible in her tone as well as showing on her face.
"Right there with you Doc," Tony nodded emphatically.
"Of course," Doctor Hussain offered a genial and professional smile at that. "If I may be blunt, there are several mitigating factors, but it is now very clear to me that this technology you have created to supplant the magnetic device, is almost certainly keeping you alive."
"Pretty much what everyone else has told me," Tony confirmed.
"Your previous diagnosis was certainly correct. There are forty three distinct metallic foreign objects embedded throughout your thoracic cavity. Seven more are either lodged within, or touching your left thoracic cage." Doctor Hussain explained.
"Owch," Tony grimaced at that thought, fighting back the urge to rub his chest and see if he could actually feel anything on his ribs with his fingers.
"The majority of these foreign objects can be removed, I am certain of that." Doctor Hussain confirmed. "There are seven pieces that are extremely close to your atrial septum and could easily make their way into your circulatory system. They would cause irreparable damage if they entered the superior vena cava, I would have to say that it is almost a miracle that they have not caused permanent damage already."
"So, it's as bad as I thought." Tony grimaced.
"Perhaps worse." Doctor Hussain admitted with a small frown. "If, in fact, June is the earliest that you can return here to begin surgery, I must inform you that even with this technology you have created to keep the shrapnel from entering your atrial septum, any impacts or compression of the thoracic cavity could easily cause the shrapnel to move as well. It is imperative that you keep away from any activities that could leave you in danger of any such actions."
"Well, I definitely don't plan on doing anything where I could get punched in the chest or anything," Tony said, trying to lighten the conversation somewhat. "Fine Doc, no more... anything that could do anything like that."
"It is quite literally a matter of life and death for you Doctor Stark. If you were not insistent on postponing things until June, I would be booking you in for surgery within the next day, if not sooner." Doctor Hussain frowned at him. "I have never seen anything like the... procedure that was forced upon you, and as horrific as it is, I cannot deny that it has actually saved your life so far."
"June, I promise. June the first, I'll be right here and waiting." Tony confirmed.
"Please, for your own health, ensure that you are." Doctor Hussain said, fixing him with a rather professional glare that said precisely how horrified she was at the mere thought of allowing a patient to leave the hospital in such a condition. "I will need your complete medical records as well, along with the offered information you have about the composition of the shrapnel, and any complications that might arise from your technology."
"Unless you want to go into pretty high end physics and engineering, it's not going to make much sense to you at all, no offence." Tony explained quickly. "It's shielded and won't be a problem, just think of it like a battery that's keeping the electromagnet running." He said, not wanting to get into any further details of the Arc reactor technology.
"As you said, our only options are to either keep the... implant powered to ensure the shrapnel does not move during the procedure, or artificially stop your heart during the process to allow us time to remove the more dangerous pieces that are threatening to enter your circulatory system." Doctor Hussain suggested.
"No go for that second one, no thanks." Tony grimaced at the thought. Surgery was terrifying on it's own, the idea of actually being technically dead while they operated on him was definitely nightmare material as far as he was concerned. "Morgan can keep the reactor connected and run constant maintenance on it, she'd probably need to be within ten feet or so to keep the electromagnet running, but it'd let you take the reactor out and actually get into the hole to start digging around in there." He explained, causing Morgan to turn her attention to him with a curious expression on her face.
"You mean to have Miss..."
"Stark." Tony said without hesitation. "She's my daughter, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with this technology, literally."
"My apologies Miss Stark," Doctor Hussain said, favouring Morgan with an apologetic smile.
"It's another Doctor Stark actually, but that's going to get confusing pretty quickly, so just stick with Tony." Tony chuckled at the surprise showing clearly on Doctor Hussain's face, probably at Morgan's youth and equally at the knowledge of him having a daughter that wasn't in the public eye. "And yes, she'd need to be in the operating room to keep an eye on the reactor and keep it connected. I've never tried running it remotely while connected to the electromagnet, so she'd have to keep an eye on the connections to keep the magnetic field stable and mitigate any fluctuations caused by the surgery."
"The magnetic field you speak about is something that is causing me concern, I will admit." Doctor Hussain frowned at him. "It will certainly impact the tools and equipment we can use for the surgery. Most of the surgical tools we have are non-magnetic, but we will have to ensure the other equipment and anything else in the operating theatre are kept to the same nature."
"Let me know if you need anything, and I'll get it here." Tony said with an automatic nod. "I've checked the field against electronic interference and proximity to stuff, things like that. I've kept it strong enough to keep the shrapnel in place, but weak enough so it isn't going to interfere with anything electronic that comes close."
"That is something to consider," Doctor Hussain nodded thankfully. "In total, I would say there is an extremely good chance of you regaining your previous health. The surgery to remove the shrapnel will likely be quite a long procedure, after which I would like to insist on you taking some recovery time before we begin the cosmetic procedures and proceed with the second procedure to replace your sternum with an artificial titanium replacement."
"Bottom line it for me doc," Tony said firmly.
"Several months, at the very least." Doctor Hussain said calmly. "Removal of the shrapnel is the pressing concern. The recovery after that will regain most of your health and allow us to remove the implant entirely. Afterwards once your thoracic cavity has recovered from the trauma and we have ensured that none of the shrapnel has already caused further internal damage, we can start on reconstructive procedures to rebuild your thoracic cavity and implant the artificial sternum."
"So, three or four months," Tony nodded, not liking the sound of that long recovery time at all.
"Likely more, I would estimate towards six to allow further recovery time after the cosmetic procedures." Doctor Hussain corrected him. "If we begin in June as you insist, I firmly believe you will be in full health and able to return to your previous lifestyle by Christmas. Four months would likely allow you to return to more sedate activities, but this is extremely invasive surgery Doctor Stark, you need to understand that you will need time to recover and your body will need time to heal and adjust to the artificial sternum."
"Alright, six months." Tony grimaced. Knowing precisely how the board was going to take that. He was just going to have to get everyone on board before hand and ensure that Morgan and Pepper were in place to take over everything while he was recovering.
"I feel that would be the best estimate that I can give you, and it is likely a conservative estimate at that." Doctor Hussain confirmed.
"Alright," Tony nodded. "I'll have my medical records sent over, I'll have to go through the schematics of the... shell, and run down the materials used, but that won't take long." He said, already making a mental note of what metals he knew were used in the construction of the fragmentation shell.
"That will be appreciated Doctor Stark." Doctor Hussain gave a professional smile at that. "I will be available for further consultation should any complications arise between now and June, but... while I am not in favour of this implant and technology you have created, I can admit that it will keep you alive until then, if not in good health, but alive."
"Alive is all I'm going for right now Doc," Tony gave a forced laugh at that. "Two months, two months then I'll be here ready for you to cut and slice."
"Very well," Doctor Hussain nodded in confirmation, hiding her wince at his abrasive terminology. "I do believe that is everything we can do for you today then, though again I would like to insist that you refrain from arduous activities and anything that could place you at risk of further damage to your chest area."
"I'll keep an eye on him Doctor," Morgan said with a grin, getting a mock injured expression from her dad when he span around to look at her. "No driving race cars or crashing into anything." She said with a smirk towards him.
"Certainly not." Doctor Hussain said firmly as she stood up from her chair. "Despite the rather worrying nature of this meeting. It was a pleasure to meet you Doctor Stark, Doctor Stark." She smiled at both Tony and then Morgan as they both stood up.
"Doctor Hussain," Tony grinned back, feeling a warm feeling of pride bubble up in his chest at being here for the first time that someone in this time actually openly acknowledged Morgan as Doctor Stark.
"Thank you for seeing us," Morgan said, rolling her eyes at Tony's grin as she shook the offered hand.
"It was my pleasure." Doctor Hussain smiled back. "Have your legal team draw up any paperwork you will need, along with any speciality needs you will have during your recuperation and recovery period." She said, looking back to Tony now. "We have speciality private rooms here for long procedures where patients can bring equipment and often things like computers to allow them to continue their recovery while keeping somewhat active and in contact with their business and the world at large."
"Sounds good Doc, I might need some more non-disclosure forms if I start bringing tech here though, basically anything I'm going to be working on or fiddling around with is going to be proprietary and probably going to blow your mind." Tony said with a grin.
"You can trust in our confidentiality and professionalism here Doctor Stark." Doctor Hussain gave a professional nod at that. "We have had several patients here in your position. Directors, CEO's, businessmen and millionaires. You will not be the first that will require a room for your business life while you are recovering, but you will have our team keeping an eye on your health to make sure that you do not over exert yourself and place yourself at further risk." She assured him.
"I can work with that, probably." Tony said with a chagrined grin when Morgan rolled her eyes at him again. "June, I'll be here." He promised.
"Then I will see you then Doctor Stark." Doctor Hussain said with a small smile before showing them back out into the private hospital and directing them through to where they could return to their car and head back out into the dreary and grey London weather.