Chapter 5 - Talking Armor
Iron Man gasped loudly for air. The group backed away from him, startled by his sudden awakening. He looked frantically around the room, his eyes adjusting to the surroundings.
"What the hell?!" Tony exclaimed, his voice delirious. His accent was different from theirs, but he spoke the common tongue clearly.
"What happened? Did we win? … Please tell me nobody kissed me," he joked quickly and painfully. The others raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What? Why the hell would anyone want to kiss you?" said Pyp, voicing their collective confusion. Tony finally took notice of the people in the room and realized he didn't recognize any of them, or even the room itself.
"Who the hell are all of you?" he demanded. "And where the hell am I…?" he muttered to himself.
"We could ask the same of you," replied Jon Snow suspiciously. Tony ordered Jarvis to open the suit, revealing himself wearing unfamiliar, simplistic clothes. A blue light emitted from his chest, adding to the uncertainty and unease of those present.
"Aahhhh… ooohhh I feel like shit… why does that hurt," he said, holding his side. He could see his breath, "Wow, that is brisk," he commented, feeling the crisp, cold air nipping at his exposed skin.
"You fell over 100,000 meters, Sir," said Jarvis, sharing the shocking revelation. Tony's face displayed a mix of shock and disbelief. He took a few painful breaths. "I shouldn't be alive…" he muttered to himself.
Edd and Pyp exchanged odd looks, unable to comprehend the extraordinary situation. Jon cautiously approached the metal-clad man.
"Why does this… thing… keep calling you Stark?" Jon inquired once again. Tony met his dark eyes with his own.
"Because I am…" he stated matter-of-factly, as if it should already be apparent. Jon gave him a skeptical look, unable to fully understand or trust him.
"Tony… Tony Stark? Iron Man?" Jon mentioned, trying to jog his memory.
"Iron Man?" echoed Edd, puzzled by the reference. Tony observed the small lad clad in thick leather and black furs. "Is that what you call that thing… makes sense," he mused, pondering the information. Tony raised an eyebrow, still holding his side, as he surveyed the people and their peculiar attire.
"Why are you all dressed like that?" he gestured to their clothes. "Is this a Lord of the Rings convention or something, ahh," he winced, feeling a sharp pain. Jon remained unimpressed, and Ghost, the white wolf, growled once again, causing Tony to flinch.
"What the hell is that?" he exclaimed, fearful of the large white beast with big red eyes. Jon narrowed his gaze at him.
"You call yourself a Stark, but you don't even know what a Direwolf is?" Jon remarked, gesturing to Ghost. Tony stared at him, breathing heavily, as if he believed Jon to be insane. "If you are a Stark, why haven't I heard of you before?" demanded Snow. Tony glared at him, blinking rapidly.
"Why do I find that incredibly hard to believe?" he sarcastically replied. Jon stepped closer, getting in his face.
"Because I am the bastard son of Ned Stark, of House Stark. I grew up with them. I know all of their names, even the dead ones… I've never heard of you before," he snapped. Iron Man looked into his dark eyes awkwardly, trying to assess if he was lying, before bursting into awkward laughter. Sam feared Jon might draw his sword and end the confrontation, or that Ghost might lunge for Tony's throat.
"That funny to you?!" Jon hissed.
"Look, pal, I don't know who you are, but you are a really good actor. I guess that's why they all come to New York, right?" Tony joked, giving Jon a quick pat on the shoulder. Sam had never seen him so flabbergasted.
"What?!" snapped Jon, his face scrunched up in confusion and anger. Sam stepped forward, attempting to defuse the tension.
"If I may, you did fall from a great height… perhaps your memory is not quite right," suggested Sam timidly.
"No, this is Mr. Stark. CEO of Stark Enterprises. Also known as Iron Man. I should know, he programmed me," interjected Jarvis. The group looked around the room, searching in vain for the source of the voice.
"See, can't argue with that," said Tony, pointing to his suit.
"We don't even know what that is," said Edd.
"Okay, I've had just about enough," said the Lord Commander, drawing his sword. Tony raised his hands in surrender.
"Woah! Hey tough guy! Let's use our words," he said calmly, though the sword looked all too real.
"I'm only going to ask this once. Who are you? And why are you impersonating a Stark?" commanded Mormont.
"I'm not—"
"Yes, you are! And I'd like to know why," said Jon angrily, also drawing his sword. Ghost's hackles rose, and the tension in the room escalated.
"I'm sorry, didn't I just save New York?" Tony said arrogantly.
"New York?" asked Sam. Tony raised his brows, his hands still up, and turned to the short, stout fellow as if he had just been slapped.
"Okay… you all seem like really good actors, but now I know that has to be a joke," he said directly to Sam. Sam furrowed his brows.
"Where do you think you are?" he asked politely. Tony, with his eyes still fixed on Sam, spoke to Jarvis.
"Jarvis, where am I?" he inquired. Jarvis took longer than usual to respond.
"I… don't know, sir." Tony let his eyes wander from Sam and turned back to his suit, perplexed.
"What do you mean you don't know?" he snapped at his AI companion.
"I have lost all communication with the satellite and cannot connect to anything, sir," Jarvis replied. Tony's expression turned serious.
"What do you mean you can't connect to anything? There's no internet? What about our guys? Can you get in contact with them?" The group observed him talking to the metal suit as if he were talking to thin air, except for the fact that it responded, which only added to their growing sense of unease.
"What the hell is going on?" whispered Edd.
"I haven't the faintest idea," said Pyp. Tony winced once again, twisting his body too much.
"Perhaps you should rest," suggested Sam, trying to diffuse the mounting tension. Tony didn't trust any of them, and being cut off from any contact frightened him the most. The stress in the air was palpable, and he needed answers quickly.
"Jarvis, close the suit," he ordered. The suit closed around him, engulfing him in metal. He stood up from the bed, feeling the pain but grateful for the added protection. Towering over them in his armored suit, he examined the suit's internal screens displaying its status: left foot thruster damaged, right palm repulser at 30% capacity, facial recognition damaged. His screen glitched but he could miraculously hear Jarvis loud and clear.
"Sir, there are significant structural integrity issues. Some parts of the suit cannot be charged properly because connection has been cut off or damaged, leaving parts of the suit at 50% capacity," said the AI.
"Yeah I got that," Tony muttered under his breath. Mormont pointed his sword at him.
"You are not leaving this room," the Lord Commander commanded.
"Talk to the hand," Tony replied in a more projected, robotic voice. He put up his left metal hand with a glowing light at the palm. A strange, high-pitched noise emanated from it, and a light shot out, forcing him back and breaking down the door. Pyp attempted to attack him, but Tony blocked his swing, grabbed his arm, and threw him at Jon, causing them both to fall to the ground with a loud thud.
"Get off me!" snarled Jon from underneath. Jon looked up from the ground, only to see a flash of light and fire appear around the metal man's feet and hands. As expected his left thruster stuttered as well as his right palm, making his trajectory clumsy. All the same, Tony managed to blast himself out of the room. Ghost ran after him. He soared through a hallway until he found an exit and launched himself outside, startling most of the people. But what frightened him even more was the sight that awaited him as he ascended higher as best he could. Gasping at his surroundings, he realized he had no idea where he was. He saw a massive, towering wall of pure ice and snow, several hundreds feet high and miles long, horses, men, farm animals, a forge, swords, furs, and, finally, the dark and ominous castle.
"Jarvis… are you seeing this?" Tony asked gravely, his voice echoing inside his helmet. His suit struggled to hover. The damaged bits sputtered in pulses of light. His screen struggled to make accurate measurements of the Wall.
"Seeing, sir. Working on believing," Jarvis replied. Jon managed to make his way outside with Mormont, Edd, Pyp, and Sam following closely behind. The Stark bastard struggled to believe his own eyes as he witnessed Iron Man hovering in the air, surrounded by fire. He reminded Jon of a dragon, kissed by gold and fire. Ghost tilted his large head, observing the scene with great curiosity. Tony lowered himself back down to the ground carefully, and the men dispersed, leaving a gaping circle on the ground, reminiscent of the portal he had fallen through. Tony almost didn't want to land, fearing the unknown. As his boots touched the ground, they created a melted circle for him to stand in. He stood frozen, not from the cold, but from the overwhelming realization of his unfamiliar surroundings.
Jon approached him slowly, sword in hand. Tony opened his faceplate reluctantly, allowing the frigid, dry air to bite at his exposed skin. Jon halted when he saw the look of horror etched on Tony's face. Pyp was ready to attack, but Jon stopped him. Tony was still trying to make sense of everything.
"What is this place?" he finally uttered in a daze.
"This is Castle Black," Jon replied. Tony looked up at the dark castle.
"Uh huh… And where does Castle Black… reside?" he inquired. Some of the men grew increasingly fearful and restless in their surroundings.
"In the North."
Tony became frustrated. "Yeah, I get that. What I mean is, what city is this?! What place, what town?! What… country?!" he demanded. Tony noticed Jon's eyes shift to something behind him. One of the men lunged forward, but Tony's armor easily deflected the attack. He closed his faceplate and propelled himself away, breaking through the encircling men. Others attempted to approach him.
"You want some? COME GET SOME!" he roared, putting up both hands in a defensive stance.
"No, wait! Stop!" Jon shouted, trying to maintain control. He positioned himself in front of Tony and ordered the men to stand down. Tony lowered his hands.
"Go back inside, and we can talk. But you stay out here. These men will fight, and I don't want to lose any men today." Tony didn't know who he could trust, but it seemed like he didn't have much of a choice. Jon was more concerned about preventing the spreading of rumors, knowing that word would inevitably spread. Slowing that spread was of utmost importance to him.