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Prologue II: Homecoming

=SI=

Part 3

=SI=

Stark Industries Corporate HQ

California

"There's a crowd of vultures waiting for us..." I pouted around my second burger. Damn, they were good!

"You said you were going to act grown up." Pepper treacherously pointed out.

"In public? Certainly. I reserve my right to act as an overgrown kid in private. Hey, there's Obi!" I exclaimed. Seeing him looking happy at us the moment he recognized the car was… nice. He appeared genuine too, but that wasn't saying much. I could like someone, but that won't necessarily stop me from stabbing them in the back.

"That's the Tony we know and put up with," Pepper whispered fondly.

"The one and only. At least I don't see too many paparazzi for a change."

"They'll crawl from the woodwork soon enough." Happy grumbled.

I brushed my hands on a paper napkin and got out of the car.

"Obi, it's great to see you!" I exclaimed and pulled him in a hug.

"Tony! I thought you were in the hospital." He looked genuinely worried; gave me a disapproving look too.

"I'm fine, Obi. How are you? I hear you kept things together in a commendable fashion while I was detained."

"There's nothing to worry about!" He smiled. There was pride in his words and just a hint of something else. "You went for burgers?" Obi asked.

I glanced back to see Happy and Pepper following us with the rest of the food.

"Yep. They don't have them in the desert. I brought one for you too." I began to wave at the people who were gathered to greet me and nodded at the soldiers guarding the place as we went past them.

It was all I could do to keep my mask in place. Obi's emotions were a very odd mix. He felt bittersweet at meeting me. There was regret, exceptionally well-hidden anger, and disappointment.

This was not something I expected from my father figure at seeing me back from the dead. I was well accustomed to betrayal. As a Sith, it had to be second nature. Yet, this… the implications hurt and made me angry.

The worst thing was it made sense. Obi was competent, the bastard. Could someone stir up such a large operation within SI as I expected without compromising or having him on board? I wouldn't say it would be impossible. Still, it would require that most of the company be rotten from the inside, feeding him false information all the time.

Once we got inside, there were much fewer people to contend with. Almost all the press was left outside too, which was a bonus. Not having to endure their hungry emotions made it a bit easier to control and conceal my fury.

"Let's get somewhere we can talk in peace, Obi." I picked up the bag from Happy. "Burger?"

Stane shrugged and took the offering.

"Let's go to my office. Or yours?"

"Yours is a bit closer."

"Ms. Potts, may I intrude for a moment? Agent Phil Coulson, Agency for Strategic Homeland…"

A middle-aged man with receding black hair intercepted Pepper. I've heard of that agency from my father. Well, Tony's dad, whatever…

"SHIELD?" I turned around. "Father mentioned you guys a few times. And your Ms. Agent did manage to find me." I was grateful for the distraction. It helped me center myself and shove my rage aside. I was in control, not my emotions. They were tools and fuel. I repeated my mantra.

"Mr. Stark, I'm…

"Secret agent, man, I got it. Why should I give you any more consideration than the rest of the alphabet soup vying for my time?" I asked. "You aren't the Agent who bothered to find me."

"Well, your father did help found SHIELD. Besides, our scope is different than the other agencies."

Shield… I had the nagging feeling it was important, and that wasn't from Tony's memories. It's been too long since I was on Earth. Many of my memories from my first life faded a long time ago.

"Once I'm done with Obi, I'll give you a few minutes. Try not to waste my time, Mr. Agent. Or better send Ms. Agent, this time with her real name. You," I pointed at Coulson, "I don't know."

=SI=

Obi's office was just as I remembered it – a lot of marble, modern furniture of leather and metal, a fully stocked bar… An overwhelming need to get a drink sidelined me. I was halfway to pouring myself a glass of whiskey before I could stop.

Yep, this proved it. I was an alcoholic too.

Kriff a Bantha and the Sand person who rode on it.

"Fancy a drink?" Obi asked.

"Knock yourself out if you want. I'll pass." I went to the chair farthest from the bar and sat. "For once, I feel like listening to the doctors."

If Obi had any saving grace, it was the sinfully comfortable chairs in his office.

"That's good. How can I help you, Tony? Why aren't you home recovering?" Stane radiated genuine concern.

"Why? We've got a problem, Obi. The people who kidnapped me were armed with our weapons. They had enough ordnance to outfit a small army at the place they held me. Not the kind that can fall off a truck, Obi! Heavy weapons. Cruise missiles which we sell only to our government!" I snapped.

While my anger was very much real, it was a mask too. I was carefully observing Stane as I spoke. The shock was real. His concern, too, oddly enough. But the fear? Oh, his fear was a delicious treat. He hid it well behind a worried mask. The genuine feelings of regret he stamped down helped sell the illusion.

The bastard was involved in selling my fucking weapons, if nothing else.

Obi might have been a favorite uncle, then a father figure. He was one of my few true friends, yet for years he had been running the company and cleaning after me. It was very much possible Obi got enough of Tony Stark's shenanigans. If I was out of the picture? Why he might just become the next CEO, and I recalled he was one of the biggest beneficiaries of my will… To top it all, I've spent more and more time as of late partying, getting drunk, and sleeping around instead of doing anything constructive for the company. The Jericho was an exception, and it took much prodding to make Tony finish the project.

From an outside perspective, I could see how Tony Stark slowly turned from a golden goose into a liability.

"That's… Are you sure, Tony?!" Stane exclaimed. "Of course you're sure!" He shook his head. "You would know those weapons in your sleep."

His distress was genuine. I didn't need my emphatic sense to tell me that. His confusion, on the other hand? It was an outstanding performance, galaxy-class even.

It was fake, damn him! He wasn't surprised about the weapons. Obi knew. He was involved in one way or another!

"We'll find out who's responsible and make sure they rot in prison, Tony! I promise you!" Obi vowed.

He lied to my face, and I would have bought it if I didn't know better.

At best, Obi was going to get a scrape-goat or ensure there was no evidence to be found linking him with anything that mattered.

"Tell me what you saw!" Obi came to sit next to me. He was almost desperate to know.

Suddenly, I was delighted the military got the Ten Rings' camp mostly intact. Who knew what they might discover there?

I gave him a sanitized version of events, keeping my suspicions to myself.

"I'll leave it into your capable hands, Obi." I patted him on the shoulder and made my exit.

With Stane dirty for who knew how long, I had to treat the whole company as compromised. I needed allies. Perhaps the secret agent man might be of use once I learned more about this SHIELD of his. Say what you want about that agency I barely knew existed. They did find me when everyone else failed. This had implications.

I found him chatting up Pepper and Happy while she was trying to arrange the interviews with the other government people for tomorrow.

"Mr. Agent, do you know where we can talk in private?" I asked.

A brief look of alarm passed through his eyes, but he smiled charmingly. Did he know that there was more than met the eye as far as I was concerned? He probably did.

"I think I know the place."

"Happy, let's go. Pepper, please finish arranging the meetings for tomorrow, then get some rest. I'll head straight home when we're done."

=SI=

The secure place was his car.

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows when he got it to the private parking at the back of the building.

"It is secure." Coulson smiled disarmingly. "There are inbuilt jammers, the car acts as Faraday cage, and the windows are not only one way but also treated to neutralize laser microphones."

"Good enough, I guess." I got in the back with Happy, and the agent sat in the driver's seat and turned to face us.

"We have some questions about how you escaped, Mr. Stark."

"I might be willing to talk with you people." I smiled pointedly at Coulson. "When I know more about you all. That you found me when no one else did earn you some brownie points. However, right now, I have some trust issues. Send Ms. Agent to speak with me after the meeting tomorrow. If nothing else, she didn't shoot me, or worse, when I passed out of exhaustion. Despite her past, that gives her some credit with me few people now have."

"You what?" Happy exclaimed. "Boss, we really should make a stop at a hospital."

"I'm fine, Happy. I'm getting tired of repeating myself. Secret Agent Man, arrange a meeting with Ms. Agent. By the time she manages to come by, I'm sure I would know enough about your agency to decide if I trust you enough to work with you."

"I can live with that, Mr. Stark." Coulson gave me an amused smile. "I'll make sure to arrange a meeting with Ms. Agent."

"Then we're done here. Have a nice day, Mr. Secret Agent."

We got out and headed for my car.

"Worry not, Happy! We're going home." I frowned. "I need a phone."

"Take mine, boss."

Happy handed me a current-gen SI phone. It wasn't the best on the market. I had ideas about that, among other things.

"Jarvis, buddy, I have work for you. Start digging up everything you can about an agency called SHIELD. Then arrange secure calls with a few of our contacts in the military and government. I want to hear what they can tell me about this group of sneaky spies."

=SI=

Part 4

=SI=

Tony Stark's home

California

Home, sweet home. Nice enough place. It was bright and open.

In fact, it was too open and vulnerable. A sniper will have a field day here. Hmm… Let's get a reactor and some PD guns and see if I can kit-bash a shield. But first, I needed something for self-defense. Blaster? No, something sonic might be easier to make. Besides, using hydrogen for blaster ammo wasn't optimal. There was a reason why the Tibanna gas was all the rage.

Note to self – get probes to the gas giants when practical.

I got a cup of excellent coffee and went to the basement.

"Jarvis, are you up to some tinkering?" I asked.

"First, isolate my personal server. I want you to cut off all external connections when you're connected to it."

"Is there a problem, sir?"

"A lot of them, buddy. Show me your neural map on the holo-table and your code too." I was eager to compare him to a droid's brain. Hopefully, he'll prove to be a nice shortcut because I simply didn't have the tools or time to code one from scratch.

I… slapped myself. Bad Tony. Tinkering can wait a bit.

"Jarvis, first show me what you found about SHIELD. Which contacts are ready to speak with me?"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, better known by its acronym S.H.I.E.L.D." Jarvis began.

Holographic projectors came online, and flat screens turned on, showing me various classified documents SI had access to through our contacts with the military and US government.

If nothing else, they seemed legit. What I got on short notice made them sound very interesting indeed. SHIELD was apparently an extra-governmental agency that first started as a part of the US government. Nowadays, it had international backing, reach, and oversight.

That by itself made them invaluable, and I wanted in.

Their mandate was most interesting, somewhat concerning, and another reason to want us to be on the same side until I was in a position to begin subverting them. SHIELD's mandate was to maintain national and global security. Their purpose? It was to deal with terrorists, dangerous advanced technology, potential alien threats, and, more importantly, enhanced individuals.

Yes, gaining influence in the agency meant to look at people like me was vital.

I shoved the images of classified files aside. Jarvis would inform me if he found something that I needed to know. It wasn't like I had the time to personally review the paperwork he could access.

Instead, I looked at his "brain" matrix. It was beautiful. It learned and evolved, growing.

It was nothing like the programming or function of a droid brain. Without first building many tools and inventing certain technologies, creating a loyal, aware, and learning droid army would be an issue. In practice, the best I could get would be drones that Jarvis could control. He would be a central point of failure. Jamming would be another issue. It was still better than nothing, but not something to rely on.

The CIS and the galaxy learned the hard way what can happen if you made your warbots too bright, then mass produced them and threw them in the fire by the billions.

Perhaps a droid praetorian guard? They would be useful but small enough numbers to put down if they got rogue or subverted. That was an option, yes. The old Tony would have scoffed and disregarded the dangers. He was too smart for his AI's ever to go rogue.

I knew the risks and horrors that hostile AIs could represent. It was a genie bottle I wasn't ready to properly open unless as a last resort.

"Jarvis, open three new files. Sunshine; Guardian; White noise. Let's get to work…." I looked over what I got in my workshop and smiled. I couldn't build the nice things with off-the-shelf components, but I got all I needed to make myself some tools. However, some design work first so I would know what tools I should begin with.

"First, Sunshine…" I would keep Arc technology for myself. Practical fusion, including small compact reactors, on the other hand? Those we would build and sell, cornering the energy market.

Now, what would be the most practical designs, to begin with?

I was thinking over what I learned decades ago in one of the Sith Empire's Engineering Universities when hurricane Pepper exploded into my holy basement.

"Tony! Why aren't you in the hospital? Happy told me you had fallen unconscious from exhaustion! You need to rest!"

Knowing for a fact that she worried for me was nice. At the same time, I felt bad for making her feel that way.

"Pepper!" I shot back in a soothing tone. "I'll say it again: I'm fine now! I had time to rest in a helicopter ride to the nearest US base, then in a field hospital, and on the flight back home. I've slept a lot in the past day, and all I'm doing is toying with a few design ideas!"

Pepper crossed her hands over her chest and huffed. I knew this expression.

"If I leave you without supervision, you won't leave the basement in a week! You won't eat anything and only drink…."

"I went cold turkey in that cave. I don't feel like drinking alcohol anytime soon if that makes you feel better." I pointed out.

In hindsight, I should have kept that little fact to myself.

"Tony!"

"Pepper?"

"Don't Pepper me, Tony! You will rest, even if I have to get Happy and James to tie you to your bed! And I'll be calling a doctor to come to see you! You have a meeting scheduled for noon tomorrow. Get a shower, I'll order a takeout, real food this time, and you're going to rest!"

"Only if you join me for dinner."

"I'm not leaving you out of my sight!" Pepper snapped.

"I… kind of deserve that?" Yeah, thinking back, in Pepper's shoes, I wouldn't trust myself either. "Jarvis, close the files. We'll change the world tomorrow." I smiled pleasantly at Pepper. "See? I can be reasonable."

"Tony, you're never reasonable."

=SI=

"Tony! Are you all right?!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

Someone grabbed my shoulder, and I reacted on instinct.

"TONY!"

"Goddamn it, Rhodey!" I blinked owlishly at my other friend.

"What. The. Hell." Rhodey muttered.

He was on the ground with my knee planted on his chest, and I had my right hand raised to smash my fist at his throat.

"Sorry?" I got up and offered him a hand. "Please try not to surprise me again, Rhodey. This was a close one."

"I would say." A familiar husky voice interrupted us.

I first recognized her Force signature and then looked at her face. The Black Widow herself, wearing a sharp business suit. Fortunately, she was a striking redhead who now looked nothing like Bo, the hair notwithstanding.

"I'm Natalie Rushman. Phil Coulson sent me. He said you would like to talk." She gave me another fake name.

"Ms. Agent, it is then. We will talk at length after the other meeting. From what I could find, your people appear to be legit enough. Now get yourselves to the kitchen and make some coffee. I'll join you soon."

I vanished into the bathroom. Sadly, Pepper was right last night. I did need the rest. Judging by how I felt after close to twelve hours of being dead to the world, it wasn't enough. The pain was mostly gone, though my muscles were stiff and ached with every movement. They felt stretched and tender.

Protein, rest, and the Force should take care of that. After that, I had to get combat fit again. That would be one of my primary objectives. I couldn't afford to crap out again after such a short engagement.

An old trick helped me feel better – using hot and cold water in turn. It both helped me get properly awake and soothed the aches in my muscles.

I got out and checked the time. It was eleven hundred sharp. There was just enough time for food and to prepare for the meeting at noon.

=SI=

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