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Phase 1: Spy Games

=IS=

Part 3

=IS=

Tony Stark's home

California

Ms. Agent and Rhodey joined me in the basement after Mr. Super Secret Agent left.

"Jarvis, please start working on The Chip. It's high time we see what my supposed people in SI have been doing over the past few years."

"Mr. Stark, I must caution you that IT might have discovered and either monitors or has the backdoors closed after all this time."

"If that's the case, we'll have to do it the slow and hard way." I pointed out.

I didn't need another reminder that Tony Stark was a fuck-up as a CEO. I could recall stepping into SI's central only a handful of times over the past few years. I think I didn't meet the board of directors more than twice in that period. Combine this with having to clean up after me even more than Pepper did, and well… If I were in Stane's shoes, I would also arrange Tony Stark's assassination.

"Tony, what trouble are you getting yourself in this time?" Rhodey asked in a worried tone.

"There are two ways to approach all the data on SI's internal networks. First, we can wait for a court order. That way, the FBI or whoever wins the pissing match can seize the files and spend the next few months or even years going over them. Second, we try to use a backdoor I built into the system. Doing so has three steps. First, Ms. Agents has to sneak into the main server room in the central and place a chip there. Jarvis is busy making it as we speak."

"I am?" Ms. Agent raised an eyebrow at me.

"Your buddy Coulson agreed already."

"He is not the one giving me orders." She pointed out.

"Congratulations, then you can consider yourself conscripted, Ms. Agent. No good deed remains unpunished. Besides," I gave her the Tony Stark Number 3 smile, "your boss already sent you here to speak with me. "

"I might consider it if you answer a few questions about the camp." She shot me a smile that matched my own.

Finding myself on the receiving end of such treatment explained Peper's exasperation at some of my antics.

"Later. I'm still explaining my not-so-cunning plan. While I'm busy making a distraction at SI, you sneak in and slot the chip. After that, we'll have Pepper download all the data on SI's new high-capacity flash drives for Jarvis to go over for us. We bring the drives here and wait for Jarvis to do his magic."

"This has to be all kinds of illegal." Rhodey pointed out.

"The alternative is wasting a month while other people review the files. That's unacceptable. I'm sure our government friends will pull all their strings to ensure we can resume weapon production as fast as possible after I shut it down tomorrow for investigation."

"That very well might be the case." Ms. Agent agreed. "Now, questions, or you'll have to do the sneaking yourself, Mr. Stark."

"Ask away. Depending on what you want, you might want to buy me a drink and dinner first."

"Tones, it's usually the other way around, as you know. You have too much experience with it, and I can't believe I'm saying that." Rhodey shook his head at me.

"Did you imply I was a man-whore? He did, right, Jarvis?"

"That's one way to interpret Mr. Rhodes' statement, sir."

"Tones!"

"Rhodey, if your wingmates ever hear about this, they won't ever let you live it down. Jarvis, you have this on record, don't you? It's priceless blackmail material!"

"Tones, if you want to play it that way, you know I've got tones of blackmail on you too, pun intended," Rhodey said in exasperation.

"Are you enhanced, Mr. Stark?" Ms. Agent cut to the chase.

"Why? Would you want to take me for a test ride?"

"And here I thought you might have grown up a bit. Just a bit." Rhodey's disappointment was thick enough to touch.

"I certainly did." I shot back.

"Mr. Stark, you killed over thirty terrorists by yourself, many of them without the aid of your armored suit. I know many commandos who would be unlikely to be alive now if they were in your shoes. Only a handful of highly trained veteran soldiers could have emerged victorious and unscratched when facing such odds, even if it was just terrorists."

"Yes, I did. My captors were terrible hosts. It was unforgivable." I answered blandly. "I don't kiss and tell, Ms. Agent."

Rhodey groaned. Thinking about it, Tony Stark did both kiss, fuck, and then tell, and even boasted. Not all the time, but often enough.

"To be fair, Tones, I'm surprised you managed to pull out a Terminator to those bastards," Rhodey noted and rubbed his chest.

"I apologized about nearly splattering you all over my bedroom. I did, right?"

"Tones, I've had to wake you after you've been drunk like a skunk many times before, yet you could never try to take me down before. This morning you did it like a pro."

Rhodey had to use reason and facts, the bastard.

My issue here was there was no good answer I could give. If I admitted to being enhanced, everyone would hound me with questions about how it happened. Telling them that I created a serum or something in that vein would turn me into a target. Telling them that I got the memories and abilities of a space wizard warlord might make me vanish in someone's black site.

"For obvious reasons, I plead the Fifth."

"In that case, Mr. Stark, you'll have to do your sneaking around yourself."

"I can offer a different kind of incentive. Better armor and I do have ideas for a stealth generator. How would you like thermo-optical camouflage when you have to skulk around a terrorist compound again, Ms. Agent?"

"You can do that?" Rhodey demanded.

"I have a general idea. Making it practical to deploy might be an issue. It would require a more compact power supply than currently existing to be practical. Otherwise, Ms. Agent would need to carry a backpack full of batteries. I have so many ideas and little time to see to them all…."

"Mr. Stark, I'm only here because you requested my presence and promised answers."

"I did, and I have something to add about the terrorists I haven't mentioned yet, though part of it should be obvious. They had a lot of backing and access to surprisingly good logistics. Much of the equipment they provided me with on short notice should be of no good use in a cave in Afghanistan. Unless something dramatically changed over the past few months, most of my weapons in that compound weren't for Taliban use against Coalition Forces in Afghanistan. That base was, at best, a holding and transit hub for a larger organization. I have suspicions about beard-man, the terrorist leader, but sadly, he is in no position to answer questions."

"You haven't told me anything I didn't already know or suspect, Mr. Stark." Ms. Agent pointed out.

"That's all the relevant information about the terrorists I can give you. Finding more would require investigation. You know, like figuring out what evidence we might find on short notice on SI's internal networks."

"Get your chip ready. I'll have to make a few calls and get back to you. When do you want to do your infiltration?"

"Tomorrow after meeting with the Board of Directors and giving a press conference in front of SI's central. That would help create a distraction."

Ms. Agent left me alone with Rhodes.

"Can we now talk, Tony?"

"Jarvis, scan the area for listening devices and other infestations."

"Commencing scanning, sir."

"Do you feel paranoid much?"

"I don't feel like becoming someone's test subject."

"Tony, what did you do to yourself this time?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it was an accident? Because for once, it was totally an accident!"

"I know you."

Not as much as you think, buddy.

"I can't detect any foreign objects. Privacy protocols are engaged. Jamming is active." Jarvis announced.

"Thank you." I looked around, and my eyes fell on the fridge. The Force sang happily as I used it to carefully open the door and pull out a soda while still standing across the room.

"Cheers." I nodded to James, who stared at me like a fish out of water.

"You're enhanced now. When? How? You couldn't have made a super soldier serum or something like that in a cave!"

"Yeah, that would be a bit much even for me." I agreed.

The issue with the Force was that sooner or later, it would become evident that I was no longer a regular human. A single assassination attempt in public or around cameras would see to it. Sadly, with the clean-up I had to do, I was ready to bet the bastards infesting my company would try to get me removed from the picture to buy time if nothing else.

In that regard, I was playing for time to figure out how not to end up fucked. Judging from what I could glean from Ms. Agent, she wasn't a hundred percent sure what happened in Afghanistan, just strongly suspected. That was a small mercy that might not last for much longer.

Then again, for the time being, I was more dangerous and valuable with what I could build than with what I could achieve through the Force. Sadly, until my body better adjusted to handle more of it, and unless the Force in this universe got more potent, it would be more of a power multiplier than a powerful weapon itself.

"Tones, are you all right?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm just thinking. Jarvis, open the Project Sunshine file."

"Do I dare ask what you're going to build now?"

"A fusion reactor. I'm going to corner the energy market and make bank in the process."

=SI=

Part 4

=SI=

Tony Stark's home

California

Rhodey left, almost certainly to quietly talk with Pepper and Happy, so the three of them could convince me to go to a hospital to check what I've done to myself. Something like that was inevitable, which was why I revealed I had abilities now. After more than a century of constantly using the Force, it would be a miracle if I managed to keep myself from reflexively doing so in public until SI was as clean as possible. Trying to hide the Force in private, around people who were practically family? I was going to slip without thinking and have to answer pointed questions soon anyway. Better do it on my terms.

A brief call to Pepper ensured she would have the Board of Directors ready to meet with me and a press conference in place after that. With that out of the way, it was finally Science time.

I lost myself in dictating the theory behind working fusion reactors and creating the schematics for one. The first step was a relatively large commercial one. That would make it much cheaper and easier to build than a small, compact reactor. The latter would require more advanced alloys and tougher and more reliable components. In contrast, a large commercial facility could afford a big central chamber to contain the reaction. This would allow for a lot of space between the plasma, the magnetic field containing it, and the chamber's walls. Pump it full with the right kind of inert and hard gas to ignite, and you could get away with much cheaper chamber walls.

"Sir, you've got a visitor." Jarvis interrupted me.

I looked up at the clock and winced. It's been hours, yet I didn't even notice. "Jarvis, remind me to take a break every few hours. Who is it anyway?"

"A SHIELD agent, sir."

"Another one?"

The nearest screen blinked, showing me a tall man wearing a dark grey shirt. I didn't recall seeing him before.

"Why is he here?"

A moment later, I heard Jarvis asking him the same.

"Please inform Mr. Stark that I have information about his recent troubles he would find invaluable."

"Scan him for unpleasant surprises and let him in."

"I must remind Sir that he forgot to install better sensors outside the basement." Jarvis drily reminded me.

"We'll have to change that."

"Analysis from the cameras doesn't reveal concealed weapons." Jarvis pipped up.

"Save and close the files, then lock the basement behind me," I ran up the stairs and intercepted my guests at the door.

He had short dark hair and a hint of stubble on his face. His face wasn't exactly a forgettable one. Looking at him in person didn't jog up my memory.

"Mr. Stark, I'm Agent Grant Ward from SHIELD. I hope you have a secure place we can talk?"

"Talk about what? Do elaborate."

"I mean you no harm, Mr. Stark."

He meant that. I could sense no hostility or danger from him.

"I have information about who arranged you to end up in that compound in Afghanistan and more."

"Really? Your colleagues mentioned nothing about that."

"This isn't a conversation to have where anyone with a long-range microphone or a camera and the ability to read lips can see us." Ward pointed out.

"You're properly paranoid. I approve." I nodded. "Get in and walk in front of me, Mr. Ward."

He gave me an amused look and did as instructed. Why did people look at me with amusement or worry all the time as of late?

"How much do you know about SHIELD as an organization, Mr. Stark? About its origins and goals?"

"The cliff notes. My father and a close family friend were among its founders."

"That's correct, Mr. Stark. Your father and a group of like-minded people created SHIELD to safeguard their vision of a better world. SHIELD changed as the organization grew, and much of the old guard retired or died. These days, various factions within SHIELD have conflicting visions for the future and try to push their agendas. The same is true for the people who are our oversight. Naturally, they want what they believe best for their countries first, and the world as a whole second." My guest explained.

"Behold my utter lack of surprise. Where are you going with this, Mr. Ward?"

I led him to my office. It was one of a handful of rooms with no windows. It was also the second shielded place in the house, after the basement where I spent most of my time as Tony Stark.

"When we're secure."

"Jarvis, activate the jammers and white noise generator."

"They're active, sir."

"We're as secure as we can get. Sit and spill." I pointed at one of the rarely used chairs in front of my seldom-used desk.

"I'll slowly get my phone out. It has some files you'll find both enlightening and potentially disturbing, Mr. Stark. Watch them; then I'll spill as you put it."

I stared at the phone and examined it through the Force. It appeared to be a regular phone with no nasty surprises barring what it might hold on its drive. Just in case, I covered my right hand with a thin shield made from pure Force energy. Despite it being a small thing, I could feel it draining my reserves, even as the Force around us slowly replenished them. I flicked the phone open, waited for Ward to dictate his PIN, and unlocked it.

The first video on the memory card showed me a conversation between Stane, that fuck, and the leader of the terrorists. It was in Arabic, I think, certainly not a language I knew either as Tony, a Sith or from my first life on my Earth.

"Jarvis, translate, please."

"Mr. Stane demands that you die. The other man told him you're too valuable to kill and demanded a much larger payment to kill him. They haggled before Mr. Stane terminated the call."

"That's useful to know. This won't stand up in front of a court in the US, would it?"

"When we stumbled on the recording, we weren't exactly thinking about bringing anyone in front of a court, much less one in the US, Mr. Stark. A good lawyer might be able to throw out this recording as tainted. During my conversation with Mr. Stane last night, I certainly didn't have a warrant when he believed he became a SHIELD asset under our protection."

I narrowed my eyes at Ward. "Explain, and this better be good."

"I gave him enough rope to hang himself and at least some of his co-conspirators. You can watch a recording of our conversation. He is supposed to use one of our programs to delete any incriminating data on your servers. Instead, the program would flag anything suspicious and create copies you can access on your internal networks. Mr. Stane should be none the wiser. From his side, it would look like the data is gone."

"I see. And the reason your colleagues are unaware of all this?" I pushed.

"Romanoff is too hot and under too much scrutiny. One wrong step on her part can see her blacklisted and terminated. She was an infamous assassin before joining SHIELD, after all. Coulson is a good man, but not from my faction within SHIELD." Ward shrugged.

"Is this a job interview, Mr. Ward?" I asked and didn't bother to hide my disbelief.

"We scratch your back, and you scratch ours? You're the son of Howard Stark. No matter the nature of your relationship, your father was among the people who created SHIELD. Many in my faction of the organization are the legacy of such people. You can consider what we're offering as a gesture of goodwill. You need to watch at least the last two videos before I elaborate, and you can make up your mind one way or another, Mr. Stark."

I froze while watching the third video file on his phone. It was of my parents the night they died in a car crash.

It wasn't a car crash. A masked man with a metal arm murdered them. That was the kriffing Winter Soldier! It was all I could do not to trash at everything around me with the Force as I watched the Hutt-spawn smash my father's face repeatedly with his fist, then put him back behind the car's wheel. Then he saw my mother was still alive and choked her to death.

He would die screaming. Whoever gave the order would die.

"Chose your next words very carefully, Ward," I spoke in a voice that sounded both foreign and painfully familiar.

"We're not your enemies, Mr. Stark. My faction of SHIELD would love to have you as our ally. In that regard, we're offering you a sign of goodwill. Please, watch the last video. We've been investigating your disappearance and Mr. Stane for months now. What we discovered and are freely sharing with you was unexpected."

I glared at Ward before gingerly playing the last file.

I watched in confusion a video of a young girl. She couldn't be older than six or seven. An older woman in her sixties or so took the kid from school. She led her to the back of an older SUV.

"What's the meaning of this?" I haven't seen either the kid or the woman before.

"Your daughter, apparently, Mr. Stark. From what we gathered, Stane hid her existence from you. He used his contacts to make the problem her mother might have been go away. I have the files we managed to dig up during our investigation in a compressed file on the phone."

The kriff was that? Nothing like this was supposed to happen from what little I could recall from the Iron Man movies. Then again, I watched them so long ago; this was the real world. Reality tended to throw such curve balls for shit and giggles.

"I have a daughter…." I didn't know how to feel about that. I could sense no deception coming from Ward. Oh, he was trying to manipulate and recruit me, all right. He was using facts as he knew it to do it, which was clever of him.

=SI=

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