Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.

Phase 2: Razor wings

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Part 1

=IS=

Stark Industries Headquarters

California

Happy drove us towards the SI seat in Silicon Valley in one of the armored SUVs that until recently didn't see much use. Until Afghanistan, I had preferred much faster and sleeker cars, especially if I was the one to drive. Otherwise, I would use limousines if I wanted to kick back, stretch my legs and relax while Happy drove me around.

Needless to say, I had a different perspective. The limousines I now had on beck and call were armored to the gills with the best SI could offer. That much was true. However, one of the SUVs, the kind we sold to the government to help them keep VIPs in one piece when someone tried to kill them, was the superior option. They were as well protected, almost as comfortable, and, more importantly, smaller and more agile cars.

We got to the central at ten sharp, fifteen minutes before I met with the Board of Directors. As our Military Liaison, Rhodey spent most of last night and early morning on the phone, confirming the Pentagon and company were aware of what was about to happen. He also contacted some buddies of his. In a few days, I would be busy interviewing a brand-new security detail for myself and Pepper.

The company's central, alongside many of our facilities all over the US, didn't need more guards for the time being. The critical locations, like this one, enjoyed protection by a combined force of well-equipped private security and the US military. In a few years at best, perhaps much sooner at worst, I might have to look at boosting the defenses. My fusion tech would ruffle many feathers all over the world. However, that was a concern for much later. Now, I had a bunch of bastards to deal with.

Speaking about bastards, a few police cars parked near the main entrance. A small police cordon stared impassively at a much larger group of rabid reporters, including a bunch of paparazzi. Behind the cops, a mix of SI security and soldiers looked warily at the commotion.

As soon as Happy parked in front of the building, the reporters surged forward, shouting questions.

"We won't be feeding the hyenas until later." I reminded everyone.

Happy and Pepper were the first to get out.

"We will be giving no interviews or answering questions until today's press conference!" Pepper shouted.

Rhodey got out next and straightened up his parade uniform. Kriffing journalists. I picked up my sunglasses and put them on before getting out of the car. Predictably, the flashes that followed could rival a battlefield.

Cops and SI security had to rush in to keep the reporters away from us and allow us to get into the building. The last time, we had the element of surprise, somehow. If this were the new normal, I would need a security detail to deal with reporters and another to fend off assassins.

At least there were no reporters inside. As a secure facility, any such irritants to enter would need an approved appointment. Sadly, the street outside was public property.

We headed to the elevators and up to the conference room where the Board usually met. A worried Bambi met us in front of the chrome doors. That was Bambina Teresa Bliss Arbogast, which was quite a mouthful even for someone raised by an Italian mother. Everyone in her good graces called Mrs. Arbogast Bambi.

"Mr. Stark, it's good to see you're all right. Mr. Stane left an hour ago and is still to get back."

"Did he?" I had the nagging suspicion that the bastard did a runner. "Get me the Chief of Security and Director of IT. Have them report as soon as they get here."

"You don't think?" Rhodey asked.

"You can make an educated guess," I grumbled and walked into the conference room, ignoring the empty platitudes most of the Board showered me with. I went to the head of the table and sat in what was supposed to be the CEO's chair. "I have a few announcements to make and a vote to call."

With Stane on the run, it was time for plan B.

I pulled out my phone, flicked it open, and put it on the smart pad built into the table.

"This is a recording of our beloved CEO negotiating with the terrorists who kidnapped me in Afghanistan, so they would kill me instead of holding me to build them weapons. I have another one where an intelligence agent gives Stane enough rope to hang himself over this mess. Watch them. Then I would require you to vote Stane from his position as a CEO." That shouldn't be much of an issue. He had became the actual CEO only after I vanished in Afghanistan, even if he really did all the job the position required practically since my father's murder.

I ignored the surprised and outraged exclamation of the Board. They at least quieted down to watch the show.

SI's Security Chief and the IT Director arrived midway through the first video.

"A government task force is on the way to investigating how SI weapons found their way to terrorists and Obadiah Stane's treachery. You will offer them all the assistance they require. There will be no stonewalling attempts." I ordered. "Doing anything less would be grounds for summary termination and criminal investigation."

In theory, about this time, investigation teams should be arriving in all SI industrial centers in the US producing weapons and weapon components to lock them down and begin an investigation. Another convoy should be on its way here to do the same.

Rhodey looked up from his phone and nodded once at me. So the convoy would be here soon.

"I think we saw enough, Mr. Stark. What Mr. Stane did is monstrous. I'm ready to vote him out of the CEO position now." This came from Jennifer Thompson, the PR Department Director.

With me having a controlling package of the company's shares, only a third of the Board of Directors got voted in by shareholders. The rest were actual directors of major divisions within the SI conglomerate. That had been the case when Howard ran the company and worked well enough for us. It made us much less vulnerable to the need to pursue short-term profits at the expense of everything else compared to almost all publicly traded companies.

That said, the people who did invest in SI did need to have a voice on the table, even if we could ignore it when we had to. Howard had been odd like that, and until recently, I didn't care enough to even think about it.

"I second the motion." Gregory Hayes, the R&D Director, soon followed.

Soon, Stane was out, and we did it by the numbers.

"With this sordid affair out of the way, we still need to deal with the fallout," I announced. "We're suspending weapons production until we can investigate and deal with all the ways our weapons

up end in the hands of terrorists. There are government task forces en route to our manufacturing plants stateside to begin an investigation. We will do our best to complete our current contracts as soon as the investigations are complete. On a related note, we will pursue new markets and expand our R&D and manufacturing. We will do so to ensure the company can't be crippled by being driven even temporarily from certain markets. Depending on the investigations, new military contracts might be much harder to gain in the foreseeable future." The hell it would. I was sure the US military would love to play with power armor, among other things.

"What do you have in mind, Mr. Stark?"

"We will aim to increase our market shares in communications, computer technology, power generation, and vehicle manufacture for the civilian markets. If they pan out, I have some ideas to make us a big player in the energy market. I'll get back to you once I have a finished design ready for a prototype. As far as communications are concerned, we're going to be making better, more capable, and resilient phones. In that regard, Dr. Hayes, have your department buy a bunch of phones from our competition. Test how resilient they are and what is the usual way they break, then begin planning on how to ensure ours are proof against such incidents."

"I'll see to it, Mr. Stark."

"Good. Speaking about communications, I suspect that mobile internet and social media will be becoming increasingly important in the future. We'll see if it will be better to acquire shares in existing platforms or develop our own. I also want a plan for developing our mobile networks. I want us to find a way to offer cheap, speedy mobile internet for our future lines of phones and other mobile devices."

By now, everyone was taking notes and looking at me as if I was the golden goose that just came back after taking all the steroids. If this was anime, I was sure almost everyone in the room would have dollar signs in their eyes.

"Transportation. If my energy-related plans pan out, we'll be providing cheap and plentiful electricity in the medium to long run. I want R&D efforts aimed at electric cars, especially their motors and better affordable batteries. I also want plans for related infrastructure. Ideally, we would be building it in conjunction with the government."

Long before I was done charting a new course for SI, a large convoy reached the building. It disgorged an army of Federal Agents of all stripes and military personnel, who quickly swarmed the building. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Agent was among them, still posting as a Homeland Security guy.

=IS=

Part 2

=IS=

Stark Industries Headquarters

California

"Agent Howard, you're a bit late." I looked blandly at Coulson. Whoever gave him the cover as a Homeland Security Senior Agent was an ass for using my father's name.

"So I see. From what I gather, we've got a severe case of one hand not knowing what the other does."

It was a veritable gathering of who's who in the US government and military. Rhodey was here as the official liaison. We also had two more Colonels – one from the Army and another from the Marines. A Navy Captain rounded up that group.

Next, we had ATF, FBI, Homeland/SHIELD, and even IRS vying for attention and jockeying for primacy in the investigation.

A prosecutor and a special investigator from the Justice Department were also here, doing their best and failing at herding cats.

A screen behind me played a muted recording of Stane's best treasonous hits. From what I could see, having that bit of evidence might have disrupted someone's plan. On the other hand, the military fellows looked pleased that I wasn't the traitor.

"Well, no one supposedly working for me tried to kill me today. It could have been worse." I offered them a fake smile. "Now, consultations with a few people I trust gave me conflicting answers about a few videos a friendly soul sent me. Can we use them in a court of law to nail Stane, or are they just enough to investigate the hell out of him after you fellows get all the warrants you need?"

"Depending on if we use State or Federal charges, those recordings might fall under the fruit of the poisoned tree doctrine. Ultimately it would be up to a Judge to decide. I'm not convinced they'll be enough to convict Mr. Stane. However, you're right, Mr. Stark. These videos are more than enough to get warrants and investigate everything he touched considering the national security implications of the investigation."

I would be confident reading between the lines if this weren't the US. 'We might be unable to nail the bastard legally, but this is enough to send commando squads to punch his number.' Here and now, I could practically smell the political complications.

"I am, of course, at your disposal ladies and gentlemen. However, I will have a lawyer team present before answering any questions. I might be a bit too paranoid after recent events," I shrugged and gave everyone a pointed look.

"So far, we have had no reason to believe you're anything but a victim of betrayal, Mr. Stark." Coulson tried to play the diplomat.

"You'll say that if you gave me enough rope to hang myself as well." I pointed out. "Now, let's get to business. I already gave an order to the Chief of Security and the Director of the IT Department to cooperate and give you all the assistance you need. If they fail to do so, you can gleefully consider them involved in Stane's treacherous activities and act accordingly. If that's the case, I can assure you SI's legal department won't be covering their asses. If nothing else, you can count on me being as cooperative as possible out of self-preservation. I would love to trust the people in my own damn company again one day. Thank you very much."

Pepper chose that moment to knock on the door and come back, leading a team of lawyers hungry for blood.

"I believe you have questions. Let's get to it." I waved at the free seats around the conference table.

The next few hours were rather unpleasant. My impression from yesterday was on point. While the FBI agents here were different, it quickly became apparent that they also had an ax to grind with me. The ATF fellows were professional and more interested in keeping advanced military equipment off the streets than anything else. Homeland Security, or well, SHIELD, represented by Mr. Agent, at least played the role of allies during the questioning.

Today, Coulson was much harder to read. I wasn't sure if the change was because of my conversation with Ward yesterday or if he was playing the nice cop.

The military appeared to be in my corner, especially the Army and Marines. It was a small wonder – they were the branches that would most benefit from a working power armor.

"Mr. Stark, some would call your stated intent to cease weapons production unpatriotic." Fed Suit Number Two asked.

"This question is out of order!" One of my lawyers snapped.

What was that, an inquisition in front of TV cameras? Why would the FBI care?

"I'll answer anyway." I waved my lawyer down. "I am surprised. I expected you and your colleagues to do so after the attack on my convoy in Afghanistan. It should have been obvious the attackers used SI weapons. If I don't stop production until we've audited all industrial plans and vetted everyone working there, any more American soldiers dying from SI's weapons would be on me. If I do nothing now that I know of the problem, and I am in a position to do something, any of our allies murdered with my weapons will be on me as well. This company is supposed to build weapons to protect the United States and its close allies, not get them killed by terrorists!" I slammed a fist on the table.

Most of the people in the room nodded with approval at the show. Fed Suit Number Two glared at me but kept any further edging questions to himself.

For another hour, I had to repeat details I recalled about the weapons I saw and used in Afghanistan and the equipment the US military recovered. Then we were back to all I could remember about how Stane ran my company, which wasn't much.

The inquisition finally ended when an excited young agent working for Mr. Agent came knocking. He couldn't be much older than eighteen.

"Mr. Stark was right! We've got everything Mr. Stane tried to delete or alter last night saved and indexed! It's a gold mine! We've got enough to begin unraveling this! Dates, times, redirected payments and logistics vehicles, potential contacts, and suspects in production facilities!"

"May I make a request in the name of expediency, provided some of you aren't going to treat me as a suspect any longer?" I asked lightly, earning myself a warning look from one of my lawyers.

"Ask away, Mr. Stark."

"A few of you might know that I have an operational AI. I want to request a copy of the data once you've secured it. Jarvis, my AI, can go over it faster than anyone else. He can then quickly supply you with targets to go after before they could go to ground or have more time to cover their tracks."

"We will consider your suggestion, Mr. Stark. At any rate, it would have to wait until we have the data at a secure location and copied just in case." Coulson spoke before anyone else.

I got more than a few wary looks at my suggestion. Someone had been watching too much Terminator. Either that or the paranoid bastards wondered if I wanted the data to prepare a defense in case it also incriminated me, which would be a fair concern.

"I think we've asked all pertinent questions for the time being. I suggest we meet again once we've had time to review the evidence gathered today." Vauban, the prosecutor, suggested. "Mr. Stark, I must request that you do not leave the country in the foreseeable future."

"I have no such intention. Will moving to a state with a cooler climate be an issue? California reminds me too much of Afghanistan and my captivity for comfort."

That statement got me a few sympathetic looks.

"It should be no issue, Mr. Stark. You're free to go."

"I've got a press conference to attend. I wouldn't call that being free." I noted and got up, followed by my hopefully loyal pack of lawyers.

Half an hour later, we were in front of the building alongside the whole Board of Directors. By now, the number of reporters had significantly increased. Some of the cops who came with the investigators had to aid in containing the rabid dogs.

Despite the disruption caused by the Alphabet agencies' invasion, my PR Department managed to set up a podium on the stairs leading towards the lobby. We gathered there, ready to feed the sharks.

"I'm open to questions." As soon as I said that, countless reporters bombarded me with questions.

"Yes, I was aware of the ongoing investigation. I am not at liberty to discuss details about it. All I can say is that the goal is simple, to find out how Stark Industries' weapons ended up in the hands of terrorists. The same terrorists who used our weapons to hit the Afghanistan convoy I was part of. The terrorists who held me had access to a large number of Stark Industries weapons. In related news, earlier today, the Board of Directors voted out the former CEO of Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane." I nodded to Vauban, who had joined us for the circus.

It wasn't surprising. Vauban probably had political ambitions and wanted as much publicity as possible.

"Good afternoon. I'm Mark Vauban from the US Justice Department. As of earlier today, Mr. Obadiah Stane is under investigation for the illegal sale of weapons and conspiracy for murder. He is on the run and is considered dangerous." Vauban paused. "The United States Department of Justice and various Law Enforcement Agencies are investigating the illegal sale and theft of weapons produced by Stark Industries. At this point, Mr. Stark and elements of Stark Industries are proving cooperative in our investigation. This is all I am at liberty to say at this point. Have a nice day."

I nodded to Vauban and got back behind the microphone.

"Because of recent events, Stark Industries will halt weapons production until the investigations conclude. We must be sure our weapons won't end up in the hands of terrorists or hostile nations. Further, I want to announce the creation of the Maria Stark Fund. Its purpose is simple. It will provide medical coverage and pay for the education of the families and children of the United States servicemen who were murdered with our weapons in Afghanistan." I announced. "Now, I'm open to questions."

The feeding frenzy that followed made the earlier inquisition pale in comparison.

=SI=

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