The Stark Storm

by ISS1988

Tony was fighting, desperate to save the world, desperate seeing all the odds turn against him and his allies, but then an interaction with the Infinity Stones takes his mind back in time, in the young body with the memories of the next years of his life, he discovers that he is in a different universe and with that everything changes.

5. The God Bled

Happy New Year

Chapter 5

The God Bled

After the ceremony was over, Tony got into the limousine with his children and Pepper, who also deserved an award, but didn't want it; everyone knew she was there, but she preferred a private ceremony. She didn't want to be known only as Ironwoman, in fact she wanted to be known for more than that, but she couldn't stop the entire media from knowing about her award and that she wanted an intimate ceremony and wanted to be seen as more than Ironwoman. She had support and understanding about it, even if some didn't see the point; in the car, Tony took off his glasses:

- I want to sue Stern! – said Tony:

- Why? – asked Pepper:

- He stabbed me with the medal! – Tony replied:

- What? – Pepper asked, her eyes shining with anger:

- He stabbed me when he put the medal on my chest! – said Tony:

- Don't take off your shirt or jacket, only in the presence of the lawyers and the police when we meet with them, we will gather evidence and prosecute Stern, he will not have the last laugh in this situation! - said Pepper:

- I agree with Lady Boss; Boss! – said Happy:

- Stern won't be laughing for long given the troubles that are going to fall upon him! – said Tony smiling – I just want to add one!

Pepper smiled in agreement:

- Let's get him, honey! – said Pepper.

In fact, during the week that followed, the investigation into the Stark Expo Disaster continued with some results; Tony still had to give a press conference to clarify his involvement with Ivan Vanko, but it was already possible to see some connection between what happened; Justin Hammer had gotten Ivan Vanko out of jail after watching his demonstration in Monaco with the intention of being the next technological revolutionary like Tony Stark and the fact that he was friends with Senator Stern, Secretary of Defense Truman Marsh who is also friends with General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross; it was this friendship that allowed Hammer to have unrestricted access to the War Machine armor and so Vanko could put his eyes and control it whenever he wanted; from then on the relationship between these four had to be studied; by the end of March it was already possible to draw what really happened; Justin Hammer wanted the Iron Man armor to reverse engineer, Senator Stern wanted it for United States soldiers to wear and position themselves as the most powerful in the world without restriction, with the support of Secretary Marsh and Thunderbolt Ross, especially since Tony had demolished his favorite bar, they tried by legal means to take the armor from Tony which knocked down all the arguments in the hearing.

Hammer did not give up and saw the chance in Ivan Vanko and managed to have him on his side by selling the idea of drones and having Rhodes in command; this left Stern and Marsh satisfied and with the green light to continue, at this time when the lawyers of both claim that they had no idea that Justin Hammer had recruited a terrorist of Ivan Vanko's caliber; here, Tony knew that they would try to distance themselves from Hammer to have any chance of saving their careers, but, being raised that Vanko may be involved with the Russian government; made things much worse; Tony was at home with his family, Rhodes' family; Hope Van Dyne (Bug Girl), Sharon Rogers (Capys) and Sharon Carter (Shar-Bear) watching TV and eating carefree when the Russian government stated that Vanko has no relationship with them and that they are willing to pay for the damages caused by Vanko at the Stark Expo; of course they didn't mention that they are in possession of Vanko's designs, from the armor to the reactor, as for the lawsuits that the victims are filing, they would be paid by Hammer Industries; Justine Hammer, who took over the company in place of her brother, guaranteed that the payments would happen, but Tony was sure that she had Vanko's designs, the feds may have searched the Hammer Family's possessions, but the certainty that Justine guaranteed the protection of Vanko's designs and that she will use these designs to recover the company is very high.

Tony activated Friday and Tadashi for Pepper and Rhodes respectively to assist them during missions and in their daily lives; Tony was happy that the two were adapting quickly to the situation, faster than Jarvis and with that he gave the new armors to Pepper and Rhodes; Pepper had the darker red plates, in addition to the same weapons he uses in the Mark VI; Rhodey had the machine gun on his right shoulder replaced and a missile launcher added to his left shoulder, keeping the same weapons in the previous version in addition to adding armor plates to the armor, showing through the test that he can fly with the speed that Rhodes always needs. Unfortunately Tony would have to postpone the presentation he was going to give at the Stark Expo, he would not make the revelations he was planning to cover what was happening after Vanko's Attack, he would not do that, so he left the presentation in a drawer for a later date, but, all the structures of his company were being replaced by reactors powered by Starkium; synthetic vibranium could not yet be mass-produced, so Stark Tower in New York would be left out of the use of this metal; news of the lawsuits against Justin Hammer and Hammer Industries are still making headlines, what Vanko did is still making headlines; the lawsuit against Senator Stern is still running without much fanfare, but, according to Jennifer; Stern will be ordered to pay financial compensation, of course Tony will donate to charity and instructed Jennifer to take as much as possible and Tony was happy when he saw her predatory smile.

Things went on normally until the end of March and beginning of April when the news arrived; the events in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, appeared on the internet and in the news, the proof of the existence of gods, especially Norse gods, generated more debates and discussions, people from the city recording the events with their cell phones; it was like that the first time, Tony was watching the first coming of Thor; now he would have to hire Jane Foster and with her would come Darcy Lewis; he knew he couldn't bring Erik Selvig, because at that time he was with Shield, but Dr. Foster's work was certainly worth investing in; with that Tony decided to make an appointment with Dr. Foster and then travel to New Mexico. The trip went normally, Tony was of course prepared for the conversation, he had met Dr. Foster the other time and he had soon financed her research that promised to be evolutionary and he had been happy when Jane Foster had told him that she was close to obtaining real results from her theory; now, Tony was going to hire her, fund her research so she would have the results sooner so Earth could benefit from her intellect; Tony arrives at Puente Antico by car, the airspace was closed by the government after Thor's arrival and the battle he made in the city; the government had gathered the funds and was starting to rebuild the city; Tony arrived at Dr. Foster's laboratory and knocked on the door and in seconds a woman answered:

- Yes! – said the woman:

- I made an appointment with Dr. Foster! – said Tony:

- And who are you? – asked the woman who seemed to be holding a taser; Tony took off his sunglasses:

- Tony Stark! – Tony replied:

- Oh my god! – said the woman – Come in! Come in! Darcy Lewis! Jane's intern!

- Nice to meet you! – Tony said, shaking Darcy's hand, who immediately entered the laboratory:

- Jane! Tony Stark is here! – Darcy shouted and then the sound of several things falling was heard, Tony smiled, he always liked it when Jane did that, then she left the laboratory and with a nervous smile shook Tony's hand:

- It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Stark! – said Jane:

- The pleasure is mine, Dr. Foster! – said Tony:

- Sit down! – said Jane pointing to the sofa – Coffee? Water?

- No need; thank you! – replied Tony – Let's talk about the reason for my coming!

- Of course! – said Jane sitting in the armchair and Darcy sat in a chair:

- I won't deny that I'm curious about what happened here, but I didn't come to talk about that, but rather about the theory you're developing that you recently published! – said Tony:

- Did you read it? – asked Jane:

- Yes! – Tony replied – It's interesting and I'm really curious to see it being proven! That's why I'm here!

- Are you going to fund Jane's research? – Darcy asked:

- I want to hire you for Stark Industries! – Tony replied – The contract gives you total freedom in your own work, in addition to total protection, the only thing that Stark Industries will be mentioned in your work will be in relation to financing; any creation of yours for Stark Industries, we will demand ten percent of the profit you make!

Tony handed the contract to Jane:

- Read the contract, I'll stay close and wait until you consult your lawyers and make a decision! – said Tony:

- If I accept, can Darcy be included? – asked Jane:

- What does she do? – asks Tony:

- She's my intern and she studies political science! – replied Jane:

- My PR Department has political advisors, I can put her among them, I'll hire her to be part of Public Relations! – Tony replied:

- I'll think about it, Dr. Stark! – said Jane:

- That's all I ask, Dr. Foster! – Tony said, shaking Tony's hand and he left so Jane could make the necessary contacts.

Tony stayed a week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, waiting for Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis to make a decision. It was after he got out of a shower that he received a phone call and then he was back in Puente Antiguo where he once again met Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis saying that they were accepting the contract and had already signed it. Tony congratulated them both and told them that they would be working in New York and that when Stark Tower was ready, they would change their workplace. Tony being Tony asked about what had happened. They told him about their meeting with Thor and that as they got to know him, he was telling his story. How his father Odin had lost his brothers in the War of Jotunheim, as well as his first wife and his mother Jord. How Thor had lost his older brother when a necromancer caused the War of the Dead. His grieving father had had several lovers and several children. How his brother Bragi had insulted his brother Loki and he had insulted him in public along with his wife Idunna, and they both ended up separating. where he met his second mother and Frigga.

Thor had told Jane about his family, who was passing it on to Tony, about how Frigga, having received a prophecy; fearing that her son Balder would be killed, enchanted him to be invulnerable and this left him unable to feel; this situation led him to go mad; he told her about his brother Loki, who was always the most responsible and most level-headed in politics and decisions, about how he had lost his first wife and had to watch his daughter Hela go mad and be banished to be the Goddess of Death, but he had found happiness in his new wife Sigyn and his new daughter Narvi, and that what they had told about him was partially a lie about him having sired monsters; Thor sadly told her about how his first wife and first children had died, how he divorced his second marriage to Sif, and the joy he felt with his three children. Jane told about what happened in Asgard at the celebration of Thor's elevation as heir to the throne, how at the time he was attacked by frost giants and that Thor took his staff and fought back, this enraged Odin who banished him to Midgard; this left Loki the most capable to assume the throne while his father was in the Odinsleep; that he was making decisions that he would never make regarding Jotunheim and that it was he who attacked with the Destroyer almost killing Thor, after they entered the Bifrost and left, she did not know what had happened.

Tony left to return home with his problems resolved. Later, when he was in New York to welcome Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis to begin their work, Darcy had no problem telling them that they had received another visit from Thor and that they had learned what really happened. He told them about the confrontation he had with his brother Loki to turn off the Bifrost, which was being used as a weapon against Jotunheim. They both fell into the Bifrost and were saved by Odin. However, Loki fell into the void of space without the possibility of being saved. Thor considered his brother dead. When Odin told him that his brother Loki was adopted and that he originated in Jotunheim, this brought problems. Generations were born and raised with prejudices against Jotunheim. This leaves its mark, especially with his brother shaken and not knowing where he belongs. At least that's what Darcy told Tony, conveying what Thor had shared.

When the two women settled in, Tony returned to California; in the month that followed and the next, the subject of Vanko's Attack was still being dealt with, but Tony had already noticed signs that it was waning, but Tony had to admit that Vanko and Hammer had given him the idea, the Iron Legion, an army of drones, but not drones for combat, but drones for humanitarian work, rescues, aid to countries, but of course he would equip the drones with his best weapons and he knew where he would put them; in space, but first he would have to wake Veronica; she would be woken up early to be taught by Jarvis, Friday and Tadashi, but she would have a new role, to be responsible for the Stark Industries satellites that monitor and research Earth; he had the ambition to cover the entire planet, he intended to evolve the satellites to reach the next step; monitoring the entire solar system with instant communication; Tony was hoping that Jane Foster's research would be of great help in the space field for the company and for Earth.

Tony doesn't want to rush, he still has to make a presentation about the new element that his father had created before venturing into new space research, while the presentation time doesn't arrive, Tony continues to work as an inventor and as Iron Man, this time he was working in collaboration with the authorities, especially when he went to another country, he had already established that he is not a police force, he has no problem remaining as a consultant and only acting when there is something that no security force is incapable of handling; when he actively gets involved he ensures that there is minimal damage and the losses are paid out of his pocket and the victims are assisted by the Maria Stark Foundation; Tony already had many projects and expected to present them next year, he had work to refine them and make them good in the eyes of future consumers; besides, he had to ensure that his employees could work with what he had designed.

In June, things happened, Shield's communications increased and were in a state of total frenzy with what happened, Clint Barton was directly involved and they were talking about the fact that he had dealt with his past in the Circus of Crime; Clint was on a mission to stop a smuggling of experimental weapons, one could tell the danger that these weapons represented if they reached the market, everyone would be affected, Hawkeye managed to intercept the shipment and destroy it in addition to arresting some of the leaders of the terrorist group that was planning to sell the weapons, it was with this that Clint discovered the connection with the Circus of Crime and this deserved a deeper investigation; in truth Clint did not want to return to the circus, too many memories and too much personal involvement, but he had a job to finish and he managed to get there; infiltrating and managing to spy on the circus and learned that his brother and his trainer were not there and this made Clint more relieved; he knew that it would be difficult to face the Circus of Crime as it was, adding his brother and his first trainer would make the task impossible without help; Clint enters the circus to get more evidence and thus be able to bring the cavalry, but Princess Python catches her; and he ends up arrested and being tortured to pay for the sin of having abandoned the Circus of Crime and the Ringmaster had already said that he would call his brother and his trainer, the Swordsman.

Clint has a problem, he wouldn't escape from the circus if his brother and his trainer arrived, so it was time to get the evidence and get out of there and only return with the cavalry, but, luckily for him, Princess Python appears and offers to free him, she is willing to help him with the rest of the circus as long as he can change his life; Clint could see himself in her, in her eyes the same look he knew he had when he left the Circus of Crime and so he agrees to help her; with his poisoned darts, both could have a chance; free, Clint grabs his equipment and goes to the fight with a plan; one by one; first it was the Gambonno brothers; it was a fierce fight, but in the end they managed to defeat them; then came the Human Cannonbolt with his jetpack; Clint managed to destroy his backpack and it was only Princess Python who knocked him out; then they faced the Brute, the Strongman; Clint managed to turn off his armor, but the man is really strong and it took a lot of work, but it was possible to take him down and lastly came the Ringmaster who was hypnotizing the audience that had arrived and with a precise move, Princess Python shot a dart in the Ringmaster's throat and Clint shot an arrow in his head killing him and thus ending the hypnotism. When the ambulances and Shield arrived, Clint could breathe a sigh of relief that this was over; this part of his past being destroyed, Zelda had already delivered a pen drive with the necessary evidence to end the circus once and for all and with that Clint kept part of the deal, talking to Fury and delivering his report, he managed to have her sleep in prison serving time for her crimes and in exchange she would go into the field as a Shield agent carrying out missions and with each mission, her sentence would be reduced, that's how it happened with Natasha; Zelda agreed and was satisfied with her new life and with that Clint took a well-deserved break from work.

In the time that followed; Tony was developing his work; he was doing well and following the work of Jane Foster, Erik Selvig and Betty Ross who were also doing well; he had introduced Starkium to the scientists and Darcy Lewis; surprised and motivated to work to find all the capabilities of the new element; stimulating in fact, that they had found new barriers to explore, but, until the moment in which Tony's mind deep down waits for the sharks to attack, even in death, Vanko's words still ring and he knows he was right, at any time they would attack, they felt the blood in the water and were ready to feast; Tony is not an idiot, of course he is always prepared and creating plans to defeat anyone who came after him and his family; he would end them all, just as he was ending the Ten Rings, he knows that an idea cannot be killed, but, he will ensure that this idea only has a desert field and dead land so it does not thrive. It was in his work when one of his screens changed; surprised, he approached:

- Jarvis? – asked Tony:

- System hacking, sir! – Jarvis replied:

- How is this possible? – asked Tony:

- He's forcing through the defenses; there are several attacks at the same time and some of them are nothing more than ghosts that I waste time and energy attacking nothing! - Jarvis replied - Now that he's on your screen, I can track and stop the attack!

- You're not going to do that! – said a hoarse voice coming from the screen:

- Who are you? – asked Tony:

- Call me Spy Master! – replied the man – We have a lot to talk about!

Tony made a furious face, thinking for a few seconds:

- I'm listening! – said Tony:

- I have to admit, you have a security system that is a masterpiece! – said Master Spy – I couldn't find a weakness that would give me an advantage; you know, I have goals to achieve!

- If you have goals, work until you achieve them! - said Tony talking to the Spy Master while Jarvis traced the call and called the authorities, but unfortunately with his plain yellow mask burned, an identification could not be made:

- I believe in it and that's why I didn't give up, but, after a lot of research and I admit; luck and opportunity; I found something that I can explore to achieve, as I said, my goals!

Spy Master turned the camera and showed three people trapped; Christian and Clara Carlson with Toni Ho; tied up and gagged and blindfolded:

- What did you do? – Tony asked, surprised by the fear growing inside him:

- The obvious, I kidnapped this family that she visits regularly and that you care about the girl; like I said; luck and opportunity, when I found out about them! - replied Master Spy - And I want you to know that I'm serious!

Spy Master appeared in the camera's frame with a pistol in his hand and aimed it at Christian and Clara Carlson's head, killing them:

- No! – Tony shouted:

- I won't kill the girl; unless you do what I want! - said Master Spy:

- What do you want? – Tony asked, clenching his teeth with great hatred:

- Access to your servers or the girl dies! – replied Spy Master – You have five minutes!

The screen went dark and Tony blocked it completely:

- Jarvis! – said Tony:

- Location incomplete! – said Jarvis – Video recorded, searching to identify the location!

- Activate the Fake News Protocol! – said Tony:

- Activating Fake News Protocol! – said Jarvis – Video search does not reveal the location where Miss Toni Ho is being held!

- Have the authorities been notified? – Tony asked:

- They're on their way sir! – Jarvis replied:

- Great! – replied Tony.

Tony's five minutes were up when the Spy Master appeared on screen once more:

- What will it be, Mr. Stark? – asked Master Spy:

- I accept! – said Tony:

- Great! – said Spy Master – We can begin!

- You have the door free! – said Tony – But, you can move them if you give me Toni Ho's location!

- Okay! – said Spy Master – She's still at home!

The Spy Master turned off the communicator:

- Sir! – said Jarvis – He started copying the files and is accessing all of them from the Fake News Protocol!

- Great! – said Tony – Notify the authorities and tell them I'm on my way!

Tony put on the armor and set off at high speed, while he was flying he could access the cameras of the SWAT agents entering Toni Ho's house finding the bodies and Toni still tied up; Tony increased his speed to get there as quickly as possible, after what seemed like an hour he landed in front of the house where the police were maintaining the perimeter with an ambulance attending to Toni who was glassy-eyed and in shock; Tony approached her opening the visor at the same time as two black bags came out of the house; Tony shuddered and approached Toni, he stood in front of her and didn't react:

- Is she okay? – asked Tony:

- She's in shock! - replied the paramedic - Physically she didn't suffer at all, but mentally, well, I'm not the expert, but in my experience it depends on each person to respond again!

- Toni! – said Tony – It's me! I'm sorry! I know it's hard, but with time you'll move on!

- Will I? – Toni asked in a whisper:

- I lost my parents and the pain never goes away, it leaves a black and empty hole inside you and as the years go by, it gets smaller; it's up to you to never fall into the hole. Never let yourself be consumed by what you're feeling now, because if you fall into the hole, you may never come back. - said Tony - It won't be easy, but I'll be with you! I won't let you fall into the hole!

- Are you going? – asked Toni:

- Me, Pepper, Laura and Richard, Happy, Rhodes, Glenda, Robert and Jasmine! – Tony replied – We will all be with you!

- It's so rare to find someone in this situation! – said a voice and Tony turned around seeing a woman approaching:

- And you? – asked Tony:

- Janice Vergara! – said the woman – Social worker; I'm handling Toni Ho's case; I figured she had no one else to turn to and would be in state custody!

- Don't worry, she has me! – said Tony – I'm willing to adopt her!

- Are you? – asked Janice:

- Yes! – Tony replied – Toni visits my family and if she adapts, she would file the adoption papers with the Carlsons!

Toni didn't say anything else, she just stood up and hugged Tony, crying a lot; Tony gently hugged her back. It took a little longer, but he had resolved it with Social Services and Toni Ho was on her private jet heading to Los Angeles with Janice Vergara; Tony went ahead with the armor, where he arrived first and was waiting for Toni, she got off the plane and hugged him, hugged Pepper who led her to the car; before returning Janice had already arranged that Social Services in Los Angeles would resolve things now; They accommodated Toni at home and stayed with her to help her through her most difficult phase, but now he had problems to solve with the Spy Master, but at the moment he would deal with a virus that is practically a tick in the ass, the Fake News Protocol gave a copy of the data he had, this data was subtly altered in such a way that it became useless and in addition it had a virus that destroyed the computers on which these files would be opened and also emitted a location signal.

Tony was counting on it; three days later with no signal, he was worried, but then the signal was activated and finally Tony had a location in New York and he warned the authorities who were sending a SWAT team to the warehouse, Tony offered to be present when the Spy Master was arrested, in addition to warning that there was a chance it was a trap; even with that, the CIA, FBI, SHIELD and Homeland Security agreed that Tony could be present and participate in the situation, if it was a trap, even if intended for him, he would still have the ability to get out of it and allow the agents to make the arrests; Tony with his armor quickly left for New York arriving at the port area and in front of the warehouse where there were guards and the agents were hiding; from afar through the cameras, Tony could see the approach as the security guards were disarmed and knocked unconscious; It was when the agents occupied the doors and the stun grenades were detonated that Tony entered through a skylight, breaking the glass and landing on the floor, raising his hands and preparing the repulsors; analyzing the environment expecting to find the bandits when he is hit by an explosion and falls to the floor:

- Mr. Stark! – said the Master Spy – I imagined how easily you had given me access to your data; I imagined that you had placed a virus and a location as soon as you tried to use the data, that's why I set the trap, when it's finished, you and the agents will be dead and I'll be far away!

Tony was getting up, but once again he was hit by an explosion, it seemed like the Spy Master was throwing grenades at him:

- Jarvis, where is he? – asks Tony:

- Triangulating your location! – Jarvis replied – Interference in the systems, sir!

A third and fourth explosion hits him, but the moment Tony gets up, his two hands are tied and pulled tightly, preventing him from using the repulsors; then he is hit by hooks in the chest and back; and then electric currents are thrown over his body, the life support protects him, but the electric current is interfering with his armor, even after Vanko when he put electrical insulators on the armor, the concentrated current could interfere and then he saw the Spy Master approaching:

- Mr. Stark; I will make sure you get out of this armor and that your death will also be slow! – said Master Spy – One way or another I will have access to your armor and your data!

- You better kill me! – said Tony – Because you know what I'm doing with the Ten Rings!

- I know! – said Master Spy – That's why I'm not giving him a chance!

- Me neither! – said Tony.

Then the reactor in his chest glowed and fired a blast, hitting Master Spy squarely, killing him. Tony fired the repulsors from his hands, hitting the bandits who were holding him. With his hands free, he removed the hooks and stood up. Analyzing the environment, he saw what he needed. He raised his arms and fired the repulsors, hitting the men who had fired the hooks. Then the shots started hitting his armor. Tony retaliated by firing the repulsors. He started hitting them initially, but then the bandits got smart and started moving, so some of them got hits. However, Tony didn't stay still. He walked forward, the only possible option in a closed space. He walked, firing the repulsors:

- Sir, it seems the interference is over! – said Jarvis:

- It's clear! – said Tony – Tell me about the situation!

- The police force managed to control the situation at the back entrance, but it's complicated at the front entrance! – said Jarvis:

- That's where I'm going! – said Tony:

- I already told you that you make it very clear when you are going to get into a dangerous situation! – said Jarvis.

Tony advanced, taking down the bandits with his repulsors, and reached the entrance of the warehouse, seeing that the bandits had positioned themselves so that they had the best terrain to fight the law enforcement agencies. Tony wasted no time and took down the bandits who were on high and started shooting at those who were on the ground. When they realized that they now had the advantage, SWAT entered and the remaining bandits started to lower their weapons. The fight was over. Tony still remained with the authorities giving a report on what happened when he was allowed to return home. Tired, he got out of the armor, hugged his children, and rested Pepper's arms. The next few days followed with events. Toni Ho seemed lighter, but still mourning, the death of the Spy Master was a small relief for her pain. It didn't take long for the news to spread and Tony had to stay still for a while without using the armor while he sorted things out with the authorities. During this time, he was able to learn the identity of the Spy Master.

Theodore Calloway, that's his name, army, CIA, later abandoned by the agency, escaped, came back, retired and became a mercenary; the certainty that he was disappointed by what his country did to him, but now he was dead and would no longer bring the terror that he brought to Toni Ho, they were still investigating their accounts to find out who had hired him, at that moment they could only say that the Spy Master was hired anonymously and that he was paid in untraceable money; the investigators also found cameras in the warehouse indicating that they were broadcasting his capture and still couldn't find out who was watching; Jarvis had knocked on the same doors, but Tony knew he wasn't giving up, but either way, the Spy Master would be the first of many sharks swimming for his blood as Vanko said it would happen; Tony has always worked with the thought of zero side effects, since he understood his role as Ironman, he knew that he had to work to avoid any kind of crossfire victim and that it would not always please everyone, there has been a growth in negative comments within the government and that the armor should be in the hands of the government, Tony feared that someone would emerge to take Senator Stern's place, but soon this increase was fought by the armed forces within the government administration, at least Tony saw a relief.

September had arrived this year and it seemed like things had finally subsided; Tony would still hold the Stark Expo for next year and would ensure that security would be heavier than this year, but now he would come with something extra, through the Howard Stark Foundation, he would invest in the projects of MIT students and in the projects of students from less privileged schools where they would select students considered geniuses and invest in their projects to be presented at next year's Stark Expo; of course, it had nothing to do with meeting Peter Parker and Harley Keener earlier and without the pressure of the chaotic situation in which he found them; the announcement was received with great euphoria and expectations from all the schools in the country that were interested in participating in the project and this brought positivity in public relations that eased the situation with the Spy Master and it would be good to take Toni Ho and his children to see these projects; it would be good for them to make some friends especially with Peter and Harley; this time Tony was preparing for the announcement of Starkium; he had decided to present this year, but now he would use next year's Stark Expo for this and hoped to attract a lot of investment and attention from a certain isolated and secretly most advanced country in the world; Wakanda. The studies with Starkium and synthetic vibranium compared to the Vibranium that his father studied for years from Captain America's shield in the notes his father made, placed the properties of the two elements almost identical with the difference that one is synthetic and the other is natural; Tony saw two scenarios in this case, they would remain silent waiting for the right moment or they would make a big storm when the announcement came out; in either case, Tony would be prepared.

Things about Vanko and Spymaster had slowed down considerably to the point of being forgotten by the media with the introduction of the work of the Howard Stark Foundation and with that they reached a point before Vanko's attack, Pepper reaching the position of CEO, criticism and praise were resurrected, which is why Tony had to say that he was sharing the position with his wife, that they both made the decisions, but Tony emphasized that his wife could make decisions without having to consult him; at least Tony hoped that this would be put to rest since there was more praise than criticism after his statement. Almost at the end of the month, Betty Ross and Jennifer Waters came to him asking for a leave of absence from work claiming that they had received a signal from Bruce Banner who was in Vista Verde in New Mexico where the experiments that gave rise to the Hulk were carried out, after a few days he received a call from Jennifer explaining what had happened; Tony was surprised:

- Let me see if I understand; you two arrived at the old base and were then captured by Samuel Stern, who calls himself the Leader, who was transformed by the Hulk's blood into a green being with a huge head who is interested in applying different radiations to the formula that Banner and Betty created; he took you two, along with the captured Leonard Samson, Thunderbolt Ross and Rick Jones, attracted Banner by his blood to stabilize his experiment and applied it to all of you in the hope of creating an army of Hulks and dominating the world! - said Tony:

- That's basically it! – said Jennifer:

- How did this become my life! – said Tony with his hands on his head:

- You get used to it! – said Jennifer:

- After you defeated the Leader and Shield took him to the RAFT; you will join a group to hunt and capture the Leader's escaped experiments! - said Tony:

- Our group is called SMASH, Supreme Military Agency Of Super Humans! – said Jennifer – Rick Jones will broadcast the adventures as a way to show that the Hulk is not a monster!

Tony rolled his eyes:

- Is it a special group or a reality show? – asked Tony:

- The Hulk needs good publicity, you understand that Mr. Stark! – Jennifer replied:

- I understand! – said Tony – But, wasn't that the only reason you called?

- No! – Jennifer replied with a weak smile – Given the situation, what we are going to do may take a long time, so Betty and I discussed our jobs at Stark Industries….

- They'll stay; you'll still get paid; you're both on sabbatical! – said Tony – Your jobs will still be waiting when you get back!

- Thank you Mr. Stark! – Jennifer said happily:

- You and Betty can call me Tony! – said Tony:

- Thank you Tony! – said Jennifer.

Neither Jennifer nor Betty needed it, but they sent him the group's first report, perhaps as a way of showing that they are really working with the group and not deceiving him; Bruce Banner as Hulk, Jennifer Waters as She-Hulk, Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross as Red Hulk and his daughter Betty Ross as Red She-Hulk, Rick Jones as A-Bomb and Dr. Leonard Samson as Doc Samson; Tony doesn't know how this team will behave in the next few years, but it will be better than the Avengers he had already participated in in the other timeline, but he hopes that it will be the beginning of Bruce Banner overcoming the problems he has with the Hulk; the first Hulk soldiers of the Leader's army that was dispersed formed a group, the Wrecking Crew; Team SMASH was not the first to receive the Leader's Hulk serum stabilized because of Banner's blood; now the team is after the others, the Wrecking Crew.

Tony continues to work on his projects, he discovers a month later that the Wrecking Crew is trapped in the RAFT proving that Team SMASH can and does work as a team and solve the problems that the Leader caused, in the meantime, Banner, Ross and Samson are working to find a way to cure the Hulk soldiers that were not stabilized by the Leader; Tony is not an expert in biology or genetic engineering, but Tony helps as he can, especially by providing funds in the form of donations since it is the American government that is investing in this team and at that time, the year 2009 had already ended.