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.

2. Operation Clean Plates

Chapter 2

Operation Clean Plates

Tony answered the reporters' questions vaguely, but as long as they were still satisfied, for now he would give them that, but Jarvis had already sent an invitation to a reporter for an exclusive that he would give telling all the details about what happened, but now, it was night and he had to put his children to bed, so he was in the car with Happy driving and Pepper holding Richard, while he was holding Laura, when they arrived at the house, Tony saw Agent Phil Coulson waiting for them; Tony left Laura in the car and got out greeting the man:

- Agent Coulson, what do I owe this late hour to? – Tony asked:

- I have someone inside your house that I want you to meet! – Coulson replied – We used Obadiah Stane's entrance!

- I'll let this go, Agent Coulson! - Tony said and he looked seriously at Happy who pulled out his gun - But, if this happens again, I'll call the police and sue Shield and let Happy shoot!

Tony and Happy entered and went to the room where they couldn't see anyone, Happy was alert and with his gun raised ready to shoot:

- Jarvis! – Tony called:

- Welcome, sir! – said Jarvis – I believe Agent Coulson spoke about the entry using Obadiah Stane's codes:

- "I'm Iron Man"; do you think you're the only superhero in the world? – asked a man coming out of the darkness, the lamp on revealed his silhouette – Mr. Stark, you're part of a much bigger world now! You just don't know it yet!

- Who are you? – Tony asked and the man showed his face without hesitation with Happy's gun pointed at him:

- I'm Nick Fury, director of SHIELD! - replied Nick Fury, a man of African descent with an eye patch on the left side, a long black coat, all black clothes and it was possible to see that he was carrying a gun, but, he still gave no signs that he would pick it up:

- I know! – said Tony:

- I'm here to talk about the Avengers Initiative! – said Nick:

- I'm listening! – said Tony:

- First, a peace offering! – said Nick Fury pointing to a metal box with the SHIELD symbol stamped on it – Your father's things that were inside SHIELD; since he never involved you with the agency, we couldn't deliver them without involving you; but, you got involved of your own free will, there's no point in keeping this gathering dust anymore!

- Okay! – Tony said without showing any emotion, he waved to Happy and he lowered the gun – Tell me about this initiative!

- The Avengers are a team made up of exceptional beings; with surprising abilities who come together to defend the Earth and its people! – said Nick Fury:

- Defend against what? – asked Tony:

- Planetary extinction events or anything that threatens the world as we live today! - Nick Fury replied - I can't give you the details until you agree to become a member!

- I'll have to think about that, Director Fury; I don't know if you noticed, but I'm going to have a lot on my plate for quite some time!

- Understandable! – Fury said as he walked out – Take as much time as you want to think about it, if you feel you can't commit full time, you can be listed as a consultant!

Fury left, but then stopped and turned around once more:

- I'd like you to keep Amanda Mills' position open, I'm going to need her for a while and I'd like her to come back to be around while you deal with what's going to fall on you in the next few months! - said Nick Fury:

- Okay! – Tony said in agreement; Nick Fury nodded and left and after a few moments Pepper entered:

- Did you see and hear everything? – asked Tony:

- Yes! – Pepper replied – This type of project exists because a global extinction event was faced and avoided! They don't want to be caught off guard again!

- That's why the Avengers Initiative! – said Tony:

- They're already gone! – said Happy – Are you going to accept their offer, boss?

- I'll accept the peace offering! – Tony replied, looking at the box – I'll think about the other matter later!

Tony looked at Happy and Pepper:

- He broke into my house; I should have given him a resounding "no", but I'm going to let him rack his brains to get my help or access to my resources; isn't that what my father provided them? – Tony asked:

- Of course! – Pepper replied:

- They can play patient to get to me! – said Tony – They respected my father's decision to keep me away from everything, but I won't be easy for them and I can play patient with them!

The next day, the Nick Fury issue was left aside, Tony was at his house, there were already some news circulating about the arrests of Stark Industries employees being made all over the world, the agencies that Tony counted on their help would only speak out after he did an interview; he had already chosen the reporter and had Jarvis send the message when she was at the press conference yesterday and she had already responded and was here; Christine Everhart was being accompanied by Happy in the room where Tony, Pepper and Rhodes were waiting; Happy was talking in a relaxed manner with her:

- Miss Everhart! – Tony greets her, shaking her hand:

- I'm surprised by the invitation, Mr. Stark! – Christine said after shaking Tony's hand and sitting down:

- I wanted to thank you for the photos you showed me at that gala, I wasn't paying attention to the news! – said Tony:

- You were working on the Iron Man suit! – said Christine:

- So, because you brought this to me, I'm going to give you an exclusive interview! – Tony said, surprising Christine who was open-mouthed:

- I don't know what to say! – said Christine:

- Sign this! – Pepper said, placing a contract on the table in front of her:

- Why should I sign? – Christine asked curiously:

- You agree not to release the story until after a new press conference! – Pepper replied. Christine took the paper and saw the various symbols of national and international agencies decorating it:

- Is this real? – Christine asked in surprise:

- Completely! – Rhodes replied, Christine signed and handed the sheet to Pepper:

- We can start! – said Tony. Christine took out her cell phone and activated the recorder:

- Mr. Stark, I think we should start from the beginning, tell your story about the events that led you to become Iron Man! - said Christine. Tony told the whole story to Everhart, from his kidnapping, his escape and the decision to perfect his Iron Man project and the discovery that Obadiah Stane was responsible for his kidnapping and for selling Stark Industries weapons under the table. He told him about his fight and especially about the suit he had built and called himself Iron Monger and about what happened after the fight, about the meeting he had and that his press conference started Operation Clean Plates; an international alliance of several government agencies to arrest and investigate all corrupt and infiltrated employees within the company and that there would be a press release about the first results of the operation. He talked about cooperating with the government, he talked about Rhodes receiving his own armor as requested by the government so he could have support in the work and the name he chose and he talked about continuing to find his illegally sold weapons.

The next morning, a press conference was held regarding the rumors of what was happening at Stark Industries; an Interpol spokesperson was responsible for speaking:

- Good morning everyone! – said the spokesperson – As you know, you have been called to hear any information about what happened at Stark Industries and what this has to do with Mr. Stark's statement about being Iron Man! I would like to say that at the end of the statement, I will be open to questions and will answer them to the best of my ability and any detailed questions should be directed to Mr. Stark!

All the journalists nodded in agreement:

- During Mr. Stark's captivity in Afghanistan, he was able to identify that the terrorist group, the Ten Rings, had his weapons. After his escape, he immediately spoke to several agencies of the American government, including Interpol, and we soon launched a large-scale investigation with Mr. Stark's collaboration into the activities of his company. With that, we discovered that Obadiah Stane is the main person responsible for illegally selling weapons to terrorists in several conflict zones! - said the spokesperson - The list of these places will be released after this conference, but Obadiah Stane found out about Mr. Stark's activities and attacked with a mechatronic armor that he called Iron Monger, which Mr. Stark defended himself against with his Ironman armor. When he gave the conference in agreement with the agencies he relied on for the investigation, we launched Operation Clean Plates at that time, targeting all those investigated linked to the most diverse crimes! Now I open the floor for questions!

The conference continued with questions and answers for over an hour until it was over. The next morning, Christine Everhart had published part of her interview. It was all divided into several parts that would come in the next publications, and this put Christine on new levels, and she would certainly reap the rewards of this work. He received visitors after the conference. Hope Van Dyne (Bug Girl), Sharon Rogers (Capys), and Sharon Carter (Shar-Bear) came to see how he was doing. Sharon Carter mainly reported how he was chasing Obadiah Stane's assistant, who was identified as Giuletta Nefaria, and how he fought and she fled, but not before having her face disfigured during the fight. Sharon Rogers then began to explain that Stane had connections with Hydra, the Zodiac Cartel, MAGGIA, which Giuletta Nefaria is part of, as well as the criminal organization CAOS, and other criminal organizations. Tony was on the move in light of this, he had contacted his Legal Department and filed a patent for the Iron Man armor, he was ready to sue the companies mentioned in the investigation for industrial espionage and among other things, with the visit of these three over and with their promise to help whenever they could, Tony had to go back to another job; he still had the weapons sold around the world in the hands of terrorists and he had to start working on the armor for Rhodes, in his workshop, Tony would start the work:

- Jarvis, are you here? – Tony asked:

- Always ready, sir! – replied Jarvis:

- We have work to do, look for any family connection to Ho Yinsen; I want to confirm if his family is really dead; change the name of the folder "Solving Problems" to "Iron Man Project"! – said Tony – Open a subfolder with the name Mark IV codename Virginia!

- Done, sir! – said Jarvis:

- Open two folders, "Project War Machine" and "Project Iron Woman"! – said Tony – Your armors will be based on the Mark IV!

- Ok! – said Jarvis:

- Tony! – called a female voice and Tony turned to see Pepper approaching:

- Honey! – said Tony:

- Did I hear Iron Woman? – asked Pepper:

- You heard correctly Mrs. Stark! – replied Jarvis:

- Thank you Jarvis! – thanked Pepper:

- Honey, I know you won't use it, but have something for your protection! – said Tony:

- I know! - said Pepper - After Afghanistan, the armor is now a part of your life, my life and our children's lives! So I'm willing to give it a chance; you can build me an armor!

Pepper kissed him on the lips and turned to leave, reaching the door, she turned to Tony:

- Call her "Lady"! – said Pepper leaving and going up the stairs:

- You heard Mrs. Stark, Jarvis! – said Tony:

- A subfolder within the Project Iron Woman, Mark I folder; codename Lady! – said Jarvis:

- The War Machine Mark I will be codenamed "Dog Fight"! – said Tony:

- All set, sir! – said Jarvis:

- Let's get to work! – said Tony.

A month went by with Tony working on the Mark IV, based on the Mark III but with more refined and sharp designs and the same color palettes, but darker; adding weapons to the armor; after that with Pepper's armor, he made the curves more feminine in this armor, keeping the same weapons placed in the Mark IV and changing the gold color for silver; with Rhodey's armor he increased the armor in relation to the other armors, made it more voluminous to hold the submachine gun ammunition in the gauntlets and the minigun on the right shoulder and when it was ready, he did the tests, Pepper immensely liked it when he flew for the first time and tried the weapons, by the end of the tests, he had completely changed his mind about using the armor and would use it alongside him whenever he could; Rhodes was also loving the armor, even though it was a little slower than Tony and Pepper's armor, he was satisfied with the weapons and the colors.

War Machine was officially presented to the military and they were completely satisfied with Tony's work; after the damage that Obadiah did while wearing Iron Monger, he made everyone understand that the armor gave a lot of power and left the user disconnected from the fatalities around him and the environment; they could understand Tony's insistence that he and Rhodes use the armors for the time being, of course they already knew that Pepper had her own armor and intended to make use of it; Tony and Rhodes began work by taking down the Ten Rings that still had their weapons and eliminating their control over some cities in Afghanistan and Iraq; Rhodes is the one who does more missions than Tony and Pepper; she was involved in two with them accompanying her; it was at the end of the month that Jarvis presented the research on Ho Yinsen, his entire family in Gulmira was dead, but the daughter from his first marriage was alive, Toni Ho was eleven years old and she moved with her mother to the USA; her mother had died in a car accident and she was being cared for by her mother's friends until her father could pick her up, but that didn't happen; she was living in Richmond, Virginia and that's where he and Pepper went; they got to the address and the house and knocked on the door and waited and then the door opened:

- Yes! – said a man who answered the door:

- Hi! – said Tony – I'm Tony Stark and this is my wife Pepper, is this Christian Carlson?

- Yes! – Christian replied – I know who you are and I know why you are here! Come in!

Tony and Pepper walked in and Christian led them to his living room and a woman came out of the kitchen before they could sit down:

- My wife, Clara! – Christian introduced:

- It's a pleasure, Mrs. Carlson! – Tony said, greeting her, and Pepper came next to greet her, smiling at her:

- The pleasure is all mine, please, sit down! Would you like something to drink and eat? - Clara said. The four of them sat down on the sofa in the living room:

- We're fine, Mrs. Carlson! – Pepper replied – Your husband said he knows why we came!

- Yes, your arrival means that you have found Toni Ho! – said Clara:

- Ho Yinsen said his entire family was dead! – said Tony:

- I can imagine he would say that! – said Christian – But, she is alive and well!

- That's very good! – said Tony:

- I believe her mother left her guardianship to you! – said Pepper:

- Temporary guardianship! – Clara corrected:

- Only the time needed until her father could pick her up, she also left money to pay for expenses regarding her! – explained Christian – But, time is running out and she will be taken to an orphanage.

- Do you want to adopt her? - Pepper asked:

- We want to start our own family. - Clara replied - But she would always be welcome!

- She's a genius. - said Christian:

- Just like Dad. - Tony said:

- Just like her father. - Christian confirmed - Or even more than Yinsen. We can provide an environment for her to develop, but we would like her to have someone like her, a genius, who knows what she goes through and feels, but who also learns to balance herself and be sociable with people, to be communicative, so much so that she is in school and learning the higher material at home with private teachers!

- Do you think you can't maintain this situation? – Pepper asks:

- I think you have the best conditions to provide the best environment for Toni to grow up. - Clara replied:

- You already have two children, Mr. Stark! – Clara replied – We can't put another one on your plate!

- I owe Yinsen a lot! – he said – And helping his family is the least I can do to pay this debt!

- I understand! – said Christian – But, I think Toni should be the one to decide! We can only be happy with whatever choice she makes!

- So, where is she? – asked Pepper:

- Probably listening to us! – Christian replied smiling and at that moment, hurried footsteps coming down the stairs were heard when a beautiful eleven-year-old girl entered; black hair, light blue eyes and seemed to dress like any North American girl and not Afghan:

- Toni Ho! – said Tony:

- Yes! – Toni replied:

- Tony Stark! – Tony said greeting her:

- Pepper Stark! – Pepper said greeting her:

- Did you know my father? – asked Toni:

- Yes! – Tony replied – He saved my life and I owe him!

- Is that why you are here? – asked Toni – Because you knew my father, otherwise you would never have come!

- Yes! – Tony said – You gave me something to think about with what you said and yes, I'm here to meet a part of your father and make you a proposal, since you seem to be quite intelligent!

- What proposal? – asked Toni:

- May I have your guardianship until you can walk on your own two feet; I want to meet you and see what you are capable of! – Tony replied – Or you can stay with the Reed couple while I make sure you develop without problems and even work for me in the future!

- I would like to stay with Christian and Clara, but they are having a baby! – said Toni – And I don't want to get in the way!

- You don't get in the way, my dear! – Clara said, hugging the young woman – Any decision you make is yours to decide, we will support you and either decision is favorable to you, you can spend time with Tony if you choose one or you can spend time with us if you choose another!

- As Clara said, both are favorable to all of us! – said Pepper – We want the best for you Toni, never doubt that and whichever you choose, I guarantee, you will always be welcome!

The conversation and the situation were brought to a judge and lawyers who discussed the options in a room and everyone agreed that there would be nothing better for Toni Ho and she decided to stay with Tony; Tony would have guardianship of her until she reached the age of majority and with that she would move with him to Los Angeles; this decision was based on the fact that days after Tony and Pepper's conversation with the Carlson couple, Christian Carlson found himself at risk of losing his job at work and because of that, the plans to have a baby were put aside; Tony offered them a job, but Christian refused saying that he would not lose his job, Christian thanked him and Tony made it clear that if it came to that, it would only be a phone call and he would have another job without any problems, Christian thanked him and a few days later, Toni Ho was living with them, relating to her children and the Rhodes Family very well, that is a good sign.

The second month since their fight against Iron Monger, Tony and Pepper were unable to go out much, especially to be present for Toni Ho and also with the evaluation visits to ensure that Toni has what is necessary, even if he is Iron Man and the danger that brings, but, Rhodes was still working destroying bases of the Ten Rings and other organizations, this stop allowed Tony and Pepper to spend more time with their children and that was good, but, while the documentation about Toni Ho's guardianship, they slowly returned to attack the terrorists and establish peace in some areas that would be impossible to happen so soon; it was in this month that Tony had to face the reality of Operation Clean Plates, most of the rogue employees, they were arrested, a minority managed to escape; Giuletta Nefaria was one of them, infiltrated with a false name as Obadiah's assistant and unfortunately Maya Hansen, even though Tony had helped; had invested in her work, she still fled after her connection with IMA was revealed; Tony was left with the Extremis research; he had to find someone to help him with the Extremis to get the reactor out of his chest; Jarvis already had a new design that would take up less space and maintain the same power, but, it's still not an ideal design where he had to have the hole in his chest:

- Sir! – said Jarvis – This design will guarantee you more comfort, less space taken up and still maintain the power you have with this model on your chest!

- I know Jarvis, but I wish I had a reactor that doesn't see the need for me to have a hole in my chest! – said Tony – Besides, only I would be able to take it out!

- Sir, you haven't reached that kind of technology yet! - said Jarvis - It will take a lot of research to achieve what you want! In the meantime, we must worry about your poisoning!

- I'm being poisoned by the decay of palladium Jarvis! – said Tony – Since you couldn't find a replacement in the simulations; all that's left is to create an element and I don't know if we have time for that!

- I think we should start as soon as possible, sir! – said Jarvis.

For the rest of the month, Tony worked on several fronts, as Iron Man on missions, as a father to his children and being like a real father, not like Howard Stark was to him, he worked on the combinations of elements to replace the palladium, but there were no results, he worked on the calculations for the new reactor design and mainly he worked with Project Extremis, it would be of vital importance when it came to closing the hole in his chest, but with Maya Hansen still out there, he would have to put that project aside. For now, he would work with what he had; the beginning of September was marked by something that Tony was waiting for to happen; he was in New York for that, his projects for Stark Tower were starting, he was taking care of the land where the tower would be when the news showing Bruce Banner, the Hulk began to appear.

At the end of the Battle of Harlem in New York, authorities were moving to help the injured and those trapped by the rubble. Tony called the Stark Foundation to help with the efforts and tried to gather all the information about what happened; several countries in South and Central America were meeting to investigate the Hulk's appearances on the continent and a leaked footage from Brazil; courtesy of Tony; clearly showing that the Hulk is capable of reasoning and as long as he is not incited or made angry, he does not attack and that was clearly not what happened; clear proof also at Culver University with the few leaked images; it was clear that the Hulk had more of a tendency to run away than to attack; Ross could no longer blame the Hulk to avoid the various lawsuits he was facing, including for not having warned the American government in detail about the Hulk; at the very least, Ross would face a dishonorable retirement; there were still several countries in South and Central America who would sue the American government for what happened.

Tony had arrived at the bar where Ross was; clearly drinking watching his career fall apart; Happy had driven and he would wait, Tony would go in alone; he walked in towards Ross:

- Hmm, the smell of old beer and defeat! – said Tony, approaching and standing next to Ross – I hate to say that I told you general, but I said that the super soldier project was canceled for a reason, as I made very clear when you contacted me; I gave several reasons; I always found machines more reliable!

- Stark! – said Ross:

- General! – said Tony:

- You always wear nice clothes! – said Ross:

- Period! – said Tony – I heard you have an unusual problem!

- Look who's talking! – said Ross:

- Listen carefully! – said Tony – I'm very angry with you; I sold the weapons you used against the Hulk, I've had a lot of problems with Obadiah Stane and now I have problems with you using my weapons against an innocent American!

- There's nothing innocent about him! – said Ross, taking a sip of his whiskey:

- Raging; screaming as much as you want; writhing on the floor telling everyone that Bruce Banner is not innocent or an American citizen, because I know of several opinions that say otherwise, especially since you did everything to keep the Hulk a secret! - said Tony - You left many people dissatisfied and they want blood; not the Hulk's blood as you wanted to deliver, it is no longer possible, but, your blood is available, general!

- Did you come here to tell me what I already know? – asked Ross:

- I had to come and look at you and warn you to leave Hulk alone; it's over for you, your career and your life; forced retirement with dishonor will be the least you'll get! - Tony said and started walking away:

- There are more people involved in the Hulk than you know Stark! – said Ross – I will rise again and that is a promise!

Tony left the bar and got into the car, Happy closed the door and went to the driver's seat:

- Where to, boss? – asked Happy:

- To the apartment! – Tony replied – It's time to go back to California!

The car left, Tony took out his cell phone and put it on speakerphone:

- Is Jarvis there? – Tony asked:

- For you, always! – replied Jarvis:

- Did you get the location of the bar I went into? – Tony asked:

- Yes sir! – replied Jarvis:

- Arrange to buy it! – said Tony:

- It's being done! – said Jarvis:

- Why buy it? – asked Happy:

- I can't sue him, there's nothing to say about how people use my guns! - Tony replied - Then I'll take something from him, his favorite bar!

Happy smiled:

- A nice hit, sir! – said Happy:

- Jarvis! – Tony called:

- Yes sir! – replied Jarvis:

- Use a secure line and connect me with Dr. Elizabeth Ross! – said Tony:

- Providing! – said Jarvis; Tony waited for a few moments:

- "Hello!" – said a female voice:

- Dr. Ross; this is Tony Stark! – said Tony – We are on a secure line!

- "What can I do for you Dr. Stark?" – said Beth Ross:

- I just had a quick chat with your dad! – said Tony:

- "I'm sure it wasn't pleasant!" – said Beth:

- You're absolutely right! – said Tony – I'm calling to offer you a job!

- "I'm flattered, but why?" asked Beth Ross.

- I saw the videos about the Hulk; there are two personalities, him and Dr. Banner, your father shouldn't have messed with that matter and lied to some parts of the government, after the confusion that resulted from that, I'm sure he'll have a forced retirement with dishonor, at the very least! - said Tony:

- "He deserves more for what he did"! – said Beth Ross:

- I'm sure so, but your father has many allies, we should expect the least! – said Tony:

- "You're right"! – Beth said sighing – "But, it wasn't to talk about my father that Dr. Stark called me"!

- No! – Tony agreed – Regardless of whether your father parked you at Culver or not, I'm offering you a job not only to get you out of your father's shadow, but you also have talent and Stark Industries wants to take advantage of those talents!

- "To have your own super soldier formula"! – said Beth:

- No! – Tony replied quite emphatically – The project was terminated for several reasons and I never agreed to resume it and especially not in the way it was done! Dr. Ross, you don't need to answer now, I will send the contract with all the terms to your email securely, you can consult your lawyers for any questions!

- "That's acceptable!" said Beth:

- Have a good day Dr. Ross! – said Tony:

- You too, Dr. Stark! – Beth said. Tony hung up the phone.

Tony wanted to go to California soon to his wife and children, but, he had to wait; wait for Beth Ross's response, after three days, he received a phone call; answering the cell phone:

- Stark! – said Tony:

- "Dr. Stark; this is Beth Ross"! – Beth said:

- What can I do for you, Dr. Ross? – Tony asked:

- "I just wanted to let you know that after consulting with my lawyer, I agree to work for Stark Industries"! – Beth replied:

- That's great! – said Tony – You can sign it digitally and email it to HR and then schedule an appointment with them at the subsidiary in New York!

- "I will forward the contract soon"! – said Beth:

- Welcome to Stark Industries, Dr. Ross! – said Tony – But, out of curiosity, your lawyer is someone you know. Won't he compromise you in relation to your father?

- "Her name is Jennifer Waters and she is Bruce's cousin"! – Beth replied:

- Will she get into trouble? – Tony asked:

- "As long as the government doesn't speak out against my father, he still has power"! – Beth replied – "With so little time, I don't know what he'll do"!

- I'm going to offer you a position in my Legal Department! – said Tony:

- "I'll talk to her!" – said Beth.

It soon proved that Jennifer Waters was in no danger; General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross was court-martialed for what he did, he was suspended from his position and his career would be scrutinized; any power he had known was gone, but there was still the risk of any unknown and hidden power he might have; so Tony ended up hiring Jennifer Waters to the Stark Industries Legal Department as his personal attorney and as the contract states with the freedom to work on other cases as she was doing, Tony knew where she would be called, within a few months if he followed the chronology of events, he would be called to Congress.

For now, Tony kept doing what he had always been doing. The palladium decay poisoning was increasing and his options were running out. Meanwhile, he still wore the Iron Man armor, now expanding to actually help people. Not only did he fight terrorist cells that had their weapons in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, he also helped with natural and man-made disasters, rescued people, among other things. The next two months passed like this, until December arrived and Tony decided not to spend Christmas dying in front of his family, which was the time to open his father's box and get to work. He wouldn't wait for the situation with Vanko to do something about it. He headed to his workshop. He reached the box that Nick Fury had left for him. He placed it on the table and opened it. The first thing he picked up was a rolled-up project. The blue paper had a name that caught his attention among all of them:

- "Ark Reactor – Anton Vanko-Howard Stark"!

Tony opened the project and saw it in its entirety; Tony put it aside:

- Jarvis, research Anton Vanko! – said Tony:

- Right now sir! – said Jarvis:

- I've never heard of him in the reactor project! – said Tony:

- Maybe your father has a reason for this! - Jarvis said. Tony said nothing as he looked at the sketches of his father's incomplete project drawings that he would look at later, he picked up a newspaper clipping; a report about Anton Vanko defecting from the Soviet Union, dated 1963; he picked up rolls of film; at that moment he decided to pick up the old projector, he had already digitized all the films his father had made; that his mother had made, but, he kept the projector in case he had left something out and this is a moment, picking up the old projector, he put the films in, he saw some interesting things, but, others not so much, in the third film he identified as the opening of the 1974 Stark Expo that his father made. Tony was looking at his father's notes as he tried to record several times, with the calculator checking his father's calculations and seeing his research on an energy cube:

- "Tony, what are you doing here?" Howard asked; Tony turned to see his four-year-old self in the footage. "What is this?" "Put it back!" "Put it back where you got it!" Four-year-old Tony put the model back where he had picked it up. "Where's your mommy?" "Maria!"

One of the producers came over and picked up Tony:

- "Take him!" – said Howard and then turning to the camera – "OK, we can do it!"

Tony continued to look at his father's calculations analyzing them all until the movie ended; the notebook was incomplete; Tony took the glass of soda and drank it letting the movie end:

- "Tony"! – Howard called on the video and Tony looked – "You're too young to understand right now, so I'll record it for you"! "I built this for you"!

Howard was pointing to the Stark Expo model:

- "And one day you will realize that it represents much more than people's inventions"! – said Howard and the tape was showing the model in its entirety – "It represents my life's work"! "That is the key to the future"!

The unisphere model was highlighted in the video including the Ark Reactor model; Tony was paying much more attention now:

- "I am limited by the technology of my time, but one day you will find a solution and when you do; you will change the world; what is and always will be; my greatest creation; is you Tony"! – said Howard and the roll of tape ended with Howard with a small smile; Tony stood still for a while, still absorbing his father's words:

- Jarvis! – Tony called:

- Yes sir! – said Jarvis:

- Have the 1974 Stark Expo model sent to my garage, urgently! – said Tony:

- Right now sir! – said Jarvis – The search for Anton Vanko is complete!

- Show me!

A projection appeared in front of him showing several screens containing images of Anton Vanko:

- Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who took refuge in the United States in 1963, later working for his father on the Ark Reactor project, was accused of espionage and theft and deported back to the Soviet Union in 1967; unable to give anything to the Soviets he was sent to Siberia with his son Ivan; Ivan Vanko who is also a physicist was convicted of selling pure Soviet-era plutonium to Pakistan serving fifteen years in Kopeisk Prison and after that there is no record! – said Jarvis:

- Anton raised a son in Siberia for twenty years distilling hatred along with vodka! – said Tony – I will certainly have Ivan Vanko seeking revenge!

- Of course sir! – said Jarvis – I believe security should be notified about Ivan Vanko!

- I agree! - Tony said. Waiting for the model to arrive at his house; Tony began to look more closely at his father's notes and drawings and there were many things that had already become reality and there were other things that seemed to be just drawings and Tony would look at them and see if they would become reality; incredibly there were no drawings and formulas about weapons, there were things about medicine and technology; many that Tony was leaving aside had already been invented; in fact everything that his father had calculated and invented already existed, but what stands out is his research on this energy cube that his father was dedicated to; looking at this study, his father would have caused an energy revolution that would completely change the world if he had completed the research.

The model had arrived and Tony, along with the employees who brought it, had assembled it, removing the glass cover that protected it; Tony leaned towards the unisphere and blew on it, removing the accumulated dust from it:

- Jarvis, could you do a 3D mapping? – asked Tony – I need a manipulable projection!

The sensors scanning the model and assembling a blue projection that could be manipulated:

- Stark Expo 1974 mapping complete, sir! – Jarvis said. Tony took the projection and carried it to the other side:

- How many buildings are there? – asked Tony:

- Do you want me to include the waffle buildings? – asked Jarvis:

- No; it was rhetorical! – Tony replied – Just show me!

Tony snapped his fingers and the projection spun until it stood up, Tony grabbed a chair and sat down, looking more closely at the structure:

- What do you think this is? – asked Tony looking directly at the unisphere – It's not much different from an atom! In that case the nucleus would be here!

Tony placed his index finger on top of the unisphere:

- Mark this! – said Tony – Highlight it!

The unisphere was magnified; Tony was staring at it in deep concentration:

- Clear the paths! – said Tony – Eliminate them! – with a wave of his hand the paths were taken away:

- What are you doing sir? – asked Jarvis:

- I'm discovering; correcting; rediscovering a new element! – Tony replied – Clear the landscapes, the bushes, trees, parking lots, exits, entrances! Structure the protons and neutrons using the pavilions as a framework!

Tony put his hands on his face feeling tired, when he finished he stared at his father's work and then he slapped his hands on his thighs and raised his arms up and the image grew in size and Tony was inside it, spinning in his chair looking around in disbelief:

- He's been dead for almost twenty years and he still takes me to school! - said Tony, clapping his hands and being able to hold the image between his fingers; Tony smiled; a big smile; and all the tiredness had left his body:

- The created element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium! – said Jarvis:

- Thanks dad! – said Tony:

- Unfortunately it is impossible to synthesize! – said Jarvis:

- I know! – said Tony, standing up – Get ready for a makeover; it's time to sweat!

First; Tony secured a month's worth of spa treatment for Pepper and her children; Richard and Laura; because he knew Pepper would make a big fuss over him for what he would do and especially so close to Christmas, he would have to make sure he would rebuild as soon as possible and remodel the kitchen as his wife would certainly demand; after securing all this and his wife and children were still out and that they would catch him still working; Tony began to mark the places where he would break and began to open holes in the wall with sledgehammers and dropped it on the floor when he finally opened the last hole; he took a jackhammer and began to open a hole in the living room floor to access a power box that was below the living room floor and began to install cables in them; he opened another hole in the living room floor towards the garage and threw the connected cables there; Tony had ordered the boxes to be sent with a small particle accelerator and began to install it using anything in the house to keep it aligned and balanced; he wanted to avoid any imbalance so that the house would not explode; all set, Tony placed the prism inside the accelerator and fitted it, put on the goggles and placed a large torque wrench next to the accelerator:

- Dad! – said two voices and saw his children entering the workshop with Pepper:

- Hey! Kids! – Tony said hugging his children; Pepper was looking at him very angrily:

- Tony! What are you doing? – asked Pepper:

- Creating an element! – Tony replied quickly:

- And is it necessary to make holes in the wall and floor of our room? – asked Pepper:

- To install a particle accelerator! – Tony replied, feeling more nervous and grabbing his children in the hope that Pepper wouldn't kill him – When it's finished, I'll install it somewhere else and bring a contractor to fix everything as quickly as possible and also put you and the children in a luxury spa for the time of reconstruction!

- That's really good; Tony, we'll talk more later! – said Pepper:

- Yes, dear! – said Tony:

- Was Dad whipped? – asked Richard:

- Yes! – said Laura – I want to be like mommy!

Tony approached the control table and picked up three more glasses and handed them to his children and Pepper:

- Normally I would send you far away, but I guaranteed complete safety; so do you want to see something incredible? – asked Tony:

- Yes! – Richard and Laura replied; Pepper and her children stood near the remote while Tony inserted the key and turned it on:

- Starting the prismatic accelerator! - Jarvis said and Tony stepped forward to grab the valve to turn the prism and point it at the container of the new element; the accelerator was shaking and the valve was stiff; Tony took the huge wrench and placed it on the valve to use as a lever and start turning the prism - Reaching full power!

Tony is turning the valve, shaking a lot, the lightning was deflected, but, the slow rotation made a cut in the wall that caught fire, a cut in the iron beam like a hot knife in butter:

- Oops! - Tony said as the lightning cut a power box in the workshop; it cut a shelf whose top fell off and was cutting another shelf, but finally it hit the container and it began to fill and shine brightly and then it reached its critical point and Tony turned off the accelerator and the element stabilized in the container:

- Easy peasy! – said Tony, heading towards the container; new triangular design; he took off his glasses and removed the container from its support with pliers; his children approached, amazed by it; his wife was not far away:

- Congratulations sir; you have created an element! – said Jarvis; Tony placed the container in the new reactor and it began to work perfectly – Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core! I will begin performing diagnostics!

All possible diagnoses were performed and then Tony placed the new reactor in his chest. In moments he felt an increase in energy in his body as if each cell had become a micro sun and now his body could function without feeling the pain and discomfort of the hole in his chest. Tony was happy to see that the palladium poisoning had stopped. The new element had practically expelled the palladium from his body as well as having purified it of other toxins. When Tony took this to the doctor, he was happy to see that he would no longer die from poisoning, which he was able to announce to Pepper, Rhodes and Glenda. Of course, he was met with furious reprimands from them, but he was able to see that he would no longer be dying and that the new element, which they did not let him call Badassium, unfortunately remained Starkium. The next week was spent at the spa and Christmas was spent at Rhodes' house and it was a good Christmas. Especially when in December, Operation Clean Plates reached the governments involved in the arms deals with Stark Industries. Obadiah could not have done all this without the government finding out; he could not hide it for long or very well, someone would notice and Obadiah soon proceeded to fill these people's pockets with dirty money.

Everyone would be caught; Tony hoped so, even if he looked at all the connections of those involved as he was doing and leaked them to the press causing arrests and loss of positions, he knew that someone would escape or would have the power to get out of prison, but Tony is sure to keep an eye on these people; the president has already assured that next year would be better and that there would be more transparency in his term; in the meantime; Tony has to wait for when they would breathe down his neck because of the armor; he was prepared and next year would be very busy, but for now he would enjoy time with his family and have a good Christmas.