LAST TIME
"We have Stane's dead body in custody." Fury added "We didn't get the suit— Stark and his assistant, Potts, were faster. We know that Stane was in bed with the terrorist organization, the Ten Rings. And if his suit had magic, we could be looking at a new generation of weapons, one in which the bad guys have a head start."
Harry felt his heart clench. "Right. It is unlikely that I can get anything without the suit itself, but I'll still check."
"We can get you to the suit," Coulson glanced at Fury. "You can sneak in with me. I'm on recon and press for this incident. And Stark would trust me enough to let me in since I helped his assistant earlier. I've got a way into the room. You can come with me and sneak in to check on the suit. Preferably, both their suits."
"Sounds like a plan."
Ch.22 I Am… Iron Man
24th February 2008
Los Angeles
The roar of the engine and the honks of the cars drifted past him as he leaned back in the seat and picked up the Chronicle. The title on the front page gleamed in bold: WHO IS THE IRON MAN?
Below it was a huge photo of a red and gold figure, lifting a car with one knee planted on the road. The slits in the golden faceplate glowed the same brilliant blue as the circle of light on its chest.
"So, Stark's a superhero now?" Harry asked, glancing at Coulson, who sat next to him in the backseat.
"Officially, it was a robot that Stark had created to be his bodyguard post the Afghanistan incident," Coulson replied. "And Stane— the Iron Monger, was just a robotic prototype that malfunctioned, going haywire and destroying the arc reactor."
"Stark agreed to this bullshit story?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"You wouldn't believe what we can sell with the right words," Coulson said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Stark's assistant agreed on his behalf, along with his best friend and army liaison, Colonel Rhodes. If they stick to the cover story, we'll have this wrapped up quickly. And Stark will be open to us for future endeavors."
"The Avengers Initiative."
"Mind you, Director Fury's still considering it. Tony Stark's a good man. There's no doubt about it. But a hero?"
"I'd say he is," Harry murmured. "He saved lives at the risk of his own during his fight with Stane. He actively minimized the collateral damage and nearly sacrificed himself to take down Stane, who would've unleashed something much worse, according to these." He waved a file, before dropping it back on the seat between them. "Even if it was revenge, he didn't need to protect civilians. Just fight Stane."
Coulson nodded, quietly staring out of the window, a tired look on his face. Harry glanced back at the pages of the Chronicle, staring at the photo of the red-gold suit of armor.
'Gryffindor colors.' The memories of the cozy, warm room of red and gold rose in his mind, tugging at his heart, a sharp pain burning beneath his ribs.
"What do you know about his suit?" Harry asked, tearing himself away from the memories. "If it is not magic, that is."
"If it's just technology, it blows everything we have out of the water," Coulson said. "It's more agile than any fighter jet and has better protection than most armored vehicles. Not to mention, enough weapons to take out an army. Missiles, bullets, you name it. And the most worrying of all? Energy weapons. The last time those were made and used was during the Second World War. By Hydra."
"Wonderful." Harry's eyes drifted back to the photo on the front page. "What is that thing in its chest? It is blue and glowing. I don't suppose it is just for show, is it?"
"Our tech team thinks it's a power source," Coulson pursed his lips. "According to them, a power source to power something of this sophistication and abilities should be enormous. As far as current technology goes, there's nothing remotely that size which could power such a suit, which, as per a conservative guess, would require at least a nuclear reactor to power."
"Right." Harry banged his head lightly against the headrest of the seat. "Because of course, it would."
Coulson's gaze drifted back to the window, staring at the cars driving around them and the buildings of Los Angeles. His eyes flicked to Harry and he shifted, removing a small box, and running his thumb over the latch, his jaw twitching.
He glanced again between the box and Harry before slowly opening it, revealing a slim metal pen.
"Harry," he cleared his throat. "We want you to have this. It's… it's a camera pen equipped with a few special sensors. Director Fury wants you to take pictures of the suits, so our technicians have a better idea of how they work."
"How do they work or how to replicate them?" Harry frowned. "I'm not an idiot, Coulson. I know what SHIELD does."
"We have intel that Stane got this suit shipped in from Afghanistan," Coulson said quietly. "Interrogation and research is still going on but the suit was not Stane's creation. At least, not completely. We intend to get something from Stark or Potts later during a debrief, but till then, we must assume that someone other than Stark has these suits or armor."
Harry looked at the pen and closed his fingers around it. "I make no promises. If I feel that I need to take pictures, I will. But this is someone else's design. In my opinion, you should ask Stark directly. If he's a good guy, he should cooperate enough to give you what's absolutely necessary."
"Clearly you've never met the man." Coulson's lips quivered. "He would not cooperate with us, just for the sake of giving us the finger and pissing people off. He thinks he is above the government."
"He may as well be." Harry snorted.
"That's beside the point," Coulson put the box away and straightened his tie. "Harry, I don't care if you check Stark's suit. I'll leave it to you. But you must check Stane's."
"You want those images."
"Director Fury does," Coulson sighed. "I just want you to check it for magic. Technology, however cutting edge, we'll handle. Magic? We don't even know what's the limit to what you can do. So, I would prefer not to risk it. It doesn't matter if you don't take photos. We'll have someone else do that if necessary. But only you can check it for magic."
"Understood." Harry looked out of the window as the car turned. "I'll meet you back in the car or at the SHIELD office."
"Try not to get caught. And remember, Stark has an AI that monitors his personal facilities. Also, several security guards."
"Coulson, I could sneak into the Triskelion if I wanted to and eat chips on Fury's desk without anyone knowing," Harry smirked. "Believe me, I won't get caught."
24th February 2008
Stark Industries, LA
The harsh afternoon sun beat down on the tall, white-and-gray building, its rays glinting off the bold Stark Industries logo. Tony Stark's driver stood by the glass doors and stepped forward to greet Coulson and the other two S.H.I.E.L.D agents with him, before leading them inside.
Harry slipped in behind the man, invisible under his cloak, strolling past the security guard who was checking Coulson for weapons.
'They're SHIELD agents. They should be carrying guns. But then again, Stark's a VIP.' Harry shook his head and walked into the long marble lobby, keeping an eye on the cameras. 'I have to be careful around these cameras. If I open doors or move something while invisible, the AI might raise the alarm.'
A beautiful woman stepped out of a lift on the other side, wearing a short, black dress and long heels, her strawberry blonde hair tied in a prim knot.
Virginia, daughter of Mary. The wind whispered in his ears.
Harry watched her smile at Coulson, shifting the black folder in her hand, before leading him through a door.
'So that's Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts,' Harry mused as he approached the reception area. The desk was empty, and a board listed various departments within the building. 'If I were Stark, where would I hide giant suits of armor?' He scanned the board. 'Strange. No mention of a storage unit. Guess I'll have to do this the magical way.'
Slipping into an alcove, Harry held out his hand, a tiny yellow spark flickering at his fingertip. Harry recalled the images of the two robotic suits he had seen in the newspaper and fed them into his magic. The spark turned red, casting a faint glow against the white walls.
"Show me," Harry whispered.
The spark moved downward along his palm, settling near the base of his pinky finger. Harry turned, and the spark floated between his ring and middle finger.
'Somewhere in the basement. Now to sneak down there.' He closed his eyes, Ron's face flashing in front of his eyes as warmth seeped into his bones and he spread the power.
The faint echo of names drifted from all over the building above him but nothing came from below. A smirk tugged at Harry's lips. 'This is going to be easier than I expected. There's no one even around the basement. Now I just need to find where it exactly is and apparate there to do the job.'
He let the spark extinguish and sat on the floor, pushing himself against the alcove. He closed his eyes for a moment, drawing upon the energies in the air and grasping onto the familiarness of the astral plane, pulling himself up, holding onto it.
He opened his eyes to find the world tinged in gold, the light above him flickering. Tiny orange veins seeped through his body, but Harry pulled them back, sighing slightly.
"Let's get this over with," he muttered, and floated down the floor, before zooming forward.
Moments later, Harry found himself in front of a large steel vault, its center lit by a glowing blue screen, a touch-keyboard beneath it. Grinning, he passed through the doors in his astral form, drifting past rows of tall missiles.
"Blimey," Harry whispered, his eyes locking on a massive robotic hand. "That's a big suit."
He floated back, taking in the full sight of the armor, his gaze settling on a gaping hole in its chest. 'The power source is missing. Should make things easier.'
Releasing his hold on the astral plane, Harry shot back into his body. His eyes snapped open as he stood before he twisted. With a crack, he appeared in the vault, the suit's shadow looming over his invisible body.
Harry ran his fingers over the cold metal, before stepping back. Crossing his arms he pulled them apart, feeling the rings on his amulet spin.
'Time to see if there's any magic.'
The world turned a dull gray and Harry glanced around, seeing only the faintest blue lines stretching over the walls of the vault, connecting to the door. Harry let go of the spell with a roll of his eyes.
"Just electricity," he murmured. "So, it's technology."
He put his hand in his pocket, removing the pen Coulson had given him. Harry stared at it before shoving it back into his pocket.
He looked around for one last time before wrenching the world past him and apparating outside the building. The roar of an engine drew his attention as an Audi screeched to a halt in front of the gates and Stark stepped out, with a dark-skinned man.
James, Son of Rupert.
Stark and his companion sauntered in and Harry raised an eyebrow, quietly following them, still invisible, through the door where Coulson and Stark's assistant had gone.
"Mr. Stark, Colonel Rhodes," Coulson stood from a white couch, buttoning his suit back.
"Agent," Stark grinned, sauntering over to his assistant, and Harry got a first close look at him.
Faint bruises littered the billionaire's face, a prominent red cut across his nose. He winced slightly as he moved his left arm, keeping it still as possible as he sat down.
"Colonel, you will go first," Coulson said, handing Rhodes a sheet of paper. "We've got the whole story prepped."
"Don't you think the story's going to sound kinda flimsy? A robotic bodyguard and a malfunctioning prototype? I mean, I don't make things that malfunction."
"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark." Coulson gave him a thin smile. "SHIELD's got it all covered. You'll be giving the same story in your speech, where you will address the reporters but not take any questions."
"The last time I did that, I set the nation on fire," Stark gave a crooked smile. "Some thought it wasn't in a really good way but—"
"You mean when you shut down the weapons division and the stock dropped fifty-six points?" Pepper raised an eyebrow. "The board's still mad about that."
"It was a new direction. A better one." He shrugged, picking up a newspaper. "They're calling me a superhero? Really?"
Pepper walked over to him, with a makeup box, before beginning to conceal his bruises. "Let's get you ready for them, shall we?"
"You better hurry up, Miss Potts," Coulson looked at his watch. "Colonel, you're up in a minute"
Rhodes nodded, his shoulders tensing as he read through the speech, straightening his tie. "Wish me luck, fellas."
Stark gave him a glance and Rhodes turned, leaving the room through a side door, and Harry caught a faint flash outside as the door swung close.
'The press is here.'
"Jarvis, buddy? Put on the TV."
The television behind Stark switched on the channel, which showed Rhodes walking up to the podium outside and clearing his throat.
'Who the hell's Jarvis?' Harry glanced around but saw no one apart from Coulson and Potts in the room.
"Iron Man. That's kinda catchy," Stark remarked, wincing slightly as Pepper pulled off a small band-aid. "It's got a nice ring to it. I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy but it's kinda evocative imagery, anyway."
Coulson pulled a set of blue cards and walked up to him, thrusting the cards in front of his face. "Here's your alibi. You were on your yacht. We've port papers that put you in Avalon all night and sworn statements from fifty of your guests."
"See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me… alone on the island." Stark smiled at his assistant.
"That's what happened. Just read it word for word."
Stark flipped through the small cards in his hand, frowning slightly. "There's nothing about Stane here."
"That's being handled," Coulson said. "He's on vacation. Small aircrafts have such poor safety records. Just stick to the cards and this will all be behind us. You have about… ninety seconds."
Stark nodded, giving his assistant another glance before standing up.
"Oh, Agent Coulson," Pepper turned to him. "I just wanted to say, thank you very much for all your help."
Coulson gave her a genuine smile. "That's what we do. You'll be hearing from us."
"From the Strategic Homeland—"
"Just call us SHIELD." He turned and left the room, Harry hurrying behind him, leaving Stark and his assistant alone.
"There's no magic in the suit," Harry appeared behind Coulson as he stepped outside, startling him slightly. "But the power source was missing. Still, nothing in that vault was magical."
"Excellent. Let's see Stark in the press conference. Hopefully, he won't pull the trigger on the whole thing and stick to the story."
"You expect him to change it? Put his own narration?"
"More like tell the truth," Coulson pushed open a wide glass door and entered a room with several reporters.
Rhodes stood on a podium in the center, speaking. "—And now, Mr. Stark has prepared a statement." Whispers spread over the room. "He will not be taking any questions, thank you."
He stepped to the side and Stark swept up, smiling at the media. "Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I will stick to the cards this time."
A ripple of laughter echoed through the room as Stark brought out the small placards he had been given.
"He's following so far," Harry mumbled.
"There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop, so—"
"I am sorry, Mr. Stark," A blonde reporter thrust her hand up. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, even though you typically—"
"I know that it is confusing," Stark said quickly. "It is one thing to question the official story and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I am a superhero."
"I never said you were a superhero."
Coulson winced next to Harry, grimacing as Stark stuttered slightly. "Didn't… well, good, because that did be outlandish and uh… fantastic."
"Oh, dear," Harry sighed.
"I— I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public—"
Rhodes leaned toward him and whispered something in Stark's ear. The man gave a slight nod and took a deep breath, a glint hoovering in his eyes.
Harry knew what was going to happen before he said it.
"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
24th February 2008
Triskelion, Washington DC
"Sir?" Hill knocked on the door and strode in, a file in her hands. "Stark's Malibu Mansion's recon is up. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Tony Stark will not listen if it is anyone else other than me." Fury spun around in his chair. "He knows who I am and respects me enough to hear me out. Plus, he is a guy who only deals with men at the top. Even now, he'll only listen to Coulson with a half-ear. Me? I will have his attention once I get in his face."
"But are you sure he'll agree to it?"
"We just need to put the idea in his head. We don't need him to agree," Fury said. "Because when the threat comes, he sure as hell will be the one standing on the front lines, now that he has the means to do so. Look at what he did in Afghanistan."
"You're playing a dangerous game here, sir. If the Security Council—"
"They can go fuck themselves because I know that we'll be sitting ducks if some alien truly decides to attack Earth." Fury scowled. "I have seen the Skrulls and the Kree in action. The Skrulls were a species without a home and resources, who caused enough problems. And the Kree? They nearly annihilated Earth on a whim. Had it not been for Danvers, we wouldn't exist."
Hill refrained from reacting and took a deep breath, shifting slightly on her feet.
"The initiative aside, sir, why did we involve Potter in the Stark situation? We knew that it was the Arc reactor energy that powered the suits. And Obidiah Stane had nothing to do with magic. Neither did the ten rings."
Fury leaned against his chair, propping a leg on the other. "Because it was necessary."
"Necessary to send him on a completely useless task where he wasn't even needed and didn't even interact with Stark?" Her forehead creased. "Surely we could've put him to something better."
"Beyond what he's told us himself, Potter's a complete mystery, Hill. Yes, he has been somewhat forthcoming and unlike Stark, didn't actively avoid us. He is clearly the hero material we were looking for with what he did to save the Belyakov girl."
"But?"
"But I am worried, he's not the one to follow orders or rules." Fury scowled. "He went out of his way to keep the girl and her mother out of SHIELD's hands. Neither did he say much about who those other two mystery people were beyond vague answers and reassurances that the Sorcerers had them under observation."
"Inhumans. A name which he didn't seem to like very much." Hill scrunched her nose. "He definitely keeps things close to his chest at times. Things he doesn't want us to know."
"Coulson said as much. But according to him, Potter isn't tricking us. He's being cautious."
"Cautious of what?" She raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"The knowledge he has could turn our fucking world upside down. The world's not ready for monsters and gods yet. The Security Council will have a motherfucking aneurysm if I tell them what Potter has told us."
"Even if that is right, sir, he's still keeping secrets. Secrets that can threaten the world. SHIELD is the global task force to keep the world safe. Someone needs to tell him that."
"Oh, he knows." Fury waved her off. "I suspect that's why he's even playing ball."
"So, that's it? We're the biggest security organization in the world, Nick. We're giving too much power to one man. I feel you are relying way too much on the Avengers initiative."
Fury's eye twitched and he glared at Hill who met it with her own.
"The Avengers are to be formed with the idea to deal with threats that we never could, Maria." He scowled. "And when it comes to dealing with threats, Potter has shown that he can do a lot more than we can even imagine. He took out our whole task force like this!" Fury snapped his fingers.
"They were bewitched."
"Even bewitched, he put them all to sleep faster than Agent May could blink. You know how good she is." Fury took a deep breath. "And he snuck into one of the most secure vaults without triggering a single alarm. There are only two whom I could bet on doing it. Widow and Hawkeye. And they were both recruited from elsewhere, trained by someone else. Admit it or not, we are out of our depth, even when it comes to what we have."
Hill pursed her lips and nodded slightly, taking a seat from across Fury.
"So, what was the point in putting him up to the Stark mission? Beyond the ease of how he did it, anyway."
Fury leaned forward, a glint hoovering in his eye. "I have multiple reasons, Hill. One of them is that he'll be meeting or at least observing Tony Stark. Or as the world's calling him, Iron Man. A fellow Avenger."
"So you are pushing the Avengers initiative already. I thought it was going to be to combat threats that we couldn't."
"They can be more than Avengers, Hill. They represent two broad ends of the spectrum," Fury said. "Magic and technology. One isn't accessible by normal people and the other is limited as of now when compared to the Universe. But if you put them together… the world could change. Stark's technology with Potter's magic? They could arm Earth."
Hill gave him a skeptical look and Fury smiled in response, steepling his fingers.
"What are the other reasons?"
The glint in Fury's eye vanished and he took a deep breath. "We needed to gauge Potter better and get a measure of his powers and how he uses them."
"You want to know how to contain him or put him down." Hill's face turned blank. "Do you think it'll be necessary?"
"Hopefully not," Fury said. "But if there's something I've learned is that it never hurts to be prepared. Stark we might deal with. His suit is just another weapon. But magic? We're out of our depth there. We don't even know the extent of what he can truly do. And we have no way to fight magic if one of his enemies spills upon our world and he and his people cannot get there in time."
"So, you want a way to nullify him or anything magical if they become a threat?"
"It'll be a last resort." Fury grimaced. "But the thing is, it is not only for him. If he has told us one thing it is that there are more like him. Horrors beyond what we can imagine. And a countermeasure is a countermeasure regardless of why it is made. If there are people and things who can turn reality upside down, we need to know how to put it back up. And prevent it from happening again. Even if it is against one of our own."
AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter!
So, yes. We are through Iron Man 1 now. The post-credit scene aside, we're now at the end of the first phase of the Marvel Arc, which started in chapter twelve. Phase one will last a chapter or two more and then, we'll enter the second phase: The Avengers (not to be confused with the movie but it will end exactly where the movie did).
Following that, we will be into the third arc, The Age of Heroes, which will be a LOT of fun, alongside the sub-arcs. In the coming chapters, we will see more of the Avengers, even though I have a small… situation planned in between. ;)
Also, yes, SHIELD is… regrettably, still SHIELD and Fury's a paranoid motherfucker, but a useful one. It is who he is, and I love him for it.
If you want to know what all happens next, the NEXT FOUR CHAPTERS are up on Pat-reon, where I have entered the plot of Iron Man 2 already. So, if you want to (and can), please support me as an author. If you become a patron, you'll receive extra chapters, short-pieces, lore compendiums, and even side-stories. Also, it'll mean a lot to me if you do choose to subscribe.
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HowlnMadHowie: The Ten Rings have gone by many names in the past, both the relic and the organization. But he might make that connection.
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Thank you for all your reviews! I cannot answer many without giving things away, so I will stay silent for the time being.
A huge thanks to Nanu and ShadowCheck for betaing the chapter!
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