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Chapter 69
Technomancer in MCU
In the StarkJet
–Tony Stark–
For once, he was not being summoned before a government panel for his own mistake. But the situation this time was not any less serious than usual. In fact, the stress had reached such a high level that he didn't even think of joking about everyone boarding the aptly named “StarkJet”. It was a marvel that he and Bruce had built together with the only condition from Bruce being the continued existence of only a single such a plane existing at any given moment. It was a little weird to him at first, as he was used to making spares for every possible thing but after thinking about things from Bruce’s perspective, he realised that the Jet, while, only being used as a safe transportation vehicle for him and Pepper, the safety aspect of the Jet came not just from the advanced alloys that it was made from but also from the ridiculous amount of weaponry they had built into the Jet, along with the prototype versions of the portable energy shields they had seen in 2012.
It grated on him that they were still unable to replicate Ed’s technology but that was not the main agenda for the day. As he had predicted, the dreaded call did arrive. The President’s office had called for him and whoever it was on the line, they didn't even bother being subtle about bringing Bruce along with him. He scoffed internally at that as if his Hulkbuster armour was not capable of causing as much if not much greater destruction than Bruce’s green alter ego but he kept his mouth shut since he did not want to get another glare from Pepper. As a consequence of that call, they were on a jet to LA, where they had to pick up a few things before turning back around towards the UN building. Honestly, he could have built all the parts necessary for Pepper’s suit in the Tower itself but he was not sure being the first ones at the meeting would be a good thing, especially since Ed and the others were not seen anywhere near the UN headquarters. He had a hunch that Bruce understood it as well since he was the one who was the most anxious about the meeting and not Pepper.
Pepper on the other hand was preparing her notes and was constantly on the call with Stark International’s lawyers regarding the countermeasures they had in place for anything the government or the UN or even Ed could pull that could jeopardize the company and their intellectual property since he was pretty sure that if push comes to shove, intellectual property rights would be the last thing on any country’s minds and the things they had in the Tower would probably bring about the doom of mankind as they knew it. They had not yet developed the anti-nuke shield Bruce was working on and he was so close too. If only this had happened a few years down the line, the threat of mutual destruction would have been meaningless and they would have been able to negotiate on anything with a much higher ground,
Alas, Reality often disappoints.
So, here they were, parking on the rooftop of a nearby hotel building, the Secret Service along with armed guards from the Army waiting for them to be escorted right to the suite the president was staying in. He smiled at Pepper as he felt her squeezing his hand reassuringly and he hoped that the escape pod/suit he had built for Bruce that he was carrying right now gave him some amount of reassurance since the situation was going to be extra stressful for everyone, let alone him.
As the Jet landed silently, the ramp shimmered into existence, courtesy of hard light technology, and amids gasps, he disembarked from the Jet with Pepper and Bruce right behind him.
He helped Pepper on the last step as she flashed him a brilliant business-ready smile, all ready for the meeting ahead. That’s what he liked about her. As they all got off it, the ramp disappeared and he could feel the people behind him startling due to that simple action. Rolling his eyes, he said, “Jarvis, you there buddy?”
“For you? Always, sir,” Jarvis replied. He smiled and turned around, “Keep these people off my lawn, will you? While smirking at the visibly disappointed tech people they had scanning his personal property. Jarvis, the troll that he was, replied, “Lawns will be kept child-free for you, sir.” and as if in response, an ethereal hard light shield was projected around the Jet which began floating in place, almost making the entire situation looking like a toy showcase, except the armed guards and the helicopters patrolling the skies. The sound of electronics being fried, especially the ones that were being used against him, was always a welcome tune for his ears.
“Mr.Stark, Ms.Potts, and Dr.Banner, this way, please. The President is waiting for you and while I know that it would be a fool’s errand to ask you of all people to go through a security check, I have to at least inform you that bringing unauthorised weaponry anywhere near the President is a straightforward Treason sentence and I don't wish for that to happen to any of you. “ The lead suit said to him and after he only smirked as a reply, the suit continued, “ Now that we have the pesky formalities out of the way, this way please,” he said while gesturing for us to follow him.
On the way, as Bruce was fidgeting with his collar for the hundredth time, he finally had enough and subtly pressed a button, creating a sound nullifying field around him that was large enough to cover him and Bruce, “Look, Bruce, you have to stop worrying so much. You know that you have this in the bag. All that training and meditation has made you a much more stable person, a person who always remains in control and as we have discussed with the Hulk before, as soon as he comes out, what will he do?”
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The sound that came out of Bruce’s mouth was a deep hoarse voice, “Push the big PINK button and run away?” The tone of the answer was almost innocent as if someone was asking a question about something they were unsure about. He grinned, “That’s right, Big Green! Now why don't you let Bruce come back so we can get this day over with and we can have another sparring match with the big gloves?”
The voice giggled and replied, “Yes!” and the green around Bruce’s neck receded, leaving behind the mind of the man with multiple doctorates,
“I always hate it when he does that without warning.”
He tapped Bruce’s shoulders and said, “Don't worry, the Big guy and I have an understanding. Just leave this meeting to me and Pepper. We'll make sure that you don't have to do a single thing. Just trust me, alright?”
“You guys alright there?” He heard Pepper ask him.
Once Bruce nodded, he waved at them and deactivated the sound-nullifying field, and jogged a little to catch up with them.
Soon, they reached the President's suite where they once again had to go through the customary security checkup and then they finally entered the suit, coming face to face with just the President.
He looked around, searching for someone from the Joint Chiefs of Staff or somebody from the defense department but no, it was just the President who was honestly, not in the best shape as he was nursing a drink while leaning on the desk in the office of the suite.
He seemed to be lost in deep thought when he sensed us coming and after then, he gestured for us to be seated on the sofa in front of him. Nodding at the man while Pepper made a face at the smell of alcohol wafting off the President, the person who was going to literally decide the stance of the strongest nation in the world, he said, “You don't seem to be in the best shape and I do mean that mentally as well as physically, Mr.President,” and for once, his words contained none of the laid back nature they always held while speaking to a person holding a high position of authority. It seemed as if he had aged a decade in the mere hours it had been since the first reports of the fall S.H.I.E.L.D. began spreading like wildfire. Of course, they knew about it and were in fact, warned by Steve himself to not interfere since he wanted at least someone from the Avengers to be able to remain in the light and not have to go underground out of fear of retaliation from the law.
The President, after hearing his question, chuckled, “Never Change, Tony. Never Change. And you would be correct in your assumption, after all, I just lost any chance of being reelected. Those dreams went up in smoke the same way those carriers went up in smoke. Now, all that I want to do is make sure that the last thing I do doesn't end up disgracing my country and my family. So, here we are, face to face, with no pesky Secretaries or Chief of Staff to stop you from telling me your crazy ideas. I’m all ears, Stark. Tell me, what do we need to do?”
His smile faltered as he exchanged nervous glances with Pepper and Bruce who both seemed equally confused regarding the situation as he was. This was not what he was expecting. He was expecting threats, coercion, and failing that, emotional blackmail but total defeat? That was new. But, he was Tony Stark and let it never be said that he was anything but adaptable, so he cleared his throat and said, “Well, Mr. President, the issues seem to stem from the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its infiltration by H.Y.D.R.A. and since all the people in the know are aware about Secretary Pierce's role in the infiltration and his proximity to you, we can safely assume that Ed has called forth this meeting to make sure that the truth is not buried. And while we have tried to make contact, we are not yet certain about Ed’s intentions, and with S.H.I.E.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A. truly gone this time, we have no way of initiating proper communication with them. So, I suggest we wait for their announcement because honestly, the balls are in their court now.”
“Alright. What are our counterattack options because while I'm sure the Pentagon has a team running through every option we have, you must have a better idea about our chances against them.”
The only answer the President received was his grimace.
“Huh, so it's that bad?” he said while drinking, his eyes never breaking contact with his. After a while, he shrugged and said, “Alright, I’ll trust you on this, Stark, only because you don't have anything to gain from this situation and quite frankly, I am sick of the games that this Ed person is playing anyway.” Then he turned towards a clearly nervous Bruce and extended his hand for a handshake.
As Bruce hesitantly gripped it, “Dr.Banner, you have my word that you'll have a full military pardon along with proof that all of the government's research on the Hulks is safely destroyed. With that said, I hope you'll make the right choice if you are unfortunately put on the spot between your country and its enemies. May God Bless America,” Here he looked at all of us and said, "I'll see you guys at the assembly.”
“Well, that went well,” he quipped to break the uncomfortable silence that engulfed the room after the President's exit.
All he received in return were deadpan and incredulous stares from Pepper and Bruce, respectively.
Sheesh, Talk about a tough crowd, he thought while internally, his mind was going through scenario after scenario, trying to find a situation where they managed to keep the outcome of the assembly peaceful. He was sure the same thing was running through Bruce’s mind as well.
At this point, the best thing he could hope to accomplish was securing a meeting with Ed before the assembly to ask him what the hell he was doing.
Speaking of the devil, his phone buzzed and he looked in his watch to silence the damn thing when he read the message that had arrived for him. It read, “Get ready for Phase I, Tony.”
Yeah, that was not ominous at all.
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Word Count - 2153
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