Ch.6

Tony asked why I didn't save his father and I shook my head. "I didn't know he was working on the super soldier serum for the military again until after his death. Hell, he and I were working on the same thing you've got glowing in your chest before he went for a night out. If I'd have known he'd have had men guarding him at all times in secret."

Tony sighed and I explained how Howard had discovered a new element and with it we worked to make a miniature reactor prototype that was going to kick off an energy race that would make the nuclear reactors of today look like Duracell batteries. I told him of the agreement we had and how we planned to work it with my technology to mass produce them for cars, jets, homes and pretty much everything. Tony asked where it is and I shrugged. "Your father kept the prototype saying he'd put it where only you and he could find it should anything happen to him. Find it and the technology is yours to do with as you please, now shirt off and lay down on the table."

He frowned and I sighed. "I'm going to remove the shrapnel with nano-molecular robots and heal your body. It'd be idiotic to leave a palladium core in there because the discharge is deadly to the human body over time."

He took off his shirt and asked if it were safe. I told him that the nanites were more than fully operational and entire safe. I explained as he laid down that the nanites don't use themselves, but the body's own healing capabilities and microscopic lasers with enhanced chi generators to remove such things and dispose of them through bodily waste as base elements. I told him he'd have a lot of iron in his pee afterwards but he'd be fine.

I removed his arc reactor and looked it over sighing. "It's impressive that you made this in a cave."

I took out the magnet and grimaced. "That however is less impressive."

I took off the metal ring carefully and hit the button on the table as liquid silvery particles scanned and swarmed to his chest, entering it. He said it felt weird and I smiled wryly until the nanites were done and came out of him. I told him he was free to get up and move around now before passing him his shirt. He asked if that was it and I held up a scanner before showing him the monitor.

He saw the before and after scans which included the palladium discharge and found he was clean and fully repaired. He stretched before saying he somehow felt better than he had before the bomb. I shrugged. "The remaining nanites in your body are likely damaged so they'll continue to make repairs on your body until their systems fail and they destroy themselves via chi overload. Basically you'll feel like a million bucks and they'll enter the blood stream before leaving the next time you have to use the bathroom."

I turned and tossed him his arc reactor while he asked about ours. I shrugged. "We've nearly outgrown arc reactor technology. Our needs have made our scientists advance the technology as far as possible and now we're looking into alternative higher forms of clean unlimited energy. We have some older designs I can send to you, but first you should see why I didn't take you under my wing when your father died."

I handed him proof of Obadiah Stane's corruption down to the video of him ordering the hit on Tony. I shook my head. "Your father called Stane a necessary evil and was looking for a better partner because he knew I could never do so while he had military contracts. He knew all about the Ten Rings from the start because we'd met back in the world war when we fought Hydra."

I leaned against a wall and told him. "I could never prove it, but the list of those who knew what your father was working on had to be very short if he could keep something like that from me. Stane is a master at deception and one of the reasons Howard and I always met here. I never trusted him and I couldn't stand him, but when your father died, he made it clear that if I tried to interfere he'd bring me up on corporate espionage and have everything in TR Industries gone through with a fine tooth comb by the military."

I waved a hand casually. "All of this is the tip of the iceberg and he suspected as much. Still, I did what I could from the shadows and had two warriors on you at all times until you came back into the spotlight. After that, I was pretty much waiting until you were less of a hormonal teenage frat boy."

He opened his mouth clearly to argue and k gave him a grunt. "You got a magical nine tailed fox drunk and instagrammed it while doing Jell-O shots off a stripper and that was the week before you were kidnapped."

He deflated almost instantly. "Fair enough."

I waved to him. "Do what you will, but until you find the prototype arc reactor, the rest will have to stay here for now. When you're ready after that we can talk business in my office. For now, you have things to confirm and a whole industry of people you just effectively fired who're looking to you for answers. I'd suggest hiring them to repurpose the weapons manufacturing plants into power plants or something."

All hell broke loose a month later while the Ten Rings warriors secured the Darkhold, the staff of one and hundreds of other alien and mystical artifacts. Tony had built his mark two armor and confronted Stane who made his own armor after stealing the first reactor from Tony's workshop. Tony found the prototype and used it in his armor. Stane's gave out and he fell into the big old arc reactor prototype Howard made long ago.

Stane died, Shield covered it up and Tony came out as Iron man. All the old Stark Industries weapons not owned by the armies and in storage were destroyed and Tony kept everyone on as cleanup and remodeling crews. I was very busy dealing with other issues when Tony announced the next Stark Expo and told me in private that he'd be announcing the joint efforts of Stark and TR Industries global energy race with the new arc reactor technology and whatever I give him.

I agreed slowly saying there was a lot TR Industries could show off. The day of the Stark Expo kickoff, Tony made his entrance and after he got out of his new suit, he and I made the announcement for the energy race that would dwarf the arms race by miles. The designs for the newest arc reactor technology has been gone over by him and he told the world that TR industries would be helping Stark industries in a charity event to install arc reactors into all public owned cars and vehicles while private citizens would have to pay a small fee for the remodeling of their car's engine into pure electric.

He showed them the arc reactor he had and told them that it would soon power their cars for a year apiece and for a grand a year all public cars would be covered for new arc reactors and any problems caused by them, across the globe. He told them we were in the process of making deals with all airlines and boats as well. He then went on to say that TR Industries would take up the challenge as we were looking into alternatives clean unlimited energy sources.

We then challenged the world over before watching Howard's video of the last expo in 1974. Tony told me while the video played that the prototype miniature arc reactor had been hidden in the model alongside the atomic structure of the new element. I told him to hold onto it because it would be a big stepping stone in history for a while to come.

The next day he went before the senate armed service committee and did his big roundabout show because they wanted his suits. I was a bit busy, but he soon dragged me out of my office to Morocco for a big charity racing event where he had a sponsored car in the race. So there I was relaxing with a glass of wine while Justine Hammer did his best to weasel his way into joining our table with some woman from Vanity Fair magazine.

Justine didn't even realize who I was while the magazine woman wanted to do a piece on me. I told her I wasn't interested and Tony told them TR Industries is a privately owned company so we had no reason to do public speeches. Justin Hammer went to sit down and I gave him a cold withering stare that would make even an Asgardian question their life choices. He got back up as he suddenly found it hard to breathe and I asked 'Natalie' Tony's assistant, to sit and enjoy a meal with us.

She sat down when Tony told her by all means and Justin made an excuse saying their table was ready. Pepper said I should be her bill collector and Tony said I could be their PR guy because everyone would be to afraid to ask a question. I gave them droll stares and grunted. "The last thing I need is to answer questions about how many women Tony owes child support to."