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Marvel: President Stark 14 - Political Pressure, International Guardian & Tony's Offer
🕑 Added 2024-09-15 18:25:04 +0000 UTC[Can this be called an assassination attempt? Government agencies have claimed it to be a terrorist attack. But it’s well known that Tony Stark does not sell weapons anymore. Tony Stark has no business involved in the Middle East. Could this be an attempt to silence Tony Stark before he can reach the Oval Office? In broad daylight, rockets flew in the sky of Manhattan. This is beyond mere 'attempt'. The FBI has given the statement that they have collected the video footage and are in the process of analyzing it… Only time will tell if something comes out of this investigation—With Christine Everheart, WHiH World News.]
"It was not a terrorist attack, Stark."
Tony chuckled and looked at the bald man with the eyepatch sitting at the bar beside him in Stark Tower. It had only been a few hours since the whole attack. "I know."
"You're not worried about your safety?" Fury asked. "You're an asset to this nation. I can grant you protection agents."
"Yeah, sure, make sure they’re all supermodels—and, oh, toss in Natalie Rushman in while you're at it," Tony quipped with a grin.
"Don’t even bother, Fury. I know you’re just buttering me up to milk more favors for your little Shield thing."
"I do what I do to keep this world spinning, Stark. You remember New Mexico. You saw firsthand what’s lurking beyond the stars. That’s my reality. I’m not fighting countries or corporations, I’m fighting the unknown—the things you don’t even know to be afraid of yet."
"Like that little alien ship just hanging out in orbit?" Tony quipped, pulling an ID card from his pocket. "And here I was thinking you were born with a bald spot, Fury."
Fury frowned as he received the card. A man of his status didn't forget things easily. He quickly remembered the last time he held that badge, and when was the last time he lost it. He looked at Tony in doubt. "What did you do to the ship?"
"No, no, I ask the questions here. What else is out there that I don't know? I found something about a Kree Empire on that ship. An empire? Space aliens with empires? Really? Were you planning on filling me in after I got elected president? Or were you saving that for my acceptance speech?"
"No, even the President doesn't know about it."
"..."
Tony was at a loss for words.
"Alright, you keep your secrets and I'll keep mine."
"Only those with high clearance can access it. I'm not inviting you to the Avengers Initiative anymore since having the President in it will cause trouble. I'm inviting you as an advisor to the SHIELD and the Avengers Initiative." Fury suggested and took out an identity card from his leather coat's pocket. "This much should be enough to know what you want."
Tony looked at the number. "Eight point five?"
"Above Coulson but below Hill."
Tony folded his arms and thought about it. He already had a lot of workload so accepting the role of advisor to SHIELD would only double the work. But, he was also tired of being blindsided by all the secrets about aliens and whatnot.
If Shield was created by Dad and his buddies, they should have information spanning decades.
"Do I get a salary?"
Fury chuckled and drank the whole glass of whiskey he had made for himself. "No, you're the one who pays, Mr. President-to-be."
"Ah, already the budget increase demands." Tony sighed and accepted the identity card.
Beep! Beep!
All of a sudden, Fury's phone vibrated and rang an alarm. The eyepatched director looked at it and jumped to his feet. "Sleeping beauty is up, Stark. I'll take my leave."
"The Cap-sicle? Call me when he's ready to chat. I can show him around the twenty-first century," Tony offered magnanimously.
Fury scoffed and walked away. "And let you corrupt the American Hero? Not happening, Stark."
Tony sighed and smirked. "Jarvis, show me what's going on in that building."
"Deploying Iron Guardian, Sir."
After that, Tony watched the events unfold on a screen while drinking some more. As he had expected, SHIELD's plan to fool the old man backfired and Captain America ran out of the building, running into the streets.
Wait, who changed his clothes? He wondered.
Soon enough, he saw Fury arrive and take Captain America away. Surprisingly, the old man from the 40s didn't refuse Fury's command.
"Tony!"
He looked behind swiftly, finding Pepper rushing in, tapping her heels on the floor. Her eyes were full of worry, and she hugged the life out of him as soon as he was in arm's reach.
Tony sighed and hugged her back, though his mind was certainly not devoid of dirt. He felt her thin waist while responding to her muffled questions.
"Are you hurt? I took the flight as soon as I saw the news,” Pepper mumbled.
"I'm good," Tony replied, and his hands slid down a little, fingers spread on each of her tight asscheeks in that smooth pencil skirt. Wondering when was the last time he did it with her, the idea felt very pleasing. "Pepper, I need something."
"Right now?" Pepper flinched and stepped back from his embrace.
Tony smirked. "What do you think I want?"
"What every man wants…?"
"If every man wants to buy more media companies, then yes."
"Oh." Pepper reacted, almost seeming dejected. "You've already invested billions into it, Tony. More will be overdoing it."
"Not enough. Chairpersons from both parties hit me up under the banner of ‘concern.' They're getting twitchy, and want an answer quick. I’m either with them or against them. No Switzerland this time." Tony replied and put his phone in front of Pepper. "Editors on my payroll in these media corps sent me drafted articles. They’re all meant to attack me from all sides."
Pepper carefully read them. "You don't want to join them?"
"More like I can't. I mean, if I’m one of them, then I can’t call myself an outsider, can I? Plus, let’s be honest—aligning with one side is practically a surefire way to tick off the other half. I’m not exactly looking to be the President of half the country. Winning over the Senators and Representatives—that’s tomorrow’s problem. For now, I just need to make sure they don’t torch my political career before it’s even out of the gate."
Groaning with frustration, Pepper went around the bar to make herself a drink too. "I still don't know why you chose to run for President."
"Me neither,” he replied.
"Maybe we should go international with your campaign. A lot of Americans with a critical eye know the local media can be pretty one-sided. Some people are more receptive to outside perspectives, so let’s leverage that." Pepper suggested. "Let's try to imprint your name on everyone's brain."
"Already doing it. Look at the news."
"What did you do now?" Pepper scrambled to find the nearby TV's remote.
Tony shrugged. "Good stuff."
####
Tony's presence did leave a positive impact on the world. A week had passed since the Earthquake and the Tsunami in Japan. The amount of work the Iron Guardians had done to save people, and then help normalize the situation, clean up, and food distribution was enough to stay in the news continuously around the globe.
The live stream of the Iron Guardians reached a staggering three million live viewers at its peak. At that point, no matter who you were in the world, you knew of the existence of the Iron Guardians, and what they were doing.
Surprisingly, as the mission of the Iron Guardians came to an end in Japan, the government of Japan chose to reward Tony with an award that made headlines the world over. The Order of the Chrysanthemum was Japan's highest order. The curious question was why it was being awarded to Tony since it was usually bestowed upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, foreign royalty who were not reigning monarchs, non-royal Heads of State, and distinguished Japanese Prime Ministers—None of which Tony was.
But who was he to refuse? He reckoned it was because of the scale at which his Iron Guardians helped the country that he was being awarded that. Heck, saving that Nuclear Reactor alone probably saved Japan a headache worth tens of billions of dollars.
However, that was merely the start of the Iron Guardians' global presence.
####
As the summer approached, Tony busied himself with his work. He did what he was good at—build stuff. He postponed all meetings and plans to work on upgrading his personal suit, and further automate the creation of Iron Guardians. Since Stark Tower was close to finishing now, he felt the need to rush.
However, the biggest project he focused on was one of his promises to the people of America. It was time to prove that he was a man of his word and not some spineless politician; that his promises meant something.
It was June of 2011.
It was hard to get the city of New York to cooperate with his project. Tony had to fight a lot of lobbyist groups who tried to stop him. But, in time he was able to reach the power lines that ran under the city and create a distribution center right under Stark Tower.
Then, with almost twenty Arc Reactors, Tony went ahead and plugged everything up. But it wasn't that easy to just turn the switch and change the source of energy. Behind the scenes, the entire Stark Industries and New York government was involved.
Hospitals had to be notified. Warehouses, factories, and any place that depended on continuous electricity had to be notified. Then, as the final date arrived, the New York Governor and Tony Stark met at Stark Tower's largest hall in the lower section.
A lot of guests were invited, and a big deal was made out of it. Politicians, celebrities, and anyone with a voice were shoved into the hall. The only thing Tony wanted was to create buzz.
"Last year I proposed the idea of cheap, clean energy." Tony stood at the podium alone. He didn't allow any other politician to come even close, or even in the view of the camera. At best, Pepper was allowed because she was the CEO and also hot. "I do what I say, and this is my reply to all those who doubted. Let me remind this to not just all my fellow Americans, but also the world—It's the twenty-first century—We have the technology to feed every single soul in the world. We have the technology to generate infinite electricity—We have the technology to desalinate ocean water into drinking water at a high capacity. So, what’s the hold-up? It’s not the technology—it’s the political will that’s missing. And guess what? I’m here to change that."
Click! Click!
Suddenly, the entire hall turned dark with only the exit lights remaining lit up.
"Welcome to the real twenty-first century!" Tony's voice reverberated, his live stream heating up. "Welcome to the era of cheap energy! Worried about bills? Get ready to cut them by ninety percent."
Thud!
As if some big switch was turned on, the sound reverberated, and with that, the lights came back up again. This time, the transition happened not just for the hall but for the entire New York City—Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.
Of course, Tony knew about the dangers. Arc Reactors in the wrong hands could cause destruction. But he had already rendered them impossible to be turned into bombs. On top of that, he didn't place the most powerful Arc Reactors in there. Or else, just one of his new Arc Reactors would have been enough to power the entire city.
Good thing I made Iron Guardians before this.
He really didn't want to train people in repairing and dealing with the reactors. Using Iron Guardians in that case was a blessing in disguise.
"For the coming decade and the one beyond, consider this city's energy needs secured," Tony announced and slowly turned the speech into his short, political plug. "Today this city, tomorrow the entire country. But, I'm one man, and I can't do this alone. I will need the support of the entire Federal Government, but that's impossible unless I sit at the top. Today, I am making the announcement…"
I hope I'm not wrong about this.
"That I will be running for President in the coming election as an independent!"
Tony dropped a major bomb.
"I have a lot of endorsements from folks already at the top, such as my good friend Governor here." Tony waved at the bald man. The Governor had no option but to stand behind Tony at that point. "For the future, Vote Stark!"
With the usual victory sign that made him cringe a little, he waited for the cameras to flash at his face before finally ending the speech.
Let's see how they react now.
####
"Hah!" Tony relaxed in his top-floor house, reading the reactions on the internet. It gave him a healthy dose of ego-boosting, and it was no worse than any hard drug to him. "That's right, I'm your tech god, bow to me."
"Jarvis, how's the backup running?"
"Efficiently, Sir."
"Good." Tony merrily relaxed on the couch, his suit discarded, tie thrown away, just in his white shirt and black pants. "Wake me up in an hour."
"You have guests, Sir."
"Ugh!" Tony grumbled, peeking at the phone screen without asking. He flashed a charming smile at the guests, "You know, it's really bad manners to keep the beauties waiting. Jarvis, let them in."
Soon enough the elevator stopped at his apartment and two figures walked into his gigantic living area. One with white hair, dark skin, and a leather jacket, another with blonde hair, black jeans, and a brown leather jacket, passing a smile.
Never getting bored of this view. Tony gave Ororo a good look before looking at the other figure whom he had known very intimately. My alien girl.
"Ororo, Raven." He waved at them. "Take a seat. I'm too tired to stand up."
Raven led the charge and took a seat near Tony. She changed her face and skin back to her natural form even, the familiar red hair and blue skin with yellow eyes. She liked the look of fascination and heightened lust in Tony's eye whenever she appeared in her original form.
"We've come to fetch you, Tony," Raven said.
Tony chuckled. "Alright, doggy style is one thing, but I'm no dog."
"No, we're here to take you to meet with Magneto. Isn't that what you wanted?" Ororo interjected, ruining the vibe. She was too serious.
"Magnet guy?" Tony muttered with a frown.
"Charles had a meeting with him some time ago. Magneto has agreed to listen to you first before making a decision." Raven shifted a little closer to Tony on the couch, taking his hand in hers with a firm grip. "He’s not without reason, Tony. If you can persuade him to join us, he could become an invaluable ally."
"That’s if he doesn't squish me like a can of coke," Tony muttered.
"He won't," Ororo said with a hint of certainty. "He’s driven by ambition, but he’s far from reckless. Every move he makes is carefully calculated."
Can I even trust them? Tony wondered in silence. But he had to meet the man, and that was the reality.
"Alright, we're taking my jet. Where to?"
"Greece," Raven said.
Tony continued to get up from the couch. "Then we're taking a bigger jet. I need some rest on my way."
"Sure, I can help with that." Raven teasingly replied.
Ah, my favorite alien girl for a reason.
####
Soon enough, the three found themselves sitting inside the luxurious Airbus ACJ220 fitted with all the wine and food they might need for their journey. Music and comfortable seats were quick to put them all in relaxed mode.
However, Ororo remained on edge. Not because of the flight, but rather because of what she was seeing. She had never seen Raven be so openly herself in front of someone, let alone a non-mutant. In fact, she felt a sense of pride oozing from Raven by the fact that Tony Stark liked her that way.
"Ah, I wish something soft and warm could massage my legs." Tony's calm voice came suddenly from one of the reclined sofa seats.
Ororo almost spat her drink when she saw Raven walk over and softly sit down on Tony's lap sideways, her feet dangling in on the aisle side. Raven had even brought drinks for Tony.
When did she change so much? No, she's only like this with him.
Raven had her arms around Tony’s neck, snuggling on his chest as her tender bottom shifted and squished on his lap. It was as if she surrendered completely, purring like a spoiled cat.
Tony's free hand caressed Raven’s back, up and down. He even sipped on the wine and made Raven take a sip from the same glass. All the while he admired her long red hair.
"Ehm!" Ororo couldn't help herself, coughing out to remind them she was still there.
With a raised brow, Tony's head turned to her. "What? Jealous? Wanna join?"
"No thanks… I didn't expect Raven to…"
“Oh, don’t be so innocent now, Storm. I know you.” Raven responded at that. "Besides, he's not bad. Pretty good in 'that' department too. But I like that brain of his more."
"I like that one," Tony mumbled and softly pinched her chin before turning her face to himself. "I rather like the whole package, though."
Raven giggled and smoothly leaned a little closer to kiss him. Tony was all for it, letting her tongue enter his mouth easily.
Their kiss soon turned heated, with whispering moans escaping with each breath. That left Ororo shocked, staring at them in disbelief.
Without missing a beat, Raven moved to straddle Tony's lap, combing her fingers through his dark hair.
Discarding the glass on the other seat beside him, Tony's hands started to grip her shapely ass. Their kiss turned deeper, wilder, even more heated as they each knew what the other wanted.
Raven started grounding her damp core on his growing erection as if she wanted to grind the clothes between them into nothing. All they needed now was a little more privacy for an intimate exchange.
"There's a bedroom in the back." Tony broke the kiss.
"Um-hum." Raven mumbled, too hungry for the kiss as she dug back in.
Tony gave Ororo a small wave and lifted Raven, taking her to the bedroom at the back of the plane. His flagpole was already in full salute.
Once inside, he threw her on the bed and quickly took off his clothes. Raven did the same, then slowly crawled on all fours to the edge of the bed. Reaching Tony, she stood on her knees at the edge. Her slender hand caressed his abs, licking his chest and nipples as he stood there.
“Miss me?” Tony chuckled.
“More than you know,” Raven smirked at him.
Her licks and little kisses went back down his body. Her tongue left a slick trail of drool, tickling his chest. Her hands gripped the bed’s corner as she got back on all fours and parted her lips for his fully erect manhood.
Her tongue swirled around his swollen head, coating him with glistening, sticky spit before slowly sucking him in. Her lips gently went lower and lower, almost reaching his base.
Tony almost groaned, drowning in the warm massages of her tongue. He couldn’t help himself, enjoying the view of her lifted ass as it swayed.
Then, his hands gently slid up her shoulders, feeling the softness of her cobalt skin as he reached her fiery red hair. With both palms on her head, he slowly started to thrust, fucking her deep blue lips in a gentle rhythm. He could feel her throat pressing down on his cockhead.
Raven easily morphed her throat size to fit his size, taking in all of him. Her tongue coiled around him, massaging him with slick strokes.
“Ugk..gk… Mmpphh…” Even when Raven’s moans changed because of it, Tony still felt thoroughly in bliss.
The sound of her slurps and gags spurred him on. His hand held her head tighter, his hips thrusting into her mouth faster. He could feel his balls tingling, his blood rushing to his loins, clearly on the verge of release.
Raven's ass wiggled in the air like a cat in heat. She loved the sound of Tony’s groans, obviously taking pleasure from her intimate service. But that wasn’t enough, her soaking royal blue pussy was already eager to replace her lips. One of her hands had already gone down to her hot furnace, her fingers rubbing around her sensitive bundle of nerves, teasing her clitoris and flushed petals.
Noticing it, Tony suddenly stopped, pulling out. He grabbed both her hands as he pulled her up to face him, still kneeling on the bed.
“I didn't think you were that eager,” he smirked, eyeing her two wet fingers.
“Just for you, Mr.President,” Raven replied with a lustful tone. The thirst in her looks very obvious to him.
“Then, I won't disappoint.” Tony turned her body around, holding her waist in place with one hand gripping her ass. His other hand locked her wrists together perfectly in his large grip.
With Raven at the perfect height on the bed, his iron-hard cock easily aimed from behind, spearing his way into her tight core.
“Ahhh! Yes! So… gooood!”
Raven cried out from the start, feeling Tony’s stirring manhood filling her up and stretching her lower lips wide. Her upper body almost lost strength, but with her hands held behind her, she couldn’t fall forward.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” She yelped with every thrust, her full azure breasts swaying and jolting.
Tony’s cock went all in, his balls colliding with her most sensitive kernel of flesh. He tugged on her hands, causing her to slam her ass into his thighs, his straining staff buried deep in her soaking pussy. Thrust after thrust, slam after slam, his hips almost bounced off her gelatinous flesh and came back for more.
As Tony felt on the edge of coming inside her again, he pulled out mischievously. Raven felt a little lost as his cock came out, and rested right between her thighs.
"How about a little tease for our peeping lady outside?" Tony asked her all of a sudden, still stroking his cock on her flushed pussy lips. He pulled her shoulders up so she could lean back weakly on his chest.
"Hehe… S-She's…" Raven looked at the sliding door tiredly. "There?"
Tony nodded."I got an idea. Play along."
Tony turned her around, pulled her close, and slid his cock back into her tight pussy. He lifted her in the air by her ass, the same way he brought her into the room. Her fantastic breasts squished against his chest, their faces staring at each other in lust. He continued to pump himself to the hilt as he walked to the door.
"Jarvis, open the door," he whispered.
Tony acted as if he stumbled out while fucking Raven in his arms. As if the door mistakenly opened while he was busy doing Raven against that door.
He saw Ororo, right behind Raven, shocked as the door suddenly opened. He kept thrusting up into the soaking wet pussy, closing his eyes in bliss as his feet staggered, lost in the heaven of her otherworldly warmth.
Shocked, Ororo stepped back as Tony continued to walk towards her, only stopping because of the couch behind her. “What… wait.. sto—!”
Before Ororo could finish her words Tony had shoved Raven's naked back on Ororo's chest.
“Aaaah! Oh, yesss!” Raven exaggerated her moans.
Ororo fell back, landing on the couch-like private jet seat. But before she could do anything she felt some weight press down on her lap.
Tony had rested Raven's ass down on Ororo's lap and continued to fuck her as he leaned over them, slightly crouched and maintaining position. His thrust, strong and steady, Ororo could almost feel every push and shove, bouncing off Raven’s fleshy bottom, transferring to her.
Raven recklessly moaned in pleasure, not caring about Ororo’s reaction, even taking pleasure from their little mischievous thrill as the pleasant grin never vanished off her face.
"H-Hold her, Ororo!" Tony requested all of a sudden, using his hands to guide Ororo's to hold up Raven's naked legs.
Too shocked by what was happening, Ororo just froze there. She had her sexual experiences in the past too, but this felt too forward to her.
Tony fucked Raven harder and faster, pushing both women into their seats. He grunted and kissed Raven, his hand wandering all over Raven’s plump cobalt blue swells, pinching her nipples with a frenzy.
“Oooooh! Fuck! Tony-eh!”
Raven came with a soul-shattering release, hugging Tony’s waist tightly as her flooding orgasm filled up her cave of wonders despite his size stretching her. Her loud moan was music to Tony’s ears, even causing Ororo to blush behind her.
But then, Tony closed his eyes and hugged Raven’s neck, resting his face beside her ear. However, Ororo's face was right there and he unwittingly kissed the wonderful chocolate beauty. It was a soft kiss that almost became deep as he almost slid his tongue between Ororo's lips without realizing it.
“Umh!” He growled on the edge.
However, Tony stopped kissing just when lost himself inside Raven's pussy. His muscles knotted up as he hugged the alien-like beauty tighter, loving every part of her flesh with all his heart.
Taking Raven with him, he fell back away from Ororo on the floor carpet, keeping Raven's naked body on his chest. He felt his balls unload every ounce of his batter, mixing with her climax from a few seconds ago.
Jammed in her tight, feeling every small clench of her throbbing walls, he felt his shaft slowly growing limp. Soon enough, it slowly slid out with his chalky cream leaking out between her legs and dribbling down to make a mess.
Their mating organs in clear view, Ororo frowned at the sight and gulped. She was speechless, confused about how to feel about this. There was definitely a blush on her face.
For a while, Tony and Raven stopped moving, staying there on the floor. Ororo almost wanted to go over and check on the two.
But then, Tony suddenly moved and got up on his own, unashamedly leaving his cock dangling in clear view of the chocolate beauty. He then pulled Raven to stand up too.
"Not over yet," Tony muttered and towed Raven's seductive frame with him towards the plane's sizable bathroom. "Let's get ourselves cleaned… thoroughly."
"Heh…" Just as they were leaving, Raven looked back at Ororo and winked. "See, I told you he's good."
The sound of the door sliding came, but Ororo remained in her seat, shocked and frozen, her thin pretty brows raised up. Her hand moved on its own and the fingers softly traced her dark lips.
But to her own astonishment, more than Tony, she was shocked by Raven.
"W-What's wrong with Raven?!"
Unknown to her, Raven felt liberated with a man like Tony who didn't demand anything from her. Who truly didn't want to use her abilities for his nefarious plots. He was truly attracted to her real body.
What was not to like?
####
In all honesty, Tony was a very libidinous man. But not to the point that he’d chase after everything with a hole that moves. No, he had standards—aliens, mutants, humans, catgirls perhaps?
Raven was perfect. Emotionally mature and with a body of a goddess. Tony could see developing a great friendship with her. That was, if she was genuinely being herself and it wasn't a mere facade to win him over.
"So, where to now?" Tony asked as their private jet landed in Athens.
"A small island off the southern coast," Ororo replied, keeping a straight face and trying to forget all that she had seen in that plane.
Tony hummed in response and walked near the exit of the plane where his Iron Man armor was standing. He quickly stepped into it and prepared himself to fly off. Then, once the door opened, he walked down and waited for Raven.
"I heard you can fly?" He asked Ororo.
"I can, by manipulating wind."
"Sweet." Tony looked at Raven then, waving his arm. "Jump on my back, Na'vi."
Raven, back in her blonde disguise, climbed behind Tony's armor and hugged his back. "But there's no antennae to attach here."
"You attached it plenty in the plane," Tony replied and jetted off into the air. It was fun to chat with someone who understood his humor. "Lead the way, Ororo."
Right then, Ororo passed Tony at a higher speed. It was a sight that made Tony a little envious. He wanted to fly without any tools too. Too bad, he had already tested himself and there was no secret X-gene in him.
Maybe I can make my kids have it? Tony wondered and thought of the pretty lady latched onto his back. If we have kids, will they also be blue? What if we did it in her blonde disguise?
Food for thought, he flew without speaking and soon saw Ororo descending towards a small island in the middle of nowhere. He could see a jet down on the island, one similar to the Quinjet but this one was bigger.
There was a square table out in the open with three chairs set around it. He already saw the bald man taking the fourth side, while another man with a strange helmet sat opposite to Charles.
They sure chose a strange place to talk.
With the heavy sounds of his thrusters, he softly landed on the ground. Once Raven jumped down from his back, he walked over to the table, eyeing the two men. To him, both of them were dangerous. One could mess with his mind and the other could mess with his suit.
"Jarvis, initiate the anti-magnetic field mechanism," Tony ordered a mechanism that he had developed that could save him from both men. Well, he wasn't sure about Charles.
"You two sure this isn't just an excuse for a Mediterranean holiday? God, I love this weather," Tony mumbled and took one of the seats. "Tony Stark by the way."
"Erik Lehnsherr." The man in the helmet replied.
Tony then looked at Charles while removing his faceplate so they could see each other at least. "Come on, Charles. Introduce yourself."
"..."
A little weird, but aware of Tony's eccentricities, Charles entertained him. "I'm Charles Xavier."
Ting!
Tony clapped his metal gauntlets. "Since you sent those insanely gorgeous ladies to fetch me, let's get this started. So, Erik, you want to prove to the world that mutants are superior blood, and eradicate the rest of the non-mutant population if not enslave them? Great, so we're talking about the fourth Reich?"
"..."
Erik felt a little speechless. Put it that way, it did sound like Nazi ideology. But how could he, a victim of the Nazis, accept that. "It's more nuanced than that, Stark."
"You call mutants Homo-Superior," Charles interjected, ratting Erik out.
Tony gave a bombastic side-eye to Erik. Well, that did sound very Nazi-like to him. "What would the Asgardians be then? Homo-gods? Ah, that sounds wrong."
Erik sneered, his voice cold and cutting. "You laugh, Stark, because you’ve never had to justify your existence. You live in a world that cradles you in privilege. I’ve been hunted, persecuted, and reduced to something less than human my entire life. That is why they follow me—because they know the truth. There is no other way."
"You sound like that millionaire pastor who dangled himself from the arena's ceiling." Tony quipped, not even pretending to hold back. "I mean, you're not exactly praying for solutions here, you're preaching. What, you think it’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow once you wipe out all the humans? Alright then, take a look at this—both of you."
Tony placed a small round device on the table. The device created a hologram in the air, vividly visible to both of them.
"Do you recognize this language?"
Charles and Erik stared at the projection for a while. The two men had lived a really long life and had seen plenty of things. They tried to remember everything they knew, even the whole Egypt incident. Yet, they couldn't find anything matching it.
"No?" Tony resumed. "That's because it's not from Earth. Some time ago I found a mysterious object in orbit. It was hidden, and it was alien but empty. I looked inside and found this data. Now, read it again—it's translated."
The two men, including Ororo and Raven, joined in to read it. All four of them were speechless after a while.
"Yep, there are actual alien empires out there. Empires that can zip across galaxies, harnessing tech that makes our smartphones look like cave paintings. They could drop by, wave hello, and then kaboom—planet gone. You, me, Charles over here... we'd all be vaporized faster than we can blink."
Seeing nobody was speaking even now, Tony continued.
"I haven’t exactly had a good night's sleep since I figured this out. We’re all just fish in a pond, right? No clue what’s swimming in the ocean beyond. Erik, buddy—you're not subhumans, and definitely not better than humans either. You're… let’s call it ‘upgraded software.’ You’ve got the power to nudge this planet onto a whole new path. You could kick start the founding of, I don’t know, an interstellar human civilization?"
Tony was just pitching ideas at that point. To him, the mutants were like real-life superheroes who just never got to start their hero careers.
Erik sneered at Tony suddenly. "So you want to use mutants as soldiers against aliens?"
Plap!
Tony softly facepalmed himself. "Seriously, what’s going on up there? When those colossal ships land, we're not talking about Homo sapiens versus Homo-superior. We're all just meatbags destined for the chopping board. Are you so caught up in your vendetta that you can't see the golden opportunity practically doing a jig in front of you? I mean, why did Hitler blame the Jews for Germany's defeat? It was the easy scapegoat. It was simple to shift blame and rally people with hatred. You get it now, or do I need to get a bigger chalkboard?"
"You want to unite the mutants and non-mutants when the aliens attack?" Charles blurted suddenly, his voice more energetic. He stared back at the hologram. "If the attack happens, the people will be helpless. Anything that saves them will be an angel."
"See, even he gets it," Tony exclaimed.
"So, you wish to trap us in this state of limbo? You admit you have no idea when this alien invasion will strike, no clue to their true strength. Yet already, you plan to use them as mere stepping stones? Arrogance or brilliance, I cannot decide." Erik rose from his chair, the air tense around him. "I will need more than empty promises and blind hope."
He's right about that. Tony sighed.
"You want to build a sanctuary for mutants. I want to turn the entire planet into a sanctuary. See the difference? You're thinking retirement home, I'm thinking luxury resort. Our goals are close, Erik—just a few details here and there. Sure, I don’t have the power yet, but trust me, it’s a work in progress. Once I'm in the office, I'll have more sway. I suggest you join Charles for the next five years and see if my plan is a genius move or a dud."
Charles agreed with that and chimed in. "Erik, look into history. Dictators and subjugation by force have never resulted in long-lasting peace. Give Mr. Stark a chance—He's not the same as other politicians we trusted in the past."
"I'm not even a politician."
Erik chuckled, a first. "You are one now, Stark. You've chosen to step into the mud. The only question left is—how long can you keep from sinking beneath it?"
"I only plan on running for one term," Tony replied resolutely. "If I can’t fix things in four years, then even forty won’t make a dent."
"You trust your mind too much, Stark."
"It's never failed me," Tony retorted.
Silence fell after that. Minutes passed and Erik walked back and forth in silence. Arms folded, he only looked at the dirt under his feet while walking.
Then, an hour passed.
"Very well." Erik returned to his seat with a decisive motion. "I shall wait until the conclusion of your first term. Should an alien invasion arise during it, I will, with no hesitation, welcome your counsel."
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Tony asked.
Erik stared into Tony's eyes and never looked away. "If you possess enough foresight to anticipate an alien invasion, then you’re worth listening to."
Clap!
“Fantastic! Let’s seal this deal with a pinky promise.” Tony clapped his metal hands together and dramatically extended his right pinky over the table. But nobody moved. “No takers? Alright."
Erik at least chuckled at that. He was sure Tony was no mutant, but the man sure had a mutant-like charm to make people lower their guards a bit.
Tony got up by then and stepped a little away from the table. "I suggest that both of you should relocate to Xavier's mansion. I’ll take care of snagging the land around the school and covering the cost of the expansion. Heard Xavier’s got this nifty talent for locating mutants, so you might want to assemble a crack team to track down and recruit these kids. Teach them, train them, and, hey, if worst comes to worst, at least they’ll be ready to kick some alien butt. Just a suggestion, you can send me the response later."
Shhhh~
The suit's boosters slowly started to make roaring sounds.
Tony looked at Ororo, giving her a wink. Then he gave a wave to Raven, addressing her directly. "See you later."
Raven softly smiled and waved back.
Woosh~
With that, Tony left the small island.
Charles and Erik remained seated, however.
"What do you think?" Xavier asked.
"He's… interesting."
####
Tony was already jetting to the airport as fast as he could. He needed to make it to Japan personally to evaluate the work done by the Iron Guardians. It was just an excuse to appear in world news, however. Well, donating a billion to relief funds was a part of the plan too.
"Jarvis, did you get any readings?" Tony asked mid-flight.
"Sir, during your stay on the island, Mr. Lehnsherr attempted to probe the suit with his powers a total of twenty-seven times."
Tony frowned inside the helmet. "How far did he go?"
"He failed, Sir."
"That's grea—"
But Jarvis cut him off. "Based on my calculations, it is highly probable that he would have succeeded in crushing you had he utilized his full strength."
"Fuck!"
In silence, Tony flew back and entered his private jet. He quickly got out of the suit, sat down on the couch and made himself a nice drink. With a sigh, he pondered the endless “What-ifs” of the recent meeting. Thankfully, keeping things light-hearted with a few jokes usually worked like a charm. “I need a stronger Arc Reactor. How’s that Light Speed Engine coming along? I can't always rely on my luck and charm."
"Sir, the research progress stands at three percent."
"Ugh, alright, just dive into SHIELD’s database and look for something useful."
Finally, with Jarvis busy, Tony tiredly let his head fall back onto the headrest. He closed his eyes to calm his nerves.
Bzzzzz~
Bzzzzz~
Sadly, there was no peace to be found.
He took out his phone from his pocket and looked. "Unknown number?"
"It's encrypted, Sir," Jarvis responded, starting a quick decryption and geo-location. "It's from the White House."
______________
A/N: In the next chapter there will be a short time skip to bring the story closer to the invasion of New York.
