anyastark:

Anya had gone out to KC to see Toni for her birthday and brought Justin's gifts as well. His birthday was the day after Toni's. Anya wrote him new upgrades for Tony, his suit's AI. She also wrote upgrades for the suit to better integrate with his nanites. The response time between Justin and the suit would be better and allow quicker reactions.

Anya also got him a new watch. Originally it was a Bretling, but there had been upgrades of course. Built in laser cutter, video and audio recorder, EM scrambler and emergency comms. Dad had helped quite a bit, but Anya had decided what was to go into the watch.

Before she left she went looking for Justin.

whosperfectnow:

The mood was always, well, frosty when Tina spent more than a moment in her mother's company.  It wasn't for lack of engagement on Emma's part and even Tina acknowledged that the woman did try to make conversation and participate.  Tina, however, had little patience for Emma and even less in the way of trust so when Tina started asking Emma about Bruce Gotham and got shut down pretty quickly Tina had no qualms about just walking away from lunch early.  Justin would tell her to try to work things out at least on a civil level, but Tina just couldn't.  Some part of her inside threw a temper tantrum at the very idea.  As far as she was concerned, Emma was never to be allowed even an inch in the way of courtesy.

Still a bit on edge from the disappointment that was trying to get information out of her mother Tina made a call to Namor with hope that he would give her a bit of information.  The man was happy to hear from her, glad to talk to her, but like Emma before him didn't give her any information--though Tina could tell from the way his voice changed that the wing-ankled man wanted to do harm to Bruce Gotham in ways that even she couldn't fully imagine.  Rather than trigger an incident she thanked Namor for his time, promised to check in on Kassi, and hung up the phone. 

Still no closer to any answers she made her way to the coffee shop where she had, weeks before, promised to meet Bruce Gotham for coffee.  At the time she'd looked forward to it; now she was just uncomfortable.  She was a mutant and he knew it, yet he worked for (and seemed to be friends with) someone who was very publicly anti-mutant.  Something didn't make sense.  It troubled her and continued to trouble her even as she walked into the Starbucks, ordered herself a venti misto, and found a seat to wait in.

iron_hide:

"Mr.  Rhodes, we have to say, this is the most forward thinking and far reaching work we've ever seen. The coding is superb and the device itself is not nearly as bulky as its television counterpart. We received several excellent submissions, but your work stood head-and-shoulders above the rest. The data storage and recollection capabilities are also second-to-none." says Mr. Will Wright, a trustee of the X-Prize Foundation.

( Read more... )

 

 

clickclickstick:

Earth aeroplanes are officially fascinating. But now he is off of it, and when the humans don't seem to be looking, he takes the small cylinder out and -- ~clickclick!~ has his staff. He leans on it casually and looks around.

hello_program:

It hadn't been intentional but Jensen had arrived in Cowtown ahead of the rest of the group, a few days luxury that permitted her to get sorted out in their surroundings.  They had acquired the Western Auto building, the rental lofts converted and redone until the building was more than suitable for their purposes.  She didn't want to know how much money that acquisition had cost, as it appeared that the building was something of a landmark and desired loft space, but she was glad they had it.  It was a good location and, with serious next generation internet capabilities being brought to the twin KCs, everything was perfect.

Especially the food. She'd found a nearby Gates BBQ and that's what anyone who had shown up would smell as she hauled in bags of delicious meaty goodness.  She was going to make sure they had a classic Kansas City lunch.

Didn't want to come off as noobs.

anyastark:

Anya looked at her watch. Ten minutes late. She didn't think her father would ever be on time for anything. The press conference for the unveiling of the zero point energy technology was supposed to start ten minutes ago, but Dad was late. Though he called it making an entrance.

Anya didn't like press conferences and would prefer to stay out of the spotlight, unusual for a Stark, but her father insisted she be here for this. Zero point energy had been her and Justin's project and they should be the ones to unveil it to the public.

Well at least she could give Justin the finished code for the tricorder. She had finished it yesterday and was going to send it to him, but this way she could give it to him in person.

Anya started to pace.

iron_hide:

Justin Rhodes had finished packing up his belongings at Misha’s loft and was waiting for a call from his dad about everyone’s time of departure from New York to head to Kansas City. He was thinking about Tina while he worked at his laptop, and was making a few last minute changes to some ideas he had when his AI, Tony, picked up on an article of interest.

The moment Justin’s eyes started reading the article, he knew he could do this. He absolutely could do this. He wasn’t sure who else had seen this, but he had to assume he was behind on this and that he didn’t have time to waste. He made a few sketches, a couple of mental calculations and decided that he could do the hardware for it, but the coding was outside his realm of expertise.

Fortunately, he knew exactly who to call for that.

“Tony, open a priority line to Anya Stark, please.”  Justin says.

“Are you taking the challenge, Justin? I would be interested to see how this turns out.” he says.

“Oh yeah, this is going to work, especially for that prize money.” Justin says.

“That is a rather large sum. What do you plan to do with it, if you win?” Tony says.

“I’m going to start by creating an AI that asks fewer questions. After that, though, I’ve got some plans.” Justin says.

He waits for Anya to answer her line.

nextgen_holiday:

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

whosperfectnow:

Something about the couch had been annoying Tina for a few weeks.  It wasn't the couch itself, that was fine and very comfortable.  Justin always seemed to enjoy sprawling out on it for movie nights.  What it seemed to be was that Tina didn't like where it was in the living room so, with the day to herself, she spent some time rearranging things.  Tina pushed furniture around, adjusted where things were placed, even bought a couple of new throw blankets to dress things up.  When she was finished she was pleased with her work and sat down to wait for Justin to come over.  He practically lived there; his opinion mattered a great deal to her.

stark_ravingmad:

Tony waited in his office for Justin, Toni and Harvey to arrive and went over the pitch with them. He hoped Rhodey would show as well; he wanted everyone to start off on the right foot with this whole thing.

When Justin arrived, Tony nodded.

"Good to see you. How are you feeling?" he asks.

nextgen_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

anyastark:

Iron Girl, War Machine, Photon, and Misha flew toward the large factory on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania. Tony had tracked down and located the factory where the drones using stolen Stark tech were being manufactured. Now that he wasn't wearing the Iron Man suit any longer, it was up to the kids to take of this little problem. With any luck they would find Evil Auntie here.

In advance of the trip Anya had written some small programs. One was a virus to upload into a drone or a computer that would infect the whole system and wipe everything. The other was a self destruct program. She wasn't sure if the original Stark code to shutdown the systems was still there, this was a safety precaution.

They approached the factory. "I'm going to hack in a set off the fire alarm. That should clear the building of the civilians before it goes boom. Watch out for drones."

next_avenger:

Now that the other Avengers were back it was time to reorganize the team a bit. James didn't want to give up leadership of the team and he knew Charlie would want it. The answer to the problem was simple. A team meeting and a vote according to the charter. There was also the issue of dealing with a lot of Avengers to address.

James sent out notification of the time to all Avengers, reserve and active. When it was the right time he made his way to the conference room and took a seat.

swashbuckler:

Plans had been made, maps studied, the situation read as best it could be.  There was no more time for talk.  The Mothership would be leaving by the next day.  If the aliens who had stolen this world were not defeated now, it wasn't likely they ever would be. 

But these aliens had never faced people with the kinds of powers that the Avengers possessed.  The paltry number of defenders the planet Earth had had when they had arrived had died easily.  And this world possessed no Inhumans, no Eternals, no Deviants.  No one would or could fight back on the scale needed.

But the time of domination was over.

nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

swashbuckler:

There was a crackling of light and the Avengers appeared in the middle of the rebellion base, some kind of underground bunker.  Guards pointed their weapons, while others moved to protect some of the more civilliany looking people gathered.  There were quite a few people with cybernetic parts, like Steve, and even a few people who looked to be part animal.   All races, genders, and creeds were represented.  In this time, in this place, there was no room for hatred between man, only hatred of their invaders.

Steve raised a hand.  "It's okay, guys.  Stand down.  I said I'd get help and I meant it.  Codeword: Fisherman."

The guards seemed to accept this, and one with what looked to be maybe a couple of rank badges approached them.  "Never doubted you for a second, sir," he said, tossing off a sharp salute.  "We've got movement figures.  The generals would like to talk to you."

Steve nodded.  "Tell them we'll be there."

He looked back over his friends.  "Everybody make it?"

swashbuckler:

Steve Barton was back, though not necessarily to stay.   He'd sat through a very quick doctor's examination which had revealed that he was in generally good health, though perhaps not having been eating as regularly as he should have.  His right arm was entirely gone, as was his right shoulder and a portion of his pectoral muscle and back.  It had all been replaced by cybernetics that seemed slightly ahead of current technology. 

Loosely over his back, he carried a shield that looked like it once belonged to Captain America.  It had.

They'd commandeered a conference room for a quick war council.

"Okay," Steve said, pacing with the need to keep moving.  He looked older by a year or two, maybe more if you counted the stress and shell-shocked look in his eyes.  "When I disappeared, I ended up in a different dimension.  There, the Earth had been conquered by aliens some time in the 50's. Most of the population had been wiped out.  But some survived as slaves or experiments.  But there was a resistance.  I hooked up with them, started teaching them how to really fight back.  Even, kinda put together a rag-tag Avengers.

We were barely holding our ground.  But now, the mothership, with the aliens leaders, is on Earth.  And we have a plan to take them down.  But we needed muscle.  We pieced together just enough technology, with the help of one of those Avengers, to send me back here."

He swallowed.  "This is that Earth's last chance.  I need you to help me."

nextgen_holiday:

“We’re here outside the Four Seasons Hotel in New York where the who’s who is gathered tonight. Celebrities, royals and superheroes have all turned out for the annual Maria Stark Foundation Winter Charity event benefiting Toys for Tots.

It’s truly an all-star gala here tonight.

New York’s own princess, Anya Stark, was seen being escorted by what appears to be her new flame, actor Austin Cain. Her brother and currently second in line to the Russian throne, Mikhail Romanov, was seen entering the party with Lyta Worthington, heiress to Worthington Industries. Tony and Natasha Stark, parents of a new baby, are making their first public appearance since the birth of their son.

Mackenzie Rider, a prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is escorting Ms. Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four tonight. Kristoff Vernard, leader of the Fantastic Four, was seen in attendance with his wife Cassandra and their son Scotty. Vincent Amorason, heir to Latveria, arrived alongside his brother and was seen escorting a member of the Defenders, Asleif Thorsdottir. The rest of the Fantastic Four are here too with their dates, though Miss Valeria Richards is not in attendance. Franklin Richards is in attendance and is escorting one Miss Gill.

Los Angeles’ own superhero team, the Defenders are in attendance as well. Arriving with her team is Grace Danvers, daughter of Hollywood hunk Simon Williams and she is being escorted by teammate, Eiltin. The two Asgardian princesses and daughters of Thor, Asleif and Aridis, are also attending the festivities with their team.
Akilah Munore, the crown princess of Wakanda, is here tonight with her steady flame, Daniel Sherwood a member of the Young Avengers. The other Young Avengers are in attendance tonight with their dates, alongside the adult Avengers.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Jack Nicholson, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

It’s truly a party of the who’s who and it’s all for a great cause.”

whosperfectnow:

*takes place after Gretel*

For once Summers had been reasonable; he hadn't insisted on full debriefing and medical examinations when Tina and X-Force returned from their time-hopping adventures and she was glad for it.  Tina wanted to go home.  It felt like forever since she'd been there and she wasn't exactly certain what would be waiting for her when she returned.  As ironic as it was, she had lost track of time, at least in her own world.  To her it was just another evening as she pulled into the garage, killed the engine, and made her way into the house, dropping her keys int he bowl by the door, kicking her shoes off as she went. 

next_avenger:

With Charlie gone and as a male member of the Avengers, in addition to being the leader, it was up to James to uphold a few traditions that didn't have to deal with battling bad guys. Though he had to admit that he would rather be fighting bad guys than doing this. It just wasn't his thing.

He wasn't as industrious as Anya, but James had managed to collect the necessary photos. It hadn't been easy and a part of him felt like he was cheating on Val.

Invitations were sent to the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Champions, Excalibur the X-Men and the Defenders guys.

With the help of Jarvis food and drink was laid in. James made sure they had a wide variety of pizza, chips, pretzels and drinks.

He loaded the photos in and took care of the security systems. The girls were not allowed to watch. Now all that was left was people showing up.

engnr:

He'd met his parents.  He'd met Anya.  It was finally time to meet his brother.  Harvey had gotten it set up through Pepper.  Harvey waited for his alternate universe brother at the same coffee shop he'd talked with Anya.

nextgen_misc:

It had taken a little time, with the new baby to deal with, but Tony had managed to develop a device to help track down the stolen Stark tech. Four devices had been made and one given to each of the kids to use. Though Tony had told them he wanted them going in pairs to watch each other’s backs.

Anya and Misha were sent out together and Justin and Toni were paired up for this mission. The next one may be different.

Anya and Misha were sent toward Montana while Justin and Toni were sent toward Arizona. They were unsure of who exactly had the tech, just that the tech was there.

redheadspy:

Natasha opened her eyes. It was morning and she was actually waking up on her own instead of to the cries of her son. It was a very rare occasion. Maybe sleeping a little extra longer was Nick's birthday preset to Tony. She turned over and was not too surprised to find her husband still in bed. So far he had been up with her each time that Nick woke her up.

"Happy birthday, my love," she said as she leaned up on an elbow and kissed his cheek. "Moose and squirrel." There. She said it. For him. For his birthday.

nextgen_citizen:

Tommy Stackhouse and Johnny Crane had scored big the night they broke into that one warehouse. The place had been filled with robots, but they didn't manage to get any of those. They did get suits of armor similar to Iron Man and War Machine. How freaking cool was that? They were going to be the next Iron Man and War Machine.

It took some time to learn how to use the suits, but eventually they figured out how to pilot the suits. Then they had to learn how to fly. Which looked a lot easier than it actually was. After getting the hang of flying, then came to learn how to use the weapon systems. They were completely awesome.

Now it was time to go be superheroes.

They put on the suits and went out into the city.

whosperfectnow:

Tina had to get away from Xavier's for a bit.  The closer in proximity she was to her fellow X-types and mutants the higher the odds that she'd develop a new ability.  Tina was growing weary of the now-normal searing pain of her genetics rewiring to accommodate something new and while it was fun she couldn't go drinking with Rose every night.  She elected to go home for a bit, to go stretch out on her own couch and just relax in the relative peace and quiet of her brownstone.  Justin could come stay the night when he wanted to (provided she could lure him out of the lab...some flirtatious texts often did the trick)  and she would be safe to try to get a handle on what the hell was going on with her since Providence.  Dr. McCoy still had no lead on fixing her and Tina realized she had to psychologically brace herself for the possibility that she might never be her brand of normal again.

Today, she'd gotten up early.  Just had been there for the night so she got up, made him breakfast, sent him out the door (which made her feel kind of like a housewife, which as nice) and then sat herself down with a cup of coffee.  The day was still pretty early and she had a blank canvas.  A second cup of coffee in hand, she tried to decide what to do for the day.  It was kind of liberating to have no plans, but boring just the same.

anyastark:

Anya felt like a heel for missing Justin's birthday. It was the day after Toni's and it had slipped past her. She quickly gathered what she needed and pulled an all-nighter putting together an obscene laptop for him. The thing was two to three times faster than anything on the market and she installed her custom OS on it. He wouldn't have to worry about it crashing on him.

When it was finished she packed it up and shipped it by special courier to Justin.

nextgen_holiday:

The air was warm and the sun was bright making it a perfect day for a cookout to celebrate Labor Day. Classes would start on the 7th (for those going to college they started a week ago) and it was the last chance to kick back and cut loose before hitting the books.

At Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning tables had been placed out around the pool and the large grill fired up. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

It was a day of rest and relaxations for those who put their lives on the line for others.

iron_hide:

Justin had known mutants all his life, but staying at Xavier's was still a surreal experience. He's still getting to know his way around the place, and the only person he truly knows is Misha. After girding himself against the possibility of running into Misha's old man (who looked exactly like Commander Howlett from his own world) Justin heads to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

He grabs a tray and steps into the line, not really saying anything to anyone else. He's gotten a few stares, being the new guy and all, but no one's been hostile; in fact, they've all been really nice. Grabbing himself a turkey sandwhich and potato chips, he sits down and begins to eat, his mind going over calculations for the armor, when an odd bit of conversation cuts into his reverie.
 

( Read more... )

 

iron_hide:

Justin's phone got Misha's message not long after he sent it, but Justin had been busy seeing Tina off. Once she was headed off to work, Justin calls Misha back.

"Hey, I'm up to talk when you are. I'll be at the penthouse." Justin says, driving himself back there. Tina's apartment was too quiet without her.

He'll be waiting inside, working on one of his armor's gauntlets when Misha arrives.

whosperfectnow:

She'd been careful to make sure every aspect of a near-fatal car accident was installed in her regard.  Her Jag was totaled, mostly smashed beyond recognition that it was ever an automobile.  An insurance claim had been filed.  There was a police report, complete with a ticket for reckless driving.  She'd been in a private hospital, which made sense given that she was a mutant and the location of the accident--close to Xavier's, meaning that a co-worker or friend had happened upon the scene so they would know where to send her.  She'd picked Joey for her alibi.  The option to lie had been his idea and the encouragement to make it stick his as well; she was damn well certain to make him an accomplice.  It was perfect and perfectly sickening to Tina.

The doctors had released her earlier that day and Tina had got herself home, arranged on the couch and more or less comfortable even with the bruises still staining her skin and the gash on her side still healing.  It was then that she contacted Justin, coupling her telepathy with her technopathy to send him a playfully suggestive holographic video letting him know that she was home.

The hologram Tina wasn't bruised.  She hoped Justin wouldn't cry misleading advertisement.

ministryoftruth:

“…The damage here in Fargo, Georgia is catastrophic tonight. Reports are still coming in, but the latest casualty toll is over 2,000. Military planes are being loaded with supplies and moved in from as far away as New York at this time.” Adrian Carver says solemnly, looking directly into the camera.

“Behind me, you can see the damage that occurred yesterday morning.” Adrian says, and the camera pans around the area to show the husks of ruined buildings, rubble, and emergency crews helping people to medical tents. The camera returns to Adrian, his eyes slowly misting.

“ Eyewitness accounts say that a battle between rival groups of mutants reached a fever pitch before a bomb or explosives of some kind were activated. Investigators are still researching the cause of this disaster; more information will come as this story develops. My name is Adrian Carver, signing off from Fargo, Georgia.” he says.

 “Good night and God Bless.”

swashbuckler:

Well, at least they were letting him sit up today.  His parents had stepped out for coffee, which left Steve watching TV.

Click.

"Junk."

Click.

"More junk."

Click.

"Junk again."

Click.

"Okay Buddies, Hero-Up!"

"Terrifying ...And yet I can't look away."

nextgen_holiday:

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

weavingwizard:

Daniel had decided it was time to get to know more guys in the super hero community. So he had sent word out every way he could that he was hosting a male bonding night. People were expected to be good or he would open up a portal with a well placed spell to drop them on the front lawn.

He had done a lot of cooking. He had also managed to get drinks for any of the guys who might take him up on the offer who could drink.

And he also asked that they bring movies with them. He had a card table set up for poker if anyone felt like playing.

Now all he had to do is wait.

nextgen_holiday:

Mothers are the place that we call home.
On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.
There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,
Happiness, contentment, sweet release,
Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,
Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom. - Anonymous

mishaloganovich:

Misha's goal was to get acquainted with the new stealth armor as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Not that he lived in it, or slept in it (he wasn't four years old anymore with a brand new baseball mitt!), but he was racking up a good number of hours putting it through his workouts. He loved the better interface with his muscle memory; the more he used it, the more it seemed to anticipate rather than wait for him to lead. The seconds it shaved off his response time could bring a lot to a fight.

And sometimes, like today, he just wanted to get out and go flat out speed demon fast. He was making his third pass over the city, in a loop that included most of New England and a portion of Canada (oops, forgot the passport!) when his amazing new armor put through a phone call.

The display inside the face mask read Stark Inc, which told him it was coming from the same satellite Anya had sent his new phone on after the Red Room incident, and that opened up a few possibilities. Most likely Darlene or Anya, but it could be Mom. He was on extended Mom service until after she had the baby so he answered immediately. "Oil change, burgers, or going stir crazy?" he asked, slowing to a relative stealthy crawl near the Liberty statue.

iron_hide:

Justin arrives at the Manhattan apartment, checking over the address that Mom gave him one more time. He probably should have called to see if she'd be home, but he'd rather she not find a reason not to see him. Of all his "family", Toni is probably the most affected by his appearance, and the person he's spoken to the least of his immediate family. She's checked on him while he was asleep, and helped him out here and there, but they haven't really bonded or anything. He's not sure she wants to, and if it turns out he'll be leaving soon, he could be wasting his time.

But he's never had a sister before, and there's a part of him that needs to know what that's like. This is one of the few upsides to Tina being out of town on business for work; if she was here, Justin might make an excuse to leave and go see her so that he doesn't have to confront this.

Anya says she's cool, so she's cool. he thinks.


Justin knocks on the door and waits for an answer....and hoping he doesn't run into Rhodey's wife.

anyastark:

Anya rubbed her eyes. Staring at the holographic 3-D model was not getting her any closer to solving the problem. She was trying to design a zero point energy module small enough to power her suit and her potential new car. Her new suit was a power hog and she needed a more efficient and powerful energy source for it. Zero point energy seemed the way to go, but the problem was creating a device small enough to be put in the suit. Every design she had tried so far had failed. She was about ready to call in the big guns, Dr. Richards or Dr. Vernard. They were the foremost experts on zero point energy. Not to mention designing and engineering was not Anya's strong point.

A break was definitely needed. She had been in the office since 7am and had worked straight through since then.

She sent an email to Dad asking him to come down to the lab if he got some free time.

Now for that break. She shut off the computer and the hologram and headed for Pepper's office to see if Pepper wanted anything to eat while Anya was getting something.

iron_hide:

Justin Rhodes sits in the lobby and waits to be called. He's not sure what he's doing here, but something in him figures it's better to speak to Virigina Potts now rather than waiting for the stars to align for them to meet up. So he dressed in one of the suits his new sister bought for him and went to her office to make an appointment. That was Thursday, after his date with Christina.

Now, it was Monday morning, and he was here to visit his mother on the job. He hoped she was as inviting as Rhodey had been. Or that she didn't hate the idea of having an adult son from another dimension. He'd take either one.

"Mr. Rhodes, Miss Potts will see you now." the receptionist says.

"Thank you. " he says, rising from his chair. He takes a deep breath, and hopes that his heart doesn't choose to give out any time in the next half-hour, and walks toward the doors.

iron_hide:

Justin Rhdoes is tired of lying in a hospital bed. His sister (he's still getting used to that) has had a tougher time of it than he has, so he doesn't think it's right for him to stay cooped up in a bed. After showering, getting dressed and "asking" to be allowed some time to himself, Justin takes Tony, his A.I., and decides to go see New York for himself.

He's still awed at how new everything looks here. This isn't a world ravaged by battle and bombs, and the people walk around here without a care in the world for their safety. Justin's awed by all of it, never having seen this many people in a single place that weren't hiding for their lives. After several blocks of walking, though, Justin feels fatigue set in. He curses his weak heart for the millionth time, and decides that food and drink are in order, since all he's eaten is infirmary food over the last week. He's got a bit of money as well, a gift from Rhodey.

He still doesn't know if the man likes the idea of having a son, and he still hasn't meet Miss Potts, his mother.

"Tony, locate nearest restaurant. I want a burrito." he says. He hasn't had a burrito in months.

Minutes later, he's in line at a place called Chipotle, trying to decide if he wants steak or pork.

He's tempted to order both.

iron_hide:

-One Minute Ago, Washington DC, Earth 1222-

 

Justin Rhodes swore he’d never leave his suit unattended again after today.

 

He lay on the floor of an abandoned house and struggled against his unresponsive armor as he looked up at his father, Iron Man, who was checking the windows for any sign that they were followed to this safehouse. Most of Washington DC was on fire tonight, courtesy of the Avengers, but James Rhodes was never one to give up a fight as long as he had back up

 

Today was different for both of them.

 

“Justin, I’m sorry it had to happen like this. I knew you wouldn’t do this if I asked you, so it came down to this. You’re going to live, whether you want to or not, Justin. Your mother made me promise that I’d find a way out for you if this war went south for us; it has, and I did. It was her condition for letting you put the armor on in the first place.” Jim said, a tear sliding down his cheek.

 

“Dad, we can still win this! Just turn my armor back on and I can help you! You can’t cut me out like this!” Justin yells. He can’t believe his father is doing this to him now, of all times. He thought they were friends, a team. He even thought they were equals, once upon a time.

 

“I’m your father, Justin; I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it, which I’m doing now. I’ve always been proud of you, son. No matter what happens after today, your mother and I will be always be proud of you. You’re getting a second chance…make something out of it.” Jim says, slipping the Iron Man helmet over his head.

 

Tony- Cooridinates E-616, Sector 1211. Self-destruct upon arrival.

 

At that moment, the NIMROD sentinel bursts through the wall of the house the pair have been hiding in over the last hour, and Iron Man turns to face it.

 

“Tony, get him out of here, now!” Jim barks, lunging at the first cyborg he can see.

 

The last thing Justin sees before the world folds in upon itself is his father tearing the head off of one Sentinel and blasting another with his repulsor rays.  He doesn’t need to see how this ends, because he and his father both knew what was happening the moment he’d called retreat in New York after Captain America went down. It was all over.

 

In a way, it was over for him as well.

 

 

 

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