Stark Solutions

An electronic door slides open and Happy Hogan enters the private laboratory of Tony Stark. He sees Rhodey sitting off to the side watching as Tony Stark and a man with short, blonde hair work on Tony's Iron Man armor. Happy takes a seat next to Rhodey and looks over at him.

"How's it going?" he asks.

"They've been at it for awhile," replies Rhodey. "I couldn't even begin to understand what they're doing. I mean, I know what they're doing, I just don't understand how I guess."

"When you've got a brain like Tony's and friends like Hank Pym, I'm guessin' that kinda makes the impossible possible, huh?" asks Happy. Rhodey nods.

"How's Rumiko?" asks Rhodey.

"She's with Pep, I think," replies Happy.

"Has she spoken to Tony yet?" asks Rhodey.

"No, not yet," replies Happy. "Knowin' Tony, he probably blames himself for what Arno did."

"I'm sure he does," says Rhodey. "At least this will end all the crap we've been through recently."

"Assumin' this works," says Happy.

"I still don't like this," says Rhodey. "Going after Arno in the timestream... that's playing with fire."

"Yeah, but Tony's got a point," says Happy. "If Arno can come and go in it as he pleases, what's to stop him from coming back?"

"I know," says Rhodey. "I understand it, but I don't like it."

"Gotta admit, I was a bit surprised that you wanted to put the armor back on," says Happy.

"It had nothing to do with want," says Rhodey. "I hate that damned armor, always will. But after everything Tony's done for me, I had to pay him back."

Several floors above the laboratory is the Stark Solutions cafeteria. Pepper Potts looks across the table at Rumiko Fujikawa, who has her attention focused on the Greek salad sitting before her. Pepper tries to think of something to say, instead she takes a bite of her sandwich.

The silence seems to last forever, and Pepper looks up at the clock on the wall and watches as the second hand ticks away. She wonders how things are going below, and she wonders how close Tony is to getting ready to head into the timestream... if he hasn't already left, that is.

"Listen... Rumiko..." she begins.

"Pepper, I appreciate what you're trying to do," says Rumiko. "But stop."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" asks Pepper.

"Yes," replies Rumiko. "I'm positive."

"Have you spoken to Tony since he got back?" asks Pepper. Rumiko shakes her head. "Why?"

"He's been busy," replies Rumiko. "I don't want to interfere with his work, he has a job to do."

"I don't think you'd be interfering," says Pepper. "I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but Tony's crazy about you."

"...he said that?" asks Rumiko.

"If there's one person on this planet I know like the back of my hand, it's Tony Stark," replies Pepper. "He didn't have to say it, I can tell by the way he looks at you that he's got it bad. I can't remember the last time I've seen him like this."

"Thank you," says Rumiko.

"For what?" asks Pepper.

"For telling me what he refuses to," replies Rumiko.

"It's not that he refuses to..." says Pepper. "He's just... Tony can be a bit reserved sometimes. It can be difficult for him to open up, especially after everything he's been through in his life."

"I suppose," says Rumiko. "By the way, how are you and Happy?"

"...what?" asks Pepper.

"I saw the way you and Rhodey were looking at each other earlier, I got the impression there was some tension," replies Rumiko.

"No... I think you were mistaken," says Pepper. "Rhodey and I... no, of course not. At least..."

"At least what?"

"Nothing, it's not important," says Pepper. "Come on, why don't we see how Tony's doing?"

Tony raises his hands to his face and slides his safety goggles onto his forehead. His assosciate, and former teammate in the Avengers, Hank Pym, does the same.

"That should do it," says Hank. "You should be able to travel through the timestream at will now as long as you're wearing the armor."

"And we've got a way to track Arno?" asks Tony.

"Yeah, we can lock onto his own trail," replies Hank.

"Good," says Tony. "I want to thank you for coming down here, Hank. I know you're retired, but I didn't feel like contacting SHIELD unless it was absolutely necessary and I haven't been able to get in touch with Reed."

"Anytime, Tony," says Hank. "As long as you're not asking me to change size or pull on spandex."

"No, I understand those days are in the past for you," says Tony. He stands and turns to face his friends. Jim Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, and Rumiko Fujikawa, all standing in wait.

"You have it all set up?" asks Rhodey.

"Yeah," replies Tony.

"What exactly are you doing?" asks Pepper.

"Tony and I took Stane's temporal technology and incorporated it into his armor systems," replies Hank. "With it on, he should be able to get a lock on Arno's signal and follow him into the timestream."

"And if the armor sustains too much damage?" asks Rhodey.

"Then Tony will become trapped in the timestream," replies Hank.

"What?" asks Rumiko.

"It's a risk I have to take," replies Tony. "With Arno having full access to the timestream, who knows how much damage he can cause?"

"So you're going in there when your armor is inferior to Arno's," says Rhodey.

"I'll have a better shot this time around," says Tony. "Last time, the Scarecrow's toxins were affecting my judgement. Now that's no longer a concern."

"You're sure they're not affecting you?" asks Happy.

"I ran a full scan on Tony as soon as I got here, that's one of the reasons he asked me to come," replies Hank. "He's clean."

"So it's time to get to work," says Tony. He begins sliding on the different components of his armor, while the others watch on.

"We'll be able to monitor you from here," says Hank. "Since the suit is connected to the temporal unit here, we can keep tabs on you through it. No matter what, you'll be able to be in constant contact with Jocasta."

"That's a relief," says Pepper.

"Everything's going to be fine," says Tony. He picks up the helmet and slides it on his head. The armor locks the helmet into place and he lowers the faceplate. It locks shut as well. "We ready, Dr. Pym?"

Hank takes a seat at a control panel and slides the goggles down over his eyes.

"Ready and willing, Mr. Stark," he says. "The rest of you, put on some goggles or turn away and close your eyes."

Rumiko, Happy, Rhodey, and Pepper all turn locate safety goggles and put them on to shield their eyes. Hank watches them and once he is satisfied, he turns his attention to the control panel and begins to enter commands on the keyboards.

"Jocasta?" he asks.

<<I am here, Dr. Pym.>>

"Good, you linked into Tony's armor?"

<<Yes.>>

"We're ready to go when you are, Hank," says Tony. He steps onto the small platform and it begins to glow brightly. The temporal harness he wears over his armor begins to glow as well. The light builds and builds in intensity and brightness, flooding the entire room. Slowly, little by little, the light dims. When the light clears from the room, Tony Stark is no longer standing on the platform.

"Did it work?" asks Rumiko.

"Let's find out," replies Hank. "Tony, do you read me?"

"Tony, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Pym," replies Tony.

"Where are you?"

"Not in Kansas, I'll tell you that much," replies Tony.

He takes stock of his surroundings. He finds himself in the middle of a forest, or perhaps a jungle. He recognizes his surroundings, and he has a feeling he knows exactly where he is. He slowly moves forward through the jungle, his sensors scanning at full capacity.

"Jo, do we have a lock on Arno?"

<<His signal is very strong, Tony. He must be nearby.>>

"Looks like I was right, Hank," says Tony. "I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore."

"Where are you?"

"Vietnam," replies Tony.

His memories flash back to this period of his life. He came to Vietnam years ago to tour one of his Asian plants. He was injured, a piece of shrapnel lodged near his heart, and captured by a guerilla fighter named Wong Chu. Wong Chu wanted Tony to design and build weapons for him. With the help of another of Wong Chu's prisoner, Tony built the first Iron Man armor and used it to keep his heart beating as well as to escape. It was the birth of Iron Man.

Tony slowly treks through the jungle, following the signal's strength. He pushes aside the brush and he sees a body lying stiff on the ground. He approaches slowly, and before he leaves the brush, he recognizes the man as himself, albeit younger. His sensors pick up others in the vicinity, and Tony looks for them. He sees Wong Chu and his men, weapons aimed at another young man.

"Arno..." mutters Tony.

"If you wish to keep your life, you will design and build weapons for me," says Wong Chu. "Do we understand each other, Mr. Stark?"

"We do," says Arno.

A small object falls between Arno and Wong Chu. Wong Chu bends down to investigate it, and a cloud of smoke emits from it, obscuring the visuals of the area. Arno steps back slowly, but a low-level repulsor blast strikes him in his shoulder.

"I think you've done enough damage so far," says Tony as he steps through the smoke.

"Well, look who decided to join the party," says Arno. He smiles and his image seems to begin to dissipate. Tony watches in shock. As Arno seems to vanish into thin air, the Iron Man of 2020 stands there instead.

"An illusion..." says Tony.

"What is the meaning of this?!" demands Wong Chu. He turns to his men and points at the Iron Men. "Kill them both!"

The men raise their guns and open fire on the two Iron Men. Tony draws their fire, combating them with carefully-placed repulsor blasts to their rifles, knocking them from the hands of the soldiers. Tony turns to Wong Chu and fires another blast at him, knocking him back.

"That's for Ho Yinsen," says Tony, remembering the man who helped him build the first Iron Man suit. He turns and sees Arno beginning to vanish from sight.

"Nice seeing you again, Tony," says Arno. "But I really must be going now. I have places to go and Tony Starks to kill."

"No!" exclaims Tony. He activates his boot thrusters and charges towards Arno. He finds he is too late, and charges into the empty space Arno once occupied.

"Damn!" he exclaims. "Jo, Hank, lock onto his signal!"

<<He is still drifting, Tony, it's difficult to get a lock.>>

"Do you have anything solid?" asks Tony.

"Looks like I do," replies Hank. "Hold on, Tony, I'm transferring now."

Stark Solutions

"What exactly is Arno trying to do?" asks Rumiko. "What did he mean when he said he has to kill Tonys?"

"He's traversing the timestream and different realities," replies Hank. "In each one he goes to, he locates Tony, kills him, and then replaces him."

"What could he gain from that, though?" asks Rhodey.

"I honestly haven't a clue," replies Hank. "Every time Arno kills one of these Tony Starks, all he does is create a divergent timeline, yet another alternate reality. It's impossible to change the future, every time a person travels through time, all they succeed in doing is creating a divergent timeline."

"Then why would he keep doing this?" asks Pepper.

"Because of Tony," replies Happy. "The guy's got a grudge against the boss, and he works it out by killing Tony as many times as he can."

Somewhere in time

Space appears to distort and bend to make way for the introduction of Tony Stark into the area. As soon as he sets foot in this new era, he immediately begins scanning.

"I'm trying to lock on his signal, but I'm picking up others..." says Tony. His scanners detect something approaching on the horizon. A massive, purple hand knocks down a decrepit building, and Tony looks up to find himself facing a Sentinel. The Sentinel looks down at him.

{{ Unauthorized marvel detected. Terminate. }}

"Sorry, not today," says Tony. He activates his thrusters and avoids an energy blast from the Sentinel. Tony counters with a repulsor blast of his own, but it barely seems to slow the Sentinel down. Tony kicks his thrusters into high gear and dodges around the Sentinel's blasts.

"What now, Arno's sending me to post-apocalyptic futures?" asks Tony.

"I thought you might enjoy it here, Tony."

"Arno? But how?"

"Don't look so surprised, I found a way to tap into your frequency," replies Arno. "It probably won't hold up once I go back into the timestream, though. Too bad you won't be following me."

"What do you have to gain from this time, Arno?" asks Tony. "Sentinel technology?"

"No, but this will be your new home," replies Arno. "Think about it, Tony—a world where giant robots roam the Earth. It's like paradise for you. Maybe if you're nice to them, they'll let you work as a mechanic or ask you to design weapons for them."

Tony increases his speed, flying from the Sentinel, but then suddenly changes direction and heads back towards it. He raises his arms up and begins charging up his repulsor armament.

"Jo, divert as much power as possible to the forcefield and repulsors," he says.

Jocasta remains silent, but performs his request. An orange aura surrounds the armor and Tony fires off the built-up repulsor blast right before he flies through the Sentinel's head. He emerges on the other side and watches as the Sentinel tumbles to the ground.

"I've got a lock on you now, Arno," says Tony. "And if you leave me without destroying this harness, you know I can just keep following you."

"What can I say?" asks Arno. "When you're right, you're right."

"Drop the cloak, Arno," says Tony. "I know you're here."

Like an invisible battering ram, Arno strikes into Tony and slowly becomes visible while Tony reels from the attack. Arno grips Tony by the neck and slams his fist against Tony's helmet, striking it with a loud resounding CLANG.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" asks Arno. "Don't you realize that I'm stronger, faster, and more powerful than you?"

"You're right," replies Tony. He reaches his hands out and grabs hold of Arno's harness. "But I'm still smarter. Jo, transmit now!"

"What?" asks Arno. Before he can blink, time and space warp around Arno Stark and when reality takes hold again, he finds himself standing on the ground somewhere. "Where are we?"

Tony tears the harness from Arno.

"You're about to witness the birth of the atomic age," says Tony. "You should be honored."

Arno charges forward just as Tony vanishes from time. He glances around and sees Japanese people gathering around him in surprise. They gasp and look in the air. Arno looks up as well just in time to see a bomb falling from a plane overhead...

Stark Solutions

Tony drops the destroyed harness he tore from Arno on the ground. He tears his own harness off and drops it down beside it before removing his helmet.

"Happy, see that the temporal unit and these harnesses are destroyed," he says. "We can't have them hanging around."

"Yeah, sure thing, boss," says Happy.

"Where did you leave Arno?" asks Rhodey.

"Somewhere he won't be able to cause trouble," replies Tony, as he begins removing his armor. "Hiroshima."

"What?" asks Pepper. "Tony, you didn't..."

"I don't want to hear it, Pep," replies Tony, avoiding the looks from his friends. He turns from them all and walks out of the laboratory. "I just... don't want to hear it."

Night falls over New York and Tony finds himself overlooking the city from the roof of Stark Solutions. He takes a sip from his drink and hears the sound of a door opening and closing behind him.

"I hope that's not what I think it is."

"It's a Coke, Rhodey," says Tony. "And it's a Coke without Jack Daniels or Captain Morgan."

"Good," says Rhodey. "After the recent events, I was worried about you."

"That's nice to know," says Tony.

"You feel up to talking about what happened?" asks Rhodey.

"No."

"Didn't think so," says Rhodey.

"I just feel bad about what I said to Cap and that girl he watches over," says Tony. "Telling him that we weren't real, we were just creations of Franklin Richards' imagination."

"You mean you're not?" asks Rhodey.

"The Scarecrow's fear toxins," replies Tony. "Stane told me their purpose was to make me doubt my place in this world. It makes sense that they made me think I wasn't the real Tony Stark."

"At least now you know you are," says Rhodey.

"The one and only," says Tony.

"So what now?" asks Rhodey. Tony looks at him and smiles coyly.

"Rhodey my friend, you won't believe what I plan to do next."

NEXT: "Motivation" begins in IRON MAN #1!

IRON FILLINGS

Yes, Iron Man is going to be relaunched. This is something I discussed with Chris Munn and he approved it, because my direction for IRON MAN will be quite different from what's come before at M2K. In volume two, you're going to be seeing a lot more focus on Tony Stark and his world and less focus on Iron Man. Yes, I know that seems odd since this title is called IRON MAN , but you get plenty of Iron Man superheroics in the pages of AVENGERS WEST COAST, so quit yer bitchin'. Besides, there's no way I could even hope to live up to Russ Anderson's amazing run on this title, so instead, I'm going to do my own thing.

This arc was more of the superheroic angle, and it was meant to tie up the loose ends left by Gregg Epstein. Originally, the plan was for Gregg to finish off his run and clear the slate for me, but things don't always work out the way you'd like and my run was pushed forward a bit. So I had to make due with what I had and come up with a way to tie everything up. It may not be the most satisfying conclusion and it's probably not what Gregg planned on doing, either, but hey—it works, it paves the way for some stuff in volume two, and that's enough for me. I can't promise you'll like what I've got in store, but hey—fanfic doesn't cost a thing, so give it a shot and if it's not your brand of vodka, then at least I tried.

-Dino Pollard
December 2, 2004