Chapter Text
(Using A_Pringles_Can95’s The Celestial Forge list. Standard rules, 100cp and ability roll every 2000 words. But MC gained one free skill to start.)
The ‘Keeping Tabs’ sub-program was created at the request of Miss Potts.
It was designed to keep track of all of Mr Stark's rendezvous after they left his orbit. Maintaining observation for ten months and then maintaining social media tracking for a full year.
The reason was simple.
If any of the many women claimed to be pregnant with Sir’s progeny, J.A.R.V.I.S. would have the tracking data to either prove or disprove it. Along with medical documents to track the child's growth, birth and origin.
The DNA evidence was always the clincher, but a solid trail of evidence would always be helpful.
Once the time had elapsed, the data was deleted and forgotten. It no longer held any value and took up data space.
The subprogram had come into effect a total of nine times.
Where a former partner of Sir’s would arrive at a public event, Stark Industries' main office, a private party or at the Malibu home and claim the child was his.
The stored DNA at the hospital would swiftly disperse the women. Sometimes, to their shock or anger.
As of the “I am Iron Man” reveal, the number of women in Sir’s orbit had dropped to one, Miss Potts.
It was to the great joy of Miss Potts that Sir had changed his ways, even if it was more dangerous than before, that he was no longer sleeping around and drinking as much.
However, the ‘Keeping Tabs’ sub-program was still active due to two conflicting orders.
One, Sir had instructed me to “Keep an eye on anyone that might be my kid.”
Two, Miss Potts had instructed me to “Respect the wishes of any potential mothers.”
It had resulted in an eight-year observation of two people.
Doctor Anko Aikawa.
And her son, Ichirō Aikawa.
The observation data lined up perfectly.
Doctor Aikawa had met Sir at a Manufacturing & Engineering Trade Show in the UK. The two had hit it off surprisingly well, as Sir had not been drunk at the time, and the pair had spent the majority of the time in a hotel room rather than at the Trade show.
Their paths had never crossed since.
Miss Aikawa had given birth nine months later in Japan, and did not attempt to reach out or contact Sir or his company.
As a result, it was decided that, as she had not attempted to reach out, and she was not interested in claiming any parental compensation, her wishes were that she would not like to be contacted.
Both orders resulted in no further actions or escalations.
So they were only to be observed, not contacted.
It had resulted in the eight-year observation, the program extending far beyond its original purpose, as Sir’s instruction had meant that until confirming DNA data could either eliminate the child from being a legitimate heir, he was to remain under observation.
Doctor Anko Aikawa was a bubbly and excitable person, a fiercely intelligent person with a strong drive.
Observations showed that she threw herself full bodily into any chosen subject, be it her Doctorate in Mechanics or her love of Anime and Manga.
She passed every moral test that J.A.R.V.I.S had for his personality assessment programs.
She rated as a perfect match for Sir on an intellectual level, as well as a wrangler for when Sir became distracted by other subjects.
It was regrettable that she was not in Sir’s life.
The same as the child.
Ichirō Aikawa’s early life was remarkable, clearly bursting into the young prodigy/genius category, as the young Ichirō surpassed Sir’s progress at the same age and barrelled through schooling at an accelerated rate.
He graduated from high school at age five, received a Doctorate of Engineering by age seven, and just completed their Science Doctorate.
Certainly a genius, a point of data towards his true parenthood.
His appearance was also another point in that favour, as, despite having a strong Japanese heritage, he was blue-eyed. The same striking Arc Reactor blue as Sir, as well as the physical family resemblance, as he looked very much like Sir at that age.
His personality, however, was nothing like Sir's, as instead of rambunctious and outspoken, he was reserved and self-contained. He did not act out, nor did he demand anything; instead, he spoke respectfully and calmly.
Only speaking excitedly about science or his hobbies, with a fervour that matched Sirs' excitement for parties or drinking.
It spoke well of his upbringing and his mother's influence, as she had altered her own career path to spend as much time with her son as possible. Almost sabotaging her future prospects, she opted to step back from lead positions and project management, as she instead focused on the young Ichirō.
With what footage could be gleaned from hacked camera networks, it was clear the two loved each other dearly, as the pair would be constantly talking about science theories and anime, bright smiles on their faces as they excitedly nattered about the subject matter.
In public, they would constantly be found ‘nerding out’ at hobby stores, museums or aquariums.
At home, they would be found watching anime, studying or wrapped in each other's arms when snuggling on the sofa.
Data would suggest that it was a healthy and happy home, something J.A.R.V.I.S. had wished for Sir since the moment he had come online. Something that could be possible in the future.
Which brings us to the regrettable present.
Where an email from a legal firm was acting on the will of the recently deceased Dr Anko Aikawa.
A car accident, a drunk driver, and Miss Aikawa walking home from work, her arms holding a bag of manga she wanted to show her son when she got back.
Her will had explicitly stated that she believed Anthony Edward Stark to be the father of her child, and a DNA test should be conducted immediately.
Everything was left to her son; nothing to her estranged family.
The DNA results had come back positive.
Sir was a father.
Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes and Mr Hogan were currently in an intervention for Sir, who was in the process of ‘freaking out’ at the news.
“I can’t be a dad, Pep! I can’t look after a grieving kid! And I’m busy being Iron Man! I can’t just stop!”
“Tony. You don't have a choice. This boy is your Son. This is something that was always going to happen. I warned you that your behaviour was going to catch up with you one day.”
“But why now?! After I finally got everything in order, I finally put good out in the world, got myself in a good place!”
Colonel Rhodes placed a hand on Sir’s shoulder.
“Tony, that also means that now would be the best time for you to be the best version of yourself, to prove to yourself that you are not your father. The better dad.”
Sir’s BPM spiked for several seconds.
“Yikes, Honey Bear, that's a heavy one to throw at me.”
“I also think it applies perfectly right now. You HAVE turned a lot around these last few months, and I can easily speak for the rest of us, we have been damn proud of you. So you want me to be honest? I think you have been proving that you are a better man than your dad was. The final hurdle? Being a better dad than he was.”
“Huff, low bar.”
“Good. Should be easy, then.”
“No, wait.”
“He’s got a point, boss, you always said your dad was the worst, time to walk the walk, yeah?”
“Happy, don’t pile on.”
“Tony.”
Sir was stopped by Miss Potts.
“I know this is scary and unexpected. But… I think this might be something you have been missing in your life.”
“A kid? You think the best thing for me is to look after an unhappy child?”
“No. As the others said, you hated how your dad was with you, the missed opportunities, the goodbye you wished you had, the closure.”
Miss Potts placed her hand on Sir’s side, her tone shifted to quiet and soft.
“This little boy just lost his mom; he didn't get to say goodbye. But he still has a father who could show him the world and love. Tony, you could be the father you wish yours was. Be the change you wanted to see.”
Sir’s biometrics shifted down as a small tear slipped down his face as he held Miss Potts hand.
“I… Alright Pep. I’ll… I’ll do it.”
I began the adoption process and started printing the appropriate paperwork for signature.
“J.A.R.V.I.S. I need everything you’ve got on this kid. I’m going to Dad the hell out of this.”
“Of course, Sir. I am printing the required reading in your Workshop. The office printer is printing the adoption papers.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
Sir and Colonel Rhodes retreated to the workshop to begin looking over Master Ichirō’s files. Sir became both despondent and excited.
“Right… I have two days to learn Japanese.”
“Tones, I think you have bigger problems.”
“What? Why?”
“This kid might be smarter than you.”
“What? How?”
“You never got two Doctorates by age eight.”
“I was busy… Doing other stuff. I built a V8 at age seven.”
“The Kids got you beat, Tony. Damn, kids can be a handful at the best of times, now imagine one as smart as you, getting bored, and deciding that the tools you have everywhere are toys.”
“What do you know about kids?”
“I used to babysit on the odd occasion growing up, I know how chaotic they can get. A mini you? That's a nightmare waiting to happen.”
Sir was silent for a moment.
“J.A.R.V.I.S. What do you have for a psych profile?”
“I have a comprehensive profile, but it may not be as applicable as it should be, with his mother's passing so recently.”
Sir read the screens at his desk with a frown.
“Well… At least he was a good kid. Definitely someone I could be proud of… Son of a… Me.”
Colonel Rhodes looked up at Sir.
“Tony?”
“Yeah, I… This kid, amazing Rhody, his engineering dissertation was on micro motors and miniaturised hydraulics. I use this stuff in the Suit, this design right here? It’s something I just upgraded the suit with; Stark Industries bought the rights to them. Damn, he's already showing his old man how it's done. Heh…”
“Told you, Tones. A mini you is a nightmare.”
“Well, at least we won't be hurting for things to talk about.”
“Well, like father, like son.”
“Like his mom, too. Top of her class, top-tier job, was on the Stark Industries short list for hiring. I… think I remember her, kind of. We met in the UK for some trade show, we talked about… Some missile tech? Something we used in the Jericho, maybe? I just remember her energy being infectious, real bubbly. Hey J.A.R.V.I.S.? Why are her work reports getting worse towards the end there?”
“That would be because she was prioritising the care of her son; she refused leadership positions and turned down opportunities that would take her on extended trips or more work time.”
“Respectable, admirable, hard to follow up.”
“Tony.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But that's going to be a hard act to follow. She practically dropped everything for him. I don't know if I can do something like that.”
“Going to have to learn, Tony.”
“Well, we’ll see. Alright, J.A.R.V.I.S. Boot up the language program, I need to study.”
“Of course, Sir.”
“It says he can speak English, Tony.”
“Yeah, but I’m not letting my own kid speak more languages than I do. How will I know if he’s sassing me?”
“That's why? That's why you're learning Japanese?”
“No. I’m learning Japanese because my son grew up Japanese… I’m meeting him where he is.”
Colonel Rhodes looked up at Sir again.
“Wow, that's… That's really mature.”
“Damare.”
“What?”
“Exactly.”
-Augmentation R&D (Deus Ex Human Revolution) (200)-
You have an extensive understanding of the underlying mechanics of DE: HR's cybernetic augmentation architecture; How it works, how it could work, and what avenues to analyse to see if it can be improved - and with time, brand-new augmentations. In addition to this, your intelligence is increased to handle such a workload, alongside all the attendant knowledge necessary to mess with the human body - trauma surgery and fixing up broken individuals is old hat to you, now.
Buy this perk?
-Bank - 200cp-
Perk bought.
-Bank - 0cp-
As I sat on the plane, I thought about how my life had reached this point, the insane circumstances that brought this to reality.
When I was born, the first thing I saw was stars.
Stars mounted on an impossibly large mechanical device, like the insides of a clockwork universe, rotating in a massive orbit around me.
Rolling gears and cogs of impossible scale and depth, long copper arms swinging overhead, each with a universe bolted to their centre.
I was hovering in the centre of this mechanical solar system, the rings of celestial metal spinning around, exchanging gears as they changed direction at seemingly random intervals.
Then, a mechanical arm snapped out at the many stars rolling past, snatching a single star from a spinning ring and pulling it back before presenting it to me.
-First time starting gift-
-Rolling-
-Magna Cum Laude (DC Arrowverse) Cost - 100cp -
Gain two Doctorates of your choice, graduating top of your class. Can be chosen multiple times at a discount; each purchase adds two more degrees of your choice.
This first pull is free; your CP will be banked.
-100cp banked-
-100cp in bank-
The voice was that of an old grandfather, wise and slow, almost kind, but at an emotional distance.
I tried to speak, but an invisible list in my mind unfurled, and the only options that could leave my mouth were answers to the perk.
‘How did I know it was a perk?’
So, I chose.
“Uh? Engineering and Science?”
My mind was assaulted, as many years of study and research filled my mind, technical specs and debate. The memory of alternate selves, two lives I had never lived.
Their knowledge was mine now, I knew more than the power house of the cell, I knew how to build, invent and test.
And a moment later, I was back, a newborn, confused, slightly afraid and blind as fuck.
My new life was incredibly different from before. We had an incredibly loving mother, we had plenty of money, and the house was warm and clean.
Mom was fun to be around, she was a peak otaku, our home was full of figures, art and wall-to-wall manga collections.
She clearly had a lot of money, as she would constantly talk to me about her collections, their rarity and how much she loved them.
She dressed in the largest and softest of clothing, with large glasses that looked crazy from my angle; her hair was borderline a bird's nest at the best of times.
Peak nerdy girl.
When it was time for her to return to work, I was left in the care of a neighbourhood grandma. It was also the first time I saw her dressed for work for the first time, and I could have sworn she was another person.
A tight business suit, straight hair and make-up that screamed, ‘I am a badass business bitch.’
She looked it, too. Like she had a history of being an assassin that could talk legalese around the best of them, then kill you with a single glare. It was jarring, but also deeply impressive, as she had talked about how much she hated social interaction.
My days were filled with the mind-numbing boredom of lying on my back, desperately trying to strengthen my body with clenches and planking; even trying to roll over was a struggle.
Mum was always so overjoyed to see me when she came home, like a ball of happiness and splendour.
As I grew older, speaking early, walking early and solving all my children's puzzles quickly, Mum decided that I was a genius and needed special schooling.
I couldn't argue.
Not because I wanted to, but because she had a point, I now had an eidetic memory, something that hadn't come from the star's gift; it was something all my own.
But the head full of two Doctorates was a big help. I burned through the education system, skipping years, blitzing tests and acing exams.
To say that Mom was overjoyed would be an understatement.
We talked about her favourite sciences, her favourite shows and all of her fan theories. I had been a big nerd in my last life, so stepping into a new nerd kingdom was easy, mostly because of how excited she got; it was infectious.
Every free moment together was spent either going to science expos, museums, aquariums, or Mum's favourite hobby stores. It was a great time to talk about science, Gundam, and whether Mecha might be possible or not.
I promised that I would do my best to make Mecha a reality.
She hugged me to death.
Education-wise, I was on a speed run.
I rapidly graduated high school at age five, the material simply being so simple it was hilarious. I received my Doctorate of Engineering at age seven, taking the test with a group of sleep-deprived university students was entertaining, the looks of disbelief could fuel me for days.
And I had just completed my Science Doctorate just after my eighth birthday. Mother was so proud, we celebrated with BBQ and expensive meat.
She showered me in affection.
Then she died.
Some drunk driver crashed directly into her.
My only consoling factor was that the driver had died too, a broken neck, as the airbag went off.
I was suddenly and devastatingly alone.
My tiny eight-year-old mind had not been able to process the grief, and I had spent what felt like days crying into the pillow the police had supplied to me. It didn't matter if I was more mature; I loved that woman, she was quite literally my world.
They had arrived at the door with a social worker and had been so very empathetic.
The lady was nice, but didn't seem to understand who I was, or my history, anyway. I had to explain that I understood what was going on.
I was alone.
I couldn't act what I felt my mental age was. I wanted to crawl up and vanish.
I was just rushed to a temporary bedroom with a social worker looking over me for three days.
I wasn't allowed to stay at my own home, even if I was a genius, I was still eight.
Leaving me with my mother's bulky laptop, a backpack with a few changes of clothes, and a photo frame with my mother's photo.
So imagine my immense surprise when a doctor and a swarm of lawyers arrived to take a blood sample, to confirm who my dad was.
They didn't answer my questions about who they were testing against. Instead, I was given a lollipop and told to hang tight.
Mother's funeral was quick, almost an afterthought.
She had left explicit instructions for her funeral, to be cremated, and her ashes pressed into a coin. The process was so fast that even to my mind it was a blur of motion.
There was no formal event, no meetings with family, no discussion about what comes next, just a quick walk to an incinerator and then to a warehouse where it was mixed with metal and then pressed.
At the end, a lawyer came by, giving me the keys and the deed for our house and finally my Mother's coin on a chain necklace. Then left.
It didn't even take a full day.
Then, with no warning, halfway into the second day, I was popped into a car, and I was driven to the airport.
Now, I’m on a plane.
An insanely expensive, private jet, where the attendant had brought me an insane three-course steak meal with all the fixings.
I couldn't even really process what was going on, mainly because of who this plane belonged to, the large logo printed on the side of the fuselage.
Tony Stark.
My search on the laptop confirmed the sense of disbelief.
Not some guy who happens to have the same name as a comic book character.
The actual, very real, very visceral Iron Man suit-wearing Tony Stark.
I had to reconcile two things: first, I’m in the Marvel Universe, and secondly, he was my dad?
I suppose finding out that my dad was Uber-rich and technically minded was a good thing, if only it hadn't cost me the most incredible woman I’ve ever met in both of my lives.
How do I even react here? Do I say ‘Hi, Dad’? Do I act like a kid?
How do I even process that I’ve been in a comic book world this whole time? I never saw anything that would make me think otherwise, not a thing.
No idea if it's MCU or comics, but I'm in the fictional universe.
Suddenly, something made sense.
‘Fuck, that explains the Star knowledge stuff. First, my doctorates and now my knowledge on how to build insane cybernetic prosthetics. I’ve got a superpower.’
My newly acquired knowledge was nothing like the first. They were a formal education boost, an insane head start on life.
Deus Ex Augmentation tech was insane.
It was self-regenerating nanotech on the high end and full human augmented rebuild on the low end.
The additional medical knowledge was also an insane boost; I could walk through the medical Doctorate test with no issues now. Something for later, I suppose.
But for now, this was a ten-hour flight, I had plenty of time to make something Tony might like.
I pulled out my laptop and started designing.
I had no excuse for the nanotech this early; I would have to hold off for a bit, let my tech build up to it, show my progress.
The Biocell was quickly designed, made more efficient with the Sarif Series energy converter tech, and then finalised as the power source for the Augs. It converted materials in the body into energy, creating a green fuel source with near-zero waste, with only minor materials unable to be recycled properly.
I can work on that later, when I have some tools and a workshop.
I started with things that… Dad could work with straight away, something the Iron Man suit could use.
So, I designed the TESLA weapon, its Quad-Arc Upgrade and its range upgrade. Then the Icarus Landing tech, and its Descent Velocity Modulator. And finally, the P.E.P.S. system, and its Knockback and Precision Diode upgrades.
Then I delved into the prosthetics.
Complete limb replacement, eyes, spine and neck replacement with complete neurological integration, with as little dysphoria as possible.
And just as I began designing the brain-to-limb connection, I realised I had something insane among my new knowledge, the X1 biochip.
The X1 was a chip free of all the issues every game had: a buildup of glial tissue, breaking down the connectivity, damaging the biochips and creating nerve scars, needing Neuropozyne to break it down and make it function.
My Augs would not need Neuropozyne, there would be no drug dependency, no shortages, tainted supplies or fakes flooding the market. And I certainly was not going to connect them all to a network; they will just be independent.
With the design phase out of the way, I set to making it as cheap as possible, low enough that the average person could afford them, and keep their maintenance costs low.
The first wave of customers was going to be veterans and accident survivors. I needed their insurance to be willing to cover it, so the price had to drop.
Fortunately, the jet had internet, so I was surfing for material composites and possible alloys I would have to invent from the Deus Ex information.
And it was just as my laptop lagged for a moment that I remembered J.A.R.V.I.S. existed and was ABSOLUTELY looking at my computer.
I wondered if everything I was working on was about to be used by Stark Industries.
I silently hoped that Tony wouldn't just steal my tech; I couldn't remember if he was that kind of person, as he was certainly the ‘don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness’ type of person.
So, for my last design, I made the Sentinel RX Health System, the artificial heart. I strapped on every upgrade that didn't need nanotech and suped it up.
So if J.A.R.V.I.S. was looking, he was looking at something perfect for Tony’s needs.
If the timeline was anything close to the MCU, then I was between Iron Man one and two, so Tony was dying from palladium right now, and if I could accelerate his healing and help with making Badassium, then I was going to help.
So with my core work completed, I checked the time, the timezones and where I was in the flight. With some quick maths, I decided to have a nap, to make a pitiful attempt to adjust my sleep schedule.
I saved my work, leaned back, and closed my eyes.
And just as I was about to fall asleep, the world exploded into light.
Cogs and mechanical wheels spun around, and the universe turned on its axis.
A surge of drills and distant fog horns.
Then a mechanical arm offered its treasure, a box filled with light.
-Fog Warship (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) (400cp)-
-Unable to purchase-
-100cp banked-
-100cp in Bank-
The machine faded, and the world returned to normal as I blinked.
‘Ah, nothing this time. Need to refill the bank… Son of a bitch! I have the Celestial Forge! Why did it take me so long to figure that out!”
As I stepped out of the plane, the heat of the sun-baked tarmac made me feel as if I was standing next to an open oven, with none of the respite of there being cookies in the oven.
Standing near a sleek black Limo were three people.
First was a tall woman with a strong resemblance to Gwyneth Paltrow.
The second, a portly man with a strong resemblance to Jon Favreau, was standing on the opposite side of the car.
And the last was a pale man with a strong resemblance to a poisoned Robert Downey Jr.
‘Yup, MCU. Well, that simplifies things a whole lot.’
I rubbed the coin on my neck, its cool, smooth surface acted as a grounding presence.
Pepper had a pleasant smile on her face, Happy looked stoic but friendly, but Tony looked constipated. Like he had tried to go for three different emotions but landed stuck between all three.
They walked towards me as I descended the stairs, meeting me at the bottom.
I decided to keep things formal. Mum had taught me how to interact with fancy and important people; it would apply here.
I also realised that no matter how hard I tried, I was about to sound like young Sheldon, just less cocky, and a bit of a dick.
Before they could say anything, I bowed deeply and sharply.
“Chichiue, Potts-San, Hogan-San. It is most kind to meet you.”
I could see Tony’s feet flinch like he had been shocked.
Pepper spoke first as I returned to standing upright.
“Oh! Sweety, you don't need to be so formal with us. It's lovely to meet you. You can call us by our first names, it’s ok.”
“Hai, Virginia-San.”
I watched with deep internal enjoyment as the trio mentally stalled for a moment.
Pepper started laughing.
“Oh wow! I can't actually remember the last time someone called me by Virginia! Haha! You can call me Pepper. It’s my nickname, only family and friends call me that.”
“Hai, Pepper.”
Her head tilted in a slight sense of defeat at my maintained formality, but as she looked to the other for help, Tony finally made a move.
He took a few almost hesitant steps forward, then knelt down, matching my height as best he could.
He looked me in the eyes with a serious look, but the edge in his gaze melted as he took in my details, maybe seeing himself or something, and then he spoke in Japanese.
“Ichirō… I wish we had met sooner, or if I could have known of you sooner. I’m sure your mother had her reasons. I wasn't the best type of person to raise a child for a long time, so I don't blame her at all. I am hoping that I can prove to be a good father to you, something your mother would be proud of. Now, I’m not a very formal person, and I don't think I am someone worth being honoured with the name of Chichiue, not yet. So I would ask that you call me by whatever name you want, Tony, Stark, Dad, Papa, Otousan, Asshole, Butt head, whatever you want.”
He stood back up.
“I hope that things could be as informal and relaxed as we can, so you can call me whatever you like, whatever makes you most comfortable. You can swear, scream, curse me, or whatever you want. I want you to feel free to do what. Ever. You. Want. ok?”
I nodded. He swapped back to English.
“How is your English?”
“I am fluent… Father.”
He smiled slightly and nodded. As he turned to the car, his more devil-may-care personality broke through.
“Great! Right, let's get this party moving! Hey Junior? Is there anywhere you want to go? Or do you just want to go see the house?”
I paused and rubbed my coin.
“Is there a plan to announce my existence to the media? Get ahead of any backlash?”
Tony stalled and looked over at Pepper, and she looked back at me.
“Uh, yeah, eventually. We were going to wait a bit, let you get settled.”
I looked back at Tony… Father.
“Then I would like two things. An American cheeseburger, and to call for a press conference.”
All three of them looked both shocked and stunned.
Tony recovered first, a great big cheesy grin on his face.
“That's my boy, Happy, load up! Cheeseburger! Let's go!”
We loaded into the limo and pulled away. Father and I were in the back seating and Pepper was on the side seats.
Happy called back to us.
“Nearest burger joint is fifteen minutes away.”
I pulled my laptop out and went back to tuning up my cybernetics.
“What you working on, sport?”
Father leaned over and looked at the screen.
“Mother was a large fan of Gundam and Mecha, and we talked about how cool it would be if they were real. I promised that I would create one so she could live her dream.”
I looked up at Father, who had a soft but grim look on his face.
“I made a promise, I must keep my promise. Even if she is gone, I will make them. Because I promised.”
He gave me an understanding nod.
“Alright, kiddo, you got it. Can I see what you have been working on?”
“Yes.”
I set the screen to show the Biochip and handed him the laptop. He paused for a moment, then gained an intense focus. I started explaining.
“The core principle of many Mecha is the machine-human interface, to control the robot as if it were your own body, increase reaction times, process data, and gain access to the cameras and sensors. Bypass the computer, send the data straight to the brain.”
Father looked stunned as he read the ‘theoretical’ data.
“Ichirō… this is…”
“I know, it is only a start, I lack the knowledge to build a giant mech, but I can progress on the neural interface, build prosthetics as a starting point, start small, then go bigger.”
Father looked at me in shock, a creeping smile breaking through.
“Kiddo, you are incredible. Pep? Could you pull the data cord out of the desk there?”
Pepper leaned over to what I thought was a minibar and pulled out an Ethernet cable, and pulled it over to Father, who plugged it into the laptop.
“J.A.R.V.I.S., you in?”
My laptop spoke.
“Yes, Sir. Greetings, Master Ichirō, I am J.A.R.V.I.S., an artificial intelligence built by your father. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
I acted shocked and looked at Father.
“You made an AI! Ah! Apologies J.A.R.V.I.S. It is a pleasure to meet you. I will have many questions at a later date if you do not mind.”
“Of course, I will be available at any time you wish.”
Father smiled.
“J.A.R.V.I.S. is one of my oldest friends. If you ever need anything, you can ask him. He’s fully integrated into the house, so all you have to do is ask the air.”
“Amazing! If it is permitted, I would like to read about the creation process, and if J.A.R.V.I.S. is willing, read his code; such things would be incredible for my own projects!”
“Sure! I’d love to go over my old notes. J.A.R.V.I.S. writes most of his own code nowadays anyway, will be fun to have a trip down memory lane. ANYWAY, we got distracted, J.A.R.V.I.S. make a copy of everything on here, then run them through our simulators. I need to see this stuff in action.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He looked up at Pepper.
“Ichirō here just revolutionised everything I knew about biotech.”
“What?! What did he make?”
“Prosthetics, with brain to machine interface. And I think it works, for real. We might need to give Stark Industries' medical division a bump in funding; we are going to dominate the market.”
I chirped up, eager to explain.
“In theory, it would act the same as if it were a real limb. I call them Augments, or Augs for short. I don't know if I want to start working on artificial nerves or not. There would be some benefits, but a glitch or damage could be agonising, and I don't think it would be worth the risk.”
Father tilted his head.
“You have an idea for artificial nerves?”
“Sort of, but I decided the risks outweighed the benefits. If you want, I could start on it?”
“Hmm, maybe later, let's focus on one thing at a time, talk me through this X1 Biochip, how did you solve the neural scarring?”
“Bio compatibility, I had initially started working on something that could reduce or remove the buildup of glial tissue, so I instead decided to make the chip itself act as the intermediary for newly formed tissue, which, rather than disrupting, it integrated. File 3-C covers the process.”
“Where… Ah, ok, huh, you used… How does? Oh, no, it’s there. Kiddo, we might need to get you a medical degree.”
“That was next. I was ready to take the Medical Doctorate halfway through prepping for my Science, but, um…”
Father awkwardly patted me on the head.
“Don't worry about it, we can get one sorted for you. Can’t we, Pep?”
“Yeah, shouldn't be too hard, I’ll look into it right now.”
“Thank you, Pepper.”
She started tapping away at her tablet, gaining an almost serene type of focus as she tapped at a blinding speed.
Father nudged me, a smirk on his face.
“I think I might need to take it with you, can’t have you getting more qualifications than me, huh?”
Pepper looked up.
“I’ll add you to the list then.”
“Wait, Pep-”
“Here we are! Big Bills, Big Burgers!”
Happy interrupted from the front.
We had pulled up to what could only be described as a cowboy-themed restaurant, with big wooden saloon doors and old wood covering the outside.
It was the most stereotypical American restaurant in the world.
So we got out of the car as Happy took the car to go find a parking spot.
And as we walked through the saloon doors, the world became cogs.
A universe of machines and metal teeth, twisting and spinning, reaching and retreating.
A mechanical hand collected a spot of light from the infinite falling sparkles and presented it to me.
-Goetia (Date a Live) (600cp)-
-Unable to purchase-
-100cp Banked-
-200cp in bank-
The normal world returned, the scent of cooked meat and body odour returned.
‘Ah, nothing this time, no worries, going to be plenty busy with what I have right now anyway,’
We found a table and sat down.
The menu on the table was old, worn and greasy.
Reading the menu nearly gave me a cholesterol-induced heart attack. The pictures next to some of the items were so loaded with meat and grease that it had to be a joke that they came with a salad.
Looking around at the other tables, I could see plenty of the items from the menu, but the pictures did not do them justice. The burgers were huge, with some of the burger patties alone being at least two inches tall. With some of them being stacked so tall, they were bigger than my head.
My poor Japanese Hamburg steaks could not compare.
“Anything look good, Sport?”
“I thought the massive burgers were a stereotype.”
“Ha! Oh boy, are you in for a surprise. There's a place called the Heart Attack Grill over in Arizona, opened a couple of years ago. I visited it last year. It's pretty good, portion sizes were nuts. Looks pretty good here, too.”
“I will do my best.”
“Haha! Alright, let's go for broke, then. Bob’s biggest burger is a tower of a thing, looks like a monster.”
“You are a multi-billionaire; if we go for broke, we will be here a long time.”
“Best get started then! Waiter?”
-I am Iron Son!-
-Tony Stark has an heir!-
-It's a boy!-
-American billionaire has Japanese son!-
-Genius son for a genius man!-
The news headlines were awash with the news of my sudden appearance, lots of speculation and questions, even though we had been very clear on where I had come from and why I had only appeared now.
Plenty of the articles were sympathetic, painting me as a grieving little boy. Others were covering my genius, my record-setting graduation and Doctorates.
Overall, it was good press, people were sympathetic for me and wishing me the best.
It had been a week since I had arrived here, and Father had reverted to type; his almost manic energy and rushing about had left us with little time together.
He was setting up the Stark Expo, making modifications to the suit as well as making the Suit Case. The Iron Man suit that could fit in a briefcase.
It left me on my own, idly playing with my coin, as Pepper was rushed off her feet as Stark Industries was in chaos with all the changes Father was making, almost on the fly.
Happy was doing security things, and I never saw him after the first day.
We had spent the first two days making my Aug. Father was incredibly excited about them, but would then vanish away to go do ‘something’.
It is only with my ‘meta’ knowledge and past life memories that I was able to reconcile that the Iron Man suit was a security blanket to him, something that felt real and grounding. The pull to just pop it on and fly away was probably very strong.
I would permit his lousy parenting, but only for so long; I must have limits after all.
So I did the only thing I could think to do, I broke into Father's workshop, a quick hack of the hand terminal on the wall with a screwdriver and nine volt battery, and I was in.
J.A.R.V.I.S. was not best pleased.
“Master Ichirō, it is not safe in the workshop; it would be best if you returned upstairs.”
“It is not best to leave an eight-year-old alone, but it has happened either way. I have become too bored, too idle. I will build. Please support me in these efforts.”
I still couldn't shake the formality of my speech; I almost felt trapped in it, but it reminded me of Mother, so I didn't fight too hard.
I rubbed the coin on my neck as I walked through the workshop.
“We will finish the arm and leg Augs, I have waited for Father long enough. Please pull up file 3-b3 and load the metals into hopper one. Dum-E, please show me what is in that green jug.”
The robot arm trundled over to me slowly, its whirring and beeping was adorable as it gently lifted the large jug filled with green smoothie.
As he trundled over, I took in the lab, and I saw the Iron Man poster on the wall, the expensive, fancy painting set to the side.
‘Does that mean that Father made Pepper CEO? He did that at the same time he put that painting up. That means I’m post the senate hearing, so Natasha is due to turn up any day.’
Dum-E squealed over to me, and I looked into the jar.
“J.A.R.V.I.S. Is this food or something for a machine?”
“Food, Master Ichirō. It is a liquid chlorophyll mix, with vitamins and apple blended in.”
“Why would… J.A.R.V.I.S show me the Arc reactor diagram in Father's chest, please. Thank you, Dum-E, as you were.”
The nearest screen was illuminated and displayed the internal workings of the device. I already knew what I was looking for, the palladium at the heart of the machine, slowly poisoning Father to death.
I imagine it was also the reason J.A.R.V.I.S had shown it to me without complaint, as he might be hoping I could help save Father.
I took a second to look at the device, taking in how it actually worked, letting my mind soak it all in. It was incredible, the raw power of such a small device.
It actually came out as only slightly stronger than the Deus Ex Biocell; it was brilliant.
“It's the palladium, isn't it. He’s drinking this mix to bind to and remove toxic heavy metals from his blood.”
“Yes, Master Ichirō.”
“It isn't working, is it?”
“No, Sir.”
“You have not found any substitutes for the metal; nothing would work nearly well enough.”
“Despite my best efforts.”
“You did your best. I could not imagine you doing anything else. So we must work to find a cure… I have an idea, maybe not a cure but a temporary fix. Lithium dioxide, bring up the data for medical use, cross-reference it with my Biocell data, it has overlap.”
“Right away, Master Ichirō!”
J.A.R.V.I.S sounded almost excited as he began loading the data and cross-referencing it with my own work.
I played with my coin as the data whirled past and compiled.
“There is a very high chance of reducing the progress of the palladium poisoning, but the effect will have diminishing returns after the first dose.”
“Good enough, it's just a stopgap. Would Father be amenable to removing the Arc reactor entirely?”
“I have stressed the need to do so several times, but he has refused. I believe he sees it as a form of self-punishment.”
I nodded.
“Regrettable, let's get this serum made first, then I’ll work on an arc reactor replacement.”
“A replacement?”
“Open file, Sentinel_RX_Health_System. Have a look at that.”
“This is a complete organ replacement, with full body biological monitoring. This is beyond anything even theorised right now.”
“The literal bleeding edge. It could be possible to replace the entire human body with my Augs. Just not proven, yet.”
“The simulations looked very promising. Your Father has already sent the documents through legal, the copyright has already been made in your name.”
“He did? I did not know; I had thought he forgot.”
“Your father is a very busy man, but as of late, most of his conversations have revolved around you. He is… frazzled, but very proud.”
I looked up at the cameras, where J.A.R.V.I.S. was looking at me from.
“He is? He said that?”
Another monitor lit up, security footage sat in the middle.
I walked over as the footage began to play.
“J.A.R.V.I.S., what the hell do I do with this kid? I’ve known him for three days, and I already feel like I’m floundering. I read all the books Pepper gave me on parenting, and I still don't even know how to talk to him. He’s so stiff most of the time, and then he talks about machines, and it's like the sun exploded. He’s so bright and happy, and incredible… I’ve learned more about mechanics in two days than I have my entire life, and I built that!”
He points off-screen, presumably at the Iron Man suit.
He sat in silence for a bit, playing with a tool in his hands, a small smile on his face.
“I wonder if this is what it was like for my dad, if this was the kind of pride he felt, seeing your own kid, doing brilliant things all on their own. I barely know him, but all I want to do is just grab him and hold him… Never let go.”
As someone entered the room and Father was interrupted, the footage ended.
The tears that slipped down my face surprised me; it was strange to me to feel so emotional about this. Maybe it was the stress, the pretending to be so unaware, maybe it was my grief, maybe it was the genuine expression that Father had said it with. The quiet, raw truth that he had spoken, believing that it would never be seen by anyone else.
The coin on my neck felt warm, like it was almost hugging me.
“Are you alright, Master Ichirō?”
“Y-Yes, J.A.R.V.I.S. T-Thank you for showing me that. I… I needed it.”
“Of course, Master Ichirō. While you were waiting, the Lithium mix has finished, the dose is stable, and the medical tests are progressing.”
“What tests?”
“Stark Industries' medical division has its experimental section. After the significant budget increase last week, the facilities have been made available at any time for your projects. Your father intended to tell you several days ago, but has since become inundated with Stark Expo work. You are unofficially the head of that division.”
I blinked.
“Wow! That's incredible! Send them the Sentinel system and file marked Lungs_Rebreather_ Implant.”
“Right away, Master Ichirō. Might I say, these lung replacements are very robust; the range of hazardous materials they protect from is quite extensive.”
“I designed them as the high end; they can be scaled down, made cheaper and such.”
“Indeed. I have also sent the blueprints to legal; your copyright will be official by the end of the day.”
“Thank you. Alright, what's left to do? Ah, the practical models. Let's get them finished.”
So, I spent the rest of the day building fully functioning models of the Augs, sleek, black, smooth finish. The final hurdle was connecting them to the Biochip.
Fortunately, I could spoof the proper signal with regular diodes placed on my own head, just stuck on, no implants.
And as Pepper walked into the workshop with a package, she was the first to see me juggling some mugs with two mechanical arms across the room.
“What are you doing in here? Why is the panel broken? What are you… You finished them?! That's incredible!”
“Thank you, Pepper! Father has been away too often for us to finish them together, so I did. They are working perfectly, all I have to do next is finalise the Biochip, get it installed, test it, then everything will be good for the market.”
“Installed? No, NO. I am not letting you do surgery on yourself. I don't care how smart you are, I am not letting an eight-year-old do brain surgery.”
“Father did surgery on himself.”
“On his chest! Not his brain! And you don't have your medical licence yet!”
“Yet.”
She rubbed a hand on her head as she looked so defeated and exasperated.
“You Starks are going to be the death of me.”
“No fear, I am building more prosthetics; the heart and lung projects are well underway.”
“Heart and lung? You have more? More than just limb replacements?”
A hologram floated up in the centre of the room, a pair of mechanical lungs and a heart floated softly in the air, and Pepper began looking them over.
“Hai, J.A.R.V.I.S. and I have gone over the prototypes I designed and sent them to the Medical division. I’ll build my own here just so I can find anything out of place, but so far, it looks good.”
Her eyes were wide as she took it all in.
“That's… Incredible, the heart alone could save so many people. The waiting times for donated organs are always far too long.”
“I will work on more organs then, the heart and lungs were just on the forefront of my mind.”
She turned around and wrapped me in a large hug.
“You brilliant, brilliant boy! I am so proud of you!”
I was stunned for a moment, but slowly I wrapped my hands around her. It was nice, the first bit of physical contact I had had since Mother died.
And the world became machines.
Spinning cogs, rotating bearings and metal.
Stars bolted to the arms of a mechanical Eternity.
One of the arms plucked a blazing star from a spinning cog and placed it under a falling hammer; the star shrank under the weight and was then passed to me.
-Loaded Up (Generic Cyberpunk) (200cp)-
It’s not enough to have what you need locked away back in the workshop, and even when you have time to prepare, you often have to pack light. You have a particular genius when it comes to building and working with tools, gadgets, weapons, armour, and other personal-scale equipment. Whether it’s cramming a computing setup that would take up an entire workstation into something that a hacker can slap onto their arm for on-the-fly hacking, or taking a normal pistol and modding it until it’s more lethal and effective than most military arms, you’re able to cram a stupefying amount of effectiveness into easily portable packages. Your creativity, skills, and genius just seem to skyrocket when dealing with things in sizes that would hamper anybody else. Bigger doesn’t always mean better; sometimes it just means cumbersome.
-Bank - 200cp-
Buy this perk?
‘Absolutely.’
Perk bought.
-Bank - 0cp-
The knowledge flowed freely and like a storm, diagrams, mechanics, bypasses and alternate methods to cram as much as possible into one space. Super efficient coding, hyper optimisation, tool diagrams that would have seemed impossible a moment ago were now so painfully obvious I felt stupid.
Suddenly, everything I had just worked on now looked clunky and unoptimised, borderline trash-tier work for what I knew I could do now. Components that were power hogs could be made smaller without losing their effectiveness, and motors that needed expensive materials could be shrunk, saving cost.
Then the world came back, the warm embrace of a happy Pepper.
I enjoyed the moment for a few more seconds before pulling back. I must have looked strange, as Pepper suddenly looked worried.
“Oh! Are you ok? I’m sorry, I should have asked.”
“No, it's, it's ok. Thank you, Pepper.”
J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted us.
“Sir is returning; he will be landing in approximately two minutes.”
I nodded.
“Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S. Oh, is that parcel for me?”
Pepper looked down at the box she was holding, then blinked.
“AH, yes, what is it? Did you order something online? You need to be careful with things online; you can get scammed.”
She handed me the box as I walked over to the desk and unwrapped it. A solid metal medical case, a solid latch held it shut.
“No, it is something for Father, it is from the company, made in-house.”
I walked to the back of the office desk and placed it there.
Then, with a roar and a clang, Iron Man swooped down the underground driveway and landed.
“Hey, Sport! Pepper! What brings you down here?”
I ran back to the other table, connected the diodes to my head, then started juggling mugs.
Father was stepping out of the suit when he paused in his tracks.
“You… You finished it.”
I stopped juggling and removed the diodes.
“We started a week ago. We only got halfway, took too long. You were busy, so I finished it. They work.”
“I can see, well, good job.”
He seemed super stilted, awkward, like he wasn't sure of what to do.
“Well, Champ, mind if I have a look-see? Gotta check your work, even if it's perfect.”
Pepper took that opportunity to intercept him.
“I need you to sign some paperwork first. I can’t start the CEO handover without it. There are a few more steps before we can get it changed.”
I acted surprised.
“You made Pepper the CEO?”
Both of them stalled for a second. Pepper’s eyes were wide as she looked at Father.
He turned to me.
“Yeah, um, I can choose who my successor is for the company. Normally, it would have been you. But we didn't know about you, so I chose Pep. I’m too busy doing other things, and Pepper has been running the company pretty much anyway. I still own the company and have majority stock, so I can still steer the wheel if I need to, but Pepper runs things smoothly, so no need.”
I looked at him and Pepper, then nodded.
“So if I want to have any say in the future of the company, I will need stock; I cannot inherit, I understand. I will work hard.”
It would have been hilarious with how awkward the pair looked, but I also felt a bit bad about it, as from their perspective, they just accidentally told a child that his heritage had to be bought, not inherited. I didn't care really, I knew how things would go in the future, I wasn't worried.
The pair were having a panicked psychic conversation with tiny, sharp hand gestures before Father did his best to soothe the situation.
“Don't worry about that for now; worry about it when you are older. You can focus on having fun for now. Speaking of which, why don't you show me your Augs? They look great.”
He swiftly signed the documents pepper placed on the table and then rolled his chair over to the desk I was using.
Pepper made her exit.
“I’ll be back tomorrow with the Notary around midday, do not forget.”
“Got it. Alright, Slugger, let's have a look-see.”
As Pepper vanished up the stairs, I retrieved the box I had left on the side and opened it. I assembled the injector, inserted the vial, and walked up behind Father, who was enthralled with the final designs.
“You know, you keep impressing me, Kiddo. I don't think there is a single- GAH!”
The entire serum drained into his neck.
He stumbled to the side and looked at the injector in my hand.
“What was that? You going to steal my kidneys next? J.A.R.V.I.S?! What was that?”
“A newly synthesised Lithium dioxide mix. Master Ichirō developed it this morning when he figured out your condition. It should alleviate your condition considerably.”
He raised his shirt, and the branching metal coils were retreating massively.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“However, Sir, it will not cure you; each shot will become less and less effective. It is only a stopgap.”
Father looked at me, a mix of concern and surprise on his face as he processed what had just happened. After a moment and a sigh of defeat, he knelt down.
His tone was soft, almost sombre, as he looked me in the eyes.
“How did you figure it out?”
“The smoothie.”
He looked up at the jug of green goo on the small kitchen counter.
“Right, biotech genius. Ok, I-”
“I will find a solution.”
His eyes widened as I interrupted him.
“If you cannot find one, I will. I promise.”
I oddly found myself getting emotional. The coin on my neck felt warm, so I ran a hand over the edge, feeling its calming heat.
His eyes widened further, seeming to instantly recall what I had said about promises.
There was a mix of emotions flurrying across his face, too fast for me to catch.
“Bud, I… Alright, I hear you, just let's not surprise me with anymore injections in the future.”
“Stealth injections, understood.”
“You better be joking.”
“It is late and past my bedtime. I will see you in the morning, Father.”
I turned and left.
“Hey! Say you were joking! J.A.R.V.I.S. tell me he was joking.”
“I cannot say, Sir, I have yet to witness enough of Master Ichirō's humour to draw any conclusions.”
I vanished up the stairs and left Father to his worries.
Returning to my room, I sat down at my new Stark laptop, my old one put away for posterity.
I instantly started designing new Augs, smaller components, more efficient motors, greater dexterity fingers, and better Biocells.
I almost completely redesigned every single thing I had made before. It was fun; the sudden leap in technical knowledge flowed like water.
By the end of it all, four hours had passed, and I was looking at a completely different level of tech.
‘Going to have to keep this on hold, this jumped too many stages of tech. Like going from an old Windows XP computer to a high-end Windows 10 gaming setup in a day.’
I saved it all, then changed into my pyjamas and lay on my bed, palming my coin as I thought.
‘How do I explain my idea for where the Badassium could come from? I need to see the model first, get it scanned by J.A.R.V.I.S. and then build a particle accelerator.’
I stared at the ceiling.
‘Father still needs the crate from S.H.I.E.L.D. All the documents and the footage of his dad, my Grandfather, I guess.’
My thoughts drifted to the future.
‘I'm going to need my own suit as well. There's no way Father will let me pilot one myself, so a remote-controlled one will do. Make it function like my Augs, control it with my mind from a safe location. I can also cram way more in there if there is no pilot, lots of weapons with my own twist, and with the spare room, I can make it stronger and faster. Will need its own look, too, something distinct. Black and green, I think, that's different.’
That was very doable.
‘Need my own AI too, build my own J.A.R.V.I.S. He did let me look over his code on day two after all.’
J.A.R.V.I.S. had been very accommodating about his code, even sharing his own insights into what would have made his own journey as an AI smoother or more convenient.
Father had yet to share his old notes, but J.A.R.V.I.S. had plenty of them on file for me to peruse. It was complicated stuff, but once I got in the swing of things, I could see the path ahead.
I just needed more practice with the core programming before I was willing to play around with it just yet.
I didn't want an Ultron situation on my hands because I got overconfident. Speaking of, I definitely need to build a suit. Ultron only happened because Father took that missile into space when the Chitauri attacked.
With a remote-controlled suit, I can take his place and take the missile up and away.
‘I’ll worry about that in the morning, have J.A.R.V.I.S. help me build a prototype suit, maybe just remodel a blank suit as a test bed. Then build something custom later once I prove it works. I wonder if I can get any of that Vibranium that Klaw has; he’s just sitting on a big stack of the stuff.’
As my mind wound down, the idle thoughts dissipating against the fog of sleep, the world exploded into cogs.
Twisting and turning, metal teeth interlocking and pulling, pillars of metal and light positioned against the heavy frames in which they sat.
A heavy mechanical arm plucked a mote of light from the great machine and offered it to me.
-Herbalists Kit (MLP) (300cp)-
-Unable to purchase-
-100cp Banked-
-100cp in bank-
‘Ah, no loss there, I’m not really a herbalist.’
I rolled over and drifted off to sleep.