Marvel: Familia System

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"Sir, it seems we are on the verge of a breakthrough," Jarvis announced in his usual polite tone.

I looked up from my workstation, where the model of my father's old Stark Expo sat glowing in the dim light. This little retro puzzle turned out to be more than a museum piece—it was a key. Even decades later, Howard Stark still managed to one-up me from beyond the grave. I hated how much I respected that.

"Good news. Maybe now we can get rid of the walking death sentence in my chest," I muttered, adjusting the gauntlet on my left hand. The palladium core was burning out faster than expected, and I wasn't exactly in love with the idea of dropping dead in the middle of a meeting. Or worse, in the middle of a party.

"Would you like me to begin synthesizing the element, sir?" Jarvis asked, as though he didn't already know the answer.

"Yeah, fire it up. Let's see what Dad left me." I leaned back in my chair as Jarvis activated the fabrication process. The whole thing was elegant, complex, and maddeningly simple in hindsight. That was Howard's style. Overcomplicate the delivery, make you sweat over it, but when you saw the solution, it was like staring at a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

The holographic display flickered, and Jarvis began feeding data into the particle accelerator. Just as I was starting to relax, the screen flashed red. Incoming call: Unknown.

"Jarvis, tell whoever it is that I'm dead."

"I would, sir, but the caller has bypassed all standard encryption and security protocols. This line should not be accessible externally."

That got my attention. "Let me guess, it's our friends from the masquerade ball?"

"No immediate identifiers, but the methods are consistent."

I sighed, standing up and rolling my shoulders. "Patch them through. Let's see what the masked gang wants this time."

The display shifted, showing a simplified digital interface. No face, just a waveform that pulsed in sync with the voice on the other end. "Good evening, Stark. Busy?"

"Depends. Who's asking?"

"You already know who, don't belittle your intelligence." The female voice from the background, teasing exaggerated, cut through the line, irritating me to no end.

"Yeah, yeah, cut to the chase," I said, already done with the theatrics. I wasn't in the mood for guessing games, and cryptic calls weren't exactly topping my bucket list right now.

The voice shifted slightly, and another speaker took over. Male, calm, but with that slight edge of smugness. "Just thought we'd check in. You seemed busy earlier, almost too busy to notice the army trying to pin a nice little disaster on you."

"You mean the same masked weirdos who played superhero during my expo?" I shot back, pacing as I adjusted the arc reactor under my shirt. "Yeah, thanks for the cameo, but next time, try leaving before wrecking half my tech showcase."

"You're welcome." The guy didn't even flinch verbally. "By the way, the mess wasn't ours. That was your friendly neighborhood government trying to corner you into handing over your suits."

"Great. Now the paranoia makes sense," I said, rubbing my temple. "What do you guys want? Because I'm guessing this call isn't about friendship bracelets."

"Information," the man said simply. "You're close to solving your little palladium problem, right? Got a new element cooking?"

I froze mid-step, glancing at the particle accelerator still running behind me. "I don't know who the hell you are, but if you think spying on my lab is gonna get you invited to brunch, you've got another thing coming."

Another voice chimed in, male, younger, clearly enjoying himself. "Relax, Tony. If we wanted to steal your tech, we wouldn't have saved your shiny ass at the expo."

I rolled my eyes, because of course they were enjoying this. "Oh, so now we're calling it 'saving'? Looked more like you wanted a front-row seat to my impending public meltdown."

"Call it what you want," the calm voice continued. "Fact is, we kept things from blowing up worse. You were outnumbered, outgunned, and in way over your head."

"Wow, thanks for the motivational speech. I feel so empowered," I said, dripping sarcasm. "Look, unless you have a real reason for hijacking my comms, I've got a science project to finish."

"We're not here to waste your time," the first guy said, cutting through cleanly. "We're offering help, Stark. Whether you like it or not, your little problem with poisoning? We've got the means to solve it."

I stopped pacing. "You're claiming you've got something better than my dad's work? Big talk for a bunch of anonymous masked creeps."

"We do," he said, with that maddening calm. "But you're too proud to take a shortcut, so we're not offering a solution outright. Just... options. Call us when you realize you can't fix this alone."

A short silence followed, just long enough for me to consider slamming the call shut. Instead, I leaned forward on the table, keeping my tone casual. "Okay, hypothetically, if I wanted to entertain your offer, what's the catch? Because nobody gives Tony Stark a free lunch."

"No catch," the female voice from earlier returned, still carrying that annoying hint of amusement. "We're not looking to own you or your tech. We're just interested in keeping things stable. Chaos isn't great for business, you know."

"Business?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of business deals in solving billionaire problems and stopping army conspiracies on the side?"

"The kind you don't ask too many questions about," she replied smoothly.

"Cryptic answers. Fantastic." I sighed. "You guys really know how to build trust, huh? Tell you what—I'll think about it. In the meantime, maybe work on your sales pitch. You're coming off more Bond villain than guardian angel."

There was a faint chuckle on the other end, followed by a click as the line abruptly cut off. I stared at the blank screen, trying to decide if I should be amused or annoyed. Probably both.

"Well, that was productive," I muttered.

"Shall I continue the synthesis, sir?" Jarvis asked.

"Yeah, Jarvis, keep it running," I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "But let's add a little extra security while we're at it. Something tells me our masked friends aren't done with their surprise visits."

"Understood. Would you like additional surveillance measures placed on the Expo Center?"

"Go ahead. If they want to play mystery squad, we'll play too," I said, turning back to the accelerator. "And keep an eye on that comm frequency they used. Something tells me they've got more tricks up their sleeve."

As the particle accelerator hummed back to life, I leaned against the table, watching the glowing model of the new element spin slowly in the holographic display. Whoever these people were, they knew more about my situation than I was comfortable with. They weren't after money, fame, or even tech, which only made them harder to pin down.

For now, I'd play along. Let them think they had the upper hand. But if they thought Tony Stark was about to start relying on some shadow group to solve his problems, they had another thing coming.

"Sir, the synthesis process is progressing smoothly," Jarvis reported.

"Good. Let's finish this before anyone else decides to drop in uninvited," I said.

Walking back, I called Erwin Smith, my contact from SHIELD. If these guys are true to their word, they have a wide network all around the world. Let's see what you guys do when I tell SHIELD about you. I gloated silently, half-expecting this to end with Fury breathing down my neck about 'complicated alliances.'

"Smith," Erwin's voice came through, calm as ever.

"Tony Stark. Got something fun for you. Interested?" I didn't bother with pleasantries. If he wanted sugar-coating, he could call someone else.

"I'm listening."

"There's a new player in town. Masked group—seven people, calling themselves... well, nothing. They've got tech that can scramble my systems and bypass high-end security. Ring any bells?"

A pause. "No names, no symbols?" Erwin asked. "Interesting. How sure are you about the number?"

"Crystal. Seven showed up at my expo, played hero, and then vanished before clean-up. Not exactly the Avengers, but not amateurs either."

"Did they threaten you?"

"Not directly. They're offering solutions. Something about my palladium problem, which, by the way, should be none of their business."

Erwin didn't respond right away. I could hear the faint sound of him typing in the background. "You've got their comms signature?"

"Sent it. Check your secure line." I tapped a button on my wrist device, forwarding the data Jarvis had flagged during the call.

Erwin hummed. "We'll run this through our database. But if they're that good, don't expect immediate results."

"Figured," I muttered, heading back to my workstation where the particle accelerator hummed steadily. "Just keep me posted. I'd hate for these guys to get too comfortable thinking they're untouchable."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Yeah. If Fury's in a good mood, tell him he owes me one. If not, tell him I'll send the bill for the expo damages."

Erwin didn't laugh, but I knew he wanted to. "Stay in touch, Stark."

"Always a pleasure," I said before ending the call.

"Jarvis, update me. How's our new element coming along?"

"The synthesis is at 85%, sir. On schedule to complete within the next hour."

Natalie Rushman entered from the side door, looking like the perfect secretary she was—only if I didn't know her true identity. She was good, I had to accept. If it wasn't for today's fiasco, I wouldn't even have suspected a thing. But when the military hit the expo, she moved like a shadow. Not something a desk job requires. So, I did what I do best—dug a little deeper. Turns out, she's SHIELD. Should've known Fury wouldn't just leave me alone.

"Something on your mind, Mr. Stark?" Natalie asked, her tone professional, with that practiced air of politeness I now knew wasn't just good training—it was part of the cover.

"Just wondering how many more spies Fury's got circling me like vultures," I said, pulling up the particle accelerator's data on the main screen. "Tell me, Rushman—if that's even your real name—how long have you been babysitting me?"

She didn't flinch, didn't break character for a second. "I'm not at liberty to discuss SHIELD operations, Mr. Stark."

"Of course, you're not. Classic Fury move." I sighed, turning back to the holographic model. "Alright, Natasha, or whatever alias you're running today—what do you want? Because unless this is about my palladium problem or the masked vigilante squad from earlier, I'm busy."

"It's about both," she said, stepping closer, heels clicking lightly on the floor. "Fury wants to know more about those seven who showed up at the expo. They've been active in a few key incidents globally—silent, effective, and always untraceable until now."

"Yeah, they've got a knack for playing ghost," I muttered. "Hijacked my comms earlier like it was child's play. Offered me help with my palladium issue, said they had a solution better than my dad's element. Sounded way too smug for a bunch of anonymous do-gooders."

"And you're considering it?" she asked, tone carefully neutral.

"Hell no," I shot back. "They're masked, they're cryptic, and they're probably just as shady as SHIELD. The last thing I need is another group with too many secrets messing with my tech."

She gave a slight nod, folding her arms as if she expected that answer. "Fury will want every detail you've got on them."

"Oh, sure. Tell your boss I'll file a detailed report right after I cure my palladium poisoning and invent flying pizza." I tapped a few keys, dismissing the holographic interface. "Look, if Fury's so interested, he can call me himself. I don't do secondhand paranoia."

"Fair enough," she said, glancing at the particle accelerator. "How close are you?"

"To not dying? Closer than I was yesterday. Not as close as I'd like to be."

Jarvis's voice chimed in before she could respond. "Sir, the synthesis process has reached ninety percent. Remaining time: approximately eight minutes."

"Thanks, Jarvis," I said, then turned to Natasha. "Anything else, or can I get back to saving my own life?"

She studied me for a moment, probably weighing whether it was worth pushing further. Eventually, she gave a curt nod. "That's all. I'll be in touch."

"Great. Looking forward to it," I muttered as she walked out. As soon as the door shut, I turned back to Jarvis. "Alright, what's the status on the line they used earlier?"

"I've been unable to trace the origin, sir. However, I've detected several similar signals across different regions within the past twenty-four hours. None remain active long enough to pinpoint."

I tapped my fingers on the edge of the workstation, considering my options. "So, they're good at staying hidden. Annoyingly good. Alright, keep monitoring those frequencies. If they pop up again, I want to know immediately."

"Understood, sir."

The hum of the accelerator filled the room again as I leaned against the console, staring at the model of the new element spinning lazily in midair. Whoever those masked people were, they had information they shouldn't have. They knew about my palladium problem, and they knew enough about Howard's work to hint at a better solution. That wasn't something you picked up from a quick Google search.

The question was, why offer help? What did they gain from keeping me alive? If they wanted something from me, they were playing a long game. And if they didn't... well, that was even worse.

Jarvis's voice broke my train of thought. "Incoming call from Colonel Rhodes."

"Patch him through," I said, straightening up slightly. "Rhodey, tell me you've got good news."

"Depends on what you call good news. SHIELD pressured our side, so you won't be forced to hand over the suit, but they're pressing hard to make you build a few more for the army." Rhodey's voice crackled through the speakers, his tone already carrying that hint of 'this isn't over.'

"Of course they are." I leaned back in my chair, tossing a screwdriver onto the desk. "Why settle for one Stark-built flying tin can when you can have a fleet?"

"They're not exactly thinking long-term, Tony. Just trying to cover their asses after today's stunt."

"Classic military brilliance. You'd think they'd learn after General Ross's secrets were revealed for World to see."

Rhodey didn't bother arguing. "Yeah, well, don't expect them to back off. They've got too many eyes on this now. Politicians love a crisis."

"Good thing I love being a crisis magnet." I grabbed a cold drink from the mini-fridge and popped it open with one hand. "How many is 'few more'?"

Rhodey's voice was tense on the other end, like he already knew how this conversation was going to go. "Don't get mad."

I leaned against the workbench, casually taking a sip. "You know me, I'm all about calm reactions and rational discourse."

"They want... ten."

I choked slightly on the drink. "Ten? As in, double digits? Full squad worth? They know I'm one guy, right? This isn't some production line."

"They don't care," Rhodey said flatly. "They're pushing hard. Claim it's for 'national security.' Usual bullshit."

"Right, because nothing says secure like handing out high-tech weapons to a bunch of trigger-happy bureaucrats." I put the drink down and wiped my mouth. "Tell them I said no."

"Tony..." Rhodey started, already knowing where this was headed.

"Nope," I cut him off. "I'm not making ten suits. Hell, I'm barely keeping myself alive with the one I have. They want ten flying tin cans, they can go call Hammer. Oh wait—" I gave a sarcastic snap of my fingers, "He can't. No one else can beside me."

"Tony, be serious. They're coming down hard on this. The only reason you're not under house arrest is because SHIELD threw some weight around."

"Yeah? Well, tell SHIELD thanks for the favor, but my answer stays the same," I said, leaning back in my chair and spinning it slightly. "If the government's so desperate, maybe they should stop screwing with my expos and start funding better R&D. I'm not their vending machine."

Rhodey sighed heavily through the line. "You're not making this easier."

"Never claimed I would." I reached for the drink again, taking a long sip. "Look, they can bark all they want, but I'm not exactly in peak condition right now. They want ten suits, they can wait in line behind the guy trying not to drop dead."

There was a brief silence before Rhodey responded, his tone more serious. "How bad is it?"

"On a scale from zero to dead? Let's say I'm hovering somewhere around 'needs a miracle.' But don't worry—Dad left me a shiny little puzzle, and I think I've almost cracked it."

"You need help, Tony."

"Help's what got me into this mess," I muttered, eyeing the reactor under my shirt. "Besides, I've already got a mystery group offering to fix my problems, and that's more help than I'm comfortable with."

Rhodey sounded skeptical. "Mystery group?"

"Yeah, seven masked weirdos who gatecrashed my expo, hijacked my comms, and then had the nerve to offer 'solutions.' Real charming bunch."

"You think they're legit?"

I swirled the drink in my hand, watching the liquid catch the light. "They knew about the poisoning. And Howard's work. That's not something you pick up, well I already did this joke. I am getting old."

"So, what's the play?"

"Right now? Keep them at arm's length and figure out what they want. I don't like dealing with people whose faces I can't see."

"Fair enough. Just... don't do anything reckless, okay?"

"Me? Reckless?" I said, mock-offended. "Rhodey, you wound me."

He didn't laugh. "I mean it, Tony."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine." I ended the call before he could press further, tossing the empty can into a nearby bin. "Jarvis, update me on the synthesis."

"Sir, the synthesis is complete," Jarvis reported.

I stepped over to the particle accelerator, watching as the newly formed element settled into place, glowing with a soft, steady light that practically screamed, 'Hey, I'm gonna save your life.' Or so I hoped. "Alright, Jarvis, analyze it. What am I looking at?"

"Preliminary scans indicate the element's properties are stable. It should counteract the palladium poisoning efficiently." Jarvis paused. "Also, it appears that any excess byproducts will be expelled naturally through bodily functions."

I blinked. "Wait. You're saying I'm literally going to piss out the poison?"

"Crude phrasing, sir, but essentially correct."

"Well then," I said, turning toward the fridge and yanking it open. "Gotta do what Uvogin did—lots of beer." I grabbed two bottles, popping one open with a satisfying hiss. "Jarvis, start recalibrating the reactor for the new element. We're giving this bad boy a new fuel source."

"Yes, sir. Recalibration will take approximately twenty minutes."

As I took a long swig, the door creaked open, and Pepper entered, worried sick. After I learned I was about to die, I did party a lot. In hindsight, her storming off was justifiable, but now that she learned the expo was hit, she was worried about me. Before I could say anything, she threw herself at me.

"Are you okay?"

I set the bottle down. "I mean, define 'okay.' Still dying, still charming, but hey, new element's almost done cooking. So, progress?"

Pepper pulled back, eyes narrowing. "That's what you're leading with? 'Still dying, but it's fine'? Tony, I thought something happened to you."

I sighed, motioning toward the particle accelerator still humming in the background. "Something did. Got hit with masked weirdos, government conspiracies, and an impromptu rescue operation starring yours truly. All in a day's work."

Her gaze flicked to the reactor under my shirt, the faint glow pulsing rhythmically. "You need to stop acting like this is normal. You can't just shrug off getting poisoned and nearly blown up at your own expo."

"Hey, I didn't invite the military to turn my event into a tactical playground," I said, grabbing the other bottle and offering it to her. "Want one? Helps with the stress."

She ignored the offer. "So, what's the plan? Don't tell me you're winging it again."

"Winging it implies I don't know what I'm doing. I've got this." I pointed at the accelerator. "New element. Dad left me a posthumous science puzzle, and I'm about five minutes away from solving it."

I sighed. Quips aside, I had wronged Pepper a lot lately. Taking her hand, I said, "It's fine."

She looked at me, not buying it, but didn't pull away. "No, Tony, it's not. You've been acting reckless since this whole thing started."

"Since when is being me considered reckless?" I shrugged, a hint of a grin tugging at my lips. "I've always been this charmingly chaotic."

"This isn't funny," she said flatly, squeezing my hand tighter. "You've got people depending on you—companies, employees, the public. And yeah, me too."

That last bit caught me off guard, not because it was unexpected, but because she said it out loud. Pepper wasn't exactly the sentimental type. "Alright," I said, lowering my voice, "I get it. You're worried. But look, I'm working on it. In fact, I'm about five minutes away from a shiny new solution."

Her eyes flicked toward the glowing particle accelerator in the background. "This new element—are you sure it'll work?"

"Jarvis says it will," I answered, slipping my hand out of hers and heading back to the console. "And since when has Jarvis been wrong?"

"Statistically speaking, my error rate is negligible, Miss Potts," Jarvis interjected politely.

Pepper crossed her arms, glancing from me to the AI. "I'll hold you both to that."

"Hey, trust me, I've got a good track record when it comes to miraculous saves." I tapped a few keys, bringing up the current status of the reactor. "Worst case? We blow up half the building. Best case? I'm alive long enough to annoy you for another decade."

"Not funny, Tony."

I looked at her eyes. "Not trying to be funny, but my proposal kinda hangs in the room. Me, you, a decade more?"

She blinked, caught off guard for a second before the realization hit her. "Oh."

That was all she managed, and for once, Pepper Potts, master of keeping everything together, seemed a little lost for words.

"Yeah, 'oh.' Thought it was a decent deal. You know, live longer, annoy you more. Classic Stark benefits package."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, like she was trying not to smile but failing miserably. "Is that what you're calling it? A benefits package?"

"Sure. Full Stark commitment plan, no hidden fees, no fine print, and way fewer calendar girls," I said, shrugging like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I figure, you know, if I'm planning on sticking around, I might as well give you an exclusive deal."

She tilted her head slightly, watching me carefully, like she was trying to figure out if I was being serious or just throwing out another quip. "Tony, are you actually saying what I think you're saying?"

"I'm saying exactly what you think I'm saying," I answered, stepping closer. "Look, I know I'm not exactly the poster boy for commitment, and yeah, I've been kind of a disaster lately—"

"Kind of?" she interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, a massive disaster. But," I continued, holding up a hand, "that was before the whole 'dying from palladium poisoning' thing gave me a little perspective. And by perspective, I mean realizing that maybe, just maybe, living longer would be worth it if you're in the picture."

She didn't say anything right away, which wasn't like her. Usually, she had a comeback locked and loaded before I could finish a sentence. Instead, she glanced at the particle accelerator behind me, the faint hum filling the room.

"No more wild partying?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Define wild," I shot back, grinning.

"Tony." Her tone was flat, no room for negotiation.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Fine. No more wild partying. No more calendar collecting, either. I mean, I'll still throw the occasional legendary party, but strictly above board. No scandals, no headlines, just classy fun."

She studied me for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. "And what about work? Are you going to keep running yourself into the ground, or are you actually going to start taking care of yourself?"

"Pep, I'm literally building a new element to save my own life right now," I said, gesturing toward the reactor. "I'd say that's a pretty solid first step toward self-care."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," she said quietly. "You can't keep doing this alone, Tony. Even if you fix the reactor, even if you get rid of the poisoning, what happens next? You'll just find something else to throw yourself into without thinking."

"Hey, that's not fair," I said, but even as the words left my mouth, I knew she was right. It was my pattern—jumping from one crisis to the next, always chasing the next big thing without stopping to breathe.

"You don't have to do everything yourself," she continued. "You have people who care about you. Let them help."

I wanted to argue, make some flippant remark about how I didn't need help, but the look in her eyes stopped me. She wasn't just talking about the reactor or the expo or even the masked vigilantes who'd gatecrashed my life. She was talking about us—about what came next if I managed to pull off this miracle and keep breathing.

"Alright," I said after a moment, letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "No more solo stunts. I'll... delegate. Maybe even let Rhodey boss me around once in a while."

Her lips twitched, and I could tell she was trying not to smile again. "That's a start."

"And you?" I asked, stepping even closer. "You in on this decade-long plan, or am I pitching to an empty room here?"

She didn't answer right away, but the way her expression softened told me enough. "I'm in," she said finally. "But if you screw this up—"

"I won't," I said quickly. "Scout's honor."

"Again, you were never a scout."

"Details," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "The point is, I'm serious. No more stupid risks, no more treating my life like a science experiment. Just you, me, and maybe a little less chaos."

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Less chaos? With you? I'll believe it when I see it."

"Fair. But hey, I'm making an effort here." I held out my hand like we were about to seal a business deal. "So, what do you say? Partners?"

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking my hand. "Partners."

For a moment, neither of us said anything, the hum of the particle accelerator filling the silence. Then Jarvis's voice broke in, as polite as ever.

"Sir, the new element is ready for integration."

I glanced at the glowing reactor, then back at Pepper. "Guess it's time for step one of the Stark commitment plan—stay alive."

"Good plan," she said, her hand still in mine. "You better not screw it up."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I said, letting go and turning toward the reactor. "Jarvis, prep the lab for the integration. Let's give this shiny new element a test drive."

"Yes, sir."

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