As a boss who made people work even when he didn't, John was dragged back to the office by his assistant.
He couldn't quite understand Hattie's insistence on working even on Christmas, but he was certainly shocked by it. On this day, it seemed, they were all just cogs in the machine.
The fallout from the Mandarin and the fake Ten Rings was far from over. As the major shareholder of A.I.M., the Wick family had been caught in the blast radius. It wasn't a major issue; Killian's actions could be framed as those of a rogue executive. For most, that was a plausible enough explanation.
But the families of the victims didn't see it that way.
They wanted A.I.M. to pay the price. They wanted the people behind the attacks held accountable. And so John, considered the man behind the curtain, was swarmed by a mob of reporters. It was moments like these that made him miss the less conventional gadgets his uncle used to send him.
Seeing the chaos, Maya Hansen retreated to the medical department, accelerating her work on the healing capsules.
At the same time, sharks who smelled blood in the water began to circle. They wanted the research results of the Extremis Virus. Government agencies and Department of Defense officials righteously demanded that the research be nipped in the bud, but John knew what they really wanted: to continue their own decades-long, fruitless quest for a new Super Soldier Serum. The Extremis Virus, with its regenerative properties and fiery side effects, was the closest they had ever come.
John rejected them all. His reason was simple and airtight: Killian made the stuff, why are you coming to me?
As soon as Killian was dead, the government had searched A.I.M. under the guise of a blockade. They found nothing but insignificant experimental records. The real secrets were locked away in Maya Hansen's mind, and the few remaining samples of the virus were now in military hands. Perhaps they would find some unlucky soul to experiment on and get a new, spectacular explosion for their trouble.
John didn't care.
He had Hattie deal with the property damage in Hell's Kitchen, acquiring the lots for a new project to earn some 'pocket money'. Silver Hand Fashion Architecture won another large order from the city government. Manhattan, with the help of the wizards, was almost completely restored. The repair spells were powerful, but even they had limits; items damaged for too long or completely melted were beyond their reach. Still, restoring ninety percent of the city was a feat worthy of praise.
John scrolled through the news about wizards on his webpage. Before, the word 'wizard' conjured images of hunched, vicious old crones. Now, thanks to the night owls posting videos of his reconstruction teams, people were beginning to wonder if wizards were living right beside them. Silver Hand Fashion Architecture, the company at the center of it all, never responded. They didn't even have a social media account.
This subtle influence was exactly what John needed. The existence of his company was slowly reversing the stereotypes, acclimating people to the sight of magic. They were witnessing the restorative, peaceful side of his world. In the future, when the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj appeared on the street, no one would panic.
"After all," John mused with a slight smile, "no one holds any ill will towards the cleaning crew."
He sat there, looking like he was strategizing, a king surveying his board.
Until Hattie walked in and dropped a stack of new documents on his desk.
John's smile faltered.
Where does all this work come from on Christmas?
***
Tony's surgery was a success.
Dr. Wu was, without a doubt, a top expert in cardiology. He assembled a dream team for the procedure at a New York hospital. His assistant was a brilliant, if somewhat eccentric, young doctor named Shaun Murphy. They discussed the treatment plan in Dr. House's office, though House himself was too cantankerous to get along with the equally arrogant Dr. Strange, who was delayed anyway.
The surgery began smoothly, but complications arose. Tony's body reacted unexpectedly, and he began to hemorrhage. Dr. Wu, looking as if his entire understanding of medicine was failing him, was forced to postpone. After checking, Tony's vitals were perfect—good enough to go racing, aside from the shrapnel near his heart. He couldn't figure it out.
They pushed him back into the operating room. This time, Tony's heart rate plummeted, scaring Dr. Wu into wheeling him out again. His chest was sutured and reopened so many times it looked like a patchwork quilt. Finally, with his excellent medical skills, Dr. Wu managed to pull Tony back from the brink of death.
Iron Man had almost died on a hospital bed.
With top-notch private care, Tony recovered quickly. Soon he was his lively self again, holding his future beautiful wife's slender waist and whispering sweet nothings.
John came to visit, a box of strawberries in hand. He wasn't being kind. He sat in Tony's newly purchased villa, had the robotic arm take the strawberries, and then simply stared at the couple cuddling on the sofa.
Pepper, dressed in an elite white suit, sat on Tony's lap and greeted John warmly.
Tony, however, looked at the door suspiciously. "You have a key to my house?"
"No," John said, blowing a wisp of white smoke from the tip of his wand. "I just broke the door down."
There was no door that couldn't be opened with an Explosion Charm. If there was, one simply added a Shattering Curse.
Pepper sensed the shift in atmosphere and leaned close to Tony's ear. "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," Tony whispered back. "What's with the long face? Is he in a bad mood or something?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his brand-new television exploded.
Tony was speechless.
Seeing that things were about to escalate, Pepper kissed Tony goodbye, saying Stark Industries needed her. Tony was reluctant to let her go, partly because he was afraid John's wand might target him next.
After sending his dear girlfriend away, Tony sighed heavily. "What do you want?"
John smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You seem to have forgotten what you promised me."
"Huh?" Tony recalled carefully. What he promised... The thought made him break out in a cold sweat. He coughed twice. "Wait here for a moment."
He had Jarvis quickly assemble a suit of armor around him and, for good measure, call Bruce Banner.
Banner arrived in a daze, completely confused. When he saw John, his confusion only deepened.
Tony swallowed. "I'm mainly worried that you won't act with a sense of proportion," he explained, gesturing at John. "Banner can turn into the Hulk to block a few hits for me."
Tool-Man, Shield Banner, was utterly bewildered. "???"
"The grudge between your father and me," Tony began with a heavy heart, "can be traced back to New Year's, thirteen years ago..."
John hadn't expected the story to go back so far. Originally, he just wanted some juicy gossip and was annoyed at Tony for delaying.
But as he listened, John gradually realized something was terribly wrong.
His face darkened.
"You said you hit on my mother in an elevator?"
(End of Chapter)
***
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