####
In all honesty, Tony was a very libidinous man. But not to the point that he'd chase after everything with a hole that moves. No, he had standards—aliens, mutants, humans, catgirls perhaps?
Raven was perfect. Emotionally mature and with a body of a goddess. Tony could see developing a great friendship with her. That was, if she was genuinely being herself and it wasn't a mere facade to win him over.
"So, where to now?" Tony asked as their private jet landed in Athens.
"A small island off the southern coast," Ororo replied, keeping a straight face and trying to forget all that she had seen in that plane.
Tony hummed in response and walked near the exit of the plane where his Iron Man armor was standing. He quickly stepped into it and prepared himself to fly off. Then, once the door opened, he walked down and waited for Raven.
"I heard you can fly?" He asked Ororo.
"I can, by manipulating wind."
"Sweet." Tony looked at Raven then, waving his arm. "Jump on my back, Na'vi."
Raven, back in her blonde disguise, climbed behind Tony's armor and hugged his back. "But there's no antennae to attach here."
"You attached it plenty in the plane," Tony replied and jetted off into the air. It was fun to chat with someone who understood his humor. "Lead the way, Ororo."
Right then, Ororo passed Tony at a higher speed. It was a sight that made Tony a little envious. He wanted to fly without any tools too. Too bad, he had already tested himself and there was no secret X-gene in him.
Maybe I can make my kids have it? Tony wondered and thought of the pretty lady latched onto his back. If we have kids, will they also be blue? What if we did it in her blonde disguise?
Food for thought, he flew without speaking and soon saw Ororo descending towards a small island in the middle of nowhere. He could see a jet down on the island, one similar to the Quinjet but this one was bigger.
There was a square table out in the open with three chairs set around it. He already saw the bald man taking the fourth side, while another man with a strange helmet sat opposite to Charles.
They sure chose a strange place to talk.
With the heavy sounds of his thrusters, he softly landed on the ground. Once Raven jumped down from his back, he walked over to the table, eyeing the two men. To him, both of them were dangerous. One could mess with his mind and the other could mess with his suit.
"Jarvis, initiate the anti-magnetic field mechanism," Tony ordered a mechanism that he had developed that could save him from both men. Well, he wasn't sure about Charles.
"You two sure this isn't just an excuse for a Mediterranean holiday? God, I love this weather," Tony mumbled and took one of the seats. "Tony Stark by the way."
"Erik Lehnsherr." The man in the helmet replied.
Tony then looked at Charles while removing his faceplate so they could see each other at least. "Come on, Charles. Introduce yourself."
"..."
A little weird, but aware of Tony's eccentricities, Charles entertained him. "I'm Charles Xavier."
Ting!
Tony clapped his metal gauntlets. "Since you sent those insanely gorgeous ladies to fetch me, let's get this started. So, Erik, you want to prove to the world that mutants are superior blood, and eradicate the rest of the non-mutant population if not enslave them? Great, so we're talking about the fourth Reich?"
"..."
Erik felt a little speechless. Put it that way, it did sound like Nazi ideology. But how could he, a victim of the Nazis, accept that. "It's more nuanced than that, Stark."
"You call mutants Homo-Superior," Charles interjected, ratting Erik out.
Tony gave a bombastic side-eye to Erik. Well, that did sound very Nazi-like to him. "What would the Asgardians be then? Homo-gods? Ah, that sounds wrong."
Erik sneered, his voice cold and cutting. "You laugh, Stark, because you've never had to justify your existence. You live in a world that cradles you in privilege. I've been hunted, persecuted, and reduced to something less than human my entire life. That is why they follow me—because they know the truth. There is no other way."
"You sound like that millionaire pastor who dangled himself from the arena's ceiling." Tony quipped, not even pretending to hold back. "I mean, you're not exactly praying for solutions here, you're preaching. What, you think it's all wrapped up in a neat little bow once you wipe out all the humans? Alright then, take a look at this—both of you."
Tony placed a small round device on the table. The device created a hologram in the air, vividly visible to both of them.
"Do you recognize this language?"
Charles and Erik stared at the projection for a while. The two men had lived a really long life and had seen plenty of things. They tried to remember everything they knew, even the whole Egypt incident. Yet, they couldn't find anything matching it.
"No?" Tony resumed. "That's because it's not from Earth. Some time ago I found a mysterious object in orbit. It was hidden, and it was alien but empty. I looked inside and found this data. Now, read it again—it's translated."
The two men, including Ororo and Raven, joined in to read it. All four of them were speechless after a while.
"Yep, there are actual alien empires out there. Empires that can zip across galaxies, harnessing tech that makes our smartphones look like cave paintings. They could drop by, wave hello, and then kaboom—planet gone. You, me, Charles over here... we'd all be vaporized faster than we can blink."
Seeing nobody was speaking even now, Tony continued.
"I haven't exactly had a good night's sleep since I figured this out. We're all just fish in a pond, right? No clue what's swimming in the ocean beyond. Erik, buddy—you're not subhumans, and definitely not better than humans either. You're… let's call it 'upgraded software.' You've got the power to nudge this planet onto a whole new path. You could kick start the founding of, I don't know, an interstellar human civilization?"
Tony was just pitching ideas at that point. To him, the mutants were like real-life superheroes who just never got to start their hero careers.
Erik sneered at Tony suddenly. "So you want to use mutants as soldiers against aliens?"
Plap!
Tony softly facepalmed himself. "Seriously, what's going on up there? When those colossal ships land, we're not talking about Homo sapiens versus Homo-superior. We're all just meatbags destined for the chopping board. Are you so caught up in your vendetta that you can't see the golden opportunity practically doing a jig in front of you? I mean, why did Hitler blame the Jews for Germany's defeat? It was the easy scapegoat. It was simple to shift blame and rally people with hatred. You get it now, or do I need to get a bigger chalkboard?"
"You want to unite the mutants and non-mutants when the aliens attack?" Charles blurted suddenly, his voice more energetic. He stared back at the hologram. "If the attack happens, the people will be helpless. Anything that saves them will be an angel."
"See, even he gets it," Tony exclaimed.
"So, you wish to trap us in this state of limbo? You admit you have no idea when this alien invasion will strike, no clue to their true strength. Yet already, you plan to use them as mere stepping stones? Arrogance or brilliance, I cannot decide." Erik rose from his chair, the air tense around him. "I will need more than empty promises and blind hope."
He's right about that. Tony sighed.
"You want to build a sanctuary for mutants. I want to turn the entire planet into a sanctuary. See the difference? You're thinking retirement home, I'm thinking luxury resort. Our goals are close, Erik—just a few details here and there. Sure, I don't have the power yet, but trust me, it's a work in progress. Once I'm in the office, I'll have more sway. I suggest you join Charles for the next five years and see if my plan is a genius move or a dud."
Charles agreed with that and chimed in. "Erik, look into history. Dictators and subjugation by force have never resulted in long-lasting peace. Give Mr. Stark a chance—He's not the same as other politicians we trusted in the past."
"I'm not even a politician."
Erik chuckled, a first. "You are one now, Stark. You've chosen to step into the mud. The only question left is—how long can you keep from sinking beneath it?"
"I only plan on running for one term," Tony replied resolutely. "If I can't fix things in four years, then even forty won't make a dent."
"You trust your mind too much, Stark."
"It's never failed me," Tony retorted.
Silence fell after that. Minutes passed and Erik walked back and forth in silence. Arms folded, he only looked at the dirt under his feet while walking.
Then, an hour passed.
"Very well." Erik returned to his seat with a decisive motion. "I shall wait until the conclusion of your first term. Should an alien invasion arise during it, I will, with no hesitation, welcome your counsel."
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Tony asked.
Erik stared into Tony's eyes and never looked away. "If you possess enough foresight to anticipate an alien invasion, then you're worth listening to."
Clap!
"Fantastic! Let's seal this deal with a pinky promise." Tony clapped his metal hands together and dramatically extended his right pinky over the table. But nobody moved. "No takers? Alright."
Erik at least chuckled at that. He was sure Tony was no mutant, but the man sure had a mutant-like charm to make people lower their guards a bit.
Tony got up by then and stepped a little away from the table. "I suggest that both of you should relocate to Xavier's mansion. I'll take care of snagging the land around the school and covering the cost of the expansion. Heard Xavier's got this nifty talent for locating mutants, so you might want to assemble a crack team to track down and recruit these kids. Teach them, train them, and, hey, if worst comes to worst, at least they'll be ready to kick some alien butt. Just a suggestion, you can send me the response later."
Shhhh~
The suit's boosters slowly started to make roaring sounds.
Tony looked at Ororo, giving her a wink. Then he gave a wave to Raven, addressing her directly. "See you later."
Raven softly smiled and waved back.
Woosh~
With that, Tony left the small island.
Charles and Erik remained seated, however.
"What do you think?" Xavier asked.
"He's… interesting."
####
Tony was already jetting to the airport as fast as he could. He needed to make it to Japan personally to evaluate the work done by the Iron Guardians. It was just an excuse to appear in world news, however. Well, donating a billion to relief funds was a part of the plan too.
"Jarvis, did you get any readings?" Tony asked mid-flight.
"Sir, during your stay on the island, Mr. Lehnsherr attempted to probe the suit with his powers a total of twenty-seven times."
Tony frowned inside the helmet. "How far did he go?"
"He failed, Sir."
"That's grea—"
But Jarvis cut him off. "Based on my calculations, it is highly probable that he would have succeeded in crushing you had he utilized his full strength."
"Fuck!"
In silence, Tony flew back and entered his private jet. He quickly got out of the suit, sat down on the couch and made himself a nice drink. With a sigh, he pondered the endless "What-ifs" of the recent meeting. Thankfully, keeping things light-hearted with a few jokes usually worked like a charm. "I need a stronger Arc Reactor. How's that Light Speed Engine coming along? I can't always rely on my luck and charm."
"Sir, the research progress stands at three percent."
"Ugh, alright, just dive into SHIELD's database and look for something useful."
Finally, with Jarvis busy, Tony tiredly let his head fall back onto the headrest. He closed his eyes to calm his nerves.
Bzzzzz~
Bzzzzz~
Sadly, there was no peace to be found.
He took out his phone from his pocket and looked. "Unknown number?"
"It's encrypted, Sir," Jarvis responded, starting a quick decryption and geo-location. "It's from the White House."
______________________
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