Epidemic by josette grover
Summary:

Tony and the others are taking over the world. . .whether they know it or not


Categories: Non Buffy/Angel Stories > CSI/NCIS, Non Buffy/Angel Crossovers > Other Movie Characters: None
Genres: AU
Warnings: Character Bashing, Minor Character Death
Challenges: None
Series: Epidemic
Chapters: 17 Completed: Yes Word count: 74515 Read: 284501 Published: 2017.08.25 Updated: 2018.12.28
Story Notes:

AU, no second thor movie, third iron man, or Age of Ultron. I'm trying to keep this the movies but some elements from the comics might slip in.

 

I don't know if Clint's family was given names in Ultron beyond the baby, I'm calling his wife Amanda.

 

Also, politician bashing

 

I am basing the character (the president) Larry Trask on two characters from the comics.

 

1) Larry Trask is the son of the man who invented the Sentinels--Dr. Bolivar Trask. He is a mutant though he didn't know it, his father had him wear a medallion that blocked his minor precog powers. He died when he removed the medallion, the sentinels recognized him as the enemy, he lost control of them, and a sentinel fell on him.

 

2) Graydon Creed. Not a mutant but the son of two of them (Mystique and Sabretooth) and very big in the anti-mutant friends of humanity group. He was running for office and might have actually won if he hadn't been killed.

 

1. Chapter 1 by josette grover

2. Chapter 2 by josette grover

3. Chapter 3 by josette grover

4. Chapter 4 by josette grover

5. Chapter 5 by josette grover

6. Chapter 6 by josette grover

7. Chapter 7 by josette grover

8. Chapter 8 by josette grover

9. Chapter 9 by josette grover

10. Chapter 10 by josette grover

11. Chapter 11 by josette grover

12. Chapter 12 by josette grover

13. Chapter 13 by josette grover

14. Chapter 14 by josette grover

15. Chapter 15 by josette grover

16. Chapter 16 by josette grover

17. Chapter 17 by josette grover

Chapter 1 by josette grover

 

"Bruce, have you or any of the other doctors in the tower heard anything about something that's been going around?" Tony asks as he calls a meeting with the Avengers, Pepper, Jane, Darcy, and a young science intern named Peter Parker. Jane and Pepper were looking at Tony, him, then back again but they realized there must be a reason he's here.

 

"Rumors, the government is trying to keep it quiet."

 

"Probably fucking caused it." Peter mutters. Natasha narrows her eyes at him but nods along with Clint. "Yes, that's the rumors I've heard as well. We're going to be having a meeting tomorrow with Reed Richards, Hank McCoy, Agent and somebody from SHIELD, and somebody from NIH. Steve, can you get Barnes here? I have a bad feeling this is going to be bad and I want everybody protected. I don't know if whatever's spreading can affect you, him, and Natasha thanks to the serums but we're going to be talking vaccines for everybody else if possible."

 

"Is this why you've been stockpiling supplies?"

 

"Yes, all the precogs are seeing the US going to hell and the government. . ."

 

"Throwing up it's hands and bleating they don't know why the taxpayers are mad? Especially after that moron brought the office? And proved to everybody who isn't as stupid as he is what kind of fool he is?" Peter snorts.

 

"Yep."

 

"Pepper, I want you to go over the list of supplies we're getting in and see what else we need, and to over the plans for hydroponic growing."

 

"Are you seeing us cut off from supplies for a while?"

 

"Yes. As well as seeing that we're going to be the only damn form of government for the next few years. Natasha, Clint, I want you to start talking to people to see if any of your contacts know anything more about what's going on. Peter. . .you've got friends in low places, see if they heard anything?" He nods. "And make sure your Aunt May has plenty of supplies on hand. Clint. . .same goes for your farm." He nods as he and Peter look at the list of supplies they're handed by Tony.

 

"I've already done some of this." Clint murmurs. He looks over at Peter's, which is majorly different. "Rent?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"If the precogs are right Peter, you're going to end up owning the house." Tony says quietly. "If you do, we'll add onto it. Clint, the land around you?"

 

"I've been buying it as it comes up." Tony nods in satisfaction. "Now shoo people."

 

"What about Sam?"

 

"He's on a plane here right now. I don't want him anywhere near DC until this whole mess is over." Steve nods in satisfaction as he pushes back from the table.

 

"What do you want me to do?" Darcy asks.

 

"Jane, do you need her?"

 

"No."

 

"Help Pepper."

 

"Do we have the room for hydroponics growing?" Jane asks, her mind not going back to her beloved science for the time being.

 

"Yes, the city has been clearing out condemned buildings in an attempt to look like they're doing something about homelessness and I brought the lots. The building has been going up for a while." He sends Pepper the files.

 

"I'd wondered what that account was." Pepper mutters as she starts looking through the file. "The IRS were having fits."

 

"The agents were told to grow the fuck up and leave me alone before I had them all eaten." Tony mutters. "They had no damn business nosing around here except dumbass in chief wants to show he's the man and get rid of any competition. There were enough complaints that the commander in assholeness was told to stop using government resources for his vendettas."

 

"I don't know why people voted that fool into office."

 

"Because he told the morons what they wanted to hear. Now he's trying to undo everything the previous president did because he did it. He's a bitter, hateful fool who should have been drowned at birth."

 

"Amen."

 

Steve returns to the tower a few hours later, grinning as he shakes Sam's hand. "Tony been telling you what's going on?"

 

"Yes, and there's already reports of illnesses going on in the homeless, including some of the vets I used to talk to in support groups."

 

"They'd have been among the first to die without proper food, shelter, and medical attention." Pepper says.

 

"Yep, along with people like Peter's Aunt May who are in bad health to begin with." Tony says. "Or those with damaged immune systems due to cancer or chronic diseases."

 

"And people will bleat that the VA should have done more for our veterans while ignoring the fact they didn't do anything."

 

"Yep, but that's human nature."

 

Charles Xavier arrives with Hank McCoy and a man they introduce as Nathaniel Essex the next morning. Tony just gives them looks but ushers them into a room where Phil Coulson is talking quietly with Clint. Peter is busy bringing in coffee and selections of tea bags and containers of loose tea. A k-cup tree of various drinks is next and Tony nods in satisfaction.

 

"Okay people, I'm sure we've all heard rumors about some ilness."

 

"Yes." The talk lasts a couple hours before the NIH doctor arrives, the others had come early to talk about stuff they couldn't talk about with him there. At least until Hank and Professor Xavier look at him. "Miles." They smile.

 

"Former student?"

 

"Yes. My mutation is minor and I went into medicine. Dr. Miles McCabe" He's introduced to the others.

 

"What's going on?"

 

"A fucking mess caused by the asshole in chief." Tony laughs. "I didn't vote for the moron and he's cut spending left, right, and center so he has money for his fucking military so he looks all fucking impressive to the rest of the world. Who know what seventeen kinds of fool he really is."

 

"The illness?"

 

"Caused by his asshole self and his pet mad scientists, he wanted a way to control the fucking country. To punish people who dared tell him no by not voting for him and oh god the humanity having the x-gene. Unfortunately the morons who came up with this little gem of a disease didn't stop to think it might affect more than the people he wanted punished. He was going to be the big man and come waltzing in with a cure once they 'learned the error of their ways' and it doesn't fucking work."

 

"Christ." Bruce mutters. "Are we seeing many deaths?"

 

"Yes, and it's just going to go up."

 

"Vaccines?"

 

"Also don't work. Something the asshole was complaining about."

 

"What's the symptoms so we know what to look for?"

 

"It's supposed to be like a bad case of the flu or a cold. . .just enough to make you miserable."

 

"Fever, aches, pains, nausea. . ."

 

"At least in the beginning. But they get worse. Think food poisoning bad."

 

"Vomiting and diarhea?"

 

"Yes, so bad that some people have lost twenty pounds in a few days."

 

"That alone might kill them."

 

"Yes, and even if they survive that will wreck their body like you see with the anorexics." Nods from the other doctors. "Even if you drop a ng tube and give them extra nutrients it doesn't always help."

 

"Pallative help?"

 

"Yep, and hospitals will have to start turning people away."

 

"Which will lead to more deaths."

 

"Yep. Especially with health care professionals getting sick themselves."

 

"And they start running out of supplies." Tony, professor Xavier, and Reed Richards all start making notes on the PADDS in front of them.

 

"Yes because a good quarter of the people affected die within 24 hours."

 

"Christ." the agent with Coulson moans. "Is there any way to stop it spreading?"

 

"No, it was airborne to begin with then they spread it on common stuff everybody used. He ordered areas specifically targeted because they either had high concentrations of mutants like New York and didn't shoot them like dogs like he wanted or otherwise annoyed him by not rolling over and doing whatever he wanted." He passes along a sheet of paper. "These are the cities we think he targeted. Notice, they're not all here in the United States."

 

"Your boss is a goddamn idiot."

 

"He's not my boss for long, my entire team has been 'reassigned' because the asshole didn't see the need for crews that travelled the country when hospitals called the NIH for help. I'm curreently the only one who still has a job. And they're hinting my job won't be around for long."

 

"Of course not, not when they're cutting funding to the CDC as well." Bruce snorts.

 

"Nope, because people might realize it was an attack and find a cure."

 

"And he can't have that. Bruce, find me names. Between all of us I'm sure we can find them jobs and labs." The others nod. "Miles, are you staying in DC?"

 

"No, I was warned my job was on the chopping block and the team is packing up my apartment as we talk. I was going to talk to you about jobs even though not all the team are doctors. Frank has a family. And Stephen has an ex-wife and son."

 

"We'll find you all jobs."

 

"Okay, beyond medical needs what else do we need to consider?"

 

"Water, sewage, food. .. burial sites." Coulson says quietly.

 

"Mass burials if we get the deaths the precogs are seeing. Unless they had family to bury them. Cemeteries will get full quickly."

 

"We'll have to automate a lot of things."

 

"And shield the area if the precogs are right in seeing the army coming in to take over everything once the government runs off with their tail between their legs."

 

"Yes, I can see the asshole in chief trying that." Tony snorts. "Or declaring the area closed to everybody and leaving us to rot until he sees we're doing okay. Then calling in the military."

 

"Yep. If the deaths are that bad I can see the local goverments collapsing. We'd have to take over the surrounding areas."

 

"And we'd need a way to keep the peace, can SHIELD take over local police departments?"

 

"And State police." Coulson nods. "He wanted us as his own personal attack force before SHIELD fell, if governments fall we'll need them."

 

"And a way to protect our area from him calling in the army."

 

"I've been working on domes for space colonies." Reed Richards says slowly as he brings up a file from the servers at the Baxter building. Everybody looks at the information and nods. "Do we have a way to allow our people inside and outside?"

 

"Yes, to anybody with the chip they'd be energy fields allowing us to come and go as we please. . .the energy will also allow them to grow to take over abandoned land for farming and whatnot."

 

"How easily can they be made? I'll need one for Malibu. The x-mansion, SHIELD's headquarters."

 

Nods from the others. "We'll want to add more areas in the future."

 

"Factories." The others nod. "Especially weapons."

 

More nods.

 

"Power?"

 

"Both Richards and I have alternate sources of power that we haven't released since the power companies would have fits." Tony snorts. Professor Xavier and his 'associate' nod.

 

"Is there anybody we trust in the other countries we can pass this along to?"

 

"Not in the governments. . . " Tony looks at Reed who nods slightly. "But I'm sure we have associates we can pass the information along to. Who can get it to the people who need to know."

 

Charles sighs back at the X-mansion, Nathaniel changing back to Mr. Sinister. "This is going to get worse a hell of a long time before it gets better." Hank says as they lift his chair into the mansion.

 

"Yes, I'm already seeing signs of increased deaths. Stark and Richards will need more than the police and SHIELD to keep order. You'll have my people."

 

"And mine." Erik says from the doorway. Raven is beside him. "The cameras picked up everything."

 

"Irene had already been seeing the signs." Raven says slowly. "I had hoped that circumstances would change so it didn't happen. But now. . ." She smiles slightly. "Stark and Richards are annoying but they'll be better running the country than the fool in charge now."

 

"Logan?" He sees the man grabbing a set of keys.

 

"Off to one of the merc bars. Let them know what's going down. Some of them would be well good to help keep the peace, the others. . . can pack up and take their chances elsewhere."

 

"Weasel, gimme a beer. And call the other bars, put me on a conference call." Logan says when he walks into the bar. "Everybody, shut up and listen up." He yells.

 

The bartender starts to say something but Logan's face makes him stop. "Bad?"

 

"Yeah, the asshole in chief's pet scientists created a virus that he's using as a weapon. To punish everybody who didn't vote for him." Weasel grabs the phone.

 

"Okay, you're on speaker at the other bars."

 

Logan tells the story of what they know. Swearing from various bars. "So that's it people, get in supplies or take off."

 

"Leave us." Reed says to one of Doom's minions a few hours after he's left the meeting. He starts to say something and Reed just glares. "Leave.Us."

 

"Richards." Doom says from his throne.

 

Reed tosses a thume drive towards him. "Get rid of them and read that, then we need to talk." Doom waves them off and puts the drive in his computer, growling as he begins to read.

 

"I always knew the man was a fool and had no business being in charge of a company, let alone a country." Doom rumbles as he finishes reading.

 

"I notice you're taking it at face value."

 

"He's stupid enough to have done just that. Do we know if the illnesses will reoccur?"

 

"His so-called experts say no but they also said the vaccines would work and they could easily cure it for him."

 

"And that it would only work on people who didn't vote for the fool. Is this going to be common knowledge?"

 

"The precogs see it all being released to the media in several months. Once they can no longer cover up the deaths."

 

"New York?"

 

"The hospitals are seeing an influx of people coming to the emergency room. Many of them are being sent back home with the instructions to rest, drink plenty of liquids, and let it run it's course with the most ill being admitted. Unfortunately they're soon coming back in ambulances because they're getting sicker. And dying. And many people are being found dead in their homes because they didn't even make it to the hospital."

 

Doom shakes his head. "Thank you for letting me know Richards. Are the other countries being told?"

 

"Yes not the governments because we don't know if they'd believe us until it's released officially but other heroes or others that we know."

 

Doom nods. "And even then they might not believe it until it affects them."

 

Reed nods. "And by then it would be too late."

 

Back at the Baxter building he finds Sue going over the list of supplies that Tony had been working on. He'd sent it to them in the packet of information before heading to the Latvian embassy.

 

"Do we have the room?"

 

"If we create tesseracts on some of the rooms. Or shrink some of the stuff like clothes and toilet paper. Or both. If we had a way to keep it safe from looters I'd say we needed to look at warehouses."

 

"We're going to have to anyway." Reed sighs. Johnny looks over and nods. "I don't think that the city has much in the way of emergency supplies."

 

"No, and they won't do anything until it's too late."

 

"And from the obituary page in today's paper. . .or should I say pages it's well on the way. And that's just here in Manhattan."

 

"Schools?"

 

"I see them having to close until the deaths stop." Reed sighs. He sends a notice to Stark Tower about having to get in home-schooling supplies.

 

"Orphanages."

 

"Yes, because there won't be enough foster homes."

 

"Composting."

"Yes, we'll have to have mandatory composting bins."

 

"Farms."

 

"Yes, both dairy and fruit and vegetables."

 

"Hothouses for tropical fruits."

 

"Yes."

 

"Canning food for the winter when the gardens are done. We'll need our own hydroponics setup."

 

The next couple of months sees many trucks arriving at both Stark Tower and the Baxter Building. The mayor comes nosing around trying to cause trouble and is sent out of the buildings with a bug in his ear. He goes whining to the chief of police and is told it is not against the law to purchase goods or kick his useless ass to the curb. He goes whining to the governor next and is told to grow the fuck up.

 

"And leave them alone you goddamn stupid sack of shit. They don't have to bow, scrape, and kiss your useless ass. So what if they're getting in a lot of supplies? It's none of your damn business."

 

"But why are they buying all that stuff?"

 

"Because they fucking have a use for it. Unlike your wife who brought a third dress from a designer on the city dime. Knock it off!"

 

"But I'm the mayor! They gotta do what I tell them to."

 

"No they don't."

 

"I'll pass laws." he huffs.

 

"And they'll be found illegal by the state supreme court and you'll look like the total asshole people know you are."

 

He hurries off wailing. "Gods, I hope somebody shoots that bastard." The sound of a gunshot has him looking up at the ceiling. "I didn't mean literally." he yells.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Chapter 2 by josette grover

 

"Ummm boss?" One of the guards taps on the door.

 

"Is he alive?" the governor asks with a sigh.

 

"Yeah."

 

"He need medical attention?"

 

"Probably should." He can hear the man wailing out in the hallway.

 

"Call for an ambulance and make him somebody else's problem."

 

The deputy mayor looks through the hydroponics building a couple weeks later and smiles as he looks over at Tony. "Thank you for opening this building Mr. Stark, the fresh fruit and vegetables will be welcomed during the winter."

 

"Too bad your boss doesn't feel the same way."

 

"He's a fucking fool who is still whining about how he narrowly escaped death when he tripped the guard and the gun went off."

 

"Of course he is. . .it was the fucking fool's fault but he can't possibly be anything but the victim."

 

Tony comes back to the tower, Pepper handing him a stack of papers. He hands it back. "Give me an overview."

 

"Receipts for the latest orders. Receipts for the stuff we'll need to make rooms into tesseracts for more supplies." She starts sorting out the papers. "Receipts for medical supplies, one of the tesseracted rooms will be for supplies beyond medicine. The progress on the replicators, one for medicine, one for other supplies."

 

She points to another few pages. "One of the others realized we'd need to be able to make our own clothes and stuff like quilts so one of the employees purchased machines, patterns, books, and fabric." More papers. "Orders for sheets, towels, blankets. . ." He nods. "Threats from the government to sue if we don't stop ordering stuff they don't think we need and our rebuttals. They're going whining to the state supreme court. Threats to sue because we're not buying from them. Again, they're going to go to the state Supreme Court. Complaints about the hydroponics section, they claim it will take money from them even though they're not involved in food. Final paperwork on the farms we're buying. Plans for tearing down empty buildings when we take over the city that the city refuses to tear down for some reason. And finally a list of factories that will produce stuff we will not be able to make ourselves."

 

"Anything on the weapons?"

 

"Yep, first batch of ammunition was just delivered through SHIELD, Phil, Natasha, and Clint are going through it now. The weapons, including various knives and extra bows and arrowss for Clint are due next week."

 

"Do we have room for whatever we can salvage from the buildings let alone what we need to throw out?"

 

"Yes, we have a construction replicator as it were. It can turn debris into energy and put raw materials still good into crystals for future use."

 

"Has anybody talked to the mercenaries in the city?" Coulson asks from the doorway.

 

"Logan did after Xavier got back to the mansion. They're either getting in supplies and plan to help us out by dealing with security or already have left."

 

"Gangs?"

 

"Going to be dealt with one way or the other. The mayor's twiddling his thumbs up his ass because if he does anything he'll supposedly hurt part of his constituents."

 

"I doubt any of them voted." Pepper snorts. "Or pay taxes."

 

"Yep, and he's looking like the fool he is by not dealing with crime like he said he would."

 

"Of course not, he only said that to get elected . .. like his asshat in chief."

 

Coulson looks at Stark. "Have you seriously thought about having to take over the city and other areas?"

 

He goes into his office and tosses him a thumb drive. "Read that."

 

Coulson sits down and reads for nearly an hour, finally looking up at Stark. "This will do."

 

"I don't want to have to take over the city but somebody's got to do it."

 

"Has Clint put up the protections on his farm?" Pepper asks.

 

"Yes. Has Parker protected his house?"

 

"What he could since he doesn't own it and his aunt doesn't know what's going on."

 

"The others off-duty apartments?"

 

"Guarded. Peter, his aunt, and Clint's family are the ones who really need the protection. The others could easily move into their rooms here permanently."

 

"Sam?"

 

"Has a room here along with Bucky and Pepper found him a condo in the city. Bucky has a number of hidey-holes but no 'real' place. Not yet."

 

Coulson nods. "Dr. McCabe and his team?"

 

"Due to arrive in a few days, we were able to get them homes or apartments."

 

"Mr. Lang?"

 

"Working with the other electrical engineers making plans on rebuilding the power grid. Despite the whining of the moron in chief that it's not needed. And shaking his head over mine and Richards power sources."

 

"Are they going to be able to meet all our needs?" Coulson asks.

 

"Yes, they're alien based and used for entire planets that are a lot more technologically advanced then ours."

 

Peter walks into the office. "My aunt reminded me of something. Soap?"

 

Pepper sighs and nods. "We'll need to be able to make it after we run out of what we have stored." She writes that down. "We'll need a variety. . .same with laundry products. Diapers."

 

"A supply of cloth would be best, they can be washed and used again."

 

"Diaper creams, baby supplies, the plastic covers. . . " Pepper starts writing stuff down. "Thank you Peter, it's good to think of stuff like this before we run out and can't make more."

 

Peter smiles as he walks to the door.

 

"Washing machines and dryers."

 

"Yes, we'll need to put up commercial laundries as well as regular ones and washers and dryers." Tony adds that to the list.

 

"The shields?"

 

"Set up here, Malibu, around the X-mansion, and a couple other places. Ready to turn on at a moment's notice."

 

"Other places?"

 

"I'm expanding the hydroponics business to Las Vegas, the city council came out with their hats in their hands. Supplying all the restaurants and hotels as well as customers walking in will make it three times larger than the one here."

 

"And since they can't grow much in the desert you're not taking money from commercial farms." Coulson says dryly.

 

"Exactly."

 

"No local outfits wanted to bring hydroponics to the area?"

 

"Too much money to start out and they don't know if it will be a success."

 

"While you're already showing it will work."

 

"Malibu?"

 

"We've already had commercial farms in the area under us. And we're looking at farms in Florida."

 

The next few months pass as work goes on in various buildings.

 

Peter looks at the Daily Bugle obituary page before he signs in at Stark's.

 

"Anything on the deaths not in the paper?" Clint asks in the elevator. He's just back in town after three weeks on the farm.

 

"Not anything official." He says slowly. "Rumor is the morgues are getting full. Bodies aren't being claimed by their families for funerals and burial fast enough. They're going to have to start digging another mass grave in Potter's field. The mayor is blustering that it can't possibly be an epidemic. . .we have to be lying about how many people have died over the last few months. Then got green and threw up when he went to the morgue and saw all the bodies stacked up like cordwood."

 

"The schools that are sitting empty because a good half of their students are out sick."

 

"He went to the hospitals next and found all the rooms full with patients they have to keep at the hospital in hallways. He supposed they really needed the extra money for supplies and they're coming in. What they can get because other areas are starting to have deaths now."

 

"Meaning some things will be delayed until they can replace workers."

 

"And I'm sure asswipe in chief will whine about contracts not being fulfilled."

 

"Of course he will, why should a little something like death stop production of what he wants." Tony snorts as the doors open. "Settle around tvs today boys. All the precogs say that today the shit should hit the presidential seal as they find out what he did."

 

"But I didn't want it to hurt people who voted for me." The asshole in chief wails on twitter as the news breaks of what he'd done. "Only the people who didn't."

 

"Oh, please tell me he did not just tweet that." His chief of staff moans, his face in his hands.

 

"Of course he did. . .after all if he gets in trouble all he has to do is pardon himself." Somebody says as they walk past.

 

"What's the death total?" Coulson asks later that night at another meeting of the group.

 

"Hovering over 30 percent here in New York. But the hospitals are full and the police are finding bodies daily as people complain of smells or not having seen somebody in a couple days. We're a little better off than some of the other areas we think he targeted, they're seeing a fifty percent death rate."

 

"And the rest of the world?"

 

"Ten percent and climbing. At least with the news that this is an epidemic, they're trying to get extra supplies to the hospitals."

 

"Oh Jesus." Pepper moans as she turns up the television.

 

"Dumbass put his foot in it again?" Clint asks.

 

"Now he's claiming this is a good thing, all the deaths have cut the unemployment rate down to two percent. Soon there will be no unemployment. We'll be able to cut all the aid programs he didn't like and he got rid of the homelessness problem. Something none of the others had been able to do."

 

"Oh Christ."

 

"Yep, I'm sure he'll whine about how mean we are to his stupidness because we don't automatically fall to our feet to worship him."

 

True to Tony's sarcasm, the next few days tweets are full of his whining about how unpatriotic people are for not falling all over themselves to forgive him. He tries to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of his pet mad scientists but nobody believes his bullshit anymore.

 

"Stark, it's Logan." Tony gets a call a few days later. "Time to put your plan into action, Mystique just called and said Destiny saw your mayor running off with his tail between his legs because he's all alone."

 

"That sounds familiar. I'll call Coulson. It will be better for SHIELD to take over than it would be me stepping in."

 

"Agent?"

 

"Stark?" Coulson turns his attention away from the paperwork in front of him.

 

"A precog says that the mayor took off with his tail between his legs because his butt buddies are gone. Want to try to set up a meeting with him to see if it's true?"

 

"I can do that. I needed to talk to the moron anyway."

 

Coulson pushes past the few employees who try to stand in his way and throws open the doors of the mayor's office. "And where is your mayor?" He asks, shaking off the chief of staff who'd been trying to stop him and is currently making apologies. . .that trail off when he sees his boss isn't there. He starts cussing.

 

"I see why your boss can't be bothered now, he couldn't be bothered to be here. Did he come in today at all?"

 

"I thought he had."

 

"Aren't you supposed to know if the mayor is in the building?"

 

"He might have had. . . " the chief of staff goes over to the mayor's schedule. "No, there's no mention of any meetings he was to attend."

 

"Find him. NOW! The little bastard is trying to tell me how to run the branch of SHIELD here in New York and I'm going to have a little talk with the fool." Coulson sits down in a chair and pulls out a computer to contact SHIELD headquarters. "I'll wait."

 

"Sir, you can't . . ."

 

"The hell I can't, your little bastard of a boss tried shutting down SHIELD and accused me of embezzling money from the city. My lawyer will be here in twenty minutes to go over the lawsuit I'm going to be slapping the moron upside the head with unless I get an apology."

 

The Chief of staff starts making calls when he realizes Coulson isn't going to go away, silently and not so silently cussing his fool of a boss for opening his mouth again.

 

"If your boss is not here in one hour I will be taking control of the city under martial law." Coulson says three days later.

 

"You can't." the chief of staff bleats.

 

"Yes I can, our beloved president gave SHIELD that authority. I've already brought in accountants and others to go over everything here. You have two choices, step away from everything until we're finished with the audit or find yourself in a cell."

 

"Can they do that?" The chief of staff bleats to the city attorney.

 

"Yes, and the asshole was trying to take SHIELD over as his own private police force. Because the governor called him a fool."

 

"Christ."

 

A couple weeks later Coulson drops into a seat at Stark Tower, looking out the window and almost swearing he can see the shield Richards and Stark had put up shimmering in the distance.

 

"How bad is it?"

 

"Bastard's been skimming money for years and took off with it when he realized he without his butt buddies protecting his ass he'd have to do the work himself. We've got federal charges against him and all his accounts frozen. I'm sure the bastard will come whining back about how it's not fair his money's gone sooner or later and we'll throw the bastard in prison to get back the rest of the money."

 

"Are supplies still coming into the city?"

 

"Yes, nobody seems to realize SHIELD has taken over the city yet. The governor is overjoyed to deal with people with a damn clue who are willing to help out. We're trading experts to help take over essential services outside the city because so many people have died."

 

"And there's some jobs you can't replace with people off the street." Pepper says. "I've got a list of positions we're cross-training for."

 

"Send it to me and I'll see if we have people in SHIELD to handle them."

 

"Already looked and they're morons." Tony snorts as Pepper sends him the list. "Stark . .." Coulson starts to chide. . ."Never mind, you're right. They are morons. They were too stupid to be Hydra and couldn't handle a real job where they might have to show results to keep their jobs. I've put them in jobs of sorting recycling at SHIELD and ignored their whining they're too good for that work."

 

"Too many of them are until they realize their cushy jobs are gone and they have to work for what they want now." Pepper snorts. "Tony, the cleaning project for New York Harbor?"

 

"Started yesterday, we're bringing up tons of stuff people are sorting. Some of it will be turned back into raw materials with the rest being turned into energy."

 

"Garbage dumps?"

 

"Being cleared out, again with anything recyclable being turned into raw materials."

 

"Complaints about the mandatory recycling?"

 

"Yes, but they were told to get the fuck over themselves. Too many years in the old boy network and they're miserable at having to do some real work. That's why morons in Vegas tried suing because the hydroponics in Vegas looks like it's going to make major money. The judges slapped them stupider when they had to admit they'd been given the option of doing it but they didn't want to."

 

"And now that it looks like somebody else will make money off it they're whining that it should have gone to them." Peter snorts from the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt but I just got word that the guy who owned my house died."

 

"Relatives?"

 

"Not that I know. . ." Peter hands Pepper the paperwork. "The city is too busy actually doing work than trying to track down any relatives for the houses that are sitting empty."

 

Tony nods. "We've got a lot of private companies looking for relatives. If they're not owned by a holding corporation. We'll deal with it Peter, if there are relatives we'll give them fair market value for the house, if not you'll own it free and clear."

 

Peter repeats this to his aunt when he returns from work, the older woman sobbing as she realizes they won't be tossed out on the street. Peter looks out the door after dark, with all the deaths crime took a dramatic downward swing and there's no need for him to patrol as Spider-Man. There's only one other house with lights on their block and he nods as Dr. McCabe's teammate Frank brings out the garbage.

 

"Peter, what are you doing tomorrow?" She asks when he shuts the door.

 

"Picking up extra work helping to clear out homes and apartments of people that. . .died. I don't like having to paw through their lives . . . " He says quietly. Aunt May pats his shoulder.

 

"It's a sad job but somebody has to do it." He nods. "How is the daycares going?"

 

"Good." Aunt May had started working part-time at one of the many day-cares that had popped up since the schools were closed. This way parents had a place to take their children rather than having to leave them home alone. The teachers that weren't sick or had died in the epidemics had put their lesson plans online so students could keep learning. Hopefully the schools would be reopening soon but if not there would be the state exams they could take to try to keep on schedule. They weren't the only ones affected, schools all over the country were closed and there were rumors the asshat in chief would order the rest of them closed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3 by josette grover

 

Peter mentions that possibility to Frank the next morning who sighs but nods. Natasha had been taking a shift emptying homes and nods as well. Peter can see Bobbi Morse on her phone and chuckles, she must be passing that along to Director Coulson.

 

"Do we have a list of items the city needs?"

 

"No, most of the stuff the city needs has been brought in from outside."

 

"Has anybody heard stories about kids choosing not to go into the orphanages if they can't find good families to take them in?"

 

"I have, and while I'd rather it not happen. . ." Phil Coulson says as he comes up to the group. "There have been children on their own in their late teens before." A group from Xavier's arrives and they start working.

 

"Guys, the asshat in chief just deigned to lower himself to give us a press conference, all the public schools currently open are ordered to close at the end of next week so all resources can be used elsewhere. Instead of being wasted." One of the students at Xavier's school says during their lunch break.

 

"What resources? The only resources they use is electricity and their food. They don't get medical supplies."

 

"He's probably imagining rooms full of stuff that will make everybody fall to their knees begging for whatever scraps he will lower himself to give them. Moron doesn't realize schools are damn low on the totem pole in the way of priority or supplies." Clint snorts.

 

"I'm surprised he doesn't start shutting down hospitals."

 

"Don't give the asshole any ideas." Somebody snorts.

 

Don Flack looks at his oh my goddess nearly empty desk. There's no stacks of files so tall they're in danger of falling over on anybody. He wasn't sure about SHIELD taking over but martial law has got most of the young punks off the streets.

 

The precinct had lost a number of good and not so good people to the damn epidemic, in the lab Montana had gone on to the great 'we don't have those in Montana' in the sky. One of the other labs had been hard hit though and they were doing double duty until more people could be trained. IA had been gutted, SHIELD had come in and took out crooked cops with extreme prejudice. IA had bleated that they'd been working on getting them but nobody believed their bullshit.

 

"But where are all the supplies they hoard?" The president wails as he walks through the rooms of a public school he'd closed. "You never give the students any supplies."

 

"What supplies?" The principal of the school snorts. "Teachers have had to buy supplies for their own classrooms for years with their own money since there's no money in the budget for them."

 

"But we got supplies the first day of classes when I was in school?"

 

"We haven't been able to give students supplies for decades."

 

"The police will take your medical supplies to the hospital. Where they should have gone in the first place."

 

"What medical supplies? A box of bandaids and maybe an ace bandage?" The principal snorts.

 

"But you have to have medical supplies. You have to, you have to, you.Have.to." He's screaming and stomping his feet by the last three words. "Find the medical supplies and bring them to me." he orders the police who came with him.

 

"Fuck you moron, that's not our job. And my sister's kids went here, I know they don't have the tons of supplies you were looking for to make yourself look less like an asshat." the highest-ranking police officer there snorts. The asshat tours five other schools in DC and the surrounding area, whining when he doesn't find anything he'd been expecting. He then demands the man who'd spoken to him so rudely be fired and is told to go fuck himself. He wails as he heads to the White house and is told to shut the fuck up and grow up by the chief of staff when he goes whining to him.

 

"This little stunt just made you look even bigger a fool in the media. Now the students who were able to go to school can't and their families are having to find places for them while they're at work."

 

"But I thought they had tons of supplies stocked away somewhere that could be used by the local governments. They'd have to do what I wanted then."'

 

"You know damn good and well they don't have supplies, Christ moron, that's why they have the commercials on tv for people to send money to funds so teachers don't have to buy them with them own money."

 

"I only watch tv to hear about myself, I don't watch commercials for other people." he huffs off.

 

"Well, he's getting a lot of tv watching out of all this shit." One of the others snorts from across the room. "And his fit about schools not having the supplies he expected will probably make sure schools do have the supplies they need when they reopen."

 

"Yes, this will be a big black eye for school districts. Not to mention the department of education."

 

Peter looks over the warehouses filled with everything they could salvage from the houses. "Not to sound vulgar but is any of this going to be available?"

 

"Yes, we're going to be sorting through everything, repairing what needs it, and offering it up to citizens. They can either come to the warehouses or we'll set up tables in one of the conference centers."

 

"Are stores still getting in supplies?" Somebody asks as they start heading off.

 

"Yes, but they're beginning to see empty spots on shelves with factories having to cut production as they lose employees."

 

"And it's going to get a helluva lot worse before it gets better. They're already having to dig mass graves. I heard that more cemeteries are closing."

 

"Yep, and the asshat in chief shut down NIH and the CDC." Somebody says. Everybody turns to look at Dr. McCabe who just got out of his car. "It was just on the news."

 

"For christ sake. . .why?"

 

"They might find a cure for his pet disease and he can't have that." Miles snorts. "Now he's claiming that the people dying are martyrs. . .only the ones that voted for him of course."

 

In DC the dumbass is being yelled at by his chief of staff. "And shut the fuck up! Asshole, you're not helping yourself. I've ordered the CDC and NIH reopened because we need them to find a cure for that damn disease your pet mad scientists created. Before everybody dies."

 

"But we don't need a cure for it."

 

"Yes we do asshole."

 

"But if they cure it, I can't make everybody vote for me again. I'll . . .I'll go to the Supreme Court and make them stay shut."

 

"No you will not you little fool." A voice snaps from the doorway. "The Supreme Court is not your little kangaroo court to do whatever you want whenever you want." The chief justice glares at the president who whines that it's not fair.

 

In the lab at the police department, Mac sighs and looks up at the ceiling as he listens to the political pundits talk about the absolute stupidity of the president shutting down the NIH and CDC when an epidemic is going on. The part of him that was a marine feels he should be upset at them talking about the commander-in-chief like that but the part of him who's seeing all the deaths thanks to his little tantrum because he didn't wike people not voting for him thinks he should be strung up by his tiny balls for everything he did.

 

He must have been muttering out loud because from the doorway Danny laughs. "So he's overcompensating for them being so small?"

 

"Either that or they're supersized and all the testosterone rotted his brain." Don says behind him. Lucy is on his hip.

 

"More like something else rotted his brain." Sheldon says as he comes down the hall. "Is everybody else done for the day?"

 

"Yep, Don picked up Lucy so we're heading home. I already put in a double shift between the two labs and I'm off for a couple days." Danny takes his daughter and they head home. They'd got a bunch of interns in to help flesh out the labs but they still needed somebody there to keep an eye on them.

 

Peter stops at a grocery store with Frank, picking up a few groceries before they drive home. May hugs her nephew and starts emptying the bags.

 

"Thank you dear, I know you had a long day. Now. . .not to sound vulgar but . . ."

 

"They're going to be distributing everything once they look it over and see if the furniture needs any work. Either opening the warehouses or putting up tables at a conference center. It will be a while though."

 

Don looks at the walls of his apartment after he gets home, the apartment building is half empty from the deaths and the rest of the apartment buildings nearby were hit just as hard. There's a sheet on the bulletin board by the mailboxes that lists recent deaths. And it's updated weekly.

 

Looking in what he thinks will be his empty fridge he sighs as he sees containers of homemade food. A note in familiar handwriting is on one dish and he shakes his head at the long-distance nagging. "Maaaaaa." he whines softly before taking one of the dishes and putting in the microwave like ordered.

 

"We've got to look into soup kitchens." Stark says at the next meeting of the group. "Not many people have the time or energy to fix three meals a day. And working ten to twelve hours a day."

 

Coulson sighs but nods. "We can also look into cooking classes."

 

Richards nods. "This will keep a generation from relying on microwave meals." Nods from the others. "Not that we might be able to keep getting them for long."

 

"Pre-packaged food like MRE's."

 

"Freeze-dried like you get on the space station."

 

Coulson and Pepper make notes. "Do we need more growing areas?"

 

Coulson flips a page. "Not right now. Is your hydroponics building in full operation?"

 

"Both of them. Are there plans for growing areas in the other boroughs or the state?"

 

"Not the boroughs but I can see them in the rest of the state."

 

"Commercial greenhouses."

 

"Yes, we'll need them in the future."

 

Peter laughs from the doorway.

 

"Oh christ, what did that fool do now?"

 

"He was just arrested at the NIH for trying to block employees from entering. He doesn't see the need for a cure for his moron's disease. . .if there's a cure he can't make everybody vote for him."

 

"Oh lord. . ." Coulson sighs.

 

"Yep, he was drug off wailing by the police that he's the president and can do whatever he wants. The chief of staff needs to be fired for daring to reopen the NIH and CDC when he wanted them closed. He's also going to dissolve the supreme court because they wouldn't let him shut them back down. Who do they think they are anyway? He's the president. . .they should do what he wants."

 

"Fucking fool's going to find himself in a padded room very soon." Tony mutters. "Now, what else did we need to talk about?"

 

"Deaths?"

 

"Over 35 percent now, we're running just under three million in the city. Everybody who had family that could claim them has been buried or cremated and we've got mass graves set up in areas that used to be landfills. We're keeping records so that if there is family found eventually they can be exhumed and reinterred somewhere else."

 

"Not likely I'm afraid." Pepper says sadly. The others nod. "At least the hate groups are keeping a low profile. Even HYDRA and AIM are keeping mum."

 

"Yep, I'm sure they're making plans to take over when the time is ripe." Tony says sourly. "Hopefully they're dying off as fast as the others. Are we the hardest hit?"

 

"No, some places are nearing 75 percent of their populations and there's no word on places that don't have proper medical facilities or communication. I'm sure *there* the death toll is just as high even though they weren't directly targeted."

 

Everybody around the table nods.

 

"Prisons?"

 

"Around fifteen percent. Because you can't get away from people who are sick. They're not moving them to the prison hospitals now."

 

"Yesterday's house cleanouts got us caught up?"

 

"Yes, we shouldn't have to do it for a couple more months. Do we have a list of buildings that need to be torn down?"

 

Pepper brings it up and the others nod. "Fall's coming."

 

"Yes, we're going to see more deaths I'm afraid."

 

"Can your power sources handle heat as well?"

 

"Yes. supplies of propane and natural gas are running low. I expect them to start being rationed if the asshole in chief gets his way."

 

"Not here, but yes I can see him using it as a way to punish people he thinks done him wrong." Tony snorts. Richards and Coulson nods. "Thankfully people with some damn sense will overrule him and he'll be off pouting again. I hope the hell everybody who voted the damn fool into office is satisfied."

 

"Please, they're too stupid to realize what happened is their own damn fault for listening to that fool." Logan snorts. "Are we seeing problems with supplies getting in beyond those few items that are delayed due to deaths?"

 

"Not that we've seen, I'm sure we'll see him trying to take that over too, giving supplies only to his people and leaving everybody else to rot." Tony rolls his eyes.

 

"Yep, citing national security or some other excuse." Pepper snorts. "Are you needing anything in particular?"

 

"No, we're good on most everything for now. Are the precogs seeing this lasting much longer?"

 

"Several more years I'm afraid." Tony sighs. "Agent, have you talked to the governor?"

 

"I have a meeting with him in a couple days, along with the governor of New Jersey. Have we decided how big of an area we're going to be covering?" Plans are handed over and Coulson nods. "It will be several years."

 

"Yep. Did our beloved mayor ever show up?"

 

"Yes, he came fluttering back demanding to know what the hell we thought we were doing freezing his bank accounts. He was stunned to find himself arrested and is busy blubbering that everybody's mean in state prison where he's working sixteen hours a day scrubbing toilets and doing laundry."

 

"I'm sure he's hating that." Tony smirks.

 

"Yep, the governor just smirked when he listened to him whining about being arrested for embezzlement. The city owed him that money for making him work."

 

"Fucking fool, if he didn't want the job he never should have campaigned for it."

 

"He only saw the glory, none of the hard work. It's a shitty job being in charge. And speaking of shit, waste treatment."

 

"Working good now that we got rid of the moron who was dragging his feet looking for a bribe. We put his second in command in charge since he's got some sense and the asshole is now working on the lines."

 

"Has anybody looked into the units that are meant to replace failed septic tanks?" Professor Xawvier asks.

 

"Yes, it's something that will have to be thought about in the future." Coulson says. "Has anybody heard of sickness in areas where water and waste treatment plants are failing, either from employees dying or bad management?"

 

"Yes, hopefully the governments in their areas are cracking down on them if it's the second."

 

The meeting breaks up and Pepper takes over her desk, Peter heading back to a lab.

 

"The meeting over?" Bruce asks when he comes in.

 

"Yes." He checks his e-mail and sighs. "Bad news?"

 

"Jameson died."

 

"I'm sure there's not many people who would consider that bad news. Your former publisher ruined a lot of lives over the years."

 

"Yep, I'm sure there's a lot of people who will be going to the funeral home to make sure the bastard is really dead." Peter mutters.

 

"Who's taking over the paper?"

 

"Robbie until the owners can make other arrangements. I don't see them bringing in anybody else."

 

"Robertson is a good man to run it. Much better than that hateful fool Jameson." Bruce says. "No more hate rants against Spider-man, the avengers, or mutants disguised as editorials." Bruce looks over as Clint taps on the door. "Bruce, Coulson got a call from . . .somebody. He won't say who but rumor is it Ross is dead."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah, he was being arrested for his shit and tried grabbing an officer's gun when he realized all the troubles in the government meant nobody was covering his ass anymore and he would actually be punished for everything he did."

 

Chapter 4 by josette grover

 

Clint's story is repeated by Phil when he comes down. Bruce sighs. "It's over."

 

"Yes, he was the only holdout in the former president's orders to leave you alone. But the old fool didn't think orders applied to him. With all the problems in the government, nobody was blocking his arrest warrants."

 

"And everything he wanted to happen to other people would be happening to him." Clint snorts. "Good riddance to bad rubbish. I feel sorry for your Betty though, having to have him for a father."

 

Doc Samson comes out of the elevator at Stark Tower a few days later, finding Tony teasing Pepper. "How was DC?"

 

"Full of absolute idiots. But I brought up copies of everything I could get on GEDs and homeschooling for younger students." He says as he hands over receipts. "You can replicate it for the others later. I also arranged for shipments of DVDS, books, audiobooks, and music to come in every couple months."

 

"Thank you Leonard." Pepper says as she takes the receipts. "Leisure activities is always good to get your mind off stuff you can't control. . .especially in times like this." Leonard nods.

 

Tony looks over at Reed a couple hours later. "Have you heard anything from other countries?"

 

"Yes, some places are at eighty percent death rates, with government troops going in and finding nearly entire villages empty. And who knows how many people dead who live in the surrounding area." Tony nods.

 

"Police officers?"

 

"With SHIELD in control we're getting more officers from the police academies. Crime is down but we're still keeping the city patrolled." Reed nods in satisfaction. "More police officers, army, and national guard troops patroling was something his asshole in chief couldn't stop. Courts are getting tougher on crime and if they get in trouble it will be 'lock them up and throw away the key'.Jails are overcrowded and like prisons if you get sick there they leave you to either recover or. . .not." Reed sighs but nods.

 

"Supervillains?"

 

"We've lost some minor ones, the others . . .will be dealt with. Groups like HYDRA and AIM are no doubt losing people just like the rest of the world." Reed nods.

 

"Do we see the need for new construction?"

 

"Not for years. . .despite the whiners in the city that want multi-million dollar condos put up."

 

"We won't need more housing for years."

 

"No, Peter says except for Frank's family on the other end of the street on the other side his block is empty."

 

"Have you found out anything about his landlord?"

 

"We're doing a background check on him, so far nothing. The city says if we don't find anything. . .in thirty days we can turn the house over to him. The holding companies on a lot of the city's buildings are being investigated too, I'm surprised some of them haven't been heard from yet." Reed nods as they walk out of Tony's office, finding Peter and Pepper moving boxes.

 

"Is that the stuff Leonard had sent up?"

 

"Yes, we're copying everything for you, Xavier's, SHIELD, and a couple others right now. We've got everything on the servers so we can make new copies as needed."

 

"Do we have university level books?"

 

"Peter's being sent to an expo for them in a couple months."

 

Pepper hands Tony a slip of paper as she walks past. He looks at it and laughs. "Pepper just brought a paper factory that was going to be going out of business, we're getting all their shipments of paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper."

 

Phil sighs and makes a note. "We're going to have to start thinking of taking over factories to keep them in operation as deaths continue to rise."

 

The others nod and make notes.

 

A month later Peter is handed a couple thick envelopes along with his check. "The house is yours," She pats one envelope. "So are the houses on either side of you." She pats the same envelope. "Tony's plans for updates to the houses." The second envelope is patted. "Along with the most recent copies of the inspections." The second envelope is tapped again. "Tony is coming out with a couple other people tomorrow to see what's needed in the way of work on the houses."

 

Peter opens the first envelope and smiles, handing it to his Aunt May after he's deposited his check and got groceries. She looks at it, then him, back at the envelope, and at him again. "Is this what I think it is?"

 

"The deed to the house and the houses on either side of us." She stares at him and opens the envelope. "Tony's coming out with a team to see what work the houses need tomorrow."

 

May turns around, starting to look at the house through the eyes of a homeowner. "Paint, it's been needed for a while."

 

"Replacing the faucets in the bathroom. I'd like to pull the tub out completely."

 

"That's too much money Peter."

 

"Not really. Most of it is labor and with people helping out it will be done rather quickly. We need to have the roof inspected though. And have the hot water heater and furnace inspected. They're older than I am and hot water heaters are only supposed to last twenty years or so."

 

"You've been watching too many this old house episodes." His aunt chuckles. "But if we own all three houses you can expand your darkroom."

 

Tony drops a notebook on Pepper's desk the following Monday morning. "The work that needs to be done on Peter's houses. Most of it is cosmetic but there's some structural work that needs done on all three houses." Pepper starts leafing through the notebook, nodding at everything. Scanning them on the computer she sends them to the engineers. Several minutes later Scott comes out of the elevator. "Has anybody looked at his wiring?"

 

"No, we've got to check it though. A house that old will probably need major upgrades to the electrical system. We can put them up in a hotel for a few days while we adapt the house to the new power source."

 

"Okay, I ordered the major stuff we needed, it should be arriving at the houses over the next couple of weeks. The smaller stuff we can pick up at home improvement stores. Peter plans on hitting a photography expo after he goes for the textbooks, he can get everything he needs for his new darkroom then."

 

May looks at all the materials being delivered to the houses over the next couple weeks, that nice young man named Scott having come over to inspect the wiring on all the houses.

 

"Did anybody hear dumbfuck's latest rant?" Scott asks as he comes out of the elevator.

 

"What now?" Tony sighs.

 

"Solar power is an abomination. . .it's taking money from his dear friends at the electric companies. When I parked they were already calling in and basically saying 'he's a moron. . .please ignore him. We don't want to be associated with his stupidity."

 

"Don't some of the power from companies come from solar panels?" Phil says dryly.

 

"Yes, something I'm sure he's wailing about as people tell him to shut the fuck up. Damn fool moron."

 

"I'm sure he thought the people at the electric companies would flock to him since he was championing their cause. Rumor has it that he's losing support among his core group and he's hating it."

 

"Bastard's going to hate it even more when people start slapping the stupidity out of him." Scott snorts as he puts a notebook on Pepper's desk. "My notes on the houses, it will take a couple weeks to replace all the wiring, but we can install the lines that handle high-speed internet and cable at the same time." Pepper looks over everything and nods as Phil moans, making a note that they're going to have to start inspecting more buildings. They'll have to bring in more inspectors. Tony looks at him and nods.

 

"But I thought it would help the electric companies. . .people are stealing their money by having other power." The president wails like a two year old.

 

"Nobody is stealing from them, they've used solar power for years. Some people with solar panels actually send excess power back to the grid if they don't have batteries to store it. There are solar and wind farms sending power to companies."

 

"But I didn't know that."

 

"Then you should have kept your damn big fat mouth shut you damn fool. And keep your head down. Because somebody's going to take it off your shoulders if you keep yammering about stuff you don't know the first thing about."

 

"I know everything." He huffs.

 

"No, you think you know everything. You thought schools had tons of supplies just sitting around that you can use to make people do what you want, you thought that your pet mad scientists disease would only affect the people who didn't vote for you, you thought that the Supreme court would do whatever you wanted when you tried shutting down the CDC and NIH, and you thought that bellyaching about solar power would get the power companies in your back pocket."

 

"But they should have been glad I was taking their side. Once I had them in my pocket I could shut off power wherever I wanted until people do what I want. Once they voted me back into office again I'd turn the power back on."

 

Peter gets off the plane in St. Louis for the textbook expo, checking his notes as he gets on an airport shuttle to his hotel. In addition to the textbook expo he's visiting a few places for Stark and then will attend the photography expo at the same hotel.

 

A few weeks later he comes out of the elevator at Stark and drops three piles of receipts on Pepper's desk. "Receipts for the textbook expo and to ship everything. Receipts from the places I stopped at in St. Louis, the latest update on shipping says it should be arriving soon, and receipts from the photography expo. Both for us and SHIELD. Those supplies are due to arrive soon too." Pepper nods and starts filing everything, scanning the receipts for SHIELD and sending them to their headquarters while putting the originals away for Phil to pick up when he comes in next time.

 

"The boss back from that science expo?"

 

"He and Richards arrived back in the middle of the night, he's sleeping right now instead of blowing things up in his lab."

 

"Sleeping thanks to a sedative before you knock him out with something thick and heavy to the head?" Peter smirks.

 

"Exactly, he was babbling something about a nanovirus that can keep buildings and machinery constantly updated."

 

"That would probably help with upkeep of buildings."

 

"As long as it worked." Pepper snorts. "Have you been home yet?"

 

"Nope, I just grabbed the recipts out of my bags and gave everything to the housekeeping section."

 

"Grab a spare bed, there's plenty of pajamas available. Your aunt is at work right now. . .right?"

 

"If her schedule hasn't changed yet. . .yeah." Peter mumbles. Scott chuckles and leads him off for a shower, a meal, and a bed though not necessarily in that order. Pepper checks her list of phone numbers and dials.

 

"May!" A man says a few minutes later. May Parker looks over at him. "Your nephew is back in town, Ms. Potts just called to say she's making him get some sleep at Stark Tower before he heads home. And before he heads off she'll have Stark Food Services send dinner home with him."

 

"Thank you Matthew." May smiles.

 

"You live with your nephew?" One of the younger children asks her.

 

"Yes, my late husband and I raised Peter after his parents died when he was younger than you."

 

Peter yawns as he gets behind the wheel of his car, his laundry freshly washed and folded in his bags and containers of food are in the back seat. He gets home a little before his aunt, putting everything on the table and is sorting through his mail when May comes into the house. She hugs him and looks through her own mail.

 

"Are all the supplies for the work in?"

 

"Yes, and your boss says he's going to be putting us up in a hotel for at least a week while they're working. With all the deaths hotels are empty." Peter nods. "They're nearly as bad in other areas, when I was in St. Louis half the hotel was empty. And that was with the expo."

 

"Yes, the President was whining that he didn't know some areas of the economy would take a hit with so many deaths." May says sourly.

 

"Yep, hotels are nearly empty, half the flights have been cut so the airlines is up in arms since people aren't traveling for pleasure anymore. The companies that build the airplanes are having fits because the airlines aren't buying new planes. Travel agencies are shutting down since nobody's traveling. . .same with the cruise industry."

 

The next morning finds a crew from the housekeeping section of Stark helping Peter and his aunt pack up everything they want to take to the hotel with them as well as packing up stuff that might be damaged during the work. That goes in a POD and May looks at the house she's lived in for years for a few long minutes before following Peter out the door.

 

"Have they started releasing stuff yet?" Peter asks Clint the next morning.

 

"Yeah, they're letting social services have vouchers for stuff like furniture, clothes, appliances. . .not flat screen tvs or computers but stuff that's needed. The other stuff they're going to be opening a conference center and people can get numbers to come in and buy stuff."

 

"I almost miss the back to school sales you'd have been hearing on the news about now."

 

"Yes, I can't believe it's nearly September." Clint sighs.

 

"Your family?"

 

"Working on classes through Xavier's since they're too young for their GEDs. Hopefully when they're old enough there's still universities open for them to attend."

 

"Nope." Pepper sighs. "He just announced he was shutting those down. Or rather any school that accepts state or federal funds wouldn't be reopening because all the students are needed elsewhere. Not that he lowered himself to say where they were needed. . .just that they were needed."

 

"We were expecting this." Tony sighs. "He's going to turn the US into a third world country by taking away education opportunities."

 

"Yep." Pepper sighs. "I can see a lot of on the job training for areas where you don't need a degree."

 

"Are you fucking stupid?" the chief of staff sighs as he looks at his 'please god somebody get him the hell out of office soon' boss.

 

"But they can be working if the schools aren't open."

 

"Moron! Most of them are already working .. .and taking classes."

 

"But we don't need universities."

 

"Yes we do asswipe. Doctors and lawyers need degrees, they need universities for that."

 

"They've got their own schools." He blusters.

 

"God! You really are that fucking stupid. Med and law schools are part of universities." The chief of staff yells. "Students go for a four year bachelors before they attend the other schools."

 

"But. . .but can't they just go to hospitals or law offices and learn that way?"

 

"No, they can't. They need degrees and licenses." His chief of staff sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

"But if they just learn from others. . .there's not those massive student loans. See. . .everybody will be happy." He crows. His chief of staff gives him a disgusted look as he dances off. He's whining a few hours later when instead of everybody bowing and kissing his feet he's getting yelled at on various social media sites.

 

"But I thought they'd be happy to have the schools shut down." he whines.

 

"Please tell me we have medical and law books." Peter says the next day at Stark.

 

"And textbooks for all the other jobs in the tower, we started a library when the precogs started saying he'd be shutting schools down. So did SHIELD, Xavier's, and Richards. I'm sure some of the others have their own research libraries."

 

"Yeah, I can't see AIM and HYDRA having to trek down to the local library when they need to look something up." Clint snorts. "Oh god, I just saw the stereotypical little old lady librarian making them shush in the library, take their weapons off at the door . .." He walks off muttering, Natasha nicely knocking him out with a trank dart when she hears what he's talking about. She even puts him on a couch to sleep it off instead of leaving him on the floor. Phil gives her a look but nods when she tells him what she heard, then he shakes his head to get that image out and she nicely puts him to sleep with a second dart, putting him on the couch across from Clint. Bruce snickers as he walks past.

 

The next day Tony tells Pepper he'd be gone for a while and flies to the Baxter building. He locks himself in a lab with Reed and they work on projects for several hours.

 

"What's the latest death rate?" Ben Grimm asks after Sue has dragged them out for a meal.

 

"Ninety percent in some of the other areas that were targeted. Especially in areas where it's winter." Tony says. "I expect to hit 50 percent here this winter. Areas that weren't directly hit are at twenty to twenty-five percent."

 

"Are the precogs seeing any. . .'repricussions' against the US for what happened from other countries?"

 

"No, they know he's an idiot. . .this just proved it." Tony snorts. "Everybody is being affected by this nonsense, not just their countries. They're too busy either trying to stay in power or handle their countries affairs to deal with him now." Reed says dryly.

 

"What he said." Tony pokes his fork in Reed's direction. "Now after the deaths have slowed down and things are getting back to normal I can see the world courts slapping him upside the head with war crimes if the Supreme court doesn't charge him first."

 

"Oh god. . .he'll whine like the big baby he is." Johnny snorts. "And scream that we can't do that."

 

"Rumor is people are talking impeachment. And not just the other political party either."

 

"About time they fucking started doing something about him." Sue mutters. "Shut the barn door after the horses have left."

 

"Do we have any seafood farms?"

 

"Something we'll have to look into." Reed makes a note on the computer as Tony sends Pepper an e-mail to look into it.

 

"Are we getting in extra supplies before winter?"

 

"Everything that won't go bad." Tony says, nodding. "Because we're seeing more and more factories being unable to fulfill their contracts. Stores in other areas have more and more empty spots on their shelves. The asshole in chief tried getting all the supplies of natural gas and propane under government control but was slapped stupider by the courts. He bleated it was for natural security. . .so they'd be safe but everybody knows he just wanted to hand them out to the people he wanted."

 

"I've heard rumors about medical supplies running low."

 

"Yep, he's bleating that hospitals don't need the supplies. . .shouldn't the epidemic be over now? The NIH dragged him through hospitals still full of patients and he wailed that it wasn't supposed to have been this way. People shouldn't still be getting sick and dying."

 

"Christ, when they were handing out stupid he got in line twice." Ben moans.

 

"More like two hundred times." Tony snorts. "Is there anything we desperately need that's on the short supply list?"

 

"Not that I can see."

 

"Supplies of propane and natural gas?"

 

"Will last the winter with so many buildings shut up now." Tony says quietly. Reed nods. "Our alternate power handles heat too but it will be a while before every building would be covered."

 

"How is the area outside the city?"

 

"Getting empty, Director Coulson is in talks with the governor to turn cleared land into commercial farms over the next couple years. Once we've made sure it's fertile." Sue gives him a disgusted look at the word fertile and Tony hides a smile. . .Johnny's openly grinning. Looks like Sue enjoyed her husband a bit too much. "If not we'll have to put up stuff that we need as we expand the dome."

 

"Vegas and Malibu?"

 

"Not domed yet since they're both low priority for dumbass and both have good governments running the cities. I can put domes up at a second's notice if needed."

 

"I thought we needed chips to be able to get in and out of the dome?" Ben asks.

 

"There's different levels of protection, right now we're on level one. . .free movement in or out. Needing a chip to get in and out is the next level. The third level would be no movement in or out except for certain areas even with the chip, that's the highest level and would be for something like a nuclear explosion or if we were a colony on a world like Mars where we needed to keep atmosphere inside. Or keep a poisonous atmosphere outside."

 

"So something like tear gas could get through the shield?"

 

"Yes, but they'd be exposed too since the shells would burst on the dome." Tony and Reed both look to grab PADDs but finish eating, they can work on something to filter the dome later. Ben chuckles, looks like Pepper managed to civilize Stark just like Sue wore away Reed's rough edges.

 

Peter looks at the houses in mid-november, it's turning cool already and the furnace has been coming on in the morning. The work on the houses is completed and now he's working on his darkroom that's going in the house on the right as they walk in the front door. He'd brought new shovels and a snowblower to clear the paths and driveway. The city had been talking about not clearing streets with only one home or building occupied to save money but realized they wouldn't save that much money and that change hadn't happened.

 

"Are we set for the winter?" May asks when he comes in.

 

"Bags of rock salt for the path, new shovels, and a snowblower. Frank's family is set too."

 

Scott taps on his ex's door a few days later. "More assignments for Cassie and the grades on everything she'd worked on before." He hands her a couple thick folders.

 

"Thank you Scott, and thank your friends for allowing her to continue her schooling. I can't believe the moron in chief shut down the schools."

 

"I can, like you said he's a moron and does this stuff in an attempt to make himself a hero to the people. Instea everybody knows he's a fool.

 

Scott looks up as he walks out to his car, smiling as he sees Clint leading a training exercise with Spider-man and the young Avengers. The female Hawkeye comes down next to him. "Is there any news on GEDS?"

 

"Principals and teachers from the shut down schools are going to be offering tests every other week for students over sixteen so they can get on with their lives."

 

"Yeah, thankfully businesses in the area are waiving the whole 'do you have a GED or high school diploma' question on their applications." One of the males says as the rest of the group joins them on the ground. The others turn to look at Spider-man.

 

"I'm in the other boat guys, I'd already graduated and was in college before he shut them down. Hopefully they'll eventually reopen and students can come back to finish their degrees."

 

"How old are you?" One of the other boys asks.

 

"Just turned eighteen, yes I skipped a couple years. Which wasn't easy since I was so much younger than the others at school. And scrawny. And a science nerd."

 

"Three strikes against you right there." Scott says, sighing.

 

"Add in poor and I was a three time loser. Then my uncle died and I was busy selling my photos to Jameson to pay the bills."

 

"Do you ever keep in contact with the kids from school?"

 

"Only a couple. Now they're realizing how it felt to have lost family, to have to work to pay the bills, and take care of their remaining family."

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 by josette grover

 

Kate pats his shoulder. "Are you signing up for a GED spot?" Scott asks.

 

"Yeah, I was a senior when the schools closed. My parents would have wanted to me to graduate instead but the school didn't allow the seniors the options of coming in and taking their finals before all the schools closed."

 

"I'm sure they hoped they'd be able to reopen before then and you'd be able to take your finals on time." Clint pats her shoulder.

 

"Yeah, the principal apologized to all the seniors after dumbass closed the schools for not letting us take our finals early." Kate sighs. "She felt it wasn't fair to the other students that we could cut our senior year short while they would have had to come back to school and go over to make up all the time we lost. Once dumbass yanked the rug out from under us, she realized she'd lost the chance to do anything for any of us."

 

"Do you see him reopening schools?" Natasha asks as she walks out of the Tower and over to where they are.

 

"Fuck no." Peter snorts. "He'll keep them closed forever because people want them open. I heard rumors that some people are trying to sue to get them reopened but you know how slow the court system is. The Supreme court would have the final say but it would be years before it got that far. . .if ever." Everybody nods. "Now. .. .if congress voted to reopen the schools it would be different, they'd probably have enough votes to pass it without allowing him to veto it."

 

"More likely they'd wait until he got voted out of office and start saying let's go back to normal."

 

Clint's ex-wife snorts behind Natasha. "That is, if he doesn't pass laws keeping him in office forever."

 

"Yes, I'm sure he'll try getting rid of elections because as disgusted as most of the population is everybody who is up for re-election will be voted out. Because they're not even trying to do anything to stop him."

 

"No, you can't fucking put every factory under government control citing national security." The Chief Justice tells the moron in chief in disgust.

 

"But they're not making their orders."

 

"That's because people are dying from your pet disease asswipe. They don't have enough employees to fulfill all their orders. People realize that."

 

"But if I take them over, I can fire everybody in charge. . .they're obviously too stupid to . . ." He's slapped upside the head by a furious chief justice.

 

"Leave factories the hell alone you stupid goddamn fool. If you'd never had your damn pet mad scientists play around with that damn disease factories would be able to keep up with demand."

 

"But there's empty spots on shelves." he whines as the chief justice and his chief of staff walk out of the oval office. "I can't buy everything I want."

 

May looks around the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving. Everything that can be made up ahead of time was and a ham is waiting in the refrigerator. This year has been. . .unusual she finally decides on. Others might have said a lot worse but she's got a job she loves working with children, neither her or Peter had gotten ill, she feels better than she has in years, and they're in no danger of losing their home thanks to the loss of their former landlord.

 

Peter is making better money working for Stark International than he had been selling photos to the Daily Bugle. And she still wishes he hadn't had to start working that early to provide for them after her beloved Ben had died.

 

And most importantly she's thankful that Peter doesn't have to go out every night as Spider-Man. She'd been stunned and more than a little hurt when he finally had to admit what he'd been doing but she reminds herself of how she'd talked about Spider-Man and realizes why he'd never said anything.

 

They're luckier than some people, Peter had told her that one of his . . .'associates' was a young woman who'd been a couple months from graduating high school when the president had shut down the schools, her mother had died years ago, and she'd lost her father recently. She'd chosen to stay in the family home since she was only a few months from turning eighteen and had taken in some friends who also had lost family.

 

Two weeks later Kate Bishop walks into the room where the GED tests were going to be held, nodding as she recognizes many of her old classmates. To add to old home week the proctor coming in with the tests is her old principal. The tests are handed out and everybody starts to work.

 

"Are seniors who would have graduated been given priority in the tests?" One of the proctors asks when they break for lunch.

 

"We've tried not to but they're the ones who were the most affected by the schools closing." Another teacher sighs. "Younger students need more work to get ready for the tests."

 

Tony looks out the window in the Tower, looking down at the streets that should be bustling with shoppers getting ready for Christmas. Stores were trying to get shoppers in but with people working two or even three jobs and more empty spots on store shelves the Christmas sales had nearly vanished. The president had howled when the Black Friday sales hadn't been what he'd been expecting, he'd figured on using that to prove things weren't as bad as people were complaining about. He'd demanded people start buying high-ticket items to bring the economy up and had been told to grow the hell up. . .again! 'But they have the money for them now' he'd bleated and had walked off pouting when everybody gave him disgusted looks. And worse of all, people were talking bad about him in the media. . .HIM! Why is everybody so upset. . .welllllllll yeeesssssss, over a billion people have died thanks to that little illness that he'd had his scientists unleash, but they'd told him that they could stop it at any time. Was it his fault they'd lied to him? He was the victim here. When he'd wrote that on social media, sites had crashed as people screamed at him that he was not the victim.

 

Pepper comes up behind him. "Kate called, she just got the news she passed her GED."

 

"Good, now we just need to get the others either their GEDs or in the case of the kids taking classes from Xavier's at home graduated." He still stands at the window and Pepper wraps her arms around him. "You're in a quiet mood."

 

"The asshole in chief is trying to shut down hospitals. He's also wanting to shut down drug companies in the US and forbidding imports of medicine from other countries. He claims we don't need it, it's not curing anybody."

 

"Christ, the moron does realize that there's more diseases out there than his pet scientiests one. . .right? Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure. . ."

 

"Yeah, he's pouting because even his most ardent supporters are about ready to kill him for his stupidity."

 

"Why hasn't they started impeachment proceedings yet?"

 

"Because being too fucking stupid to live isn't a crime. . .yet." Tony snorts. "He didn't create the damn disease, his pet mad scientists did and while we know they did it for him, he can't be charged with that."

 

"And there's still too many people in his party that even though they know he's a moron will still block any legal proceedings against him." Phil says from the elevator. "I heard Ms. Bishop got her GED?"

 

"Yes, her former principal was the proctor for her tests and apologized to her again for not letting her class take their finals before the schools were closed." Pepper says.

 

"Maybe when schools close she and the other seniors will be able to go back and finish their classes to graduate."

 

"The others?"

 

"Are attending classes here at the tower so they can get their own GEDs." Pepper says. "Clint's kids and Scott's daughter are doing schoolwork through Xavier's. What brings you out?"

 

"Bad news, we're getting more reports of water and sewage treatment plants failing as other cities lose key personnel. They don't have the cross-training plans we have."

 

Pepper sighs. "Two of the three big causes of more illness. Garbage strikes leaving it piling up everywhere would be the third."

 

"Yep. At least we don't have to drag wagons through the streets to pick up the dead like they had during the plague." Pepper shudders. "Are mass graves getting full?"

 

"Yes, and crematoriums are being used a lot." Phil sighs as he looks out the window. "The moron president is sticking his fingers in his ears saying la la la I can't hear you whenever he gets bad news but the world council is reporting the death toll is nearly two billion now. Of course we're not getting reports from countries under non-friendly control but every other country has reported death rates from thirty percent to nearly one hundred percent depending on medical resources and how many areas were specifically targeted."

 

"Christ, when you think of all the times super-heroes saved the world from villains. . ."

 

"And a damn fool who got his 'feewings' hurt because people won't bow, scrape, and kiss his ass destroys it." Tony leans against the window as Coulson's phone starts beeping like mad. He excuses himself and steps away to answer it. "Coulson. What?" Tony and Pepper turn to stare at him. He grabs the remote for the tv and turns it on. "AIM just shot the president."

 

"About time somebody did." Pepper mutters as she settles in her chair as the commercial turns back to live coverage. JARVIS makes the announcement buildingwide, everybody either turning on tvs or heading to Tony's office.

 

"How is this going to affect everything?" Natasha at the next commercial.

 

"The government's going to be up in arms for a long time. . .they knew he was a fucking moron but there are still factions in the government that will demand justice for the fucking fool."

 

"And what about the justice for everybody who died because of his stupidity?" Sam asks dryly.

 

"Ohhhh, he's the president. .. it might look bad in the short run but in the long run it will all come out in the wash." Clint snorts, waving a hand. "I'm sure his spin doctors are trying to make him a fucking hero who was standing up to AIM and was assassinated for that. . .not because he's a goddamn fool who killed over a billion people because he didn't wike people having a mind of their own."

 

"And beyond the idiots in Washington?"

 

"Wellll, schools should reopen next fall if Congress gets off their ass and overrides his decision to close them. It will give them several months to get everything ready." Clint says. The others nod. "But other than that? His death won't stop the epidemic. It won't bring back the dead or fill empty shelves in stores. Areas of the country. . .even worldwide are losing essential services because people aren't being trained to run them as people die."

 

Phil nods. "He won't be able to close hospitals now or shut down pharmacutical companies since. . ..'well, they're not curing it anyway'." Natasha curses in Russian while Ciint moans, obviously they hadn't heard that rumor. "Oh Clint, Kate passed her GED."

 

Clint grins and grab the phone, talking to his protege for a few minutes before ending the call.

 

"I can't believe some people are wailing over that fool's death." Pepper snorts. "Come on people, everybody knows what the fool did."

 

"H. . .he. . .he wasn't bad, he was just confused." Tony mock-blubbers.

 

"Yes, I'm sure some fool will start saying that." Coulson sighs. "AIM released a statement simply saying he deserved to die for what he did to the world."

 

"Can't argue with that. Is the government in turmoil with his death?" Pepper asks.

 

"No more than it was with him alive." Tony snorts.

 

"True, he tried running every bureau and was ignored for the most part."

 

In their home Peter shuts off the television with a sigh. May looks at her nephew. "While I don't condone his death, I can understand why somebody would want to kill him for what's going on."

 

"If one good thing came out of this whole mess. . .there's no drug problems anymore." Peter sighs. "Users had to go cold turkey while those who made them were arrested, charged, convicted, and are rotting in prison. Which he was able to crow about as something good he did while ignoring the other stuff."

 

"Yes, as long as he took care of drugs and gangs attacking other countries and killing your own citizens should be overlooked. It's not fair people keep complaining about that." May snorts as she looks at the clock. "Don't stay up too late."

 

"I won't Aunt May." He looks out the window at the snow. "It doesn't seem like Christmas next week."

 

"It's been a long year, what with all the deaths and the schools closing. People aren't celebrating the way they do now. . .they're celebrating like back when I was a child. Presents weren't the big ticket items, you'd get one or two smaller presents. It was a day for celebrating family, you'd probably go to church. . ."

 

"I'm sure the old fool would have shut down churches and other houses of worship as being seditionists." Peter snorts. "Tony said there was rumors he wanted to shut down hospitals and drug companies since they weren't curing anything anyway." he says snidely. May sighs. "I shouldn't be saying this of the man so many people elected to run our country but he was a fool."

 

"Amen."

 

Over the next few days the government tries to spin the president's death as a national tragedy, brutally murdered for daring to speak out against groups that would like to destroy the American way of life but there's enough uproar that those announcements rapidly vanish. it doesn't help the government's position that various groups come out with proof of the moron's actions.

 

"Did they really think everybody would forget all the deaths, the empty spots on store shelves, people working two or three jobs to keep essential services going, and him continually trying to take over stuff or shut down stuff to make himself look good?"

 

"They had to try." Tony shrugs. "Just like they had to apologize and try to smooth things over after he kept shooting off his big mouth and making things worse for the administration."

 

"Do you see the new president doing anything about all the problems?"

 

"If he has any damn sense. . .otherwise he'll find himself with a visitor from AIM or HYDRA most likely." Pepper sighs but nods. "If AIM got rid of half of the US government the country wouldn't be affected."

 

Phil sighs as he walks out of the elevator. "Try most of the government. Do we . . ." Tony and Phil disappear and reappear a few seconds later. "That was. . .unsettling." Pepper just looks at Tony as boxes, bags, and other stuff start appearing around the room. "Do I dare ask what happened?"

 

"We got nabbed by another dimension who saw what problems we're having and gave us information on what we'll need if we have to move to another dimension or establish a colony on another planet." Tony sighs. "I'd rather not have to go that route but we've got the information, we've got supplies, and we've got the technology." Pepper looks at the boxes. "This is just a portion of it."

 

"Can we trust it?"

 

"It's from another me."

 

"That's why I asked if we could trust it." Pepper snorts. Phil chuckles despite himself. "Special meeting Phil?" She asks, looking at him."

 

"Wondering what your plans were for after Christmas?"

 

"I'd planned on going to Vegas after the first of the year to inspect the hydroponics building there, then heading to Malibu for a couple weeks. Reed said he'd be busy with research for a couple weeks."

 

"Except for the assassination villains have been quiet."

 

Pepper nods. "Like the rest of us they're waiting for the rest of the shit to hit the fan. No use trying to take over the world now. . .it would be too much work remaking it in their image."

 

"Or they've got what they wanted. Or they got sick and died."

 

Phil nods. "SHIELD has a list of villain deaths, mostly small-time crooks. We can't tell for sure about AIM or HYDRA, neither are going to come out with lists of their dead."

 

"No, and they've got bases all over the world. We'll only know their deaths when we find bodies."

 

"And bases."

 

"How is DC?"

 

"Bad, the former first lady is wailing because nobody's listening to her sobbing broken-heartedly requests that he be given a grand funeral procession as a national hero."

 

Christmas comes, families getting together. . .many looking at empty chairs where a family member should have been sitting. Churches are full to overflowing for their services, many people had found comfort in them after the troubles of the year.

 

Clint smiles at his family as they sit down to Christmas dinner.

 

"Your teammates?"

 

"Sam and Steve are volunteering at a soup kitchen. There's not a need to feed the homeless, but with people working long hours it gives them a meal they don't have to cook."

 

His wife chuckles across the table, nodding. "Sam's also been counseling, a lot of people lost family this year and holidays are always hard."

 

"That's why you hear about so many suicides during the holidays."

 

"And other special times, like a birthday. Peter is at home with his aunt, it's only been the two of them since Peter's uncle died a few years ago. This Christmas is a little better than most, Peter's making more money at Stark's than he was selling photos to the Daily Bugle and his aunt's health is a little better. She's working at day-care centers that have popped up to take care of kids while their families work with the schools shut down."

 

"Did many children become orphans?"

 

"Yes, and it's going to be a bad Christmas for them. Orphanages and foster homes are full and there's no money for gifts. Some kids. . .if they're old enough and couldn't find a good family to take them in have decided to become adults. Kate did that after she lost her father, she was only a few months from turning eighteen anyway."

 

"And the others?"

 

"Don't really celebrate the holidays. Barnes is still trying to reconcile his memories of before the war to the present day. Natasha grew up in the Soviet Union, training to be a weapon. Bruce. . .well, he never really celebrated the holiday even before the accident. Tony. . .well, his parents left him home alone a lot. That's probably one of the reasons he became a. . .annoying person." His wife snickers across the table, knowing what he would usually be calling Stark.

Chapter 6 by josette grover

 

A couple weeks into the new year everybody gathers again at Stark Tower. There's some new additions to the core group, Matthew Murdock/Daredevil, Dr. Stephen Strange, and Weasel as representative of the mercs still in the city.

 

"How are you on ammunition?"

 

"Good, the underground has been able to get supplies into various areas." Weasel says. "Not to be nosy, but what about you and the police departments? I've got some friends who either work or own gun shops and they're seeing problems getting in some ammo types."

 

"Give me a list and I'll look into it." Coulson says. "I haven't heard any problems with suppliers but then we're ordering through a government agency and not a private party. I know the military wasn't having any trouble with ammunition, dumbass realized other countries might be a little upset with his attacking them and wanted to make sure he was protected by the military."

 

"Thank you for putting up the growing area, it's nice to get fresh fruit and vegetables in the winter, the stores have been. . .lacking this winter." Matthew says.

 

"Yes, Pepper and Steve told me it was nearly impossible to find some things in the stores. I haven't heard any problems with food services not being able to get in fruits and veggies."

 

"They don't buy a lot fresh, most of it is frozen or canned." Pepper says. She makes a note on her PADD. "I'll check with them though."

 

"And see if Malibu is having any problems." Pepper nods.

 

"Is the city still getting in the same supplies for the community gardens?" Dr. Strange asks.

 

"Yes, and the independent groups got hints to get in extra seeds because they might not be able to get them." Matthew says. "Is anybody growing heirloom varieties for seeds?"

 

"Not here." Pepper says. "But I have several friends who garden and are setting up seed banks for stuff like tomatoes and potatoes." Some people look at her.

 

"Hybrid tomatoes. . .what you find on the shelves aren't self-reproducing. You can't save the seeds and grow your own. Most serious home gardeners grow heirloom varieties. There's groups online that trade the seeds they save from them."

 

"I think I remember hearing somewhere that there's a plant that cannot pollinate itself, man has to do it for them."

 

"Yes, I think I remember hearing it too but I can't think of what it is right offhand." Phil says, he makes a note to have his researchers check into that. "Botanists?"

 

"We have several in Malibu but we probably should hire more." Tony says. Pepper makes a note of it.

 

"Should I look at people who have degrees in agriculture too?" Pepper asks once the others have left. Tony nods.

 

"Especially if we're going to do like the other dimensions and have massive offworld harvests.Any news on schools reopening?"

 

"Not yet, some people want to keep the schools closed. The epidemic was a good thing, so many kids without parents can be put to work sixteen hours a day as slave labor because they don't have parents anymore who would stop them. And yes, somebody actually said that in congress. Moron didn't realize somebody was taping it."

 

"Christ." Pepper moans.

 

"Yes, the asshole was nearly lynched and they're investigating all his dealings to make sure kids aren't being abused that way. He's blubbering that he didn't mean it .. .he's sure they were just talking."

 

"Nobody talks like that if they don't mean it."

 

"Exactly. He'll be facing charges of using his influence and child endangerment if it turns out to be true. There's already trying to put together a special election in his district to get him out of office."

 

"Assuming somebody doesn't shoot him first." Bobbi mutters as she walks through. "We just got a whiny demand from some asshole in congress demanding to make Stark stop ordering so many supplies. I told the miserable fool to mind his own business and hung up on his spluttering." Tony smirks at her.

 

"More likely whining because we weren't buying from Him." Pepper snorts.

 

"Are you fucking stupid?" The new president says icily as he looks at the whining man in front of him. "What damn business is it of yours what Stark buys?"

 

"But it doesn't seem right." He whines. "They brought factories and are getting in all these supplies."

 

"They also have several hundred employees in New York alone. And their factories are shipping to us too."

 

"Weellllllll yeeeesssss," he finally has to admit. "But they have to be the cause of all the empty shelves."

 

"Grow the fuck up you stupid little sack of shit. You know damn good and well his ordering stuff is not the cause of empty store shelves."

 

"Weeellllll noooooo," he finally whines. "Damn right no, it's the fault of our former dumbass in chief who wanted a way to punish people for not bowing, scraping, and kissing his ass. . .may he rot in hell. People are still dying from the disease his pet mad scientists created. And more than one factory is making the same product."

 

He walks off sulking and the president sighs, wondering how the hell Larry had stacked the deck to be sure he was surrounded by people just as stupid as he was. The HYDRA agent snickers as he hears him muttering in the oval office before tapping on the door and bringing in reports.

 

"Just give me an overview, I'll look them over later."

 

"We're still no closer to reopening the schools than we were. The department of education is requesting massive budget increases so students and teachers have all the supplies they need. A good chunk of congress is whining about that, more are still blustering that there has to have been a reason for the former president to have the schools shut down. . .a good reason. They just haven't found it yet." The president rolls his eyes.

 

"Congress want to start rationing certain products. They claim it will help with the empty spots on store shelves." He's handed the sheet and the President reads it. "Hell no, I recognize who makes most of this. . .he just wants to hold stuff back to make more money."

 

"Indeed. From my research into wartime rationing, those type of products would not have been made at all."

 

"Yep, his plants would have been turned into making something else. I'm surprised nobody has started talking about victory gardens."

 

"Not much room for gardens in the cities."

 

"And the gardens they do have are feeding a lot of people, they wouldn't have extra food to can for the winter. Year-round growing buildings would be a better bet."

 

"People are used to buying it as needed, not stringing up peppers and onions on line to dry for the winter in an attic or root cellar."

 

"And there's not the whole 'we're doing without so our boys can have what they need' mindset during the war. We're doing without because the former president was a fool who wanted to hurt everybody who didn't agree with his bigoted viewpoint."

 

"Which is exactly why rationing won't work now."

 

In New York May takes a day off to do a little window shopping, something she used to do when Peter was younger. Now she's got the money to buy whatever she wants but looking at store windows is better. She doesn't ned all these new fangled doodads, though she will admit to liking the flat screen tv, dvd player, and dvds that appeared in the house when they returned. Taking the subway to their exit, she walks the couple blocks to the house, waving at Frank's wife and daughter who are outside.

 

Back at the house she puts one of the frozen casseroles in the oven and starts making the rest of dinner, Peter kissing her temple when he comes home and heads to the bathroom.

 

"How was Stark?"

 

"Insane, work was quiet but the story quickly spread that some moron in Congress wants the schools to stay shut, the epidemic was a good thing. This way orphans can be slave labor and work sixteeen hours a day." May just looks at him. "Nobody would care because they don't have parents anymore. And before you say anything, yes it's true. The moron said it while they had camera crews taping congress."

 

"Christ." May moans, looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, so everybody was up in arms at Stark about that. The moron who said it said nobody's actually going to be doing it, but all his associates are being looked at anyway. Meanwhile, the departmen of education wants more money so when schools do open, they have supplies for both students and teachers. It's one thing for Americans to know their schools are underfunded, it's another thing for the rest of the world to know it. Rumor is it somebody wants to start rationing supplies so shelves don't have empty spots but they wanted high-end stuff rationed. . .no doubt to up the prices on it."

 

"People wouldn't ration today like they did during the war. Back then we did it so our boys overseas would have everything they needed."

 

"Look this over? I was talking to Frank, with all the empty homes we've got room for gardens." Peter hands his aunt a folder.

 

"That would be nice. . ." May looks over the plans. Meanwhile in their house Frank and his wife are doing the same.

 

Pepper finally tracks down Tony a few days later, finding him working on something in a room. "Tony, we have a meeting with somebody from the government. He burst in and refuses to leave until you talk to him."

 

"Is it the president or anybody important?"

 

"Nope."

 

"Have security take him off and send him back to DC with a foot up his ass and a bug in his ear." Pepper smirks and does just that.

 

"How dare you fly to New York demanding an accounting of everything he's purchased over the last few years." The president bellows at the blubbering fool in front of him who was whining that he has to send in the national guard to hurt Stark. "Get the hell over your foolishness."

 

"But he has to be the reason there are so many empty spots on store shelves." He wails. "He has to be."

 

"He is not and you know it you stupid little sack of shit. Now grow the hell up."

 

"But he wouldn't even talk to me."

 

"He's in charge of his companies, he doesn't have to listen to a whiny little fool like you. Now grow the fuck up and leave him alone or I'll let them shoot you next time you bother them."

 

The moron gulps, finally realizing he might have overstepped his authority a teensy weensy little bit. "Now get the fuck out of my office and go do something useful"

 

His fellow representatives laugh at him when he finally joins them. "We told you to leave Stark the hell alone moron. What the fuck did you think you'd do, find him rubbing his hands together like a miser as he sits on piles of supplies? And you becoming a big fat fucking hero by taking it away from him?"

 

"But there's empty spots on shelves." He wails.

 

"And factories are working overtime with short crews to try to make as much as they can." One of his coworkers snaps. "I know. . .I actually do what I was elected to do and check on stuff like that for my constituents. I know what spots are sitting empty on shelves. And I know it's not shit people need. And it's not among the supplies Stark has been purchasing."

 

"But he had me thrown out of his building." he whines.

 

"I would have too, you had no damn business bothering him." Somebody else snorts. "New York was one of the areas that old bastard targeted specifically, he's one of the people trying to keep the damn city running and making sure everybody has food, water, shelter, and jobs."

 

"But what about the mayor? He should be doing that. . .not Stark." He wails.

 

"Their former mayor ran off with his tail between his legs when losing most of his 'advisors' meant he'd have to do the job himself instead of shoving it off on somebody else. After he tried spreading rumors the head of SHIELD was embezzling money from the city. Little bastard was embezzling money from the city, he'd stolen millions of dollars. They froze his bank account and had him arrested when he came whining back demanding to know what they thought they were doing keeping him from his money. They owed that to him for making him work. Little asshole's rotting in state prison working the same sixteen hours a day moron over there wanted orphans to work to repay all the money he stole. SHIELD and Stark are running the city with the governor's blessing, they're actually helping the citizens."

 

"You gotta arrest them. . .that's treason." he bleats.

 

"No it's not asswipe, the former asshat in chief put in a law allowing them to declare martial law because he wanted them as his own private army." Somebody else snorts.

 

"You mean everything they're doing is legal?" he yelps.

 

"Yes moron."

 

"And the president isn't trying to arrest them?"

 

"He's happy somebody with some damn brains is in control, they're working with him and he can turn his attention to other areas that aren't as well off."

 

"B. . .bu. . .but he opened that place in Vegas. It's taking money from my constituents.

 

"You mean the hydroponics facility that's growing fresh fruits and vegetables that can't be grown in the desert? The same fresh fruit and vegetables that weren't on the shelves this winter thanks to your constituents not shipping them out of state? Because you had a shit fit and passed a law banning shipments out of state? Bankrupting some of the people you swore you were trying to protect?"

 

"But I didn't know they made most of their money shipping out of state." He wails. "I thought it would be more food for my constituents." he wails.

 

"Hey moron, isn't Vegas a little out of your area? They ain't your constituents." Somebody yells from across the room.

 

"Oh please, this old fool thinks everybody in the damn country should be his constituents. As long as they're doing something for him and not expecting him to do something for them." another man snorts. "Now sit the fuck down, shut the fuck up, and do your damn job. Before sombody shoots you for your stupidity."

 

"No grand state funeral if that happens. Somebody else smirks.

 

"But they took the job from locals." he wails.

 

"Moron, he employs locals to work there. The state gave the option to local companies first but they didn't want to do it because they didn't think it would make money, until they saw money coming in hand over fist and decided . .. 'I guess we can do it after all' and tried taking the business from him."

 

"But what about the governor? He can't be happy to have one of his cities under foreign control." he wails. "No matter what the president says."

 

"He's happy to have people with some damn sense working with him. Too bad your governor can't say the same thing about you!" Somebody sneers. Dumbass runs off wailing. . .why is everybody being so

mean to him.

 

"Goddamn fool." Somebody snorts. "Okay, now that the entertainment is over, back to work. As soon as we get done here, we've all got to head back home and do the same thing there." The others nod and go back to what they'd been working on before he'd interrupted.

 

A man holds up a hand to the HYDRA agent sitting at the desk outside the oval office and walks to the door. "Sir, that fool Baxter Stockhaven the third. . ." He says the last word in mocking tones since the old fool had been so proud of his heritage. "Just hopped a plane to New York. We all know why he's going there."

 

There's silence in the oval office for a long second then the president starts cussing. The HYDRA agent ducks his head to hide the big smile. The other man doesn't even bother. "Coulson, yes it's me. He's on his way back. This time shoot the damn fool."

 

In his office Phil sighs. "He picked a bad time to come whining to Stark, a bad storm is going to be hitting the area in the next couple of days. Everybody is getting in supplies before we're blown in."

 

The President sighs. "Send him back then, you shouldn't have to feed and house that fool."

 

Pepper puts down the phone. "Tony, dumbass is on his way back. The President says . . .this time shoot him. And no, not with a real bullet." She says at his look.

 

Tony looks out the window of Stark Tower at the rapidly emptying streets a day later. The storm is due to blow in later that night and everybody who doesn't actually live in the tower has already left.

 

"JARVIS, is everybody gone except for us?"

 

"Yes sir, the maintenance robots are checking to make sure everything that does not *need* to be on is shut down."

 

"How are we on food?"

 

"Unless we are snowed in for six months we will not run out of food."

 

"If it's going to storm that long we won't be staying here." Tony snorts. "Did you contact Agent?"

 

"Yes, he and the others are settled in for the storm. He says 'that old fool was sent back to DC under guard so we don't have to feed and house his stupid ass. The president has already promised to put the fool away for the rest of ours sanity. He's obviously too damn stupid to live because he won't stop bothering you."

 

The man in question wails as he's tossed in a jail cell. The president scowls at him from the other side. "What part of leave him alone were you too stupid to understand?"

 

"But he's doing things." the moron in the cell whines. "Things . . .things like. . ."

 

"Feeding and clothing his employees, making sure citizens of new york city have some fresh fruit and vegetable during the winter? Making sure citizens can walk the streets of his city without being afraid? That sort of stuff?" The president smiles nastily.

 

"Yes. . .I . . .I mean no. He . . .he's trying to take over the country. New York is just his first step."

 

"Bullshit." The president snorts as he walks off.

 

"But they shot me." he wails as the president and secret service agents walk off. "Me! In the ass with a rubber bullet." He screams, stomping his feet and wincing.

 

"Too bad they didn't shoot you in the head. With a real bullet." The president doesn't even bother to look back over his shoulder at him. He walks away, the man staring at them in disbelief that they'd actually leave him in jail before setting up a howl.

 

"How long do you want us to leave him in there?"

 

"At least three days, just put trays of food through the slot. . .the fool will eat when he's hungry enough. He's too stupid to make a real hunger strike."

Chapter 7 by josette grover

 

"Did that law dumbass passed under the table get overturned?" A house member says a couple days later.

 

"Oh yes, when the governor was told about that he erupted since it affected so many people. And not just growers. He repealed the law and the state congress replaced it with one without that clause asswipe snuck in there. They're desperately trying to reopen the commercial farms and orchards that had to close. Those that had to declare bankruptcy are getting them dropped and money to replace what they lost."

 

"Has the department of education said anything about schools not reopening?"

 

"No, but they'll have to start talking about schools staying closed. Especially in cities that have multiple schools."

 

"And have lost a lot of students thanks to the epidemic."

 

"Not to mention schools like were shown on tv." Somebody rumbles across the aisle. "Some of those needed to be torn down years ago."

 

Peter goes out with the new snowblower after the storm, clearing the driveway and area around the maibox. Across the street the door opens to Frank's house and he comes out with his snowblower.

 

"Have you heard anything about the schools reopening?" Frank asks as he walks across the road to Peter.

 

"Nothing good, there's still people who are convinced the moron must have had a good reason for shutting down the schools last year, they just don't know what it is yet." In the door of their house Frank's wife rolls her eyes.

 

Pepper smiles as she puts down the phone. "Sue Richards had twins, a boy and a girl."

 

"Awwww!" Clint smiles as he looks at the pictures that appear in Pepper's email a few minutes later.

 

Tony looks up from working on something when Coulson comes in with some men. "Stark, these are some of the people over education here in the city. We're talking about what schools need to be consolidated thanks to so many students being lost."

 

"And some that need to be condemned and torn down even if they haven't lost that many students." Clint mutters. "Because Steve and Bucky have told me stories about schools that were old when they attended."

 

"Yes, some of our older schools are in pretty bad shape." One of the men says quietly. "There's catholic schools just as old but they're in better repair thanks to fundraisers and donations."

 

"Not to be crude, but do schools need to consolidate because of teacher as well as student loss?"

 

One of the men sighs. "Why didn't anybody think of this before now?"

 

"Because we were all thinking of other things?" One of the other snorts. "And we've got to check other employees."

 

"But the President wanted schools closed. . .why are they trying to reopen them?" Dumbass wails in his jail cell when he gets the news.

 

"Because we don't want a generation of children as stupid as you." the jailer sneers. "Your precious dumbass president only shut them down because he was sure the schools were hoarding tons of supplies he could use to make local governments do what he wanted in return for what he'd so graciously give them. When he didn't find the supplies he was expecting he ran off whining like a damn two year old."

 

"But you can't reopen the schools." He wails as the jailer walks off.

 

Two weeks later the same group arrives back at Stark.

 

"Okay, we've inspected all the schools. These," he pokes a finger at a file Coulson puts on the main screen. "Have been condemned by the city or are in need of too much work to make them feasible to reopen." Tony shakes his head, the list is longer than he would have thought. "This is a list of the remaining schools and how many students they can handle."

 

"How many students have the schools lost?"

 

"A good third for most schools, up to half for some."

 

"And none of the worst affected schools are the ones staying closed?"

 

"No, I'd rather some of the smaller schools close but the bigger schools. . ."

 

"Are the ones who need the most work." Tony sighs. The others nod. "Do we have enough spots for all the students?"

 

"No, unless we're putting the absolute maximum in each class. Or we have two sessions, one during the day, one afternoon and nights?"

 

"Do we have enough teachers?"

 

"Yes."

 

"You'd need a way for students to attend their new schools."

 

"The schools closing should have busses."

 

"And textbooks. . .but students will have to have a way of bringing their books and supplies to classes and take them back home, they won't have enough desks or lockers to leave them at the school."

 

"There'd have to be a lottery to put you in the day classes or night classes, otherwise all the families would try to get their kids in the day classes."

 

"Leaving the afternoon session second choice."

 

"Some parents will try not to send their students to a different school."

 

"They'll be before a judge then. The city won't put up with that dropouts anymore. Not unless they're working."

 

"Students will have to start the school year over again if they can't pass the year-end finals."

 

"As long as it's been I wouldn't even offer the tests." Tony says. The others nod. "Do we have any idea how many seniors will be coming back to graduate after getting their GEDS?"

 

"Can they do that?" One of the men yelps.

 

"Yes, many have done that when something required a diploma and not a GED." One of the men from the state government says. "Many universities will not accept a GED. So will some jobs. We figured on seniors coming back to graduate when we came up with the numbers."

 

There's some wailing from stupid parents that their child would have to switch schools or be put in the second spot but most of them are happy to hear their children can return to school in the fall. There's some people trying to sue demanding all the schools reopen but when they walk through the buildings they realize the schools are too far gone. PODS are brought up to schools over the next few months and everything that can be salvaged is removed.

 

Letters go out to the seniors that would have graduated, letters coming back saying they wanted to finish their senior year and graduate. More than one person wails as the schools that had been gutted of everything that can be salvaged and recycled start to be torn down.

 

The gardens go in on Frank and Peter's street and soon the letters for the lottery school slots begin arriving. Care had been taken to try to keep students from the same family attending the same session though some have to attend the other session. Lists of supplies both will need are part of the letters, those children living in foster care or ophanages getting money to help with their supplies.

 

Peter sighs as he gets a letter in the mail. His aunt looks at him. "ESU is opening this fall, I can go in next week to sign up for my classes and get my books and supplies."

 

"I am so glad." May sighs. "Your uncle would have wanted you to finish your education too. Your job at Stark?"

 

"I can work around my classes."

 

Pepper nods in agreement when Peter gives her a tentative schedule for his classes the following day.

 

"Is it only schools here in the city that are opening?" Scott asks.

 

"Schools all through the state since we're pulling on our big boy pants and opening schools again instead of throwing our hands up and wailing it's hard like other states have been doing."

 

"Or blubbering that asswipe had to have had a good reason for shutitng schools down. .. they just don't know what it is yet." Pepper snorts as she walks into the room. "Peter got the letter saying ESU is opening this fall. Here's his tentative class schedule, he'll know for sure if he has to change it. . ."

 

"The closer it comes to the fall semester." Tony nods. "The kids?"

 

"Cassie's got an afternoon and evening slots but she's been able to show she was taking classes at a private school she doesn't have to start the year over again. And she can still take classes through Xavier's for stuff the schools don't offer."

 

"Are you goddamn STUPID!" The president yells at the moron blubbering in front of him. "No, I'm not going to make the governor of New York close his schools again because it's making you look bad."

 

"But we can't compete."

 

"Yes you can, get off your ass and start inspecting and opening your own schools." The president snorts. "Now get the fuck out of my office."

 

He wails as secret service agents give him disgusted looks. He scurries off. . .if the president won't do what he wants. . .the Supreme Court will have to.

 

But they don't and the guards over there throw his ass out for annoying them with his whining. The others give him disgusted looks when he goes blubbering to them and he finally shuts the hell up.

 

"Is anybody else opening schools?" Steve asks after a meeting with the governor and Coulson.

 

"Oh, the morons in congress are crowing they can open schools like . . ." Tony snaps his finger. "If they wanted to. . which they don't. Because the asshole in chief has to have had a reason to shut them down. At least that's the official reason only our state is opening schools again."

 

"And the real reason?"

 

"Like our schools they were old and in bad shape. They either have to be repaired or torn down. School districts should have been saving money with a look to reopening the schools. . ."

 

"But they didn't." Clint snorts as he walks through. "That's why the kids are still taking classes through Xavier's, the local district was going to build a new school when the schools closed and haven't started yet. They're waiting on the state and the state is sitting around with their thumbs up their ass."

 

"And they'll wail they can't understand why they were voted out of office." Sam snorts as he walks in with a couple medical journals he shares with Bruce. "Because of course it's not what I can do for you when you voted me into office, it's what's in it for me." Everybody around them nods again.

 

May nods in satisfaction when she sees the bags of books in the living room when she returns from work a week later. "Did the school lose many students or teachers?"

 

"A few teachers, too many students." Peter sighs. "There are some programs that didn't reopen since they don't have teachers. They're trying to get teachers from other schools to tape their classes so they can at least offer them to their students that way."

 

Phil taps on the door of Peter's lab the next day. "I thought you should be the first to know. . .we found a body we were able to positively identify as Dr. Octopus last year."

 

"Last year?"

 

"The exo skeleton and extra arms was a pretty good hint of who it was but the other authorities wanted a positive DNA match before we made it official."

 

"Was it the epidemic?"

 

"Possible. The body was too badly decomposed to say for sure."

 

"I've heard rumors that the deaths are going to be picking up again." He says quietly.

 

"Yes, I've heard the same rumors from the precogs. We survived this winter rather well but we still need to make plans for the future."

 

Phil heads to the board room where the others are 'patiently' waiting for them. He chuckles when he sees Tony hogtied to a chair with Clint and Natasha sitting on his lap. Steve's lips are twitching as he sketches the scene and he knows JARVIS will be delivering photos of the scene for the next few days.

 

"You're late Agent." he says dryly. "Get up, he's here. I'm not leaving now." They get up and untie him.

 

"I was telling Peter that Dr. Octopus's body was positively identified by DNA." Tony adds that to the database of the dead villains. "Growing areas?"

 

"I started an offdimension one, right now it's tropical fruits, potatoes, and herbs but I plan on expanding it in the future." Tony sends a file to Phil who nods. "I'm in the process of building a second hydroponics area here in the city. Last year proved they both will be needed, even if stores start getting more fresh fruit and veggies over the winter." Everybody nods.

 

"Especially since congress seems to have their heads permanently up their asses on some stuff."

 

"Try most stuff." Pepper snorts. "New York is still the only state even close to opening schools again, they still tried voting down funding to hospitals for supplies, to the NIH and CDC to try to find a cure for that damn disease, and that asshole is still whining about us getting in supplies."

 

"Because factories aren't producing enough to satisfy them yet." Clint snorts. "Though if you look at shelves it's only high end shit that they think everybody needs that's got empty spaces on shelves.

 

"Yes, and they'll be stunned when they all are voted out of office in the elections because people got a long memory."

 

"Especially when they're looking at their children's dead bodies." Scott says. Clint nods in agreement. Sam pats them both on the shoulders and they settle back down. "Okay, changing the subject. . .are we getting in more homeschooling supplies? Otherwise I have an invitation to a expo for private schools, Professor Xavier is sending one of his people to attend and he's got a free membership."

 

"Go." Tony and Phil say in unison. "Get information for us, SHIELD, and Richards. Is there anything else?"

 

"We're getting in extra supplies, beyond what we got last year since the precogs are still seeing more deaths."

 

"Lord knows there's not a lack of empty buildings we can use to store them." Tony sighs. "What are the precogs saying about the deaths?"

 

"At least fifty percent in the areas that weren't targeted in the first attack." Coulson says. Everybody sighs. "Does anybody know yet if by surviving it once you're immune?"

 

"We've got scientists looking into it. But I'm afraid that we won't know for sure until we see deaths in people we know had the virus."

 

"And any notes that his pet scientists would have kept would be suspect at best." Scott says. Coulson nods.

 

"Are we opening a conference center for people to come and look through the stuff salvaged from homes?"

 

"Next week, people will have days they're allowed to come in."

 

"Back to school sales."

 

"Yes, though it will only be stores in the state advertising."

 

"I'm sure the lost back to school advertising in the other states will be eclipsed by the damn Black Friday ads." Clint mutters. The others snicker but nod. "How are our classes in making clothes, knitting, and quilting coming along?"

 

"Good, they're always full. People are getting used to making do for now."

 

"Are the boundaries moving?" Coulson asks Tony after the meeting breaks up. Pepper has left Tony in the office to run downstairs and get in more yarn for a project she's working on.

 

"Yes, a hundred miles in all directions. Have you heard about problems with other state governments?"

 

"Yes, New Jersey's governor is dying. His trusted advisors are all dead or gone and any government that might pull together falls apart rapidly due to infighting. Massachusetts is trying, but they're floundering thanks to a lack of strong management. The President is looking at putting them both under martial law until they can build strong new governments again."

 

Peter pulls a small panel truck in Frank's driveway a couple weeks later, the other man reaching for a weapon until he sees Peter stick his head out the window. "Canning supplies for the garden."

 

"What kinds of supplies?" He comes out as Peter jumps out the door and opens the back.

 

"Canning jars and whatever else we need to make stuff. Books of recipes." His wife looks everything over in satisfaction before it's moved into the house next door until needed. May looks at the identical supplies Peter puts in the other house they use for overflow supplies and nods in satisfaction.

 

"Have you heard anything about fresh fruit and vegetables this winter?"

 

"The law that dumbass passed keeping the food from being sent out of state was taken out by the governor, the new law their congress passed to replace that didn't have the clause in it. They reopened the commercial farms and orchards closed but everybody's short-handed."

 

"Are you fucking stupid?" The president says icily in DC, glaring at the whining fool in front of him. "No, I'm not going to order New York's schools to close again. Get that stupidity the hell out of your head here and now. Now unless you want to go back in that damn cell for the rest of your fucking life I'd leave New York and Stark the hell alone."

 

"But it's not fair that they're opening their schools again."

 

"No, it's not fair that the rest of you are so fucking stupid you'd rather an entire generation go to hell for a lack of schools rather than you get off your asses and reopen them."

 

"But he had to have had a reason to close them." he wails as he's dragged off by secret service agents.

 

"Yes, he was a goddamn fool who wanted power and thought that closing schools would make him a fucking big hero to the rest of the country. When the massive amounts of supplies schools were supposed to be hoarding didn't appear he ran off whining." the agent snorts. They toss him out the door, making a presentation of wiping off their hands in sight of him.

 

The HYDRA agent waits a couple minutes then goes into the oval office with a pot of coffee and bottle of aspirin.

 

"Thank you Horace." The president knows that he's HYDRA and the agent knows that he knows he's HYDRA. . .but he's also the best damn administrative assistant he's ever seen. "Is there any news about New Jersey?"

 

"His doctors don't expect the governor to last the night." He hands over a folder. Sighing, the president reads it and grabs a pen to sign the executive order. "Which generals are we seconding to SHIELD to deal with police and national guardsmen?" Horace lists a couple names and he nods.

 

Phil gets the news a couple days later, sighing and saying a silent prayer. "Anything else Bobbi?"

 

"Not everybody is happy that the schools are reopening, some old fool wanted to put up a paddleboat franchise up and down the Hudson river, they're whining this way they can't use kids as cheap labor. The governor kicked his ass up around his ears and sent him off with a scathing critique of his ancestors. . .the ones that hadn't inbred had bred with various animals." Phil chuckles despite himself. "A business like that would work better in the south, where they have better weather." Bobbi nods. "School supplies are coming in and everything is on track for the schools to reopen next month."

 

"Anything new?"

 

"The local fire departments have finished their inspections of buildings." Fitz says as he walks into the room.

 

"Gods yes, we don't want repeats of the fires they've been talking about on the news." Bobbi shudders. "Have all the houses been inspected?"

 

"Yes, and updated in many cases."

 

A couple weeks later Stark and Coulson are dragged into a meeting with the generals who took over New Jersey.

 

"Thanks for coming to meet us Director Coulson, Mr. Stark. . . I know you're both busy getting schools ready to open and supplies in for the winter." One of them says.

 

"Do you have a list of priorities?"

 

"Yes, first is making sure everybody has supplies for the winter, we're putting up growing buildings in vacant buildings. Shelter and heat is next. . ." the others nod. "Medical needs and finally after winter is done inspecting schools so they can reopen next fall. . . if possible. Planting gardens when the ground thaws"

 

"What the hell part of leave them alone did you think didn't apply to you?" The president says as he walks up to a cell. "SHUT UP!" he bellows at the whining fool on the other side. He gulps and quits whining about how everybody was mean to him. "What the hell did you think you were doing throwing yourself in front of a school door in New York the morning they were opening? ANSWER ME DAMN YOU!"

 

"But I was sure they'd have to shut down then." He wails in the cell. "They walked all over me. I'm sure some of those brats kicked me deliberately. Then the authorities kept hitting and kicking me. I thought I was going to die." He wails.

 

"Too bad you didn't. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life in that cell." the President snorts as he walks away.

 

"But you can't leave me in here."

 

"Yes I can, you were told to leave them the hell alone. That the New York schools were going to open no matter what you wanted. You're too damn stupid to realize that this was good advice."

 

"But I haven't been charged with anything!" he yells as they walk off. The door shuts in front of him, leaving a slot for the food to be pushed through.

 

"You can't do this to me." He wails as the sound of the door slamming echoes through his cell.

 

"Have any psychologists talked to him?" The president sighs as he gets in his limo, now powered by an electric engine.

 

"Yes, he's not mentally ill. Just a miserable old bastard who wants to run the damn world. And sulking with his buddy-buddy the former president gone, he can't make people do what he wants."

 

In New York Tony shakes his head as he gets the report from Coulson. "Are we getting in supplies for the winter?"

 

"Yes, stocking up on everything that won't go bad over the winter. Have we got the room for perishables?"

 

"Yes, I've put stasis supplies on three tesseracted rooms. So far I haven't seen any change in anything."

 

"Are people whining about the President making farming so important?" Clint asks, walking through.

 

"Yes, but when they were reminded people don't farm people don't eat they shut right up." Tony says dryly. Clint sniggers. "I'm sure the next whining will come from debutantes who can't understand why there's no designer clothing this season." Coulson just gives Clint a look. He scampers off grinning at having twitted his former handler.

 

"Long story?"

 

"I had to go undercover as a designer years ago. Clint never lets me forget it." He gives a sour look the direction Clint had left and Pepper hides a chuckle. Tony's broadly grinning and Coulson gives him a look. . .but like Clint it doesn't affect him anymore. Clint might have been a tad upset that Coulson hadn't let him know he was alive but after Natasha had drugged them both and locked them in a room they had talked for hours and were rebuilding their relationship.

 

 

Chapter 8 by josette grover

 

Peter walks out of the door of his house, looking over at the house next door. A Stark panel truck has just pulled in the driveway and he looks over at Mr. Stark who's bringing items out of the back. "Oh good, you're home. Give me the keys before Clint has to pop the lock." Clint rolls his eyes behind Stark. Peter rolls his eyes and brings out the keys, deliberately throwing them over Tony's head into Clint's hands.

 

"Hey!" He complains as Clint snickers and unlocks the door. "Keep it up and I'm not upgrading the facilities here."

 

"And that's a bad thing?" Peter drawls. Clint leans on the house cackling.

 

"Very funny you two. Bring everything inside."

 

"Yeth Mawsther." Clint says in a bad Igor imitation as he drags one leg and drops one shoulder to make it look like he's got a hump.

 

"What is all this stuff?"

 

"A food replicator based on soybean created meats. Don't look at me like that, while it sounds bad it tastes just like real meat." Clint says. "Richards and the Xavier Institute have been using them for years. Tony's putting them in our homes when he can, you can dial up anything from something like ham, turkey, or roast beef you'd get at a deli to a fully cooked roast." May looks at him from behind Peter. "He also wants to put in a hydroponics unit for something like peppers, tomatoes, herbs. . ." Frank had come over and looks at him. "We're getting a similar setup for you next weekend, yours is going to be a little bigger since you'll be passing stuff along to the rest of your team." Frank nods in satisfaction. "We'll start a list so we're not duplicating." May nods as she heads back into the house.

 

Peter and Clint start bringing stuff out of the panel truck, Clint shaking his head at how easily Peter can move stuff that took both Steve and Bucky to load on the truck. "Spider strength." Peter says absently.

 

"Stark, where's Bobbi? I've been trying to call her to invite her for Thanksgiving and Pepper just says she's busy."

 

"Agent got a call from a . . .well call it an independent consultant who was hired by AIM to work at one of their bases. He hadn't heard from them for a while so went investigating the base. . .they were all dead. Probably from the epidemic."

 

"And Coulson and the others are going through everything." Clint sighs.

 

"Yep, AIM has been vewy quiet since they killed dumbass. I'm wondering if it wasn't some kind of . . ."

 

"I may be dying but I'm taking you with me move?" Peter snorts. Clint and Tony nod. "HYDRA is still recovering from losing so many people in various other intelligence agencies."

 

"So are the agencies." Clint snorts. "Because it wasn't just HYDRA that got arrested in the purges."

 

"Are we seeing the deaths picking up again?" Peter asks the following day after everything has been installed.

 

"Not yet, but we will come winter. We're good but I've heard rumors of natural gas and propane shortages in other areas. Between a cold winter and more illness."

 

"What's the death total?"

 

"The precogs are seeing nearly three million by the time this next round settles down." Tony says quietly.

 

"Christ." Peter moans.

 

"Some areas didn't get hit last time, they're seeing them getting hit this time."

 

"Have you been experimenting with your nanobots?" Pepper asks the week before Thanksgiving. Her hands are on her hips as she looks at Tony who's busy actually doing paperwork for once. She'd tossed a rubber ball at him to make sure it was actually him and not a hologram. He'd just batted it away.

 

"Yes, we've not got a lack of empty homes and buildings." Pepper sighs but nods. "Have you seen the latest report from the new hydroponics?"

 

Pepper picks up something off the floor. "That's it. . .thanks. The governor wanted reports in case they put them up in other areas."

 

"How is New Jersey dealing?"

 

"Hunkering down for a long winter, the army is getting in supplies but. . ."

 

"It's going to be a long winter? Yes, there's no unemployment but many people are working two jobs to keep everything running and kids who should be in school are warehoused in day care centers or even working themselves. And of course some asswipes in Congress are still up in arms that our schools are open, they were sure they could get a measure on the ballot to shut down our schools. Not only did the president not allow them to put the proposal on the ballot, public opinion polls nationwide were overwhelming in our favor. They want their schools back open. . .before students are graduating in their twenties instead of their teens."

 

"But they ignored that." Pepper snorts. Tony nods, looking a lot older than he had before all this had started. "Yes, then wailing like little children when they were overwhelmingly voted out of office."

 

"How could you do that to us? We. . .we. . .we have your best interests at heart." Pepper mock-wails then snorts.

 

"Exactly. Ignoring all the areas that didn't see the tons of deaths and had their schools still open until asswipe yanked the rug out from under them?"

 

A crash of thunder and rain comes out of a clear blue sky. "Thor's back."

 

A few minutes later Thor walks into the office. Nodding in satisfaction he brings a bottle out of his bag. "Drink this." He orders Tony. Tony looks at him, shrugs, and pulls the cork. "All of it?"

 

"Yes." Tony downs the potion and makes a face, both at the taste and the bottle refilling. He still hates magic. Thor nods in satisfaction as Tony's skin begins to take on a tiny shine that he can only see because he'd been expecting it. He hands the bottle to Pepper who shrugs and drinks it, making a face and covering her mouth before she belches. Tony sniggers and she gives him a look. They look at Thor. "Our seers have seen this disease. . .changing."

 

"Oh lovely, just what we didn't need." Pepper moans. A male moan from the doorway heralds the arrival of Phil. "Hail, son of Coul."

 

"How sure are your seers . . ."

 

"Verily."

 

"Damn." He mutters. Tony lifts an eyebrow when he sees Thor offering Phil a different bottle.

 

"The crap Fury used to bring me back has made me immune?" Coulson sighs. Thor nods. "As the serums used on Barnes, Steve, and Natasha."

 

May looks up from the book she's reading at the tap on the door. She opens it and stands back, shocked at the return of her past.

 

"Lord Thor."

 

"Lady Mayden."

 

"It's been several decades." She lapses back into their native Norse.

 

"It has."

 

"Are you here to gloat?"

 

"No, mine father was wrong to banish you for daring to be right." He hands over a bottle and brings two more out of his bag. "The remaining seers have seen the illness getting worse."

 

"Peter?" she sobs.

 

"Will be fine, but he will still need your guidance in the future."

 

"And Asgard?"

 

"Punishing mine father for his decisions. He has been sent on a quest to learn humility and sense. Mine mother and her advisors are in charge and going through centuries of his decisions, overturning most of them."

 

"Your father was a power-hungry fool."

 

"I cannot fault that logic. Mother did her best to temper her decisions before he destroyed Asgard by starting Ragnorak but. . .."

 

"Your father was too stupid to listen to good advice. And he was turning you as stupid, isn't that why you were banished?"

 

"Yes, I learned from my errors. . .hopefully father will do the same." She takes the bottles and drinks all three one after the other.

 

Peter returns home from his finals later that night, May hugging him with more strength than she's felt for decades. While she wouldn't have traded her life here on Midgard for anything, she'd found her beloved Ben and lost him way too soon she had a son in Peter. He never would have fit in on Asgard, it was too rough and tumble.

 

"How were your finals?"

 

"Good, I won't know my grades for sure until after the grades are sent out but I was getting a solid A in all my classes." She smiles and hugs him again. "Your friend Kate?"

 

"Settling in well in her last year of classes. 95 percent of the seniors chose to return to school. . .even those like Kate who got her GED. Because they need them for future degrees or jobs."

 

"Did your friend have to move schools?"

 

"No, but a couple of her friends did."

 

Clint's wife Amanda smiles as she sees Bobbi and Coulson following Clint into the farm that's been expanded over the last couple years.

 

"No Natasha?"

 

"She didn't grow up celebrating the holidays in Russia. A family dinner like this would be torture. She's investigating another AIM base we found while going through the files." Coulson says quietly. Clint nods.

 

Thanksgiving is a couple of days later and May knows it's mean, but she sniggers softly at all the Black Friday hoopla that falls flat as the sales don't match the hype. Peter shakes his head but smiles.

 

Clint isn't that nice, he's cackling at his farm. His wife and Bobbi give each other long-suffering looks and Bobbi swats him upside the head since she was closer. Coulson hides a chuckle from where he's helping the older boy with some homework from Xavier's.

 

Tony laughs heartily in Stark Tower at the wailing of big business at having a second year of bad Black Friday sales. It should have been better than last year all the lord high muckety-mucks wail on various sites. It's the fault of New York's schools reopening, the students should have been working. . .the president cusses out the moron who'd said that and he skulks off with his tail between his legs before somebody shoots him. It's the fault of people not working themselves to death in factories making high-end products, if they had been advertised everybody would have come rushing to the stores somebody else had claimed. . .they too had run off before being lynched. A poll had said that people didn't want to rush out the day after Thanksgiving for shit nobody needed anymore and some fool had wailed their life was over if there wasn't going to be the black friday sales anymore. Everybody had ignored the fool, realizing that life had turned a page and the people lining up days before Black Friday without even knowing what was going to be for sale were gone or had better things to do.

 

Coulson leans into Tony's office a week after Thanksgiving. "Do we have seafood farms?"

 

"Yes, I brought five over the last year." Tony finds the file and puts it on the screen across from them. "I want to put a couple more up over the next couple of years." Phil nods. "Has anybody said anything about how the skies seem to be changing?"

 

"No, and everybody is worried since there was hints that the damn illness wasn't his only attempt to rule the entire world. . .not just the US."

 

"Yes, the illness was just his way of punishing everybody who didn't vote for him here." Pepper snorts. "Whatever else was to consolidate his power everywhere else."

 

"I'm sure the old fool is wailing about it in whichever version of hell he's currently rotting in." Natasha snorts as she walks into the office. Peter comes in sniggering a few minutes later. Tony and the others look at him.

 

"Some fool in DC wailing because he can't get the schools shut back down. . .not because other states can't compete."

 

"More like don't even want to try." Pepper snorts.

 

"No, he wants them shut down because there's no sports."

 

"Christ." Tony moans as Natasha swears in Russian.

 

"Yeah, fool didn't get his way then either, the president told him our schools are running two shifts to educate everybody. They don't have the time, energy, or ambition to start sports programs again. He ran off wailing."

 

"Of course he did, he was sure this would be the excuse needed to close our schools and put us in our place." Coulson sighs. "Idiots can't stop sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."

 

"Too long being in power, now that they're seeing people doing very well without their help and are sulking. Because if they're not needed, they might not be able to keep their cushy job."

 

"Speaking of cushy job, what happened to that damn fool who tried stopping the schools opening?"

 

"The president threw his ass in a jail cell for six months, solitary confinement with his only human contact being the meals pushed into his room. He refused to eat for a few days. . .he wanted better food. . ."

 

Ooh la la sounds from the others.

 

"Old fool finally realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted and finally started eating the food they gave him. He wailed like a baby when he found out the special election had went through and he'd been voted out of office."

 

"How could they do that to him?" Pepper mock-wails.

 

"Yes. He was sentenced to six months for repeatedly harassing us, the judge told him too bad he couldn't charge him for being too damn stupid to live. Once he's finished with his sentence, he'll be sent home and have to find a job."

 

"Oh lord, I'm sure we'll hear the wailing when that happens." Tony mutters. the others snicker or nod.

 

A few days later Tony and Coulson walk into a meeting room in Albany. A couple representatives from the government in New Jersey and an .. .independent consultant like Tony. Tony knows him by reputation, Dr. Buckaroo Banzai.

 

"Congratulations on getting the schools reopened gentlemen, you're proving the naysayers, the doom and gloomers, and the people who are bleating that 'there had to have been a reason for him got shut down the schools, a *good* one. . . we just don't kow what it is yet and something bad is going to happen since they reopened their schools' wrong." He shakes his hand, subtly checking his health and smiling inwardly when he feels the signs of Thor's meddling. Good, the world will need Stark for a few . . .centuries. He shakes Agent Coulson's hand next, inwardly wincing at the 'wrong' feeling he first gets, then he feels Thor's meddling again. He'd heard the rumors about how Fury had used alien. . .stuff to bring him back, that must be what he was feeling.

 

"Thank you for coming gentlemen, I apologize for making this meeting at this time. I'd have rather waited until after the first of the year but. . ."

 

"Morons in the government are still trying to throw a wrench into rebuilding. Because if some places are getting along fine, they might have to do some work." Tony snorts.

 

"Indeed, since we can show we're recovering without their help they're pouting."

 

They talk over a list of items over the next couple of days, being put up in the governor's mansion since the talks go long into the night.

 

"Hmmmm." Tony thinks as Buckaroo talks about his internship programs at the Banzai Institute."I can think of two people right away, but they're both in school. Peter is nineteen and partway through his bachelors at ESU. He's currently working at Stark." They go over some of his work. "The only downside is he's an orphan, he lost his parents as a toddler and was raised by an aunt and uncle. His uncle died a few years ago and he's been taking care of his aunt since then, she's working outside the home now and while she's in better health than she was. . .I don't know if he'd be interested in being away from her as long as your internships last."

 

"Something to think about. And the other?"

 

"Kate Bishop, she was a senior when the schools were shut down. She went on to get her GED but returned to her school for her senior year when they reopened. She's an orphan too, her mother died a few years ago and her father a couple months before the schools closed. She's an emancipated minor since she was only a couple months from turning eighteen."

 

 

Chapter 9 by josette grover

 

Back at Stark Tower Pepper looks over the reports from the meeting. The tower is quiet, it's the 23rd of December and the only ones there are the Avengers. Well most of them, Clint had headed home and Scott was rebuilding his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter.

 

Tony sighs and grabs a notebook. "Commercial farms of soy for soy milk and soy cheese." Pepper looks at him. "It's not as bad as it sounds. The vat-raised meat tastes just like real meat doesn't it?"

 

"It does." She says slowly. "I suppose soy milk would taste the same. . .and not affect those people with lactose problems. Are you going to expand the replicator to the rest of the building? Or even the city?"

 

"No, that would leave us open to lawsuits. People still have allergies."

 

Phil comes out of the elevator, nodding. He'd obviously been listening to the conversation thanks to JARVIS. "There's also the egg substitutes."

 

Tony nods. "We use about a third real eggs and the rest egg substitutes. Mostly the dry." He makes a note to look at factories to make soy milk and the egg substitutes.

 

"The liquid isn't meant for commercial cooking." Phil agrees. "Have you looked at the water cleansers?"

 

"Yes, and ran tests comparing them to the treatment facilities, they're better but they don't have the output of the plants."

 

"They're more for buildings."

 

"Yes, it would be easy enough to put them on the water line of a building."

 

"Or spacecraft."

 

"Yes, how many units were in operation would depend on the number of people aboard."

 

"This isn't just a visit to wish us a merry Christmas." Pepper says quietly.

 

"NASA says the sky changing is magnetic eruptions in the sun."

 

"Are we in danger?"

 

"No, it's all going around us, the eruptions are dying back down."

 

"Like the sunspots causing electrical problems?"

 

Phil nods. "Same cause. This is what happens when they go past Earth without incident, that's when they impact Earth. Normally we don't even know it's happening, everybody's on edge thanks to the epidemic."

 

"And waiting for the other shoe to drop." Pepper sighs in relief. "Thank you Phil. Are you going to the farm for Christmas?"

 

"Clint insisted." Phil ducks his head and Pepper smiles as he gets back on the elevator. "Phil's got a family whether he knows it or not."

 

Christmas is quiet and after the first of the year everybody appears for a meeting, Dr. Banzai attending to pass along information to the group that is handling New Jersey. Don Flack is attending as representative from the police and is alternately looking around in disbelief and muttering. Clint recognizes that look and chuckles. "Lose the draw or your boss 'volunteer' you?"

 

"I was out of the room."

 

"Yep. that's usually how it goes." Clint chuckles as he looks at Phil. "Been there, done that." Then rubs his head when Natasha swats him. Phil gives her a nod of thanks. "That's the 'quit embarassing me' look from a Marine." Don chuckles.

 

The meeting gets underway.

 

"Weasel, Mr. Flack. . .is there any problems getting in weapons or ammo?"

 

"The police department needs new guns. A lot of cops were having to buy their own guns since the.. ."

 

"guns the city provided were pieces of shit?" Weasel snickers. "We've had a few officers coming in making that complaint."

 

"Are there any rapid response units trained specifically to deal with superhumans?"

 

"No, we had a few units but they were disbanded by the mayor. They didn't deal with superhuman activity. . .they were more swat type units and he didn't feel the need for them. That left the regular cops. . ."

 

"Bending over and kissing your ass goodbye when the shit hits the fan? The invasion case in point?"

 

"Yes, our guys were reduced to getting civilians to safety because we didn't have the weapons that could have hurt the alens."

 

"And the army would have took too long to get here." Tony mutters. "We need to think about bigger weapons. Get Coulson the information on the guns." Phil nods and makes a note. Don reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out a folder. Phil chuckles. "The brass didn't want me to bring it but Mac told me to bring them along."

 

The meeting breaks up after a couple hours, Don giving Weasel and Matthew rides. A beeping after they leave have Tony and the others running to a lab that's on fire. Foam suddenly appears to douse the fire and Buckaroo blinks at the young man who's clinging to the ceiling as he throws balls that explode into foam on the remaining fire. Flipping around he lands on the floor.

 

"What happened?"

 

"I don't know Mr. Stark." the woman who's lab this is says as she comes back in. Peter had dragged her out before pressing against the ceiling. "One second everything was going fine and soon. . .blooie." Clint snickers despite himself.

 

"Peter?"

 

"I heard the explosion, got her out, and started throwing my foam balls."

 

"Is this what you've been working on?"

 

"Yes, they're easier to handle than an extinguisher, don't need recharging, and the coating melts at the heat of an open flame. The foam inside expands."

 

Buckaroo is introduced to Peter after he wipes off the soot. He knows who he is now. . .not many people can cling to a ceiling like that after all.

 

"Did you bring up the need for new guns?" Mac asks as Don arrives back at the precinct.

 

"They asked if we needed anything in the way of guns or ammo, I gave them everything." Mac nods in satisfaction. The higher ups might now have wanted it brought up but he wants the police to have good guns.

 

Wails of 'but we don't need new guns' can be heard from the office of the person in charge of requistions for the police. 'If they'd just take care of them' gets the stupidity slapped out of him by the commissioner as he looks at all the complaints about the guns. "But if you buy new guns that will destroy the budget surplus." he wails.

 

"Our officers lives are more important than your damn budget surplus. We never should have ordered from that supplier in the first place."

 

The moron continues to wail as he looks over all the reports, trying to find fault with the officers instead of the guns and finding all the complaints justified. Looking at the supplier finds similar complaints from other police departments and he whines about his precious budget as the order is placed.

 

"But they have to be trying something." A man wails in DC when he hears about all the purchases of guns and ammo.

 

"Moron! Police forces routinely buy large lots of guns for their officers. And New York is a good target for anybody wanting to do something, they need supplies of weapons. Look what happened during the alien invasion. . .regular police weapons would have been a peashooter against their ships."

 

"Weeelllll. . .I . . .I guess so. But what about the army?"

 

"They don't have any local bases and by the time they get supplies together and on the move, it would be long over. Or don't you remember the army arriving after the Avengers took out the aliens?"

 

"Weeeeelllllll. . .I . . .I guess so." he mutters again. "But Baxter. . ."

 

"I don't care what that miserable bastard says. He's been after Stark ever since he started getting in supplies. He's sure he's up to something. Well he is, he's trying to protect New York."

 

Buckaroo returns to the Institute a couple days after the meeting, finding the others doing an inventory of the supplies they're getting in from the state.

 

"How was the meeting?" Perfect Tommy asks.

 

"Good, they've had a year more experience running things than we have. They're making sure New York is in good hands. .. from what I understand the former mayor was a fool and the governor is more than happy to have somebody with some sense taking over the city."

 

"And the world?" Tommy chuckles.

 

"I don't think they're that far yet, no matter what some old fools in the government think."

 

"Buckaroo, have you heard anything about schools?" One of the others asks.

 

"Schools are being inspected and they figure on opening this fall. The bigger cities might see situations like New York where they have to tear down schools and have two shifts but not areas like ours."

 

"Good, I know all our interns are keeping up on their classes and will be able to get in their proper classes but. . ."

 

"One of Mr. Stark's associate's daughters was able to do it as well since she'd been getting assignments through a private school. Another of his young associates had to start her senior year over again however."

 

"That's got to be rough."

 

"Not as bad as the other areas that aren't even trying to reopen their schools. . .those poor kids are stuck in limbo. They can get a GED when they're old enough but if they weren't that far in their schooling. .." Everybody in earshot nods. "They're going to be complaining if this all gets straightened out and the US is the laughingstock of the world because they're not even trying to open the schools again."

 

"Of course not, he had to have had had a reason for shutting down the schools. A good one. . .we just don't know it yet. It can't be because the man was a fool and thought the schools had tons of supplies he could use to make the local governments do what he wanted."

 

A few days later Buckaroo nods in satisfaction as he sees the dome go up over the Institute. The alternate power supply hadn't been that hard to install and the others were busy making tesseracts of empty rooms for more supplies.

 

In New York Pepper looks up from the paperwork when security buzzes her, she pushes some buttons on a remote and when the elevator opens the men inside are stuck, unable to move.

 

"Mr. Fisk. .. what do you think you are doing demanding Mr. Stark drop everything and turn everything over to you?" Pepper sneers as she gives the Kingpin a disgusted look. "What's the matter . . .are the real villains in the city ignoring you?" She mocks him. In his office Tony has a hand shoved in his mouth to keep from laughing as Coulson alerts his agents to come get the man.

 

He's blustering about how he's never been so insulted as the elevator doors open again on the ground floor, SHIELD agents stunning him before they take him into custody. He wakes up in a special cell and is given a speedy trial before being sentenced to the rest of his life in a special prison. He howls loudest at the news that all his holdings are going to Stark and SHIELD, throwing himself at the bench before being tazed.

 

"Damn fool. . .did he really think Stark would roll over and give you everything?" the judge says in disgust as he's led off.

 

"Of course, little. . .well I can't call him that. ..big bastard has lost power over the last couple of years as gangs and organized crime is clamped down on and he's pouting."

 

Fisk's name is added to the list of 'in prison until he's dead' list at SHIELD headquarters. All his records are being gone over with a fine tooth comb and Peter and Matthew toast Fisk being put behind bars permanently with soft drinks.

 

A meeting of 'villains' a few weeks later has people shaking their heads at empty spots as a list of those dead or in prison is read.

 

"Fisk was a fool, did the moron really believe Stark would give him whatever he wanted?" Doom snorts. "The only reason he stayed in power for so long was because he had a nearly unlimited supply of young fools to do his bidding." Mister Sinister nods across the table. "Is AIM gone for good?"

 

"Most likely, I haven't heard any news about them and all SHIELD is finding is empty bases." The HYDRA agent in the White House says. "And before you ask. . .yes HYDRA is just as bad, we were gutted by all the deaths and arrests when SHIELD fell and never really recovered. Anybody left is helping out in other ways."

 

"AIM's research?"

 

"Being parceled out to scientists after SHIELD makes sure it's nothing dangerous."

 

The next couple of months pass slowly, everybody would swear that it snows nearly daily. Tony is busy dismantling Fisk's empire, giving great pleasure in sending the old fool updates in his special jail.

 

Phil taps Tony on the shoulder one day as he's looking over reports on a training center he's purchasing outside the city.

 

"Good morning Agent, is this a social call?"

 

Phil shakes his head. "The sickness is starting up again." Tony sighs but nods. "Do we have a list of locations?"

 

Phil puts a file on the screen. "The green areas are areas with no illness, pink areas are areas with sickness but no or limited deaths, while red is heavy deaths. It's small right now but they're all growing."

 

Swaring in Russian alerts them to not just Natasha but Bucky arriving.

 

"What's the death toll?"

 

"We're looking at nearly four billion when this is done. The precogs are seeing more countries being wiped out." A file goes up on the server. "This is just our best estimates at how many people the countries have left. Some we have no way of knowing."

 

"Communist countries won't admit to any deaths." Natasha says. Everybody nods. "We need to make plans to take them out if they try to attack us when they think we're weak."

 

Phil sighs. "That would bring us into a war. Which might be what dumbass wanted since he was beefing up our military."

 

The others, Richards and Xavier are either on the phone or computer, nod. "I have a way to keep nuclear weapons from detonating." Reed says.

 

"Good, that's one less worry." Phil pinches the bridge of his nose and Clint starts massaging his shoulders, recognizing the signs of a tension headache. "Thank you. . ." he says both to Clint and Pepper who hands him two aspirin and a bottle of water.

 

"I can't see many 'super-villains' sitting back to let communists take over the world." Professor Xavier says slowly. In his office Erik and Sinister nod.

 

"Doom wouldn't stand for it, he'd attack them." Reed says. "Now. . .I've heard rumors that military academies are trying to reopen and to get in students would have to enroll in the military for several years."

 

"I can't see the president doing it. . .at least this one. Now dumbass would do it and I can see the other countries declaring it an act of agression."

 

"Wellllll, he did want to grow the military." Pepper snorts. "Making it so that the only way you could get an education was to join the military would certainly do it." Nods from everybody listening again.

 

Doom gets an update from Richards an hour later, nodding when he says Doom wouldn't put up with the communists trying to take over. "Indeed."

 

Kate blinks back tears as she attends her graduation ceremony, wishing her parents had lived to attend. But she can see her friends in the Avengers and Young Avengers in the audience. So is Dr. Banzai, who's talking to her about an internship at the Institute. Her acceptance to Columbia had been . . .delayed by the school closings and she'd already planned on taking a year off.

 

A couple days after Kate's graduation Tony, Steve, and Phil walk through the compound Tony had brought, making notes on what will be where.

 

"Is this going to be just for us?"

 

"No, the young Avengers, Peter, and Matthew will be allowed to train here too." Pepper nods in satisfaction.

 

"Are we putting the same supplies in here that we have at the tower?"

 

"Yes, and it will be domed as well."

 

"Is the dome growing again?"

 

"Not this year."

 

"Have you looked at the land we took over?"

 

"Yes, some of it is already being tilled up for commercial farms."

 

"Offdimension growing?"

 

"Expanded." He sends Phil the list of what they have planned, Steve looking over his shoulder and nodding. "Nice selection but are you growing too much?"

 

"No, some of it will be passed along to the state, some for sale here in the city, some will go to all of us, some will go to the Banzai Institute." Tony sends a note off to Pepper. Phil looks at him. "Frank and Peter will have their gardens again. . .we need to see if they need more canning supplies."

 

"Do we have some?"

 

"Oh yes, I've got a warehouse filled with various canning jars. Now. . .the stuff like pectin and whatnot will have to be either brought or replicated. . .it doesn't last forever."

 

"Tree crops?"

 

"Will take several years before they can be harvested."

 

"Coffee?" Phil chuckles.

 

"Yes, that's one of the major crops I have in mind over the next few years."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10 by josette grover

 

Phil looks at Pepper when they return to the Tower. "Did you see Stark taking over the world by withholding the world's supply of coffee?" Steve chuckles behind them.

 

"No, I saw him destroying the world if there wasn't any." She snorts. Tony honest to god pouts. "That's why I started dropping hints about looking into growing it. And various tea plants for Bruce."

 

"Plamtations?"

 

"Coffee, bananas, maybe cacao in the future?"

 

"Cacao?" Tony blinks at her.

 

"The bean that's used in chocolate."

 

"With the deaths elsewhere we'll have to expect shortages."

 

Peter walks into the office. "Oh good, you're here." He hands over an envelope to Pepper. "I'm pre-applying to grad school and I'll need a couple recommendations."

 

Tony takes the envelope after Pepper's read it over and he and Phil walk into his office.

 

Darcy walks in a few minutes later with some reports. "Did you get your grades?" Tony and Phil had talked her into getting another degree from Columbia.

 

"B+/A-." She taps on Tony's door. "The first shipment of seeds is here."

 

"Good, I'd been expecting them."

 

Peter returns home, finding his Aunt filling a basket from the hydroponics unit. Picking a couple last items they walk into the house. "Did you give Mr. Stark the paperwork for the masters?"

 

"Yes, Ms. Potts says if she doesn't get the papers back from him in a week she'll start nagging." A tap on the door is Frank's wife with a similar basket and they sort out extras.

 

"Peter, when are the gardens going to be started?"

 

"They're having a massive garden tilling exercise this weekend, not only ours but the community gardens around the city. Botany will also be there to check the soil. They wanted to get the commercial gardens planted first."

 

"We can put up plastic over the gardens to keep them warmer a couple weeks longer." Frank's wife says. "At least with all the deaths you're not hearing about all the food waste."

 

"Amen, now any food that can't be sold automatically goes to charities. And fruit is picked on trees."

 

"We learned, the rest of the world will too." Frank says as he joins his wife at the door. "Peter, more garden supplies?"

 

"Coming out next weekend, if you need something in particular let me know and I'll pass it along." Frank nods in satisfaction.

 

"Nuts." Steve says at the tower later that night.

 

"Is that a comment on the cooking?" Tony smirks at him.. "If it's a question, yes we've got a number of nut orchards in the other dimension. It will be a few years before they're large enough to pick, same with the apples, oranges, and other fruit trees."

 

"Olives?"

 

"Eventually for oil. I know there's people that actually eat them . .." Tony shudders and the others laugh.

 

A list of other foods is listed off and Tony makes a list that he sends to the others. They either say they're growing them or make plans to plant.

 

The last of the gardens go in and the soil is checked. Kate packs her bags for the trip to the Banzai Institute and Bobbi and Clint take her out . . .much to her annoyance and the amusement of the others.

 

Meanwhile Tony is snickering nastily as he listens to the whining of government officials in the areas that are now seeing the deaths New York had in the beginning. The states that had been bitching that 'can't New York handle it themselves' now have their hands out for help. And getting short shrift from the people who remember what they'd done.

 

'But I didn't know we'd be affected ' more than one governor, senator, or representative bleats. 'It wasn't supposed to be our problem. Why hasn't the CDC and NIH found a cure?'

 

After the fourth Tony and the others are inspecting the commercial farms, including the growing dimension. The tree crops are growing well and Tony slumps in his desk chair when they return.

 

"Crops growing good?" Pepper asks, turning the television off.

 

"Yes, morons in the other states still whining?"

 

"Yes, the president just told them to grow the fuck up. They're whining they're not going to vote for him."

 

"Why the fuck would he want the headaches of the job? Surrounded by whiny assholes and stupid fools who are still bleating that the other moron had to have had a good reason for wanting the schools shut down. . .so they're keeping them shut down."

 

"And they whine that their constituents can't understand they have their best interests at heart." Clint snorts from the doorway. "That's why the school my kids used to go to had to be torn down and they're still blubbering and holding out their hands to the state to build a new one. Even though the money from the millage was supposed to pay for it. That's why all the kids are having to be bussed to the school in the next town for the second shift."

 

"And what happened to the money from those millages?"

 

"Nobody knows. . ." Clint says sarcastically, waving his hands. "It just went . . .poof."

 

"Uh-huh, sounds like it went poof with some help." Tony snorts.

 

"Probably."

 

"Are you goddamn retarded?" The president asks in a smooth as silk voice as he advances on the whiny fool who'd burst into the oval office demanding Tony Stark be arrested. "If he had a cure for that goddamn mother-fucking moron's disease don't you think he'd have used it before he lost so many people."

 

"But he has to have a cure. . .he has to, he has to, he.HAS.to." he wails, stomping his feet. "They didn't lose that many people in New York, ten . . .fifteen people?"

 

"Try over four million you little fool. Just in the city itself. It was one of the areas deliberately targeted after all."

 

He gulps and rapidly backs up. "Yeah, I'd get the hell out of here and make damn sure to keep my fucking fool mouth shut and my head down. Stark's working damn hard to keep New York running and helping with New Jersey, he'd destroy you if he found out you were accusing him of having a cure for the disease and not giving it out."

 

"Be he could be using it to try to take over the world. . ." he wails as he runs off.

 

"God save me from effing morons." He sits back down at the desk. "Why are all the damn fools drawn to politics?"

 

"Because all the ass kissing makes them somebody." Horace says from the outer room. "Once they actually have to do something rather than have people adore them they show their true colors." Brandon laughs despite himself. The man. . .who'd paused in the doorway huffs off.

 

"Little bastard keeps it up and I'll destroy the fucking moron." Tony says in his office when the president calls. "Then I'll sic Pepper on him."

 

"But he had to have reopened the schools so everybody would do whatever he wanted." Dumbass whines in front of Congress.

 

"Really. . .is everybody in New Jersey supposed to do whatever he wants? The schools are going to be opening there in a couple months." He runs off wailing again. "Damn fool. Why is he pulling this shit now?"

 

"Because his constituents are tired of his nonsense and he'll be voted out of office. If he can be seen as doing something. .. .they'll have to keep him in office. He can't handle a real job."

 

"And targeting Stark?"

 

"Stark's making sure that his people are taken care of . . .something that fool can't be bothered to do."

 

"Hey moron, Alaska and Hawaii's schools are reopening next year. . .are they going to be bowing down to Stark too?" a man says, leaning in the office door a couple days later. The man blinks and wails, the other man smirking as he walks off. God, he hates that fool Anderson. Now that there's a crack in the 'but he had to have had a good reason to be shut down, we just don't know it' stupidity shield maybe other states will start reopening schools. Or at least inspecting and tearing down schools that should have been demolished years ago."

 

The first school reopening in New Jersey is greeted by news crews and parents thanking everybody they can. Some schools in the larger cities are having to pull double shifts like New York until they rebuild the schools but nobody's complaining. Least of all the seniors who will be graduating three years late.

 

"Has anybody heard about Massachusetts?"

 

"The government they put together seems to be working well. Rumor is it they're inspecting their schools now."

 

The gardens start coming in hot and heavy and Peter and Frank are busy moving cases of canned good various places in the other houses. In addition to the food they've canned they've got containers of root vegetables in the basement and cases of canned goods from stores.

 

Frank looks at Peter. "This is a little much . ..even for Stark."

 

Peter sighs. "The precogs are seeing a bad winter. . .we might have joked it snowed every day last winter. . .it will snow every day this winter. And with all the areas having their own problems with the sickness. . .they're seeing more empty shelves."

 

"Christ." Dr. Connor moans as he takes some food out to his car. "Factories are running on short crews now.'

 

"They're going to have to shut down the more frivolous stuff and concentrate on stuff people need."

 

"They can't have that." Clint drawls as he pulls into the driveway. "More supplies for your hydroponics. That would make sense."

 

"And the damn socialites would whine like babies if they didn't have the latest and greatest crap at a second's notice." Peter snorts.

 

"As seen so often on TMZ." Frank's wife snorts. Between all of them everything is put away in both buildings and Clint heads off to spend some time with his family.

 

"Where is Stark?" Phil asks as he comes to the tower a couple weeks later.

 

"He and Richards are off in a ship looking over third world countries to see if any of them have been . . .lost. If they are, they're going to be taking over food crops. Colombia's drugs we don't need."

 

"No, though with all the deaths the drug cartels have lost their power base."

 

Sam comes up in the elevator. "California just announced they're going to be inspecting schools, same with Florida with the thought of reopening them next fall. Massachusetts still hasn't made an announcement but the water is trickling out of the 'but he had to have had a good reason to close the schools' dam." Pepper and Phil nod in satisfaction. "Seven states out of fifty, it's a start."

 

"Is Stark still having the day care children at Malibu tutored?"

 

"Yes, their parents are thrilled that they're be somewhat near the grade they should be in when the schools reopen."

 

Tony returns a few days later, robots bringing in bags and boxes of stuff that go in tesseracted rooms. Pepper looks at him. "The governments gave us part of their harvests in trade of helping with the harvests with robots since they didn't have the manpower to harvest anymore."

 

Pepper closes her eyes and nods. "This way they have the food."

 

"Yep." Tony yawns and pours himself a cup of coffee. "We must have found a few million bodies, there's areas that were just wiped clean of all human life."

 

"Damn fool. . .hopefully he's rotting in hell for what he did." Pepper sighs. "I have a list of businesses we need to look at, either ordering extra supplies or even taking them over."

 

"Can it wait until our next meeting?"

 

"Yeah, I'd planned on it." He nods in satisfaction.

 

In early November the board room is full again as everybody settles in for another meeting. Pepper's list is put up on the screen and they go over each item, nodding at Pepper's notes. Tony sends her the high sign and she goes to work.

 

"Is anybody else hearing the whining about no Black Friday sales?"

 

"Yes, even as bad as the rest of the country is getting. People with some sense told them to grow the fuck up. One moron wanted to put together a class action lawsuit to force businesses to have Black Friday sales and everybody else to shop and was laughed out of the courtroom."

 

"Millions of people dying and fools like that are still causing problems." Professor Xavier sighs. "Has there been any news from the other countries?"

 

"Not anything official." Tony says dryly. "Though Richards and I did a rough total for the other countries while we were gone."

 

"No country will admit to how many citizens they've lost. . .it would leave them open to attack." Weasel says. The others nod. "Mercs are the same way, if they're hurt after a bad mission they hole up somewhere and lick their wounds."

 

"Did the guns come in for the police department?"

 

"Yes, they're slowly being distributed as needed. The bigger weapons are waiting until they're needed, the lock is yours and Richards biocodes." Professor Xavier says. "With the dome you should have enough time to unlock them."

 

"We'll create remote triggers." Reed says. Tony nods. "Natural disasters?" Weasel asks.

 

"The shield allows rain and snow. . .but if we're alerted to a bad storm we can move the setting up and be safe."

 

"Good, I lived through Sandy. . I don't feel like a repeat."

 

"Are we all on the alternate power?"

 

"Yes, and we've got the new firefighting systems in. Peter's little balls are good for up-close situations. . .it might get a person out of a fire but . .."

 

"We need bigger for buildings."

 

"Speaking of the shield. . .is it set up to alert people if weapons or nuclear material arrives?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Space station?" Tony asks after the others have left.

 

"Under construction. It should be finished by the end of next year. I'm still working on the best place to put it."

 

"Yes, I'm sure somebody will start blubbering about us trying to block the sun no matter where it goes."

 

"Your compound?" Tony puts up the blueprints on the screen. Reed makes a few suggestions and he nods, making a few notes. "How are you coming at transforming the Baxter Building?"

 

"Slow, I've been adding floors that don't exist in the current directory. Taking over floors would have been easier but the money from the renters is good and some floors it would be too much work."

 

"That's one of the reasons I brought the compound."

 

Pepper has CNN on when he returns to the office. "Bad fire in Texas, some of the buildings that should have been torn down years ago. The damn building is a tinderbox and it's spreading." She turns off the tv and says a silent prayer. "Anything else I need to know from the meeting?"

 

Tony shakes his head. "Any word from Malibu?"

 

"Nothing official but I hear a lot of buildings in LA are having to be torn down. Not all of them schools."

 

"Oh god, I just saw some of those big Malibu mansions having to be torn down."

 

"They'd whine like babies." Pepper snorts. "I'm sure they'll bitch at cities putting up affordable housing and not megamansions."

 

"Of course. . .because they've got to be seen by the little people. . not see the little people themselves." Clint snorts as he walks from the elevator. "As I heard all too often on an undercover with Phil. We don't have dumbass socialites just here in the States."

 

Pepper leans back in her chair after handing Clint his mail. "Do we have a way to run factories if we don't have employees?" She asks quietly.

 

"Yes, if we have the supplies." He says just as quietly, walking over to the windows and looking down on his city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 11 by josette grover

 

"Tony, are the walls . . .melting?" Pepper asks a few days later as she looks up from sorting the mail.

 

"No, it's just an effect of the nanos. . .Clint already tried walking through one." Tony's voice says a few seconds later. Pepper sighs and looks up at the ceiling in a 'tell me again why I haven't killed Tony yet' gesture. Sam snickers as he comes out of the stairwell. He and Steve had been out for a run.

 

"Has SHIELD found all the AIM bases yet?" Steve asks as he checks his mail.

 

"They think so, right now they're sorting through all their research and plan on parceling it out to scientists they trust." Tony yells from nearby.

 

"Which lets you out." Clint yells from nearby. Tony just looks at the wall, silently trying to glare him to death by telepathy as everybody laughs.

 

"It will be a few years before all the research is looked over. I'm sure most of it is crap."

 

"Did Peter send out his application for graduate school?"

 

"Yes, I doubt there will be problems getting in right away."

 

In Massachusetts the government looks at the list of schools that have to be torn down. "Can't help it gentlemen, start pulling out all the supplies that are still good, pull out anything that can be salvaged, and we'll start tearing them down in the spring. New York has already proved that schools can run two shifts."

 

"And with so many schools gone, the remaining schools will be getting more money."

 

"Community gardens?"

 

"Yes, if the land is good the land can be used for those or greenhouses."

 

"Do we have a list of factories that are in danger of closing?"

 

"Yes, the ones marked with x's are the ones we desperately need to stay open but they don't have enough employees. As it is they've had to shut down one shift and transfer the employees to the remaining shifts."

 

"Can't they get enough new employees to flesh out three shifts?" A man asks.

 

"No, and it's not like a store where you can ask them to work a few extra hours."

 

"If they had enough personnel for the third shift, would they have enough supplies?"

 

"They should. . .they had extra with only two shifts but they might run out with three if they didn't get in their normal supplies."

 

"Which would make sense. . .which big business seems to lack sometimes."

 

Snickers and nods from the others.

 

"Stark is getting in more supplies. . .he has to be taking over the world." Anderson wails in congress a few days later.

 

"Mr. Anderson, sit down and shut up or you will be removed. This is congress. . .not a playground." The vice-president snaps. "You have repeatedly claimed that Tony Stark is trying to take over the country yet you haven't shown an ounce of proof."

 

"Or a lick of common sense." Somebody mutters quietly to the person beside him. They stifle a laugh so they can continue to hear Anderson being lectured.

 

"But he could be taking over the country. . .look at everything he's buying." He consults a list. . .his face growing longer and longer as every purchase comes out as something needed for Stark or New York.

 

"But he HAS . .." The vice-president waves a hand and security drags him off. "Mr. Anderson, you were warned to sit down and shut up. . .you chose to do neither."

 

"Why the fuck would Stark want to take over the country when it's full of morons like him." Somebody mutters during a break.

 

"Amen. . .or the idiots who whined because he saved them from the aliens." Another man mutters. "Stupid fools. . .would they rather have been killed by the aliens? Or died when the fucking council bombed New York?"

 

"Ohhhh. ..that never would have happened." Somebody else drawls sarcastically. "These are the morons who claimed that the Holocaust never happened either."

 

"I'm surprised nobody is trying to sue to control super-heroes."

 

"You mean make them register? That would never work. . .nobody would do it unless they had to and there's still such a thing as free will."

 

"And that would still leave super-villains. The government wouldn't be able to control them."

 

"Amen."

 

"Okay ladies, gentlemen. Back to work. First of all. . .supplies to those areas hardest hit by this latest round of sickness."

 

"They're coming in. . .slow. Because somebody won't honor his contracts." A man turns to glare at another.

 

"Sanders. I told you to stop glaring at Macahe. His factories are working on short crews to get supplies to other areas. Your areas are not affected so you have to wait." the vice-president snaps.

 

"But we've got empty spots in stores." he whines.

 

"So does everybody else you fucking fool." Somebody else snaps. "Grow the fuck up and get over yourself. People are dying, getting them medical aid is more important than some empty store shelves. No matter how much your wife and daughters whine."

 

The rest of the reports are laid out.

 

"Body bags?"

 

"Our factories have another batch ready as needed."

 

"But they're not needed, his plants could have been working on other things." Sanders wails.

 

"Yes they were, cemeteries are full and mass graves are filling as well. Many areas are having to dig second ones." the vice-president snaps.

 

"They. . .they are?" He whimpers.

 

"Yes moron, we're looking at millions of deaths on top of the millions that already died in the last epidemic."

 

"B. ..bu .. .but I thought you were exaggerating the deaths." He wails. "To excuse the fact that factories are laying down on the job."

 

In New York one of Massachusetts government walks out of the elevator at Stark Tower.

 

"Thank you for agreeing to see me Mr. Stark, Professor Richards. I know you gentlemen are busy. Trying to take over the world." he snickers. Tony rolls his eyes as Pepper snickers. Reed blinks.

 

"Some fool in congress is whining that of course we have to have a cure for dumbass's disease and aren't giving it out so we can take over everything."

 

Pepper snorts. "Tony can't run his own company without mucking it up, he's ruin a country." She waves them off.

 

The meeting lasts most of the day but by the time they're done a good proposal is hammered out. Stark would take over the factories in the worst shape, bringing in robots to take over one shift so they could ramp up their production on necessary items.

 

Thanksgiving comes and despite the wailing, whining, gnashing of teeth, and beating themselves with hairshirts the morons who couldn't live without black friday sales found out that life didn't end if nobody was waiting in lines days before the sale.

 

"So that's it, we've got a dozen factories we're going to be starting third shifts with robots after the first of the year. I'm sure people will start wailing about automation taking jobs. . .even though nobody lost their jobs except to death."

 

"Some people will never be satisfied." Weasel says. He looks at Phil. "Any problems with some of the mercs helping SHIELD?"

 

"Some ruffled feathers as a few old timers are ignored. They can't order them to do anything and anytime they tried they either got laughed at or threatened. Or were introduced to Wilson and shuddered." Snickering from everybody who'd spent any time with the mouthy merc.

 

"Anderson. . .I'm not telling you again!" The president bellows. "Leave Stark the hell alone. He is NOT trying to take over the country. He wouldn't want the fucking headaches of dealing with morons like you."

 

"But he's bringing in robots to take over factories."

 

"Only third shifts . .when those factories don't have employees."

 

"See. . .he already . . ."

 

"SHUT UP!!!!" the president bellows. "The factories lost so many employees to death they had to move everybody to the other two shifts to keep them running."

 

"Th. . .they did?" He wails. "Couldn't they just hire more employees?"

 

"No moron, they couldn't just hire more employees. People already have two and sometimes even three jobs thanks to all the deaths."

 

"But they could have worked an extra shift."

 

"Would you want to work sixteen hours a day?" the president says sarcastically.

 

"Nooooooo. . .I . . .I guess not." he slumps. "So Stark gets to do whatever he wants?"

 

"He's helping the rest of us." The president says through gritted teeth. "Instead of being a brat like some people."

 

"But if people start being hired by the companies?"

 

"Stark will take his robots back."

 

"Ohhhh!"

 

The president just points to his door and Anderson skulks out. "Goddamn moron." he mutters, going back to the work he'd been doing when the fool had burst into the oval office.

 

Meanwhile in New York Pepper is leaning back in her desk chair. Tony's off for the day, at the Baxter building working on something to clean water in Africa. And other areas that are just as bad off but don't get the attention that Africa does thanks to footage of children having to walk miles for water every day.

 

"Add DC to the list of states going to be opening schools next year." Clint says as he walks in. Pepper smiles and does just that. "Rumor is it more states have had enough of their elected officials blubbering and are demanding that schools at least be inspected."

 

"And I'm sure states are digging in their heels about that since there's so many schools that are in bad shape." Sam says as he comes in with Doc Samson. "And Clint proves it's not just big cities."

 

"States are having to spend money on essential services now and not their pet projects."

 

"Roads."

 

"They should have been putting the money away they use in schools."

 

"That would make sense . .. which is probably why so many states are still on the 'welllllll, he had to have had a good reason for shutting down the schools' bandwagon. Unfortunately for them. . .that just makes them targets of ridicule." Doc Samson snorts. "Pepper, receipts for the latest textbook expo."

 

"Thank you Leonard."

 

Tony comes dragging in a week later, waving a hand at Pepper. Natasha says something in Russian that makes Phil snicker as she drags him to a nearby room and pushes him to a bed.

 

"One of these days he will actually remember to sleep." Pepper snorts.

 

"Doubtful. But good news, the president is going to be holding a special announcement in a few minutes, rumor has it he's ordering schools to reopen next fall. He gave Congress a chance to do it themselves and except for a few states they just sat there."

 

"Awww, seniors will only be graduating four years late." Peter cooes as he walks in.

 

"I doubt many seniors who would otherwise have graduated will be returning to school." Phil says dryly.

 

"No, not after all this time. . but I'm talking about the kids who are in school now." Pepper nods. "It's going to be over a decade of kids being older than they should be when they graduate."

 

"I'm sure somebody will whine that kids are going to be in school getting an education instead of working. . .in a factory if that old fool Anderson got his way." Natasha says as they wait for the announcement. More than one person is snickering at the scathing comments the president says about most of congress not getting off their asses and reopening schools on their own initiative like other states had. Somebody actually tries to say that 'he had to have had a good reason to shut down the schools' and ducks away from the disgusted looks the reporters give him.

 

"Well, that's that. I'm sure school districts will wail about having to publicly announce the condition of their schools."

 

"Which people with a brain already know but having to say it officially seems to make it ten times worse. Because the districts don't have excuses for why they let the schools get so bad in the first place."

 

"Did he give the Department of Education the money they wanted?" Tony asks a few days later after he's slept himself out, showered, and ate something besides protein shakes.

 

"Yes. American schools are getting higher on the list of schools. . .but not because they're getting better."

 

"Nope."

 

Stark is shut down for Christmas and a couple days afterwards the elevator opens and secret service agents try to walk out. The operative word is try since Pepper has the security measures on. They start to complain and two voices in unison tell them to shut up.

 

"Mr. President, we weren't expecting you."

 

The president turns and glares at one of the secret service agents. "You told me you'd called them."

 

"But you're the president." He yelps. "They can just lump it."

 

The other man lectures him for his stupidity for a good fifteen minutes. "I'm sorry Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark." Tony had arrived after Pepper had turned on the security measures. "My moronic agent was supposed to have contacted you about a meeting with Massachusetts and New Jersey's governments. Did you even bother to tell them too?"

 

"Y. . .y .. yess. .. they're .. .they're supposed to be here." He whines. Security alerts Pepper and she lets them up.

 

"I'm sorry gentlemen, my secret service agents are morons. Normally Horace would have handled this but he's on vacation with the government shut down for Christmas. They were supposed to have let you know this meeting was to go over everything that was going on here."

 

"Sir, you can't let her in here. . .She's a foreign national and assassin." One of the agents yelps as Natasha rolls in a cart of food from the cafeteria.

 

Natasha just gives him a look and he gulps.

 

"Boy, if the Black Widow wanted me dead I never would have got on the elevator."

 

"The only one in danger here is . .." she looks at Stark. Who grins at her. The president hides his own grin.

 

The governor and Phil arrive an hour later and they start talking over everything.

 

"I don't care . . ." the president thunders later that night when they return to DC. "When I tell you to call them to set up a meeting, you don't arbitrarily decide on a day, tell the others to be there, then leave the man who is supposed to be holding the meeting not knowing there's going to be a meeting."

 

Christmas is quiet, Tony and the others walking the streets to look at the decorations the city had put up.

 

"Thank god you are back Horace." The president sighs when his assistant returns to work. "My secret service agents bungled things up to hell and back."

 

Horace just looks at the other man. "I wanted a meeting with Stark, Director Coulson, the governor of New York, the government over New Jersey, and the government over Massachusetts. They didn't even bother to contact Stark and tell him about the meeting. That he was supposed to be hosting. Then they wailed because they didn't have food and drink waiting on us, didn't kiss their useless asses. . ."

 

Horace moans.

 

"Why the hell did I get talked into four more years in this place?"

 

"The others who wanted the job just wanted to go back to the way things had been. Nobody would have voted for them. Just like they wanted people to be up in arms over you reopening the schools despite their objections and being stunned when their 'precious' constituents didn't flock to their sides. They wanted to overturn your executive order but even they knew they'd be out on their asses if they tried."

 

"And they couldn't have that." Brandon sighs. "Damn it Larry, you made a helluva mess people with damn sense have to fix. And surrounded me with mind-sucking leeches who don't want to do anything." Horace chuckles as he settles in at his desk.

 

"Okay gentlemen, what's the latest on the deaths?"

 

"Bad, we hit four billion dead worldwide before Christmas. The death rate is nearly forty percent in the areas that didn't get hit the first time."

 

"Half the world dead in less than five years."

 

"Yep." the head of the CDC sighs. "And his pet mad scientists are blubbering that their damn disease never should have done this."

 

"Are we any closer to a cure?"

 

"Nope, or a vaccination. They just told that old fool what he wanted to hear whether it was the truth or not."

 

The list of schools and other buildings that need to be torn down grows by leaps and bounds, most people have the decency the be ashamed of how they'd let them go to pot like that.

 

"That will fill landfills." More than one person wails in congress.

 

"Stark has a way of taking care of the waste that can't be recycled. If you have it set out by a certain date they'll dispose of it. Otherwise, it's your job. Shut up Anderson. . .I'm sick of hearing you blubbering that this means Stark is going to take over the country for sure. Get over it.. . and yourself." Snickering from the others. "Because Stark is tired of your bullshit and is going to send his friend Natasha after you if you don't leave him alone." More snickering as Anderson gulps. "But he could be trying to take over the country." he whines softly.

 

 

 

Chapter 12 by josette grover

 

"How long until you expect to see more supplies with robots taking over the third shift?" Phil asks at the second meeting of the year.

 

"Months, at the earliest. We only took over the factories needed the worse in Massachusetts. There's hundreds more factories in just as bad shape."

 

"It's like trying to bail the ocean with a kids sand pail." Weasel says.

 

"Exactly. They'll either have to start shutting down factories that don't manufacture the essentials and send those employees elsewhere or give all the factories robotic shifts."

 

"If the deaths keep up I see all the factories run by robots in a couple years." Reed says, doing the math.

 

"And other essential services." Tony agrees.

 

"Did you two find a way to clean the water?"

 

"Yes, we're off next week to test it. And dig a few wells."

 

"Speaking of water. . is there a way to create it?" Phil asks.

 

"We've been looking into it." Reed says slowly. "It will be needed for space travel."

 

"And terraforming moons if we have to." Tony says. "Not Earth's but the other planets." Nods from the others.

 

"How are we on raw materials?"

 

"Good with the mandatory recycling laws and all the condemned buildings being torn down. Putting them in crystals frees up space and means it can be anything we need."

 

"Weasel, your mercs?"

 

"Off. . ." Weasel looks at his notes. "Helping the Massachusetts state police take out a gang that wanted to bring back drugs."

 

"Has anybody heard if people are immune if they survived the sickness?"

 

"Yes and no," Essex says. "I've heard stories of people still getting sick but recovering. But then I've heard stories of people dying too. . .usually those who were in bad shape after the first illness. The problem is. . ."

 

"Until somebody dies there's nothing to really say you don't have a cold, the flu, food poisoning. . ." Weasel says. "Though they can tell you you have food poisoning."

 

"Usually by eating at the wrong restaurant."

 

"True."

 

"Are you goddamn stupid?" A judge hisses to the whining former mayor of New York. "No, you are not needed or wanted in New York."

 

"But they're destroying the city. Our children are having to go to school nights since their schools were torn down. I would have kept them open." He snaps.

 

"The schools were falling down around their ears or had been severely damaged by being shut down in the middle of winter without maintenance." He shows him footage of the schools. "You wanted kids to be in those schools?"

 

"I . . .I . . .I didn't know. I just saw the schools being torn down." he blubbers. "But Stark is friends with mercenaries." he hisses.

 

"Who are upstanding citizens who help the police protect the city."

 

The former mayor wails as every point he'd thought of to make them let him out of prison and back in charge of the city. .. and skimming money into his own accounts. Having to work in prison is hard. He's wailing as he's tossed back in his cell.

 

"Damn fool." one of the guards snorts. "Did the fucker really think he'd be able to convince a judge that he should be back in charge? The city is a thousand times better with Stark in charge. There's no homeless problem, unemployment is at zero percent, we were the first state to reopen our schools. . ."

 

"Mass transit runs on time, the streets are clean, there's no crime to speak of. . ."

 

"No police deaths in over a year. Police equipment is being replaced. . .some of that shit was older than I was but somebody. . ." he looks at the cell and the former mayor wails louder. "Wouldn't give the department the funds they needed."

 

"Not just the police department. . .all essential city services." The mayor sobs. . .how can that bastard Stark be running the city better than him?

 

"Has anybody heard from Stark about the schools that have to be torn down?" A congressman looks at people from Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

 

"Yes, they came out with something and all the debris just disappeared. We had our part to do, we sorted out steel and other recyclables. It took us three days to tear everything down carefully, it took them a couple hours to have the area empty." One of the people from Massachusetts says. "We were able to turn the land into community gardens and put up greenhouses."

 

"They won't be able to do that on a massive scale." Somebody snorts.

 

"No, this was just one building, I understand they have more that can take care of everything in a wider area. And be able to tell the difference between a building being torn down and a building going up."

 

"They would have had to as much demolition as they've been doing for the government in some areas." Another congressman says.

 

Natasha walks through a factory that Stark is interested in buying, taking pictures of everything. By the time the tour is over Natasha has a decision and the manager gulps then smiles at the nod. A few minutes later a contract to buy the factory is faxed over and they sign it in front of a lawyer.

 

"Stark, are you bankrupting yourself doing this?" Natasha asks as she hands Pepper the completed paperwork when she returns to the tower.

 

"No, betwen the state, SHIELD, and AIM's assets. . ." Clint snickers as he walks behind them. "That's one way to make them pay."

 

"Deaths overseas?"

 

"Every country that's reporting deaths has lost nearly half their population."

 

"Not that we know for sure how many deaths there actually are." Phil says as the door of the elevator opens, obviously been listening in on the conversation thanks to JARVIS. "Not only are some countries not reporting their real losts to keep them from looking weak. . ." Tony sighs but nods. "There's also the communist or dictatorship countries."

 

"China's economy must be near collapse, they export so much stuff." Pepper says slowly.

 

"And there were stories about their employees trying to kill themselves before all this started."

 

"When the Chinese economy collapses I expect they'll take some companies with them." Phil looks at Pepper.

 

"I'll start a list of companies that import heavily, if they're worth it we might take them over." Pepper says, Phil nods. "Commercial farms?"

 

"We'll be growing the same crops again, but expanding them by half. I'm growing two more varieties of potatoes in the other dimension and I have a list of new stuff I wanted to talk to everybody about."

 

"Is Richards planning on homeschooling the twins?"

 

"They're too young for Xavier's and no other school would be able to handle them."

 

Peter comes home one night, his aunt handing him a letter from ESU. Taking a deep breath he opens it.

 

"I'm in, starting this fall."

 

Pepper smiles the next day when he lets them know he got in. "Where's Mr. Stark?" Normally he'd be blowing up a lab or muttering about paperwork.

 

"He's off with Reed Richards on a ship taking care of the schools and other buildings they had to tear down across the country. They don't plan on being back for at least a month."

 

"Are they going to have to do a tour of the other countries?"

 

"Sometime in November, all the precogs are seeing the deaths from this latest round should be done by then. But they're also seeing it recurring in a couple of years."

 

Tony waves a hand as he walks off the elevator nearly five weeks later. "You actually slept?" Pepper asks.

 

"Yes, I slept. Anything I need to worry about in that pile." He waves a hand at the container of mail next to the desk.

 

"I handled the important stuff. . .the ones that dealt with the companies, tossed the whiny complaints in the recycling bin. Most of this is trade journals and requests for scholarships and whatnot."

 

"Anything happen while I was gone?"

 

"Peter got his acceptance letter to grad school." Tony nods in satisfaction. "Clint's wife is expecting. I sent off baby clothes and other stuff she might not be able to get around the farm." Tony nods in satisfaction.

 

Tony goes through his mail over the next couple of days, most of it going in the recycle bin as garbage.

 

"When is Bishop due back?"

 

"A couple months, she's coming back in time to go to orientation and sign up for her classes and books at Columbia.

 

There's a message from security and Tony and Clint are waiting when the door opens.

 

"Good morning Gentlemen, Ms. Potts." Horace says calmly. Phil is with him and gives them a high sign so they relax and turn off the shield over the door. "We found a HYDRA base empty thanks to the epidemic and found they'd created these two people. This young man is named Pietro, he's a speedster. His sister is named Wanda. . .she's got a gift of making things go wrong around her."

 

"I thought that was Tony in the lab." Clint mutters. Phil gives him a look, only those people who know him well know he's trying not to chuckle.

 

"They called it chaos magic, I throw hexes to make things happen." she says quietly.

 

"SHIELD and Professor Xavier have examined them to make sure there's no triggers but they need a place to stay."

 

"How old are you two?"

 

"Physically we're in our late teens."

 

"Old enough to be taking university classes once you have GEDs." Pepper says. The others nod. "Do they have supplies?"

 

"No." Tony makes a noise as he feels the hit to his wallet. This time Phil does chuckle. "Call Darcy and have her help you."

 

"I'll go too." Clint says. Three hours later they return with bags and boxes. The pair are led to rooms on another floor and gratefully settle in for a nap. It's been a long couple of days.

 

The woman that had introduced herself as Darcy taps on their doors later that night after they've put their clothes away and are looking through the books that had been purchased for their lessons.

 

"Time for dinner, we try to have a group dinner a few times a week."

 

Phil comes to the office a few days later. "Stark, don't create another AI, at least one designed to act as a global peacekeeper."

 

"Hadn't planned on it." He looks at him. "I don't think we need it now."

 

"The precogs are having fits about something called Ultron trying to take over the world."

 

"Nope, not going to be creating anything named Ultron. The mercenaries and other groups are taking care of any problems that might pop up."

 

Phil nods in satisfaction. "One less thing I need to kill you for." Pepper chuckles behind them. "Stand in line Phil, I have years of annoyances to kill him for first."

 

"Tell me what this program was supposed to have done?"

 

"It would have got loose on the internet and spread itself, it would have created a robot body for itself that you would have fought, and worse of all it would have destroyed JARVIS."

 

"Nope, not going to happen. JARVIS and Pepper keep this building and the company running."

 

"Thank you sir." JARVIS says. "Your latest seed order has arrived." Tony checks his records as JARVIS looks at the receipts and checks off everything.

 

"Is this the last of the seeds for this summer?"

 

"Yes, once everything's accounted for we'll start delivering seeds to the various gardens. The commercial farms and hydroponics get their own deliveries. They order enough to get a discount, the community gardens don't so they put in their requests through Stark."

 

"Are any of the former school grounds being turned into gardens?"

 

"At least one in Massachusetts. People are realizing that fresh grown fruit and vegetables are better than the ones you find in the stores. Especially in winter."

 

"Everybody's growing whatever food they can now." Pepper says. "Even in apartments."

 

"How is Vegas's hydroponics doing?"

 

"Good, I've already opened a second, larger area. And the hotels want one just for themselves."

 

"Vegas is probably one of the few areas that didn't see tourism drop off."

 

"That and Disney. Well. . .maybe not with people working two jobs." Clint says as he walks through. "And yes, I took the kids out."

 

Tony smirks and Pepper swats him automatically.

 

That weekend Peter is busy washing windows as his aunt airs out the house and starts spring cleaning. The line is full of blankets and afghans being aired out.

 

Sooner than he had expected but too long in the eyes of everybody who had their educations interrupted ESU is having their graduation ceremony. May smiles through her tears, wishing Ben was here to see their boy graduate. And his parents would be so proud of Peter. A hand on her shoulder has her looking around and she smiles as she sees the others settling in chairs around her. Pepper elbows Tony in the ribs when he starts to say something, making Steve smile and Clint laugh.

 

The fourth of July is busy in the city, everybody is celebrating in one way or another. Stark has a light show from the top of the tower, people massing in the streets to see it. Or watching it on one of the cable access channels.

 

Steve and Natasha are walking with Pietro and Wanda through the city when they're greeted by Matthew Murdock who has two people with him. "This is Jessica Jones and Lucas Cage, they're helping me. . .deal with some more obstreprous people along with Professor Xavier and the mercenaries."

 

Steve looks at him. "Some people refuse to use their powers wisely and are . . .talked to by one of us. Those who just need training are mentored."

 

Natasha and Steve sigh but nod. They'd both seen people dealt with, either by superiors in the Red Room for Natasha or communities during the War for Steve. Usually those people that had sided with the invaders and were now being dealt with by the survivors.

 

They walk the streets for a few hours, people calling out hellos as they shop or walk the streets enjoying the fresh air and sunshine after such a long winter. Natasha takes Wanda into a small speciality shop, both of them coming out with bags.

 

"Bath products, Natasha likes speciality products instead of what you can find on most store shelves."

 

The gardens go in over the next couple of weekends, supplies starting to be sent to the schools that will be opening or reopening that fall.

 

More than one person sighs over the empty lots that used to be schools but they're slowly being used for other reasons. Those communities that already have gardens are using them for flea markets or greenhouses.

 

Kate arrives back at her home a month later. She's got more stuff with her than when she left and the others shake their heads at all the textbooks. "Oh yes, Dr. Banzai is very insistent that all his people keep up with studies." She looks at the boxes and sighs. "And I should expect more books over the next few years." The others snicker and look at the time.

 

Kate slumps into a seat by Pepper's desk a few days later.

 

"Welcome back, have you signed up for your classes yet?"

 

"Just got back from Columbia." Kate swears lustily as Bobbi musses her hair on the way to Tony's office. The older woman just laughs. "Stark, Coulson says to beat you." Tony laughs in his office.

 

"That tells me I don't want to know." Pepper looks at the time and grabs her purse. "Let me treat you to a late lunch or early dinner depending on what meal you haven't had yet."

 

"Dinner, Columbia treated us to lunch while we were there."

 

"Are the dorms full?" Tony calls from his office.

 

"Yes, they said that things are getting back to normal with two years of seniors graduating."

 

"Other universities will be filling up just as fast. . .especially ones like MIT, Yale, and Harvard." Bobbi says when the two women have left the office.

 

"Yes, I'm already getting letters from schools about accepting interns again."

 

"Director Coulson says you're looking into more robotic shifts for factories?"

 

"The president contacted me a couple days ago with a list of factories that Congress thinks can't survive without them."

 

"And once you weeded out cars and other luxuries?"

 

"I was left with these." he puts the list on the screen, Bobbi scanning it with her device so that the list appears on Phil's screen. "There was three criteria for my decisions. . .they were necessities, they were already down to to two shifts, and they were a major employer in the area. As it is, it will take years to make all the robots to handle everything,"

 

"By then they might be shut down completely."

 

"Yes, because deaths are picking up again."

 

Phil sighs in his office as Bobbi curses. "Rumor has it China is entering a depression. They ramped up production in all their factories to have a surplus hoping that other countries would be forced to come to them and pay anything they wanted for it but we've been doing well on our own even with all the deaths. Now they don't have the money for supplies. They've tried calling in loans but the world courts aren't letting them, citing hardship."

 

"Everybody has been hit by the damn epidemic, whether they want to admit it or not."

 

"Exactly, the only countries that would buy from China are in the same boat they are. Anybody else is making do with what they have. Even with working two jobs, you don't see much money being spent on fancy new cars, jewelry, or other stuff."

 

"And I'd say we're better off than most countries." Phil says over the phone. "England has lost over 75 percent of their population. .. London is all but deserted."

 

"Yep, any area that can be used to grow food is. . .even the palaces and gardens. I'm going to nab the British Museum and Library when we have to clean Great Britain out. Scotland is in better shape, they have more room to grow food."

 

"Ireland is a mess, they still haven't stopped their infighting."

 

"Same with Africa and Syria. What the wars didn't kill the epidemics did."

 

"Stark, have you heard anything from other countries about your water cleaner?"

 

"England is interested. . .the Thames has been polluted for years but they're still arguing that it has to be a trick."

 

"Why the hell would you trick them over something like that?"

 

"Because politicians are the same no matter which country."

 

A few days later a judge gives the former mayor a disgusted look. "Moron, we've had elections for mayor. Nobody wanted the damn job. Everybody's happy with how Stark and SHIELD are running things. Even if we had an election. . .nobody would vote for you!"

 

"But they've gotta . . ." he wails as he's dragged out.

 

"Damn fool." the judge sighs after court.

 

"He's so sure he can find the right argument to get out of prison and get his job back so he can start skimming money again. Working in prison is hard." his bailiff says mockingly.

 

"Reed, Tony just called. He got a call from England about using your water cleaning gizmo on the Thames." Sue says in the middle of August. "He'll be arriving in an hour." Reed nods and starts preparing the ship. Tony helps when he arrives and they lift off, spending two weeks in England cleaning various rivers and lakes.

 

"How was England?" Phil asks when Tony comes dragging into the office. "You were gone longer than we expected."

 

"It makes you realize how small the country is. . .yes, we know it's an island."

 

"But whenever you think of it, it seems larger than life."

 

"Exactly. So many people are involved in growing their food, they live out in the country in the spring, summer, and fall then come to London in the winter so they don't have to move mass amounts of supplies across the country. Oh not everybody moves to the city. . .there's some sheepherders and farmers that have always lived out there. Entire small towns are gone, they either died or moved to larger areas for work. We were gone longer than we'd planned since we took care of a lot of their garbage and recycling, turning it into raw material they could use."

 

"They don't have the major recycling centers we have?"

 

"Shut down, there's nobody to run them. I'll create some robots to run one for them. That way stuff doesn't pile up like it had been."

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13 by josette grover

 

"Reed?" Johnny asks several days later.

 

"Working on something to clean the air. The air is almost solid in England. They swear it's better with so much of their industry shut down and plants everywhere but. . ."

 

"It's something that will be needed in a space colony."

 

Reed nods as Johnny heads out of the lab. "Working on something to clean air, he said the air was almost solid while they were in England."

 

"We'll need it if we ever have to make the dome solid." Ben rumbles. A beeping has Sue looking at the computer screen. "Tony, with boxes." Johnny unlocks the elevator and he pushes everything in, sending it up.

 

"Food from the other dimension harvest." They quickly empty the elevator and Tony comes up next.

 

"This is the first batch, we've got three more coming." Johnny nods and starts putting the boxes on carts to take to the tesseracted rooms.

 

"Tree crops?"

 

"Should start coming in year after next. Next year we'll be getting something, but not a full harvest." Tony taps on the door of Reed's lab and he smiles as he looks over, stretching his neck to see what the others are moving. "Harvest?"

 

"First of four batches. What are you working on now?"

 

"Air cleaner, China's smog is bad, London's air was nearly solid."

 

"and other cities are nearly as bad."

 

"Plus we'll need one if we have a domed colony. Right now we have fresh air being filtered by the shield. . ."

 

"Normal air scrubbers wouldn't be able to keep up."

 

Reed nods.

 

"Spaceship?"

 

"Ready to go on a test flight after the first of the year."

 

"Next trip to . . .see how many have been lost?"

 

"Nine weeks?" Tony says, checking his schedule.

 

"I'll have the first prototype of the air cleaner finished by then."

 

The schools reopening are all over the news, the morons who'd wanted them kept shut because 'well, he had to have had a reason to close them, a good one. . .we just don't know what it is' wail like babies when they're not allowed to protest at the openings. They try saying this will hurt the economy as the students should be working instead of wasting their time at school and are nearly lynched by parents.

 

"How fucking stupid are you morons?" The vice-president sighs as they whine in congress. "Trying to stop schools from opening. . .we need children to have an education."

 

"But they can learn on the job."

 

"Moron. . .nobody's going to be hiring a ten year old. Especially one that's never had any schooling. Unless they had some schooling in day care they'll be in their twenties when they graduate."

 

"I. . .I. . .I guess so." he whines. "But they used to work."

 

"Whole families had to work, they still do in some countries. Not here. Not anymore." The vice-president says firmly. He stares the old fool down and he subsides gracelessly, still grumbling that they could be working.

 

He wails when the economy shows so signs of trouble with students in school and he gulps when a congresswoman threatens to knock his fool head off, her kids just started school again and she's glad for it.

 

The universities open less than a month later and he's sure this will affect the economy, wailing like the baby he is when it doesn't. He's icily reminded that most of these people are already working.

 

"Yeah, nobody goes right into school to sit on their ass for four years anymore, even those kids who are living in dorms are working around their classes."

 

The news of the schools opening and people wailing it's not fair dies off after a couple of weeks. Clint comes back from a textbook expo, dropping the receipts on Pepper's desk. "Everything will be arriving in a few days. A good number of new history and sosh books are coming out, dealing with what's been going on the last few years."

 

"We'd been expecting them. Are there 'biographies' about that fool Trask?"

 

"Yes, they're either praising the fool man and ignoring everything he did or trying to say he knew what he was doing or calling him the devil incarnate. Have there been books about the New York situation?"

 

"Yes, the ones who didn't know what the hell they were talking about were quickly disappeared when the government threatened to sue. The attack books against Tony were also dropped thanks to lawsuits. The ones who actually looked into what was going on and what we were doing are going to be out soon."

 

The Avengers, X-men, and Fantastic Four are called out to deal with a group of bored young adults who wanted to come into the city and take it over, they gulp and run off screaming when Tony fires up his repulsors and Ben knocks his fists together.

 

"Damn fools." Bobbi mutters as they beg SHIELD to save them.

 

"But we don't like how everything's running so smoothly here." One of them wails. "It's . . .it's boring."

 

"Enjoy prison then morons.. . everything's going to be boring there." Tony calls after them, chuckling at the wailing they set up. They didn't think they'd actually be arrested, it was just a prank. Things were boring running so well.

 

Their parents refuse to bail them out, leaving them wailing behind bars.

 

In early November Tony and Reed set off again, returning just before Thanksgiving.

 

"Bad?"

 

"Yeah, some smaller countries are. . .gone. Oh we knew a lot of places had lost a good portion of their population thanks to that damn disease but. . ."

 

"Seeing it is still hard." Coulson quickly arrives once he heard Tony and Reed were back. Tony gives him the latest figures, updating the list of the lost countries. Coulson sighs and closes his eyes.

 

"Did you and Richards use test the air cleaner in England?"

 

"Yes, and you could tell the difference even with just running it for several hours. London has commissioned us for a permanent air cleansing unit."

 

"Any word on China?"

 

"Down to less than half a billion people. Factories are all shut down. Every warehouse is full of stuff they want to export but can't."

 

"And they're not selling it to their citizens."

 

"Nope, if they give it to their citizens it just proves they can't take care of their own citizens *and* have surplus to sell to other countries." Tony says quietly. "They might say this damn epidemic is what we deserve for not embracing communism, but it's the other countries that are recovering. . .they're not."

 

Various decorations start coming out after Thanksgiving, stores have stopped getting Christmas stuff out before Halloween anymore. Stores begin to be decorated for the holidays, groups of merchants getting together and planning themes instead of trying to outdo each other.

 

"But students are being pulled out of school." Somebody in congress wails.

 

"The only students being pulled out of school are bullies. Schools have a zero tolerance policy on bullying, drugs, liquor, gangs, and violence. Their parents can wail but since they're as big a bullies themselves, they're wailing because everybody knows what kind of fools they are." the vice-president snorts."We're protecting the students, not letting kids be assholes. They were warned once the first time such behavior was not tolerated, the second time they were warned and suspended for several days, being told that if they kept continuing their behavior they would be expelled. If they're expelled they're tutored on the job .. .just like you wanted, right?"

 

He gabbles. "You can't have it both ways moron." Somebody else snorts. "About damn time they put the hurt on bullies. Little bastards want to act like that, they can go to reform school."

 

"That's the only way they learn. He's only complaining because his precious grandson is as big a fool as he is and repeatedly bullied the younger kids."

 

Tony looks over at the door of his lab at the getting ever so louder buzz. It's one of Agent's pet minions. . .he thinks they called her Skye. "Yes?"

 

"Mr. Stark, there's an emergency meeting in DC. Director Coulson says you have to attend. I'm been ordered to shoot you with a dart, have your robots strip, scrub, and redress you .. .while the others take embarrassing pictures." Clint cackles behind her. "Put you in an outfit like Hannibal Lecter, and wheel you into the meeting room."

 

Pepper cackles somewhere down the hallway.

 

"Can I at least ask what the meeting is about?" Tony asks dryly.

 

"I . . .I don't see why not." That wasn't in the script Director Coulson had given her. "The president wants an update on what you and Dr. Richards found in China. The Chinese delegation was recalled back to their homeland earlier this week."

 

"Huh, what brought that on?"

 

"The president has no idea. China petitioned the world courts again to try to call in all debts but was denied. Rumor is it some people were going to businesses trying to get new contracts but so far that's just a rumor."

 

"They'd have to be desperate if they were, that's not how it's done. Give me an hour to finish this up. Otherwise the damn thing will blow us all up. Pepper would not be happy if she had to kill me for killing all of us."

 

Skye repeats the last couple of sentences slowly then shakes her head. The others had told her not to pay too much attention to anything Stark said while he was inventing unless it involved the words 'oh shit' or RUN.

 

An hour later JARVIS shuts everything down and Tony heads to a shower, Pepper having laid out clothes and telling him to scrub. She shoves him back twice but he's finally clean enough for her and she drags him out to where Skye is waiting.

 

"They must have been in worse shape than we thought." Tony says when he's shown into the oval office later that night.

 

"Is there any way to tell?"

 

"May I?" he motions to the phone. Pepper had tried beating some manners into him over the years and he's trying to behave. He can see the glint in Coulson's eyes. . .he'd love tazing Stark in the oval office.

 

"Johnny? It's Tony Stark, if you can get Reed out of his lab. . .I need to talk to him. Yes, this is the white house. They called me out because China recalled all their personnel here in DC." Johnny can be heard yelling that and soon Tony puts the phone on speaker.

 

"We knew they were in bad shape." Reed says in the Baxter Building.

 

"Can you run a scan from the ship?"

 

"Yes, give me an hour."

 

"Okay, I have some bad news." Reed says seventy-five minutes later. He's in the ship hovering over China. "The government is .. .gone. I'm hovering over the capitol and there should be somebody here. I'm sending down a probe."

 

A sigh on the other end of the phone a few minutes later. "I'm seeing bodies everywhere."

 

"Was it the epidemic?"

 

"Not from the weapons everywhere." Reed sighs. "I'm surprised nobody has found the bodies."

 

"They lost face when Communism fell, they probably committed suicide and nobody would come looking. Probably the last person alive locked the building down." Since Brandon had been a sociologist before he went into politics, he has a good idea what he might be talking about.

 

"Is it just the building deserted?"

 

"No, the whole city is deserted. Which doesn't make sense."

 

"It does if the economy has collapsed. The attempt to call in their loans was their last ditch attempt to stay afloat."

 

"Do you . ..want me to bury the bodies?"

 

"Please. And see where any remaining chinese citizens are located. If there are any local governments, we can see if they need or want any help."

 

"Richards. .."

 

"Yes Agent Coulson?"

 

"China and Russia are the largest communist countries. . .if you can do it safely you might see how Russia is faring."

 

"What about North Korea?"

 

"I haven't heard any posturing from them lately, they might be gone."

 

Several days later Tony, Reed, the president, and Coulson are back in the oval office.

 

"There are scattered communities. . .but as I was coming back from checking on Russia and North Korea I did another scan. It was already half of what it had been. By the time you could get together teams and supplies. . .they'll be gone."

 

The president closes his eyes and sighs. "The other countries?"

 

"Russia is nearly as bad, there's scattered settlements. . .probably smaller towns that were already pretty isolated."

 

"Fuck. . .instead of four billion we're looking at five billion deaths. If not more."

 

"I'm afraid so. . .either from the illness or the economies collapsing."

 

Pepper shakes her head and sighs when she gets the news a couple days later, Clint saying a silent prayer at his farm and hugging his wife and kids until they complain. He just holds them longer. He turns on the news and they just stay curled together on the couch for the rest of the night.

 

"Why didn't they ask for help? Was it so damn difficult?" More than one person asks in various rooms as the news begins circulating.

 

"Communism had to be the only way to go, asking for help would have meant that it was a failure. And they couldn't have that. We were showing that democracy was surviving while they were dying."

 

Christmas is quiet as most people are busy thinking of all the deaths.

 

"Gentlemen, I know this is the holidays but we cannot allow all that . . .stuff in China to go to waste." The president says after the first of the year.

 

"It would be a slap in the face of all the employees at those factories." Tony says quietly. The others in the room nod.

 

"It would take years to remove all those. . .and we don't have anywhere to store them but .. ." Reed begins to say slowly.

 

"Stasis on the buildings?"

 

"That would give us time to empty all the buildings. And not overwhelm the rest of us with supplies."

 

"And sort out everything."

 

Peter is shoveling the paths outside the houses when May comes back from picking up the few groceries they can't grow. Frank's wife had went shopping with her and helps her unload her bags before she drives up the block.

 

Peter clings to the ceiling by his feet as May hands up food to go on the top shelves, flipping down to the floor when all the bags are folded and put away.

 

"I hear that Chinatowns across the world created a fund?"

 

"Yes, they want to put up momuments to their lost country. I know most of them left before the communists took over but. . ."

 

"It was still their country." May thinks of her small village on Asgard. "You never forget your home."

 

Phil smiles at Pepper when he comes out of the elevator. "Is Stark in?"

 

"He's going over lesson plans with the tutor Xavier arranged for Pietro and Wanda."

 

"You've heard of all the research of AIM's we've been going through."

 

"Yes, is that some of it?" She waves a hand at the flatbed behind him.

 

Phil nods. "We're slowly passing it along to people we trust."

 

Tony arrives about twenty minutes later, finding Phil looking out the window at the falling snow. SHIELD's headquarters doesn't have windows for their protection and he misses being able to watch people going about their day.

 

"Agent?"

 

"Morning Stark, we're parceling out AIM's research. Against my better judgment I'm giving you some."

 

Cackling can be heard from the ceiling.

 

Phil just rolls his eyes, he's used to Barton hiding in various ceilings. "I thought you and Richards were going to be testing your spaceship?"

 

"Next week. He's working on something with McCoy and Essex. Genetics isn't my field, they'll let us know when everything's said and done." Coulson sighs but nods.

 

"Have you been looking into a way to get rid of the arc reactor?"

 

"Not recently, why? Something else the precogs are seeing?"

 

"Yes, something called Extremis."

 

"And what is that?"

 

"Turns you into a walking computer, but it heals you too."

 

Tony shudders. "I work with computers, I'm not becoming one."

 

"Allows you to access all sorts of technology."

 

"Nope, Tony's bad enough now." Pepper snorts. Tony is looking at the wall and snapping his fingers. "Though I think at least one of the others who talked to us might have had it. I didn't notice it then but his shirt looked like he had an arc reactor but it wasn't glowing."

 

Phil closes his eyes and thinks back, nodding in agreement.

Chapter 14 by josette grover

 

Phil and Tony talk a few hours about the research, Coulson making trips various places over the next few days to parcel out more research. Including to Magneto and Essex. The old fools in the government would whine if they knew but they're slowly getting weeded out of power, either dying of the illness, being removed from office, or getting their asses handed to them by others and being told to go sit in a corner until they grow up.

 

The news that China is gone and Russia only has a few scattered pockets of people really made people realize how bad this illness hit. The list of gone countries could be ignored as being smaller or not having adequate medical resources. But when China and Russia made the list it was an eyeopener for the ones poo-pooing the reports as 'oh, you're just over-reacting'.

 

A week later Reed and Tony get in the ship, returning several days later for the rest of the world but several years later for them. Clint is teasing Pepper when he comes out of the elevator and he pulls him away. "Leave off Barton, if the business goes to hell because Pepper's annoyed, I'm giving you to Loki for a pet."

 

Clint just gives him a look. "How was the trip? Not that I'm asking for a ride. . .there's no way you could get me in space."

 

"Long. . .thanks to hyperdrive we were gone several years our time. But we've got sites for future colonies if needed as well as locations in the other dimensions. In case things continue to go sour here and we need a fallback."

 

"Better safe than sorry." Pepper says as she gets off the phone. "Any rumors on more sicknesses."

 

"God I hope not, life is just starting to get back to normal now." Clint mutters.

 

"Amen. People are finally realizing how bad it it. Before then it was smaller countries lost."

 

Bruce drags Tony off to medical a few minutes after he returns.

 

"Open your shirt, JARVIS told me you were gone for years . . .your time. Your arc reactor would have needed a new power source in that time."

 

"Yes it did, I was tapping the ship's power source for a couple weeks until Richards could find another power source for me." He opens his shirt and the arc reactor would appear unchanged. ..but the glow looks slightly different.

 

"It's a smaller version of an alien power source meant to give construction robots an unlimited power supply. Not radioactive, so I don't have to worry about being poisoned again. It will last forever. Even with whatever it is that Thor gave us.” Bruce chuckles, he'd cut himself on some papers and it had quickly healed.

 

"How are the off-dimension growing areas coming?" They were going to be inspecting them on this trip.

 

"Good. We should get getting some of the tree crops coming in this year."

 

Tony, Reed, and Coulson settle in a room at the Baxter Building a few days later.

 

"Are we going to be expanding the domes this year?" Phil asks.

 

"I hope we don't have to, but I know the precogs are having unsettled feelings. And there's enough morons in the world to cause problems because they're not getting what they wanted."

 

"Unfortunately." Phil sighs. "Then go off wailing they didn't know how many people would be hurt by their foolishness. We're looking at least ten years of kids graduating later than they should have. Not to mention kindergartens that's full to overflowing with two years of children."

 

"Both the children that should be in third grade and those who are the right age." Reed sighs. "The twins will be officially skipping kindergarten in a couple years. . .and most likely first grade too. Your Mr. Lang, are his daughter and Clint's children still somewhere near their real grades?"

 

"Yes Cassie is graduating in a few months." Tony says. "She's planning on going to Columbia. Clint's oldest is graduating next year I think."

 

"Homeschooling expo?"

 

"There's one this summer in Boston. Natasha is going for us." Tony says, looking at his phone. "We got the information a few days ago and Natasha just grinned, the look that means she's got something nasty in mind for somebody and considers this another op."

 

Phil sighs. "I have a feeling I know who she is going after. She's been after him for a while but he had diplomatic immunity until now."

 

"Medical expos?"

 

"Leonard and Bruce, they . . ." Tony looks at his phone again. "are flying out in two days to go to Tucson. There's one later this year for the mental health community that Leonard and Sam will be attending in DC. And no Agent. . .if I can't make rude comments about having plenty of examples there neither can you." Reed and Phil chuckle at the pout on Tony's face. "Pepper's mean." he drawls.

 

"Are we seeing any empty cities or even towns in the US?" Coulson asks.

 

"Not that they're admitting to in Congress. I know a lot of representatives have lost most of their constituents to this second round of disease."

 

"Orders for the commercial farms and growing areas?" Reed asks. "Our order is nearly ready."

 

"I'm talking to representatives in a couple weeks."

 

"I've heard rumors about expanding the commercial farms?"

 

"We don't need them yet but eventually I can see the need."

 

"Are we getting any requests for more schools?"

 

"The birthrate is still too low, I don't see the need for more schools for years. Despite the protests of the old fools who wanted the schools to be rebuilt because they didn't wike how schools were running two sessions."

 

"No doubt they were the some fool blubbering about how the schools hadn't needed to be torn down in the first place."

 

"Probably."

 

Reed pulls Tony into a lab after Phil leaves, checking his arc reactor and measuring the energy output.

 

Pepper gives Tony a look when he's late coming back to the Tower. "Reed wanted to check the arc reactor. We weren't expecting any problems off the ship but he wanted to make sure." She nods in satisfaction.

 

"The president has called twice while you were. . ." She picks the phone up again. "Tony Stark's o. . .yes Mr. President, he just walked in. Line one Tony." He walks into his office and picks up the phone, talking with the other man for nearly an hour. He then dials the Baxter building. "Johnny, tell Reed that Congress is going to be making towns and cities tear down condemned buildings that they've been too cheap to before."

 

"They'd just rather let them fall down because it was easier." Johnny snorts in the tv room of the Baxter building. "Figures. When?"

 

"They're supposed to have them all down by the end of August with any recyclables sorted out and removed. We're supposed to be traveling across the country like earlier to remove all the debris so dumps don't get filled. If we find any buildings that should have been torn down we're to contact both the local governments, their representatives, and Congress. If they were on the list to be torn down but they're too damn cheap to do it they'll be fined and publicly humiliated on the national news."

 

Johnny must have put him on speaker on the other end, he can hear Ben braying with laughter. In the outer office Pepper is giggling and obviously passing that along to the others from their laughter. "Other countries have been tearing down derelict buildings, it's only the US that's too damn cheap to take care of them.

 

"More like certain governments are too cheap to tear them down, they'd rather use the money for their pet projects." Sue says in the Baxter building. "Reed, Tony. . .do we have cleaning units on the water and septic for the buildings? I've been hearing rumors about other areas having problems with their water."

 

"Yes, we've got units on both buildings. So does Coulson on his building." Reed's voice says faintly from the Baxter Building. "I've heard the same rumors, probably so has Tony and Agent Coulson. Governments not wanting to spend the money putting up new waste and water treatment plants and hoping that their old ones keep running."

 

"We've been lucky in keeping ours running so long." Tony says. "We can't really build new ones on an island." Everybody leaves unspoken the fact that the only reason theirs has lasted so long is the loss of so many people.

 

Reed makes a note on the computer before returning to the lab. Ben looks over and nods. "What?"

 

"Seeing if the building units can be reworked into something bigger for the island. We'll need larger units in space colonies anyway."

 

Johnny sighs and nods, looking out a window. "I feel like a damn useless lump around here sometimes. Maybe I'll look into some of the degrees at ESU." Sue watches her brother sadly. He'd had what Reed had thought was a minor case of the disease and it seems to majorly have affected him. He's not showing off anymore, he's quiet and more than once all of them have come across him staring out a window.

 

"Th. . .that sound like a real good idea Johnny, maybe I'll so the same thing." Sue says quietly. Johnny can fly under his own power, Reed's a genius, Ben can fly damn near anything with a engine when he puts his mind to it, what does she do? Turn invisible and keep anybody away from her with her force fields. She gets on the ESU website and starts looking through areas, making a list of what she thinks they need. When she's done Johnny takes her spot and makes his own list.

 

"Go for what you want to do, not what you think we need." Reed says quietly behind them. "Tony and I can give you the training if that's what you really want but do it because you want to do it."

 

Sue and Johnny look through their choices again and nod. Some choices are crossed out and more are added.

 

A few days later Tony is tapped on his foot as he's buried headfirst in a piece of machinery. He makes an unintelligible sound that Pepper recognizes as 'go away'. He's tapped again and he makes another sound that Pepper recognizes as 'told you go away'. She pokes him again and this time he comes out from under the machine, looking at her. Only Pepper can overrule JARVIS so she's not announced and would keep poking him.

 

"Governor wants a meeting tomorrow."

 

"When?"

 

"Noon. Reed is coming over to pick you and Phil up at nine."

 

"'kay, lay out some clothes for me."

 

"Make sure you scrub." She calls behind her as she walks out of the room, laying out a good suit and white dress shirt. Looking through the rest of his clothes, she sighs and starts replicating more dress clothes, Tony loudly groaning when he sees the full closet.

 

"Tough you needed them. You can't meet people in work pants and a t-shirt."

 

"Sure I can. If they're coming to me they're getting me on my terms."

 

"And if you're going to meet somebody they're getting you on their terms." Pepper says firmly. "Now scrub, or I'm getting the robots to scrub you again."

 

The next day Phil chuckles as he sees the unmistakable signs of Pepper's work as a dressed in a nice suit Tony Stark comes out of his office. They go up to the roof and get in the fantasticar, talking about Sue and Johnny taking classes or getting training on the flight to Albany.

 

"Mr. Stark, Dr. Richards, Director Coulson. . .thank you for coming on such short notice. I know all three of you are busy running New York. To cut to the chase. . .what do you have in the way of water cleaners?"

 

"Nothing large scale." Reed says. "While we do have water and septic units. . .they're not meant for large-scale communities such as New York and Albany. We have units on our buildings and I'm working on creating larger units for future space travel. A unit for a ship would only handle about four hundred people. . .basically a large skyscraper."

 

The governor sighs. "So we're looking at having to build more water and sewage treatment plants to replace failing ones."

 

"I'm afraid so. Ours are still operational only because we've lost so many people." Tony sighs. "Water, septic, and power are things that are going to have to be worked on for the next several years."

 

"Yes, other states are already reporting power outages. Even with so many losses there's still a great drain on the power grid."

 

"It's old, was never meant to last this long, and has been in disrepair for years. Slapping a bandaid on it isn't working, an entire new grid would have to be built and that would take decades and trillions of dollars."

 

"Not to mention a lot of the power generating facilities are in just as bad shape. People are going to have to start seriously thinking about alternative energy. Not just for large power production but on individual buildings."

 

They fly back to Manhattan, Coulson and Tony getting dropped off at Stark before the fantasticar flies back to the Baxter building.

 

Sue looks over at Reed when he returns.

 

"The governor wanting to know if we had water or sewage treatment units. I had to tell him the ones we have wouldn't work. . .they're too small. New ones will have to be built to replace failing ones. . .the only reason Manhattan's has lasted this long is because of so many deaths." Johnny sighs but nods. "We also talked about the need for a new power grid and investing in alternate energy."

 

"Yeah, some of the power plants are ancient and only being held together by string and baling wire. Because god forbid anybody put any money into them and people *howl* about building new power plants because they might be nuclear." Ben rumbles. He looks at Reed. "Are the precogs seeing only us and the other places having power, being able to grow our own food, and have medical supplies?"

 

"God I hope not, but people are going to have to start cutting back on power or create some of their own."

 

"Easier said than done. . .solar panels are pretty useless in winter and while you can put farms of them in places that don't get winter to pass along to the rest of the country it's just a drop in the ocean. . .let alone the bucket."

 

"And it doesn't address the need for every building to have it's own independent power supply."

 

"Okay, are all the lists in for the seed order?" Pepper asks in early February.

 

"Yes, Darcy collated everything so you don't have to go through every list and keep changing the total."

 

"I saw the list." She gets on the computer and sends in the order.

 

A couple days later the first meeting of the year forthe unofficial group handling everything in the city happens.

 

"The tropics dimension? Are you going to be bringing food out this year?" Daredevil asks.

 

"Yes, we won't be getting enough to sell to the public yet but you can sign up for a time to either go out and pick yourself or have one of the others do it. We'll have robots pick what's left and preserve it in one fashion or another."

 

Tony looks at Essex and Richards. . . the unofficial doctors in the group. "Has anybody besides Johnny had the illness?"

 

"Not that we can verify." Essex rumbles. "There's no test to definitively tell you if your patient has that damn disease. . .even in death."

 

Coulson nods. "With so many deaths in hospitals coroners waived the need for autopsies. Many death certificates were just rubber stamped unknown. Some so-called civil liberty groups wailed to the court that people might have been murdered instead of dying thanks to that damn disease and tried demanding every body be dug up and autopsied but the court told them to go blow in the wind."

 

Weasel snickers despite himself as Don Flack sighs. "Yes, the corrupt cops are going to 'miss' the gunshot wound and call it a death from the epidemic. Morons."

 

"People think they're as stupid as they are."

 

"Are we seeing more schools being built?"

 

"Not here, and definitely not in the rest of the states. They're still sulking about the president making them reopen their schools. We're looking at seven more years of double classes here?"

 

"Eight at the most, that should see *most* of the students who were in school when they were shut down graduating."

 

"Have we started seeing smaller class sizes? I know a lot of people aren't having kids because they're working two jobs." Weasel says.

 

"Yes, that's the other problem with so many deaths. The morons in congress might bleat about no unemployment but if there's no children being born. . ." Daredevil sighs.

 

"We've already seen third shifts shutting down, eventually it will be second shifts too. And it will be years before robots can take over all the jobs that need to be filled."

 

"Are we looking at the second shift of classes ending?"

 

"It looks that way." Professor Xavier says slowly. "None of the precogs are seeing the schools so. . ."

 

"Gods, I hope that doesn't mean schools closing again." More than one person sighs.

 

"The morons in congress would be overjoyed at that. Until they realized that it was because there weren't any children, not because they were working sixteen hour days like *they* wanted."

 

"Are we seeing factories closing completely?"

 

"Yes, and consolidating shifts to keep at least some of them running. Right now we're seeing three births for every one hundred and fifty deaths."

 

"Yes, everybody's too busy working two jobs thanks to that fool Trask to have children. Even if they can afford them now."

 

Weasel sighs. "I can see some fool in the government trying to pass a law making people work three jobs and then whining when people with some damn brains remind them people need to be able to sleep sometime."

 

"And those with children need to see their kids sometimes." Clint snorts. "We're getting rid of drugs, gangs, teenage pregnancy, and with parents working themselves to death for the government that will bring them right back." Everybody in the room nods.

 

"I'm sure some damn fool will whine that they can see them while they're working next to them in a factory when they're not in school. Of course if they close the schools like they want they can work next to their parents all the time."

 

"I'd like to see some of those fools work sixteen hours a day five, six days a week and see how quickly they'd shut the fuck up and realize people can't do that." Weasel snorts. "Of course the fools would whine about having to work but that's the reason they go into government, so they can tell everybody else what to do." Nods from the others. "Have the precogs seen another round of deaths?"

 

"Nothing for the next several years, but they're also not seeing many births."

 

Don leans against Mac's office door when he returns from the meeting.

 

"Anything new on the illness?"

 

"No, there's still no way to tell if anybody had the damn illness and if they're immune now or if they can get sick again and again and again and this time might not make it since there's not really anything you can do but pallative care." Sheldon and Sid, who'd been up in the lab helping with paperwork since everybody working at least two jobs has meant deaths from something other than illness dying off, nod. "They're still hoping to make vaccines but. . ." Don shrugs. "We're looking at seven, eight at the most years of double class sizes since the schools were closed."

 

"For us anyway, other schools are just seeing the first double shifts of students graduating. They're looking at at least ten more years." Sid says. Don nods. "And. . .we're looking at not too many kids being born with people working two jobs." Danny nods. "Day cares are open 24 hours now with parents having to work two jobs, a lot of them have dorms where kids can sleep unless the parents got somebody who can stay with the kids in their homes. No flipping shifts for two parent families anymore."

 

"Nope." Mac sighs. "Has anybody heard rumors about some schools not reopening?"

 

"Yes, where I grew up the school didn't reopen." Adam says from the doorway. "Too much work needed to be done, the school had been trying to pass millages for years for a new school but they didn't pass. The inspectors didn't approve it and the students had to be bussed to other schools in the area and some poor kids were being bussed an hour one way."

 

"Hell." Mac sighs.

 

"Yeah. my aunt says people were complaining but since the millages had repeatedly failed it was their own damn fault for their school not being reopened. Kids had to be picked up an hour early for each shift, that gave them time to get to the school, switch to the busses going to their school, and head off. One of my cousin's kids is getting up at five in the morning, catching his first bus at six, getting on his second bus at seven, then reversing the process so they can be bussed back home." Adam shakes his head. "Here's my inventory Mac."

 

"Thank you Adam, are you off to the other lab?"

 

"Yeah, but I've got an intern I've been mentoring and it's looking like I'm going to be only covering this lab in a couple weeks."

 

"Congratulations Man." Don and Danny shake his hand. "What about you Don?"

 

"I'm still covering a shift at another precinct, but the extra money is good and it keeps Ma from nagging me about finding a lady and settling down."

 

"Yeah, if Lindsay was . . .still here I doubt we'd have Lucy, we're all working outrageous hours." Danny says, his eyes growing distant for a second.

 

Tony drops into the chair in the office he rarely uses, looking at the desk full of reports and sighs. Being a grown up sucks as some of the young Avengers would no doubt say. Sighing he grabs the first file and starts to read, tossing it into one of three bins on the floor. One is for Stark business, one is for city business, and the last is for 'quit your bitching moron' business. Unfortunately that usually has the most amount of files and other stuff in it when Tony has cleared his desk. Pepper had given him a look but after reading the files and other information she'd agreed that that was the best place for it so it could be recycled.

 

"Pepper?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Recycling facilities?"

 

"Quickly sending it on and the places that remake it are in operation 24/7 since so many places had to shut down. If we need to we can drop it into the replicator and remake it into new paper." Pepper calls from the other room. "And before you ask, yes we have five in the state, they're getting in material from the surrounding states. All factories are bundling up their scraps now and sending it on to be remade, like a good number of them were doing to begin with. The companies that were sneering at others who actually cared about the environment and not the almighty buck quickly had to change their tune when they lost a lot of their employees and couldn't replace them and were in danger of losing contracts if they didn't straighten up."

 

"Fabric?"

 

"We've got a good batch in stock, the larger factories are working together because they know they can't do it on their own anymore and a good number of smaller mills are opening for speciality orders. And yes, I've been putting in orders." Tony nods in satisfaction.

 

"Well guess what moron, we don't fucking use your damn company so your petty ass threat to shut off our power. . .doesn't mean shit to us." Pepper sneers a few hours later. "So go toddle off and grow the fuck up. If you do try shutting off power to the area you'll find yourself facing life in Gitmo." She dials a couple numbers, leaving a couple messages. Tony walks out of his lab and looks at her. "Some petty little tryrant is trying to shut down power to the island because he doesn't like how we're running the company."

 

"Goddamn fool."

 

"Yep. He's sulking because he's not getting all the profits he used to before the damn deaths and he's trying to shove his weight around."

 

"I don't suppose you want to take over a power company." the governor sighs a couple days later on the phone to Stark.

 

"Not really, no." He snorts. "Is the fool whining because he's not getting all the profits he wanted?"

 

"Yes, wwwwwwwhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy won't you make Stark give me money? Are you sure he isn't a customer? Wellllllll yeeeesssss, I don't see his company name in my customer database but. . .but. . .but. . . Idiot." the governor snorts. "He thought taking over a smaller company would make him instant profits and he's sulking because he's not seeing them. He went after you because you and Coulson are the leaders of the city. And speaking of the city. . .elections?"

 

"The city has been trying to start them again but nobody is registering to be a candidate. Everybody likes how the city is being run now and is afraid of upsetting the applecart. The smaller elected offices have had elections. . .though most of the time it's just a formality since the person doing the job now is running unopposed."

 

"Yes, that's what everybody I've talked to have said." He sighs. "Morons in the government who haven't been affected by the deaths are bitching because our governments are working better than theirs. . ."

 

"And rather than improve their governments, which isn't possible as damn bloated as some of them are they'd rather bitch about the ones working well." Tony snorts.

 

A few days later is a meeting from people from the Massachusetts and New Jersey governments in the governor's mansion, a loudly complaining Tony Stark is shoved into the meeting room by Captain America.

 

"And why the fuck do I have to attend this meeting?" He asks, looking over his shoulder at the other man.

 

"Because you're basically in charge of one of the largest cities in New York and can give them an independent viewpoint. That's why Dr. Banzai is here as well." Steve says dryly.

 

"And why isn't agent here?"

 

"He's busy going over the last remnants of AIM and getting reports of the research he parceled out to the others." Steve says patiently. "He knows better than to expect a report from you, as long as you haven't blown the building up it's all good." The others snicker despite themselves, especially when Tony pouts at him.

 

"I've heard complaints about the parades?"

 

"That they've been restarted? Fools." Tony snorts. "People have to have something they enjoy. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without the Macy's thanksgiving day parade being telecast and schools from all over the country come out to march. Once the deaths stopped announcing the parades would start up again was a no-brainer to quote one of my associates. People enjoy watching them and planning them." Nods from the others. "It would be like New Orleans without the floats during Mardi Gras." He looks at the others. "Are people still whining about the lackluster Black Friday sales?"

 

"Oh dear god yes, and while I can see their side. . .it's a good bit of money but on the other hand it's annoying the hell out of people who are working two jobs and just want to relax with their families, not stand in line for days."

 

"But it's tradition." One of the members of Massachusett's government mock-bleats, then snorts. "That's what we've told people who came bleating to us, we've got better things to do. Maybe in a few years when things are quieter, we've only got one year of students attending the same classes, universities are turning out students every year and people aren't working two jobs because there's nobody else to do it. . ." Tony and the others nod.

 

"Water and sewage treatment plants?" The governor of New Jersey asks.

 

"We've got a list of ones that desperately need to be replaced here in New York." New York's governor says. "Mr. Stark can tell you Manhattan's has only lasted this long because of all the deaths." Tony nods. "I've got a list of factories that make the materials we need for new ones and companies that will build them from Coulson." He passes them along to the others who nod. "Manhattan. . .well, there's not really a place we can build a new one thanks to being an island but we've got companies out who are going over everything and swear they can work on them while they're in operation."

 

"Yes, I recognize one of the names." Massachusett's governor says. "They had to work on some facilities in our state and they did good work, they came in on time and under budget. Not many companies can say that. . ."

 

"No, most it's let's gouge the state for every cent we can get." Nods from the others.

 

Tony slumps into a seat at the tower later that night. Coulson and Pepper just look at him. "Talking about the need to replace water and sewage treatment plants, going over the list of companies that have been vetted and factories that can make everything we need. Calling the idiots in government who haven't had to live through what we did and are bitching about how we're running everything damn fools." They nod.

 

"Have you heard from that company inspecting the plants?" Tony asks Pepper.

 

"Yes, we got the final report today." She hands it over. Tony reads it and then hands it over to Coulson. "What I'd been expecting. They can work while it's in operation and we'll be good for several decades."

 

The next couple of months pass and soon Cassie is walking for her graduation. Her parents and her Dad's coworkers are there. There will be another graduation the following day for the second session of graduates and Scott is overjoyed to hear them announce his little girl would be going to Columbia on a full four year scholarship. He knows damn good and well the money came from Tony but his girl's going to Columbia. Harvard would be even better but neither of them want her so far away after everything that's happened.

 

"Think Dr. Banzai will talk Cassie into an internship after she graduates?" Tony asks, taking off his tie when they're back at the tower after the graduation ceremony. Cassie hadn't been the only graduate getting a full scholarship from Stark, just the only one in the 'family' that wasn't officially an employee.

 

"Of course, he's still talking to Peter about coming out for a year after he finishes grad school. May told him that she's just fine on her own if he wants to go off for a year, she can talk to him nightly and Dr. Banzai knew his parents." Pepper says. "ESU is hoping he'll be a TA since they lost so many teachers and students. As it is, some classes are being broadcast from another school." Tony nods. He'd been asked to take over some robotics classes. Steve was teaching some art classes and guest lecturing about life before world war two and him becoming Captain America while Bruce was teaching some science classes.

 

Clint comes into the office and drops into a chair. He'd been off on an assignment for Coulson that he didn't trust any of the new SHIELD agents to cover with his ex as his handler. "I'm off until after the baby arrives." He says absently.

 

"Yep, you shouldn't be needed as quiet as it is." Tony says. "We have Xavier's teams, Richard's crew, SHIELD, and assorted others to call on if needed."

 

Six weeks later Natasha gets the call. "Amanda had twin boys. Nathan and Philip." Everybody grins at her and sends off congratulations. Baby pictures soon start appearing on the server. Tony smirks and everybody is waiting for a comment that are they sure they're his but he doesn't say anything.

 

"Is his oldest still on track to graduate next year?"

 

"Yes, and he already said he can afford to pay for the kids schooling."

 

"Tough, how am I supposed to be taking over the world if I'm not paying for their schooling and ensuring they work for Stark or one of the businesses I've taken over?" He makes a mad scientist cackle and everybody nods. Yep, there's the asshole Tony Stark they all know.

 

"Pepper, have we got any applications for internships yet?"

 

"No, but the deadline is next month yet. I'm expecting a deluge like the fools who wait until the fifteenth to mail out their taxes." Pepper snorts. Tony nods. "And no doubt some of their advisors are trying to keep them from coming anywhere near me. They're busy sucking on the same stupidity tit as the fools in government." The others nod.

 

"Have the community gardens been planted?"

 

"Next weekend, everybody who can is planting extra. They're predicting a lot of shortages on shelves since so many factories can't run full shifts and even if they do they don't have the raw materials thanks to all the deaths."

 

"MRE's?"

 

"Miserable things but factories are putting them out for emergency supplies. Because a lot of commercial farms had to close because of a lack of employees and the idiots out there haven't figured out yet if you don't grow food you don't eat."

 

"And farming is one of those jobs you work sunup to sundown, you can't do a shift here and then a shift there. The growing dimension?"

 

"Coming along good, we'll have the tree crops producing *some* this year but we won't be able to pick to sell until next year according to the botanists." Bruce says. "Do we have a facility to make olive oil?"

 

"Yes, I purchased one with that in mind." Pepper says.

 

"Forget Stark taking over the world, Pepper is." Bruce says quietly in an aside to Peter who snickers. Tony is nodding and Steve is desperately trying not to laugh at the smug look on Pepper's face.

 

"Oh really?" Tony smirks on the phone as he talks to Coulson. "Pepper, our 'beloved' former mayor died in prison, every time he tried getting out of there and getting his job back the courts were mean by not kissing his ass. He tried escaping and ended up getting killed when he tried grabbing a gun."

 

"Good riddance to the little fool. I'm sure the bastard constantly wailed about how the city was running a thousand times better without him manning the reins." Pepper snorts.

 

"Oh yes, the last time he was complaining about students having to go to school in shifts because the schools were tore down." Coulson says from the phone Tony just put on speaker. "He wouldn't have torn down the schools, then he whimpered he didn't know the schools were in such bad shape, he just saw kids having to go to school in shifts."

 

"Figures, he never would have lowered himself to actually inspect the schools. And what is the verdict on using the nanos on buildings other than the tower, your headquarters, the compound, the Baxter building, Xavier's mansion, and my other buildings."

 

"Yes, in limited places."

 

"Police stations." Natasha says as she walks through.

 

"Yes."

 

"Hospitals." Pepper says.

 

"Yes."

 

"Fire stations." Bruce says.

 

"Yes."

 

"Schools." Peter says as he comes into the room and hands Pepper a bundle of papers. "I got reports from everybody in my area since I was coming up."

 

"Yes." Phil says on the phone as he makes a list. "Especially since some of ours still need major work."

 

"Which the nanos will take care of during the summer." Pepper says. "Thank you Peter, that will save Darcy a trip to your area when she gets back from classes. Finals?"

 

"Next week."

 

"Thesis?"

 

"Working on it and hoping to present it next summer."

 

"Are we expanding the area again?"

 

"Yes, the governor asked me to while I was at the meeting. We're adding another hundred fifty miles in all directions."

 

"Did he ask about anything else?"

 

"Elections after that fool tried threatening to shut off the power without us being a customer. As I told him we've offered to hold elections but nobody is signing up to be a candidate since everything is running smoothly and they're afraid of upsetting the applecart. The lesser elected offices have had elections but it's mostly been a formality since most of the time they're running unopposed." In his office Coulson nods. Keep the people who know what the hell they're doing in office and everything runs smoothly. Trask had gotten rid of term limits with the idea of keeping him and his cronies in office forever, it's working in their favor now. They don't have to deal with new state governors ranting and raving about what they're doing and trying to stop them then pouting when everything goes to hell in a handbasket and they have to admit that yes, the way things had been done were the right way after all.

 

"Robots?"

 

"we've been working 24/7 and have a third shifts in a dozen more necessary factories. I hope to have them all running third shifts by the end of the year. Much to the dismay of some people in the government who just want people to work a double shift, won't that handle it?" Tony says the last few words in a snide tone.

 

"Changing the subject, the air cleaner?"

 

"Working well in England, people are breathing fresh air for the first time in decades. Which helps with growing food. Reed and I plan on going out in a couple of weeks to help deal with the recycling that's stacking up since they don't have the factories to turn it into usable materials and help put up some large scale hydroponics units. Even with the deaths, they don't have the arable land to grow all their food needs. Scotland is slightly better off since they have more open tracts of land that are being used for farms or livestock. Ireland. . .Ireland is adjusting. At least one good thing that came from all this shit, the damn political infighting is over and done."

 

"Same with Israel and Palestine." Pepper says quietly. Tony nods. "Too bad it didn't do a damn thing for the political infighting here."

 

"Did you get the report on the treatment plants?"

 

"Yes, the parts are being ordered and they'll start working on them in two months. It should take them a year to eighteen months to rebuild them."

 

"Okay, do we have robots that could take over growing food?" Pepper asks after the call has ended and everybody else had headed off.

 

"Yes, it was in the information that agent and I received. If we have to we can use them in commercial farms. But I'd rather not have to go that route right now."

 

"Yes, let other areas sink or swim on their own as they would have done to us."

 

 

Chapter 15 by josette grover

 

Darcy drops onto the couch in her apartment at Stark Tower after her last final. Why the hell had she let Stark talk her into going for another degree? Oh yeah, he'd let Pepper talk her into it. She'd had a list of all the positions that needed to be filled thanks to that damn disease.

 

"Are you done?" Jane asks from the doorway.

 

"Until this fall." Darcy sighs. "I heard from Professor Xavier, Wanda and Pietro passed all their tests and are 'officially' graduates of his institute. They're hoping to get into a community college this fall."

 

"I don't see why not, even before that jackass and his disease students were able to get into community colleges easier than universities. Do they know what they want to go for?"

 

"No, that's why they're looking at community colleges and talking with their advisors."

 

"Stark, do you know anything about the influx of 'retired' supervillains who are turning their powers to good?" Coulson asks a couple weeks later.

 

"Yes, Reed and I talked to them. After seeing what that asswipe Trask did they decided robbing banks and whatnot was a waste of their powers. I know a few of them are working on the roads since we the NY department of transportation can't handle all the potholes. They've got a lot of business, crews are heading out all over to help states who don't have the money to fix everything. Another crew is busy cleaning government buildings. . .and doing a damn good job. The subways haven't been this clean in years. The police are complaining but the government cleaned up their records and they've got guaranteed jobs for decades. Both government work and private sector."

 

"Good, some of the younger . . .villains just needed some guidance."

 

"Yep, Xavier's got a bad case of 'if your powers can't help me, you're not welcome at the school' and a lot of lesser mutants are left out in the cold. Now we've got more groups taking in younger mutants and helping them. I heard a lot of schools are complaining but they were told to shove it up their useless asses. Not all mutants have fantastic powers, some just look different. They went whining to the supreme court and were told to grow the hell up. People don't have time for their bigotry and hatred after everything that happened. . .if you accept government money you have to take in everybody. The schools that didn't quickly went bankrupt. People have started learning bigotry isn't welcome anymore, not after dumbass Trask and his disease. He didn't care if they were mutant, super-human, normal humans, or aliens, if they didn't kiss his ass, they were his enemies and had to be taken out of the equation."

 

"What happened to Trask's wife? Last I heard she was trying to get him declared a martyr, a national treasure, a saint, and everything in between until people with some brains realized what a miserable bastard he was." Pepper asks after the call ends.

 

"She ran off wailing that she was going to kill herself because she couldn't live without her husband but went off sulking when nobody begged her to reconsider and said they'd do everything she wanted. She's living in a three floor walkup studio apartment somewhere and having to work to pay her bills. Same with our 'beloved' former mayor's wife. Who wailed like a hyena when everything she brought on the city's dime was taken away from her. The city attorney was really interested in charging her but being a greedy bitch isn't a crime. . .otherwise every prison would be full of gold diggers." Tony snorts. Pepper snickers, those type gravitate to Tony at the few formal events he's been dragged to since the disease. People have more important things to do now and the charity dinners that are held aren't fancy dress anymore. Work instead of asskissing is actually done at those dinners and everybody agrees they're never going back to the old ones, despite the wails of the people who wanted to attend to show they were somebody and can't now.

 

"Stark, some fool is trying to take over the capital of New Mexico." Phil says a couple days later.

 

"Why? New Mexico doesn't have any big industry or anything they'd want to control."

 

"Because some asshat is trying to declare it his personal fiefdom, Anything you can do he can do sooooo much better, because he won't have to deal with mutants, superheroes, or military other than his own. He's hired a lot of mercenaries who are at loose ends with their leaders dead to other groups or the damn disease. Oh yeah. . .and schools are going to be closed and stay closed. Because he says so."

 

"Oh dear god." Tony sighs. "This isn't going to go well."

 

"No, no it's not. He's not got a cohesive unit, they're already infighting. Fool's going to end up dead or in prison for the rest of his life." Coulson sighs. A tap on his door is Skye walking in. "Yes, the military is already routing them and he's wailing 'but Stark got away with it'."

 

"Tony Stark is working with SHIELD and didn't just wake up one day and decide to take over the world." A judge snorts as he listens to the whining of the fool who thought he'd been all that. "Tony Stark is making life better for his employees and the people of New York, not just trying to make himself big man on campus. Children need an education, no good parent. . ." the judge sneers at him. "Would want their children working sixteen hours a day in the same job they do."

 

"But if they work sixteen hours they'd be able to cover all three shifts without having to have Stark bring out robots. .. look, I made up a schedule. . . we can still have the factories running 24/7 with the employees we already have."

 

"And everybody would be getting 24 hours of overtime in a week."

 

"But do we have to give them overtime? They should be glad to work as many hours as we say they should work." he whines.

 

"Yes moron, every damn union and special interest group would be up in arms. . .especially at the thought of children having to work sixteen hour days." He's harangued for several more hours by his own lawyer who's calling him a fucking fool and to enjoy staring at the same four walls for the rest of his life if the government doesn't just shoot him. At least one thing. . .nobody's sitting for decades on death row anymore.

 

"What the hell did he think would happen when he took over New Mexico? There was no way in hell he'd be able to keep it." Peter snorts as Clint talks to his wife on the phone. He'd come back to New York when he heard the news.

 

"He expected the 'right' people to come flocking to his side to tell the local, state, and federal governments to kiss his ass." Sam snorts. Tony nods. "He just saw me working with agent when we took over Manhattan, he didn't see all the hard work that went into getting things working well for the first time in decades." Everybody nods. "Let alone all the work we still have to do."

 

"Have you started the nanos?"

 

"Yes, we started with the schools since they will have the rest of the summer to do the work. Hospitals are nearly done, the police and fire stations are next. Any other buildings will be as a as needed status."

 

"Have you been getting any flack with having a greenhouse just for spices?"

 

"No, not with so many cooks clamoring for everything we can grow." Pepper snorts. "Some whiners bitch about not just using what's on the shelf but a lot of spice shelves in the stores have empty spots thanks to commercial farms having to close. People are going to be getting hungry this fall because of food shortages."

 

"Yes, the president's not happy but letting them sink or swim on their own. But you know the saying, 'you can tell somebody something a million times but until they live through it themselves they'll still swear you don't know what you're talking about'. That's why so many MRE's are being made up ahead of time, the government will have to start sending them off when food stores start running low. Though the assholes who decided not to reopen the farms can starve to death for all I care but innocents need food." Nods from the others.

 

"Tony, it's the president. Line one." He picks it up once he's in his office with the door shut. "Yes, Mr. President?" He listens for a few minutes. "Yes I do Mr. President, I've never used them personally but I got the information from reputable sources. We never used them because the commercial farms we control have enough employees. . .but the other farms will need them if we can't get people to come back to work at them."

 

"More people would complain about you taking over the world." Pepper snorts as she comes in with reports that she dumps on Tony's desk after he ends the call. "Arizona and New Mexico's governors have called, they're interested in growing areas like we have outside Vegas. They've talked to growers in the areas and they wouldn't be able to do it." Tony nods and starts pulling out the information on the growing areas, faxing it to the governor's mansions in Arizona and New Mexico. They look over it for a couple weeks and talk with their advisors before okaying it. Tony flies out to those states in early September to look over areas that are both large enough for the growing areas yet within easy distance of a large city. . .or two so employees can commute easily before he starts bringing out crews to start building the operations, including a crew of 'reformed' villains who cut the time for the exteriors to go up nearly in half. A mutant who has a 'green thumb' is hired to be the head of one of the Arizona locations.

 

The first meeting before schools reopen sees Don bringing in a guest. . .Mac Taylor. Who looks at Steve and Bucky and roundly slaps them both upside the head. "You're annoying assholes gentlemen. My grandfather was James McDonald Taylor." They both blink then laugh. "He told me and I quote 'I know those two troublemakers will show up one day, smack them upside the head and call them annoying assholes if you ever get the chance'."

 

"Do we wanna know?" Tony asks.

 

"A howling commando who was ducking his girlfriend. We hogtied him and left him for her as a present before that final mission." Steve chuckles. "Did she marry him?"

 

"Yes, he and my grandmother were together nearly seventy years before he died of cancer. He raised all us kids on stories about the howling commandoes. I know I didn't hear all of them, Grandma nearly died laughing when he refused to tell us some of them. Something about never betting on a sure thing and 'damn, that was fucking cold?'" Bucky is busy sniggering while Steve sighs.

 

"Your grandmother and Peggy were two very strong women, they were worth any man during the war." Steve shakes his head. "Did your family follow him in the military?"

 

"Yes, My uncle lost his legs in Vietnam but he's become better for it. Another cousin was in the space program. I was a marine, retired and now I run the felony crime lab here in Manhattan. Don is one of the detectives that we work with on cases. Oh Mr. Wilson," He looks over at Sam. "I work with Sheldon Hawkes and he said that the study sessions will be on Tuesdays this fall. He wasn't able to get in the day class, he's got to take the night one. The official announcement is going out next week to the list." Sam grins and nods.

 

"Sam?"

 

"I'm going back to school to get my doctorate, Sheldon is attending classes and he set up study sessions for those of us who are adult students going back for higher education. We take over a study room at the library. We usually have a couple dozen people in the group and we're all going for different degrees. Not all of us attend every session, some of us have families but. . ." he shrugs. "Scott shows up every couple weeks since he's going for his doctorate in electrical engineering."

 

"Ohhhh really." Tony purrs. Pepper snorts. "Pepper?

 

"Yes, we're paying for it. He's getting in two classes a semester and will be a semester in this fall." She flaps a hand in irritation at him and everybody sniggers. That's a 'pay attention to what's going on here once in a while' hand flap. He wraps an arm around her and she swats him amiably.

 

"How are the gardens coming in?" Pepper asks Peter when she walks out of the meeting.

 

"Good, we're picking and canning food every day for the winter as well as eating it fresh. We're already seeing empty spots on shelves and it's just going to be worse come winter." Peppers sighs but nods. "And we're a lot better off than the other areas because we if we don't farm it ourselves we might not be able to get it. And we have the growing dimension."

 

"Yes, thank goodness for that."

 

"Has there been any news about cooking and growing classes?"

 

"Yes, as kids age out of foster care and find their own apartments they get some cooking classes and there's always classes on growing food at various places. Either planting a full garden or just having a few plants in pots in your home." Sam says as he walks past Pepper's desk. "I'm off to sign up for my classes this semester and get my books, I'll be back in a couple hours."

 

Peter nods. "My aunt and Frank's wife have been taking some of the classes since we have the gardens."

 

"Your classes?"

 

"I signed up for them and got my books and supplies yesterday. My schedule's in the inbox." Pepper looks through the box and nods when she finds it.

 

"How is your home?" Tony asks Stephen Strange in the meeting room after Steve and Bucky have walked off with Mac.

 

"Thank you for using the nanos on the building, it is cleaner than it has been in years. The sepic unit is working well and Wong is in raptures for being able to grow herbs that normally aren't grown anywhere outside Tibet. And even then in small magical enclaves. Though with the ability to grow fresh fruit and vegetables he keeps nagging me about my diet." The others chuckle despite themselves.

 

Peter brings out cases of canned food from the back of the car and put them in the overflow house. His aunt shakes her head but nods that they might not be able to get it later as people are already complaining about empty spots on shelves. The people who have some brains are saying 'welll yeah, the damn commercial farms were closed because we couldn't keep enough employees there to do the work. . .you fucking morons kept bleating they should be working in the factories instead' when people in congress had complained. They'd tried ordering people to start working at the commercial farms as well as their other jobs but were told it was too late in the year to start crops before they froze. And that working the fields was an all day job, not just an eight hour shift. The fools had gone off whining that they didn't know that not having the commercial farms operating meant there'd be less food and had been called goddamn fools by everybody with two brain cells to rub together.

 

More than one person had snorted that that was why they'd gone into politics, because they were too damn stupid to hold down a normal job. They'd started complaining about being insulted and been told to go stand in the damn corner while the adults talked. They'd complained louder and been jeered at until they slunked off. They'd been so damn sure factories were more important than farms, how could they have been wrong?

 

Fucking fools had been the nicest thing said about many of them.

 

Phil sighs as Tony smirks at the wailing on the news. "Morons, they know they're going to need food, where did you think it comes from if not from farms."

 

"They'll learn. Or they'll be voted out of office and have to work for a living." Pepper chuckles. "Have you heard any complaints about people learning to cook or grow food?"

 

"Mot here, I heard rumors of complaints in other areas but people with some damn sense told them if they don't know how to cook they'll be living on takeout the rest of their lives. And while that's okay in your teens or twenties it's not something want to do in your fifties and a parent." Phil snorts. Tony rolls his eyes but nods.

 

"Has anybody heard anything about congress trying to restart the space program with the thought of colonizing other planets?" Sam asks.

 

"Yes, but it's sheer stupidity. They're just trying to make names for themselves." Peter snorts. The others look at him. "One, there's no need for colonies. . .the damn disease took care of overcrowding, the lowered birth rate thanks to people working two jobs means no baby boom like the last time the world's population was this low." Nods from the others. "Two, there's whole countries sitting empty." Nods again. "And three, what's to say that damn disease wouldn't follow a colony to another planet?" Everybody moans at that thought.

 

"True, we don't know if it's run it's course, just lying dormant, or can periodically reoccur." Leo Fitz says quietly. This is the first time he'd been invited to one of these meetings. He's being quiet around these legends, he'd grew up on stories of Captain America and to actually meet him. . . Bucky smirks and claps him on the shoulder with his human hand. "He's still a human being kid, he puts on his spangly tights one leg at a time." Steve gives him a 'look' as the others laugh.

 

"Tony?" Pepper asks a couple days later when she finds him sitting in his office, staring at the wall.

 

"I just got a message from the Wakandan embassy in DC wanting to talk about renegotiating that agreement we used to have. It was years ago. . ." he says at Pepper's look. "My dad pissed off their king and the agreement to talk science stuff fell by the wayside. The old king died and there's a new man on the throne. With all the nonsense that has been happening they want to talk. . .to see if there's anything they need and to see if there's any information on that damn disease. Thanks to their high-tech lifestyle and their seclusion, they didn't lose many people."

 

"And the new king?"

 

"Youngish, in his twenties. His father was killed by one of their enemies who were trying to take over the country. He's got a younger sister who's a genius, she reminds me a lot of me back in my younger days but without the weapon industry." He sighs. "The embassy is passing along the official paperwork in a couple days."

 

 

 

 

 

"You are nothing like the tabloids claimed. . .or like your father." T'Challa says slowly.

 

"I hope I've grown out of the tabloid claims." Tony chuckles. "and my father was a thoroughbred champion of horses asses. I never want to be anything like him. That's why I keep Pepper and the others around, they'll tell me if my behavior is going from normal Tony Stark asshole to Howard Stark asshole." Everybody in earshot nod vigorously.

 

"My father loathed Howard."

 

"Everybody loathed Howard. . .including himself. He died a miserable old man having pushed aside everybody who ever loved him. . .including my mother." He looks at the former Queen who nods in agreement that she's known people like that herself. Darcy is talking history with one of their guards in the Dora Milaje, she'd seen one of her history books and they were talking about events from the Wakandan side of history.

 

"I cannot believe that fool believed his pet scientists would be able to control the diseases." Shuri complains as she looks through everything.

 

"You said it yourself Princess Shuri, he was a fool. He hated everybody that didn't vote for him and wanted to punish them for not kissing his ass. This. . ." the list of estimated deaths by country is waved at. . . "was the result. If it wasn't the disease itself, it was the fall of communism causing countries to collapse."

 

"Which is what he was trying to do with your country."

 

"Yep." Tony sighs. "the little fool had already overthrew term limits and I have no doubt he would have appointed himself president for life by banning elections."

 

"I have heard. . ." the former queen starts to say.

 

"That we're not allowing elections in New York? Not true, we've offered to hold elections multiple times but nobody is signing up as a candidate because things are running smoothly and. . ."

 

"nobody wants to be the one to blame for making things worse." she chuckles.

 

"Yes. There's still been elections for smaller government positions in the city and for the most part they've been running unopposed because they're handling things well. I've learned that if you keep people who know what they're actually doing in the job, it makes things run a lot smoother." The three visitors nod in agreement. The talk quickly moves to what they'd contacted him about and plans soon flow across the tables.

 

"Anything interesting?" Bruce asks a couple days later after the party has returned to Wakanda.

 

"Their treatment plants are on a par with ours but smaller, they really liked the plans for hydroponics, this way they can grow fresh fruit and vegetables over the winter beyond the greenhouses they use now. Mostly it was a 'okay, he's not a big an asshole as his father' meet and greet. Not in Wakanda, but they talked about putting up a couple fields of solar panels for electricity and a fish farm. Both for food and to help replenish local rivers."

 

"Has there been any news on the rest of Africa?" Bruce asks.

 

"The smaller communities. . .are gone. Either this disease or the other illnesses that ravaged the areas. Government and privately run orphanages are full of kids, there's no street kids anymore. As in the US unemployment doesn't exist anymore. The charities that routinely raised money for food are now helping with money for places like reservation schools and the charities that came in and gave free medical care."

 

"Yes, I've talked to some of the volunteers I worked with over the years and they say similar things. They now work in smaller doctor offices and hospitals in the big cities that's pretty much all there is now. The land is laying fallow for a couple years until experts can start farming them responsbly. No large corporations trying to make enormous profits destroying the land."

 

"That's what the Wakandans said. Most of the governments have learned they have to let the ground recover." Tony sighs. Reed Richards comes out of the elevator and they head off. Clint looks at Pepper. "They're off to clear out some buildings that need to be torn down before they fall down in various countries that don't have the resources anymore. They've managed to save everything they could and the recyclables will be turned into raw materials for them. They're also going to be picking the tree crops in the other dimension and any crops that would otherwise just go to waste since nobody's there anymore." The others nod. "Including a lot of olives that are going to be heading to that facility to make olive oil."

 

"Wine grapes?"

 

"Quietly taken over by other growers in the area. They're keeping them as heritage lines instead of taking them over fully." the others nod in satisfaction. "Any remaining kids got folded into the families so they can take back over when they grow up. They're not really competition, the labels have been working together for years to help each other out."

 

"So do the farmers in my area, with the deaths everybody works together to get crops in for all the farms." Clint says. "A lot of the other areas are having to do the same since we can't hire enough skilled people to help out. School kids can handle harvesting the gardens and some of the tree crops, but not the big machinery used in the fields." The others nod, they've all seen kids harvesting the community gardens and filling bags that they deliver to homes and apartments in the area.

 

Reed and Tony return six months later for them, bringing out bushels and boxes of food that go into the stasis rooms.

 

"Olives?" Pepper asks after he's showered and got something to eat.

 

"Delivered to the people who will be pressing them for oil, to the factories that will put them in brine for eating, and more is still growing on the trees to ripen for black olives. We only harvested empty countries or what would have gone to waste since nobody lives in the area anymore." Pepper nods as she looks at the list of what had been brought out. . .including coffee, cacao, and tea leaves. "What we could have done on the ground we did. The coffee beans will need to be roasted but that won't be too hard, just roast them in a pan like you do spices. And yes, we dropped of tons of coffee beans, cacao, and tea leaves to the manufacturers." She nods in satisfaction.

 

Peter brings in bags of food and May looks at him. "Food that Tony and Dr. Richards harvested in lost areas that would otherwise have gone to waste. I only took what we don't grow ourselves." May nods as she starts unloading the bags and nods in satisfaction. "The coffee beans and nuts we have to roast ourselves."

 

"That's not that hard." She nods in satisfaction at the bags of dried tea leaves, while she doesn't drink it often it's nice to sit down and enjoy a nice steaming cup as she looks outside when Peter is off taking classes or working in his darkroom in the other house. With stasis nothing goes to waste and she nods in approval as everything is put away. Peter looks at the time and starts setting the table, going into his study after dinner to work on his thesis since he's ahead in everything else for his classes.

 

The 'we gotta eat these?' complaints start showing up after Christmas when most grocery stores are more empty shelves than anything else. In fact some smaller ones have shut down since they can't get in any new stock. The complaints are met with 'quit your bitching, it won't kill you' looks and people start settling in for a long winter. There's talk of suing the owners of the commercial farms because they didn't produce and are told to grow the fuck up, if you don't have workers you can't farm hundreds of acres. The morons who wanted everybody working in factories instead of farming wail as they can't get the food they want. . .shouldn't only poor people have been affected? Effing morons is the kindest thing said about them. They try to put the commercial farms under government control and are sent off with a foot up their ass and told to grow the fuck up. . .again.

 

"Did we see a lot of deaths over the winter thanks to the shortages?" Tony asks in early spring when he and Reed are called to a meeting in the white house.

 

"Not as many as they were predicting but still too damn many." the president murmurs. "The fools who wanted everybody working in factories are whining that they didn't know if the commercial farms didn't have employees they wouldn't be able to grow crops."

 

Bullshit is softly coughed in the other room. Everybody chuckles. "Wellllll, so they say anyway. We're looking at a good half of the commercial farms needing the robots, either their employees died during the winter or they didn't want to come back to long hard hours working in the fields."

 

"Or more likely the owners of the factories didn't want to let them go. I've heard rumors of 'employment contracts' that are little more than signing your life over to them." Tony snorts. The president sighs but nods. "True. Now. . .third shifts?"

 

"The first batch of 'important' factories all have the robots, I've got a lot of thanks from the owners, the thanks by far outnumber the complaints. The threats to 'deal' with the robots have gotten their utterers arrested and they're bleating it's not fair that they're in trouble. Since adding the robots was at the request of the government, they're being charged in federal court."

 

"I'd wondered where some of the loudest complainers had gotten to." Brandon mutters. "Do we have a list?" Tony hands it over and Brandon shakes his head. "I see I need to start yelling at some morons. And talk to their governors about special elections to get them out of office. The citizens don't need morons like this in power. Now, plans for the commercial farms?" Tony brings out the plans and they start talking.

 

"Do we have enough robots?"

 

"Yes, once I knew they'd be needed I started having my factories working on them. They can start to be delivered to the farms on the list in a month, just in time to start spreading manure on the fields and garden plots. They already have plans on growing more crops once they get in the supplies and see how the robots fare."

 

"Thank your Mr. Stark. And I'm sure most of the people who went hungry this winter because MRE's may give you all the nutrition you need but do not fill your stomach will be thanking you as well when they see shelves filling again."

 

"And the complainers can kiss my ass." Tony snorts. "They have to have something to complain about and their whiny attempts to get the world to run the way they want is fodder for the tabloids. They're getting the publicity they wanted, but it's not good publicity."

 

"Serves the fools right, the world is going to hell thanks to Trask's damn disease and they're bleating about how things are being handled. If we hadn't lost entire countries and over five billion people on Earth we'd have the damn people we needed to run everything." Brandon snorts.

 

"And we're much better off than some smaller countries. In England people are working shifts in the gardens and working shifts in the factories to try to keep everything running."

 

"Ahhh yes, another complaint from the whiners in congress, we're not exporting stuff to the other countries to make them millions of dollars."

 

Reed makes a rude sound this time and everybody looks at him. Tony is usually the one making that noise. "Factories are barely making enough for us, let alone to send to other countries. Who don't have the money to import stuff. And the stuff that's in stasis from China isn't stuff any of us need. Now if things were better it would be stuff that consumers wanted but with all the troubles people are tightening their belts and not buying that stuff."

 

"Much to the dismay of the people who wanted black friday sales back, that is the sort of stuff they'd be lining up for days in advance." Tony snorts and brings out the files, handing it over to the President. He looks it over and agrees with the other two men.

 

Tony moans at the full desk when he arrives back at the tower, being a grown up sucks. Pepper and Clint snicker at his complaining. This is the Tony Stark they know, not this ultra-serious one who's got the weight of New York and by extension the rest of the world on his shoulders.

 

"Darcy and Peter already pre-sorted, business stuff is on the left, city stuff is in the middle, complaints are on the right, and early applications for internships are on the table sorted by school and then speciality. I've already got a list started of who would work best here or Malibu."

 

"Thank you Pepper."

 

Tony spends the rest of the day clearing off his desk then looking through the applications, Pepper sending out responses saying yes or no, if yes where they'll be stationed and if no, what they can work on and then sign up for a spot again. Or they're pointed to other places where they can do internships, many of which Tony now owns thanks to AIM's loss. The only difference between an internship there and at Stark itself is housing.

 

Clint smiles as his oldest son accepts a diploma from Xavier's school. It had been a few hard years, a lot of people in the area they live in had been lost to the disease and the school closing had hit everybody hard. Some of his former classmates were four years behind where they should have been but they weren't alone in that which made it somewhat better. Otherwise they'd have likely just gotten their GEDS.

 

"Mr. Stark, what are Wanda and Pietro going?"

 

"They're both taking classes at a community college in Manhattan. Pietro is working at a messenger service while Wanda is working with a local designer with a thought of getting a fashion degree."

 

Professor Xavier blinks. "Yes, I wouldn't have thought of it either but she was helping out with a clothing drive by sorting out some of the donations that weren't any good and got to talking with a local designer. Clothing will be something we'll always need." He nods.

 

Peter sighs as he slumps into a seat at the tower a few days later.

 

"Last final?"

 

"Yes, and I have an appointment this summer to present my thesis." Pepper and Tony nod in satisfaction. "Are you going out for a year to the Institute?"

 

"Yes, Aunt May bluntly told me to go and enjoy myself, I'm too young to have the weight of the world on my shoulders. She's got Frank's family across the street and she feels better now than she ever did. I won't have any trouble with my job here. . ." Pepper and Tony snort. "And it's going to be at least a year if I go on for my doctorate." Tony makes a pained sound and reaches for where a wallet would be, the others snickering.

 

"How are the commercial farms coming?" Phil asks as he walks out of the elevator with Reed Richards.

 

"Good. Everything has been planted and now it's just a matter of wait until the crops start coming up."

 

"Have you heard anything from Wakanda?"

 

"Yes, they are starting construction on a number of hydroponics buildings and I'll be going to the country to talk over their plans when we build a fish farm in a nearby area that's uninhabited now."

 

"Okay, the solar panels?"

 

"Are going to be powering the fish farm. Totally green."

 

"Have you thought about the power source the others told us about?" Reed looks at first Phil then Tony.

 

"Yes, and if we do need to bring it out it will go out there where they can protect it for us." Phil nods. "Alternate power source that can power an entire planet, it's used with boxes that can bring the power to buildings without the need of lines. . .the power grid is slowly failing and we don't have the time, money. and physical or human resources to rebuild it." Reed sighs but nods. There'd been recurring outages outside of the area where their alternate power is used and the power companies had been hard pressed to keep repairing the lines. "Of course if we do that, congress will howl about us trying to take over the world again and every power company will be up in arms about us putting them out of business. Ignoring the fact that if they can't supply power to their customers, they won't be staying in business."

 

"That's the problem with a free market, but the alternative isn't any better. We could have a country that controlled the electrical, phone, television, radio, and all other services. Though the reason I asked is because the President called and said that a lot of those companies are having a lot of problems keeping the power going, the machinery is old and the power grid is even older. He's expecting a massive outage one day and so are the precogs I was able to contact."

 

"Hell." He pulls Richards and Coulson into his private lab and puts up all the protections to keep anybody from listening in and opens the file, showing Reed all the information. "This. . .is a relief. I'd wondered how we'd be able to supply electricity to the rest of the country if it was needed. The other countries have their own grids." He says at Coulson's look. "I doubt they'd take power from us unless they had no other choice."

 

"Yes, some countries would be whining about trying to take over their countries." Tony snorts as he closes that file, puts back under tons of security and opens the door of his lab. Once they're gone he leans against a wall and quietly swears for ten minutes. Just when he thinks things are getting back to normal something like this pops up. But the power grid is old and was never meant to handle the loads it was under before the deaths started.

 

Two weeks later Tony walks quietly into the throne room, nodding at King T'Challa. "Good morning your majesty, I have the plans for the fish farm and solar panels for you and your experts to look over."

 

"Solar panels?" A man demands in the group.

 

"For the fish farm so it's totally green."

 

"I. . .did not think a colonizer would care about such a matter." He says slowly. "Or a Stark." He sneers. A noise from the throne has him looking over and ducking his head. "I apologize Mr. Stark, some of my advisors are rather. . .set in their ways."

 

"That's human nature, your majesty. You should hear all the complaints about me in my own country from members of congress because they think that all the work I'm doing to help the city and state of New York is a cover to take over the country and then the world."

 

"Yes, reopening schools so children have an education, making the streets safe to walk at night, having all city services have the money they need, and growing food so your citizens have food since so many commercial farms closed is taking over the world." Princess Shuri snorts. "Idiots." Her mother looks like she wants to chide her, but she agrees with her.

 

"Ahhhhh, but you're forgetting the fact that supposedly my buying supplies for the businesses is what led to empty spots on store shelves. . .the fact that I'm taking over factories by installing robots to take over the third shifts in places that make essential supplies instead of just making people work sixteen hour shifts, and I'm using robots to reopen all those commercial farms that closed because they lost most of their employees to factories so people actually find food on grocery shelves." Tony smirks. T'Challa rolls his eyes this time. "To quote my sister and people with sense. . .Idiots." He walks over to look over the plans Tony brings out, his experts nodding at every point Tony brings up.

 

"May I talk with you, your mother, and sister without the others? Please, you can keep guards at every door if you wish but. . .I need to talk to you about bringing out a power source in the empty areas that I hope your country could both use and protect."

 

"We have many mystics in Wakanda who have talked to the great spirits, you are talking about the boxes?" Rowanda asks after her son has sent off the others.

 

"Yes, Phil passed along a message from the US president that they are expecting the US power grid to collapse in a few years since it is old and never expected to have as much use as it had before the disease. Unfortunately the US doesn't have the time, money, and physical and human resources to rebuild it."

 

"And the US is better off than some other countries. Whose own power grids have already failed."

 

"Yes, I'd open it to other countries but I expect complaining and 'oh my word, he's trying to take over the world with this device'. The former communist countries would not have allowed the boxes to be used in their countries, it meant that communism had failed. The boxes will be under a number of shell corporations because otherwise the idiots in congress would be howling at me taking over the world. . .again."

 

Shuri snickers. "Because they wish that they could."

 

"Of course, that's why they went into politics in the first place."

 

"Have you heard anything about the disease?"

 

"No, the government doctors are no closer to finding a cure for the damn thing than they were when that fool Trask shut down the NIH and CDC in the first place. His pet mad scientists swore that they could control it but they admitted they just told him whatever he wanted to hear." T'Challa nods. "The precogs are expecting more deaths, probably around the time the US power grid goes down and can't be brought back."

 

"That would sound about right." T'Challa sighs as his mother and sister nod.

 

Tony slumps into a seat two weeks later. "Bad meeting with King T'Challa?" Pepper asks.

 

"No, I got wrangled into meetings with other government officials on the trip to and back from Wakanda. At least one government official in each country was positive I'm out to do something nefarious, when they find out I'm just out there to plan a fish farm to help restock rivers they're aaaaallllll 'oh, they didn't tell me *that*'. Seems most of the rumors can be laid at the feet of those fools in congress who are sure I'm trying to take over the world. The president was not happy and is tearing strips off of them in front of both houses of congress, they're being told to go stand in that corner until they finally realize they're too fucking stupid to live."

 

"That won't happen." Sam snorts as he walks through and checks his mail. "Those type of personality will never admit all the problems they cause are because they're fools. No, it has to be somebody else's fault."

 

"Exactly, though on the other hand I did get a number of requests for plans for hydroponics facilities from every government in Africa. It will be decades before the land is recovered enough for large-scale farming." Nods from the others as Tony pushes himself up and goes into his apartment to change his clothes. After a large meal he starts sorting through everything on his desk, amusing himself by landing crumpled up letters of complaint in the tote he put across the room.

 

"Did you have any problems with Wakanda and the power system?" Phil asks as he enters the office, slapping a ball of paper back towards Stark. He won't admit it but he has his own container for idiot proposals that is filled weekly though he isn't so crass as to play games with them. At least where anybody can see him.

 

"No, their mystics have seen the boxes and agree that they can put up sensors to protect it. Any other place and people would be trying to take it over or destroy it." Coulson nods. "Is the president done yelling at the morons who were trying to insist I was taking over African governments on my trip?"

 

"No, once he got done calling them on the carpet in public in front of everybody he called them into the oval office and really laid it on the line. One more word against any of us who are actually working at keeping the US from collapsing in on itself and they'll be facing treason charges and life in Gitmo. There was a difference between quiet bitching because they see you actually doing something to help people and they don't want to and actually going out of their way to contact foreign governments and telling a load of bull to make trouble for you. He was not happy with them and bluntly told them one more step out of line and he'd fire them, they serve at the government's pleasure and he wasn't too damn pleased with them. And that he'd be talking to their governors about a special election to replace them if they couldn't be grownups. That fool Anderson went absolutely white, he had no idea that his complaints, digs, and little 'tales' would actually get him in trouble."

 

"They don't remember what happened to that fool Stockhaven when he kept trying to make trouble for me?"

 

"Ohhhhh, that was different. He was a fool. . .they're sure you're trying to take over the world. The third shift robots was the first step. . .why can't we just make people work sixteen hours a day. . .who cares if they've got families. . .they need to do what we want." Coulson snorts. "Damn group of whiny fools. They want to blame somebody else, anybody else for all the problems rather than man up and put the blame where it belongs. . .their beloved Trask and his damn disease."

 

"I'm surprised the fools haven't tried saying I was really behind the disease and just let their dear friend take the fall."

 

"Don't give them any ideas." Coulson snorts. "I'm sure the damn fools would try it if they could. They absolutely hate the idea you've got the shields up and they can't order them removed, if they could they'd have the army coming in to take over but that would get them arrested since everything we're doing is legal. They're sulking because it was their 'dear' friend who passed the laws but they never expected us to be able to use them, they were passed for them."

Chapter 16 by josette grover

 

Frank looks at the garden full of plants just beginning to bud out one day after work. If you had told him a decade ago he'd be living on a street with only one other family, growing most of his own food, and semi-retired from flying around the world with his team he'd have looked at you like you were stupid. Not that his wife is complaining, she's got him home every night and not putting his life on the line anymore.

 

The crew is still officially employed by the NIH but on 'detached' duty, Stephen and the other doctors working at various hospitals, Eva was working with the media, and he was working at Stark. They were also the 'NIH lead crew' in the area, one of many that don't work out of the DC. Though there's talk of buying one of the empty buildings in Manhattan for a branch office. But he doesn't see it happening, the labs at Stark and the Baxter building are much better than the NIH could provide them.

 

"Frank?" Two arms wrap around him. He'd been outside longer than she had expected.

 

"Hey babe, just thinking about how things have changed in the last ten years. That bastard Trask's disease changed so many things but we're alive, still together, the kids were able to keep their classes up while the schools were closed, we might have to grow our own food but we've got food." His wife nods against his back, he can feel it.

 

"You're not rushing off nearly dying thanks to some disease during a NIH call." His wife shudders. Any of them could easily have died at home thanks to that damn disease. So many of the people that she knew back outside DC had lost at least one family member, either close or extended. And whole families had been wiped out in some cases. Of the 247 students in her older daughter's year at school, over two hundred of them had lost at least one family member to the disease. Many had lost siblings, some had lost at least one parent. Her younger daughter's yearmates had been hit even harder, of the five hundred students in all the schools in the area, there were only two hundred left. And they'd lost their entire families.

 

Frank and his wife walk in, the girls looking up from either the extra work they'd been doing to keep up where they should be in their classes or working on stuff that will get them in a good school and a good job after they graduate or from where they'd been watching the baby's determined attempt to pull himself to his feet. His youngest daughter grabs the baby before he can fall and grins up at their mother.

 

"He's going to be walking before long."

 

"Forget walking, he's going to go right to running." Frank chuckles. "You two did."

 

"Dad, shipments of canning supplies?"

 

"Supposed to be delivered next weekend." a voice from the doorway says. Peter taps on the door and is waved in. "I got the heads-up just before I left Stark."

 

"Another whoops in the lab?" Frank chuckles.

 

"No, going over paperwork with Stark and the Banzai Institute so Aunt May will still have my pay coming in."

 

"We'll keep an eye on her for you Peter." Frank's wife says.

 

"Thank you, I know she's feeling better than she has in years but I still worry. It's only been her and me for so long." Peter sighs. "I know I had to grow up way too early when Uncle Ben was killed." Frank pats his shoulder as his wife hugs the boy. Both of them are thinking of their girls having to live through something like that.

 

"Peter?" May asks when he walks into the house with bags. She'd seen his car stopping down the block.

 

"Telling Frank that the canning supplies are going to be delivered next weekend, he'd already left Stark when I got the news. This way they're expecting the truck and nobody's either dropping stuff off outside or waiting for them to come back home.

 

May nods. "How are the commercial growers coming along?"

 

"Good, Tony's robots are taking care of the farms. Seeing how they do this year will determine whether or not the farms increase their crops next year. Some other areas. . .unless you can grow some plants yourself or have access to a community garden, you don't have fresh fruits or veggies." May sighs but nods, looking towards the home with the hydroponics growing area and then the garden behind their other house. "Having the other dimension having full harvests this year will help." May nods. "Tony and Dr. Richards will be harvesting crops in the lost areas again. Not gardens but stuff like apples, oranges, nuts. . .all the crops that don't need to be planted by humans." May nods again. Frank's wife taps on the door.

 

"I'm sorry to bother you two. Do you have any oregano and basil, ours isn't ripe yet."

 

"Dry or fresh? I just cut ours today." She walks into the kitchen and returns with four bundles.

 

"Thank you May, I'll bring some back when ours is ripe." She hugs the older woman and heads off to her home. Frank looks up from the stove and grins as she hands over the four bundles.

 

Peter checks in at the Banzai Institute and is shown to a room, quietly unpacking the two bags of clothes and other stuff he'd brought out with him. The news had quickly made the rounds that he was the child of people who had been loosely associated with the Institute, not officially blue blaze irregulars but had helped out more than once. Everybody who'd known his parents share stories about their adventures. And when he comes back from presenting his thesis they hold a party for him, Buckaroo smiling sadly as he sees three shadowy figures smiling behind Peter. He'd never met Richard's brother, but the resemblance is enough to tell him who the other man must be.

 

Tony grins as he walks into a meeting room. "I just got a call from the Institute. Peter presented his thesis and it was approved." Everybody in the meeting room smiles.

 

May smiles at her job as she gets the message. "Peter presented his thesis earlier this week, it was accepted." she says at the others looks.

 

"Doctorate?"

 

"He's taking a year off to do an internship out of the state, he figures on getting in next fall. There's no lack of positions in the program. . .now."

 

"No, not between schools only being reopened for a few years and all the deaths." Matthew says quietly from his desk. The door across the room opens and the meals from the communal kitchens are wheeled in. Tables are cleared off and the trays are set out, a handful of children having different trays and eating at a separate table because of food allergies. After the meal the trays from the communal kitchen are stacked back on the cart and it heads back to the kitchen where they trays are washed and set aside for the next meal as the tables are cleaned and everybody goes back to what they'd been doing or going to some of the 'classes' that adults drop in and teach. Crafts is popular, the day care center had brought in one of the hobby pottery wheels and there were shelves of various misshapen items drying to be taken home. Knitting and beading were also popular.

 

May had thought the house would be quiet without Peter at home but he calls nearly every night. She's working extra hours and cooking a lot on weekends, freezing meals for the rest of the week instead of having to sit down and cook for one person every night. Frank's wife had been taking her to get the few groceries she needs beyond the canned food and what she's been growing.

 

Mr. Stark had come out and done something with the houses, there's now three more floors on each building. . .one of which is a library that she knows is larger than the entire building. Peter had just shrugged and says this way all the information isn't lost if something else happens again. May had nodded at the wisdom of that, Peter had shown her a picture of the library at the other buildings and she'd moaned. All of those were at least ten thousand times the size of the ones in their homes.

 

"Yeah, there's a lot of speciality knowledge there that we're not getting. Large scale growing, all the sciences. . .including a lot of alien stuff. We want to make sure that we can survive if the world goes to hell like in all the bad end of the world movies and tv shows." He'd snorted. "Not that there are ever any good end of the world movies." May had laughed despite herself.

 

"Agent, museums and libraries. Add them to the list?" Tony asks at Coulson's clueless look when he walks into his office one day.

 

He blinks then slowly nods. "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. And we need a way to protect our history."

 

"Yes, already some fools in Washington are trying to sweep everything that happened under the carpet to protect their jobs in congress. Not surprisingly, they're some of the fools Trask gathered around him."

 

"Of course they are." Skye snorts as she walks in. "Sorry to interrupt but you have a call Mr. Stark, it's Ms. Potts. Line one."

 

"Oh good grief, I told her I was just coming over here. What now?" Tony grabs the phone, hitting a button. "Yes Pepper? Oh really? Tell the fools to go blow in the fucking wind the next time they complain and if they don't like it they can take it up with the governor and president. They'll knock the whining stupidity out of them."

 

"Fools complaining about how things are run?" Phil sighs.

 

"Yes, how can we grow food with robots. . .weeeeeellllll yeeeeesss, people were hungry last winter but that's the fault of the factories and grocery stores. . .doesn't food magically appear on the shelves? How can we actually grow food. Weeeeelllllll yyyyeeeeeessssss, robots growing it doesn't actually take jobs from humans. . .but still it's the principle of the thing. We don't want commercial farms growing food. Everybody in the world should be working for us in our factories."

 

"Idiots." Skye snorts. "But then those are the type of fools who want the truth hidden so they can make their dear friend Trask a martyr. Stark has to be taking over the world, he has to, he has to, he has to." She's stomping her foot and pouting by the last three words. Her boss sighs at her antics while Mr. Stark rolls his eyes.

 

"Pepper would shoot me if I tried taking over the world, I'd fuck it up so much worse than Trask did." He snorts.

 

"How are the plans for the hydroponics coming along?"

 

"Good, factories are making the parts in their own countries where they can." Phil and Skye nod in satisfaction. "List of best off countries?" Coulson asks.

 

"Wakanda one, Canada two, I say the US three, and Australia and New Zealand four and five. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand because they have all that open land that can be turned to commercial farming. Yes, the cities were as crowded as ours were but they didn't lose as many services we did thanks to the epidemic."

 

"Ours were failing to begin with, they worked hard at keeping theirs up." Leo says as he taps on the door. "Boss, our supply list."

 

"Thank you Fitz." Coulson says as he takes the paper.

 

"So, have you started your own hydroponics unit yet?" Tony asks Fitz.

 

"Yes, we have it at another base, at least one person is out there daily to check on everything. Skye will be officially taking over as head of it when she finishes her degree in hydroponics."

 

Tony walks back into the office a couple hours later. "Any more whining?"

 

"Oh yes, and they blustered they'd have us arrested. I told them we were taping their calls and if anybody was going to be arrested, it would be them. I could almost see the 'oh shit' look on their faces when I twisted the knife and told them that the governor and President had no problems with us taking over commercial farms."

 

"So why are they complaining? Other than they're miserable human beings." Clint snorts.

 

"Exactly. Now, I got a request from botany, a winter greenhouse."

 

"What's that?"

 

"It's a greenhouse without a floor, just the walls and roof. With heaters so that ground crops can be grown over the winter. In the southern areas where they don't get the winters we do they just have raised things over them that look like window frames. One of the farmers by me has a large winter greenhouse though he doesn't keep it running all winter. He just plants fall crops that would otherwise freeze before they're ripe. If you had one, you'd want to have a list of crops that can be grown or planted over the winter to make it cost-effective." Pepper nods in agreement. "I told to them to find a good place for it and to make up both a list of plants to grow and a business plan that would make it cost effective. Because we have both Malibu and the farms in Florida to grow those types of crops." Tony nods. "We don't need to grow food if we don't need it. Yes, we could pass it along to the others just like we will the crops in the other dimension but. . ."

 

"We don't need it right now so we're not growing it right now." Pepper says firmly. Tony nods.

 

"No, I don't fucking care if you want the land to build more fucking factories." The president gets up from behind his desk and starts advancing on the whining fool who'd barged into his office. He gulps and starts backpedaling, realizing he might have done something very stupid. "People need food to survive, or don't you remember all the empty shelves in stores last winter? If you don't I'm sure your constituents sure as hell do."

 

"But you're letting him farm that land. If we put up factories. . ."

 

"we have less room for to grow our food and we don't need any more fucking factories."

 

"But if we build more factories we can fill the orders faster, can't we?"

 

"No moron, people are already working two jobs. Where the hell are you going to get employees to work in your factories? And no, we're not closing down schools because you think they should be working instead of actually learning." The look on his face tells the President he'd been thinking just that. He points at the door and the fool runs off wailing. "Goddamn idiot."

 

"Yes, nobody should have a life beyond working for him." Horace snorts in the front office. "Little fool just wants massive profits, he doesn't see any of the effort that goes into keeping the factories operating."

 

"Exactly, if he opens a factory all the orders will come to him and he'll be instantly rich and famous, people will come flocking to him to do him favors, and by god. . .he might actually get a wife out of this." One of the secret service members on guard duty snorts. His partner snickers despite himself. Their boss would have a fit at them talking out of turn but the President told them more than once he values their opinion since they actually have some damn sense compared to some of the other agents, who were weeded out of the president's personal detail and were sent to other offices.

 

"Horace, do we have anything important this afternoon?"

 

"No, we've got a phone call with the PM in England, but that's not until much later tonight."

 

"Okay, call around for a car. I need to go shopping for my anniversary or I'll be sleeping in one of the other bedrooms tonight." The secret service agents snicker silently, the President is always saying his wife is going to make him sleep in one of the other rooms.

 

"Your anniversary isn't for three more months." Horace says patiently from the front room.

 

"It will take me that long to find something nice for her. The stuff I've been seeing online is absolute crap. I know what I want. . ."

 

"you just can't find it? Have you talked to one of the high-end jewelers about making is specially for you?"

 

"My wife would have an absolute fit about the cost."

 

"There's an 'expo' next week at a conference center. It's going to be jewelry, both large names and smaller one person operations." One of the guards says. "It's open to the public, I saw an advertisement for it in the . . ." the president is waving a section of the paper and he nods. He finds the page and nods in satisfaction. "Perfect, if I can't find what I want I'll have one commissioned from a smaller artist."

 

The crops start coming in a couple months later and people start getting in line at various government buildings to fill bags of food brought out from the other dimension. The morons had tried saying Stark was trying to take over the world again by offering all that food, they'd been told to grow the fuck up and if they didn't want to buy the food they didn't have to. They didn't have an argument for that. More than one person had snorted when they'd seen them standing in line for the food, whining about having to pay a good price for the food. . .they should get it for free because they're special. Instead of having to pay a sliding cost like everybody else.

 

Frank and his girls are bringing in bags and boxes of food that had been delivered, May shaking her head as they insist of helping her put everything away. She knows they're making sure she's got plenty of food, Frank's oldest daughter is nodding in satisfaction at the freezer full of frozen meals that aren't the ones you can find in the store's freezer section. . .her mother has been doing the same since she started getting in more hours at her jobs. Whoever is home first brings out a meal and puts it in the oven to bake.

 

"How is Peter doing?"

 

"Good, he's working with a lot of scientists and other experts he might not ordinarily have been able to talk to. Dr. Banzai is trying to talk him into going for more degrees, since everything is pretty much computerized now he can do it online and still live here. Of course Mr. Stark will whine about the pinch to his wallet. . ." Frank chuckles and nods. "He calls me nearly every night, it's been so long that it's just been the two of us. He grew up too soon."

 

"How is May?" Frank's wife asks when they walk into their house. "Girls, wash up for dinner and set the table please." they nod and head to the bathroom or kitchen sinks.

 

"Good, she's got her freezer full of meals she's made up ahead so she doesn't have to cook after work. She says Dr. Banzai is trying to talk Peter into going for more degrees, he's working with a lot of experts he wouldn't have been in contact with here in New York. He calls nearly every night to see how she's doing, it's only been the two of them for so long."

 

"He worries, I'll worry about the girls when they go away to school. . .even if they are just a phonecall away." His wife sighs.

 

"That's what family does, too often families drift apart once they start their own lives. It's only a tragedy like the disease or May and Peter losing Ben that makes families bond tightly." His wife nods as the girls start setting the table and husband and wife bring the food out to the table after putting the baby in his highchair.

 

At the Baxter Building Reed is dragged out of the lab where he'd been poring over data and forced to sit at the table to eat dinner with the others.

 

"We're not going to die in the next five minutes, are we?" Sue asks, her hands on her hips.

 

"No."

 

"Then that can wait an hour while we have a nice family dinner." Behind her Johnny is snickering. She swats backward and he dances out of reach. "Brat." she says without any heat. It's nice to see Johnny acting. . .well not as brashly as he used to but not the quiet man who kept looking out the windows anymore. The disease made him grow up. It made them all grow up.

 

Johnny puts the twins in their highchairs as Reed comes out of the kitchen, his arms stretched out to hold all the dishes of food. Sue is holding them in place with a forcefield and Johnny shakes his head. Sue can't just use the robot cart to bring the dishes out to the table. . .ohhhh, no not his sister. She gives him a look and he just rolls his eyes.

 

"Do you have companies set up for the boxes if they're needed?" The president asks Tony in a late night call.

 

"Yes, hidden under so many shell corporations they'd never be able to legally trace them back to me. I'm sure some fools would be pointing fingers and saying I'm trying to take over the world. And we've got accounts set up in each country so they can pay in their own currency if it's needed. But I don't see that happening for a while, not only would other countries get their backs up at one company supplying all the power, so many countries are barely squeaking by, they don't have the money to pay for their power. If they print more money, inflation would just make it worthless."

 

In his private study the President nods. "And 'offering' the power for little or no cost to them would make us the big bad 'mercans again."

 

"They'd have to make the first step."

 

"Yes." Tony sighs. The call ends a few minutes later and he leans back in his chair and sighs. He'd normally have a drink in his hand right now but he'd cut down on his drinking a lot since things had gotten so bad. He needs his mind clear, not clouded by alcohol. Taking a deep breath he stands up and has JARVIS shut off the lights in the room once he's left. He needs some sleep.

 

The gardens start coming in and Frank's girls, Miles, and Stephen's son come out to help May harvest everything in her garden, taking the bushel baskets of everything in the other house and helping her bring all the new canning supplies out and set up for her.

 

"Girls, shouldn't you be helping your parents?"

 

"The others are over there. The old saying about too many cooks spoiling the broth . ..wellllll, I'll just pack up my share of what's been harvested and canned when everything is done." Miles says with a grin. "Do we need to clear out hydroponics too?"

 

"No, I've been clearing that nearly daily." May smiles. The big pots are brought out and food soon starts cooking on every heating surface in the kitchen. Over the next couple of weekends the gardens are cleared, the plants tilled under, everything canned, dried, or otherwise preserved for the winter, and the others shares of Frank's garden is put away in their homes and apartments.

 

"Are the commercial farms all harvested?" Darcy asks a few days later.

 

"Yes, Tony made sure they had enough robots to operate all the machinery there too. The assholes in congress were whining about how it would take away their workers then went 'oohhhh' when they realized they weren't losing employees. Then they whined about robots until the President blasted their asses again and tossed them out of congress. Morons were nearly beaten to death by the people who voted them in and the people who voted for their opponents, they're supposed to be taking care of them. . .not taking food from their mouths by shutting down commercial farms and whining because they're actually producing food. The fools might not remember the empty store shelves, but their voters sure as hell do." Tony says from his office.

 

He comes to the door of his office and looks at Pepper. "Have you heard any complaints about clothing not being on store shelves?"

 

"Beyond the fools who wanted couture every season? No. Oh dear god don't tell me the fools in congress are going to be whining about that now." Pepper throws down the pen she's been playing with and looks at Tony. Darcy is looking at him too.

 

"B. . .bu. . .but . . .but if you have people working in those factories they can't work for me." Sam mock-blubbers as he walks through the office to the mail boxes. Leonard sighs but nods. Tony grabs his PADD, looking up and dialing a number as he leans on Pepper's desk.

 

"Charles Xavier."

 

"Xavier, it's Tony Stark. Have any of your precogs been hearing anything about the fools in congress complaining about people working at factories that produce cloth or clothing rather than for them?" a voice says in the phone he'd absently picked up. In his office Professor Xavier sighs and moans. "The precogs I know have been having some disturbed feelings."

 

"Yeah, that would probably be the next thing the fools in congress would go after because people are working for the other factories and not theirs. Like the commercial farms and factories, if they're not making them money they need to be shut down. I'd hoped the damn epidemic and other problems would either kill the fools off or make them grow up but. . ."

 

"Those types of personalities rarely do." He sighs. "Are we looking at buying factories that produce fabric and yarn, buying up farms that grow the cotton and grow animals for wool, buying more supplies of fabric to have on hand, more robots to run the factories. . ."

 

"all of the above I'm afraid. Damn it, this is going to get the fucking rumors I'm trying to take over the world started again." Charles chuckles softly at the grumbling as the call ends.

 

"Oh good, just who I was going to call." He says when the door of his private office opens and Raven, Erik, and Nathaniel enter the room. "The precogs disturbed feelings. . .clothing?"

 

Magneto sighs as Raven starts cursing roundly. "Damn it yes, that would be the next thing the fucking fools in congress would turn their attention to. Because if people are working in those factories, they're not working for me."

 

"Pepper, do we have classes for people to make their own clothes?" Tony asks after he puts the phone down.

 

"No, but we can certainly add them to the plans." Pepper says. She makes a note for research to find tutorials and whatnot on the internet and then adds that to the 'skills we're going to need' list. "We had plans for that in the beginning but the factories were able to produce clothing. If the fools in congress get their way. . ."

 

"The only factories that will be open will be theirs and people will work 24/7 until they drop." Bruce says as he walks in and looks at the mailbox. JARVIS had alerted the others to the new possible problem and over the next few minutes everybody settles in the 'briefing' room down the hall to make plans.

 

Pepper looks at him when the others start coming out a few hours later and start heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. "I've got a list of factories to buy up in case the shit hits the fan, the President was not happy to hear about this latest possible problem, he started swearing on the phone. I've been a bad influence on him. . ." Tony smirks. Because he's damn proud of it. Pepper rolls her eyes as Tony grabs her phone again and dials a number he doesn't have to look up. "Barton. . .yes I know it's late, sit down and shut up. We might have another problem brewing."

 

At his farm Clint's face grows hard. "Okay, tell me." His wife and older daughter look at him from their putting dinner on the table. This isn't their husband and Dad, this is a highly trained SHIELD agent. "Fuck. . .you're right, that's exactly what they'd do. We're okay here, damn near everybody knows how to make their own clothes but if they shut down the factories making fabric. . ." He sighs. He listens for a few more minutes then ends the call. "The precogs are having disturbed feelings and Tony thinks that the morons in congress will try to shut down factories that make fabric and clothes now because. . ."

 

"Those people should be working for me." His daughter rolls her eyes. "Idiots, didn't they learn from shutting down commercial farms?"

 

"Those people never learn." His wife Amanda snorts as she and Clint settle the babies in their highchairs. "Until they're affected themselves, then they blubber that it shouldn't have done that."

 

"Exactly. Stark says there's shit tons of clothes in the stuff he and Richards put in stasis that China had been producing but if we can't make more fabric to make clothes. . ."

 

"Looms are going to be brought back out so people can make their own clothes." Amanda sighs. "Textile mills."

 

"Yep. Tony's got a list of factories to buy if he has to and he says he alerted the President, hopefully we can nip this in the bud. If not it might be slim pickings on the store shelves until things recover."

 

"Because it would take longer for clothes to disappear off the shelves than it would food." Amanda says. "Do we have a way to store clothes so it won't rot?"

 

"Yes, that's one of the buildings that went up thanks to Stark. And we don't have to worry running out of room."

 

"Then we're going to be going shopping." Amanda looks at her daughter. She nods. "Beyond what I'll need when I go off to university in a couple years."

 

"Get clothes in various sizes." They nod. "Sheets, comforters, quilts. . ."

 

"Towels and washclothes." Soon they have a list of items they'll need beyond fabric started. "We can hit the warehouse stores for some of this." Clint says. Amanda looks at her husband. "Do we need to start thinking of other stuff, like mattressed, box springs, bedroom sets. . ."

 

Clint sighs. "Yeah, we'd better." He sends off a message to Stark and they make another list.

 

At the tower Tony gets the message, sighs, and slides the PADD over to Pepper.

 

"Yes, it's something we'll need to start thinking about." She sighs as she reads the message. The others look at her. "Clint plans on getting in stocks of clothes and linens in case the fools do get factories making them shut down, he's also planning on getting in stocks of other stuff like furniture. . ."

 

"Which would be the next thing to go." Leonard sighs. "Do we have enough room in the warehouses?"

 

"Yes, I made them tesseracts long ago." Tony says absently. He takes the PADD Pepper slides back to him and sends off a message to first Clint, then Reed.

 

"Richards and I will take out another outbuilding to Barton's farm in a few days."

 

After dinner he dials Coulson's number. "Agent, sit down we might have a couple problems."

 

At his apartment Phil sighs. "Okay Stark, what now?" He listens silently for a few long moments then puts the phone down and curses fluently. In his office Tony smirks. Awww, Agent's a big boy now. He picks the phone back up.

 

"Agreed," he says calmly. "SHIELD has the other bases we can use for supplies. I'd rather not use the replicators for things like this unless we have to."

 

"Yep, not only would it be a waste of energy it's something somebody can be doing for a job." In his apartment Coulson nods. "Have you talked to the President?"

 

"About the possibility of the factories being shut down by the fools in congress, hopefully we can stop it. But I'm afraid some fools are already plotting, because they're not making all the fantastic profits they want."

 

Coulson sighs on the phone, leaning back in his chair and nodding. "If things go completely south, I see the President passing an executive order to turn all factories over to the government like *they* wanted."

 

"Yes, they'd whine like fools because they didn't mean it to happen to them . ..just to everybody else." Stark snorts. "It was only the government taking over phamaceutical companies when Trask tried shutting them down because 'well, they're not curing my disease anyway' that keeps people in the medicines they need." Coulson sighs but nods. "At least under government control you don't get the damn price gouging anymore."

 

"And clerks in drugstores can tell you options now in case it's cheaper to buy it instead of using insurance."

 

The call to Reed Richards is the last one of the night before Tony looks at the time and makes a night of it.

 

The next day Pepper drops a handful of files on his desk. "Factories that the fools in government are sniffing at because they want their employees. I wouldn't have gone looking except for the heads-up yesterday, the bottom three . . .I don't think are worth buying." Tony nods and opens the first folder.

 

He comes out off his office three hours later. "Yes on all but the last three. The other factories can take those employees and they do basically that same damn thing. But keep an eye on them, if they go into bankruptcy we'll pick them up and use them for something else." Pepper nods and starts placing the calls. Tony heads off towards the elevator, Pepper giving him a raised eyebrow. "I've got a meeting with Agent and Richards in ten minutes to go over the warehouses."

 

Coulson and Reed look over as Tony's car pulls up behind them. "Yes, I'm late. Pepper found several factories that the fools in the government are sniffing at, she wouldn't have went looking except for the heads up yesterday about the possibility of no fabric or clothes." Both men nod. "Did you buy them?"

 

"Most of them, Pepper said some weren't worth it. . .they should just be shut down and the employees moved to other factories that do the same thing. I'm keeping an eye on them. . .if they declare bankruptcy I'll pick them up for something else."

 

"Fabric?"

 

"Pepper doubled our orders just as soon as she heard the possibility of the factories being shut down. It will take a while but. . ." Coulson nods. They unlock the first warehouse and walk inside, Tony looking up what is being stored there in his PADD as they wander the aisles.

 

Much later that night Tony drops into a chair. He looks over at everybody. "The shields are now up to the second setting, there's mutterings in Congress about taking us out. . .whether we're doing everything legally or not. Because they think they should control the universe. The President's secret service detail has been doubled and HYDRA has protections in place too."

 

"For gods sake. . .why?" Steve sighs.

 

"For the same reason other sitting presidents have been assassinated, some asswipe didn't agree with their policies. In this case it's the assholes in congress who think they should be in charge, not us. Because we did all the hard work and they want to reap the rewards." Tony snorts.

 

"Isn't that why they ran for public office, so everybody can kiss their ass? It seems for every person in the government who actually wants to help people, there's ten thousand who are only in it for the power." Sam says, rolling his eyes.

 

"Only ten thousand?" Pepper snorts. "You're either discounting the morons or thinking there's a lot more people in office who actually help."

 

"Actually I was thinking of all the people in the VA hospitals." Sam chuckles. "The ones who actually work for a living." Pepper nods.

 

"Did the VA hospitals all reopen?"

 

"Not all of them, there's just not enough people to do everything. So many doctors and nurses died thanks to that damn disease. . ."

 

"They were working long hours and it wore them out, allowing the disease to kill them." Leonard says. "It wasn't just the VA hospitals that had to shut down."

 

"Yes, that's one job a robot can't take. . .no matter how much the fools in congress bleat. Same with law and sciences."

 

"Teachers."

 

"Law enforcement."

 

"Cooks since they can't taste the food and adjust spices. The replicator doesn't count." Natasha says. "Are we bringing out weapons to the various buildings?"

 

"Yes, and ordering much more. This will no doubt bring wails from congress and bring about the attack but it would weed the fools out once and for all." Nods from the others.

 

The phone on Pepper's desk buzzes and she absently. "Tony Stark's o. ..really?" She fumbles for the remote and turns the tv across the room on to CNN. "Phil, he says there's a massive power outage in the midwest."

 

"At least the power companies have time to work on the problem before winter." Steve shudders. "Is Clint's home anywhere in that area?"

 

"Yes, but he's got the alternate power as well as solar panels and batteries so he can say it's something else." the others nod. "He might be the only one with power except for generators and solar panels if it's something mechanical since I haven't heard anything about bad storms and everybody knows the power grid is going to fry one day." the others nod again. Tony sighs. He and Richards might be bringing out the power boxes and facility earlier than they'd planned. They'd planned on bringing it out next summer, but. . .

 

Pepper catches his eye and nods. She's already dialing the farm.

 

"Barton." Clint says on the phone. He relaxes and mouths Stark to his wife. "No, we're good. We've got freezers full of food thanks to the warehouse stores around us. The shelves of canned goods were getting bare last year but we still had some left over. We'd planned on starting filling rooms again but. . ."

 

"The power went out. Are you desperately running low on anything?"

 

"No, thank god. But store shelves everywhere will be empty in 24 hours if they have generators. The national guard is going around emptying stores of everything that would have to be thrown out without refrigeration and either passing it out to people with power or setting up soup kitchens to cook everything up." He ends the call a few minutes later.

 

"How is Clint?"

 

"Good, better than a lot of the others out there. They've got food and power, he said the national guard is emptying stores of everything that would have to be thrown out without refrigeration and either passing it out to people with generators or opening soup kitchens."

 

"Much better than just throwing it out." Bruce says. The others nod. "I'm off to bed, I have a shift at the recyclers tomorrow."

 

"So do I." Darcy says. "One thing about mandatory recycling in the entire country, landfills aren't getting full. At least here." She says at their looks.

 

"Yes, that's something else I'm going to have to look into, cleaning up closed landfills in other areas, both here in the states and in other countries." Tony mutters as he heads to his office.

 

"Did you eat?" Pepper asks his back.

 

"Yeah, we had dinner before I came back."

 

"Good, I have files of five more factories, three that make various yarns, two that make thread."

 

Tony sighs. "Yes, we'll need the thread to make the fabric." He spends a couple hours looking over the files and drops them on Pepper's desk before going to bed, a post-it note saying 'buy them' on the top folder. Pepper looks at them when she comes in and picks up the phone to start the process of purchasing the factories.

 

"But he why is he. . ."

 

"Anderson, quit your damn screeching or I will have you tossed out and barred from the white house." the President snarls. The man who'd demanded Stark be arrested gulps and quickly quiets down. "Now what the hell is your maladjustment this time?"

 

"Stark is buying factories!" He starts to whine. He desperately wants to rant, rave, scream, and throw things but he'd be tossed in a cell the second he started.

 

"And what the hell concern of it is yours? And don't you fucking dare start carrying on about how he's trying to take over the world."

 

"But he's buying all these factories. . .they make. . ." He looks at the notes and whines. "Fabric, thread, and yarn." How is he supposed to convince the President Stark needs to be taken out if he's buying those? If only Trask hadn't been shot, he'd have arrested Stark by now. Why won't this fool just listen to him?

 

"Yes moron: fabric, thread, and yarn. Everything that will be needed to make clothes. Which people need, both the people who live in New York and the rest of the country. Now stop your damn blubbering about how 'he's taking over the world' and get the hell out of my office. I'd worry less about Stark and more about your constituents who are without power. You know, the reason you're actually sitting in congress?" He runs off wailing.

 

"Goddamn idiot. He's going to be one of the fools trying to take out Stark for daring to do what they want and succeeding at it."

 

Several long weeks later the attack comes and is quickly foiled by the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Xavier's students, SHIELD, and other assorted 'heroes'.

 

"Gentlemen, how fucking stupid are you?" The president purrs on a screen after the attackers had been given some rough first aid by the authorities and were tossed in a federal prison without bail before their trial. "You were told everything Stark was doing was legal and that you'd be in prison for the rest of your miserable lives if you tried attacking him and you went and did it anyway. SHUT IT!" He says at the first opening mouth. "You're going to sit there like the damn whining fools you are and listen." he hisses. He lectures them for hours and tells them to enjoy prison, they'd be in those cells for the rest of their lives if they didn't end up in Gitmo. It begins to hit the fools then that they're in serious trouble, before that they'd been sure they'd be able to take over that upstart Stark's businesses and 'liberate' New York, ignoring the fact everything is running there a thousand times better than the rest of the United States.

 

"Idiots." Amanda says on the farm when she watches the video of the entire event that's been looping on various news channels over the last couple of days. "Did they really think they'd be able to take over?"

 

"Oh please Mom, they didn't think." Her daughter snorts. "They just saw Stark helping everybody and wanted the power for them. Stark was actually helping people. . .they just want to help themselves."

 

"Yep, I don't want people to work for anybody else but me. . .the commercial farms shutting down last year because there weren't any people growing the crops backfired on them. They didn't figure anybody would be bothered."

 

"Idiots." Her daughter snorts again. "Fools who never grew out of the me, me, me stage. Which is why they went into politics in the first place, they found a friend in that fool Trask and look at what happened." The door across from them opens and Clint walks into the house.

 

"Dad, are you okay?" Jane throws herself at her father along with her mother.

 

"Yes, the fools nearly shit themselves when Johnny Storm flamed on, let alone came near them. But there's a lot of congressional districts that are swearing in temporary state representatives until they can hold elections. The court cases will be televised live to make sure nobody pulls this shit again. I'd have been back a couple days ago but everybody insisted I bring supplies back with me since the power just came back on here and stores will have empty shelves for a while yet." His wife nods. "Stark was planning on bringing out a new outbuilding, everything's in there for the time being. I got a list. . somewhere." He looks through the papers Pepper had pushed on him. "Yep, here we go." He hands over the list and she shakes her head in disbelief. "Yeah, they wanted Stark's companies, he's going to end up with all of theirs as payback for their actions."

 

"Couldn't happen to a worse bunch of idiots." Jane says.

 

"That's everybody else's thought. They're fucking stunned that they're in prison, they were just trying to keep that bastard Stark from taking over the world. Because they wanted to." Clint snorts. "Jane, I got more assignments for you. And more textbooks." He nods at the bag by the door.

 

"Thanks Dad, the professor assigned a massive term paper due in July." Amanda says as she takes the bag and starts to open it. "Jane?"

 

"I just want to make sure everything's here Mom. I'm not going to start working until after the first of the year." She finds a list and double-checks everything before putting it in the room she and her brother had been using for their classes. Her parents are gone when she comes out and she chuckles, she knows where they are. . .their bedroom.

 

"Oh thank you Jane." Amanda murmurs when they come out a couple hours later to find dinner on the table, the boys in their highchairs and Jane putting the phone down. Her Dad looks at her. "Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Phil will be coming out in a couple days for the holiday. They're bringing Aunt Natasha out if they have to drug her, tie her up in a gunnysack, and sit on the bag the trip out." Clint nods in satisfaction.

 

"Aunt Natasha, will you look over a paper for me?" Jane asks when she is pushed into the house by a smirking Bobbi. "It's on Russian literature and I'd like a second opinion from somebody who read it in the original Russian as a native speaker. I think it's the most morose . . .shtuff." she says at her father's look, her aunts and uncle trying not to laugh as she gets around her father's habitual lament for her to stop swearing. "You hear all the horror stories about translated stuff not being the same in other languages. . ." she drags her off by the hand. The others wait until the door is shut until they start laughing.

 

"It's not the translation, that is morose." She says when she looks at the books.

 

"It's the russian equivalent of those damn 'oh woe is me' teen angst stories."

 

"Basically."

 

"We've started looking through their plans to take over Stark. . ." Coulson is saying as they come out of the room.

 

"Lemme guess," Jane snorts as she walks past. "They were going to take out the President next since he's actually doing the damn job and not kissing their useless butts. Don't they know everything they had their ddddeeeaaaarrrrr friend Trask pass was for them, not Stark?"

 

"Basically. The President was actually making them work."

 

"Oh god, the horror. The horror." Jane drawls as her family desperately tries not to cackle. "I always thought anybody who wants go go into politics. . ."

 

"Is the last person who should go into politics?" Coulson chuckles. "Yes, I feel the same way. That and if you 'do' go into politics, you don't get paid for it. That should weed out more fools."

 

"Amen." Jane opens the supply closet and brings out a package of toilet paper and heads upstairs to the second floor bathroom.

Chapter 17 by josette grover

 

The first meeting of the 'group' overseeing everything in New York is larger in February, Mac Taylor had become a permanent member, dealing with the lab and other speciality services in New York leaving Don with just the police and fire departments.

 

"Gentlemen, do we need new fire trucks?" Pepper asks as she gets the meeting started. Tony and Reed Richards are off clearing out closed landfills and returning everything to raw materials, not just in the US but all over the world. They'll be gone for years their time.

 

"No, thankfully ours are older but they don't get all that much use anymore with all the abandoned buildings tore down." Don says. "The fire department is now able to do a lot more training, teaching, and inspections now."

 

Mac nods. "While the police are walking beats and being positive influences in neighborhoods again. Instead of teenagers running when they see a police car coming down the street they wave and call the officers by name. The officers are getting involved in community affairs, seeing a police officer in uniform talking to merchants isn't shaking them down for protection money anymore. Using Manhattan as an example, other cities are forming action groups and working together to make their neighborhoods more peaceful. Gang activity is either gone in other cities or so close to zero it's unregisterable. Petty crime is taken care of by others. . .a kid snatching a purse from an older lady will be ran down by neighborhood watch programs, he'll be took back to her and made to apologize before being frogmarched to the police. His parents or somebody else in authority over him will be called and he'll be charged. Kids shoplifting for kicks will be dealt with the same way or they'll be working for the shopkeeper, a lot of teens are working so they don't have the time for this foolishness anymore." Nods from everybody in the room.

 

"Neighborhood watch?"

 

"Around here it's making sure the people who need extra help have it." Weasel says. "On my block we have a few older people who have their walks shoveled in the winter, their leaves raked in the fall. We got people who will run errands for them. . ."

 

Don nods. "You see people in the parks reading, playing chess, or just enjoying the sun anymore without the fear of being bothered. Old women are gathered outside their apartment buildings gabbing while the old guys are playing checkers."

 

"How is everybody dealing with the fools trying to come in to take over?"

 

"Most everybody we've talked with have called them damn fools. They'd have liked to have been able to get their own licks in before they were drug off. Everybody's furious at the assertions that we're either too damn stupid to live and that Stark's taking advantage of that or he's brainwashing everybody. Of course once their real plans were disclosed their attempts to say they were just rescuing us fell in the heap of shit it belongs." Weasel snorts. "Did anybody hear about the trial?"

 

"Quickly held in the same quiet federal court they wanted Stark to stand trial in and they were found guilty on all charges. Half of them went to Gitmo, the rest are still in the supermax they were dumped in. The fuckers are wailing about travesties of justice but. . ." Pepper snorts. "The court of popular opinion says it's too good for them, they should have been all lined up and beaten to death by the people they tried claiming were too stupid to realize what Stark was doing. They're trying to throw up appeals but the courts and lawyers are all laughing at them." Pepper says. Everybody looks at her. "Tony got a call from the President last night to let us know what happened. The fools own rules worked against them, they wanted Tony to have a quick mock trial in their kangaroo court and everything we've worked on pawed through by them. Instead they got the quick trial and the court didn't agree with their screaming that they had to do it, Stark was trying to take over the world. The judge they wanted to oversee the case recused himself because they had him firmly in their pockets and the new judge found them guilty on all charges in less than an hour. The stupid fools are wailing because they're going to be growing food in the supermax, a garden for the kitchen, greenhouses, and hydroponics. The food from the greenhouses and hydroponics will be sold to the public." Hooting and poo' baby sounds greet that news.

 

"The rest of congress?"

 

"Considered them goddamn fools and marginalized them, they're actually working for their constituents. . .unlike those old fools who just wanted the voters to kiss their asses. they had to act now because the voters were getting disgusted with them and were trying to vote them out of office."

 

"Has anybody been trying to get term limits back?"

 

"Not really, there's a lot more accountability in the government. . .people elected actually have to be responsible to the voters who sent them to DC." Matthew says mockingly, grinning at the 'oh god the horror' sounds from the others. "There's nobody lining up ranting about why they should be in the white house, a lot of fools who would overturn everything that's been done either died thanks to the disease or are keeping quiet since the attack. . .realizing congress and the government won't put up with their nonsense anymore."

 

"Has anybody heard rumors about morons wanting their own planet?"

 

"Sounds like the rumors about colonies from a couple years ago." Stephen Strange snorts. "They'd have to find a habitable planet, they'd need the money for supplies, they'd need the people to pack up and move to another planet under their rules, and they'd need a spaceship big enough for all the supplies and people. Not to mention they'd have to grow all their own food, can and otherwise preserve it for winter, save seeds for the following year. . .it's not going to happen."

 

Pepper nods. "Tony and Reed Richards spend years on their ship while only a few hours passes here. Add in there's all those empty countries all over the world. . .they just want their own world, their own government, and everybody kissing their asses."

 

"How are we on fabric and clothes?" Coulson asks.

 

"Some things might be running low, we brought a number of factories and Tony is working on robots to take over shifts. We passed on buying three factories and they went into bankruptcy. The employees were hired by other factories and Tony picked them up for next to nothing. The machinery was wore out, most of it was torn apart to recycle. The former owners are wailing. . .weeeeellllll yyyyyeeeeesssss, they knew that the machines were old and failing. . ."

 

"but they didn't want to take the hit to replace them? And they're whining about the business failing? Figures." Weasel snorts. "Okay, I've got the list of stuff the mercs will need." Pepper takes the list, looking everything over and nodding before looking over the list from the police department. "What about other weapons?"

 

"Knives and swords? We've got contacts with people who make them. Though. . ." Weasel brings out a piece of paper. "This is the requirements they'd need if somebody wanted to move into the area."

 

Pepper looks at it and nods. "Yeah, a lot of this we already order for Tony's metalwork. We've got plenty of empty buildings if they'll work or we can build. I've been talking to a group of glassblowers who want a large communal workplace too." She copies the list and makes a note on her copy.

 

"Growing areas and hydroponics?"

 

"Still doing brisk business even with the growing dimension." Stephen says. "I've been in contact with physicians, our health is improving tremendously with getting fresh fruit and vegetables year round. Obesity is down, so are the need for high blood pressure medications. Smoking rates have dropped, even the e-cigarettes."

 

"Yes, before all this shit they were complaining about them on the news. . .how teenagers were getting hold of them." Nods from the others. Pepper shakes her head. "Tony would be making a smart-ass comment about needing something in their mouth right about now." The others laugh and nod.

 

"Miss Potts, sir had arrived and is on his way to bed. He said not to disturb him unless the world was ending. . .he wouldn't want to sleep through it. Somebody would complain."

 

"Yes, that's Tony." Pepper sighs. "Do you have any idea how long he was gone his time?"

 

"From what Sir was mumbling. . .at least fifteen years. Ahhh, I am receiving a message from Dr. Richards. Yes, they were gone fifteen years, all the closed landfills are now clean and the . . .lost countries supplies are waiting to be used either by the United States or their neighbors. Ahhh, they delivered some of the supplies to the country of Wakanda."

 

"Ahhh, I know he was going to drop in and see if they needed any. I'm sure some old fool tried saying he was trying to pull something. Is there any news on that special project?" She's being cagey since not everybody there knows about the power facility. This latest . . .bullshit nonsense just proves he's right in hiding it away.

 

"Sir plans on bringing it out this summer." Coulson catches her eye and nods. The others shake their heads, they'll find out soon enough if they need to and turn their attention back to the meeting. "Seed orders?"

 

"Yes, I'll have the information on the server in a few hours. Here's the printouts for you." They're passed around and nobody is surprised when Matthew 'reads' it by feeling the ink on the page. "The date to get your requests in is the middle of March. I'm sending off the messages to the hydroponics buildings and the people over the commercial gardens after the meeting."

 

"Has anybody heard anything about the weather?"

 

"Ororo says this is supposed to be a warm but dry summer, save your rainwater if you use it to water your plants. Otherwise you'll be using tapwater. It's also going to be a cool fall and bitter winter. Remember the winter a few years ago where it snowed everyday? A repeat of that but colder weather and more snow." Professor Xavier says.

 

"Oh well, at least city services has enough money to keep the roads plowed now." Weasel mutters. The others nod.

 

"Thanks to that fool of a former mayor being arrested and no longer dipping his fingers in the till. And essential services actually getting the money they need instead of what's left over after the damn pet projects got funded." Matthew snorts. Hell's kitchen has been cleaned up over the last few years and has been turned into a low-income housing area. Though with everybody working at least one job unless they were totally disabled the low income is a lot better than it had been. And even those people are finding ways to make extra money.

 

Tony comes out of his bedroom the next morning.

 

"Okay, do we have plans on moving to another planet if we have to?"

 

"Yes, Richards and I have found a number of habitable empty planets. And we could move to the ag dimension if we have to. I'd rather not though, that would give the fools more ammunition, no doubt whining I wasn't able to take over the world so I'm running off with my tail between my legs." Pepper makes a rude sound. "Too bad those fools didn't die thanks to that bastard's disease. But then there's always going to be fools out there complaining about doing something they'd like to do." Tony sends Pepper a couple files. "The larger one is from an Earth that ended up colonizing another solar system, sixteen planets all of them terraformed to be habitable but the last six are winter planets. People from a number of dimensions where either their Earth had hardships or they just wanted to move have settled. They were able to bring their homes and buildings to the new planet instead of having to build colonies from scratch. In the information is records they had of another Earth that sent off ships thanks to a fool like Trask who wanted to take over the world. . .they had to build their colonies from the ground up. The other file is from another Earth where some families have moved to Mars. They're using the same type of facility we plan on thanks to a fool who wanted to control the world and his pet mad scientists. There it wasn't a disease but a machine that cut off power everywhere."

 

"Shit." Pepper looks at her empty desk and starts to read. Tony comes back from the cafeteria and starts working on the piles on his desk, looking over the minutes from the meeting he missed. A few hours later the elevator opens and Coulson comes out, looks over at Pepper busily reading and making notes, and walks into Stark's office where he's going through everything on his desk.

 

Coulson looks at Stark and then at the other office.

 

"I gave Pepper the information we got from the others on Haven and Mars. Pepper asked if we had plans to move to another planet if we had to, I told her Richards and I have found a habitable planet but I really didn't want to move because the fools who are trying to claim I'm taking over the world would crow I was leaving with my tail between my legs because I hadn't succeeded." Coulson snorts quietly. "They're fools. Landfills?"

 

"Full ones are emptied now. If they could take it 90 percent of everything that could be recycled or reused again was given to the governments. Nearby countries got extra and I dropped off a good bit in Wakanda but we've got decades of raw material to slowly start reusing." Coulson nods. "Are you still planning on bringing the facility out this summer?"

 

"Yes, part of our time in Wakanda was finding the perfect spot where it could be observed but left alone but still within range of backup in case somebody found it. If we didn't have King T'Challa I'd have brought it out in the arctic." Coulson nods. "I see Pepper's made the announcement about seeds for this year, did I miss anything at the meeting?"

 

"Not much, Pepper took notes about what would be needed if we brought in somebody to make knives and swords, she said something about glassblowers. Strange said he'd talked to other physicians and with fresh fruit and veggies available year-round people are getting healthier. Obesity is down, people can walk the streets without being accosted. We laughed at the rumors of fools wanting their own planets. . ."

 

"They'd never make it, they'd need too much supplies, people wouldn't kiss their asses. . ." Coulson nods. "Oh, this you will need to know. We're going to have a warm, dry summer so save rainwater for outdoor gardens if you can otherwise you'll be using tapwater. And we're going to have a cold winter, even worse than a couple years ago when it snowed every day."

 

Tony starts looking through papers on his desk.

 

"Yes, all the houses have gutters and rain barrels." Pepper calls from the other room. Proving that she hears all and knows all. "They were added in the last round of renovations. They feed both watering systems." Tony grins.

 

"Both watering systems?" Coulson asks.

 

"Drip irrigation for roots, sprinklers for plants like tomatoes that do better getting their water from the top." Darcy says as she walks past to get her mail. "The things you learn helping in the growing areas."

 

"Are you going to be finished with this latest degree this semester?"

 

"Next year, I'm picking up enough classes for two degrees." Tony nods in satisfaction. "Oh director Coulson, Skye's going to be working at Stark in hydroponics this summer. . .internship for her degree." Coulson nods. "I'd been expecting it."

 

An hour later he heads off, Tony dragging Pepper off so she can eat lunch. Natasha looks at her in disbelief and snags copies of what she's reading, cursing in Russian a few minutes later. Sighing Tony sends the files to the others. "This is from a dimension that colonized a binary star solar system after their 'friends' of humanity set off rockets that kicked up tons of dust in the upper atmosphere, the world slowly started sliding into an ice age. There's sixteen terraformed planets, all the planets are habitable though the last six are permanent winter planets. There's people from a number of dimensions who have settled on the planets, some from dimensions where there Earths have had problems either natural or manmade while others have just moved there permanently or semi-permanently because they have family and friends on the planets. This is what I've been using as a basis on supplies we'd need if we moved offplanet or to the other dimension. Included in that information is reports on colonies that left another Earth thanks to the asshole in chief there trying to take over the world. Unlike Haven and the other file which is from a world where basically a large extended family moved to Mars, they had to build their new worlds from scratch. Haven and Mars were able to bring their buildings with them and basically went to sleep on one planet and woke up on the other. Mars' Earth. . .well, they had a damn fool that wanted to control the world just like we did but in their case it was a machine that shut down power to everything that killed so many people. He wanted to be the only person who had the supplies to rebuild everything destroyed by massive EMPs."

 

Bucky snorts. "Don't let this get out, the fools whining you're taking over the world would claim this was you. It wasn't, was it?" He looks at him.

 

"No, while I am there I'm one of the people who have moved to another dimension permanently instead of moving to Mars. I got involved before the machine when the asshat World Council tried bombing New York there too, but not because of an alien invasion. . .just because they could. Morons didn't realize that it could turn into a goddamn nuclear war, the president at the time blubbered he wouldn't let congress set off more bombs. . .he knew it was them. Nobody retaliated after we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, did they?"

 

"The president doesn't declare war, Congress does." Steve says.

 

"And we're the only ones who had the bomb at that time." Bruce sighs.

 

"Exactly. Anyway somehow I stopped the damn bombing and shut down Stark because the asshat in chief was pouting about his buttbuddies being stopped. The asshole tried forcing me to return to New York and reopen Stark immediately and I sent the networks all the information I had on his friends stunt. . .they were arrested and he nearly was impeached but being too fucking stupid to live isn't a crime. Too bad, it would have saved the rest of the country a lot of grief when the damn mega power plants that produced power for entire states suddenly went out. Power went out around DC but other plants diverted power to them, but when other areas lost power he didn't want them sending power to the affected areas. He couldn't understand why people were so upset with him. Well. . .he didn't know the power plants were sending power to DC, he's that fucking stupid he didn't remember they had been without power. Why hadn't the power plants restored power yet . . .it's been weeks he blubbered. Try months. Finally the other plants started diverting power to the affected areas and they started building new ones. Then the damn machine started operating and the European continent was hit by the EMP. Then Australia. Moron's machine wasn't powerful enough to take out everything via EMP but it shut down power everywhere. . .not even batteries or the emergency radios with lights that you crank worked."

 

The others shake their head. "Millions of people died, airplanes don't fly to well without any engines. Add in the first power outage happened just before Christmas when everybody was travelling. They finally got the fool away from the machine but rather than destroying it. . ."

 

"The government decided to use it against their enemies? Figures." Bucky snorts. "And every fool with an agenda used it?"

 

"Yes, by the time somebody 'improved' it and fried it. . .and half of everything else they were down to two billion people worldwide too. Europe was gone. . .surprisingly people can't survive a winter without power anymore, the days of small farms growing their own food and getting in enough supplies for winter doesn't really jibe with the modern age of heat at the turn of a dial." The others nod.

 

Leonard is looking at the supplies they'd taken with them to Haven and all they'd brought up on trips back to Earth. "There's so much we haven't thought of that we'll need for the future."

 

"Yes, we were thinking what we'd need to keep New York running, not having to build a whole new civilization." Tony sighs. "That's the plans I've been using. . . though the hundred years worth of toilet paper?" he shakes his head. The others look at him and he tells them the story. "Yes, I can see our geeks doing just that too."

 

"According to the Tony who's from there, the you there said if we had an empty floor we could fill it with toilet paper and still not have enough." Pepper sighs but nods and makes a couple notes on her PADD for factories to look at, either putting in large orders or buying.

 

"Some of them we might be getting for their stupidity."

 

"If we do I'm sure they'll need massive work, the fucking fools couldn't be bothered to do proper maintenance or put money into them to make money. When we took over the factories we brought, we added in a influx of cash that was desperately needed."

 

"As well as permanent orders."

 

"Changing the subject, schools?"

 

"We've got seven more years until all the students who were in school when they closed graduate. We're looking at a few more for the rest of the country. Fools are complaining about the students graduating so late then go 'oh' when they realize it's because dumbass shut down the schools in a shit fit. One good thing about so many kids working, they've got jobs lined up after they graduate." Pepper says absently. "I'm sure the fools in prison are still whining about the schools reopening."

 

"Of course they are, if the kids are in school getting an education they're not working themselves to death in their factories." Tony snorts. "Idiots don't realize that's something that would be happening in the former Soviet Union . . ." Natasha nods vehemently. "Or back in the 1800s here before unions were created and laws limiting shifts and protecting children were passed. I'm sure the asswipes would have got rid of those pesky, annoying laws too under Trask."

 

"That's what the asshat in chief did in that other dimension, it's the 9th planet's earth tab for those who haven't got that far yet. The first one, the second one is a peaceful Earth that had some people emigrate because they weren't aging. They're part of the groups who had family and friends there and nobody cares, from what I've heard it basically 'yeah, you're older than you look, isn't everybody?' and that's it." Tony looks at Natasha, Bucky, and Steve. Bucky snickers and Natasha just gives him a serene look. She'll get him later for commenting on her age.

 

The plans the fools had had for overturning laws and forcing children to work sixteen hours in factories is 'leaked' to the press and the fools in prison are stunned everybody is talking bad about them. Don't they know who they are and they should be 'blessed' to be able to work for them? The other prisoners in the Supermax treat them like the trash they are and they're sobbing in their pillows every night at having to work long hours, ignoring the fact they wanted the others to work even longer hours. They blubber that they'd have given them a few cents for their work. . .and been reminded they themselves are getting the selfsame few cents for their work.

 

"You're not going to be barging in here wailing that Stark is going to be taking over, are you?" The President asks the woman who'd taken over Anderson's seat until a permanent election can be held.

 

"Hell no, I have some damn sense." She snorts. "Anderson was a goddamn fool who didn't like anybody else doing something that he didn't want to do. It started with him complaining that schools were reopening and exploded from there. Anything and everything Stark did was proof he was taking over the world. . .Hell, if he took a shit somewhere other than New York he'd probably say that was proof he was going to take over the world." Brandon snickers despite himself. "His problem is he saw Stark actually doing things to help people and he couldn't have that, it's making him look bad. Despite the fact he never met the little fool and his constituents are half a country away."

 

Tony slumps into the seat behind his desk, giving his full desktop the hairy eyeball.

 

"This pile stuff for Stark, sign and put it in the outbox." Darcy says, patting the first pile. "This pile the city and state, that includes the hydroponics. This handful. . ." she picks up a small pile. "Is reports on hydroponics units in the other states and the growing dimension, everything is going well." He nods in satisfaction. "The table is full of applications for internships, Pepper and I sorted them by speciality and notes on where they think they can be placed. Do I want to know how the tour of the stuff you got from the fools who tried 'rescuing' New York from you went?" Stark's sour look has her nodding. "That's what everybody had been expecting."

 

"Yes, the only reason I'm keeping them open is the employees need the jobs. Though with the state the machines are in, I don't see them staying open much longer. Something's going to go up and the whole factory will shut down. The shifts are half of what they should be. . .the fools tried making them work sixteen hour days instead of having to shut down at night because they didn't have enough employees to run it all the time."

 

"Oh god the horror." Darcy snarks. "Fucking a-holes. And of course they'd never have accepted robots."

 

Tony nods. The phone rings and Darcy grabs it. "Tony Stark's off. . .yes Mr. President, he just returned from inspecting everything." She hands him the phone and leaves his office, shutting the door. Pepper looks at her. "The President." She nods and turns her attention back to making plans for Stark and the city.

 

"Did he say anything about the factories?"

 

"As bad as we'd been expecting, the only reason he's keeping them open is the employees. Hopefully they can find other work because he says the machinery will be failing in less than five years. The fools wanted people to work sixteen hours, they refused so they had to shut down the third shift."

 

"Figures, do you have any information on the areas around the factories?"

 

"Research started working on it once they got the list. The old fools will howl if Stark turns the factories around, brings in new jobs, improves the schools. . ." Darcy makes an and so on and so on to infinity hand wave. Pepper grins and waves her off to go handle her other duties, both at Stark, city duties, and her job as Pepper's second in command. The few people who had sneered at her had gotten her foot up their asses. .. in one case nearly literally when a drunk fool had tried grabbing Darcy's boobs and she'd kicked his ass nearly across the room until Steve and Bucky had drug him off and tossed him out of the tower.

 

Later that night Darcy walks into her apartment, petting the two dogs and a cat that had come up to her when she opened the door. Walking into the kitchen she puts down dry foot and splits a can of wet dog food between the two dishes, a smaller can of cat food being mixed into Minx's bowl.

 

"Hey kiddo." She looks over at Kate when she comes in from the fire escape. "You know the front door actually works."

 

"Yeah, but this way I keep my training up." She settles in a chair near the couch Darcy's stretched out on with her pets.

 

"How's school?"

 

"One more year. . .it doesn't seem possible some days, not when I remember everything that has happened over the last ten years. I'm nearly twenty-seven and still have a year to go for my bachelors."

 

"You're not the only one, we're looking at at least another decade of students graduating later than they should thanks to dumbfuck Trask. At least you don't have to worry about getting a good-paying job or paying off student loans once you've graduated." The last two summers Kate had been interning at Stark, she's working at Stark again this summer, and has a full-time job lined up when she graduates. The other Young Avengers all have good jobs and the groups try to get together for training at least once a month.

 

"Have you heard anything about student loans?"

 

"The President, Stark, and various government people have been talking about it. We need people to have degrees now, and people working years to pay off their student loans isn't the way to do it. It's either going to be a fund where you can get the money for your schooling and working summers to help pay it back at little to no interest or like the old Northern exposure show." Kate looks at her. "Before your time, a town in Alaska put up the money to send a guy to medical school, in turn he came to their town and worked there until he paid the debt off. It's on DVD, snag a copy from the replicator one day. I'm sure there's a lot of places that would pay to send kids to school for jobs they need now." Kate sighs but nods.

 

"How's Cassie doing?"

 

"Good, I've seen her around campus and the school has a lot of study groups set up to help the students. She just looks younger than the other students because she's the age she should be to be attending school." Darcy nods. "Her mom is happy she's living at home while she's attending school."

 

"How is Clint's son settling in?"

 

"Good, his parents are glad he's not stuck in a lonely apartment since the dorms haven't opened yet. I've got a housekeeper and cook so he's coming home to a good meal that's not cafeteria food though he's got to keep his room clean, we all do. There's a schedule for the common areas like the bathrooms, kitchen, and dining room. In the library it's clean up after yourself."

 

"Your dad's study?"

 

"I. . .I was finally able to bring myself to go inside. I was expecting to find signs of all his bad stuff. . .I know he used to be a crook before I was born. . .but. . .but. . ."

 

"But all you found was pictures of yourself and your mother?" Kate nods. "Makes sense, he wouldn't have had stuff like that at home, he gave that life up when he got married and started a family. A lot of men, whatever business they're in, keep their public and private lives separate. I'm sure none of the assholes who tried to attack Stark told their families what they were planning." Kate snickers but nods. "Not that I doubt any of the old fools have families, their attitudes would have sent them away years ago." Kate nods again. "I'm getting some water." she says, standing up.

 

"Check on the casserole? It should be about done." Darcy waves a hand and turns the tv on, flipping through the channels to a comedy.

 

"Pepper, I'll be gone tomorrow. . .for you anyway." Tony says the next morning.

 

"What are you doing now?"

 

"Richards and I are going to be cleaning up some of the trash in the oceans, we were able to scan them and it's disgusting. I think we have a landfill or two just in the water, then we're going to start cleaning rivers. It's going to be another ten to fifteen years for us, we'll be turning what we can into raw materials and the rest will be zapped into energy." Pepper nods in satisfaction. "Tomorrow's a good day, no meetings or anything."

 

"Yeah, that's why we chose tomorrow. Next week is an expo we're both going to be attending."

 

Tony looks at Reed as he gets in their ship. "Planes and boats?"

 

"I thought we'd map their locations so historians can see if they can identify them. I'd rather have taken them out too but they most likely have plant life growing on them. We'll take samples of the water to see if we need to use the cleaners too."

 

Tony nods as the ship lifts off. Nearly twenty years later and drops into a seat across from Pepper. "We cleared billions of tons of garbage out of the oceans, mapped every wreck we can find it and sent the data to various ocean groups that are still around, we have thousands of cubes of raw material now. We plan on doing sweeps yearly."

 

Pepper nods in satisfaction. "Have you eaten?"

 

"And slept, I'm going to go over my speech for the expo next week."

 

"You've got a meeting tomorrow with environmentalists."

 

"Yes, hopefully all Richards and I have been doing will offset the climate changes that have been happening. I'd rather not survive the damn disease and drown because the polar ice caps melted." Tony walks off muttering and Pepper shakes her head when she hears him muttering about a permafrost ray.

 

"See if everything you've done halts or reverses it before you do something like that." She says at his retreating back. A waved hand lets her know he heard her.

 

"Good lord, look at how clean everything is, there's no garbage in the streets or alleys." One of the men says as they drive down the street to Stark Tower. "I see recycling containers everywhere and they're being used." On the street a man is stacking old newspapers into a bin. He walks back into the building he'd just come out of as a woman comes out and puts flattened cans in another container. A garbage truck is rumbling up the road and the men nod as they toss the recyclables into the truck.

 

"I hear recycling is 80 percent in Manhattan. If there's bins on every street. . ."

 

"Yes, and do you notice everybody is walking? Or taking public transit?"

 

"There's gardens everywhere and all of them have compost areas set up." They pull up to the building and are let in, parking and going to the elevator. They go up to the penthouse and find Mr. Stark looking over some papers in his hand.

 

"Welcome to Stark Tower Ladies and Gentlemen. Please follow me and we'll go to a meeting room."

 

"That wasn't anything like I was expecting." One of the men says later that night in a hotel room after they've eaten dinner. "Recycling bins everywhere, plants everywhere. While we were there they were talking about seeds. . ."

 

"Alternate energy was everywhere, what roofs we could see either had rooftop gardens or solar arrays."

 

Nods from the others. "I overheard talk about starting a seed bank of trees and crops from the other countries so they're not lost. I'd feared they'd go in and clearcut everything."

 

"You missed it, I heard that he and Dr. Richards were off clearing the oceans of all the junk that you see floating in it on the news. You know, the damn big floating piles of plastic. According to the gossip, he brought back tons of plastic and whatnot that they somehow turned back into raw materials and did something to what couldn't be reused."

 

"I can believe it. I was talking to the garbage men while I was waiting for you guys to come out of the restaurant, he says the actual garbage that can't be recycled or composted is down to ten percent of what it had been. Not only did they clean up the oceans, they cleaned up rivers and harbors. And they cleaned out closed landfills all over the world."

 

"That's where they got all the raw material then. Probably tons of metals from when we just tossed everything in the ground."

 

"Yep. I hope they can clear out the remaining landfills before they have to close."

 

A couple months later Peter's car pulls up in front of his house. Frank's wife hurries over and gives him a hug. "Your aunt will be so happy to have you home again."

 

"She's not the only one. I enjoyed the year off but I'm happy to be home." He gathers his bags from the back seat. . .more than he'd left with and unlocks the trunk. Bags of groceries and from ESU are in the trunk and she and her daughters grab them and carry them inside.

 

"May, your nephew's home." Matthew says when he gets the call. Across the room May smiles. "Your neighbor says he brought food on the way home so you don't need to bring anything home but yourself."

 

May walks into the no longer feeling so empty house and the first thing she sees is the pile of mail that she'd been saving for Peter is sitting open on the coffee table. The door opens behind her and she turns around, wrapping her arms around the son of her heart.

 

"Welcome home dear, how was the Institute?"

 

"Nice, and listening to the others tell me stories about my parents made them more than just pictures in the photograph albums but this is my home."

 

"Did you sign up for your doctorate classes?"

 

"Yep, stopped there before I went grocery shopping. Dinner's in the oven. The garden looks good. Is it bigger than it was last year?"

 

"Yes, Frank tilled the ground up for me and his girls helped me plant. Their garden is now twice the size it used to be too. Ohhh, and Mr. Stark is going to be putting up greenhouses for us in a couple weeks. It's supposed to be a bad winter this year, snowing every day and cold."

 

Peter shakes his head. "Do we have supplies for it?"

 

"Yes, they doubled the seeds, canning supplies, and other stuff. I've been working shifts at the greenhouses so I have a good idea what needs to be done when ours are up."

 

"Good thinking. I did a lot of work in the greenhouses at the Institute so I'm somewhat familiar with them too. Do I need to check the snowblower?"

 

"Frank checked it this spring. It's good through for a few more years. Even with the snow they're predicting."

 

The crops start coming in hot and heavy, the cases of canning jars are filled and put away for the winter as the greenhouses go up and seed trays filled. It's already turning cooler and extra blankets start to be added to beds and warmer clothes are brought out.

 

Reed Richards walks into Tony's office one day in late fall. "I took readings on water quality."

 

"And from the look on your face we're going to need to use the cleaners?" Tony sighs.

 

"Yes, the plants and fish that would normally clean the water can't handle it."

 

"Will the cleaners strip the salt out of the ocean water?"

 

"No, I calibrated it for salt water last night."

 

"Now?"

 

"Unless you are in the middle of something besides grumbling about paperwork. The ship is parked on the roof."

 

"Pepper, Richards and I are going to go clean the water." Tony says as they walk past her desk.

 

She waves a hand.

 

"We should show the President before and after readings."

 

"I already sent him the before data."

 

The president sighs as he takes off his glasses, having been looking at the after data for the last few hours. "You always heard the commercials about children walking hours for water in Africa until charities dug wells."

 

"Yes, you never stopped to think how bad it was all over until you got the data. We cleaned London's water but . . ." Tony says on the phone. The president had called him after looking over the data.

 

"Never thought anything about water everywhere until you looked over the data. Hopefully with clean water, factories that had been spewing pollution shut down, and recycling and composting the ground will recover."

 

"Yes. What is the latest on the fools who tried invading?"

 

"Blubbering that everybody's being mean to them. . .you should be in that prison. ..not them. They just wanted to free everybody you have to be brainwashing to keep them under your control."

 

"More like take over everything. . .for all they ranted and raved I was trying to take over the world, that's what they wanted to do. They'd have closed all the schools again. . .how dare we give children an education, they should only be working for them. Those pesky child labor laws needed to be repealed too, they'd have outlawed those damn unions. ..how dare they tell employers what they can and can't do with their employees. . .if they want them to work sixteen hours, they'll damn well work sixteen hours, right?" Tony snorts in his office.

 

"Exactly, now they're wailing because all they wanted their employees to do while they raked in the profits is happening to them and they don't wike it." The president snorts. "Miserable fools are getting a taste of what they wanted for their employees. . ."

 

"But they're just employees. . .we're special." Tony snorts. "I'm sure you were going to be their next target."

 

"Oh yes, how dare I take the side of the little people over them. They wanted children to be little more than slaves to them. They wanted the schools to stay closed. .. how dare I allow you to reopen your schools, let alone the other states? Fucking fools, let them rot in prison. Changing the subject, are the factories you took over from them as bad as expected?"

 

"Yes, I see the factories having to close in five years. . .the machinery is wore out because they fools didn't want to spend money for necessary maintenance or god forbid buy new ones. I'm sure we'd have all heard the anguished howling when the damn things fell apart."

 

"They'd have tried blaming you for their stupidity. . .because of course you're trying to take over the world." The president snickers at the rude sound from the other end of the phone.

 

Tony walks into the meeting room. "Sorry I'm late, the president wanted to talk after he looked over the updated water scans." Richards, Xavier, Essex, Coulson, and Magneto are waiting on him.

 

"How is it looking?" Magneto asks.

 

"Good, we figure on checking yearly when we go out to clean the waterways again. Hopefully with the worse of the pollution gone, the animals and plants that kept everything clean can handle the job." He settles in a chair. "Okay, I was asked this yesterday, the industries that farm the oceans?"

 

"Are all much smaller now with all the deaths. With being able to preserve what they catch better, it's now every two or three years that they harvest. This will allow the populations to recover and grow. Stuff like seaweed now have much smaller farming practices." Essex rumbles. "At least with all the deaths, the recipes for the foods have been written down and put in safes for the future in case more people are lost in the next round of the disease."

 

"Are the precogs seeing more deaths?"

 

"Yes, as well as another massive power outage." Xavier looks at Richards and Stark.

 

"The alternate power source was brought out when we went out to remove the garbage from the oceans and waterways." Tony says absently. "We're bringing out boxes and putting them in various places around the country over the next year so local authorities and the national guard can get to them. We worked out locations that can quickly get the boxes out to large cities and fill trucks to deliver them to rural areas." Everybody nods in satisfaction. "Thank you, the precogs had shown that this next outage. . ."

 

"They wouldn't be able to restore power. Yes, that's what the president had figured as well. And we're still looking at a new sweep of the disease coming though next year. And speaking of the epidemic. . .is anybody closer to a vaccine than they were?"

 

"No, may Trask rot in his own personal hell. There are indications that the disease is mutating." Coulson says quietly.

 

"Yes, Thor told me the seers on Asgard saw it changing, that's why he gave us something. He said that the serums made Natasha, Steve, and Bucky immune." Tony says quietly. "I hope we don't see the damn deaths we did last time since so much of the world isn't living cheek to cheek anymore and people are in better health since fresh fruits and veggies are available year-round now." The others nod. "That's why we're setting up the boxes everywhere to keep the deaths down from the power grid collapsing into dust."

 

A knocking on the door has Darcy sticking her head inside. "Boss, major power outage on the other coast, going up as far as Canada and down into Mexico. Pepper's on the phone with the Malibu branch right now, the buildings have the alternate power but not their homes or other businesses like New York so they're closing until the power comes back on unless it's something that they have to be there to work on because it's top priority or it will go blooie if it's left alone."

 

"Hell." Tony sighs when the door shuts. "It's starting."

 

"Yes, Mexico and Canada would be surges from the outage here." Richards says, bringing up a holographic image in the middle of the table and marking how much is without power from the reports coming in. "Do we have enough boxes for the entire world if need be?"

 

"We can bring them out as needed."

 

"Sir, Ms. Potts says the President is on line one." JARVIS announces.

 

"I'd been expecting it." He sighs and puts the phone on speaker. "Yes Mr. President?"

 

"Is Coulson and Richards with you?" Brandon asks in the White House.

 

"Yes, along with Essex, Magneto, and Xavier. We were talking about the possibility of power outages and more people getting sick when the news about the power outage was relayed by one of my employees."

 

"Do you have boxes in California?"

 

"Yes. . ." tapping tells the President that Stark is looking something up. "I have ten warehouses filled with boxes scattered throughout the state. But Richards and I would need to bring in three times that many to cover just the state."

 

"Shit, that's what I was afraid of. Hope to god they can get the power back on. But you're going to. . ."

 

"Richards and I had already planned on making a special trip to bring out boxes all over the United States, it's going to take us years though on the ship."

 

"Eighteen and a half." Richard's voice says, telling the president Stark has them on speaker.

 

"Is there a way they could be built in factories?"

 

"Unfortunately, no. Not one of the dimensions I have the reports from but another where Earth has been having major problems with their power grid, they were building new grids in local areas and joining them together. The government had a supply of the boxes, but not enough for a power outage that destroyed a lot of the grid. . .including the new one. Someone in the government asked if the factories weren't making them, they were told they couldn't replicate something in the box that allowed them to get the power. They'd reported that but. . ."

 

"The fools who couldn't be bothered to read the reports complained? Figures." the president sighs. "How long until you and Richards can start delivering them again?"

 

Tony sighs.

 

"It's going to take months, not to bring them out but to have places set up where we can put them."

 

A softly mumbled swear word tells the the president hadn't thought of that. "I'd say we'd be better off bringing them out after the power goes out when there's people who can create the accounts and hand out the boxes."

 

"I'd suggest bringing out the boxes to essential services first, that way people know about them and don't think this is just a gimmick." Coulson says quietly.

 

"Yes, that would give them an uninterrupted power supply and when the power does go out they're not affected." The president sighs.

 

"What about empty hospitals?" Essex asks. "Could we use them to store the boxes?"

 

"Yes, that might possibly work. As well as hotels that closed during the epidemic and didn't reopen." Tony makes a note on the PADD in front of him. "The buildings themselves could be used as distribution centers." He sends off his notes to Pepper who gives him a 'and why are you looking into these' look when he comes out of the room with the others. "Storage places for the boxes, this outage is warning us we're going to need to bring them out sooner rather than later. And we're going to need places to hold all the boxes, we've got ten warehouses full of boxes in LA and would need three times that many just for the state."

 

"Hell." Pepper moans. "And the buildings could be used for storage and distribution if all the buildings aren't all in one area."

 

"Yes, that's something we'd have to think about. Otherwise if we don't have enough storage we'll have to be bringing them out when the power goes out. We're going to be passing out the boxes to essential services though, this way when the power goes out, they flip the switch and have power." Tony starts to walk to his lab and stops suddenly, swearing. "Damn it, the morons in congress are right. . .I am taking over the world."

 

Pepper's sniggering behind him makes him swear again.

 

 

 

 

 

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