(MCU) Forged Reality: Chapter 18 - You want what?!

Chapter 18 - You want what?!

Summary: An unexpected video resurfaces, threatening old friendships—and sparking something new.

Tony was watching the security cameras of the training floor he set aside for the Rising Heroes program.

He was watching clips of Clint training the young wannabes in hand-to-hand combat, and not only the three teens but the Maximoff twins as well.

Like it or not, right now Clint was the best fighter Tony knew he could trust. Not that he had any issue with that—Clint was a great example of a hero, and it would do the future of heroes good to learn a thing or two from him.

Peter was the one who needed the least training for the moment. Between the kid's inhuman agility, strength, and reflexes, he was already a built-in fighting machine. But making sure he had some form while he was fighting would have its own advantages in the field, especially in a situation where his powers malfunctioned or something like that.

The only complaint Peter had was that Tony wasn't the one teaching that class, which caused the genius to roll his eyes and point out he was more about tech than fighting, especially with fists. Of course, Tony still had his own lessons with the three of them about how to create their suits and gear, or in Kate's case, how to maintain them.

Bruce was also working with the teens, teaching them some first aid in case they got injured or needed to help someone else, be it a civilian or a team member. Peter also scheduled more meetings with the doctor so the two of them could upgrade his web fluid and shooters.

Harley was the one who needed the lessons the most, with no previous experience in the field or even some schoolboy fights; the teen was starting from zero. And as annoyed as the teen was about it, Tony could still see the determination in his eyes to master those basics.

Kate, on the other hand, while she had some idea of the basics, still had a long way to go with her fighting skills. Clint took her back to the foundations and started building her form from there. If the girl was upset by his assessment, it was overshadowed by her admiration for the archer.

Speaking of archery, Kate was also taking those lessons from Clint. Before those lessons, she was already pretty impressive with the bow and arrow, but now, after a couple of weeks under Clint's tutoring, she became scary with them. Even the legendary Hawkeye admitted being impressed.

Then there were Wanda and Pietro; both said they wanted to have something else to rely on than just their powers. Especially Pietro, whose power only gave him superspeed, which in closed quarters became extremely hard to use.

Wanda, on the other hand, seemed to just want a reason to be away from the compound and team that lived there, only really making an effort to get to know Vision and remind the android who his dad was.

Tony was drawn out of his musing by Friday's voice. "Boss, I found an interesting recording from about a year ago that I think you will find interesting."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the closest camera. "Oh, you got me curious. Play it on the screen, baby-girl."

The holographic screen in front of Tony changed the image filling it from the security camera of the training floor inside the tower to a camera that was set on one of the compound's storage rooms. By the look of the surroundings, it was before the redesign of the building to the Avengers HQ, which would fit with Friday's comment of the time of the recording.

Tony stared with a frown as the video kept rolling, and the only thing he could see was grass being blown by the wind. He was about to ask Friday what he was supposed to be seeing when what looked like some toy was dropped to the ground and rolled in the grass before growing to the size of a full man out of nowhere.

Friday paused the video, knowing Tony would have a reaction, and he did. Tony was confused about the tech on display; he remembered reading something about it in Howard's notes while trying to invent a new element. Out loud, all he said was a murmured, "What the hell?"

That's when he noticed something else about the man who suddenly grew from toy size to life size. He was holding something in his left hand. A box. A box with the SI logo on it.

The video began playing again, showing a shadow covering the man in the red suit, causing the thief to roll away. While he did so, the camera caught the barcode on the back of the case. Tony immediately jumped at the chance. "Fri. Freeze the image and scan the barcode; I want to know what was stolen."

While the AI began to look through the SI archives, Tony kept watching the video. What he saw was a fight between the Falcon and the mysterious thief, which ended with the Avenger on the ground and the thief getting away.

Tony gritted his teeth as he saw it. A newbie, a fucking newbie who was playing with some new tech, outplayed a damn soldier with the flying suit he was trained to master.

"Boss, I have found the missing item. It was the prototype of the signal decoy device. I also used face recognition; the thief is someone named Scott Lang. He is a convicted criminal who did his time and was recently hired by Hank Pym," Friday informed him.

Pym! That's where he knew the shrinking tech from. It was the old goat's damn particle. Wait... "Wasn't there a whole fiasco with Pym Tech that week?"

Friday's response was immediate. "Yes, Boss. The CEO has been accused of collaborating with terrorists and attempted murder. Though Mr. Darren has gone missing and is presumed dead after his attempt. Since then, Hope Van Dyne took control over the company."

Tony sighed and began rubbing his forehead in frustration while asking Friday, "Please use priority one line and call Hope."

He had to wait for a couple of minutes before the woman finally answered. When she did, Tony saw a pale-skinned woman with dark hair reaching the middle of her neck, sitting in an obviously luxurious office.

Tony's voice was dry as he spoke, "Ms. Van Dyne, it's been a while; you seem to make yourself comfortable."

The woman's voice was equally as flat in her response. "Mr. Stark. To what do I owe this unusual call?"

There was a moment of tense silence before Tony snorted. "You never change, do you, Hope?"

His childhood friend returned the favor with her own snort. "You're one to talk, Tony. So anyway, why did you call all of a sudden?"

"Something disturbing came to my attention today, and I wanted your opinion on it," Tony said casually, carefully scanning his friend's face as he played the video to her.

Hope's face went even paler, and she began shifting uncomfortably in her chair. When the video was over, Hope's stern and intimidating façade was broken, something Tony taught her to never allow to happen.

With a disappointed sigh, "So you knew. About the whole damn thing."

Hope flinched a little and called out, "Tony..."

Tony sent her a small glare. "What, Hope? What do you want me to do? Right now, I see only two options. Either you hand over the thief in the video, or we use the fact you employed the thief while our tech was being used in your little heist to take your company to court."

Hope winced again and tried to be diplomatic. "Come on, Tony, we are friends; there has to be a way for us to solve it without anyone getting hurt."

Tony frowned. "Why do you care what's going to happen to a criminal? A previously convicted one at that. He gets what he deserves for returning straight to crime, and your company gets to keep its clean name."

Hope looked down. "Please, Tony, I... I care about him. It wasn't his fault. Dad kind of blackmailed him into it, and Scott has a little girl that waited for so long for her dad to get out of prison; I can't let you send him back."

Tony clenched his fists on top of the arms of his chair. "A facility of SI was broken into, the same facility that is now known as the Avengers Compound, and sensitive technology has been stolen from it by the use of highly classified tech of its own. Not to mention the assault on an Avenger. What the fuck do you want me to do, Hope?!"

Hope bit her bottom lip and called out, "Scott! Come in here."

A man of average height, with a goofy smile and short dark hair, entered the frame. Once the thief noticed the screen, his goofy smile turned into a frown, and he turned to Hope. "Why the hell are you on a call with the bastard Stark?"

Hope's eyes widened, and what little color she still somehow retained on her face was gone when she noticed Tony's furious look.

So Tony did what he does best when he is so angry. He gave the man a dark smirk and played the video again. "I hope we got your good side, Lang; after all, a lot of people will see it in your trial. When you get to the max-security prison, you can tell the warden that bastard Stark sent you."

Lang stood in place, his face as pale as Hope's and his entire body was shaking; tears began to gather in his eyes.

When Hope spoke again, it was in a pleading voice Tony never heard her use before. "Please, Tony, I beg you, for me... for those children who wanted to invent a new world together, don't do it. Scott is just stupid and naïve to whatever my dad is saying; it's not his fault."

Tony couldn't hold his surprise and anger as he growled at her. "Hell it's not! He is a fucking grown man that can take the damn consequences for his choices. And since when do you beg?! All those years of hard work for this attitude! What the hell, Hope?!"

Tony looked into her eyes, and instead of the usual wall of firmness, what he saw was pleading. At that moment, a knock on the door broke the tension in the room. He took a deep breath and called toward the door, "One moment."

He turned back to his pleading friend and her now crying accomplice before groaning, "I'm too angry to think straight right now, so I will call you later when I'm calmer." Both of them looked relieved; Tony would have none of it, and he shot them a glare. "You were saved by pure luck; if next time something similar happens, I won't hold back."

Friday, sensing his tone, cut the call right there and then. He rubbed his face to relax its muscles before calling out again, "Come in."

The door opened, and Wanda walked inside, wearing some casual clothes and a small frown as she closed the door behind her. "I sensed a lot of anger. I still do, actually," she commented with a confused voice.

Tony groaned again. "Just an old friend making stupid choices that tick me off." He then forced himself to relax. "Anyway, you wanted something?"

Wanda shrugged with a concerned look. "I didn't have the chance to talk with you yet about Rogers's last escape. He dragged us all the way to Italy, said he found a lead. All we found was a drug ring calling themselves Barnes Heights. Of course, it didn't stop them from going all Avengers mode on them. The collateral damage was huge; the only reason only a couple of people died is because I kept pulling as many as I could out of the way."

Tony cursed under his breath. These little trips of Rogers were getting more and more frequent; he was chasing the most obscure and ridiculous rumors and leads. And most of the time, he left only destruction and death behind without anyone to answer for it.

Since Wanda joined their group, the death toll at least decreased significantly, while property damage wasn't so bad anymore either, thanks to the telekinetic woman's efforts.

Still, soon enough people would start demanding answers for all those deaths and destruction. Tony just hoped Steve read his emails and had a plan for when the time came.

He gave Wanda a small smile. "You did your best; no one can ask for more. And you did a great job; a lot of lives were saved thanks to you alone. Be proud, Wanda; you are the hero you always dreamed to be."

There was a large blush on her cheeks, and her eyes were shining a little. Still, she smiled back. "Thanks. It means a lot coming from you, Tony."

Tony nodded in acceptance, knowing better than to argue by this point. He was about to turn back to work when Wanda called out again, this time her voice much meeker. "You are still frustrated; how about we watch one of those Disney movies you mentioned, just the two of us?"

Tony's heart skipped a beat. Was this a date? Tony had some more work to do, but Wanda was right; he was still angry with the drama Hope created for him. He could use a little bit to clear his mind.

With a large smile, he stood from his chair and said in his most chivalrous voice, "After you, my lady."

Wanda giggled with a large smile of her own and opened the door, looking at Tony over her shoulder.