Before You Read: I kept Iron Man as a constant, James Stark, Emelia Stark-Dawson, and Caleb Dawson are all creations of my own mind. Iron Man and all other references to Marvel Comics are Copyright protected to Marvel

Chapter 1 - "Exposition"

In the year 2082, the human race is facing near-Apocalyptic situations. The People's Republic of China has become a global force now calling themselves the "United Nations of the China Republic". In all actuality, this Republic is a tyrannical dictatorship led by the long-distance descendant of Hu Jintao, Yusuke Jintao. In order to fight this power, the United States had relied on heroes such as Captain America and Iron Man, but alas, they were only human. Their descendants want nothing to do with this conflict. They want normalcy. All but one that is...

It was midday as Caleb Dawson, the great-grandson of Tony "Iron Man" Stark, set out for a bike ride. He mounted the bike and took in the day's surroundings. Over the years, Los Angeles had taken a turn towards ruin. Fear of invasion and the anger that citizens in L.A (As well as several other cities) had towards the President, who did not want to engage the UNCR in direct conflict, sparked several riots. Caleb sighed as he saw yet another dumpster set aflame, a visible sight set against a backdrop of smoking buildings and an oddly-hued orange sky. Stark Industries had tried to promote cleaner energy, but they couldn't stop the other big businesses from continuing their destructive ways. So, with another heavy sigh, 18 year-old Caleb began his bike ride.

For a boy his age, Caleb was stocky. He had been on his high school's wrestling team, so he had a reasonable amount of muscle on him. He stood around six feet tall and had the same black hair that Tony did. He kept his facial hair in the form of a goatee on his chin, a matter of personal pride for him. As he pedaled his bike along the sidewalk, he thought to himself questions he still had about his Great-Grandpa. What was it like to be Iron Man? How often did he get injured? And, most importantly in his adolescent mind: How many times did he get laid before settling with Great-Grandma Pepper? His mother, Emelia Stark-Dawson, Tony's granddaughter, never answered Caleb's questions. It always annoyed Caleb when she always said "My Granddad was a superhero. They're practically gone. Nobody cares about them anymore." Caleb smirked and thought I strongly disagree, Mom... He loved hearing from his Grandpa James, Tony's son, about his dad's exploits. James always treated Caleb to stories and even pictures that were in newspapers. Caleb knew that Great-Grandpa Tony had fought as Iron Man until the Arc Reactor in his chest began to die and, along with it, Tony. He always cried when he watched the video from the hospital of the weak light fading and his great-grandfather fading with it as the shrapnel from that incident way back when finally reached his heart.

As Caleb thought through all of this, his tire caught a vine and he was sent flying forward. As his body smacked into the concrete, Caleb cradled into the fetal position to avoid breaking anything. He looked back and saw his front tire bent in an awkward shape, looking like a potato chip now. He followed the vine he had run over to a large mass of the green things over a wrought-iron gate. He knew there was an old mansion behind the gate, but he had never ventured inside. He pulled on the mass, and under the growth, he found a large "A". He didn't know what it stood for, so he disregarded it and pushed the gate open as it squealed and creaked in protest of its rest being disturbed. Caleb walked along the overgrown path into the house. It wasn't decrepit like he had thought. It was actually still mostly in shape inside, with beautiful checkered tile flooring and marble supports. As he walked, he found the same "A" on the floor. He had a feeling that the letter had to do with the previous owner, so, once again, he ignored it. He walked over to a door and found a control panel-type device by the door. As he looked into it, he was bombarded by a laser beam that shot towards his eye. Caleb shouted and stooped backward, and a voice boomed through the mansion "Retinal scan complete. Identification: Guest. Playing Welcome message." After this, an image of a man appeared over the "A" on the floor. When Caleb turned, he heard "Welcome to Avenger's Mansion. I'm Tony Stark, or Iron Man..." All that could escape Caleb's lips as he gazed with pure shock was "No... Way..."

To Be Continued

_________________

Harbingers
Chapter 2

"Gifts and Introductions"

**Before you read: All instances that revolve around Marvel and DC heroes are based on my own mind. Reference to Hulk and his son, Skaar, are referenced to the comics Planet Hulk and Son of Hulk**

As Caleb stood, agape at the image of his great-grandfather on the hologram, he was in disbelief. Had he actually found Avengers Mansion? The Mansion where greats like the Hulk, Thor, the Wasp and even Captain America once resided? Elation filled him as he watched the hologram for more than a welcome, and, after a brief silence, he got what he desired, for Tony Stark's image began to speak once more, however, it was a personal message. But, it was not meant for Caleb.

"James," the hologram said, believing Caleb to be Tony's son, "I programmed your DNA to receive this personally. The Avengers... Are disbanding. We're all getting too old. We've decided that if the Avengers are to continue, it will rely on you. Thor is returning to rule Asgard, Cap and the others are aging and the Hulk is with his son on Planet Hulk. And me, well... The Arc can't keep me kicking forever..." The image then turned its head and heaved a sigh, before looking right at Caleb with tears in its eyes.

"I know you are mad at me for not giving up sooner, and I know you probably hate me for not giving you a suit to fight alongside me, but I just felt that you weren't ready yet. So, With this, I bequeath the Iron Man Mark 6 suit to you. And, knowing how your mom will react, consider this my will to you..." Hearing this, Caleb remembered his mom talking about how Grandpa James received next to nothing from Tony. If only Grandpa heard this... Caleb thought. After the image flickered off, the floor opened up and an armor capsule rose up. As Caleb opened it, he was in shock at what wasn't there. The suit.

He bolted from the mansion ruins and ran straight towards his grandpa's house. Had he actually gotten the message and retrieved the suit? Was it stolen? No, he thought, it was triggered by DNA. There was no possible way it could be stolen. As his heart pounded against his chest, he jumped the fence outside of his grandpa's house and ran to the door. He began beating both fists and yelling "Grandpa James! Open the door! Please!" From within, he heard a click as the door creaked open. His Grandpa, now into his eighties, looked to Caleb with complete shock. "What is the matter Caleb?" He asked, strain of age evident in his voice. Caleb heaved in more oxygen and looked straight into his grandfather's eyes and said "Do you... Have your dad's suit?" With a sigh, James looked to his grandson and, with resignation in his voice, said "You found the mansion... Like I did. He left it to me, like I wanted... But, I was too late. I-"

Caleb excitedly cut his grandpa off yelling "It was stolen?!" With a feeble hand, James stopped his grandson and said, "I was too old for the job by then. 50 isn't the ideal age for Iron Man. Come in, I'll show it to you." And with that, James took Caleb into the basement. As he went down the stairs, he saw the Mark 6. It was the regular gold and red, but the design was different from what Caleb knew. As he picked up the helmet, he heard his Grandpa's voice from behind him, speaking words that did not immediately register at first...

"If you want it... Take it..."

----Meanwhile----

He never thought that Circleville, a small city in Ohio, would ever need a hero. However, He never thought the city would ever be put under attack. The protesters here were even worse than in the other cities, because these people were true liberals. They were stopping Main Street traffic and hurling fireballs at anyone who wouldn't join them. So, with a Sharpie marker, young Anthony Michaels drew the logo he dreamed of. All this time, he had the power to be a hero, and now was his calling. He donned the white shirt and his red goggles and ran towards Downtown... And arrived in a second.

Anthony was a mutant. The gene was recessive in his family, and the nineteen year-old only found out last year that he could run faster than any man on the planet ever since the Flash was eaten by the Flash Force again. However, he discovered he had another power: Electricity. His body always generated it's own static, but this static always built up and he always had to discharge. When he did, the static had the same consistency of lightning, causing reports of freak storms. But, he didn't care right now. He wanted to finally prove he could be a hero.

He stood in the middle of the street, facing down the huge crowd. He boldly shouted out "Hey! You guys should really go home. Quit acting like fools." As he said this, a fireball was flung at him, He dodged and sped to be behind the group. "I'm not gonna ask you again. Go. Home." When the frontman of the group began screaming obscenities, Anthony did something he had practiced a million times. In a fraction of a second, he shuffled his feet, generating static. He then used his control to run it to his fingertip, which was pointed at the frontman, and discharged the tiny bolt. When he hit the ground, his lackeys ran for the hills. Anthony stood over the man, who looked at him and asked "Who are you?" And, with a deep intake of air, he said something he had said to his reflection in the mirror more than he practiced his static bullet. "They call me... Discharge."

To Be Continued

_________________

Harbingers
Chapter 3
"Enter the Villain"
       
      As Caleb stared at his grandfather, he had to let the words sink in. "I... I can have the Iron Man suit? Why?" Caleb's grandfather gave him a stern look and treaded lightly over to his grandson, feeble feet housed in slippers lightly scuffing the concrete floor. The sound pained Caleb's heart. His grandfather had been such a strong and bold person, yet now he was fragile and frail. As James placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder, feeling the slight flinch at the feeble touch, he said softly "I was a vain and cruel boy. I pissed my father off trying so hard to become Iron Man. Only now do I see the true reason I could not possess that power: heart. Never in my years would I have run from Avenger's Mansion all the way here to find the missing suit. You possess the heart of someone who can truly master the suit." As he watched his grandfather tear up, Caleb gripped him in an embrace and softly told him he loved him.

He walked over and gathered the parts, gingerly placing them into his duffel bag. With a final embrace, he hurried home and locked himself in his room. With a swift motion, he threw everything off of his desk and opened his laptop. He began working on the archaic machinery, attempting to modernize the suit. He managed to create a new, self-sustaining power unit and even update the flight mechanics. On his hard drive, he found a newer AI he had written based on Jarvis, which he named Mayvis, the "daughter" of Jarvis. He set the suit up to be a freestanding unit until powered up, and, as he stepped into it, the suit began to close and form to his body and became easier to control. As Mayvis started up, the feminine voice sounded a clear "Diagnostics scan complete. Iron Man suit is fully functional." He opened his window and climbed over the edge, the repulsors blasting into function as he took flight. He was exhilarated, feeling the freedom of flight as he watched the scans on his Heads-Up Display. Iron Man was back. And it was time to be a hero.

At first, society wasn't able to adjust to having a Hero once again. But as the days became weeks, Los Angeles became accustomed to their Knight in Iron Armor. His image was plastered all over the news with headlines of "Blast From The Past!" and "Iron Man Returns!" Caleb didn't mind the publicity since, unlike his great-grandfather, he didn't disclose his secret identity. However, while LA was glad to have a hero return, one person did not.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        
       In 2050, Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D. joined forces to become Stark Logistics Corp. Unfortunately, an unknown bureaucrat named Alice Hawthorn came into play. She bought every share of stock in SLC and, in turn, bought the company. After renaming it "Paladin Industries", Alice began a worldwide spread to monopolize over smaller companies. Alice's main goal was to rule this world, therefore bringing peace. In the Age of Heroes, she allied with the UNCR and infiltrated SLC to join the Avengers as Snowblind, since she had ice powers. However, she hid powers of telekinesis and super strength, leading her to achieve her goal in killing Ms. Marvel in seclusion and effectively disappear.

Alice had seen that Iron Man had returned, and she was not happy. She had gone through so much trouble to get the heroes to quell and die off to attain her ability to begin her takeover. So, she set out with a plan. If a hero rises, she thought to herself as an evil grin betook her face, then a villain must also rise. She picked up the phone on her desk and, with the standard voice of a CEO, she spoke through the phone, saying "Send Melissa upstairs. I have an assignment for her."

Melissa Davidson was an ordinary mailgirl for Paladin. She had no hidden powers, no secrets, not even a family. She was orphaned at the age of 16 and placed into an orphanage. Usually, when a family goes to adopt a little girl, they don't normally pick a teenager, so, upon 18, she was thrust into the world alone. Upon reaching Alice's office, she was uneasy. She thought to herself that it was all okay, and that she wouldn't be fired. However, as she stepped inside, she found her boss holding her company profile. Without instruction, Melissa sat down and listened. "You know what I'm holding?" asked Alice, a sly grin on her face. There were times when this woman could be nice, but, most of the time, she was a manipulative bitch. Melissa nodded and Alice continued, saying "I'm holding a perfect, spotless company record. Never missed a day, never got a reprimand, nothing. I like that. However, I need it gone." With that, she tossed the file into her shredder. With a whimper, Melissa reached in vain for it, her heart breaking at the sight. Suddenly, Alice stood, and a sharp pain hit Melissa's mind.

I have erased your entire existence. You are no longer Melissa Davidson. You are mine. It was the voice of Alice, pounding through her cerebrum. As Melissa sat, transfixed, Alice leaned down and whispered into her ear "Do you understand?" Melissa nodded and stood, taking the hand of Alice as she was lead like a lamb to the elevator, where Alice inserted a black key and turned it all the way to the left.

The key made the elevator go beyond the basement to a laboratory, where Alice had many scientists busying about, preparing a chamber. Alice began to explain to Melissa what was going to happen, knowing she wouldn't remember.

"About two years ago, a man by the name of Wade Wilson came in, trying to steal my secrets. Said he was hired for 'Corporate Espionage' and whatnot. Well, when I kicked his ass and got a chance to examine his Mind, I found a depraved, psychotic cancer sufferer. Turns out his cancer was amplified by a serum, making him immortal. I took a sample of his DNA and began trying to save him. Unfortunately, Cancer is such a tricky mess, the poor neurotic man died... finally." Alice Chuckled as the scientist began to take samples of Melissa's blood and tissue. She continued, saying "Tonight, we are beginning a new "Deadpool 2.0" project. You will become a highly tuned assassin, immortal, invincible. The perfect Weapon." Alice gave a mental command and Melissa stripped down, entering the chamber and allowing the scientists to prod her with syringes and place an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. As the door shut, water filled the chamber, and anesthesia entered Melissa's lungs, putting her to sleep as Alice began typing on the computer, allocating pieces of the DNA to be changed, amplified or replaced.

With the final keystroke, the machines whirred to life and Melissa awoke, screaming into the mask and writhing against her restraints as the syringes pumped a serum that broke her DNA down and replaced it with the new strain created by Alice. Parts of Melissa's body altered like height, weight, bust and muscle mass. Her hair became snow white, and, as her straining ceased, her eyes shot open, revealing Black sclera and blood red irises. As the water drained, Alice touched her forehead as she reached Melissa's mind. Fortunately, the operation did not break her mind and left her functioning. Alice commanded her to break free and, with swift movement, Melissa broke her restraints and blasted the glass of the chamber with her fist. As the glass shards fell from her lacerated hands, Melissa stared silently as the wounds healed almost instantly.

She stepped out of the chamber, stark naked. Her hair now reached to the floor and she used it to partially cover herself as she walked up to Alice. Alice smiled and asked "How do you feel princess?" Melissa stared at her with her menacing eyes and said "...Perfect..." Alice said "Good! I'm glad to hear. I already have your first assignment Necrohime." Alice had picked the name and embedded it into Melissa's memory, it was a latin-japanese combination meaning "Death Princess". Alice spoke again, saying "You need to go into the other room and take the new Deadpool suit which should fit to your skin perfectly, and take all of Deadpool's weapons and find Iron Man. He needs to be disposed of." Necrohime replied, saying "Yes mistress." With a monotonous voice as she went to suit up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Caleb had just finished saving yet another kitty from a tree at that time. It was the fifteenth this week, and, since he inherited Tony's smart-aleck mouth, he hollered "Is there nothing to do but save cats in L.A. anymore?!" As he went to fly home, he was struck out of nowhere by a person! He reeled back and saw the girl, dressed in red and black with snow white hair that seemed way too long. Caleb took a defensive position and pointed one of his wrist mounted repulsors at this unknown woman, targets locked onto her. "Who are you?" he asked with a stern voice over his outboard communication system. The girl's reply was less than expected. She stood, placed a hand on her hip and held the other like she was explaining something to a dumb person. With a nearly comical amount of sarcasm, she said "Are you really that stupid? I'm here..." And, with a swift motion, she pulled a gun and said "...To kill you hero!!" And, the sound of a gunshot rang in the air.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Anthony had ended up in another confrontation with the mob from weeks before. After this altercation, where he was met by chainsaws and guns, he made it back home in a second, his speed unmatched by any being of this world. He began rapidly packing his bags. How could he be so stupid? Why did he have to be a hero and make an angry mob angrier? He had to get out of Circleville, that was a definite fact. He packed a bag, but stayed in costume as he headed out the door, he saw on the news that Iron Man was in a battle. He knew that Iron Man was back, but now it seemed like some crazy chick dressed in a skin-tight suit was kicking his ass. With that, Discharge's location was set: Los Angeles.

In about three seconds at his top speed, He made it to the scene as Iron Man was knocked right back to him. "Well Howdy!" He called to the armored hero, "It looks like you could use a hand." Caleb opened the helmet and said to his new ally "Yeah, that would be nice." Suddenly, they heard a growl as the chick came at them with swords. "Holy crap!" Discharge called out as he stooped back. He decided to give her a shot of his static bullet, so, he shuffled his feet in a blur and pointed at her, sending the electricity flying. It hit her and sent her flying and, as she stood up, Anthony couldn't help but laugh as her hair was frazzled out beyond all belief from all the static. She glared at him and screamed "You ruined my kill and my hair you punk!" before she lunged at him with her swords and began swinging. Anthony dodged each slice with ease. However, she altered her timing and when he went to duck, she blasted him with her fist. As he stood up and shouted "Ow! That frigggin' hurt!!" Iron Man hit her with a repulsor. He looked to Anthony and said "Look, If you can harness static, you need to charge a ton of it and release it into my power supply. It'll amplify my blast and maybe we can end this!" Anthony nodded and began charging himself. However, as he went to release it, Iron Man was hit and was pinned down. So, with difficulty, Discharge held in the static as he ran up behind her, still gathering more static and grabbed her in a bear hug, discharging the pent up static in a blast of electricity.

As he fainted and released her, Necrohime took a befuddled step back and said "Next time, heroes, I'll have your heads!" before she took off into the distance. Anthony came to and was approached by Iron Man, who gave him some help getting up. As the helmet opened, Anthony said "Dude, we should totally team up or something. That bitch was insane!!" Caleb nodded and said "I'm Caleb, aka Iron Man." Anthony smirked and said "The name's Anthony. But I go by Discharge." And with a handshake, Iron Man took flight, carrying Discharge towards the ruins of Avenger's Mansion.

TO BE CONTINUED

_________________