Torch Bearer 5 (Raw)

The Torch Bearer

# # #

(Doctor Antonia Stark)

Testing facility 01

Toni was busy calibrating the engines of the prototype electric car she has come up with. Oh, she knew that there was no way the oil cartel was going to let her put a technology out there that would undercut their profit, this was more of a hobby project than anything. She was currently studying the energy fields to allow herself to make a decent new battery, something based on carbon nanotubes.

Rock music was blaring from speakers as she checked the new capacitors she developed last week. She was a fan of AC/DC, they were old school, but still in and it got your blood pumping. Toni heard an alarm ring, pulling her out of her hardware mode. She looked at the time, it was 9 AM already and then she remembered that she had a meeting this morning with someone wanting to enter a partnership with her company.

A young woman barely out of her 18, who had taken things in her hand to meet her. She was already enrolled at Cornell University after obtaining a GPA of 4 at Iolani School at Honolulu. On her file it said she was gunning for two PhDs, one for Engineering and the other in Energy Study.

Everything looked good on paper, but Data could be fabricated, so she wanted to check her in person; Toni was curious to see if this Lawson girl was worth talking to. Toni cut the power to the electric engine, disconnected the battery and put her tools back in their boxes.

She went back to her private room in the testing facility, it had a bathroom, a space to sleep and a computer connected to her private server. Toni shucked her work clothes in the hamper and went to take a quick shower. When she was done, she noticed that she had twenty minutes to put on something and eat before her meeting.

She grabbed a high calorie bar from her mini-fridge and a box of orange juice as well. Once Toni was done, she looked at the time and she exited the room as she had five minutes left to go to her office. Toni made it by using the elevator… and installed herself behind her desk, smoothing out any wrinkles on her expensive Italian black pantsuit.

She arrived just in time, the door to her office opened; as usual, Toni saw Pepper enter and she looked relieved to see her at her desk and looking neat. Toni smiled at her tauntingly, eliciting a glare from her best friend.

Pepper mouthed voiceless, “Be on your best behavior.”

Toni tilted her head and was about to ask why when she saw the most beautiful young woman that she'd ever seen. She is clearly of Asian descent, with a pale complexion and she has a slim figure. The beauty has medium length wavy black hair and chocolate brown eyes.

She wears a white high quality pantsuit with an elegant cut that wouldn't be out of place on a GQ female model. Toni then remembered that the woman before her was supposed to be her 09:45 AM meeting.

The billionaire frowned. Was this truly, Kisara Lawson? Her ID photo didn't do her justice at all! Now she understood why Pepper told her to behave. Toni could barely look away from Miss Lawson as she walked up to her. The young woman pulled a huge black metallic suitcase with wheels trailing behind her.

Toni reserved an eyebrow at that, did no one think to check that suitcase? What was she paying security for? She didn't have the time to think more about the failure of her personnel as she smelled a fragrant and subtle flower scent; her guest was right before her.

“Good morning, Doctor Stark. I am happy to finally meet you.” She held her hand toward Toni, who stood up and shook it.

“Morning, Miss Lawson I presume?” Toni said casually as she took in the smell. She almost blurted out that she wanted to know what perfume Kisara used; but Toni held her tongue when she saw Pepper glare.

“Yes.” The girl nodded and took back her hand with difficulty as Toni didn't immediately let go of it.

“Please take a seat.” Toni invited Kisara, the woman gracefully sat. She had a fascinating aura that made it difficult to focus; as Toni looked at her captivating eyes and luscious lips, she asked herself what kissing her would be like.

Toni leaned forward, linking her hands together. “I've read your file, Miss Lawson and I am impressed by what I've seen, but...”

Kisara continued Toni's sentence. “I have no credentials yet or obvious achievements, I know.”

Whatever that drop dead gorgeous hottie wanted to sell, Toni would be taking a major risk if he partnered with her. The billionaire liked the fact that Kisara knew this. “Ah, good. You're aware.”

The sexy smile that drew on her face made Toni’s heart beat faster, she had heard of kingdom toppling beauty before; she even slept with girls that were considered the most beautiful women on Earth, but they had nothing on Kisara Lawson. *Be still my heart.*

The young woman added with a mischievous tone, “Indeed. But you know… I don't need any fancy paper from a faculty run by the equivalent of baboons to tell me how smart I am. Don’t get me wrong, I will still go through that college thing to obtain my PhDs and masters, but I've already come up with inventions which will put my name out there.”

She was like Toni, supremely confident in her intellect and abilities; it was strange to see someone being that arrogant. Was this what Pepper felt like when Toni spoke to her about what she could do? Pepper made an unladylike snort; not in ridicule, but in fond amusement.

Kisara snapped her fingers, and the case next to her made some noise. It laid itself on the ground and turned into some kind of weapon rack as it unfolded itself in an arc. Three drawers appeared. One drawer had a sparkling rifle laying on a velvet interior, the second one had a thick manilla folder and the last one contained what Toni believed to be a can of ammunition and some kind of batteries.

“Welcome to the future, Doctor Stark; are you interested in my Mass Driver weapons?” Kisara Lawson said with theatricality.

# # #

Back with Kisara…
Test Facility 02
Gun Range

My coilguns almost exclusively utilize Asynchronous Linear-Induction Motor (ALIM) technology which is capable of accelerating a projectile to such speeds that its impact seems instantaneous from the point of firing. They utilize electromagnetic coils to propel hyperdense projectiles at high speeds; I stress it two times because there were three firing mode on my stuff, low velocity mode akin to the performances of weapons currently on the market, then we have the second firing mode that fire stuff at two or three times the speed of sound, the third firing mode could pierce through ten centimeters of titanium sheets, but it ate through the battery pack rather fast, emptying it.

There was a small digital counter to check how much ammo was left in the clip; I also made the rifle stupidly rugged and sturdy. Let's just say that it won't ever rust even under water.

This was the best I could do with the current tech that I wanted to share for now. After a long planning session with Cortana, we decided to add a watered down version of my technologies in the weapon's system. I didn't put any of my superconductors in the coilguns yet, I had to make do with combining different alloys and use a system to convert heat from the coils into energy for the battery pack to keep the coilgun from overheating.

We currently were in a shooting range; me, Pepper, Toni and their bodyguard named Happy Hogan were currently waiting for the weapon test guy to finish reading the manual on how to use my coil gun rifle. We were having some donuts and juice while waiting for the man, when we saw him nod and walk to the central stand with the rifle and the box of ammo.

“The moment of truth.” I heard Toni say as her weapon tester loaded the magazine into the rifle.

The ammo counter on the weapon went from there 0 to 68. The tester put himself into position and switched off the safety and used the first firing mode on the mannequin ten meters from him and pulled the trigger.

ZAP! Thunk. The man hit the center of the mannequin's body, the round then caved in the chest. The tester looked shocked as he stared at the weapon in his hands with wonder. “Wow, this thing doesn't have a recoil?”

With a smile, I told him, “Try the secondary mode.”

The man looked at me briefly, nodded and changed the selector on the second firing mode, the LED on the body of the coilgun rifle changed from blue to green and the weapon hummed as the magnetic coils were fed more energy.

The tester shot at the target  again. ZAP. BANG.

The mannequin's head exploded, the weapon also made the tester jerk back a little. “Okay, now I've felt the recoil, it's similar to a high caliber rifle.” The man added, giving his opinion on the coilgun.

Toni, came next to the tester and pushed a button on the console which brought the mannequin before the gun stand with mechanical assistance. The billionaire proceeded to examine the places hit by the coilgun. Just like in my own test, the dense bullet either caved in or turned what they hit into chunky salsa.

“What a dangerous weapon…” Toni mumbled.

She slapped the tester’s shoulder and said, “Alright! Try it on the tank, Charles!”

The mannequin was slowly rotated out of the firing line and slapped for a M1A1 Abrams tank. This was the current model used by the US armed forces.

“Sure thang, ma'am.” The man listened to his boss’ order and readied himself when the tank stopped rotating and was at a sixty meters distance.

I watched the man pointedly not touch the third setting, he knew that it would empty the battery. The man, Charles, let the gun in the second firing mode. He pulled the trigger and fired at the tank, where the operators were supposed to be located.

ZAP. BANG. The bullet pierced right through the thick armor of the tank like butter and seems to have damaged the interior of the cockpit. With an excited grin, Charles held the coilgun like a precious offspring. He turned to Toni and said, “Ma'am Stark, this gun is awesome! It pierced clear through the armor!”

Pepper, and Happy looked quite shocked. As for Toni, she had a serious expression on her face and she must be already thinking of the ramifications of my technologies getting out there.

The billionaire nodded to the tester. “I agree, Charles. The penetrative power is off the charts.” She turned to me and squinted her eyes and asked, “Tell me, Miss Lawson. How did you miniaturize the coils? The batteries also seem rather more powerful than what's on the market.”

Toni stared at me appraisingly, her eyes looking into mine. I shrugged and informed her, “I used my other innovation, a fabricator which can go to the nanoscale level and the battery uses carbon nanotubes, it makes them rather energy dense and stores it longer.”

“That’s not possible, you can't already have access to that!” Toni exclaimed in shock.

I understand why she was so skeptical. “Oh but it is, miniaturization of that level asks for a lot of computing power, energy and some advance in laser technology. I have all of these at my disposal.”

“Then if you already have that technology… oh, I see. You want to use me.” The billionaire finally realized what I wanted to do.

I didn't have a lot of time to do what I wanted before the Metahumans get revealed to the world and the problems they bring start happening all at once. I needed to have weight with the government and start being the voice of reason. “Yes, you guessed it right. I want to take advantage of your company's name. You have those contracts with the military and the trust of the government. It would take me years before I could have them implement my technology.”

Toni wiggled her eyebrows as she asked, “I see. What are you willing to do for my help?”

“Toni!” Pepper cried out in exasperation.

I sighed at her, I wasn't here to play games of seduction nor willing to compromise my morals by selling my body. Ignoring what Toni implied with her tone, I replied, “I am willing to give you 45% of the royalties on any of my inventions, as well as a close partnership with my own company, Cygnus Industries.”

That shut up Toni Stark, she had a thoughtful expression on her face and began to pace like a caged lion for a minute. Then she looked at me and said with bluntness, “This is tempting, Miss Lawson. But before I make a decision… I want to see your lab, I want to see what else you have in store.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, if I refused something told me that she wouldn't take no for an answer. “You aren't going to try to hack me, right?”

*Not that she could with Cortana defending my servers.* I thought.

Toni smiled, “Turnabout is fair play, Miss Lawson, but… I swear I won't. I just want to see where you produced this piece of tech, pretty please.”

In the background, I saw Happy Hogan and Pepper sigh in annoyance.  I thought about it, Cortana could defend against any cyber warfare and the security system would stop anyone from harming my people and the building's integrity.

“Very well, do you have time to come to my lab? We can be there in two hours.” I said to the nosey woman in annoyance.

Toni gave me a 100 megawatts smile and made a fist pumping gesture. “I have my own jet, I can be there to New York in no time.”

Deciding to be petty and show my superiority, I boasted, “I have a hover car.”

Toni reeled in shock at my declaration and her face showed a pouting expression, “Shit, I am jealous! I want to see it now!”

*All according to keikaku.* I definitely wasn't smiling.

Pepper stared at me in horror, looking between me and Toni as if she was seeing double. I ignored her and answered Toni. “Sure you can.”

Pepper stepped forward. “Can we come too? I can't let Toni out of my sight, she might do a fuck up.”

“Hey! I'm not that bad!” The billionaire protested.

“Yes you are! Don't force me to break out the blackmail album and show it to Miss Lawson!” Pepper put a hand into the inside of her coat.

Toni stepped back, mouth agape. “You wouldn't!”

Pepper glared at her. “Try me, Stark.”

Happy Hogan laughed at the two… were those people for real? I expected them to be more serious.

Toni raised her arms in surrender. “Fine, fine, calm down Pep.”

The redhead grinned smugly in victory, turned toward me and asked again, “So can we come too, Miss Lawson?”

“If you can make Doctor Stark behave, yes.” I finally said, those people were really annoying somehow.

# # #

(General Overview)

It was like this that Toni and Kisara entered into a partnership. They traveled from LA to NYC on an experimental vehicle; Toni started to ask questions such as why they couldn't feel the G-forces as they flew through the sky or how Kisara came up with anti-gravity. The two started talking shop and about high level physics.

Toni was taking notes about what they were saying in a device suspiciously looking like a tablet with a touchscreen. When they arrived at New York in the Queens,  they took the scenic route to reach Cygnus Industries. On the way the billionaire continued to annoy Kisara by begging her to make her a similar vehicle, but as a sports car model.

Pepper made Toni shut up when they reached the building and they were witness to the security system: a force-field surrounding the building. Once they exited the vehicle, Toni made a beeline to the green colored field of force and like a curious child, touched it with her hand and felt the solid feeling.

Bearing witness to this technology, it wetted Toni's curiosity to see more. Toni finally met Cortana and gushed over her and the hard-light projector system allowing her to have a physical avatar. After some small talk with the smart AI, Toni was let into the high-tech laboratory that made up the entire fourth floor of the building.

Kisara showed Toni, Pepper and Happy some of her inventions. Her fabricator, her sensor array, the matter synthesizer, Quantum computer and her fusion reactors (life size and miniaturized ones). Toni was shown how the fabricator worked and built simple devices, and weapons in a matter of minutes, while more heavy and complex machinery like cars or computers took considerably longer.

Kisara told Toni that those were just the first iteration of her inventions and that she was going to refine them to be quicker and more efficient. Toni wasn't an idiot, she quickly agreed to enter in a partnership with Kisara, but she decided to lower the percentage that she would take from the royalties on Cygnus Industries’ Intellectual Properties. She would take 10% as she wanted for Kisara to help revolutionize the world as an equal.

Toni also advised Kisara to lawyer up, and referred her to Stark industries’ own law firm to protect herself. Kisara decided to listen and find her own security personnel as well. This is how Cygnus Industries was put on the map and Toni Stark put Kisara under her mentorship.

# # #

(Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes)

November 05th, 1999
California
Los Angeles
Toni’s cliff home
05:30 PM

James was mighty curious, he had been invited to this barbecue by his best friend, Toni, at her house. He came in a casual outfit, a red shirt covered by an open white shirt and bermudas shorts with open sandals. The afternoon sun was still declining in the horizon and the sky was slightly covered.

The military man parked his car in the space for visitors, next to his SUV was a strange vehicle, it was bigger than his own SUV and it looked armored. Was it one of Toni's? It didn't look like her style though. James exited the parking and walked up the well maintained garden; he saw something new on the helipad, it was an aircraft with a pair of ducted fan tiltrotor nacelles.

“Interesting.”

James resolved to ask Toni about the machine on her helipad, in general she made new stuff that was marketable and forgot to tell him when the US could use them. He arrived before the door to Toni's mansion and waited for Jarvis to see him on camera and warn the mistress of the house.

But just in case, James pushed the alarm bell. Ding-Dong!

After thirty seconds of waiting, the door opened on Toni wearing sunglasses, a black AC/DC t-shirt, blue denim shorts and black sandals. James could hear music blasting in the background and wafts of grilled meat in the air.

“Rhody, my man you're here!” Toni hugged him and kissed his cheek.

James laughed and patted her back two times. “Wouldn't have missed this, Toni.”

The ravenette looked him over and made an appreciative whistle. “You look good! I like that casualness, when you’re in uniform you always look like you have a stick up your ass.”

James chuckled. “Never change, Toni.”

He will never see her more as a little sister; the simple idea of having to try to romance her and take care of that heap of trouble that Toni Stark was... brrrr, he shuddered at the thought. James firmly stuck the woman in the friendzone, though he felt guilty about having handed Toni’s care to Pepper sometimes. But his love life got better now that Toni wasn’t chasing off the women in his life and making them feel like a third wheel in their bromance.

“Believe me I won’t! Here, follow me.” Toni laughed, grabbed his arm and pulled James inside the house.

They ended up descending the stairs from the receiving area and ended up in the living room. To make conversation, James asked, “So, why the sudden shindig? The invite was kind of abrupt, even for you.”

Toni turned and said with a serious tone and shining. “I’m in love, Rhody.”

James almost tripped but caught himself on the ramp. “Fuck, not that again, is it a she or a he this time?”

Toni was bisexual, however she leaned more toward the fairer sex and she wasn't shy of showing her preferences.

This wasn't the first time Toni professed to love someone; sometimes it was some floozy wanting her money or some caltech guy less intelligent than her.

Toni blushed as she revealed, “A she, and fuck she’s smart and so~ beautiful.”

The army man raised an eyebrow; someone that even Toni thought was smart? He was surprised by the news. “Smart like you?”

James tried to imagine a second Toni Stark and cringed at the thought. Toni made a so-so gesture with her left hand, making her silver bracelets jangling. “About the same, her tech is kind of more advanced than mine, she’s jailbait though.”

The man frowned and exclaimed, “What the hell, Tones!? Remember what we promised! Nothing under 18!”

They had had problems with girls and young men like this when they were in MIT. The both of them had decided to not flirt or seduce anyone under 18 after the parents tried to sue them and make some quick money.

Toni defended herself. “She’s 18, but she looks 16, damned Japanese baby face. It's like she's from an anime or something.”

“Toni…” James stared at his best friend with a baleful glare.

However, they were interrupted by a feminine voice coming from beyond the entertainment room connected to the living room. “Miss Stark, where are you?!”

The most beautiful woman James has ever seen strutted toward them; she was of Asian descent with pale skin, wavy black hair, chocolate brown eyes and curvy in all the right places.

“God Almighty.” The army man couldn't stop himself from saying aloud.

Toni whispered to him, “I told you so.”

Right behind the asian beauty was a tall blonde one wearing sunglasses, and  was wearing punk rock clothes.

“Sara, come eat, you don't want to miss the burgers… ah, hello there.” The beautiful platinum blonde waved at James.

Toni pulled James closer to her. “Kisara, Felicia, this is my best friend: Rhody.”

The beauty, Kisara, smiled, it was like the sun had greeted James after a particularly cold day. She walked toward him and held her hand to him. “Nice to meet you, sir. I am Kisara Lawson… Toni's new-”

“-Partner!” Toni had to ruin her welcoming him.

Felicia growled and hugged Kisara from behind in a possessive manner. “Not on my watch, Toni. You won't steal my girlfriend…”

James looked between Felicia and Toni; of course the one person she started to like was already taken. And why was Kisara lesbian? Couldn't the beauty not be straight for once; that kind of thing seemed to happen a lot.

Toni giggled as she saw how defensive the other young woman was. “Oh kitten, no need to steal anything, you can come join in the bed too~.”

As the two women had a stare down, Kisara sighed, “Hey, I am right here.”

James then saw something hilarious, Kisara took a spray bottle filled with water out of nowhere and pointed it at Toni. “Toni, no horny.”

Pshh. The billionaire was sprayed with water in the face and screeched, “Not the spray bottle!”

James looked incredulously at Toni running from the small Asian girl, then started chuckling. “Ha! They got your number, Tones.”

After that introduction to the guests, James sat at the table next to the swimming pool. Pepper and Happy were there, and another younger girl with brown hair and a white streak was eating too. She was introduced as Anna-Marie, Kisara was her current guardian.

The staff in the house started to serve the food; James recognized the cook specialized in Korean cuisine grilling the high quality meat Toni liked. Toni and Kisara were speaking in math while eating, Pepper and Felicia were having fun and Happy was entertaining the young woman in Goth fashion called Anna-Marie.

When the two scientists finished talking science, the asian girl nodded and asked out loud, “So do we do the thing?”

“Let’s do the thing.” Toni turned to James as she said that.

The military man saw Toni smile at him as if he was prey and called his name. “James…”

When she called him James it meant that she was about to ask him a favor. He began to sweat as he waited for the other shoe to drop. “Oh boy, I knew the food wasn't going to be free.”

Toni chuckled awkwardly. “Don't be like that… say do you want to become a test pilot?”

James frowned, this was a first. “What?”