Remembrances: A Meeting of The Minds - Tony Stark [Primary Path]

Aaron was a bit embarrassed by just how long it took him to gather his courage but after talking to a few of the other scientists at the party he finally managed to build some momentum and enough confidence to approach Tony Stark. Aaron looked around, trying to find where Tony was, hoping he hadn't missed his chance to talk with his Hero.

Not far from him, Aaron noticed a very upset and very beautiful Woman in a revealing black dress similar to the white one he had seen Susan Storm in earlier with stunning red hair sitting on a comfortable-looking Sofa drinking Champagne. Aaron wanted to say something to make her feel better but she gave off this oppressive aura of pity and self-loathing that made Aaron feel depressed no closer than he was so he decided that it was probably better to just let her sulk in peace rather than risk making her mood even worse.

It took Aaron several minutes but he managed to catch sight of Tony and Aaron could see why Women found him so attractive and it wasn't just because he was Rich and Successful though that was no doubt part of it. From what Aaron knew of Stark, He was a not only Intelligent but Driven, Resourceful, and Creative which were only the icing on top because Tony was Charismatic and Friendly. He was a Man by which all other Men found themselves being compared to... He cut a rather Dashing figure in a hand-tailored business suit with his athletic physique and chiseled features being a cross between Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, and Robert Downey Jr. with a little James Bond thrown in for good measure... A rather attractive combination. Am I Right Ladies?

Given how sought after Tony was by the ladies and how they fawned over him everywhere he went, Aaron found it strange to find Tony Stark not surrounded by Women awaiting the slightest provocation to drop their panties but instead in the company of a middle-aged looking Man. Aaron studied the interaction between Tony and the other Man and while the older Man seemed quite happy, Tony was obviously uncomfortable. Given the increased longevity of The Humans of Aaron's time he reckoned that the Man Tony was talking to was probably in his seventies and judging from the body language of both parties, Aaron believed that the other Man must be an old friend of The Stark Family.

He didn't want to intrude on someone else's private conversation so Aaron stayed close but didn't interfere. He tried to act casual and not seem like some creepy fanboy stalker or something so he busied himself by looking over a selection of Hors d'oeuvres and Wines not that he could eat or drink any of it but he found it interesting nonetheless after all he might be hosting parties like this of his own in the future so it was a good idea to know what was expected in terms of food and refreshments.

"Gods, I Feel So Out of Place!," Aaron thought to himself, trying not to let his nervousness show through.

"You'll Do Great Father... Just Relax and Wait For Your Opportunity.," Gog reassured Aaron through their link.

"Thank You Gog.," Aaron replied through the link while looking at a bottle of Vintage Chateau Clos Haut-Peyraguey 2003.

Aaron spent roughly ten minutes perusing the vast selection of Food and Drink while Tony and the older Man continued to talk., "Who Is That Man Gog?"

"His Name Is Obadiah Stane... Tony Stark's Second In Command At Stark Industries. He Is As You Suspected... An Old Friend of The Family. He and Howard Attended School Together and Even Romanced The Same Girl Which Howard Eventually Married. When Howard and Maria Died He Stayed On To Assist In The Day To Day Running of The Company and To Mentor Tony."

"I See."

Aaron tried to remain inconspicuous but he did keep an eye on the situation between Tony and Obadiah.

"It Seems They're Having A Difference of Opinion.," Aaron thought, remarking on the body language of the two Men and their raised voices.

"Tony I know you're looking forward to demonstrating the operation of The Jericho Missile to the military bigwigs personally but need I remind you that Afghanistan is a warzone. There's no guarantee of your safety while you're there even with an armed escort. I need you to step back and see how dangerous this could be for you.," Stane argued but while it sounded sincere on the surface, Aaron couldn't help but feel that he wasn't really concerned about Tony's safety at all but merely playing a part.

"Listen Obi... Everything will work out...," Tony told Obadiah confidently before taking a sip of Champagne., "I'll just zip over to The Middle East in the private jet, entertain the troops with Stark's newest weapon, shake a few hands, kiss a few babies and bada bing bada boom I'll be back home before you finish getting your lunchtime BJ from that cute little brunette down in Human Resources."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about.," Obadiah said unconvincingly but with a smile.

The two Men laughed conspiratorially. It was the most relaxed Aaron had seen the two Men since first setting eyes on them then something unexpected happened...

Tony looked directly at Aaron and motioned with his empty hand for him to come over. Aaron wasn't sure what to do but he couldn't waste this chance to meet Tony Stark so he took a deep breath and walked toward Tony and Obadiah.

Aaron's right eye twitched as he heard Gog let out a high-pitched, almost orgasmic-sounding wail of happiness., "It's Happening!"

"There you are my boy... What took you so long to find me?"

Aaron wasn't sure what was going on but he decided to play along., "You were busy and it looked important so I didn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense! Obi and I were just ironing out some last minute details for my Trip to The Middle East next month to demonstrate Stark's latest toy. Now Aaron..."

Aaron couldn't believe that Tony Stark knew his name, Sure he had been invited but he didn't expect Tony to know him personally.

"... This is My Mentor, Close Friend, and an all-around Hell-of-a-good Guy...," Tony laughed, patting Obadiah on the back., "... Obadiah Stane."

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Stane.," Aaron said a bit nervous as he offered his hand which Obadiah shook.

"Nice to meet you Young Man. Please call me Obadiah."

Tony smiled, looking rather pleased with himself as he patted the backs of other Aaron and Obadiah warmly.

"Obi this is Aaron Cross... A young Genius I've had my eye on for some time."

"So It Wasn't A Mistake!," Aaron thought excitedly., "Tony Stark Actually Knows My Name!"

Obadiah looked at his watch before saying., "Its getting late and I'm sure you two have plenty to discuss so I'll leave you to it. Tony... You're still going through with the demonstration as planned?"

"Yes Obi, Jeez don't be such a Mother Hen, will ya.," Complained Tony like a little child.

Obadiah put his hands up in defeat., "Okay, Okay... I just wish you'd postpone until I can go with you."

Aaron tried not to fidget but Obadiah's words were like nails on a chalkboard to him.

"The date's already been set... Can't change it now."

"Okay Tony... If you're bound and determined to go through with the demo then please try not to do anything too reckless... Stark Industries still needs her CEO."

Aaron wanted to scream, The sickly sweet insincerity was painful and almost more than he could bare.

"I have alot of work to get done back at the office so I'll be heading back if you need me Tony."

"Right.," Tony confirmed., "Say hi to Sharon for me.," Chuckled Tony.

Stane smiled., "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about Dear Boy."

"And as for you...," Stane said, turning toward Aaron, his expression taking on a stern countenance., "... It was nice to meet you My Boy.," Obadiah offered his hand which Aaron shook in return., "... Tony doesn't take a personal interest in just anyone so you must be something special. I hope to see more of you around Stark Industries very soon. We can always use some more new blood."

The moment his skin came into contact with Obadiah's it was like someone had stabbed him in the arm with a live wire. The pain was excruciating but aside from an involuntary clenching of his jaw and a slight jerk of his arm he showed no outward signs of discomfort.

As soon as Obadiah withdrew his hand the strange sensation ceased. Aaron was at a loss to explain what happened., "Gog, I Just Felt Something Strange A Moment Ago When I Shook Obadiah Stane's Hand... What Do The Physiological Readings Show?"

"Nothing Out of The Ordinary Father... All Green!," Gog responded instantly.

"Hmm... Strange.," Aaron thought before putting it out of his mind., "I'll Look Into It Later."

Aaron saw Obadiah removing his phone from one of the inside pockets of his jacket as he left Tony and Aaron to talk.

Aaron didn't hear what Stane said., "Yes, It's Stane. He's proceeding as planned. The plan is a go. Remember what we agreed."

Obadiah smiled, replacing the phone in his pocket before beginning to whistle.

"Now I think we have some things to discuss.," Tony told Aaron with a warm, friendly smile., "I've been aware of you for some time now and as I'm sure you've already surmised... I invited you here so that we could talk."

"Me?... You?... Talk?," Aaron struggled, A bit overwhelmed.

"All my sources tell me that you might make a good fit at Stark Industries."

"Me REALLY?!," Aaron almost shouted.

"Are you familiar with The Arc Reactor Project?...," Tony asked seriously, Aaron nodded., "... To be honest and I hate to admit this but... I've hit a wall in Arc Reactor Research and development has stalled. It was supposed to solve The World's Energy Problems once and for all but I am concerned that if nothing is done soon and no breakthroughs are made... The Project will have to be shelved indefinitely."

Aaron couldn't believe what he was hearing, A problem that his Hero... Tony Stark couldn't solve. For someone like Aaron who believed that the disciplined mind could overcome anything, It was almost more than he could fathom but it was also true that he saw his chance to help out a fellow scientist and his hero so he jumped at the chance.

"If memory serves the primary problems facing the successful creation of a commercially viable Arc Reactor are Programming, Miniaturization, and Stable Power Flow... Right?"

"That's Right.," Tony admitted, taking a drink of Champagne., "First, It would require a more sophisticated and intuitive program language to keep up with the trillions of calculations per second that would be needed to run and maintain The Reactor. Second, There is currently no way to reduce the size of The Reactor because either some of the components can't be miniaturized or the level of Micro-Circuitry needed simply doesn't exist yet., and Third, The current Reactor designs though ridiculously huge in size still function but simply cannot produce the desired level of power at a reliable, maintainable rate."

"I see.," Aaron added thoughtfully, rubbing his chin., "I don't want to get your hopes up because I can't be sure without taking a closer look at your Arc Research but I may have the solution to a couple of your problems. In my spare time I've managed to create a new more efficient form of streamlined program coding that might serve your purposes and a design for a new type of micro-circuit that with all modesty could revolutionize computer design as we know it."

Tony stood listening to Aaron, sipping his Champagne before realizing that he hadn't seen Aaron eat or drink anything since he arrived., "Not to butt in but would you like something to drink or maybe something to eat?"

"No Thank You Mr. Stark. I'm afraid that I have a condition that has left my Digestive System rather weak from non-use so I have to have my nutrients pumped into my body with special machines. In a year perhaps two I will be able to eat and drink like everyone else but until then I'll have to respectfully decline."

"My Apologies Aaron... Anyways you were saying?," Tony sounded sheepish.

"As I was saying... I think these two new technologies I've been developing will solve most if not all of the problems with The Arc Reactor but just in case I would be delighted to talk shop with you on the problem."

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Aaron and Tony talked about different ways to potentially miniaturize The Arc Reactor and its various components, the virtue of different circuiting pathways, ways to streamline energy usage and increase reliability among other things.

Aaron couldn't believe it, He was actually having fun., "I Can't Wait To Thank Sis For Pushing Me To Come To This Party... If I Hadn't I Wouldn't Be Talking To Tony Stark Right Now!"

Aaron and Tony were facing each other and still talking when suddenly Tony seemed distracted by something happening over Aaron's shoulder.

"Oh Dear, That just won't do.," Tony sighed and Aaron turned, following his gaze to where Tony was looking and he saw the same very beautiful Redhead he'd seen earlier still sitting by herself on an expensive and very comfortable looking sofa sipping Champagne.

Aaron couldn't make out what she was saying from where he was because of all the ambient noise but he could see that she was muttering something to herself.

"That no good dirty....," Mumbled The Redhead angrily to herself as she downed the rest of her Champagne and refilled it from a chilled bottle on the table in front of her.

"Ah drinking away your sorrows my lady. Here let me take your mind off your troubles.," A short, handsome and impeccably dressed Man with dark hair and grey eyes said in his best imitation of a Gentlemanly British Accent as he offered her his hand which she immediately batted away., "Piss off you limey bastard before I kick you so hard you... [Hiccups]... can taste your own bollocks!"

"Hmmmf Why I Never!," The very offended Gentleman exclaimed, turning up his nose and stomping away.

The Redhead returned to her temporarily neglected glass of Champagne which she downed in a single gulp before refilling it again., "Pretentious Little... [Hiccups]... Shit."

Aaron couldn't help but feel for her because even from a distance it was painfully obvious that she was miserable. A few seconds and several empty glasses later, She was lost in her sulking when a familiar voice broke through the noisy room., "Pepper!"

Her head whipped to the side where she saw Tony a short distance away waving toward her for her to come join him which she did enthusiastically if somewhat awkwardly thanks to all the **** she had imbibed in the preceding minutes. In her somewhat **** state she barely managed to make it to where Tony was waiting when she tripped and fell forward.

"Oh Tony... [Hiccups]... Thank You for catching me.," Pepper purred against Tony's chest, her hands gliding over his muscular chest., "Oh Wow I didn't know you were so ripped.," Pepper practically moaned as she drunkenly felt up her boss.

"Gawd He Smells So Good... I'm So Wet! Maybe Tony Noticed My Dress After All.," Pepper thought as she inhaled deeply.

Clearing his throat Tony said., "Umm Pepper... That's not me you're groping like a Horny Sorority Girl."

Pepper who was busy rubbing her face in another Man's chest like a naughty kitten stiffened and looked up to see the pale blushing face of a Man with yellowish-gold eyes she didn't recognize. Pepper's mouth dropped open then she pushed herself away from the pale stranger in a panic and nearly tumbled over backward before Tony caught her with his arm.

"I told ya kid My Pepper is one hell of a lady.," Tony chuckled loudly as he hugged Pepper close and used his other hand to shield his mouth as he whispered., "But she's kind of a lightweight when it comes to drinking."

"Tony!," Pepper wailed, beating her dainty little fists against Tony's chest like a child throwing a tantrum., "I... [Hiccups]... Am Not A Sloppy Drunk!," Pepper whined.

"Okay, okay... Just take it easy Pepper. I have someone I want you to meet.," Tony asked in his most reassuring voice, taking Pepper by the shoulders and slowly turning her to face the young Man from before.

Pepper squeaked as her eyes focused on The Man in front of her. He was tall and lean, dressed in an expensive tailored suit that looked simply fantastic on him but what really drew Pepper's attention was just how bleached of color his skin was and just how dark his hair was, it seemed to absorb any light that got too close but most of all were his eyes which shined yellowish-gold.

Pepper tried to hold herself steady as she gave Aaron a once over but in the end Tony had to steady her.

As we already know that was Aaron's introduction to The Lovely, Beautiful, and Passionate Pepper Potts. While he would meet Pepper again nearly two years later this sadly would be his last and only opportunity to meet Tony Stark. Only a few days later Aaron received a private email from Tony offering him a job at Stark Industries in charge of The Arc Reactor Project. The Email stated that they would discuss the details over lunch when he got back from a business trip to Afghanistan in little over a Month. The Email even included a heavily encrypted copy of Stark Industries Arc Reactor Research as a show of Stark Industries commitment which Aaron couldn't wait to look at.

Aaron was so happy he almost couldn't resist telling his Mother and Sisters but he didn't want to jinx it so he held off and unfortunately time would prove that decision correct because 45 days later The World suffered the loss of one of its Greatest Minds and the **** knell for Arc Reactors as the loss of Tony Stark caused Aaron to shelve his own research and halt any further plans he had for perfecting Arc Reactors.

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