Son Of Iron 1

(January 1st, 2000 AD - Bern, Switzerland)

(Third Person POV)

How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?

She had it all planned out: get Tony Stark to acknowledge her work and help create her formula. It could have changed the world, but instead, all she got was a piece of the formula she wanted and a sloppy one-night stand.

As Maya stood in the bathroom of her hotel room, which was thankfully paid for by that dick Tony Stark, she looked at the pregnancy test she had taken a couple of minutes ago.

It shouldn't have been possible. She knew she had taken contraceptives before even having sex with the guy. Pacing back and forth in the bathroom, Maya tried to think of her next move.

She could go to an abortion clinic, but honestly, that would go against the very nature of her work, and it would be really hard to find somewhere where it could be done discreetly.

She looked at the test once again, and as she placed a hand on her stomach, she thought of what she could do next. After tossing it in the garbage can in the bathroom, she pulled out the small piece of paper that Tony Stark had given her while drunk. It almost made her want to scream at the unfairness of it all. She had spent years trying to understand the basics of what she was trying to do, and Stark, while drunk out of his mind, came up with a formula that could work in minutes.

Taking a deep breath and sitting down on the bed, she decided to open a window to get the smell of sex out of the room. As she did so, she looked down on the sunny streets, wondering how many of the scientists who came to the expo were leaving now with hangovers.

One thing that people would never understand about scientists was that they could party pretty hard. Honestly, last night was almost as much of a blur as the day before.

Soon after opening the window, Maya decided to take a shower to think. After turning on the warm water, she just stood there, thinking about what her parents would think about this. They weren't religious, but they were definitely traditional in what they wanted. Knowing she could have a kid but that the father would definitely be out of the picture was something she dreaded telling them.

For a moment, she could almost envision how nice it would be, but reality soon crashed down as she recalled the uncomfortable parts of pregnancy. The responsibilities of being pregnant weighed on her hard.

The alcohol and the drugs wouldn't be hard to give up entirely, among other things, but for now, she had to focus on getting funding for her project. While she didn't get everything she needed, she got enough.

Placing the small piece of paper in her purse, Maya then put on the rest of her clothing, which was thankfully not too dirty. After finding all the pieces of clothing scattered across the room, she soon put them on and tried to exit the hotel room, praying to any gods that existed that the paparazzi weren't still there. She didn't want to be on any tabloids as another one of Tony Stark's conquests.

After checking the outside of the room through the peephole, she found that the hallway was thankfully empty, presumably due to the fact that Tony Stark had already left for the day.

Slowly opening the door, she began to make her way to the elevator. After stepping inside, she tried to head down to the ground floor, but around the 10th level, the elevator came to a stop. Soon after, a man walked in, and to say he was disheveled was an understatement.

He looked like he was freezing and most likely spent the entire night outside.

Yet, even though he looked entirely worse for wear, in his eyes, she saw a drive she had never seen before. But she also saw something that made her wary: there was madness in those eyes.

She could almost hear him muttering under his breath, planning to create a company? Thinking of various startups and think tanks, of all things?

"Are you okay? You look like you're starting to suffer from hypothermia." Soon after asking the question, the man looked at her, almost annoyed.

"I'm fine, just thinking. Had a rough night last night. By the way, you're Doctor Hansen, right? I heard you were studying something about DNA coding?" The question seemed more like an interrogation than casual conversation.

"You would be correct. I came to this expo hoping to find inspiration, as I've hit a bit of a wall with my research." After saying this, the man almost chuckled.

"I assume you found that inspiration, based on the fact that you were hanging out with Stark in the elevator." It didn't take a genius to understand what he was implying.

Maya's eyes narrowed. "Does it matter? I got what I needed."

"Yeah, and all it took was your dignity. By the way, what's the point of your research?"

"My goal is to create a serum that could enhance humanity, promote cellular growth, and immunize humans from various cancers and diseases." The statement brought some light back into the man's eyes.

However, as the elevator finally reached the ground floor, Maya soon headed out, but not before she was grabbed by the shoulder by the man.

"I'm not going to beg here, not like before, but if you need a benefactor, come by the office. We're always looking for new talent." The man soon shuffled away.

The good doctor then looked at the business card she was given: Advanced Idea Mechanics.

While tempted to throw it away due to the man's abruptness and rather rude tone, she decided to keep it as a backup. After placing the business card in her bag, she headed to the airport. She had a flight to catch and a lot to think about.

One Long Flight Later

Once arriving back in LA, she headed home. After entering, she sat on the couch, trying to fight off jet lag.

Groaning in annoyance, she again looked at the small formula she was given. The formula itself was far from complete, but it was a start. The question was where she was going to get funding and research subjects.

She wasn't one to do human trials, but she also wanted this formula to change the world. Although she almost started laughing at herself, as that goal had somehow evolved—or devolved. She just wanted to shove her work in Tony Stark's face.

After heading down to her private lab, she began working on the plants she had fostered using the original formula. It was going to take a while to synthesize a formula that's compatible with humans, not to mention the variations in genetic codes between individuals, which made this task Herculean at best.

However, her thoughts returned to that disheveled man from the elevator. As she pulled out the business card, she found a phone number on the back. Against her better judgment, she dialed the number.

After only two rings, she heard that same voice from before.

"I didn't expect you to call so soon. What can I do for you, Dr. Hansen?" She could almost hear the smugness across the line.

"Cut the bullshit. You know why I'm calling."

"Oh, I know, but I want to hear you say it." Maya nearly growled in frustration but took a breath and gathered herself.

"I need help perfecting the formula, and I'm going to need money for that. Can we come to some kind of arrangement?" She knew he wanted her work, and the fact that he wasn't responding was just as annoying as the way he lorded his resources over her.

"I could, but I'm going to need some concessions for myself. If you ever get a working prototype, I want to be your first subject." The woman almost choked on the water she was drinking, shocked by this man's apparent insanity or lack of care for himself.

"You do know that if anything goes wrong, you could explode—not to mention hundreds of other side effects."

"I know the risks, and I'm perfectly willing to take part. This is for the betterment of humanity, after all. And what research can be done without a little risk?"

That statement sealed the deal for Maya. This man was absolutely insane, but she could work with this.

"Do you have any holdings in Los Angeles, or am I going to have to move?" Again, she was met with silence, other than the sound of typing on what she assumed was a keyboard.

"We have a lab out in Tennessee. It's in a small, remote town, so it's perfect for secrecy. I do hope you don't mind the snow."

Going to this lab meant completing her research—that's all that mattered.

"That's fine. Do you have anyone who can come here to move all of my things?"

"Easily. I could have everything transported within the week. I'm sending you the address. I'll meet you there in a couple of days. And thank you. Trust me, you won't regret this."

She hoped she didn't.

After placing the phone down, her attention was drawn to her stomach as she thought about what this man would do if he found out. She had heard the vitriol in his voice when he mentioned the name Stark.

And now she was pregnant with his kid. That fact came crashing down on her. She may have just put herself and the child in danger.

But it was too late to turn back now. Maybe she could somehow convince him that it wasn't Tony's child or that it was simply her gaining weight.

At worst, she could try to see this guy as little as possible.

At best, she might be able to stall him and fake making progress so that he wouldn't come to check on her. But she then calmed herself down. This man wasn't so insane that he would punish a kid, right?

She was definitely just overreacting. This was probably just the hormones already kicking in.

After taking another deep breath, the good doctor began to organize her things. She had a long journey ahead of her.

(One Month Later)

To say she hated the cold was like saying that Tony Stark was a playboy—it's obvious. As soon as she reached Tennessee, the weather had seemingly turned for the worst, and she was trapped inside the airport for a couple of days.

But things did get better. The lab that Killian provided was definitely up to her standards, with state-of-the-art computers and various equipment lining the place. She wondered how he made so much money but assumed it was mostly from good investments in the stock market.

After meeting him again, she thanked the stars that she wasn't showing yet. Soon after, he left, and she hadn't seen him the entire month.

She wasn't entirely stupid; she had checked the lab, as well as the house she was provided, for any cameras or bugs. She did manage to find some, and after using a couple of weeks' worth of footage, she looped the footage on the various cameras, but she also provided new footage while editing out various parts.

On the research front, she had barely made any progress, but for now, that was enough. She just had to make herself seem useful enough.

(Five Months Later)

She never wants to have a kid again.

From the raging hormones to the random cravings, and the fact that she couldn't drink any of the annoyances away, made this all the more unbearable.

Killian had stopped visiting a couple of months ago. She assumed he thought her research had little to no potential, which was good for her. She had also seen him bring men to dismantle the recording equipment, thinking the project was doomed to fail.

It definitely took some stress off of her, that's for sure, but she had made some progress. She had managed to get a normal shrub to regrow some of its leaves after they had been cut off, but immediately after doing so, they caught on fire.

She assumed that the enhanced cellular regeneration also increased the body's overall temperature due to the increased activity of the cells. But the fact that she was able to regrow parts of the shrub was still progress.

And it was at that exact moment that she craved mint-covered Oreos again.

(Eight Months Later)

Taking multiple deep breaths as she climbed the stairs, she came to a stop at the top. After sitting down in a chair, she enjoyed the view from her lab window.

While Tennessee didn't have much in terms of population, it did make up for it with the views. It had been a while since she had been able to see the stars.

She always wondered if there was something out there—an alien species just waiting to be discovered.

Placing her hand on her stomach, she smiled, thinking of what the kid would do in the future. She considered putting him up for adoption, but the very thought seemed to anger her to her core.

She wasn't going to be like Stark and dump the kid after a day. She was going to try her best, and she wasn't going to mess it up.

In the months following, she had managed to get the plants to nearly regrow themselves entirely before they burst into flames again. She still had to uncover the reason why things were getting so hot. The science didn't make any sense.

She checked all the various hormone production rates as well as individual cell activity, but she couldn't find the reason for the spontaneous combustion.

Honestly, she was falling behind on her work due to the pregnancy, and sometimes she would just spend hours listening to the baby's heartbeat. She had bought a heart monitor and would sometimes listen to the rhythm to calm her down.

She tried to think of a name for the kid, but she was failing spectacularly.

Only one more month.

(Nine Months Later - October 1st, 2000 AD)

"Get this thing out of me, damn it!!!!" After contractions hit her like a damn sumo wrestler, she cried out in absolute agony, wondering how the hell her own mother did this.

"Just keep pushing, we can almost see the head," one of the nurses said as they prepared themselves to receive the child.

"Blood pressure looks good. It doesn't seem the baby has any risk of suffocating, so you're doing good, ma'am. Just keep pushing."

"I know!!! I know!!!" Maya then felt herself push again, and soon after, she began to hear the cries of an infant. After taking a couple of labored breaths, she saw the nurse wrap the child in blankets.

"Congratulations, miss, it's a boy." As the female nurse brought the baby closer to Maya, she smiled, utterly tired but feeling more fulfilled than she had after almost an entire year of research.

A couple of tears fell from her eyes as she saw the baby. After a couple of seconds, the child opened his eyes and looked at her, and in that moment, that very second, she promised herself she was going to be the best mom she could.

After checking to make sure the baby was in good health, they placed him in a cradle in a nearby room. Maya then fell asleep due to exertion, but even as she slept, she remembered the child's eyes, and she never stopped smiling.

But then the nightmares about having to deal with diaper changes plagued her sleep until she woke up the next morning.

(Essences Used: Playboy Genius, Eternal, Blank, Ability Copier)

(I apologize if this chapter is a bit disappointing, but I felt like it was necessary to establish context for this story's existence. Don't worry, we'll be getting into the main character's point of view soon enough.)