34 Chapter 34: I Am Your Father
Tony Stark and Happy Hogan came out of the Jacksons' apartment building before going to their car. Happy sat in the front seat while Tony sat in the back.
"What do you think Happy?" Tony asked as he leaned back on the seat with a sigh.
"In my opinion sir, I think he was telling the truth but was withholding most of the information."
"Yeah, no shit. Even a three-year-old can see that. What I'm talking about is what he said about Isaiah."
"Oh. Well, there's only one thing we can do to confirm his words, sir. Go to 177A Bleeker Street."
"Yeah, you're right," Tony said as he looked out of the window.
Happy looked at his boss through the rear-view mirror and saw the man's knee bouncing up and down due to nervousness. Well, he couldn't blame him. How would someone react to a child that thought dead turned out to be alive and well? Also, the fact that said child was involving himself with a cult or whatnot.
As Happy drove, he asked,
"How are you feeling, sir?"
"... Just turn on the radio, Happy."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne began to play on the radio as they made their way to their clue.
***
"It is here?" asked Happy as they finally stopped in front of a large house-like building with a symbol on one of the windows.
"I think," Tony then noticed the building number
[177A]
"Yup, that's the one."
Happy parked the car and, without anyone seeing Tony, they went up to the door and the latter tried to pull the door. Unfortunately, it was locked. However, Happy saw his boss's hand shaking. The cool-headed stark was shaking with nervousness. Happy put a hand on Tony's shoulder,
"Boss, let's go to the car first."
"What? But-"
"Just come on."
Tony looked at Happy and followed him. They sat in their respective seat and stayed silent.
After five minutes, Tony broke the ice.
"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" the billionaire asked, irritated.
"Just relax, boss."
"How do you want me to relax when my son is in there!?" Tony said as he, involuntarily, punched the seat to his right.
"Are you really going to go see your son like that? Where did the calm and confident Tony Stark go?"
Tony stood silent when he heard his bodyguard's question. He reflected on the question.
"Look boss, I'm not gonna say that I know how you feel because I don't. But I can sympathize like any other normal human being. And right now? You're too nervous which is unlike the great Tony Stark. You're going to meet with your son, if he even is there, and the first impression matters. The boy doesn't even know his father is looking for him for God's sake! How would he feel!? Do you even want to become a father?"
"What?"
"Do you even want to become a father?" Happy asked again.
"The hell are you talking about? I'm already a father!"
"Nope. There is a difference between wanting to become a father and being obligated to be a father. So which one are you? And we're talking about a twelve-year-old kid here. He's not even a teenager yet."
Tony was about to open his mouth when he stopped,
'Do I even want to become a father?'
He thought back to his childhood. The man who was supposed to be his father was rarely resent in his life. If he was, it was as if he was a disappointment. The only times he would be happy was when talked about Captain America.
'If I become one, will I become like him? I don't want to become like my old man.'
Tony grabbed his head,
"Fuck! This is supposed to be an easy question! A yes or no question! Why is it so hard!?'
Seeing his boss struggle, Happy gave him a suggestion.
" You know what, boss? Let's do it like this. We'll just go see him for now. If he lives with adoptive parents who care for him, then we would be assholes to take him away. We also have to take into account Isaiah's point of view. A relationship between parent and child goes both ways and you know that. Therefore, let's just meet him and introduce you and see how it goes. Alright?"
Tony took some time to answer,
"Al...right. Okay, okay! Let's do this!"
"Alright!"
Tony smirked,
"Thanks, doc. Where did all this come from?"
Happy deadpanned,
"Sir, i"'ve been dealing with your shit for years. I know my way."
Tony, instead of getting mad, simply laughed out loud.
"HAHAHAHA! I know. Thank you for your enormous service."
"My pleasure, boss."
Tony looked out of the window and looked at the building's entrance. The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Alright!"
Opening his eyes, he got out of the car along with Happy and went back to the entrance of the Sanctum.
Taking another deep breath, he knocked on the door. However, to the duo's surprise, the door easily opened at the first knock.
"Huh?" both men let out.
They previously checked and saw that it was locked. The men looked at each other before Tony shrugged and opened the door. They stepped inside and looked around the common room.
"I was wondering when you would come." a sudden voice startled the duo.
Tony and Happy whipped their face toward the voice and saw a tall black man in monk attire smiling serenely at them from the upper floor.
"Isn't this a surprise? Tony Stark and...?"
"Happy. Happy Hogan"
"And Happy Hogan. Welcome to the New York Sanctum. What can this one do for you?"
"Who're you and what is this place."
"My name is Daniel Drumm, but many call me Master Drumm."
"Master Drumm?"
"Yes."
"I see. Is there also a grandmaster and disciples here too?" Tony asked sarcastically.
"Yes." Master Drumm's smile remained the same.
"Huh?" Tony was taken back.
"Boss." Happy warned.
"Right."
"May I ask how you came to know of this place?" the dark-skinned man asked.
"I was given this address by a cheeky teenager. Percy Jackson? You know him?"
Drumm nodded,
"Ah, Mr. Jackson. Yes, I have heard of him, but why would he give you this address? I was told that he would not give it to anyone."
'And the only one who gave him this address was Isaiah with the permission of the Ancient One.' he thought.
"I'm looking for someone and the kid told me that was here. Well, he said that he lived in Nepal, but I would find it here. If that makes sense."
Master Drumm frowned,
"And who would you be looking for?" he said as a suspicion began to form in his mind.
"Isaiah Sharpe."
A silence ensued in the large room. Master Drumm then walked down the stairs before slowly arriving in front of them. To be honest, he was kind freaking Tony out a little by the intense stare he was given.
"And why would you want to search for Master Sharpe?"
"Master Sharpe?"
"He has the skills then he shall be called so." Master Drumm replied.
"I..."
"I shall be taking over this Master Drumm." a sudden female voice interrupted them.
They all turned to the upper floor where they saw a bald woman in her usual yellow monk attire.
"Master!" Master Drumm called.
"Master?" asked both Happy and Tony.
The Ancient One smiled and walked down the stairs,
"Thank you, Master Drumm. But I shall be taking this meeting over."
The black man looked at Tony and Happy before bowing to the Teacher,
"Very well, Teacher. I shall take my leave."
"Thank you."
Drumm nodded and left. The Ancient One then turned to the duo and smiled at them,
"How are you on this fine day, gentleman?" she asked.
"Huh great. Are you the so-called Grandmaster of this place?"
Fiona nodded,
"Yes, they call me the Ancient One."
Tony raised an eyebrow,
"You and I have a very different definition of the word "ancient", ma'am."
Putting a hand over her mouth, the woman chuckled,
"Oh my! How bold of you Mr. Stark although I shouldn't be surprised. Many women would love to hear compliments like that and I'm sure you're an expert in that domain." she replied cheekily with a hand on her cheek.
"..." Tony couldn't say anything.
"Well, enough pleasantries. May I ask why you are searching for Isaiah?"
"I..." Tony struggled to say.
Here he was, in front of someone who most likely has a direct connection with Isaiah, and he couldn't speak.
"I have some news for him."
"Hmm."
Fiona approached Tony Stark and observed him physically.
"You know? When women check me out like that, I usually ask them for a date first."
"Oh, I'm sure you did. Fortunately or unfortunately, it depends on the point of view, you're too young for me."
"What?"
She suddenly grabbed his chin.
"Hey!" shouted Happily and was about to stop the woman when Tony quickly raised an arm to stop him.
The woman was looking straight into his eyes and the man felt like she was searching his soul. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine. When she let go, she had a weird expression.
"I see, so that's how it?
"That's how... what is?"
"Who would've known. The great Tony Stark has a child," she said in surprise.
"How did you know!?" snapped Tony.
This lady was seriously freaking him out.
"Isaiah looks like a child version of you without the facial hair and blue eyes."
Although the man bore resemblances with Isaiah, the Ancient One had simply read his mind for good measure. Now that the precognition ability of the Time Stone was useless against Isaiah, her ability to gather information about the future has been severely limited due to an unknown number of possible futures that Isaiah could bring forth with each of his actions. It's not like it was crippled as long as Isaiah was not involved, she would still be able to see a fixed future.
"Can I see him, please?" Tony asked almost begging.
Tony Stark was a man with an immense amount of ego and arrogance. He also had a lot of pride. However, with the possibility of seeing his child, his pride has been thrown out of the window. For Five years, he had been watching his son grow with every photo and videos Sarah had sent him. He saw his first words, his first steps, him playing around. Unfortunately, to his despair, they were only seen through a screen. When he heard the news that he and Sarah died. It was one of the hardest times of his life. Drinking, sex, gambling, repeat. For a long time, that was his routine. All that to try and forget them. Now the boy was eleven years old and he only learnt of his existence. But why had Isaiah not returned to the US? Why did he stay wherever he is? He knew where his old home was? What happened?
All those questions were pilling up inside of Tony's head when he was searching for his son.
"You want to see Isaiah?" the Ancient One asked, all traces of amusement gone from her face.
Tony nodded. Happy simply stood behind him observing the conversation.
"Then let me ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
"How open-minded are you?"
Tony frowned, confusion apparent on his face.
"Open-minded, I don't understand the question."
Fiona nodded,
"Then let me rephrase that. How much do you think you know about the world?"
"... Huh, I consider myself quite educated."
Happy snorted,
"Well, that's an understatement," he whispered.
Tony glared at his bodyguard.
"Now, what if I told you that what you have learnt up until now could be smashed into pieces? The science you have learnt until now rendered useless?
Tony's frown deepened.
"That... would be impossible? Not to brag, but I'm a certified genius who graduated from MIT summa cum laude at the age of 17. I have invented multiple groundbreaking inventions from Stark Industries. So when you tell me that my knowledge is useless, that would impossible. He'll, even mutants, who make the laws of physics their bitch makes sense to science and my knowledge isn't useless." Tony said.
To him, his knowledge was his pride and his life. And now this lady comes up and here and tells him that's all useless, he couldn't accept that.
The Ancient One smiled,
"I see. I apologize. Not all knowledge you have is useless. Have you heard of the expression Kupamanduka?"
"Kupamanduka?"
"Yes. Roughly translated from Sanskrit, it means a frog in a well. The full expression is a frog in a well that imagines the well, its home, to be the whole world and, therefore, becomes pompous."
"What are you trying to say?"
"That there is still much to learn of this universe. What you know is not even 0.5% of what it contains."
Tony's eyebrows furrowed,
"Alright, Lady. Up until now, you have been talking in circles all the while insulting my intelligence. There is only so much one can take. So just let me meet Isaiah."
"It's because meeting Isaiah means all common sense and science goes out of the window. That's why I'm asking you."
"Look, I know he's a mutant. I've seen the footage. It's extremely rare, but not something new. More like everyone knows about it, but almost no one has seen them in person."
To his surprise, the woman suddenly smirked.
"You think he's mutant? Him being a mutant is the least of your worries," she asked amused by Tony's words.
'Although, he could be considered a mutant in our community. Heh, a mutant sorcerer. How funny.'
"The hell are you talking about? He created fucking portals out of thin air! If that's not a mutant, then I don't know what else."
"Mr. Stark. I suggest you take a deep breath. You're getting a little worked up there."
"I can't! I finally have a clue about Isaiah and I'm still not able to see him!"
The room was plunged into silence as Tony practically yelled his words at the woman. In an impressive show of patience, she didn't once change her expression. Living more than seven hundred years has its benefits.
"I see. I guess, with Mr. Stark, a show and tell is better than a simple explanation. I will, then, take you to him, but!"
Tony's hope was suddenly interrupted by her words.
"I'm gonna need three things from you."
"Happy, give me the chequebook."
"Me. Stark. I suggest you listen to the person in from of you before making any assumptions. We are not human traffickers." she said with an edge to her voice that gave the men chills running up their spines.
Happy whose hand was going to his pocket slowly put it down.
"Now. First of all, I want your proof of fatherhood."
Tony quickly gave her the DNA test and she quickly examined it before nodding,
"Alright. Does anyone else know about this?"
"Just happy and the doctor who took the test."
"Should I be worried about the secret being leaked?"
However, Tony quickly shook his hand side to side,
"No, the doctor signed an NDA, but there is also another reason."
"And that is?"
"Well... he's dead."
Fiona gave him a half-lidded stare.
"Wait! It's not what it looks like! He died of a heart attack last year so I didn't do anything. Happy, back me up here.!"
Happy had a smirk, but complied nonetheless,
"It's is true. On October 24, 2006, Dr. Manuki, the man who performed the DNA test to see the relationship between Isaiah and Tony passed away due to a heart attack at 4:00 PM. What Boss is saying is the truth.
Fiona nodded,
"Very well. I shall believe you for now," she said before handing back the DNA test.
"What are the other two things you wanted?" Stark asked.
"Just like I said. A physical demonstration is better than simple explanations. Therefore, I ask you to forget everything you know."
"Know what?"
"All the knowledge you have gained over the years. I want you to throw it out of the window. Because it won't be much use here."
"Just what the hell is going on?"
"Please answer."
"Alright. I'll forget everything I've learned until now and throw it out of the window," he said with a roll of his eyes."
Fiona nodded,
"Finally, I want you and Mr. Hogan to swear on your names that you will never reveal what you are about to see in a few minutes or unless I give permission."
"What is this? Some sort of cult?"
The Ancient One grinned.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Whatever it shall be, for your knowledge of this world shall be nought."
"Please don't try to imitate Dr. Seuss. It's creepy."
The woman chuckled,
"I think I did a pretty good job. In all seriousness, I need you to swear the oath."
Happy and Tony looked at each other before the latter sighed.
"I, Anthony Edward Stark, shall swear upon my name to never reveal whatever the Ancient One shows me unless given permission," he said exaggeratedly with a hand over his heart.
"Happy did the same.
" I, Harold Hogan, shall swear upon my name to never reveal whatever the Ancient shows me or unless given permission.
The Ancient One smiled and snapped her fingers.
"Good."
Tony could've sworn he saw sparks at her fingers.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"Those sparks. Are you a mutant?"
Now that he thought about it, he never thought to ask if she was a mutant.
"Remember Mr. Stark. You must forget everything you know."
He wanted to object but kept his mouth shut.
Tony nodded. Fiona stood in front of them and made a large circular motion with her arm. To the men's shock, orange and gold arcane emerge sparked in the air in front of them before creating a ring which twisted the space. The view inside the large ring then changed into a different view of what looked like the room of a monastery.
"Shall we?"
Tony and Happy had their jaws dropped. at the sight. That's the same thing Isaiah does!
"W-What? Isaiah did the same thing! Do you have the same ability as him?" he asked wide-eyed.
The Ancient One simply grinned and walked through the portal. Tony and Happy quickly followed her. They turned around and saw the portal closing itself. They now found themselves in a basic-looking room with many wooden furniture. Tony looked around and saw one or two people wearing monk attire either reading books or meditating.
Many saw the woman and got up before bowing.
"Hello, Master!" many greeted her.
The woman simply smiled and waved.
"Where are we? Some sort of monastery?" Tony asked as he looked around in awe.
"You could say that."
They walked out of a monastery and in front of large doors.
"Remember my advice and your oath, Mr. Stark and Mr. Hogan. Because you will be needing it."
She said with a tone of finality. Both men nodded.
*Ba-dump* *Ba-dump*
Tony could almost feel his heart about to burst out of his chest as a mix of emotions assaulted him. Anticipation, hope, nervousness, sadness. He almost couldn't think straight.
The man felt Happy's hand on his shoulder and, when he looked at him, the latter nodded in encouragement.
Tony took a deep breath and nodded,
"Yes."
Fiona nodded,
"Very well men. Welcome to Kamar-Taj!" she said as she opened the door.
Tony had to squint his eyes due to the sudden sunlight. As soon as he adjusted, his jaw dropped once more at the sight.
They were not in New York anymore. In fact, he didn't know where they were. He could see many people in their respective monk's attire walking around. Tony saw a group of people practicing martial arts in one place. Some were meditating, and some were reading. Some were simply chatting amongst themselves. But the thing that took the cake, is the sight of the uses of superpowers everywhere. The peculiar thing is that everyone had the same orange and gold arcane energy flowing around them. Energy constructs, blasts, telekinesis, etc. It was a geek's paradise.
"What the actual fuck!" Happy cursed out loud.
Tony internally agreed with him.
"Just what the hell is this place?" he whispered.
He was so shocked that the sudden voice of the Ancient One startled him back to reality,
"This is Kamar-Taj. The headquarters of the Order of the Masters of Mystic Arts."
At that, Tony paused,
"Hold up. Mystic arts? As in magic?"
The Ancient One smirked,
"That's right. Everything you see here is not the result of powers derived from the X-gene or any enhancing drug. It is the result of magic."
"But But magic doesn't exist!"
"I have told you before, Mr. Stark. Forget everything you've learned up until now because you'll have a mental breakdown."
"But magic is simply science you cannot understand!"
Happy didn't say anything as he was too busy gawking.
Fiona pondered on his words,
"Perhaps. Let me put it in this way for you to understand."
Just like when she first introduced Isaiah to magic, she began to wave her hands in the air as a magic formation began to slowly form in front of them,
"The language of the Mystic Arts is as old as civilization. The sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language 'spells,' but if that word offends your modern sensibilities, you can call it a program; the source code that shapes reality. We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the universe to cast spells, to conjure shields and weapons, to make magic" she said as she finally finished the complicated formation showing the shocked Stark and his bodyguard.
"Huh?"
For the first time in forever, Tony didn't understand something. He then remembered what that brat said.
[You can ask him when you see him. Although, I'm sure you would be preoccupied with something more important.]
'What a cheeky brat.' he thought.
"Do you finally understand the situation?" The Ancient One asked.
Tony and Happy didn't say anything as they digested the information.
"To be honest, I'm surprised." she suddenly said.
"Why?"
"I would've thought the Mist would've done something to you by now."
"The Mist?"
"That's an entirely different story."
"Wait? You say that this magic is created by harnessing magic from different dimensions. As in parallel dimensions?"
Fiona nodded.
"T-Then does that mean the Multiverse is real?"
"Yup."
"And you pull energies from them to essentially alter reality?"
"That's right."
"How are you so casual about it!?"
Fiona looked him right in the eyes,
"Mr. Stark. If you've lived as long as I, there is very little that can surprise you."
"Then how long did you live?"
"Mr. Stark, I would think by now you've learned to never ask a woman their age." she cheekily said.
Tony was too stunned to quip.
"Now come along Mr. Stark and Mr. Hogan."
"Huh, right!" the latter said as he pulled his eyes away from someone who had multiple books floating around them as they were writing something in another book.
As they walked, they passed many similar sights. disciples practicing magic, martial arts, meditating, masters teaching them, etc. Just like the Ancient One had said, Tony's view of the world has been completely flipped upside-down. Before he only thought mutants were the most extraordinary thing the world could give, but there were talks about magic, dimensions, the multiverse and more.
'Was Isaiah living in this kind of world?' he thought.
Soon, after a few minutes of walking, they arrived in front of a training ground.
"*Thump* *Bang* *Bzzt*
"Haat!"
The sound of fighting could be heard. The Ancient One, Tony, and Happy were looking at an Asian man sparring with a child. It was then the world turned blank for Tony as his vision tunnelled on the boy. The Asian man spread his arms and a whip made of orange and gold energy formed in between them. He grasped it and whipped it towards the boy. The latter kicked the ground and did a front flip to dodge it before bringing his hand up and making a finger gun. To Tony and Happy's surprise, crimson red and black energy bubbled up in front of his index finger and the boy fired it like a gun. With quick reflexes, the man formed a small shield which blocked the bullet. The boy grinned as he began firing a barrage of bullets on the man. While blocking the incoming bullets with a shield construct, on one hand, the boy's opponent then held his other hand out and chanted,
"By the Icy Tendrils of Ikhtalon!"
Soon frost began to rapidly form beneath him and then travelled at an incredible speed towards Isaiah. The latter widened his eyes and created a platform on air before jumping on it avoiding it. Unfortunately, it was not over. The frost then stopped right beneath the boy, before spikes of ice suddenly sprung up. Quickly reacting, the bit created a shield blocking the ice. He then held his hand out to the spikes. Suddenly, they melted and formed a puddle of water, which Isaiah used a small amount to fire bullets of water toward Wong who was caught off guard.
Grinning widely, the boy then followed his water bullets and caught up to Wong. Seeing this Wong decided to dodge to the side. Isaiah was now in front of him and engaged in a martial arts fight.
Happy who was a former boxer wasn't able to keep up with their speed.
*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Bang*
Each hit would produce sounds that we're not normally heard. Tony had seen martial arts fights before, but they were nothing like this. If this was a fight, then MMA fighters were babies playing. around.
The Asian man was about to launch a high kick while Isaiah was in the air about to reply with an axe kick when the Ancient One suddenly clapped.
Immediately, the Asian man quickly lowered the leg while the boy landed on the ground. They turned to the source and saw the trio.
"Master./Teacher!"
"That was a good spar, you two. I could see tremendous improvement in your postures, Master Wong and I see you've been practicing your water magic, Isaiah."
"Thank you!" they both said.
"Master Wong, could you leave us? I need to speak with Isaiah."
"Yes, Master. It was a good spar, master Isaiah," he replied before bowing to the boy.
The latter reciprocated the gesture with a bow of his own,
"It was, Master Wong. Thank you for indulging me."
"You can ask me anytime. Now I shall leave you."
The Asian man glanced at Tony and simply raised an eyebrow before leaving the ground leaving Isaiah with the trio.
"Hello, Teacher-" Isaiah then noticed Tony Stark and got confused.
"Wait. You're Tony Stark."
The boy turned to the woman,
"Huh, Teacher?"
"Yes, Isaiah?"
"What's Tony Stark doing here?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
The boy turned back to the man who was looking at him with muted shock. Both of them simply stared at each other. Tony then got down to one knee. He took off his glasses and hat which he shakily gave to his bodyguard without even looking back.
The inventor simply held his gaze onto the boy. The latter didn't move. For some unknown reason, Isaiah didn't look uncomfortable nor bother to move away. He simply observed the man. He could see the man's eyes moisten at the sight of the boy. It was then Tony broke the ice,
"You have your mother's eyes." he softly said.
Isaiah's pupils turned into pinpricks when he heard what the man said.
"What?" he whispered.
"You also have her nose. Although, you did inherit some of my rugged handsomeness."
"Huh?"
Now Isaiah was confused. One of the world's richest men of science came to Kamar-Taj, a secret society of magic, and was now spouting things that didn't make sense.
"W-Wait. Teacher, what's going on?" Isaiah asked his teacher.
The latter kept quiet as she simply tilted her head toward Tony. Isaiah snapped his head towards the man who placed a hand on his shoulder. A hand covered in callouses due to countless hours of working with machinery and building stuff.
"Hello, Isaiah. M-My name is Tony Stark and I have been searching for you. And I have finally found you."
"Searching for me?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Isaiah asked the man in front of him.
Tony calmed his raging nerves and spoke,
"Because I am your father."
