Work Text:
Footage recovered encrypted from AI codename JARVIS during routine SHIELD audit of archives. (May 2110)
Tony smirks at the camera. "Now, even I'm not arrogant enough to believe I'm still going to be around to see how this turned out."
"Hmm." An almost-laugh in the background.
Tony turns around to smile at the sound.
Cut. Take 2.
"Supposedly in a hundred years or so, they're going to wheel this out during another Expo, to show off just how long this city was in the making. Maybe I will be around to see it. Who knows, maybe Steve got pissed off and decided to shove me in the ice for a decade or five."
"Tony!"
"What? Like they don't know already. We're in the history books."
She walks into frame, her arms folded. "I thought you were going to aim at humility for once?"
"It's just such a small target. Anyway, I'm in the history books now. Iron Man is officially part of the high school education."
"Sex-ed?"
Tony whistles. "Potts, I'm clearly a bad influence on you."
"Tony, just start the recording again."
Take three.
"So, this was Dad's dream. I've refined it a little bit since then. Less Art Deco, more… well, more swimming pools, anyway. And nightclubs. For a man who- never mind. So you have me to thank for the fun stuff."
There is a feminine growl, and the camera pulls away from Tony. He tries to pull it back. The focus of the video wobbles wildly and then cuts off.
Take four.
"I got the power-source going, will you at least give me that? Show them science fair exhibit. I made the arc reactor sustainable and practical. Granted, mostly because I wanted to not-die, but the end result turned out okay." Tony grins. "So really you all have my phenomenal self-interest to thank for your situation today. As long as it's a good situation. If you've screwed it up, blame yourselves."
A pen flies into frame and bounces off Tony's head.
Take five.
"I could moon them. That's what good old dad would do."
"You want to moon the viewers of our time capsule recording? The- hopefully the future residents of the city you haven't even built yet. That's who you want to moon."
"I could moon you?"
"Tony, rest assured your ass is no longer either shocking or remarkable to me."
"Oh, is that so?" Tony crosses in front of the camera towards Pepper's voice. He murmurs, "Other people find me very remarkable. I'm getting a whole city named after me."
"They're not naming it after you."
"It's my city, I get to name it. Stark City. No? I could call it Pottsville. Can't call it Virginia – they got that one already. Peppersfield?"
Pepper is laughing underneath the rebuke. "Let them name their own city, Tony."
"You sure?" He's humming, whispering. "Cause if it were up to me… well, I think you deserve a city."
This time JARVIS cuts off the recording.
Take six.
Pepper is smoothing out her blouse and smiling. Tony is breathing a little heavily.
Tony says, "Welcome to the city of the future. Or the city of today, I guess, for you. Hopefully not already the city of yesterday, because that would be just- yeah." He turns away from the camera. "I can't talk. I seriously can't… Do you have magical charm-destroying powers? Is that what this is? You're like kryptonite only instead of gaudy radioactive rock all you have to do is kiss-?"
She walks towards him, covers the camera, and murmurs, "Stop recording."
Take seven.
Tony stands beside the computer-generated model that JARVIS is projecting into the air. He says, "This is your city. I don't know if it looks like this now – when you're watching this – or even if it ever did. We break ground - really break ground - tomorrow. No tricks, no gimmicks. We're going to do this right. But it's an experiment, one great throw of the dice. Even I don't know if it's going to work. This isn't just science – this is people, and this is my- this is my legacy. But I hope it all worked out. I hope you're watching this from the city my father designed, and I bet you already recognise this amazing, beautiful, just, really, incredible woman beside me."
Tony beckons off-camera. Nothing happens.
He sighs and walks to where she is standing; the camera and the city model move too. "You ruined my dramatic introduction."
"Tony-."
He's looking at the camera again. "Pepper asked me what was next. After the suit, and the wars, and the endless crap that goes along with all of that. What comes next."
"You really don't need to-."
"And then she looked at the plans, and laughed a little, and put in all the important things I took out, or forgot, or that my Dad forgot. Parks, and a community centre, and the clinic."
"And the bank."
"And the bank. Look, what do I need with an actual bank? I don't know my account numbers."
"I know."
He looks back at the camera. "So: banks. Assuming you guys still have banks then. And money. Do you still have-? You can't answer me. I knew that. Anyway. Pepper wanted the galleries too. I put the stadium in. It was a collaborative effort."
"Tony-."
"I'm nearly done, I swear. Look, I've probably bored you enough now, and I hate those guys who get so stuck into their speechmaking they just won't get off the stage. I'm done." He reaches across, above the model city, and takes Pepper's hand. He looks right at the camera one last time. "I hope you like what we built you. Enjoy." Tony leans in to Pepper; she turns her face towards him.
Recording ends.