Chapter Text
Tony sat in his lab, leaning over the workbench, elbows deep in the chest cavity of The Mark XLVIII armor. A plate had slipped, partially severing several wires. They’d bit into his skin at the end of his latest test run. It should have been an easy fix, but Peter was sitting across from him, and naturally, that meant something was distracting him.
“So ravioli is just a carb with a filling, right?” Peter leaned onto the table, his chin propped on his hand. “Do you think that means Pop-Tarts are ravioli too?”
Tony glanced up, his brows knit loosely together. “Ravioli is made of pasta, and Pop-Tarts are made of cheap, over-processed pastry. What is wrong with you?” He released an exasperated breath and attempted to refocus on his work. “End of discussion. Hand me those snippers, will ya? The ones with the blue handles.”
Peter hummed, located the tool, and casually placed it in Tony’s waiting hand. “Okay. But what if you boiled the Pop-Tarts instead of toasting them?”
“Pete. Why would you–” Abruptly, he cut himself off. He hadn’t prepared himself to engage in the debate of what could, and could not, be classified as ravioli. “Nope. Nope, we’re not going there. That’s how we lose IQ points, buddy.” He set the snippers down and ran a hand through his hair. “Should we get Italian for dinner tonight?”
A wide grin spread across Peter’s face as he pumped his fist into the air and shouted, “Yeah! Can we order from the place that has the giant cheese-stuffed meatballs?”
“Sure, Kiddo. Whatever you want.” Tony chuckled softly and made a few notes before closing up the glowing schematics. “I suppose we should get some extra–”
“Boss, Colonel James Rhodes is on the phone for you.” Friday interrupted. “He’s quite insistent that he needs to speak with you. Would you like for me to patch him through?”
Tony smiled and rolled his eyes. “Nah. Push it to my cell phone, will you, Dear?”
“Of course.”
Half a second later, Tony’s phone lit up. He glanced at Peter, shooting him an apologetic look before accepting the call. “Hey there, sweetheart. What’s up? You miss me?”
“I don’t know about missing you, but I do need you to–”
“Aww…” Tony tucked the phone between his shoulder and chin, and grinned. He leaned back in his seat and casually kicked his feet up onto his desk. ”Did you just admit you need me?”
A humorless beat passed. “Tony.” Rhodey sighed. “Come on, man. Can you be serious for five minutes? This is important. I wouldn’t be calling you in the middle of an assignment if it wasn’t. I need your help.”
All of Tony’s amusement drained and was instantly replaced with mild trepidation. In all honesty, he’d forgotten what exactly Rhodey had been called away from. It happened so often, he simply didn’t keep track. But whatever it was, it had to be complex if he was being called in. Even for a consult. He inhaled deeply, lowered his feet back to the floor, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, fine. Fine. I’m being serious. What’s going on?”
“Something big.”
Tony straightened his back, ready to focus. “What do you mean by big? Define big.” He stood up to pace across the lab, his mind already providing him with a plethora of options. None of them were ideal. “Are we talking Hydra big? Alien big? Government infiltration–”
“No. Nothing like that. It’s not even Avengers-related. Not really. I just need your expertise.”
“Okay…” Tony replied, drawing out the last syllable and rolling his hand in a circular motion.
“The Navy asked me–”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tony abruptly interjected. Less than two sentences into the explanation and, already, it wasn’t adding up. Not completely. “The Navy? You’re Air Force. Why would the Navy–”
“Tony, I’ve been a military liaison and advisor to the president for the last two years. I’m also an Avenger. All kinds of people ask me to do all kinds of things. You know that,” Rhodey hissed. But there was no actual heat to his tone. “Look. here’s the deal. Several large Navy vessels have disappeared out of thin air. Bright clear sunny days, then boom– all contact is lost. The ships disappear off the radar.”
Well, that did sound intriguing. “Like an EMP?”
“More like a massive signal jammer. Whatever it is, none of the ships have been relocated. They wanted me to go in and investigate; said I could put together a small team of whomever I wanted. I want you. With you there, we can knock this out in one afternoon.”
Tony’s pacing slowed, and he raised an eyebrow. “You need my help to look for boats?”
“No, I need your help to identify whatever technology this is that’s screwing around with military signals. Hopefully, track down a culprit too. Quietly. We don’t need the general public to get wind of any of this. You know how people are. They–”
“Panic. Right.” Tony twisted his neck to look over his shoulder. Peter was still hovering by the door, pretending like he couldn’t hear at least half of the discussion.
The kid’s aunt had left town a few days prior to help organize a new charitable facilities and train new staff. He’d agreed to keep the kid occupied until she returned. He figured hauling him to the ocean was a good way to do that. Hell, if it all wrapped up quickly they could spend some time on a nearby beach. “Well, here’s the thing. The kid’s going to have to come too.”
“Tony–”
“It’s his summer vacation, and he’s spending most of it with me.” A small noise of protest came through the line. Tony was quick to dismiss it. “Besides, we could use his help. He’s great with technology. He’ll love it. Where are we going?”
There was a deep sigh, followed by the words, “Ever heard of the Bermuda Triangle?”
Tony couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or cry. Everyone had heard of the Bermuda Triangle. It was the epicenter of wild conspiracy theories and the go-to destination for more sci-fi plots than he could count. Seventy-one percent of the Earth is Ocean and the Navy ships had to disappear in that particular spot? It didn’t sound real. “You can not be serious.”
“Deadly.”
Tony ran a hand aggressively across his face. The world was filled with strange things. Super soldiers, quantum realms, and mystic arts. Suddenly, the idea of an evil tech giant testing innovative cloaking technology in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle didn’t sound all that crazy. “Alrighty. Bermuda. I love it. When and where should we meet you?”
“Washington D.C. ASAP. Bing the Amphibious Quinjet. We’ll need it.”
“You got it, Platypus. See you tonight.” He left no room for reply, ending the call the moment the words had left his mouth. He swayed his head as he tucked the phone into his pocket and turned towards Peter.
“We’re actually, for real, going to Bermuda?” The kid was practically vibrating with excitement. “Do I need swim trunks? Oh! Should I pack sunscreen? Travel snacks!”
Tony quirked an eyebrow and huffed a laugh. “Not quite, Kiddo. We’re going to the Bermuda Triangle.”
All at once, the excitement drained from Peter’s face. “Oh.” He shifted awkwardly, the gears in his head clearly turning. “You know, I have suddenly remembered that I have a lot of summer reading to do. Maybe I should stay here. You wouldn’t want me to get behind in my studies, would you, Mr. Stark?”
Tony folded his arms, lips curling into an amused smirk. “Liar.”
Peter blinked. “No– I mean, it’s true! School starts in a few weeks, and Aunt May would totally freak out if I didn’t–”
“Come on, Kid.” Tony took a step forward, nudging the kid in the shoulder. “You’ve just received an invitation to go on a super-secret military mission. Are you seriously turning that down?”
Peter opened his mouth to protest, but all that came out of him was a small defeated noise. “I guess when you put it like that…”
“Great.” Tony clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “You’ll need an overnight bag. Make sure to pack your suit, just in case, and call your aunt.”
Peter gave a reluctant thumbs up and started towards the door. He froze part way there and whipped around to look over his shoulder. “Wait!” he called, his eyes wide with sudden realization. “Are we still getting Italian for dinner?”
Tony laughed, fully amused by Peter’s ‘food first, mission second’ attitude. “I’ll have FRIDAY put in an expedited order just for you, Captain Italiano.”
Peter grinned and held two fingers to his forehead in mock salute. “Awesome. I’ll call Aunt May and pack.” He darted out the door, leaving Tony to chuckle to himself.
“Kid’s got some interesting priorities. I’ll give him that,” Tony muttered, shaking his head. He turned back to the bench, eyeing the Mark XLVIII one last time. Repairs would have to wait for another day. It was fine, though. He had the Mark XLVII, and it was more than capable of handling whatever the tech mysteries the Bermuda Triangle had to offer. He sighed and glanced towards the ceiling. “Hey, FRIDAY?”
“Yes, Boss?”
“Start prepping the Amphibious Quinjet for a long haul. Run full diagnostics, and get the stealth features ready to go. While you’re at it, put in that food order for the kid. Make sure it’s from the place with those giant cheese-stuffed meatballs.”
“Of course, Boss. Food will arrive in thirty minutes, and the Quinjet will be prepared for departure in approximately sixty-eight minutes. Anything else?”
“Nope, that sounds great. Thanks, dear.” Tony glanced in the direction Peter had left. The kid was brilliant, strong, and fully capable. He’d proved it a hundred times over. Yet, there was something about bringing him on the missions that tugged at Tony’s gut.
Military ships vanishing into thin air? It sounded like a tech problem, sure. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there could be more to it than a giant signal jammer. No matter how advanced the tech, something about entire vessels disappearing seemed– Odd. And odd things often led to dangerous things.
Immediately, he pushed those thoughts aside. He’d dealt with much weirder things, and If anyone could keep the kid safe, it was him. Plus, Rhodey would be there for support. What could possibly happen? He scoffed to himself, gave the lab another once over and turned out the lights.
The flight from Manhattan to Washington DC was quick, leaving them to arrive just as the moon was reaching its full height. The Quinjet touched down smoothly on a restricted military airstrip and rolled to a stop. Peter sat up taller and stretched his arms over his head while Tony lowered the ramp.
“Is this where we’re meeting Mr. Rhodey?” Peter asked, as he slowly followed Tony out of the jet and onto the tarmac.
Tony hummed and glanced at his watch. “We’re a touch early, but I imagine he’s here somewhere.”
They directed themselves towards an open hanger. Rhodey stood just inside, decked out in his standard military dress uniform. His feet were spread apart and his hands were clasped at his front. Even in the dim lighting, they could see the serious expression on his face. He raised his chin and crossed his arms over his chest. “About time you showed up.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony smiled. “I got us here in less than two hours. And that was after making sure the kid was stuffed full of meatballs. I’d like to see Air Force One pull that off.”
Rhodey smiled marginally. “Prioritizing food over the missions, are we?”
Tony shrugged and used his elbow to nudge the kid in the ribs. “He’s a growing boy.”
With a small squeal, Peter scurried forward and out of Tony’s reach. He rubbed his side with one hand while waving with the other. “Hey, Mr. Rhodey!”
“Hey, Peter,” Rhodey said softly. Tony could see some of the tension leave his friend’s body as he addressed the kid. “Have a pleasant flight?”
“It was pretty boring, actually. It’s dark. I didn’t get to see anything cool.” Peter lifted his shoulders and grinned. “Tomorrow sounds interesting, though! Mr. Stark said we’re flying over the ocean!”
The relaxed smile on Rhodey’s face faded back into seriousness. “About that…” He took a few steps back and gestured toward an SUV parked just outside of the hangar. “I’ll explain everything on the way, but this isn’t a routine mission, Tony. Like I said before, we’re dealing with something–new; something powerful.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure I can work it out,” Tony smirked and tapped a finger against his right temple. “Genius, remember?”
Rhodey sighed as he opened the driver’s side door. “Glad to see you’re feeling confident, as usual. Get in. I’ll show you the latest documents.” He didn’t start the engine right away. There was a heavy-duty locked briefcase tucked away on the floorboards. He pulled it out and scanned his thumbprint to open it. Inside was a singular tablet. He cautiously passed it over to Tony. “You need to take a look at this. I’m not convinced it’s just some signal-jamming tech. It’s–I think there’s something else.”
Tony frowned, taking the tablet and scrolling through the naval reports. At first, everything looked routine– communication logs, registered locations, routine maintenance checks. It wasn’t until he’d clicked on an attached video that he saw anything of real consequence. In the clip, a large vessel was pinging regularly on the radar. He watched it inching across the map for several minutes before it abruptly vanished. He double-checked the date and time to cross-compare it to the other logs. But there was nothing. No communication, no emergency signals, nothing. It was just– gone.
“Yeah, okay,” Tony mumbled as he searched for something, anything, to explain the anomaly. “The amount of disturbance it would take to create that effect is astronomical. Are we sure it’s not the naval equipment that’s the problem?”
“Diagnostics were run. There are no issues with the Naval equipment. Besides, it appears to be localized. These events are only taking place in this one area.” Rhodey finally drove off, his eyes fully focused on the road ahead. “I’ve been through every possible explanation with several teams, but nothing makes sense. That’s why I called you. We have all kinds of experts on what is. What we need is an expert on w hat could be.”
Peter leaned forward from the back seat, eyes wide as he peered over Tony’s shoulder. “So the ships are just like– out there minding their own business and then poof, they’re gone? Do you think it’s magic?”
“Why would anyone want to magic an entire fleet of ships away?” Tony said absentmindedly as he continued scrolling through the data. There was a lot there. He was going to have to dig deep to find the relevant material. “This has to be tech. Something– extremely advanced. Like a cloaking device meets a signal scrambler, but on steroids.”
Rhodey peeked to the side. “Any ideas on how to trace something like that? Because we need to nip this before it gets any worse. They’ve lost four ships and hundreds of crew members already. This has to stop.”
Tony looked up from the tablet, his brows pinched together in perplexity. “Okay. So, for the sake of clarity: What we’re dealing with is a lunatic with super-tech who’s playing hide-and-seek with the Navy. And it’s going to be our job to get in the game and call ‘olly olly oxen free’ before anyone else loses.” He glanced back at the tablet before turning to Peter. “You writing any of this down? Sounds like a New York Times Best Seller to me.”
Rhodey shot Tony a look. “This isn’t a joke, Tony.”
Accepting that quip didn’t hit the mark, Tony held up his hands in surrender. “I know. I get it. It’s not a joke. I’m already starting to work on a plan.”
The SUV came to a halt outside a large, nondescript building at the Air Force base. Rhodey took them straight inside, to an elevator and down a few wide corridors. Eventually, he stopped outside of the dark beige door and handed Tony a magnetic key.
“This is your room for the night. I tried to get one for the kid too, but the higher-ups weren’t super keen on leaving an enhanced teenager unsupervised for the evening. There are two beds,” Rhodey glanced at Peter, who had crossed his arms indignantly over his chest, and smiled apologetically. “Not that it matters,” he added, turning his head to glare at Tony. “I’m sure you’ll be up all night studying that information.”
“You know me so well, honey bear.” Tony smirked and draped his arm over Peter’s stiff shoulders. “Besides, how am I supposed to keep an eye on the nuisance if I’m asleep. No unsupervised, enhanced teenager allowed, remember?”
“Hey!” Peter grumbled. Although he made no effort to duck out of the casual embrace.
Tony could tell he was tired.
Rhodey probably could too, because he placed a gentle hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Good night, you two,” he said before directing his full attention at Tony. “And Tony? Please try to get at least a little rest, okay?”
Tony sighed and ran a hand down his face. There was a lot to think about and put together. He wasn’t convinced sleep would come to him. He scanned the key card to unlock the door. “I’ll do my best.”
As Rhodey receded down the hallway, Peter and Tony entered their overnight accommodations. The room was nice. There were two beds, as promised, with a nightstand set up between them.
“I call dibs on the bed by the window!” Peter announced, then disappeared into the ensuite to change into his pajamas.
After swapping from his jeans for sweatpants, Tony settled against the headboard with the tablet. He’d barely gotten into anything when Peter came wandering back into the room. He looked up as the kid flopped down beside him rather than on his own bed. “I thought you desperately wanted to sleep in the bed by the window.”
“I do. I was just curious about what you’re looking at.”
Tony sighed tiredly and tipped the screen a little more in Peter’s direction. “Same stuff I was looking at on the ride over, comparing notes and jotting down some thoughts. I need to do some research and I want to have FRIDAY run a few simulations for me, at some point.”
Peter hummed and clicked on a random video link, another radar losing track of another ship. “Do you really think it’s a cloaking device?”
“That’s a possibility." Tony closed the video and turned off the screen. He figured he could get back to his research after his favorite distraction had gone to bed. "It’s certainly behaving like a cloaking device. Just on a much grander scale than we’re used to.”
“What if it’s a crazy invisible force field that blocks every kind of signal? You know, like you see in really old movies?”
“Anything possible, I suppose.” Tony glanced at Peter and winked. “Good thing I brought my secret weapon.”
Peter raised his brows and pointed to himself. “Me?”
“Yup.” Tony grinned. “You’re good at figuring out weird techy stuff. Plus, your Spider-Sense could definitely come in handy if things go sideways.”
“Do you think that’ll happen?" Peter fretted at the hem of his shirt. "Things going sideways?”
“Nah. We’ll be fine, Bud.” Tony gently nudged the kid off his bed. “Get some sleep. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
–
The sun was just beginning to rise as the Quinjet took off from the base. The sky above them was a mix of pale yellow and deep orange, and the ocean below seemed endless. However, as they neared their destination, the calm blue waters slowly darkened to a foreboding shade of near black.
“Hey, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, pulling his face away from the window. “Is the water supposed to look like that?”
Tony didn’t answer right away. The majority of his focus was glued to the readings coming in through the Quinjet’s atmospheric sensors. Once he’d reached a decent stopping point, he peeked through one of the small porthole windows. “Uh…” he stupidly replied. Oceanography was miles away from his wheelhouse. Even so, he was one hundred percent convinced the water wasn’t supposed to look like an inkwell. “Probably not?”
“Is it oil?” Peter asked. “Like– do you think there was a big oil spill or something?”
Tony gave the ocean another look. It didn’t look iridescent and there was no obvious evidence of harm to the local sea life. It was just– dark. His brows knit together as he tried to decide whether it would be wise to get a sample before an attempted landing.
Rhodey interrupted his thoughts when he called out from the cockpit. “What are you thinking, Tony? What’s the plan?”
With a deep breath, Tony glanced between the window and the front of the plane. “Well, we should probably start by suiting up and landing the plane. Then we can figure out what’s causing the disturbance and– take it down. Easy Peasy.”
Rhodey turned around, his mouth set in a very judgemental frown. “That’s it? That’s the entire plan?”
“It’s the start of a plan!” Tony shouted. His hours of overnight research had yielded very few promising results. The data, while appearing thorough, hadn’t answered any of his lingering questions. Something was missing; something that would tie it all together. There had to be a clue or some random detail that everyone else had missed. He just needed to find it. A frustrated hand flourished toward the hatch. “We have to investigate. Once we find something, I’ll go from there.”
Peter swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the dark, murky waters below. “What if we don’t find anything?”
Tony’s confident gaze met Peter’s more hesitant one. He raised his eyebrows and slowly dipped his chin. “Then we’ll keep looking, trying new things, and taking additional steps until we do. Don’t worry, Kid. We’ve got this.” Abruptly, he turned back to Rhodey and released a deep breath. “Now, let’s get changed and see if we can locate somewhere to set this thing down.”