Chapter 6: Left Turn At Albuquerque - Mag7/HL/Ironman
Title: Left Turn At Albuquerque (6/?)
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Ironman (Marvel Movie 'verse)and Magnificent 7 (Part of the Aces Immortal Highlander AU)
Beta: ithildyn
Rating: PG
Characters: From Ironman: Tony Stark, Pepper, Rhodey. From Mag7: Vin Tanner, Ezra Standish, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Chris Larabee. OC's from the Aces Immortal 'Verse: Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black) and Cecily Desjardins.
Summary: Stranded in the past, Tony runs into some familiar faces.
A/N: This is part of the Aces Immortal series created by me and ithildyn, which means that Ezra Standish is Immortal in this story.
Banner by ithildyn
Chapter List
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11
Chapter 6
The Past
Tony collapsed onto the narrow twin bed, as the adrenaline rush from the day’s events finally wore off. He knew he should start working on repairing the Ironman suit as soon as possible but he was exhausted, and frankly not in the mood to deal with it just yet.
When they'd arrived in town, Ezra disappeared as soon as he'd handed his horse off to the stable boy. Tony got the distinct impression he wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.
That left Buck and JD to make the introductions at the smithy. Tiny had been happy to hire Tony for the sum of seventy-five cents a day. Tony had to stop himself from complaining about the ridiculous wage, which might have been generous for the time, but was completely out of sync with his sense of personal worth.
It was after Buck had escorted him over to Miss Caroline's boarding house that Tony really understood that the six dollars he had in his pocket was actually worth something. He'd been able to rent a room for a week for only one dollar.
He hadn't realized that he'd dozed off until a pounding on his door startled him awake. A quick glance out the window told him that the sun had set, but without a watch, he had no idea what time it was.
"Hey, Eddie," came Buck's voice through the door. "You in there?"
Tony scrubbed a hand across his face and climbed out of bed to open the door. "What's up, Buck?"
"Thought you might want ta get a drink, and you mentioned something about wanting to play some poker."
Tony smiled. "Sure, and maybe a bite to eat too."
If he could stretch his remaining five dollars into a reasonable bankroll, he might not have to waste his time doing grunt work at the smithy.
"If ya like Mexican food, Inez is a helluva cook."
"Sounds like a plan."
He followed Buck out of the rooming house and down the street. Now that he was rested, he took the town in for the first time. There really wasn't much to it besides one main drag. Tony found he had to watch his footing as the crossed the dusty street, the amount of horse manure was unexpected and the smell was not exactly pleasant.
"The Standish Tavern?" Tony asked as he read the sign. "Is this Ezra's place?"
Buck nodded. "Don't mean we get a discount." He chuckled.
Pushing his way through the batwing doors, Buck called to the woman behind the bar, "Two of your dinner specials, darlin'."
Tony entered the tavern and was immediately hit by the smell. He had to stop himself from gagging at the combination of sweat, horse, and a few other things he couldn't identify and truthfully didn't want to. Anyone who longed for the good old days had obviously never smelled them.
Tony composed himself and followed Buck to a table already occupied by JD, Ezra and two other men he immediately identified as the missing members of the seven.
"Josiah, Nathan, this here's Eddie Stark," Buck announced.
Sitting himself down, Tony acknowledged the men's greeting.
"JD told us all about your misfortune," Josiah said.
"It was a bad situation, but since meeting the Larabee family, I feel my luck has been changing."
"How's your head?" Nathan asked. "Ezra mentioned you were a bit disoriented when Tim found ya."
"I'm fine," Tony insisted. "Really, just a moment of dizziness that passed once I got something to eat.
That seemed to satisfy the healer, who turned back to Josiah to finish the conversation that Tony's arrival had obviously interrupted.
"Are you settled in, Mr. Stark?" Ezra asked, though Tony sensed he wasn't trying to make small talk.
"Thanks to JD and Buck, I've got a job and a place to stay until I can move on."
"I'm sure that will be soon."
And there it was, Ez's continuing desire to get him gone from town. Tony had to make things right between them before he left. He couldn't risk the Immortal refusing to take the Rolling Stone photo shoot that Tony marked as the beginning of their friendship. Of course, that would mean that Ezra would have somehow figured out that Edward and Tony were the same person. While that didn't seem likely, he couldn't take that chance. Tony sighed to himself. Time travel was making his head hurt again.
Before Tony could reply, Inez placed a large platter of food down in front of him. "I hope you enjoy it, senor."
Tony flashed her a smile. "It looks delicious." Actually it didn't; at least not to Tony's culinary eye. Plus, his exposure to the hygiene of this time had him wondering about the sanitary conditions in the kitchen.
Inez smiled at him before slamming a plate down in front of Buck. "I hope you do not choke on it, Senor Buck," she said, a faux smile on her face.
"Now Inez, darlin' - "
She raised and hand to stop him in mid sentence before flipping her hair as she whirled away to go back behind the bar. Buck didn't hesitate as he chased her down and forced her to look at him. The two stood at the bar as Inez chastised him in Spanish for grabbing her.
"It seems female trouble is running rampant in your little group," Tony observed wryly.
"Buck thinks he knows everything about women, but he ain't figured out Inez yet." JD snickered obviously enjoying Buck's distress at Inez's hands.
"I got that impression," Tony said. "He seemed to know exactly what to tell you and Vin."
"He's been full of bad advice for Vin," JD said.
"So where is Mr. Tanner?" Tony asked. "Still pining over Cecily?"
Ezra glared at him. Tony thought that was a bit unfair. It seemed he wasn't even allowed to say Cecily's name without earning the stink eye from the man.
Josiah shook his head. "Does everyone know about Vin being stupid over that girl?"
"Hard not to notice when he gets angry at just the mention of her name," Tony explained.
"He needs to move on," Nathan said. "They ain't right for each other anyway."
"I disagree," Tony said. "I wouldn't worry. They'll work it out,."
Ezra's death glare had changed to one of confusion. "Oh really. Do you know something that we don't?"
Tony smiled enigmatically. "Just that those two are meant for each other."
"I believe you mean that," Erza said, and for the first time Tony felt that they might be overcoming their shaky start.
Buck chose that moment to return to the table. "That woman drives me crazy," he said and then smiled. "But in a good way."
"She's never going give into your charms, Buck, you should just give up," JD said.
"I ain't like Vin. I know when a woman wants me." The others at the table laughed and Buck looked stricken. "I'm telling you, that woman loves me."
"Sure Buck, whatever you say." Josiah shook his head.
Buck ignored them as he spoke to Tony. "Don't you like the food?"
"I actually haven't tried it yet." Tony looked down and the rapidly cooling food and decided he'd have to risk it. Food poisoning somehow seemed a better option that insulting the fiery senorita. He hesitated as he raised the fork to his lips before he took the plunge. As the food hit his taste buds, he smiled in surprise. It wasn't just good, it was amazing. "This is delicious," he said as he savored the food in his mouth.
Buck laughed. "Told you."
Tony dug in, enjoying the meal, all worries about food poisoning gone.
"JD says you're an inventor," Nathan said. "What kinds of things you invent?"
Tony finished chewing, using the time to frame his answer. "Weapons mostly," he replied, figuring the truth was the best option in this case.
"Like rifles and stuff?" JD asked.
"More like a new kind of canon." A missile was kind of like a canon, Tony thought. "And armor to protect people during gunfights."
"You mean like knights wore?" JD laughed. "That seems silly."
Tony smiled. He didn't think his Ironman suit was silly at all. Gaudy maybe, but not silly. "Something much lighter that would protect a soldier from bullet wounds to the body. It could save lives."
"That sounds real interesting," Nathan said. "Make my job a whole lot easier if men were protected from those kind of injuries."
"It would," Tony agreed.
An odd little smile crept over Ezra's face as he spoke. "I suppose something like that would require a lot of investors to make it a reality."
"I guess." Tony wondered what Ezra was implying. "It's just an idea now, but someday you will hear of Stark Industries."
Ezra laughed. "Mr. Stark, you really must think we're idiots."
"Why would you say that, Ezra?" Josiah asked. "Eddie's just telling us about his work.".
"It's a very old con, Josiah. He's looking for money to make this wondrous thing, which of course, can never exist. He thinks he can dupe unsuspecting people into investing in his fake company and then leaves town." Ezra stared at Tony. "I must say, staging your attack was a nice touch to win our sympathies. So lucky that Tim found you."
"Now just a minute - "
Ezra shook his head. "You can not con a con man. It's best you don't try your little scheme with anyone here in town."
Tony was in shock. It seemed that the truth sounded more like a lie than some of the lies he'd been telling. "I swear to you gentlemen that I am not here for your money. Trust me when I say I don't need your money."
Ezra snorted at the word trust. "Now that you've been exposed, of course you're going to deny it."
"That true, Eddie. You really a con man?" Buck asked.
"No, I'm not," Tony said through gritted teeth. He was angry that Ezra thought so poorly of him. Yet he'd been investing in Stark industries under various names sine the 1950's and had recently joked that maybe he owed Tony a drink for helping make him a very rich man.
Tony paused at that thought. Had future Ezra been trying to tell him something? He couldn't resist the symmetry that this moment allowed him as he stared at Ezra and spoke very slowly. "Someday, Ez, I promise, you will hear of Stark Industries, and when you do, I suggest you invest as much money as you can, because it will be the biggest weapons manufacturer in the world. Not today and not for years, but someday," he emphasized the word as he repeated it, "someday in the future, Stark Industries will be a company you will want to invest in."
"Are you seriously still trying to get money from me?"
"Nope," Tony said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair. "This is not a trick, and I am not a con man. I'm never going to ask you for a dime. I won't have to. You'll make that decision all by yourself because you'll do the research and you will know that Stark Industries is a legitimate company." There, he'd said Stark Industries three times. Didn't marketing people always insist that you had to repeat a product name at least three times to get people to remember it? Someday Ezra would invest, and he might not even know why.
Ezra didn't seem impressed by Tony's declaration. "Gentlemen, I suggest you do not give Mr. Stark any money for any reason -"
"Don't want their money. And I swear I don't want yours either," Tony interrupted.
"Of course." Ezra smiled. "The best cons require that the mark feel he's made the decision on his own, without any pressure." He stood and gestured to the table on the raised platform. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a poker game I must attend."
Ezra walked away and the other four men stared at Tony waiting for an explanation. He pointed at himself. "Not a con man. I'm an inventor. Ezra sure has a suspicious mind."
"That he does," Josiah said.
"But just to be clear," Nathan chuckled, "we ain't gonna be lending you any money."
Tony laughed. "I can live with that. Now, what does a guy have to do to get a drink around this place?"
**************************
After saying his good nights to Buck and the gang Tony headed back to his rented room . Ezra hadn't retuned to the table, keeping himself occupied with his poker game. Tony had to hold himself back from joining the game. As much as he wanted to test his skill against Old West Ezra, and see if he was as good as present-day Ezra, they'd had enough conflict between them for one day. Besides, he'd been putting off looking at the Ironman suit as long as he could. Tony was not looking forward to seeing how badly it was damaged.
Entering the room, he lit the two small oil lamps. They cast a dull glow across the room. Groaning, Tony realized that it was going to be next to impossible to work under these conditions. Tomorrow, he'd have to get some additional lighting or he'd be blind before he ever got home. Poor lighting or not, he had to at least evaluate the armor's condition before he lost his nerve.
He pulled the Ironman suit from beneath the bed. Using some of the remaining auxiliary power he unfolded it onto the small table by the window and began removing the plates that housed the main electronic components. The back-up battery should last a good while if he didn't overtax it. A quick check confirmed what he'd already suspected: without the proper connections to the arc reactor in his chest, there wasn't enough power to get him back in the air, and certainly not enough to get him back to the future.
Back to the future. He snickered. Marty McFly he wasn't, but hopefully he could be his own Doc Brown.
He settled into the hard chair and began the arduous task of deciphering exactly what was wrong with his only way home.
Tony spent the next hour tracing the source of the damage and dismantling the power couplings. It seemed that every lead that was needed to join the suit to the arc reactor was fried. The delicate wires and complicated connectors would be tough if not impossible to replicate in this time period. Even in the cave where he'd built the first suit, he'd had the help of modern methods and supplies.
He slumped back in the chair and pushed the pieces away in frustration. Without the proper tools or replacement parts, it seemed an impossible task. As entertaining as the whole time travel gig might be, he had no desire to spend the rest of his life without indoor plumbing or electricity.
Tony stood and angrily stripped down to his shorts. He hated that he was giving up, even if only temporarily, but it had been a long day and he was due at the livery in the morning. He needed that job and the access it would provide to the smithy. It might be possible that he could use the crude methods of this time to create the technology he needed. He doubted it, but he had to hope.
After dimming the oil lamps, he flung himself onto the narrow bed. Staring at the ceiling he realized it wasn't going to be that easy to shut his mind down. The solution to his technology needs was locked in his brain; he just needed the right inspiration.
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Ironman (Marvel Movie 'verse)and Magnificent 7 (Part of the Aces Immortal Highlander AU)
Beta: ithildyn
Rating: PG
Characters: From Ironman: Tony Stark, Pepper, Rhodey. From Mag7: Vin Tanner, Ezra Standish, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Chris Larabee. OC's from the Aces Immortal 'Verse: Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black) and Cecily Desjardins.
Summary: Stranded in the past, Tony runs into some familiar faces.
A/N: This is part of the Aces Immortal series created by me and ithildyn, which means that Ezra Standish is Immortal in this story.
Banner by ithildyn
Chapter List
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11
Chapter 6
The Past
Tony collapsed onto the narrow twin bed, as the adrenaline rush from the day’s events finally wore off. He knew he should start working on repairing the Ironman suit as soon as possible but he was exhausted, and frankly not in the mood to deal with it just yet.
When they'd arrived in town, Ezra disappeared as soon as he'd handed his horse off to the stable boy. Tony got the distinct impression he wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.
That left Buck and JD to make the introductions at the smithy. Tiny had been happy to hire Tony for the sum of seventy-five cents a day. Tony had to stop himself from complaining about the ridiculous wage, which might have been generous for the time, but was completely out of sync with his sense of personal worth.
It was after Buck had escorted him over to Miss Caroline's boarding house that Tony really understood that the six dollars he had in his pocket was actually worth something. He'd been able to rent a room for a week for only one dollar.
He hadn't realized that he'd dozed off until a pounding on his door startled him awake. A quick glance out the window told him that the sun had set, but without a watch, he had no idea what time it was.
"Hey, Eddie," came Buck's voice through the door. "You in there?"
Tony scrubbed a hand across his face and climbed out of bed to open the door. "What's up, Buck?"
"Thought you might want ta get a drink, and you mentioned something about wanting to play some poker."
Tony smiled. "Sure, and maybe a bite to eat too."
If he could stretch his remaining five dollars into a reasonable bankroll, he might not have to waste his time doing grunt work at the smithy.
"If ya like Mexican food, Inez is a helluva cook."
"Sounds like a plan."
He followed Buck out of the rooming house and down the street. Now that he was rested, he took the town in for the first time. There really wasn't much to it besides one main drag. Tony found he had to watch his footing as the crossed the dusty street, the amount of horse manure was unexpected and the smell was not exactly pleasant.
"The Standish Tavern?" Tony asked as he read the sign. "Is this Ezra's place?"
Buck nodded. "Don't mean we get a discount." He chuckled.
Pushing his way through the batwing doors, Buck called to the woman behind the bar, "Two of your dinner specials, darlin'."
Tony entered the tavern and was immediately hit by the smell. He had to stop himself from gagging at the combination of sweat, horse, and a few other things he couldn't identify and truthfully didn't want to. Anyone who longed for the good old days had obviously never smelled them.
Tony composed himself and followed Buck to a table already occupied by JD, Ezra and two other men he immediately identified as the missing members of the seven.
"Josiah, Nathan, this here's Eddie Stark," Buck announced.
Sitting himself down, Tony acknowledged the men's greeting.
"JD told us all about your misfortune," Josiah said.
"It was a bad situation, but since meeting the Larabee family, I feel my luck has been changing."
"How's your head?" Nathan asked. "Ezra mentioned you were a bit disoriented when Tim found ya."
"I'm fine," Tony insisted. "Really, just a moment of dizziness that passed once I got something to eat.
That seemed to satisfy the healer, who turned back to Josiah to finish the conversation that Tony's arrival had obviously interrupted.
"Are you settled in, Mr. Stark?" Ezra asked, though Tony sensed he wasn't trying to make small talk.
"Thanks to JD and Buck, I've got a job and a place to stay until I can move on."
"I'm sure that will be soon."
And there it was, Ez's continuing desire to get him gone from town. Tony had to make things right between them before he left. He couldn't risk the Immortal refusing to take the Rolling Stone photo shoot that Tony marked as the beginning of their friendship. Of course, that would mean that Ezra would have somehow figured out that Edward and Tony were the same person. While that didn't seem likely, he couldn't take that chance. Tony sighed to himself. Time travel was making his head hurt again.
Before Tony could reply, Inez placed a large platter of food down in front of him. "I hope you enjoy it, senor."
Tony flashed her a smile. "It looks delicious." Actually it didn't; at least not to Tony's culinary eye. Plus, his exposure to the hygiene of this time had him wondering about the sanitary conditions in the kitchen.
Inez smiled at him before slamming a plate down in front of Buck. "I hope you do not choke on it, Senor Buck," she said, a faux smile on her face.
"Now Inez, darlin' - "
She raised and hand to stop him in mid sentence before flipping her hair as she whirled away to go back behind the bar. Buck didn't hesitate as he chased her down and forced her to look at him. The two stood at the bar as Inez chastised him in Spanish for grabbing her.
"It seems female trouble is running rampant in your little group," Tony observed wryly.
"Buck thinks he knows everything about women, but he ain't figured out Inez yet." JD snickered obviously enjoying Buck's distress at Inez's hands.
"I got that impression," Tony said. "He seemed to know exactly what to tell you and Vin."
"He's been full of bad advice for Vin," JD said.
"So where is Mr. Tanner?" Tony asked. "Still pining over Cecily?"
Ezra glared at him. Tony thought that was a bit unfair. It seemed he wasn't even allowed to say Cecily's name without earning the stink eye from the man.
Josiah shook his head. "Does everyone know about Vin being stupid over that girl?"
"Hard not to notice when he gets angry at just the mention of her name," Tony explained.
"He needs to move on," Nathan said. "They ain't right for each other anyway."
"I disagree," Tony said. "I wouldn't worry. They'll work it out,."
Ezra's death glare had changed to one of confusion. "Oh really. Do you know something that we don't?"
Tony smiled enigmatically. "Just that those two are meant for each other."
"I believe you mean that," Erza said, and for the first time Tony felt that they might be overcoming their shaky start.
Buck chose that moment to return to the table. "That woman drives me crazy," he said and then smiled. "But in a good way."
"She's never going give into your charms, Buck, you should just give up," JD said.
"I ain't like Vin. I know when a woman wants me." The others at the table laughed and Buck looked stricken. "I'm telling you, that woman loves me."
"Sure Buck, whatever you say." Josiah shook his head.
Buck ignored them as he spoke to Tony. "Don't you like the food?"
"I actually haven't tried it yet." Tony looked down and the rapidly cooling food and decided he'd have to risk it. Food poisoning somehow seemed a better option that insulting the fiery senorita. He hesitated as he raised the fork to his lips before he took the plunge. As the food hit his taste buds, he smiled in surprise. It wasn't just good, it was amazing. "This is delicious," he said as he savored the food in his mouth.
Buck laughed. "Told you."
Tony dug in, enjoying the meal, all worries about food poisoning gone.
"JD says you're an inventor," Nathan said. "What kinds of things you invent?"
Tony finished chewing, using the time to frame his answer. "Weapons mostly," he replied, figuring the truth was the best option in this case.
"Like rifles and stuff?" JD asked.
"More like a new kind of canon." A missile was kind of like a canon, Tony thought. "And armor to protect people during gunfights."
"You mean like knights wore?" JD laughed. "That seems silly."
Tony smiled. He didn't think his Ironman suit was silly at all. Gaudy maybe, but not silly. "Something much lighter that would protect a soldier from bullet wounds to the body. It could save lives."
"That sounds real interesting," Nathan said. "Make my job a whole lot easier if men were protected from those kind of injuries."
"It would," Tony agreed.
An odd little smile crept over Ezra's face as he spoke. "I suppose something like that would require a lot of investors to make it a reality."
"I guess." Tony wondered what Ezra was implying. "It's just an idea now, but someday you will hear of Stark Industries."
Ezra laughed. "Mr. Stark, you really must think we're idiots."
"Why would you say that, Ezra?" Josiah asked. "Eddie's just telling us about his work.".
"It's a very old con, Josiah. He's looking for money to make this wondrous thing, which of course, can never exist. He thinks he can dupe unsuspecting people into investing in his fake company and then leaves town." Ezra stared at Tony. "I must say, staging your attack was a nice touch to win our sympathies. So lucky that Tim found you."
"Now just a minute - "
Ezra shook his head. "You can not con a con man. It's best you don't try your little scheme with anyone here in town."
Tony was in shock. It seemed that the truth sounded more like a lie than some of the lies he'd been telling. "I swear to you gentlemen that I am not here for your money. Trust me when I say I don't need your money."
Ezra snorted at the word trust. "Now that you've been exposed, of course you're going to deny it."
"That true, Eddie. You really a con man?" Buck asked.
"No, I'm not," Tony said through gritted teeth. He was angry that Ezra thought so poorly of him. Yet he'd been investing in Stark industries under various names sine the 1950's and had recently joked that maybe he owed Tony a drink for helping make him a very rich man.
Tony paused at that thought. Had future Ezra been trying to tell him something? He couldn't resist the symmetry that this moment allowed him as he stared at Ezra and spoke very slowly. "Someday, Ez, I promise, you will hear of Stark Industries, and when you do, I suggest you invest as much money as you can, because it will be the biggest weapons manufacturer in the world. Not today and not for years, but someday," he emphasized the word as he repeated it, "someday in the future, Stark Industries will be a company you will want to invest in."
"Are you seriously still trying to get money from me?"
"Nope," Tony said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair. "This is not a trick, and I am not a con man. I'm never going to ask you for a dime. I won't have to. You'll make that decision all by yourself because you'll do the research and you will know that Stark Industries is a legitimate company." There, he'd said Stark Industries three times. Didn't marketing people always insist that you had to repeat a product name at least three times to get people to remember it? Someday Ezra would invest, and he might not even know why.
Ezra didn't seem impressed by Tony's declaration. "Gentlemen, I suggest you do not give Mr. Stark any money for any reason -"
"Don't want their money. And I swear I don't want yours either," Tony interrupted.
"Of course." Ezra smiled. "The best cons require that the mark feel he's made the decision on his own, without any pressure." He stood and gestured to the table on the raised platform. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a poker game I must attend."
Ezra walked away and the other four men stared at Tony waiting for an explanation. He pointed at himself. "Not a con man. I'm an inventor. Ezra sure has a suspicious mind."
"That he does," Josiah said.
"But just to be clear," Nathan chuckled, "we ain't gonna be lending you any money."
Tony laughed. "I can live with that. Now, what does a guy have to do to get a drink around this place?"
**************************
After saying his good nights to Buck and the gang Tony headed back to his rented room . Ezra hadn't retuned to the table, keeping himself occupied with his poker game. Tony had to hold himself back from joining the game. As much as he wanted to test his skill against Old West Ezra, and see if he was as good as present-day Ezra, they'd had enough conflict between them for one day. Besides, he'd been putting off looking at the Ironman suit as long as he could. Tony was not looking forward to seeing how badly it was damaged.
Entering the room, he lit the two small oil lamps. They cast a dull glow across the room. Groaning, Tony realized that it was going to be next to impossible to work under these conditions. Tomorrow, he'd have to get some additional lighting or he'd be blind before he ever got home. Poor lighting or not, he had to at least evaluate the armor's condition before he lost his nerve.
He pulled the Ironman suit from beneath the bed. Using some of the remaining auxiliary power he unfolded it onto the small table by the window and began removing the plates that housed the main electronic components. The back-up battery should last a good while if he didn't overtax it. A quick check confirmed what he'd already suspected: without the proper connections to the arc reactor in his chest, there wasn't enough power to get him back in the air, and certainly not enough to get him back to the future.
Back to the future. He snickered. Marty McFly he wasn't, but hopefully he could be his own Doc Brown.
He settled into the hard chair and began the arduous task of deciphering exactly what was wrong with his only way home.
Tony spent the next hour tracing the source of the damage and dismantling the power couplings. It seemed that every lead that was needed to join the suit to the arc reactor was fried. The delicate wires and complicated connectors would be tough if not impossible to replicate in this time period. Even in the cave where he'd built the first suit, he'd had the help of modern methods and supplies.
He slumped back in the chair and pushed the pieces away in frustration. Without the proper tools or replacement parts, it seemed an impossible task. As entertaining as the whole time travel gig might be, he had no desire to spend the rest of his life without indoor plumbing or electricity.
Tony stood and angrily stripped down to his shorts. He hated that he was giving up, even if only temporarily, but it had been a long day and he was due at the livery in the morning. He needed that job and the access it would provide to the smithy. It might be possible that he could use the crude methods of this time to create the technology he needed. He doubted it, but he had to hope.
After dimming the oil lamps, he flung himself onto the narrow bed. Staring at the ceiling he realized it wasn't going to be that easy to shut his mind down. The solution to his technology needs was locked in his brain; he just needed the right inspiration.