Chapter 1: Left Turn At Albuquerque - Mag7/HL/Ironman
Title: Left Turn At Albuquerque (1/?)
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Ironman (Marvel Movie 'verse)and Magnificent 7 (Part of the Aces Immortal Highlander AU)
Beta: The magnificent ithildyn
Rating: PG
Characters: From Ironman: Tony Stark, Pepper, Rhodey. From Mag7: Vin Tanner, Ezra Standish, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Chris Larabee, Nathan Jackson, Josiah Sanchez. OC's from the Aces Immortal 'Verse: Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black) and Cecily Desjardins.
Summary: Tony is testing some improvements to the Ironman armor when things take a 'left turn'.
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 1: Left Turn At Albuquerque
Tony groaned and opened his eyes to see a clear blue sky through the filter of his visor. He lay still, trying to piece together what had happened, but he had no memory of landing or crashing.
"Jarvis?" He received no response from the onboard computer. "Jarvis!" Still no answer; communications were out. The internal displays indicated that the suit was running on auxiliary power and some of the connections to the arc reactor were fried. He was grounded until those could be repaired, and with the link to the satellite out, he couldn't call for help.
Well that was the last time he was going to let Reed Richards anywhere near the Ironman armor. "Improvements, my ass," he muttered as he struggled to stand up. Releasing the catch for the helmet, it peeled back, giving him an unfiltered view of his surroundings.
He was in the desert; there were no visible signs of civilization. Glancing up at the sun, he calculated that it must be near midday. He hadn't been out very long then. Tony stumbled over to a rock formation and sat down. Since Reed and Rhodey were monitoring his flight, the cavalry should be arriving soon to pick him up.
Tony tried to remember exactly what had happened before he'd blacked out. He'd flown out from his lab, and once he reached the agreed upon altitude, he engaged the boosters that Reed insisted should help him improve his speed and mobility. He remembered the power surge that had taken him beyond the LA city limits and then…nothing.
Tony waited; wondering what was taking them so long to realize he was down. Surely when communications had cut out, they'd have mobilized immediately to find him.
"Guess it's up to me to save myself." He sighed, rising back to his feet. It wasn't the first time he'd had to walk out of a desert, but truthfully, he'd hoped that he would never have to do that again.
He had enough reserve power to collapse the armor. He felt slightly exposed wearing nothing but the skin tight catsuit, but with most of the electronics out, the armor was becoming an oven; he'd be broiled before he got too far.
The armor molded itself into a briefcase-like shape and he tucked it under his arm. He surveyed his surroundings trying to determine which direction he should head. Nothing looked familiar, and while he assumed LA was to his west, he really couldn't be certain how far he'd traveled.
As he contemplated his course, Tony noticed a dust cloud rising in the north. Hallelujah! he thought, someone was coming. He sat back down on the rock and waited, hoping, that if it wasn't his friends, it might be someone who'd take pity on a stranded traveler and give him a lift back to civilization, or better yet someone who had a cell phone so he could bring the rescue party to him.
As Tony watched, the dust cloud resolved itself into a man on horseback. Definitely not the rescue party he was hoping for, but it meant there might be a ranch nearby. Tony stood and ran a hand across the catsuit, wishing he was wearing something a little less ridiculous. Someday he would have to figure out a way to store a pair of jeans in the armor, but at least he wasn't naked.
"Well that's something," he muttered as he waved a hand at the approaching rider. As the figure drew closer, Tony was surprised at the unusual gear the man was wearing. He looked like something out of Bonanza; definitely not the garb he'd expected of a modern day cowboy.
As the man reigned in his horse, Tony realized it was just a boy, no more than seventeen. "You lost?" the teen asked, wariness in his voice. Tony noticed the movement that placed the boy’s right hand lightly on the gun strapped to his waist.
"You could say that," Tony replied. He smiled trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. "I seem to have gotten turned around. You wouldn't happen to have a cell phone I could borrow to call my people to pick me up?"
The teen frowned at what was obviously an unfamiliar term. "What's a cell phone?"
"A telephone? I need to call my friends."
The youth still looked confused. "Do you mean telegraph?"
Tony stared at his would be rescuer. When he'd seen how the boy was dressed, the antique gun at his hip and the old-fashioned saddle on the horse, Tony had hoped that the stranger was on his way to some type of costumed reenactment, but no such luck. It was possible that the teen had grown up in some sort of commune; but Tony suspected that even the most isolated upbringing would include a knowledge of telephones.
His mind reeled against the clues of a very possible yet illogical alternative to his situation. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the changes that he and Reed had made to his suit could have backfired in a such spectacular fashion allowing him to time travel.
How the hell was he supposed to get back home now? And what year was it? At least he knew why the satellite communications in his suit weren't functioning, but would he be able to find the things he needed to repair the damage? And could he recreate the event that had sent him here in the first place?
His mind was bombarding him with too many unanswerable questions and he wasn't even sure that he really had been thrown into the past.
The boy noticed his confusion and dismounted from the horse to cautiously approach Tony, his hand never leaving his weapon. "Hey mister, you ok?"
Tony knew he had to get the teen to trust him and take him back to what passed for civilization in the area. "I seem to have been waylaid on my journey." Allowing his eyes to glaze over slightly, Tony reached up to stroke an imaginary bump on his head; doing his best imitation of a dazed and disoriented man. He hoped that an injured man could be forgiven for spouting nonsense and not remembering the customs of the day. "I …," he paused and then in a display of weakness sat himself back down on the boulder, "I'm afraid I don't remember what happened, but I seem to have been robbed of most of my belongings. I don't suppose there's a town nearby?"
The boy's suspicion turned to concern. "'Sokay. This is my family's land; ranch house is just a little ways back." He pointed over his shoulder. "We can head there; maybe get you some food and decent clothes. Wouldn't be good for you to be walking around in your union suit." He chuckled. "The closest healer's in Four Corners and he's off with my mama delivering a baby, but if you're feeling poorly, I could take you right to him."
Union suit! Tony smiled. The boy obviously thought his unitard was some type of fancy underwear. He instinctively touched a hand to his chest to feel the pulse of his arc reactor, grateful that new design of his union suit didn't show its telltale glow; the unit that powered his heart might be difficult to explain.
"I don't think I need a healer, but food and clothing would be appreciated," he said just as the name of the town the boy mentioned finally registered. "Did you say we were near Four Corners?"
The teen nodded. "Have you heard of it?"
"Four Corners." Tony shook his head in disbelief at the coincidence creeping across his brain. "No, I don't think so."
Truth was he did know of the place. Years ago Ez had purchased a silly little ghost town called Four Corners in New Mexico and restored it to pristine condition. Ez had explained that it was where his and Charlotte's families had first met. At the time, Tony had thought it a colossal waste of money. Years later he'd discovered that Ez and Charlotte were Immortals and that some of the happiest times of their long lives had been spent in that dump in the middle of nowhere. Was it possible that some weird twist of fate had sent him to that place? "Is this New Mexico?"
"Yep!" The boy replied with a hint of pride. "The wild and wooly New Mexico territory. That where you were headed?"
Territory! Confirmation; he was more than one hundred years in the past. Was it possible that he'd arrived during the period when Ez and Charlotte were still living in here? He would analyze the coincidence of his location at some other point, but for now he needed to be very careful about his interactions with the people of this time.
"I'm afraid my memory is a little foggy at the moment …." Tony paused, realizing that the teen hadn't introduced himself.
"Tim Black." The boy filled in the unasked question. Having obviously decided that Tony posed no threat, he held out his hand.
"Edward Stark," Tony replied, giving the boy his middle name as his shook the offered hand. He thought it best to use an alias just in case he did meet his Immortal friends. He rubbed a hand absently over his goatee. He thought he might want to shave it off and change his appearance a bit. Neither Ez nor Charlotte had ever hinted that they'd met him before. But just in case they were out there somewhere, it might be a good idea to make sure they never made the connection between a stranger in the old west and the multibillionaire they knew in the present.
"Think you can walk?"
Tony nodded and followed Tim as he led his horse north toward the family ranch. As he walked, he began to create a persona that he could inhabit while he figured out how to get himself back to the future. Posing as a blacksmith would get him access to the tools he would need, and his poker skills could certainly help him earn some money. The thought of running into real gunfighters was supplanting any concerns he might have about getting home. If Ez was around in this time, he'd love to get the chance to play poker with him; it would be too much fun to pass up.
If he was going to be stuck here for awhile, he was going to enjoy himself.
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Ironman (Marvel Movie 'verse)and Magnificent 7 (Part of the Aces Immortal Highlander AU)
Beta: The magnificent ithildyn
Rating: PG
Characters: From Ironman: Tony Stark, Pepper, Rhodey. From Mag7: Vin Tanner, Ezra Standish, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Chris Larabee, Nathan Jackson, Josiah Sanchez. OC's from the Aces Immortal 'Verse: Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black) and Cecily Desjardins.
Summary: Tony is testing some improvements to the Ironman armor when things take a 'left turn'.
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 1: Left Turn At Albuquerque
Tony groaned and opened his eyes to see a clear blue sky through the filter of his visor. He lay still, trying to piece together what had happened, but he had no memory of landing or crashing.
"Jarvis?" He received no response from the onboard computer. "Jarvis!" Still no answer; communications were out. The internal displays indicated that the suit was running on auxiliary power and some of the connections to the arc reactor were fried. He was grounded until those could be repaired, and with the link to the satellite out, he couldn't call for help.
Well that was the last time he was going to let Reed Richards anywhere near the Ironman armor. "Improvements, my ass," he muttered as he struggled to stand up. Releasing the catch for the helmet, it peeled back, giving him an unfiltered view of his surroundings.
He was in the desert; there were no visible signs of civilization. Glancing up at the sun, he calculated that it must be near midday. He hadn't been out very long then. Tony stumbled over to a rock formation and sat down. Since Reed and Rhodey were monitoring his flight, the cavalry should be arriving soon to pick him up.
Tony tried to remember exactly what had happened before he'd blacked out. He'd flown out from his lab, and once he reached the agreed upon altitude, he engaged the boosters that Reed insisted should help him improve his speed and mobility. He remembered the power surge that had taken him beyond the LA city limits and then…nothing.
Tony waited; wondering what was taking them so long to realize he was down. Surely when communications had cut out, they'd have mobilized immediately to find him.
"Guess it's up to me to save myself." He sighed, rising back to his feet. It wasn't the first time he'd had to walk out of a desert, but truthfully, he'd hoped that he would never have to do that again.
He had enough reserve power to collapse the armor. He felt slightly exposed wearing nothing but the skin tight catsuit, but with most of the electronics out, the armor was becoming an oven; he'd be broiled before he got too far.
The armor molded itself into a briefcase-like shape and he tucked it under his arm. He surveyed his surroundings trying to determine which direction he should head. Nothing looked familiar, and while he assumed LA was to his west, he really couldn't be certain how far he'd traveled.
As he contemplated his course, Tony noticed a dust cloud rising in the north. Hallelujah! he thought, someone was coming. He sat back down on the rock and waited, hoping, that if it wasn't his friends, it might be someone who'd take pity on a stranded traveler and give him a lift back to civilization, or better yet someone who had a cell phone so he could bring the rescue party to him.
As Tony watched, the dust cloud resolved itself into a man on horseback. Definitely not the rescue party he was hoping for, but it meant there might be a ranch nearby. Tony stood and ran a hand across the catsuit, wishing he was wearing something a little less ridiculous. Someday he would have to figure out a way to store a pair of jeans in the armor, but at least he wasn't naked.
"Well that's something," he muttered as he waved a hand at the approaching rider. As the figure drew closer, Tony was surprised at the unusual gear the man was wearing. He looked like something out of Bonanza; definitely not the garb he'd expected of a modern day cowboy.
As the man reigned in his horse, Tony realized it was just a boy, no more than seventeen. "You lost?" the teen asked, wariness in his voice. Tony noticed the movement that placed the boy’s right hand lightly on the gun strapped to his waist.
"You could say that," Tony replied. He smiled trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. "I seem to have gotten turned around. You wouldn't happen to have a cell phone I could borrow to call my people to pick me up?"
The teen frowned at what was obviously an unfamiliar term. "What's a cell phone?"
"A telephone? I need to call my friends."
The youth still looked confused. "Do you mean telegraph?"
Tony stared at his would be rescuer. When he'd seen how the boy was dressed, the antique gun at his hip and the old-fashioned saddle on the horse, Tony had hoped that the stranger was on his way to some type of costumed reenactment, but no such luck. It was possible that the teen had grown up in some sort of commune; but Tony suspected that even the most isolated upbringing would include a knowledge of telephones.
His mind reeled against the clues of a very possible yet illogical alternative to his situation. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the changes that he and Reed had made to his suit could have backfired in a such spectacular fashion allowing him to time travel.
How the hell was he supposed to get back home now? And what year was it? At least he knew why the satellite communications in his suit weren't functioning, but would he be able to find the things he needed to repair the damage? And could he recreate the event that had sent him here in the first place?
His mind was bombarding him with too many unanswerable questions and he wasn't even sure that he really had been thrown into the past.
The boy noticed his confusion and dismounted from the horse to cautiously approach Tony, his hand never leaving his weapon. "Hey mister, you ok?"
Tony knew he had to get the teen to trust him and take him back to what passed for civilization in the area. "I seem to have been waylaid on my journey." Allowing his eyes to glaze over slightly, Tony reached up to stroke an imaginary bump on his head; doing his best imitation of a dazed and disoriented man. He hoped that an injured man could be forgiven for spouting nonsense and not remembering the customs of the day. "I …," he paused and then in a display of weakness sat himself back down on the boulder, "I'm afraid I don't remember what happened, but I seem to have been robbed of most of my belongings. I don't suppose there's a town nearby?"
The boy's suspicion turned to concern. "'Sokay. This is my family's land; ranch house is just a little ways back." He pointed over his shoulder. "We can head there; maybe get you some food and decent clothes. Wouldn't be good for you to be walking around in your union suit." He chuckled. "The closest healer's in Four Corners and he's off with my mama delivering a baby, but if you're feeling poorly, I could take you right to him."
Union suit! Tony smiled. The boy obviously thought his unitard was some type of fancy underwear. He instinctively touched a hand to his chest to feel the pulse of his arc reactor, grateful that new design of his union suit didn't show its telltale glow; the unit that powered his heart might be difficult to explain.
"I don't think I need a healer, but food and clothing would be appreciated," he said just as the name of the town the boy mentioned finally registered. "Did you say we were near Four Corners?"
The teen nodded. "Have you heard of it?"
"Four Corners." Tony shook his head in disbelief at the coincidence creeping across his brain. "No, I don't think so."
Truth was he did know of the place. Years ago Ez had purchased a silly little ghost town called Four Corners in New Mexico and restored it to pristine condition. Ez had explained that it was where his and Charlotte's families had first met. At the time, Tony had thought it a colossal waste of money. Years later he'd discovered that Ez and Charlotte were Immortals and that some of the happiest times of their long lives had been spent in that dump in the middle of nowhere. Was it possible that some weird twist of fate had sent him to that place? "Is this New Mexico?"
"Yep!" The boy replied with a hint of pride. "The wild and wooly New Mexico territory. That where you were headed?"
Territory! Confirmation; he was more than one hundred years in the past. Was it possible that he'd arrived during the period when Ez and Charlotte were still living in here? He would analyze the coincidence of his location at some other point, but for now he needed to be very careful about his interactions with the people of this time.
"I'm afraid my memory is a little foggy at the moment …." Tony paused, realizing that the teen hadn't introduced himself.
"Tim Black." The boy filled in the unasked question. Having obviously decided that Tony posed no threat, he held out his hand.
"Edward Stark," Tony replied, giving the boy his middle name as his shook the offered hand. He thought it best to use an alias just in case he did meet his Immortal friends. He rubbed a hand absently over his goatee. He thought he might want to shave it off and change his appearance a bit. Neither Ez nor Charlotte had ever hinted that they'd met him before. But just in case they were out there somewhere, it might be a good idea to make sure they never made the connection between a stranger in the old west and the multibillionaire they knew in the present.
"Think you can walk?"
Tony nodded and followed Tim as he led his horse north toward the family ranch. As he walked, he began to create a persona that he could inhabit while he figured out how to get himself back to the future. Posing as a blacksmith would get him access to the tools he would need, and his poker skills could certainly help him earn some money. The thought of running into real gunfighters was supplanting any concerns he might have about getting home. If Ez was around in this time, he'd love to get the chance to play poker with him; it would be too much fun to pass up.
If he was going to be stuck here for awhile, he was going to enjoy himself.