Black Eagle - "The Watchmen of the West"

"Mr. Stark!" Dr. Cho called, walking across the garage.


"Hello, Good Doctor." Tony greeted her, shutting the driver's door behind him. "I hear the patient is stable?"


"Yes, for now." She replied face tense. "But that is not what we need to discuss."


He frowned. "I don't like that look. That look on a person's face means something - ya know - bad."
 

"I wouldn't quantify this as good." She swiped on the face of her watch and a holographic image appeared.
 

He squinted at it, his face grave. "That's the old HYDRA symbol. From a zillion years ago when Captain America wiped them out."


"And yet, I found it tattooed on the lower spine of the patient. Based the ink potency in his skin, it was done within the past two to five years."


"Must be a closet Nazi fan." He remarked, a note of sadness in his voice.


"Shouldn't we contact the authorities?"


He shook his head. "Nah, I want to hear it from him first. Find out for sure what's going on."


Nodding, she sighed. "If you think that's best, Mr. Stark. I also wanted to discuss his body modification."


"Then let's go see it." He gestured. "After you, Helen."


She nodded, taking the lead out of the garage. 


"So," He fell in step with her, "did you make your team swear on the Bible? Take a vow of silence?" 


She rolled her eyes. "I actually came alone, just brought the equipment. Hope it's alright I borrowed a few of your robots to help me."


"If DumE did anything, you better double check it."


"All he did was handle me things. Nothing delicate. The Cradle did most of the restoration. JARVIS helped me greatly by coming up with the proper simulacrum formula."


He cocked his head. "Standard human tissue wasn't enough?"


"No, not with the presence of non-organic materials. The Cradle is designed to work with the body's cell, blood and muscle compounds to create the scaffolding on which the body rebuilds the tissue."


"Organic tissue." 


"Right. JARVIS and I had to reprogram the Cradle's functions to allow it work with both."


"Sounds like a I cut too big a chunk of work out for you." 
He apologized. 

"No, it was the best test I could've asked for. It proved the technology works and that it is safe for human trails."


"Guess better not tell anybody how you came up that?" He grinned sheepishly as he punched in the code at the door. "Among the Fallen Angels."
 

"Welcome, Mr. Stark. Dr. Cho," JARVIS greeted them as they entered. "Mr. Armstrong is stable."
 

"Thank you JARVIS." Tony paused as Helen walked in. "I see you borrowed more than just robots." 
 

"Yes, I apologize," She gestured to the Cradle, which sat on a squat platform constructed of crates and steel plate. A wide-webbing net lay stretched out below it, supporting Armstrong's fully extended wings. 
 

"I have him laying face down in the Cradle, so his wings could be open, for only in that position could all of the joints be repaired." She tapped on the oxygen tanks nearby. "He can breathe and he is comfortable. The net is to support the wings until all of the joints harden."
 

"Wow!" He studied the set up. "Shoulda called me, I woulda helped set this up." 
 

She shook her head. "I wouldn't have wanted to break up you're date."
 

"Yeah, true." 
 

"If I were you, I'd get your friend Captain Rogers here to consult. He might know something about him."
 

"Why do you think that?"
 Setting down her clipboard, she moved over to the Cradle. "Beside the tattoo I showed you earlier, I compared their blood samples."
 

"JARVIS gave you access to the team's health profiles?" He side-eyed the monitors.
 

"Sir, I found it expedient to both save his life and to break the enigma of his identity."
 

She nodded. "Which really helped create the formula we needed." 
 

Tony turned to her in disbelief. "He's a super-soldier?! Like Steven Rodger's? That's why his blood helped?"
 

"Based on the unusual compounds I found in his blood, how quickly his body is trying to heal itself, his overall physique and how they all were very similar to that of Captain Rogers- yes. He's another Super Soldier." 
 

"I guess he wasn't a one-hit wonder after all."
 

"It is my understanding that after Doctor Erskine died, they took blood samples from Steven Rodgers in an attempt to reformulate the serum. Maybe somehow, their formulations got out into the black market?"
 

"If that's the case, then there's probably dozens of dudes like him running around."
 

"Which is out of my purview but yes, in theory." 
 

He turned to her. "Did you get a good look at the body scans I sent you?"
 

"Yes, and I took a few of my own, using the Cradle." With a few taps on her watch, she cast images onto the screen. "X-ray, thermal and ultrasound of his whole body, along with CAT and MRI scans of his brain." 
 

"So you'd agree that he's not built like the rest of us?"
 

"100%. His bone and muscle structure, particularly in his spine and shoulders, are more similar to a large bird of prey that to a human. What's amazing is the composition of his wings and their supporting muscle groups." 

She brought up a lab report. "With JARVIS help, I tested one of the feathers. They're chemical make up is half human flesh. The other half is a composite." 


 She turned to him. "Somehow, someone figured how to fuse human cells with non Bio-organic material."
 

He walked to look closer at the screens. "It connects to his blood and nervous systems. Like the wings are actually part of his body, not just grafted in." 
 

"Exactly! It's my theory that these feathers shed and grow back, just a like bird's would. That the muscles and bones associated with their function are infused with the same composite." 
 

Tony picked up a feather and rubbed it between his fingers. "Amazing! This composite definitely has titanium and carbon fiber in it."
 

She shook her head. "Good guess. But it's actually Graphene. And smaller amounts of three other substances."
 

"Which ones?"
 

"Spider silk compounds - some type of nanospheres. Nano-Kelvar I believe." 
 

He nodded. "Both lightweight, durable."
 

"But there's also another substance I can't seem to identify. At least, with standard testing methods."
 

He frowned at the test results. "I'll have a crack at it later, let you know what I find out." 
 

"What's most amazing to me, is how all of these materials are combined. It amplifies their best qualities while simultaneously making them able to unite with living cells. It's - mind blowing!"
 

He shook his head, eye absorbing all the data. "Unbelievable." After a moment of silent studying, he twisted around to her. "Is there any flaw in the technology?"


She sighed. "One, I think. Time. When I first started my process, I noticed a lot of joints and muscles in both wings and shoulders were either underdeveloped or deteriorating. I believe that whatever process he underwent, was never fully completed. I did my best to repair and form them," She tilted her head. "We'll have to see." 
 

"Would've caused him pain during flight, I'd think?"
 

"Yes, quite a bit actually."
 

"Was he taking anything for it?"
 

"Nothing conventional." She handed him another test result. "But I did find a significant traces of salicylic acid and flavonoids in his blood."

His brow scrunched in disbelief. "Aspirin?? Really?"

"Hmm, doesn't explain the flavonoids. I think he was self-medicating using herbs, in particular the bark of the White Willow tree." 


"That would explain the bag of leaves and stuff I found with his gear." He glanced at him. "Interesting." He handed the lab sheet back to her. "So, what's your orders for his care? I assume JARVIS and I are going to have to do it alone?"
 

"If you want to still keep him a secret, yes." She gestured to the table next to suspended cradle. "I have laid on manuals for the cradle upkeep and for his care, including my recommendations."
 

"Which are?"
 

"Twenty more hours in the cradle, then bed rest for the next three weeks. Light physical therapy is allowed, then I'll come back and reexamine." 
 

"So a month-long baby-sitting job?"
 

She shrugged. "I suppose you could say that."
 She gestured to an army of pill bottles on the table. "I've also prepared a regiment of vitamins and medications for him. And this," She held up one with a blue lid, "Is a compound that should continue the adhesion between his body and the repaired wings."
 

"Permanently?"
 

"Not that I could come up on sort notice. He will likely have to take this or some version of it for the rest of his life, to keep his immune system from attacking them." 


 He clicked his tongue. "Guess I have to start working on that." 
 

She pursed her lips. "Mr. Stark, are you sure you want to keep him here?"
 

"Yes."
 

"I'll rephrase - do you believe it's safe to keep him here?"


He eyed her. "You figured out what hit him."
 

Walking over to the table, she lifted something and returned. "This was embedded just under the left wing." She handed him a large, round shell. 
 

His fingers shook as they smoothed over the metal. "This is an armor piercing round. Meant to blow tanks to pieces." He glanced at Armstrong. "And yet, Archangel here is still in one."
 

"And if it had struck him an inch closer to his spine, he would've died on impact." She lifted a sober gaze to his face. "Someone wants this man dead, Mr. Stark."
 

"Not just any someone! These rounds are almost impossible to get unless you're a government or a billionaire." Setting it aside, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "You should probably keep a low profile. Don't talk about this little trip to anyone." 
 

She nodded. "I'm leaving tonight. Call me if any complications develop." 
 

"Will do." 
 They shook hands, then she hurried upstairs while he stood watching Armstrong's shoulders rise and fall. 
 "What the ____ are you?"
 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. 
 "Sir," JARVIS spoke, "Colonel Rhodes is on the line."
 

"Thanks buddy." He answered the phone as he left the room and headed back to the workshop. 
 "Hey Rhodey."
 

"Hey, Tony. How's the bird doin'?"
 

"Ah, he's great! Vet's patched up his wing. I just keep an eye on 'im. Make sure everything heals like it's supposed to." 


 "Good. Just wanted to let you know, I talked to the guy who rescued him."


He cocked an eyebrow as he tapped a key and brought Gamma's schematics up. "What he say?"
 

"Found him right where you said he would. Not idea how he got there or got hurt tho."
 

"Ok, thanks."
 

"Talk to you later."
 

"Bye!" He set the phone down. Swiping Gamma's schematics aside, he started a new project and titled it "Archangel".

"JARVIS, don't disturb Daddy unless our Bird gets worse or Pepper wakes up."


"As you wish, sir." 


It was dawn before JARVIS spoke again.