Tao Really Needs to Keep Out of it

Tony hated meetings with a passion and skipping them made him very happy as it left him time to work on his projects and hunt down leads as to what was going on in the world. He only agreed to come to this one because he had been receiving multiple conflicting reports and he knew that something was going down.

Tony had approached Fury to ask him what he thought about the reports but the man had only been infuriating and evasive claiming he would have to ask around. So when Pepper mentioned the meeting in South Korea with the KSA he practically jumped to go. Everyone at the Avengers Tower at the time looked like he was an alien.

Not allowing them to stop him he made preparations and was on his way to solve his mystery.

"Sir, I hate to disturb you but we have someone hacking at the system. I have managed to block them to some extent but they are rather persistent and talented."

"Well let's see how good this hacker really is and what they want." As he spoke Tony pulled up one of his virtual computers that were installed in the plane." Well this is a surprise. A competent hacker after data on the team and the battle in New York. Very directed and quick, this might be a little bit of a challenge."

The ensuing keystrokes cut off access temporarily to his system but the hacker was back just as fast moving even faster and so Tony had a challenge in computers for the first time in a while.

"On you are good."

More key strokes and a sudden change in tactic gained the hacker some ground in their fight.

"Well let's see what you do with this." Tony implanted a virus into the lines of code he was transmitting to his opponent only for him to receive one in return. Jarvis was quick to shut it down once it was introduced, he sectioned off and contained all of the malicious software.

The battle continued for the next hour and a half of his flight when all of a sudden, he received a message that could only be from his opponent.

"Thanks for the workout it's been a while since I had a good hack off you were almost as good as me. Also, you need to watch your back doors. :P."

Tony was staring at his screen in surprise, "What back door? Jarvis what did he get?"

"I regret to inform you sir that he was multi-tasking while fighting you. He managed to follow one of your old back hacks into S.H.I.E.L.D and he extracted a large amount of info on operations and personnel including the team."

"Damn! See if you can find any back traces I want to track this guy down."

"I am working on it now Sir it may take me a while as this hacker was very thorough in covering his tracks. The best I can do for now is to tell you that he is somewhere in South Korea. I may be able to get a better trace after we land in the country."

"Well now I have even more to look into while there. Keep at it Jarvis he can't be that good. Also keep an eye out for any other activity by this same hacker. Someone this good does not just pop up out of nowhere." As Tony was getting ready to finish up the paperwork for his meeting he paused "We may also want to let the others know as well as shore up the security for S.H.E.I.L.D."

"Tao..." A chill crept up the hacker's spine and he could feel the tendrils of Dark Spear staring to radiate from behind him.

"Yes Boss...?" Tao froze, information on his screen no longer scrolling by. 'Don't look, if he smells fear or deception I'm done!'

"Why do you have details on your screen that looks suspiciously like ones used by S.H.E.I.L.D.?" The menacing grin could almost be heard coming from Tao's Boss. He turned around quickly a smile plastered on his face only to be greeted by the look he had been envisioning. Frankenstein smiling but an aura of dark purple and black radiating from his body with a tick mark or two on his head.

"Now Boss this is not what it looks like. I was only looking around in the Stark Industry files to see if they are involved with the Union and I stumbled on this fun little side project. They have a lot of really interesting files in here and I just could not resist looking around. I even got to have a fun hack off! It was as much fun as when I had the hack off with Ikhan he was really good!"

The deadpan look he was receiving told Tao he was getting nowhere fast.

'Darn time for plan B, the truth.'

"I may have gone looking for more information. The Union had us mess with several guys with this insignia in the past and Takeo remembered hearing Shark mention that they had Stark working with them so Takeo would have to work harder to get around the defenses with his bullets.'

"So now that I had a chance I wanted to know more about this group that the Union and Crombell were trying to either sabotage or destroy. Stark is very talented but I found out so much about this whole organization and they have a team that… wait you already knew what it was called?"

"Of course, I know what it is called. You do recall that I have been alive for over 1000 years? I have known about quite a few 'secret' organizations. I even joined a few to scope out potential problems or help resolve problems or sabotage them, no need for another Union like group to gain a foothold. The Germans were some of the most fun to mess with as were the Americans and the Russians too now that I think about it.'

"S.H.E.I.L.D is one of the few I have scoped out in the past and been mildly impressed by. I even joined briefly during WWII and into the Cold War to try and figure out some of the stories I was hearing about their Captain America; also, the werewolves were helping the Germans for a part of the war until I 'helped' them to see the error of that decision. I digress, the problem Tao is that the person you were targeting in Anthony Stark a certified genius now knows of your existence and will come looking for you.'

"And where did you decide to do this hack but from MY school. Where there is a possibility that you might be back tracked to." The grin widened ominously on Frankenstein's face as an aura of Dark Spear surrounded him.

"I am sure he won't be able to track me down Boss and I will be extra careful from now on."

That seemed to mollify Frankenstein enough that he turned around and proceeded to leave the room. Just as he got to the doorway Frankenstein turned around with a fake kind grin.

"Also, you will not be receiving a pay check this month. Have a nice day."

"NO, MY MONEY!" Tao's expression could be considered a dead ringer for the painting 'The Scream'.

Tony was only paying the meeting with the head of the KSA about half of his attention. He was more focused on the hacker and what JARVIS had found out. Pepper would be very upset when he reported to her all he knew about the meeting was that the group wanted their own power supply. Why they would need so much energy was something he made a mental note to pursue later.

As the meeting was winding down Tony got several alerts on his phone several from his team and one from JARVIS noting an earlier hack that was directed at the local police station with similar markers as well as that he had traced the source of the hack, Ye Ran private high school. A prestigious school with many notable alumni and students who seemed to excel even while working, if the rising career of one of the current students, a Suyi Yim, was anything to judge by.

'Time to do a little more snooping.' A grin crossed Tony's face as he left the building heading for his hotel and then the school. 'Schools love to have new donors.'

Steve was helping Pepper move some boxes around in the storage portion of the tower She was looking for some files they had that were still not digitalized for security purposes, or as Pepper said so the drunk ramblings of a genius weapons designer never escaped.

Steve moved one of the boxes and it broke open spilling its contents across the floor. He sighed and started to pick up the scattered papers and pictures until a few caught his eye. Or more to say one of the subjects of the pictures did.

"Pepper do you know anything about these pictures?"

The red head walked over looking at the pictures of a young Tony, his father, and a blond man. Tony was showing off what appeared to be a prototype of Dumm-E. In another the blond man was pointing to something in a book while Tony was writing something down. There were several more pictures including one of the blond and Edward in lab coats working on a computer together.

"I think that is Mr. Louis, he was a close friend of Mr. Howard Starks from the end of the war as well as Tony's tutor for several years. I think he was a scientist or an inventor as well. He left just after Tony turned twelve. I never met him and Tony only really mentions him in passing or while drunk."

Steve looked closer again. "I think I know him from the war. He was a field surgeon who was following camps around but he was never really part of any particular group. I wonder how he and Howard became friends?"

M-21 knew this was bound to happen eventually but did it have to happen while he was the one on gate duty. Tao had done something to someone and had been tracked down.

The man standing before him was a brunet man who looked strangely familiar and had something to do with technology. As he was also being followed none to discreetly by the two KSA agents who had previously been to the school he must be pretty important.

'Well at least I don't have to be in the room, I wonder what Takeo will do after Frankenstein removes his partner from living.'

"Hey, the name is Tony Stark but you knew that already.' The man smiled at M-21 like he was waiting to be asked for an autograph.

"I was hoping to see your director or principal about donating to this school."

'This is going to end well, 'M-21 though sarcastically. He just knew that this headache was going to come back to bite him. He also knows that by now Takeo had to have seen what was going on and alerted if not Frankenstein then at least Tao.

"This way to the Chairman's office sir."

The School as Tony walked the halls was the most clean and orderly place he had ever seen for a high school. Not to mention that the students he could see thru the door windows were in matching white and light blue uniforms almost every uniform pressed perfectly. The work that he was able to glimpse was advance for the most part showing how much effort this Chairman was putting into his student's success.

As they approached the end of the hall, he noticed the large double door that had to lead to the Chairman's office.

As the Suit, 'Should probably et his name at some point,' with silver hair with a scar across his lip opened the doors Tony was not prepared for who was waiting inside behind the desk.

"Mr. Louis…?"

The man sitting behind the desk with the perfectly pressed suit, soft curls of mid-shoulder length blond hair, and cool clue eyes could be none else but he looked as if he had not aged a day from the last time Tony had seen him when he was 12. Before he could say anything else the doors behind Tony burst open.

A thin man in a suit with a black bowl cut hairstyle who had a section of his hair dyed white. How the man was able to see mystified Tony as it looked as if his hair was always covering at least one eye.

"BOSS! It wasn't me I don't know how he did it but Stark tracked me here I swear I covered my tracks! And he is …on…his….way.,,, up …here…..I am just going to go now…"

"Tao, please do come in. It looks like we all have quite a bit to discuss. Anthony please do take a seat as well I will answer all of your questions with due time." Mr. Lewis was just as intimidating as Tony remembered like a steel fist coved in a velvet glove. The smile may look nice but something dark seemed to be lurking in background.