Shadowbreath

Chapter 1

Joey threw his long legs over the side of the antiqued loveseat positioned in front of the large flat screen television. He craned his neck to see if he pulled the attention of Luca Russo, the Underboss of the Genovese Family, and the three armed men guarding each doorway.

"Ragazzo, how many times have I told you not to jump on your father's furniture like that?" Russo chided from the plush couch, his sharp eyes narrowed at the younger man. "You're twenty-five years old, you should learn how to follow orders."

Joey flashed a handsome smirk at his father's right hand man, delighted to annoy him in any way possible. "But Luca, when the time comes, people will be following my orders. Not the other way around."

Russo snorted, turning his attention back towards the press conference lighting up the television. Colonel James Rhodes was about to announce Tony Stark, the billionaire that the news had been making a huge fuss about. "You've got a long way to go before that's going to happen, kid. You need to gain the respect of the entire family before you take over." He waved his hand loosely, gesturing to Joey, "Just bein' the boss' kid ain't gonna cut it."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Can you at least turn the volume up?" Joey asked, and Russo complied. The sound reverberated throughout the spacious living room, which beat in the heart of the enormous victorian style mansion splayed across a section of 79th street.

The Colonel was dressed sharply in his uniform, adorning an impressive array of medals. "And now Mr. Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions, thank you."

When Tony Stark appeared, a low rumble erupted from Luca's throat, and Joey raised an eyebrow at the Underboss' obvious contempt for the playboy billionaire. Joey didn't mind him so much, but that was more because he was impressed with Stark's advanced technological discoveries and inventions than anything else. He had even been playing around with the idea of testing his hacking skills out on the genius' system. Who knows what secrets he could uncover with the right motivation.

Tony Stark reached the podium, and tore off his tinted red sunglasses dramatically. "Uh, it's been a while since I was in front of you, so I'll stick to the cards this time." A chorus of laughter murmured throughout the crowd of journalists. "There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway, and on the rooftop-"

A woman in the front row interrupted his speech, which was obviously heading towards the denial that he was indeed Iron Man, a name the media coined after the very public battle last night. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that it was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared? Despite the fact that-" Joey thought the woman had a good point. These publicists didn't stand a chance at convincing the entire world that Tony Stark wasn't involved.

Stark cut her off, trying to salvage the slowly growing protests. "I know that it is confusing, it is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

Russo snorted, "Superhero?"

The woman smirked, "I never said you were a superhero."

"You didn't?" Stark blinked.

"Nope..."

Stark coughed and seemed to pull himself together. "Well, good. Because that would be outlandish, and uh, fantastic." True, Joey thought to himself. Being a high powered superhero would be nothing short of fantastic. "I-I'm just not the hero type, obviously. With this laundry list of character defects, the mistakes I've made, which were largely public-"

Colonel Rhodes leaned in, stopping the billionaire's word vomit, and Stark nodded, taking a deep breath and holding up his notecard.

"The truth is…." He paused for a long moment before looking straight into the camera with a sense of resolve.

"I am Iron Man."

The screen shut off abruptly, and Joey began to protest before Russo cut him off. "The nerve of some people." He shook his head distractedly, "The boss isn't going to be pleased with this…"

Joey's brow furrowed at that, "Why would my father care if Tony Stark is Iron Man?"

Luca's dark eyes turned to bore into Joey's, sending a shiver down his spine. There was a reason why Luca Russo held the position he did. "Have you learned nothing of our business, Ragazzo? Obadiah had an...agreement…" The man said the word with a slight upturn of his lips, "with the Five Families. When Iron Man killed the bastard last night, he cut us off from our supply. The Commision was in the process of putting out a hit on the man behind the suit, but now…" The intimidating man's expression darkened.

Joey swallowed hard, finally understanding. "Tony Stark is untouchable. And he won't be making weapons anymore. Which means…"

"Which means," Both men jumped at the sound of a new, deeper, frighteningly familiar voice, "that we will need to find an alternate solution for our new gap in resources."

The younger man sprung to his feet, instantly casting his eyes down as a show of respect. "Can I be of any help, Father?" Russo followed in a similar manner.

Joseph "Lemon" Genovese stood in the doorframe, almost completely filling it out. His broad shoulders making even the strongest of his surrounding soldiers look small, and the scar trailing from his receding hairline and over his left eye was a simple yet obvious threat of what would happen to you if you disobeyed him. The monster of a man controlled the Genovese family, one of the five mafia families in New York. Even his son, who would eventually become boss one day, stood in rapt attention, showing no signs of disrespect.

The man clapped Joey on the shoulder, succeeding in breaking the tension that had filled the room, "Mio figlio, you are to simply continue your studies. We will handle things from here. Won't we, Sotta Capo?"

Russo coughed, now being addressed directly, and met his boss' smirk. "Indeed, sir. However, I believe it might be beneficial to bring young Ragazzo along during one of our operations. If we are to be moving our business away from Stark weapons, it could be educational for the boy."

Joey raised an eyebrow and cast a hopeful look at his father, who seemed to be contemplating the idea. The grip on his shoulder tightened, "Consult with Marco, Sotta Capo. If he agrees, then I will allow Joey to participate in the next operation. I do not wish to be disappointed."

The young man's heart rate spiked dramatically at the idea of finally getting the opportunity to be involved in his father's business. The Genovese Family had a notable history in New York, and the current hierarchy had been evolving with the availability of Stark Industries' weapons, an idea that would now need to be reconsidered. Evolution...something that he could have a hand in, and eventually take over for himself.

"I won't let you down, Father." Joey expressed earnestly, earning a dark smile from the capofamiglia himself.

XX

Eight weeks following the announcement of Iron Man's true identity, Joey sat in the backseat of a sleek black Accord. Luca sat to his left, shouting angrily at someone through his burner phone. The Underboss hung up abruptly, cutting off whomever he was speaking to.

"Everything alright there, Luca?" Joey asked humorously. It wasn't every day that he got to see the man so riled up, and he had a feeling that whomever pisssed him off wouldn't survive the night.

Russo grunted and dialed another number on his phone. As soon as he placed it to his ear, someone answered. "Angelo, Double the security around the container. Costa gave a report that Iron Man is on patrol tonight. I don't want anyone screwing this shipment up. If it comes to it, shoot to kill." He didn't bother giving the Captain time to respond before he hung up and stuffed the phone into his suit pocket.

The driver leaned his head back, "Sirs, we will arrive at the docks in five minutes."

Joey tapped the headrest twice in response, "Thanks, Amros." He twisted in the seat to face Luca, trying to lighten the mood. It was his first operation, he didn't want to feel the sudden string of nerves that pumped through his system. "So, you think the tin man will give us trouble tonight?"

Russo set his jaw before answering, "I can't be sure, but you'll be staying with me in case he does."

"What, I can't go down to oversee the shipment myself?" Joey asked incredulously. What was the last six weeks of training for if he couldn't be involved?

The older man shook his head and gave Joey a hard look, "If I tell you to stay back with me, Ragazzo, then you're staying back with me. Regardless of your future position, I am still your superior. I'm not risking exposing The Boss' kid, especially if Iron Man is around tonight."

Joey leaned back and chewed on the inside of his cheek, he couldn't outright disobey a direct order from the Underboss, no matter who he was. "Can't we move the operation to a later date if you're so worried?"

Russo sighed, obviously having had the same trail of thought. "No. The buyers are here for one night only, and there will be hell to pay if we don't deliver."

"What do you mean?" Joey asked, a heavy block of ice forming in the pit of his stomach.

Before Luca could answer, the car rolled to a stop. "We're here, sirs." They both nodded at Amros, who hurried out of his seat to open Russo's door, followed by Joey's. It was an unspoken rule that all talking would cease as soon as they arrived at their destination, so the eerie silence ricocheted between Joey's ears.

The only sounds to be heard were their light footfalls and the heavy crashing of waves against the docks. Russo walked with a purpose towards the appointed vantage point with a loose hand in the pocket of his pants and the other typing away at his phone. The scene around them was blanketed in darkness, with only the light from a lone street lamp and the full moon to guide their way.

When they arrived at one of the hundreds of large shipping containers, Russo put away his phone and curled his hand into a fist before rapping it against the side four distinct times. For a moment, nothing happened, and Joey wondered if they had gotten lost. It couldn't have been hard to do considering they were in the middle of a surprisingly intricate maze.

Then, the door swung open to reveal five large soldiers in black uniforms. They nodded towards Russo and Joey respectfully before creating a path. No one spoke until the door was shut gingerly behind them, as to limit the amount of noise.

"Welcome, sirs." A raspy voice announced, and Joey instantly recognized Angelo Esposito, his father's Captain. The older man was dressed similarly to his soldiers, but his bulletproof vest donned a Genovese Family crest.

Russo nodded his acknowledgement, "Are we all set, Angelo?"

The Captain grinned, a chilling sight considering the man had seven gold teeth, "Of course, sir. As you requested, I doubled my men on the ground, as well as set up a diversion across the city for Iron Man to ensure that he does not interfere with our business." He showed the pair an ipad with footage of a battle ensuing in Montauk.

Joey turned to see Luca revealing a ghost of a smile, "Very good. Let's proceed. I'm sure Ragazzo here is chomping at the bit to see his first operation." The young man nodded discreetly, careful not to show any particularly strong interest or emotion. Marco, his father's Advisor, had taught him that.

Angelo stuck out a hand towards Joey, who grasped it tightly. Another one of Marco's rules. "It's a pleasure to have you with us, young Joseph. I'm sure your father is proud to have you here learning the family business."

"Just Joey, is fine. And I can assure you, he is." Joey responded in a clear, deep voice.

The Captain grinned again, and led them both up the stairs to the third floor. Years ago, the Genovese family welded three shipping containers together for a base of operations at the docks. It was furnished sparingly, as they wanted to ensure that nothing could be traced back to them if it was ever discovered. A slight cut into the side of the third container faced the ocean, giving them the perfect vantage point of the operation below.

A blood red container that Joey recognized from his briefing was placed near the edge of the dock, flanked by at least thirty of his father's soldiers, all of whom sported the last of Stark Industries' Heckler & Koch G36KV's. Angelo moved to stand beside Luca, who wore a perfect mask of indifference.

A static voice reverberated throughout the container, "Buyer is approaching sir." Angelo lifted the radio his mouth and pressed the button, "Copy. Standby."

Sure enough, the ocean's surface bubbled wildly before a sleek black submarine broke into view. It moved steadily towards the dock, where it paused for a few moments. Angelo spoke into his radio once more, "Engage." As soon as the words were spoken, ten of the men surrounding the container moved towards the breached submarine and assisted in its docking. A loading ramp was brought towards the dock, and once it was in place, a man in dark robes carrying a silver suitcase emerged, surrounded by his security team. One of Angelo's soldiers met the crew once they stepped foot onto solid ground, and began escorting them back to the Genovese Family shipping container.

However, before they made it ten feet, a bright beam of light shot towards the group, sending each of them flying backwards. "What the fuck was that!?" Russo exploded, instantly reaching out to grab Joey's arm.

Angelo's eyes were wide, and he spoke quickly into the radio. After three long moments of silence, gunshots erupted around the docks. Every soldier available was shooting into the air, and Joey scanned the dark mass of night trying to figure out what was going on.

Finally, he recognized what the man over the radio was reporting back to Angelo. "Iron Man!"

"Fuck!" Russo cursed under his breath, and his grip on Joey tightened. "Get us out of here, now!" He commanded Angelo, who grabbed the gun from his holster and led them down the stairs.

Angelo pulled out his phone and dialed out, whoever was on the other line answered instantly. "Start the car, I'll be there with Russo and the kid in two minutes." As they pushed open the container door, he shouted above the gunfire. "Prepare formation! I don't want that hunk of metal anywhere near us!"

While every soldier available circled around Angelo, Luca, and himself, a glock was thrust into his hand. Russo grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, so that he could yell into his ear. "If someone shoots at you, you shoot back. You hear me, Ragazzo?"

Joey nodded, trying to bury his wildly escalating fear. His father's largest smuggling operation was being taken down by none other than Iron Man himself, and he wasn't entirely sure how they were going to get out of there. Luckily, Stark was distracted for a few minutes while handling the soldiers and the buyer's men, so Joey and his group almost made it all the way to the car.

When they were a few feet away, gunfire exploded around him. The noise was deafening, and Joey couldn't help the small yelp that escaped when he saw how close the man in armor was. The bullets ricocheted right off his suit, which was terrifying, frustrating, and awe inspiring at the same time. His technology was nothing short of incredible, but it was screwing with his father's business-his future business.

Russo and Angelo kept firing, but moved discreetly towards the car with Joey while Iron Man attempted to take out the soldiers surrounding them. Their driver, Amros, pushed him inside the Accord, along with the Underboss and Captain. Once they were shielded, he rushed to the trunk and pulled out a freaking rocket launcher, another one of Stark's own creations. Amros pushed his knee to the floor to find the right angle, and fired as soon as he locked onto his target. The effect was instantaneous. The low-grade missle shot Iron Man directly in the stomach, and thrust him hundreds of feet away with a large explosion. Their driver clambered to his feet and threw himself into the driver's side seat before slamming on the gas, the tires screeching loudly.

Joey lessened his tight hold on the car's handle, and dared a glance at the two men to his left. He had never seen Luca's face so red before, and the muscles in his neck strained painfully as he screamed at Angelo. "How could this have happened? I thought you made sure he would be distracted while the operation went down!"

Angelo, who was by no means a weak man, had paled considerably. "I have no idea! I had a video feed of Iron Man all the way across town at the same time! I don't know how he could have been two places at once!"

Joey shook his head, which went unnoticed by the two men. Did they really not understand? This was Tony fucking Stark they were talking about.

As they continued to scream at each other, Joey reached out to put his hands on each of their chests, causing both men to flinch. "HEY!"

They instantly shut up, a detail that sent a powerful flutter throughout his chest-but he would think about that later, "I know how he did it!"

Russo's dark eyes narrowed, and he turned in the middle seat to give Joey his full attention. "Please, enlighten me, Ragazzo."

As he opened his mouth to explain, an army of police cars soared past them towards the docks, their sirens and flashers alerting everyone in the road to move out of their way. The entire car held their breath for a few moments. When none spun around to follow them, Joey let out a sigh of relief.

The young man swallowed thickly and returned his focus to the Underboss and Captain. "Stark is a genius. Do you really think that his own suit is the only one at his disposal? My guess is that he created an entire flock of them, all of which could be controlled by his AI program."

The two men considered him for a moment before Angelo asked, "His AI program?"

Joey nodded. "Yes, I've been researching it for the past few months. He created an artificial intelligence program, J.A.R.V.I.S., that's built into his own suit. I would bet anything that he uses it to control other suits, or bots."

Russo sighed heavily and leaned against the headrest. "If you're right, kid, then we're in deep shit. One Iron Man is enough. I don't know how we can fight an entire team of them."

As they reached the rendezvous point, Joey ran through hundreds of possibilities in his head. If his Father's team couldn't move the supply to their buyers without being caught, then the whole business would go up in flames. The family needed to be protected at all costs, but with men who could build bulletproof suits of armor, the Five Families didn't stand a chance. The Genovese Family needed its own form of protection.

Amros pulled up to the mansion, and opened each of their doors. Russo kept a tight grip on Joey's arm as they made their way inside, as if the Underboss thought he was a flight risk. One of the soldiers stationed in the living room alerted them that his father was waiting for them. Russo deposited Joey on the couch outside of the office with a clap on the shoulder. "Stay here, Ragazzo. I'm sure your father will have a few choice words for Angelo and I. You don't need to be around for that."

As soon as the door closed, Joey's temper flared dangerously. Tonight was meant to be his introduction into his Father's business, and Iron Man had ruined it. A fierce hatred burrowed it's way into his chest, and a frenzied plan began piecing itself together within his mind. His father would remember his failure for the rest of his days, unless...

Unless he did something to prove himself.

Unless he brought something to the table.

Joey pushed off from his seated position and rushed towards his laptop laying atop the decorated bar. He wasn't as tall, or strong, or brutally vicious as his father, but Joey had his own unique set of skills that he could bring to the table. Once the screen brightened, his fingers danced across the keys, typing in the code that he had spent months creating.

He needed to offer something to his father, something that was big enough to offset the epically proportioned failure of tonight. While the capofamiglia would obviously blame his Underboss and Captain for the disaster at the docks, he would always remember that Joey was involved. The first operation he was a part of, and Iron Man had interfered.

Joey let his hatred of the billionaire fuel his motivation, and promised himself that he would keep searching until he found what he was looking for.

XX

Three weeks later, a soft knock sounded at Joseph "Lemon" Genovese's office door. His dark eyes flickered towards the pristine clock on the wall, two thirty-five in the fucking morning. He fingered the glock that rested in his desk drawer, wondering who possibly could have believed that it was a good idea to disturb him at such an hour, especially with all of the chaos he had been dealing with.

A grunt escaped his throat, a not-so-clear invitation inside. Joseph tried to decipher the kind of mood he was in, as it would directly correlate to his visitor's state of being. Breathing, or choking on their own blood.

The door cracked slowly, and his fingers retracted from the gun immediately once the face of his son appeared in the doorway. The heavy bags underneath his eyes seemed even more prominent than the last time he had seen him. "Joey, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

His son's body seemed to vibrate with excitement, and his eyes flickered across the room hurriedly. Interesting. "I apologize for coming to you so late, Father."

Good, at least the boy had enough sense to know he should not be disturbed at this hour. "I hope it's important," he said curtly, letting his upper lip twitch in annoyance.

Joey nodded quickly, and smirked. "It is, Father. I believe I have found a solution to our problem."

Joseph's frown deepened, creating creases throughout his chiseled face. "Our problem? I don't remember you being involved in the family's problems."

His son gulped loudly, and pulled out the laptop he always carried around with him. Joey moved to the side of his desk, and stood by awkwardly, "Erm..may I?"

With a heavy sigh, Joseph waved his son on to continue. The young man plopped the computer down and pulled up a new screen that showed a picture of a little girl with long black hair, who couldn't be older than six, being held up by two adults who were obviously her parents. He furrowed his brow and waited for Joey to explain.

"I've been busy, Father. I wanted to find a solution to our problem concerning Iron Man's interference with the shipping operation a few weeks back." His voice was raspy from disuse, as Joseph expected it to be. His son had not left his room for the past few weeks. He felt a flare of anger at the mention of the failed trade, and Joseph was reminded that he was in deep shit with the other four families because of that night.

Joey must have sensed his father's change in demeanor, because he pushed ahead quickly. "I thought that we would need a way to fight Iron Man, if he ever tried ruining one of our operations again. After spending some time hacking into Tony Stark's mainframe, I discovered a secret agency called S.H.I.E.L.D."

Joseph's eyebrows shot towards his hairline. This was what his son had been working on?

"I wasn't able to get very far before I was kicked out, but I was able to retrieve a file. It was titled, "ENHANCED." After some research into the people on the list, I was able to determine that this meant that there are people out there who are genetically enhanced, giving them superhuman abilities. Not unlike the abilities Captain America was given back in the forties."

"While I'm impressed at your achievements, son, I fail to see what this has to do with our business?" The list S.H.I.E.L.D. had kept seemed like a win for them, not us.

Joey's' eyes lit up, "It means, Father, that this will solve all of our problems." He pointed to the picture of the little girl again. "This is Alexandria Anderson, a six year old girl who lives in Brooklyn."

He leaned in towards Joseph and grinned, "I think we should consider extending our family tree, don't you think, Father?"