literature

The Iron Duchess

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Literature Text

A proposal of scenery and dialogue for HellSender

  • " " = dialogue
  • [ ] = description of action, movement, tone of voice
  • ( ) = thought balloons


[Iron Man has popped up in Cornelia's private office.  After the obligatory pointless act of defiance by her and her subordinates has ended, Iron Man tests a couple seats to find something that'll support his weight, and finally sits down on a large couch which groans a bit.]

IRON MAN: [notes that Cornelia is shielding Euphemia] "*sighs* Would you knock that off?  You look ridiculous.  I could have blasted this building to bits from the outside if I'd wanted to kill anyone."

[Cornelia unclenches a little bit and Euphemia steps off to the side from her.  As everyone relaxes, Darlton -- or one of his sons -- backs up and accidentally brushes against a table with brandy and glasses on it, which tinkle together.]

IM: [glances at Darlton] "No thanks… I don't touch the stuff anymore."

CORNELIA: "What is your purpose in coming here?"

IM: "Hopefully, to hash out our differences… at least for awhile.  I want you and me to talk, as in have a dialogue, listen to each other, not just sit and take turns watching and waiting for the other's mouth to stop moving… or blinking in my case."

[Euphemia giggles at this until Cornelia shoots her a look, then returns her attention to Tony.]

C: "All I want to hear from you is a surrender… and the secrets of your Knightmare suit."

IM: "Not even remotely gonna happen, but I can do something of benefit to you -- I can get out of your hair… forever.  It's the same deal I'm trying to toss at Mysterio -- all I'm asking for is a simple truce betw…"

C: "Never! He is guilty of fomenting revolt among the Numbers, the murder of our brother, Prince Clovis, and--!"

IM: [waving his hand dismissively] "Yes, yes, yes.  The Shinjuku incident.  I heard all about it.  (Enough to know you're lucky that I'm the one stuck here, princess.  A would-be artist who takes over a country, then orders an ethnic cleansing?  It'd set off too many bells with Steve; we'd have to drag him back home.)  But this isn't about that, nor is it about you and him, Britannia and Japan, or cats and dogs.  Not at all.  It's got to do with me."

[Cornelia calms down and, slightly placated, motions for him to continue.]

IM: "Frankly, I don't want any part the mess you've got going on here, but when terrorists are dangling people out of high-rises [nods his head at Euphemia] and soldiers are shooting up innocent bystanders' homes [fixes Cornelia with a look], I can't just stand by.  And that interferes with my work."

C: "What work?"

IM: "Work that when completed puts this place firmly in my rearview mirror.  So, if you two could power down for awhile, not only will you not see me as much, but soon you'll never see or hear of me or this [taps on his armor with his fingers] ever again."

C: "So you will leave Area 11 and return… where?  I doubt you are Chinese, or a Number.  Somewhere in Europe?"

IM: "I don't like to be filed, stamped, indexed, or numbered, lady… but since you like to label people so much, let's for the sake of argument call me a… (Hmmm, 'Mobius strip' would be too… Reed-ish) a Pi."

EUPHEMIA: "You're from Area… Three-point-one-four-one-five-nine-two-six-five?" *

[Cornelia blinks and does a double-take at Euphemia.  Darlton and Guilford are similarly dumb-founded, the latter's mouth agape. Tony gives her a thumbs-up.]

IM: "Gold star, Pinky."

E: [smiles at the compliment, then notices her sister's expression and scowls] "I went to Ashford for a reason, y'know!"

C: [returning her attention] "If you are not affiliated with any of the other nations, if you do not seek to fight Britannia, then why hide your face with that helmet?  Why build that armor to begin with?"

IM: [pauses, and drums his fingers on the arm of the couch for a moment] "'What's with the masks?'  I'm not much for philosophy, but I've given the question some thought, and I've decided that when you get right down to it, there are two types of people who wear masks, each having their own very basic reason that they do so.  One of them is annoyance."

C: [incredulously] "'Annoyance'?"

IM: "Yes, and you don't have to wear a mask to let that direct your life.  You've done quite an excellent job of that, my blooming violet."

C: "I am a general in the service of His Majesty!  I do what I do for the greater glory of the Empire, to bring order and civilization to the heathens of this world!  To--"

IM: "See? Right there -- annoyance.  You're motivated because the world doesn't suit you somehow.  You think you can do a better job, so you go and grab it away from the people who, for reasons fair or foul, are the ones recognized by their own as the proper authority.  [chuckles] I bet you two would really hit it off if you could only get past this whole Area 11/Japan thing."

C: "Hit it off with whom? [realization strikes]  Zero and I?"

IM: "Sorry, but you're kind of peas in a pod.  Annoyance is his ruling emotion too, the essential reason for his actions. [pauses in thought] That's why I'm having no luck with him either… for all his talk of liberty and justice, I can't help but feel an underlying lack of genuine altruism in Zero's actions.  That, or it's too narrow-minded to be of real concern to the majority of the Japanese."

C: "Elevens."

IM: "Third base.  Where was I?  Oh, yes… annoyance.  That's what Zero and his ilk are about.  Me?  I'm a different matter -- I'm the kind of mask-wearer who does it out of fear.  Admittedly, I can't say there's not a bit of annoyance mixed in, but I never claimed to be perfect.  Well, it's been awhile, at least."

E: "But… that armor of yours.  What could you possibly be afraid of?"

IM: "I'm afraid that, despite all the power I have, there will always be someone, somewhere, who is suffering, who is in danger, who needs my help… and I can't be there for them.  It's a fact of life I've learned to live with, but not comfortably."

C: "Fact of life indeed, Iron Man.  The weak perish from the Earth, while the strong survive, reproduce, and spread.  'Survival of the fittest' in its most basic form, as posited by Charles Darwin."

IM: "Actually, Herbert Spencer came up with that phrase… Darwin just borrowed it one of the times his book was reprinted. [cocks his head in thought] Not quite sure how I know that."

C: [snarls as she feels a migraine coming on] "(I'd sell my soul for the Knights of the Round to be here right now.)  The idea is the same, and we stand as proof of it.  The flag of Britannia flies over a third of the world, and more each day as the Euro Ultra-union falls apart, and the Chinese Federation abandons its neighbors to save itself.  Scoff if you dare, Iron Man, but with or without your help, in time the world will kneel before us."

IM: "I never said your armies aren't effective, Cornelia.  It's just possible that the Grand High Throne-sitter might be able to grab up the rest of the world within his lifetime, but he won't be able to keep ahold it for long.  Your father may be looking to become the greatest emperor in Britannia's history, but he's probably going to wind up its last no matter what you or anyone else does.  It's simply not in the math."

C: "What is that supposed to mean?"

IM: "I find accountants and economists to be dull, unimaginative, grey little men too, princess, but they generally know what they're talking about.  Order them to be honest with you, and they'll tell you the empire is slowly slitting its throat with its own sword.  The KMFs are going to ruin you."

C: "I'll admit, the EU have poised a setback with their poached Hummel models, as have the Gun-Rus in their massed attacks, but that is why we are always progressing with our designs.  Analysis of your armor would give us an unbeatable edge."

IM: "I'm not talking about the quality of your robots; the problem is a matter of quantity.  Like your Knightmares, my armor requires metals -- metals you can't get just by smelting some ores, mind you -- that can endure the stress they're constantly put under just by regular operation, let alone combat situations.  Factor in servos, computing power, weapons, etc, and the end product is more than just a bit expensive but doesn't bankrupt me.  A KMF is another matter, however."

E: "You mean, because they use the same materials but so much more of them?"

IM: "You've pondered exactly what I've pondered, Pinky.  And it's not just the larger consumption of materials -- extra weight means more servos to move the parts, more coolant to keep them from overheating, more power to make it all happen… all of which means more money.  When all is said and done, a Knightmare costs about the same as a couple of top-of-the-line tanks or fighter jets.  And that's just your Sutherlands and Gloucesters; those fancy models like that white-and-gold number you keep sending after me, or the ones the Emperor's personal guard use, each must cost the same as an aircraft carrier."

"Now, the cost of building and maintaining just a relative handful must be astronomical.  Believe me, I know about these things. (God knows, if it ever got out how much of the deficit has been caused by funding Project Wide-awake and other Sentinel operations, most Americans would be half-willing to surrender the next time Magneto popped up.  And that was with only a dozen or so of those monsters going online each time.)  But you don't have just a handful… you've hundreds of them, running all over the world.  The deficit caused by your military budget alone must be pants-crappingly insane.  No wonder you have to keep invading one country after another, it's the only way to acquire enough wealth to keep everyone paid.  But there's a problem with that strategy -- sooner or later, either you run out of people to conquer and resources to swipe, or somebody will put up a fight just long enough for time to run out.  Next thing you know, there's a depression so bad even the banks' roaches are jumping out of windows… and you've got thousands of starving commoners on your hands, all demanding either answers or blood.  And off on the sidelines, waiting their turn?  All those millions of 'Numbers' you stepped on on the way up."

C: "Spare me your facts and figures, Iron Man.  Knowledge is not power… nor is money.  Power is found in strength, and that is why Britannia has come this fair and will continue on long past either of us.  Only the strong deserve to grow and spread, for the survival of the fittest--"

IM: [suddenly stands up, towering over her] "-- is a law made for animals!"

[Euphemia ducks back behind Cornelia, everyone else looks like they're going to start fighting again, when Iron Man stomps off toward the balcony]

IM: "Biological science says no more about morality than math or chemistry, but hey, if that's how you want to run things, for 'civilization' to operate by the law of the jungle, Corny, fine by me, just be prepared…"

C: "'Prepared'?"

IM: "Darwin cuts both way -- there is always someone who's bigger, stronger, faster, and can beat you no matter how good you are.  [he stops, and turns toward her] This was a courtesy call, General.  You can either back off, let me go of my own free will, and go right straight back to you and Zero zapping one another without anymore interference.  Or you can continue trying to trap and keep me here, until my friends come looking for me.  That's right… there are others like me, some a whole lot weirder, and you do not want to make them angry, lady.  God help you, you wouldn't like it when they're angry." [flies off]








*Not to make this running gag, but I've a vision of Tony referring to himself as a Pi in front of the Black Knights or the Student Council with similar results -- Tamaki or Rivalz stating aloud that pi designates the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter -- to everyone's amazement.

Just a series of dialogue ideas I've hammered into a scene for use -- or not -- by hellSender for a proposed fanfic he is writing.
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Hellsender's avatar
By God, this is absolutely perfect dialogue for the story. It's deep, but perfectly comprehensible to any and all readers. IM has got the Downey charm and wit to him and Cornelia is perfectly in character. In modification, I might have Dalton or Gilbert pop in their own two cents at IM.

Well, if you managed to go through the trouble of writing this up for me, I think it's fair that I do the same by writing Iron Man's encounter with Zilcho and the Black Knights.