Begin Again In Marvel

POV Rio

I was training under Iroh and I was trying to do some Air Bending.

Iroh: "It seems I have done all I can. You have mastered all the bending knowledge I have. If you want to improve more it will require you to do trial and error. Or you can summon a master bender. I would suggest either Avatar Roku or Aang. I know enough about both that I can say they would be great teachers. Well, Aang might get off track often but he is a qualified master of all the elements."

I stopped and thought about what he said.

Rio: "Thank you for your guidance for this past month. What will you do now with your remaining 3 days?"

Iroh: "I intend on traveling. I want to see some of this world before I go home. A little vacation sounds nice to my old soul."

Rio: "I will have a Wood Clone accompany you so you can travel quickly and easily."

Iroh smiles warmly.

Iroh: "I thank you for the assistance. I have seen the travel times of the aircraft and while it is better than my last world I would like to see as much as I can while I have the time."

Rio: "Well I will not keep you. Take this phone and use it to contact the Wood Clone. It can also provide you with info on various things."

Iroh takes the phone and goes to grab his things. I make sure the Wood Clone is ready and then I check on my schedule for today.

'Oh yeah, the press conference. I still have another few hours but I should make sure I am ready.'

A Few Hours Later...

I gathered all the info and was ready for the press conference to announce several things. The biggest is the opening of a super large orphanage. The large complex that was built can handle 100k to start and is expected to expand in the coming years.

'It will take a truly massive undertaking to handle the orphans. 16 Million worldwide that have no parents. With around 0.4 Million in the US. If we look at all Orphans around the world then the number jumps to 132 Million. Luckily not everyone needs a new home. There are plenty out there that have happy families and lives. At least I can handle a third of the US at the start.'

I walk up to the stage and start my speech.

Rio: "Good evening everyone. I am glad you could make it. I have brought everyone here to announce several exciting things as well as one large announcement. I will leave the big one for last. To start let me introduce you to the new Protectron."

Protectron: "Protectron On Duty."

Rio: "The Protectron is the latest release in robotics. These robots will be capable of doing numerous different jobs. Do know that the Protectrons will be assisting and not taking the jobs. Behold the different variants."

[Image Here]

Rio: "They are designed to assist in Law Enforcement, Firefighting, Medical Responders, Construction, Security, and even upscale events. They will decrease the causalities suffered in all those professions. And any company that buys them will sign a contract stating that they won't remove any organic workers because of the Protectrons."

I point at one reporter who has their hand raised.

Eddie Brock: "Eddie Brock of the Daily Bugle. You say that those who purchase the Protectrons will not be able to fire workers because they have the robots. How will this be policed?"

Rio: "Great question. The answer is simple. The Protectrons are capable of a lot of things but they cannot replace Humans. Next, if anyone is fired and has reasonable evidence that they were fired for illogical reasons or due to the Protectrons then the contract states that the Techno Union is legally allowed to take back the Protectrons with no compensation to the company. If people don't report because they are scared of reprisal then they can report anonymously."

Reporter 1: "Aren't you worried you won't be able to sell Protectrons?"

Rio: "Not really. I made my product and its capabilities are clear. Only those who are greedy will try to take advantage. And when they do they will lose more profit. Those who won't take the risk because they don't trust themselves will just be outing themselves as greedy and untrustworthy individuals. Tell me would you want to support a company that gets the Protectrons taken away or is not willing to prove themselves as a good company?"

Most shook their heads as they realized that it was a fair point.

Rio: "It should also be noted that the Protectrons can be custom-made for different roles. If you want one that is programmed to build a car then that can be done. But it should be noted that the real advantage the Protectrons have over the Sentinels is that they are not reliant on the network. This allows them to work in any environment. It also means they can be used to protect areas that Sentinels couldn't before. Depending on the model the weapons they carry will change. That can also be modified at request for a fee."

Reporter 2: "Will they still have the chance of exploding?"

Rio: "Yes, if the Protectron is severely damaged or captured, it will vaporize, which will release a moderately high dose of radiation. But besides the Radiation, very little explosive power will be released."

Reporter 2: "Isn't that a health risk?"

Rio: "Perhaps but Radaway or Rad-X can mostly negate any ill effects. That and if they capture or destroy a Protectron then they are clearly doing something illegal so I have no mercy for them. As for outside of those scenarios, there is nearly no chance of radiation leaks without damage to the unit. And as with all my products they come with a lifetime warranty. And with recent events, the biggest selling point of all my products is that they can't be controlled by singing."

That makes everyone go silent as they remember that event.

Rio: "Now let me introduce some new models of Sentinels and the newest product for the US Military."

It showed off more products, including upgraded versions of the Sentinels and, most importantly, the Assualtron. That really got everyone excited, as many felt that it was a great addition. No one wanted Humans to die in war, so using robots just made more sense. There were still a few people who were anti-robot, but they were few and far between. But after all that, it was time to announce the big one.

Rio: "Now for the biggest and most important announcement for today. I am excited to announce the creation of Rio's Home For Lost Children. It will be a massive Orphanage that can accommodate 100k Children of various ages. And 30k other residents and personnel. This project was done with cooperation between the Techno Union, Vault-Tec, KaibaCorp, LexCorp, Stark Industries, Shadow Enterprises, Jinn Enterprises, Gem Records, Schnee, and Billions of Dollars in donations and investments from across the globe. With the eventual goal of creating more of these homes across the world."

I take a breath before continuing.

Rio: "As many of you will know I grew up as an orphan. But what few know is that I had to flee the Orphanage when I was 10 because they were trying to sell me to human traffickers. This is a problem across the world and I hope to end this problem by giving a home for those who have none. This home won't just provide a safe place to live but will also include programs to make them able to excel in the world. These programs will be open to the public. Not just those under my care."

Reporter 3: "What will these programs entail?"

Rio: "These programs will include College Level Training as well as hundreds of qualifications. If one has a dream job we will have a program for it. All the programs are fully accredited and those who join them won't have to pay a dime if they pass them. It will also include numerous safeguards to ensure that if the program isn't what you wanted then you can leave it for a fraction of the cost. This training will be done by our team of professional teachers and robots. It is my personal opinion that Colleges and Universities have gotten out of hand with their prices. Education should be cheap and affordable."

Reporter 4: "You mentioned robots will be instructors. How can that be allowed?"

Rio: "They have all the qualifications to teach the specific fields. They will be using the Miss Nanny and Mr. Handy Robots that you have seen reports about. They are not available to the public yet but they will soon be. Other than that there are many teachers out there that like teaching but can't afford to be one anymore. I offered a job to all those looking for better pay for similar work. Many of my employees will be former homeless people who just needed a chance. I have done thorough background checks and all of them passed. The physical training and schooling location will be built soon. Once it is done I intend on opening it up for the public."

Reporter 5: "Are you not worried people might purposely abandon their children to get them into your orphanage?"

Rio: "I will make it clear here and now anyone who attempts to do so will be publicly humiliated as we publish the incident online and broadcast it to the world. If someone wants to give up a child for a valid reason then they can do so via the official process that will be discreet and safe for all involved. If anyone out there thinks they can get away with it secretly don't try it. I have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you don't mess with me and this program then nothing will happen. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will humiliate you."

When I stopped talking I sensed everyone's shudder of unease. It seemed my speech did well as there were no more questions and the press conference ended.

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Authors Note:

Doing research for this chapter made me learn some fascinating stuff. Orphanages don't exist in the US and haven't since the 1960s. I didn't know this until now so I am just going to say that this version of the US has them. Also getting info on how many Orphans would live in an Orphanage is a bit tricky. So I went with children with no parents with a little more to account for things like Godzilla and the mystical side of the world. Rio has basically made a city that is for children and their caretakers. The next chapter is Gacha so give some suggestions. Lastly, where do you think Iroh would go visit?