"Director Fury, you wanted to see me?" Erina Jackson asked as she entered his office at SHIELD.
"Agent Jackson," he began, "I have a new assignment for you. Have you seen the news where Tony Stark told the world he's Iron Man?" he followed with.
Erina nodded, "Yes sir, does this have something to do with my new mark?"
"Let's not call this one a mark, because your task is to protect," he replied, "I want you to keep him safe under the guise of a new bodyguard," he paused and stood before making his next point, "Under no circumstances are you to show him your abilities, do you understand?" he phrased it as a question but, both he and Erina, knew it was an order.
She nodded, "Of course, sir. Have you established my cover for getting on the inside of his team?" she inquired.
Fury explained, further, "His publicist, Pepper Potts, is worried about him and she agreed. She said she'd handle this from the Stark perspective angle," he raised his brow unsure of how she'd accomplish that, "You are to report to Stark Industries tomorrow."
"Yes Director," she agreed before leaving his office and going home to pack for her new assignment.
Erina arrived Stark Industries early, the following day, and found a woman waiting for her. Erina presumed she must be Pepper Potts.
"Agent Jackson?" the woman asked once Erina was through the door, which she nodded to, "Wonderful. Follow me, and I'll introduce you to Mr. Stark. He is not fond of this new addition to his detail, but I assured him you'd be attractive," she mouthed 'sorry' after as she continued their walk until they came upon a lab.
Erina saw Tony Stark testing out different pieces of the suit he'd invented, new prototypes of it, failing more often then she'd expect to see.
"Tony," Pepper interrupted his work, moving cautiously in case a part came their way, "I have Erina Jackson, your new bodyguard here. Would you like to say hello? She'll be with you anytime you leave this building, along with in most areas within."
Tony turned, a smug grin already on his lips, as he evaluated the girl standing next to Pepper Potts. He paused his work and moved toward them, visibly sizing up Erina. After a few moments, which were making Erina feel uncomfortable, he spoke, "Ms. Potts, why would you hire this woman to protect me? I can handle anything now that I'm Iron Man," he added, arrogantly.
Pepper began to defend Erina, but she held up her hand to speak for herself, "From what I can see here, you aren't Iron Man yet. I can handle anything that comes your way and I come with the highest recommendations," she paused to let her words sink in before continuing, "So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but whichever you choose, I'll be here."
Tony shrugged, turning away from them as he replied, "I like your confidence so we can give this a shot. But for now, let Ms. Potts give you a tour of the facilities so that I may work in peace."
Pepper interjected before Erina could reply, "Of course, sir." She, then, ushered her out of the lab and back to the main floor, where she finally spoke, "You had a small victory back there but it will take a lot more."
Erina nodded, "Show me around and then I'll get to work on him," her own arrogance nearly matched Stark's, which both intrigued and worried Pepper.
Erina spent her first few days at Stark Industries following around different people and attempting to learn as much as she could about the day to day. As she began to feel familiar with the location, she decided it was time to speak to Stark once more, so she began her journey to his lab.
"How's your work going?" Erina asked while also announcing her presence in his work area.
Tony stopped what he was working on, for a moment, and turned to face her, "I've made excellent improvements, actually. Is there anything you need? Or, are you just here to revel in my genius?" he added along with a cocky wink.
Erina held back from rolling her eyes as she responded, "I did not come to watch you work, sorry if that's disappointing for you," she continued, "But, I am here because I've familiarized myself with your facilities and now I'm ready to begin my work with you, which means I need your schedule," she added, though she already could tell he didn't always do things by any plan.
He laughed, "I don't always go to places in a scheduled manner, so you'll just have to hang around my side more often then not. Though, I can think of some great ways for us to pass the time," he hinted, his arrogance growing with each word.
Erina shook her head, "I am aware that you accepted me, partly, because Ms. Potts promised I'd be an attractive woman, but I assure you there is no scenario where we end up in bed together," she said, firmly.
Tony pushed out his lower lip in a pout, "That's a shame, but you're here so watch the magic happen," he shifted topics with ease as he began testing his robotics once again, while Erina watched from the side of the room.
"What are you planning on doing with your superpowers?" she finally asked after watching him work for a spell.
He had just successfully gotten the entire suit to conform to him, so he lifted the helmet to reveal his face, "I haven't really thought of that yet, however I know that I want to stop those terrorists from using my weapons," he revealed, almost vulnerable for a moment.
She nodded, "That's a very noble cause, but what do you want to do after that? Save old ladies getting mugged in the city?" she kept the conversation at a distance, afraid he'd mistake any intimacy as hope.
"I am sure there are bigger villains out there for Iron Man to conquer, but for now, if you'll excuse me," he began, "I'm going to take her for a spin." He looked away from her as he signaled the mask back onto his face and took off into the sky from the balcony.
Erina shook her head because she couldn't watch him while he was up there, and she couldn't look in her stores of mimicable powers to follow him, for fear of revealing herself. So, she watched him fly instead.