"Of course you'd all side with the Capsicle." Tony spat at the majority of the Avengers. They were in the debriefing room of SHIELD and tension was high and tempers were flaring. It'd been close to a half hour since Bruce had had to leave for fear of unleashing the Hulk on everyone yet Tony and Steve were still at one another's throats. The others sane Bruce had been forced to choose sides in the argument and due to the limited information they had on the subject of their argument they had all sided with Steve. Leading to Tony's current temper flare. "You know what, Natashalie." He spat the nickname he only used when angry with Natasha a reminder that she'd betrayed him before by pretending to be someone she wasn't. "You were right all those years ago, I guess I'm not fit for the Avengers Initiative." Before anyone could stop Tony, he had turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, pushing past Fury who had just rushed in due to a tip off by some very frightened interns.
"Stark, get back in here." The director called, his eyes narrowing on Tony's retreating form. Instead of answering or turning around Tony addressed JARVIS. "Hey JARVIS due me a favor, if Fury sends agents after me, deploy my private reserve of nukes on this helicarrier."
"Are you sure, Sir?" Fury heard the AI ask while Tony was still in earshot.
"Positive." Tony said.
Knowing full well that Stark might have the nuclear weapons he'd just threatened releasing, Fury waved off the agents that had automatically went to detain Stark.
"Let him cool down from whatever has his panties in a bunch." He told the agents before taking a deep breath. "Check on Banner, if he's in control send him back in." He barked at Hill before he stepped into the debriefing room, locking the door behind him.
—
The helicarrier had currently been hovering off the coast of California so it wasn't that hard for Tony to fly home once he had left the top secret headquarters. Still angry, the moment he entered his mansion, which he hadn't visited since the start of the Avengers almost a year previous, he went to his lab where Dum-E per JARVIS' instructions was waiting for him with a blueberry smoothie, Tony's favorite. With a pat on the robots head and a thank you Tony took the offered drink before continuing to an abandoned project, that with one large angry push he sent smashing to the floor. Still angry, tools began flying around the room. His robots expertly dodged the flying objects as they began cleaning up after him. Once all the tables in the lab were cleared of throwable objects Tony took a deep breath and looked around at the damage he had caused. He was almost sad to admit that the lab had seen far worse.
"Doctor Banner is here to see you Sir." Jarvis said once Tony had stopped his destructive streak and had started sipping Dum-E's smoothie. "Would you like me to let him in?"
"Tell him I'm busy." Tony grumbled still not totally calmed down.
"I already did Sir, about five minutes ago. He said that was fine and to let him in when you were no longer so. I told him it may be a few days before you're able to see him and that still didn't disturb him. He's begun pitching a tent on the back lawn, Sir." Tony snorted, spraying his smoothie across a three foot area.
"Security footage please, Jarvis." The AI complied and within seconds a holographic screen displayed the footage of a tent on Tony's back lawn. Bruce was nowhere to be seen but Tony presumed he was inside. Tony watched the footage for several minutes, during that time Banner exited the tent and began building a fire, a package of hotdogs marked his intent. Once Banner had started the fire, Tony waved away the footage. "It looks as if he is plenty comfortable, Jarvis. Maybe if he's still there in the morning I'll see him."
"Should I tell him this, Sir?"
"No, I want to see if he's being put up to this or not." Tony finished off his smoothie, then called Dum-E over. "Brew a pot of coffee, Dum-E. It's going to be a long night." With that Tony went over to the far right side of the lab and through the secret door that lead to his vault of suits. They were due for some upgrades.
The next morning, Tony woke up with the side of the table imprinted into his face. He groaned and accepted the cup of coffee Dum-E already had brewed for him. He patted the robot on the head as he walked out of his suit room, making sure to seal it behind him the moment Dum-E had left. He hadn't accomplished much the previous night, and in fact had destroyed more then he fixed. Five suits were in shambles due to his random flares of rage and their incompetence to work to his high standards. He knew he'd regret his actions more later but for now all he really wanted was some breakfast. When he arrived in his kitchen he found it already made, steak, eggs and bacon, his favorites. "Jarvis, who made this?" He asked. Last time Tony had checked his former chef for this house no longer worked for him.
"Happy, Sir. Miss Potts came to stay the night here last night before flying on to Las Angeles. When Dum-E was running around the house this morning trying to find more coffee, Happy realized you must be lurking in your lab. He made you breakfast as a result."
"You sure Banner camping outside didn't tip them off to me being here."
"That might have been a contributing factor as well." Tony swore that if the AI could smile he would be right now. He couldn't help but snort as he took a bite of Happy's eggs. They'd always been his favorite. Since he'd assigned Happy to be Pepper's personal guard, they'd become a rare treat as their paths almost never crossed anymore. Once he'd eaten half of the plate he decided to spy on Banner once more.
"Jarvis bring up the security footage on Banner."
"Will do, Sir." The AI said as a screen appeared in front of Tony. Banner was still outside, this time cooking himself some of his own eggs over a fire.
"He looks so used to living that way." Tony remarked, eating some of his own breakfast.
"He has lived most of his life on the run, Sir. Would you like to invite him inside now?"
"Not yet, Jarvis. You up to hacking into SHIELD this morning?"
"I'm at your command, Sir."
"I want SHIELD security footage, everything on that helicarrier for the last day and a half. See if you can find some of the Avenger's last mission as well. I'm also sure Fury has recorded by now that I have my own private stash of nukes and is probably trying to locate it, erase that from my file please."
"I will try, Sir, but it may take awhile."
"That's fine. Inform me when you're done. I'm going out."
"May I ask where, Sir."
"I think I'll go to Stark Industries. It's been awhile since I've been in to see everyone."
"I feel that may result in ill consequences, Sir."
"I do too Jarvis, that's why I'm doing it." Tony said walking toward his garage. He randomly selected a set of keys to one of his numerous cars stored here, he ends up taking out his Ferrari, the one he bought for Pepper's birthday this year, for them only to break up a few weeks before. It had been a historic fight between the two of them that ended their romantic relationship. He still couldn't fully believe that it had ended, no one else knew that it had. Just the other day, Banner had asked why she had stopped coming to the tower. Tony had walked out of the room instead of answering, then shortly after flown to Germany where he had gotten wasted and ended up in the papers. Pepper had been trying to clean up his image ever since to stop him from ruining Stark Industries. Tony had taken slight pleasure in the fact that the stock had plummeted 2 points, not that those 2 points meant much. As he gunned the engine waiting for the garage door to open, he thought about Pepper. Sweet, sweet Pepper, too bad she was cheating on him. He'd found the contact in her phone, surrounded by hearts. He'd had Jarvis go through her phone records, the number had been dialed over and over again. There was some audio of some of the conversations, that Tony couldn't bear to listen too. He considered removing Pepper from her position as C.E.O, but she had earned that position, running his company for years before he ever officially gave her the position but still he played with the idea. Previously he'd never had time to take back over as C.E.O. but now, being out of the Avengers, was going to free up a lot of time.
Remembering Jarvis' words of her stop in his house last night however, he decided that he should probably take away her keys. As he drove into Stark Industries, he saw the surprise on the guards face, it had been almost two years since he'd been into the Stark Industries Headquarters, while he'd attended a few meetings and conferences on the company's behalf, none had required him to be in the office.
When he entered the office, everyone in the front lobby stopped to stare at him. "Honey, I'm home." He called out causing many of the suited men to laugh. They all knew him of course, even if not personally, there was no mistaking Tony Stark.
"Mr. Stark." The receptionist said as he headed for the C.E.O's office. "Ms. Potts isn't in today. She's in…"
"L.A." He cut her off. "I know. Get her on a video call, I want to see her within five minutes or someone is getting fired. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark." The woman, he couldn't remember her name for the life of him, said. Her hands already dialing Pepper's private number.
"I'll be waiting in my office, when you have her on the line, Jarvis will take over." He called over his shoulder, walking into Pepper's office. Jarvis bypassing the security put in place on it. "Jarvis call a decorator, I hate what she's done with the place." He says looking around, when in truth the decor is the same from when he was there.
"Sir, if I may ask, what are you doing?"
"Taking back my company, Jarvis. Buzz security downstairs and have them send up the best present guard, then call Happy."
"Will do, Sir." Jarvis says but he doesn't sound as happy about fulfilling orders as he normally does.
"Mr. Stark, I have Ms. Potts on line one for you." Jarvis said a moment later. Tony lounging over her chair brings up a holoscreen.
"Tony, what's going on?" Pepper asked the moment Jarvis has transferred the line to his screen.
"What's going on Ms. Potts, is you are no longer the C.E.O of Stark Industries." Tony said while opening the company's server. It had been awhile since he'd been inside but it was still relatively easy for him to access the mainframe.
"You know you have to go in front of the board to remove me right?" She said disbelief in her voice.
"Not really, Ms. Potts. I do still own Stark Industries, it being my company I can do whatever I want with it."
"Where is this coming from Tony?" Pepper asked sounding exhausted.
"Nowhere really, I just don't like how you run my company anymore." He said tapping through the company's database, he began locking out any employee that he didn't recognize or that had been hired after his original resignation as CEO.
"Who's going to replace me?" Pepper asked, feeling as if she'd found a hole in his plan, she sounded slightly smug.
"Me of course." Tony said locking his changes to the server in. "Is Happy there?"
"Of course he's here, he's always around me just like you pay him to be."
"Put him on the line."
"No, you're not getting out of this Tony. How are you going to run the company? You're busy with the Avengers and SHIELD."
"Not anymore Peps. I'm taking a break from all of that for the time being and so is Stark Industries."
"Does Fury know about this?" Tony could practically hear her eyes narrowing.
"Fury's on board with it."
"I don't believe that."
"He is, it would set SHIELD back years if they had a nuclear attack on their headquarters."
"You didn't Tony." Pepper said sounding horrified.
"No not yet, but you and Fury should both realize by now that Stark men do not make idle threats. Fury seems to be, and is now completely on board with me taking a step back from everything for the time being."
"So you're no longer Iron Man?" Pepper asked.
"I'm still Iron Man, I'm just Iron Man without anyone pulling puppet strings. Now, can I please talk to Happy?"
"Sure Tony." Pepper sighed. The line went silent for a minute before a much gruffer voice replaced Pepper's.
"Tony, is anything wrong?"
"I wanted to thank you for the eggs this morning. And to inform you that effective the end of the week you'll be returning to my services. Ms. Potts is no longer the C.E.O. of Stark Industries, so she no longer requires your excellent security detail. Another guard will be sent to replace your presence, until it is clear to all she is no longer affiliated with anything or one associated with the name Stark. However, you are not to leave Ms. Potts until the other guard arrives. Once he has, which should be later today, you can take the week off, Monday morning however I expect to see you on my doorstep. If I'm not up, you can let yourself in or have JARVIS do so."
"Anything else?" Happy asked never one to question orders.
"Have a nice day." With that Tony hung up the phone.
"Jarvis, I need an email to be sent out to all board members informing them of Ms. Potts removal from the position of C.E.O. Once they've been informed, dispatch someone from the PR department to inform the press."
"Will do Sir, would you like to view the videos you asked for earlier?"
"Not now, save them to my private server for viewing tonight."
"Already done sir."
"You've always got my back Jar." Tony complimented his AI.
"I take pride in being here for you, Sir."
"I know you do Jar." Tony using Pepper's computer, pulled up Jarvis' code. With a few quick clicks he deleted all of Pepper's override codes for Jarvis, transferring a few for Jarvis to respond to from Banner, but mostly just deleting them, feeling that no one else in his life deserved to be able to take control of Jarvis from him.
"Jarvis, is Banner still camping in my yard?"
"Yes, Sir. He shows no intention of leaving in the near future, he asked me earlier if it would be okay if he could start having his mail forwarded from Avengers Tower to the Malibu address."
Tony couldn't help but snort. "Tell him I'm more then willing to oblige but he's still not getting into the house. I'll have Dum-E bring him out his mail."
"I already did sir."
"Nice to know we're on the same page, Jarvis."
"Do you need anything else, Sir?"
"Yeah, Jarvis, please call me Tony, you and the bots are the only family I have left. And family doesn't call each other Sir."
"Of course, Tony." Jarvis says sounding sad and happy at the same time.
With Jarvis occupied doing the other tasks Tony had assigned him, Tony decided to hack into Shield. With a few keystrokes he was into the system. Shield's security team worked tirelessly to try to keep him and Jarvis out of the system, but their attempts were laughable in Tony's opinion. A few more keystrokes brought up the Avengers file. Already having read it along with many other of files, Tony skimmed for the section he needed. The one about him. With another stroke all the information regarding himself, minus his once inclusion in the project and his flying of a nuke into a black hole, he'd deleted everything Shield had on him, another keystroke deleted the backup files. He then scrolled to the list of active members and removed his own name. Once he was done with the Avenger's file, he brought up his own personal one. Two keystrokes deleted all Shields information on everything he'd ever done. He'd always messed with Shield's files but this was the first time he went in with intent to erase everything. Four more keystrokes modified Shield's database so his name could no longer be entered to prevent future information from being collected. Knowing that soon someone would realize his tampering, Tony quickly logged out of Shield with little intention of ever returning inside both the organization and their data.
After Tony had left all hell had broken loose in the debrief room. When Fury had walked in Tonyless their anger had only grown.
"Where is Stark?" Barton growled.
"I assume he'll be heading to one of his numerous properties, judging by how close we are I'd assume Malibu but there is always the chance he'll surprise me and go somewhere else."
"You mean you're not making him come and face the music of what he's done?" Rogers asked still fuming from their fight.
"I had every intent of keeping Stark here until he threatened opening a nuclear war with the United States Government. I think I can speak for the entire Government as well as the citizens of this country, a nuclear war, is not something we want happening, especially from a high profile figure that we'd then have to regard as a domestic terrorist. If such a situation happened, there would be little we could do, as Tony has resources all around the world. Nothing could stop him. So I feel it may be best to allow him to cool down before anyone tries to approach him on behalf of this organization."
"Approach him now." The Widow said looking up thoughtfully.
"What part of nuclear war threat did you not understand Romanoff?"
"Well maybe not Shield, or any of us. But from what I know of Stark, if he's threatening you with nukes, he's hurt. Maybe it's his pride, maybe it's something more, but he's hiding behind his firepower. He's angry with everyone in this room, and any Shield agent he'll associate with you, but he's not angry with Banner."
"Banner was there today, Nat." Barton said with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes, but Banner didn't choose a side. Besides they've got some kind of bromance going on. If Tony will let anyone in, it'll be Banner."
"If we send Banner on Shield orders, who's to say Stark won't still engage in nuclear warfare. He told me not to send anyone."
"Then don't send Banner, let him go on his own. Debrief us, then send us all on our merry ways. I'll mention to Bruce that Tony is upset, chances are he'll go to find him on his own."
"Who's to say Tony will even talk to him?"
"You know Tony, Director, he lets everyone he gets to know in eventually. Bruce might just have to wait awhile."
—-
"Have you heard anything from Stark?" Barton asked Fury as he ran into him in the hallway.
"No established contact, but both he and Jarvis have been in our servers. First thing this morning Jarvis hacked our system and retrieved an unknown amount of information. Then around eleven our system was hacked again, it was quick and left barely a trace, we assume it was Stark as all our files pertaining to him have been erased and others changed."
"What does he have to gain with that?" Barton asked confused.
"We're not completely sure as Stark has always hacked our system. We can't keep him out, and he loves finding out secrets. However, while he's changed information in his own file before he's never deleted anything more then a few sentences until today. The only thing our analysts have been able to come up with is that he no longer wishes to have contact with Shield. I had an agent attempt to bug his phone, but Jarvis caught on pretty quick and sent our system into lockdown. We can't access anything currently."
"Has anyone tried to approach Stark? Was Banner able to get through to him?"
"We checked on Banner this morning, Stark is currently allowing him to camp out in his backyard but has yet to allow him access into his house. He's seen Stark through the windows a few times, but they've yet to engage in any kind of conversation. It was Romanoff who went to see Banner, and he reported that Stark left shortly after nine this morning and has yet to return. From what Banner could tell, Stark had a plan. We've had some agents placed inside his company for years, since Stark has always been a bit of a wild card, we put them there to monitor changes in the company, a boring job really but they've been useful. They're usually the first to know if he's done something stupid. Stark Industries has some kind of arrangement with all the major tabloids that requires the press to provide them with all articles regarding Stark before they print so they can prepare for the fallout of his actions, but so far, Stark it seems has done nothing stupid since he left us. They've heard nothing, but I can only guess that in this case no news is bad news. Stark is only private when he's planning something, and I want to know what it I sent Romanoff into Stark Industry's headquarters to see if Tony is there. She's due back any minute." As Fury says this, Nat walks up to them a grim look on her face.
"Stark was there. He's taking back over the company. That's why there's yet to be some kind of scandal. Pepper's secretary reported that the moment he arrived in the office he ordered her to dial Pepper Potts, within ten minutes, she'd gotten a call back from Pepper saying she'd been removed from her position of CEO. Stark didn't know I was there, as he was in a meeting with his Board of Directors, but from what his employees were whispering, he's placing himself back in charge and it seems the company is undergoing massive changes. All employees hired after Pepper was placed as CEO have been locked out of their system, preventing them from working. Massive files have been erased from the system, other files have been added, the PR department instructed to create press releases for their launch. He's been there six hours and almost no one has seen him but they've all felt his presence. I got your message about Jarvis locking everyone out of our database, so on the way back here I started poking around, it wasn't one of Stark's tech shields, Jarvis merely deployed one of our own. It took me fifteen minutes and I was back in, I poked around the areas Stark had accessed. I know you originally thought he only erased his own file, and that is mostly all he did, but he modified one more. He's no longer listed as an active member of the Avengers in the file, there is still a brief synopsis of his time in the program, but he's now listed as a past member."
"Damn it." Fury swore under his breath. "Stark is not an enemy I want to have."
"Send a team in to talk sense into him." Barton suggested.
"I can't he tied my hands with that nuclear threat…" Fury walked into Shield's operation headquarters and brought up his screen. "Alright people, I need ideas. It seems Stark might now be a threat to this organization, we need to get him back on board. Talk."
"What if we…?"
"No hands on contact, he's currently threatening nuclear warfare if I send anyone at him."
"Sir, Stark Industries has just pulled all contracts with this organization." Hill says marching into the area.
"People I need ideas, now." Fury shouts in response to his team.
"Send in the Avengers, they're Stark's friends, they can claim to be going in under their own power."
"Stark left us because of the Avengers." Fury says sending a slight glare Natasha and Clint's way.
"What about Coulson?" Another agent asked.
"Coulson is dead." Natasha responds.
"No, he's not." Fury says. "but we can't risk sending him in, not for this."
"Get Virginia Potts to talk some sense into him." Another agent offers.
"Stark confided in me a few weeks ago, they're no longer speaking to one another. And as of this morning she has no control over Stark Industries." Barton offers up, eliminating the option that would have failed.
"Create a fake threat, and call in the Avengers." Another Agent offers.
"Stark has changed the Avenger Initiative file, he's made it clear, he's no longer associated with the project. Short of world destruction, I doubt Iron Man will be making any appearance anytime soon."
"Beat him at his own game, threaten him with Nukes. Let's see if he's really go the fire power he claims he has. Stark Industries stopped producing nuclear weapons six years ago." Hill offers.
"I thought you were smarter then that Hill. We won't be able to beat Stark at his own game, he plays his cards too close to himself. Even though Stark Industries stopped producing nukes, it doesn't mean the company doesn't have them stored for when Tony changed his mind about the weapons, and if it's not nukes, he's got ten times the firepower we have in other explosives and dangerous devices. I have no doubt that if we back Stark into a corner he'll come out swinging with all he has, then the world will see exactly how powerful of a man he is. In case you don't all realize, Stark is crucial to this organization. Every weapon we currently own, every piece of technology we use, almost every dollar we spend comes from Stark or his company. Without Stark, there is no S.H.I.E.L.D. we don't have the means to run on our own. So, get Stark interested in this organization once more, or everyone in this room is out a job and eventually much more, as he even funds the Avengers. I trust that someone in this organization has to be smart enough to figure this problem out."
"Jarvis, shut down all Stark tech on board of Shield's headquarters." Tony orders. "I want to reclaim it all. Send Fury an email outlining my intentions. I'll be at the helicarrier tomorrow with a team to collect everything that belongs to Stark Industries."
"Are you sure you're authorized to do so, Tony?" The AI asked obvious doubt littering his voice.
"Fury doesn't read fine print, in our contract I'm allowed to withdraw my services at anytime." Tony says with a yawn, tapping through his computer. His meeting with the board had gone well, they'd agreed to reinstate him as CEO, not that they could do much else. He'd tied their hands as well as he had Fury's. He was currently posting new positions available to those interested in working at Stark Industries. When Jarvis didn't reply, he assumed the AI had just started on the task. He scrunched his nose slightly in displeasure, when he saw someone was on the line for him.
"Speak." He barked into the line still scrolling through the web.
"Stark," It was easy for Tony to recognize Fury's voice.
"Get my email?" He asked innocently clicking through more pages, posting the job listings to various social media outlets.
"The one where you claim to be repossessing all of Shield's Stark Technology."
"That's the one." Tony says biting his lip as he closing out of the tabs he has open.
"You know you signed a contract."
"Check the fine print, we both agreed that I could pull out my services whenever I see fit."
"How did my lawyers let that slip through?" Fury screamed, obviously he'd gone to check Tony's words and found them true.
"Here's a tip, Director. Always read contracts yourself, and always check the fine print. Because even if you think you have the best lawyer in the world, someone else always has one that's better."
"It says here I can appeal with a lawsuit."
"Go ahead and have your top secret organization very publicly sue me and my company and see how that works out for you, Fury." Tony says tapping his pen against his desk. "If you draw up the papers, I'm sure we could come to an out of court settlement, but since I'm pulling my funds to your organization, I doubt you could afford it."
In response Fury merely growled.
"I have a company to run, so have a nice day. I'll be by to pick everything up within the week." Tony said hanging up the phone. Once he was certain Fury wouldn't call back, he glanced at his watch and decided to go home for the day. The following day would be very busy, the company would be publicly announcing his appointment as CEO, once again to the public, he also had a staff meeting, and had to hire a new personal assistant as he doubted that even if he offered her a raise, Pepper would resume the job. As Tony drove back to his home, he thought about his robots, who he knew would be waiting at the door for him to come home. He'd missed them, they'd originally gone to New York with him, but Dum-E and You didn't adjust to the new environment well, so he'd sent them home to look after the house, having them come to see him every few weeks. He'd never thought when he built the bots that he'd get so attached, they were his first (and successful) attempt at artificial intelligence, while Tony had advanced tremendously in the field since then, he'd never brought himself to fix the bugs in Dum-E and You, in fact he found them to give the bots character. Their flaws were what made the bots different from every other robot in existence and Tony liked that, and believed thats what allowed them to be almost human.
As predicted, the moment he walked through the door, Dum-E was there nudging him with his hand. "Daddy loves you too." He tells the robot patting first him then You on the head.
You began rattling off in robot speak as Tony liked to call it, chattering as his processor woke up and began analyzing whatever data Jarvis was transferring to him. You, in addition to being an excellent helping hand in the lab, was one of Tony's private server storage areas. So he was often chattering.
"You two look like you need a tune up." Tony said walking to the elevator, leading the robots back to the lab where he could work.
A frenzy of excited chitter was his response, which caused Tony to chuckle. "I guess it's been awhile if Dum-E is excited about a tune up." The robots continue to chatter as they travel down to Tony's lab. When they get there, Tony gets to work. Giving all his helping bots a look over, servicing both their mechanical and appearance needs. Tony didn't realize before, but Dum-E was looking quite beat up, most likely from always being their to put out Tony's fires. He took extra time looking over Dum-E, he'd never admit it to the other bots but Dum-E was his favorite, over even Jarvis. Perhaps it was because Dum-E had been the first robot he ever built, later modified with his artificial intelligence software, or it might have been how Dum-E was always there with just what Tony needed, wether it be a cup of coffee, smoothie, food or helpful hand. A helpful hand that had saved his life more then once. Thinking about it, Tony could honestly say that without Dum-E, he wouldn't be alive. Which was also one of the reasons he didn't really want him at Stark Tower in New York, not because he didn't want him around to save him when he would need it, but because, he'd already proven himself over and over again which meant Tony really didn't want him to be accidentally (or even more horrible purposefully) broken by one of the Avengers. Dum-E especially, but as well as the other bots, are like a sons to him. He and the other bots were always there when Tony needed them, more so then any other human, including his parents had ever been. They were loyal. Tony could depend on them. They were family. And Tony protected family no matter what.
The next morning, Tony woke up on the couch in his lab. Pepper had insisted on it being a part of the lab after Tony had locked himself inside his lab for a month working on a project, she said at least that way he'd be have a soft place to sleep when he couldn't continue anymore, yet he'd still be close enough to his work so he couldn't get distracted when he woke up. He didn't remember laying down, and he assumed he hadn't. Most likely, You, Dum-E and Butterfingers had brought him over and tucked him in. He stretches and sits up, smiling when he sees the bots 'sleeping' beside him. He carefully weaves his way through them, as he makes his way upstairs to the kitchen.
When he gets upstairs and puts on a pot of coffee, Jarvis' cheery voice greets him.
"Good Morning, Tony. Mr. Banner asked me again this morning if he may be allowed inside today?"
"Have Butterfingers let him inside around noon while I'm gone. Make it clear to him, the common areas are fair game as well as the guest room you should have You and Dum-E make sure is set up for him, but my lab and any area that the door is closed and locked is off limits. Also make it clear, I'm not letting him in because I want to talk to him. I'm letting him in because in a short while an army of reporters are going to be camping out there and I really don't want Jolly Green to pay them a visit on my front yard."
"Will do. Out of curiosity, was Doctor Banner aware that this entire time he's possessed a key to this property?"
Tony barely even blinked. "I assume so, Jarvis." He says with a shrug, he'd told Banner shortly after the battle of New York that the ring of keys he gave him went to all his properties around the world. He didn't know why Banner had yet to use to key, but he respected him for it. Any of the other Avengers, when first refused entrance would have come in guns out, demanding answers. But not Banner, privacy and needing alone time was something Tony assumed he respected.
"Jarvis, do you have my schedule?"
"I do."
"Care to read it to me."
"I could." Jarvis says sounding like he's debating it. "In exchange for your word that tonight you'll give me a tune up like you did the other AI's."
"Sure." Tony says not exactly knowing what Jarvis, a digital AI, might need tuned up, but he could always at least look over Jarvis' code to debug anything that might be bothering him.
"You'll start your day off with a press conference at 10 am, announcing your appointment as CEO. Most of that will be handled by the Board, but you have the option to give a short speech, afterwards there will be a short Q&A where it is suggested you answer all questions sent your way. At 12pm, you have a staff meeting with the other executive officers. At 2, assuming all events previous have gone well, you have a staff meeting with all of Stark Industries employees. All those not able to reach Headquarters by 2 today will video call in. At 4 pm, you'll be given a stack of applications for promising potential employees, any you see fit will then be scheduled an interview. At 6, you have dinner with the President of the United States, he's delighted to hear you're once more in charge of Stark Industries and would like to discuss future plans between the company and the United States Government. At 8, assuming the dinner went well, you've been invited to a party celebrating Happy's daughters 16th birthday. At 10 pm, you have a video conference with the ambassador of South Korea."
"When do I get to come home and be in my lab?"
"12 am assuming everything has gone well previously in the day."
"Well, I guess I should get ready for the day."
"Stark really is pissed, huh?" Rogers said watching as Shield Agents packed up the various Stark technology on board of the helecarrier.
"He sure is Captain." Barton said watching in equal fascination as millions of dollars worth of equipment was wrapped up in bubble wrap and packed into boxes.
"Can't Fury pay to keep all this stuff?"
"Stark offered but with SHIELD loosing all funding from him and his company, there isn't anyway on this earth we could afford the payout that would mean."
"Avengers." Fury said walking into the room where all but Banner, were present. "I'd like you to meet your new Press liaison, personal assistant and for all intents and purposes handler, Ms. Virginia Potts, or as you probably know her better Pepper Potts."
"I can't believe you gave my daughter your Ferrari." Happy said coming up to his boss and one of his best friends.
Tony merely shrugged. "I didn't need it, and I heard you talking awhile back about getting her a car. Thought I'd help out."
"Thank you." Happy said, but Tony could hear the shade of envy in his friend's voice. Happy wouldn't drive the car, it was his daughters, but he knew that Happy wanted one of his own.
"Theres one for you in Malibu, I wanted it to be a surprise for your own birthday tomorrow, but with that cruise you're leaving for I know I won't see you."
"What cruise?" Happy's brow furrowed until Tony passed over a white envelope. Inside was an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas, along with a bonus check that would make any CEO drool. "Tony I can't…" Happy started to say but Tony waved him off, passing over a set of car keys as well.
"There are few people in my life right now that I can trust. Even fewer, in fact one, that I can call family. And you Happy are family, and this is how I treat family. You're also getting a raise, Pepper has been having the company grossly underpay you. An extra five hundred thousand a year should make up for that."
"Tony I really can't…" Tony once again waved him off.
"After all you've done for me over the years, it's the least I can do. Now I hope you can excuse me, but I've got to go. I have a teleconference with the Ambassador of South Korea in roughly thirty minutes, I haven't had to deal with international affairs in a while but from what I remember ambassadors get wildly upset when you keep them waiting."
"Goodbye Tony." Happy said clapping the man on the back. "You're an amazing man." Tony only nodded, showing himself out of the house, he got into his car and drove the short drive back to the office.
"I'm back." Tony yelled to Fury as he stepped off the private jet that had just landed on Fury's top secret landing deck.
"I can see that, and I hope it's with intentions of staying." Fury said eyeing the younger man.
"Not a chance." Tony said, motioning for his crew to exit the plane. "I assume your agents will show my people where my things are."
"Of course." Fury said motioning for his own team to move forward. Tony noticed that the Avengers were watching through a viewing window. Before Tony could say anything else, Dum-E came out onto the landing deck and nudged his hand.
"What is it Dum-E?" He asked the bot, following him as he zoomed toward the nearest door. A door that was mostly hidden. Tony watched as Dum-E overrode the lock on the door and opened it, revealing a large amount of Stark Tech that Fury had obviously been trying to keep.
"Really Fury, I thought we had a deal." Tony said patting Dum-E on the head affectionately.
"I don't know how that got there." Fury said playing the innocent card, to which Tony merely snorted.
"Dum-E, go fetch Ms. Rebecca please." The Bot nudged Tony once more, his way of saying goodbye before wheeling off back onto the jet, a few minutes later a well yet scantily dressed woman emerged from the plane, a large brief case and stack of papers with her.
"Fury, I'd like you to meet Rebecca, my lawyer." Tony said mostly ignoring the woman as she walked over to them. She shook Fury's hand and introduced herself, eyeing Tony as he called a team over to move the hidden Stark Industries merchandise. He only tuned back into their conversation when his bot had returned to his side, smoothie in his robotic hand.
"Why don't we move this conversation to a more suitable place." Tony said with a yawn, following his robot as it zoomed toward the door the Avengers were behind.
"What exactly is this conversation about?" Fury asked following the man and his lawyer. Tony typed in a code and the door opened, he had the others enter the room first before following with Dum-E.
"I'm allowing you to negotiate with me." Tony said taking a seat at the conference table, ignoring the other Avengers as if they weren't there. "State your terms, and I'll state mine."
"My terms about what exactly?"
"My interest in this organization, my funding, really anything that involves me or my company and SHIELD having an interaction."
"I want to hear your terms first." Fury said, taking a seat across from Tony.
"Not going to happen, and Fury, I highly suggest you get someone in here much better at negotiating then yourself, or I'm probably going to end up walking with completely severed ties regarding SHIELD. I'm only giving you this one chance, because I happen to respect you."
"Barton." Fury barked, to which Tony snorted thinking he was the man Fury was calling forward. "You know who to get." Tony watched the door interested in who the spy would return with, but it didn't seem as if he was. While a silence filled the room as all waited for Barton to return, Tony drank his smoothie and talked absent mindedly to Dum-E, who chattered, incoherently for any one but Tony, back. Tony however, couldn't contain his surprise when Pepper Potts walked through the door with Barton and assistant director Maria Hill.
"Tony." Pepper said his name as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Tony after his initial shock recomposed himself and only grunted in response.
"Let's get these negotiations moving then." Rebecca chirped, fake positiveness on her face as she smiled at the other party. Tony meanwhile pulled out a phone and began fiddling with it.
"Is she really the best you've got now, Tony? Or is she just the cutest in a skirt?" Pepper asked disdainfully.
"Miss Potts." Fury barked, knowing that throwing insults at Tony and whoever this girl was would get them nowhere.
Tony only snorted. "While she is the best looking in a skirt, I brought her because she's new. This is a job interview for her, she impresses me, she has the head lawyer job at Stark Industries, she falls short, and there are plenty more applicants."
"Are these non serious negations then?" Hill asked, already standing not about to waste her precious time.
"They're plenty serious, anything decided here today I intend to follow through with. Just if she ends up failing my expectations, not so nice Tony comes out to negotiate, and I doubt any of you want to deal with him."
"So this is you being pleasant?" Barton asked, staring at Tony in annoyance.
"If you doubt me, ask Miss Potts." Tony offered to which Pepper only nodded, Tony could be a monster when he wanted to be. "Now that you have a team behind you, Fury, you might want to start stating what you want. I don't have all day. While I love keeping Congress waiting, they tend to get annoyed when I don't show up at the times they give me."
"I want you back in the Avengers Initiative." Fury starts with.
"Not going to happen." Tony says, as Rebecca scribbles on her legal pad and pulls out papers.
"Isn't she supposed to be the one talking." Natasha asks watching amused.
"My lawyers are silent until needed. Rebecca is doing exactly what she's supposed to do." Tony snaps back.
"Do I get to continue?" Fury asks. Tony motions for him to do so. "I also want Stark Industries to fund us once more, your personal contributions forgotten, we run on Stark Tech. As you've made it clear that you wish to have no affiliation with SHIELD, I'd like to ask you and J.A.R.V.I.S. to stay out of our files. SHIELD in addition to Stark Industries Technology would like to have Stark Industries weapons, I'm aware you no longer manufacture new technology, but I'm also aware of the contracts you have with the US Government that require you to provide them with equipment, so I know you're still manufacturing at least the basic weaponry we need."
Tony leaned over and briefly whispered into Rebecca's ear.
"Mr. Stark's terms are as follows." She reads from a prewritten piece of paper, the Tony quickly jots down something on. "He'd like Shield to remove all affiliation with his name and the Avengers. Neither Iron Man or Tony Stark may be released by this organization in any way. He's willing to still accommodate the Avengers in currently the Avengers Tower, but the Tower will be renamed and labeled as Stark Tower, and when Mr. Stark is present he is to be left alone by all SHIELD agents and Avenger members in the tower." Tony nodded along to Rebecca's voice. When she paused he pointed to the next item on his list. "Tony Stark nor Stark Industries will be obligated to provide Shield or the Avengers weaponry." When Fury went to protest Tony held his hand up for silence while gesturing to the next item. "Short of potential world wide domination, Iron Man nor Tony Stark are allowed to be contacted for any reason by SHIELD or the Avengers. All Avengers are prohibited from entering any property except Stark Tower at anytime. The only exception Dr. Banner who is allowed to enter any property at any time. This ban also applies to all affiliates of SHIELD." As Rebecca is talking, Tony adds something to this term. "This includes Miss Potts." Tony could feel Pepper glare at him but he ignored her. "Stark Tech can be provided to Director Fury and Shield, at a lease from the company of 500,000 dollars per month per 100 units of technology. This is a standard lease agreement." She added glancing at her notes. "All rights reserved on the intelligence behind the technology, but also for Mr. Stark to remove the technology. Those are Mr. Starks terms."
"I'm sure you want to change some of them." Tony says sounding bored as he plays with Dum-E who is currently beating him at Mario Kart. Knowing he's going to lose to his robot anyway, he glances at the other Avengers. "You might as well have them join these negotiations." He says motioning to his former teammates. "I know they'll have terms they want to establish." He watched silently as the Avengers filled in the other side of the table. After a minute of whispering between Fury and Pepper, Pepper looked to Tony.
"Why don't we start with the weapon issue."
"Oh, you know I can't compromise on that Peps." Tony says barely glancing up from his phone.
"Oh, I think you can Tony. We know for a fact that you still supply the US Armed Forces."
"Correction, I still supply Sargent General Rhodes, what he does with those weapons, as long as the use fits within the perimeters I've established with him, is up to him."
"Then give us the same contract." Pepper says firmly.
"No." Tony says back glaring over the top of his phone. "The reason General Rhodes is allowed to access my arsenal, is because I trust him to follow the guidelines I've set for him. As for everyone in SHIELD, I trust them about as far as I can throw them."
"Supply them to Miss Potts then, same contract as the one you have with General Rhodes." Steve offers.
"I trust Miss Potts about as much as my father was a family man." Tony says, watching in pleasure as Pepper flinches, at least now she realizes just how much she messed up.
"Alright, alright." Fury says looking between the former couple. "I can see we should focus on compromising on something else. Miss Potts, the next item of importance please."
"Stark Industries Technology." Pepper says glancing down at her paper. "You offered a solution that SHIELD just can't afford. We're willing to lease the equipment, but we want to negotiate the terms."
"No." Rebecca says, following Tony's body cues, she can see it's at the answer he was about to give. "Those are standard lease terms that Stark Industries uses with all leasing companies. If we were to open negotiations with SHIELD, negotiations would have to be open to all companies. I'm sure Miss. Potts as former CEO of Stark Industries you understand."
Pepper looked at Tony who's mask was better then ever today, she could get no read on him. "I understand that in most cases the company follows those terms, but I also know there have been exceptions in the past."
Tony snorted. "I can't believe you're comparing schools in third world countries to SHIELD." He said barely looking up from his phone where he was still playing Dum-E in Mario Kart.
"There were other instances." Pepper insists.
"Not authorized by me."
"What about Budapest?"
"What about Budapest." Tony, Natasha and Clint all chimed at once.
"Tony…" Pepper continued slightly curious about why Natasha and Clint responded. "authorized the loan of five million dollars worth of Stark Industry standard technology to a private organization run out of Budapest."
"My reasons for Budapest were personal, much like the agreement between Stark Industries and SHIELD was for years." Tony says shutting down what he knows was Pepper's next argument. "They made an different offer that I couldn't refuse, something much more valuable then money. As SHIELD has nothing that I want, I have a hard time believing we could come to a similar arrangement."
"I'm willing to negotiate almost anything, Tony." Fury said leaning forward, hoping Tony wouldn't make him eat his words later.
"NO." Tony said forcefully looking up from his phone. "I gave you the terms Stark Industry is willing to follow, 500,000 per a 100 units per month or nothing."
"You could." Rebecca decided to cautiously supply. "Rent less equipment at an equivalent rate. For example 10 units of Stark technology for 50,000."
"What am I going to do with only 10 units?" Fury asked now getting mad. "I have an entire organization to supply." He glanced at Stark who once more wasn't appearing to be apart of the conversation. "Stark what will it take to get you back on board."
Tony only snorted in response before looking at his watch. "Fury you don't have the time or resources to pay that kind of price. Now if you excuse me, Rebecca will be staying with you until you reach agreeable terms, but I've got to go."
"The world needs Iron Man, Stark." Natasha says blocking the door as the Tony tries to leave.
"That's not what you all seemed to believe a few days ago." Tony said defensively, trying to sidestep Natasha only to be stopped by Barton.
"We were angry." Clint said, stopping Tony's escape.
"And we understand why you're still angry…" Steve said standing up beside Barton.
"Really, Cap." Tony said clenching his fists. "You think you can understand me now."
"Tony we're your friends."
"We're more then that, Man of Iron." Thor said speaking for the first time. Tony had almost forgotten that he was there. "We're your family."
Tony only snorted, Pepper sensing that things are about to take a turn for the worse, stands beside the Avengers, trying to get a read on this new side of Tony. "Oh, big guy." Tony said. "That's the problem, you're exactly like family. And I'm tired of having a family. Family means letting people in to the point where you have no guards, where you're vulnerable, it gives the people closest to you the perfect opportunity to stab you in the back. Then they leave you there, bleeding on the ground and tell you to grow up. To toughen up. Or if they're the kind that is delusional of how they act, they try to reassure you that they didn't mean to do it, that they'll do better by you next time. So you let them back in only for them to do it again. Family isn't anything I want to have around me. Because every time I let someone in I end up worse off then I was before they were ever in my life." This time, when he pushed past the Avengers let him leave. Dum-E always loyal following him out of the room and onto the jet. As he climbed onto the jet he heard the sound of heels follow him so he turned around.
"Tony." Pepper called. "Tony, that wasn't fair." She yelled at him, anger clear across her face. "They were angry Tony, I used to get angry at you all the time and you did nothing."
"I'm just done Pep." He yelled back at her, his mask shattering as disobedient tears fell down his face. "I'm done with everyone, I tried, I tried to be a better person. For Yinson, for you. But it wasn't enough. So I'm done. I've learned from my mistakes. The only things that can still protect my broken damaged half dead had, is keeping everyone out, and manufacturing weapons to keep everyone at bay. I've realized I don't need people, I've got the bots. So I'm done, and there is nothing anyone can say to change my mind." He began getting back onto the plane, only to feel Pepper's hand on his arm. "Let me go, Pep. If any part of you ever loved me, then let me go." He yelled at her. He felt her hand leave his arm and he almost wished she hadn't let go. That the Pepper fire and determination he had always loved had won over and she had fought him to stay, but she didn't fight. She let him go and began walking away instead. As he took another step onto the plane he felt something in his pocket brush against his leg. He quickly dug it out before Pepper could go back inside. "Pepper." He yelled turning around to face her as she turned to face him. He chucked the small box at her. "I was going to give this to you, I just never got the chance. You might as well have it anyway now." She caught it, but he didn't stay around to see her open it. Instead he got onto the plane and instructed the pilot to prepare for departure. He purposefully didn't look out the window until they were already airborne and everyone else was back inside, black specks in the distance, black spots in his past.
"Tony." It was later the same day he'd visited SHIELD and he was drinking in the kitchen. He'd sent the bots away, not wanting them to see him in his current state. He'd forgotten Banner was now a resident of his house and that this was one of the rooms he was allowed to visit.
"Bruce." Tony slurred, barely able to form the name on his drunken tongue. After his confrontation with Pepper and the Avengers he'd blown off his obligations for the day, sending an underling in his place and had instead come back here, where he'd opened a bottle of scotch. He was on his second bottle, and was about to need a third.
"Natasha asked me to check on you, she thought you might be a bit of a mess."
"Sooooo, niccccce of herrrrrr." Tony managed to say, while he collected his glass and bottle. He decided that the kitchen was now crowded.
"Tony, how much have you had to drink?" Bruce asked trying to steal the bottle from his friend.
"Not enough." Walking, even a short distance, had helped Tony sober up a bit. He was a high functioning drunk with a large tolerance to alcohol, always had been. But there was a point where if he did nothing it became hard for him to resist the pull of intoxication.
"Where are you going?" The other man asked following Tony, fully concerned for his safety.
"Places you're not allowed to go." Tony said walking toward the waterfall that dominated his living room. While also a decorative piece, it's man purpose was to hide the hallway to the section of the mansion Tony had left from his childhood home. Jarvis, knowing what to do, dutifully parted the water for Tony so he could access the area, he tried to keep Banner out but the scientist managed to slip through with Tony.
"Where are we?" Banner asked. Tony only shrugged, too far intoxicated to care that he was there.
"My childhood home." Tony said motioning around while continuing down the hallway. "That was Jarvis' room." He said pointing to an old orient wood door, deciding to give Banner a tour. "He was the family butler, the man is basically the reason I survived childhood."
"Is JARVIS named for him?"
"Yup." Tony said while continuing down the hallway to the next door.
"My room." He said motioning to a door that was partially open. Of all the ones in this hallway it looked the most visited. He then motioned to a door on the opposite side of the hall. "Howard and Maria's room."
"Your parents?" Banner clarified to which Tony only nodded.
They'd reached another room. "Guest room I used as a teenager as my own." He said while continuing down the hallway, finally stopping at a much sleeker out of place door. "Howard's lab." He said punching a code into the panel beside the door. The door beeped and opened to let them inside. "He basically lived in here." Tony said walking around reminiscently. "If he wasn't here, he was at the office. After my fifth birthday, Mom stopped caring if she ever saw him. It took me a bit longer to realize I'd probably be better off without him, I was eight when I first stopped trying to get his attention. Because whenever I did, he insulted what I'd done. I was ten, when I decided that anything he had to offer me wasn't worth the verbal beating it would take to receive it. I was twelve when I had to start dodging punches on the nights he got so blindly drunk he couldn't stand up straight. I was fourteen when he pounded me until I was black and blue on every part of my body when I came home for my birthday and break between high school and college. I was fifteen when I stopped coming home except for the obligatory events, christmas, birthdays and Mom's annual ball but those were all public events so Howard didn't dare touch me. By the time I was eighteen they were dead, and I was thankful." Tony said bitterly looking around the lab, which still had some of Howard's old projects scattered around it. Banner couldn't help but want to get a closer look. "Look around all you want. They're all dead ends."
"He was searching for something wasn't he." Banner said looking at the large map of the arctic that hung on an entire side of the wall.
"Captain Steve Rogers." Tony said bitterly, opening a bottle of scotch that was left over from the time his father used the space. "The greatest fucking man that ever lived in his eyes. The only man worth being. The man that eclipsed his son, because his son couldn't be as great as him."
"That's why you hated Steve when you first met." Banner said connecting the pieces of Tony's confusing puzzle of a life.
"Turns out, he was proud of me. Left a video saying so. Never bothered to tell me in person though. No in person I was just Tony, never good enough for the name Stark. Never good enough to be his son."
"Tony…" Banner started, but he honestly didn't know what to say.
"I don't need your pity." He told Banner while walking toward the door. "Leave everything as you found it when you go. Don't look in any room but this one though." He warned Bruce as he himself left, quickly walking down the hallway to his parent's old room. He locked himself inside. He was barely able to click the lock before the tears started falling, and he couldn't help but hear his father's voice, echoing in his head telling him that Stark men don't cry.
Tony woke up the next morning on his parent's bedroom floor, his head on top of one of Howard's old suits. He'd been going through his things when he'd fallen asleep too exhausted from the day to continue on. Slowly, feeling a massive headache already swelling forward, he picked himself up off of the floor. Knowing that his mother had suffered from headaches and kept an ample medical supply in her bathroom, Tony made his way to the medicine cabinet, finding some Advil to calm the pain in his head. As he got ready to leave and face the world once more he noticed a his parent's wedding picture on their beside table. They looked happier then they ever did when Tony knew them. Nostalgia getting the better of him, Tony grabbed the photo, tucking it into his suit jacket as he left the room. He brought it with him to his current room where he put it on his own bedside table before continuing to the shower.
A half hour later, Tony walked freshly washed into the kitchen to find an unpleasant surprise. All of the Avengers, and Pepper were dining on fast food breakfast at his table. Not wanting to be driven out of the room of his own house, he continued on his path to coffee as if they weren't there. It's only once he has a cup of coffee in his hands that he turns to face them.
"What do you all want?" He asks disdainfully.
"To make sure you're okay." Natasha says, glaring back at him. Tony only snorts before walking toward the elevator that will take him to his lab.
"Fat chance I'll talk to you all." He says pushing the button that will take him away from them all.
"Brother Banner, said you were wildly upset last night, Man of Iron." Thor called stopping Tony in his tracks. Tony glared at the scientist who at least had enough sense to hide behind Natasha.
"He said you went into the old house." Pepper adds, looking at Tony with more concern then she did when he came back from Afghanistan.
"I go back there all the time." Tony says with a shrug.
"No you don't." Pepper insists. "You only go back there when you're upset."
Tony only shrugs. "Well I'm fine." He insists willing the elevator to hurry up.
"It's not going to come." Clint offers. "I went into the shaft earlier and disabled it so you couldn't escape."
Tony stared at the man in disbelief before changing his course to be the door. "Fine then, I'll just leave." He says walking out the door and climbing into his car. He revved the engine and shot down the driveway not sure of where he was going to go.
Five hours later, Tony returned to his home to find all of the Avengers and Pepper still taking up residence in his kitchen. Able to see them from outside he doesn't enter knowing that they will trap him inside. Instead he pulls out his phone and dials a number he's never used before.
Ten minutes later, Tony exits his car backed up by the Malibu Police Department.
"Have fun arresting the Avengers." He tells the officers as he leads them inside his home, peeling off to grab a cup of coffee while the officers approach his unwelcome houseguests. "Leave Doctor Banner, he's my guest." He tells the Sheriff when they go to cuff the big buy who was starting to go green. The other Avenger's aren't being much easier to catch. So far the only one in cuffs is Pepper, the others are keeping the officers at bay.
"Tony, what are you doing?" Pepper asks him as he pours himself a cup of his favorite brew.
"I told you all I wouldn't tolerate you trespassing on my property." Tony says shrugging as Banner comes to stand beside him.
"You're an asshole, Stark." Clint yelled at Tony as he climbed out the window, Natasha following quickly behind him.
"Tell me something I don't know." Tony said walking out of the room. He didn't particularly care if the Avengers were arrested or not, he mostly just wanted them gone and he knew that by dragging the cops in he'd achieve that. He also knew the the cops were no match for the Black Widow or Hawkeye, they might be able to take Steve who wouldn't fight them, but mostly he knew this would result in dragging the Avengers name through the muck a bit. Soon journalists would show up, the Avengers would be long gone by then, but there would still be a story. As he walked away down the hallway he heard Banner follow him, but before the other man could reach him he walked into his room and locked the door. Banner knocked for almost five minutes, Tony didn't respond, after awhile he gave up just like Tony knew he would. Everyone always gave up on him.