Chapter Seven
Out of Control
Avengers Tower
Tony Stark moved quickly through the hall, doing little to conceal his hurry from Pepper Potts. She was his girlfriend, but right then she was more concerned with being the CEO of his company. That meant talking on and on about the damn press conference he had just survived.
"You have an incoming call, Sir," JARVIS said.
"Who is it?"
"It's Senator Wallace of –."
"I'm not here." Tony entered the team lounge and continued toward his bar.
Pepper sighed. "Everyone with a TV knows you're here."
"Yeah, well the Tower's a big place. People get lost in here all the time."
Tony reached the bar and went straight for a bottle of his favorite scotch. That press conference had been brutal. He was used to the cameras and the publicity. If anything, he had usually thrived on that stuff. This time, however, had been different.
This time, he had called in the media to discuss Stark Industries' new global security initiative in the wake of SHIELD's downfall. His company, as well as the Avengers team that it funded, would be expanding operations in his boldest effort yet to privatize world peace. As a representative of both organizations, he had gone out to reassure the public that their safety was still in good hands.
The reporters, however, had been more interested in stirring up a scandal. Half of their damn questions had been about the Black Widow.
Had Tony seen those old SHIELD reports on her? How much had he known before? Had he looked the other way because his team needed a killer? What did the Avengers plan on doing with her now that it was all out in the open? How could anyone trust them as long as she was on the roster?
The reporters hadn't asked themselves one simple question before all of that, which was, "What the hell kind of answer do we expect from him?"
As much as anyone else, Tony was unnerved by Natasha's history. However, the idea that he should call her out in front of the entire world was ridiculous. He could say anything about Romanoff, but what people had to consider was what she would do in response. Did anyone really want to be on the bad side of a pissed off Russian assassin?
Tony couldn't just throw her out either, despite being the one who paid all of the team's bills. He'd first have to consult with Steve, the field leader of the Avengers, whenever the Captain decided to show up again. Even then, Steve would probably want to give Natasha a chance to come back and speak for herself. He had worked closely with her before, and Tony had always known of their special relationship within the team.
Taking that into consideration, and realizing that there weren't any good responses to the situation, Tony had decided to stick with Pepper's advice. All he had told the reporters was that he was taking the revelations very seriously, and that the Avengers would soon reevaluate the Black Widow's membership status.
It hadn't been easy, dancing around all of the reporters' questions like that. Pretending that he wasn't scared about where everything was headed, and that he still possessed complete confidence in his team. Romanoff had made a real mess of things, and Tony didn't know what the hell to do with her.
That especially bothered him because he hated uncertainty. Always had. It was so much better for him to keep moving in a clear direction. His direction.
Over the last several years, that had meant the construction of his Iron Man armors. Building things had usually been good for easing his tension. And with the world turned upside down, he had more reason than ever to work on his new design.
After having that drink, of course.
"Sir," JARVIS said, "I strongly advise that you respond."
"Would if I were here." Tony poured himself a couple of ounces and took a sip. "JARVIS, bring up those blueprints again. Mark Forty-Three."
JARVIS paused for a few seconds before it responded. "As you wish."
It had replied in its usual cool and detached manner, but Tony wondered what his AI was really thinking about him. Just for a brief moment before several three-dimensional holograms appeared above his bar counter.
"Last chance, Sir. Shall I tell Senator Wallace to leave a message?"
Pepper groaned and plopped herself down on a nearby couch. "Transfer the call to my phone. I'll take care of it."
Tony gave her a mischievous smile. "Thanks Honey."
She just glared in response as she raised her phone to her ear.
Yikes. Tony turned back to his blueprints. He'd have to apologize and maybe take her out to dinner to make up for this later.
"I understand your concerns, Senator," Pepper said, "but we don't know where she is." Tony could hear her shifting as she sat up straight on the couch. "Until we can meet with her again, the Black Widow's membership remains under review."
The Senator screamed at her through the phone, almost unintelligibly. From his seat at the bar, all Tony could get was that the guy was pissed.
"That's not true," Pepper said, clearly struggling to maintain her composure. "And I don't appreciate your accusations." For the next minute, she and the Senator went back and forth without getting anywhere.
All of the noise was making it hard to work. "Hey," Tony said, "you mind keeping it down?"
Pepper covered her phone with one hand and looked up at him. "You mind taking this from me?"
"No," Tony blurted out. "I mean, yes." Again, he tried to charm her with a smile. It didn't work, but Pepper quickly resumed her argument with the Senator. Tony decided that he would just have to filter out the noise as best he could. He really needed to finish his new design...
How foolish of him to think that he could retire. To think that he could focus on his life with Pepper, content that the rest of his Avengers team could keep the world safe. Hydra had taught him otherwise though. They had shown him that fear often existed for good reasons, and that those reasons wouldn't go away just because he ignored them.
Now he was truly vulnerable, naked because of his rash decision to blow up all of his suits more than a year ago. People tended to react to things in extremes, and he could think of no greater example of that than himself.
At least he was beginning to address those mistakes of his. Soon he would have his armor again, allowing him to take charge as Stark Industries devoted even greater resources into the Avengers.
He had already remodeled his tower and hired an extensive, full-time staff to support the team's operations. There were now in-house cooking, medical, maintenance, and communications crews living and working right there in the building. Tony had even gotten his buddy President Ellis to issue an executive order to leave Avengers Tower alone, barring federal agencies and the military from spying on it. Everything was in place.
Everything except for the Avengers themselves. Most of his teammates were currently scattered around the globe, while Thor wasn't even on the globe. At least Steve, Bruce, and Clint had been nice enough to call. A mere assurance that they were safe was all Tony expected from most of his teammates.
"No, Senator," Pepper said. "We're not hiding Natasha Romanoff, or Maria Hill. But you should know that Ms. Hill is now an employee of Stark Industries, and that we will continue to support her with the full weight of our legal department."
Maria Hill, the former SHIELD commander and right hand to Director Fury, had joined his company not long after her agency's downfall. She and Tony hadn't always seen eye to eye, but they both agreed that the world needed protection in the turbulent new post-SHIELD era.
Hill had just settled into her new job before she was summoned to appear before Congress. The politicians had needed someone to pick on, after Romanoff had so boldly walked away from them. So Hill had gone and given her own testimony, which she completed before she called about being monitored by several government agents. That was the last that Tony and Pepper had heard from her. Not long after that, she had mysteriously disappeared just as Natasha had.
Wonder what they're up to...
Maria was a spy, a bit of a hardass but generally an honest person. Tony felt comfortable in the belief that she would do the right thing. Hell, during her short time on the job so far, she had been the one bugging him about keeping things on the straight and narrow. As frustrating as it could be, her unshakeable integrity was half the reason why he had even hired her. It was good to know that she could be trusted.
Unlike Natasha.
Should've known better. Yes, he should have about a woman who had first approached him under a false identity. Despite welcoming her into his tower as a fellow Avenger, Tony had never learned that much about her past. Not until a week ago when he had been caught off guard by her shameful secrets.
Romanoff's leaks had brought him so much trouble, but that wasn't all. The deception had torn at Tony's very perception of the Avengers, a team that he had begun to see as more than just a group of colleagues.
As Steve had once put it, the Avengers were a family. It was such a cornball idea, typical old-fashioned sentimentality. Tony had laughed about it at Steve's expense, but he also had to admit to thinking that way himself sometimes.
It was hard to cut off family. You were always indebted to them in some way, even if they were horrible and drove you insane. Aside from caution, that was why Tony hadn't taken a stronger stance on Natasha yet. If not for her mass info dump, he never would have learned the truth about his father.
Howard Stark was one of the first names that Tony had searched for after the big leak. He had known that his father was a founding member of SHIELD. It had been Dad's big secret, his life's work. Often more important to him than anything else.
What Howard hadn't known back then was that Hydra had turned SHIELD against him. Those Nazis would go on to murder him along with Tony's mother. They had made their murders look like a car accident, and Tony had believed that cover-up since he was just twenty-years-old. The entire course of his adult life had been set by that lie.
That made Hydra's recent uprising even more than a world-threatening crisis. To Tony Stark, it was personal.
He needed to know that his father didn't waste their lives. All of those long hours working away from home. All of those lost years between them. It couldn't have been for nothing. Tony wouldn't allow it to be. That was why he was now picking up the pieces and trying to take over for the old man. SHIELD was dead but the Avengers weren't. Not yet at least.
The irony of his new situation was not lost on Tony. He felt as though he was becoming just like his father, the person he had hated and rejected as a young man. He could see now that his father cast a long shadow, one that was still following him long after he had seemingly broken free.
These thoughts and more weighed heavily on Tony's mind. So many things seemed out of his hands, and the sense of control that he desperately desired just wasn't coming. He could only work on his armor...and maybe pour himself a little more scotch.
"Ugh," Pepper said. Tony looked up and saw her lowering her phone. "What a jerk."
"Now you know why I don't talk to politicians," Tony said. He was about to make a smartass remark, but he stopped himself when he saw how upset she was. "You seem stressed out. Why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off?"
Pepper gave him a frustrated look. That same look she always gave him whenever he was being a dumbass. "I'm not like you, Tony. Just because you say I'm off doesn't mean I don't have any more work to do."
"Don't tell me you're planning another press conference."
"No. I was thinking about something a little more...political."
"Aw come on! What did we just go over right now?"
"Tony, I hate this stuff as much as you do. But with everything going on right now with our new plans, and Hill, and this Romanoff scandal, we can really use the good press." Her face tensed up at the mere mention of all of that, but she quickly eased her expression. "They're not gonna stop talking about us, so we might as well go out there and defend ourselves."
"Huh..." Tony gritted his teeth, knowing that she was right but reluctant to accept the ordeal.
"Look, I know you've got other things going on. You don't have to take this one if you don't want to. I can handle it." Pepper gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "After all, I can handle you."
Something about the way she had said that really lifted Tony's spirits. She was his rock. Even in the worst of times, she reminded him that it could be better. That there were things worth fighting for.
"That you can," Tony said with a grin. He felt a sense of joy that he hadn't had all day, and he wanted more of it. "Say...How's about we both take a break? A few minutes could do us some real good."
Pepper paused and checked her phone, clearly conflicted about the idea. After some deliberation, she put it down and turned back to him with a suggestive look in her eyes. "You think you can get it done in a few minutes?"
The whirring of helicopter blades suddenly caught Tony's attention, keeping him from accepting with a timely comeback.
"An aircraft is approaching the Tower," JARVIS said. "It appears to be Ms. Hill."
Tony let out a long sigh. "Now she comes back."
He and Pepper then looked at each other before they both ran outside to their helipad. In less than a minute, wind was sweeping over them as a helicopter descended onto the platform. Its side door opened, and out stepped a tired-looking Maria Hill.
Pepper rushed forward before she had even set both feet on the landing pad. "Maria!" To Hill's surprise, Pepper embraced her. "Thank God you're safe." Hill stood uncomfortably for several seconds before she surrendered and hugged Pepper in return.
"You know, that's not very professional," Tony said, smiling as he walked up to them. "Not that I have a problem with it, but this company does have rules against unwanted touching."
"Shut up, Tony." Pepper held on to Hill for a little while longer before she let go. Despite the fact that Hill had spent less than a week with them, she and Pepper seemed to have become fast friends.
"Where'd you get the ride?" Tony asked.
"Had it stored in one of our old SHIELD depots," Hill said. "By the way, nice to see you too."
"Okay, better question. What the hell have I been paying you for all week?"
"It's a long story. Let's just say I'm not the government's favorite person right now."
"None of us are," Pepper said. She put her hand on Hill's shoulder and began to lead her back toward the lounge. "Come on. We can talk inside."
"Were you with Romanoff?" Tony asked.
"No, but I'd like to know where she is. She's caused me a lot of headaches lately."
Tony chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."
They walked indoors, but JARVIS made another announcement before they could even sit down. "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you again but we have a number of guests down in the lobby. Five SHIELD agents, a civilian doctor, and seven minors."
"Excuse me?" Pepper walked over to the nearest viewing screen and turned it to the lobby camera. Sure enough, there were thirteen people standing in front of the security desk. Most of them were kids.
"It seems that Agent Romanoff sent them here," JARVIS said.
Tony looked over at Pepper and Hill. "Well speak of the Devil."
To be continued in Chapter 8: Shadows of History
With no one else to turn to, Natasha will enlist the aid of an old acquaintance in Paris. But will that be enough?
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay between this chapter and the previous one. I've been real busy and the weekly developments on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD haven't been making it any easier!
Don't worry if you haven't seen the show because I won't expect you to keep up with it. One of my opinions on Avengers fanfiction is that it should be easily understood by anyone who has just seen the movies.
On the other hand, I do like to work hard and make my fanfics consistent with canon for the people who do follow everything. Because of that, I haven't been able to ignore the show either.
I won't be using any of its major characters, nor will I be tying into the specifics of its plot. However, the show has touched upon some of the same subjects that I intend to cover in my story. These include the fate of SHIELD and the breakdown of trust in our heroes and government after the events of The Winter Soldier. This is all very relevant to my story, which has Natasha being publically disgraced and forced to go on the run.
(If you look closely at the last few chapters, the situation changed from "Natasha is taking leave from SHIELD" to "SHIELD is gone and being hunted down by the government." That's an example of what I've had to deal with lately!)
Fortunately, things will probably be easier going forward. It'll be a few months at least before canon throws me any more curveballs. I'll try to return to a regular schedule with one or two updates per week from here on out.
Thanks for being patient with me. I appreciate all of my readers, especially those of you who have been nice enough to leave a review. Keep commenting, I'd really like to see your feedback!