EMERALD

I was already halfway home in Rhodey's car when my phone rang. Sighing, I fumbled through my purse, searching for the nagging ring. I already was annoyed, and the last thing I wanted was to hear from Pepper again.

However, I was shocked to see Happy Hogan's name across the screen.

"Hello?" I questioned suspiciously, my brow furrowing. A part of me wondered if he already heard about Tony's incident from the restaurant.

Happy was nonchalant, per usual. "Yeah Em, it's me," he said, getting straight to the point.

"How's the new head of security doing?" I asked, forcing a happy tone into my voice. I hoped he was just calling for a friendly conversation. I wasn't sure how much more drama I could take.

"Look," he practically snapped, his defense mechanism showing clear as day. "It's a real job, I'm happy, everyone's great-"

I didn't have time for this. "Happy, what's going on?" I finally inquired, cutting him off. "Are you harassing the interns again?"

Hearing Happy sigh from the other end of the phone, I knew I was pushing things. "Let me tell you something," he said. "You know what happened when I told people that I was Iron Man's bodyguard? They laughed in my face. I had to leave while I still had a shred of dignity." He sighed again. "Now, I have a real job," he continued. "I'm watching Pepper."

"And the rest of the company," I clarified before I paused slightly. "Happy, why did you call me?"

Happy's agitation was growing by the second as I refused to let him ramble for hours. "Because I can't reach Tony, idiot," he said.

"Hey now."

"Pepper's meeting up with this scientist," he finally stated. "Looks rich, very handsome. I couldn't make out his face at first, and you know, I'm good at faces."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, you're the best," I added, playing into his emotions so he would spit out the rest of the story.

"Yeah, so I run his credentials, and then, I make him," he continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Aldrich Killian."

If I was supposed to understand who that was, I definitely missed some conversation. At this point, I rarely paid much attention to what Happy was saying about the workers. He just felt like he had to tell someone. Still, the name didn't ring any bells.

"Who?"

"Tony and I actually met the guy back in… somewhere in '99," Happy explained. "Some science conference."

I shook my head, ignoring Rhodey's confused expression burning into the side of my face. "I've never heard of him," I said, trying my hardest to remember if his name ever came up in a conversation. It didn't ring a bell.

"Doesn't matter," Happy retorted, eager to get to his point. "At first, the meeting was fine. They were talking business, but now, it's getting weird. He's showing her his big brain."

Holding the phone away from my ear for a moment, I really thought I misheard him.

"His what?" I questioned, my forehead crinkling in confusion.

"His big brain," Happy repeated. "And she likes it."

Heaving a sigh, I threw an exasperated look towards Rhodey, signaling that I was over this conversation. "Happy, why do I care?" I asked decisively.

"Just trust me, get down here," was all he said. "I tried Tony. He didn't answer. I got you."

"Happy!" I exclaimed. "It's almost five o'clock at night."

All I wanted to do was get home and figure out what the hell was happening to Tony. He was in a mood to be alone, and that was the last thing he actually needed. I needed to be there for him, as much as he hated it.

"Don't talk to me like that," Happy replied. "Alright, I don't work for you, and I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him too. Definitely shifty."

"I think you need to relax," I said. "Tell him to go out for a drink or something."

Apparently, my suggestion didn't fly with Stark Industries' new bodyguard.

"You know what?" he retorted. "I think you and Tony should take more interest about what's going on here. This guy did not hit it off with us at that conference. In fact, I think he was pissed off. And now, he's down here talking to Pepper who just so happens to hate your guts."

If my day could get any worse, it just did.

"Thanks."

"This whole thing is shifty," he kept going without noticing my annoyed hesitation. "Let's say Pepper agrees to this giant brain thing. Next thing you know, he's taking over the company, and guess who's getting booted out. The person that Pepper can't stand, and the person that Aldrich Killian can't stand."

Okay, maybe Happy did have a point.

I breathed in through my nostrils and out through my mouth slowly, considering the options at hand here. If I ignored the entire situation that Happy was describing, Pepper could be making a huge mistake and ruin not only the reputation that Tony built at Stark Industries but could lead to a disaster at hand. However, if I stepped in, I knew that I couldn't just barge into their meeting without probable cause. I needed a plan if I was really going to do this.

"You said there's a giant brain?" I asked, wanting to make sure that I had my facts straight.

"Yeah, a giant brain, a shifty character," Happy repeated, sounding slightly more relieved that I was taking him more seriously than before. "You know what, I'm going to follow this guy."

Pepper met with hundreds of sellers in a week. Why was Happy so spooked about this one in particular? His instincts weren't foolproof, for sure, but I trusted him. The only person who I didn't trust right now was sitting in that meeting. He was right. I needed to get in there.

A second later, an idea practically bashed me over the head. Pepper had just presented me with the perfect solution.

"Do something better," I responded after a moment's pause. "Run his plates. I'll be there in ten."

I practically stabbed the end call button before I turned back to Rhodey who was pretending to look less guilty about eavesdropping as he felt.

"Change of plans," was all I commented before he spun the car around, heading back in the direction of Stark Industries.

What I didn't know at the time was just what I was getting myself into.

I didn't even stop at the receptionist's desk this time. Barging my way through the constant sea of people, I stopped outside the elevator, heaving a deep sigh. Once I walked into the room to find Pepper, I couldn't turn back. Still, I barely hesitated.

This was Tony's company, after all. I had nothing to worry about.

I flung open the door to Pepper's office, looking like I was in a hurry instead of just concerned. Clapping my hands together, I pretended to look shocked at the pair of them staring at me.

"Oh my gosh," I explained, honey practically dripping from my voice. "Am I late? I thought the meeting was at five. Was it at four?"

Happy certainly wasn't wrong about his description of the events unfolding before my eyes.

Aldrich Killian, looking less like a con artist and more like a competitor the longer I looked at him, tilted his head to one side at my arrival. He was attractive, I could give Pepper the benefit of the doubt, but there was something about him that seemed off. He had personal motives at stake here, and from the looks of the holographic brain projected across Pepper's office, he was very close to selling her something dangerous.

Aldrich opened his mouth to say something, but I wasn't going to let him talk over me.

Forcing a smile on my face, I sauntered over to his side, ignoring Pepper completely, and stuck out a hand for him to shake. "Hi, I'm Emerald Maitland," I introduced myself.

"Ah," Aldrich said, shaking my hand slowly. The recognition that dawned on his face was unmistakable. I wasn't quite sure how beneficial that was to me at this point. "The woman who managed to break through the cage of Tony Stark's heart."

The analogy already rubbed me the wrong way, and I wondered what Tony had said to him all of those years ago. From what Happy described, the meeting had not gone well.

"I prefer superhero or Avenger," I commented back, the sick smile still plastered across my cheeks. "But that's a close second."

I finally turned back to face Pepper, her destructive gaze burning holes through my skin. "What are you doing here?" she questioned rudely.

I never let the smile fade, however.

"Right, I forgot to include my title," I added, turning back to Aldrich. "I'm the new CEO of Stark Industries. We haven't really had a formal announcement yet." I shrugged my shoulders, faking a nonchalant face. "You know how it works around here. It really is a pleasure to meet you, Mister…" I trailed off, pretending not to know a single thing about the man standing before me.

"Aldrich Killian."

I sat down in the nearest chair, crossing my legs together in the most professional way I could manage. It was bad enough that I was clearly not dressed for a meeting, but I tried to play it off. Next to Pepper, I definitely wouldn't have looked put together in any outfit.

"So, why don't you catch me up?" I offered, gesturing to the brain still hovering above us. "I'm terribly sorry for being late once again."

Pepper perched herself on the armrest of the chair, a slight frown crinkling her forehead. "What are you doing?" she whispered, angling herself away from Aldrich.

"Accepting your offer," I answered, keeping my voice low as well.

Judging from Pepper's surprised expression, she wasn't expecting me to change my mind. To be honest, I wasn't either.

"So, what exactly is all of this, Mr. Killian?" I asked, drawing Pepper's expression back towards our guest. I knew I was going to hear it from her later anyway.

"Please, call me Aldrich," he said with a smile before turning back to the holographic diagram. "This is Extremis." He paused, zooming in on a single nerve and empty space in the brain. "Well, actually, here it is. It harnesses our bioelectrical potential. This here is essentially an empty slot, and what that tells us is that our mind, our entire DNA in fact, is destined to be upgraded. Imagine if you could hack into the hard drive of any living organism and re-code its DNA."

With his words alone, I instantly felt paranoia creeping in my system. I would never admit it to Happy's face, but I was so glad I hijacked this meeting.

Pepper, on the other hand, didn't see what I saw when hearing his pitch. "That would be incredible," she said, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"It also sounds highly weaponizable," I added. "You know, enhanced soldiers, private armies-"

Aldrich didn't want me to finish my sentence clearly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Ms. Maitland," he commented, "but you fought in your own private army alongside an enhanced soldier."

"If you're referring to the Avengers and Steve Rogers, that was completely different," I replied.

"How so?"

Pepper was being uncharacteristically silent, and I knew she was thriving in how animated we had gotten in the past minute.

"That was all experimentation," I said, shaking my head.

"And so is Extremis," Aldrich fired back. "If anything, this is more reliable than your super soldier because we already know the results."

Okay, it was time to play a different card.

"If this were Tony-" I started to say, but Aldrich's bark of a laugh cut me off.

"Ah, I was wondering when someone would use the magic word," he replied with a smile. "You know, I invited Tony to join my company, AIM, but something tells me that there's a new genius on the throne. Two of them, in fact, and from the looks of it, they don't have to answer to Tony."

He wasn't wrong, but that was not what worried me at the moment.

"Pepper," I said, changing my focus to the woman sitting next to me. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

To be fair, she didn't really have much of a choice, and she realized that.

As we walked over to the far corner of the office, I quickly glanced over my shoulder at where Aldrich was still standing next to his holographic diagram of the brain, a smug appearance on his face.

"You can't seriously be considering this," I voiced my opinions aloud in a soft murmur.

Pepper gave a detached shrug. "He has potential," she pointed out. "Just look at his ideas, Emerald. He can really shape this company."

"The company with Tony's name on it," I said. "Like it or not, he's still here, and we both know that there is no way he would go for this." I gave her a knowing look, hoping that she understood that this went way beyond who was involved with who at this point.

She didn't say anything more to me. After staring at me intently for another moment, she headed back in Aldrich's direction. Worriment gripped my chest that she was going to defy me, but as soon as I saw her heave a sigh, I knew I had convinced her. At least for now.

"It's going to be a no, Aldrich," Pepper finally stated. "As much as I'd like to help you."

Aldrich glanced over where I was still standing in the corner, arms folded across my chest. Judging from his smirk, he had an alternate plan, one that I knew was going to blow up in my face. It never came.

"I can't say that I'm not disappointed," he replied, sighing in response. "But I can understand. I have a feeling that I will be seeing you again, Ms. Maitland."

Pepper gave him a warmer smile than the knowing look I was shooting him, putting a hand on his arm. "I'll walk you out," she uttered before the pair of them disappeared out the door.

I counted to five, making sure that they weren't coming back in a hurry, before I clenched my jaw. I was thankful that the meeting didn't end in a different way, but there was something that still didn't settle with me.

Another split second passed before I whipped out my cell phone, speed dialing Happy in a hurry. He picked up in less than a single ring.

"Run his plates," I said. "He's on his way out."

"Copy that."

If Aldrich was out here experimenting with re-coding DNA and mind controlling essentially, I had no idea what other genius was going to saunter into Pepper's office and propose to her next. I had to keep my guard up and my eyes open.

If she was looking for a way to push Tony and me out, this would have been the perfect opportunity. It was too close.

I had just subjected myself to a daily battle.