"I know, Nat. I'll be there soon," I spoke, glancing down at my black A-line dress with a pearl embellished turndown collar. The tulle style skirt stopped just above my knees. Nothing too revealing. I styled my hair into a braided bun and slipped on some heels.
"Better hurry or you'll miss the show," the line went dead. Giving Fenris a loving pat on the head and snatching the box off the counter, I was out the door.
"Hi, Ms. Potts," I greeted, entering the house. People she hired scurried around the place, vainly trying to get everything the way she wanted.
"Megan. Glad to see you made it," she smiled. "How's your arm doing?"
"Good news is I don't need the sling anymore," All that laid on my arm is a bandage to cover up the marred flesh.
"That's good," she replied, slightly busy on making sure everything is in order.
"Have you seen Tony? I just wanted to give him his gift before the party starts,"
"He's in his room, still getting ready. He should be done by now. It's the third door on the left,"
"Thanks, boss!" I called before heading up the stairs. I walked down the hall and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing the birthday boy. "Happy birthday, Tony!" I greeted. He gave a small smile before gesturing me to come in.
"Thanks, short stuff," he stated and fixed his tie. I placed the box on the table. "A present for me?" He walked towards it and opened it. An array of cupcakes spelt out 'Happy Birthday' with his signature Iron Man mask on the last one.
"I know it's not much, but Pepper mentioned you like red velvet," he turned back towards me with a brow raised.
"You made these?" I nodded. He picked one up and sniffed it before giving me an inquisitive look. "How do I know if you poisoned it?" I chuckled and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, Tony. Tony, Tony, Tony. If I wanted to kill you, it'd be something far more creative," I responded with a devious smile. He took a step back with bewilderment. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Just kidding, Tony,"
"Oh ha ha..," he dryly laughed before biting into the cupcake. "Wow, this is good," he stared at the chocolate ganache filling before he shoved the rest in his mouth. "You sure you made this?" He asked, voice muffled due to the unfinished cupcake in his mouth. I think I saw a few crumbs fly out past my face. I crinkled my nose in mild disgust.
"Yeah, I did. Being stuck at home for six days with nothing to do, does something to a person," he chuckled before diving into another one. "And the Internet is a big help,"
"Man, if you had all that time, you should have catered this party. Pep hired some French pastry chef, and the dessert was a bit on the bland side," He complained. "He was snooty and his French accent is inauthentic. The petit fours I tasted earlier were bitter and dry. This," he gestured to the cupcake, holding it up like it was the Holy Grail. "Is so moist, it feels like I am skinny dipping in a velvety chocolate fountain."
"Okay... I did not need that vision," I groaned, shaking my head. "Well, I'll leave you to get finished. See you downstairs," I patted his shoulder and walked towards the door.
"How did you do it?" I turned back and saw him staring at me with a serious expression.
"You could just YouTube the reci-" he exasperatedly sighed.
"Not that," he crossed his arms in a huff. "I meant what you did to Vanko. The man with the, you know," he rotated his arms making whipping noises. I laughed at his reenactment. Although I was laughing, I felt my stomach churn. Got to play it cool.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You know exactly what I mean," he narrowed his eyes at me before continuing. "A man like that wouldn't just convulse and fall flat on his ass," he walked towards me and stared down, waiting for an explanation. Keeping my composure, I shot him a confused look.
"How would I know? Maybe his weaponry malfunctioned? Not everyone can be a tech genius."
"You're lying," I opened my mouth to retort, but the door opened. I turned my head and saw Natasha come in with wide eyes.
"Is everything all right?" She asked, taking a step towards us. Tony took a step away from me and made himself a drink. Once he turned around, she shot me a look. I shook my head and took my leave. Damn Stark and his observing nature.
Walking down the stairs, I noticed many guests arrived. And by many, I meant a ton.
Many women wore slinky cocktail dresses and already seemed beyond tipsy. One girl even dragged her friend down with her when she tripped over her own feet. Now I remember why I never attended any high school parties.
"Are his parties always like this?" I asked my boss. A server handed me a glass of champagne. I took a sip, trying to forget what happened a moment ago.
"Unfortunately, but we have to keep up with appearances," she greeted another CEO and walked off with some small talk. The music was booming. It felt more like a night club than a birthday party. Lights flashed, people hooted and hollered, and the occasional disturbing bump and grind. I shuddered. I think I am starting to regret attending this party.
A man bumped into me, making me almost spill my drink. He reeked of alcohol. I gagged slightly when he scanned my form. Yup, I definitely regret it now.
"Hey there, pretty lady. You wanna dance? A girl like you shouldn't be by herself," He said, laying a hand on my arm. I shrugged it off and took a step away from the intoxicated man.
"I'm sorry, but I'm waiting for someone," I said, looking around for a distraction. Bingo. The man who just came in appeared to be sober. Please be sober. "Oh! Sweetie! I've been looking everywhere for you!" The man pointed to himself and he saw the desperate look on my face. I kept the smile plastered on my face as he made his way over.
"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was terrible," he stated with a smile. "Who's this guy?" He asked, shooting a glare. The guy lifted his hands in surrender and left. I sighed in relief.
"Thank you so much, sir. That man just wouldn't take no for an answer," he chuckled, pushing his hands in his pockets.
"It's not a problem, miss. I'm Colonel James Rhodes," he held a hand out.
"Nice to meet you, Colonel Rhodes. I'm Megan Lu," I shook his hand. I felt shocked that a colonel went along with the plan to help me out of a nasty situation.
"You must be Pepper's assistant," I nodded. "Have you seen her? I need to discuss something with her,"
I scanned the room and saw her walking towards us. "Right this way," we weaved through the crowd and met up with Pepper. Her face bore a panicked expression. I sighed. I've seen this woman stress enough for a lifetime over the course of my employment.
"I'm going to go get some air," she said, making her way towards the exit. Rhodes stopped her.
"What's wrong?" Pepper led us to the main room. We saw Tony stumbling around the stage, clutching a champagne bottle.
"I don't know what to do." She admitted, staring at the show Tony was putting on.
"You gotta be kidding me," Rhodes frustratingly sighed. "That's it. I'm making... Pepper,"
"No, no, no. Don't call anyone," Ms. Potts pleaded.
"This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy!" He exclaimed, pointing at Tony.
"I'm gonna handle it, okay?" She reassured before making her way to the stage.
"Handle it. Or I'm gonna have to," he replied, crossing his arms.
"Does he do this often?" He stared down at me.
"Stark can be a bit reckless..,"
"You know, the question I get asked most often is, "Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?"" He slurred in the microphone. A moment of silence passes. "Just like that." Did he seriously just pee in the suit? I crinkled my nose in disgust.
Ms. Potts made her way over to him, straining behind a smile.
"Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" She gave a fake laugh. The crowd cheered and yelled.
"I love you-," he confessed drunkenly.
"Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we 're gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming-," Many disapproving comments and groans rang through the crowd. Glancing at Rhodes, I could tell his patience was wearing thin.
"She's right. The party's over," He announced in a sad tone. "Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago. The after party starts in 15 minutes!" Cheers boomed around the room. "And if anybody, Pepper, doesn't like it, there's the door," He gestured, setting off the repulsor beam and shattering the glass.
The cheers grew louder. Girls started throwing objects for Tony to shoot. Ms. Potts fled off the stage, avoiding the falling glass. I scurried my way towards her and pulled her to a safe spot.
"You didn't get hurt, did you Ms. Potts?" She shook her head. I looked back towards the stage. "I'll handle this," I made my way toward the stage, avoiding flying objects. "Tony! You gotta stop!" A watermelon exploded and rained down as the crowd continued to roar.
"I'm only gonna say this once." The crowd grew silent and turned towards Rhodes wearing an Iron Man suit. "Get out." People panicked and quickly made their way towards the exit. I hurried off the stage and escorted Ms. Potts out of the room. We made our way towards the exit. Natasha rushed toward us. Was this what Natasha meant by a show? Stark going mad and blowing stuff up?
"Natalie!" Ms. Potts called, fury laced in her voice.
"Miss Potts."
"Don't you "Miss Potts" me! I'm on to you. You know what? Ever since you came here..." A crash interrupted her rant.
I pushed them both towards the exit. The boys continued to brawl as people gawked at the scene. It was all too much. Tony slammed Rhodes head first into the piano and screamed, scaring off the crowd. I stood as people pushed past me in fear of getting attacked.
Rhodes grabbed a piece of debris and smashed it at Tony, making him land in the fireplace. They both charged their repulsor beams and fired at each other.
Quickly, I ran around the corner of the building and braced myself. I felt the walls rumble from the blast. The glass windows broke and smoke emitted the air. I coughed and made my way in. Waving the smoke away, I saw both men have a staring contest. Rhodes flew off.
"Tony!" I scurried over to his still form and crouched down. "You okay?" He pushed me away.
"I'm fine," he grunted as he stood up and made his way outside. I got on my feet, following after him.
"Where are you going?" Without even looking back, he flew off as well. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.
Great. Just great.
"What are you doing here, Tony?" I asked as he stopped in front of my desk. I closed the file and stared up at him. A box full of strawberries cradled in his arm. "You know she's allergic to strawberries, right?"
"Is Pep in? I need to talk to her," he asked anxiously, completely ignoring what I said. He started his way toward her office door. I quickly got up from my chair and scurried after him.
"She is busy trying to sort out the mess you made. I highly advise you to not bother her. She's infuriated enough as it is," he opened the door. Why doesn't he ever listen? I sent my boss an apologetic look, "I am terribly sorry for disrupting, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark just let himself in,"
She gave him an exasperated look, then continued the call. I took my leave and returned to work with a sigh.
"Hey, Megan," I looked up and saw Natasha with Happy trailing behind her. "Is Pepper ready?" Happy asked.
"Hi Happy. Natalie. She's just taking care of some mess that came in,"
"He's in there isn't he?" I nodded before grabbing the finished file and opened her office door.
"Ms. Potts?" I peeked my head in to see if it was all right and she wasn't screaming her head off at Tony. Although the air was tense, it was quiet so I pushed the door open.
"Hi, come on in."
"Wheels up in 25 minutes," Happy stated, lifting the briefcase in his hand.
"Thank you."
"Anything else, boss?"
"I'm good, Hap."
"No, I'll be just... another minute." Ms. Potts and Tony answered simultaneously. He chuckled nervously.
"I lost both the kids in the divorce." He joked with a strained smile. Natasha gave something for Ms. Potts to sign.
"Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here at Stark Enterprises? Your name is Natalie, isn't it?" She shot him a discreet warning look. "I thought you two didn't get along,"
"No. That's not so,"
"It's just me you don't care for." The room was silent.
"No? Nothing?"
"Actually, while you're here, maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of the personal belongings," She stated before taking her leave.
"Absolutely," Natasha voiced.
"Here is the itinerary for tomorrow, Ms. Potts," I passed her the paper as we headed out. She took it from me and glanced over it.
"I almost forgot. Megan, would you please get the file Ms. Rushman has? I just need to do a quick overview,"
"Right away," I strode back to her office. "Excuse me, but Ms. Potts needs those files, Natalie," she handed me the folder.
"Is she on this too?" Tony gestured to me. I raised a brow. She gave me a knowing look. He knows.
As cheers erupted in the crowd, Ms. Potts, Natasha, and I kept stoic expressions when the 'Hammer Drones' appeared. It's a knockoff of Tony's suits. Doesn't this man have any idea about copyright infringement?
"That's a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you," Justin Hammer chuckled. "But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theater of war. Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes," Rhodes, clad in the Iron Man suit, rose to the podium.
This is bad. Really bad.
Hammer was about to continue droning on, but I, and everyone else, averted their attention at the sound. Iron Man flew in, stepping on Hammer's moment. Everyone stood and cheered loudly for his appearance. My brows furrowed. Everything about this screamed bad news.
My eyes widened. The colonel and the drones pointed their weapons at the crowd. They all started shooting Tony.
The entire place erupted into chaos. Everyone screamed and ran towards the exit. I tried to keep close quarters with Natasha and Ms. Potts. Rhodes and some drones flew after Tony while some stayed back and marched towards the frightened crowd. I pushed my way through and we marched towards a frantic Hammer.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," I voiced, startling the man.
"He's locked us out of the mainframe," a guy said, typing furiously on the keys.
"Who's locked you out of the mainframe?" questioned Ms. Potts, demanding an answer.
"Please, please, go away. Go away. I've got this handled." Hammer waved us away.
"Seeing you in quite a state of panic, it seems like you don't," I pointed out.
"Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn't showed up, this wouldn't be happening. So please, now go away. Thank you," He spat. "Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here," I am going to give this ass a piece of my mind.
I stepped towards him, but Natasha beat me to it by slamming him on the table. I blinked in surprise. I'd hate to get on her bad side.
"You tell me who's behind this," she snarled, pressing his face harder against the metal surface. He groaned in pain. Note to self, never piss off Nat. "Who's behind this?" She repeated.
"Ivan. Ivan Vanko," answered Hammer.
Ms. Potts pulled out her phone to call the authorities. Natasha quickly left to find Vanko.
"I need NYPD, please."
"No, no, no!" He protested after recovering from Natasha's wrath.
"Command Central."
"No, no, honey. Don't call the authorities."
"Mr. Hammer, I would highly advise you to step aside. This is beyond your control," I stated calmly, but gave him a death glare.
He sighed before holding his hands up in surrender and stood to the side.
"Ms. Potts, I am going to get civilians to safety," I stated before running out. Her calls were drowned out by the chaos outside the Expo. "People head to the exits!" I yelled among all the screams. I pushed people to move faster as the drones shot at Tony.
Once civilians were away from the building, I turned towards the drones. Throwing my hands out, an ball of electricity flew out. My brows shot up. That's new. New is good for a situation like this.
Some nearby drones started to target me. I dived behind a pillar to deflect the oncoming bullets. Charging up my hands, the ball grew bigger. When the fire ceased, I immediately threw it towards the drones and took refuge behind the pillar when they exploded. With a loud thump, they were down. I smirked and stood straight before swaying slightly as my vision spun.
Blinking a couple times, I felt something wet. Wiping my nose, I noticed the blood. What the hell? I hastily wiped the rest of it off.
Although the drones were down around me, I still had a bad feeling. I crouched next to one and examined it. The drone emitted smoke from where the head used to be. Must have been the electric volts I sent toward it from earlier.
"Megan!" I turned and saw Ms. Potts. "Are you all right?" I stood and walked towards her.
"I'm fine. Tony shot them down before they got me," I lied. She nodded and sighed, not suspecting a thing. "Ms. Potts, it would be best to leave the premises,"
"Not until the park is cleared," I bit my lip.
Suddenly, the arc reactors on the drones started to beep and flash.
My eyes widened.
A scream sounded behind me.
In confusion, I saw Tony whisk her away to safety. My eyes widened as I watched them fly away before staring back at the drones scattered around the area. Uh oh.
The drone in front of me detonated and others sounded off in the distance. I threw my hands up. I know doing that was not a great idea. Curse my natural instincts.
The weird thing was I didn't feel my body obliterate when the explosions went off.
Slightly opening one eye, a sort of force field shrouded me from harm. Before I can marvel at what I had done, a sharp pang inflicted my head. I winced.
I felt my arms start to quiver violently.
My vision started to blur. I rapidly blinked, trying to stay focused.
What's happening to me?
Once the detonations ceased, my legs gave out on me and darkness consumed me.
Author's Note:
Sorry I updated this a day late. I made this one a bit longer than usual to make it up to all of you!
Also, this chapter concludes Iron Man 2! Woo!
It will be a bit AU before I get into The Avengers.
A little surprise will be coming along the way! ;)
So many things happened in this chapter! First, flinging electro balls and now an electro shield? Her powers are advancing quickly. All will be revealed soon.
How did you guys feel about this chapter? Was it too rushed? Too slow? Should I put in more detail? Ideas, compliments and constructive criticisms are all welcome.
Hope to hear from you all soon.
Until next time!
-YoullBeAvenged
