Chapter 11
"I don't owe you anything," Fury uttered and frowned at the crowd that was gathering outside his store. He quickly left his spot behind the counter, flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED and drew the blinds. "I'm going to have to move again because of you," Fury muttered and then asked "What do you want Stark?"
"Your cooperation of course," Tony said as he leaned against the display case casually. "As I said you owe me. Also you're getting a bit…." He made a motion towards Fury's middle.
"Don't you dare say it Stark, the pies here are addictive." The man muttered as he ran a hand across his face before facing the billionaire again and asking "Just why do you think I owe you."
"Come on Fury, isn't it obvious. You screwed over an organization as big as SHIELD and you don't think people would want revenge?" Tony cocked a brow. "You may have been declared dead but the agents you left to rot after the data dump know better. Hill for instance wants to punch you in your good eye just because you left her with cleanup duty. If it wasn't for me hiding your electronic trail then you wouldn't have this cozy lifestyle of building dioramas."
Then Tony's gaze narrowed and got harder. "There's also the fact that SHIELD covered up my parents' murder and oh so conveniently forgot to tell me about it."
"We didn'-" Fury was saying but Tony held a hand up effectively silencing the man.
"Cut the bullcrap Fury. I've seen the coroner and police reports SHIELD hid. Missing security feed, broken security camera, secondary tire tracks around the crash site, injuries inconsistent with a car crash!" Tony's hand slammed onto the glass display case and a small crack could be heard causing even Vision to jump. "You may not have been SHIELD director at that time but you sure as hell were the agent in charge of covering it up! Rodgers hid the truth from me for two years but you hid it for two decades. So me hiding your ass from Hill and the other agents and their families you screwed over is minor. I know you're collecting funding for a new SHIELD. I could easily put a wrench in your plans. For years I blamed Howard for my mother's death and it's a freaking terrorist who showed me the truth and a brainwashed soldier who admits to it and looked ready to die at my hand than the organization I worked for and partially funded as well as the friend I thought would watch my back." Tony was heaving now and Vision had worriedly floated closer, rubbing his back in soothing circles.
Fury sat down on a nearby stool with a sigh. "The coverup wasn't my idea and the NDA pertaining to it is still in effect, but hell, what do I have to lose now," He looked Tony in the eye and uttered "Director Carson initiated the coverup. I was only following orders but that hardly puts the blame not on me as well. After Dr. Pym left SHIELD Carson was more frantic about keeping certain research behind closed doors. Peggy Carter certainly didn't know what he was up to or she'd have tossed him out of a window,"
"That does sound like my godmother," Tony muttered quietly.
"Your father had been working on recreating the Super Soldier serum used in Project Rebirth and he believed he had perfected the formula. Carson wanted to start human testing trials immediately but your father refused. It is my personal speculation at this point but your father seemed to have been taking the serum to dispose of it. He wouldn't agree to human testing. The fact that Hydra even knew about the serum is suspicious. Only a handful of people knew. Mostly high-ranking."
"You're thinking Director Carson or someone close to him was Hydra," Tony paused and Fury nodded.
"It's the only way they would have even known that Howard completed the serum." Fury stated. "I've had my suspicions but Carson ordered the whole coverup. His reason being that they already lost one of SHIELD's founders. The murder of another would have a profound impact."
Tony was silent as he processed it all. Finally Fury asked "So what do you really want? You didn't just come out here to have a chat with me."
"I want the files you have on every candidate for the Avengers program," Tony admitted. "There's no way you just chose us. There had to be people that also qualified but were ultimately rejected."
"What makes you think there are any?" Fury questioned.
Tony raised a brow and muttered "Your super secret boyband doesn't get A-listers without going through auditions. I want those files."
"Oh my god, you're making a new Avengers team," Fury suddenly realized.
"Yeah I am. You got a problem with that?" Tony questioned. "The Accords council is looking to pardon the Rogues even after all the death and destruction they caused. I can understand pardoning Barnes as there were extenuating circumstances but the others were in their right mind and stubborn as mules."
Fury sighed but then walked into a backroom marked 'Employees only' with a grim expression without a word. He emerged minutes later with a USB hard drive. "Stark, don't let that trickster influence you so much," he added after handing over the drive.
"How do you know about Loki?" Tony frowned. "You still got connections to the Accords council huh? They were the only ones I told."
"I'm just saying to take his advice with a grain of salt." Fury muttered as he didn't deny his still active political ties.
"So I shouldn't believe that the big bad purple space threat got eaten by a Flerken?" Tony questioned.
"No, that I'd believe," Was Fury's answer.
"Do you even know what a Flerken is?" Tony questioned.
"Space cat with tentacles. You gotta love them," Fury smirked as he saw Stark groan.
"Does everyone know what a Flerken is besides me?!" The genius muttered.
"I have no such creature in my database Sir if that sets your mind at ease." Vision stated.
"Word of warning Stark," Fury said as he caught the man's attention. "The people on that list. They are either a myth or a liability. You better choose wisely."
"How worse can they be Fury?" Tony shrugged. "I've been used as a cash cow, got looked at with distrust, been betrayed and abandoned. Remember; Ironman: yes, Tony Stark: no. I wasn't on your list of suitable prospects either." Tony shot back.
He and Vision left the shop only to be met with a crowd of curious townspeople. Tony got into the armor and they took off without a word. Halfway back to New York Vision spoke up, "Si-Tony, are you alright?"
Tony was about to answer when Friday announced that the Quinjet had taken off and was en route to the Compound. "Boss, there may be a slight complication," Friday added. "Miss Potts has already been made aware of it and is driving up to the facility as we speak."
"What complication?" Tony asked with a frown.
"While Sergeant Barnes and the children did indeed board the jet he is currently not the one flying. I had to take over as the pilot. The Sergeant seems to be having a panic attack and remains unresponsive." The AI supplied and Tony let out a small curse. "And Pepper knew this and she's going without backup?!" Tony didn't think the Winter Soldier would intentionally hurt Pepper but he knew what panic attacks could cause.
"Ms. Potts had been having a meeting with Ms. van Dyne when I alerted her. Ms. van Dyne has elected to accompany Ms. Potts to the location." Friday supplied causing Tony to blink. He hadn't heard from Hope for years. Not after her father forbade the two from being friends.
While he was glad that Hope was going with Pepper it might not be enough backup if a Super Soldier decided to lash out. He ordered Friday to contact Underoos while he told Vision that they were making a detour to the compound. Hopefully he could convince Pepper to be more cautious.