14 August 2013
It turned out that ten a.m. - three p.m. in London - worked for everyone involved, and Tony was surprised when Thor suggested a videoconference.
"Jane uses it quite often," he said, "and I assume you have similar capability."
That was true enough, but Tony balked at letting Barton and Romanoff videoconference in - no sense giving Nick Fury an engraved invitation to something that only concerned him peripherally, if at all.
Instead, he invited Barton and Romanoff to join him, Steve, and Bruce Banner for brunch, which he asked JARVIS to arrange for after the videoconference.
A few minutes before ten, the elevator doors slid open and Clint Barton, codenamed Hawkeye, and Natasha Romanoff, codenamed Black Widow, strode from it toward the conference room where he, Steve, and Bruce already sat.
Behind them, Tony noted with as much amusement as annoyance, emerged Nick Fury, his bald head gleaming under the overhead light and his black leather duster incongruous among the casual clothes the rest of them wore.
Tony nodded at Barton and Romanoff, then scowled at Fury. "Don't remember inviting you, Nicky."
"You invited all the Avengers," Fury replied. "Whatever concerns them, concerns me."
"That's up for debate," Tony shot back, oddly satisfied when Fury's brow creased. "Whatever the reason, I invited them, not you. I don't like party-crashers."
Fury smiled. "You know I'll find out anyway."
"I knew you'd crash the party." Tony made an exaggerated welcome gesture. "Do come in, uninvited guest, and sit down. Just remember this is not your meeting, and you are not in charge."
Fury swept past him and took a seat at the foot of the table. Tony turned toward the television monitor that displayed Thor's ridiculously handsome face at several times actual size.
"You heard that, right?" Tony asked.
"Aye," Thor said. "Though I am uncertain why it's important."
"You will be," Tony assured him and turned so that he could address the entire room. "As acting chairman of the Avengers, I call this meeting to order. And before you ask why me - it's because we don't have an official structure yet, and this meeting is to discuss that very thing."
Barton frowned. "I thought you were going to introduce us to your son."
"Eventually," Tony said, resolved never to let Nick Fury anywhere near Harry. "But there are other things to deal with first. Such as - who do the Avengers report to?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury responded immediately.
"Why?" Tony shot back, and was surprised when the answer didn't come from Fury himself.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. brought us together," Romanoff said. "They were the only ones to see the need for a group like ours."
"Right, I get that," Tony said. "And it even made sense when nobody knew what the threat was. But we know now. Everybody knows now. So why should the Avengers report to what is, essentially, an American spy organization when our mission is worldwide?"
"Worldwide?" Banner asked, one eyebrow lifting.
"Unless you think the Chitauri would've stopped with New York." Tony turned to the monitor. "Would they have stopped with New York?"
"No." There was no arguing with that regal tone, and Tony reminded himself that Thor was a prince of Asgard. "They would have spread across the world. New York was simply their foothold."
"Right. So, given that condition, why should the Avengers only be American?"
"We're the leader of the free world," Barton said.
"Are we?" Tony replied. "I mean, maybe - but, JARVIS? Who are the current member nations of the United Nations Security Council?"
"In addition to the permanent members- which are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States," JARVIS said, and Tony was glad for that because it was possible Steve didn't know about the U.N. yet, "as of the October 18, 2012, election, Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Germany, India, Luxembourg, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa, and South Korea are non-permanent members."
"Of those," Tony said, "who does the U.S. have formal treaties with?"
"NATO nations France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, and Portugal. There are also defense or security treaties with Australia and South Korea."
"That's half," Tony said. He considered that for a moment. "Okay, so leader of the free world, if technically. But we can't ignore that our two greatest enemies, China and Russia, have permanent seats."
"Why does it matter?" Romanoff asked. "We're all humans – Earthlings."
"Because I'd thought the Avengers could report to them," Tony said. "I'm not sure I'm copacetic with that idea now."
"The World Security Council," Fury began.
"-shot a nuke at New York," Tony snapped. "Like hell we'll report to them."
"Do we have to report to anybody?" Steve asked, and all eyes turned to him. He shifted, obviously a bit uncomfortable at the attention, but he didn't flinch away. "Don't Good Samaritan laws protect us?"
"That's … a good question," Tony admitted. "In the U.S., almost certainly. Elsewhere … JARVIS?"
"Very few countries have codified Good Samaritan laws," JARVIS replied. "It would be inadvisable to rely on that strategy at this time."
"Still, it's something to think about," Steve said. "Maybe we can all do a bit of research and talk about it again at the next meeting?"
"There'll be a next meeting?" Banner sounded surprised.
"Why wouldn't there be?" Steve countered. "We worked together well enough in May, but if we're going to be more than an ad hoc team, we should train and practice together sometimes."
"Like the National Guard," Barton said. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"Along those lines." Tony turned to Steve. "You should go to officer school."
Steve blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because you're the only one of us who has actual combat experience and the strategic ability to go with it," Tony said. Steve started to object, but Tony held up a hand. "A lot of people think that the captain in Captain America is purely honorary, but you got a brevet promotion during the war. You were actually doing the work, and if you hadn't gone into the ice, the promotion would likely have been confirmed after the war."
"I don't know-" Steve began.
"I do know. Aunt Peggy told me Colonel Phillips was going to recommend it."
"That's-" Steve blew out a breath. "I'm honored, of course." Then his brows came together. "So you want me to lead the Avengers full time?"
"I want you to be the combat leader," Tony corrected. "We'll need an administrative manager and a P.R. person, but when it comes to actual fighting? You're the man."
"And just how will you pay for all this?" Fury asked. "S.H.I.E.L. prepared to fund Avengers operations."
"What part of the discussion we just had weren't you paying attention to?" Tony asked. "And what possible justification could the Avengers have for being part of a spy organization? That's hardly going to inspire others to trust us. We'll need that trust going forward."
Fury looked past him to the screen. "You've been awfully quiet, Thor."
Thor raised an eyebrow at him. "These discussions are beyond my purview, as I am not a citizen of Earth, nor any country of Earth," he said, then frowned. "Though I am residing here for an indeterminate time. I suppose I should speak with someone about my legal status."
"Surely you have an opinion about the Avengers and who they should report to," Fury pressed. Tony sat back to watch the show.
"As I said, I am not a citizen of Earth," Thor said, looking a bit irked at having to repeat himself. "I have no knowledge of the legalities involved, but will follow whatever rules are necessary, unless protecting Earth requires violating them."
Fury looked disappointed, if not completely angry, at that answer. Tony carefully hid his satisfaction.
"Right, so. Things to look into and think about," he said. "Everyone good with that?"
"There's still the matter of paying for it," Banner pointed out.
"True," Tony said. "SI has an unused warehouse complex upstate that I'll ask Pepper to deed to the Avengers. Or donate it, or whatever. Beyond that, it's a matter for whoever we ultimately report to."
"You're not going to fund it all yourself?" Fury asked.
"Why should I?" Tony countered. "I fund Iron Man, because I am Iron Man. Why should I fund the Avengers, too?"
"You fund his work," Romanoff said, nodding toward Banner.
"Brucie-bear has laboratory space and an apartment in the building," Tony said, "but he's agreed to give SI a portion of the profits from anything he develops in exchange. It's a fair trade barter situation. What are the Avengers offering?"
There was silence from the table, though, to be fair, everyone except Nick Fury looked like they were considering the question.
"Things to think about," Tony said again when the silence started to feel oppressive. "We'll discuss it again in, say, two weeks?"
"Who put you in charge?" Romanoff asked.
"I don't want to be," Tony shot back. "But somebody has to, and we've already discussed why it shouldn't be him." He pointed to Fury in case anyone doubted who he meant.
"We need bylaws," Barton said suddenly. "And probably other documents, too, but at least those, if we're going to be an official organization."
"Should we be?" Banner asked.
"I think we should," Tony said. "But that's something we decide as a group after we have enough information to actually make a decision that's not just wishful thinking."
"Agreed," Steve said. Banner echoed him, then Thor, then Barton and, finally, Romanoff.
"Okay, then." Tony fixed his gaze on Fury. "While we - or at least, I am willing to consider a proposal for the Avengers to operate under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rubric - absent any involvement by the World Security Council - until such time as that is officially decided, you have no reason to be here, Director."
"He wasn't invited in the first place," Steve murmured, just loud enough that Tony thought he intended to be overheard.
With a glare and a scowl, Fury rose and strode from the room.
The door closed behind him, and Tony said, "Scan, please, JARVIS."
Only a few seconds later, JARVIS said, "I detect an electronic anomaly where Director Fury sat."
"Bug?" Tony asked as he made his way down the table to Fury's now-empty chair.
"Most likely."
A look under the table, assisted by the flashlight app on his phone, revealed a tiny spot of black against the maple conference table. If Tony hadn't known to look for it, he would never have found it.
He scraped it off the table with his thumbnail, turned off the flashlight app with his free hand and shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, staring at the black spot on his thumbnail the whole time.
"Really, Nicky?" he said. "Be thankful I'm not actively pissed at you – surveilling a citizen without a warrant is a bad look."
Glancing around for someplace to put the microdot transmitter, he settled on the water boiler at the coffee station.
"Anybody drink tea?" he asked as he started toward the brunch spread.
"Harry does," Steve pointed out.
"Eh - he probably already has some," Tony replied. He wrapped the microdot in a napkin, removed the lid from the boiler, and shoved the napkin down into the water, hissing a little as his fingertips touched the hot water inside.
He replaced the lid on the boiler and grabbed another napkin to dry his fingers as he turned back to the others at the table.
Briefly, he considered reminding Barton and Romanoff that this was an Avengers meeting, not a S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting, but discarded the idea. He'd have JARVIS sweep the room again after they left.
And, if there were more listening devices, seriously reconsider keeping them in the Avengers.
But that was a problem for later. For now, he took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"Do we get to meet your son?" Barton asked, and his tone was simply curiosity without a hint of demand.
"Yeah, in a few," Tony said. "But first, you need to know something - something big. I'm taking a risk telling you, so I want your word that you'll keep it secret. Not even Fury gets to know if he doesn't already."
That made Romanoff and, to a lesser extent, Barton shift uncomfortably.
"If you can't promise that, you should go now." Tony kept his tone even.
"Why shouldn't Fury know?" Banner asked.
"For the same reason you don't know, and I didn't know until Harry came into my life," Tony replied. "It's bigger than any of us. And the people keeping the secret…I'm not sure I trust them."
"Neither am I," Steve put in, and Tony thought he shouldn't be offended that Captain America's agreement should make the others sit up just a little straighter.
"Who are these people, Friend Stark?" Thor asked.
"That's going to take a bit of explaining," Tony said. "But let's start with the proof, first. JARVIS, the footage from Diagon Alley, please."
The room dimmed, and the footage he'd recorded during his visit to Diagon Alley filled the screen.
"This is Diagon Alley, located off Charing Cross Road in London," Tony said by way of explanation.
The others were silent as the footage played, except for the quiet tapping of, presumably, fingers on cell phone keys.
"I'm not finding an alley by that name," Romanoff said. "Off Charing Cross Road or anywhere else in London."
"Because it's hidden," Tony replied. "Only certain people can find it."
"What people?" Banner asked.
"Magical ones."
Tony watched the other Avengers' reactions. Steve, of course, already knew about it - and was apparently a special case and able to see magic without actually having magic himself. Thor simply nodded. Banner and Romanoff both looked skeptical - Banner more than Romanoff. Barton, though - Barton remained completely neutral.
"Magic," Banner said, and Tony was impressed by the sheer amount of sarcasm in the word. "Really?"
"Really," Steve said. "I worked with some wizards during the war."
"But that's crazy! Magic doesn't exist!" Banner looked both offended and horrified.
"Sufficiently advanced technology," Tony murmured even as Thor said, "Magic and science are one and the same."
"So why the secret?" Romanoff asked.
"Short version? They got scared back in the days of witch trials and retreated into their own world," Tony said. "They have laws about keeping their existence secret from the rest of us."
"So how do you know?" Banner asked.
"There's an exception for immediate family. Harry's a wizard."
And, wow. Tony would have to have JARVIS print out a still of their expressions - Banner's and Romanoff's, at any rate. Barton and Thor just nodded.
"Why are you telling us?" Barton asked.
"Because if you're going to be around, you'll probably see some things that, technically, you shouldn't. Not least of which is Harry's house elf."
"House elf?" Four voices chorused.
"Magical being, works for us, does housekeeping and such." Tony waved that away. "He's still in England with Harry's godfather, but will be joining us as soon as a few things are taken care of over there."
Both Banner and Romanoff looked ready to burst with questions. Tony pre-empted them by saying, "JARVIS, ask Harry to join us, will you?"
"Of course, Sir."
HP - IM - HP - IM – HP
Harry stood in the elevator, hesitant. JARVIS would keep the doors open for a little while, though not forever, especially as what awaited him wasn't really that terrifying - just the Avengers.
Right. Just the Avengers - Thor, the Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk. He'd heard about how they fought back an alien invasion in May, and then he'd met Iron Man - who was his dad, and how brilliant was that? - and Captain America last month, so it really shouldn't be that terrifying to meet them in person. Really.
"Gryffindor courage," he muttered and stepped off the elevator.
That single step brought him in sight of the conference room. Through the glass wall of the conference room, he saw his dad and Uncle Steve at one end of the table - by default, he supposed, the head of the table - and behind them, Thor's face filled a large telly screen. Hawkeye, Black Widow, and a dark-haired man Harry didn't recognize also sat at the conference table.
Harry counted himself fortunate that he was already starting for the door to the conference room when his father looked up and grinned at him.
He pulled open the door. "JARVIS said you wanted to see me?"
"More they-" Dad waved a hand at the people Harry hadn't met "do. Not that I don't want to see you, but I just saw you this morning. Harry Potter, meet Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and Thor."
"Pleasure." Harry nodded to each one in turn, hesitating when he finally faced Thor on the telly. "Forgive me, sir, but are you Thor, the god of thunder?"
Thor laughed, not unkindly. "Aye, I have been called such by Midgardians-"
"He means Earthlings," Dad put in.
"But I would never claim to be a god," Thor finished as though Dad hadn't spoken. "Though I do have an affinity for thunder and lightning."
"Brilliant," Harry said, and it was.
"Tony says you can do magic," Bruce Banner said. "Will you show us some?"
"Um." Harry felt his face heating. "I don't know if I can. I'm not - I mean, in Britain I wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school. There's a trace on my wand so they know if I do."
Dad grimaced. "I forgot to ask your Defense tutor about that. J, will you contact DiNozzo about the American rules? And we need a Bear for the US - someone in the New York office who scored well on the quiz."
"Yes, Sir," JARVIS answered.
Dad didn't bother to answer the questions Harry could see on the others' faces. "Demonstrations will have to wait until later, sorry. The point is, you need to know who Harry is and Harry needs to know who you are. Security precaution all around."
"Right," Harry said. "Only … I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know who you are," he finished, looking at the man Dad had introduced as Bruce Banner.
"Oh." The man offered him a somewhat sheepish smile. "You wouldn't recognize me like this. I … turn big and green."
Harry understood. "You turn into Hulk? That's so cool! My godfather only turns into a dog."
Banner blinked and Harry wondered if he'd embarrassed the man somehow. Fortunately, Dad laughed and that broke the sudden tension.
"Can't wait to see his face when we tell him he's been outclassed by a giant green rage monster," Dad muttered. Then he looked up at Harry again. "So I'll get all of their-" a jerk of his head indicated the Avengers, even Thor "-contact information in your phone. If you can't get me, or JARVIS, or Steve and it's an emergency, any one of them will be there for you."
"We will?" Banner asked.
Barton glared at him. "Of course we will." Then he met Harry's gaze. "Tasha and I are often away for our job, but we'll do whatever we can if you need help."
"And I reside in London," Thor boomed from the telly. "Though you speak like one who has lived here, too?"
"Surrey, actually," Harry said. "Southwest of London a bit."
"Ah." Thor nodded. "Be assured, Son of Stark, I will respond if ever you call."
Harry offered a smile, first to Thor and then to the others. "Thanks, everyone. And, well, it's not much, but if there's another alien invasion, I'll help you fight it back, underage magic be damned."
"Language," Dad, Uncle Steve and, surprisingly, Barton chorused.
"Sorry," Harry muttered, but Natasha Romanoff was smiling in a way that made Harry think she was proud of him.
"Look," Banner said, "I don't mean any disrespect, but … you're a kid."
Without conscious thought, Harry straightened. "Evil doesn't care how old people are, or else a vicious dark wizard wouldn't have tried to kill me when I was fifteen months old. Or when I was eleven years old, or even last year."
Uncle Steve cleared his throat and Harry looked at him. "Dr. Banner is right that children shouldn't have to fight battles like that, and Harry's right that evil doesn't care about its victims, and sometimes you have to fight back, however old you are."
His words made the others shift uncomfortably, except for Dad, of course, and Thor, who nodded sagely.
Uncle Steve took a sip of water before continuing. "I fought beside wizards during the war, and they're very powerful, even as young as Harry is. I'd welcome any of their assistance against any future invasion, and-" he took a breath and let it out, and Harry felt himself leaning in, just a little, eager to hear what he might say next. "And, if we're ever invaded again, I'll gladly fight beside a wizard."
HP - IM - HP - IM – HP
When only he, Steve, and Harry remained in the room and the monitor had gone dark, Tony looked at Harry.
"There's one more thing to talk about today," he said.
"What?" Harry asked, breaking an oversize chocolate chip cookie in half as he did.
Tony supposed he should be telling his son to avoid too much sugar, but that was a battle for another day. Today's battle would likely be hard enough.
"Do you know what a transponder is?"
Harry shook his head.
"In simple terms, it sends out a signal that can be traced."
"Oh, like a tracking charm?"
Based on the similarity of the term, Tony nodded. "Sure, why not. The point is, if you're ever kidnapped, JARVIS can trace the signal from your transponder and I can come get you."
"We," Steve put in, speaking up for the first time since the other Avengers had gone. Tony had almost forgotten he was there. "The Avengers can come get you."
Harry was frowning. "You think I could be kidnapped?"
Tony shrugged. "I was. Took three months for me to escape."
"And making the first Iron Man armor," Steve added.
"They looked for me," Tony said, "but Afghanistan is … difficult terrain. They couldn't devote the resources to finding me. A transponder would've made the job easier."
"Do you have one now?" Harry asked.
"Yep."
"Then I'll have one, too. Um - what does it look like?"
Tony blinked, surprised by the question. "Does it matter?"
"Well, won't the bad guys know to take it off?"
"It's very small, almost microscopic," Tony said. "It'll be injected under your skin. Nobody will be able to tell it's there."
"Really?" Harry's surprised expression reminded Tony that the boy had been removed from regular schooling before he got to high school science. That was another thing on Tony's ever-growing parental to-do list.
"Really," Tony assured him. "It'll be administered with your vaccines."
Harry made a face. "I don't like getting shots."
"Nobody does, kiddo," Tony replied. "We just endure it because we have to. After that, there's more paperwork we have to get started for you - citizenship, bank accounts, that sort of thing."
Harry's expression turned even more dejected. "I guess I might as well get all the unpleasant stuff done."
"That's the spirit," Steve said with a smile.
"And then tomorrow," Tony said, "you can sightsee with Hermione and her folks."
Harry perked up at that. Tony counted it a win.