KellHound270s Work
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And here's yet another chapter of Earth's Mightiest Defender! A lot of you like it right now, so I'll give you the next chapter while I have time.
Enjoy, and please RR!
—
Chapter I
Manhattan, New York
Tony Stark was welding a part of his new suit when he heard the jingle of the door bell. J.A.R.V.I.S. was kind enough to provide him with a live view of his visitor. He recognized them from the long, red hair.
He got up slowly (his body wasn't getting any younger), and walked to the door, where he saw a familiar face.
"Agent Romanoff," he greeted, allowing her into his not-so-humble abode.
She smiled politely and walked in, her stride signifying that she was here on business.
"I need a favor," she said, standing in the middle of the room.
"Easy, Black Widow. I'm taken." Tony held his hands up in a defensive manner.
"Very funny."
The billionaire superhero smiled and lowered his hands. He walked over to the nearby bar and poured himself a tonic.
"Want a drink?"
"No, thanks. I won't be here long."
"Suit yourself." He walked over to where the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was. "What do you need?"
The Widow handed him a small USB drive. It was very unremarkable.
"This drive contains several thousand lines of encrypted information," she explained. "I downloaded it when I saw that it was addressed to Fury."
"Don't you have a decrypter of your own?"
"This data contains a program that renders any unauthorized decrypter useless. I've tried multiple times, but the only thing I got out of it is that it's classified."
"So why are you so insistent on figuring out what it means?"
"Fury told me that he had a mission for me in Japan. I asked him what the mission was, and he said that it was strictly need-to-know. I accessed his email and downloaded a copy of his latest email from Monarch, but couldn't decrypt it. If there's one thing I hate, it's being kept in the dark about important information."
"Monarch? Isn't that the environmentalist organization that researches the effects of radiation on wildlife?"
"That's what they say they are. But why would they send Fury an encrypted message with a protective program attached?"
Tony thought it over. He knew that there were several conspiracy theories that Monarch actually studied unknown species that were kept secret from the general populace.
But that's all they were. Theories. Nothing credible.
"I'll take a look at it." He placed the USB on the nearby table. "You flying out for your mission today?"
"Yep. Me and Clint. He's been itching to get back into the action lately."
"Well, don't let me hold you up. I'll email you the results when I'm finished."
"OK. Thank you, Tony."
"No problem."
The Black Widow proceeded to walk out. When she was gone, Tony turned to the table and nearly hopped in excitement.
"Finally! Something good!" he almost shouted.
"I take it that you intend to decode the email today?" J.A.R.V.I.S. inquired.
"You know me too well, J.A.R.V.I.S. Let's have some fun."
—
Four Hours Later
Tony Stark was pacing around the room. While J.A.R.V.I.S. was breaking down the protective program's barriers, Tony took the liberty to research Monarch and their outpost in Japan.
He discovered that the organization started in 1954, the first time a nuclear submarine traversed the depths of the ocean. Monarch was created by Eiji Serizawa, a well-renowned biologist in the scientific community. The organization was currently under the supervision of Ishirō Serizawa, his son.
The Monarch outpost in Japan was discovered to be in Janjira, the old site of a nuclear power plant meltdown. They were given permission to establish their base there, even though the entire city was still under quarantine.
What didn't add up was the mysterious encrypted message. Why would an organization from the United Nations be so secretive?
"I have destroyed the program, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced. "I am now running decryption."
"How long should that take?"
"Unknown, sir. This message is encrypted in so many ways in so many languages. Monarch was certainly not taking any chances."
"OK. Do your best, buddy."
Tony then set up an alert for anything regarding Janjira. If something happened, he wanted to know about it.
In the meantime, he went back to the bar. He admitted that he had a thing for alcohol, but he frequently went to a doctor to confirm that he wasn't over-drinking.
He poured himself some scotch. He had every kind of alcohol in his cupboards, even moonshine. Each liquor was for a different mood.
Right now, his curiosity was burning. Monarch was just as bad as S.H.I.E.L.D., if not worse.
"Got any left for me?" a feminine voice rang out.
Tony turned to see a blond woman walk into the room. She wore a very modest dress, with a skirt that went just above her knees. Her smile, however, left little to the imagination.
"Ah. Pepper Potts," Tony greeted, raising his glass. "How was the conference?"
"Boring as hell." She kissed him on the cheek as she passed him, placing her heavy bag on the countertop. "But it was worth it, because I got the deed for the property in the country!"
"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" He grasped her waist and kissed her. "You think the team will like it?"
"I think so." She walked to the other end of the counter to grab a shot glass. "Hello, J.A.R.V.I.S."
"Hello, Miss Potts."
Pepper walked back to Tony, holding her glass as he poured some scotch into it. He raised his own glass to hers.
"To Miss Pepper Potts, the best woman I've ever met," he toasted.
"To Mr. Tony Stark, the greatest wisecrack I've ever dated," she returned.
"Cheers." The couple downed their scotch in one second.
"Oh, that burns." Pepper coughed. "How old is that stuff?"
Tony picked up the bottle and read the label.
"1921? This crap's old as Cap."
"You should save that for the next time he's here." She proceeded to walk away. "I'm gonna take a shower."
"Mind if I join you?"
Pepper only smirked as she left the room. Once she was gone, a soft beep was heard.
"What was that, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
"It appears your Janjira alert has gone off."
"I'll take a look."
He picked up his smartphone, which had an announcement about an arrest made in Japan.
American tourist Joseph Brody has been arrested today for breaking into the Janjira quarantine zone, the article read. Although this is his first offense, he is no stranger to the community of conspiracy theories surrounding Janjira and the involvement of Monarch, the secretive United Nations organization.
"Joseph Brody? Have I heard that name before?" Tony wondered, entering the name into the special search engine he made for himself.
Apparently, Joseph Brody was a survivor of the Janjira disaster, along with his son, Ford. His wife, Sandra, was killed when she attempted to rescue her coworkers in the reactor level.
Tony didn't know what it was like to lose his wife and child, but he could still somehow relate, because he lost his parents. He sympathized with Brody, more than he ever did.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., when will the decryption be done?" he asked.
"Approximately eight hours," the AI program replied. "Sorry I can't go any faster. This code is remarkably well-encrypted."
"It's fine, buddy. Take all the time you need." Tony put the scotch back into the cupboard, replacing it with vodka. "Because tomorrow, we're going to Japan."