Chapter 8
By the time the first decade of the new millennia was coming to an end, Toni Stark had earned many names to describe her and her successes. The Merchant of Death. A Genius. A Playgirl. And now apparently the winner of the Apogee award that year.
She knew she should be thrilled; not many women won that award and just the fact that she had been nominated should have been enough. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough that she was on the verge of entering her second decade of being a CEO of a company and people still looked at her in shock whenever she came out with any new products. Like they were still surprised that her technology that was so amazingly brilliant could have come from her.
Her company was leading the market for the best phones, laptops, personal computers, music players, and any other technology she could think of. Her weapons had a 100% success rate because she refused to accept anything less. If there was a single faulty unit, she would destroy it, as the safety of her country was far more important than the thousands of bucks it would cost to remake a unit.
She knew Obie didn't agree; it was in poor business practice, and it wasn't even necessary for their bombs to be that functional. Hammer Industries got away with worse. But she refused to be like him. She refused to give anyone any reasons to doubt her. Not when she had fought her entire life against sexism like that.
"Just accept the award, Toni," Obie said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows you deserve the award. Yes, perhaps you should have been considered for it far sooner than you were, but you're getting this this year. The press we're going to get from this will rise our stocks, so just show up and accept it with grace."
"I was going to," she said with a roll of her eyes, "I never argued against that Obie. Just that it's ridiculous that they're making a big production out of this. You know it's because of the outcry of the lack of women receiving the award that they got last year, right? That's the only reason they're bothering giving it to me."
"Just be there by eight," Obie said, clearly not caring what she was saying, as he moved to leave the room. "Don't be late, Antonia."
She sighed, watching him leave her office. Despite what the press thought about her, she did know how to balance work and play. And she had no intention of missing the awards. Not when it was so rare for a woman to even be considered for such a thing.
So she dressed up in the outfit Pepper had selected for her, and sat in the limo on the way to Ceasars Palace as Pepper handed her the notes she had written out for her to say during the ceremony. Her hair was tied up in an updo that had taken far too long for her to do, and her dress was maroon and flowing. She knew the press would expect to see her in something short and tight, but she did know how to dress appropriately, despite what they might think of her.
"I'm going to go to the casino for a bit," she murmured to Pepper, "Have a drink and relax my nerves. I always hate giving speeches to the masses, no matter how many times I've done it before. I'll meet you inside?"
"Fine," Pepper said, as Happy helped her out of the car, "Just try and be there twenty minutes before you're due on stage. That way we can touch up your makeup and make sure you're ready for your entrance"
She simply nodded, as she put her phone into her purse, ready to face the public. She waved towards the paparazzi that had already started gathering in front of the building, smiling, as she ignored their questions about whether it was true or not that she was currently dating both the newest Victoria Secret Angel and the Striker on the British Football team.
She posed for a few pictures, before Happy helped her into the building, stopping anyone who tried to get too close to her.
"Thanks, Hap," she told him with a smile, and he nodded at her. It didn't matter how long he had worked for her, his firm demeanour stayed. She knew he cared about her from his odd smiles when he thought she wasn't looking, and she was perfectly fine not pushing him out of his comfort zone.
As she entered the casino, she immediately got a glass of whiskey from a waitress walking by with a tray and she headed over towards the Roulette table.
As a mathematician, she loved the uncertainty of the game. The probability the ball would land on a certain number or colour gave her thrill as she watched the wheel spin. Probably because she had so little control over everything else in her life, that it was nice to be able to let go and let fate take the wheel every once in a while. She may not believe in outside forces controlling her life, but it was nice to pretend sometimes.
She watched as the wheel spun around, landing on red, and she grinned as she gathered up the chips from her win. The calculations were enticing, as she quickly calculated the odds of it landing on certain colours once more, and she made her bet.
The time flew around her and the stack of chips around her began to grow as did the crowd watching, and she lost herself to the game.
It was only when her phone began to ring that she pulled away from the game for a moment.
"Pepper?" she said, frowning at her phone as she checked the time.
"Toni, where are you? The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes," Pepper said frantically from the other side. "You said you'd be here by now."
"It's only 6:45," Toni said, sounding confused, "I thought it started at eight?"
"It starts at seven!" Pepper said quickly, cutting her off, "Who said eight? Never mind, it doesn't matter now. Just get here, Toni. Otherwise a lot of people are going to look embarrassed on stage."
She ended the call as she stood, "Sorry boys," she said to the group gathered around her, "Looks like I have to go. You there," she said, calling out the young waitress who had given her the whiskey earlier. "I don't exactly have pockets in this dress, and apparently I don't have time to deal with this either, so how about you take these chips off my hands and do something useful with the money?"
"Miss Stark that's nearly 3 million dollars," The girl spluttered, looking at her like she was insane.
"I am aware," Toni said coolly, "But I have an award to go collect, and I hardly need the money, do I?"
"Thank you!" she said as she looked dazed, "I-just, thank you, this means a lot to me. I could pay for my entire tuition."
"Use it well," she winked, as she gathered her purse and walked to ballroom where she was being honoured."
"There you are!" Pepper said as Rhodey stood stage while a reel of her life played on screen. "Quick let's get you ready."
She watched as Rhodey spoke about their friendship, as Pepper touched up her lipstick.
"I've known Toni Stark since we were both at MIT, and have been her friend for many years now," Rhodey said to the audience, "As Program Manager and Liaison to Stark Industries, I've had the honour of working with her first hand throughout the years, a real patriot who has served her country and dedicated her life toward protecting the troops on the front lines. She's a brilliant mind, and innovator, a great friend, mentor, and a compassionate person who has always been there for her friends and country. It is my great honour to present the 2008 to Apogee Award to Toni Stark!"
She could hear the applause and she plastered on a smile as she made her way onstage. Rhodey looked visibly relieved to see her, and she wondered how such a mix up even could have happened. She looked over at Obadiah Stane who seemed slightly surprised by her presence, and she wondered why.
"Thank you," she said, taking the award from Rhodey as she hugged him carefully. The press had already been speculating about their relationship for years, and well, if they wanted to believe she was dating him, nothing she said or did would dissuade them.
"I must say, it is a great honour to be receiving this award today," she told them all, "When I was a young girl, all I wanted to do is make a difference. I wanted to build new things. I wanted to change the world. And well, the world wasn't always welcoming of a young girl trying to change the status quo. I hope that if I can even inspire one person to take a chance on themselves and their dreams, then that would be enough. Thank you for this award, and I hope that I can continue to keep creating and making a difference."
Rhodey clapped and the room quickly followed as she exited the stage.
"Where were you?" Rhodey demanded as soon as they were offstage. "I didn't think you would make it. Do you know how embarrassing that would have been for me if you didn't show?"
"I was told it started at eight," Toni said, eyeing Obie as he came over.
Rhodey frowned at that, as he followed her gaze, "Do you think he deliberately told you the wrong time?" he asked her.
"I don't know," Toni said carefully, "But I do think it was slightly suspicious that he wanted me to be there at a certain time. And it wasn't even once or twice that he told me. He wanted me to know it started at eight. It was why I thought I had more than enough time to play a few rounds of roulette before this damn thing started."
"Toni," Obie said warmly, "Had a bit too much fun at the casinos?"
"I was told this started at eight, Obie," she reminded him with a laugh. "I guess we both just had a lot going on."
"You must be mistaken," Obie shook his head, "But anyways, you have a PA for this. If anyone should have kept you on track it should have been her. Perhaps if you hired an actual assistant and not just an accountant, you wouldn't have made this mistake."
"Pepper wasn't responsible for this," Toni simply said. "But I have to go, Obie. I have plans tonight."
So she turned and walked out of the room, holding her head held high. Clearly Obie wasn't going to admit to telling her the wrong time, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was embarrassment, or some other horrible reason. But he made it clear she wouldn't find out from him.
"The Board meeting is scheduled for the eleventh," Pepper said, looking through her StarkPad. "Should I tell them to expect an appearance?"
She sighed; it wasn't often she skipped the meetings, but when she was working on something big, she would miss a meeting or two to finish whatever she was working on. And while the Board grumbled about it, whenever she dropped their weapons in front of them their eyes lit up and all was forgiven.
"Miss Stark," she heard a sultry voice call out, "Christine Everheart, Vanity Fair Magazine. Can I ask you a few questions?"
She looked back at Pepper, and her PA nodded, giving her the approval. The last thing she needed was for the press to print anything else bad about her.
"You've been called the Da Vinci of our time," Everheart said, "What do you say about that?"
She laughed, "Ridiculous. I don't paint," she said, brushing off the compliment easily.
"And your other nickname?" Everheart asked, and Toni wondered just which one. "Merchant of Death."
She didn't say anything, "It's not bad," she said, nonchalantly. And upon her cold gaze, Toni continued, "Let me guess, Berkeley?"
"Brown," Everheart said, without dropping her gaze.
"Well Miss Brown, it's an imperfect world and I assure you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start manufacturing bricks and beams to make baby hospitals," Toni rolled her eyes.
It was so easy for reporters like her to forget all the good Toni did. She founded the Maria Stark foundation, for Newton's sake! She basically invented all modern technology. But people like her would only focus on the weapons, without as much as a concern for all the good her weapons could do.
"Rehearse that much, Miss Stark?" Everheart asked, looking unimpressed.
"Every night in front of the mirror," Toni deadpanned.
"I was hoping for a more serious answer," Everheart said, and Toni laughed.
"Here's serious. My old man had a philosophy: peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy," she said, referring to something her father had told her often in her childhood.
"Good line, coming from the woman selling the sticks," Christine retorted.
"My father helped defeat Hitler. He was on the Manhattan Project. He worked on Project Rebirth and helped win the second world war. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, might call that being a hero," she said simply. She might not care for her father, but she knew his work had been important; that much she could admit.
"Others might call it war-profiteering," Christine commented.
She smiled instead, having listened to comments like this her entire life "Tell me: do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology? Or kept from starving with our Intelicrops? All were breakthroughs spawned from, that's right, military funding," she said, finally growing tired of this conversation.
"Wow. You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" Christine asked, but with far less bite than before, clearly having heard her words.
And in that split second, she made a decision, "I'd love to lose a few hours of sleep with you," she said, winking, and Christine gaped after her, as Happy pulled the limo around. And when Toni held the door open to her, Christine simply scampered in after her.
When she woke up the next morning, her bed was cold and empty, and she wondered just how long it had been since Christine had left. She sighed to herself as she wrapped her sheets around herself, standing, as she moved to get ready for the day.
"JARVIS, what time is it?" she asked, as she pulled on some leggings and one of Rhodey's MIT sweaters before moving to make some coffee.
"It currently is seven am, Ms Stark," JARVIS responded, "Miss Everheart left an hour ago, as Miss Potts showed her kindly to the door."
She groaned, as she all but inhaled the coffee before moving down to the lab to go over the specs of her newest missile before the demonstration.
"You still owe me five minutes," she heard Pepper say as she entered her lab.
"Five? I'll need a bit longer than that-" Toni teased out, as Pepper rolled her eyes and cut her off.
"Focus," Pepper interrupted, "I need to leave on time today."
"You're rushing me. What, you have plans tonight?" Toni frowned mockingly, despite knowing all too well why Pepper needed to leave.
"The MIT commencement. Yes or no?" Pepper said, without looking up from her tablet.
"Maybe," Toni said indecisively, "We still have three months until that. Can't you just hold them off until then?"
"They want an answer, Toni," Pepper said firmly, "I'll tell them 'yes'. You want to buy the Jackson Pollock? He's got another buyer in the wings."
"What's it look like?" she asked, not particularly caring. It was her mother who loved art. Toni just had them up to remind her of her mother through seeing her favourite artists' paintings.
It's a minor work in his later Spring Period, it's ludicrously over-priced-" Pepper started, but Toni interrupted her.
"Buy it," Toni said firmly, and Pepper's phone rang in that moment. She touched her blue-tooth headset, and Toni watched as she grew tense.
"It's Rhodey again. You were supposed to be at the airport by now," Pepper reminded him.
"It's my own plane," Toni said with a shrug, "It's not going to leave without me. Now for the more pressing matters. Happy Birthday, Miss Potts."
"You remembered," Pepper smiled at her, and Toni grinned.
"Did you like the shoes?" Toni beamed at her
"It was very tasteful, very elegant. Thank you, Miss Stark," Pepper told her with a smile as she shook her head.
"You're welcome, Miss Potts," Toni remarked back, as she gathered up her tablet and a few of her things.
"Have a safe trip, Ms Stark," JARVIS said aloud, and Toni blew a kiss towards her ceiling.
"Take care of the kids for me, Jay," she told her baby, "I'll be back before any of you even noticed that I was gone."
"I'll try my best," JARVIS said drily.
"Now," Toni said as she turned to Pepper, "Let's not keep Rhodey Bear waiting for any longer than we have to. He gets cranky if he has to wait more than an hour for me and I don't want to be stuck on the plane with him being an actual sour patch and not just a metaphorical one."
Pepper rolled her eyes at her ridiculous nicknames, but Toni simply beamed at her as she exited her mansion and got into the limo as Happy took her to the airport where Rhodey no doubt would be waiting for her.
Just wait 'til he saw what she had for him; she knew he wouldn't be able to stay mad at her for long.
Needless to say, Rhodey was definitely unimpressed when she showed up late to the airport.
"I've been waiting in the cold for three hours," Rhodey told her, "What the hell took you so long?"
"Car troubles?" Toni tried as she sat across from him on the plane. She took a hot, steamy towel as she warmed up her hands.
"Toni," Rhodey sighed at her.
"Would you like a drink, Miss Stark?" a flight attendant asked her, and Toni grinned.
"Two fingers of Laphroig," she said, turning to Rhodey, "You want one?"
"We're working," Rhodey said, looking at her, unimpressed.
"You should have a drink. We've got a twelve-hour flight ahead of us," she said with a grin.
"It's two in the afternoon," Rhodey shook his head at her.
"It's two in the morning where we're going. C'mon, ten hours bottle to throttle," Toni started and Rhodey groaned.
"Don't start with me," Rhodey sighed.
"Jeez, we're not getting hammered. Just a nightcap. We'll sleep better, arrive fresh. It's the responsible thing to do. I don't know about you, but I want to sell some weapons," Rhodey looked unimpressed, and Toni stopped. "I just need a drink, Rhodey. It's been a long couple of months, years really, and it helps me take the edge off."
"Toni, you don't need alcohol to do that," Rhodey said, taking her hand, "You have us. Just take a break every now and then. You don't need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I do though," she said, smiling at him sadly, "There's so much I need to do, so much that needs to happen. Even with delegating between Ava and Pepper, I still have to carry so much of this weight. If the world thinks for even a second that I'm incapable of handling something, do you know the storm that will ensue?"
"So let something go," Rhodey told her, "If you don't want to carry all these things, let it go. Focus on what makes you happy."
"But the rest of the world will be unhappy the," she said simply. "That's how it is, Kit Kat. Don't worry about me. I've been dealing with this for years. Besides the alcohol helps so who am I to stand in the way of my own successes?"
"Toni," Rhodey told her, "You have us to help you. Who cares if the world is unhappy with what you choose to do? You are under no obligation to keep giving to them. You are under no obligation to help anyone but yourself. You've already made the world a much better place. You've changed the lives of those around you. In the near three decades I've known you, you've changed my life in numerous, unmeasurable ways. You've made the world so much safer and far more advanced than it ever would have gotten without you. I meant what I said last night during the ceremony. You've made my life far more interesting and better. You're my friend and I can't imagine a world without you in it. You are more than just your creations.
She felt her throat close up as she smiled back at Rhodey.
"I love you too, James," she told him, using his real name for once, instead of a ridiculous nickname so he would know just how serious she was. "After losing Jarvis, my parents, and Peggy...I don't know what I would have don't without you in my life. You've been there through some of the worst parts of my life, and I don't know if I could have survived it alone. You and Pepper, you're my family, and I love you too."
"If you want to take a break, you can," Rhodey told her gently. "You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. The world is more than aware of just how capable you are. The world is more than aware of how brilliant and strong you are. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone. After this, the two of us should take a trip somewhere. Just the two of us, okay? No technology or anything. Just the world at our fingertips."
"No technology?" she pouted, looking at him, and he laughed at her.
"Maybe one piece of technology," Rhodey relented, but if I catch you doing any work, I'll throw your phone into the ocean."
She gasped, "How dare you."
"It's not like you can't afford it," he shrugged, "Besides, I know all your stuff is backed up onto the server, so it's not like you'll be losing anything."
"I hate you," she said firmly, and he shook his head.
"You loved me, Antonia," he smirked at her and she gasped.
"That's it, I take it back. We can't be friends anymore. You've betrayed me too much. It's over Rhodey. I never want to see you ever again in my life. Ever."
"Then it's a good thing that you happen to be stuck with me on this plane for a few more hours, isn't it?" he asked her, and she pouted.
"I'm ignoring you. I don't wanna listen to another word you say. And when we get back, I'm telling Mama Rhodes on you and letting her know all the horrible things you've been doing and saying to me," she glared at him.
"How dare you?" he asked her, looking hurt, "You know Mama would take your side over mine any day! My family loves me far more than me, and it's unfair."
"It's cause your family is more than aware that I'm amazing," she said with a grin and Rhodey closed his eyes.
"It's going to be a long flight, isn't it?" he asked her, as he rubbed his temples. "God, please just let this trip end quickly so I can get back to American soil and away from you."
"You could never get rid of me," she beamed, "You would have done so already if you could. Face it Snickerdoodle, it's too late. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not."
He threw his towel at her without opening her eyes, and she burst into laughter.
She stood in front of the crowd, Generals sitting in folding chairs in front of her as she showcased the weapons that she had brought with her to Afghanistan soil. The soldiers patrolled the perimeter as Rhodey stood behind her, watching her demonstration. She knew she probably didn't need to come, but Obie had made it seem like this meeting was far too important for her to do remotely, and she'd found herself half way across the world.
"The age-old question," she started, as their eyes all flitted over to her, "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries' Freedom Line. The first missile to incorporate our proprietary repulse technology. They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far."
She gestured to the Jericho Missile behind her, "Find an excuse to fire off one of these and I personally guarantee you the bad guys are not gonna want to leave their caves."
The missile rose from behind her, as it shot into the sky before breaking of into many smaller missiles. She didn't even need to turn around to know the peaks behind her as she simply raised her hands.
"For your consideration, the Jericho," she said, as her outstretched hands showed off the shock-waves of her design, dusting the Generals in front of her.
She took a drink after from the bar she'd brought with her, as her phone rang, and she picked up the video call to see Obie shirtless on the other side.
The mountains behind his outstretched hands explode.
"Hey, what are you doing up?" she asked her godfather, knowing the time difference made it late in America.
"I couldn't sleep 'til I found out how it went. How'd it go?" Obie asked, shaking the camera.
"It went great. I think it's going to be an early Christmas," she said simply.
"Hey way to go my girl!" Obie grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Why aren't you wearing the pyjamas I got you?" Toni asked him simply, and he shook his head at her.
"Good night, Toni," he said, and Toni hung up, as she got into the Humvee.
"Hey Toni," Rhodey said, as he came to her window.
"I'm sorry, this is the Funvee," she said with a grin, "The Humdrumvee is back there."
"Really?" Rhodey asked her with a sigh, and she beamed at him.
"I know you have some things to discuss with the generals," she told him, "I'll see you back at the base."
Rhodey nodded at her, as he headed off towards the other Humvee. The Humvee took off, driving back towards the base, and she turned on the music from her phone. Rock music began to flow through the vehicle as the other soldiers looked stoically at her.
"I feel like you're driving me towards a court martial," she said, swirling her glass around. "This is crazy. What did I do? I feel like you're going to pull me over and snuff me. What, are you not allowed to talk?"
"We can talk, Ma-am," one of the soldiers said.
"Oh, I see," she grinned, "So it's personal."
"No, you intimidate them," the driving woman said, and Toni beamed.
"You're a woman! Nice to see you taking part in the good old man's club. I love a good woman who knows how to shake things up."
The Humvee burst into laughter, and she felt the mood loosen up.
"I have a question, Ma-am," the soldier in front of her asked, and she nodded at him.
"Please," she gestured.
"Is it true you're twelve for twelve with last year's Maxim cover models?"
"Excellent question," she said, taking off her sunglasses as she grinned, "Yes and no. March and I had a schedule conflict, but, thankfully, the Christmas cover was twins. Anyone else? You, with the hand up."
The mood improved and she took a picture with the soldier beside her, telling him not to raise any gang signs up, and as the photo clicked, she felt the shaking.
The Humvee in front of them erupted into a fireball, and she was flung to the side as the Humvee behind them exploded as well. She screamed as the airmen jumped out of the Humvee, trapping her inside for safety as the shooting began.
The windshield cracked and she let out a gasp as she hid under the seats. She could hear the airmen around her dying, and she screamed out for them, for Jimmy and Pratt, and Ramirez who had only been trying to keep her safe.
There was another explosion, and the world around her started to ring. She tried to look around her to see what was going on. Screams filled the air and she stumbled out of the vehicle, just as a bomb landed beside her. She ran towards a rock, scrambling to hide behind it, taking her phone out and frantically typing.
Just then, a missile landed beside her, painted with the Stark Industries logo on it, as it began to beep. The implications rang through her head, but now wasn't the time to think about what exactly it meant. No, now she needed to survive. She stood hastily, trying to run away from it on instinct, but it exploded as she tried to run away.
She landed on her back, as she felt her chest grow wet, and she looked down to see blood soaking through her fitted white blouse. She felt the pain fill her body as she lay on her back while sounds continued all around her.
Pepper was going to kill her, she thought, and the world around her faded white.
