Bad Aim Chapter 4
By: Cadet Deming
I don't own the rights to The Avengers, Marvel and Disney do, so please don't sue. Rated T for adult language, situations, and violence. Thank you so much to the people who read and review. It's much appreciated and motivating. I'm sorry I took longer to update, but I had real world issues taking me away from writing.
A.I.M. Headquarters
Clint Barton told Dr. Rappaccini, "I want to know what Draken X is."
He searched her face for an expression of some emotion, but she was unreadable. "That's above your security clearance."
"I'm the Director of Security here and you're telling me it's above my security clearance? How am I supposed to protect this place if I don't know what I'm protecting?"
She drank from her cup of coffee like a cat lapping at a saucer of milk. "Did you have this attitude to your employers at SHIELD? You don't have a need to know."
A.I.M. was very different from SHIELD. At least there, no matter how ruthless their methods, he knew he was on the side of morality and order. He was developing more doubts about this place.
Clint said, "I've always had an attitude and I have a want to know."
She tossed her hair and sighed. "This is all confidential, understand?"
"Of course."
"Draken X is a potential AIDS vaccine. You can see how something like that could be very profitable, and why we have to be careful about corporate espionage and potential sabotage."
Clint squeezed the end of one of his special arrows. It was a nervous tick he developed when he was mulling things over.
He stared at her, looking for signs she was lying. Her explanation seemed plausible enough. Clint rationalized that he shouldn't trust a mercenary who broke in to his company over his own boss.
He said, "Ok. We need more security guards at night, and better training for them. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but Bob messed up."
"Do you know how hard it is to find security guards with a Master's Degree?"
"I'll take competence and street smarts over a college's stamp of approval."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'll authorize hiring more guards, but they must pass A.I.M.'s criteria. I suggest you track down who hired this Paladin person instead of questioning me. Please know your place in the hierarchy here. This is not up for further discussion. You may go now, and return my coffee cup to the cafeteria please. "
He thanked her, digging his nails into his palms. He could deal with being treated like a soldier, but not a servant.
Clint backhanded the coffee cup into a wastebasket. He heard the ceramic break.
A few A.I.M. personnel stared at him as he grabbed lunch. He bypassed coffee or anything that might have caffeine in it. The chicken soup was the only thing that seemed calming.
Clint scanned the lunch room. It was filled with the corporate world's equivalent of high school cliques, with the engineers at one table, the mid-level executives at another, and the accountants all sitting together. Bob was standing in a corner, "guarding" the salad bar.
He didn't see any familiar faces, so he left and locked himself in an empty office. He dialed Natasha. She picked up on the second ring.
He asked, "Could you do me a huge favor and run SHIELD's file on a mercenary named Paladin?"
"Am I your 'friend on the force' that you use for information now?"
"I'm not using you. I'll owe you one."
She agreed and he recounted the events of the last night. He didn't mention Rappaccini's excuse that they were dealing with an AIDS vaccine.
Natasha said, "Paladin's kind of a merc with morals. He doesn't kill civilians and he uses non-lethal force if needed. His last known employer was Silver Sablinova. She runs Silver Sable International, which is based out of Symkaria. Interesting."
"What's interesting?"
"Symkaria is right next to Latveria. It's just South of the Draken River."
"Draken spelled D-R-A-K-E-N?"
"Yeah."
"This could be the world's biggest coincidence, but I'm starting to wonder if the Latverian civil war and my break in might be connected."
STARK TOWER
Pepper Potts answered her business phone. She sometimes wished she could turn her phone off and work undistracted, but she needed to be "plugged in" at all times.
"Hello, this is Christine Everhart of the Daily Bugle. Is Tony available?"
Pepper frowned. Christine was the last woman Tony slept with before he committed to her. The women had clashed before when she was still a reporter for Vanity Fair.
Pepper sighed. "Mr. Stark is not available, and as acting CEO of Stark Industries, any questions should be directed to me."
Christine said, "Oh yes. I read about that. Congratulations on your long horizontal climb to the top."
Pepper had an uphill battle with people believing Tony only promoted her because she was his girlfriend. It was difficult enough being one of the few Fortune 500 Company female CEO's, and her relationship with Tony seemed more like a hindrance than an asset in getting people to take her seriously..
Pepper didn't want to let this woman get under her skin. "If you don't mind, I have an appointment starting in five minutes."
"I just have one quick question," Christine said. "Why did the power go off last night in your tower? Is there something wrong with your technology?"
Pepper took a deep breath and recited the stock excuse, "That was a routine training exercise."
"Do you expect the people of New York to believe that? What energy corporation has training exercises?"
"We were testing our system. If you have further questions, please speak with our public relations department."
"One more question, off the record. Woman to woman, do you honestly believe that a world-class womanizer like Tony Stark is going to stay faithful to you?"
It was a question Pepper had asked herself multiple times. She wanted to believe that Tony was loyal, but it was very difficult for people to truly change. She certainly wasn't going to confide in Christine of all people about that.
"Off the record: No comment. On the record, if you harass me or my company again, expect a lawsuit. Have a nice day."
Pepper hung up the phone, and tried not to be rattled.
To be Continued
Author's Note: Latveria and Symkaria are both fictional countries that only appear in the Marvel Universe.
