Updated chapter 10! Hope you enjoy!
"I can't believe these people. Stuck in the middle of a shootout, and their first instinct is to record it." –Winn says, pouring himself a glass of milk.
His new phone – Stark-tech, of course, wouldn't do to have anything less under Tony's roof – shows a holographic representation of yesterday's events, as recorded by an anonymous bystander present at OsCorp's lobby. "Well, they weren't using live ammunition." –Kara reasons, nursing her own massive breakfast. "But still, I get your point. There's any number of ways that could've gone wrong."
Winn shakes his head. "Well, at least you handled it well. What were you and the Spider-Man doing there, anyway?"
"The plan was just to give him a new suit, but the guy needed help with something on the inside." –she sighs. "What do you know about super soldiers?"
"What, like in general?" –he asks, to which she nods. "Well, it's a pretty popular trope. Sort of a power fantasy, y'know? Super soldiers are how you justify having a character that's practically a one man army."
"Oh. Like the Master Chief, right?"
He hums in agreement. Kara's not much of a videogame player, but she'll watch Winn play sometimes. Halo, despite the invasion they've just gone through, is still his favorite game series. "That's right. In real life, though, it's kind of been the dream for the military since...well, forever. Captain America proved it could be done, so they've tried to replicate it ever since he went down in the Arctic. No dice, though – that we know of, at any rate."
"OsCorp's CEO said as much...they came up with their own serum, but it never worked so they scrapped it." –she says.
Winn crosses his arms. "Makes sense. Osborn's always been a little obsessed with making human beings perfect."
Kara tilts her head. "Perfect?"
"Yeah, like...well, kind of like you, Kara." –he says, a slight blush making an appearance on his cheeks. "You're indestructible, super strong, can't get sick, barely need sleep..." –he lists off.
She frowns. "No living being is perfect." –she says, gesturing to the twelve-thousand or so calories she's in the painfully slow process of consuming. "There's always a trade-off."
"Sure, but you try telling Osborn that. And the US Army, for that matter."
"Wish I could, but the guy is supposedly on his deathbed. I don't think he'd be up for a debate."
Winn blinks. "Wait, what? Are we talking about the same guy?"
Kara winces. "Um...well, it's supposed to be a secret, but Norman Osborn is terminally ill. Has been for over a year, and you're never gonna guess who stepped up as acting CEO in his absence."
Her friend seems shocked. "Jesus...who is it?"
"Lena Luthor."
Winn balks. "Seriously? Holy shit. She's only been in the company for, what, a couple of years? I know she's a verified super genius, but that's still a hell of a ladder climb."
"Winn, you knew she worked there?" –Kara asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Well...yeah, didn't you? I didn't particularly keep up with her, or anything, but I do have a Facebook account, Kara. It's good for laughing at the poor life choices of people who used to pick on me." –he shrugs. "Anyway, Lena's never been very active on social media, but she did make the announcement back then."
Kara shakes her head. "I never knew."
"I...guess that's totally understandable. She was a total bitch to you. Who slaps someone confessing a crush? Seriously."
"It didn't exactly hurt." –she mutters.
"Maybe not physically, but Kara, you were an absolute mess afterwards. I still remember Alex's face when you told her; she looked like she was about to put together a strike team to eliminate Lena with extreme prejudice. And that was before I knew she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, mind you."
She sighs. "Yeah, it...it wasn't great." –she says, a pang of sadness deflating her a bit. "Anyway, I spoke with her, and she said she'll keep us in the loop. Someone at OsCorp seems to be illegally experimenting behind her back."
Winn scowls. "Careful, Kara. We both know Lena's not the most...trustworthy person."
"Everyone deserves a second chance, Winn."
"As the son of a serial killer who very much earned the seat he last sat on, I'm gonna have to disagree with you, there." –he says, sardonic.
Kara winces. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up those memories."
"S'not like they're not always up there, buddy." –he shrugs, tapping his temple. "I'm just saying, Kara; Lena hurt you so badly that you ended up scrapping your entire career plan. Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but I never want to see your heart break like that, ever again."
She smiles, bashful. "Aww...thanks for always looking out for me, Winn."
"Don't mention it. Just doing my duty as 'designated best friend' in Alex's absence."
Kara rolls her eyes. "So, anyway, how's life been in Stark Tower so far?"
Winn smirks. "You mean 'Avengers Tower'?" –he asks.
"Whoa, what? Since when?"
"Stark made the announcement at about the same time you and Spider-Man were tearing up OsCorp. This place is now the official base of all current and future Avengers."
Kara hums. "I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a superhero base in the middle of the highest populated city in the country. What if we get attacked?"
Winn points at her, nodding. "He talked about that, actually. Said he's working on a major security redesign for the whole building. It might take a month or so, but it'll turn this place into a fortress."
"We'll be vulnerable till then, though. More importantly, it'll put everyone around us in danger. I mean, we're sitting right on top of Grand Central station."
"I've got long term plans, Danvers." –Stark says, walking into the kitchen. "This tower's just a placeholder. I managed to pry one of my father's old facilities from Fury's claws a while back, and I've been getting it ready for us. I didn't know who'd be on the final team, so it's still pretty barebones, but it should prove a much better alternative than this place."
Kara frowns. "I thought the Avengers formed more...spontaneously than that."
He snorts. "Sorry to disappoint, but Fury's been trying to get a band of misfits like us together since before he had to use the eyepatch." –he says, then motions for her to follow. "Now, if you're done consuming your weight in bacon, you have to go change; we're on the clock."
The Kryptonian gasps. "We're going on a mission? Already?"
Stark winks. "We've got the new digs, don't we? Might as well celebrate with a post-op party."
As always, thank you for your attention! Make sure to comment or message me if you have any questions about this story. Look me up on Twitter as Darthkvzn or Tumblr as darthkvznblogs if you'd like - and on Ko-fi, as Darthkvzn, if you like what I do and have a buck to spare.
Until next time!