Updated chapter 13! Hope you enjoy!
"Let's review what we know." –Rogers begins, a holographic representation of their findings filling the briefing room. Stark, Banner, and Kara are present, the rest of the Avengers still incommunicado.
"An organization calling itself 'Centipede' coerced a quartet of Enhanced individuals into an attempt to rob a Department of Damage Control vehicle. Why?"
"Alien tech, fresh off the streets." –Banner suggests.
"What exactly was that truck hauling? Maybe that could give us a better idea of what, precisely, Centipede is after." –Kara asks.
Tony brings up the cargo manifest. Rogers reads aloud. "Seventy-two blaster rifles, five explosive devices, a single intact speeder, two dozen assorted armored pieces...and two sets of Chitauri soldier remains."
The billionaire frowns. "One of those things is not like the others." –he says. "The stiffs shouldn't have been on that truck."
Kara grimaces. "Ugh. Please don't call them that."
He rolls his eyes. "Fine...the fallen enemy combatants should have been loaded into a boat and sent to a secluded, off-shore S.H.I.E.L.D. bio-research lab, not the Triskelion. For all we know, those things wake up and try to finish the mission."
"Says here there was a logistics issue." –Rogers reads. "Guess they didn't fit in the boat."
"Uh-huh." –Tony remarks, skeptical. "Still weird. What else we got?"
"Sue mentioned a guy named 'Victor' bankrolling the research mission that gave them their powers." –Kara says.
"I know a few rich Victors." –Tony says. "But the kind of cash we're talking – the money needed to develop and build the infrastructure and machinery needed to independently launch a spacecraft? I only know of one with the pockets for it. JARVIS, please bring up Victor von Doom's profile."
Kara snorts. "You're kidding, right? He might as well be called Evil McBadguy."
"I doubt the King of Latveria cares." –Tony says, presenting the image of a tall, handsome young man, dark haired and green-eyed. Kara's jaw nearly hits the floor. "That hilariously inappropriate last name just happens to be the name of the last remaining royal House in Latveria. He wasn't born into royalty – Victor grew up an orphan in a Romani encampment – but he took up the bloodline's name once he discovered he was meant for the crown."
"How do you know him?" –Rogers asks, suspicious.
Tony sneers at him. "It's not what you think. Latveria might be tiny, and still stuck with a monarchy, but their technological exports are through the roof. They're top three in robotics alone. Victor's at the forefront of their tech innovations, and he's made bank over the last half decade." –he says. "He...might have also been one of Stark Industries' under-the-table weapons buyers. Obie sold him a bunch of surplus weapons, which he, in turn, sold to everyone in Eastern Europe who could afford them. I'm persona non grata in, like, Sokovia thanks entirely to him." –he admits, annoyed.
"Why is he still at large, then?" –Rogers asks, crossing his arms.
"Stane wasn't entirely stupid. It's not like they met in a dark alley and made a trade – he sent them over and Latverian customs quite legally secured them during a border inspection. I confronted Victor, armor and all, but everything was above board. Nothing I could do." –he says, defeated. "Have I mentioned how much I hate Obadiah Stane?"
Kara and Banner share a worried look. "...right." –Rogers awkwardly mutters. "Any idea why he would finance Mr. Richards' research?"
"Sue made it sound like he was into the same fringe science as Reed." –Kara points out."
Tony snorts. "Whatever else he might be, von Doom is not a crackpot theorist. That man is dangerously intelligent – maybe the most intelligent man in the world. Placing Reed's team so close to the Bifröst? Not a mistake."
"Are you saying he purposefully gave them their abilities?"
"I'm saying it's very, very unlikely any of that was an accident."
Rogers crosses his arms. "So, we have someone who can, presumably, reliably produce super powered individuals partnered up with an organization that's...collecting them. An organization that's also involved with a high tech firm that's apparently trying do their part by recreating the Super Soldier Serum."
"How does S.H.I.E.L.D. even miss all this?" –Banner wonders. "They managed to follow my every move, even when I successfully threw up the FBI, the CIA, Interpol..."
"Maybe they didn't." –Tony suggests, darkly amused. "They've always had a hard-on for superhuman enhancement. Maybe they want to see how this all pans out."
"Speaking of questionable science, how do we think OsCorp figures into this?" –Kara asks.
Rogers raises an eyebrow. "You tell us, Kara. You talked to Miss Luthor; did she seem like she might be involved with this Centipede business?"
Kara surprises herself by how quickly she shakes her head. "Lena's...a lot of things, but an unscrupulous scientist is...hard to imagine. I don't think she's involved. I don't think she'd lie to me, not about something so dire."
"Well, OsCorp is huge. Second only to Stark Industries in terms of diversified interests. It's entirely possible that a covert cell within could be acting without her knowledge." –Tony reasons. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to pay old Normie a visit. If any of the higher-ups know about Centipede, it'll be him. Crazy bastard couldn't bear not knowing every little detail about his company."
"Think he'd even see us? Lena made it seem like his death was imminent."
Stark snorts. "Us? No. You? If he's conscious, definitely. He always was a sucker for blondes.
"Ew." –she says, scrunching up her nose.
Everyone nods, cringing at the thought. "No argument here." –Tony says. "Still, it might be our best chance to figure out his involvement. IF he's as messed up as advertised, getting information out of him should be a piece of cake."
"And if he won't talk?"
"We storm OsCorp." –Stark shrugs. "Sue's story checks out; I had JARVIS analyze the remains of her collar, as well as the devices implanted in the other two. Some of the components are patented OsCorp tech – the kind that you can't exactly buy off store shelves. This alone is reason enough for law enforcement, S.H.I.E.L.D. especially, to intervene. Or rather, us on behalf of them."
"Is that really the best idea?" –Rogers asks. "I know I'm playing Devil's advocate here, but bringing in S.H.I.E.L.D. would legitimize an assault much more than just our word against theirs."
"Well, one, we know they're involved in a way that facilitated putting people in deadly risk – both bystanders for their robberies, and the trio we caught with the metaphorical knives at their jugulars. I don't really care about optics, this is something we have to do anyway." –he shrugs. "Second...I'm strictly against involving Fury and his goons any more than is strictly necessary."
"You really don't trust them at all, do you?" –Rogers asks, disappointed. "I would've thought you might care a bit more about Howard and Peggy's brainchild."
Stark sours immediately at the mention of his father. "I'm gonna level with you, Rogers; I'm sure you and dad were just the best of pals back in the forties, but the Howard Stark I grew up was an asshole. Drunk half the time, absent the rest – if it wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. business, he was chasing down yet another lead on your location. Never gave me the time of day. And sure, I love Aunt Peggy like a second mother, but she always led from the front – which is to say, she missed a lot of the shady, backroom shit S.H.I.E.L.D.'s always been so comfortable with. Things I can't look past – things I'm surprised you can live with ignoring. If I told you the amount of shady crap JARVIS gathered just by giving the Helicarrier's databanks a once-over...well, I'd be shocked if you didn't march up to the Triskelion and started tearing it down brick by brick."
Kara places a comforting hand on the troubled Captain's shoulder. "S.H.I.E.L.D. does do some good things, Captain. Great, even! Just look at how quickly they managed to clear up New York." –Kara says. "It's just...even my sister wonders how many darker secrets there are under the hood. You can't have an organization that large and powerful without some things slipping through the cracks."
"We're veering a little off-topic, guys." –Banner reminds them. "Project Centipede now, shady government agencies later."
Rogers nods, snapping out of his growing frown. "We need to know more about them before we can plan any kind of strike. Kara, you have someone on the inside, right?"
"Spider-Man does. They're an intern in the bio-science division, I think." –she says, careful not to tattle on Miss Stacy.
Tony fishes a USB drive out of his blazer, and hands it to her. "Say hello to baby JARVIS – or, rather, a portable subroutine of his that'll link him to the OsCorp mainframe as soon as it's plugged into a computer there. It should work a bit better than whatever Spidey tried last time."
Kara hums. "OsCorp's gonna be on lockdown after our little...visit. How are they gonna get this on a PC without arousing suspicion?"
"Well, do you have a better idea?" –Tony asks.
She purses her lips. "I think...I think I'd like to give this to Lena. She owes me, and it'll be a lot less dangerous for her than for a teenager."
Rogers and Stark share a small, unspoken conversation. "If you think you can trust her with this, then go for it. We trust you, Kara." –Rogers says.
"Besides, if she screws us over, we'll know for sure we need to take her down." –Stark cheerfully adds.
"...right." –Kara says, utterly unconvincing.
The Captain waves the data away. "We'll wait on you, then. Dismissed."
Banner and Rogers file out of the room, but Tony turns back at the door. "Having second thoughts already, huh?" –he asks, leaning on the metallic frame.
Kara purses her lips, examining the portable drive. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you keep blushing every time Lena Luthor's name comes up. I'm guessing you're a bit more hesitant to meet her again than you're letting on."
"Maybe so." –she manages. "It's...complicated."
"You and Luthor had a thing, didn't you?" –he asks, amused.
Kara blushes furiously, to which Tony gives a cheeky grin. "I saw her name in your file, right before your suddenly and inexplicably truncated college education."
"I...we...I thought we had something." –she admits. "Everyone did. Winn was so sick of us, y'know? He couldn't stand the non-stop flirting. My own sister kept suggesting we get a room. Clearly, I'm not as good at understanding human relationships as I thought I was, though. I gathered up the courage to tell her everything; who I really was, what I really was, and how I felt about her, but...well, let's just say she did not take my confession very well."
Stark winces. "Oof. That's rough. Checks out with her upbringing, though. Sounds like she liked you back, but probably wasn't emotionally equipped to deal with her own feelings after so many years of hearing the hateful crap her step-dad spews every day."
Kara blinks. "That's...very specific."
"You're talking to someone whose father spent the sixties inventing new and exciting ways to repress people – my old man might not have been racist, but heaven forbid you were a 'pansy', as he'd call them. Us."
"You too, huh?"
"Mm-hmm. Let's just say, I fit Howard's definition to a 't'."
Kara gives him a sad smile. "Believe me, I get it. It hurt like hell, but I understand why she reacted the way she did. Working for Jameson a single year was...awful. I can't even imagine sharing a roof with him since childhood."
"The guy can't talk about liberals without popping multiple blood vessels. I'm guessing lesbian crushes were a big no-no in casa de Jonah."
Kara huffs. "I've never understood that. Not when you don't have any of the...restrictions Krypton had. Our bonds were pre-arranged from birth, according to social echelon and genetic potential. I never had a say on who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was slated to marry a Daxamite, just because he was my best genetic match. Can you believe that?" –she says, frustrated at the very memory of the assignment ceremony. Tony gives her a somewhat confused look, which she ignores. "You humans have no such obligations, and still you can't bring yourselves to look past prejudice."
"You're right, Kara." –he says. "It sucks, and we're slow to change. But things are getting better. What's more, we're in a pretty good position to help that kind of change along."
"You really think so?"
"Hell yeah. Shit, out of all of us, I'm pretty sure Banner's the only one who's actually straight. And that's counting the Hulk." –he jokes. "The Avengers could do some serious PR work to counter the hateful message of people like Jameson. And not just LGBT stuff; there's tons of causes out there we could get on board with."
Tony's eyes light up like a Christmas tree. "Holy shit, I know exactly what your day job should be." –he breathes out.
Kara giggles at his excitement. "My day job, huh? What's that?"
"You're fun, down to Earth, and most importantly, young enough to understand what the hell a 'Vine' is!" –he says, amused. "How'd you like to be the Avengers' social media manager?"
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!