The Unknown Variable
(Beta'd as of 1/27/14)
If you think I own anything, you're loonier than Moldyshorts on a good day.
After Flashing back to NM I made my Hologram walk into my Office, where I then replaced it.
Every morning I would program the hologram into the same outfit I was wearing, that way I could replace it any time and no one would be any wiser.
The doorbell had rung as soon as I left the office. I was quick to open the door, and spent the rest of the day at my neighbor's house, gossiping about what happened at the Stark Factory. It was agony. But I had nothing else to do, and it was funny, some of the theories everyone had cooked up.
It was slow, boring, and tedious, gossiping with the small town waiting for the press conference about the night before started. Not to mention, the names that the world had come up for Tony and I were idiotic.
I mean really? Iron Man and Electra? Seriously?
I was actually surprised that I was noticed, and proclaimed the good guy. A few random phone video's had captured my blurry image, and most of them involved me shooting lightning. Probably where they got the name from.
I sure hoped that Tony wouldn't mess this up….for both of our sakes.
Tony's POV
I worried about Penny, I mean sure, I knew she was fine since she had talked to Rhodes and made me a new Arc…which I was extremely grateful for. The old one had a short and having electricity shooting up your spine is not pleasant.
But I was still worried about her, or rather, her new secret identity…Electra.
Not bad, if I did say so myself.
I tried to ignore Rhodey's voice coming from the TV, and Pepper who was dabbing cover up over the small cuts that still littered my face.
"'Iron Man' that's kind of catchy." I commented randomly, scanning the articles in the morning paper. "Electra as well, they both got a nice ring to them." I added on at the end, feeling that I needed to make some comment about my daughter.
"I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy…" I scrunched up my nose as Pepper pulled off the butterfly bandage. "But, it's kind of evocative, the imagery anyway."
I glanced up as Agent Coulson appeared in front of me and made to pass me note cards.
"Here's your alibi." He stated I waited for a moment, to see if Pepper was going to take them for me, but she did not. So I folded up the paper and slowly took the note cards. I hated being handed things.
"Okay," I said slowly, wondering what the agency cooked up for me.
"You were on your yacht." He continued; I hadn't been on that thing in over a year… a bit flimsy in my mind.
"Yeah," I stated, trying to remember that.
"We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night." Coulson assured me, "And sworn statements from 50 of your guests."
I almost couldn't stop the eyebrow twitch. He made it sound like a party. I hadn't thrown a party since coming back from Afghanistan; I wasn't about to stop now.
"See," I said, coming up with a quick comeback to mask my current feelings. "I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me alone on the island.
Hey, you couldn't blame a man for trying. Personally, I'd rather take Penny on the yacht, since she had never been on it, but hey, couldn't say that aloud. I owned an island for a reason after all.
Pepper pulled hard on the last baggage, clearing giving me a silent, 'no' as Coulson said,
"That's what happened."
"Alright," I relented, my mind elsewhere. Personally, I had no problem telling the world that I was Iron Man, but with Penny in the equation, even if most didn't know about her, changed things.
"Just read it, word for word." Coulson told me as I scanned the cards. "And, I hate to ask you again, Mr. Stark, but…"
With a roll of my eyes I cut him off, "For the last time, Agent Coulson. I have no idea who that girl, now deemed Electra, was…is…whatever."
Coulson eyed me for a moment. He and a few other agents had been bugging me about Penny all day. Personally, I don't know why they kept pushing.
They had no reason not to believe me, I was an excellent liar, if I do say so myself.
My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed one problem with the cover-up. "There's nothing about Stane here." I said darkly.
"That's being handled. He's on vacation, small aircraft have such a poor safely record." Coulson assured me, using the cover story.
"But what about the whole cover story that it's a bodyguard? He's my… I mean, it that… tha's kind of flimsy, don't you think?" I commented.
Actually, it wasn't flimsy; I was just extremely irritated with the story. The whole idea that I had made a huge metal body guard was absurd and fed the idea that I had PTSD and was insecure and paranoid. I was not happy with that at all.
"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark." Agent Coulson commented, and I could tell he knew the real reason behind my comment…or at least had some idea. "Just stick to the official statement, and soon, this will all be behind you."
'Another thing I don't like.' I thought to myself. 'This is my new life. I'm not going to put it behind me.'
"You've got, 90 seconds." Coulson said, looking at Pepper as I scanned the cards again…I had a choice to make…
"Oh," Pepper said as Coulson walked away, "Agent Coulson? I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help."
"That's what we do," Coulson said, and I glanced up to see both of them smiling at each other. I smashed down the itty tiny bit of jealousy that reared up and went back to my cards. "You'll be hearing from us."
"From the…Strategic Homeland…" Pepper said, trying to remember their insanely long name.
"Just call us SHIELD." Coulson said with a small before nodding and walking away.
"Right…" Pepper said before she turned to me and said. "Let's get this show on the road."
"You know," I stated, striding up next to her. "It's actually not that bad."
Pepper held up my jacket as I continued, "Even I don't think I'm Iron Man."
I still had no idea if I was going to go along with it or not…I really wanted to ask Penny for her thoughts on the matter, but she wasn't here. Sadly.
"You're not Iron Man." Pepper said as I slid the note cards into my mouth and shrugged the jacket on.
"Am so," I protested, a large grin appearing on my face. Oh, how I loved this little discussions.
"You're not!' Pepper repeated and I rolled my eyes.
"All right, suit yourself." I stated, pulling the cards out of my mouth and smoothing down the jacket.
"You know," I commented randomly, my brain spinning a million miles an hour, trying to find the right way to state this. "If I were Iron Man. I'd have this girlfriend who knew my true identity… She'd be a wreck, 'cause she'd always be worrying that I was going to die…"
Pepper spun me around and gave me an amused look, 'you were worried earlier.' I reasoned silently as I continued.
"Yet so proud of the man I'd become." I added, locking eyed with Pepper.
'Arg…that wasn't supposed to sound so cheesy…Penny has been rubbing off on me.' I thought to myself.
"She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more…" I cleared my throat and chose a different set of words, "crazy about me."
"Tell me you never think about that night." I stated, steering the conversation in a different direction.
"What night?" Pepper asked, though I could tell she knew what I was talking about.
"You know." I stated simply.
We stood there in silence for a moment before Pepper blinked and said, "Are you talking about the night that we danced, and went up on the roof…" She caused for a moment and I gave her a small grin. "and then you went downstairs to get me a drink,"
Her smile disappeared and her whole demeanor changed as she said, "and you left me there, by myself? If that the night you're talking about?"
My grin faded a bit, that totally backfired. "Hmhmm," I said, not sure what else to say. Pepper had totally derailed everything I had been planning to say…she had a tendency to do that.
It was one of the things that both she and Penny had in common.
"Thought so." Pepper stated, trying not to smile as she brushed off my jacket.
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Pepper said, "Will that be all, Mr. Stark."
Extremely glad that she gave me a way out of this, I replied, "Yes. That will be all, Ms. Potts."
It had been our game for years, and we both were still playing.
Hehe, Pepper and Tony sitting in a tree…how they've survived all those years with that much sexual tension I have no idea. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is the last one of Iron Man I, but don't worry. This Fic is far from over.
Thanks Espacole.
Cp