Song; Let Her Go by Passenger
Chapter 14
Stark Tower, Main Kitchen, 8 AM EST; New York, New York
Any kitchen owned and inhabited by Tony Stark was bound to be a madhouse. Add in a super soldier, a couple of master assassins (with extra sass), a doctor-slash-rage monster, and two gods- and you get a proverbial train wreck.
It was into this chaos that poor Pepper Potts walked into.
To her credit, she managed to get to the lone table with only a small spot of smoothie on her skirt. Tony was manning the coffee machine, and by the mess on the counter was anything to go by, it had only taken him a few tries to get it right. Deftly dodging a waffle that was floating suspiciously in Loki's direction, he silently handed her a cup. Wedging herself safely in a corner, in part to avoid Steve running around with a hot pan, Pepper tried to process the chaos.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the entrance of one very annoyed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Tony noticed too, and settled himself in to watch the show.
Agent Mason dropped her phone into a surprised Clint's lap, and proceeded to drop herself into the nearest, thankfully empty, chair- and let her head hit the table with a thud.
Clint didn't pause in eating his meal, instead satisfying his curiosity by glancing at the phone's screen. Whatever was on the it seemed to amuse him, because he was suddenly smirking at his plate. Without even looking, he flicked his wrist- sending the phone-turned-projectile careening towards Natasha. Neither saw it almost hit Bruce on the head, or clip a now-visible floating plate of cinnamon rolls.
Nevertheless, Natasha managed to catch it before she gained a rather large bruise on her forehead. She afforded a bit more attention to the device, but didn't quite seem to see the humor in it. With an odd look towards Agent Mason's slumped form, she took one of the few edible and intact breakfasts, a bowl of fruit, and set it- along with the phone- beside her head.
"I suppose I have to go talk to him, don't I?" Mason's voice was muffled by the table, but it would have taken more than that to hide the sarcasm. She didn't wait for an answer, swiping her phone off the table, and ignoring the bowl.
"Uh... coffee?" Tony held the pot out as she passed him on her way to the elevator.
"No thanks, the last thing my brain needs is caffeine. Don't wait up."
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. Central; New York, New York
"You know full well what the problem is, Fury!"
"I fail to see the problem, all of the criteria are met."
"That's not the point." Agent Mason fell back into her recently-vacated chair with a huff.
"If you don't think you're capable-" He was cut off by a dry laugh.
"You already know I'm going to do it, I have every other time. But tell me, is there any way that this is someone's idea of a joke?"
Fury sighed, and when he spoke his voice lost some of its edge, "You need to trust the system, the people who put these ops together are the best."
"You-" Agent Mason's eyes shot to the closed door, "All of them? Was that really necessary?"
Fury raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask what she was talking about. He was saved the trouble when the table he was leaning on sprang to life.
"Director, a large group with Captain Rogers are on their way to OPS."
"Let them go, Agent Mason will be there shortly."
"Yes sir."
...
"Hey, Princess! Did you miss me?"
"Stark," Agent Mason didn't sound entirely too happy to see a large group of heroes blocking her way, "why are you here?"
"Well, you see Capcicle got a message that he was supposed to come here and since he spent the last 70 years in a block of ice- we didn't exactly trust him to get here by himself. So, Legolas said he'd take him, but Fury told him that he and Nat both had to stay with Reindeer Games- and Thor wouldn't let him out of his sight. Bruce said something about needing to be the chaperone. You didn't seem too pleased earlier, and I didn't want to miss the show. Pepper was curious to see what this place looked like." Tony pretended to do a headcount, "I think that takes care of everyone."
"I don't have time for this," Agent Mason muttered, and continued in a louder voice, "Where are Agents Romanoff and Barton?"
"In there." Tony pointed to a set of tinted glass doors. "They said we should wait for you."
"Of course," she smiled sweetly, "Captain, if you'd follow me." With a little effort, Steve managed to untangle himself from the group. "Dr. Banner, do you think you can keep them under control for a few minutes?" With a quick inventory of her belt, Agent Mason produced a small, black device. After a quick inspection, an amused Bruce found himself holding a S.H.I.E.L.D. issue taser. "Use it as much as necessary."
...
Fifth Avenue; New York, New York
"This one is fine, Miss Potts."
"No... no I don't think that one is quite right." Pepper must have caught sight of Agent Mason's exasperated look in the mirror and took pity on her. "Indulge me, Tony gets to save the world doing what he's good at, and now I get a chance to help. Besides, its not often I get to dress someone up like this. Go try on a blue one, I think we've ruled out red." She made a 'shoo' gesture and went back to trying to convince Natasha that she would look good with straight hair.
As fancy as the dressing rooms were, they weren't equipped to handle the volume of dresses that were 'options'. Thankfully, the attendant had heard Pepper and had whisked the offending red dresses away. You got what you paid for, every staff member had been helpful- going as far as offering champagne and other refreshments every half hour. Thankfully, they also hadn't questioned the garments that immediately made their way to the reject pile as soon as they were through the door.
Properly dressed in one of the less-offensive dresses, Agent Mason followed the path to the 'lounge' for what felt like the hundredth time.
...
"Honestly, I'm sure I have a dress already that would work. I've been to these things before and it hasn't been a problem."
"From what I've gathered, you were trying to stay in the shadows then. You can't really do that this time, can you?" Pepper took the silence as confirmation, "Seems a bit strange with everything going on though."
"You don't miss much do you, Miss Potts? Tomorrow's objective is to get a feel for politician's thoughts on the events of last week."
"So that's why Steve's your date-"
"Not a date, escort- for tactical advantages."
"-so he'll make people think of everything that happened, without you having to bring it up."
"That's the general idea, yes." There was an awkward pause where Agent Mason fiddled with a strap on the dress.
"New York really changed everything, didn't it?" Pepper sounded bitter.
"Yes, it did." Natasha's voice was emotionless, simply stating a fact.
"Would you- I mean... do either of you know what arrangements were made for Phil?" She saw both agents' faces tighten, though Natasha's was barely perceptible. "I had gotten to know him pretty well, and I wanted to pay my respects. I couldn't ask Tony, he's still pretty shaken up about it, but I know you both worked with him and..." She trailed off.
"Excuse me." The space in front of the mirror was quickly vacated, and Pepper looked to Natasha for an explanation.
"He was her S.O., he took her under his wing when she joined. I don't know much about the arrangements, Coulson's family asked for their plans to be kept private."
"He had family?"
"They were distant relatives, from what I gather he didn't really talk to them all that much."
"Is there any way for me to pass on my condolences?" Agent Mason came out from the back of the store, looking relieved to be in her black dress suit. Natasha began to gather her purse, taking her time to answer Pepper.
"I'll make sure the proper people are informed."
...
"Nervous?" Agent Mason glanced at the fidgeting super soldier sitting next to her in the mirror she was using to adjust her earrings.
"Not a bit." Steve forced a smile and a shaky laugh.
"Good." She gave her reflection one last critical look before turning to inspect the anxious man.
"You have your earpiece?" It was a bit of a misnomer to call the bit of pliable flesh-colored plastic behind Steve's ear an earpiece. He touched it uncomfortably.
"Won't someone notice?"
"Not unless you're in the habit of letting people feel your ears. It adjusts to your skin tone automatically, they're practically invisible." Steve's hand dropped back down to his bouncing leg.
"So you have one too?"
Agent Mason smirked, "Not quite, trade secret." The heavily-tinted car pulled up smoothly to the back door of their destination, and only a hand on Steve's arm stopped him from getting out. Agent Mason nodded towards the agents who had ridden in the front of the dark SUV that were currently searching the alley. After a short conversation, two of them broke off and opened their doors.
"Is this normal?" Steve was practically whispering as the group of dark-suited men surrounded them and proceeded to usher them inside.
"Yep."
...
"Calm down." Even if he hadn't understood the barely audible words, Steve seemed to get the message from the tightening of the hand that was lightly resting on his arm. Luckily, their entrance hadn't attracted much attention, and their momentary pause went unnoticed. Steve Rogers was a man that could stare death in the face, but faltered upon seeing a room of the social elite. "Figures."
"What?"
"Nothing," a few roving eyes had seen the newest guests and quite a few of those had pointed out the super soldier to their conversation partners, and one brave couple was already headed in their direction. "And into the lion's den we go."
...
"Enjoying your date?"
After countless men in extravagant suits and women with so much jewelry it was a wonder they could walk had expressed their delight in meeting 'Mr. Rogers', the woman at his side barely given more than a polite greeting- which Agent Mason was grateful for, they had managed to find refuge behind one of the large granite pillars that were around the room. There was only a few moments' respite before a new interruption came, and an extremely annoying one at that.
"Thanks, Stark. I had a bet going on how long it would take you to 'show up' as it were, Clint owes me twenty dollars." She didn't bother to raise her voice, the vibrations of her throat easily carried to the hidden microphone in her necklace. Steve, however, just saw her whispering to herself. Impatiently, she tapped the back of her ear and he hesitantly mirrored her.
"-cute together." Steve's fingers had activated the speaker discretely attached to his ear, so Agent Mason wasn't crazy- well, at least not entirely.
"Tony Stark did not just use the word 'cute'. Should I assume that if I were to wave at one of these tastefully hidden security cameras that you would see it?"
"Such a refreshing faith in my genius."
"Unbelievable." Agent Mason muttered.
"Excuse me?" This time the voice wasn't the sarcastic tone of a billionaire, but the sarcastic tone of a stranger. Well, a stranger to Steve at any rate, if the look on Agent Mason's face was any indication- they were unfortunately acquainted. "I would say that it was unbelievable that you could attend tonight, if I didn't know of your...connections." The man speaking would have a hard time sticking out in a crowd; salt and pepper hair, medium height and build, he would be incredibly ordinary looking if it wasn't for his pretentious air.
"Carson, always a pleasure." Her expression suggested it was anything but. "I'm not here for work, but I'm flattered you think I have that kind of pull." Steve shifted uncomfortably on the side, catching Agent Mason's eye. "I believe introductions are in order?"
"No need, I'm well aware of who you are Mr. Rogers. You and your...friends are well known, though I can't say the same for your popularity."
"Captain, this is Agent Carson. CIA operative and anti-specialized help, which happens to be the core purpose of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"No need to make me into the bad guy, you stick to playing spy and leave the real stuff to the professionals." His body language screamed condescending, right down to his smirk. "It's been a pleasure talking to you both."
...
"Well that guy was a di-"
Agent Mason shut off her speaker, and after a moment's pause- her microphone. She massaged her temples briefly before turning back to Steve.
"Sorry about that. But if it counts for anything, he hates everyone."
Steve waved off the apology, "Just seems like a bully to me."
"That's an interesting way to put it." An amused smile crept onto her face, "You see the brunette in the grey dress behind me?" She waited for his nod, "You should go talk to her, it'd make her day."
"How do you know that?" Agent Mason's smile grew while she waited for the penny to drop. "Right."
"Just go, we need all of the information we can get- and she'll be more forthcoming if it's just you." She gave his arm a light shove when he didn't move. "Go."
...
Stark Tower; New York, New York
"Wow, for a 90 year old virgin, Capsicle sure is a ladies' man." A near 360 degree view of the gala was available, courtesy of Homeland Security. Not that Tony needed a reason to be hated by another government agency, but as he had pointed out- what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. In almost an exact mirror of the night before, minus the S.H.I.E.L.D. members and a super soldier, the current residents of Stark Tower were watching a state function in HD.
Currently, most of the wall-to-wall television was dedicated to watching one of the best soldiers from World War II blush and stammer like a schoolgirl. "I mean; sure he's decent looking, and he's not bad in the muscle department-"
"And who is that?" Possibly the only member of the 'team', or anywhere, that could compete with Captain America in the 'muscle department' was pointing to one of the minimized camera feeds. If the man had any way of seeing the deadly look the God of Thunder was currently giving him, he would have ruined his finely-tailored suit.
With a few swipes, Steve was relegated to a side screen, and the camera zoomed in so that a larger-than-life image of Agent Mason conversing with an unknown man filled the screen. They were angled perfectly away from the cameras, so that only the side of the man's face and his reddish hair were visible.
"I've been looking for an excuse to borrow some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s programs... JARVIS, bring up facial recognition and whatever type of lip-reading software they have."
"Very well, sir."
...
"I really hit the mark on your nickname, didn't I, Princess?"
"What are you on about now, Stark?" Agent Mason stood off to the side, waiting for Steve to finish his conversation with the brunette.
"Tell me, how is the dear Representative from Massachusetts? Did he have a nice family reunion with his, what, second cousin? Is that right? Or is it third..."
Agent Mason didn't respond, but her face looked considerably paler.
"So, talk me through this, Joseph Kennedy III is the grandchild of Robert Kennedy, whose sister was Kathleen Kennedy."
Silence.
"That's all fascinating and all, but here's the interesting part, during one of their family trips to Europe, Kathleen had a child. The Kennedy family didn't spare any expense to keep that child secret, including a monthly stipend for the father to care for the child. When the child died suddenly, the money was simply transferred to her only child. You've had a Cayman Islands account since you were five. So, tell me, how does it feel to be a secret member of America's royal family? Are there others? Do you guys have t-shirts or something?"*
Silence.
"No comment?" Tony's voice was filled with amusement.
Agent Mason didn't spare a glance at any of the cameras, or Steve for that matter, before she turned and simply began walking towards the exit.
"A friendly word of warning, Mr. Stark, stop digging. You may not like what you find."
"Is that a threat?"
"PTSD."
"Excuse me?" Tony's confusion was mirrored completely by everyone listening to the conversation.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a fairly simple diagnosis- one that any self-respecting psychologist worth the paper their degree is written on would agree with. While I do not have a doctorate in that area, I'm in the unique position of seeing mental disorders... up close and personal, if you will. PTSD is exactly what it sounds like, fighting aliens and nearly dying in a nuclear explosion in deep space certainly fits the parameters of traumatic stress. Sleeplessness... imagining threats... constantly on the lookout for danger? Well, trust me when I say there is nothing in this world more dangerous than truth."
The screens went dark.
*Kathleen Agnes Kennedy and Robert Francis Kennedy were siblings of JFK (the 35th U.S. President). Agent Mason's mother was Kathleen's (imaginary, obviously) illegitimate child. Agent Mason was speaking to Joseph Kennedy III, which would be her second cousin. The Kennedy's are often referred to as "America's Royal Family" even though they have no governmental powers aside from those of the offices they are elected to.