OK, I still have no idea if this story is done with me, but another chapter popped into my head.
Chapter 4
Tony Stark looked over his desk at his vaguely uncomfortable underling. "Tom, it's been six months since I put you in charge of Stark Super Solutions. How would you say you've done?"
Tom squirmed. "Overall, we've had some good successes, and only a couple of failures. One hire didn't work out, but he agreed it wasn't a good fit, and we parted amicably. We've failed on a couple of assignments, but nothing disastrous. In one case, we and the client both agreed there wasn't an answer. In another, one of their people had an insight three days after they signed the contract, and we had to eat that one a little. Only a couple of times did we flop, and each time we did right by the client and parted on good terms. So, when you look at the big picture, boss, I'd say..."
Tony interrupted. "Bottom line, Tom. Dollars and cents. How have you done budget-wise?"
Tom sighed. "If you remember, we were projected to lose 7% in the first six months. I double-checked the numbers last night, and it's 8.1%."
Tony shook his head. "Tom, I'm disappointed."
"Look, boss, there really isn't a good model for this sort of thing. The closest is Damage Control..."
"Which I co-founded..."
"...which you co-founded, and even that isn't a good parallel. You know I believe in this 110%..."
"100%. You know I hate that cliché."
"Right, 100%, and I know it can work, but it just needs a little more time."
"Tom, that's not what I'm disappointed about. What's my favorite trick on budgets and expectations?"
Tom's jaw dropped. "You gave me bad numbers?"
"And you fell for it. Of all the people working for me, I was sure you'd see through my bogus projections, but you fell for it. Very disappointing, Tom." Tony handed over a sheet of paper.
Tom gawked at the sheet. "You expected 9% losses? You told me seven!"
"Of course I told you seven. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. I was sure you'd see through it, but the best I'd hoped for was keeping the real numbers from you."
"I dunno if I'm more annoyed with you for pulling that one, or me for falling for it."
Tony grinned. "Why not both?"
"So, I'm not in trouble?"
"Don't get hasty, Tom. You're still losing money. My money."
Tom smiled. "Yeah, but you expected that, and I lost less than you projected. And we haven't had a single disaster so far, so we've got that going for us."
"No disasters – yet."
Tom reluctantly nodded. "Yet."
"No sense asking for trouble. So, any issues you anticipate arising in the next six months?"
"Nothing earth-shattering – literally or figuratively – but I'm seeing some recruiting issues on the horizon."
"Like what?"
"Now that word's getting out about is, and we're developing a reputation for giving metahumans with powers a chance to use them safely, legally, and – most important – profitably, we're getting more applications from low-end villains and henchmen."
Tony frowned. "With criminal records?"
Tom nodded. "Even one or two currently wanted. And I think they're sincere about getting out of the life."
Tony sighed. "I'm working on it, Tom, but I haven't gotten anywhere. The feds are playing hardball – we hire anyone with a metahuman criminal history, we can kiss goodbye our federal contracts and our security clearances. And if I were to hire someone wanted, it'd be even worse."
"I had to ask. So, keep following the SOP?"
"Yeah. 'Thank you for your interest, we cannot legally offer you anything at this time, but we will keep your interest on file. Please check back with us in six months.' It still comes off as a brush-off, but the lawyers won't let us change it."
"We can't even offer to get ahold of them if things change, because then we'd have to tell the government that we have contact information for known criminals and/or fugitives."
"Damned lawyers. Can we make a public statement about that?"
"Put out a press release saying that we can't legally hire felons and fugitives, but we're working on changing that? That we're working with the government to make working for SSS a form of probation and/or community service?"
"Yeah."
"I've tried, but the lawyers shot down even that."
"Lean on them more."
"Yes, sir, boss."
Tom blushed. "Sorry, boss. It's just hard, reading these emails and hearing the voice mails. Some of these guys, you really want to believe that they want to go legit, get out of the life, and they're seeing us as a lifeline, and I have to be the one to tell them no."
"Try telling them 'not yet,' tell them we're working on it, and to not give up hope."
"You know, boss, in your press conference, you brought up a couple of the worst cases – the real wastes of potential – and it really got to me. If we could have gotten to Mysterio before he went bad, and hooked him up with Lucas or Spielberg or even Michael Bay, he'd be a millionaire today."
Tony smiled "And we'd have our cut."
Tom chuckled. "That goes without saying, of course." Then he got serious again. "Which brings up another point – we're making good money off some of the inventions our people have come up with. Remember Al?"
Tony smiled. "How could I forget? He's the one who came to me. And that was a bold move – using the fake name 'Xander Bell,' when his real name was Allen Belding. Bold, using one so close to his own name, or stupid."
"Anyway, Al's starting to feel a little antsy. He's talked about leaving, going out on his own."
Tony thought for a moment. "Talk to him, see how serious he is. If he's looking for more money or responsibility, we might be able to accommodate him. If he wants to keep more of his rights, tell him we're working on a royalties program where he gets a cut of the sales of his creations."
"Got it."
"But don't go all carrots, Tom. Tell him that if he goes solo, we wouldn't invoke the non-compete clause, but if he tries to go to work for someone else, we just might. Point out that we're also assuming all the liability in case any of his gadgets go haywire, and we have our own people testing the hell out of them to minimize the chances that they do go haywire. We also handle all the marketing and manufacturing, something else he'd have to keep in mind."
"Those are some big sticks, boss."
"Eh, you know how to sell it. You're not trying to scare him, you're just making sure he's fully aware of what going solo will involve. Hell, reassure him that we'd want right of first refusal of anything he comes up with, and we will talk about licensing the patents, or buying them outright, but we won't help him go to a competitor and setting up a rival company."
"I think I can spin that. I can also play up how he'll have to sell himself to the public, and how he really doesn't want any attention. He'll have to use his real name on the paperwork, and that'll put him – and his family – on the public's radar."
"Not everyone handles the spotlight equally, Tom. I thrive in it, but it's definitely not for everyone."
"God knows I'm glad you don't put me in that position, boss."
"If you wanted it, you could have it, Tom. But I'm not going to push anyone into it. For one thing, I hate to share the glory." Both men smiled.
"So, is that about it? Nothing big on the horizon – either good or bad – that I should know about?"
Tom settled back. "No, not really. Nothing that I think needs your personal attention. We're doing OK, things are quiet, we've got good clients, we're building up a decent reputation. I'm thinking we might even break even by our first anniversary."
Tony pulled out another sheet of paper. "Hmm. Well, according to my secret projections, they say that... I can't tell you." And he shoved the paper into the disintegrator. (Tony didn't trust ordinary shredders for his most sensitive papers.)
Tom shook his head. "Sometimes you're a real jerk, boss."
Tony grinned. "It was blank, anyway. Like I'd have the real figures here where you might see them."
Both men stood and shook hands. "Keep sending me those regular reports, Tom. I don't always answer them, but I always read them. Well, I might not read them, but they are read, and I get summaries. Most of the time."
Tom shook his head. "You really need to work on that whole 'supportive boss' thing, boss."
"So I've been told. Someday I might even get around to it."
