Chapter 7 Vital Communication
AN: We're at the end of the present tense stuff, I only have one more time notation, and that is just to mark a corresponding time with the next scene. All phone/computer texts are in ITALICS. If an actual conversation happens, each name precedes their particular comment,
Standard disclaimer applies.
12:15 am
Pepper received a text from Tony 45 minutes later: Banner crisis mostly averted, no damage. Need to stay. Can you handle other side?
She sent back an affirmative and a wish toward success and got back to work.
An hour later, Pepper heads to Conference Room 10, heels clicking a smooth, firm rhythm, soothing the anger she felt. Settling the rising fear in the back of her mind that the safety of her home had been breached, she entered the conference room, nine people sat waiting on her, eyes pinned to the door. Eight of them flinched when she walked in, sparkling ball gown catching the harsh fluorescent lights. Certain spangles and sequins turn back the light in a blinding fashion. This was calculated. Let them know that not just their night was interrupted. Tactics 101, really.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Let's take this from the beginning. You're all here to go over a security breach, and one by one, will be meeting with me next door to discuss details. After that, well, we'll see," Pepper spoke slowly, meeting each person's eyes as she did. Feeling out each one, trying to figure their angles, their stories. Several flinch again and she barely conceals the hardening look in her eyes.
"We'll start with Tandy Alma," she says and turns from the door, expecting the named employee to up and follow like a dog. Which, the woman does, silently. They enter the next room, lights coming on automatically just from their presence. Pepper points at a chair, commands, "Sit" and the woman does this. Pepper chooses another seat, but not the head. She touches the glass covered top and it glows to life. The woman's employment records scroll up, each disciplinary action, performance review, and random note from any project and team leader laid out before her.
"Okay Tandy, tell me what happened. Why did you get a visit from Army Lieutenant Tim Littlesmith today at 2:30 pm?", she was precise and cold. She was Mamma Bear, defending her home. Tony deserved no less, and she had a feeling Bruce needed it as well.
Tandy took a solid, long look at the CEO of Stark Industries and talked, "Lt Littlesmith is an ex-boyfriend. He came to talk to me today. At first it was the usual relationship stuff. Then somehow we got onto military contracts. Tim asked me if there were any active ones at SI. I said I didn't know..." Pepper holds her hand up, stopping the other woman.
"You do remember SI policy on discussing the status of contracts with outsiders, correct?", she softly asks, steel in her voice.
"Yes ma'am," Tandy answers.
"Go on," Pepper encourages.
"Tim wanted to know when we'd taken on science experiments. I asked him what he meant. That's when he brought up Dr Banner. I only told him that Dr Banner was now employed here." Pepper's eyes tightened even further, the corners twitching as the only visible signs of her increasing anger. Tandy gulped in sudden fear, zebra to Pepper's lioness and stopped talking.
"Here's what is going to happen. For our records, you will write down everything that happened between you and the Lieutenant. Then you will leave here and go pack up your office," Pepper typed a request to security; requesting two men to meet Ms Alma at the elevator.
"Yes Ms Potts," Tandy Alma said, sadly. She'd enjoyed her time at SI. But the contract she'd signed five years earlier was clear. You never talk about other contract statuses, and especially never confirm high profile employees or consultants.
Pepper gave one consolation, "Your department manager will likely send a recommendation along later."
The other woman nodded as she stood, preparing to leave the room. "For what it's worth Ms Potts, I'm sorry." And the woman left.
Pepper blew out a breath when Tandy Alma was gone. That would have been the easiest of the exit interviews she was conducting that night. The other seven tried to bargain for privileges and perceived rights they didn't have. Two had tried to negotiate through the hard tactic of "well, the military is offering me a better job for what I know". That just got the interview cut short and them out of Pepper's hair faster.
Then she talked to the head of the security division, Jason Thomas.
"Jason, thank you for your help tonight," she began, indicating a chair across from her. The last man entered the room and cross to the table and sat stiffly in the chair. He was all of 5' nothing, and was an unremarkable individual of brown hair, and hazel eyes. Only his supposed talents in security had won him this contract, but Pepper wanted to change that.
He looked his boss in the eye, "I'm sorry Ms Potts, we're not sure where the slip happened."
"I do, and the holes are being patched. Mr Stark is implementing new security measures for the research departments. I want stricter in/out policies instituted in the lobby. And we're going to tighten security on Level 8 until further notice," Pepper explained, her voice clipped and frosty. While they couldn't fire this man yet, they were going to make sure he did his damn job, or never worked in security, or as anything more than a burger flipper ever again.
"I will get with my team and have some new measures on your desk by lunch, if that will suffice, Ms Potts?", Jason answered. He knew he was on thin ice, being ultimately responsible for his team.
"You do that. I have a meeting with all the department heads at 8:30, I want you there as well as at the board meeting," she informed him. She hoped Tony would be able to attend. It was rare, but occasionally necessary for him to put in appearances.
"Yes ma'am. If that's all?", Jason said, looking to get started. She flicked a hand, dismissing him from the room and her primary thoughts. He stood, bowed, and left, quickly.
Once the door closed behind the man, Pepper sighed and dropped her head in her hands, rubbing her temples fitfully. She wondered if this was now going to be part of her daily routine, staving off security threats for more than just Tony. The tabletop interface in front of her chirped a warning note, indicating a verbal message was waiting for her. She tapped an icon, allowing the message to play.
"Blackhawk in receipt of query. Touchdown in 12 hours," came the welcome voice of Natasha Romanov. Pepper smiled a genuine smile at that. The combined code name meant they were together, she and Hawkeye. Good.
"JARVIS," Pepper spoke to the tabletop.
"Yes Ms Potts," the AI sounded slightly tinny through the small speaker. She made a note to tell Tony to increase JARVIS' presence as he wished in all rooms any of them were likely to spend time in.
"Any luck contacting Captain Rogers?"
"I've managed to leave a message for him, extending Mr Stark's invitation."
"That's good. And Thor?"
"Is not with Dr Foster at this time. I've taken to monitoring the weather patterns across the globe to see if he might be present somewhere else."
"All right. I'm going up for a bath and a nap. Please inform Tony if he tries to find me. And set a wake-up for 7AM," Pepper finalized her plans with the AI and tiredly stood to leave the room she'd commandeered for the exit interviews. She sighed again. Eight promising careers ended that night because the military couldn't keep it's nose out of other people's lives.
Mentally, she went over her ideas for helping Bruce maintain his freedom. She'd have to stoke up Legal later in the morning. There were a couple of former JAG officers in the department she was sure could be of assistance. Once at the private elevator, she reached up to unpin her hair, shaking it out as she did so, then slipped out of her shoes.
A man like Tony Stark had few friends, and she knew what Bruce represented the moment she'd seen Tony's message to "Hire this man, yesterday!" on her phone two weeks ago. She'd bent Stark Industries policy, and had bypassed their rule about a background check. She'd known the physicist had helped with the Chitauri Incursion, but hadn't quite connected the dots about the Hulk until confronted with the Loki shaped hole in the living room floor Tony wanted to preserve. Their argument that night was spectacular, forcing Tony to hole up in his lab, while Pepper broke crystal glassware in frustration. She'd gone ahead with Tony's desires anyway, because she'd only seen him that excited a few times before, and never over another human being.
It made her wonder if Tony wasn't the slightest bit infatuated with Bruce. Oh definitely with the man's intelligence, but the man himself? That would take thought and observation. And deciding where she stood on the issue.
She arrived at the penthouse and padding in stocking feet to the bathroom, shedding the designer dress along the way. She knew one of the butler robots would be along to rehang it later. In the bathroom, she started water in the tub, and dropped some of her favorite bubble bath in to foam up. While she waited for the water to rise, she finished undressing. She finally slipped into her bath, and put her current worries aside for awhile, letting her mind go idle.
AN: if it's important, it takes Pepper 2 hours to get through those interviews.