Stepping on the soap box for a moment. I will probably post this note on all three of the stories I have going at the moment, so if you read them all, you can read this 3 times. Or skip it 3 times. Or read it 1 or 2 times and skip it the other. I just need to say this. I have felt very supported here, so this is not a response to any personal experience. There are tens of thousands of stories and writers on this site. There are many more readers. There are many different styles of story and writing. You can find intricately plotted action stories, pure fluff stories, horror stories, erotic stories (hetro or homosexual), romantic stories (again, hetro or homosexual), stories that make you think, laugh, or say 'huh?'...you get the idea. Most readers have certain types of stories that they prefer. Likewise, writers will usually have a certain type of story that they prefer to write or feel they write better. While I enjoy reading a story with an involved plot and well planned details, that's not the type of story I write. It's not my strength. What I write is usually more character driven than plot driven. Those who usually read my stuff have probably figured this out about me and new readers can probably do so pretty quickly. Writing is a fun release for me. I really appreciate that the feedback I have received has been supportive and positive. Some fellow writers that I have gotten to 'know' though, haven't been so fortunate. One was even driven to remove stories because someone (anonymously) made negative, downright hateful comments about not liking the writer's style. Another blasted an author because they didn't like a plot point. It's fine to say that something is not to your taste, but you don't need to be hateful about it. And if you do feel the need, at least have the decency to log in so the author can contact you privately if they would like to do so. Writing is a lot of work and putting something out there for public perusal is a rather scary thing. I'm not saying don't criticize, because constructive criticism gives a writer something to think about. I'm just saying, please be gentle. Writers on here are not professionals. We write because we want to share our ideas. I don't expect everyone to like everything I post here. I can respect that. You can tell me you don't like it and why, without being cruel. You can even simply ignore it and continue exploring the site. There are many talented writers here as well as many struggling writers. Find something you like. I can pretty well guarantee it's on here somewhere. Thank you for your time. Now leaving the soapbox.
Update time! Marvel, Avengers, etc. are still not mine. I just like to play with them from time to time.
It's hard to believe I'm now posting chapter 20 of a little flight of fancy I had two years ago. May of 2012 was one of the roughest months of my life and I managed to rediscover an escape I had set aside for quite a while. The positive feedback and encouragement I got kept me going for a while until it all became too much and I had to take a break. When I was able and willing to start again, readers new and old welcomed me back. I hope you understand how much you all mean to me.
Sandy-wmd: Thank you, as always. I'm trying to start including more of the team in this fic and give it a little bit more of a 'family' feel. Write Tony as a little less obnoxious, once you get to know him. And thanks for understanding about the allergies. I attended a few soccer games myself with a tissue held under my nose.
BlackAngel: Thanks. Here's more. Hope you like it as well.
LoverofDogs94: Glad you're loving it. I certainly plan to use the ladies in the future.
ShadowBeats22107: Thank you so much. You always make me smile. As for your question...I think I'll just ignore that.
Tranquil Winds: I'm glad you enjoyed. Life is such a combination of pain and laughter and I'm glad that's coming across in my story. I enjoy exploring the characters and putting my own spin on them.
Ella: Thanks. I was considering a couple of different ideas on this chapter and you helped me decide. Hope this is what you were hoping for.
Thanks for the new follows and favorites. It's nice to feel appreciated. If you're ready for more story, please proceed.
Risks 20
"I think that's everything," Pepper stated, looking over her notes. "Unless anyone has anything more to add?" She looked around the table at the stockholders of Avengers Initiative, Inc. The team members all shook their heads, everyone pleased with the decisions made so far.
Though a decision had finally been made regarding the financial management of the team assets, the process had made them all aware of the necessity of having someone to oversee the details of managing the team on a day to day basis. Pepper had been carrying much of the load, with help from Phil, Maria, and Tony, but they all had other responsibilities that required their attention.
Phil had tentatively suggested that they consider Darcy Lewis for the position. When Stark pointed out that she had no training, Bruce had asked who he thought did have the proper training for managing a team of independent and rather reluctant superheroes. Tony conceded he had a good point.
After some initial resistance and some lengthy discussion, the team members began to warm to the idea, deciding it would be advantageous to have someone who already knew them and already had their trust. They decided to have Pepper approach Jane with the idea, as she probably knew Darcy best and would be losing her research assistant.
As the meeting broke up and everyone started filing out, Pepper caught Maria's eye.
"Would you and Nick mind staying for a few minutes? I have something I need to discuss with you both," she told the agent.
Nick nodded his agreement, stepping back to the table as the others exited the room.
"You're in trouble now," Phil pseudo-whispered as he walked past the older man, finally pulling the door closed behind him.
Pepper moved to her desk, motioning for the couple to follow. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Nick. He studied it a moment, then looked at her.
"It's from Maria's father," she explained. "It was in an envelope with another one addressed to me, care of Stark Industries."
"Let me guess," Maria postulated. "Another warning about me?"
Pepper nodded reluctantly. "Warning that I need to be very careful about who we associate ourselves with in our business dealings. That we could be opening ourselves to legal risks if we align ourselves with certain unstable people."
"He threatened you?" she questioned, turning a disbelieving gaze on Tony.
He waved, unconcerned. "Please. I've felt more threatened by a kitten." When she raised an eyebrow, he continued. "No, really. I'm actually allergic to cats. I get the whole runny nose and itchy, watery eyes thing going on."
"Lucky for us the Chitauri were more bug like than cat like or you would have been useless," Fury muttered softly.
"I'm sure the filters on the suit have taken that into account," Maria answered him.
"Of course," Stark assured him, discreetly typing a note into his phone. "Need to check that," he mumbled under his breath.
Pepper grinned. When Tony looked at her, she giggled. "Just picturing Loki tossing kittens at you while you go into a sneezing fit and can't even wipe your nose because of the suit."
Even Fury's lips twitched at that image. To cover his reaction, he pulled a blade out of his pocket and slit the envelope the Stark CEO had given him. He pulled out the letter and skimmed through it. Looking up, he saw the others watching him.
"More of the same," he told them with a shrug. "My 'secretary'" his eyebrow rose at the term, "has a medical history of instability and my employment of her could lead to legal liability for her criminal activities."
He looked at her. "Are you involved in criminal activities, Agent Hill?"
"Nothing that can be pinned on me," she answered. "Does he specify what he's accusing me of?"
Nick looked back at the letter.
"Criminal trespassing. Breaking and entering."
"I haven't been to Chicago in almost a year, and that was just changing planes at the airport," she told them. "And I haven't been in his house since I was a teenager."
He read from the letter again. "Harassment via telephone."
She shook her head.
"Blaming her for his imaginary problems, too," a voice spoke up from across the room. They looked over, not entirely surprised to find Phil seated in the chair he had occupied during the earlier conference. Clint stood behind him, leaning on the back of his chair while Natasha sat in the middle of the table, long legs stretched out in front of her.
"I thought you left," Pepper told the trio.
"We came back," Natasha stated simply.
"They're fine," Maria assured the other woman. She turned her gaze to Phil. "What do you know about this alleged telephone harassment?" she asked.
He shrugged elaborately. "I've got an old service buddy who's on the force in Chicago. He keeps me informed about a few select individuals we're watching there and I keep him informed on some things he should be aware of. He called me a week or so back, laughing, to tell me that one of my marks was seriously losing it."
He paused for a moment as he and the two assassins pulled chairs over to join the others.
"He called to report that he was receiving harassing phone calls. His home line, private business line, and cell phone kept ringing, one or the other, about every 5 to 10 minutes. He'd answer, but there was no one at the other end. If he ignored it, it stopped just before voice mail picked up, then immediately rang again. He even went through the house and turned the ringers off, but by the time he got to the last one, the others had been turned on again."
"Could the phone company trace the calls?" Pepper asked.
"Nope," Phil grinned. "The phone company had no record of any calls coming in on any of the lines. When he contacted the police, he said that it had been going on round the clock for 2 days straight, but the phone didn't ring a single time the whole hour they were there taking his report. He called them again an hour after they left, saying it started again. They never did find any evidence to support what he said was happening. They suggested that maybe he needed a long vacation. Guess it stopped eventually. At least, for now."
Maria nodded. Looking back at Nick. "What else have I been up to?"
Holding the letter up again, he continued. "Destruction of personal property by introduction of rodents."
"Walsh, rodent. Rodent, Walsh," Tony said with a grin. "Wonder what kind of rodents? If it was rats, they would have so much in common."
"The man certainly has issues with rats," Maria commented. "My half brother brought his pet white rat when he came for a visit one summer. Walsh fed it strychnine and made Chase watch while it died."
"Sick bastard," someone muttered.
"Yeah. Von Drake certainly got off on it," she mumbled, remembering how the man had described the scene again and again as he had slammed himself into her.
Nick's gentle touch on her shoulder drew her attention back to the present. "At least, that was enough for Chase's mom to stop forcing him to come for visits." She looked at the others, forcing a small smile. "I wish I could have seen Walsh's face when he found the rodents."
Tony's eyes suddenly went wide and he pulled up his computer controls. "I just might be able to make that happen for you. Do you happen to know if he has an alarm system? Preferably, one with cameras that's monitored?"
"I don't know," she told him. "Other than the meeting a few weeks back, I haven't had anything to do with the man in years. He did, though, always pride himself on always having the newest high tech stuff available on the market."
"Okay. What's his address?" Tony asked, his hands busily tapping away at the controls. When Maria told him, he nodded, entering the address. When a streetview photo of the house popped up, he nodded. "Nice place."
"Not really," Clint interjected. "What are you looking for?"
"Wanted to see if he has one of those signs saying who his security company is."
"Executive Elite Security," the archer told him.
Pepper looked at him. "How"
Before she could finish the question, Tony coughed loudly, shaking his head when she looked at him.
"Gotcha," she acknowledged.
"Alright," Stark's satisfied smile indicated that he had easily breached the system. "Now we just need to know when this might have happened."
"Wild guess?" Clint asked. "I'd say about two months ago. Probably about the second of the month."
With a few more swipes of his hand, a scene appeared in the middle of the room. The entryway of a expensive home. "You know what we want, JARVIS," Tony instructed his AI.
Moments later, a man entered the scene. The camera view switched to follow him as he strode through the house, keeping a steady conversation on the cellphone in his hand. The group began to notice small shadows darting through the scenes, though Walsh remained oblivious. He sat down at his desk, flipping through the envelopes waiting there, then opened a drawer to reach for a letter opener. On the video, they saw him freeze, then push away, as a furry gray shape jumped out of the drawer and started up his arm. The scenes following were similar, the sound of loud cursing coming across the audio feed as the man darted through the house, noticing more and more of the shapes.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maria noticed Natasha hold up a hand to Clint, offering a high five that he returned silently. Eventually, Walsh left the house, yelling at whoever was on the phone to find an exterminator immediately.
"Hope he let the Porsche sit for a few days," Clint muttered to Phil. "Let things get really ripe."
In the silence that followed, Nick shook his head. "That man is certainly having a streak of bad luck."
"Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy," Nat commented.
Tony rubbed his hands together. "What next?"
Maria looked at him sharply. "This isn't your concern, Stark."
"He threatened my company, Hill, and someone that I care...someone that I have to work with," he quickly corrected. "Besides, scum like that should be the concern of all decent people."
"Snakes," Pepper said.
When she noticed everyone looking at her, she continued. "One of the places we lived when I was a kid had a problem with rats. My brother argued that the perfect solution was to get him a pet snake." She nodded towards the image in the center of the room. "Just in case the exterminators didn't get all of the rats."
This silence was of the shocked variety as everyone stared at the woman they had thought so sweet. Finally, Maria laughed out loud.
"You're the last one I would have expected to come up with that. I'm glad you're on our side, Potts," she told the woman, dipping her head in a respectful bow.
"Remind me to have the place scanned next time I piss her off, JARVIS," Stark instructed the computer.
"Yes, sir."
Tony continued studying the information on the display, switching to a real time view of the Walsh mansion. "According to his security company, he's actually out of town right now and won't be back until day after tomorrow. That should be plenty of time to take care of what needs to be done."
"You know," Phil commented, "I've really been craving some deep dish Chicago style pizza. There's a little pizzeria I visited once when I was there. The owner's daughter told me to come again soon."
"Where's he at?" Nick questioned.
Tony continued manipulating the display, finally replying. "San Francisco."
"Think he flies commercial?"
After a few more moments, Tony shook his head. "Private plane waiting at the airport there. Flight plan on file." He looked at the other man curiously. "Why?"
Fury scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The man has already been surprised in his own home once. It might be nice to prepare him first for what awaits him."
"Snakes on a plane?" Clint commented.
"Would make an interesting movie plot, wouldn't it?" Nick agreed with a grin.
"We have been discussing a trip to Fisherman's Wharf," Natasha said, looking at Clint. "Have some seafood. Look at all the interesting things available for purchase."
"We have, haven't we?" Barton answered. "No time like the present. Weather's good. Nothing much going on here." He looked at Fury, who nodded confirmation. "We should take a couple of days."
Maria looked around at the group. "Look, guys. I appreciate that you want to help."
"Good," Phil said, not allowing her to finish. "We're glad to do so."
"But," she continued.
This time, it was Stark who interrupted. "Fury, would you kiss her or do something to shut her up before she ruins our fun."
Undaunted, she plowed on. "I don't want anyone,"
Following Tony's advice, Fury wrapped his arms around her and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her quite thoroughly. When he finally broke it off, he rested his head against hers. "Please, let us be a part of this."
Finally, she nodded, looking around. "Okay. Thank you all."
Everyone smiled back, except Stark, who mumbled something about needing to poke his eyes out. Or at least, wash them out with soap.
When Maria's phone went off, she excused herself to answer, listening for a few moments before motioning for Natasha to join her in another corner of the room. "Yes. She's here with me now."
As Pepper turned her attention to her own work, Phil, Clint, and Nick joined Tony at the display that he continued to play with.
"You know," he commented, "People get these services where they can monitor their homes through their computers or smart phones. The companies assure them that everything is safe and secure."
"Not so much?" Phil questioned.
"Not so much," Tony answered, punching something. They watched as a series of lights came on through the house, then went off. "Lights, automatic doors, sprinkler systems, door locks."
"Interesting."
Nick continued to watch. "Do you suppose von Drake is in San Francisco with Walsh?"
"The flight plan mentioned two passengers on the flight back," Stark told him. "I kind of got the impression that he's a good little doggy who goes where his master goes."
"Good," Fury replied, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I'm thinking he's been left out of our activities for too long."
"She told you something else that happened, didn't she?" Phil asked, sensing the anger rolling off the other man.
Fury swallowed hard, then nodded. "She did."
Stark studied them. "So, do you want to explain to me why these guys are still alive? Just what I know is enough to make me want to...And apparently there's a lot more to it."
Nick nodded. "I would love take them both apart with my bare hands."
"Slowly and painfully," Clint added.
"So why haven't you?"
"Because we promised her we wouldn't," Phil told him.
"Why?" the billionaire probed.
"Because there's not really any evidence of what they did, it was a long time ago, she's afraid of us getting caught. She doesn't want anyone else she cares about to get in trouble because of them. Says they've cost her too much already."
Tony looked at him in disbelief. "And you all agreed to that?"
Nick looked him in the eye. "She was upset, Stark. Almost panicked. When she asked..."
"You agreed," Stark finished, his eyes cutting to Pepper. "I understand."
"However, the gaslighting campaign was her idea," Coulson threw in.
"And an excellent idea it was," Stark agreed. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can," he told the other man. "Also, you might want to keep in mind that I was never a part of your agreement about keeping him alive."
"Me, either," Clint added. "When the time comes, I want to be in on it. I'm sure Nat will, too."
Nick nodded, putting out a fist. The other three men did likewise, bumping them together.
Across the room, Maria watched as she ended her phone conversation. She noticed Natasha doing the same.
"Why do I feel like that's very bad news for someone?" she asked the redhead.
The assassin narrowed her eyes. "Because you know them all very well."
And that's a wrap for this week. I thank you for your time and sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Please take a moment to let me know what you thought. Time to get to work on the next part of Complications. It's being a bit...complicated. I need to figure out a few details. Meanwhile, I'm also trying to figure out the next chapter of Stroll. I meant to ask if there would be interest in a 17.5 ('M' rated interlude), but forgot to do so. If you'd like to let me know your opinion, you can PM me or leave a comment on 'Stroll' (actually, I'm just hoping for more reviews :-P ).
Anyhow, as always, love and appreciate you all! You're the marinara for my fried cheese sticks!