Avengers: Wreckage
Chapter 36
"And supposedly," Amy gestured as she said, "there's this secret cabal of supervillains that runs all of LA."
"Never heard of them," Olivia Stane noted.
"Right! But the story never seems to go away," Amy nodded.
"That and the immortal ghost of Wonder Man," Jennifer Swensen noted.
"Wonder Man?" Carol Danvers asked.
"Supposedly he's made up of pure energy and randomly pops up all around the city. It's wild!" Amy agreed.
Carol made a mental note to contact the Avengers if that story was true. Wonder Man had had that happen to him before...
Jackie smiled as she sat back, Amy cuddling close by. So far the 'Introduce Amy to everyone' party was going well. They were at a mid-level nightclub in LA... decent food, drinks, but not somewhere the 'stars' might go.
Olivia Stane had booked a private table, and was paying. Jackie had argued that, but Olivia was calling it a 'team bonding excersize' and overruled her.
May Scott, head of security for Stane, was with them too. "Can we get a refill?" she asked as she held up her glass.
"Coming!" the waitress headed over.
"Just soda for me," Jennifer noted.
"Me too," Carol agreed.
"I kind of forgot you don't drink," Jackie admitted, "sorry."
"It's fine. I'm used to it," Carol waved that off.
"Why aren't you drinking?" Amy asked Jennifer curiously. "If it's not rude to ask..."
"Designated driver," Jennifer shrugged.
"Ah," Amy nodded.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Amora the Enchantress aka 'Amy Ray' was actually enjoying the night out. She was (fairly) certain they were all superheroes, but they were actually good company.
'I wonder if they know Stane is a cyborg?' Amy wondered. It wasn't obvious, but she could feet the titanium and electricity.
Carol Danvers shimmered with alien energies. And if Amy wasn't seeing things, she was tethered to a inter-spacial portal of some kind. 'Was that a power source?' she wondered.
The waitress returned with the drinks, passing them out smoothly. "Enjoy!" she smiled.
"I saw your byline this morning," Amy addressed Carol, "you got the front page."
"Thank you," Carol answered.
"That was the super crooks story you were working on?" Jackie asked.
"Super crooks?" May asked.
"There's been a steady flow of C and D list villains fleeing New York and heading here," Carol explained, "orchestrated by Amora the Enchantress, we think."
'Hey, it wasn't just me!' Amy thought, even though she couldn't argue that aloud.
"You can't really blame them. New York is crawling with heroes," Jackie noted, "while here has just us, pretty much."
"Exactly," Carol agreed.
"There's Ultra Girl too," Olivia added.
"Who?" May joked.
"Don't be mean," Amy laughed. "Her and poor Wonder Man."
"Avengers West Coast?" Carol offered.
"Did they EVER have any a-listers? Other than Iron Man," Olivia said dryly.
"Does Hawkeye count?" Jennifer asked.
"Honestly?" Amy smirked, "No."
"Hey, some respect for the dead," Carol frowned.
Amy winced. "Sorry, I forgot he died in the attack on Avengers Mansion," she apologized.
"It's fine," Carol sighed.
"Lets get some snacks," Olivia changed the subject.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Ironically, at the very same time Monica Rappaccini and Clymnestra Erwin were entering the same club, shadowed by security forces.
"Is this a good idea?" Cly asked, the brown haired woman walking with an elegant cane.
Monica looked amused, the taller woman standing protectively close. "We all need to take breaks sometimes," she noted.
"We're nearly ready to launch," Cly scowled.
"Your techs are anonymously complaining about how hard you're pushing them to finish," Monica told her.
"Wat."
"And no, I won't tell you who," Monica added. "Giving scientists the ability to anonymously complain keeps them from losing it and going postal."
They reached a table, where Monica held out a chair for Cly. Cly sat down, setting her cane against the side of her chair and within easy reach.
"How many weapons are in that cane?" Monica asked curiously.
"Two different type of beam weapons," Cly answered promptly, "and my watch has a force field projector, to cover our escape."
Monica gave her a look.
"Don't try to tell me you're not armed to the teeth with AIM gear," Cly noted wryly.
"Well, yes," Monica conceded. She waved down a waitress, then ordered a bottle of expensive wine and a snack tray.
"Liquoring me up?" Cly drawled.
"Of course," Monica said blandly, "I intend to get you drunk then ravage you."
Cly just snorted loudly.
The waitress delived the food and drinks, then hurried off. It looked like it was a busy night... there was a loud group nearby, all women interestingly.
Monica sighed, wondering when Cly would realize she actually meant it. "So I got your latest update on the Firepower plans," she mused as she snacked, "you intend to attack Iron Man solo."
"Yes?" Cly said a bit worriedly.
"Not going to happen," Monica said firmly. "We have enough Cape Killer tech to outfit a squad. They'll back you up and cover your escape."
"But...," Cly started.
"No. I'm not letting you commit suicide by Stark," Monica said firmly.
"Iron Man doesn't kill people," Cly noted.
"He set Titanium Man on fire," Monica growled.
"By accident," Cly replied, but she really couldn't argue.
"Drink up," Monica ordered, "you need to relax more."
"Yes, ma'am," Cly sighed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Did they like me? I think they liked me," Amu fretted a bit as they left together.
Jackie laughed, "They liked you."
Meanwhile...
"She's a supercriminal."
"Totally."
"Yup."
"But her and Jackie ARE cute together..."
"True. Why don't we let it play out, see what happens?"
"Agreed."
To be continued...
Notes: First bit was a Runaways reference. Not actually planning a crossover tho. Jennifer doesn't drink because she might have to armor up, and drunk Iron Man is BAD.
Avengers West Coast has had really ODD members, and often has had the majority of characters be unpowered. Moon Knight was a member for awhile...
Yup, Iron Man accidentally killed Titanium Man by setting him on fire. It happened during Armor Wars, when Tony thought the Russians stole his tech.