Spider-Man and Power Girl

Chapter 11: Looking for Work

-3 Months Later-

"So, Karen how have things been?" Sampson asked in his chair with Power Girl in civilian clothing across from her.

"Nightmares have lessened, maybe one or two every week," she told him. "I'm feeling better these days but I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy."

"Why is that?" He asks making some notes. The lessening of nightmares is a good sign that her mind is starting to heal itself but judging by the slight restlessness of her body language something else might be going on.

"I need something to do," she told him. "I can patrol the city as Power Girl all I want but my life was more than that. I had a job, I had friends and co-workers that I interacted with. I had my own place to live, as nice as the Baxter building is, it's only temporary and I need to start building my life back up."

He nodded his head. "That's a very healthy attitude and I agree with you. Maybe it's time for you to put your civilian identity to work so to speak."

"That's great and all but it's not like I have any real work history in this universe." Karen sighed slumping in her chair. "Sure, they gave me a 'history' with my ID but it's paper thin and I can do so much more than just work at a fast-food chain or something like that. I used to make actual software, I broke business deals, I can take apart a nuclear reactor and put it back together again if I wanted to."

She slumped. "The problem is that the 'me' on paper doesn't have the credentials for someone to believe I can do any of those things."

Sampson nodded his head. "I can see the problem, you said you wanted friends, but you do have them here. Perhaps they could help you out?"

Power Girl had thought about it, she didn't want to go to Reed since he and his family had done so much for her already. Maybe Spider-Man could help in some way, he seemed connected to more people than she was. She spent the rest of her session with Doc Sampson just talking things out after three months she was feeling mentally healthier than she had been, but she knew she was still recovering from everything.

"One last thing you said that Reed was in contact with that other reality?" He asked.

She nodded her head, "Yes, he and Cyborg finally got that other me and her friend home." She might have put a little too much sourness in her tone. She caught the way the doc was looking at her.

"Do you want to talk about that?" He gently asked her.

She was silent for a moment before she blew out a frustrated sigh. "It's just…she gets to go home and I don't? I feel like I'm the multiverse's walking joke, the girl that always loses her home and yet another version of me gets to just walk back into her life. It's just not fair."

She was surprised when she found out that the friend of that other her was Huntress. Apparently, she was the daughter of their world's Batman and Catwoman. Another change given that the Huntress she remembered was way too old to be Batman's daughter, not to mention Italian. It looked like the Huntress she remembered had been wipe of reality when her world was changed.

Like so many other changes, before she left, she tried to look up Terra but didn't find any mention of her. So, either she hadn't come up from the underground society or she didn't exist. She was too afraid to find out which. The young woman had been her friend, almost like a little sister to her. She much preferred to think she was still alive and just living underground with her people than just…gone.

It hurt her too much to think about losing someone close to her like that, so she pushed the thoughts away.

"That's understandable," He nodded his head. "But remember, she was thrown out of her reality just like you were, she had to go through everything you had to go through too."

"I know," She looked away still angry. "I'm not really mad at her, it just feels like life is just rubbing it in my face on how things could have been different for me."

She hated how it seemed life kept taking from her, it would give, then take, then give, then take it all back again. She once said the reason for the hole in her suit was because there was a hole in herself. That hole just seemed to keep getting bigger.

-Later-

Karen was floating high up in the lower stratosphere, she liked to fly up this high just to get a good view of the world. It was strange seeing America from here; she had seen it countless times but now she noticed the little changes. Cities that were supposed to be there weren't or cities in places she never seen before. Looking at the current maps during her research into this world there were even different countries.

Kaznia didn't exist for instance. All that land was still Serbian but she had noticed that two other countries of Latveria and Symkaria existed close to where Kaznia used to be instead. She had looked deeper into the history of that region and had seen that the history of that area of the world was similar to her own until about four hundred years ago. Back in her world the founder of Kaznia had led a revolt and founded the kingdom. In this reality he lost and went into exile to found another kingdom that eventually broke into civil war as his two sons wanted the throne. One nation became Latvertia and the other Symkaria.

It was just one more change she had to get used to.

Anyways, the real reason she came up here was to just think. She wanted to think on her future and what could she do with her life. She wanted something technical at the very least, something she could put her mind to work. She enjoyed that kind of work and wanted something like that. The problem was how to get a foot in the door as she crossed her arms to think about it. It would also be nice to be able to slip away now and then when trouble was around and could change into her costume but that might be pushing her luck.

She had a few ideas but one of them she would need help with. Letting gravity pull her down she went back to New York hoping to catch her friend Spider-Man as he might be able to help out. It didn't take her long to get back into New York area although she did have to alter course a few times to avoid planes going into JFK airport. She remembered the first thing (her) Clark told her when she first got to Earth and started flying around.

Flying it great but fly responsibly, watch out for birds, and especially give airplanes plenty of room and always watch where you are flying.

Power Girl looked around for any trouble, she stopped to help out at a traffic accident. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, she just had to move the cars to a safer spot and give a lift to someone to the emergency room for a broken arm. Some kids doing parkour off some buildings needed help. She had to catch one that had slipped while their friends were filming them hanging by one hand off the side of a building. She hoped that scare had given the kid something to think about doing dangerous stunts like that.

That's when she found a few strands of his webs and followed the trail, honestly sometimes she wondered if he ever thought about how his webs could easily lead someone to him. Granted they dissolved in an hour but that's still an hour someone can follow his path through the city.

"Spider," She called out as she caught up to him.

"Hey there PG, what's up?" He asked mid swing.

"Can we talk? I was hoping to get your help with something," she asks.

So here they were him 'sitting' on the side of a skyscraper with her floating there next to him. "So, what did you need?" He asked cheerfully.

"I was hoping you could help out," She laid it all out for him. How she wanted to get her new life going here and needed something other than just being a hero all day. She wanted to contribute as Karen Starr and not just as Power Girl. Peter listened in as he thought about it. There were a few options he could think of.

"Well, I see the problem, need a way in without someone looking too close and realizing you didn't technically exist not too long ago." He nodded.

"Technically I didn't exist not too long ago, at least on this Earth." She said back. "But yeah with no real history on this planet it limits my options."

"Granted," He thought about it real hard. "Okay so, there is someone that might be able to help get your foot into the door, but he might be a little hard to work with."

"Who?"

Peter pointed to a building not far away as she followed his finger. She saw the building and read the name on it and frowned. She wasn't sure this was the best of ideas. The building read Stark Enterprises on it. "Didn't you say that he convinced you to expose your identity to the world and it screwed your life up to the point of using magic to fix it?"

Spider-Man sighed. "Yeah, and I won't lie, still a little scar tissue on that one. But he is brilliant and in the hero community so he would overlook your government issue past." He was afraid he was immediately going to hit on her though. Power Girl was a walking eleven out of ten, she was beautiful, powerful and wow did he find out she was smart. That talk they had with them nerding out on technology had been fun. Not only that but it had given him a few ideas to play around with at Horizon.

Peter had to admit, she was like one of the most perfect women he had met, even with all her issues she was kind and still going out there to help others. He just figured with his luck he didn't have a shot. He did somehow date a model/actress with MJ, Black Cat wasn't a Plain Jane either but both relationships hadn't ended well.

There was also the issue that this woman was a friend and needed help, not the best time to fantasize about it. Hell, he still didn't know how he got the nerve to ask Carol Danvers out that one time. Granted it was only one date, but it had been fun, at least he thought so but things just hadn't developed. And Karen, well she was a lot more intimidating than Carol.

'Huh…now that I think about it, her costume is almost like the opposite of Carol's old Ms. Marvel black suit she used to wear. Focus Peter, she needs help with a job, what about Horizon?'

He had thought about Horizon, but Max would investigate her past and immediately see something was wrong. The man was too smart not to notice no real job history. Granted they could work around that if say one employee like Peter Parker could vouch for her, he might only give her history a glance but he wasn't sure on that.

Of course, he would also have to figure out a way to tell her how this 'Peter' guy knew Spider-Man and was willing to help. Okay, maybe that might not be too hard, he had done this song and dance before playing it up like Peter Parker and Spider-Man were two separate people plenty of times both at work, in public, even in a trail once.

Tony was just the easier option for now and it wasn't guaranteed to work, so he was Plan A and maybe Horizon Plan B? There were other heroes like Iron Fist that owned their own companies but he wasn't as close to Danny as he was with Tony.

"Are you sure about this?" She crossed her arms.

"Kind of?" He shrugged. "Look we can at least meet with him and then you cand make up your mind."

She signed; she had heard he was a bit of womanizer which made her a little uncomfortable. "Fine but if he keeps looking at my chest I'm out."

Thankfully they didn't have to go to one of his business buildings to find him, he usually made his home at Avenger's Tower anyway since it was originally a Stark building. Plus, it was where he kept a lot of his most secure Iron Man tech as it was harder to steal from a building that usually had plenty of heroes just going about their day then one of his personal company buildings.

They found Tony in one of his labs already elbows deep (literally) in making a new armor set. The man was wearing work goggles and a well-worn sleeveless shirt as he his arm was currently working on something deep inside a chest piece.

"Jeez, Tony don't you ever take a break from making new models? I mean it's not like you're selling the next iPhone." Spider-Man said as they walked into the lab. There were various pieces of technology scattered around as well as a few Iron Man suits in cases against one of the walls in case he needed to go in a hurry.

"I got to be ready for anything," Tony replied as he grunted trying to adjust something. "If I just sit on my ass and let my tech be stagnant then I'll be obsolete the next time we fight and then what good will I be-damn it why aren't you moving?" He looked back to the chest piece.

"Need a hand?" Power Girl asked.

Tony looked at her and then did a double take. "Oh ho, so the new beauty that's captivated all of New York finally graces me with her presence, I'm honored and I'm sure you meant to meet with me sooner."

Power Girl rolled her eyes, she had used her x-ray vision to see what he was trying to do and the problem was he didn't have the leverage he needed. "You should have tightened that up before you put it together."

"I did, it came loose, and I don't want to pull it all apart, that would take longer, at least in theory." He pulled out his arm. "Been at this for twenty minutes and the damn thing doesn't want to turn."

Power Girl reached in as there was a squeaking of metal and then pulled her hand out. "There, done."

Tony blinked before reaching in and feeling it. "Huh, remind me to ask you for help when I need to open a jar of pickles."

"Pretty sure you have something already built to open jars for you," Spider-Man joked as he wouldn't put it past to man to have built something like that.

Tony paused as he thought about it. "Oh wait…I think you're right but wait that's in my Malibu home." He waved it off as now he remembered where he placed it. Then he looked to two of them as he grabbed a rag to clean off his hands before putting on the liquid hand cleaner, he kept by the rag just to be sure he got everything.

"So, what can I do for the both of you?"

Power Girl and Spider-Man shared a look before she took a breath and came out with it. "I'm trying to rebuild my life in this world since my own is…well it's practically gone." She felt that heavy weight in her chest every time she thought of home but pushed it away to move on. "So, I've been thinking of trying to find a place to work, Spider-Man suggested you might be able to help out with you knowing I'm a hero and all and won't look too far into my past."

Tony nodded his head; he could see the logic there. He was sure S.W.O.R.D. did good work but they can only do so much with a written past. You can't put things like Harvard Graduate, not without serious paper trail and if anyone started to dig personally into said school to interview teachers and none of them remembered her, looking at the woman again he was sure she wouldn't have been someone to easily forget, the threads would unravel.

He had to admit, a part of him did like the idea of such a beautiful woman working for him. He couldn't help but steal a glance at her bare legs and looked up. Oh yes, that would make work much more pleasant to have such a beautiful view every day.

"Okay here's your interview then," He sat down on a stool. "Impress me."

Karen blinked at the sudden nature of the impromptu interview. "Well, I come from an advanced alien society that is still centuries ahead of this Earth, I specialize in computer software and operations, but I can do other technical and scientific work. I can speak several languages and can easily learn more."

This was something she didn't get to use often with her super speed and intellect she had learned a dozen languages when she had to make deals with companies from other countries. Sometimes being a Kryptonian felt like she had abilities there were just broken or overpowered as some would say but the hell with it. She wasn't human why should her species be judged by human standards when they only looked human on the outside?

"I've ran my own company, so I have years of business experience, I trained in both boxing and karate, I can hear someone's heartbeat so I can tell when their stress levels have gone up while talking."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that last thing, hoping his own heart rate didn't go too far up when he tried to sneak a look at her in that very form fitting costume.

"I can also do this." Her voice was heard next to Tony even though her mouth didn't move.

Tony looked to the side and then back to her as she grinned at him. "Ventriloquism?"

"Did not know you could do that," Peter said impressed by how well she didn't move her mouth.

"It doesn't come up much," she shrugged. It was a neat trick she picked up but honestly not something very useful.

"Really?" Spider-Man asked. "I would have used that all the time once I get out of sight of the villains I fight and make them think I'm to their left when I'm at their right."

Power Girl blinked as she considered that. Why didn't she ever think of that? Oh wait, she preferred to fight more straight up so of course she wouldn't need to do that. Still, something to file away for later if she ever needed to.

Tony leaned back as he thought about it, he could use someone to help around here. Ever since Pepper bought that media company, that she used the threaten him with he hadn't had even a decent assistant since. Granted the media company thing had been when he used that Extremis on himself, another idea that had looked good on paper and but in practice turned out the total opposite. It had twisted his mind up and he nearly did something he knew he would regret now. At least it was literally out of his system now and his mind was no longer affected by it.

Just regular everyday mistakes with his mind these days and not ones from a super soldier nanotech made virus messing with him.

Still, Pepper had her own company now and Tony wanted to let her do her own thing, plus he liked the idea that even now she was still helping to keep him honest.

"Well, you got my interests," Tony smiled standing up. "I could use a new assistant to help me out with the business side of things."

"Assistant?" Karen wasn't sure she liked that idea she was looking for more hands-on type of work. Granted she did know how the business world worked but it felt like she was asking him to be his personal secretary.

"You know help me schedule things, helping me with meetings and going over proposals." Tony explained.

"I was kind of hoping for something more technical based. Like research or development." Karen told him.

"Well, that would be good but while I trust you're being honest with me, I don't actually know what you can or can't do." Tony just didn't know her well enough to gauge her actual experience.

"Tony, she is really smart, like our level if not more." Spider-Man interjected on her behave. If there was one thing, he had learned about her is that she is a very smart woman. "I feel it would be a waste of her talents to put her at a desk job like that."

"Well, I'd have to see that," Tony told him, and he looked at the two of them. "Look I know I can act pretty cavalier with things but if I was like that all the time you really think my company would still be standing? I have to make sure that the right people are in the right positions. Also, I can't cover for you in a lab when you suddenly disappear, if you were working directly under me then you could do whatever you needed to do when bad things happen."

"If the person in charge of wherever I put you, files complaints about you being late or disappearing from work keep piling up, they can fire you and how do you think it will look if I keep protecting you at that point?"

Power Girl thought about it, and she hated that he had a point. It would look like she was sleeping with him or something at worst or people would think she was close to the boss, well she could already see what people would say behind her back. Given her looks she could see that most people would think she was sleeping with him. She really didn't want to live with that kind of drama in her life and it was a fair point.

She shouldn't expect special treatment, he was already giving her a shot here after that it would be up to her to keep it.

"So, you can see why I can't and won't protect you," Tony was being flat out honest here. "I've looked away a few times in the past with people that worked closely with me but that's because they were with me. People like Rhodey work with me in the hero community as well as their jobs allow for more flexibility. You've not going to have that with other jobs."

Karen thought about it long and hard, either be his secretary and have job security or do something she would rather do and work without a net? Then she caught him looking at her legs, sure it was an innocent look, but she had caught him looking at her a few times. During her research Tony did have a history of womanizing.

"How's the HR for sexual harassment here?" She asked crossing her arms.

Tony paused and coughed into his hands. "I'll admit there have been a few…issues. Nothing criminal mind you but they were all worked out." He really did try to keep work and play separated after all, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself. He knew that the HR department had a form just for him, he saw it once. Granted he never once used his position to force anyone, if a woman said 'no' then he just moves on, there were plenty of women out there after all.

Of course, with his looks and charm most were all too glad for his attention. He usually spent a few days or weeks with them and then pull the plug on the relationship. He usually gave something very expensive as a parting gift. He made sure to cut things off before anything serious formed. Of course there were a few that didn't like the attention in the first place and then immediately complained even when he backed off.

He knew Pepper had a hard time with that part of her job when she had worked for him. Tony had managed to kick his alcohol addiction but his addiction to women, that was a lot harder vice to give up.

"If I do take the first option, I want to be clear this is professional only," She told him in no uncertain terms. "I'm not here to be someone's eye candy."

"That's a shame because I think you'd made remarkable eye candy." Tony said without thinking.

Peter sighed, this was why he didn't want her to keep him back when she first showed up, Tony was brilliant, went into dangerous situations all the time without worrying for himself but he also thought he was always right and couldn't help himself to hit on attractive women.

Kara pretty much got a feeling that if she worked under him, it would be non-stop innuendos. He was like Bruce Wayne if he really did act like his public persona as the billionaire playboy but added in a bit more ego. She was sure that Bruce and Tony would not get along, they were similar in some ways but total opposites of each other.

She got the feeling that being his secretary would just be a job and a half.

"You mind if I think on it and get back to you?" Power Girl asked.

"Sure thing, big step you know. Oh, wait here," Tony went to his phone. "You got a phone on you?"

Power Girl pulled it out of her pocket inside her glove.

Tony looked at his as he started to do some work. "There you go, gave you my number, my personal number in case you need to get in touch with me for anything."

Karen was a little surprised he had just done that as she looked at her phone. She hadn't even given him any permissions to access her phone or her own number, but he had just hacked her phone like a child's toy. Granted the security on her phone was a joke, something she would have to look into fixing later.

"I really need to think about pockets or something for my suits," Peter muttered as having his cellphone would have been nice to have sometimes.

Later the two of them were on the way out as Peter could see her thinking hard on it. "So what do you think?"

"I think if I take the easy path, it's anything but easy," Karen didn't know Tony well but the had read up on him and heard a few stories when she was doing her paperwork, plus a few things she heard from Johnny and Ben. "If I take his assistant job, I'm going to hate my life, I just know it."

"Well…Tony is a very unique personality," Peter didn't want to badmouth the guy, despite everything in the past, he still had some respect for the man. But he couldn't deny that it takes a special type of person to handle Tony Stark.

"Plus, I don't want to be someone's glorified secretary." She shook her head while she didn't have much in the way of options, she wanted something a bit more meaningful. "I'm thinking of taking the R&D job offer instead. It will be harder with my identity to keep secret, but I think I'll enjoy the work more."

"Yeah, I know how that was like," Peter nodded at all the times his jobs suffered. He lost his teaching job because of that, and he had liked that job but being Spider-Man at the same time had proved he couldn't do both jobs. That's why he was so glad for his work at Horizon, everyone didn't have someone breathing down your neck or watching over your shoulder. Sure, his work at the Bugle was the same but it didn't pay much.

It was amazing he had earned enough for rent and food sometimes with how much he had gotten paid there. Granted it did have some great people like Robbie and Betty Brant, but they only made the job bearable.

That also was something he hadn't thought of. "At least with this you might make some new co-worker friends."

Karen realized he had a point there it would be nice to make some friends outside of costumed heroes. It was nice when someone's problems weren't life threatening and just nice to hear someone say 'some jerk cut me off in traffic today'. She could even gain some type of social life again.

"I think this is the best choice for me at the moment," Karen had to rebuild a life so might as well start with this.

-Later-

Today was a new day for Kara, she put on a blue suit with matching skirt and a white blouse under it. She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was tied back and the black glasses she wore slightly on the thicker side. Today was the day she started her work as Karen Starr, new employee of Stark R&D division.

She just hoped that things would go well for her, Tony said it was the perfect place to cut her teeth on, but she would only know when she got there. She checked her purse for the ID badge sent to her by Tony after she sent in a picture of her 'civilian look'. At the very least she could earn money and find a decent place to move in to.

She could miss the kids here and the Richard's family were very warm and welcoming, she would stop by now and then, and even help them out if they ever called for her. She just needed her own place, a place to call her own that she could start rebuilding with. Maybe even get a new cat, she missed her old one.

Taking a breath, she left the Baxter building on foot, she took the subway since there was plenty of time and honestly, she just wanted to see how long it took to get there. Getting into the more downtown are she found the Stark building easily enough, it was hard to miss with his name in large letters. Entering the lobby, she went to the check in desk.

"Hello, how can I help you?" The woman staffing the desk asked.

She pulled out her ID badge, "Karen Starr, it's my first day and I'm supposed to report to R&D."

"Swipe on through and the elevators are to the right, floor 52." She told her.

"Thanks," Karen did just that, a little sign of relief when the badge let her in, she never told anyone, but she always had a slight fear these things would one day not work and let her through.

'Well…first day on the job, don't blow it,' she mentally told herself.

TBC…

Now I know that people were wanting Horizon or a company together, but I never said this was permanent job. This is only something Power Girl needs to get some history in this world. I mean Peter has been a photographer, teacher, author (he made a book called Webs back in the 90s) Performer, Wrestler, research scientist, business owner (not in this story though).