A groan slipped Amelia's lips as her alarm buzzed loudly the next morning and it took two swipes of a lazy arm to turn it off, wincing when she threw back the covers only to hear the distinct thud of her heavy textbook hitting the floor. "Sorry." She whispered, as if the occupants below could hear, and dragged herself from the fluffy pillows with about as much enthusiasm as a dead rat.
Why did Amelia need to be at the hearing? She jumped in for a quick shower, the water doing nothing to wake up her slow body, and frowned to herself. What exactly did they expect her to say that her father wouldn't? Yeah, go ahead, take the suit, what do I care? It's not like the government doesn't already have enough spangly new weaponry to obliterate the enemy with. Amelia might not like the fact her father – and by extension herself – was under even more scrutiny now, but at least Tony had his priorities straight. Hand the suit over to the politicians and they'd be at war by the end of the week.
Twenty minutes later, Amelia called down for some breakfast, switching on the morning news as she nibbled away at a plate of bacon, toast and eggs, her cup of coffee filled right to the brim.
Unless they wanted her there to catch Tony out, that he might omit certain truths in front of his daughter. The thought put a smile on Amelia's face as she changed into her burgundy suit, shrugging the blazer over a black blouse and slipped into a pair of black heels. If they thought Tony would hold back because of her, they had another thought coming.
Amelia had her bags ready to go when Happy knocked on her door, threading her still damp hair into a tight braid along her back as he collected them. "So, what do we think today, Happy?" Amelia asked jovially as she followed him down to the lobby, adjusting the strap of her satchel on her shoulder to account for the extra weight of her textbook. "Mild trainwreck or crash and burn?"
"Ten dollars says no survivors." Happy bet as they met up with Pepper by the reception desk as she checked them all out.
"You're on." Amelia shook his hand.
"What are you doing?" Pepper sighed, signing the bottom of a form.
"Placing bets on Dad's hearing today." Amelia explained as she leaned back against the desk, watching the elevators for the man himself. "You want in?"
"Certainly not."
Amelia tapped the desk rhythmically, "I reckon he'll at least come out with his head on his shoulders."
"I'm not betting on your father."
"Come on." Amelia reasoned, "It's easy money."
"That's concerning." Pepper frowned, handing back the pen and checking her watch.
"Don't tell me he's gonna be late." Amelia grumbled, glancing at the huge clock on the wall herself.
"You even need to ask?" Pepper grumbled back, they were gonna be late if they waited much longer.
Much longer of course turned into a lot longer when Tony finally strode out the elevators, dressed in a grey suit Pepper undoubtedly brought him. "I don't like being late." Amelia snapped at Tony as they reached the capital, an aide hurrying them along the long corridors.
"We're not late." Tony replied chipperly, hands in his pockets, wearing a pair of brown tinged aviator glasses. "They can't start without us, anyway ."
The committee room was packed full when they arrived. Tony was immediately ushered to the long mahogany table at the front, microphones and bottled water sitting atop the wood, two screens set up either side of the committee where Senator Stern sat at the head.
Amelia crinkled her nose as she took a seat beside Pepper for the beginning. The ratty looking man with a whiny voice and greying hair banged the gavel to quiet the murmurs running through the room, clasping his thick fingers in front of him on the tall bench as he regarded Tony with empty warmth. He started the hearing slowly, going through all sorts of procedural crap before getting to the questions, and even then he dragged them out, asking for every little detail as Tony described the process with which he built the suit. Her father answered with as much bravado and snark as usual, regarding the Senator with as much as respect as he did them, often turning in his seat to gesture at Pepper, mouthing a few words every now and again, especially when it reached midday and he sent her out for hotdogs.
A familiar face caught Amelia's attention at the back of the room and she quietly made her way over, his plain features written in the same blank expression as always. "We gotta stop meeting like this." Amelia greeted as she stepped beside him, lowering her voice.
"Trust me." Coulson assured her.
"Is there anything you can do to help him with this?" Amelia queried on the off chance SHIELD had some sway in the Senate.
"Not this time." Coulson gave the smallest shake of his head.
"I'd now like to call Amelia Stark to the room." Stern finally called, looking her over sceptically, as if questioning why she was even here.
You and me both, pal.
"I think you're up." Coulson nudged as a few cameras clicked over to her.
"Catch you after?" Amelia raised an eyebrow and Coulson nodded.
"I've someone who wants a word." He told her, spiking Amelia's curiosity as she walked along the aisle to take a seat beside her father at the long table.
"Mister Stark has, on numerous occasions, pointed to the fact the suit in question is a result of both his and your ingenuity, would you agree with such a characterization?" Stern asked first, he really wasn't one to beat around the bush. Perhaps his only redeeming quality.
Amelia cleared her throat, leaning her hands flat on the table. "The inspiration for the suit originated with my father, Senator, if anything it is his intellectual property." Since when did Tony go round using her as a scapegoat?
"So you do not agree?"
Amelia blinked, wondering what part of her answer he didn't get. "Don't get me wrong, Senator, like any child with a toy, my father required a nudge in the right direction." Amelia glanced across at Tony to find him watching her curiously, fingers steepled under his chin. "His creation, whilst innovative and visionary, is flawed like all things and in its early stages required modification." Amelia turned back to the senator.
"And this modification came about by your hand?"
"On the original prototype, yes, but much of that has been upgraded and improved since, so little can be attributed to my hand."
"And so would you, as an assistant to the suits creation, describe it as a weapon?"
"No." Amelia didn't miss the glimmer of shock pass across her father's weathered features, even Senator Stern seemed confused by her answer, but she continued speaking anyway despite the growing murmurs in the room. "Any student of engineering, of simple mechanics, will tell you that suit, however much of an eyesore it is, is not a weapon." The senator scrabbled for his next words and so Amelia continued again. "I cannot categorize the suit as a weapon for its primary function is not destruction."
If anything his reaction proved Amelia had been right, they were trying to use her against her father. Surely the chip on her shoulder wasn't that obvious? Things had been a lot better between her and her father, but obviously they still had something to figure out.
"And what do you determine the primary function to be?" Stern scrambled for his next question, falling into a trap that brought a smirk to Amelia's lips.
"Other than to piss me off?" She shot Tony a wink, seeing his own smirk creeping onto his features.
"Just answer the question, Miss Stark." Stern insisted wearily.
Too late, Amelia had the ball rolling now, prompted by the few chuckles she earned. "You asked me what I think the primary function is." Amelia reminded him, it was his own fault for inviting two Starks in the first place. "I genuinely think he's trying to piss me off." Amelia pointed to the image of the suit on the screen. "You think it's easy to find a date when you've got that thing looming over every guy who learns my last name?"
Another wave of chuckles spread across the room, widening the mischievous sparkle in her brown eyes, her smile growing smug as Stern began to grow impatient. "You do not believe Mister Stark possesses a specialized weapon?"
"It depends on how you define the word 'weapon'." Tony interjected.
"The Iron Man weapon." The Senator emphasized exasperatedly.
"My device does not fit that description, as my daughter just explained."
"Yes, but how would you describe it?" Stern prompted as if Tony would give a conflicting answer, father and daughter sharing a conspiratorial look before he answered.
"I would describe it by defining it as what it is, Senator."
"As?"
"It's a high-tech prosthesis." Tony answered and Amelia tried to keep the smile on her lips from growing any more obvious. "That's actually the most apt description I can make of it."
"It's a weapon, Mister Stark." Senator Stern insisted.
"Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen…" Tony trailed off as Senator Stern rudely started speaking over him.
"My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America."
"Well, you can forget it." Tony clasped one hand over the other on the table. "I am Iron Man, the suit and I are one." A few cameras flashed, bathing Tony's face in their white light. "To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution."
"Depending what state you're in." Amelia added, smacking Tony's offered hand under the table in a proud high-five. Because whoever said pissing off the US Senate wasn't a bonding experience?
"You can't have it." Tony reaffirmed.
"Look, I'm no expert…" Stern stuttered.
"In prostitution?" Tony raised his eyebrows, "Of course not, you're a Senator."
Tony slapped his hand on the table and Amelia flinched from the hard sound it made, the cheers as Tony raised two fingers in the air suddenly too loud, the cameras flashing too bright, and she blinked a dozen times, pouring herself a glass of water.
"I'm no expert in weapons, but we have someone here who is an expert on weapons." Senator Stern continued, ignoring the joke at his expense and adjusting the knot of his tie. "I'd now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor."
Tony perked at the name and not in a good way, his eyes narrowing as the twinkle in his eye dampened with distaste. "Let the record reflect that I observed Mister Hammer entering the chamber." Tony leaned in to the microphone as a shorter man in a perfectly tailored grey suit took a place at the long table, blockish black glasses sat on a flat nose over beady brown eyes, his tawny hair immaculately well kept. "And I am wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance."
Amelia looked the man up and down as he awkwardly laughed off the insult. Hammer Industries, the cheap dollar store knock off of her father's company, always trying to get ahead and failing in some of the most predictable ways. It was a wonder Hammer managed to keep the business open so long, he took so many shortcuts in production, ripped off so many smaller distributors simply because they had no one else to go to. Yet somehow, they were Stark Industries main competitor, now they took over all their military contracts.
"Absolutely, I'm no expert, I defer to you, Anthony, you're the wonder boy." Hammer agreed casually, waving a hand to Tony dismissively, as if to return the insult. "Senator, if I may, I may well not be an expert, but you know who was the expert?" Hammer took a spot in front of the table, addressing the chamber in its entirety, carrying the microphone with him. "Your dad, Howard Stark. Really a father to us all, and to the military-industrial age."
Amelia sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and groaning silently as Hammer swept into a completely unnecessary speech. "Let's just be clear, he was no flower child, he was a lion." Amelia watched Stern steeple his fingers, choosing to survey the room instead of listen to Hammer's babble.
Tony had his head in one hand when Amelia turned, listening with only one ear, and he quirked a worried eyebrow at her. She replied with a short nod to reassure him, eyes sweeping over the reporters, the cameraman, to run along the Senate committee. Two of them scribbled away on the desk, most only half paying attention, and Amelia could even see the reflection of a phone screen light up in one members glasses. Stern seemed to be the only one giving Hammer his full attention, and as she swept her gaze across the room she realized that went for everyone.
"In the last six months, Anthony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities and yet he insists it's a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it and I wish I were comforted, Anthony, I really do, I'd love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house but this ain't Canada." Hammer's joke fell flatter than a pancake. "You know we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mister Stark will not always be able to foresee." Hammer glanced to the Senators, half of them perking up like meerkats to give the impression they were listening, as Tony shook his head, bored. Amelia couldn't blame him, stifling a persistent yawn herself.
"God bless Iron Man, god bless America." Hammer returned the microphone to the table, taking his seat to small applause.
"That is well said, Mister Hammer." Stern clapped the loudest.
"Was it?" Amelia shot under her breath and Tony's lip perked, the only one close enough to hear.
"The committee would now like to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber." Stern announced and Tony's head whipped around as murmurs rippled through the audience.
"I told you." Amelia commented as Tony stood, giving her a flat look.
"Hey, buddy." Tony greeted as Rhodey approached in full uniform, his expression set blankly to hide his surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Look, it's me, I'm here." Rhodey shook Tony's offered hand and the cameras flashed. "Deal with it, let's move on."
The gentlemen took their seats as Stern cleared his throat and Amelia threw Rhodey a tiny wave, receiving only a curt nod in reply. Business first, it seemed.
"I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon, compiled by Colonel Rhodes." Stern recounted, flashing a stack of paper, "And, Colonel, for the record, can you please read page fifty-seven, paragraph four?"
"You're requesting that I read specific selections from my report, Senator?" Rhodey clarified, raising both eyebrows questioningly.
"Yes, sir."
"It was my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more comprehensive and detailed manner."
"I understand, a lot of things have changed today so if you could just read…"
"You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect the summary of my final…" Rhodey flipped open the report to the correct page, eyes flickering between it and the senators.
"Just read it, Colonel, I do." Stern insisted with a tight smile, "Thank you."
"Very well." Rhodey lay the report flat, taking his time with the testimony and Amelia narrowed her eyes at the page as if she could zoom in on the writing, trying to glean the contents before he could even speak. "As he does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests." Rhodey glanced somewhat apologetically at Tony. "I did, however, go on to summarize that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh the liabilities." The Senator began to interject, talking over Rhodey, trying to get him to stop. "It would be in our interest to fold Mister Stark into the existing chain of command."
Tony swung his chair to raise an eyebrow at Amelia, obviously unimpressed by his friends report, brown eyes darkened by an upset twinkle and Amelia leaned in closer to whisper. "I did say, I told you so, right?"
"I'm not a joiner but I'll consider Secretary of Defense, if you ask nice." Tony announced even as he rolled his eyes at his snarky daughter, "If we can amend the hours a little bit."
Rhodey took a brief sip of water to collect himself, embarrassed by the testimony and Amelia shook her head. So, along with trying to pit Amelia against her father, they'd lied to Rhodey about his testimony. What other nasty tricks did Stern have up his sleeve?
"I'd like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that's connected to your report." Stern gestured to the screens, diverting the conversation.
Rhodey frowned, startled by the decision, "I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time."
"Colonel, I understand and if you could just narrate those for us, we'd be very grateful."
Would they give him a choice? Rhodey took a slow breath and gestured for the images to load. They turned to the screens as they showed a blown up image of a military looking compound, a yellow arrow pointing to a blurry dot. "Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mister Starks suit." The images began sliding past the screen, showing several similar locations with several similar dots and pointing arrows.
Stern wanted to play it like that did he? Amelia reached over and took Tony's high tech phone from his pocket, growing impatient from all the smoke and mirrors, and his smirk grew. "I'll time you." he tugged back his sleeve, focusing on his watch. "On my mark."
Amelia flipped the phone to landscape, taking out the keyboard and nodded when she was ready. "Go." Tony instructed as Rhodey continued narrating.
Amelia's thumbs flew over the letters, typing away a familiar script she'd used dozens of times before for similar purposes, although it had been a while since she'd slipped into the Department of Defense. If there was one thing she knew about politics it's that no one ever got shown the full picture. Stern wanted to pull their strings to get the testimony he needed, to get them to admit something that allowed them the right to the suit, that took it out of Tony's hands. Amelia likened it to an iceberg, only so much to be seen above the surface, you have to delve deeper if you want the full picture. The deeper Amelia dove into the depths of the departments files the more her smile grew, cracking right through the Department of Defense's firewall to locate Rhodey's report and the attached images currently sliding across the screens in a neat little presentation. What Amelia also found inside interested her more, however. "Got it." she muttered and Tony tapped his watch.
"Ten seconds?" he scolded, "What, you take a nap or something?"
Amelia sat straight, commandeering the screens as she shot a petty look at her father, a few gasps lifting from those gathered behind them as Amelia hacked into the technology. "Time for a little transparency." She announced, "Now, let's see what's really going on."
"What are they doing?" Stern sat forward in his chair, alarmed.
"If you'll direct your attention to the screens," Amelia enticed, "I believe North Korea is up first." Amelia played the video, a grainy black and white image of a tall structure lumbering out of what looked like a hangar only to fall in a shower of sparks, bullets echoing out until a splash of dark liquid covered the camera lens.
"Can you turn that off?" Stern demanded, "Take it off."
"This is Iran." Amelia tapped her phone and another video started playing as Hammer stood and took to fiddling with the screen. The prototype failed dramatically the second time, the entire thing going up in a column of fluffy smoke.
"No grave immediate threat here." Tony surmised as Amelia played a third video, leaning forward to peer curiously at the screen. "Is that Justin Hammer?"
"I believe it is." Amelia answered, "Smile Hammer, you're on TV."
Rhodey hid his smirk with a well-placed hand, watching the proceedings with mild amusement as Amelia perched on the edge of the table, watching the Hammer prototype fail dismally, the test pilot giving a strangled scream from inside.
The screen fell black as Hammer pulled the plug, a mix of worrying emotions shadowing his rectangular face and Amelia returned to her seat triumphant, catching the irritable look Stern shot her with a smug smile. "You talk of the threat Iron Man poses to this country, the example he might set and yet you don't give the full story." Amelia accused, "Why ask us to testify if you won't play fair."
"Most countries are five, ten years away from owning this technology." Tony added, including a final jab for good measure. "Hammer Industries, twenty."
The two shared another subtle high five as Hammer sprung from his seat. "I'd like to point out that test pilot survived."
"I think we're done, is the point being made." Stern told him defeatedly, with an air of bitterness.
"The point is, you're welcome." Tony corrected and Amelia returned his phone.
"For what?" Stern asked sincerely, insultingly.
"Because, I'm your nuclear deterrent." Tony answered genuinely, "It's working, we're safe, America is secure. You want my property? You can't have it." Amelia prepared to flinch as Tony raised a hand to slap it on the table again, shoulders tensing and easing just as quickly when no slap came and he stood instead. "But I did you a big favor." Tony turned to the cameras to face the cameras behind. "I've successfully privatized world peace." He held up the peace sign with both hands, the crowd standing from their chairs to applaud him.
"What more do you want?" Tony shouted over the clapping. "I try to play ball with these ass-clowns." He turned to point at the senators, mocking smile on his face and Stern cursed at him.
"We're adjourned." Stern concluded spitefully as Tony blew him kisses. "We're adjourned for today."
Tony raised a sarcastic thumbs up, grabbing his glasses and sliding them easily onto his weathered features as he walked backwards, shaking hands with those he passed along the aisle and talking directly to the camera. "My bond is with the people and I will serve this great nation at the pleasure of myself." Amelia and Rhodey stood simultaneously, watching him go with her arms crossed. "If there's one thing I've proven it's that you can count on me to pleasure myself."
Amelia cringed, sensing Rhodey's accusatory glare without even looking, running a hand across her features wearily at the asinine comment. "Ok, I'm willing to take half the blame for that." She surrendered, pointing to Tony's retreating form, the doors swinging shut after him.
"Half?" Rhodey cocked an eyebrow, one hand shoved in his pants pocket.
"An argument can be made for sixty-five percent."
"You've more than sixty-five percent to answer for." Rhodey huffed, gesturing for her to start walking, "We need to have a serious conversation about your extra-curricular activities, young lady."
"Are you talking about what happened there?" Amelia stuck her thumb over her shoulder back at the screen as Rhodey followed her down the aisle.
"Amongst other things." Rhodey replied, nodding to Coulson as he held the door open for them both. "Shall I meet you out front?"
Amelia nodded, leaving Rhodey to merge into the trickle of people leaving the chamber, falling into step with the SHIELD agent as he led her along the shiny corridor. "Pleasure myself?" Coulson cocked an eyebrow and Amelia sighed.
"Not his best moment." She apologized, then shrugged, "Then again, not his worst."
Coulson led her into a separate conference room, a long table taking up the floor, two phone sets and several spare pens littering the surface, all the seats empty except for one. A bald man with dark, leathery skin sat at the head of the table, standing when Amelia entered, his long leather coat draped behind him. Amelia clenched her jaw as he turned, brown eyes flickering over the leather eyepatch, the jagged scratches peeking out over the top, her curiosity already buzzing over the possibilities.
"Miss Stark, glad we could officially meet." The leather clad man greeted, "My name is Nick Fury, I'm the Director of SHIELD ."
Amelia's eyes flickered to Coulson, then back to the Director as she clasped her hands together and took a subtle breath, assuming a neutral expression. "What can I do for you, Director?"
They stood watching each other for a moment, assessing, and Amelia sensed an air of deception around the man, even with one eye he looked colossally more dangerous than her father with a broken screwdriver.
"We've been monitoring your father's recent behaviour." Fury began after a silent moment, "He's gone a bit off the rails since developing the suit."
"Consistency isn't exactly in his vocabulary." Amelia replied smoothly, trying to gauge exactly what he wanted from her, just from that one sentence.
"Neither is subtlety." Fury countered.
Amelia's lip perked, "That we can agree on."
"Can we agree that something about this picture is wrong?" Fury kept a blank expression as Amelia crinkled her brow. "Surely you've noticed something amiss about him."
Amelia kept her sharp features neutral even as the comment sent her mind reeling, recalling the odd look from the Expo last night. Everything and anything about Tony seemed odd, he was the least predictable person Amelia knew, the least sensible too, and Amelia repeated her earlier question. "What can I do for you, Director Fury?"
Fury breathed in deeply, crossing his arms over his chest as he surveyed her again, considering a moment before speaking. "I have something in the works, Miss Stark, and I should like your help in figuring it out."
The corner of Fury's lip quirked as a side door opened, admitting a short, well dressed woman with fiery red hair, her piercing green gaze falling right on Amelia and seeing right through, as if she had her own personal key into Amelia's soul, her full lips smiling warmly as she read Amelia like an open book, brightening her oval features. "This is Agent Natasha Romanoff." Fury introduced, "I would like you to help her find an in with Stark Industries so she can observe your father."
Amelia clenched her jaw. A lot of things changed after Obadiah's betrayal. Tony's eagerness to get closer was only one of them, the other included him trying his best to keep Amelia away from the company, as if he blamed Stark Industries for everything that happened. So far it hadn't worked, but Tony Stark was a stubborn son of a bitch, he wouldn't go down easy, and Amelia permanently waited for the other ball to drop. Maybe with inside help, she might cement her position before Tony could squeeze her out.
"We have a way in, Miss Stark." Fury convinced her, "We only need an introduction."
"To who?"
"Bambi Arbogast." Agent Romanoff answered, "I have an interview for a position in the legal department as Natalie Rushman."
Amelia suppressed a laugh, "Tough fish to fry."
"We've noticed." Romanoff gave Fury a sideways look, as if to say I told you so, and the Director blatantly ignored it.
"I'll see what I can do." Amelia promised and decided to try her hand at a little negotiation. "And in return for helping, what do I get out of this?"
Fury cast a look at the redhead, sharing the same look with Coulson, and Amelia raised curious eyebrows at their silent conversation, wondering if there was something she'd missed in her request, some underlying meaning, until Fury turned that singular eye on her. "What is it you want?"
A deep chuckle slipped across her lips as they grew into a mischievous smile, "Dangerous question to ask a Stark."
"Did you have something in mind?"
A backup plan might do the trick, after all Tony might still succeed in shutting her out and Amelia hated placing all her bets on one card.
"Miss Stark has expressed interest in the agency on multiple occasions." Coulson pointed out as if reading her mind. "Perhaps we can offer her a position of sorts?"
Once again, the two of them shared a private conversation, communicating through strange looks, and Amelia thought there was something not quite right about it, as if there were some ulterior motive occurring. "Your particular skillset would certainly be an asset." Fury considered, "Perhaps Agent Romanoff can oversee some initial training."
"It can certainly be arranged." Romanoff agreed right away and shared a smile with her.
"Did you just offer me a job?" Amelia queried, her eyes flickering between the three and Fury clasped his hands behind his back, expression curiously softening.
"Is that what you want?"
Amelia surveyed him as she considered, offering a hand for Fury to shake. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Director." She deflected.
Fury shook it, "I'm sure it won't be the last."
"Can I walk you out, Miss Stark?" Romanoff offered and Amelia nodded, letting her open the door and walking in step with the woman through the hallways of the Senate building, casting a single glance back over her shoulder as Coulson and Fury watched them go, suddenly dying to know what words they shared.
"If we're going to be working together, you should call me Amelia." She corrected as they came to the long marble steps.
"Would an employ really call her bosses daughter by her first name?"
"She would if they were friends." Amelia smirked, "I'm supposed to be getting you that job remember?"
"Very well, Amelia." Romanoff offered her a small white card as they left the Capitol Building. "Here's my number."
Amelia took the card, glancing down to see her fake name, likely a fake contact address and a fake number, written in slanting bold letters. She flashed a smile as she tucked it into her pocket. "Be seeing you, Natalie."
Rhodey waited at the base of the steps for her as he said, frowning at Romanoff's retreating form and took his hand from his pocket to point as Amelia approached. "Who was that?"
Amelia tugged the band from her hair, shaking out her glossy black waves as they walked. "A friend."
"You have a friend in the Capitol?"
Amelia smiled conspiratorially as her phone buzzed in her pocket, snapping the band around her wrist. "I have friends everywhere, Uncle Rhodey." Amelia took out her phone to read the message from one such friend.
Stop hacking the DoD. Amelia's smile grew. Rhys landed a position in the Department of Justice last autumn, using his Columbia given education to protect the government on a daily basis, as he put it. Amelia had to remind him his job consisted of filling calendars, copying letters and filing committee documents. Not exactly the most glamorous position, but perfect for sending the odd nugget of gossip from inside the Capitol.
All her friends earned themselves gateway jobs, as Amelia liked to call them, since graduation, breaking out into the real world instead of folding themselves back into yet another degree like Amelia. Harvey secured a job with a top Boston law firm before he even left Harvard, assisting with case work and clerking for some pretty hardcore lawyers, and Ruth was on track for a job photographing for Vanity Fair. Not to mention Harry, the weaselly charmer managed to worm his way into Wall Street. Even snagged a girlfriend. A sweet girl by the name of Lailah Wooten who worked at the American Museum of Natural History as a receptionist, leaving Rhys and Amelia the only singletons in the group. Well, singleton and an it's complicated. A fact Amelia grew less and less fond of by the day.
"Have you spoken to Evan recently?" Ruth asked the last time they saw each other, scooping ice cream from little tubs as they walked along the Hudson.
Amelia cringed inside, "I haven't spoken to Evan since the whole Murdock incident."
"I still can't believe you did that." She tutted, poking Amelia.
"Neither can I." Amelia admitted under her breath, licking up a drop of mint chocolate ice cream running down her hand.
"I mean, he lied to you over and over again."
"I know, I was there." Amelia replied through a large, impossibly cold, mouthful.
"God, if Harvey did that to me I'd be murderous."
Amelia laughed, "No, you wouldn't, Ruthie, you can barely kill a spider."
"They don't deserve it, Amelia!" she cried petulantly.
"Point proven."
"Well, I'd still be angry." Ruth huffed, swirling her stick around the tub of vanilla.
"Yeah, but when they're that good it's kind of worth it."
Ruth raised a curious eyebrow, "Really?"
Amelia nodded emphatically, "Oh, yeah."
"That's besides the point." Ruth flustered, shaking her head as the blush crept into her tan cheeks, "You're just setting yourself up to get hurt."
"It's not gonna happen again." Amelia rolled her eyes.
"You said that about taking another class, now look at you."
"Well, this time I mean it." Amelia insisted, although her friend had a point.
Amelia took some kind of unintended pleasure in breaking her own rules, and Matt Murdock was one rule made to be broken. "No." She shook her head, banishing the thought with another mouthful of mint chocolate chip, the bite freezing the thoughts away. "It's not gonna happen again."
A month later it certainly did happen again and now Amelia was caught in some kind of limbo. Stuck between putting him past her and putting him under her. Especially since he started interning for Landman and Zack, the powerful firm paying him enough to take trips up to Cambridge. Spontaneous and uninvited, yet extremely welcome, trips.
They boarded the Stark jet to find Tony waiting rather impatiently for them, tapping his foot and giving them a long, down the nose, look when they finally stepped on. "I'm not gonna wait for you next time." He scolded, although it fell short given he was wearing an ugly brown tracksuit and rec checkered sneakers.
"As if you have anything better to do." Amelia snarked, taking the seat on the other side of the aisle beside Pepper, leaving the one beside Tony to her godfather.
Rhodey took off his military jacket, hanging it from the arm and loosening his tie before sitting, buckling on the belt in complete silence.
"Tell him to apologize for ambushing me." Tony pouted childishly as he propped his feet on the small tray table.
"I ambushed you?" Rhodey exclaimed exhaustedly, "Because I sent you a report a month ago with red letters on the top of it saying 'Tony please fact check.'"
"Did not." Tony disagreed with a snort, setting a pair of red tinted glasses on his nose.
"You received it." Pepper confirmed.
"I didn't get that."
"It was on your desk."
"Oh, please, like I remember." Tony whined, "That's not fair cause you know I wouldn't remember even if I did." Amelia slipped off her pumps, rubbing at her ankle and tucking her feet underneath her in the chair as they argued. "Have you apologized yet?" Tony pointed at Rhodey, taking his feet off the table.
Rhodey looked him right in the eye, "I wouldn't hold my breath."
"This would be a good time, I'm supposed to be Iron Man and you were supposed to have my back."
"And I do."
"And I got out of the game and that left a vacuum and now you're with Hammer and I'm sorry…"
"You know what would be great." Pepper interrupted, setting a file open on her crossed legs. "Is if we could get through some of the stuff on the list."
"I'm Iron Man."
Amelia bit back a laugh at the childish statement, as if anyone of them needed a reminder, he'd practically plastered the statement on a billboard spanning the entire country.
"Okay, Iron Man." Pepper mocked, "Could we maybe get through some of the stuff on this list?"
"You don't know what this means," Tony insisted, "I protect the free world."
"We'll cancel Monaco." Pepper continued, ignoring Tony's childish pout.
"You guys are going to Monaco?" Rhodey interjected, pointing at all three of them and Amelia corrected by pointing at just Tony and Rhodey. She had studying to do.
"What do you mean, us guys?" Tony frowned, glancing between Rhodey and Amelia, copying the pointing and waved a finger between them. "You're coming to Monaco."
"No." Amelia denied, "I'm going back to Cambridge after this weekend."
"Oh, come on, guys, that's our thing." Tony pleaded, leaning forward in his leather seat, "We need this."
"I got a lot of stuff to do, Tony." Rhodey reasoned, "I have responsibilities, Amelia has her studies."
"So you don't wish to come?" Tony pushed down his ridiculous glasses, peering at Amelia and Rhodey over the top. "Just say what you mean, you don't wanna hang out with me anymore."
Amelia tugged her satchel from beneath the seat, watching the exchange with slight amusement as Rhodey searched for a diplomatic answer and came up empty. That or he just didn't have the energy. "I think hanging out with you is bad for our friendship." Rhodey told him honestly and silence descended.
Amelia shared a tight look with Pepper, the two women pursing their lips as the intercom pinged, the seatbelts popping out the back of the chairs to secure them as the engine revved.
"What do you call that?" Tony asked as they all began to strap up.
"Seatbelts." Pepper chimed, choosing to ignore that particular question and Amelia folded the textbook over her knee, burying her nose in it to avoid Tony's eye.
"Call the shrink, get him on the horn." Tony joked, "I gotta find out what just happened, that was criminal."
"Let's move on to the birthday party." Pepper suggested, taking out her pen again. "I think that in keeping with the economic times, we should do something small."
Amelia ignored her floating hair as the jet began to ascend, feeling the drag pulling her down into the chair. "Less wear and tear on your body, maybe a retreat." Pepper continued as Amelia flipped to a page on polarization.
"Yeah, let's do some ashtanga yoga in a retreat in Ojai." Tony teased, overdoing the sarcasm, "What?"
Amelia only made it to the bottom of the page before Tony swiped the textbook from her hands, finished with his pointless arguing. "You're coming to my birthday party, right kid?" he raised an expectant eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses.
Amelia sighed, "Will you give me my textbook back if I say yes?"
"Maybe."
Amelia looked her father dead in the eye as she pulled a second, smaller textbook, from her satchel, grabbing a highlighter from the front pocket and yanking the lid off with her teeth, spitting it at her father for the extra satisfaction and he caught it right in the forehead.
"No, go on." She encouraged smugly, "You were saying?"
After a spluttering moment of just staring at her, bewildered, Tony shook his head. "Who raised you?" Tony exclaimed, idly tossing the lid at a snickering Rhodey.
"New York City." Amelia answered plainly and without hesitation, "Next question?"
Tony took the challenge, swinging in his seat as he crossed his arms, "Shaken or stirred?"
"Shaken dilutes the gin by introducing more water into the drink with melted ice, so a stirred martini will be stronger." Amelia quipped with a mischievous smile in her brown eyes, "Gimme a hard one next time."
Pepper cleared her throat as Tony opened his mouth to ask another, interrupting the two of them and their game. "How awful will you feel if you miss dear old Dad's birthday?" Tony pouted and immediately regretted the question when Amelia's eyes sparkled. "Don't answer that, it was rhetorical." He saved quickly, "What I meant to say was come to my birthday party or I'm writing you out of the will."
Amelia narrowed her eyes, challenging him to do it with just one look, straightening her shoulders boldly and unintentionally began a staring contest between the two, one Amelia would rather die than lose until Pepper snapped her fingers, causing Tony to blink and growl at her. "She's your last living blood relative." Pepper reminded him with a forceful look, "She'd get it anyway."
"But you knew that, right?" Rhodey smirked and the sparkle died in her eyes, "Because you're…"
"Fine, I'll come to your party." Amelia agreed quickly, snatching the textbook back and almost clobbering Rhodey over the head with it.
Of all things, Tony did not need to know about the lawyer. Especially since his firm represented some of Stark Industries closest competitor, including one Hammer Industries.
Tony fist pumped the air victoriously and Amelia was grateful for the distraction, shooting Rhodey a murderous look when Tony wasn't looking, agreeing to the Monaco trip just to keep the distraction from failing.
Maybe a trip to Europe would clear her head, help her out of this rut she'd landed in. Too much talk of boys and complicated relationships, not enough robotics in her opinion. She hadn't been able to figure out the circuitry for her competition entry recently, the most work she'd done the last week had been doodling over the blueprints and procrastination made Amelia grouchy.
The bright, warm sun of California made a nice change to the grey, cloudy weather of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Amelia made dinner that night, sparring with Tony as they ate, discussing her little mechanics issue, and he tried his best to give her a twenty minute rundown in the garage but Tony's latest charity case soon distracted Amelia and they spent the rest of the night bent over the hood of a vintage jaguar, the smooth navy paintwork gleaming once Amelia was finished with it.
The next morning Amelia changed into a blue, white and orange striped top and denim shorts, slipping her feet into a pair of socks and moping about the mansion looking for a comfortable spot to buckle down and study. She found Tony in the garage, unsure he'd ever left after last night, fiddling with something at his desk, so Amelia settled on the couch with her books and found the familiar tones of her father as he spoke with Jarvis the perfect background to work to, the two of them settling into a comfortable rhythm solving each other's problems before they had a chance to even ask.
"Is this a joke?"
Amelia glanced up briefly as she twirled her hair into a bun with a pencil to find Pepper storming into the garage, needle point heels clicking furiously as she strode over, a slight fuzziness to her voice. "What are you thinking?" she demanded, then repeated the question when Tony gave a clueless shake of his head.
"Hey…" Tony slid away from his desk in an attempt to shake her off, "I'm thinking I'm busy and you're angry about something." He stood, narrowing his eyes at the red lining Pepper's nose, taking a less than subtle step away. "Do you have the sniffles, I don't wanna get sick."
"Did you just donate our entire modern art collection to the Boy Scouts of America?" Pepper exclaimed and Amelia choked on her coffee.
Tony chucked her a cloth as he strode through his workspace, swiping aside current projects, balling one up and throwing it into a basketball hoop shaped trash can whilst she fruitlessly wiped at the stain. "It is a worthwhile organization." Tony defended, "I didn't physically check the crates but, basically, yes, and it's not our collection it's my collection."
"No, you know what." Pepper snapped, "I think I'm actually entitled to say our collection considering the time that I put in, over ten years, curating that."
"It was a tax write-off, I needed that." Tony justified.
Amelia could see the restraint in Pepper's tight features as she followed him along. "You know, there's only about eight thousand and eleven things that I really need to talk to you about." Pepper slapped the black folder tucked in her arm.
"I offered to help with that." Amelia pointed out as they grew closer to her, lifting a hand in the air, giving up with the stain, "Just, for the record."
"The Expo is a gigantic waste of time." Pepper told him bluntly, abandoning the collection.
"That's what I said." Amelia said under her breath, leaning back in the chair.
"I need you to wear a surgical mask until you're feeling better." Tony instructed, touching Pepper's shoulders lightly as she coughed. "Is that okay?"
"That's rude."
"There's nothing more important to me than the Expo." Tony stressed, slapping Dum-E on his way past, moving towards the kitchen.
"And what am I, chopped liver?" Amelia joked, swirling what remained of her coffee in her mug, smiling sweetly and Tony returned with a grin just as smarmy.
"You're a thorn in my side, oh sweetest daughter of mine."
"Like her father." Pepper quipped as Tony skipped over to a black frame leaning against a pile of scrap metal.
"Wow, look at that." Tony lifted it, revealing the retro print of the Iron Man suit, admiring it a little too much for Amelia's taste. "That's modern art, that's going up."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding." Pepper blurted so Amelia didn't have to.
"We really need to talk about your definition of modern art." Amelia swiped as Tony skipped away again.
"Stark is in complete disarray." Pepper continued, holding back a sigh as she followed him yet again. "You understand that?"
"No, our stocks have never been higher." Tony argued.
"Yes, from a managerial standpoint."
"Well, if it's messy then let's double back, let's move on to another subject."
Panic lit Pepper's eyes as Tony headed for the kitchen counter. "Oh, no, no, no." Pepper scolded as Tony propped the frame against the lower cabinet. "You are not taking down the Barnett Newman and hanging that up!"
"I'm not taking it down." Tony reasoned and Amelia winced as he swept a tray of glasses off the counter to make room, the porcelain smashing on the concrete floor. "I'm just replacing it with this."
"I am not cleaning that up." Amelia mumbled as Tony hoisted himself onto the counter.
"My point is," Pepper continued as Tony took down the first painting and set it aside. "We have already awarded contracts to the wind farm people and to the plastic plantation tree, which was your idea, by the way."
"Don't say wind farm, I'm already feeling gassy."
Amelia scrunched her nose at the unnecessary quip. "Those people are on payroll and you won't make a decision."
"I don't care about the liberal agenda anymore." Tony exclaimed frustratedly, adjusting the retro print so it hung straight. "It's boring, boring! I'm giving you a boring alert." Tony leapt off the counter to stand before Pepper. "You do it ."
Amelia froze, coffee halfway to her lips, and Pepper frowned in confusion. "I do what?"
"Excellent idea, I just figured this out." Tony jumped down from the counter, ignoring the warning look in Amelia's brown eyes, and tapped Pepper with a finger. "You run the company."
"Yeah, I'm trying to run the company." Pepper argued, the only one not following his train of thought, "You will not give me the information I need in order to physically do it."
"Pepper, you're not listening to me!" Tony raised his voice, "I'm trying to make you CEO."
The sound of Amelia's mug slamming against the glass coffee table silenced the cavernous garage, the two turning to look at her with. "You're making her CEO?" Amelia breathed as she stood, swallowing down the sudden anger.
Amelia knew he had an ace up his sleeve. By the look of undeniable shame on his weathered features, he knew exactly what this did to her, what it meant. "You're making her CEO?" Amelia repeated, tone darkening and she meant no offence to Pepper.
"I've actually given this a fair amount of thought, believe it or not." Tony admitted as Dum-E slid over carrying a tray of chilled champagne and three glasses, his brown eyes giving Amelia an apologetic look. A look she had no use for. "And after what happened, after I almost lost you, I realized I couldn't put you in harm's way ever again, not until I knew you were ready."
"Ready?" Amelia narrowed her eyes but Tony caught the pang of hurt tinging the brown, her forehead crinkling. "I'm more than ready, why do you think I'm doing all this?" Amelia gestured to the textbooks, her notes. "I've geared up my whole life to do this."
"Tony, I don't think…" Pepper said softly, stumbling over her words, "Maybe we should…"
"No, there's no discussion." Tony popped the champagne, holding it away as the bubbles spilled over. "I thought there'd be a legal issue but I'm capable of appointing my own successor."
"I am your daughter." Amelia fumed, angry he even needed the reminder, "The choice should've been obvious."
"You're not ready for this." Tony reasoned, pouring the champagne.
"Stark Industries is my right, it's our legacy." It's my entire life.
"I said, you're not ready." Tony yelled, slamming the champagne and knocking a glass from the tray, the sound of it shattering startling Amelia and Tony knew his mistake as soon as he made it. "Enough, Amelia." He lowered his voice, made it softer, but the damage had been done.
Pepper called after Amelia as she fled the garage, storming all the way to her room and slamming the door behind her, the lock clicking as Amelia burst onto the balcony. She yanked out the pencil in her hair, shaking out her glossy waves and threw it as hard as she could, watching it cartwheel through the air before she even knew what she was doing. As if watching one pencil spin off over the cliff would make her feel better.
Amelia dropped her head into her hands, propping her arms on the railing and gave a very loud, very frustrated growl. Nothing would make her feel better right now.
How could he do that? Was it so easy for him just to pull the rug out from under her, just casually handing over her life's work to someone else. He knew what the company meant to her, he knew how much she wanted to share in it, to continue what her grandfather started.
All that talk about legacy, about building a better future for the next generation, everything he'd spoken of in his speech, did it not mean anything? Had it just been words to him? Another empty, meaningless speech.
Amelia groaned again, louder this time, angrier. Of course it didn't mean anything. Always, always, it was just talk with him. More hot air came out of Tony Stark's mouth than a space heater, than a freaking jet plane. Yet she was angrier at herself for believing there was a chance. For thinking something had changed. Amelia thought the days of her believing his promises were over, she truly believed Obadiah's betrayal had changed Tony, and he'd done so well till now, making her believe. Making her want to believe, more than anything. Not that it mattered, they still found themselves circling back to where they always ended up.
Disappointment.
Stark Industries was Amelia's right, it was their legacy. Tony crossed the line keeping it from her. This time he brought Amelia's future, all her hard work, into this and that was something she couldn't forgive.
Amelia dug her phone from her pocket, swiping through her contacts until she found the right number, pressing the phone to her ear and tapped her nail against the railing as it dialed.
"Romanoff." She greeted as soon as it connected, straightening her back as she stamped down the disappointment, the hurt, brown eyes focusing. "I'm in."