Revamped!
[I don't know why I'm publishing this now because I'm half-asleep].
Chapter 40: Burning All Loose Ends
AIM Base - 11:41 AM
Several AIM agents come bursting inside, frantic, and panting as they run inside. The superior of this base (since there are many) marches over to them, needing information for this outburst immediately.
"Explain yourself," the superior orders.
"Project: New Generation was chasing us in the air," one agent replies. "Luckily, we lost them and got back safely."
The superior groans as he brings his arms across his chest. "They were chasing you and you came back here!"
The AIM agents suddenly realize their awful mistake. They didn't lose Project: New Generation, they led them right to their base. Before any order could be given to search the perimeter, the ones they're looking for are already right under their noses.
Suddenly, Angela drops from the ceiling with both guns out, keeping every one of her sides of her radar. All the AIM agents are frozen in shock.
"Where did you come from?" An AIM agent demands her.
Angela smirks. "I fell from heaven."
"Aw!" James exclaims, popping up by surprise from behind one of the computer desks. "That's my angel."
All the agents around James point their weapons at him. Angela sighs, keeping her guns pointed at them all. Parallel from Angela at the other end of the room, James puts his hands up over his head and stands on the desk chair.
Then, Merida walks in holding a chain. She's currently standing parallel from Angela at a different angle. Merida throws the chains she was holding across the room before standing straighter and pulling an arrow out of the quiver that's strapped to her waist.
"Usually a chained door means closed but it's not our fault your frantic asses didn't lock it," Merida says, holding up her bow.
"Yeah, you guys should really know how to work under pressure," Xavier says, appearing where Merida's chains landed. "We learned that the hard way."
"You'd think that the nerds who made Technovore would have better security measures and field agents," Angela comments.
"Obviously, they don't think their strategies through," James says. "Technovore was a bust and picking Emily Stark's family was just a horrible move on your part because friends take care of each other."
"You think you SHIELD agents can outsmart us with your words?" The superior of this division asks in a taunting tone that isn't really all that taunting.
"Not really," Merida admits. "I mean, Emily Stark is one you wouldn't want to enter a battle of the wits against. I think it's fair to say that say that, unlike you, we know how to plan our attacks."
The AIM agents all look around to see what Merida means. They start from where Angela's standing. She's in one corner with her guns pointed at them, ready to fire when commanded to. Then their heads go to the other end of the room where James stands on a chair with his hands above his head. Not only is he at a higher altitude since he's currently taller than them but his hands are free to fire his bioelectricity shots, and he can shrink and fly whenever asked. Going diagonally from James, back to the other end of the room, a good distance beside Angela is Merida. She's already holding her bow out. Then the same distance separating Angela and James and Angela and Merida is the same distance between Xavier and Merida and Xavier and James. In Xavier's hands are the chains Merida got from the door which he will most definitely use as a weapon to his advantage.
The four of them are standing in a square, having full coverage and surrounding all the AIM agents in the room. To the AIM agents, it seemed unintentional at first but now they know that was their strategy in the beginning.
"Since you believe your words to be so intelligent," Xavier says, winding the ends of the chains around his hand to have a solid grip on it. "I suggest you picking your last ones wisely."
-o-
Stark Industries - 14:55 PM
Intercom: Mrs. Stark, your next appointment is here.
"Send her up," Pepper replies, already knowing who it is without needing to look at her schedule. "She knows the way."
Seconds later, Emily marches into her mother's office, her heels making their marks on the soft carpet beneath her feet. Emily stands there, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed as she waits for her mother to face her. Instead, Pepper continues typing, her eyes not looking down at the keyboard once as her fingers type to the rhythm of the second hand on the clock. One of Emily's feet starts to tap along to that rhythm to get her mother's attention which comes five minutes later.
Pepper finally lifts her hands from the keyboard and sits back before giving Emily a comforting smile. Emily, however, is still mad.
"I can't believe you made me book an appointment," Emily states.
"And I can't believe you didn't close the door on your way in," Pepper replies.
Emily turns around and reluctantly closes the door, slightly slamming it to get her mother's attention once again. That doesn't go as planned so Emily ends up standing back where she originally was.
"I'm a busy woman and you're lucky I gave you one," Pepper says with a small smile that Emily frowns at. "Why are you still here?"
Emily is taken aback by that question. "Excuse me?"
"Why aren't you at SHIELD with your friends? I think they're visiting the AIM base that sent Technovore. You should've gone with them."
Emily would be lying if she said she knew what was going on in this conversation. She's confused now and she doesn't like it. Pepper folds her hands together on her desk in a pleased fashion.
"Teenage me never stayed home and now you want me out?" Emily questions. Pepper nods. "Oh, how the times have changed, Mother Dearest."
"Emily."
Emily sighs. "Mom, ever since I have been a child, you've wanted me to set my priorities straight and all I did was ignore you. That is until I went to university and did one of my majors in business. Don't think I didn't like it because I did. I loved it a lot. Then, I did my internships and sat through all the god-awful boring meetings because some colleagues are just so damn stupid that I wanted to hit my head against the table or better yet, hit theirs."
Pepper smiles with a small laugh. "And to think I wondered if I ever rubbed off on you."
"I wanted to impress you, Mom, because you're my number one role model. You might not know mixed-martial arts or speak ten languages, but your ability not to tolerate bullshit in six-inch heels is what really blows my mind."
Pepper feels her heart warming at the unexpected compliment from her daughter. She stands up and brushes her pantsuit off before walking around to sit on the front edge of her desk. Emily's face softens up.
"You've done university," Pepper states to her. "You're done and you graduated and I'm so, so proud of you. As for the company, you don't really have to be a businesswoman just yet, especially since I'm not retiring anytime soon."
Emily fakes a gasp, understanding what her mother is telling her. "Are you firing me before hiring me?"
Pepper smirks. "Go. Go with SHIELD. Go be a badass who doesn't tolerate anyone's bullshit while wearing six-inch heels."
"I'd love to but I don't think that's in the uniform."
Pepper scoffs. "You could pull off whatever they throw at you."
"That's the Stark gene."
"It sure is." She takes a quick glance at her watch and sees that her next appointment is in five minutes. "Your father and I are leaving for California soon so tell Daniel he can move in."
"I will."
"And just one more thing before I have to kick you out and force you to go to SHIELD."
"What?"
"Close the door on your way out."
And as expected, Emily purposely ignores her mother's wish at first before going back to close the door.
