"So, we're in agreement," Grey said, feeling ridiculous with the official language. "Seema Patel to replace Obadiah, Brittany Short to replace Neises, and Nicole Kynes to take legal at Sam's suggestion."
After learning about the future plans, Sam wholeheartedly threw her support behind the Avengers Initiative, wanting to be their President of Legal, rather than the CLO. Pepper put Sam in charge of hiring the new chief legal officer, and she suggested Nicole, who did her undergrad at Yale, then Harvard for law. She was still young, but had worked with San Francisco DA, Kamala Harris for two years as a public defender.
"We're replacing seventeen regional directors," Pepper said, shaking her head at the number. Five to arrests, five for qualifications, and seven to employee complaints. "Hiring an additional six directors, and completely scrapping the board of directors we currently have."
"And buying out the entire company. How much is all this costing us?" Tony rummaged through his folder until he found a budget. The total at the bottom had been scratched out and rewritten six times.
"Personally? Too much," Pepper replied, searching for the finance packet. It was six in the morning, and the family had taken over the biggest conference room in the Los Angeles HQ to host the upcoming leadership meeting to discuss all the impending changes. At least, that's what everyone else had been told. "You already have fifty three percent of the shares, ah-ha there it is. I have five percent myself, and Grey bought seven percent after firing Kevin."
"Obadiah has ten percent, and the remaining twenty five is split," Grey added, leaning over to read the file. "We can get those at a steal once he's convicted."
"And the board of advisors, you're implementing?" Pepper asked Tony. Since the company was going to privatize, they didn't truly answer to the board, but they wanted trusted people to call them out for being stupid if it came to it.
"You two as President and Vice President, depending on who is CEO at the time," Tony said, reinforcing the belief that they were going to make Pepper before the Expo. "Ms Thomas has agreed to stay as secretary, and suggested Max Howell as treasurer. I won't sit on the board as President and Director of R , but our hire for VP can sit on. I was also thinking the directors of HR and Ethics."
"We should bring Hope Van Dyne and Helen Cho on as well, since the board is eventually going to advise on the Avengers Initiative, too," Pepper suggested. "We don't have to tell them yet, just get them to agree."
"I like that, who would we bring on from SHIELD, because we'll need one," Grey asked. "I'd trust Maria Hill, after everything."
"We'll come back to that, these will do for now," Tony said, calming Grey's endless need to prepare for the future. "Who has the file on the Jericho factories?"
"I do," Grey said handing it over. "Two are already converted for phones, the third got delayed by an electrical fire – no one got hurt, just knocked us off schedule a few weeks. Since we were able to negotiate out of the one contract, for the new grenades, those factories were also converted, so we have seven active."
"Presales are fantastic, couldn't have asked for better," Pepper said, shrugging. Switching to consumer technology had thrown their workers for a loop, but manufacturing was already on the rise, and the Stark Phones looked on track to beat out Samsung sales, even with their late start in the year. Not to mention how excited the HR department was about their new head. Hanna Smythe ruled with an iron fist, but everyone loved her because of it. Pepper expected employee satisfaction to skyrocket.
The three of them talked about the future of the company until Happy came and found them at seven, the caterers for the leadership meeting had arrived. Pepper and Grey ran to their offices to change while Tony and Happy cleaned up. Happy took everything downstairs to Tony's office and put it on his desk.
The first group arrived at eight thirty, the department heads and various directors from Seattle. Grey and Pepper walked back in and exchanged looks. He would be one of the ones served a severance offer once Obadiah was arrested.
By eight fifty, everyone had arrived, according to Bambi's facial recognition scans. Grey went around and allowed her dad to introduce her to everyone she hadn't already met. At eight fifty-five, another group of people walked in, the new hires for Stark Industries leadership in America.
"It's good to see everyone all in the same place," Tony said as he watched the soon-to-be new COO be introduced to Michael Bowdler, the Chief Technology Officer and one of two to keep their job at the C level. "We can get a real sense of who knows who, and who we might have missed."
"Bucky went through everyone in this room, I don't think we've missed anything," Grey said, laughing with her dad. "You're just excited for nine."
"I'm ready for all this to finally be over," Tony said quietly. He knew it wouldn't truly be over, it would never be over, too much had been irrevocably changed in his life. But he was ready to put all the betrayal behind him.
"I'm just glad they were able to move this fast. When you first told me everything, I expected this to drag out for months. Investigations of this size aren't fast."
"They're hoping that we'll continue our contracts if they get this wrapped up quickly. We should be glad it was this easy for them." Tony paused. "Did you bribe them?"
"Why does everyone think I'm this terrible person?" Grey asked, amused. "I get it, I give off big Slytherin energy for a Hufflepuff, but I did not bribe anyone. Jayne said that Stane just had no protection on his computers. Not surprised considering what I saw happen."
Pepper finding that ransom video with no password protection was enough to have Grey and her head-of-IT mom cackling every time they saw it.
"What was that phrase you used last week? Age of the Geek?" Tony asked, toasting her with his coffee. She tapped her against his and smiled.
"Age of the geek baby," Grey said, quoting Harrison from Leverage. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at Pepper across the room. Pepper nodded. "Let's get this meeting started."
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, if I could have everyone's attention, please, we have a fair bit to discuss this sunny morning, and I don't know about you, but I'd like to be done before noon," Pepper said with a warm smile on her face. Stane was the only one that outwardly sneered at her. But he'd been doing that since Grey stepped out as CEO before he could. Michael, the CTO, was the only other person aware of what was about to happen, and gently herded the new hires out of the way of the door, just in time for the feds to burst in and start arresting people.
The Chief Legal Officer, Marlene Heins, was led out in handcuffs, as was the CFO, Josh Neises. Seven people from the board of directors meeting were arrested, leaving Richard Walsh and Kevin's replacement, a woman named Susan. People were continuously led out, until there were only three FBI agents left in the room. Well, two FBI agents and Katherine Dugan, who was either undercover or moonlighting.
"Obadiah Stane, you are under arrest for kidnapping, attempted murder, and terrorism, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be afforded to you by the state of California." Katherine winked at Grey as she led Stane out of the room. That's when the lights went off.
"Was that part of the plan?" Grey asked, glancing around. She could hear Pepper reaching for her weapon and clamped a hand down on her wrist. "You will be shot, don't even think about it. Jarvis, Bambi, someone tell me what the fuck is going on?"
"Anonymous is trying to get into Stark Industries servers," Bambi said in Grey's ear. "Jarvis is trying to keep them out, that's why they cut your power."
"Is this Operation Payback?" Grey asked. "I think I remember something about that in the news. No idea what for though."
"File sharing," Bambi supplied. "It's on twitter."
"Everything is on Twitter. Get the power back on, tell Anonymous to fuck off we don't have what they want," Grey said, letting go of Pepper. Pepper looked a little sheepish for almost pulling a weapon in a room with federal agents "Tell Jarvis that he has permission to go nuts keeping them out. And get legal in here to pass out the pink slips, now that the arrests are done. I need some more coffee."
Line Break
Breaking: Stark Industries Executives Arrested in Major multi-Agency Operation
Jayne Vittori, Associated Press
September 14, 2010, 9:01 AM PST
LOS ANGELES, CA — In a swift, coordinated operation, agents from the FBI, DHS, and ATF entered a Stark Industries leadership meeting this morning, executing a series of high-profile arrests. The list of charges against Stark Industries' Chief Operating Officer, Obadiah Stane, is extensive, including weapons smuggling, theft, attempted theft, embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, racketeering, attempted kidnapping, kidnapping, attempted murder, murder, and several others. He may face additional charges as an accomplice in several of these crimes.
Chief Financial Officer Joshua Neises, as well as five other Stark Industries employees linked to illicit weapons deals, were also taken into custody. An additional three employees were arrested on unrelated charges uncovered during the investigation. Margaret Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, expressed both relief and determination in a statement made shortly after the arrests:
"We've been recently praised for all our efforts at bettering the company. This is the flipside of that," Margaret stated. "We have to hold our employees to a higher standard of accountability if we want to be the highest standard of accountability."
The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, has reportedly revealed a substantial network of illegal operations centered around the illegal sale and distribution of Stark Industries weapons. Margaret Stark has announced a series of immediate terminations for employees who were found to have participated in Stane's smuggling ring, even if their involvement fell below the threshold for criminal charges.
Pepper Potts, Stark Industries' Chief Executive Assistant, praised law enforcement for their effective action and vigilance. "The investigation team did a remarkable job in bringing swift accountability," Potts said. "Their commitment to protecting not just Stark Industries, but also the American people, is commendable."
While law enforcement is keeping specific investigative methods confidential, one anonymous investigator revealed, off the record, that Stane's personal security practices were surprisingly lax, particularly on his devices. "Honestly, it was easier than expected," the investigator shared. "He had next to no security on his personal devices, which made it quite straightforward to identify his collaborators and build a thorough case."
As Stark Industries grapples with the fallout of these revelations, the company remains committed to upholding the standards of transparency and accountability it has recently promoted. Margaret Stark's decisive stance and collaboration with authorities underscores Stark Industries' commitment to reform and accountability, ensuring the company operates ethically in all aspects.
Stark Industries Tightens Standards with Major Layoffs Following Executive Arrests
Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair
September 14, 2010
LOS ANGELES, CA — In the wake of this morning's dramatic arrests of Stark Industries COO Obadiah Stane and several other high-ranking employees, CEO Margaret Stark is taking bold, rapid steps to address long-standing issues within the company. Alongside the arrests, Stark Industries has enacted a sweeping series of terminations and layoffs targeting employees who fall short of the company's newly set standards. This recalibration of the workforce—eliminating 10% of employees across its American operations—reflects the company's stated commitment to maintaining the "highest standard of accountability," as Margaret Stark put it in her recent address.
Among those dismissed are employees with excessive harassment complaints, outdated qualifications, and other performance-based shortcomings, as well as anyone found with even indirect ties to Stane or his alleged network. "This isn't just about removing the 'bad apples'," one spokesperson clarified. "It's about redefining our culture and ensuring every employee is qualified, accountable, and in line with Stark Industries' values."
In a surprising show of transparency, Margaret Stark has extended an unusual offer to terminated employees, allowing anyone who believes their layoff was unjust to schedule an in-person meeting with her directly to plead their case. Such a measure has sparked conversations about her personal commitment to fairness amid necessary restructurings.
"The majority of these layoffs are unfortunately a result of internal politics and cultural shifts overdue for an overhaul," Stark Industries' new Chief Legal Officer Nicole Kynes commented. "Our mission is moving forward with integrity, and that means addressing issues that don't align with our standards, even if they aren't necessarily criminal."
The move toward recalibration in hiring practices will see a more stringent review process for new hires, with a focus on both technical proficiency and interpersonal skills. Rumors also hint at potential improvements to Stark Industries' work environment, with discussions around on-site childcare, increased benefits, and more professional development opportunities to foster a culture that's accountable yet supportive.
Margaret Stark has consistently been vocal about reforming Stark Industries' image and internal culture since taking over as CEO earlier this year. In recent months, her influence has resulted in key shifts toward transparency, accountability, and ethics, moves that have struck a chord with the public and younger generations alike. Her statement this morning encapsulated her stance: "The future of Stark Industries will be built on a foundation of responsibility and resilience. We owe it to our employees and to the world to be the best possible version of ourselves."
While the restructuring and higher standards may be challenging for some to meet, Stark Industries is making its intentions clear. For the Stark family, this decisive overhaul is not just about removing remnants of Obadiah Stane's influence; it's about setting a new precedent for what it means to be part of this iconic enterprise.
As the dust settles, all eyes will remain on Stark Industries and Margaret Stark as they navigate these pivotal shifts—determined to build a more ethically robust, forward-thinking company.
Iron Man
"And it locks?" Tom asked, looking at the flight suit. They were in an empty classroom at Andrews Air Force Base in DC, looking at a projection of the concept design for the EX0-7 suits.
"It's a static lock. When the repulsors are active, it'll lock up the suit in a streamlined position to help with aerodynamics," Tony said. "We've designed locks to go on at the hips, the knees, and the ankles. We don't want them to have to do all that themselves. It'll hurt after a while."
"Found the pilots," Jim said, entering the warehouse. Grey looked away from the wing suit excitedly and caught her first glimpse of the birds. She greeted each of them eagerly.
"Sam Wilson, Falcon," Sam greeted, shaking Grey's hand. The insignia on his shirt marked him as a Staff Sergeant.
"Riley del Sol, Hawk," the other man said, taking Sam's lead.
"Alison McGee, Allie, please, Penguin. I'm not a flyer, I'm just back-end support," she said with a wide smile on her face. She was a Technical Sergeant, if Grey was reading the insignia correctly. Riley had the same one.
"That's perfect, we were only able to get two suits completed," Tony said, taking over the presentation. This was something he was familiar with, and truly enjoyed doing. He talked about the wings, the suit as a separate entity, the weapons attached, and how to avoid scorching the back of their thighs when taking off.
"So, we're essentially going to want to hang glide when we take off," Riley restated, looking at the set up. "Jump out and coast before firing up the repulsors."
"Exactly," Tony said excitedly. "By then, the static lock at your hips will have switched on, and you should be fine."
"This static lock, is it going to stop us from moving? What if we're on the ground, using the wings to assist in hand to hand?" Sam asked, leaning to the side in his chair.
"The static lock can easily be disrupted," Tony explained. "It's literally static electricity and magnets. The locks are there to help you keep streamlined, not force you to stay streamlined."
"I see lots of core work in our future, birdbrain," Riley said to Sam.
"Great, abs for days," Sam complained. "I'd rather do cardio."
"Ha no," Grey laughed, beaming at the pilots. The Iron Pilots were pulling more core work to compensate for the weight of the suits. The exoskeleton helped, but it made it easier to move in, the stronger they were."I'd rather do core than cardio."
"So, when do we start?" Allie asked, looking up from the notes she was taking. "Or when do they start? General, are we being presented with comms? Who and when will our missions come from?"
"Oh, she's the smart one," Jim said. "What are these two then, the pretty ones?"
"Yes sir," Riley said lazily, grinning. Grey shook her head with a smile. "And the strong ones."
"Nah, I watched Grey throw a man easily weighing over three hundred pounds," Jim said. "She's the strong one."
"Pepper threw him too," Grey said defensively.
"That is true," Tony mused. "My girlfriend scares the crap out of me. And she did that before she started hand to hand training."
"Will we be learning any advanced hand to hand?" Allie asked. General Morrow stood and handed each airman a slim file.
"This is just an overview of what you three are going to be involved in. You're going to work directly with Doctor Stark and his family. All of your missions will be classified. No one outside of the four of us, and the Stark family are to know."
"And with that secret, here's one more you're going to have to keep," Tony said brightly. "This is the man who is going to be running most of our missions with Miss Penguin. He served in the Army and spent a ridiculous amount of time as a POW in Russia. Bucky Barnes. Buckster, meet the birds."
"What the fuck," Sam asked quietly as Bucky stepped out of a shadow behind Tony. He stood there, looking menacing, but ultimately normal in black tactical pants, and a tight blue shirt with a standard nine-millimeter in a thigh holster. His prosthetic was visible once the short sleeves ended.
"Who?" Riley looked at Sam, who clearly knew the man. A glance at the family showed that they were in on some joke centering the man.
"He's Captain America's best friend?" Sam asked, looking pale. "Served in WW2, my sister, she majored in American history, she told me about him. What?"
"Funny story," Tony said, trying not to giggle at the astonished look on General Morrow's face. "I'm sure. Grey pulled him outta God knows where while I was in the desert."
"Good to know you're going to get that reaction from everyone we ever meet," Grey pretended to pout. "No one even looks at me anymore, they all stare at him."
"I'll stare at you plenty, darling," Allie said, winking at the heiress. "Is this the big guy you threw?"
"Yep," Grey confirmed, blushing violently at the woman's attentions. Allie laughed brightly and turned back to her file. "Are there any more questions?"
"There's a lot of recon missions planned, what are we doing recon for?" Sam asked, glancing at the paperwork in Allie's hands.
"I'm so glad you asked, Wilson, that leads us nicely into part B of what we're not telling the press," Tony said. Behind him, a slide show popped up, and Tony's smile widened. "This is a sketch of what we're working on as a family."
Iron Man
"This is the best day ever!" Sam Wilson shouted as he flew two feet above the ocean's surface in the EX0-7 suit code named Falcon. All the fliers were out, including Jim and Bucky in standard flight suits, coasting through the air.
"Dad, you may have been right," Grey said, barrel rolling over Pepper to get on Tony's other side. "The contact makes selection much easier. Think we can get the same thing added to my daily wear ones?"
"No, you wouldn't want to wear this daily, but I can make them glow like your others, no problem," Tony said. It was a standard contact lens, with no prescription on it, just a computer chip, similar to the ones used with the nano-masks that would cause Talbot so much grief later in life. It paired with the suit, acting as a cursor for their heads-up display in the suit. "Hawk, if you end up in the ocean, I'm not rescuing you."
"If you ruin your flight suit, I'll order him to leave you in the ocean," Allie's voice came through their open comms. "Having said that, how are you two doing?"
"This is incredible," Riley crowed. "I've always loved flying, being a pilot was incredible, but this? This is... beyond description."
"This is fucking awesome!" Grey watched, impressed he was already so comfortable with the wings.
"The Air Force has already started planning our first few ops, those with you, and also those strictly for us," Allie said from where she was running back end. "They'd also like us to get used to writing a report after each flight. Iron Man, are you going to teach the boys general maintenance on their suits?"
"No, Stark Industries will handle all the maintenance. I'm putting together a team specifically for you all," Tony said. Grey leaned until she was flying face up. After a few seconds, she flipped back over, deciding that coasting on her back felt weird and set off all of her various anxieties. "I'd do it myself, but I barely have time to be Iron Man."
Iron Man
The need to celebrate two birthdays at the same time brought the birds and their families to Los Angeles for a long weekend. September 23rd was Sam Wilson and Sam Kim's birthday, so after the first flight with the EX0-7 suits, the birds and Allie's wife, were flown out to Los Angeles.
Sam and Riley were happy to share a guest room, their relationship only slightly surprising Grey. Allie and her wife Kat took Grey's old room, sending Jayne to Pepper's, who was now bunking with Tony. The first night was relaxing. The next morning, the twenty-first, Grey decided to play.
Sam fell out of his bed, panic flooding his system at the loud noise, until he recognized it. He still wasn't sure why it was that loud, but he sprang to his feet and enjoyed it anyway.
"Do you remember?" Riley shouted.
"Twenty first night, September?" Sam shouted back, already dancing along to the music that was being blasted through the entire house in Los Angeles. He reached into his bag and pulled a pair of pants on before following Riley down to the kitchen, where Grey was jamming out too. Bucky was sitting at the table, his soundproof headphones on as he drank his coffee.
"Never was a cloudy day," Grey sang as she spun in a circle, three coffees in her hands. She passed them out, still bopping to the music, a wide smile on her face. Lyn was working around Grey, putting together a breakfast for the truly ridiculous number of people gathered. The song ended, and the volume lowered considerably as another song came on, still disco. Grey didn't stop dancing, but Bucky removed his headphones.
"Glad someone beat Sam to it," Allie said as she entered the room. Kat was shuffling along behind her, yawning. "He usually does this every year with his terrible sound system."
"Hey!"
"She's right, Wilson, it's a terrible sound system," Riley said brightly. Happy and Jim entered the dining room next, dressed, and ready for the day. Pepper and Tony came in from outside, likely having left to avoid the music. Jayne came down from upstairs, her arm finally free of her brace.
"It's okay, we still tolerate you," Allie teased. If possible, Sam looked even more offended as he dropped into a chair at the table. The chef came out, carrying a tray with loaded plates. The music faded as people settled into their chairs and started eating. Conversations splintered, with Tony pulling Grey into a quick meeting about the HR policy changes. Pepper, Bucky, Happy, and Jayne were arguing about the meeting they had the next day with not only the board of directors, but also all the C level employees and all the department heads. The Air Force quartet were exchanging stories.
The chef appeared again, clearing away the empty plates before taking their leave for the morning. Lyn didn't often double as chef and server, but was willing to make an exception with all the guests.
"Wanna be really petty and buy Pym Tech?" Grey asked, a shit-eating grin on her face. Pepper and Tony, both gave her a resounding no. She pouted but grinned at them.
"You'd take over the world if I let you, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, Gods no," Grey said, her eyes wide. "The whole world? Definitely not. Maybe just the country. After Obama's run though, I like what he's doing, mostly."
"Hey, how'd last week go for you? You never said," Allie asked, turning away from where Riley was describing a flight he'd had, using his hand to show how the aircraft had flown.
"Well, we're officially private military contractors," Grey said with distaste. "We're to work directly with the Air Force or the UN to find and destroy any Stark Weapons scattered around the world, we don't need a visa to operate, but we do need proper flight clearances and permissions, and ample warning to the government of whatever country we're gatecrashing. Thaddeus was there, lurking in the back, so was Coulson. One of them is going to end up reaching out with questions."
"I'll handle Ross," Tony said. "I don't like him anyway."
"Nothing to his feelings to you" Grey said, her eyes glowing orange. "You're going to buy his favorite bar."
"That's a bad idea," Pepper said.
"That's a fantastic idea," Tony said. Sam and Riley were still staring, open-mouthed at Grey.
"Yeah, she can sometimes see the future," Jim said, noticing what they were looking at.
"That's impossible," Riley breathed, still staring at Grey's glowing orange eyes. Grey blinked and they were back to her usual brown.
"No, that's just Grey," Jim said, shaking his head. "You'll get used to her eventually. But you understand that what she can do is beyond classified, right?"
"She can see the future, why isn't she working with the DOD to prevent attacks on our troops?" Sam demanded.
"Because I can't control it," Grey said icily. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "I just see these terrible things and hope that I have enough context clues to do something. So yeah, I can tell you that Stane's never gonna spend a day in jail due to his own bad-guy partners killing him, but I can't tell you what's going to happen next week. And I can't just force the visions, they usually come at night anyway. So, my abilities are classified because if the wrong people make the same assumption, you just did, Hydra or worse will have me as their slave to try and use my powers to take over the world."
"Why weren't we told?" Allie asked, trying to play mediator.
"Why should you be told?" Grey asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you need to know anything about me? Yes, you currently work for us, that means you get to know about how I like my coffee, it doesn't mean you're entitled to information about everything."
"She didn't mean it like that," Riley said, jumping to her defense. "None of us meant anything by it. We were just told impossible information, we're just curious because it's supposed to be impossible."
"If this were true clairvoyance, or even omnipotence, we would disclose that, especially if any information for your jobs came from her, but since the only thing she used to get us this far was my money, it's not important," Tony said firmly. "The only thing Grey's actually used her abilities for is rescuing Barnes from Hydra, and that was mostly an accident."
"I saw him being tortured by his handler, recognized both of them, and I decided to do something about it," Grey said. "And I'd do the same for any of you, if I could."
"Unreliable abilities?" Allie asked, no hostility, just curiosity.
"I only see the big things. Dad coming home, Stane's death. I keep seeing dad and Pepper's wedding, but the universe can't tell if it's happening soon or not. I keep seeing two different versions."
"Two different versions?"
"There's one in Central Park, or one by a lake. The one by the lake, you two look older, dad's greying around the temples."
"Can you wait to plan my wedding until after I propose?" Tony sighed, leaning back in his chair with his coffee.
"Can you hurry up and propose to the love of your life? So, I can plan your wedding already?" Grey asked, leaning forward to reach the coffee pot in the middle of the table. She course corrected, reaching for the decaf pot after a glare from her dad.
"Hate to interrupt this breakfast, but we are being requested in the office," Happy said, reading something on his phone.
"Well, that's our queue," Pepper said, standing up. "Allie, Sam, Riley, Kat the house is yours, while you're here, feel free to stay and relax, head out and explore. There are cars in the garage, there's a path to the private beach near the cliffs. Lyn will put out a lunch spread at noon, and dinner will be at seven."
"If you need anything, feel free to reach out, calls likely won't be an option, but you can always text," Grey added, abandoning her decaf coffee. "I've gotta change."
Grey ran back to her room, Bucky on her heels. After she finished her orange juice, Pepper did the same. Tony was already dressed, so he retreated to the lab to wait.
"Anybody else feel like the universe is laughing at us?" Riley asked, leaning back in his chair. "Because those four, scare the shit outta me, and I feel like God is waiting with a punchline somewhere."
"Better be a damn good one," Sam grumbled, refilling his own coffee with a bitter expression.
"You two are the joke," Allie said cheerfully, pulling her phone out to check the time. It was late enough to go explore LA. "Don't get arrested if you leave today."
"Why would we leave?" Riley asked Sam. "There's a giant pool, right there on the property. I ain't goin' anywhere."
"Well, I'm leaving. Kat found a mommy yoga class she wants to do, and I want to see the city," Allie said brightly.
Iron Man
It was nearly two in the morning, when Bucky knocked gently on the door to Tony's office.
"I have something I don't want to ask, but I need anyway," Bucky said softly. Tony looked at him with concern. "My arm, there's something wrong, tomorrow, could we – could you?"
"What's goin' on, Ice Cube?" Bucky rolled his eyes at the endless nicknames but turned so he could open a hatch on his shoulder, revealing wires.
"It's sparking," Bucky said flatly. "I feel it in my fingers. Started two days ago."
"You too tired to head to the lab? I can fix it today, I don't mind," Tony offered, finishing off his own sandwich.
"Today is good," Bucky said, relief in his eyes. He got up and followed Tony downstairs, telling him all the things he could remember about his arm. Tony nodded along, occasionally calling up to Jarvis to make a note of something. Bucky's anxiety was through the roof, but the pain in his fingers was gone in under an hour.
"Better?"
"Thank you, Tony," Bucky said, even reaching over to hug the man. Tony rolled his eyes, but hugged him back, secretly enjoying the contact.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll get you a completely new one in the works, this is all cold war era hardware. With what I have access to, I can make you something better," Tony offered.
"Grey said that Wakanda would make me a Vibranium arm if I waited until 2016," Bucky said, leaning back in his chair. Tony didn't want to point it out, but this was the first time Bucky felt comfortable enough in the lab to sit in a chair and not on the floor or the counter. Grey would be sad she slept through it but thrilled with his progress. He was certain Jarvis had already left a message with Bambi about it. He glanced at the computer screen with her heart rate on it. "She also said that Fitz makes excellent prosthetics."
"She keeps talking about Fitz," Tony said. "If I didn't see you two together every day, I'd be worried she's in love with him."
"Oh, she definitely is, but she talks about his soulmate, Simmons, so I think we're good." Bucky laughed at the thought. "She's got a big heart, there's enough room for us all."
Iron Man
Pepper kept a straight face as Tony led her into the courthouse, his tight grip on her hand his only show of nerves. She'd been in front of cameras before, both for her modeling career, and also during press conferences for Stark Industries, but this felt different. This wasn't a careful selection of reporters and publications, this was every vulture with a camera and a blog, shouting for a statement on proceedings.
"I'll give a brief statement if you calm down and stop harassing my parents," Grey said, pausing on the stairs. Jim took the hint and kept herding the rest of the group into the courthouse. "Thank you. Today is the second day of proceedings in State vs Stane. Those of us in Stark Industries are hopeful that things will go in accordance with the law, and Obadiah Stane will spend the rest of his life in jail. A jury will decide his fate, and that is something both dad and I are more than comfortable with. For those of you asking what punishment we would like, kindly stop. We have faith in the law and know that our judge and jury will do their jobs appropriately. Thank you all for your support and thank you to those of you who have taken to twitter in our defense. The Tony Stark Defense Squad was a delightful surprise, and Dad is just as appreciative of what you do. Thank you."
Happy quickly stepped between Grey and the cameras, allowing her to dart up the few remaining stairs and duck into the building. Happy followed, and then led her to the conference room they'd been meeting in. Samantha and Jennifer were both there, as was General Morrow, having come out in support. Christine was there as well, whispering back and forth with Jayne about a spin she'd recently put in an article.
"It's hard to make a man as smart as Tony as fallible as the rest of us, without removing his credibility," Jayne was saying. "So, Grey and I decided to play up the dad angle. It's the easiest for relatability."
"And he gets no flak for it?"
"Did your dad know everything you did as a teenager?"
"Definitely not," Christine said, a smile on her face.
"I didn't rebel as a teenager. Worst thing I ever did was get a tattoo," Grey said. Her eyes were wide and innocent, as if she'd never done anything bad in her life, ever. Until you saw the corner of her mouth twitching, trying to smile.
"You threatened a politician like three weeks ago," Pepper pointed out. Grey frowned, pretending as if she had no idea what Pepper was talking about.
"I guess, technically, at nineteen I'm still a teenager," Grey said, as if she'd forgotten how old she was. Christine laughed. Grey shrugged, unrepentant, before settling into a chair next to her dad. "Is today going to be more of yesterday?"
"Of course," Samantha said, a plastic smile on her face. "Hey, just be glad you got to skip all the boring stuff. You get to just skip right to testimony."
"I know you've been working on this forever, and we really appreciate this," Pepper said, taking Samantha's hands in her own. "This is what we've been working toward since Tony was taken. Everything we're able to do going forward will be because of you and your hard work."
"Oh hush, Pepper, stop making this so sentimental, Stane did treacherous things, bad, terrible things that hurt and killed people, even American Soldiers. You weren't here Friday, last week, I was able to convince the judge that Stane should also face a murder charge as one of the airmen did die protecting Tony from the Ten-Rings." Samantha may have batted away the compliment like she was playing tennis, but her cheeks were red, blushing under the heavy praise.
"So, I can call him a murderous bastard, good to know," Grey said thoughtfully.
"No," Jennifer said, reaching over to poke Grey in the side. Grey twitched away from the offending finger, grinning up at Jennifer. "You're going to sit there and be really quiet. No contempt of court charges, please."
"You mean to tell me that the two adults with ADHD are supposed to sit quietly for seven hours? With no phones or other things to keep us content?" Grey asked flatly.
"Do your best." Grey rolled her eyes at Samantha and waved Happy over, taking her bag from him. She dug around until she found two fidget toys and handed one over to her dad. "Our case is being covered by CSPAN, so it'll be on live TV, keep your facial expressions to yourself. Grey, your face doesn't use its indoor voice, fix it."
"Y'all should've left me home," Grey said, all the expectations sitting in her skin like sand. She gave a full body shudder, her anxiety acting up. Eventually, she settled down, taking an anti-anxiety pill dry. "Anything else?"
"Take a notepad. If you have a question, write it down, I'll answer it during the recess. Any cheap shot comments, write those down too. If you say anything out loud, you could face contempt charges." Jennifer handed out white legal pads to everyone, making sure to give Grey two, in case she decided to distract herself with work. "There's no technology, no phones or tablets allowed in the room, not by you. So, leave them here."
"Bambi, emergencies only. If we get any calls or emails, send a stock response, I'll play catch up after court today," Grey promised, tilting her head either way until her neck popped. She twisted in her chair to get her back, then spent a minute cracking every knuckle on her hand, before she stood up and smiled. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
Obadiah Stane was led into the room in handcuffs and ankle shackles. He was in a suit, which disappointed Grey, she wanted to see him in his prison jumpsuit. But it was on live TV, so appearances must. He was sworn in and guided to the stand. The handcuffs were removed, as were the shackles. Grey tried to keep her face blank as Stane glared at her family, but even she could feel the sneer of disdain on her face as she stared at him.
"Miss Kim, you may begin," the judge said, looking at Samantha. She stood slowly, in a single motion that made her look like a villain unfolding from their throne as they stared down the hero of the week. Grey wrote her first question on her notepad.
"Thank you, your honor," Samantha said, handing something over to Jennifer. Tony and Pepper sat next to Grey in the first row behind them. The local DA sat next to Jennifer, making notes, and scribbling something out in shorthand. "Good morning, Mister Stane."
"Sam, my favorite lawyer," Stane said, pulling at his usual god-father-ish act that he affected for all Stark Industries employees.
"This is a long list of charges, wouldn't you say? And what plea did you enter, last week?"
"I plead not guilty, you know this, Sam," Stane said, pretending to admonish her. It was his favorite tactic, to be the friendly person. Not anymore. He looked oily, not physically, he just had this air about him that screamed he wasn't to be trusted. "I would never do the horrible things Tony is accusing me of."
"But Doctor Stark isn't the one making the accusation, it's the state of California, as well as the federal government. The Patriot Act applies here." Samantha gave him a plastic smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "Did you do the horrible things the government is accusing you of?"
"Objection!" Stane's lawyer cried, jumping to his feet.
"Sustained, Miss Kim, watch your words, please."
"Of course, apologies your honor," Samantha said, taking a step back. "Mister Stane, you're facing a great number of charges, aren't you?"
"It seems I am, yes." Samantha walked back and forth, her heels never clicking, an impressive feat. Grey wrote down her second question. Then, had an idea strike. She flipped to her other notepad and started scribbling something down. She shifted so she was barefoot and cross legged in her seat.
"Would you mind if I ask you about a few of the charges?"
"Go right ahead, Sam," Stane said. On the other side of Tony, Pepper grimaced. She knew what was next, they'd been well prepped.
"Your honor, I'd like to offer up piece of evidence 7c, the ransom video from when the Ten Rings held Doctor Stark hostage."
With a press of a button, Tony's image was kneeling on the TV screen, heavy bandages wrapped around his chest, where a car battery was keeping shrapnel out of his heart. It was obvious that Tony was out of it. Equally as obvious was the fact that the speaker in the video, Raza, said Obadiah Stane's name as a greeting. The Tony on screen might have been too out of it to notice, but the jury sure paid attention.
"Was that not your name, they said in the beginning?" Samantha asked, tilting her head to the left. Obadiah swallowed heavily on the stand before he turned away from the screen.
"I'm sure there are others with my same name," Obadiah tried, but those that looked close enough could see a thin sheen of sweat building on his head. Grey looked up from her notes in curiosity and had to hide a grin. Gotcha.
"We've done that research as well, there are three other men named Obadiah Stane. Only one has ties to Stark Industries, and that's your father, who passed two years ago. The other two are unaffiliated. Your honor, I'd like to enter this report into evidence, exhibit 7-delta, the FBI's search and seizure of the other Obadiah Stanes, and the lack of proof that any of them committed the crimes our Obadiah Stane may have committed."
Samantha handed the FBI report to the judge, the defense attorney, and passed her original back to Jennifer.
"The question we have is why? Why try to force Tony out of the picture? At the rate things had been going, no one would've noticed what you were doing." Stane was starting to get uncomfortable under the relentless glare from Pepper and Tony, the occasional all-knowing look from Grey, and Samantha's line of questioning. "In fact, you were living it up as COO of Stark Industries. Your assistant did all your paperwork, for the legal parts of your job anyway. Why not stick with the status quo? Why shake things up?"
"Stark was already making moves to pull away from weapons, something had to be done before he completely ruined this company I built!"
"You built?" Samantha demanded before Obadiah's lawyer could shut him up. "Howard Stark built this company, and Tony Stark changed it into the giant it is today, you've held on to their coattails, trying to drag them down with you. You'd have done the exact same with Margaret, if given the opportunity."
"Stark Weapons were only able to go international because of me and what had to be done to grow the business. Tony over there was too weak to do what needed to be done, talking about peace and green energy, he was going to destroy all I worked for!"
"So you made friends with bad people to kidnap him."
"Raza and I have worked together for years," Stane said, his rage clear as he stood up. The judge was too shocked to stop it, and let Stane keep digging his own grave. "I asked him for a favor, kill one man, he was the one that got greedy and tried to use Tony to build his own weapons, Raza's the reason this plan went belly-up."
Samantha smirked, glancing first at the heaving Obadiah Stane, then Grey Stark, who winked at her.
"Your honor, I'd like a meeting with my client, please your honor," the defense attorney practically begged.
"We will reconvene after a brief recess." With a bang of the gavel, Grey was on her feet, reaching across the barrier to hug Samantha.
"Nicely done."
"It's not over yet," Samantha sighed. "Unless his attorney offers a change of plea, we'll have to keep going with the case. Although it will be a quick one if he can't keep his temper."
"His house of cards is crumbling around him. He's gonna lash out to take as many people down with him as he can. Good news, Stane gave up his name before I did," Grey said, leaning until her hip popped. Jim swatted her shoulder; he hated it when she did that. "Oh, hang on, I have to take this call."
Grey left the courtroom, already talking to someone.
"Didn't we take her phone?" Jennifer asked, watching the way Grey moved her hands, as if she could actually touch someone over the phone.
"We didn't take her comms," Tony said. "Whatever she's doing is either important for this week, or we'll find out about it next year sometime. Either one."
"Or there'll be a giant explosion on TV, and we'll have to spend half a billion to repair whatever she broke."
"Well, I'm trying to be optimistic, love," Tony said, looking at Pepper in surprise.
"I've been spending too much time with Grey," Pepper pointed out. "She expects explosions so often I'm half worried the house will go up in one."
"Not until 2012," Grey said, startling her family as they hadn't seen her return. "And don't worry, I have a few plans in place to negate that. It definitely is going to be an interesting winter that year."
"Jump out at me like that again and you're grounded," Tony said, his hand on his reactor. "Why is my house exploding?"
"You snubbed a guy at a party once," Grey said flippantly.
"And that's enough?" Pepper asked, shocked. Grey merely raised an eyebrow. "Of course, it is. I already need a vacation."
"Can we do drinking around the world at Epcot?" Grey asked out of nowhere, her eyes bright. "I've wanted to do it for ages."
"When you're legal, sure," Pepper promised. Grey gave her a deadpan glare before beaming. "Any news?"
"Public opinion is ours; the Tony Stark Defense Squad is trending on twitter and surprisingly ifunny. Bambi is running a few shadow accounts for me, and if I have to see one more Tony Stark thirst trap, I might drink bleach."
"See a what?" Tony asked.
"Please never ever ask," Grey said shaking her head. "There's also a fair selection of people that want you to run for president. Stark Potts 2012 is trending. Blood Stanes spelled s-t-a-n-e is also trending, the public are crying for his head. It might have just been his attitude today, but Bambi saw six edits with a guillotine. Not that I want a guillotine. That would be wrong. Or something."
"Well public opinion doesn't matter," Samantha said. "Not here."
But Grey was playing a bigger chess game than just court with Obadiah. She was already trying to win the court of public opinion for 2012, 2014, and 2016.
Line Break
Grey screamed out her excitement, jumping up and down with her hands on her face. Pepper put her arm around her shoulders, her smile just as wide.
"Thank you, Sir, I'm honored." Rhodey's face was the picture of surprise as he shook General Morrow's hand.
"You've earned it, Jim. Keep this up, you might replace me one day." Tom stepped back and let Rhodey's family swarm him. Tony was first, nearly picking his best friend up in his excitement. Jim's shock melted into joy as he clapped Tony on the back, waiting for his feet to hit the ground again. Pepper and Grey tackled him next, Grey nearly shoving her dad out of the way.
"I'm so proud of you!" Grey tried very hard not to shout, since she was directly at his ear. Pepper was saying the same thing. "Oh, Jim, congratulations!"
Grey pulled back, crying, and clapped her hands together in front of her face. Pepper did the same, letting Mama Rhodes finally hug her son. Bucky handed Grey a tissue, and she wiped at the tears on her cheeks, still beaming at Jim.
"I'm so proud of you, my son," Mama Rhodes said, her hand cupping his cheek. "Although I am still upset with you."
Her smile robbed the words of any false hurt. She had been outraged to find that Jim had kept a goddaughter from her. She also yelled at Tony for keeping it from her. Grey had been hugged and loved on, while her dad got the stink eye.
"I had to laugh when I saw your email," Tom said, sliding up to Grey. "Asking what was necessary about his promotion, because I had sent in the paperwork the day before."
"Did you really?" Grey cooed, wiping away a few more tears. "I've got no idea what goes into a military promotion, so I hope I didn't cause any offense, I just know that he deserves it."
"I saw it for what it was, a young woman trying to take care of her Godfather. And with the suit your father is planning for him, he will definitely have earned this rank."
"War Machine is going to be perfect for America. But remember, he's also an avenger, and he's my godfather, so I'll want him back, General," Grey pretended to threaten. Tom chuckled, and Grey dimpled up at him. "Colonel James Rhodes. I'm so proud of him."
Tom patted Grey on the shoulder and walked away, seeing himself out. He had gatecrashed Jim's birthday party, although he hadn't expected to see this many people at eight in the morning, but who was he to judge.
Grey swarmed Jim again, spinning him around in a hug, a beaming smile on her face. Jayne snapped a picture, and it was the first one posted to Jim's brand-new Instagram page. Grey insisted on getting a family shot with Bucky for her phone's background, then one without him for her Instagram page.
"This is gonna change social media forever," Jayne commented, looking at the few filters available.
"Just wait until TikTok," Grey promised. "That's the fun one."