Chapter 112: Public Enemy
"Happy, take me to the Stark Expo. I need to check on the rehearsal for the Jericho missile launch event in a few days."
The sun hung high in the sky as Tony Stark stumbled out in his pajamas, rubbing bleary eyes. He'd just woken up, speaking to Happy Hogan, who had been waiting for him to get out of bed for a solid three hours.
"Tony, we've got a problem." Happy's face was unusually grim.
In all the time Tony Stark had known his driver and bodyguard, Happy Hogan had always been cheerful, perpetually wearing that easygoing smile. Tony had never seen him look this serious.
"What is it? Did someone assassinate the President?"
Despite the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine, Tony maintained his trademark casual tone.
"In my book, this might be more important than a presidential assassination." The serious expression on Happy's face wasn't an act. He was genuinely worried for his boss. "Our Jericho missile launch has been cancelled."
Happy pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to Tony Stark.
"What?"
Tony Stark snapped awake instantly. He closed the distance in two strides, snatching the phone from Happy's hand to stare at the news displayed on the screen.
"High-Tech Weapons Flow to Criminal Organizations: Is Arrested Kingpin Just a Scapegoat? The Real Power Behind It All: Stark Industries?"
"Military Secret Procurement Agreement Exposed: Some Weapons Went Untracked, Suspected Internal Personnel Involved in Black Market Sales."
"Tony Stark Silent as Shareholders Demand Complete Supply Chain Investigation."
"HashtagStarkAtone Trends on Twitter as Protesters Gather Outside Stark Tower Demanding Termination of All Military Contracts."
As Tony's trembling fingers continued scrolling, he saw that nearly every headline flooding his phone was about him or Stark Industries.
Happy Hogan watched Tony Stark's face twist in disbelief. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out another phone.
"Tony, there are over fifty missed calls here. From the Daily Bugle, Wall Street, your military liaison Colonel Rhodes, Stark Industries shareholders, and company veteran Obadiah Stane..."
Tony Stark tossed aside the phone filled with headlines that seemed designed to destroy Stark Industries, then pushed away the second phone Happy was offering him.
"Go start the car."
With that, Tony Stark took a deep breath, practically tearing off his pajamas and changing into a suit.
"Where to?" Happy asked.
"Headquarters!"
Half an hour later, with Happy Hogan practically putting his foot through the floorboard, the gull-wing Audi sports car screeched to a stop in front of Stark Tower.
The moment Tony Stark stepped out of the car, a vegetable leaf came flying from some corner and smacked him right in the face.
Before Tony could glare at whoever had thrown it, the reporters and photographers who had been camped out swarmed forward, trapping him in a crush of bodies. Fortunately, Happy charged through, using his considerable bulk to his advantage, deflecting questions from the sensation-hungry reporters while pushing Tony toward the entrance of Stark Tower.
"Fuck Stark!"
Beyond the ring of reporters and photographers, a large crowd held up signs, their faces and bodies painted with insulting words. They shouted obscenities, middle fingers raised toward Tony.
Tony Stark felt disoriented. Yesterday he'd been the glamorous, successful entrepreneur under the spotlight. Today he was vermin that everyone wanted to stomp on.
But Happy Hogan was far stronger than him, and Tony was practically dragged bodily into Stark Tower.
Before Tony's emotions could recover from the chaos outside, a bald, bearded middle-aged man approached and grabbed him.
"Tony, tell me, did you sleep with some important person's wife or daughter?"
The bald, bearded man was Obadiah Stane, one of the founding members of Stark Industries and the only shareholder who held nearly as much stock as Tony himself.
Tony Stark was already seething with anger over Stark Industries becoming public enemy number one overnight. Obadiah's words only stoked his fury.
"Obadiah, is that all you think I'm capable of?"
Obadiah Stane chuckled without taking offense, draping an arm around Tony's shoulders as they walked toward the elevator.
"You've got to tell me what happened so I can figure out how to calm this media storm."
In the elevator, Tony Stark opened his mouth but found himself at a loss. He had no idea either. "Sorry, Obadiah. Let's talk when we get to the top floor."
Obadiah Stane smiled at Tony without speaking, simply patting his shoulder reassuringly.
Once they reached the top floor, Tony Stark immediately left Obadiah behind and went to his workstation.
He needed to use his network technology skills to find out who had started this media firestorm, who had leaked information about Stark weapons flowing into the black market to the SEC and the Department of Defense.
Obadiah Stane helped himself to a glass of whiskey at the bar, then walked over with his drink to watch Tony work.
Except for occasionally asking Jarvis for assistance, Tony Stark said nothing, working frantically across multiple computer screens.
A moment later, Tony suddenly spoke. "Found it."
Obadiah Stane immediately leaned in, looking at the numbers on the computer screens that meant nothing to him.
"Who is it? Who made our Tony public enemy number one overnight?"
Even though he'd discovered who was responsible, Tony seemed to deflate. He turned and dropped onto the couch.
"Based on the IP address tracking of the media sources, the location is somewhere around City Hall."
Crash!
Obadiah Stane smashed his glass on the floor, startling Happy Hogan, who had just arrived on the top floor via elevator a step behind them.
"New York City Hall? What are those government idiots doing? Don't they know how much tax revenue and how many jobs Stark Industries creates for them every year no, every quarter?"
"Happy, get me the mayor of New York on the phone. I want to confront him personally." Obadiah barked angrily at Happy, who hadn't even stepped out of the elevator yet.
Tony Stark glanced at Obadiah, then spoke to Happy, who was reaching for the elevator button.
"Happy, come back."
Obadiah stared at Tony Stark. "What are you doing?"
Tony Stark shook his head. He'd tracked the IP addresses of those creating the media storm to the general City Hall area easily, almost too easily, as if they hadn't bothered hiding their location at all.
But whether for profit or any other reason, the New York City government had no reason to suddenly launch a media attack against Stark Industries. Someone else was behind this.
Tony Stark sat on the couch, explaining to Obadiah the information he'd tracked and his conclusions.
"You're right, Tony." The anger disappeared from Obadiah's face as he sat down beside Tony Stark. "But right now our stock price has crashed, the board is demanding an immediate meeting, military orders are suspended pending review, and SHIELD has cancelled their contracts..."
"Our old rival, Justin Hammer and Hammer Industries, is using this opportunity to issue statements and steal our clients."
"Tony, we need to find a way to stabilize our customers and protect our reputation..."
"I know, I know," Tony interrupted Obadiah irritably. "Let me think of something."
Obadiah didn't get angry at being interrupted. Instead, he shifted closer to Tony, draping an arm around his shoulders again and speaking in a low voice.
"I already have a solution, Tony. But you'll have to be the one to carry it out."
Tony turned to look at Obadiah.
Obadiah's tone was earnest, his voice warm and forceful.
"Tony, the board and our major clients need their confidence restored."
"They need to see with their own eyes that Stark Industries can still deliver decisive, reliable technology."
"It's time to showcase the Jericho missile. Only you, Tony, you can present its true value perfectly."
Tony Stark shook his head. With orders being cancelled in droves and the media pressure so intense, there was no way they could hold the Jericho missile press conference at the Stark Expo as originally planned in a few days.
"No, Obadiah. Our current situation isn't right for holding the expo as scheduled."
A mysterious smile crossed Obadiah's face. "Who said anything about the Stark Expo? Think about it carefully, Tony."
Tony Stark's expression grew complicated. He'd thought of another location suitable for a missile demonstration, and he quickly made his decision.
"Arrange a plane and transport aircraft. I'm going to the Middle East personally."
He needed to go there and use the Jericho missile to demonstrate the precision and reliability of Stark weapons, to prove that his weapons were meant to protect peace, and that he couldn't be completely condemned just because some guns had leaked out.
At the Queens Police Department, using his identity as Eddie Brock's relative under the alias Harvey Brock, Batman entered the interrogation room where Eddie had been shot and then transformed into a white symbiote creature.
It was daytime now, so Batman couldn't wear his suit and openly activate detective mode to calculate ballistics. But his decades of experience fighting crime in Gotham meant that Batman could rely solely on Peter's eyes, eyes capable of seeing every minute detail, to determine the bullet's angle, direction, and even distance.
The bullet that had shot Eddie Brock came from a Stark Industries sniper rifle.
And in Batman's earlier investigation of the weapons leaked from SHIELD, there had only been handguns, submachine guns, revolvers, and similar weapons.
Sniper rifles high-powered, long-range weapons were not among them.
"I've already thoroughly investigated Eddie Brock's personal history. While he occasionally offended other Daily Bugle reporters in his work, none of those people would resort to using a sniper rifle to kill him."
Having calculated the bullet's angle, direction, and distance, Batman moved quickly toward an apartment building four hundred meters from the interrogation room, analyzing the identity of Eddie Brock's would-be killer.
"No, there's one other person he offended who might choose to use a sniper rifle, and who would have the capability to do it."
"General Ross. Either he or the forces behind him pressured the Daily Bugle to fire Eddie and tried to assassinate him."
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