Chapter 7: Pentagons and PressSummary:Tony and Pepper travel to the Pentagon to meet with military officials to start selling their newest inventions made with the help of Kara. Then just a little while later, a press conference is called at Stark Industries to the surprise of many.
Notes:Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, DC, or any characters that come from other works.
I also want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, and RhinoMouse for the inspiration their world of "Retirement Ended Up Super" provided.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextMay 12th, 2008, MCU
Tony Stark, The Pentagon
It was nearly every day that Tony found himself cursing Daisy, and what she was doing to him. All of his big military presentations have been out in the field where he can demonstrate with some big explosions and then plenty of whiskey to go around.
And I can't even drink whiskey at home anymore, since Pepper is using my prescriptions to try and force sobriety on me. Kara's puppy dog eyes are doing the heavy lifting with that though. Despite them being older than they look, Pepper just HAD to insist they live with us because she couldn't kick 'the kids to the street'. Honestly it's probably just because they are both forcing me to be healthier between sobriety, medicine, meals, and workouts from hell labeled as 'superhero training'.
So here Tony is now, instead of living his best billionaire life, he is going through the most stringent security checks for one of the most secure buildings on the planet, made even more difficult by the security team having no idea how to make heads or tails of his new Arc Reactor. Luckily it is specifically shielded from scans revealing the tech, but it does propose a security risk that Pepper is having to convince is only to protect Stark Intellectual Property. Giving him plenty of time to reflect on this past week.
After Daisy dropped those last couple verbal bombs into his lap about time travel and Hydra, he immediately demanded more answers. They were given an overview of Shield, the World Security Council, and Hydra. When he tried to demand detailed answers, Daisy very quickly gave him the reality of the situation on how knowing too much would tip off the world's best spies more than intentionally leaving him in the dark. The good news at least was that he was given MOST of the big notes relating to his future, and seeing videos of his future 'Iron Man' suits was a dream. It hasn't been since the invention of JARVIS that he has felt so inspired and truly excited to work on something.
The number one goal had been getting his new reactor changed out, and with the help of his new lab partner, Kara, he was able to get it done within the next day. Which was good timing, as the day after was when he had a meeting with his GOOD and dear family FRIEND Obie at Stark Industries. Making sure to take charge of the narrative already, Tony made sure to give out a statement as he was greeted by applauding high level employees with the press there. Obie wanted a quick visit to be the narrative but Tony's statement made sure to head off any leaks that could be used against him. He addressed the possibility of short term rumors getting out, but that he would make his official statement within the next couple weeks that would paint any rumors as fear-mongering from his return.
The meeting following that statement was more tense than he had ever been in at his own company. Obie tried to make his disapproval over the statement known, Tony made sure to deflect with his usual lack of care of the vultures. Obie pried as much as he could about Tony's plans for the future, but Tony made it sound like he was going to concentrate on green energy and that he had yet to make anything to keep the military happy on such short notice.
The rest of that week was preparing for this meeting in a variety of ways. JARVIS and Daisy worked to get a list of Generals and Pentagon personnel that could attend this meeting that weren't associated with Hydra or Shield but wouldn't make for a strange group for Pepper to arrange for them to meet. Having already hacked into everything Obadiah owned, they also tried to keep all news about this meeting from him. Neither he nor Pepper know HOW, but somehow as of yesterday both the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General were now slated to join them in this meeting.
Somehow the ability to manipulate the schedules of the highest level of the world's most powerful government in the world is scarier than the manipulation of one of the basic aspects of reality that Daisy can do, but in the end those two will help the two main goals of this meeting immensely so Tony can set aside any apprehension over it.
As for himself and Kara, they made a prototype of every invention that Kara has pitched to him as well as his own contribution by adjusting the Thunderstick found in Daisy's future-Shield files to be an actually USEFUL non-lethal option. The Thunderstick in the files was so incredibly situational due to its design, that there is no way a defense contract would ever be filled for it. But adjusting the files to make a Thundergrenade? That's a tool that soldiers and police already know how to use, and a non-lethal variant allowing use even when friendlies or innocents are in the way will be worth their weight in gold.
The reveal that many of the inventions were reworks of past Shield inventions that Daisy had videos of, manuals for, or even some basic schematics of, that were converted into full blueprint and production plans DID lower how impressive their work was a little bit, but they can't all be as great as he is… even if little Kara can do impressive work with super speed, and the upgrades to JARVIS alone has made him twice as efficient as well.
The final development of the past week was that Shield had started to make their moves, if slowly. JARVIS reported some brief encounters of his firewalls that were better than the typical attempts, although the attempts didn't fully commit. The details led Daisy to believe that it was Shield's initial attempts, but without enough incentive to get in yet they didn't want to make the noise a full attempt could make. Also, while Tony was in his meeting with Obadiah at Stark HQ, Pepper was approached in person by an Agent Phil Coulson from the 'ridiculously-long-name-agency-so-we-don't-just-say-shield' wanting to schedule another interview with him. Following Daisy's advice, Pepper just directed the Agent to the head of his legal team despite the Agent's insistence.
Weirdly enough, his head of legal has yet to hear from anyone from that agency… Strange. Not!
All the same, the Pentagon Security has finally finished their sweep (more likely got it handwaved by someone over their heads) and it was time to meet with the leaders of the military. This meeting will help determine whether or not his company will be allowed to make the differences he wants to make, and how much they will work with or against the government.
General William Gabriel, Pentagon Weapons Range
Never again did General Gabriel think he would be attending another Stark weapons demonstration, and that was including after he had been rescued.
Well… after he rescued himself anyways.
The fact that he was Site Commander at that fateful last demonstration of the Jericho Missile, and it was his men in charge of escorting Stark safely back to base made him never expect this assignment again. But then, Stark's Personal Assistant, Pepper Potts, reached out to the Pentagon through the usual channels to schedule a meeting.
Although weirdly enough the meeting was going to be AT the Pentagon this time, instead of whatever base Stark wanted, and the invitation list was very strict this time. No one was going to throw a fit about the restrictions though, the man had been tortured by enemy combatants for months, he is allowed some discretions. More than that, after his frank discussion about ending the manufacturing of lethal arms due to the leaks of his weapons into the hands of the very people who held him, had left a lot of people scrambling what to do long term.
No one expected him to bounce back in any way this quickly, let alone just over a week later. Even if Stark stuck to his word of defensive and non-lethal products, something was still better than nothing.
And boy did the man start off strong, especially for those who were at his last sales pitch, even from his bearing alone. While originally upon recovery Stark was hiding the electronic medical device in his chest, now his dress shirt was tailored around it, proudly displaying its powerful glow to the whole room, and things only went more unexpected from there.
"Last time I stood in front of you, I talked about the philosophy of my dad and those like him that came before. I talked about the philosophy of the weapon you never have to fire, versus the weapon you only have to fire once. If that were really true, then the nuclear bomb would have ended every armed conflict since its invention. While it has been a great deterrent for direct wars between global superpowers, it has just made war change styles. Instead of also changing styles to match, Stark Industries just got better and better at the old methods. Bigger guns. Bigger explosions. More deaths.
"In those caves I saw the need for change, but had yet to have a place to realize it. Luckily, my automated system that goes through the thousands of business offers from new ventures that get sent to me, thinking they are on my level, actually found one that was up to snuff. While the young founder of 'House El Revolutionary Origin' does not yet have the security clearance necessary to join us here today, Stark Industries has signed an extensive partnership with the genius Dr. Kara Danvers. All of her patents are being filed jointly with SI, so they are eligible for military contracts.
"If there are enough orders or even interest in the products here today, then every one of my production lines will start the process of switching over immediately. Because the thing that will be better than the weapon you only have to fire once, is the weapon you feel ready to fire every single time."
What followed was a slowly escalating line of what felt like a glimpse into the future, with not a single item being of lethal design, with heavy implications that Stark sought approval to get these items green lit for domestic use as well.
Phones and tablets with greater durability, capabilities, and encryption than some desktop computers.
Bulletproof uniforms that apparently Stark trusts so much that his suit jacket is made out of it… and demonstrated by taking a Desert Eagle and shooting himself point blank with it. What should have given him a cracked rib, left a smaller welt than a paintball would give to bare skin.
Drones so small and quiet they aren't even heard while in an enclosed space that should echo, capable of locating hidden people and in-the-field forensic analysis.
Grenades that have the same effective area as modern fragmentation ones, yet would non-lethally incapacitate.
The cream of the crop is certainly the Icer guns and bullets, which leaves him god damn speechless. Never again will soldiers get blown up because they hesitated too long with what they thought could possibly be civilians. The guns and bullets may cost twice as much as their normal counterparts, but the lives saved, lawsuits avoided, and PR disasters averted make them worth 10 times as much.
It says a damn lot about Stark's reputation how many soldiers feel more than comfortable standing in for those last two demonstrations, but sure enough the medical report later shows all soldiers were back up within 12 hours, with a clean bill of health.
While his position affords him plenty of discretion with contracts, hence why he was in charge of the Jericho purchase, the way that the Secretary of Defense is looking lets him know that the dollar amount on the incoming contracts is going to be far outside what he can do.
Thank god too, as he was just at a Hammer Industries weapons presentation a couple days ago to potentially become the army's new main weapons contractor. They would still need to move forward with that line, as lethal options will still be needed, but probably at a much reduced size than what he feared. The quality of Hammer Industries vs Stark Industries weapons would have affected American soldiers around the world in the worst ways.
That being said, the reason the Attorney General is attending here is lost on him. Possibly being the in for getting these supplies into the hands of domestic police and rescue forces? From the confused look on the man's face, and the way he is talking to his own personal assistant in hushed whispers, the confusion isn't limited to himself either.
That mystery is solved in the follow up meeting after the various demonstrations conclude. A meeting that should be about the initial interest and ideas for quantity, is instead started off with Ms. Potts passing out what looks like a professionally compiled counter-intelligence report to everyone in attendance, with a larger stack with supporting drives for electronic proof given to the the DOJ members.
Just as he is about to truly crack open the report to see what this is about, Stark does what he loves to do, and takes over every monitor in the place remotely with just a custom mobile device for the job. Honestly, it would be as highly frustrating as it usually is but Stark is finally selling an encryption solution so in the end it just feels like another sales tactic this time instead of just showing off.
Although, that honestly felt like it took no time at all for him to gain control, when usually it takes at least a few seconds. Has his hacking capabilities increased just as dramatically as everything else?
General Gabriel is shaken out of his thoughts when the screens switch over to the video Stark is intending to play. The room is filled with disbelief as a ransom video plays. A ransom video of Tony Stark when he was captured. A ransom video they were waiting for but never received. A ransom video addressed to Obadiah Stane speaking of a double-crossed assassination attempt.
"In these files we have put together, you'll see evidence from a ghost drive that I found on my company's server upon my return. They show proof of not only an entire secret department at Stark Industries dedicated to the illegal sale of arms, but that nearly half the members of my Board of Directors were the leaders alongside my COO and longtime family friend, Obadiah Stane. Who eventually got so fed up with my continued time in the spotlight, that he armed foreign terrorists to kill myself and the American soldiers protecting me."
He has always known Tony Stark as a party goer, as someone chasing the fun in-between his spouts of genius. Yet all day, while he has maintained his charismatic and playful demeanor, there was an intensity to him now. But at this moment, as he talks about the betrayal he faced, he finally sees a Tony Stark filled with a fury he has only seen in his soldiers who have gone through the worst of it. And if he is not mistaken, the lights on Stark's medical device seem to gain in intensity alongside the anger.
"So, I would like to speak about the charges for those who used my name to help kill the American soldiers who protected me with their lives."
General William Gabriel knew that the world was changing, and Tony Stark was going to be front and center as he always has been, but for brand new reasons and in brand new ways.
May 16th, 2008, MCU
Christine Everhart, Stark Industries HQ
Christine Everhart should not be the one at this press conference right now… if you were to ask her boss that is. After sleeping with Tony Stark her boss pulled every article she was working on about SI and assigned them to other reporters to either complete or spike. Despite seduction being used to gather information since the start of civilization, she was going to be sidelined because she tried to do the same thing. Christine believes that her boss only feels that way because her seduction didn't actually gain anything of use, so all she needed was a big break to get back to where she was.
Then that chance fell into her lap just this very afternoon, as she was now at a press conference being held right in the heart of Stark Industries Headquarters. A press conference that was NOT in any way scheduled, and announced with less than 30 minutes of notice, leaving many news outlets struggling to arrive on time, or having to rely on whomever happened to be in the area at the right time. And guess who is the only option that Vanity Fair has if they want anyone there to represent them? Christine Everhart.
Now all she had to do was be sure to be ruthless and direct but fair with her questions, to both quell any concerns about her being compromised and to also prove that her… dalliance with Mr. Stark could be an advantage for them all. Stark Industries had started bleeding rumors that they were cutting all new weapons contracts, and the only thing stopping a full blown panic sale of the stock was Mr. Stark's words earlier about the possibility of misleading rumors. That being said, the historic rise in stock price after his recovery from overseas had quickly plateaued in face of the fear from the rumors all the same.
As Christine ran into the press pool, she looked around to see how many had been able to make it. Unfortunately for her, most of the major publications had at least one reporter and some of the local news crews had cameras being set up that would undoubtedly sell their footage to the major networks. She may look like a ditzy blonde to those who still look down on women with pretty faces, but the fact was she used that to her advantage to blend into the crowds she needed to blend into. So she knew how to recognize someone that was using their looks to blend in, and something about the man in his 40's hanging around the edge spoke more government than press, although she could not vocalize the exact reason why.
Taking a chance, she made sure that the spot she took was both in plain view of the podium so Mr. Stark would hopefully be thrown off when he recognized her, but also close enough to this man that if her instincts were right could give her another story to cover.
As the rest of the press finished filing in and setting up, Tony Stark walked straight in and to the podium as if he owned the place… and she immediately hated how dumb of a thought that was, he did own the place. But with the press he had always seemed like he was preparing for a boxing match with them, even if he acted like he was punching down. Now though, he looked like someone who was about to play with his food when he looked at them, even if there was a grim seriousness to him now.
3 months of captivity has certainly changed him, maybe my in with him won't be as effective as I hoped.
Set within Tony Stark's chest was some bright shining circlet, that powered who knows what. There were words of a medical device set in his chest during his captivity, but she had expected anything like that to be removed in the face of modern medicine. Not upgraded and nearly flaunted the way it clearly was right now. That alone could be front page news, although just front page of the society or technology sections for now, and plenty of cameras flashed to capture the image of the changed CEO.
As Mr. Stark made it to the podium, and calmly waited for quiet to return to the reporters currently shouting questions, Christine could feel nothing but her anxiety rising over the changes. Tony Stark would have calmed the room by making a joke, or some other stunt to bring in the focus to him. Tony Stark does not do calm and collected patience.
Finally, after a few moments of silence Tony Stark began. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would ask him now. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. lf he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels, because I didn't truly know him past those newsreels either." Holy shit this is the most open and vulnerable Tony Stark has ever been to the press, and every reporter in the room is shocked into silence, not expecting any of this.
"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them and I saw that I had become part of a system that trades lives for dollars, and not all of those lives being the guilty or enemies of America like I had been fooled into believing."
"What happened over there, Mr. Stark?" A young reporter asks. And what a waste of the first question from the young idiot reporter. But she'll let others take the softballs, only to pounce when he is used to them.
"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. There are rumors out there that Stark Industries is stopping all military contracts. This is not true, what is true instead is that Stark Industries is finishing all outstanding contracts with our stored supplies, and then will never make another weapon that is used to kill again."
The room blows up into a flurry of questions and demands and photos. How does that mean the rumors are false, because it sounds like they are 95% accurate? This time it takes significantly longer for decorum to return, and through it all Mr. Stark seems to revel in the chaos going on around him without actually doing anything to discourage or quell it. The only two who don't seem to be shouting out, seem to be herself and the totally-a-fed that is still holding his position.
Her lack of outward shock seems to draw the attention of Mr. Stark, as after a few minutes he meets her eyes, and finally raises a hand in a silent demand for silence. "You look like you have a question, Ms. Brown?" Somehow the bastard both helps her, and insults her at the same time. Well she can do the same.
"Yes Mr. Stark. Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair. You are a genius inventor with more resources than some countries, I'm sure you will be able to make whatever changes to your company that you obviously have planned. What I want to know is if you think being accountable now, after you were made a personal victim, will do anything for all the lives lost by your apparent negligence?" She felt like she asked a great question, like she pushed him past the carefully rehearsed direction of this press conference and into the uncomfortable truths.
So why does his smile make me think I played right into his hands?
"Well, after this press conference we have a lovely tech demonstration with Stark Industries' newest partner, a small company by the name of House El Revolutionary Origins, to showcase not only our next steps but how we will be saving lives across the world. But that's not what you want, what you want is this instead."
At that, from some unseen signal, the backstage doors open up revealing a procession of DOJ officers. First, they clear a path from their door to the exit, where she can see a caravan of black SUV's suddenly arriving. Next, being pulled along in cuffs obviously under arrest is a tide of people. Based on uniforms it looks like 10 security guards, 25 factory workers, 10 officer workers, 5 scientists, and who she recognizes as 5 of the 12 sitting members of the board of directors. But all of those pale in comparison to the last member of the arrests, the COO himself Obadiah Stane being dragged in while unconscious with what looks like a blue paintball splatter on his chest.
After that Tony Stark is joined on stage by another figure that everyone in the room recognizes, but he introduces himself all the same. The press statement that follows is the reason why her boss retreats all sense of probation she has been on. Because of her, Vanity Fair was present at a moment that will go down in the history books.
"Good afternoon everyone. For those who do not recognize me I am the Attorney General of the Department of Justice for the United States of America. Following evidence collected by Dr. Stark, we have arrested Obadiah Stane and all those who joined him in his conspiracy. Evidence has been found that points to illegal arms deals, illegal weapons manufacturing, international smuggling, arming the enemies of the United State of America, and most recently; the attempted contracted assassination of Anthony Edward Stark leading directly to the death of US troops and the 3 months of captivity and torture he faced thereof. A full list of charges and names will be released soon, but for now Obadiah Stane will be facing charges of Treason. The last time the DOJ fully pursued treason charges was in 1949, but this time the DOJ will be advocating for the maximum sentence associated with treason. The death penalty."
Pandemonium erupts from everyone in the room, and around the world watching the live broadcast, while even Christine finds herself letting out a cry of pure shock from the situation. In all of the chaos, Christine just barely remembers who she positioned next to in time to see a look of frustration appear on the middle-aged agent's face, just adding confusion to Christine's mix of emotions.
If he isn't expecting or even happy at these turn of events, then what was he hoping for?
In the wake of the battles fought, and threats met, the world now knows the basics of the two Superheroes that helped to shape the direction all of humanity has gone in, Quake and Supergirl. I, Amira Ahmed, have written this book in order to try and compile the information that hasn't been made as obvious to the public in the wake of the hard reveals we all have had to go through. Most people believe that the decision to become superheroes was something that was sporadic, something they decided to do when the world needed them. In all of my research, I have learned that is the furthest thing from the truth. They, and more specifically the founder of S.P.E.A.R. Daisy Johnson, had made meticulous plans for when and where to reveal themselves. That means, the elegance and purpose behind their early moves are often missed or ignored and I seek to give those details the attention they deserve.
The quiet echoes of their moves could be seen in those early days, but the loud personality of Dr. Tony Stark drew the eye of everyone at the time. Even following what became known as the 'Treason Tech Conference', the first official appearance of one of the civilian identities of one of the two heroes occurred as a side note to most. Many journalists left to focus on the biggest story, but the more stubborn ones stayed around for the tech demonstration after, hosted by both Dr. Tony Stark and Dr. Kara Danvers. While the tech articles following that were absolutely glowing, Kara Danvers was noted as a sweet and peppy girl, whom everyone expected to be absorbed by Stark Industries soon.
The biggest conspiracy theory at the time was that Kara Danvers, or her (at the time) invisible partner Daisy Johnson, was the illegitimate child of Dr. Stark. Theorists online scoured the timeline their ages suggested to find proof their birth mothers had affairs that could have fit with Tony Stark's well known love life. What no one has seemed to realize is that Kara Danvers, at the time of the tech demonstration, was wearing a 'face veil' in order to appear as old as her forged birth certificate claimed. Every guessed timeline was wrong from the very start, all thanks to the technology and hacking abilities of Daisy Johnson.
But while the conspiracy theorists were loud and proud, something that was a small note at the time only to have a much greater impact later, was the reporter for Vanity Fair in attendance; Christine Everhart. The reporter stuck around for the tech demonstration as well, being sure to stick close to someone they found to be suspicious due to 'how well they melted into the background'. While the person, now known as then S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson, did nothing during the press conference and tech demonstration. He was noticed by Ms. Everhart to have quickly approached Dr. Stark at the finish, managing to slip through the security detail. She overheard the agent identify himself as an agent for 'The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division' and to request a meeting to 'debrief' Dr. Stark about his escape.
When Dr. Stark mentioned his P.A. at the time, Pepper Potts, having talked with the agent last week and that they were still waiting for him to contact their legal team before proceeding. Agent Coulson was evasive and vague about this lack of proper follow-up, and yet tried to insist on a meeting being highly urgent. A discrepancy that Dr. Stark was all too giddy to point out. Dr. Stark left saying that if it was so urgent, then his agency should contact his legal team immediately so they can proceed. Otherwise, he isn't going to talk about information that the CIA, DOJ, FBI, and DOD have asked him to hold onto on the advice of counsel. Following that brief overheard, tense, discussion Ms. Everhart looked into the department, only to find little and less which only drew her focus even more. While Ms. Everhart's efforts didn't pan out in the short term, they certainly helped her explosive article in the wake of the Battle of New York, when S.H.I.E.L.D. had its 'Second Worst Day'.
But those are stories for further on in this chronicle, to get back on the topic of the early days of Quake and Supergirl; I have found something that I believe no one else has noticed, not even the military itself. Looking over the since declassified medical examiner reports of Tony Stark's escape from the Ten Rings reveals that nearly half of every terrorist died due to a snapped spinal column. An ability that is well documented having been thoroughly used by Quake when combating violent threats in the future. The only possibility I see is that somehow, Quake was present at the camp during the escape. All official documents and stories are that Dr. Stark escaped alone, after receiving help from the other captive Dr. Yo Hinsen who died early in the attempt. However, when I presented the oddity in my interview with Dr. Stark, his only response was a sly smile, and a request for the next question.
No matter how much I-...
Excerpt from 'The Hidden HEROes of the Modern Age; Two Superheroes Hidden War' By Amira Ahmed .
Notes:Author's Endnote: I honestly have no idea why, but this chapter was a struggle for me to write. I'm trying to write the payoffs and reactions to what our characters have been working on while at the same time trying to avoid sounding like I'm just going over the same material from the chapter before again. Something it kindof felt like with the inventions, hopefully I did a good job of avoiding the worst of my fears there.
Something else we see though, no matter how much alien genius Kara has, or how many basic schematics and videos of the tech in action Daisy has, nothing can beat true experience in a personally designed lab. While in less than a week Tony makes 1 radically adapted product, it took 3 months for Kara to recreate less than 10 products (and that is counting the various Icer models of guns as all different products). Although, Kara's office experience shines in the follow-through of calculating the production line changes where Tony will just leave that to Pepper.
Finally, the waves of changes continue to spread and gather in strength. Why write time travel if you aren't going to change things? So I promise you things will change from canon in greater and greater ways. I have no problem with taking the canon timeline out back to shoot it.
Chapter 8: Hulks and HacksSummary:Word spreads of an altercation going down in Harlem New York, but what details have changed? Meanwhile, Daisy and Kara (along with their allies) continue to adjust their plans as the world continues to adjust to their actions.
Notes:Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, DC, or any characters that come from other works.
I also want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, and RhinoMouse for the inspiration their world of "Retirement Ended Up Super" provided.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextJune 14th, 2008, MCU
Daisy Johnson, Stark Malibu Home
Daisy grumbled a little as her alarm went off waking her up from a very peaceful rest. Since it was a Saturday and they had nothing pressing on the docket right now, she got to sleep in a little later than usual. The slow morning was also needed as she was up late working on the fallout from New York, making sure to help mitigate disaster and start getting the narrative working in the right direction. Rolling over she could see Kara doing her best to ignore the alarm, but the super senses made it very hard to try and pretend otherwise.
"Come on, Kara. The sooner we get up, the sooner I can make us some breakfast."
At first Kara just grumbles, but soon enough she is starting to sit up, and begins soaking in the sun from the now clear windows thanks to Jarvis. "That makes it worth it, if just barely."
Daisy snickers in response. "You weren't even awake as long as me last night, so stop your grumbling and let's get ready." Bucky on the other hand, gives them both the stink eye before falling back asleep at the foot of the bed. Oh, to live the life of a cat.
As they begin their morning preparations, Daisy thinks back to the last month, and how while most of her plans have been going well she is unable to account for everything. The biggest surprise was definitely Pepper insisting that both her and Kara take the guest room long term to stay in. When assured that Daisy had plenty of safe houses prepared for them to live in, Pepper breezed over that acting like it would be a shack in the woods (her safehouses are better than THAT, thank you very much).
There was some objection to them sharing a bed, despite having done so for the past three months, but Daisy made it very clear that despite being girlfriends and Kryptonians mating for life, they are NOT doing anything more than pecks of kisses. The fact is that both of their sex drives are shot from the de-aging, let alone not being attracted to each other on that level due to the younger bodies. In the end, cuddling up to each other is as far as they will want to go for years, and it is all they really need with how in tune they are at times.
Since then, Daisy both hated and loved the dynamic that has emerged. Kara and her aren't children… but their younger hormones certainly crave the parental affections. And while Tony and Pepper don't act parental per se, the Stark house has become downright domestic. It both soothes and irritates the part of her that always wanted something like this throughout her years in the foster system, secretly under Shield's sway.
Pepper, despite not technically living here, has always had a room set aside for her when work ran late or started early to spend the night. Now though, she has been sleeping here 5 to 6 nights a week, and occasionally all 7. They all eat meals together, about half of which Daisy cooks while the other half is either someone else or they order in. Hell, Kara has somehow managed to get a weekly game night set for Fridays alongside dinner!
Last night was Settlers of Catan, although Daisy and Pepper had to keep an eye on both Kara and Tony. Kara had to keep her glasses on, and Tony had to be kept away from his phone, otherwise the both couldn't keep themselves from cheating.
Children! They both act like children!
All the same, despite not telling them of their future relationship, the game nights have felt much more like double dates at this point. Oh neither one of them has actually made a move, but every week they sit just a little bit closer on the couch. Maybe Daisy should start sarcastically calling them Mom and Dad sometimes to mess with them? Hmm… she'll consider it.
Another good change is that in the wake of Obadiah Stane's dramatic arrest (and that was ALL Tony asking for the flair from the DOJ), Pepper Potts has been officially appointed as Stark Industries' newest COO. While it has caused some waves, it is a lot less than when she was appointed CEO suddenly in the original timeline. Stark's PR team is also helping to focus on her years of assisting Tony as CEO already, and to emphasize the need for loyalty in the position following her predecessor's actions.
Oh, it's all annoying PR work to make sure the stock price doesn't lose its upward momentum, but in the end it will help when Pepper is officially appointed CEO in 3 years like in the original timeline. Tony wanted to do it right away, but when all three of them ganged up on him saying it was a bad idea, he relented. Thankfully Jarvis is helping them both in their duties thanks to his upgrades, so neither is overwhelmed by Stane's departure and the giant changes the company is going through.
The last big worry that Daisy has had over the last month, was her and Kara's civilian identities not holding up to the scrutiny that work with SI would bring. The background checks for a government contractor are strict, and the media attention as well meant they would be put under the microscope, so she had to make it microscope proof. That means a LOT of breaking in to plant or copy physical records. Tying their schooling with those who have passed away in non-suspicious circumstances, doctoring and planting photos, tax and immigration records for their parents from a small European town that was destroyed due to 'terrorists' that was actually a Hydra cover up. And on and on and on it went since they had arrived in this timeline.
In the end, it was worth it as Kara was granted the needed clearances to attend any future meetings with Tony and the government. Daisy would need to wait a few more years to finish growing, before then using the face veil to pass the same checks. Luckily, the in-person interviews of past associates needed for the clearance has been discontinued in favor of a Shield background check. This change was actually done specifically so Hydra could slip in their agents where they needed throughout the government, but Daisy has no problem using the security holes Hydra has made for herself.
As Daisy is finishing up breakfast prep, having had Jarvis deliver the meal notice to Pepper and Tony, Kara comes in with a Stark Pad with the daily newspaper scans pulled up, causing Daisy to chuckle to herself a little.
"I know you used to work for a media corporation, but checking to see what news articles were written about you can NOT be healthy." Daisy makes sure to keep her tone light and teasing. She did the same thing when she was on the run as Quake. It was what kept her going and feeling like her childhood dream of being a hero was being accomplished, even when she was just looking for somewhere to die as a hero.
"I- It's not about that! I'm looking to see what you were alluding to last night! When I asked why you were staying up late, you said I would see it in the paper…" At Daisy's raised eyebrow, Kara continues. "O-okay it's also to see any new articles, but I'm a new business owner, I need to be aware of this!" Kara was blushing HARD at that last part.
Daisy just smiles at Kara as she begins to set the table. "I checked on my phone while you were in the shower, it's actually the front page on most papers based out of the east coast and websites for the west coast."
Kara quickly begins diving into the news, occasionally looking up wide eyed at Daisy, before going on to the next article. Just as it looks like she is ready to ask a question, Tony and Pepper come barreling into the dining room with a Stark Pad in each of their hands.
"Hey, Ms. 'Destroyer of Worlds', want to tell me what the hell happened last night?" Tony sounds more confused, than any kind of angry.
Which, fair, but she always likes messing with him when she can. "Last night? We played Catan, I couldn't possibly know what you're referring to!"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe what's all over the news this morning? Hey Jarvis, pick a good station and put it on the big screen." Jarvis quickly complies, with the TV lighting up showing a news anchor who seems to be about to start again, with the start of a new hour.
"Good morning to viewers along the west coast this morning. For those just joining us, we have a breaking story coming out of New York City's Harlem neighborhood last night. A large gray monster, now known as 'The Abomination' rampaged through the streets, only to be stopped by a similar green monster that has been recognized as 'The Hulk' that clashed with the US Military a few days ago at Culver University. While initial reporting both from the 'Battle of Culver' as well as the 'Harlem Clash' could only get their hands on some shaky or blurred videos and photos from offline only cameras, since then a lot more information has come out via leaks delivered to news agencies and reporters across the country by a group calling themselves S.P.E.A.R., although what the acronym stands for or what the group's aim is, is still unknown.
"According to the leaked classified documents, the true identity of 'The Hulk' is a fugitive scientist by the name of Dr. Bruce Banner. Dr. Banner who was contracted by US General Thaddeus Ross and the US Government to make a new attempt at the famous 'Super Soldier Serum' used on Captain America back in WWII before it was immediately lost. Dr. Banner and his colleagues were NOT told the truth or details of their assignment, which led to a lab accident where he was flooded by gamma radiation ultimately resulting in his transformation from what should have been a fatal exposure. Since then, reports state that when Dr. Banner's fight or flight response is engaged, he loses all control to his greener half.
"While on the other hand the true identity of 'The Abomination' is Emil Blonsky, a soldier assigned to General Ross to help capture Dr. Banner. Captain Blonsky reportedly was given ANOTHER unstable version of the super soldier serum that left him mentally unstable, before forcing a civilian scientist to inject him with Dr. Banner's blood to gain the same powers, even after Dr. Banner had been captured following a partially successful attempt to 'cure' himself of 'The Hulk'. The only reason civilians were not harmed in the following rampage, was because a 'Shelter In Place' order was sent to all local phones and TVs using the S.P.E.A.R. logo. In the brutal conflict, Dr. Banner managed to seemingly gain control of 'The Hulk' for the first time, and stayed focused on fighting 'The Abomination', resulting in 'The Hulk' being the hero of the day, before running off without injuring anyone else or further major property damage.
"The White House has yet to comment on the culpability of General Ross for his program, for mislabeling Dr. Banner a fugitive for years, for international manhunts that broke treaties with allied nations, or for 'The Abomination'. That may be because the leaks include information of the Super Soldier Serum programs of the past. Most notably, when African American soldiers in the Korean War were used as test subjects without their knowledge, with fatal and debilitating complications, only for the military to almost bomb a POW camp to kill the soldiers to destroy the evidence of their work. We now go live, to an in-person interview with the only survivor of that program, Isaiah Bradley. The reporter on scene-"
With that the tv screen was finally muted as three pairs of eyes turned to her. Daisy honestly felt like even Jarvis turned his eyes on her, the traitor. "What? Sounds like the news covered what has happened pretty well. So I don't know why you're lookin at me to tell you anything?"
Use your 12 year old looks. Exude childhood innocence! Make them believe your bullshit.
The deadpan expressions let her know that they aren't buying it, even if she feels like her expression was right on target! "Okay fine. This is the Hulk's last public appearance until 2012, so I made sure to do my best to stop civilian deaths without being there in person. As well as getting as much information out there that wouldn't get anyone else killed. Weirdly enough, very little information or footage survived in my timeline, almost like someone was trying to 'shield' the public from it by hacking into everything with an internet connection to delete the footage."
Everyone digests that for a second, ignoring her great pun, before Pepper asks the first question. "Okay, but what about the soldiers that died both at Culver and yesterday?"
Daisy sighs, knowing they wish to do more, just like she does, but they need to play their cards correctly. "The cynical answer is that the soldiers following Ross had a high likelihood of winding up in the radical parts of the ATCU or even the Watch Dogs. The middle ground answer is that while Ross is not Hydra, his ideals already align closely with them, but he is too much of a patriot to actually sign up. So he and his team are watched too closely by both Shield and Hydra for us to act without tipping our hand early."
"And what is the optimistic answer, if you've already gone over the cynical and middle ground ones that is?" Kara asks.
Giving her a light smile for focusing on the 'Kara' side of things, Daisy answers. "The optimistic answer is that the Hulk and Banner both needed this and had it handled. This was their first time fighting the good fight, we can't take that away from him if we want the Hulk to be a hero or even just for Banner to gain control. Supergirl or Quake could possibly help, but we would have to go for the kill against Abomination to avoid just making a bigger mess. And if the Hulk makes a move against us because his opponent is gone? That would seriously mess things up."
Pepper and Kara nod along in agreement, but it seems to leave Tony confused. "You're the destroyer of worlds, have a working super soldier serum lite in you, and have vibration powers. Meanwhile the powerpuff girl over there is well… a powerpuff girl. How could you being there make it worse?"
Daisy sighs, no matter how much they help Tony grow he still sees things a little bit too simply. Comes with the territory of being so removed from the everyday life of most people. "The Hulk and Abomination are STRONG. In raw strength, they are stronger than Kara was back in her timeline, and now she is 11 years younger than that."
At that, both Pepper and Tony drop their jaws. Tony has run some tests on both of their powers, and there really is a reason people back in National City and Metropolis saw the supers as gods. Daisy continues after they process that reality.
"Additionally, no matter how durable Kara is, she weighs as much as a teenage girl. That means a punch won't kill her but it will cause her to go plowing through buildings, and possibly INTO the people in those buildings. Both Hulk and Abomination have regeneration and high durability, so who knows if I could vibrate their brains to mush faster than it heals? It could turn into a war of attrition, which is horrible news for the battlefield… aka Harlem. And horrible news for my 12 year old body that has to channel all of that power."
"Yeah yeah yeah, I got it shake shack. No need to talk down to me too much. Anything us muggles need to know about the fallout from this?" Good job covering up your lack of forethought there, Tony.
"Hmm… Now that you ask, possibly. We have been busy with the changes to production, but those have been sorted and planned right?" At the confirmation from Pepper, Daisy continues. "For now I'll keep an eye out for the timing of the next step, Pepper can handle anything that comes up with SI, and you two should finally get around to starting on Iron Man Mark II over the next couple days. What do you say, wanna get building?" Kara and Tony shared a look that made them both look like teenage girls about to go to the concert of their favorite boy band.
June 15th, 2008, MCU
Kara Danvers, Stark Malibu Home
The last two days have been a wonderful and exciting blur of science with the leading expert on this Earth! Tony may not be as educated as she is, on a galactic standard anyways, but he has so much more practical experience than her that she commonly finds herself falling behind him a little bit. Although that prideful part of her wants to say that's only because they're working with what her people would consider outdated tech.
While they had started making plans, and looking over videos from the original timeline, and discussing possibilities, the last two days have been when they have started actual construction on the Iron Man suit. For now they are concentrating on making the boots, as that is the first step in the flight system. While the suit Lex Luthor made was stronger and beefier in order to be able to go toe to toe with her cousin, the Iron Man suit was sleeker and more agile with more abilities that don't fight just one species in the universe.
The goal right now is to have a suit of similar capabilities for the original timeline's Iron Man at the Battle of New York to be ready to debut against the Ten Rings once they move against civilians (although preferably the moment just BEFORE they move against civilians). According to Daisy's information, it took Tony Stark until mid to late October to finish his Mark III armor that he used in that fight. So they have around 4 months to get done what took Tony 5 years originally, just without the new element arc reactor… No pressure.
"Okay a little bit higher with that… Right there… I said right there so why are you moving? Stop moving… Okay that's good, let's move to the next… That means you can start moving again. Why haven't I donated you to a college yet?"
Although she could do without how he talks to his robotic help. She knows they don't have feelings like Jarvis does now, but it's the principle of the matter! He even programmed it to act like a kick puppy sometimes, for crying out loud!
As they finish soldering together the newest version of the repulsor tech that they are going to test for feasibility on the suit, Daisy comes down to join them. The door opens to the workshop, with Daisy just waving her phone at the pad that should require a code. An 'exercise' that Daisy and Jarvis like to play is hacking games back and forth, improving both of their skills as nothing else can seemingly match them on Earth right now.
And it seems like Daisy won this time! The thought brings a smile to her face, even if she swears she hears a sigh of defeat overhead from Jarvis.
"Hey!" Kara says with a peck to the lips when Daisy gets to her. "We were just finishing up here. Is dinner ready upstairs or something?"
"Just about, but first I had the updates from the fallout of the Harlem fight to talk with you both about." Daisy motions for Tony to join them as he finishes putting away tools.
"Lay it on us! You've been incredibly dodgy with the information there. It's like you enjoy seeing me stew." Tony says with excitement in his step.
"Making your eye twitch is what gets me through the day." Daisy deadpans back. "The government is all but scrambling to find something to combat the next Hulk or Abomination. Unfortunately for them, everything went wrong on the gamma radiation route. Blonsky used the last of the super soldier serum they had, and died from his injuries. The civilian scientist who made Abomination lost all his research to a… computer virus that overheated his computers to the point of a fire burning down his lab, and the scientist himself suffers from amnesia due to head injuries. The Hulk is in the wind, or at least that is what Nick Fury of Shield is letting the rest of the government think. Finally, public protests against the documents I leaked means they can NOT be trying more serum… so they are exactly where I want them to be."
Kara hates the fact that they are in their younger bodies so much. The confident suave smirk looks a bit strange on Daisy's young face, but imagining it on her old face sends butterflies into Kara's stomach.
"Why is that exactly where we want them? Don't desperate world powers do stupid things?" Kara can't help the worry, but knows talking it through will help calm her nerves.
"Because they will be more than open to a certain billionaire coming forward with his eccentric plan for a suit built for world defense." With that, Daisy's gaze shifts to Tony.
"Me? But weren't we working to avoid the whole 'Corrupt Big Brother Oversight' of empowered that I helped pass last time? So why are we seeming to do exactly that months before my suit is even ready?"
"Simple! Because they need you desperately right now, which means we can get a sweet deal that will lay the groundwork to be applied to others later. The government wants a super of their own, so you give them one, you just make sure that you keep your autonomy in the deal. Pepper and I will work out a contract for you to propose alongside the basic design and timeline of the suit."
"Basic contract?"
"Something like an insurance program through the government for collateral, choice to expose your identity or keep it confidential, no need to disclose anything more than the basics of your capabilities, expansion of Good Samaritan laws, etc. It won't be a full solution for the future, since there's just you for now, but it will allow you to help other people get a similar deal later once more come forward."
"But wait." Kara pipes up while leaning into Daisy some. "I thought the government wanted to steal the Iron Man suit in the future, won't this just encourage them even more to do that?"
"Good logic, but I don't think so. Last time Tony was on a horrible standing with the military, this time he is even more of their golden boy than ever before. But more than that, do you know why Shield never tried to steal an Iron Man suit like Congress?... Seriously, guess."
They both take a moment to think, and Tony ends up having the first guess. "I don't mean to brag" Daisy hides a laugh with an incredibly fake cough. "But I'm guessing without me, as soon as the suit ran out of power or broke they wouldn't be able to fix it. They would lose me, to only gain a suit until the end of the first serious fight."
"Does it have something to do with Tony's perception abilities?" When they both look at her, Tony is confused while Daisy looks proud and motions for her to complete the thought. "I can keep up, but sometimes I have to speed up my relative perception with superspeed to take in all the information that he can sort through at a moment's notice. It's incredible, especially for a baseline human!"
"Right on both accounts!" As Tony continues to be confused, Daisy elaborates. "The HUD on the Iron Man suits make it only useful to you, as nobody else can even comprehend all of the information you have flashing across the screen, all without impacting your ability to react. You're just a rich genius so you never knew exactly how and why you could do what others couldn't. Well, now you know!"
"But wait! You said Rhodey ended up being given a suit by me in a few years, so that can't be possible. Again, you being light on the details of that incident, super unhelpful."
Daisy chuckles in response. "Didn't think you were ready for the full story. So I mentioned how Shield let you think you were dying with no cure in 2011. But I didn't mention you let your best friend think he stole a suit from you, in order to let the government think they met their goal, and to help protect your friend after your upcoming death. Shield managed to get a look at the War Machine suit when he delivered it to Hammer Industries for upgraded weapons."
"What?!? He thought he had to steal it and did it anyway? And he took it to Hammeroid?!" Honestly Kara understands his feelings of betrayal. She has met Justin Hammer once so far, and all he did was ignore her to try and talk to Tony.
"Shush. Deal with the internal crisis later. Anyways, they found that the suit you had for him was severely simplified in order for Rhodey to fly it, along with a silent A.I. to cover where Rhodey fell short. And on top of all of that, James Rhodes is one of the most accomplished fighter pilots in the US Air Force. He is the best at flying the Stark upgraded F-22's, which are notoriously the most complicated jets to fly. The best air force pilot in the USA, possibly the world, got a two-speed bike with training wheels compared to your high end custom built sports motorcycle."
Kara really wished she had a chance to work directly with Lena Luthor on science more, because that's what working with Tony must feel like and it is wonderful. The swelling pride on Tony's face is horribly hidden, but he deserves it!
"So all I need to do is lean into that aspect? To make it clear they get Iron Man with me and my conditions, or they get nothing because it will work for no one else?"
"Exactly, old man! Do what you do best, play to your own ego and vanity but in the way that makes people think you actually can back it up."
"We're still going to talk about the War Machine details you left out."
"Oh I'm sure, but you were emotionally fragile when you got back. I didn't want you losing your best friend to something he hasn't and won't do this time."
Tony can only sigh at that. While he hasn't been getting therapy, Daisy has plenty of experience with being a therapist to friends, and has been doing exactly that to Tony the past month. "Fine, I see the point, young lady. Anything else before dinner time? Pep is probably waiting up stairs for us." Ugh, the pet names. She wants to set them up sooner but Daisy insists on not pushing them!!
"The Ten Rings are making new moves. I think I killed someone important at your prison camp who survived last time."
Kara sits up straight at that. "New moves how? Do we need to act before Tony has his suit?"
"For now, no. All of the captains of the Ten Rings in that area have spread out. This usually happens when a leader dies, with no clear successor to that position. One of three things will most likely happen, and two of them work for us. One, the captains fight each other wasting time, men, and resources. Two, the captains try to take over the smaller terrorist groups in the area to gain the largest numbers and scare the other captains to follow them; wasting resources, time, and lumping our problems together. Or three, attack civilians or high value targets to gain enough reputation to force the other to follow their lead. That last option is the one we would have to step in for, but so far nothing shows them doing that."
Kara hates this, but she understands they are playing a strategy for the direction the whole world is taking. Being in charge of mostly just a city meant she didn't have to consider terrorist groups on the other side of the world. But that also means she can make a bigger impact here.
With Daisy leading her, she knows she can take on the world.
"I'M WAITING!"
But first they have to take on an angry and hungry Pepper.
"By the way, Daisy, what does S.P.E.A.R. even stand for?"
"Hell if I know! My old coworker Yo-Yo used to joke that Spear was the hidden Shield division in space, hidden even from the agents still on Earth. So I took the name, and now I'm waiting for the conspiracy theorists to make a meaning behind the acronym that I like and claim they were right all along."
Kara throws a bread roll at Daisy's smug little face.
Notes:Author's Endnote: With that, we are through the first movie of the modern chronology of the series! Obviously I ignored the Tony Stark scene from The Incredible Hulk. I have no idea how that was supposed to work into the MCU canon, and I hated 'The Consultant' retcon, so it is gone. Meanwhile, Daisy is still a child here. Using her powers against unprepared people with guns is one thing, against the fucking Hulk is another. Her body would break. But rewatching the movie I found no civilian deaths in America until Abomination's rampage, so Daisy reaches her goals via the shortest path.
Civilians kept safe? Check. Government ready to play into their hands? Check. Justice for the African American victims and distrust in the government sewn? Check. The name of Daisy's replacement agency for shield getting out there and gaining trust and credibility? Check!
The timeline I am using puts Tony's Mark III suit being done in mid October and the fight with Stane being towards the end of October. Which honestly makes sense. His first properly made suits are going to be the longest to make. It took him 3 months of work with no other jobs to make the Mark 1, and that was a tenth as complicated. With Kara's and Daisy's and upgraded Jarvis' help though, in the same amount of time he can be much further along. If the Ten Rings stay on their timeline as well, that is.