----------------------------------------
Private jet, American airspace.
For once the stupid fancy chair would come in use for something other than listening to people bicker about world issues they then inevitably massively overreacted to, Justin thought, as he made himself comfortable.
The privacy feature of the system keeping Domino out of the conversation, not that he overly cared what she heard, at this point she knew more of his secrets then he did almost.
With the press of a button, a request to speak with Fury was sent off, and unless he was in the middle of Armageddon - the man would have to hoof it to the secure room used for Security Council business and respond.
Did it feel nice to have Nicholas J Fury as his bitch?
Yes. Yes it did.
While waiting for Fury, he thought over the situation, now that he had cooled down slightly from his immediate and murderous knee jerk reaction.
How had Obadiah Stane done it? He didn't know, and it frustrated him. Was it an android? Cloning tech? Magic? A Mutant?
At least, he thought wryly, Mystique was off the suspect list.
The last thing he needed was to have Magneto take an interest in multinational corporations.
There were just too many possibilities to be able to accurately identify which avenue Stane had taken with the fake, with what little information he had. It rankled him something fierce that he had made the mistake of thinking Obadiah Stane would just wait, like in Canon - with all the changes Justin had made to the world.
He wasn't pigeonholed into canon everywhere else, stuck trying to make things go the same way, had in fact rejected that premise from the beginning, apart from the Afghanistan kidnapping - so it was on him that he hadn't prepared for Stane making his own moves.
He'd failed to anticipate Stane taking a stand - instead of meekly waiting around for information on Tony Stark's circumstances.
Seeing that the light for the call was still stuck on hold, he fished his phone out, flicking down the list of contacts to his likely least used contact, pressing the dial button.
"It's not him." A tired voice answered after a couple of rings.
Justin smirked, unseen to the person he was speaking to, "Hello to you too, former Colonel Rhodes." He said dryly.
There was silence on the line for a moment, before there was a deep sigh, "You don't have to call me former Colonel everytime we speak, Hammer."
Justin wondered how well those kinds of complaints had ever worked on Tony Stark and his habit of nicknaming anything or anyone that was around him long enough - if the good former Colonel thought Justin was easier… Well the man just ensured he'd never stop.
Besides, he took some amusement out of it every time he spoke to the good former Colonel, knowing he'd hired Stark's best friend. Just something about it made him feel so very smug and pleased with himself now, even if he'd initially panicked.
"Never mind that, former Colonel Rhodes." He said, drawing some pleasure from the pained sigh he drew out of the other man. "Explain how you already knew? Other than you haven't fished him out of the desert yet…"
If the man grabbed Tony Stark and didn't tell him, he'd fire a missile up the bastard's ass so fast…
"Got a call from back home," Rhodes said, some anger leaking through the exhaustion, "Irregardless of how impossible it is for Tony to have been saved without anyone being aware until now, the fact he's refusing access to Pepper and Happy and… Someone else close to him… It's not Tony."
Justin hummed in thought, that actually did help somewhat in narrowing down the options, obviously FTony did not have Tony's knowledge in any way with this confirmation, so he needed to stay away from Pepper, Happy and Jarvis. So it likely wasn't some sort of magic copy of the man, if they could copy his looks with magic, surely they'd at least be able to make him like Tony mentally as well.
That was good, because Justin did not have any magical resources. His eyes narrowed, although just killing the fake wouldn't need too many exotic resources anyway…
The holographic display turned on, Fury having reached the council room, the man glaring up at Justin's screen from where he stood. "What is it, Hammer? If you hadn't noticed, the world is kind of on fire, and I have a job to do…"
Considering he had fixed more issues than Fury had, that attitude was just annoying.
Justin smiled at him, eyes practically glittering as he held a finger up, "One moment, I'm ordering pizza." He said, before hitting the mute button, leaning back in his chair, continuing to speak with Rhodes, even as Fury glared at him impotently, not able to just fluff off someone from the World Security Council.
"I'm enroute to California, I will deal with this situation before Stane can push through the takeover." He promised, not sure yet on the how, other than a hastily dreamt up scenario where he just killed the fake and Stane and then pissed on their graves - but he'd find a way to get it done.
The stopping them, not the pissing on the graves part.
The other line was silent for a much longer time this time, but eventually Rhodes spoke up, "I don't know why, what or how about anything you do, Hammer, but I'll owe you one if you manage it." From the resigned tone of voice, former Colonel Rhodes was well aware Justin would cash in one day.
Justin grinned like a shark, "Always a pleasure talking to you former Colonel Rhodes." He chirped, hanging up before the man could respond.
He steepled his fingers and just sat there, thinking, waiting a few minutes after finishing his phone call before he finally unmuted Fury, speaking up before the aggravated man could, "Thank you for holding, pizza is serious business, but rest assured, you're always my second or third priority, Fury."
"It's not necessary to continue to play these games, Hammer." The one eyed leader of SHIELD said cooly.
Justin chuckled, wagging a finger, a teasing smile on his face, "Ah, ah, ah! Don't start lying to me now, Director! Playing these kinds of games is exactly what you do to your subordinates." He cocked his head slightly, thinking it over, "Just with less flair."
Fury didn't dignify that with an answer, just standing perfectly still, staring at him, before eventually drawling out, "If this is about Stark, stay out of it." He warned clippedly, lone eye narrowing.
Justin leaned forward slightly, he'd assumed Fury would be able to tell immediately, but this sounded like the man was actually going to do something, "Oh? What exactly do you know, Fury? And why should I stay away?" Justin challenged, with Fury it could always be a simple fishing expedition - to find out what Justin knew.
Fury gave him a measured look, likely debating how likely it was that Justin would keep annoying him if he refused to share.
Justin gave the man a wide grin, steepling his fingers in front of his face, showcasing his absolute intention to be a giant pain in the ass until Fury gave up the details. As a World Security Council member, he had the clearance anyway.
And the limited ability to boss Fury around in some aspects.
Fury obviously came to the same conclusion, because he reluctantly began to speak, "We've always kept a close eye on Tony Stark, therefore we have amongst our ranks, people whose job it is to be experts on the man. One press conference isn't solid data, but enough for them to decry his behavior."
"Could just be PTSD…" Justin let out mildly, playing devil's advocate, because just agreeing with Fury would hardly give him more information.
Fury obviously saw exactly what he was doing, but chose to continue on, flatly expounding on the subject, "Possible, but unlikely to lead to such drastic changes in both personal and professional life as what we've noticed just in a few hours." Fury paused for a moment, seemingly deciding whether to continue to share or not, before continuing, "Our main avenue of contention isn't one speedy press conference and the denial of access to anyone remotely close to Stark anyway. There is no way to remove Stark from Afghanistan without anyone from SHIELD finding out about it, it's that simple."
"You sound very sure about that." Justin muttered, thinking on his own team on the ground, and wondering if they could achieve such a result.
Fury slashed a hand through the air dismissively, "Stane is not that good. We would have heard something." He grimaced slightly, looking reluctant to continue sharing, but going on anyway, "And… We inserted someone close to Stane not too long ago." He admitted, looking like he'd bitten into something sour.
Justin wondered about that, what exactly Stane thought he'd do - if agencies like SHIELD would arrive to begin poking their noses in. Surely the man must have a plan beyond just a takeover of Stark industries? "Who did you send in?" He asked, watching Fury's reaction closely.
The way the man immediately clammed up completely, removing any tells, did its job for Justin - as in its own way, it was revealing enough.
That's just too funny… Honeypot again? I almost feel bad for her.
"Natashalie… Huh?" He almost purred out, rubbing his hands together, "Well we've worked together before, kind of." Certainly worked 'intimately' close together…
Fury kept his silence, neither confirming or denying who'd been sent to infiltrate Stane's circle.
Justin took that as confirmation, and with Extremis pulsing through his veins, the woman couldn't even take revenge properly on him anyway, even if she could, leashed to SHIELD as she was. "It will be a treat to see her again!" He said cheerfully, carefully watching the SHIELD director.
Fury finally replied, his one eye glaring hard at Justin, "Hammer, this is an active SHIELD operation now, stay out of it!" Then, as if realizing how any kind of order given to a World Security Council member might come back to bite him if Justin disseminated it amongst the members, he took on a more cautious tone, "As a World Security Council member, you're not cleared for field operations."
Justin's grin widened, "Sounds like you'll have to provide me with a bodyguard then, because I'm absolutely going to get involved. So either join me, or stand back."
Of course an anal retentive manipulator like Fury who couldn't stand not having at least one hand on the wheel - wouldn't let Justin just interfere on his own without any clue what part of their operation he was interfering in anyway.
Checkmate, you one eyed bastard! Justin thought, still smirking at the man, as he awaited the already natural conclusion to this discussion.
Fury grit his teeth together, the audio in the connection so good he could hear Fury's leather gloves creaking as he clenched his fists. "Agents Coulson and Barton will meet you when you land." He growled out, a very displeased mien on his face.
Justin clapped his hands together, "Wonderful! The other two parts of team Natashalie, you've really pulled out all the stops on this!" Kind of suspicious in a way… Stark isn't Iron Man yet, why are they pulling out all the stops right now?
Food for thought, perhaps Domino could tease it out of the two agents, when they all met. Of course, once I've prodded the SHIELD agents of their Intel, I can just ditch them anyway, let Fury protect me… From afar.
Isn't that Hawkeyes thing anyway?
"Is that all, Hammer?" Fury growled out, not able to leave without being dismissed, not with how he was already walking on thin ice with the rest of the council.
"Pineapple on pizza? For or against?" Justin asked casually, having to bite his lip to prevent an honest to god giggle breaking out as Fury stared at him in utter disgust, the call breaking as Fury decided to take his chances.
Hanging up on him? How rude!
Fury's loss. Really, if anything he'd learned over the last two years or so held true - it was that taking everything too seriously all the time just degraded performance and reliability, as stress levels skyrocketed.
With that in mind, Justin shot off a text to Sunil, "Please have some interns or something call every pizza place in DC, order 100 large Pineapple pizzas for the Triskelion, pay for them, but have them all delivered to one Nicholas J Fury."
Ah, it worked, his murderous rage was already down to a low simmer, being rich enough to fuck with anyone really was a boon. Really, he was being nice enough to pay for SHIELD to have lunch, so it wasn't even a prank.
Domino looked down at her phone, from where she was relaxing on one of the couches, her nose scrunching up, "Why is Elena texting me asking if you're okay, boss?"
Justin smirked, walking over to the bar, pouring himself some scotch, "Perhaps she doesn't like pineapples?" He mused out loud, savoring the sip of expensive scotch, as he enjoyed the time he had before he'd have more work on his hands.
Domino looked at him weirdly, "I'm not sure what to even say to that. I'm missing something…" She muttered, beginning to type a text, presumably back to Elena.
"No, she does like pineapples boss!" Domino said a minute later.
Justin didn't really know why that struck him as funny, but he laughed enough that it freaked out Domino,
Which only made him laugh harder.
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Private airfield, LAX, California.
"I can't believe we're actually allowing this…" Clint Barton muttered, feeling a little weird holding his bow while wearing a full penguin suit.
"I am definitely rocking this suit, though, do you think Laura will want a picture?"
"It's the kind of suit that would definitely look better on the floor, if you know what I mean?"
"Coulson, why aren't you answering me?"
"Cooouuulsooon!"
"Agent Barton, maintain radio silence." Phil Coulson finally answered over the crackling radio, drawing a grin out of Clint, that was definitely the - I'm slightly annoyed but I'm going to give you a chance - tone to this voice.
He toggled the radio to reply, when he saw the gate for the private airstrip at LAX moving aside, letting three armored SUV's through.
"Coulson." He warned over the radio, aligning an arrow in case things were about to get interesting. Hammer had already had a pretty high profile assassination attempt against him, it wouldn't look good if it happened on their watch.
Why, exactly, they were even entertaining Hammer, was apparently above his pay grade.
Would have been good to know… You know, in case he died here and never knew why? The radio crackled to life again, "Stand down, Barton, it's Hammer's security."
"You sure…?" Clint asked, aligning the perfect shot with one of his specialty arrows, one that would attach an explosive putty to the gas tank, and then voila, no more armored SUV. "Could be fake, meant to lure us in…"
Coulson replied dryly, "I'm sure, their team lead is who I've been talking to for the past five minutes."
Clint sighed, relaxing his bow string, "Not today, darling." He said, patting it gently, before toggling the radio again, "Hey… Any reason I wasn't made aware of the friendlies?" He complained lightly, even as he examined them with a critical eye as they exited the vehicles and began setting up a perimeter, Clint waving to one of them when the man immediately put a scope on him, with his sniper rifle.
The guy probably wanted the same perch he'd already taken.
There was a moment of silence, before Coulson, even drier than before, replied, "You must have missed it somewhere, between your own violations of radio protocols."
"Yeah… So can you make it so they don't shoot me?" Clint said, still waving with one hand as even more gun sights turned his way. Seemed Hammer didn't skimp on security, these guys were kitted out to hell and back, and they certainly moved like professionals.
"Just get down here, Agent Barton." Coulson replied long sufferingly. "If you get shot, at least you can study protocols during your convalescence."
Wow, Coulson is really not looking forward to this either, Clint thought, wondering briefly if Coulson knew more about how Hammer knew so much, that he wasn't sharing with Clint…
Guess waiting time is over! Clint thought right after, hearing the roar of a jet, as he began to climb down from his perch, the men that were not busy setting a perimeter, never once taking their guns off him.
I wonder if I could get away with socking him one in the jaw for Nat?
His eyes darkened as he thought about the fact Hammer had known about the family farm, or sock him one for me…
As soon as he got down, Coulson was already there, and with how close to Clint he'd decided to stand…
He knew how much Clint itched to talk to the bastard, alone.
Some other time, Hammer, he promised, watching the descending jet.
----------------------------------------
Justin exited the jet, talking with Domino, who was watching the welcoming crew, exchanging a few hand signals with the security team leader, "Remind me to have Vanko cook up a drone or two of remote controlled armor to bring on the jet." He told her, shielding his eyes with one hand from the sun, as he looked down at the SHIELD contingent, his lips curling slightly at the sight of Hawkeye. "I hadn't realized until now just how vulnerable we are in the air, counting on just your power."
Domino glanced at him, "Just my power?" She said teasingly, "Aren't you supposed to be good at talking to women? That wasn't very nice at all!"
Justin gave her a wry look, taking the last few steps down the stairs and onto the tarmac, "You're well aware of what I mean, don't be an annoyance today, please."
Domino gave him a mocking salute, before she put her game face on, facing off against the SHIELD agents.
The SHIELD contingent tried to step forward, only to face the sudden hum of energy weapons, the security team lead, shaking his head at them, "You move when we say you move." He said gruffly, before glancing back at Justin.
Justin contemplated leaving them there for a few minutes, but it would essentially only delay himself, so he rolled his eyes and waved them through, pointing at Coulson and Barton, the other SHIELD mooks with them, held back by his security once they stepped through.
"Hello Mister Hammer, I'm Agent Coulson and this is Agent Barton, we're from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division." Coulson said blandly, stepping forward with his hand out for a handshake.
Justin shook his head, shaking the man's hand, "I believe you're the only one that ever uses that long name, Phil… How are you doing, Clint?" He said in a friendly manner, a glint in his eyes.
He was still angry, but he could put it to good use, annoying Hawkeye and Agent Agent. It's not like SHIELD would get to stay around once he was done with HYDRA one day… So they were no threat to him, not really.
Especially Clint, with his lovely and so easy to reach, weaknesses. Speaking of… "How is the family? Is the farm doing okay?" He asked mockingly, quietly enough only the four of them could hear, just as Clint reached out with his own hand to shake.
Clint's expression froze, his hand clasped with Justin's, and just as it looked like he was going to do something stupid, like pull Justin in, to threaten him or something equally moronic, Domino clicked off the safety on one of her guns, the sound loud in the sudden silence between them.
That's all she did, standing there, a raised eyebrow on her face - but Clint released Justin's hand, backing off, an annoyed expression on his face, "They're fine." He mumbled out, stepping back further, Coulson stepping ahead of him, a pleasant expression on his face that showed just how good of an actor the man was. Because Justin could practically feel the chill from the man's gaze, and yet he didn't show it at all in his expression. "We've been tasked to liaise with you and your people, Mister Hammer, to avoid unnecessary issues."
From just how blandly Agent Coulson said that, Justin could tell how annoyed the man was to have Justin poking in on their operation.
He wouldn't have to worry, Justin wouldn't entertain them for too long.
"You seem to be missing someone though…" Justin said amusedly, lips quirked into a half grin, "Where's dear Natashalie at?" And your wordplay is cute, agent, but I massively outrank you, and you're not going to stop me from doing literally anything I want…
"It would be better to speak about such things in a more secure location." Agent Coulson demurred, "We have a serviceable outpo-"
Justin interrupted him casually, noting that Coulson didn't even blink, while Clint clenched his fists in annoyance or outrage, on behalf of his mentor. "I'll text you the address, we're moving out right now."
His security team began moving immediately at that order, several of them standing between the SHIELD mooks and Justin still, ensuring they behaved.
Domino handed Coulson a phone, as Justin walked off, whistling happily to himself, already crafting text messages through his glasses, sending out orders to his people in Los Angeles.
While he was here, there was plenty of business that could be taken care of on the west coast. Mixing business with pleasure, or was it business with murder?
"Put your number in, please." Domino said pleasantly, taking the phone back immediately upon Coulson complying, "See you in Malibu!" She said, winking at them, before she jogged off after Justin.
"What's in Malibu?" She could barely hear Agent Barton ask, as she skipped away.
"Complications." Coulson said succinctly, raising his phone to his ear, "Sir you're not going to li-"
She laughed to herself as she caught up to Justin, just shaking her head as he gave her a questioning look.
Working for a multi-billionaire was just great, the look on people's faces when they realized they couldn't push or talk back…
It was just like candy to her.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
When she entered the armored limousine to the sight of caviar and lobster and Dom Pérignon, she had to admit the other perks were pretty fantastic too.
And to think, she wasn't even sleeping with him!
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Cairo, Egypt.
Sunil Bakshi looked askance at what one of his underlings called a report, noting down in the margins to have him either demoted or assassinated, whichever was cheaper.
A factual report should not consist of copious amounts of mistakes as well as supposition and theories instead of facts.
If he wanted guesswork, he would ask for it…
Not surprisingly, he had never asked for his less capable underlings to insert their opinions in factual reports. They were always substandard to his own.
He'd returned to Cairo to keep looking after their rapid pace expansion in Africa, while his boss was busy with another pet project of his. If there was anything about working for Justin Hammer that actually managed to get under Sunil's skin, it was his propensity for getting flights of fancy and disappearing off on one quest or another, leaving much of the work to Sunil, although at least he had Elena to assist now as well.
He watched her idly, as she flitted too and fro, always on a call with someone, greasing the wheels of progress, working tirelessly to achieve the goals their boss had set.
It was perhaps because of her obvious loyalty that he hadn't bothered reporting who she was yet. Outing her as a Black Widow would likely - at least in the short term - pull her away from her job, which would further inconvenience Sunil. He'd run extensive background checks on the woman, even managing fingerprints and DNA swabs when she'd passed out on one of their long nights of work.
He knew as much as he could know about her. Without talking to her about it, anyway. He was certain that she didn't mean his boss any harm, Domino wouldn't have managed to hire her and slip her through all the checks they had if she was working to kill him.
Of course, he'd researched and tested Domino in the days after his discovery, just to ensure she hadn't been compromised somehow. Funnily enough, even the periodic tests the woman still did of his loyalty, the question of - do you know if anyone near Justin Hammer is a black widow - never came up.
Usually such a question wasn't necessary, but considering how he'd now slept with two of them, perhaps it should be.
The more wide question of are you hiding any information that could harm Justin Hammer, apparently didn't quantify his knowledge on Yelena, as harmful, so he passed those tests as well.
He'd have to discuss that at some point, make the testing more conclusive, if he wasn't actually loyal, he'd know several ways to fool the testing now. It would be a poor showing of his loyalty if someone else slipped through the cracks.
He returned to his work, putting the matter temporarily out of his mind, it really isn't my business, even knowing beforehand won't harm me overly much, not with things as they stand. His lips twitched slightly, and it is very amusing to watch while knowing the background, he thought.
One of his phones rang, one with a very peculiar ringtone, to make sure he always answered it with priority. "Dr. Cho? Is anything the matter?" He asked smoothly, hiding his worry behind a polite facade.
Simple politeness and kindness often helped ensure people were in a more relaxed mindframe, making it easier for Sunil to manage them. For such a small thing, it really wasn't much of a sacrifice to continue being polite no matter who he spoke to.
His other hand reached his laptop and began bringing up the program for her research bunker, just in case. There couldn't be any chances with this particular project.
Project Kilgrave had received the utmost importance from their boss as to containment measures. Including Sunil having the capacity to sanitize the entire facility - and the surrounding area, at the press of a button.
Helen Cho sounded downcast as she answered, "I… I have succeeded, and failed." The bright young scientist mumbled.
Sunil had taken quite a bit of pleasure out of the burgeoning situation between her cultist like fanaticism and their Boss' reluctance to shoot her down. This entire company was way better than any soap operas.
Considering he didn't actually have any free time - he didn't think it unreasonable that he took enjoyment where he could.
"I'm going to need you to explain that further. In detail." Sunil said mildly. Fingers flying over the keyboard as he brought up all the particulars of the lab, the command to detonate not far from his mind.
Doctor Cho took a deep breath, before beginning her explanation. "I finally had a breakthrough in the project, and in my eagerness to provide for Jus- I mean Mister Hammer, I continued forward without the proper safety precautions."
"I see. That is, you understand, very concerning to me?" Sunil said slowly, typing in the command, just waiting for confirmation before he blew a whole block away.
Doctor Cho hiccuped slightly, and Sunil took the phone away from his ear and looked at it in askance, was she crying?
"I didn't mean to, I mean, I succeeded, I managed to craft a vial of material that according to my theories and tests will work on a subject." She mumbled, sounding both elated and dejected at the same time, confusing Sunil.
"That is… Good, is it not?" He asked, feeling some slight trepidation at bottled mind control being available to anyone, even his boss.
"No!" She wailed, making Sunil wince, as he'd returned the phone to his ear, "I overstepped in my excitement, did too much damage! Kilgrave is dying, and I don't have the ability to fix him through this stupid system!"
Ah, the crux of the matter… Sunil thought it over, realizing that there was no way to get someone in to assist, not with the security precautions they had in place. Likewise there was nothing they could do to get into the deepest section of the lab to heal Kilgrave, not to mention the fact that if the man was dying, he might need Panacea or Extremis, something Mister Hammer would never authorize, especially now that there had already been an overreach. "You're certain he is going to perish?" He asked, to make sure.
Doctor Cho sounded devastated as she replied, "Yes, he has less than a few hours to live."
"Secure the vial and your notes, a team will be extracting you post haste. I will contact Mister Hammer and advise him of the situation." Sunil ordered, adding, "And do not worry, I will stress your valued contribution to Mister Hammer, one vial is still more than nothing at all out of this project."
As he continued to reassure the young scientist as she packed up, he sent orders for four of their most trusted security teams to extract the woman, and deliver her to Mister Hammer, he didn't want any chance of that vial, or the woman, going missing or something on the way.
He typed up an email, and sent it to his boss, knowing that with priority ranking, it would flash on his glasses immediately.
Not surprisingly, he received a text back as a reply a few minutes later.
"Blow it once you've secured the vial and Cho, full security team coverage, get her to me ASAP."
Sunil smirked, glad to have already preemptively ordered exactly what his boss wanted.
A few hours later, he initiated the destruction of the base.
Forever burying Kilgrave.
All in all, feeling quite pleased to have that threat removed from the equation, one vial was dangerous, but much more manageable than mass produced mind control.
Sunil really liked his boss and his job, and saw Justin Hammer's vision as the true hope of humanity. That didn't mean he was blind to his faults.
He really wouldn't trust his boss with unlimited mind control.
Words could not express how happy he was at how the situation had been resolved.
He sent a note of praise for her achievement and warning of Doctor Cho's despondent state to his boss, helping the girl out a bit.
As a small thank you.
And because it would be amusing to continue to pour fuel on the fire for her frankly hilarious crush.
Real life soap operas.
They were just missing the evil twins now.
Then he thought about the reveal of the fake Tony Stark, blinking.
Huh.
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Tony Stark's Malibu Mansion.
"The director urges you to reconsider." Agent Coulson said, as they all walked up to the repaired mansion, no sign of the previous damage in its exterior.
Justin shook his head at him, a pithy look on his face, "I've already called ahead, and it would be frightfully rude to stand up a lady, also, I am of course perfectly liable to do the exact opposite of anything Nick Fury says, on principle, do consider that for your next bout of pleading and whining."
Was he laying it on a bit thick? Yes. Was the humor and constant sniping at the bumbling SHIELD idiots keeping his simmering anger manageable, also yes. So he saw no reason to stop anytime soon.
Clint Barton, a sour look on his face as he followed behind Agent Coulson, spoke up, "So all we have to do is tell you that the Director does want you to involve another civilian in all this and you'll stop?" He asked sarcastically.
Justin rang the doorbell, adjusting his tie, ensuring he was presentable, answering Clint without bothering to turn around, "Of course not," He scoffed, "Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"
From the way Domino suddenly burst into sniggers, Clint likely looked very frustrated right about now. I'm a billionaire, I don't have to make sense! Justin thought mockingly. Gaining a suave smile as the door opened up.
Pepper Potts stood in the doorway, glaring at Justin, before her eyes flickered to the SHIELD contingent, some wariness entering her eyes.
"Dear Miss Potts, not to worry, these are just my government given flying monkeys, here to fetch me coffee and what have you." He waved a hand negligently at the agents, "They really don't matter, pretend they're not even here."
"I'm getting really tired of this…" He heard Clint mutter to Agent Coulson, but there was no reply, Agent Coulson stepping up next to Justin, smiling with a little bit more life in it then when he'd greeted Justin.
"Hello, Miss Potts, I am Agent Coulson, and this is Agent Barton, we're with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."
She raised an unimpressed eyebrow, her eyes going from Justin to Agent Coulson, "Bit of a mouthful isn't it?" She asked, looking pensive.
Before Agent Coulson could try and take over this meeting, Justin intervened, "They just desperately wanted to spell SHIELD, that's what happens when comic book nerds get into the government." He said dismissively, "Think of them as a mix of the FBI and the CIA but with severely bloated egos, now to move away from pointless government wage slaves I do believe we have a common goal here. I've spoken to former Colonel Rhodes as well, and he's informed me that you are aware of this… Fake." The last was said with a spasm running through his face as he held back the spiteful words he really wanted to say about the situation.
Pepper Potts glared at him, her cheeks flushing slightly in anger, "That James vouches for your intentions is the only reason I am even entertaining your help, Mister Hammer." She said coldly, before stepping back, gesturing for them to enter.
Before he could get more than a foot in the door, Happy Hogan was suddenly there, gruffly calling out, "No one's coming in armed." Giving Justin a level stare that said that the man really wanted Justin to make a big deal about it.
Justin just smirked, gesturing to himself, "I'm not armed today, but feel free to feel me up if that is your intention, Mister Hogan." Inwardly he was slightly annoyed, but could hardly make a scene, considering his people had attacked this exact home and assaulted Pepper.
So the fact they were taking basic safety precautions was hardly anything he could complain about.
He'd just get some minor petty revenge later, his bubbling feelings of anger and resentment broiling just under the surface - would not allow him to let any disrespect go, he wanted people to pay for screwing up his plans.
He'd just take a few chunks more out of Obadiah Stane, that ought to settle it.
They were soon all escorted by a wary Happy, into the living area, Jarvis no doubt keeping overwatch and watching their every reaction and gesture for further analysis.
Justin walked up to the bar, helping himself, feeling his smirk growing as Happy twitched slightly, and Pepper frowned at him unhappily at the rudeness. He turned around, swirling the liquid in his glass, feeling everyone in the room except Domino - looking at him with great dislike.
This. This he was used to, this he could thrive in. Antagonism was so useful, because when you suddenly acted reasonable, they couldn't help but agree, not wanting to seem unreasonable themselves, and in a way, 'rewarding' him for suddenly being so agreeable.
Not that he necessarily planned to be agreeable today…
Most people really were nothing but blunt objects, meant to be led around by those more capable. It made him wonder how on earth humanity had actually succeeded to even get to the point of creating someone like him.
Oh wait, he literally had to come from another earth to make this perfect match… He remembered, so maybe the normal humans weren't too much to blame.
They were still stupid blunt objects and destined to continue their sheep mentality however.
He took a small sip of the amber liquid, enjoying the good quality, his eyes finding Pepper's guarded ones, now here's a woman that's anything but a blunt object, he thought. Giving her a long once over, from the beautiful long legs to her perfectly styled hair.
There was an uncomfortable feeling in the room for a moment, as everyone but Domino stared at him in various states of anger or distrust, or blandness if you counted Coulson.
"So let's get down to business, fake Tony, what do we know?" Justin asked cheerfully, slowly sipping at the drink as the rest of them found seats. Except Happy Hogan who stood just behind Pepper's seat.
He attempted to look menacing, but with Wakandans, super soldiers, and whatnot, a retired boxer just didn't even register as a threat.
There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at each other, seeing who would go first, before Agent Coulson took the step, no doubt already aware that Justin would just force the information out sooner rather than later anyway, and it would look better for them to provide it freely. "We were curious about some transactions and moves made by Obadiah Stane since Tony Stark's disappearance, so we inserted an agent into his inner circle."
A diplomatic way of saying Natashalie was going to end up killing her fellow agents if they didn't send her for an undercover mission to get away from it all… Justin thought, eyes glinting behind his glasses, as he got a sly look on his face, "Oh? Who's Natashalie banging this time? Really, she should be changing careers, her skills seem kind of… One note." He taunted.
Agent Coulson gave him a heavy look, as Clint didn't bother hiding the murderous look he sported, sitting next to him, "The agent in question," He stressed, lips thin, "Has only been in place for two weeks, and have not yet gained Stane's full confidence."
Pepper broke in, hand briefly touching a Bluetooth device in her ear. "His new secretary, Natalie Dormer, that's your agent?" She asked.
Some quick work there Jarvis… Justin thought amusedly, hiding his grin behind the glass of alcohol.
Agent Coulson looked at Pepper with a hint of surprise, eyes flickering to the Bluetooth device, "...Yes." He said reluctantly.
"Well, whether she's banging Obadiah Stane or not," Justin gave off a fake shudder, the sly smirk on his face not falling off for even a second, "She must have surely at least seen the fake Tony, if she was within Stane's circle?" He queried, "Did she pick up anything about who, or what, he is?"
Clint answered, an unamused look on his face as he glared at Justin, "She is not, so back off, Hammer." He growled, twitching slightly as Coulson turned his way, not saying anything, just looking at him, "...She hasn't been able to report in regularly, they turtled up after the reveal." He revealed bitterly.
Someone still held a grudge. Good. Not one Avenger should get comfortable around him, Justin thought, thinking Hawkeye should be glad he had revealed that he knew about his family only to Natasha, not to all and sundry.
Fury should have taken it as a cue to investigate SHIELD harder, but… Recent events might have put a crimp in any continuation of that.
Justin raised a mocking eyebrow at Clint, "So you've got nothing? What a surprise…" He took another drink, letting out a pleased sound afterwards, looking utterly relaxed even amongst these nominal enemies. "Domino can get to her and get her report." He offered casually.
"We… Appreciate the offer." Coulson said carefully, giving the mercenary a cautious look, to which she gave him a cheerful wave and a cocky smirk in response, "But we'd prefer to keep this operation as clean as possible."
In other words, you don't trust me, and you definitely don't want me near Natasha, heh, wonder why? Justin took another sip of his drink, wondering if she'd actually try to kill him, or if she'd gotten over it, as cold as she could be, it was a possibility.
Justin shrugged in the end, turning to Pepper, not seeing any need to follow Coulson's guideline, if they got no information back, Domino could get it out, "Any information on your side, Miss Potts? I am aware you have tools we lack." He asked with a bit of humor, since he had a literal copy of Jarvis in storage.
Pepper bit her lip, her clear dislike of him obviously warring with the fact he was one of the only people who was actually helping.
That must really be a one of a kind mind fuck.
"There were absolutely no signs in Stark industries servers, offices, or amongst its staff that Tony had returned to the states, or that he was even alive." She said slowly, her voice almost choked up in anger, her eyes flashing with emotion, as she continued, "No Stark industries plane, vehicle, or account was used to transfer him to America, it's as if he simply appeared one day, no record anywhere of how he got here." Happy put a hand on her shoulder, for comfort, and Pepper grasped it with her own.
Coulson cleared his throat, "There are actually flight plans filed, custom checks filled out, and records of Stark flying into America. Very good forgeries, including a very insistent customs clerk who insists she checked Tony Stark through a private airport, with a temporary passport provided by the US embassy in Afghanistan."
Clint took over, a grim countenance on his face, "We checked with our people in Afghanistan, and even the embassy there has a record of the passport in their electronic system - but no one has any memory of actually filing it, or seeing Stark. Someone hacked in and inserted it, and they also did the same in the database of every agency who had a check on the borders."
Justin hummed in thought, from the sounds of it, even SHIELD had gotten these fake files inserted into their system. That was actually slightly impressive - or it was HYDRA behind this. "If one didn't know Stark, and was just checking the paperwork trail, it would pass muster…" He mused out loud, "That's why he's gone into seclusion, because whatever way Stane is doing this, the fake can't pass as Tony to anyone who knows him…"
He eyed Pepper and Happy with a contemplative look, "He's not seen either of you has he?"
They both shook their heads, unhappy expressions on their faces, "We haven't been fired." Pepper said emotionally, "Not officially anyway, but we've been told to stay out of the office until 'Tony' is more settled." An unhappy snort showed exactly what she thought about that.
Justin wondered how Obadiah expected to make this stick, Tony would have to 'die' in some way, he supposed - after the transfer had gone through and had a month or two to settle, so that people would be less suspicious in general. People like SHIELD would always be suspicious as a matter of course, but perhaps he thought he could buy them off with cheap weapons?
He eyed Coulson thoughtfully, honestly… It could probably work. Certain factions within SHIELD would probably take the deal, and if Tony was actually dead… Fury himself would likely take the deal for weapons, rather than ruin it all for a dead man.
It was a real dichotomy of a situation… In one way it reeked of a desperation play from Obadiah, a fool taking too many chances, too many risks, sloppily. Yet… On the other hand, hacking government agencies, inserting actual paper copies, creating an almost perfect paper trail… Either hypnotizing, replacing, owning - the customs employee that swore that Tony Stark passed through… Those were not the actions of a sloppy man.
"There's someone else involved." He said, not caring about sharing the information with SHIELD as long as it assisted in removing the fake, "Stane is being hasty, taking risks, even if it had been the real Tony Stark giving his company away, he'd face too much scrutiny at how quickly this is moving."
There's just no way to hand over the reins that quickly in this situation, no matter what mental health evaluation they bribe their way through. If they moved too quick, the government would invalidate it claiming the fake Tony was mentally incapable.
Coulson nodded sharply, "He has someone else who's doing the legwork."
Trust a spy to cotton on quickly, Justin thought, nodding at Coulson, "The government mook is correct, it's likely that however Stane got a convincing enough fake, it came from the actors also providing the trail."
He'd changed a lot about the world, but Stane was the same person who'd stupidly left evidence on his work computer in Canon… So he can't have changed too much, he either hired, or was approached by, someone else…
"Then what do we do?" Pepper asked bitingly, her fingers whitening as she clenched her hands together harshly in her lap, "Can you arrest him with that?"
Coulson immediately shook his head, "We don't actually have any proof that Obadiah Stane has done anything illegal, yet."
Justin laughed, drawing eyes to him, "Oh, that's funny, arrest him? No, no, I'm not here to play cops and robbers." He said menacingly.
Clint stood up abruptly, face grim, "You're not above the law, Hammer!" He said coldly, "Do not overstep." Coulson sat still, watching him with intense eyes, as if to divine his intentions.
Playing by the rules, that's a silly idea, especially coming from SHIELD agents that constantly broke more laws then they protected…
Domino chuckled, crossing one leg over her knee, face wry, "isn't he though?" She asked teasingly.
"Even the rich and famous have to follow the law." Pepper told his bodyguard seriously, her eyes flickering to Justin afterwards, "Even you, Hammer." The distrust in her eyes that went with that statement, told Justin a lot.
It appeared his attempts to shift blame towards SHIELD for the break in, and Stane for the disappearance of Stark, hadn't worked with the woman. A pity, he'd have liked to give her a job offer.
Hmm, he thought, why not? It will piss Stark off once he's found… He'll make her CEO one day, but he'll always know I offered her that title first!
"Changing the subject, so your virgin ears don't combust, could I interest you in a CEO position, Miss Potts, my pharmaceutical company perhaps? Or maybe you'd enjoy running the charity wing, HammerTech?" Justin offered, surprising everyone in the room.
Happy Hogan was literally steaming at his audacity, looking like he'd love to go a round or two with him.
Heh, punching Iron Man's bodyguard in the face might be an enjoyable pastime actually, he thought, smirking at the man.
Pepper tilted her chin up, giving him a look of absolute disgust, "Not for anything in the world would I work for you!"
Justin finished his drink, smacking his lips, "Not even if I could bring Tony out of Afghanistan, my team is working on it after all, say I give them more of an incentive if you come work for me?" He offered, not really serious, but enjoying stirring shit up.
"You absolute monster!" Happy growled, stepping forward, one hand returning to Pepper's shoulder, as the woman suddenly looked indecisive and heartbroken.
Justin just grinned, "Offers there anytime." He said casually, giving a wave to Domino, as he began walking out, there's nothing more I can get out of these people.
"Hammer, where are you going?" Clint said roughly, standing in the way all of a sudden, "You can't just go off on your own, especially not with how you hinted at doing something illegal!"
Justin didn't even stop his stride, Clint suddenly finding himself on the back foot as Domino danced around him, making him stumble back, his face confused as he kept trying to defend himself but kept slipping or stepping down wrong, just in general being very unlucky.
Justin stepped past the tiny scuffle, sniffing imperiously, "A clumsy man like you, Hawkeye? You're going to stop me? Please…" He continued on, Domino following him, only stopping so she could put her guns back in their holsters from the box Happy had put them in by the entrance.
Coming here at all had been a mistake, entertaining SHIELD to soothe his anger, had been a mistake. The knowledge they each had wasn't worthless per say, but also did nothing special for him. He could have found it out himself.
No…
He'd do this his way.
He was big enough now that he didn't need to pussyfoot around a non-entity like Obadiah Stane.
What did he have that was special? Nothing.
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Hours later, Hammer industries Los Angeles office.
Justin hung up the phone, eyes twitching in annoyance.
Obadiah Stane should be jumping over the moon to get a chance to see Justin, the potential windfall for the fool in any kind of business deal or collaboration alone should see to it.
So why can't I find the motherfucker! He growled inwardly, having spent over an hour now on just trying to arrange a face to face, or failing that, a phone call. With absolutely no success. He was being completely stonewalled, which didn't make sense.
Stane would know Justin's low opinion of Stark, there should be no reason to keep him away. It's not like the idiot could possibly know Justin intended to wring him out like a wet towel until there was nothing left.
His thoughts were interrupted as he received a priority call.
He answered it immediately, "This better be good news, Maya, I am not in the mood for anymore fuck ups!"
Maya Hansen answered back in a measured tone that gave Justin no hint to her feelings, "It is good news, I have produced two viable subjects."
Justin's mind raced as he shed his antipathy, it wasn't Maya he was so angry with anyway, "Truly… You've managed to mix Extremis and the Super Soldier formula?"
He knew they were still working on repeating the actual super soldier formula from scratch, with Dr Nagel assisting Maya on that project, but she'd also had a secondary project, using Isaiah Bradley's blood to attempt to infuse the Extremis procedure with the Super Soldier formula.
Crucially, it was also a way to attempt to heal Bucky Barnes' mind, because if they could mix Extremis safely with the formula, his brain should get unblended, even if therapy and assistance would still be necessary for a while even if it worked.
"That is correct, although currently only two out of five test subjects have survived the process." Maya stated clinically, "Yet the fact survivors are happening, without any noted mental deficiency, proves we are on the right track."
Justin felt a thimble of excitement, knowing he'd be one of the recipients of the finished product, truly becoming superhuman, one of the first steps on actually becoming more powerful, personally, to survive coming threats. "Keep me updated, spare no expenses, if you need more test subjects let me know, I'll arrange for it." He ordered, pausing briefly, a smile blossoming onto his face, "And Maya… Good work, you're revolutionizing the world all on your own."
"Thank you sir." Maya replied, with some warmth leaking into her voice. "I do have a possible favor to ask, in regards to optimizing the project."
"Name it, and you'll have it." Justin said immediately, even if it was an insane request, he'd likely fulfill it, Maya's importance was just that big.
"Sunil had sent me a list of scientists that had been ridiculed or sent to the fringes of society due to their work, I want them, I want to see if I can make their ideas work." Maya explained shortly, "There are several on the list, who if their ideas show merit, could greatly improve the end product."
Justin nodded thoughtfully, if they were on the fringes of society, or barely accepted as scientist any longer, they should jump at the opportunity to work for him, and be easy enough to disappear if they didn't work out. "I'll set it up, it might take a while to get through your list, do you have any top candidates?"
Maya thought it over for a moment, the line silent, "Noah Burnstein first." She decided, "He hasn't had success, and is a lowly prison doctor right now, but his ideas if they can be made to work… It would improve the project by leaps and bounds."
If Sunil had been involved, it was likely it was from SHIELD or HYDRA files that these names had been passed on to Maya, which meant they might actually be useful.
"Then you shall have him, my dear." Justin promised, making a note of the name and to send a notice for the security division to handle it. He didn't need to have any of his senior people involved in something as simple as disappearing someone for life anymore.
It was a job for his security company.
They spoke more on the project briefly, before hanging up, Maya not one for pointless pleasantries. It was a boon for him, as she had no other interests than science.
It was better than… Cho. Justin winced at the thought, she was on her way, and he still hadn't figured out how to deal with her weird fanaticism.
Before he could get back to work on locating Obadiah Stane conclusively, so he could meet the man - or figure out what to do about Helen Cho, his intercom rang. He took a deep breath, pressing down on the button, holding it a tad harshly, "Yes?" He asked, a slight growl to his voice.
"Sir, there's a Tiberius Stone here to see you, says you had a meeting scheduled, but I can't see anything in the system…"
Justin wondered what part of him sending the man a request for a meeting, meant to show up unannounced. He just wanted to focus on Stane and the fake for one goddamn moment, was that too much to ask?
"Sir?" His secretary asked hesitantly after the silence stretched out.
Justin sighed, rubbing his brow, "Send him in, just him mind you, if he has any bodyguards they can stay where they are." Not taking any chances, even with Domino here…
Considering he was planning to get a meeting with Obadiah Stane so he could beat the truth out of him and possibly kill him if he could get away with it - he was hardly going to allow another billionaire to bring all his people into a meeting with him.
Minutes later, the media mogul swaggered into the office, and sank into the chair in front of Justin's desk, an arrogant smirk on his face, "Justin, you're finally willing to talk, I've been waiting for your call, pining away." He said mockingly, giving Domino a wink.
Justin nodded, letting his anger fall off, putting on a friendlier facade, he couldn't afford to screw this up because of anger issues directed elsewhere. "Tiberius, I've simply finally found a price I'm willing to accept for your purchase of Extremis, I would have called sooner if I could." He lied, a friendly grin on his face.
Tiberius looked away from Domino, a greedy glint in his eyes, "So don't hold me in suspense forever, what is your price?"
Regeneration was a valuable commodity, especially as Justin wasn't sure at the moment how many years longer he'd live, it wasn't immortality, but for anyone, especially the rich, any years added on was a must have. Justin knew exactly what he'd use his favor for. His price.
"You're aware of the mutant issue I assume?" He asked, instead of immediately going into negotiations.
Tiberius grimaced slightly, almost imperceptibly, "Of course, and the news of them are non-existent because I'm constantly hampered by government overreach and intelligence agencies…"
Justin pondered the man in front of him, wondering if that small level of distaste was for mutants or the fact he's not allowed to spin whatever he wants in his media empire due to agencies like SHIELD.
"For Extremis, I want your entire media empire to continuously follow my will in one subject." He stated, watching the other man intensively. Looking for any sign of irrational hatred, he couldn't trust the man to do this correctly if he turned out to be a mutant hater.
He'd still make him do it, but he'd have to have a lot more checks and balances on the content. This was too important to screw up. Justin needed mutants to be on his side in all of this. Not fucking up the world in their constant battles against each other and varied governments. Mutants were an outlier that would make for a much stronger defense of the planet, their varied capabilities impossible to fully prepare for.
"Mutants are going to be revealed shortly, working for me, taking over the work of UNESCO. I need you to ham up how amazing they are, how they're just like us, just with some abilities, how they're just like Captain America, except natural, not artificial." Justin explained seriously, Tiberius giving no indication on what he feels on the subject, just waving for Justin to continue on.
"I want coverage showing mutants helping people in disasters, using their powers to heal the land, search and rescue, healing, anything PR friendly we can do, and work our way up to more monstrous mutants helping people and how appearances can be deceiving once the message has stuck." Justin frowned, thinking it over, if he was missing something, "For one, we won't introduce them as mutants, you have the team for it, come up with a more friendly name, workshop it, touch base with me before you air it."
Tiberius, who'd said not a word during that entire explanation, leaned back slowly in his chair, a calculating look on his face, "You know… You're asking for quite a lot here, Justin, I'll lose money on this, some of my portfolio will definitely lose viewership, I'll lose anchors that have strong opinions.. I'm going to need another dose of Extremis."
Justin scoffed, shaking his head, "You can't be serious, Tiberius. So you'll lose a few million, a few anchors you'll replace within a day with someone better, and you expect the best thing below literal immortality - to be given to you twice, for such a small inconvenience?"
Tiberius grinned, rubbing his chin, "Well, it does sound like I'll be the lynchpin in some kind of plan you've got brewing, Justin, and that sounds like something you'll pay heavily for."
Justin chuckled, shaking his head, "I can do this without you Tiberius, it is simply a matter of convenience to buy you off beforehand, instead of letting the media go about things naturally."
Tiberius seemed to acknowledge he wouldn't get his way completely, his grin slipping a little, "Fine then, one treatment of Extremis for me, for one year of positive coverage."
Justin raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Ten years minimum - you'll probably live another decade or two just from this treatment, don't try and fuck me, Tiberius, I can withdraw the offer anytime."
He might need this a bit more than what he was telling the man, but he wasn't about to get bent over the table either.
Tiberius pursed his lips, "Five years max or the deal's off, I can come back when you're desperate, when the mutants are being torn apart in the press - and get a better deal from you…" From the serious look in his eyes, he meant it too.
Justin's glasses which had been running analysis of his facial expressions and ticks concluded likewise. So Justin made a show of thinking it over, before finally accepting, "Fine, five years." He agreed, giving the other man an arch look, "Don't fuck me on this, we give Extremis, and we know how to take it away. You screw us halfway through the deal, we'll ensure you lose it."
It wouldn't be as easy as that, but he was sure Maya could whip up some sort of Extremis removal virus, not something he wanted to have around considering his own Extremis, but a necessary precaution if he was going to be giving supervillains or evil execs the treatment.
He was a supervillain himself, he didn't necessarily care if people like the Kingpin murdered people, as long as Justin eventually controlled the world and could defend it from alien threats, what did the lives of some regular people matter in the grand scheme of things. They'd have better lives because of him in the end.
It's because heroes were so focused on never sacrificing anything, that they failed so easily. If Justin could stop Thanos and all of the threats to earth like Dormmamu etc, and the cost was killing everyone in New York…
Well, he'd press that button every time.
The heroes… They'd just die together, apparently uncaring of how many would die behind them, as long as they got to keep their ethics intact.
Tiberius laughed, an amused smirk on his face, "Oh, you're a dangerous one, Justin, but don't worry…" His face took on a eager expression, "I'm not about to fuck up a price this big…" He gained a thoughtful look, "Besides, getting to name mutants has its own appeal, I'd be the first… Hmm… Metahumans? Gifted?"
"So we have a deal?" Justin asked.
Five years would cover past the New York invasion, after that, he'd likely not need to buy press to continue the positive press coverage.
"We have a deal." Tiberius said with a dark grin, reaching out with his hand to shake on it.
In one fifteen minute meeting, Justin had just achieved more for mutant kind than Xavier and Magneto had over their lifetimes.
They should have focused on making money.
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The next day,
"Boss, you have a call from Hope." Domino called out, holding his cellphone out to him, as he tried to concentrate on his golf swing.
He'd decided to take a break, Obadiah Stane and SHIELD frustrating him, one refusing to be pinned down, the other constantly harassing him for his plans, following him everywhere, and generally being annoying busybodies.
For God's sake, Hawkeye was perched in a fucking tree watching him golf, did they seriously not have anything better to do? Like find Stane, or get a report from the elusive Natashalie?
Giving his swing up as a bust, just having Extremis had changed how he swung, his body always in a perfect condition giving just a miniscule difference in the swing, but one that was enough to throw him off and keep hitting bunkers instead of perfect green.
Or maybe it was the fact he never had time for golf anymore, he tossed the club away, uncaring about where it landed, grasping the phone from his caddy/bodyguard. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Hope? Has your father seen sense in the commercial applications of the particles?"
Yeah right, he silently scoffed. Hank Pym, the only rich man who seems to detest money…
Hope's voice was warm as she replied, "Hank isn't going to change his mind anytime soon, I'm afraid, no I'm calling to help you out with something actually."
Justin put the phone between his chin and his shoulder as he began removing his gloves, "Oh, I'm always open to help from you, Hope, any kind really, or a dinner, I still owe you one."
Hope laughed warmly, the tone of a smile on her voice still as she answered, "Perhaps a dinner after our meeting." She suggested, and before Justin could admit to his confusion, she continued, "One of your employees have for some reason taken it upon themselves to text me with updates of where you'll be, and quite a few shirtless pictures." Hope paused for a moment, before continuing mirthfully, "Quite a few, actually… But she also let me know you're desperately trying to get in contact with Obadiah Stane, who I just so happen to have a meeting with in San Francisco in two days."
Justin sent Domino a dirty look, but the burgeoning smile on his face took some effect of it, "That would be amazing, Hope, if you allow me to tag along to surprise Stane, I'll owe you one, but I feel it would be remiss to not warn you of the fact he's unlikely to be happy to see me."
Considering he intended to destroy Stane and his puppet, it would hardly be a pleasant meeting.
Hope snorted, answering dryly, "I can tell, but it's only a courtesy meeting to tell him no, you can't get any Pym particles - so I don't particularly care if the meeting goes astray."
"It's a date then." Justin said, grinning darkly, got you now you bastard!
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