“How did you know about the poison?” Tony asked me after a long time as he finally remembered what I said about poisoning when I rescued him during his final birthday party.
“I thought you knew it by now Mr Stark, that I am a Jack and of all trades. There is close to nothing I don't know or not capable of in the world.” I told him as I hacked into their cameras to see him talking to me from a corner, but what Tony didn’t see was Pepper passing behind him.
“Cut the crap and tell me how you know about the poisoning?” He shouted at me. It was not that loud to be heard by anyone over the music but enough for someone close by to hear him.
“I know Mr Stark. My knowledge in biology and chemistry is unchallenged.” I told him.
He was silent on the other side.
“Can you cure it?” He asked me after a while which surprised me. I knew currently he was the type of guy whose ego would never allow him to ask for help for himself when he couldn't do it, especially from me.
“I can and even can save you at your last breath, Mr Stark,” I told him.
“Can you…” He started but paused.
“…go fuck yourself you pea brain asshole!” He cursed as he hung up the phone, to which I just smiled. 'Exactly him!' On the bright side, I am gonna make it difficult and annoying for you.
I watched as he sighed before turning around to see a frozen Pepper standing before him. Before he could even say anything, she slapped him and threw the glass in her hand on the floor and started shouting at him. I didn't bother listening to the drama as it was unnecessary as I got everything ready for what is meant to happen at the end of the next call.
He silently heard everything as she dismissed the party much to everyone’s confusion. She called someone on her phone very soon after that.
“Hello?” I greeted the person on the other end of my phone.
“Was it you on the phone with Tony just now?” She asked me.
“Yes, Ms Potts,” I answered her.
“Tell me his condition.” She ordered me to which I just smiled.
“Palladium Poisoning. He only has 72 hours to live if untreated.” I told her.
As soon as I said that she looked at Tony in fury. “You sick son of …” She started throwing a bunch of curses at him and started hitting him while she cried.
Rhodes quickly came and pulled her back while Natasha arrived at the scene. Tony looked down in shame as Pepper cried.
He walked forward to Pepper. “Pepper I…”
“Don’t touch me! Since you want to die alone, go fucking die alone!” She screamed at him as he tried to comfort her.
Tony stood there stunned before his thrusters activated and he flew off.
"What happened?" Rhodes asked Nat.
"I am not entirely sure," Nat stated seemingly confused as well.
"I will go after him, look after her," Rhodes told Natasha before he left downstairs.
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'Strange. Why is he still going for the suit just like in the movies?' As Rhodes took a suit and flew after Tony Nat was comforting Pepper.
After a while, Pepper calmed down and remember she was still on call with me. “Mr Dave? You there?” She asked me while sniffling, while Nat sneakily moved close to Pepper.
“I am Ms Potts,” I told her simply, while Natasha who was beside her froze.
“Can you save him?” She asked me.
“Yes, I can,” I forwarded a simple text to Nat, seeing her struggling to recognise my voice.
“How much?” She asked me.
“$15 Billion,” I told her.
She froze as she heard the number. “Please? I will give you anything. We will give you everything we have.” She begged in desperation as she knew neither she nor Tony put together had that much money.
“I am sorry Ms Potts. Everything happens for a reason. Diverting this event from that reasons path is dangerous and requires the necessary resources.” I gave her a lame answer which to her sounded mysterious, while at the same time making sure things went as they did in the movie.
Besides, in a way I wanted Tony to find the cure through the Stark expo model himself. Sure he was annoying but he needed to know how much his father loved him. That was something I didn't want to deny from him or anyone else.
She cried hopelessly as she heard me. “However, I can provide you with an alternative should you need it,” I told her as she quickly stopped crying to listen to me.
“How much?” She asked me.
“$25 million.” She quickly got up and took the tablet from nearby before typing something in it.
“I have transferred $100 million to your account.” She stated.
I went to my account and transferred back the $75 million while speaking to her. “Move to a place where no one can hear you,” I told her after which she quickly got up and made sure to run towards a place where there was no one.
“Tell Tony and only Tony, that the cure he seeks is hidden in the layout of the Stark Expo of his father that he will soon get his hands on. Also, tell him his father loved him.” I told her while not worrying about anyone tapping our call as everything coming to and from me through the number on my business card was unable to be tapped.
“What…?” Pepper was confused.
“Also please check your bank account. I have refunded the sum of $75 million.” I told her before hanging up. Right now was the moment of truth. My hands kept shaking as I observed Nat, trying to piece it together.
------------------------------------
[Natasha PoV- A few minutes ago]
“Mr Dave? You there?” Pepper asked the person on the phone.
'Dave?' I became interested and slowly crept close to Pepper.
He was the person we have been trying to find for a long time but there has been no trace of him.
We tried looking at footages of him in the places he has visited but we found everything was either erased during his time there or we simply couldn’t see him on the camera.
Shield had tried arranging a fake job offer for him as a trap countless times, but he would never respond to any of our requests. If we tried to camp out to any place he could potentially turn up we would never see him there.
It was as if he knew about us watching him.
From what Stark told us along with Pepper, this guy simply works for money. Once he takes up a job he will complete it without fail.
So far, he hasn’t done anything too extreme to harm or pose a threat to the world. But the problem is that he is aware of Shield and everything we do, and Fury doesn’t like that and neither do I. Not to mention him being a possible enhanced individual from Phil’s account of him stopping and pushing back Stane in his suit.
We officially began calling him 'Jack of all trades', after Pepper informed Phil that he called himself ‘a consultant whose expertise laid everywhere.’. That was all Tony, Pepper and Happy were willing to reveal. It was as if they were worried about revealing more than they should. To keep someone like Tony in his leash he must really have something over Stark.
A part of me told me 'Dave' had something to do with Hydra and Fury doesn't disagree with it. My instincts were always accurate on these kinds of things. After all, with how slippery and untraceable he is, it almost screams like a Hydra operative.
After the last Hydra attack on me, Fury has been secretly sweeping Shield for moles or bugging devices that could potentially be from Dave or Hydra.
This was the 2nd time anyone from Shield could ever have the opportunity to be anywhere near Dave's presence.
“I am Ms Potts.”Something about that voice was very nostalgic.
'I knew it. He must be someone working in Shield, otherwise, I wouldn't find it so familiar. But who?' My brain quickly tried to match the voice with the faces of people from my memory.
“Can you save him?” Pepper asked him.
“Yes, I can.” 'That voice belongs to someone I know very closely. But who?' I kept struggling.
*Ping* I looked down at the message that arrived on my phone. [I am sorry Nat.]
My eyes widened as I realised why I found that voice very familiar.
'David!'