Date: 23/04/2009
Location: I'm not sure, I had a bag over my head.
"I am…Iron man "
"I am…Iron man "
"I am…Iron man "
"I am…Iron man "
"I get it, you can take it off now."
Annoying…
Very annoying.
I was currently in what seemed to be a warehouse. Like the stained concrete floors , slightly rusted metal beams that reached into pigeon filled raptures above me and the spotty lighting from, the ancient looking, galvanized roofing didn't give away that already.
The laptop in front of me was finally shut by a black glove. Following the hand , I glanced up at a bald African American man. His right eye covered by an eyepatch with an ugly scar peaking out from underneath it.
His name, if I remember correctly ,was Nicolas James Fury, level 10 SHIELD agent and current director of SHIELD.
Remember that spy organization that I found that info on about that green guy with anger issues?
Yeah, them.
So , as you can probably guess, this super spy , melenated OO7, that stood two feet away from me is also the guy that put a bag over my head , shoved me into an unmarked car then made me sit and watch a video of my brother saying that stupid line over and over again.
I still don't see what that has to do with me. I didn't say it, nor did I make him say it , yet I've been dealing with the consequences ever since.
The media has been constantly following me.
—-
"Mr. Stark , is it true ?" a red head was the first to get an actually coherent word out of the crowd.
"No comment."
"Mr. Stark, are you going back into the arms trade?" Another, bleached blonde this time followed up.
"No -"
"Is Tony Stark really the man in the suit?"
"Rumour has it you're making a mobile army, care to comment on that?"
"Will we be seeing more of Ironman?"
The crowd descended into another commotion as Mason stepped up to block me from them.
—-
After a while, I just didn't leave the office. They camped out there for days , and the moment I peaked my head out , it started again.
They weren't the only ones.
The military has been asking, nearly threatening , for info on it too.
Now I have SHIELD to deal with as well.
Just great.
"Matthew Stark. Current CEO of Stark Industries, and alleged hacker, though we can never get that one to stick before it miraculously gets disproven. According to other sources, you've also had a hand in over 50 known intelligence cases, a fight leading to the dishonourable discharge of your former military school commander, and been browsing international government issued street cameras that just so happened to be provided by Stark Technologies. Am I missing anything?"
"You remembered that off the top of your head or did you rehearse it in the mirror?" I raised a brow , a smirk forming on my face.
His face didn't change , his unimpressed look only made him seem more like a hard-ass than I had predicted.
"Both."
I blinked, not expecting that response ,but decided to put that little interaction on the back burner.
"So what ? Are you gonna arrest me, or is this an interrogation without legal representation?" I leaned back casually , already fed up with this conversation," if you've kidnapped me just to show me how much you know, you'll be sorely mistaken about my intellectual predictability."
The man stared for a second then started the good old pace around the room interrogation tactic, just that this didn't seem to be an interrogation.
"I need you to keep Stark in check."
"I'm not my brother's keeper. He's a grown ass man that barely listens to common sense most times."
I rolled my eyes, still following as he walked slowly around the table and rested a hand onto the metal surface in front of me.
"That's why I'm asking you. Stark has a history of actually listening to those he cares about," he stops and opens a file he had on the table, turning it toward me, " and you just so happen to be the one with the most dirt that we can use."
"Oh so you're blackmailing me into?"
"No, we're just asking and it wouldn't be much blackmail if you would get something out of it too. "
Now that is how you pique my interest.
"What kind of something?"
"I'll have an agent with you, they'll tell you everything and anything you'd wanna know about SHIELD," he paused , then added, "up to a certain clearance of course."
I thought about it. It was enticing but I would be losing out more than gaining. Tony is easy, mostly, and I could always get whatever I want from the SHIELD servers so their agent wouldn't be as much help as they might seem. Knowing that organization, they would only be there to spy on anything we do, say or even touch.
"No deal." I shrugged.
He sighed, probably already expecting my reaction.
"How about this, we still give you the agent, but they would be only for communication."
Do I have the word idiot on my head? I frowned in irritation.
"Still no." I stood up and grabbed my vibrating phone, " I'm not your middle man , find someone else to do your dirty work."
I answered the phone without looking and instantly regretted it.
" We have a meeting with Roxxon Energy Corporation , a press release with the new yorker and a factory tour of the robotics department scheduled for today, yet I haven't even glimpsed you in the office."
My "lovely" PR manager reminded. She hates me, I just can't prove it.
"Yes, I'll be there in," I checked my location, " 30 minutes."
Location: Terminal Island, Los Angeles , California
"Tony, take back your fucking job." I muttered after hanging up and leaving the building.
—
Fury stood alone in the warehouse now.
"Agent Hill." he spoke softly into his comms link.
"That's your target, think you can do it?"
There was silence over the line before a mature feminine voice responded.
"Yes sir."