章 2151: 19
Sup! Thanks for all the amazing comments, and I would just like to say this thing has gotten out of control long...so that should be fun for you guys. Meanwhile I'm beating my head against a keyboard going 'why do I do this to myself!'
Chapter Text
Elizabeth Brant ignored the dirty look the Stark bodyguard was giving her. She wasn't going to be scared off. In fact she would have clawed anyone's eyes out who tried to get this scoop over her. Journalism could be a dog eat dog world. And the Stark scoop was hers! Did she lambast Everhart's reputation with their boss? Yes, yes she did. But maybe Everhart shouldn't have fucked Tony Stark. Credibility, you can't send one of a man's cast offs to interview his daughter. It's bad form.
She smiled as her freshly inspected bag was returned to her. Her smile was all teeth. This interview would further her efforts to become a household name. Another five years to build a reputation and then a nice cushy job on a daily news channel. She'd had her future mapped out since she was eight. Another year and she could look into marrying a pro-athlete.
"Don't forget the rules." The bodyguard's accent was distinctly british as he gave her one last glare, and then opened the door for her.
Elizabeth brushed past him, as if she'd let him intimidate her. She took in the modern office she'd been brought to. Her cameraman had already set up, her sound man was attaching the mic to the newest Stark. She picked up her own mic and attached it to the lapel of her blazer. "Everything set up Mike?"
"We're all set, I was thinking of mostly using the natural lighting from the windows? It leaves the cityscape more visible behind both of you. I don't know what these windows are made of, but the light is just lovely and diffused." Mike's eyes shone with the inner passion for lighting. He could babble about the topic for hours. Which wasn't bad, he was her favorite cameraman for a reason.
She held up her hand. "Now's not the time. But if you think that's the best lighting go with it." Elizabeth took in the skyline out the floor to ceiling windows. It would be an evocative background. She plastered on a smile, one that was surprisingly genuine. "Dr Lewis."
"Ms Brant." Dr Lewis took her hand and shook it. The woman was all casual confidence, classically attractive though she was downplaying it.
Elizabeth noted the purple nailpolish, white oxford shirt under tie dye sweatshirt, washed out jeans, and sparkly blue glasses. "Are you familiar with how this is going to work?"
"Absolutely not, but PR briefed me and I'm a child of the internet. Think I'll be good." And there was a smug light to the woman that was all Stark.
Elizabeth laughed. "Well just relax, this is just a more intimate introduction than the press conference was yesterday."
"I'm sure." Dr Lewis's eyes twinkled with mirth.
She felt a thrill, someone who wasn't going to need their hand held. Intelligent people were always more exciting to interview. And honestly gave better content. "Do you have any questions for before this starts?"
"No, I'm sure the legal forms you signed about covered it." Lewis rocked back on her heels. "I'm ready when you are."
"Well, let's get started then shall we?" Elizabeth politely waved them towards the carefully set up chairs in front of the windows.
There was a quick round of final mic checks, Mike adjusting everything so they were properly in frame. And then the camera began rolling.
Elizabeth smiled as she started speaking. "Hello, today I'm here with Dr Lewis the new heir to Stark Industries and newly revealed daughter of the famous Tony Stark." She turned to Lewis. "First thank you for letting us speak with you so soon after the momentous announcement Dr Lewis."
"Of course, I'm happy to be here." Lewis smiled and it didn't feel fake, more mischievous than anything else. "It was a bit inevitable once I found out who my bio-dad was."
She made an appropriate noise to that. "I have to start with what everyone is wondering, how did you find out?"
"My first day working at Stark Industries." Darcy rolled her eyes. "Tony burst into the lab looking like he was having kittens. The Stark medical check all employees undergo involves DNA being run for hereditary issues and the system pinged the relation."
Elizabeth leaned in ever so slightly. "You'd had no idea before that, not a single suspicion?"
"Not really, I knew my mom had a bit of a party phase. Guess she and Tony had that in common." Darcy shrugged carelessly. "It wasn't as big of a shock as it could have been."
Elizabeth would personally eat her notepad if the girl hadn't practiced similar questions with Stark's PR department. "So you had no idea, it was just your first day at Si?"
"Nope." Darcy's smile was fairly bland if her eyes weren't so damn amused.
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair. "So you were brought into SI as a mechanical engineer on the Rosen Eisen Bridge project led by Dr Foster? Her theories of course being validated by Thor and the observed portals since then."
"Yeah, Janey and I go way back to my undergrad." Darcy beamed, genuine excitement plain to see on her face. "I interned for her my senior year at Culver. And well nothing makes a lasting impression so much as surviving an alien encounter together. That and late night margaritas."
Elizabeth nodded along. "The documents leaked from SHIELD indicated that you were at the New Mexico event as well as in London during the invasion there?"
"Yeah, I mean it started out with Jane trying to drive us into a space tornado in the middle of the desert and now where goes Jane, so goes my nation ya know?" Darcy waved her hands in a 'what can you do' gesture. "And now that I've got my doctorate and she lets me do more than duct tape her equipment, we have 70% less explosions and or fires in the lab."
She knew future interviews would probably focus on all the topics she intended to brush past. But right now she needed the full picture. It was what would get her the traction. "Speaking of your doctorate, you had an unusual path to your degree?"
"Yeah, the science classes I was in were either boring or I got brushed off. I mean I know I don't look like a mechanics nerd, but still." Darcy crossed her legs. "But after New Mexico I applied for some graduate courses on the subject and got in. And well, I guess it's kinda history now. My first patent sold, the work I'm doing with Jane is supes cool, and I still have my own projects on the side."
"Your projects on the side, that includes working with heroes like Spiderman and Quake? You were involved in the shootout in Lansing Michigan afterall." Elizabeth prodded.
Darcy snorted. "Yeah I help out Spiderquake. They're fun and only patently ridiculous 20% of the time."
"How did that come about? And connected to that are you planning on following in your father's footsteps?"
She shook her head with a laugh. "Definitely not. I don't mind tasing an alien, AIM agent or corrupt cop here or there when I get dragged along on crazy adventures. Which Lansing was ridiculous and I'm never letting Spiderman convince me he just needs a ride to go save a reporter friend ever again. I don't know how he does it with those goggles but the puppy eye power is real."
"No Iron Maiden in your future then?" Elizabeth knew if she played this right she could get more access. More access, more name brand value, and one step closer to her ultimate goals.
Darcy pushed her glasses up her nose. "Yeah not gonna happen. Tony might like flying around in a tin can with a sparkly ass, but so not my style. I'm happy to help backend with people who actually know what they're doing. I'd just be flying by the seat of my pants and that's not a good look on anyone."
"But you do support the Avengers and other heroes like them?" Elizabeth could feel her career progressing. Nothing too hard hitting, just highlights right now. Highlights and she could get to the real meat in future interviews.
Darcy nodded. "I do, I think they do real good in the world and that measurably there are millions of people still alive because of their efforts. And that's that we can know. Which before you ask I do support some of the legal measures around accountability. But I think we have to be incredibly careful that we don't go too far. Just look at the legal and moral issues we're having to face with our own government's involvement with the illegal actions in Lansing? Or General Ross who almost was put in a position of power over vulnerable individuals. It's incredibly complicated."
"I agree with Tony and his approach of working with both lawyers, members of our government, and enhanced individuals to craft a basis of law that protects all citizens. Because this is the weird world we live in now and that's not going to change. Burying our heads in the sand and letting atrocities happen isn't a solution." Darcy was clearly passionate. Her genuine belief would play well on camera. "I really think that is why court cases like the upcoming prosecution of James Barnes are going to be important to watch. It's going to be a test case in how our courts can handle the frankly impossible."
Elizabeth resisted the urge to pull that thread, too much. "So you agree Barnes should be tried in a court of law?"
"Of course." Darcy replied easily and sure of herself. "He's an American citizen. As such he has a right to a jury of his peers, for the evidence to be laid out measured and a verdict found. Being extraordinary shouldn't place anyone above the law. It also doesn't make someone any less of a citizen of his country."
She felt the slightest spark. "So you will be involving yourself with the legal side of SI then?"
"That was an accident really." Darcy sighed. "The Avengers didn't have a PR team. Which is ridiculous, but I spent a week bullying legal and Tony about it. So hopefully now that the Avengers do have a PR team, and the whole Stark thing is all settled with legal I'll be free of that headache. I'm much more suited to just building cool toys in the lab."
Elizabeth pounced at the opportunity to keep leading this away from the dicey waters of the enhanced and the upcoming Barnes trial. "But you are the heir to a controlling interest in SI. Heir to one of the largest business empires in the world. Surely you have plans besides just building things in the lab?"
"Not really?" Darcy shrugged. "Tony forgot to mention he was making me his heir." She looked genuinely annoyed for a second. "So that was fun to find out." The sarcasm was definitely thick. "I mean it's nice not to be in debt from college. But really I'm not an expert in the company."
Elizabeth couldn't help the slight disbelief. "So no plans to take more of an interest in what will someday be your company?"
"I guess? But honestly right now I'm happy where I am and with what I'm doing. And Ms Potts is doing a fantastic job. I don't know enough to want to rock the boat. Besides, Tony's still young enough he could have another kid or something and I can pass the whole thing off to them." Darcy's lips twitched up.
She turned the pen in her hand over. "So you approve of Ms Potts? There have been a lot of rumors and talk surrounding her promotion to CEO of Stark Industries."
"She's the most highly competent woman I've ever witnessed. Like life goals of awesome." Darcy looked slightly starry eyed. "I don't know what she sees in Tony to be honest, she could do better. But if he makes her happy." She shrugged, ignoring how every person in the room was choking at that. "She's essentially been running the company for Tony since he hired her as his assistant. I mean I don't think he even knows his own social security number."
Elizabeth had definitely not been expecting that, or Darcy willingly expressing her opinions on enhanced. "So no resentment that your father is involved with a woman who's not your mother? No possibility of a reconciliation there?"
"Thor no!" Darcy laughed outright. "Please, my mom is happily married and honestly she and my step-dad are great together. They've progressed to two lammas to deal with the empty nest syndrome since I left. I'm not even sure either my mom or Tony actually remember their whole fling. And I really don't want to know."
Elizabeth had done her research. Margaret Lewis was a small town dentist married to the local vet. Everything about them was pretty scandal free. So she pushed forward. "I notice you've been calling your dad Tony?"
"Well yeah?" Darcy smiled. "He's cool, and we're getting to know each other over rebuilding old cars and converting them to electric. But it's all kinda new, to both of us. We did dye Steve's hair pink the other day though. So you know, it's going."
Elizabeth stilled. "You dyed Captain America's hair pink?"
"He should check what's in his shampoo bottle before he uses it." Darcy's face had a wicked grin. "You should def get him to take off those ridiculous hats he's been wearing in public. It's spectacularly hot pink."
////
Peter whooped as he went flying over a shorter building. There was nothing as exhilarating as the swooping sensation of swinging through the city. It was excellent! As he was sailing through the air he spotted a streak of color.
Landing on the side of a building he looked over. And yup that was a red banner with his Spiderman mask printed on it. He blinked, there was a person sitting next to it. That was… that screamed trap. He hopped off the building and did a circuit of the block. No snipers, or anything out of place that he could see. So maybe not a trap?
He was going to do the dumb thing. He'd be fine. So what if Daisy was too injured to shadow him much right now. Peter trusted his instincts as he came shooting up the side of the building, and then landed on the roof. He recognized the woman. "Detective Watanabe?"
"Oh good." The detective started folding the banner. "Sorry about the banner, but I wasn't sure how to contact you and Quake."
Peter straightened up. "Did you need help?"
"I do need your help." Watanabe dropped the folded up banner. "You and Quake have been willing to at least work with the police sometimes." She ran a hand through her hair. "Should we wait for Quake?"
Peter set his hands on his hips, trying to stand at his full height. "I could help? Quake's busy right now. So what do you need, Detective?"
"Just call me Yuri." She crossed her arms. "I have a theory and I need backup or people are going to get hurt."
He frowned slightly. "But don't you have like a cop partner? Or like call back up on the radio? Like blue brotherhood, the whole thing? I mean that's what movies say."
"I turned in my partner for taking bribes." Yuri raised a brow. "I don't get back up now."
"Oh...OH! That's terrible." Peter cringed.
Yuri just gave an exhausted sigh. "It is what it is. But what's important right now is that New York has a werewolf."
"What?" Peter laughed. "You had me going there." He paused… "Oh you're serious. Like with the fur and like all 'rawr'." He held up his hands like claws.
She brandished a folder. "The last six fullmoons there have been animal attacks. The precinct thinks it's a serial killer. But I found some images off an atm." Yuri opened it aiming it towards him.
And yup that was def a man shaped wolf. "Oh wow. Really?"
"And I can't find any records of any similar crimes in a six county radius during any point of the month. We only have maulings on the full moon. And look at the coroner's report." Yuri pressed the folder into his hands.
He felt his eyebrows climbing against the face of his mask as he looked at it. This was actually really serious, and oh so gross. But...it was just one badguy? Peter looked up at the detective. "So uh...what's the plan?"
"Well I've mapped out the attacks. If we patrol Brooklyn and keep an ear out on the radio we should be able to find something. Once that happens I'm going to need enhanced support to bring it in." Yuri winced. "We don't know if the werewolf is even aware they're doing this. So I'd prefer non-deadly options and between your webbing and Quakes well quakes it should be possible."
Peter could handle a werewolf without Daisy. Prove he could handle everything, that they didn't need to protect him and treat him like a kid. "So like meet up here at like five before the next full moon?"
"You'll do it?" Yuri looked surprised, and then she eagerly kept talking. "Of course that works. I can check out some communication equipment so we can coordinate sweeps."
He nodded, bouncing closer. "Yeah, that sounds good. We'll totes catch him!"
Peter waived as he got home. "I'm home!"
"Sup." Daisy was wearing her gym polo, leaning over the kitchen island, flipping through a magazine. "Anything exciting out there?"
He felt slightly sweaty. "No, just the usual. Helped Mrs Rodrigaz with her groceries again."
"Get treed by her dog?" Daisy's lips were pulled up slightly in amusement.
Peter rolled his eyes. "That only happened once."
"Yup." She winked.
He cocked his head to the side. "You look a lot better."
"Yeah, got some actual sleep last night." Daisy had an odd expression on her face before shaking herself slightly. "Darcy called, she's staying at the tower tonight, her interview is airing and doesn't want to accidentally drag the reporters here."
Peter frowned. "But we set up a backstory so it doesn't look weird that she spends time here?"
"Yeah, but it's the biggest story right now." Daisy tossed a granola bar at him. "Once it's just like a page four story we'll cross that bridge."
He shrugged, it was Darcy's thing. "So what's for dinner?"
////
Natasha slid onto the bench. Her hands were in her jacket pockets as she looked at the various civilians walking through the park. It was bustling and oddly peaceful. "So you took a job with Stark?"
"Mission went wrong in Europe." Bobbie replied while sipping her latte. "And the health insurance was appealing. Not all of us have enhanced healing factors."
Her mouth twitched. "Touche." She relaxed as much as she ever did in public. "It's good to see you."
"It was close after the evil squids showed their hand." Bobbie raised her latte at Nat. "Good on you stopping the helicarriers."
Natasha gave a single blink. "I'm sorry you got caught in the fallout."
"I get it. A heads up would have been nice." Bobbie raised a brow while sipping from her drink.
She watched a teenager playing frisbee with his dog. "Couldn't know you weren't a squid."
"Yeah, they really suck like that. Next squid hunt you and the Captain go on let me know. I have some issues I could use working out." Bobbie's voice held clear anger.
Natasha couldn't blame her, she had some anger issues when it came to Hydra herself. "I'll let you know." She enjoyed the fresh air. "So what do you think about your husband's new job?"
"Oh he's being driven to distraction." Bobbie chuckled. "But you're asking about the new power trio?"
She nodded, no point beating around the bush. "They are all very powerful in their own ways."
"I don't know the kid, or Darcy very well. Lance's complained a lot." Bobbie's voice was amused.
"But you've worked with Johnson." Natasha replied.
Bobbie hummed. "She's talented, Melinda was training her. I hear you got to spar with her?"
"She's good, could use more experience and work." Natasha didn't need to mention that Quake's powers made her terrifying as a possible opponent. Highly trained specialists with powers on that scale should make people nervous.
Bobbie curled her hands around her paper cup. "She's good. Being a superhero suits her more than being an agent did I think. If she's training the spider kid he'll be a good egg."
"And the wealth and political power they're building up?" Natasha asked.
Bobbie hummed. "They aren't being subtle about what their goals are. I had a few beers with Darcy and Daisy the other night. I doubt there's a secret plot."
"They're changing how we're perceived." Natasha trusted Bobbie Morse as much as she could considering their field of work. "Steve's distracted by everything involved with Bucky."
Bobbie nodded. "Yeah, that's going to be a media shitshow as the court date comes up."
"You're part of the security detail for the court." Natasha didn't envy that. Not that she wasn't going to be at the trial. The things she did for Steve.
Bobbie actually cringed. "I only pray Hogan isn't involved at all. He's loyal but.."
"Under qualified for his current position." Natasha finished for her. She wasn't a fan of Tony's former driver. But she understood it, the man was surrounded by leeches and Hogan for all his faults wasn't that. "But you trust Johnson?"
Bobbie sipped at her drink. "I do, she's dependable. And is anything they're doing you disagree with?"
"Not yet, I haven't seen anyone reign in Tony as effectively as Darcy has. It's impressive. It makes me reconsider how the Avengers were managed." Natasha would have to discuss it with Clint later.
Bobbie laughed under her breath. "I'm learning Darcy Lewis is a force of nature. And Daisy is one, literally."
"Things are certainly changing." Natasha agreed.
Bobbie finished off her drink. "I don't know about you but I'll be helping their version of the future. I can agree to consequences for everyone, including the government."
"That's certainly refreshing." Natasha stood up. "Good to see you again Morse."
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