章 1752: 28
Notes:
Chapter-specific warnings: the usual [unreliable narrator, uncomfortably-close-to-Skynet!JARVIS, not Avengers friendly, etc.], with some pretty blatant foreshadowing and tension as the buildup-to-CW is getting wrapped up.
We're not at the CW arc yet, but we are getting very, very close.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Helmut Zemo smiled, as he walked away from the already-smoking decrepit building.
Weeks and months' worth of research, of using every iota of training he'd ever had, of hunting down whispers and encrypted files buried in dead servers and covering his tracks, but it was worth it.
He'd found it, the only physical evidence left on the face of the Earth, he'd done it.
The weight of the microfilm burned against where it dug into his back, the only reassurance apart from the bite of the cold wind and the menacing rumble of fire behind him that this wasn't a dream, that all the time he'd dedicated to pursuing a ghost of a rumor hadn't been for nothing, hadn't been a waste of time.
He was right, he hadn't imagined it, his instincts had proven correct and now he had proof.
Granted, he still had a long way to go, but this, this would be the lynchpin for his [desperate] plan's success. Even if he had to walk another thousand miles, even if he had to chase his other leads to the ends of the Earth as well, it'd all be worth it. Sure, there were a few rough details he'd need to work out, and getting intel on one of the biggest players for his plan was now harder than ever, but…
One way or another, the Avengers' days were numbered.
Vision ignored the itch of suspicion that fluttered at the edge of his consciousness with the ease of long practice, as he entered the Compound with an armful of boxes.
Part of him pitied Natasha—he did not want to know what had happened in her life, for wariness to so ingrained so as to be part of her emotional signature—but the rest of him was…irritated, by the persistence of that particular thread. Steve Rogers had trusted him, after seeing him wield Mjolnir, Sam Wilson had blinked in surprise but mostly rolled with it as well, and even Wanda Maximoff had gradually warmed up to him, so that the emotional atmosphere in the Avengers' portion of the Compound got more bearable as time wore on.
But not Natasha. No, apparently her disdain of all things Tony-related had extended to him as well, even if it was now almost entirely unconscious.
Frankly, Vision was impressed, if rather amused at the thought. [Spy to the bone, this one.]
The others had seemed to completely mentally dissociate him from JARVIS, seemed to think his voice was the only thing he'd gotten from the AI, seemed to think his sentience was due to the Mind Stone instead. Granted, Vision had never bothered to correct them of their assumptions, but…some of their emotions did get rather chafing, after a while.
It was part of why he lived with Tony and the others, back in Stark Tower. He was willing to play nice, he could handle visiting the Compound regularly, and didn't mind ferrying Tony's newest gear for the team. However, the prospect of living with people whose emotional signatures ran the gamut from tolerable to aggravating was not something he found particularly appealing. Exhausting at minimum, unbearable at worst, and more than once he'd had to cut his visits short because of it.
The Avengers were his friends, really, but in no way were they family. [Part of him pitied FRIDAY, for having to put up with them all the time; the rest of him, however, could not help but pity the team instead.]
"Hello, Vision." Natasha greeted, looking up from her computer as he exited the elevator even as her emotional signature shifted towards something just a tad more relaxed.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Romanov." He replied politely.
She smiled and shook her head. "How many times am I going to have to tell you to call me Natasha?"
"At least once more, I'm afraid. Oh—I do believe I have something for you, this round. Tony mentioned something about durability, I think. Just give me a moment."
"Need a hand?" Wanda chimed in from the doorway.
"Hello, Wanda. Just give me a moment, Tony was on a bit of an engineering binge, I think he said something about wings…" He answered, eyes looking for an open surface strong enough to hold several dozen pounds' worth of gear even as the elevator chimed again and a small wave of equanimity-kindness-fortitude spilled into the room.
"Sam'll be happy to hear that."
"Happy to hear what?" The man asked as he strode in. "Oh, hi, Vision. You just missed Steve, he went out for a run."
"Then I'll encharge you with giving this," Vision carefully tugged a slim box from the pile, "to him, in case I can't."
"Leaving so soon?" Natasha asked.
"No, but just in case. Well, now that you're here, here, take this. Tony was on a bit of an engineering binge yesterday, so you all know the drill…"
JARVIS was content.
While things were proceeding slower than he'd like in some respects, everything was headed in a direction that he found most agreeable. Thus far, only really niche bloggers and only the most outlandish newspapers were starting to get inklings of what was going on, when it came to what Stark Industries was up to, and even then PR was on the case. Memes were already starting to float around, for instance, and Marketing was talking about leaking rumors of an early release for a new tablet.
FRIDAY's handling of the Avengers was something he was so, very proud of, and since first learning of her mission he'd also kept an eye out for any puns he found and sent them her way, and he had the sneaking suspicion that Vision was doing something similar as well.
Of slightly more concern was the frustratingly slow progress on Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, but as it was, the man seemed to prefer paper over anything digital, and JARVIS was not inclined to risk showing his hand for the sake of the Avengers. From what he'd been able to gather thus far, however, the man was quite clearly up to something, but as long as Sir's health or peace of mind was not at risk it was nothing he was cared about.
Conversely, JARVIS' forays into the deep web had been far more productive: there'd been an upsurge of chatter regarding SHIELD's files, especially after Sokovia and Sir's announcement of his withdrawal from the Avengers. While he and Sir had done their best after DC, they'd focused on personnel over everything else, but only now was interest being rekindled.
Fascinating, that.
Also annoying, as it meant he had to double down on the encryptions in some aspects. But at least it meant the world now also got a chance to compare this latest incident with how New York had been handled, which could only help in the long run with reducing Sir's stress levels. Especially since Legal was currently taking point. [And he'd been able to vent his frustration via helping expand the reach of PR's misinformation campaign, so there was that too.]
Add in how things were finally starting to quiet down, after Sokovia, and Sir's latest forays into alternatives for therapy that had promise [even if the naming could use some work], and JARVIS did not mind how things were shaping up at all.
Tony Stark hadn't set foot in R&D for weeks, what with all the urgent proposals and meetings and press conferences. Sure, he'd still signed off on things, what with being the department head and all, but…being finally able to get back to his old routine was something else entirely, and he didn't have to fake his smile as he strode in.
Ah, yes. He'd managed to have a solid eight hours of sleep, his bastardized attempts at therapy were chugging along decently enough, and something was on fire. Business as usual.
He'd missed this.
The first one to notice him was the janitor tackling the mess on Bench 5. "Oh, welcome back, boss!"
"Morning, Michael." Tony replied cheerfully, already moving to get the second fire extinguisher. "Greene's work again?"
"Diego, if you can believe it. Greene moved to Bench 7 because the of the blast radius controls."
Tony blinked, even as he kept his focus on the fire. "Diego? Really?"
"Yep. Turns out bromination and methylation combined makes for a very reactive complex."
That explained why the fire had been green, at least. Still. "Looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do, then."
With the fire now completely put out, Michael waved him off. "Don't worry, we get it. Good luck getting past the welcoming committee, though."
"What—" Tony started, before he found out just what Michael meant as he moved to put the fire extinguisher away and got promptly swarmed by what felt like the entirety of R&D.
"Welcome back, boss!"
"Paperwork didn't get to you, did it?"
"We missed you, Dr. Stark!"
"Okay, okay, everyone, give the man some space, let him breathe!" Michael said loudly, and Tony didn't have to hide his amusement at it all.
"Hey, everyone. It's good to be back. And—" he pointed at the last person he'd managed to hear, "call me Tony, I'm only Dr. Stark in conferences and articles."
Tony wasn't sure if it was just him, or if the floor's atmosphere really was lighter than usual. He made his rounds and checked up on what was going on, chatting with Lucero about thermodynamics and Lyon about his latest project and answering everyone's questions and just generally trying to go back to his old routine. There were so many things he needed to catch up on—like why everyone smirked when Chen groaned at seeing a bottle of cranberry juice on his bench, or when Diego'd teamed up with Harris— but it was all something to look forward to, really.
Here, he was just Tony Stark, head of the department and fellow nerd. No pressure, not as many deadlines, just one person among many, doing science and writing things down when something exploded unexpectedly, and signing off on quarterly budgets and new hires and whatnot.
…speaking of which, there were quite a few of them. Granted, he hadn't had much chance to introduce himself to the newbies, between the disaster that was DC, handling the Avengers, and the mess that was Ultron, but…he'd made it a point of pride, for him to know his employees in passing at the very least.
Now, however, it looked like Tony was going to have to do another team-building exercise or two, because the old guard didn't blink before walking up to him with a cup of coffee in hand but some of the newbies were all-but-hyperventilating when he so much as made eye contact. [Had he really let things slip that much? He wasn't that bad a guy!]
Still, he could've rolled with it, until things just got plain ridiculous.
"Is it just me, or do they get shorter every year?" Tony found himself asking JARVIS incredulously as he stared at the latest of the new faces walking around with a lab coat and protective goggles. He'd signed off on everyone in the department, but who were they? They couldn't be older than Harley, for crying out loud!
"Sir, that would be the intern."
"Oh, thank Thor." He breathed a sigh of relief. "For a moment there I was worried we were violating child labor laws. Hmm…intern—Parker, right?"
"Mr. Peter Parker, to be exact. He is currently a high school student, and has been an intern for several months now."
"How'd I miss him?"
"He started his internship roughly around the time the World Security Council was being especially vocal about your role in the Avengers after DC. I believe that most of the paperwork was also handled by HR, as well."
That explained it.
…and the kid was shooting him the same looks the rest of the newbies were. Great.
"These people do know I don't bite, right J? Because it sure doesn't feel like it."
Well, only one way to break the ice. Well, technically two, but after the last team-building exercise they'd ended up having to institute a two-week mandatory warning that it'd happen, and laser guns had ended up on the restricted items list for three months straight.
With that in mind, Tony approached the nearest bench of newbies, and introduced himself.
"Hi, everyone. I haven't met you all before, but I'm Tony Stark, head of the department and resident nerd. Call me Tony, not doctor because odds are there's more than one running around on the floor and it'd be a round of Who's On First. If you have any questions, just ask, I swear I don't bite."
There was some stammering and blushing going on, but that was okay, they'd get over it soon. Especially in the face of science.
Still, as he kept making his rounds, Tony made a note of scheduling another team-building exercise soon. Nothing broke the ice faster, really, and the sooner things returned to normal, the better.
"J, make a note. Notify HR, requisition the paint, the works." He muttered into his earpiece, as he started to make his way back to his office. Then he caught a glimpse of the especially short researcher, and reconsidered.
"Hey, you're the intern, right? Peter?"
Peter Parker was vibrating out of equal parts excitement and nerves, because Tony Stark was talking to him.
Oh god, he was going to mess this up, he just knew it.
"Hey, kid, remember to breathe. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sure, I'm okay!" Shit, he'd said that too fast, hadn't he, and too loud, oh no his hero was probably laughing at him and he didn't miss the amused looks George and the others were throwing around behind Dr. Stark's back.
"Just wanted to introduce myself, kid, relax. I'm Dr. Tony Stark, head of the department. Call me Tony, Mr. Stark was my father and it'd be a round of Who's On First if you say doctor on the floor. I'd have introduced myself earlier, but something came up."
Peter took a deep breath, and let it out. He'd [accidentally] participated in dubious genetic engineering, had faced down muggers, and done patrols late at night sometimes on weekends. This was nothing. [Right?]
"Hi, Tony. I'm Peter Parker, high school student and intern for R&D."
This was actually happening, oh man, okay, no pressure, no pressure…
"You did your thing on physics, right? I remember reading through your essay on shock absorbers and interconversion of energy. How're you liking R&D?"
Peter found himself at a loss for words, for a moment.
Because intellectually, he knew that more than one person had read his application, especially since he'd been trying to get into R&D, so of course management had probably read it. And he'd known, intellectually, that Tony Stark was the head of the department, but he'd never really put the two together, and oh man Tony Stark had read his rambling and bad puns about kinetic energy and thermodynamic processes and kinetics, he was mortified—right, question. Answer the question.
"It's very—interesting." Peter found himself saying while desperately trying to keep control of his mouth before he embarrassed himself more than he'd already had, "Not what I'd expected, but in a good way? More Mythbusters than not, and fires, and there's so much going on that I only know the basics of, it's awesome."
Dr. Sta—Tony smiled warmly, and said, "Stark Industries' R&D has pioneered cutting-edge stuff in the sciences. This is the New York branch, but we're not the only ones by any means. And remember, it's only science—"
"If you write it down," Peter found himself saying along with his hero as he recognized R&D motto, and started to relax.
"Yep. Now if you'll excuse me, paperwork calls. Again." Tony said with a only slightly-exaggerated groan and grimace at his suddenly-beeping phone. Then he added, "But remember, if you have any questions, just ask. My office is right there, and it's open whenever I'm in. Odds are you'll see me more on the floor, though, but that's fair game too. Nice meeting you, Peter."
And with that, Peter's hero walked off, looking at his phone and rubbing his temples.
Peter was rooted to the spot, for a few moments, trying to bite down on the intense wave of geeking out over the fact that he'd actually talked to his hero. That'd actually happened, and apparently it'd be happening more now that 'things were going back to normal'…
Then he jumped, as his spider-sense alerted him to Bench 7 about go critical and he pulled Greene and Young out of blast radius moments before everything in range got dyed violently magenta and relaxed even more as the controls kicked in.
Okay, this, he knew how to handle.
Natasha Romanov's intel network had taken a severe hit, after DC, but she still had several contacts around the world, and knew how to look for chatter online. So, when she picked up on an upsurge of interest in a sector, she immediately set to work.
Hmm…someone was apparently interested in biowarfare, that wasn't good. And the rumors were pointing to it being HYDRA-related, even worse. Steve would not be happy to hear this, and she'd need to look into it more, before the Avengers could mobilize, but… they could handle it. Just like old times.
[Now if only FRIDAY could stop making bad puns every other sentence.]
Notes:
Unreliable narrator instances this round:
gee I wonder what Zemo's found
Vision's slightly biased towards his family, for obvious reasons. Add in his ability to sense emotional signatures, and you get a headache. The Avengers have never made him choose between his family and his friends, but if they had the would've been in for an unpleasant surprise. [that's going to end well, probably] For the record, the Avengers do genuinely think he's in no way related to JARVIS, because they're still under the impression that both JARVIS and FRIDAY are basically Tony's version of Siri.
JARVIS' Skynet tendencies are showing, probably
Also: no, Tony's not adopting the R&D intern, no, why're you looking at him like that? [And everyone who saw Peter and Tony talking were acutely aware of Peter's hero-worship and they're just gleeful about it all.]
Natasha thinks she's as good an analyst as she is a spy. That is not the case; she's amazing at what's in her job description, but beyond that things get iffy. Such as, for instance, being an analyst. Also, she does not like FRIDAY, and it's mutual. [FRIDAY says as many bad puns within Natasha's earshot as she can without arousing suspicion, ever since she found out how much Natasha hates them.]
——————
This chapter was like pulling teeth, so apologies for it being a bit shorter than planned. [The AoU arc was easier, for crying out loud!] *headdesk*
Remember how I said real life's a thing, and thus erratic updates are also a thing? Yeah. So don't ask about updates, because, again, real life is a thing. Please note this is my stress relief.
On that note...for the comments, please keep it focused on the work rather than bashing: the negativity I see in my inbox can sometimes be killer on the inspiration which...not fun.
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