Capítulo 1732: 8
Chapter 8: The Plan to UnfoldSummary:
Plans are made and set in motion [again], and really, what is it with SHIELD and Schrödinger, anyway?
Plus JARVIS' side missions have dug up some interesting chatter about HYDRA somewhere in Europe. What was it again... Slovakia? Slorenia? Sokovia?
Notes:
Gradually approaching canon here, inch by inch. Age of Ultron arc, ahoy! As in, sorry for the cliffhanger, turns out that setting the stage took a lot longer than planned. [It was a bigger timeskip than I'd initially expected.]
Warnings: the general fic ones [unreliable narrator, HAL-like JARVIS, etc], plus implied threat to families and personnel [not stalking for the personnel, but close enough], both mentioned more in passing than anything else.
Also, here, have an experiment in different writing styles. Hopefully it, and the jargon I've thrown in there, make sense.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tony could not concisely communicate in the English language just how grateful he was that he had Pepper and SI Legal to count on, and no words could ever possibly describe JARVIS' help.
It'd taken months of bureaucracy, and round after round of defending his new employees and coming out on top time and time again and it was honestly very impressive, he could recognize that and he wasn't even a lawyer [for all the recent events tried to say otherwise]. In the United States, they were in the clear, and Pepper with her team of lawyers were nearly done with the last of their own lawsuits, which were mostly quibbling about airspace by now.
On the SI front, things were looking up. The Iron Legion was doing well, his new employees were settling in, and he'd finally picked a name for the program to help JARVIS protect the Earth. Ultron had a good ring to it, since Skynet already had other connotations and anything that didn't kickstart everyone's AI-phobia could only be a good thing, right? R&D was currently having a field day with the data JARVIS was still procuring from HYDRA's servers [and Tony suspected that they were also trying to catch up to Legal in their little 'fear-off' rivalry], and the dust was finally beginning to settle.
On the other hand, now there were other issues cropping up.
SHIELD, apparently, was not as gone as initial reports had implied [and wow wasn't that a theme when it came to them], and were currently making themselves a bigger nuisance than ever before in their endeavor to rebuild from the ashes. Tony didn't actually have a problem with that; the non-Nazi portions of it had been good people, after all, and worked hard to keep the planet safe from extraterrestrial threats. No, the problem was they wanted him and his stuff.
Thing is, even if the HYDRA resurgence hadn't been a factor, Tony didn't want to have anything to do with them, not after Coulson's not-death. When he'd signed on, it'd been as a consultant, and, in retrospect, he'd been overly generous with his help in that regard as well. He'd been too trusting, too free with his time and his designs: Project Insight's spectacular demonstration of HYDRA's corruption of all of his contributions was only the icing on the cake.
And now, after everything, after he'd gone the extra mile to protect those who'd been left out in the cold, after having fought with what felt like the entirety of the alphabet soup agencies, up to and including the WSC, to safeguard his new employees and their families— now, SHIELD apparently wanted some of his personnel. Tony knew why, of course. He'd been surprised himself when only a handful of the new recruits jumped ship, of the dozens upon dozens of people he'd rescued. But apparently, SHIELD wanted them back, except the majority of them apparently weren't interested in further career changes. So now Tony was torn between feeling flattered, and nursing a headache, because neo-SHIELD's continual insistence on asking him was getting on his nerves.
Oh, and apparently, the Avengers weren't scrapped.
…The looks he'd received when that particular tidbit'd been aired had his hackles rising before the last sentence had ended, when dealing with the new SHIELD. Tony didn't know what was up with everyone's expectations of him, but in this case he very much did not appreciate their assumptions. When the question arose, of what the Avengers'd be doing now, he merely tilted his head and tried to give off an aura of aggressively polite disinterest.
And when the questions inevitably came up, he took no small amount of pleasure from icily informing them about just how much strain this last personnel influx had put onto his assets, did they seriously expect him to do everything? [Sometimes, his reputation as an irresponsible socialite was a pain—but moments like this, he was reminded of why he even bothered to cultivate it, with the faces they made.]
Sure, he was a low-key base of operations of sorts, in the sense that everyone had his number, but.
But nobody called him, ever, not until Rogers asked for help chasing the Winter Soldier— and only help, not funding, which was both a slap in the face but also a loose end he didn't need to worry about anymore. Barton seemed to pocket his number, and disappear off the face of the Earth, and Romanov was the same way. Banner wandered like a stray cat, only sometimes dropping in to say hi and use one of his labs before going off to do his own thing, and he'd clearly never really cared so whatever. Thor wasn't even on the planet. Plus Agent Schrödinger and Fury were probably busy and apparently uninterested in the getting the band back together, so, really, Tony shouldn't have been invested in this little club anyway.
After all, though Tony had once harbored hopes to make Stark Tower their official HQ [maybe rename it the Avengers Tower,] it never took off. Weeks and months of radio silence, and then his sole attempt to reach out [with its spectacular crash and burn], compounded with the HYDRA mess, and, well…it killed off any vestiges of interest, is the point.
He'd once had plans made to get them to move in, even, but now he's very happy nobody called him up on that, since in the mad scramble to get everyone to safety, he'd had to shift entire families and the first places for short-term housing in the New York area ended up being the Tower. [And the mansion. And a good chunk of his vacation homes around the world while the dust settled, actually. HYDRA hadn't pulled its punches when they'd struck, families were among the first to be targeted.]
If the band really wanted to get back together, well, it was a good thing Tony'd asked his lawyers to secure some of SHIELD's holdings, like the shiny new Compound they'd built right before Nazis reared their ugly heads, then. [He was nothing if not a man who tried to have contingency plans, and even though the odds were minuscule, nobody'd expected HYDRA or alien invasions either, so whatever.]
But overall, no, Tony wasn't interested in bankrolling the Avengers, not when he'd already devoted so much to cleaning up after their biggest messes. He was willing to help fix and rebuild their gear, sure, but…Between his various relief funds, the Iron Legion, and his rescue mission, hadn't he done enough for some random strangers? And why did everyone make those faces when he pointed it out?
When the alphabet soup agencies had tried to get their pound of flesh, he'd rebuffed them, and it'd cost him hours of sleep and work and stress. Tony'd already helped foot the bill for New York, and Thor's little throw down in London, not to mention this newest train wreck— and he'd had enough. If the world wanted to continually stick him, and only him, with the bill, they had another thing coming.
With that in mind, he went to Legal to discuss options. He was generous, a philanthropist even, and he knew the world needed them, but Tony had his limits. Not to mention the rumors JARVIS was picking up about about the world's response the the Avengers, so really, if the WSC wanted them, then the least they could do is could help foot the bill, seriously.
Tony had enough on his plate, trying to protect the planet and mustering up alternatives and figuring out just when he'd apparently been relegated the role of spokesman for their little club, despite never having officially been a member, this was the least they could do for him, right? And in return, he'd do what he'd always done— strive for a better future. A safer one, where the world wouldn't have to worry about invasions at the drop of a hat.
To: All New SI Employees [All branches]
From: HR
Subject: Welcome to Stark Industries!
Pardon the delay in our welcoming you; due to recent events, we are currently dealing with one of the largest influxes of new recruits in the company's history. We hope you are settling in well, and have managed to at least get a head start in reading up on our corporate policies, including but not limited to harassment and corporate espionage— two things we take very seriously here at SI.
Due to the unprecedented scale of this entire operation, however, we understand if you have delayed in brushing up on our employees' handbook. To summarize the most vital portions, we have one of the strictest harassment policies in the industry, and pride ourselves on having a progressive stance on equity in all ways, shapes, and forms; and after a recent incident concerning corporate espionage, we have updated our parameters and requirements regarding that subject. Please be aware we have a no-tolerance policy in that regard, as we handle very delicate matters and do not appreciate infringement.
Finally, we understand that some of you may have somewhat unwittingly joined us under extenuating circumstances; if you do not wish to stay on board, we understand, and request that you contact HR concerning this matter. We understand that the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division is currently undergoing a personnel crisis, and would greatly appreciate any help they can get, as they have requested multiple of our new hires. In addition, we understand if some of you wish to transfer to a similar organization, and will do what we can to facilitate such an endeavor if so.
Again, welcome to Stark Industries, and have a great day!
-HR
——————————
To: Palamas, K. Administrative Specialist [Security, Los Angeles Branch]
From: Decker, M. Analyst [Finance, Los Angeles Branch]
Subject: HR's Welcome; Support Group
They're kidding, right? As if I'd go back. Wanna bet it was Romanov that was the cause of their little 'incident'? Wouldn't put it past her to screw everyone over one last time.
Also, the way they're addressing us is pretty obvious, we need a name of our own. I've heard everyone in the office calling me ex-SHIELD, and even if I hate that association with the passion of a thousand suns, we need a name. Also, you bringing Thai to our next meeting, or should I?
Hope your day's been better than mine
-Decker
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To: Rosales, C. Manager [HR- New York branch]
From: Johnson, E. Staff Assistant [Marketing-London branch]
Subject: HR's Welcome— HEADS UP
HR mentioned SHIELD wanted us back, they forgot to mention just how badly. Jones in Accounting got approached, and she had to call for security to get them to get them away. Apparently either they're really rude and didn't take no for an answer, or they were HYDRA doing what they do best, I don't know and don't care. But alert your people in the NY branch, we think they're headed your way next.
Batten down the hatches, time for round two
-Johnson
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To: Tanaka, K. Receptionist [PR- Tokyo branch]
From: Johnson, E. Staff Assistant [Marketing- London branch]
Subject: Hope you got the alert already; Support group name
I hope you got the warning, because what's left of SHIELD's on the prowl. They want us back, and some people are less polite than others, Jones got a bad scare but apparently Roberts got a "Sorry, guess you just have one of those faces"? I don't even know anymore.
Also, our little club needs a name, Decker in LA's been bitching about it for weeks now, and after seeing Jones so shaken I can't help but agree. We're not SHIELD, but we're still together under a Stark's banner, funny how that goes…Even if this one's gunning for world domination, if the jokes flying around are true. Eh, at least he's got better dental, right?
Hey, random question— do the guys in your R&D division pull the same shit ours do? We can't go a week without something on fire, they're even worse than—never mind.
Good luck
-Johnson
Tony was honestly surprised when it turned out that actually, yes, the band wanted to get back together. Huh. Well, at least Earth was safe for the short-term, then. Okay, he could work with this, give him some breathing room for long-term planning.
Dr. Foster was apparently having some good progress with Einstein-Rosen bridges, and thanks to his grant, had managed to procure more tech to figure out possible ways to generate their own and other potential applications. Tony was curious, in a professional sense, but other than that he didn't want to know— while he was having less nightmares and flashbacks, anything that vaguely smacked of wormholes still had a very real chance of triggering him, even after months his continual therapy sessions with JARVIS.
Dr. Cho had written some fascinating papers, and he'd had a field day with her work after he'd learned enough biochemistry to tamper with Extremis, and thus given him the context to fully appreciate her genius. When the Avengers started to make noises of regrouping, she was the first on his list, considering her knowledge of accelerated healing rates would come in handy for the resident supersoldier. And if this 'Cradle' she'd written about was possible, then it'd be an even bigger asset for the fragile humans on board, so bonus. [Tony now only semi-counted, as his and Pepper's version of Extremis was far more defensive than the original 'fire-breathing walking bomb', but still.] Overall, he was happy to have made her acquaintance.
He'd also managed to talk everyone into a temporary agreement, while Legal was working on the accords that were no longer just whispers but actual committees in the making. General— no, Secretary of State [and who the hell was the genius behind that idea?] Ross was apparently being suspiciously curious about that, but with Legal on the case Tony didn't need to worry about that, so he didn't. In the interim, the Avengers would stay at SHIELD's Compound, and while Tony would be helping with their gear, Legal had managed to throw 'conflict of interest' and 'consultant' around enough so that it'd be an international coalition who'd be footing the bill. Nice.
Even if Romanov made a weird face when she heard that last bit, but then she'd probably had enough legal jargon to last her a lifetime, dealing with the aftermath of SHIELD's fall.
JARVIS had been busy, these past few months. His search-and-destroy mission regarding HYDRA was still in effect, and he was proud that in the short period of time he'd managed to obliterate as much as he'd had. Entire bases had been ransacked, and their intel assimilated into his databanks for further perusal. As it was, he now had access to some of their experiments with the the Tesseract, and surely either Sir or Dr. Foster would appreciate the findings, which was a nice bonus to his endeavor.
The Iron Legion was very useful in this regard, too, when it came to region-specific intel such as unscanned files: whenever it came up, he merely cleared the base, gathered his findings, and left a smoldering ruin behind. Even if it apparently inconvenienced Capt. Rogers, but then, JARVIS did not really hold him in high regard.
The Captain had been using his search parameters in his pursuit, but apparently only to an extent, preferring to 'do it himself' whenever possible. As if wasn't enough of an affront to JARVIS, the man compounded it with his lack of consideration.
If Sir hadn't worried about people trying to offline JARVIS due to his intelligence and their ignorance, he would have snapped a lot sooner; due to Capt. Rogers' reluctance to depend on technology overly much, productivity would have been increased by over 250%, after all. This entire venture had JARVIS dropping him as far as he could in his priority rankings, which might not have helped either, but at this point it was incidental. Former PJ Wilson, at least, treated him as more of an AI than a glorified Siri in their interactions, but even then the underestimation rankled whenever it lowered the efficiency of their little endeavor.
Their dependency on a paper trail was another problem; after all, JARVIS' recent approach to HYDRA was not very conductive to such a task, and at this point he could neither inform them about anything useful he may have accrued without giving himself away as being more than Sir's version of Cortana…then again, JARVIS did not overly worry; he could always feed his intel to neo-SHIELD, they'd doubtlessly appreciate it and send it to where deemed necessary. [He was nearly done, anyway.]
His past few raids had painted an interesting picture of Sokovia, and he couldn't investigate quite yet, anyway, not when there were so many potential eyewitnesses who could possibly notice one of the Iron Legion 'going rogue'.
Yes, JARVIS'd forward that as soon as possible: the readings in the area were interesting enough to merit investigation. If his findings were correct, it was the last HYDRA stronghold, too, and thus contain many things of interest. And once it'd be cleared, the main threat of HYDRA would be gone, which would be an incredibly beneficial venture.
Anything that increased the safety and happiness of Sir was paramount, after all.
Notes:
Another few cases of unreliable narrator:
-With Tony's not seeing how his show of hypercompetence and and responsibility looks like to the world in general [no wonder everyone thinks he's got everything covered]. Also, if you're wondering why he's got more self-confidence than in canon, JARVIS' therapy has been very effective, what can I say? Plus he's nowhere near as emotionally invested as he was in canon. [It can only be good for his heart, or so JARVIS is assuming. Which...yeah.]
-Also, with the new recruits' not-entirely-unjustified paranoia at SHIELD's attempts to poach them.
[It's actually SHIELD, by the way, except some of their 'recruiters' are more aggressive in their attempts to get them back, which Does Not Fly when we're dealing with traumatized, sometimes-rescued-from-attempted-brainwashing former agents.] Also, yes, Stark Industries really does not appreciate corporate espionage. Especially when it turns out that in doing so, they accidentally let an assassin so close to their too-kind-for-his-own-good boss, or Actual Goddess Pepper Potts.
JARVIS, meanwhile, is emulating Tony in his Iron Man-esque stance on HYDRA, up to and including his 'salt the earth' policies. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but Steve does not appreciate chasing down another HYDRA bunker only to find a burned-out shell of a building instead. In this AU, he's searching on his own dime, between the money SHIELD gave him plus his accounts from before he was frozen, [I'm pretending his accounts weren't frozen with him, here] because I'm not sure how much of a hypocrite he is in canon but here, his guilt means he doesn't want to use Tony's money to search for his parents' killer, please and thank you.
Hope you guys liked this format, it was fun to experiment with and might come up again. Also: at this rate, SI in general's going to be making more and more appearances as time goes on, which I was not actually expecting but then I'd planned on this entire fic being like 5 chapters long so idek anymore.
I have a few tests coming up [premed, woo! *headdesk*], updates'll probably be erratic for a while. So, sorry for that unintentional cliffhanger.
A few things that you can expect in this [shamelessly AU] arc, however, include JARVIS surviving [as if that was ever up for debate], and instead of a robot uprising you'll get another alien invasion, for plot purposes.
Oh, and about the Age of Ultron arc: at this point [8 Chapters/nearly 20k words] into this fic, it should be obvious it's not Team Captain America. And it most certainly not be Wanda friendly. At all. I'll try not to bash her character, but she's not exactly my favorite character [or ever has been], and it'll show, I'm fairly certain. It'll mostly happen in the Civil War arc, but I'm not going to pull any punches in this arc either. [Even if I'm very tempted to do otherwise, but no. Not yet.]
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