Chapter 24
“This is Christine Everheart here, personally reporting on the red carpet lineup to the invitees to the newly sworn-in President Brant’s inauguration ball. It was the first unanimous election since that of George Washington himself, 224 years, 56 elections and 45 presidents later, and the red carpet lineup here is more glamorous than ever before. Reports say that on top of the Hollywood, White House, and Forbes lineups, we will have not only the whole Stark family, here to stay, as some of you might remember the announcement Tony and Lilith Stark’s son was born the night of the last inauguration ball, and how he shot out of the ball in his Iron man suit. Now, however, it is reported not only will the entire family be here, as Lilith Stark has announced the policy of suing and restraining orders against those who try to report anything, no matter how flattering on Teddy Stark, is down as of tonight, but also all of the Avengers will be here as well, some using the night to reveal their families, previously kept classified for safety, now safe and secured and therefore free to come into the spotlight. And, here they come!” Christine said, waving the camera to follow her over to the line of people, news about whom was in increasingly high demand.
“First up, hello, Air Force Colonel James Rhodes, the pilot of the War Machine suit. Colonel Rhodes, a word?” She asked.
“Sure.”
“The viewers want to know, how did you get onto the Avengers, given your commitment to the United States military, and the Avenger’s claim that as of now they are staying out of the nation’s military conflicts as they are a private force and not the army?”
“I got the suit from Tony, there would be no War Machine without him. He’s basically the boss of the Avengers, we all know our strategy in a fight, but he’s the one that can manage all of us, and he’s kind enough to fund our tech.”
“Any explanation for that?”
“He says it’s so that he can write off the expenses as charitable donations on his taxes, but I know him well enough to know he’d do anything to protect the world, not only for himself, but also, especially so, for his family.”
“And might I ask, who are you wearing?”
“A suit, I’d say. As for the brand, I have no clue. This is my great-uncle's suit from when he got a presidential medal of freedom, and I’m lucky enough to be his size. I think paying tribute to his accomplishments with my own fits better than what a designer could do.”
“That is very touching. Oh, and your date tonight. Colonel Carol Danvers, also of the US Air Force, am I right?” Christine asked.
“Yes, you’d be right.”
“And you’re also an Avenger? We’ve yet to see any enhancements, seeing as everyone on the team has some. What can you do?”
Carol lit up a halo around her fist. “I have a certain ability to manipulate the energy around me, allowing me to control heat and light, which I can use for autonomous flight, photon blasts, as well as some other, more parkour trick type things.” She explained, opening her palm so a ball of energy floated there, turning into a flame. “Also helps that I'm fireproof.”
“That is awesome. Oh, and here come some more. Avengers sniper Clint Barton, enhanced senses and reflexes, former SHIELD Agent, and infamous for being the first person in centuries to pull off professionally using a bow and arrows. Mr. Barton, hello, I don’t recognize the lovely woman with you today and ooh, who are you wearing?”
“This is my wife, Laura, and I didn’t do the shopping, seeing as I’m one of the stereotypically clueless guys who can’t tell the difference between Chanel and Gucci.”
“Yet. You have no problem recognizing a Ferrari or a Bentley from afar.” Laura said. “I didn’t want to go with any celebrity designers, everyone’s going to be doing that. I got ours and several other Avenger’s clothes for to tonight tailored by a friend of mine, a very talented designer who runs her own boutique in New Jersey, where I grew up. Jessica Montrouge, she’s very talented.”
“Well if that isn’t a stunning recommendation, I don’t know what is, you both look stunning.”
“Thank you.”
And so Christine went down the line of Avengers, from Steve Rogers, dateless for the night and, Christine noted as the camera zoomed in, with a handprint and three gashes resembling nails on his face, still healing. He moved along very quickly after she noted that.
Natalie Rushman had arrived with Bruce Banner, the shy scientist visibly uncomfortable but assuring there was no danger of the Hulk coming out to party.
Then came the one Christine was most looking forward to, Thor and his date, Jane Foster. “Thor right? The official roster has you down as a foreign dignitary, and not as an Avenger. Is there anything going on there?”
Thor gave a conspiratorial smile. “Of course there, is however, that is an announcement the president is most looking forward to making tonight, so I shall leave the honor to her.”
“And Doctor Foster, is it true that you invented revolutionary technology that could be used to contact anyone, anywhere?”
“Yes, and it’s been verified to work as far as even Asgard, why I even came for it. I did the astrophysics aspects of it, and the tech aspect was managed by my research partner, Darcy Lewis.”
“And is it true you sold the product, your research for it, as well as the patent to Tony Stark?”
“He can manage it far better than I could. This technology can do a lot, but I’m a scientist, not the owner of a Fortune 500 company that can improve on and distribute it. I’m simply now set up with a nice fund, so I can now afford to choose my own research, instead of relying on specific grants.”
“And your research partner?”
“Darcy and I are sharing the money, the research, and the credit, seeing as we both want the same things and both worked equally hard on it.”
“That is wonderful. Thank you, and enjoy the ball.”
“Thank you, Miss Everheart.” Jane Foster said, glad for Darcy chatting it out with her earlier to loosen her tongue. “And here she comes.”
And there Darcy was, arms linked with Bucky. Christine gave booth sa small interview segment as well, before moving on to who she thought would be the centerpiece of the night.
“Tony and Lilith Stark. You look dazzling.” And they did, Tony in a suit that looked like he was born for it, as always, and Lilith was bedecked in a glamorous gown, that, in reality, was hers from the Yule ball, where she had made a statement by going with Ron. H
“Thank you. I have to say, you’ve come quite a ways from a gossip monger to a host covering such large events.”
“Thank you. I’ve mostly capitalized on the Stark effect. Newton discovered it, you know?”
“So I’ve heard.” Tony said. “Aren’t you going to ask whose designs were wearing?”
“You always wear a suit whose style is clearly identifiable, and Mrs. Stark always wears glamorous clothes from no recognizable designer.”
“Half of them are my aunts, she had a design line when she was younger, but it was very limited. The rest is a private designer I keep on retainer.”
“Can you hint me in on any world changing plans for tonight?”
“It’s sure to be a night. The rest, I’m sorry, you’ll find out in a few hours.” Lilith said. “Though your photographer might want to get set up for the photo I don’t doubt will be slashed across all major teen magazines.” Lilith said, with a wink and a smirk, moving on.
Following her advice, Christine's photographer did so.
And Lilith Stark was right. The photographers and reporters went wild when Teddy Stark and Betty Brant walked out onto the red carpet, holding hands, and exchanging a quick glance at the paparazzis, exchanging a heated kiss that left no doubt as to the fact that they weren’t simply going as friends.
The reporters exploded with questions, but Betty simply gave them a glance and a raised eyebrow with such condescension at their rabid manners, that a teenager shouldn’t be able to manage but nevertheless was. They collective took a step back and then restarted the questions.
“Look, folks, I get that we’re awesome, but chill, please.” Teddy said, smiling in a way they knew not to misinterpret it.
Calmer now, the feeding frenzy still far from over, the questions started.
“Are you dating?”
“Yes.” Betty answered.
“Since when?”
“Two months.”
“What do your parents say about it?”
“When I told my dad, he was having a lab binge, so I really don’t know because he answers on automatic then shoos everyone out of his lab. And I really can’t decipher my mom's smiles, I think only my dad can.”
“Does your relationship mean anything for the White House?”
“My aunt is very strict about keeping home and work separate, which is why I don’t live at the White House and she doesn’t stray there unless she’s working either. So no, my life is that of Betty, not the President's niece.”
“Who are you wearing?”
“We spent a day shopping around on fifth Avenue and in LA, but in the end, it turned out Laura Barton’s designer friend is a genius, so we’re both wearing matching couture custom one-of-a-kind Jessica Montrouge original pieces.”
“And what price range would your outfits be placed in? Did you just get them as a favor?”
“Miss Mountrouge is simply a genius, and I am honestly blessed to have been able to get such a priceless piece.”
And so the questions continued. From how Teddy and Betty had met (briefly before school) to whether Teddy had yet seen the White House (yes, he had) to where they might go on a date (the president's inauguration ball) to whether they thought they might be more (“We’re sixteen, it's not like I’m going to propose before I even graduate high school) to what colleges they were thinking about (from teen education monthly, Culver, Cambridge, Harvard, or MIT, their parents alma mater’s).
But then the red carpet time was up, and the ball began. As she was single and proud of it, Julia Brant opened the dance floor with her Vice President, Victor Li.
Then, the dance floor opened and the various guests danced to their heart’s delight. And when that was over, President Brant made her way up onto the stage, microphone in hand as she went to begin a new tradition, announcing her first major act as President the night of her ball.
The hall quieted as she began to speak, and Lilith decided she could have chosen someone far, far, worse. And it was better than plan A of having an explosion to get Ellis dead, and Brant in a coma until her term was over while Lilith put in someone more amenable.
“In the last few months, a lot of my opposition told me I shouldn’t be here. A woman shouldn’t be in the White House. Even Captain America did. But he had an excuse, coming from a time when a woman or a person who wasn’t as white as they come, wasn’t allowed to vote, much less run for anything other than the host of her son’s school’s fundraiser. Everyone else of my opposition said that I’m unqualified, given I have a degree in marine biology from Culver University, no PHDs in law, I got into politics because I saw that it was a place from which I could convince the people to help me change our country, and by extension, our world, for the better. I started with campaigning for use of clean energy sources, seeing how much the normal ones were hurting the dolphins I studied, then getting elected to the House of Representatives as an independent when I campaigned for an easy method to improve the education of all student, across economic, geographic, demographic, and all other boundaries by granting extra emphasis on college degrees of students studying to be teachers when they write uncopyrighted textbooks for students. And it worked. And then when he ran for president after President Obama retired after one term, Matthew Ellis chose me to be his running mate, seeing how unlike some other options, I could speak directly to the people, instead of simply reading statistics from my mansions somewhere that can escape proper taxes while putting off as many lawsuits as possible. Matthew Ellis was a good man and a good president, and I admired him for it, and have done my best to continue his work, and that of every president before me, to do the best I could for the American people and the world as a whole. I was told I got in only because Matthew took pity on me and I got lucky that he died, which is far from lucky, for anyone. Then there was the unspoken idea I might have been the one that paid off Melina Vostakkoff to get to my current position. I have been told everything from the fact that a daughter of a single mother German immigrant shouldn’t be in politics, much lesson in the Oval Office, with the Seal of the Commander in Chief, to the fact that I should be walking down the aisle in a church in a white gown, instead of up to the Constitution to swear my vows to the people. I’ve been told that I should have sworn my vows on a bible instead of our law book, and to god instead of to the people who chose me.
I thank you for your opinions, and I ask you to look up to where I am today. And not only me. I ask you to look at our nation, flourishing and more to come. I ask you to look at the people, who, by not only popular majority vote, but by a 97% popular vote and a unanimous vote by electors from around the country. I ask you to look at the education of the next generation, flourishing more than ever as less and less money is needed for things that can be gotten by other sources and more and more of it is spent to quality teachers, good supplies, and support for every single student that needs it. I ask you to look at our military, with less casualty rates than ever before, as we withdraw from conflicts where America’s opinion is not needed nor wanted by neither side, or even the civilians, or our atmosphere, where you can see the same amount of stars you could see last year.
And to the vast majority of the American people, thank you for choosing me to lead you, and even without my vows yesterday morning, to which record breaking numbers arrived to watch, I would swear to do right by this nation and the people within it.
And so, on that happy note, I stand here to announce to you, the people of the United States of America, my first act as president.” She paused, and then continued.
“Five months ago, that which we had considered impossible happened. A portal opened in the sky above Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, and an army of hostile extraterrestrials poured out, never seeming to stem their flow. Led by another extraterrestrial, this day was called the apocalypse of normality by some and the end of one world, the beginning of the next. I can’t argue that that one day changed the world forever. Because as Lilith Stark said in her speech the day after that, every cloud has a silver lining, and so too did that one. For in the world’s time of need, came the Avengers, who proved themselves to be true superheroes. But I am not here to address them, here today as honored guests, waiting for me to announce the date I can bestow upon them each their presidential medals of freedom. What I do want to address was a slightly more overshadowed fact of that day. That day, May 16th, 2012, we discovered that not all extraterrestrial life was hostile. Thor, the Avenger, proved to us that he was willing to face even a fellow prince of his world to fight for what was right and stand up for those who did nothing to warrant an attack that, if it had not been so flawlessly thwarted, would have been an act that stood in lieu of a declaration of war.
That day, we discovered there was sentient life out in the universe other than our own, as remarkably similar to humanity as it might be. Not only did that leave the scientific community scrambling, it left my office with a very large dilemma. Sentient life, and so similar to ours, means the high likelihood of a government. And an instantaneous faster than light method of going back and forth between Asgard and Earth means we are already connected, not to mention the possible ties that opened. We faced a dilemma similar to what some of our ancestors faced when Europeans in the Age of Discovery found out that Ameritech Vespucci, who our nation and continent is named after, had shown that Christopher Columbus had discovered not the East Indies but a whole new continent standing in the way. Those people decided that they would simply claim the land as their own and ignore anything and everything that was already here. For all that is how our country came to be, it cost many thousands more lives than it should have, and created states of catastrophes lasting hundreds and thousands of miles.
They say we learn history so as not to repeat those mistakes, and I have to agree. Our ancestors mismanaged the discovery of new lands, untouched by their own people, and decided all those who lived there were too different to be people. We are all the same species, and until very recently, Planet Earth has only had one single sentient species. Humanity. Now, even considering Thor and his people are quite literally a different species, I will not repeat those mistakes. Using Doctor Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis’ trans-universal energy connection and contact live projection technology, I have made an executive decision to sign a treaty and exchange ambassadors. Of course, that will all have to be verified by congress, but I have been preparing the process for a while now and I do hope your representatives will agree with me that positive relationships with Asgard could only result in a mutually beneficial alliance.
I must thank Thor, and the other Avengers, for helping organize this from the other end, and an ambassador from Asgard has already been chosen and sent here to learn about our culture and it’s similarities and differences to theirs. From our end, after personally reviewing many different candidates, I have settled on Mr. Dudley Dursley, who, during the process of organizing this endeavor, has become a friend of mine, and a man I know I can trust with this. For even though he was not born American, and has dual citizenship, we are beyond judging good people solely based on their place of birth, given we are all set to exchange ambassadors and sign a treaty with a different planet, even if it approximately the size of Texas.
Thank you for your support, America, and I look forward to serving as your president as best as I possibly can.” Julia Brant finished, as she gave a nod to the audience and the even larger audience behind the cameras, and walked off stage, the ball winding down for the night as everyone was bursting with questions at everything that happened that night.