Of Luck and Lack of Forethought

2012 – The Avengers:

Tony sighed deeply and with a lot less flourish than he would usually do this, he signed the last contract before pushing the wad of papers to his new trial assistant who fumbled with her notepad before managing to get it.

“Is there anything else on the schedule for today?”

“Uh, just… just a minute!”

Tony looked up at the noise of the twenty something year old dropping her purse, her notepad and her phone in her effort to reach for her StarkPad. If it wasn’t for the fact that SI cleaned house from top to bottom in the aftermath of the Natashalie Rushmanova incident in 2010 and the new screening process in SI that makes international airports’ security look like a half-hearted attempt at installing a metal detector in a big city high school, Tony would have suspected foul play in HR. As it is, this just made him miss Pepper as his PA since he made her COO.

Contrary to popular belief, summa cum laude in administration doesn’t mean that you know how to put the theory into practice, especially in SI where most people in his position would hire two assistants right off the bat just to prevent the likely case of details falling through the cracks.

Usually Tony would have a lot more patient than this. SI was famous for taking chance on people… well… before 2010 at least and the fact that Pepper was his PA for almost fifteen years must have also factored in Tony’s expectations.

In any case, the whole scene of a cute woman in her mid-twenties working so directly for him just screamed at his inner warnings.

Tony almost snorted as he remembered SI’s new hiring process that discouraged so many and immediately enraged them as they learned why Stark Industries, after years of ‘taking a chance’, ‘thinking it was refreshing training new professionals’ was now so uptight in their employment. SHIELD didn’t like being put in the spotlight like that but well, too bad for them that they called Tony’s interview of ‘accountability and transparency’ a bluff when it really wasn’t.

So when questioned about the drop of newbie, inexperienced hires, Tony told the truth.

As he watched the redhead – because of course she was a redhead – fumble with her belongings – Tony subtly sent a message to JARVIS for him to check her background.

“You have an interview in fifty minutes and Ms. Potts needs you to review the files for the board meeting in the new headquarters in Tokyo, it was pushed back for Tuesday.”

“Another interview?”

“PR says that it will be one of the last ones but because you took so few questions in the aftermath…” she trailed off.

Tony manage to not roll his eyes at that, the truth was that a day after the Chitauri invasion, he was exhausted, with a concussion and he just wanted to hold Pepper to her promise for when he finished his homework. So much for a break right after saving New York, if he knew that this would be result, he wouldn’t have suggested the Shawarma.

~*~

“Now Mr. Stark, I think we can cover what the public wants to know, The Avengers.”

Tony was well practiced in smiling when all he wanted was to give the world the finger but after a dozen times he was asked basically the same questions by a dozen different people in a dozen different ways… well…no one could blame him if his smile was a little too plastic.

“Well… what do you want to know?”

“We know the official memo,” the interviewers waited for the laugher to subside at his mocking tone, “what was it, “a group of amazing individuals put together to fight the battles we never could”, a little…”

“Presumptuous? You can say it, even I admit it.”

“To say the least,” more laughter, “so who and what are them?”

“They are a SHIELD project, I think you know them by now,” Tony waited as the audience laughed at his rolling eyes, “Yes, kinda hard to forget, right?”

“Uh, I think I need a refresher, they are the ones that nuked Manhattan? I… think so?”

“Oh, ‘almost’, that was the statement.” They smirked in sarcasm.

“On to the membership, you have said many times that you are only a consultant, why is that?”

“In the first moment, SHIELD infiltrated SI through the legal department – which wreaked havoc, let me tell you – and did not endeared themselves to anyone, let alone me. I mean… you know me! And I didn’t even know I was being accessed for anything, first thing I thought was: ‘Nope, cleaning house right now’. They wanted me as a consultant but the project was scrapped, then they called me because aliens, and the project wasn’t scrapped anymore and I was a full member…? And no one would tell me anything. No one in SHIELD would tell me about the hours,” the audience laughed again, “no, but seriously, they didn’t! I mean, you take a year of my life and what? I’m not even in the country some weeks.”

“Ok, ok. But outside of the odd hours, there have been talks of some friction?”

“Well, yeah, you put so many people, with strong personalities and such different backgrounds together in the same room, I would call, ‘BS!’ if they said everything is dandy and they are a ‘family’ and… what do these boy and girl bands say again?”

More laughter.

“There have been no more reunions since?”

“Thor went back to Asgard, Barton and Romanova… I don’t know, like everyone, I’m forever in the dark with these agents types, Rogers… went off in a bike and Bruce is with me working on some SI projects. I don’t see a meeting happening any time soon, well, unless there is an alien invasion, so let’s hope not.” The audience gave a hiss in sympathy and Tony had to clench his fists a little, the nightmares were still plaguing him.

“You know, there are rumors about the Avengers…”

“Oh! Damn, that’s a shocker!”

The interviewer waited for the laugher to subside, “Let’s really hope that the Avengers aren’t needed but still, no even some superhero club?”

“Uh… if there are plans about it, SHIELD hasn’t said anything…I mean, for all I know, they could be building some sort of headquarters but so far, no word about it, no.”

“So… those rumors…people are saying that Stark Tower might soon be re-branded to Avengers Towers… I mean, almost a sign from the cosmos that the letter ‘A’ was left… and you gotta admit that the timing was… almost too perfect.”

“Oh! Those rumors! You know when I read about them, I think it was… Twitter? Anyway, my mind pictured Rogers and Barton with all their bulk squeezing themselves in my office’s couch, sharing my office’s couch and then I choked on my coffee I laughed so hard.”

They waited the laugher, but the interviewer looked confused, “Just…that particular one is still trending I guess… for most of us, it was almost a certainty.”

And now both looked confused, “That… Stark Tower would be the Avengers’ HQ?”

“Not to repeat myself, but the ‘A’ and the timing were a little suspicious.” He shrugged.

“Oh! Uh…I don’t know what to say about the ‘A’ but…SI’s division in New York was in expansion so when the blueprints for the Tower were finalized, we figured that we could get two birds with one stone. The fact that a day later the Avengers made their debut was coincidence… I can’t even say that Loki took advantage of it because there were other places he could get the energy from. For a conqueror he was very thoughtful, by targeting my Tower the rest of the city didn’t suffer a blackout from the lack of electricity.” Tony smiled at the irony.

~*~

Tony figured that this would be it, just for a few days later JARVIS announce that his PR head wanted to talk to him. The subject made him gawk.

“The public wants to know why I’m not housing the Avengers?” usually, he would give different kinds of emphasis just to get a rise out of people, but the whole situation was so absurd that he was almost laughing.

“Yes.” Tony chose the unassuming man for a reason. Kimball is straight to the point and didn’t fall for bullshit, the opposite of the types Tony likes to leave talking to themselves, “Last week’s interview, he wasn’t joking when it was a trending topic. The ‘A’ and the timing and people took it as… a sign from the universe.”

“I think he called it, ‘cosmos’.” Tony was still trying to understand the ridiculous situation he was in and couldn’t even bring himself to grin at the unflappable stare his PR sent him.

“Whatever the name, the public was 100% certain that Stark tower would soon be called Avengers Tower.”

“How come this is the first I’m hearing of it?”

“I thought you said that you did hear the rumors.”

Tony glared, “Yes I did… what I’m asking is why this is the first I’m hearing that the people somehow took the ‘A’ as the God Given Prophecy, where is that story in the Bible? ‘Cause my mom took me to church and I never heard of it.”

At the non-response he got, Tony sighed, “What’s the counterattack?”

“The usual, with as much detail as possible.”

“Fine, how soon…”

“Today.”

~*~

“Good afternoon, it has recently come to my attention that there is some confusion about my part in the Avengers Initiative. Before we open for questions, I’d like to be very clear on this matter so there is absolutely no confusion. The plans to build Stark Tower in New York began in 2009 alongside the project of 2010’s Stark Expo. Using the last designs my father, Howard Stark, left as the basis of the new foundation: the Arc Reactor and Starkium, the plans were finalized in 2012 with the expansion of SI’s division in New York, where we will also retrofit the Compound upstate to focus on our medical advances with the same technology. With the success of Stark Tower in New York, similar projects are starting in DC, Washington, Tokyo, Berlin, Sofia and Rio de Janeiro. The fact that a day later the Avengers made their debut as a group is pure coincidence. We are now open for questions.”

Tony motioned for a random reporter.

“Stark Tower is the perfect place for the Avengers.”

“Was there a question in there?” this took everyone in the room by surprise. This is not the usual Showman Tony Stark the world was used to, this is the Businessman Tony Stark that was rarely seen outside of an office and they were all reeling.

Tony could only imagine if SI’s board members were watching and what they were thinking.

“Uh… why not make it the Avengers Tower?” in other circumstances, Tony would feel a little bad for the hesitant way he assumed.

“I supposed that if and when the Avengers assemble again, we can do it in one of the Tower’s conference rooms, but that’s not exactly meeting the expectations, right?” where he would be sarcastic, now no one could tell if the question was a genuine one. When no answer was forthcoming, Tony pointed to another reporter.

“Why not make it a donation to a greater cause? The Avengers could use a headquarters.”

“Even if I pretend really hard that six people need almost a hundred floors of space, what exactly do you suggest I tell my employees? The ones that SI already hired from all over the world that are already in New York and moved their entire lives and start the work that they went through the arduous process of being qualified and interviewed to earn?” Tony didn’t wait, with pursed lips he chose another reporter.

“Like you said, there is lot of space. SI…why not share?” it seemed that they learned their lesson on statements instead of questions.

“When people design buildings, they don’t exactly design it with the intent to have ‘leftover’ floors. We had an estimated number of new employees and to also meet the need those employees would have and built the Tower accordingly.”

“So why leave the ‘A’?”

For the love of, “Because rebuilding has yet to start since it was just two weeks ago that the invasion happened.”

Which kinda makes Tony marvel at people’s priorities. Oh, aliens just attacked us… why not ask if the local superhero band are being maintained by the billionaire of the group?

“We are just… confused,” clearly, “With people as local to New York as the Starks and Captain America are, it seemed obvious that the Avengers would also be based on New York. Why not in a Stark property? Seemed almost… poetically historical that you continued your father’s work.”

Tony chose to focus on her question instead of the daddy issues she just flared like a match to a tank of gasoline and since when has his dad ever housed anyone besides the Jarvis family, himself and his mom? Were these reporters implying that he should employ the Avengers? “Stark Tower for the reasons already listed. The Compound upstate only ever had old trinkets and such and plans from the 80’s or 90’s and now it’s being re-structured as the new base for our medical division. I own an apartment closer to the Tower that I share with Ms. Potts and the Mansion is my childhood home. A very, very, personal space for me.”

“But the Avengers are a team… er… uh… aren’t you friends?”

The question just reminded Tony of that last interview when he joked about the boy and girl bands that say they’re family… and that guy is not suggesting that he open the house he grew up in for strangers, was he? Pepper only ever stepped foot there twice.

“There seems to be…a somewhat skewered impression of the Avengers. Very well, then. The first I met was Natasha Romanoff… or Natasha Romanov, or Natalia Romanova or, as she introduced herself at the time, Natalie Rushman and I think that already explains our relationship. I don’t overly care if her only intention was to write a profile on me. Several other ways to do that without compromising SI’s integrity and its hundreds of thousands of employees that depend on my company to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. The second one was Captain America that I believe made part of all our childhoods at one point or another in some way. But Steve Rogers is a stranger. Then Thor… that is back to his own home. Dr. Bruce Banner is currently being employed by SI so he is temporarily in the tower until the Compound is renovated for him to put his bio-inclination to use. And…Agent Barton never introduced himself to me nor I to him. Aside from Agent Romanova/Romanoff/Romanov/Rushman, I’ve only known them for a couple of hours. Even if an entire agency of PR tried to convince me to say that the Avengers are lifelong friends…well… I would be deeply disappointed if anyone bought that, let alone ‘family’. We’ve met once for a couple of hours.”

“Shouldn’t you guys be closer?”

“Whatever for?”

“For the sake of… liking each other?”

“Why?”

“So you can… work together?”

“Do you like everybody back at your office?”

“No.” It was answered almost in a laugh but also almost in question and then the young man blushed.

Tony just waited for a few seconds before choosing another reporter.

“It seemed to be expected that the Avengers would stick together, why didn’t that happen?”

“Why would that happen?”

“… you… guys saved the world together.”

“So did the many law enforcement officials on the streets that day but I still know that they have their own lives and families and friends to go back to.”

“Because disasters tend to bring people together…?”

“You mean like in Mission Impossible?”

“Mr. Stark, do you want to… the Avengers together?”

And Tony finally felt like smiling, not that he physically did, mind you.

“In what sense do you say, “together”? Because if you are asking if the Avengers coming together is a good idea or not, I suppose that if there is another alien invasion it might be a good idea.”

“Living together of course.”

“In that case, ‘no’.” that seemed to stun people and Tony had to work really hard not to roll his eyes.

“Why not?”

“First of all, we came together by happenstance. Yes, most of us were summoned by SHIELD but the only reason I went is because too many people were in danger. The truth of the matter is, I think SHIELD picked the members for the Avengers based on skill on a battlefield not on personality or even… common sense.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They put the woman that committed industrial espionage against SI which could have impacted my company in a catastrophic way and SHIELD didn’t think that there would be a problem there. They put Romanov and Barton that had deep personal friendship and they didn’t think about possible conflict of interest. They put Captain America to fight beside a former KGB assassin and a former mercenary. All kudos for the turnaround they did with their lives… I mean, I have no idea what is it exactly that they do for SHIELD but… they are the good guys? I think? Please note that this is not me disparaging Romanova or Barton in any way, but their background will very probably be a point of friction for a soldier raised in the 40’s. In fewer words… weird… and I don’t see them getting along on principle alone, just like Captain America and I didn’t get along.”

“So there was friction between you and Captain America? You father was good friends with him.”

“I’m not my father and the man has woken up after what was basically a seven decades long coma and I’m full of modern slang and references and…I like touch screen and voice command, my elevator doesn’t even have buttons to press. Do you see where I’m coming from?”

“One would assume that you’d be the perfect person to… introduce the twenty first century to Captain America.”

“How would that even work? I’m not even in the country for most of the year with the expansion of SI and Mr. Rogers needs professional help to acclimatize to such drastic changes, professional degrees and training that I don’t have.”

“So… as a friend?”

“Because we totally don’t have regulations preventing that and I totally didn’t just say that we’ve met for a few hours… right?”

“Then why not have… temporarily… uh… sleepovers?”

Tony almost boggled at the man, “Ok… sleepovers,” he repeated as if unsure of the wording, “where would we have those… sleepovers?”

“Uh… in the Tower? Just… to… team bond.”

“You do understand that the penthouse in the Tower only ever has two bedrooms that are in the process of being removed for the sake of installing an office? Unless you’re talking about the beds in the med bay for eventualities? Which… kinda morbid. And the only other option would be the, although comfortable, not very large couches. There are no other long term accommodations there.”

“Uh… the original plans included several floors dedicated to housing, why the sudden change?”

“Basically a question of consideration towards the employees’ wishes. They didn’t want to move their entire families to one huge building and we were basically forcing them to live next to each other with no previous warning and zero previous records of neighbors. The therapists and other professionals of the area we hired for HR did point out that a healthy daily life did include the physical separation of working and living spaces and yeah when they brought that up I kinda had to agree. Even the people that work from home and like it try to have a room set up for just that, making clear what is a space for productivity and what is a place to relax.”

“The… apartment you said you owned?”

The billionaire just made a face, “The one I said I share with Ms. Potts… my girlfriend? I’m gonna let you marinate on that.”

“Er… the Stark Mansion is really big and has been basically gathering dust…?”

“The very, very personal space with childhood memories that I kinda don’t wanna see being blown up in the explosions that usually follow the Avengers or even Iron Man?”

“What about… buying a new property altogether?”

“I don’t know if you're implying that I should be some kind of sugar daddy or that the other Avengers are unable to acquire their own living spaces… but I’m tired, our time is up and I plead the Third.”