Chapter 34
Stark Tower
May 2011
Darcy scowled through the one-way glass. “Why are reporters always like this?”
“It’s their job,” Steve said mildly at her side.
Darcy raised an eyebrow at him. “To be obnoxious little shits?”
“To be pushy and get answers,” he countered. “The media is an effective check against government.”
“Not anymore,” Darcy muttered. “They’re all out for personal gain and scandals and the latest heartstring-puller that will boost their blog hits. It’s a celebrity culture where viewers value numbing reality TV over world events and awareness of politics.”
Steve frowned. “I had no idea you cared so much.”
“I majored in poly sci,” Darcy said. “Kinda opens your eyes. That’s why I’m on Stark’s PR team.”
“And why you’ve been appointed the official Avengers media liaison,” Maria said from behind them.
Darcy squeaked and turned around. “What?”
“Just got off the phone with Fury a few minutes ago,” Maria said. “We’re not exactly keeping a low profile here. It’s been two weeks since the battle of New York, as they’re calling it, and we’ve got Captain America, the Hulk, Jane Foster, and Tony Stark all living in the same building, which also happens to have a giant neon “A” on the outside and SHIELD helicopters flying in at odd hours. People notice. We need an official point person, and I talked Fury into letting it be you. The rest of the team agrees.”
“Shouldn’t it be Tony?” Darcy said, though she desperately wanted to say yes.
Maria raised her eyebrows. “Did you see him this morning?”
“Touche,” Darcy said, and looked back at the pack of nine reporters and their photographers waiting for her. It wasn’t a proper press conference; it wasn’t being filmed, but it was close enough. Her palms tingled. This was so much better than being a science intern. Sorry, Jane.
“I’m worried about him,” Steve said. “He falls asleep in the lab and he twitches and cries out in his sleep.”
“PTSD,” Darcy said. “Seen it before.”
The other two stared at her.
“My dad,” she said, and didn’t offer any more information. “Someone should talk to Tony. Not you,” she added to Steve. “He’d just get defensive. You were his hero when he was four and he hated you by the time he was six. It’s pretty clear Howard wasn’t the best daddy and little Tony clearly got annoyed that you were the Golden Boy he could never outdo in his father’s mind. He’ll get defensive if you criticize him. Let Bruce handle it.”
Steve’s mouth was open halfway. Darcy reached out and closed it with a click.
After a moment, the blond supersoldier nodded once, and Darcy beamed back. “Great. Now, unless there’s something else…”
“Nope,” Maria said.
“Then I will see on the other side,” Darcy said dramatically, straightened her jacket, and pushed open the door.
Instantly, the reporters perked up.
“Miss Lewis,” the CNN guy said. “Thank you for agreeing to take my questions today.”
“I agreed to take questions from all of you,” Darcy said, and took a seat at the head of the conference table. There was a scramble as the other reporters fought for seats nearest her and their photographers jockeyed for the best angles. “Let’s just go around one by one, shall we?”
The Fox woman dove in immediately. “Miss Lewis, is it true that the Avengers team is secretly funded by Russia?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Iron Man happens to be Tony Stark, one of the richest men in the world,” Darcy said pleasantly. “We would hardly need Russian funding even if it were offered. Which it has not been.”
A light laugh ran around the table. Pleased, Darcy relaxed and began to field questions, playing word games and watching them get more and more frustrated as even their most pointed inquiries got nothing but a smile and a polite response. She told the truth in such a way that they’d never possibly be able to use it against the Avengers.
“Miss Lewis,” the CNN man said again. “What do you say to the critics who claim the Avengers are responsible for the deaths in the Battle of New York?”
“You’ve probably seen the alien army that came pouring through a portal in the sky,” Darcy said. “I would lay the blame for the casualties on their shoulders.”
“There are those who say the Avengers caused the damage and should pay retribution.”
“Ten million dollars has already been donated by Tony Stark, the man called “narcissistic” on a daily basis in the tabloids, to a hospital fund. I assure you that decision was originally from Mr. Stark in its entirety. Captain Rogers, Jane Foster, and Bruce Banner have all participated in fundraising events to repair the damage, fund treatment for the injured, and help families who could otherwise not afford funerals for their loved ones. I’m not sure what other “retribution” you’d like paid.” Darcy was starting to get annoyed, but she kept her polite face on even as a slight edge crept into her tone.
CNN leaned forward a little more. Darcy examined him more closely, as she used to her debate opponents in college: mousy hair, crooked nose, freckles. He was taller than Stark but shorter than Steve.
“What can you tell me of the Avengers’ involvement with SHIELD?” he asked.
“SHIELD is a clandestine military intelligence and security division of the United States government,” Darcy said. “Two of their agents are on temporary leave to work with the Avengers, as the team was assembled in part by SHIELD. We are… consultants, you might say, but not fully under SHIELD jurisdiction.”
“What about the rumors that the Avengers are a cover-up for SHIELD’s failures?” the man asked.
“I have heard no such rumors,” Darcy said. “If I did, I would say they were false.”
“And are they false?”
“Are you calling me a liar, Mr… Bord?” Darcy asked, squinting at his nametag.
Several of the other reporters looked uncomfortable, but the majority were eagerly leaning forward, waiting.
Bord smiled. “I’m asking you if the rumors are false.”
“If any such rumors exist, yes, they are false. Have you any more questions?” Darcy kept her face bland and her tone smooth, but there was a challenge in the reporter’s eyes, and she couldn’t resist meeting it.
“Yes. Where are the Avengers now? What are your plans for the future?”
“We are assisting with the cleanup of New York,” Darcy said. “We plan to continue doing so and to continue serving the purpose SHIELD created us for: to be a shield for the people of this world.” She checked her watch and cut the reporters off. “That’s all I have time for.”
“One more question,” Bord insisted, blocking her path to the door. “Miss Lewis, nobody seems to know what you are to the Avengers. Would you care to clear that up?”
Darcy smiled at him, and this time, she let a hint of a bite creep through the politeness. “I’m the Avengers press liaison,” she said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She stepped around him as if he were a piece of furniture and left the conference room.
Darcy watched through the glass as the reporters packed up and left. Bord was the slowest, and she noticed for the first time that he didn’t seem to have a cameraman.
Odd.
The CNN reporter left with his colleagues, and Darcy watched with narrowed eyes. She’d have to keep an eye on him. Look into what he wrote for the news, his social media - honestly, it was so easy these days.
Darcy smiled and turned around, heading back for the elevators to the upper levels.
It looked like she had a new opponent.