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Sunday. It's a warm, sunny spring day. It is definitely one of those days where people are out and about, enjoying the weather in the parks, on the roads as they walk from site to site, visiting museums and other tourist attractions. Most people anyway.
Even Tony Stark got out of the office for an hour or two, taking a ride through town, and now that his car is parked, he's back in the office, working on, well, he's working on everything at the same time. The one thing that's got most of his attention, however, is a red and gold gauntlet that is in hand, and he turns it 'round and 'round, staring at it, though his thoughts are somewhere completely different. Settled on his chair, he's leaning back in the expensive soft leather seat, feet on the desk, an empty glass pushed forward and away. "Jarvis.. give me the readings on the last test, and then I want you to cross check them with the last flight data we collected yesterday."
*
One advantage to having Carol as a girlfriend? She understands weird working hours, considering her time with SHIELD and everything else. As it is, when she called Jarvis to check on Tony, she got the answer that he's back in the office working. So she actually hits the deli, grabbing a pair of sandwiches for lunch, and heading over.
When she arrives, she knocks on the door before peeking in, "Hey, Tony. Knowing you, I figured you hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so I grabbed some lunch from the deli on the way." She grins and lets herself in, because well… that's how she rolls, really. Then she eyes the data he's working on, "Still working on the aerodynamics?" Hey, she's no supergenius, but it isn't like she's not used to dealing with that.
*
Politics and the city of New York never sleep, but the mayors office does try to give Sundays off. That doesn't necessarily mean that Isis takes Sundays off, but today she has an interesting prospect to look into. Rumor around the various secretarial pools of the city is that Stark Industry's owner and CEO has lost his long-time assistant to Wayne Enterprises. Pepper Potts is making waves as the new CFO there, after all. And while the Mayor's office has its charms, Isis is curious enough to want to look into this.
In a pale green skirt suit with a gold necklace, her hair arranged in elaborate braids around her head, she's already made her way past three levels of admission and security…through charm alone. Now she's at the final stage - the AI. This one is a little bit trickier.
"No, no appointment. But my understanding is that there's no one keeping Mr. Stark's appointments these days, and if he isn't making them, then he's unlikely to find someone to keep them for him again."
*
That right there is enough reason to keep Carol around. That and she's smart. Pretty. Patient. And she hasn't alerted all the media outlets about how she and he are a 'thing'. All good reasons.
When Carol enters, his attention is on the gauntlet again, looking at it lifted before him, and he's internalizing the flight characteristics before he leans forward, sets it on the desk only to pull his feet down and open a drawer, pulling out what seems to be a remote control box. "Breakfast?" Brown eyes are on the gauntlet as he snaps a couple of switches, and the red and gold glove begins to lift into the air with seemingly nothing beneath it, powering it. "Lunch? Is it that time already?" A quick glance is given to his empty glass, but it's immediately back to the bit of armor. "Weight, balance, and need to get it to auto-correct for variances of windspeed and shear." Lifting his gaze now, his brows rise, "And trying to avoid giving everyone the finger on the flight over."
"Mr. Stark is currently in his office. I shall see if he is available." It's probably strange, talking to a voice that is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. In the next moment, that same English, refined voice sounds in the office, "Sir, there is a lady here who is applying for a position with you. Shall I have her enter, or do I let her know the position has-"
"Oh no," Tony overrides quickly. "Send her in."
"Very good, sir." There is that second delay as channels are switched, and Isis will hear that same voice, "Mr. Stark will see you. Just take the elevator up."
*
Carol grins at Tony, "Though, knowing you, I figured you'd think flipping off the ground folks would be a feature, not a bug." Okay, she might know him a little better than he sometimes thinks. Perching easily on the edge of the desk, she pokes at the armor, "Could get you a few calculations NASA was running about the Gemini project, if you think that might help."
And when Jarvis pipes up about the woman here for an interview, Carol grins at Tony, "On a Sunday? Need me to vamoose?" She sets the sandwich for Tony on the desk, and puts a note on it saying, "EAT ME BEFORE YOU LEAVE."
*
Well, that was easier than anticipated. Isis arches a brow slightly, but steps into the elevator at the invitation, waiting until it takes her to the person who is presumably in charge. Deep green lacquered nails tap lightly at one elbow as she watches the numbers on the elevator, considering the next angle.
*
Tony actually chuckles at Carol's comment before he sits back, watching it hover. It's balanced when it's there, and to move a lever, it does move around, though it's a touch wobbly when it's not supported from within. "I'll work on that next. They say the best inventions are discovered while trying to invent something else." He lifts a hand to scrub at his face, "Or do I say 'screw it' and just let it be a flying brick until I work out the stabilization." Meh.
Looking back up at Carol, there's a single shoulder shrug as he cuts the power to the gauntlet, and it drops onto the desk with a *thunk*. "I wouldn't mind that anyway. If nothing else, I'll get them sorted out. What I think is that I'll end up stabilizing the thumb and small finger, and doing that, I'll work out a way to make it do double duty for something. What, I have no idea yet."
The message on the sandwich as it's set before him actually gets a laugh, and reaching for it, he takes hold and leans back again with the food. "You don't have to go. It's okay."
Now, they wait.. and there, the sound of an elevator dinging down the corridor. All ashore that's going ashore, as it were!
*
Carol grins, "Well, I think a nice vacation in Madripoor will be a great diversion. Even if it is business related." She chuckles and gives Tony a peck on the cheek, "And I know how you get when you get sucked into working, because I get the same way." With that, and Tony saying that she can stick around, Carol moves off the desk and takes one of the other chairs near the desk, "I'll get you the declassified specifications before we go. Shouldn't be any problem." And with that, she kicks back in her chair, taking her own sandwich in hand and waiting for this new arrival.
*
Isis steps out of the elevator with confidence, every hair in place. With heels, she's a slender six feet, though it's harder to notice when she isn't part of a crowd, with others around to measure her by. While she smiles, it's not an overly friendly expression - more one of steady confidence - a steady confidence that somehow doesn't look out of place, despite the fact that she looks to be on the young side for someone as useful to the mayor's office as rumor says she is.
"Mister Stark," she greets as she approaches, brows rising slightly when she sees Carol, though the smile goes just as much to the other woman. "And it's Colonel Danvers, isn't it?" Apparently she's done some homework.
*
Tony is in the middle of unwrapping his sandwich, fussing at the butcher paper wrap. "Declassified?" He sounds almost insulted. "Might as well pick up a math primer on the way." Shaking his head, he's almost got it unwrapped before Isis appears. When she is a presence in the doorway, his feet are on the ground and the sandwich is set aside, the message 'EAT ME' facing out.
Tony rises to his feet, manners at their very basic recalled, and he gestures towards a chair. He tilts his head and his eyes narrow briefly before, "Mayor's office. I never forget a face. I'm sorry but I can't recall your name." He looks to the side where Carol is, and nods, "This is Colonel Carol Danvers. How do you do?" Now on his feet, he reaches for the red and gold gauntlet to pull it to the side, "I understand you're looking for a position."
*
Carol rises to her feet, looking at Isis for a moment as she stands pretty much eye-to-eye with the other tall woman, and then she grins, "Correct, but you can just call me Carol, if you like, miss…" Setting the sandwich aside, she makes sure her hands are clean before offering one to Isis for a handshake.
*
"Isis," the young woman introduces herself with a swift smile for Carol before she turns her attention to Tony, offering a hand. "It's more that I understand you need to fill one, Mister Stark," she replies smoothly. "I understand that a long-time associate of yours has moved on to other endeavors. And while the Mayor's office is rewarding in some ways, it comes with…" She trails off, smile rueful. "Limitations." Like the fact that no mayor's office is going to admit that the woman who keeps things running is less than lily-white.
*
"Isis."
Manners doesn't include shaking hands with ladies; it's just not done, so when Tony does finally extend his hand, it's too little, too late. "I do." He gestures towards the chair once more, and he takes his seat as well. "And she has taken a CFO job with another company. So far, I haven't been able to lure her back, and I probably won't." Not after their last conversation, anyway.
"So," here, Tony sits back in his seat, and he's able to spin side by side for a moment. "What is it you do at the office? I know I've seen you. What are you, public relations? Scheduler?"
*
At which point, the phone rings in the office. Not wanting Tony to be distracted from the conversation, Carol decides to answer it. "Hello… um, Pegs? What is… oh, okay. Right now?" She glances around, and hmms, "Well, yeah, sure, I'll be right there. How did you… oh, right. Jarvis. Got it." With that, she hangs up the phone.
Then she smiles, a little apologetically, "Sorry, work issue for me too. Tony, don't forget my note, and it was a pleasure to meet you Isis." She gives Tony a peck on the cheek, grabs her sandwich, and hustles through the door with a bit of a haste in her step. Whatever it was, it must have been something…
*
Carol Danvers heads to Out <O>.
*
Carol Danvers has left.
*
"They don't have a title for what I do, Mister Stark," Isis smiles faintly, settling into the chair with no apparent insult taken, hands folded neatly on her lap. "A pleasure, Colonel," she nods to Carol before she turns her attention back to Tony. "I do scheduling, public relations. Paperwork filing. Hiring. Firing. Typing. Transcribing. I bring the Mayor his coffee, I remind him when it's time to call his wife. I keep an eye on his rivals, and I make sure that they don't actually threaten his position here in the city. I take out the trash, I bring in lunch. In short? I do what needs to be done, Mister Stark."
*
Tony looks up as Carol starts up to answer the phone. Peggy? Close attention is paid, his head cocked to the side again before a thin smile appears. At the kiss, he does the cheek/cheek kiss thing and nods, "Go, don't keep her waiting. See you later."
Once things quiet down again, and he's given an answer, Tony sits up in his chair to lean forward, listening intently. As she continues, his expression gets more inscrutable before he puts a hand up and rises from his seat. "When can you start." It's a statement rather than a question. "I need someone here that can not only answer the phones but actually answer the people on the other end. I need someone who can go toe to toe with my board and look good doing it while making them look like the asses they are. I need someone here, in place, that I can turn to and say 'Run with this' and know that it'll not only get done but it'll knock everyone's socks off when it is done. I want those people out there," Tony lifts his hand up to gesture behind him to the grand city beyond, "to know that they can't begin to compete with Stark Industries, and if they tried, they'll just make themselves look worse."
In short? Tony needs a partner. One he thought he had once. "Thoughts on that?"
*
"Tomorrow." Isis smiles faintly, but there's an edge to it as well. "Today, really, it isn't as though I've more important plans calling me right now." She tilts her head slightly, giving him a searching look. For a moment, there's something deeper to it - as if she's taken some part of him and put it on a scale, waiting to see how they balance. Something far older than her features suggest. "Powerful men need someone they can trust to see to the details, Mister Stark. I understand that well. As it happens, I am the expert at those details." Goddess of them, in fact.
*
Weighing Tony's soul and not finding it wanting? That's remarkable, given his reputation as a drinker and playboy. Though, truth be told, he is looking for more; he's dropped the weapons contracts with the federal government, and in turn moved towards the civilian side. Not quite as much money in it, but the payout is worth it.
"Today then." Tony doesn't believe in 'we'll do this tomorrow'. He's got a whole day in front of him, and he has every intention of using every minute, and then some.
Still standing, Tony leans on the desk now, and looks deadly earnest. "At any time, I've got at least ten balls in the air with another ten ready to fly to join them until I can release that first group. That's just research. Do the same for development, and I've got new things coming in any day where I have to get an entire production line up an running within a week. I want it producing in three days from the moment we get the machinery, then we'll be a twenty-four/seven operation until I say otherwise. Which means tonight I'm headed to Avengers Mansion."
*
"Avengers," Isis echoes, mulling over the name. "It sounds interesting." She stands then, apparently not one to waste time either, and points toward the ceiling. "I assume that Jarvis has all the data, yes? And your security team could use…a tune-up. I'll see to that, of course." She looks to the food Carol's left, a flicker of amusement crossing her features. "I assume that meals are not currently seen to on a regular basis. We'll have that in line as well. I understand you enjoy the nightlife, which is fine," she waves a hand. "But perhaps not always conducive to business meetings the next morning. Are you wedded to coffee, or willing to try something new?"
*
"Jarvis has all of the data," Tony acknowledges. In the next moment, of course, he continues, but he's not talking to Isis even though he's looking at her. "Give her access, Pepper's level. Penthouse, Bunker. Workroom." All high, high security areas that are only accessible by Tony and a trusted few.
He hasn't truly been able to stop looking at her since she came in, and with her questions, he chuckles and shakes his head. "I'm always working, unless I'm playing. I do both, hard. Meals are an afterthought. Coffee is appreciated, but scotch moreso. Top shelf on all my bars. No ice. Cars in the garage, you have access to the Rolls. You have access to my driver to take you where you need to go, my airplane, helicopter."
*
"I don't fly with others," Isis flickers her fingers, taking a look around the workshop. It's a slightly odd statement, but maybe she's a pilot of some sort? She does hold out a hand slightly as she circles the room, brows furrowing. "You have some sort of…You're clearly working with high-energy items here," she muses. "The rest of the building - fortified to withstand potential mishaps?"
*
"Yes." Tony walks from around his desk, taking up his gauntlet as he does so. It's large but it doesn't seem unwieldy; large enough to fit his hand, and not much else. "It's my thing. Alternative energies." After all, he's got a glowy thing in his chest to attest to it. It could be that energy that she's keying in on? "Eventually, I'm going to be able to take Stark Tower off the grid completely and power everything with renewable, sustainable energy." Until then, however? Small steps.
*
"Excellent," Isis approves with a brisk nod, turning back and stepping closer to get a look at the gauntlet. It's entirely different from anything in her experience. And yet, she takes it in stride. After all, when you've seen mankind go from mud and bricks to skyscrapers, you begin to accept that they're always going to come up with something new. "Fascinating," she murmurs, considering it for a moment longer before she looks back up at him. "Any restrictions?"
*
"Restrictions.." Tony puts the gauntlet on his hand, and in the next heartbeat, a small light comes on signalling that it's 'on-line'. He moves his fingers, and the small gyros shift and make it look very, very natural. "Media. I'll talk to them. You don't have to unless to say 'Mr. Stark has no comment'. They're mine. Obviously Non-disclosures. Anything you see here stays here. I've worked hard to get this company where it is right now, and have every intention of taking it to the top. I can't do that if something gets slipped to Hammer or Luther or something. If you find out someone slipped, I need to know so we can run damage control." We.
"The Bunker is off-limits to everyone but me, and if you need to come down. It's where I work, and spend most of my time. Carol has access at the moment, you have access. Colonel Rhodes has access. That's it. If you think we're high security, my lab is even higher. The Pentagon wouldn't have access to my lab. Not even Johnson. And, when we're done here, all I need is you to take a trip down to HR so they can get all your information, and they'll give you a key to the front door and your badge."
*
"Noted." Isis takes a step back, giving the room one more look over. "Well, it all sounds simple enough, Mister Stark. I trust we'll have a most…interesting time working together," she says with a small smile, clasping her hands in front of herself once more. "I'll leave you to your work then. And have dinner sent down in the next six hours, if you haven't emerged yet."
*
"Probably no need for that tonight. I'm headed to Avengers Mansion. If you'd like to come along, you're welcome. Probably grab a bite at the Russian Tea Room on the way back." They'll have a chauffeur, of course. "If you don't want to and rather acclimate yourself, be my guest. Your office will be right down the hall from mine." Tony pulls the glove off and waves it briefly, "Just need to put this away. Oh.." He starts to move towards the door but stops, catching himself. "I've been through more secretaries and Personal Assistants in the last month than most people in their entire career. It's not going to be easy because I'm not an easy guy to work for. But, you'll be well paid." Once he's said his piece, he's out the door to put the bit of Iron Man away for the night and grab a jacket. Places to go..
*
"Easy is for beginners, Mister Stark," Isis calls after him, a wry smile curving as she turns back to the elevator with a private laugh. "It's been far too long since I had a proper challenge to keep me busy."
*