Betty fluffed up her coat, glancing back and forth as she crossed the street. Things had been done, her hand had been forced, now time to face those responsible. She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the other from going in and just killing. After all, they were supposed to be allies. They were supposed to protect each other and do what the Avengers couldn’t. But, loyalty this day was just filled with fairy tales. Now she had been branded. She had been marked so that when anyone looked at her files they knew the secret she hid. They would fear her without getting to know her.
The only good thing is she could slightly understand Bruce better now.
She slipped inside the building, keeping her head low and her hood up. The other wouldn’t have left here. Not after spending so much time vetting it. Well, that and she was probably figuring out how controlling the General was. Always had to know what all his little pieces were doing. Always had to know where they were. Less chance of betrayal he said, that one night she had been invited in to sit on the big “meeting” with him and Stark. He was right, in a way, but even the most watched person could stab everyone else in the back.
How many other names had Maria given up? How many were given the choice between family or jail? How was she even sleeping at night? Betty could feel her gut twist at government officials in their shiny offices knowing that she could be used. That she was just no longer an object for their lust, but for their bloodlust as well. She scratched lightly at her arm before pausing in front of a door. After this was gotten off her chest she could go into hiding. Try to find a way to reverse what Maria had done. Her hand raised, pausing for only a moment before she knocked.
Jim took the first commercial flight out of New York to DC the morning after receiving Maria’s emails. He had barely left the terminal before he had his phone to his ear to call Maria.
“Hill. I just touched down at Dulles International. I’ll buy you lunch if you wanna tell me what the hell you and Ross did.”
Second Thoughts and Second Chances (Maria & Natasha) | 15 October 2016
@furyslefteye
Natasha Romanoff did not often request a private, off-the-record meeting with Maria Hill, whether to share clandestine information or as a girl’s night out. Whenever they did meet outside of SHIELD property, however, they tended to favor the seedier sorts of places, where no one but the occasional unlucky man would bother them. It was to such an establishment that Natasha had invited Maria today. Things were getting hotter, more nervewracking, with the SRA. Arrests and prosecution would begin in two days, for those who hadn’t already been arrested, and everyone, for or against the SRA, was feeling the pressure.
For her part, Natasha was feeling two kinds of pressure -- on one hand, from the government, to implement the law that she had openly approved through her own registration. On the other hand, from her own conscience, to mitigate its worst effects (and maybe, Natasha thought, all its effects).
More and more lately, she felt the consequences of her choices closing in on her like a vice. Like a spider’s web, trapping her more thoroughly the more she struggled. Was there a way out of this mess? A few months ago, Natasha would have said certainly; of course there was a way out. She could wriggle her way free of anything.
Now, she wasn’t so sure, and Maria had to feel it too. And Natasha had heard the rumors -- more news than rumors, really -- of a secret prison in the open ocean, a technological marvel (horror), and of the woman behind its creation: Maria Hill.
“Thanks for coming,” she said, looking at her glass -- whiskey, neat; she wasn’t so predictably Russian to drink vodka all the time, and this bar would undoubtedly have something cheap and second rate. She ran her finger around the rim as if she was lost in thought, rather than focusing intently on the woman next to her. “I was worried you’d be too busy.” She flicked her eyes up to meet Maria’s gaze. “How are you?”
Losing my mind, but found my purpose. [Pepper & Maria]
It seemed like no time passed between one mission and another for Pepper. As much as she was tired and sick of having to deal with these problems, a small part of her relished the moments that she had in the suit. It really had become an extension of her own body when she wore it.
The missions had become routine in a way. Pepper could practically schedule around them. On today’s schedule was some sort of unknown, possible HYDRA threat. Pepper flew to the rendezvous point, and landed softly next to her partner for the mission.
I am sure you saw in the news that mutants are currently a target for the media once again. I have already informed Ms. Stacy, but I would suggest that for the time being you do not use your powers, publicly or privately. This is precautionary, but I believe something may be happening. The last thing I want is for my experiments to be another platform for the hate of the world. This is about your safety as much as anyone else.
In the meantime, I am about to go to a press conference with Janet Pym. If you are available, you are welcome to tune in.
Sincerely,
Hank McCoy
Xavier Institute
Department of Mutant Affairs
~ ”When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” ~
All Alone in the Moonlight (Angie & Maria) 21 April 2016
Angie from one tired foot to the other as she waited for the bus. Another day, another audition. She really had to get some better shoes. The ones she’d been wearing or the last year were getting worn, making her feel worn in turn. But there was no bench at this particular stop, obliging her to lean against the buzzing street light while she flipped tiles...2..2...4...32...32...128...She let out a long, vocal yawn and looked back up to see if the bus had come yet. It felt like the evening was moving in slow motion around her, leaving her with a distinct antsy feeling, like she had to be somewhere or do something. Well, there was getting home and going to bed. But Angie knew without trying that if she tried to sleep tonight she wouldn’t be able.
Someone caught her eye across the street. A figure walking alone. There were plenty of people around, naturally; this was the theatre district of New York City. But the woman wasn’t walking with anyone in particular, and something about that made Angie oh so interested in her. She leaned forward to get a better look, then abandoned her lamp post and took a few steps towards the curb. The woman was walking quickly. Clearly the kind of person who always had something to do. Angie looked both ways before running across the street in a hurry. She felt a rip in her skirt as she did, but paid it no mind. Angie could place the woman now. The scent was a powerful one; like guns and government papers and a very particular kind of body wash. She was one of Peggy’s former co workers. From before that now-famous trial that they’d all gone through.
Having recognized the woman, she began to trot more quickly after her. “Hey--hey--hey--youuuuuuuuuuuu!” she called after her. The words felt funny on her tongue, and didn’t seem to come out right. She stood up taller and called again, louder, “hey YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!” Angie settled back down, and sniffed again. Why had she thought of body wash earlier? Now, the woman just smelled delicious. She licked her jowls and began to creep slowly towards the juicy smelling woman. She probably worked out. She probably had nice meat Angie could really sink her teeth into.
A Cocktail and a Lobotomy | Pepper & Maria (4 April 2016)
“Okay, I know you don’t do birthdays,” Pepper had said immediately after Maria opened the door to her apartment. “But consider this a personal favor to me.”
Then, she had showed Maria the bottle of Chardonnay wine she’d brought.
Good God, she hadn’t had anything to drink since December.
And it had been a long day. A long week. A long month. A long year, honestly, and the thing that had carried Pepper out of bed this morning (besides her work compulsion and undying sense of responsibility, of course) had been the hope to go out for a drink with Maria, to celebrate her birthday. Silly hope, sure, and Pepper should have known better. Maria had been just as dismissive of her own birthday today as she’d been last year when Pepper had approached her with the same offer. And like last year, Pepper intended to let it go.
But then Happy had asked her out.
And then suddenly her entire life seemed way too complicated, to the point where drinking on a Monday night was not only acceptable, but absolutely imperative.
(She could deal with a lot, business-wise, but if you threw in personal life curve balls, that was it. She needed a drink, or nine.)
Fortunately, she was very good at self-control, and the like. She was still telling that to herself a while later, as she poured the last of the wine bottle into her glass.
“No offense, and please don’t tell that to anyone who might take it personally, as in, Iron Man,” she said, placing the empty bottle back on the coffee table. Pepper was sitting on the floor right by it. “But if I could delete all men in the planet for like. What? Four to six hours, I think. That would be enough to give me the peace of mind to solve every single problem that I have.”
She sipped from her glass.
“Some of them should stay deleted permanently, though, obviously. Like, your Hydra ex –” She paused, widening her eyes. “—which, which, of course, is a bad topic, sorry.”
Trials and Tribulations | One-Shot (Sept. 29, 2015)
Pepper didn’t have any problems with public speaking. She was very apt as a debater, the result of a naturally argumentative personality combined with early training starting in her high school years, cemented by a strong business career.
This, however, wasn’t a debate. She had been warned as much, urged to not say more than what was strictly necessary in order to answer the questions. It was a very lawyer-y advice, she supposed, “don’t compromise yourself,” and objectively, she had to acknowledge the necessity of this sort of attitude. She resented the implication that there was anything she could say that could be used against Maria, but protecting her friend’s interests was too important to her, so she was determined not to let her emotions interfere with her judgment. She’d done some yoga first thing in the morning, then she took Socrates for a quick walk around the block, and refused Tony’s very insistent invitation for a ride, because she didn’t want to allow his usual rapid-fire questions to pull her out of her de-stressed zone.
She was a little out of her de-stressed zone by the time she took the stand, but just a little.
She glanced at Maria as she sat down, but then forced herself to focus exclusively on her lawyer, mentally blocking out the audience in the room.
“Ms. Potts, what is your relationship to Maria Hill?”
Easy one.
“We have been friends for a few years.”
“For how long have you known each other, exactly?”
“Maria and I met directly after the incident in 2012.”
“What incident, Ms. Potts? Would you care to be more specific?”
Pepper was at a loss for a moment, she thought she’d been clear, but then it hit her that she’d just called it the “incident.” She had gotten used to referring to it as just that, for Tony’s benefit.
“Of course,” she continued. “The Chitauri Battle in New York.”
Her eyes automatically darted to Tony, who was sitting in the audience, but her attention didn’t stay on him long enough for any significant glances to be exchanged.
Block the room, Pepper.
“And during the time you’ve known her, has Commander Hill ever given you reasons to question her character?”
“No, she has not.”
“Even considering her professional involvement in an intelligence organization?”
Pepper cracked one knuckle. One.
“It was always clear to me that Maria’s job entailed secret-keeping,” she said levelly. “I know her enough to take her discretion as a sign of professional integrity, not as a stain on character.”
“What do you say of the accusation that Commander Hill’s professional integrity might be a result of her loyalty to Hydra?”
“I say that Maria’s professionalism categorically precludes loyalty to Hydra, given the oath she swore to protect the country against organizations of this type.”
“Ms. Potts, you have been the CEO of Stark Industries since May of 2010, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“During the time you’ve known Commander Hill, would you say she has ever behaved so as to suggest she might be interested in influencing your professional decisions?”
“No, she has not. I prefer to keep my personal and professional lives separate.”
Some snickering from the crowd.
Damn it. Please don’t bring up –
“I understand that to this day you share strong personal and professional ties with Anthony Stark. Is that correct?”
She smiled.
Damn it.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Inhale, exhale for three seconds, don’t get worked up over the buzzing of the crowd…
“Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, is a prominent Avenger. Ms. Potts, has it ever seemed to you that Commander Hill might be taking advantage of your connections in order to exert SHIELD or Hydra influence upon the Avengers?”
“No, it has never seemed that way.”
“And you are quite certain of your testimony?”
“Sir, quite frankly,” she cracked another knuckle. “Anyone who might have tried to take advantage of my connection to the Avengers or my position at Stark Industries would have willingly turned themselves in to the authorities in exchange for protection.”
“Protection against what?”
She tilted her head and smiled.
“Protection against me, sir.”
The lawyer blinked at her. She heard Tony’s distinctly entertained, “Oh, shit,” above the sounds of the cameras.
“Thank you, Ms. Potts,” the lawyer continued. “That would be all.”
