| That did not go well |
| Summary: | Pepper drove out to the 'Avengers Mansion' to look at the destruction for herself. While there, Simon Williams (Wonder Man) shows up and reveals to her that he isn't from 'this dimension'. The pair speak, and Pepper assures Simon that Tony will work to bring the Avengers together again. |
| Date: | 2016-06-08 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
Location: Avengers Mansion Parking Area in the Upper East Side
The parking area of the former Avengers Mansion is decimated, cordoned off and guarded by Stark Security guards.
Rainy day in New York City. Thunderstorm warnings are out for the City proper, and the rain has begun to fall. The skies are dark, but that doesn't keep the businesses from doing, well, their business. Even moreso for Stark Industries.
After what could have been a worse, more fitful sleep, Pepper managed to find her way through the Penthouse, and thankfully the clothes that hung in the closet actually -fit- her. Not only did they fit, but they looked nice! Catching up in the morning with the day's events was easier than expected, thanks to JARVIS, who is doing his part in helping the 'new' residents.
It shouldn't be any surprise, then, when a dark sedan pulls up in front of an obviously battle-scarred parking garage, a stylized A marking to whom it may belong. Stepping out, the redhead has an an umbrella, needed only as far as one of the overhangs. She had to see the place for herself, and standing there, she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
"JARVIS?"
"Yes ma'am?" The cool, English-accented artificial awareness sounds every inch a respectful butler. (Perception can be deceiving, however!)
"We're rebuilding this, right?"
~~
890 Fifth Avenue. Right up against Central Park. The Avengers Mansion was a bastion of tourism and a symbol of hope for many people. Right now? It lay in ruins. In the storm and rain, somebody was on patrol. A shining, downright glowing form visible in the air. Though it stopped as it came above the ruins of the Mansion, and it rapidly descended.
Ionic energy crackled away to vanish, revealing the for of Simon Williams. As the rain came down his hair almost automatically became wet, and his sunglasses were dotted with droplets. His jaw was dropped as he stood outside, looking at the wreckage. He didn't even seem to notice Pepper, at the time.
~~
Pepper saw the footage, courtesy of JARVIS. The Quin jet flown in was the culmination of the damage, and there, there it lies in ruins. She looks at it, stares at it as if it'll give some hint to her without speaking, though JARVIS does fill in some information, "Mr Stark has not yet made any plans for it, ma'am. Currently, it is not on any list."
"I suppose he's been busy."
"Yes, ma'am."
The crackle of energy, and the movement of another person that isn't her chauffeur brings Pepper's attention around quickly. "What-?"
~~
Wonder Man took off his sunglasses, so he could look about and survey the damage without raindrops obscuring his vision. He swallowed. His jaw fell open, and he fell down to his knees. He reached out to nothing in particular, but he seemed absolutely stunned.
"Wha- what… what happened?" he asked more to himself than anything else. Then he looked over at Pepper, and she could immediately see his solid red eyes, glowing. But his expression wasn't one of anger. It was of confusion and fear. "Ms. Potts, I- I jus- I-…" He couldn't find the words.
~~
Pepper pauses, her head canting slightly, confusion filling her expression before she remembers the file. (She'd been studying them since she'd gotten up and had her coffee, waiting for Tony to finish his long shower.) At the same time as JARVIS' helpful prompt, she greets him by name, "Mr. Williams," and it comes softly. "You probably shouldn't be here."
*click*click*click*
Pepper approaches slowly and stops in front of him, her head shaking. "It wasn't your fault." It's quiet, nothing to be heard by anyone around but to whom she speaks. "Things just.. apparently happened." Lots of things. Lots of things that even JARVIS is sketchy on.
~~
Wonder Man tilted his head. "Wasn't my fault? When I was here last, everything was fine. We'd repelled another invasion, after Tony sold the place to Luke Cage. But the Tower was rebuilt. And… and…" He seemed lost. "Everything was fine. W-where the hell am I?"
~~
Pepper shakes her head and reaches out to put a hand on Simon's arm. She ducks her head a little to get a good look at his face. She shouldn't be so close, shouldn't be out yet, but here she is.
"There were problems between the Avengers, apparently." Thank you, JARVIS! "The mansion was crashed into." The Artificial Awareness is a little sensitive about this person 'Vision', so information is a bit sparce on the.. person?
But then, there is that million dollar question that she and Tony have been asking themselves. The follow-up, then, is 'What happens now?'
"You're in New York City. Your name is Simon Williams." Pepper chuffs softly and waves a hand towards her chauffeur. (Happy is with Tony, doing the security guard thing.) "Are you okay?"
~~
Wonder Man nodded. "I know. I know I'm in New York." He swallowed. He huffed. Can men made of energy cry? "Is everyone all right? Is anyone hurt? Mr. Cage? Greer? Dr. Pym? Mrs. Cage? Tony?" He would rattle off more names but it wasn't necessary. He got up to his feet, and his barrel chest rose and fell, as he looked at the wreckage, going through a multitude of emotions. "Have you seen Wanda?" he asked her, suddenly. Maximoff did have a tendency to do very cataclysmic things.
~~
Names, names.. they fly by so quickly, but there is one that pings in her memory, one that Tony'd mentioned yesterday. Dr. Pym.
Pepper takes a step back, her eyes glued on Simon. "Tony is fine," she starts slowly. "He's in the labs. I-I don't know about the others yet. I haven't had the opportunity." It's the truth!
Her head cants before she asks, "Wanda?"
"The Scarlet Witch, ma'am."
"Oh.." Pepper doesn't skip a beat, and she tries to remain calm, cool.. particularly in the face of an ionic.. being. "I haven't seen her yet." That's the truth too. "If you're saying that you want a gathering, I don't know if that's the best idea right now." She saw the records. Saw the reels.
~~
Hearing her words, Simon furrowed his brow. "Have you tried contacting them?" he asked. "We need to find them. We need to make sure everyone's all right. Steve! Oh, my God. Is Captain Rogers okay?" He immediately took to the air, hovering about a foot off the ground, seeming ready to go zipping off and looking for him any moment. Or to dig through the rubble, guard robots be damned.
~~
Pepper stares at him for a long moment, her back straightening, and her head rises. Her expression hardens, "Have I? No. That's not my job. My job is to make sure that you all have somewhere to go. To make sure that whatever it is you do has a good spin on it in the press. To make sure that you have food on the table and that Tony has the time to outfit you all to where you need to be. In order to do that, Mr. Williams," here is a bit of red-headed spunk, "Someone has to be sure that the goose that lays the golden egg is still fed."
Captain Rogers? "They're not in that building. So, why don't you calm down and come back with me. I'm sure we can find them."
~~
Really? Of all things, now was when Ms. Potts was going to get uppity with a man who was floating a foot off of the ground? He didn't have a response. He was just stunned at her… well, her attitude. However, now was not the time to contest these sorts of things. So he readily agreed. "I also have some more information. I found Wanda." But he was just asking about her.
Then he dropped the bomb. "Well, I mean. *A* Wanda."
~~
She chuffs a breath, getting herself back under control and continues, "That's Tony's job. And Captain Rogers'." Oh, and she has to tell Tony. On her way home. Brows rise as the announcement is made, "Okay, you found her." Brows rise, "You were just…"
And then the pronouncement. Slowly, Pepper glances back at the sedan before she returns her attention to ionic man. "A Wanda?" There's no disguising the curiosity. "What do you mean 'A Wanda'?"
~~
"That's not all," Simon said as he turned in midair to look down at the redhead with his glowing crimson eyes. "I found 'a' Janet, too. They're from a separate reality. The same reality, together. So that's fortunate for them. But they're not from here. I think… more and more people are here that aren't from 'here.' I know it's difficult to understand. I wish Richards were here. Nobody knows alternate dimensions like he does. But we should go. Should I get in the car?" he asked.
~~
Reed Richards. Another name Tony mentioned. Some of the best minds in the world to be gathered at Stark Towers, and Pepper hasn't yet found one. This is going to be rough.
"Do you know how crazy you sound?" Pepper's tones are soft. "If people start going on about this, the media will pick up on it. That superheroes not from this world, this dimension, I don't know.. whatever.. are here. People will panic."
Pepper turns finally to head towards the waiting sedan. "Yes, please. We're going back to the Tower, if you'd like. If you don't, well.. I would rather you not mention that there are people here that aren't from around here." She's being practical, oh.. and trying really hard to keep it all together.
She is so over her head.
Her tones drop, and she sounds almost pleading by the end. "Please."
~~
"It's… pretty par for the course in some ways. We've had the Guardians of the Galaxy visit. The Silver Surfer. Galactus has tried to eat the Earth how many times now?" Simon asked. Then his brows furrowed, and he lowered himself to the ground to follow after her. Then he ventured a guess.
"I'm not one of the brightest minds, even though I do have a PhD. You're not from here either, are you, Ms. Potts? We need to gather the Avengers and inform them before they do something dangerous. I almost attacked the alternate Wanda, thinking she might be a Skrull impostor, or something." Ah, yes. The Skrulls.
~~
"Yes, but they're not the home grown heroes," retorts Pepper.
*click*click*
Pepper walks back to the car, and the door is held open for her. Turning slowly to face Simon again, the red-head looks startled before she sets her expression again. "If anyone even thinks that Stark Industries is held by people not of this particular reality, what do you think would happen, Mr. Williams?" Her voice is barely above a whisper. "Given that the company is a multi-billion dollar corporation, has government contracts, Tony's been the Director of SHIELD, and we have not only an international reach, but apparently have some capability in terms of space?" She shakes her head, "If you think that building was bad?" She's no Skrull. Not even close. She is 'just Pepper'. But not 'from around here'.
Pepper admits nothing, however, and she waits, "I'll speak to Tony."
~~
"Look, I don't care how much you're in 'cover-your-ass' mode, Pepper!" Simon snapped. "This is *so* much bigger than a corporation. Even one as big as Stark Industries! And last I remember, Tony wasn't the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. after Osborne supplanted him, and…" He followed her to the car. He reached into his jacket, producing a business card and handing it to Pepper. She likely already had his contact information. This was the business card to contact him about… professional acting work? It even had a stylized W on the other side of it. "Look. You talk to Tony. You contact me as *soon* as you can and find anything else important out. You have my info now. I'm going to go *search*," he insisted. "You have a company to watch out for. I have a world to save." And neither of them can really do it alone.
~~
"I -said- had -been-, Mr. Williams." Pepper's back is to the car, and green eyes flicker with that touch of fire. "This is big, I'm very aware of that. And I suggest that if you go talking about this, the media will explode. You'll have riots in the streets. You'll have buildings destroyed and it'll be on your head. Be so kind as to give me a 'heads up' so I can minimize the damage before you do so." She turns around to get into the car, but not before taking the card.
"Tony has a meeting with the President tomorrow, but I'll get your request on his schedule."