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The Real Superhero's the old Corvette called Lola; [Jubilee, Hulkling, Pierce]
Topic Started: Jun 17 2014, 08:18 AM (520 Views)
Kate Bishop
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Quite the Shot
Afternoon, Sunday May 11th, 2014
Location: The Stark Expo, Central Park, NYC




It had been two months since Kate and Ted approached XFI. Two months since the energy weapons knocking around New York's underbelly got a little too hot to handle... Well, maybe not in Teddy's case but only because he was a Hulkling with a bit more heat resistance. Any time she hadn't been working regular beat cop shifts, Kate had been chasing leads as the Archer and April sped past in a blur. She only really remembered the highlights – the times when Madison's robo-dog Ilsa came in handy, when Jubilee managed to make her laugh or when Ted had another weird prospective-in-law story to tell.

She'd snuck into the Stark Expo early. It was free entry but the staff working the official entry points might have picked up on the collapsed electric nightsticks she had stashed against her forearms. She didn't bother to pack the bow since too many of her arrows were likely to set off the vast number of high-tech security measures.

She was dressed in what she convinced herself was an informal version of her vigilante outfit – make-up still racooning her eyes behind mirrored glasses and a curtain of dark hair that hung forward over her face. Kevlar weave pants that looked like black jeans helped dress down the armoured leather jacket. And given that she didn't stand out particularly, she wasted a good portion of the morning doing embarrassingly 'un-superheroey' things like ice skating, riding the ferris wheel, guzzling pretzels and cotton candy or gawping at some of the exhibits. But by lunchtime she'd ground to a halt with one of the Expo maps, trying to work out where the hell the Pierce-Consolidated Mining booth was supposed to be. At least she'd made it to the spot Teddy and Jubes were supposed to come meet her.

As far as Box had been able to tell, the fuel rods in the weapons he'd checked came in a specific kind of magnesium non-oxidising alloy cladding (which he kept calling 'Magnox', that Kate misheard as 'Madrox' and got confused). Pierce-Consolidated was the primary source for that particular kind of magnox. And the CEO was conveniently slated to appear at the Expo so Kate couldn't resist suggesting a little investigation. Up ahead, a massive LED screen was playing highlights from the opening ceremony – Tony Stark laying the charm on thick while flanked by a dozen 'Ironettes'.

“...I am very interested in seeing the Chief Executive Officer of Sage Enterprises and her presentation on Nanoscale Microfabrications. I strongly suggest you check it out as well. But we have some old favourites for you too. Obadiah is here again. Doctor Hall, Doctor Richards, Doctor Richards. Doctor Doo-little.” Tony then pulled at his tie. “Man, All these Doctors maybe I should go back and get my PhD.”

“Wonder if Mr Jeffries has one...” Kate smiled to herself.

Despite everything the tabloids said about him, Kate had always considered Tony a role model. Maybe the Illuminati events had shaken her faith a bit but she was starting to hear bits and bobs about what really happened with that. He was still openly living as a self-styled superhero and he didn't need superpowers (or a PhD) to do it. Although his scary-level IQ probably didn't hurt. The Archer just had uncanny aim and a propensity for stubbornness...
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Jubilation
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Despite going for official investigative business to find out the source of a bunch of high-powered weaponry that had flooded the streets of New York, Jubilation was excited for the Stark Expo. She wasn’t exactly a technology driven person, but she did enjoy gawking at the latest and greatest that companies had to offer, specifically when it came to gaming. She already had just about every next generation gaming console back home. Although she was sure that there wasn’t going to be anything like that on display she was eager to see what else the Expo had to offer. Perhaps she could take stock of the new cell phones and handheld gadgets. Living with a technological genius kind made her a tad bit jaded though. There wasn’t anything at the Expo that Madison couldn’t create, she was certain of that.

“Yea it kind of sucks that you’re stuck in Hong Kong,” she said into her phone. “It would have been nice to have you here. I’ve been my only other living relative that I know about. Huh? Yea of course I’ll pick something up for you, maybe an upgrade or two.” Jubilation laughed at the joke that only she and her aunt Hope understood. Back in the day the older woman lost her legs and had them replaced effectively becoming a cyborg. “Okay mushy. Wǒ yě ài nǐ.” Jubilation hung up as she entered through the front gates of the Expo. With her was a three man crew: two cameramen and a boom mic guy, all following her every move. By this point she was more than used to pretending that neither of them was there as she went about her daily life. The reality show had been doing excellent in the ratings since it first aired and showed no signs of slowing up.

She smiled as she laid eyes on a concession stand that was offering corndogs amongst other fried goodies. She had already eaten pancakes and bacon and breakfast, but that was like… two hours ago, and she was feeling a little hungry again. The benefits of an Asian metabolism is what she liked to say when people asked where she put it all. Jubilation approached the vendor. The guy in the booth looked at her then the cameras.

“What’s going on here?” he asked. “Some kind of documentary?”

“You don’t recognize me?” she asked.

He stared at her blankly and said, “Nope.”

“Jubilation Lee? From M-Town Confidential?”

Still nothing. “I got no idea what that is, but if you want something to eat then hurry up and order. I’ve got other costumers.”

Jubilation had grown used to people staring and pointing at her. Well that had been going on her whole mutant life, but this time it was for good reasons. She was a little bit surprised that the guy didn’t recognize her. Then again he was of the older generation and didn’t really look like the type of man to sit and watch reality shows. No he had more of a monster truck rally kind of vibe. So she ordered up a corndog and went about her merry little way. That little encountered would be edited out later she was sure. By the time she got halfway through the corndog she reached the designated meet up spot where Kate stood. “That Stark guy’s a bit of a looker,” she said with a mouth full of food as she approached. “He could lose the arrogant persona, but I guess that’s what makes him so popular.” Jubilation was more of a Captain America kind of woman. “So how have you been, Kate my mate?”
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Donald Pierce
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The Stark Expo had been a dazzling success so far, drawing people and ideas from near and far to the heart of New York City. Central Park was a vast spectacle in its own right, but the Expo had definitely brought it to new heights, the urban paradise was full, nearly bursting at the seams with people, science and excitement.

For some of the event’s guests it was a more than science and technology, it was about opportunity. Surely numerous presenters were looking for the same and while many were satisfied by simply enjoying what the event had to offer, like a technological carnival. Donald was notorious for having ulterior motives. His company’s booth was modest in comparison to others, serving as more of an information desk than anything else. He had chosen to keep his participation to a minimum, refusing to reduce himself to the work of simpletons. Instead, he preferred to arrive shortly after noon to enjoy a rather elegant lunch located under the veil of a VIP tent.

The champagne flowed freely throughout the lunch hour and into the early afternoon. Intentionally he found himself surrounded by some of the most influential humans that NYC had to offer. He exchanged jokes with the mayor of the city over a healthy portion of veal. After, he received an invite to golf with some rather prominent bankers and then he weaseled his way into yet another conversation. He was greeted warmly by the true heroes and villains of our society, the men and women who forged the laws were always for sale, always willing to strike a deal.

Donald was a profit driven industrialist, like his father before him. He was no genius, no selfless philanthropist out to make the world a better place. He actively and at times, ruthlessly, pursued profit and the power that came with such unlimited financial resources. Pierce consolidated mining was a key player in the extraction and processing of petroleum products, holding contracts across the globe with many sister companies working underneath the centralized banner of Donald’s company.

Recently, with oil prices at an all-time high, he had chosen to expand his companies interests into rare minerals, elements, compounds, anything that would surely be worth the trouble in the long run to collect and stockpile. Clean energy seemed pointless to him, he only wished to monopolize the his hold on this earth and if he had to bleed it dry to do so, he would still be able to sleep at night. In the middle of a discussion about the construction of pipelines through a national park, his pocket started to vibrate and momentarily he appeared annoyed by the phone call. Turning away from his peers, he answered the phone and muttered a single world into the mobile device.

“Speak.”

“Sir. Your two o’clock is here.” On the other end of the line was Angelo Macon. He was a large man, one of his more recent, personal hires. For the expo, he had signed the man in as a project manager, but he was little more than hired muscle. A man of little convictions and a spotty moral code, he was the ideal employee for a man who believed himself above the law. Money and power had such wonderful aspects of entitlement attached to them.

Standing in a swift, fluid motion he pushed in his chair after rising to his feet. “Ladies, gentlemen, I`m afraid I must bid you adieu.” Leaving the tent, he pulled a pair of dark Ray-bans over his eyes and lit a Cuban cigar without a single worry. Striding off confidently in a beautifully tailored suit, he puffed on the cigar lazily and moved through the crowd without much of a problem.

He greeted the two, rather attractive, young women working his booth, passing out business cards and pamphlets to passer-byers with bright smiles on their faces. Politely he offered his hand to the two men standing with Macon, one of them holding a leather briefcase which they passed off almost immediately to Pierce who accepted it graciously. The contents were cash and a lot of it, but he wasn’t foolish enough to open it. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet, conference calls can only accomplish so much but I can guarantee you will not be disappointed.”

Hands were shaken and small talk was exchanged quickly and efficiently, he passed off a set of keys to Angelo and assured the other two men that they would be taken care off. “My penthouse overlooks the park, my associate here will escort you to where your package awaits. Please help yourself to the top shelf.” He added with a nod and turned to his female employees working the booth as the three men departed.

“Marcy, be a dear and put this somewhere safe.” Such illegal dealings had to be done with the upmost discretion to achieve success. He passed off the case in good faith, he paid them well enough and neither of them were clever enough to attempt to steal, at least successfully.
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Ted Kaplan-Altman
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Mutant Skrull Physiology
A new talent he was now required to add to Kate's already impressive resume, Ted decided as he approached their rondezvous point, was the ability to make body armor look both casual and stylish. Of course, it helped that this was Stark Expo, and while it was primarily a technology trade show it nevertheless certainly demonstrated the trademark showmanship of its eponymous founder... which attracted the sorts of technology geeks Ted was accustomed to running into at science-fiction conventions.

Which in turn meant that Kate was not the only person here engaging in some version of cosplay. He'd even indulged a bit, himself, earlier in the Expo... he and Billy had discussed reprising their Bill and Ted costumes from Arisia, but had ultimately decided to go for something new. Or, well, in Ted's case that had actually been something old; he'd entertained himself the previous day by dressing up as himself with green body paint. Of course, he could have just changed his own skin color, but that felt like work... he was getting better at shapeshifting as the months went by, but it still wasn't nearly as natural as it seemed for guys like Charcoal.

Today, on the other hand, he was just dressed in civvies... well, except for the unstable-molecule trunks he was wearing underneath his jeans, but if all went according to plan nobody was going to see those here. He'd learned the hard way not to count on it, though: emergencies had a way of popping up, and while he was more or less OK with ruining a set of clothes when he transitioned, he did not intend to end up streaking again on national television. Especially not when Jubes was joining them as well, her camera crew in place... that was just tempting fate.

“That Stark guy’s a bit of a looker. He could lose the arrogant persona, but I guess that’s what makes him so popular.”

"Not really my type," Ted interjected as he joined the pair, "but if it let me play with some of those tech-toys of his, I could be convinced. Just kidding, Billy," he added to Jubes' cameras with a chuckle. "Which reminds me, Jubes, your camera crew is not invited to the wedding. So what's news?"
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Kate Bishop
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Quite the Shot
Kate smiled at the aside Ted made to Jubilee's media entourage. “I gotta go with Altman on that.” She said quietly to Jubilee, half hiding behind the other girl to keep her face off the cameras. “Tech-toy playtime would maybe get that guy places dinner and a movie wouldn't.”

“Which reminds me, Jubes,” Ted said, turning back to them, “Your camera crew is not invited to the wedding.”

“Think of the broadcast rights though. You're gonna end up with half the Defenders there aren't you? Ka-ching!” For a moment Kate idly wondered if she was invited. Up until about a year ago she'd struggled to maintain anything that passed for non-familial friendship (unless the old ladies in her tai chi group counted). Honestly, she wasn't sure what to expect from those whose lives she'd randomly tumbled into during all the Illumanti weirdness...

“So how have you been, Kate my mate?”

She found being called mate ssuprisingly appealing, something Chamber already did occasionally too. Keeping the whole secret identity thing secret had fallen by the wayside sometime in April when she got sick of having to monitor what she said around Madison and Jubilee. Honestly, how did guys like Spider-Man not go crazy? Or have any semblance of a social life? The Kate of one year ago would no doubt be scowling deeply at how she was carrying on; and the shadow of vigilante casualties like Daredevil and Black Dart still loomed in the back of her head. But days like this she couldn't find it in herself to give much of a damn.

“Good, thanks. I slept a full night then did a surprising number of normal things this morning, like a real person who doesn't live at work and everything.” Right after I snuck into the Expo over a fence because of the weapons I decided to bring with me. But the 'M-Town Confidential' guys didn't need to know that. She'd even stopped by to give her daughterly seal of approval the Bishop Publishing booth on the far side of the park – her dad's brightest and best were showing off the fruits of their digital content partnership with International Infonet Inc. Thankfully they didn't recognise Kate on sight and stop to bother with her. “Hope you guys got the chance to have a nose around already. It's geek heaven.” She could already picture the montage of Jubes visiting the various attractions. Probably not even Tony Stark could buy that kind of publicity.

“So what's news?” Ted asked.

“Other than Stark putting some guy called Phil's mid-life crisis Chevy centre stage?” Kate smiled and pointed to the widescreen displays above them. “Well, update number one, I think these Expo maps are deliberately designed so you win a prize if you can actually navigate with one while walking.” She tried to show Ted and Jubilee the fold-out map she'd picked up from one of the holographic 'information centres', but even that was an awkward gesture and the archer just ended up scowling and rustling it angrily in an attempt to get it to sit flat. At least they managed to pick out the tiny lot that Pierce-Consolidated was sitting on. It wasn't too far.

“I know there's an app that plugs into google maps, but I kinda wanted to keep my phone for... other stuff.” She censored herself awkwardly, eyes drifting up to the boom mic hanging a little way behind Jubilee's head, unsure if her deliberately-quiet voice would carry that far. Her phone was busy emitting a low-grade jamming signal to interfere with anything that got within a yard or two of her. Apparently jamming wireless LAN (of the kind MTV's digital recording crew were using for field trips) and bluetooth bands was easy enough. Kate's phone had been given all the extra bells and whistles like GPS tracking and the option to block cellphone calls. Right on cue, the guy with the handheld camera started muttering about a problem and asked Jubilee to hang ten while they checked the equipment.

“Can we maybe ditch them?” Kate asked the young detective hopefully. “Just until we're done checking out this mining firm's PR?”

They headed through row after row of technological wonders, Kate's attention occasionally getting tugged to the left or right by interesting looking gadget demos. She might not have been competent to assemble or effectively repair such high-end gear but she was by all odds one of New York's most avid consumers of it. A gap in the bustling crowds eventually gave way to show two overly-friendly women working the Pierce-Consolidated booth. Next to it were three men who seemed too dour to be working and were seemingly waiting for something. Kate was about to launch herself over the last dozen yards when the sight of Donald Pierce himself froze her in place.

Politely he offered his hand to the two men standing with Macon, one of them holding a leather briefcase which they passed off almost immediately to Pierce who accepted it graciously. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet, conference calls can only accomplish so much but I can guarantee you will not be disappointed.”

“Isn't that him?” She hissed, turning away in an attempt not to gawk, until the booth was only in her peripheral vision. “Like, the CEO?!” Pierce looked like the kind of well-tailored corporate shark her father spent his life swimming with. And whatever was being discussed, the exchange was decidedly dodgy-looking. At that point Kate made a snap-judgement. “Is it me or did that just scream 'bribe money'? If they're dipping a toe in the weapons market, it's on that guy's watch.” She was convinced Pierce was fully complicit if not the instigator. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through various browser tabs trying to identify Macon.
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Jubilation
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One of cameramen, Todd was his name, sighed and lowered the camera from his shoulder. “Come on guys haven’t you seen the show before? No addressing the camera directly.” He shook his head. “This isn’t Ghostbusters or some other lamo ‘reality’ show.”

Jubilation knew that there was going to be a lot of editing done later. Most of the footage probably was unusable, and honestly that didn’t bother her one bit. Kate and Teddy weren’t regulars on the show, didn’t have a camera crew following them around every hour of the day, so it was understandable that they wouldn’t be able to ignore the crew as easily as she could. In a hushed tone she leaned in and said, “A little uptight this one is.” She thumbed in the direction of Todd. Back to matters at hand, Jubilation looked to the map that Kate had brought out so they could navigate through the park. She’d been to Central Park plenty of times since first coming to the city so many years ago, but the Stark Expo was indeed kind of difficult to navigate. Navigation was never a strongpoint for her anyway unless it was in an arcade.

“There really is an app for everything,” she said. “Well almost everything. I’m still waiting on the app that gives me instant pizza. Now that would be all kinds of awesome.” While she started to drift off into the world of “what could be”, the other camera guy started to complain about his equipment. Calling the other two crewmen over they tried to figure out what was going on with their stuff. This was the first time anything like that had happened, well the first time when they weren’t close to the brownstone where Madison was. While they were distracted, Kate came up with an idea. Jubilation looked at the crew then back to her friends. She never really avoided the cameras, not nearly as much as some others on the team. But she could see how having a crew tag along could be potentially disastrous for an operation like this. “They’re going to be pretty PO’d later, buuuut…”

Jubilation was piggybacking Teddy as the trio strolled through the park, taking in the wonder of it all. She could walk just fun, but it was more fun to be on the back of a six foot plus guy to get a better view over the crowd. The short person life was a hard life. She could imagine how Logan felt on a daily basis which was quite easy since she was only about an inch or two taller. Jubilation squinted when Kate pointed out the possible man of the hour at the booth they had been heading toward. “If my memory is right then yea that’s the guy.” She watched for a moment longer. “Hmph. What is it with shady business and briefcases? I never understood that one.” To the average citizen not on an investigation, seeing a guy carrying a briefcase at the Stark Expo was as normal a sight as any. “I mean like, wouldn’t a backpack or manpurse be less conspicuous?”
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Donald Pierce
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He was all smiles and pleasantries up until Macon and the other two men moved away from the booth, once their backs were turned his face dropped to a muted expression. They actually passed the group mere yards away without a care and eventually got lost in the crowd. A town car waited for them outside of the park, outside of the Expo’s perimeter, it would take them to their destination in style, that much should be expected. After passing off the rather exquisite, leather case Donald took a moment to harmlessly flirt with the two women working his booth. With his back turned, he revealed a small flask and took a quick swig before returning it to his breast pocket, the two girls politely refused the pick me up. He had no intention of taking it anywhere past flirtation, but regardless they worked for him, they really had no choice but to put up with his misogynistic antics.

In truth, he was simply wasting time before he scurried back to the luxuries of a VIP tent, maybe he would hit up the Manhattan night life later on in the evening. Only time would tell. He was waiting for the call, the call that would confirm that the deal was complete and that he was free to enjoy the rest of the day leisurely. Arrogant he was, but not to the extent to jeopardize his own interests, after all the expo was busy, people were over stimulated, and sometimes the best place to break the law was in broad daylight.

People, especially the authorities, didn’t expect one to have such balls.
But he did.

The deal was simple. The fiscal exchange had taken place at the expo to minimalize risk, getting caught with a large amount of cash would be relatively easy for Donald to weasel out of. He dealt with few directly and left the real risky business to his underlings. Would you believe he had gotten his hands on weapon’s grade plutonium? It was a rare thing to come across in the west, especially from a civilian. Sure, the government had access to such things, but to buy such a power source unusually meant lowering your survival rate by dropping into the under belly of society. Maybe finance a terrorist cell, get fooled into buying some bunk product and that simply would not do.

The human race was notorious for they devotion to convenience and he was simply preying on the fact, at least from his point of view. He was offering a rather delicate service to those able to pay. Did he ever question where the money came from? No. Was he concerned with where such dangerous materials would end up? Not in the slightest.

And the plutonium? It was only the tip of the iceberg, while it was the gem of his current hoard, there were other markets he had blissfully dipped his toes into. Contained and secure in a safe in his Manhattan penthouse, the package was simply waiting to be picked up and officially exchanged. One didn’t make history by following the rules, seizing the moment or opportunity at hand was crucial to success and this ordeal was no different.

Pierce straightened his tie in apprehension, he had never been known for a high degree of patience.
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Ted Kaplan-Altman
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Mutant Skrull Physiology
“Think of the broadcast rights though. You're gonna end up with half the Defenders there aren't you? Ka-ching!”

"Swear to God, K, I would rather rob a bank," he replied feelingly, then added "Kidding, again," to the cameras, ignoring Todd's complaint. "I mean, yeah, it'll probably be a zoo anyway... though not as literally as Pietro and Avery's wedding was," he added with a private smile, remembering the presence of the New Men. They'd taken some getting used to at first, but for the most part had turned out to be pretty decent folks. "But I draw the line at making it a media circus. We already had the devil's own time finding a venue, what with half the world terrified of having that many mutants in one place," he explained, "adding cameras would just make it ten times worse. I don't know what would worry me more, a Brotherhood attack or Westboro Baptist deciding to protest."

Not that he blamed the venues. Most insurance companies were refusing to pay out for the damages caused by the Illuminati, arguing that use of the Phoenix Force constituted a reasonable approximation of "an act of God" for which they faced only limited liability. They would probably lose most of those cases, eventually, but a lot of the businesses and families affected by the disasters couldn't hold out that long. Many of them had already folded, and, well, destitute clients couldn't afford lawyers. Though as Ted understood it, much of the legal work was being managed as a class-action suit, which hopefully meant that when the decision came down they'd at least be partially compensated for their losses.

Well, the financial ones, anyway. It wasn't quite so easy to compensate people for lost lives, but that was an entirely different conversation... and not one he intended to have now.

He laughed as Kate demonstrated her fold-out map, and reached into his jacket to demonstrate the map-app he'd downloaded, but she went on to explain that her phone was reserved for other purposes. "You could just get two phones," he observed blandly, taking no official notice of what that 'other stuff' might be, or whether it had anything to do with convenient equipment failures. "I have three, myself... one for SHIELD stuff, one for personal friends, and one with a published number that I don't actually carry with me. None of them deliver pizza, though," he added to Jubes. "Maybe there's somebody here working on that."

He thankfully joined the pair in ditching the cameras, patiently tolerating Jubes perched on his shoulders like a five-year-old at a parade, checking out displays for a while, until his attention was distracted by a call. "Sorry, I have to take this," he explained, gently lowering his passenger to the ground and handling the call as quickly as he could, and rejoining the others in time to hear Kate talking about bribe money.

"I missed it," he admitted, "but I wouldn't be at all surprised." There were things he wasn't supposed to talk about, ongoing investigations and the like, but certainly Pierce was not a stranger to criminal activity.
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Kate Bishop
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Quite the Shot
[size0][sorry for the hold up folks!]

“I missed it,” Hulkling admitted as he came back from a phone call, “but I wouldn't be at all surprised.”

“So which of your three phones called you this time?” Kate asked, very briefly diverting the conversation. She knew Ted and Billy had been struggling to find a wedding venue so it wouldn't have surprised her if the call had been from his fiancé fretting over yet another place that had politely declined a deposit. She really wanted to offer any help she could, even if it meant using her privilege as a rich white human woman and a fake name like “Billie” to suckerpunch somewhere into taking the damn booking.

“Hmph. What is it with shady business and briefcases? I never understood that one. I mean like, wouldn’t a backpack or manpurse be less conspicuous?”

“I know right.” she smiled at Jubes. “But how many rolls of blood money do you think someone could really cram into a fanny pack?”

Her attention turned back to the mining corporation's booth. The longer she watched the CEO hassling the two PR girls the more angry she felt herself getting. Anger wasn't really an emotion she'd expected to be dealing with on what was supposed to be more of an investigation...

There was something about corporate crooks that crawled under Kate's skin. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that she herself was a corporate heiress to one of the biggest publishing companies on the planet. She trusted her father not to go swimming in the same kind of murky waters as sharks like Donald Pierce... but there was never any way for her to be completely, one-hundred percent sure about how he did business. She knew Derek had even been wooed by the Hellfire Club at one point, knew he'd actually considered it for the networking opportunities... Right up until he found out someone among the New York Club's higher ranks had their eyes on Kate and her sister Susan as potential 'pawns', recruit-able through their father. She had a vague notion from a meeting with one Joshua Guthrie what kind of antics were expected from pawns and she couldn't think of anything worse. Perhaps that was why Pierce and his ilk got to her so badly. They thought themselves above all laws - never mind NYPD and street level vigilantes, but common laws of human decency it seemed.

She felt oddly twitchy, the kind of early fight, flight or freeze response symptoms she got while running around Hell's Kitchen and Mutant Town as the Archer. Just then Jubilee's MTV crew came bumbling back over, the unit leader crowing about finally finding them and reeling off a list of 'contractual obligations' the mutant detective apparently had. Meanwhile Todd the cameraman started to mutter something about the equipment 'going screwy again' as they got nearer the Archer's jamming signal.

Then Kate had an idea. At work, the young officer was notorious for acting on kneejerk reactions. Sometimes it worked in her favour. And the vigilantism had taught her to trust her instincts more often than not. But when she was accountable to more than just her own conscience it often led to her getting angry emails from Captain DeWolff that involved lots of TEXT IN CAPS LOCK and lines of question/exclamation marks.

Kate swiped a few screens on her phone, moving on from trying to identify Macon and switched off the jamming signal interfering with the cameras. “Guys...” She said to Teddy and Jubes quietly. “I'm about to do something kind've stupid and I just want to apologise in advance...”

And then she strode towards the booth.

As she moved, she pulled a sample of Magnox metal from her coat pocket, unwrapping it from a container of lead foil. It was a left over chunk from the mechanical autopsy Madison had carried out on one of the weapons they'd recovered. “Mr Pierce?” She called to get both the mogul's attention and the focus of the cameramen following Jubilee's travails.

“Donald Pierce, as in CEO of Pierce-Consolidated Mining. You recently took on several subsidiary companies who specialise in the mining, refining and manufacturing process involved in making Magnox alloy.” She dumped the thick slice of metal on the booth counter.

“Yeah, that's maybe a bit radioactive. I wouldn't advise touching it.” She said to the two girls who both squeaked and recoiled back behind their employer. “This stuff is supposed to be used in cladding for plutonium fuel rods. Only no one legitimately in the nuclear business seems to be buying from you. So where, one might wonder, is all this stuff you churned out going? And how did anyone outside the industry come to be able to dump a chunk back on your proverbial doorstep? Well, maybe you're looking to move into the energy generation business and just stockpiling... but funnily enough this exact alloy happens to have already turned up in a whole raft of illegal weapons used to fuel organized crime and kill New York citizens last year. Humans. Mutants. Civilians. Cops. Colleagues of mine.”

She glanced back at the M-Town Confidential cameras then back to Pierce. “Any comment?”
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Jubilation
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Jubilation hadn’t expected the camera crew to catch back up with the three of them, so when they did she felt a little anxious. She knew that ditching them wasn’t the wisest idea, but it made getting closer to Pierce’s booth somewhat easier. Without them being followed, the trio looked like any other group that had come to enjoy the wonders of the Stark Expo. By now she should be used to people from the crew yelling their heads off given the number of times someone did something to break the illusion of reality television, but Granger’s spouting made her avert her eyes… for a second. “Cool your friggin jets, man!” she said. “There’s no need to be getting loud. The guys just needed a little space is all. It won’t happen again, trust me. Okay? Okay then.”

While the two of them got things settled between them, Kate had come up with a plan, one that by her statement wasn’t quite what they were expecting. Jubilation looked to the dark haired woman. “Kaaaate…” Back with her teammates Jubilation was the one that was used to pulling something stupid. It was enlightening to be on the other end. She looked to Teddy then the camera crew before taking off after Kate as she headed toward Pierce and his booth.

“Well there goes the stealth element,” she mumbled. Instead of investigating like normal investigators Kate decided to go for the direct approach. Honestly it didn’t bother Jubilation all that much, and it would probably make for an entertaining segment later, something different for the audience. She stood next to Kate as she confronted the rich sack of crap in a suit. “I didn’t even know you had that on you,” she said as the chunk was dropped for all to see. She didn’t know how Pierce was going to respond, but one thing was for certain: his butt was screwed. She had him on the ropes. “No weaseling out of this.” There was no escaping the evidence. Although a man confident enough to make dealings in the open probably had a couple of tricks up his sleeve.
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Donald Pierce
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As he maneuvered the knot of his silk tie, straightening it to perfection, he pivoted on his heels, allowing his eye to catch the sight of boom mic towering over the heads of the crowd. The expo was important for many aspects of business, to be seen was something, to be heard could have monumental effects. He turned his back to them for some final, last minute preening and composed a rather, nonthreatening demeanor. Given the circumstance, he didn’t really want to be bothered, but he could fake the exact opposite if he had to, appearances were of the upmost importance. “How do I look?” He asked the two PR girls, both smiling bright and nodding in response.

“Like a million bucks.” One cooed, satisfied with her biased opinion and her turned away just as he was addressed by name. He focused right in on the woman who spoke to him, glancing as a small group stood out from the crowd. Three young people, and a camera crew, he passed judgment immediately and deciphered their intentions on a whim, they looked like trouble.

“How can I be of assistance, Miss?” They looked like activists, he hated hippies and tree huggers the most, they were ignorant to how the world truly worked, and he found it nauseating. Why people who chose to stand in the way of progress would attend such an event bewildered him, but surely he would find out soon.

And then it started. They knew him, exceptionally well in the manor of his corporate identity and that was slightly alarming.

Who were they and what did they want?

“What are you insinuating?” He snapped back, obviously he wasn’t interested in answering any questions. “Are you with Greenpeace?” His eyes momentarily narrowed, they fit the grade, bold and ill-mannered, lacking any defining qualities such as apparent wealth or style. Opening his mouth to speak with full intent to defend himself, he was cut off and he smiled, it never faltered actually and while the woman went on her tirade, he turned his attention to the camera, lifting a hand to momentarily block his face from view.

“If I see my face on television or reproduced in anyway, I will sue.” Dropping his hand, he smiled right into the camera. “To clarify, that is not a threat that is a promise.”

When the Magnox was dropped on the counter of the booth, it landed with a dense thud, causing his two employees to leap behind him for cover, and he craned his neck slightly away but he didn’t budge from where he stood. They definitely had his attention now, activists they were not, where they had acquired the piece of scrap alloy was certainly a mystery. His smile grew and he brushed off the radioactivity of the alloy before him, and offered his beauties a few words of reinforcement. “Don’t worry dears; it’s no more harmful than this slanderous outburst.”

He eyed the group suspiciously, “I’m familiar with the alloy, it is good business to be informed.” Not the best thing to admit, but there wasn’t much point in denying its existence either, denying such a fact as the alloy’s name and nature would be just as incriminating as admitting ownership. Instead he rolled his eyes at the display of such dramatics.

Pierce cleared his throat, trying to mask his annoyance with a guise of poise and morality. “I applaud your efforts, but who are you to approach me in such a manner?” The volume of his voice rose ever so slightly. His gaze was sharp and relentless, he didn’t even blink, his face appeared automated and controlled.
He glanced briefly into the camera lens before fixating his focus on the woman with all the questions, and her tiny, lippy Asian counterpart. He could play this game, lie on a whim and do it with a perfect poker face. Taking a second, as if he was offended by such an accusation, appearing to compose himself and after, he continued on. “I am man whose vision is as infinite and generous as my resources, but I am only one man. It is as impossible as it is impractical to personally oversee all of my holdings.

I employ people from all walks of life, across the globe and if I happen to have a couple bad apples, among my devoted employees, I will be the one to personally weed them out.” He nodded swiftly, with false intentions and a mask of determination laid on his face, whether anyone could see through it was yet to be seen.

A crowd had gathered by now, simpletons looking for a chance for their ‘big break’ or perhaps just curious to the situation as it began to unfold. “New York has been scourged by forces that humanity cannot entirely understand or predict, but this city and its populace remain very dear to me, I’ve aided in two of the major reconstruction projects over the last several years, out of my own pocket if I may add. Do you think I enjoy wasting my money as much as you people like wasting my time?” He could bait them just as easily as they had done to him, as far as he concerned the cameras could work for his benefit as well.

For a moment he wondered how long they had been watching him, he was a paranoid sort and his mind began to spin out scenarios faster than he could rightfully process them. Who were these people, where had they acquired his product and what did they intend to do about it?

And then, just to give him one more thing to stress about, the phone tucked away in a pocket began to ring.

Surely, it was the call he had been waiting for.
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Ted Kaplan-Altman
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Mutant Skrull Physiology
“So which of your three phones called you this time?”

"Florist," Ted lied. "There was a problem with the supplier she'd lined up, some kind of fungus or something, I dunno... Avery's the plant expert in the family, my green thumb is entirely literal... so she needed authorization to switch suppliers." He shrugged indifferently, much as he would have if any of that had actually been true. In reality it had been from a SHIELD communications hub: one of the notification triggers he'd set up relating to a mutant terrorist he was assigned to track down had been automatically flagged by recent activity in Toronto, but the details made it almost certain to be a false positive. Most such alerts were, but the exceptions could be pure gold.

"Honestly, I didn't know who our old supplier even was in the first place, so it makes no difference to me... and I'm betting Billy won't care either." When he'd first started with SHIELD, he'd felt really weird having to lie like this to his friends, family, even Billy. By now it was just routine, and he was getting pretty good at it. There wasn't anything especially sensitive about this case, it was just procedure, and honestly it was as much for their sake as anything else: if he had told them the truth about the call, he'd have to report the contact, and they might be investigated as part of a routine audit, and given Kate's complicated double-life that would not end well... though honestly, he doubted SHIELD was entirely unaware of the Archer's true identity.

There wasn't much SHIELD was entirely unaware of, he'd come to realize, though its right hand was so accustomed to not knowing what its left hand was doing it frequently seemed to belong to an entirely different species, one with seven tentacles and one oversized claw.

"Besides," he continued, now that he'd brought the subject up, "it's looking more and more likely that we're going to do this in Central Park, so it's not like there's going to be a shortage of decorative plantlife... even if Wanda's little red-petalled friends don't come along." He shrugged a little helplessly and added honestly "Which they might." He wouldn't even mind, really. He'd admittedly been deeply freaked out by the ambulatory roses when he first arrived at the Institute, but by the time he'd graduated he'd become so accustomed to them that he'd mourned when he'd seen their corpses after the explosion, and cheered like a fool when it turned out some of them had survived it. If they wanted to come to the wedding, that was fine with him. They'd be lucky if that were the tenth-weirdest thing that happened.

And he was blabbering on about wedding plans again. He couldn't help it, he was incredibly excited about it all. But there were other things competing for his attention here, primarily involving Pierce and this investigation he'd joined in on, and his attention was brought fully back to the here and now by Kate's terrifying utterance:

“I'm about to do something kind of stupid and I just want to apologise in advance...”

"Wait, is that --" Ted began, appalled, as she unwrapped what he was certain was a chunk of that radioactive material Jeffreys had found. With anyone else he would wonder how she'd gotten it past security, but with Kate he'd learned better than to even ask. She dropped it on the counter like something out of Perry Mason and went in for the kill, and it was only then that Ted realized the cameras were working again.

So much for quietly investigating, he thought, and nodded agreement as Jubes echoed the same thought.

Pierce was taken aback, that much was obvious; he shielded his face and threatened the crew like a New Jersey mobster. But he recovered his polished urbanity quickly. He overplayed his hand a little at the end, though, and Ted decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

"Perhaps you should make up your mind, Mr. Pierce. Is your company's illegal trafficking in controlled weapons-grade radioactive materials the work of 'a couple of bad apples' you'll personally weed out now that it's been brought to your attention? Or is it a waste of your time you could care less about?" He shrugged ostentatiously, a big gesture that would play well on camera.

He wished he'd thought to adopt a different face for this job, but he really hadn't anticipated being captured on national television upbraiding a CEO. He had no doubt his SHIELD supervisors would be receiving all kinds of nuisance legal complaints after this, maybe even a lawsuit; it wouldn't amount to anything, but he'd get called in on the carpet for it just the same. He'd worry about that later. For now, Kate needed backup, and he didn't intend to leave her hanging.

"Of course, anyone who sees this video can tell pretty easily which one it is," he continued, "but if your earlier... 'promises'... succeed in keeping those recordings off the air you might still be able to convince the viewing public otherwise. In which case the Senators whose support you... 'encourage'... might be able to keep supporting you without having to resign."
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Kate Bishop
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Quite the Shot
The Archer could feel Jubilee's guarded “Kaaaate…” like a palpable weight on her back, as much as she heard it. But it wasn't enough to stop her giving Pierce a totally unsolicited piece of her mind.

“What are you insinuating?” He snapped.

“I don't think I need to insinuate anything. Facts are facts.” She shrugged with a dour expression.

“Are you with Greenpeace?”

“Oh, you wish I was just an eco-warrior...” Kate started but trailed off as the mogul turned on Jubilee's camera crew with a snarled threat of a lawsuit. Clearly that was the greatest of his concerns. Dumping the Magnox sample on the table got his attention back.

“I didn’t even know you had that on you.” Jubilee said, staring at the chunk of vaguely radioactive metal.

“Yeah, to be fair I don't think Box knows I've still got it either...” Kate turned and admitted in a whisper. “It's not like it's really dangerous though. At least I don't think it is...”

“I’m familiar with the alloy, it is good business to be informed.” Pierce cleared his throat, trying to mask his annoyance with a guise of poise and morality.

“No weaseling out of this.” Jubes then piped up and Kate turned to give the plucky little detective a grateful smile. She and Ted had every right to drag her away from the booth and give her a thorough telling off, but thankfully they hadn't. Yet.

“I applaud your efforts, but who are you to approach me in such a manner?”

Kate's nostrils flared involuntarily as she struggled to keep her cool when faced with Donald's imperious glare. Which was probably exactly what he was aiming for. She'd gotten far too used to solving problems with one or two well-aimed hits. But that only worked in the realm of literal archery. With verbal sparring the perceived 'bad guy' could apparently dodge anything thrown at him with a litany of threats and platitudes. There was a reason no one from the Bishop family had ever gone into politics. And it was a sobering lesson. “We... I... it doesn't matter who we are, we're not the ones fuelling mutant-killing machines!” She all but stammered. “You're the one who owes this city some answers!”

“I am man whose vision is as infinite and generous as my resources, but I am only one man. It is as impossible as it is impractical to personally oversee all of my holdings...”

She honestly wasn't sure how to respond to the fountain of contempt erupting from Pierce in greater volume than even she could manage. She sagged with relief when Ted chipped in. It felt like the cavalry arriving. It was bad of her to drop a bunch of 'pro-bono' investigative findings in front of cameras while Ted still looked like Ted, she knew that. She just hadn't been able to stop herself. She made a silent inward promise to herself that she'd make it up to him later somehow. Smuggle him and Billy into the VIP area at the next comic-con Bishop Publishing attended or something...

“Perhaps you should make up your mind, Mr. Pierce. Is your company's illegal trafficking in controlled weapons-grade radioactive materials the work of 'a couple of bad apples' you'll personally weed out now that it's been brought to your attention? Or is it a waste of your time you could care less about?” He shrugged ostentatiously, a big gesture that would play well on camera.

Kate almost laughed at that. Around them, a crowd was starting to gather as more and more passers-by noticed the film crew. Some were genuinely curious about the heated back-and-forth going on, a few people directed camera phones up towards Jubilation in recognition, or pointed at the MTV logo many of the crews t-shirts bore. And clearly some thought it was a chance to poke their face into shot and wave to their friends on the Stark 'jumbotron' – mistaking the crew for part of the Expo goings-on.

As Ted concluded his argument Kate had to resist the urge to clap. It felt like Pierce had potentially painted himself into a corner. Jubilee's presence was attracting attention from dozens of passing amateur YouTubers – even if MTV's footage got buried there was likely no suppressing all the witness video uploads bound to occur. And if they could get enough dirt to stick to Pierce out in the public domain, then maybe NYPD or even SHIELD would take the investigation into those energy weapons seriously. Kate's eyes lit with a glimmer of hope but before anyone else could speak, Pierce became thoroughly distracted by a call on his cell phone.

“Seriously?” Kate gawped in utter disbelief. “I mean, I've seen some stereotypical yuppies around but... Seriously?!”

“Is there a problem here?” an utterly cool and collected voice interjected.

Kate turned to find herself facing a tall, middle-aged man in an immaculate business suit who looked at her with kind blue eyes and a subtle smile.

“Are you with him?” Kate gestured with her thumb towards the CEO taking a phone call that apparently just couldn't wait.

“No. Technically I'm with the 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Stark insisted on showing off.” Kate got the distinct impression that was some sort of in-joke she just wasn't getting. “Altman, isn't it?” He turned to Ted, holding his hand out for a shake. “Aaaand Jubilation Lee from that M-Town show. Or rather from XFI I should say. I'm afraid I don't know you though...” He directed at the Archer.

It was a prompt to introduce herself but Kate pointedly ignored it, focusing on the 'access all areas' Expo pass hanging from a lanyard around his neck. “You don't know me.” She confirmed. “Are you part of the Expo security?” People recognising Jubes was normal. But Ted?

“Something like that.” He said, completely unruffled. “For the sake of not giving Mr Pierce any more fuel for a slander case, I'd suggest taking up any further grievances with his company's PR team.” He had an uncanny way of making a calm suggestion sound a lot like a direct order. Kate's gut told her not to argue with him. And besides, there was only so much she could take of hanging around so many people holding camera-phones up at them.

“Fine.” She glared at Pierce as she snatched the metallic sample back off the booth table, much to the relief of his two little cheerleaders. And with that she backed off, mumbling further apologies to Ted and Jubes, hoping that perhaps the damage to Donald's rep was done.
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Jubilation
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Oh my gosh I hate your face so much right now. I want to punch that stupid smug little grin right off it. Those were the thoughts running through Jubilation’s head as Pierce spoke. He sounded like the kind of guy that would do well in politics which sounded absolutely terrible. Politics shouldn’t be about lying through one’s teeth and developing ways to talk out of any situation, but that’s what it was all about it seemed. The man was too intelligent to say anything on camera that would incriminate him or the people he directly worked with. She didn’t have too much experience dealing with guys in his type of position. Those kinds of cases she left up to people like Jamie and Alix. Her investigative talents were better suited for the street-level stuff. It was usually much less of a headache.

Pierce brought up the fact that he used his own money to fund reconstruction projects after disasters wrecked the city. Yea, like that was going to convince her that he was some kind of good guy. “Sooo convincing,” she said in an overly sarcastic tone. The general public might be eating up his words, but it was going to take quite a bit to make her believe that he wasn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She followed the evidence just like she had been trained to do. The crowd that had gathered was doing their own recording of the grill session. With outlets like Youtube around it was going to be impossible for Pierce to not have his face show up in the media. Even if for some ungodly reason there was no investigation into the matter by the “proper” authorities at least people would be made aware.

Jubilation turned around when she heard the new voice. She had never seen this guy before, but he looked some kind of official. He wasn’t part of Pierce’s camp though which was a good thing. For a moment she had believed him to be the man’s legal consultant. “Who are you exactly?” she asked, face plastered with intrigue. He kind of had the stench of SHIELD on him or some other government agency.
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Donald Pierce
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Beneath his polished reform and threats of legal action laid the importance of upholding his corporate persona. It was an entity that provided him with endless wealth, power and more importantly, contacts. Pierce had been born into this lifestyle, inheriting one of the largest mining companies in the world, but he had so much more than that, he was using the business built by his ancestors to acquire useful materials and rare compounds for his own selfish needs.

To encourage people to be part of it, he had to maintain the guise of another short sighted industrialist who wished to further his fortune by bleeding the world dry and not a man who had several aces up his sleeve. If he was unable to keep himself off the radar, current contracts would be canceled and partners would be equally furious and scarce. They was no profit to made in a jail cell or under the watchful eye of authorities and he simply could not allow such a travesty. His unrelenting poker face and a bankroll to match would aid in his efforts to keep his rep more or less squeaky, clean.

But the crowd only continued to gather and stir as more assumptions and slander was thrown his way. Donald had to react calmly, professionally and as if he was guilt free.

“Sooo convincing.”

The Asian one piped up and he held up his index finger in retort, “It doesn’t have to be, it’s a fact.” Just like how he frequently played golf with the Mayor. This rag tag, group of nobodies was so over their collective heads, blinded by their determination to realize it.

“We... I... it doesn't matter who we are, we're not the ones fuelling mutant-killing machines!” She all but stammered. “You're the one who owes this city some answers!”

Automatically his eyebrows rose at such an accusation, like such a statement had actually offended him. In fact, he could appreciate the choice of words spewed at him and he chuckled softly out of mild amusement before switching to dramatics. He knew what they were looking for but he wasn’t about to just give it up without some sort of personal gain. So instead he would play the fool, the loud, brash fool until the right opportunity struck. “If anyone owes this city some answers, it is those who continue to destroy it and those who sit idly by, allowing them to do so.” He didn’t need to spell it out, his allegations were crystal clear. Metahumans and governing bodies had dropped the ball, not him.

The lone male of the group chimed in almost immediately after and there was something about him that made the modified Skrull tech that worked underneath his pristine attire churn. He couldn’t put his finger on the strange sensation and his eyes narrowed instinctively. Oh how he loathed having his words turned against him and it showed, he took a moment to smile into that same camera he had been so opposed of mere minutes ago, blinking softly as he used a hand to slick back his already immaculate hair. “Oh believe me kid, I know a waste of time when I see one.”

An awkward laugh escaped his lips, “You really think you have me, don’t you?” and for a moment he searched for a rebuttal.

His words were stern and his jaw squarely set even as he spoke and then, the phone began to ring. He allowed it to continue to chime and instead of reaching for the noisy device, he pulled a rather exquisite looking pen from inside his jacket and pointed to the object in question. “This is a quality product, notice the luster? Only three places in the world process Magnox, trust me I would know, I do in fact own them all.”

“But, is everyone listening? This particular sample is unique in that it is produced in Kazakhstan. A locale I’ve only recently absorbed into my fold. I haven’t even been to the site.” They could check flight records, it wasn’t like he flew commercial, but acknowledging its existence was better than denying it altogether. All the while his phone continued to ring and finally he paused and checked the display like he wasn’t expecting a call.

“If you would excuse me…”

Smiling out of false relief, after Pierce excused himself rather politely considering the scenario he turned his back to the group and finally answered the call. He kept the details to a minimum, using choice, single words of agreement and then a final statement before the call was over.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He spoke freely into the mobile phone, his back still turned away from his prior engagement and he took yet another moment to further compose himself before returning his attention to his accusers, the crowd…and some new comer. At first glance, he seemed to be little more than security staff, hired by Stark to work the expo and maintain order. He observed silently for a moment, eavesdropping over a series of introductions, the suit knew them, at least most of them and that was very curious indeed. He felt the need to interject and get his piece in before his chance was gone and with an open palm leading his charge, he muscled right into their little circle.

“Oh, I already have quite enough.” He announced to usher in his return.

He extended his hand in greeting but didn’t offer a name, he assumed anyone worth meeting here already knew who he was. “You work for Stark? Are you aware this woman is walking around his expo with radioactive material in her purse? How in the hell did that get past security?” A camera phone got exceptionally close to his personal bubble at this point and without a thought, he swatted it with enough force to convince the holder not to do it again. If he did speak with his lawyers, they would be getting quite the short story at a very high rate.

This time he addressed them all as a group, the crowd was encouraged to listen by the sheer volume of his voice, his tone grandiose and ever so eloquent. “Pay attention, because I will only offer this once. You bring that paper weight in your pocket to my corporate office tomorrow and I can provide you with records that not only clear my name from your foolhardy accusations, I just may be able to provide you with a name, a location… the finer details allude me.

But it’s assistance and that’s something I do not offer everyone.”
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