The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 9

The gray-haired man was walking through the corridors of the former Ross base and was not at all satisfied. When he accepted his new position, he had no idea what chaos he would get into. Thaddeus Ross was famous for his need to control everything, so the new minister thought that taking over the base would be no problem. But he miscalculated.

"So you're telling me no one knows what's going on in those labs? How is that even possible?" he asked Colonel Jones, who accompanied him.

"We only know of the projects that have been approved by the government, sir," the elderly brown-haired man replied.

"So they're not camera footage?" he asked a rhetorical question, as he had already been told they had no camera footage, so they didn't have the slightest clue to find Ross's killer.

The colonel shook his head slightly. "No, sir."

"You are a military base, it must be added that it is one of the largest in the States, and you do not have a camera recording? Not to mention that you have no idea what was going on outside the doors of these labs." He was louder, angrier.

"We were just doing what we were told," the colonel muttered.

The minister was already inhaling to tell him something, but in the end, he changed his mind and went to his office. There was a sign on the door with Ross's name on which he had to smirk. There was almost no need for the sign to change.

"A lot will change, Jones," he told the colonel, who followed him inside. "The investigation about Ross' murder is not up to us, but all our help is expected. And I'm sure you understand that I'm going to want to take a closer look like a former CIA agent. This is a problem of enormous proportions and must be resolved as soon as possible. And, if possible, discreetly," he told him as he sat down at the table. He would have preferred to redo it, but he knew it wasn't possible yet. In fact, he shouldn't have wandered around when it was the murder scene, but he had to do his new job from somewhere.

"Everyone is familiar with the situation and is just waiting for your orders, sir."

"Glad to hear that. You can go now," he said, waiting for the door to close behind him, then sighed. He honestly didn't want to leave his old job. He loved being an agent. But when this offer came, he couldn't do otherwise. Things had to change and it would work best from the inside. And now that Thaddeus Ross was gone, it could be quite easier.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves a little. He now had a huge responsibility and had to deal with it well. He took a folder from the table and began flipping through it. He had no idea what had happened here in previous months, but he knew he would have to come to terms with it. And when he saw the familiar name in the papers, he had to smirk to himself. He already planned to talk to one unnamed billionaire, it just came sooner than he expected.

•••

It was about five minutes after Rhodey and Steve left, and Tony was finally able to sit on the couch and rest for a while. They had almost no traces, which wasn't really good. He wanted to work it out as soon as possible, but he knew he wouldn't do anything about it now. So he decided to clear his head a little. He was thinking of throwing a Star Wars movie marathon with Peter, but before he could get up from the couch, Friday informed him, "Sir, you have Minister Ross on the line."

Tony swore that at that moment his blood froze in his veins. "That's not possible," he breathed so softly that he hardly heard it himself.

"Should I turn down the call?" she asked when he said nothing else.

"No!" he shouted quickly. He had to admit that it really scared him but someone was probably just calling from his phone. It was his chance to learn more. "I'll take him on the phone," he ordered, quickly pulling a cell phone from his pocket to his ear.

"Tony Stark on the phone," he said, managing to keep his voice steady.

"Mr. Stark, I'm glad to catch you. My name is Everett Ross, I'm sure you remember our encounter during that fiasco with Captain America. I shouldn't have told you, and especially not over the phone, but I'm a little desperate, so let me let you know that our mutual friend has unfortunately died, and I've been called to replace him."

Tony let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He was immensely relieved, though he still couldn't judge whether it was a new ally or just another enemy. "It's a real shame," he didn't forgive a remark.

"Believe me, he was a pain in the ass of us all, but we still have to find out who killed him. I do not expect your service in this matter, but I would like to meet with you on Monday. With all of you. With Colonel Rhodes, Agent Romanov, and that robot of yours," he said, and Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. So probably another enemy, he thought annoyed.

"Unfortunately, Vision is not available," he muttered reluctantly. They exchanged only an idiot for another idiot.

"Okay, we'll work it out on Monday. And Mr. Stark, I'd like you to bring your friend, too," he told him, and Tony could clearly see the grin on his face. Were they all people named Ross such idiots?

"I don't know where Steve is," he said through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid it's a lie, but I didn't talk about this friend of yours. We will also talk about it in person. I'd like you to bring Dr. Banner. I discovered his name in the list of employees, so I assume that he is no longer as missing as he used to be,"he told him.

Tony panicked. These were just other issues they didn't need right now. "If you think I'll give him to you-"

"Don't make any conclusion. I don't want Dr. Banner for any experiments, I need him to sign the Sokovia Accords. Once it was voted on, it must be observed. It can't be destroyed by waving a magic wand, even if I wish it could believe me. I hope you soon understand that I am not your enemy. If we agree, I could be your person inside."

"Change your name, and maybe I'll think about it," Tony told him, as he couldn't do anything else. It sounded far too good. He had to be careful until he was sure it was not a trap.

"I've thought about it several times. I'll see you on Monday, Mr. Stark," he said goodbye, ending their phone call.

Tony placed his phone on the coffee table and thought hard about their conversation. He had met Everett only once, and he hadn't made such a big impression on him, but at the time they were all grumpy more than usual. And he sounded quite friendly on the phone, which Tony welcomed, but at the same time, it scared him a little. Could someone be so friendly? And especially people from above?

This time, his thinking was interrupted by a knock on a door that was barely audible in the living room. Tony got up with a smaller wrinkle on his forehead and walked to the door. He was a little uncomfortable, but Friday would have warned him if there was someone dangerous outside the door.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out as he found a couple outside the door that he certainly wasn't expecting. Especially not at the front door. "Where disappeared the thunder and coming through the balcony?" he grinned before letting the Asgardian brothers come in.