Whatever It Takes

Chapter 6 - Renegotiate

New York, 2008

By the time you get back from Malibu the dull ache in your head was on its way to a migraine. Hammer had been repeatedly calling you, which you didn't answer. You were starting to regret working with this asshole. Walking up to the back entrance of Hammer Industries, the key card Hammer had given you wouldn't allow you access. Looking for another way into the building you notice a shadow approaching you, before feeling a large hand on your shoulder. "Mr Hammer has been waiting you on bitch." You grab his arm and twist, but before you can throw a punch you feel sharp pain in the back of your head and everything turns black.

***

When you finally resurface, the bright lights do nothing to help the migraine, and you can feel a swelling at the base of one of your eyes. "Wakey wakey princess," Hammer is kneeling in front of you, "You should have taken more care of that pretty little face boys." He laughs, running a finger down your face. You make a move to go for him, but feel the gun at the back of your head before you can make a connection. "You are a fiery one. Pretty damn sexy I must admit, so I've not decided to end you just yet, depending on how you behave." He smirks and stands. "I may have one more job you can help me take care of before the nights over." As he runs his hands over his groin, readjusting, you feel the bile rise in your throat. "But before that," he looks to the door as two more of his security team walk into the room, standing in front of Vanko, who you hadn't even realised was there. "We may have to renegotiate the terms of our agreement."

"I don't think so Hammer, you need us."

"I thought I did. But something amazing has just fallen into my lap. If it hadn't been for that I would have been at the mercy of both of you." Hammer heads to the door. "These men are your babysitters for tonight. Part of me wants you to behave; the other part of me wants to see them hurt you. Both." He gestures to the four men in the room with you. "Don't wait up kids, Daddy's gotta go give them a show!" You had forgotten that tonight was Hammer's big presentation at the Stark Expo.

You calculate it'll take Hammer less than five minutes to leave the building completely. You look at Vanko and nod, holding up your palm, hoping he'll understand that that's when you're going to make a move. He nods back and looks at the clock on the wall, smiling and biding his time.

***

Vanko was a ruthless fighter, based on his history you assumed it was from all the time he had spent in the Gulag. Because of your migraine you struggled to take out one guard, before you looked up to see two of the guards hung using the electrical cables. Another one lay dead after Vanko had smashed his nose so badly that he had suffocated on his own blood. "Was all that necessary?" you ask, gasping for breath and pointing at the bodies.

Grabbing you by the throat Vanko throws you against the wall, hard enough to make a crack. "Yes, are you going to tell me why it's necessary to keep you alive?"

"Because we want the same thing Ivan," his grip on your throat tightens. "We want Tony Stark dead!"

"I don't need you for that."

"You do if you want Hammer to take the blame." He loosens his grip, allowing you to push him off. "I know you've rigged those drones. I know what you're planning to do at the Expo. Hammer doesn't. Even if the authorities discover that he has you working for him, he still has plausible deniability. I can hack the systems here and leave a trail of bread crumbs for them to find. Make them think killing Stark was his plan all along."

"And what, you run off back to Hydra while I go back to prison." Vanko makes a move to grab you again. You take a step back. Just like in Malibu, memories threaten to make their way to the surface, you can feel your headache getting worse, but you dismiss them. You also dismiss his remark about Hydra; he didn't need to know who you actually were working for.

"No, we play the game exactly like last time. We stage your death here, and we run together. Going our separate ways once we get out of the US. Without me, you'll never make it out of New York." You stand firm, tiny against his large frame, and put your hand out for him to shake; reluctantly he takes it.

Both of you knew different, however. You both had your own agendas. And by the end of the night, one of you would be dead.

***

You manage to sneak your way into Hammer's office without drawing the attention of any security. "God, these guys are clueless." You laugh as you make your way to Hammer's computer. Assuming it's going to take a while to work out Hammer's password, you're astounded to find he doesn't even have one. "Oh, honey," you smile, "I don't know if you're really that stupid, or your ego is bigger than what is in your pants."

Sitting at the desk and getting to work, searching and rewriting all the files Hammer has on Vanko, you switch on the TV to watch the Expo live. Hammer is midway through his presentation, looking smugger than normal. The Hammer drones are on full display, covering all four sectors of the US Armed Forces. You can help but be impressed by Vanko's work. "Ladies and gentlemen, there will still be need for the presence of man in war," Hammer rambles on. "I give to you, the latest technological advancement of Hammer Industries, piloted by one of our very own...Colonel James Rhodes."

You pause. This has to be what Hammer was talking about. Rhodes had taken Stark's suit to be weaponised by Hammer. This was the crown jewel of his presentation, and why he felt he no longer needed you or Vanko. You think back to the software you had seen Vanko working on for the drones, while you weren't exactly clear on most of the commands he had used, you understood enough of the Russian to know Vanko could control all the drones. "He has control of Rhodes' suit too." You say out loud. "Shit!" Vanko had his very own Iron Man, is this how he was going to end Stark, make his best friend kill him.

Your attention is drawn to the TV once more as you hear the crowd's cheering. As if on cue, Iron Man landed on the stage next to Rhodes. Almost immediately, the drones turned and fired on Stark, including Rhodes' suit. Feeling your phone vibrate, you know it's a message from Madame B. Just like Monte Carlo, this is a far too public setting for an assassination.

You don't take time to look at the message. You already know what it's going to say. It'll be a summons back to the Red Room. Your mission had failed; it was time to suffer the consequences. "Fuck you!" You spit at the phone and launch it across the room before getting back to working on the false documents on Hammer's computer. Once you're done there's only one more thing to do: kill Vanko and then run.