Iron Beta 3: What to do When your World Explodes

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What the hell, Fury?!" I scream at the monitor in front of me, showing the indifferent face of Director Nick Fury.

My dad places a hand firmly on my shoulder and shoots me a glance that clearly says not right now. Listen before you explode.

I dip my head slightly and take a step back, concentrating on regulating my breathing as my dad carried on a conversation with the director.

"Director Fury, to what do I owe this displeasure?"

"Mr. Stark, you called me. In the middle of a very busy day and a few new projects, I might add. Why?"

"Would one of those new projects belong to someone else, by chance?" my dad lifts an eyebrow and tilts his head, leaving the implications of his question hanging in the tense air.

"No, Stark, they would not. You started project IGUM under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s justification, and that makes it ours."

"Wait, hold up." I raise my hands and step forward. "What do you mean, started under your justification? IGUM was started approximately a year ago, Director. Last I checked, the Avengers split from S.H.I.E.L.D. about four years ago. How is it possible that we started something three years after we left and it still belongs to you?"

Director Fury doesn't answer me, just trains his eye at something over my shoulder. I turn to see my dad shifting his weight from foot to foot, scratching his head and just looking like the picture of uncomfortableness. I cross my arms and glare at him. "Dad?"

He sighs and slumps his shoulders. "The truth is...IGUM, the original version, was started about five years ago. Under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reign. When we rediscovered the files, I just thought it would be a good idea to act surprised at the "new project" so nobody would get S.H.I.E.L.D. involved."

A little too late, don't you think?

I clench my teeth and growl, sending my harshest glare his way before turning back to the monitor. "Director, I understand that IGUM started under your control, but that was just a few files on the back burner. We had no real need for a machine of its kind. Now, IGUM is a highly sophisticated piece of machinery born out of the minds of the five smartest people on the planet. We are working on patents-"

"Working on, Ms. Stark, not obtained yet. Which means the robot still belongs to its rightful owners. Now, you have two choices: give up the rest of the files and materials peacefully and see no more of it nor us, or you can put up a fight and be arrested and put in a maximum security jail for obstruction of evidence and keeping government property out of government hands. Your choice."

I bite my lip and glance at my dad, only to see his glancing back at me, his eyes filled with determination and stubbornness. I raise an eyebrow and he gives an almost imperceptible nod.

I clear my throat. "Well, I'm going to go talk to Bruce, Betty, and Jane, so..."

I walk towards the door, but as soon as I am out of camera range, I duck behind the monitor, in my dad's line of sight but out of Fury's, and open my laptop, keying in code and slipping through cracks in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s firewalls and searching for the files that should really only be in a good guy's hand.

I periodically glance over the screen at my dad, who nonchalantly glances at me every now and then, stalling Fury as long as possible.

I recognize another voice on the monitor and glance up at my dad, who is watching the screen with barely widened eyes.

Then Director Fury speaks again, and chills race up my spine. "Mr. Stark, do not think I am not aware of your attempt to retrieve our files. You want to play this the hard way? Alright. Agents will be by soon to detain you, your daughter, your suits, and all of your tech. Good afternoon."

I can hear the monitor sizzle with static as my laptop screen flashes red warning signs before going black.

I let out a shaky sigh as I run my hands through my hair. "They found us."

"Yep."

"So we're fighting?"

"Duh."

 "I'll go tell the team."

A~A~A

"Guys!" I burst through the vent cover and land in what looks like the middle of a baseball game.

"Oh, hey Taylor." Steve mumbles around a mouthful of popcorn. "What's up?"

"A lot, Steve." I pant. "So did my dad tell you how S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted IGUM?"

"What? No!" Bruce, Betty, and Jane all exclaim as they leap out of their seats, baseball all but forgotten.

"Yes. Honestly, did we expect much else?"

Everyone shakes their heads reluctantly.

"Well, long story short: they tried, we yelled, they argued, we fought, they threatened, we tried to hack, they found us, and now my dad and I are fugitives, so..."

"What?!" It's Clint who's out of his seat now.

I open my mouth to explain a little deeper, but my dad bursts out the elevator, looking like he just ran a marathon.

"Taylor, I have...locked up the suits...protocol Alpha-Zulu...yours need a bio scan. Level M-5."

I nod and head towards the elevator. "While I am securing that, can you explain this to them?"

My dad nods, and I ride the elevator down to level Minus 5, or five stories below ground. I enter a code on a keypad by one door, repeat for doors two through six, and then step into the epicenter of cyber security and server backup for Stark Tower.

I walk over to a keypad with a microphone, let it scan my eyes, thumbprint, and wince as it pricks my finger for a blood sample.

"On voice recognition of Taylor Maria Stark, activate Protocol Alpha-Zulu, endgame twelve-one-nineteen-twenty."

The computer in front of me hums and vibrates for a moment before replying "Voice Authorization certified. Lockdown initiated."

A wall to my left, the doomsday storage center for my suits, turns to solid vibrainium with reinforced steel bars on top as a light on the computer flashes blue, blue, blue, and then green.

"Lockdown complete."

I nod and exit the six doors and back up the elevator. When I re-emerge into the living room, I stumble slightly as a normal looking small black pack is thrust at me.

I smile as I recognize it as Beta IV, my main stealth suit. I shoulder it and accept my weapons pack as I take a look around the room.

My dad is wearing a hoodie, baseball cap, jeans, and sunglasses to hide his memorable face. Clint and Natasha are watching the doors with their weapons primed. Steve is wearing civilian clothes, but he hold a portfolio that I know for a fact contains his shield. And I can see the bulge of a gun under his left jacket shoulder, which is a strange occurrence in itself. Bruce and Betty are dressed like a typical suburban couple, meaning khakis and t-shirts, looking ready to slip into a crowd at a moment's notice. Thor is dressed like a guy from California, his hammer probably in the pack on his back. Jane looks like Betty, and I'm surprised to see Darcy in the corner, fixing her hair over a typical teenage girl's dress.

I accept the nondescript, black hoodie and sweatpants I am given, pulling the hood over my head and jumping into the pants as we walk briskly out the back door to where a rusted red minivan is waiting.

As Steve pulls away from the curb, I glance out the window to just barely catch the tip of a jet wing disappear onto the roof of the tower.

Just in the nick of time.