Just A Normal Kid

Chapter 27

A few months later, there was a worldwide meet organised in New York. It was the first of its kind, where representatives from more than a hundred countries would be attending, along with representatives from huge corporations like Stark Industries and agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D. It was supposed to be a platform for some of the most influential people in the world to get an opportunity to meet each other, make deals, form alliances and collaborate on various fronts for the good of the public.

Pepper was going to the event, as were Maria and Natasha. Both Tony and Happy were on the other side of the world during the event, Natasha and Sharon were already assigned as personal guards for Maria and the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, while the rest of the team were off on various missions. No one wanted Pepper to go there alone, but her trusted bodyguards were both not available at the time.

That was why Rosie found herself getting out of the car at the building in Vienna along with Pepper, professionally dressed in black pants, a black blouse and maroon blazer, high-tech glasses perched on her nose. She was acting as Pepper's assistant for the duration of the meet, all the while keeping an eye out for possible threats. MARLENE was there with her as well, using the glasses to scan the surroundings at regular intervals for threats. It was something she had done a few times- posing as Pepper's assistant at official events- but nothing this big.

She followed Pepper around the room, standing quietly beside her, clutching a small briefcase and doing her best to appear invisible. And it seemed to work! No one spared her a second glance, their attention fully on the CEO of Stark Industries. Sometime later, they came face-to-face with a group of africans - two men, one who looked to be in his late fifties and the other in his early thirties.

The resemblance between them led Rosie to assume that they were father and son, but the two women with them were a bit of a mystery. They were wearing perfectly fitted dresses and tribal-style jewellery, their eyes scanning everyone around, bodies tensed as if expecting a fight. They didn't look like your typical bodyguards, but Rosie recognised the guarded stances and expressionless resting faces that were telltale signs of well-trained fighters.

Pepper inclined her head towards the older man, "King T'Chaka-" and then to the other, "-Prince T'Challa. It's a pleasure to meet you. It is not often that we see the Wakandan people at such events." They were Wakandan? The mess with Klaue and Ultron not too long ago had sparked a discussion amongst the Avengers regarding the billions of dollars worth of Vibranium that the arms dealer had been rumored to have stolen from the African nation. Was there any truth to the rumors, or were they just that - rumors?

The group of Wakandans looked too comfortable in the room full of foreigners, and the way they moved around in the formal clothes showed that they were used to them. As the king and Pepper exchanged pleasantries and made polite conversation, she noted that his English was impeccable, albeit accented, just like his son's. This fueled her belief that Wakanda was not as backward as they pretended to be, but without concrete proof, she couldn't do anything. It wasn't a rabbit hole she was particularly inclined to go down anytime soon.

A few minutes later, she heard faint beeping from the earpiece she was wearing, which was MARLENE telling her that she had noticed something suspicious. The details were displayed on her glasses and Rosie instinctively reacted. She sprang into action tackling Pepper to the floor just as someone yelled, "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" A grenade came flying in through the supposedly 'bulletproof' window, ripping through the glass like it was paper.

Lifting the briefcase, she swung it like a baseball bat, sending the grenade back out of the same window it had smashed through just in time for it to explode. The windows all around the room were blown out by the explosion, shards of glass raining down on the attendees as they cowered under tables. She heard what sounded like arrows hitting cement and all of a sudden, there were dozens of people in black combat gear ziplining into the room.