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VALOR
vii. SUPER SECRET BOYBAND
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CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, magic exists. It prevails and thrives in all planes of existence, in all realities. In some universes, magic takes form in the lasers Iron Man shoots from his hands. In others, magic lies in the form of machines that can cook your food and the song in children's hearts. No matter where you are, magic is real, and it hides inside of us in strange ways.
For example, Riley's magic wasn't her peculiar ability to manipulate ultraviolet rays, but rather, her gift of talking nonstop without a break.
"And can I just say, how the hell does she walk around all day with that giant stick up her butt!?" cried out Riley O'Dair. "I made one mistake, and right as I saved the dude we want to recruit for my team of badass superheroes, I'm in trouble? No "Thanks, Riley!", no "You're a hero, Riley!" Nothing! It's so annoying!"
Director Nick Fury shot the girl a judgmental glance. "Hang on," he began. "Your team of superheroes?"
Riley offered him an annoyed glance. "That's all you got from my rant? Not the part where Nat suspended me from the mission and I thought it was unfair 'cause I'm still learning?"
Fury shrugged, resting his hands on the steering wheel of his car as he mentioned, "You do realize she temporarily suspended you, right? You passed out from overexerting yourself. Agent Romanoff suspended you to help you."
For the past few days, Riley had been temporarily suspended from the mission. She had been under the impression that she was being punished for revealing herself to Tony; however, the truth was that she needed time to physically recover from straining herself and her powers, as well as learn more about Tony's case.
See, after Riley informed Natasha on Tony's worrying blood toxicity, she was sent to Fury to tell him more. Then, Fury sent Riley to shadow S.H.I.E.L.D.'s team of scientists to observe the process of producing an antidote for Tony. From there, Riley was actually able to use her education in aiding her colleagues in the remedy's creation. It wasn't a cure, but it was a start. Plus, it revealed Riley's hidden knack for biochemistry.
Riley crossed her arms and sunk in her seat with a pout. "Yeah, but I was a total badass," the 9-year-old grumbled. She paused. "Wait, why can't I call the Avengers my team?"
"You can," assured Fury, "but it's technically not your team. Not unless you're leading it. You're just... a future member of the team. You know that, O'Dair. You're too young.
"Oh... Well, I just thought Carol Danvers had better things to do than play on your weird fantasy football team," joked Riley with a snicker. She felt somewhat victorious when she heard Fury chuckle at her comment. "So... where are we going anyway?"
Fury scoffed rather loudly. "You mean you managed to forget the whole reason why I brought you here in the span of 20 minutes?" he demanded. He turned to shoot her another judgmental glance. "Unbelievable!"
"What!" Riley threw her hands upward defensively. "I was having a crisis!"
"A crisis?" repeated Nick Fury. "You were complaining about being trained by one of the best agents I've ever seen! And the stick up her butt!"
"Oh, so you agree?"
"Agree on what?"
"That Nat has a massive stick up her butt!"
Fury rolled his eye and focused on the road again. "We're going to have a chat with Mr. Stark," he revealed. Riley gasped at the news. "Yeah, now you're listening."
"I'm back on the mission?" Riley immediately questioned. Her eyes were so wide that they might as well have popped out of her head. "Nat's lifting my suspension?"
"Uh-huh," Fury confirmed. "I was supposed to send you to her, but then I realized you can't drive. Lucky for you, this fits right into my schedule."
Riley smiled at the thought. She didn't like her suspension one bit. Sure, she needed to recover after Monaco, but that didn't mean it wasn't a boring process. Still, she applauded Natasha in knowing that Riley would have fought to keep working on the mission had she not taken the extreme measure of suspension.
"Sweet," commented the Latina. "But... just out of curiosity, when can I actually meet him?"
Fury hummed. "You actually wanna meet him? You don't think he's a pompous ass?"
Riley hesitated in her response. Truthfully, Riley could understand why a lot of people disliked Tony Stark. He was eccentric and arrogant, but he was a successful genius who vowed to protect the innocents as the invincible Iron Man.
Tony Stark just... wasn't like other heroes Riley had met thus far (which really wasn't many if you didn't include the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). He wasn't uptight and serious all the time like her colleagues. He was free-spirited all while remaining an honorable hero. Riley was just intrigued by him. That's all!
"I think he's interesting," Riley simply declared. "Is there something wrong with that, boss?"
"Most people find volcanoes and bugs interesting, not grown men." Fury lightly sighed as he parked his car in front of a donut shop. "But you might as well meet him now." Riley grinned in satisfaction. "Yeah, yeah. Wipe the smirk off your face. We're here, so turn invisible until it's your turn. Alright?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" mocked Riley before vanishing with an enthusiastic laugh.
Fury just shook his head at the little girl beside him before turning off the car's ignition. The two exited the vehicle, only to be greeted by a very hungover Iron Man as he sat atop Randy's Donuts inside of a large donut. In his lap was, as expected, a box of a dozen donuts.
"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut!" called out Director Nick Fury with a slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
Riley stared up at the man in awe. The more she learned about Tony Stark, the more fascinated she became. She couldn't believe someone as peculiar as Tony Stark actually existed in their world.
Upon entering the donut shop, Fury and Tony sat down in a booth together. Riley silently sat beside Tony, impatiently waiting for her moment to reappear.
"I told you," grumbled Tony whilst leaning his head on his hand, "I don't wanna join your super-secret boyband."
Fury chuckled lightly. "No, no, no. See, I remember. You do everything yourself," he quipped goodheartedly. "How's that working out for you?" He sipped his piping hot coffee.
"It's... It's... It's..." hurriedly stammered Tony before pausing. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna get off on the wrong foot. Do I look at the patch or the eye? Honestly, I'm a bit hungover. I'm not sure if you're real or if I'm having—"
"I am very real," sharply insisted Fury. He leaned forward. "I'm the realest person you're ever gonna meet."
Riley hardly managed to restrain herself from gasping out loud at Tony's comments. She couldn't even imagine the kind of punishment or scolding she'd receive if she were to speak to Fury like that.
"Just my luck," mumbled Tony. He looked around, seeing as the donut shop was surprisingly empty. The only souls in sight were him and Fury. "Where's the staff here—?"
"That's not looking so good," identified Fury in reference to the blackened veins that had spread across Tony's body. They were now crawling up the side of his neck. Tony's condition was worsening. The palladium in his arc reactor wasn't enough to save him.
"I've been worse," admitted Tony before drinking his coffee. He couldn't help but wonder when the caffeine in it would finally kick in.
The sound of approaching footsteps grasped the table's attention. Riley's gaze fell upon Agent Natasha Romanoff, now adorned in her usual agent uniform rather than the business-casual attire she'd adopted for the mission.
'Thank God, she's finally back to normal,' thought Riley. She paused. 'Then again, isn't her normal still just as crazy?' Riley shrugged her shoulders, toying with Tony's temporary remedy in her hands. She was surprised he hadn't seen it floating beside him yet.
"We've secured the perimeter, but I don't think we should hold it for much longer," reported Natasha.
Tony slid his sunglasses down in surprise, placing them on the table. "Huh..." lingered the man, now realizing who Natalie Rushman truly was. "You're... fired."
"That's not up to you," coolly mentioned Natasha before sliding into the empty spot beside Fury. Riley couldn't help but wonder how Natasha knew what side Riley was sitting on.
"Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff," Fury introduced.
"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow," revealed Natasha. "Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury."
"I suggest you apologize," commented the hungover man.
"You've been pretty busy," deflected Fury, leaning forward again. "You made your girl your CEO, you're giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit! Now, if I didn't know better—"
"You don't know better," disrupted Tony, an irritated edge to his voice. "I didn't give it to him. He took it."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Fury replied, amused. A smile invaded his face. "He took it? You're Iron Man, and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass, and took your suit? Is that possible?" He looked to Natasha.
"Well, according to Mr. Stark's database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage," computed Natasha.
The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents peered back at Tony, who just scoffed. "What do you want from me?" he inquired.
"What do we want from you? Nuh-uh. What do you want from me?" stressed Fury. "You have become a problem—a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with!" Fury snapped his fingers. "Hit him."
On cue, Riley reached up and stuck a needle in the back of Tony's neck. They watched as Tony jumped up in pain. He groaned uncomfortably.
"Oh, God, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it?" Tony weakly demanded as Natasha leaned forward and moved his head to the side. Just as anticipated, the black veins on Tony's neck began to fade. "Hang on, what'd you just do to me? And how? Who just did that to me? Both of you were sitting right in front of—"
"Boo!" Riley shouted while turning visible beside Tony Stark. He immediately jumped three feet into the air with wide eyes and a pale face. She snickered loudly, whereas Fury and Natasha sent the child stern looks. "What? He was talking too much! I just did you a favor!"
Tony's breathing picked up from the surprise of the girl suddenly appearing next to him. "What the...? How did you do that!? Wait a minute, I know you," Tony expeditiously fired off. He narrowed his eyes at the small girl. "Aphrodite?"
"Athena," corrected Riley. "Well, actually, my real name's Riley."
Fury shook his head. "Stark, this is Agent Riley O'Dair," introduced Fury.
Tony knitted his eyebrows together. He looked down at the nine-year-old and then, back at Fury. "That's a child," pointed out Tony, causing Riley to roll her eyes. "Geez, the versatility of your company is astounding. You guys are babysitters now, too?"
"Uh, I'm nine," confidently informed Riley. "I don't need a babysitter. If anything, I am the babysitter."
"My point still stands."
"O'Dair, here, is one of my finest agents in the making. The brightest of her generation, as a matter of fact, and that's not just because of her powers," complimented Fury. He motioned to the needle Riley had placed on the table. "She's the one who helped make your little cure right there."
Riley hummed in confirmation. "That's lithium dioxide," explained Riley, causing Tony to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "It should help with your pain."
Tony glimpsed back at Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Look, we're trying to get you back to work," elaborated Fury.
Tony motioned to the needle that had been used on him. "Give me a couple of boxes of that. I'll be right as rain," admitted the man.
"It's not a cure," insisted Riley. "We just did what we could based off how fast your illness is moving. Which is fast. Really fast, actually."
"It just abates the symptoms," added Natasha.
"Doesn't look like it's gonna be an easy fix," confessed Fury.
"Trust me, I know. I'm good at this stuff," Tony riposted. "I don't need a kid saving my life—
"I've already done it once before," mumbled Riley.
Ignoring her, Tony continued, "—I've been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I've tried every combination, every permutation of every known element."
"Well, I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all," ominously suggested Fury.
Tony paused. "Impossible."
"A small orphan just appeared next to you out of nowhere, and you still believe in the impossible? Everything's possible, Stark!" Fury encouraged. "Come on."
○ ○ ○
Not much later, Riley O'Dair stood alongside a few of her colleagues inside of Tony Stark's home. She listened as Fury spoke to Tony regarding his illness. "That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology," unveiled Fury.
"No, it was finished," countered Tony. "It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturized it and put it in my—"
"Wrong," Riley interrupted. "Your dad, Howard Stark, said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater... or something like that. I read it in some files about him."
"She's right," confirmed Fury. "He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was onto something big—something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery."
"Just him?" pondered Tony. "Or Anton Vanko in on this, too?"
"Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn't deliver, they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in—the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco. You would've been good as dead had it not been for O'Dair."
"Speaking of," Tony began. His gaze shifted to the small child, who had been sitting next to Fury. "Who exactly is she? Like, what's her deal?"
Riley's shoulders dropped. She hated talking about her past and having to explain it to new people. "I'm right here, you know," she pointed out.
"Orphaned at 2. Accidentally killed her parents in a lab accident. Ever heard of Athena and Rob O'Dair?" Fury interviewed.
Tony scoffed. "Everyone does." He paused as the realization struck. "Ohh... You mean—?"
"Meet the girl who caused the accident," interrupted Fury, to which Riley gave a salute.
Tony shook his head. "No, that doesn't make sense. The news reported that their kid died in the accident, too."
"Damage control," elucidated Fury with a shrug. "S.H.I.E.L.D. took her in for testing and found out she developed... abilities from the accident."
"Abilities?" repeated Tony.
"Invisibility, forcefields," described Fury. "We're still figuring it all out. You ever watch The Incredibles? That's the best way I can describe O'Dair's... ability."
Meanwhile, Riley had grown silent. She studied Tony, trying to predict what he was going to say next. Everyone she'd ever known had changed after discovering Riley's backstory. They treated her differently, and she despised it. All Riley ever wanted was to feel normal. The closest she'd ever gotten to that was in her troublesome relationship with Natasha Romanoff. Riley just wanted to see if this unorthodox man would react the same as the others.
So when Tony Stark shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, that certainly makes for a fun party story," and Riley found herself smiling, she knew that he was different. Riley just needed to figure out if that was a good or bad thing.
Tony cleared his throat. "You told me I hadn't tried everything," he recalled, moving on. "What do you mean? What haven't I tried?"
Riley was in awe by how he didn't ask Riley any further questions like everyone else usually did. He simply just absorbed the information and moved on. Was Tony treating her like a normal person?
Fury shrugged. "He said you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started."
"He said that?" Tony doubted.
Fury hummed. "Mhm. Are you that guy? Are you? 'Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart," he contended.
Tony descended into silence. He pressed his lips together and slowly shook his head. "I don't know where you get your information, but... he wasn't my biggest fan."
"What do you remember about your dad?" interrogated Fury.
Tony was quick to respond, "He was cold. He was calculating. He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me, so it's a little tough for me to digest when you're telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he's passing it down. I don't get that. You're talking about a guy whose happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school."
She didn't let it show on her face, but Riley was confounded at the thought of Tony's relationship with his father. She had always envied those who knew their parents, but she never stopped to consider that not all parents were good at raising children.
Riley was relieved to know that her father, Rob O'Dair, was nothing like Howard. Rob cared about others. He would never exploit innocent people for the sake of his success. Riley was sure of that.
"That's not true," debated Fury.
Tony leaned back in his seat. "Well, then, clearly you knew my dad better than me," he mumbled, mostly sarcastically.
"As a matter of fact, I did," revealed Fury, causing Tony's interest to pique. "He was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Judging Tony's shocked, "What?", Riley now realized that he really didn't know his father at all. At least, Riley knew her's to some extent...
Nick Fury rose to his feet as he checked his watch. "I got a two o'clock," he announced, indicated that he was leaving. As he spoke, Phil Coulson brought forward a large case. "Okay, you're good, right?"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, what's this?" demanded Tony. He was on his feet now, too. Meanwhile, Riley just happily greeted the sweetheart that was Phil Coulson. "No, I'm not good. Got what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to get."
As he slipped on his leather coat, Fury dumbed it down for Tony. "Natasha will remain a floater at Stark Industries with her cover intact. You remember Agent Coulson, right?" He motioned to Coulson, causing Tony to nod. "Great. Riley, you're being redirected to assist Tony in whatever he needs. Stark, that doesn't mean she's gonna fetch your coffees. She can't even drive. Plus, she'll kick your ass if she wants to. She has my full permission to, as a matter of fact."
Tony glanced down at the child beside him and sighed. Just before Fury left, he added one last comment, "And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you."
Riley found herself rolling her eyes. "Bad joke," she coughed as her superior exited the home.
Natasha walked forward almost as if on cue. "We've disabled all communications," she announced. "No contact with the outside world. Good luck."
"Thanks," sardonically muttered Tony.
"I was mostly talking to Riley, but good luck to you, too," mentioned Natasha before sending Riley a small smile and exiting in the same direction as Fury.
Riley just grinned victoriously. 'I knew I was rubbing off on that psycho,' she thought to herself as Tony turned to Phil Coulson.
"First thing, I need a little bodywork. I'll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to the Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that'd be nice," listed Tony.
Coulson gave the man a smile. "I'm not here for that. If you need something specific that's important to your mission, you'll report to Agent O'Dair. I've been authorized by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on the premises. If you attempt to leave, I will tase you and watch Supernanny with Agent O'Dair while you drool into the carpet. Okay?"
Tony nodded slowly. "Right. I think I got it."
"Enjoy your evening's entertainment," Coulson insisted. He gave Riley a nod. "Just say the word."
"I can handle myself, but thanks, Phil," Riley beamed. She glanced back at Tony. "Well, let's get this show on the road."
Tony just rolled his eyes and walked away, causing Riley to snicker. 'This would be interesting.'