Iron and Magic

CHAPTER TWELVE

Page count: 22

"Jesus Bloody Christ!"

One hand pressed to her heart and the other reaching out to grapple and regain her balance before she slipped and hit the ground, Hermione caught herself on the wall, glaring up at Tony whilst her heart pounded in her chest and ears.

"What's wrong with you?" She hissed.

"That's a question we don't have time to answer," he shrugged. "So, how'd your meeting go?" He questioned nosily.

Hermione released a slow breath and rolled her eyes before stepping around Tony and heading away from the lift. She really wished he wouldn't stand before the doors right before she exited them, and he did it all the time. What was wrong with waiting for her to actually enter the room before asking things of her? He did it all the time at the Tower and it was downright annoying.

"Fine," she responded, hearing him following behind her as she moved to take a seat on the couch.

"So you're not going to be forced out of Stark Industries and back to your community now that Fury's terminated your contract with SHIELD?"

Hermione darted her gaze to him, noting the stiffness of his back and shoulders whilst his hands were stuffed into his jean pockets. His expression was blank but the slight frown at the corner of his mouth and the crinkle at his eyes gave him away. He was worried.

"No, and I'd like to see him try, he's scared of me."

The slumping of his shoulders was visible and he moved to sit on the couch beside her, leaning back into the cushions and propping his shoe-clad feet up on the coffee table as he twisted his torso slightly to face her.

"Realistically, whilst there are laws in my community that must be followed, like any other country, my people have freedom of speech and the like, meaning we might work wherever wish, for whomever and with whoever we wish. No one has a say in the matter. Regardless of the situation, should I wish to remain working for Stark Industries and so long as the Statute of Secrecy isn't broken, they can't interfere. Working for SHIELD was a different matter, but..." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Statute of Secrecy?" Tony tipped his head.

"That the secret of my people remains exactly that, a secret. And despite what you may know, you don't know everything and that means I've kept within the restrictions of the law, for now, at least. Kingsley is aware that you have ties to SHIELD through the Avenger's Initiative and he knows the reasoning for its existence, as well as knowing that I'm a candidate should I wish to accept. For that reason, he is aware that anyone involved in the Initiative will most likely be made aware of who I am and what I am capable of. With the approval of the Global Federation, I am licensed to practice my abilities globally and I am excused from the Statute of Secrecy, within reason, at least. I'm allowed to reveal the truth of my abilities to anyone I deem necessary, but I must be able to provide appropriate reasoning for my decision. And I'm not allowed to reveal the secrets of my community in its entirety, either. Again, only what I believe is necessary."

"You have to have a license to use your abilities?" Both eyebrows rose high.

"Not in our home communities. As I've said before, my community is spread across the world with our biggest and most populated areas being the UK, US and Europe. Surprisingly, Australia and New Zealand have the smallest population, I'm not sure why, actually," her brow creased in thought. "Seeing as I once belonged to the UK community and the UK is a member of the European Union, I was able to legally use my abilities in Europe. But when I left on my travels during the completing of my Masteries, I was required to apply for a permit should I wish to use my abilities outside of my own community. Children under the age of seventeen have an automatic trace on them, and should they use their abilities whilst a minor, the Ministry is automatically notified and action is taken to correct the situation, as well as perform a cleanup should it have been witnessed by anyone not of our community, essentially, a someone such as yourself, a normal human."