Agent Potts and the Man in the Iron Suit

IV

It was surprising to find Tony in such a good mood when she visited the next day, given the circumstances and how they had left things. Virginia hadn't even finished climbing the front steps when he had opened the door, greeted her with, "Come on in," and shuffled her through the house, back to the same seating area they had been in last time.

Now she was in the spot by the large window again, waiting to see if he was going to say anything else, since he seemed so eager. Tony still looked just as sleep-deprived as before - if not more, but somehow he was bursting with energy.

"So, I thought about your request quite a bit," he finally said. "And I still refuse."

Disappointment dropped into Virginia's chest, even though she knew there was a good chance this was how things were going to go. "I'm sorry to hear that," she began slowly, remaining calm on the outside even though she was intensely analyzing the situation, preparing for any unpleasant reaction to what she was about to say. "It seems, then, that the Civilian Security unit will be visiting you to handle the situation their way."

Oddly enough, Tony's posture was still entirely relaxed. A coy smile appeared on his face as he replied, "I thought you might say that, Virginia."

She froze. "How do you know my name?" she asked in the most threatening tone she could muster at the moment.

"Just did a quick search," he said before he pulled out the strangest device she had ever seen. He tapped a few buttons, swiped across the screen, and an enlarged projection of it appeared in the air in front of her. All the color drained from Virginia's face as she recognized her profile in the unit's database.

"How did you get in there?" she exclaimed. "There's a multi-factor verification process and several security codes that change periodically!"

"Well, whatever it is sucks. I got past the security features in a few minutes," Tony said with a shrug. He stood and started swiping across the projected screen as he added, "This place has lots of very interesting information! I'm sure you'd hate for any of it to get onto the web."

Virginia's gaze narrowed. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"I'm just saying I like my suit and you like the privacy of your information."

The déjà vu was not lost on Virginia as she asked, "What do you want?"

Her newest case file appeared on the screen. "Well, I decided to take a look around and happened upon this. You're looking into Hammer, yeah? Not a fan of that guy. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing him go down if he is being shady," Tony explained as he sat back down on the couch across from her. "There's a gala event Monday night, back in New York, that I can guarantee he will be at if I announce my intent to attend. I could get you in as a plus one to initiate contact with him."

"You're... offering to help with my case?"

"Consider it an olive branch for a truce. I remain in possession of the suit, but provide ways for you to progress through your next case faster. If you let me continue to help, then you're able to keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not up to anything with the suit."

Virginia crossed her arms. "What's the catch? A truce implies it won't last forever. This'll still end one way or another."

Tony smiled, though it was much less confident than any she'd seen from him before. He clasped his hands and said, "Well, the hope is that eventually you'll see my side of things and understand that the best place for the suit is with me. You don't seem like an unreasonable person, Agent Potts."

She didn't have to think about his offer long. The terms were reasonable and useful for her, and besides, he had the upper hand. She couldn't refuse without jeopardizing the security of all the unit's data. "Fine. I agree to your terms. Don't hold your breath that I'll change my opinion about the suit, though. But, for now, you have your truce." She held out her hand.

He readily shook it this time. "You might surprise yourself," he commented.

"Unlikely," Virginia said. She then had a thought and mumbled to herself, "Monday is only a day away. I better start looking for the soonest flight out of here."

"You could ride with me," Tony immediately replied.

She blinked at him. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "I'll be calling in my private jet to fly me over. There's plenty of room. You're welcome to join."

Virginia bit the inside of her cheek as she thought it over. The logical side of her brain advised against it, but she had to admit that part of her was intrigued by the idea. She reasoned that it would be a lot easier for her to make sure he didn't try to pull anything sneaky with the suit if she was around for the several hours of travel. "Okay," she said evenly, forcing down the tiny bubble of excitement that threatened to enter her tone. "When do we leave?"

"We can leave tonight, if that works for you, or wait until the morning."

"I can do tonight."

Tony started tapping on his weird transparent device, which had quit projecting its screen a few minutes ago, and said, "Alright, I'm sending you directions to the airport."

"But you don-" Virginia began. She cut herself off when she remembered what their conversation literally just a few minutes prior had been about. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She grabbed it and saw a text from an unfamiliar number. She pursed her lips, not sure how to feel about having Tony Stark's personal cell in her phone.

"It that's all, then I'll see you tonight," Tony said as he stood.

Virginia quickly gathered her things and stood as well. "Yes, I believe it is."

Tony escorted her to the front door, where she gave him a tight-lipped smile and a nod before walking onto the porch. As soon as she climbed into the car and closed the door behind her, the reality of what she just agreed to settled in. Virginia hit her head against the top of the steering wheel, trying to figure out how she was going to explain this turn of events to Leevy.