Generation Next The Lost Chapters

Done Deal (Part 4 Avengers Crossover)

Stevie groaned, rolled over, and smacked at the button on his alarm clock to stop the incessant blaring of the alarm. Before he could toss back the covers and pull his body from the bed, Melissa came tromping into the room, already dressed in her Pepper Potts look alike outfit.

She held out a Starbucks to-go coffee cup, shoving it right in his face. “Here ya go Stevie; I already got your double caffeinated, triple shot, mocha espresso, with whole milk, and just a teeny sprinkle of cinnamon.” Held in her other hand was a little brown bag, which she shoved at him. “And a chocolate doughnut with extra sprinkles, too! Are you ready to go?”

He glared at her. “No. I’m not ready to go. I’m still in bed.” He snatched both the coffee and doughnut from her before he shoved back the covers, with the doughnut stuck in his mouth. At least Storm hadn’t seen her with the Starbucks and taken it away from her like yesterday. She’d claimed he was too young for coffee or something stupid. Jeez, he was nine. How was that too young? Adults, seriously, why did they have to interfere? He shoved Melissa out of his room so he could get ready.

As he got dressed, he considered his options. He had to come up with another product to introduce or Stark was going to put them out of business right quick. Ziva had better of done some tracking on market trends and discovered what was hot at the moment and come up with some ideas for a direction they could head with products.

If he couldn’t force Stark into a corner and get him exactly where he wanted him, his plan was going nowhere fast.

Satisfied with his look he headed down to the car where Craig waited. “Let’s go Craig; we need to get to the office for a staff meeting.”

“Yes Sir Mr. Smark.” Craig shut the door to the limo and headed over to the driver’s side of the car.

Stevie was impatient to get to Smark Tower and get to work. He tapped his fingers on the armrest and stared blankly out the window. It was Craig’s low whistle that brought him back to reality as they pulled up in front of the tower.

“What the hell?” He shoved his door open without waiting for Craig and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the building, trying to avoid the debris on the sidewalk as he did. Tilting his head back, he stared up at Smark Tower. Someone had defaced his beloved tower! No, he corrected himself, not someone; he knew exactly who had done it.

There was only one person capable of doing what had been done to his tower.

Tony Stark.

Stevie stared up at the defacement. Letters had been torn from the top of the tower so that it now read only, mar.

Yeah, nice touch Tony, he thought as he spun around on his heel and stalked across the street, and shoved through the entrance of Stark Tower. He knew the way up to Tony’s office—since it was in exactly the place, his was in Smark Tower—and got there without a problem, probably because Stark was expecting him. The creep had probably told security to let him through in expectation of his arrival.

Tony looked up at Stevie burst into his office. “Ah, hello there kid. Like what you did with your tower. Nice touch.”

“I didn’t do it and you know it. It’s only a matter of time before I prove it was you,” Stevie told him in a low menacing voice.

Tony sat back in his chair, taking his time to settle back before answering. “You can try to prove it was me, but we both know you’ll never prove it because there is no proof kid.”

Stevie narrowed his eyes on Stark. “You want to bet on that Old Man.”

Tony sat forward cautiously; he was treading on thin ice here. There was no proof he’d made certain of it. However, Stevie Smark wasn’t an idiot; it would take very little for the kid to manufacture video of Iron Man destroying the tower. “So, we seem to have hit an impasse here. We could go back and forth indefinitely kid. You and I both know that. We’re pretty evenly matched. Aren’t we?”

Stevie gave a brief nod but said nothing. No way was he going to concede to Tony Stark.

They sat there staring at one another like it was a show down in the old west.

Leslie walked into the room and looked between them. “Good God Tony, give it up. Neither one of you is going to win this stupid contest. You’ll both end up destroying each other.”

Stevie gave Tony a hopeful look.

Tony grumbled something about Leslie not helping. “Fine. Okay, look kid I’m sorry about the whole helicarrier thing. All right? I should have let you help. But I think Leslie is right, neither one of us is gonna win this thing. How about I buy out Smark Industries?”

Stevie rubbed at his chin as if he were seriously thinking about it. “I don’t know. I mean I really wanted to give Smark Industries a go.”

Tony groaned. “Come on kid.”

“All right, but you had better give me a fair market price or no deal!” Stevie grinned at him.

“I’ll get people on it right away.”

They shook on it and Stevie left Stark Tower smiling.

***

“I can’t believe you sold Smark Industries and walked away with a profit,” Ziva said, staring at Stevie across the living room.

“Yep and I won.”

“How exactly did you win? Tony Stark bought you out and Smark Industries got swallowed up by Stark Industries,” A’Cadia told him.

“Tony Stark had to buy me out to get me off his back! He also had to admit that he should have let me help out with the Helicarrier computers. Sounds like a win to me! I made Tony Stark admit he was wrong.” Stevie smirked and sat on the floor, scratching Mack behind the ears. “I also got it on tape.” He waved a digital recorder at them and pressed play.

They all laughed as they listened to Tony admitting he should have let Stevie help him.

“Well, at least I don’t have to try and figure out what a market trend is,” Ziva said with a sigh.

“You never did a market analysis!” Stevie shrieked at her. “What if we needed to come up with a new product following market trends?”

Ziva stared at him blankly. “I don’t know! I never finished school, my mom tossed me out of the house when I was thirteen Stevie, I’ve been on the streets since then! I have no idea what a market analysis is!”

He sighed and pulled Mack up to lay across his chest. “Oh well I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

She glared at him and then proceeded to ignore him.

Craig frowned. “So does this mean we aren’t getting paid?”

Stevie lifted his head and looked at Craig between Mack’s ears. “You will all get a nice severance package!”

“And that means what, exactly?” he asked.

The doorbell rang and a few minutes later Skylar and Death came into the room lugging a box. Skylar frowned and looked at them. “This is addressed to all of us.”

Death pulled out a switchblade and cut open the tape. Inside the box was an assortment of Smark Industries promotional items. T-shirts, coffee mugs, stress balls, and other assorted items all bearing the Smark Industries logo.

Craig sent him a withering look. “You have got to be kidding? This is our severance package! Man I was going to buy a new car with the money I made driving your butt around!”

Stevie shrugged at him. “Sorry, can’t help ya Craig.”

“Exactly how much money did you make free and clear from this deal?” Ziva asked him.

“Sorry, I signed a confidentiality agreement with Stark Industries, I can’t reveal that information,” Stevie told her with a wide grin as he set Mack aside, rose and sauntered from the room.

A’Cadia stared after him. “That little twerp is keeping everything for himself.”

“Yup, he is. Stevie said he needs it, but he didn’t say for what, just muttered something about a swimming pool and blood,” Melissa told them.

A’Cadia and Ziva exchanged looks and Ziva wrinkled her nose. “God, I do not want to know what he’s gonna do with a pool full of blood.”