Avengers: Altruism [N. Romanoff]

14. The Red File

CHAPTER 14
The Red File

4 May 2010

"It gave publicity towards the Iron Man, and now the world knows just how far they are to replicating my design."

"You gave Iron Man publicity, but you've kicked yourself in the dirt. I was gone, for what?"

"Two weeks?"

"Two Weeks, Tones!"

Tony dodged the punch swung at him from Happy, a man who had been secretly paid by Claire to get a good hit at Tony's eye. The woman in question was standing on the side of the boxing ring, hands wrapped around the rope to hold her up whilst she went off to her client.

"And I'm sure you enjoyed your stay in South Africa, visiting your dad with your sister-"

"Yeah, I loved meeting his new wife and my new step-brother. South Africa is beautiful, the great ocean, kind people, I loved every moment when we sat during the family BBQ and watched my dumbass client on the TV."

"That's-" duck, punch, jumping around on his tippy-toes, "completely drawn out of proportion. Did I not win the hearing? Yeah?"

"You humiliated Hammer Industries. You're supposed to work for the people, Tony, not go to a hearing based on your weaponry. Worst of all, address those determining your destructive fate as 'dear'." Claire leaned over the ropes, picking up a bottle filled with a green substance that had caught her eye, "I don't know what you're doing to yourself anymore," she sighed, examining what was inside the gooey liquid.

"Hey, not yours. My property, put that down," Tony pointed a gloved hand at her, the previous reprimand flying straight over his head, with the distraction Happy could gladly hit him over the head causing a look of distraught from Tony and getting his game back on, jumping from foot to foot.

Claire rolled her eyes, leaning back over the red and blue ropes to put the bottle back on the floor, "Is that some sort of protein smoothie? Vitamin B and K. 'healthy life, healthy mind' type things?" she asked.

"No. It's my business," he huffed, punching his fist into Happy's padded sides. "Justin Hammer is stepping into unknown territory, No Man's Land. His downfall is because he messed up. He's the bad guy, not me."

"Touching. I love the preschool rivalry, I really do," she sarcastically replied, turning around to step off of the boxing podium. Her hand held onto the corner of the ring tightly as she took a step in her black heels, not risking the fall and tearing her brand new suit.

"You can't tell me you've never felt the thrill of defeating the competition?"

"I beat my competition. Do you see any other therapist making it this big? You're supposed to be focused on the Expo, you were the one who decided to rerun the entire show. This year was Expo year, no more trouble, no more Iron Man."