Stark Tower was beyond massive. Standing at 93 stories and 1,130 feet tall the skyscraper dwarfed most other towers in midtown New York and competed with the Empire State building that was just a few blocks over. It was this tower that I was entering.
Fury, or should I say Tony, had invited me over about twenty minutes ago, the traffic having delayed me quite a bit on the way. I was somewhat nervous to meet the head of SHIELD. The man had a literal army at his beck and call, plus the combined resources of multiple countries propping up his spy activities and RND teams. My anxiety was definitely warranted, especially considering the fact that SHIELD was most likely infiltrated by Hydra. Whether that was accurate in this universe was up in the air, but I'd rather assume the worst than get killed because of naivety.
I was given a basic entrance pass for the semi-complete building. Security was already patrolling the bottom floors of the tower to ensure no undesirables got onto the premises. It must have been Pepper's work since Tony wasn't nearly as coordinated as this level of fore-thought required. Besides that, electricity from the grid was already powering the basic parts of the building such as the elevators. It was much closer to completion than I assumed. Perhaps Tony was following his actions in the Movies where he waits until Pepper is finished with her work so that she can be present for the finishing touches of the Tower; namely the arc reactor turning on and the grid connection shutting down.
If I were to give a timeline for when his tower will be turned on, it would be close to a week... Which doesn't give me much time until the events of the invasion of New York. Loki would most likely steal the Tesseract by the end of the week and then that would start the falling of dominos that is the Chitauri army.
'I'll most likely be a part of that event given the fact that Tony is a part of the Multiversal Chatroom, like I am.' The concept of helping out in such a large scale combat was nerve racking for me.
I may have been cool and collected when dealing with people, using my charisma to throw them off or talk my way out of awkward situations... Combat was a different task all together. My experimentation with my powers had been stalled for days now and just when I was wanting to expand my understanding I was interrupted again. My only hope was that I could get Tony's perspective on my powers.
My nervous musing was cut short when the elevator opened to the penthouse floor of the tower. The roof was slightly exposed with stacks of tools and materials piling up to the sides of the semi-polished room. An awesome looped balcony sat just out of reach behind fibreglass and stainless steel. Dim lights were sprinkled through the room, mainly concentrated around areas where the work had yet to be fully complete. My timeline of a week seemed very accurate given the fact that the work was more focussed on electrical wiring; usually the last of the tasks that you have completed when building a structure.
"Sup Elsa! Pull up a chair!" Tony's egotistical and somewhat sarcastic voice shouted from across the penthouse, the man sitting at his fully completed bar.
Rolling my eyes I walked over to the bar, finding a Scotch already in front of me before I could say anything in response. Propping myself up onto one of the barstools I looked over at the play boy and noticed that the glow in his chest had changed yet again. It was glowing a deeper ocean-blue instead of the usual cyan, the shape having some small striations in the middle that stood out amongst the ACDC shirt that he had over the top.
"Tony-bro, I see that you've upgrades yourself again...?" He smiled and posed a little, no doubt going to use some culture reference.
"Upgrades, people! Upgrades!" He closed his extended hand into a fist and then smirked mischievously, going back to his alcohol before I could get any closer to taking it.
"So, why am I here...?" I knew why I was here but I needed to sound like I didn't so that Mr Spymaster didn't get all brooding and suspicious of me.
Tony downed his whiskey, blinking rapidly just after, before pouring himself another shot. He didn't speak right away and almost seemed to be weighing something within his mind. I couldn't read his mind like most psychics, given the fact that I didn't have telepathy or anything like that, so his secrets were safe. I never did like telepathy as a power, it was too intrusive, too open to abuse.
"Well, he was supposed to be here ten minutes ago but apparently there was a report or something. At least Jack Sparrow could keep track of time... This pirate can barely turn up on time for his own arranged meetings..." He was almost chuckling at that last comparison, the glass in his hand swirling back and forth a little as he looked out over my shoulder at the elevator.
I did chuckle at his humour, finding myself emptying my shot-glass and looking over at the skyline just beyond the fibreglass windows. As I panned over the view I stopped when I noted a man with an eyepatch slowly walking towards us, his black trench coat; nearly matching mine, swaying in the wind. Nick Fury was fairly intimidating given the intense glare that originated from his one good eye. Add to that the fact that he had two holstered pistols and the gait of someone who was used to killing people... Yeah, he made me gulp a little.
Tony sighed deeply whilst rolling his eyes, tapping a button on the side of the bar to open the penthouse balcony for the dramatic spymaster. "He's always so theatrical, the guy needs to tone it down some."
I laughed into my refilled cup, Tony having poured me a new drink without even asking. "Hah, yeah, the guys does seem broody. I get the Jack Sparrow reference now." He just widened his smile before turning minutely in the direction of Fury, who was closing in on the bar.
"Hey, I think you came in through the wrong entrance? Front door's at the bottom level, it's not a window..." Fury's chest heaved upwards in a mock representation of humour before it was cloaked behind layers and layers of neutrality.
"I prefer the view from the window."
"Ah-huh, and I like naked women... Doesn't mean I'm going to use them all the time..."
Fury's eyebrow rose alongside my own as we both stared at Tony with a hint of scepticism. He huffed good naturedly before relenting, his hands reaching for another whiskey bottle as he spoke again. "Fine, not my best comeback. I've had a long day."
"You always have long days Stark." The spymaster shrugged his trench coat's tails away so he could sidle up next to me at the bar, his pistols never open enough for me to grab at them but relaxed enough that I could feel some comfort that he wasn't immediately going to shoot me.
"Touché, however, I've been focussing on building this puppy," He lightly slapped his hand on the bar and looked around, like a proud father would at his child, "and isn't she gorgeous...?" It was rhetorical in nature of course but opened up the conversation to inflating his ego, an activity the billionaire certainly loved partaking in.
"Yes the bar is rather nice..." I sipped at my drink, smothering the cheshire grin that threatened to break out.
"Hardy har-har. You know I meant the tower Elsa." Putting down my drink I couldn't help but shake my head at his deadpan reaction.
Fury was observing me and Tony, his eye flickering between us. He was measuring me and my personality. There was no doubt that he was performing a personal psychiatric evaluation and threat assessment. He would surely want to be present for a display of my abilities; something I'd be open to if he was to swear to secrecy.
I looked at the spymaster from the corner of my eye and sighed, extending my right hand over to the man in greeting.
"Names Drecarios, I'm guessing your the one who set up this meeting?" Fury looked at my hand and back at me, Tony fading into the background for now.
"You can call me Fury. You are correct that I was the one to create this meeting." I nodded as he avoided shaking my hand. I lowered it after several moments and just leaned back to take in the man's presence.
"I work for an organisation called SHIELD. We protect the world from threats both internal and external and keep tabs on those who have powers and abilities beyond the norm." Internally I already knew this, in fact, I probably knew more about SHIELD than even Coulson did. Comic book knowledge and MCU info was a touch over powered.
I inclined my head for him to continue.
"As of five days ago we started to look into your family." I broke into the silence quickly after he finished his statement. "Because of the death of my father and elder sister I assume?" He nodded before continuing.
"Certainly. It concerns us when murders are conducted with powers and we have become very proficient in uncovering who has powers and who doesn't."
My gaze hardened as I was starting to understand what he was laying down. Emma had used her powers to kill our father and that had been discovered by SHIELD in some manner. He was calling this meeting because he wanted assurances that it wouldn't happen again, or he wanted me to be bound in some way to insure it. My teeth ground against each other as he continued nonchalantly.
"But was more surprising for me was the fact that you, Drecarios Frost, have suddenly connected with Tony Stark without any prior history with one another and that you are now closely tied economically. Frost buying Stark Industry shares brought up all sorts of alarms for SHIELD... So, what do you have to say?"
I weighed my options with all the experience of handling vast spreadsheets and information. SHIELD knew my sister had killed our father, they most likely knew that I had powers and yet they were meeting with me first as if they were wanting something from our exchange.
Lore-wise I knew that Fury had a different plan for SHIELD and Earth than the world council did. He wanted heroes and people of extraordinary powers to protect humanity. From the MCU I had an idea at what he'd want... He wants me to be a contact between him and Frost Industries whilst using my sister's crime as a way of positioning me into that role. Some would call it blackmail but I knew this was just politics. He needed something from me or my family, and it didn't matter what it was as long as he could have some level of control over our actions. It was a typical spy-move. A move worthy of any chess master.
"Hmm... Those are interesting bits of information..." I was stalling for more time.
"They are, very interesting. Do you have anything else to say?"
'Well shit.'
"I found that I liked the growth and direction of Stark Industries, that was the main reason we invested in Tony's company. He met us the other day to discuss what our goals were for the investments and we came out of that as, friends, I would say..." He nodded for me to continue.
"As for my father and elder sister, well, I can't say that I know why they were murdered or killed... Or even how... But I could postulate that they were both powerhouses in the business sector and most likely had some colourful enemies. It wouldn't surprise me if one of those enemies was a 'powered' person."
Fury's eye glimmered a little, as if I had just touched on something that he was waiting for.
"Oh? That's interesting. You see, there was security footage of you and two known mutants conversing with one another in a mall in upper New York just yesterday." He paused and evaluated my posture before continuing. "I find it strange that you would be conversing with powered people right after your father and sister was killed..."
"Whether you find it strange or not is none of my concern. As for the mutants, they were merely checking up on me to see if I was a threat to them and their movement."
"And why would you be a threat, Mr. Drecarios?"
"Because I'm a mutant."
His eye immediately narrowed as his facial expressions scrunched. The pistol on his right hand clicked as his hand closed over the holster.
"Did you kill your father and elder sister?"
I just stared him right in the eye.
"No. Though I wished I had."
Several tense minutes passed as he evaluated my words before he calmed down and took his hand away from his firearm.
"Very well... But If I get wind-" I interrupted him.
"If I wanted to I could easily kill someone. You would never find out and would have some severe issues for your organisation if you tried. Luckily for you, I don't kill for no reason. If I do kill someone, which I have only done once, It will be totally justified and or in self defence."
Fury looked positively annoyed at the statement that I could harm shield in some way. Killing was small beans for the man since he was a spymaster and lead the most powerful organisation in the world.
"What are your abilities?"
I sipped my drink whilst looking over at him over the rim of my glass.
"I will only tell you if you swear that it will not be entered into the SHIELD database."
Fury's one good eye twitched in frustration before he nodded slowly.
"I can do that."
Knocking back the alcohol I licked my lips and spoke freely.
"I have Technopathy, Xenoglossy, Psychometry and Touch-based matter manipulation."
Tony immediately stepped forwards again, his eyes wide and shining in excitement.
"Technopathy???" I chuckled.
"Yeah, I can interact with all technology and interface with the internet and stuff if I wanted to. Mixed with my Xenoglossy ability I can understand all languages I contact whilst also, possibly, being capable of making my own programming language. Paired with Psychometry I could potentially get a measure of the history of anything I come into contact with physically. Pair that ability with my matter manipulation I could restore something to pristine condition or completely revert it back to its base components."
Tony was practically frothing at the mouth with the potential of my ability combined with Jarvis or any other tech he has. Fury had other ideas though.
"So you can make unlimited gold if you wished? Or simply copy any currency and become rich in a moment?" I thought on it for a few seconds and then nodded.
"Yes, possibly... But I wouldn't do that since that would destabilise the economy and make things worse for most normal people. Repair an item and sell it? Possibly. Make something new? Most definitely. Create a shit ton of gold or luxury resources, that I would not do unless I desperately needed it or it was for a good cause."
Tony interrupted. "Could you create Carbon nano-tubes or Graphene?"
I nodded with a large smile. "Yes Tony, they would probably be easy if I could see what they were made up of and how they were structured."
"Damn Elsa, you've been holding back on me! I thought you could just change the shape of something that already existed!" I shrugged as Fury stared at me in calculation.
Tony poured me another drink whilst he ate a cheeseburger that had apparently emerged from the aether; I joke, he probably had it delivered whilst me and Fury were engaged in verbal sparring.
"Would you like to hear about the Avengers initiative?"
I smiled and turned my head to the side.
"Sure."
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