Reception Room – Fraternity Headquarters
Pepper's composure cracked slightly at Smith's words. He knew. Just from seeing her walk through the door, he'd identified exactly why she was here.
She recovered quickly, extending her hand across the desk. "Mr. Doyle."
Smith shook it briefly. "Ms. Potts. Please, sit."
Pepper took her seat, posture straight, while Happy remained a steady presence at her back. She met Smith's eyes without flinching; there was no point in pretense now. "I'm here to ask for your help," she said evenly. "It'll require your organization's full resources."
Smith leaned back in his chair, eyes steady on hers. "You're asking for a lot, Ms. Potts. What's so critical that you'd call on the entire Fraternity?"
Pepper drew a careful breath. Keep it together. You're negotiating for Tony's life.
"Two and a half months ago, Tony Stark went to Afghanistan to deliver weapons to U.S. forces. On the return trip, his convoy was ambushed by an unidentified group." Pepper's voice held firm, though she could feel the knot tightening in her chest. "Several men were killed. Tony's body wasn't among them. The working theory is abduction. His whereabouts remain unknown."
She hesitated before going on. "The military has launched multiple search operations. Stark Industries has used every private channel we have. No success. Tony remains missing."
Happy shifted behind her, silent but visibly on edge.
"I'm aware your organization has considerable access in areas beyond official reach," Pepper said, each word chosen with precision. "I'm asking that you activate those connections, your intelligence networks, your field assets, to locate Tony Stark. You see what the military can't. You move where they can't."
Smith studied her silently for several seconds. Pepper resisted the urge to fill the silence with more explanation. She'd made her case. Now came the negotiation.
"Locating someone abducted in Afghanistan by an unidentified faction is a high-difficulty task. It would require deploying significant resources, conducting dangerous intelligence work in hostile areas, and the potential for a firefight during any extraction."
He leaned forward slightly. "What's your offer?"
Relief flooded through Pepper. He's not refusing. He's negotiating.
"If you find Tony and bring him back, Stark Industries will pay whatever reasonable rescue fee you set."
She spoke quickly, decisive. "On top of that, we'll supply advanced arms and equipment, and create an ongoing channel for prioritized access to military-grade hardware."
Happy's surprise was almost audible behind her, but he said nothing.
She held his gaze. "That is our opening proposal. I am prepared to discuss further incentives should you require them."
The proposal was extraordinary. Stark Industries officially only sold to military organizations and allied governments. Opening a supply line to the Fraternity was borderline treason. But if it brought Tony home alive, Pepper would sign anything.
Smith considered the offer. His expression gave nothing away.
He's not excited, Pepper noted with surprise. The weapons channel should be incredibly valuable to an organization like his. Why isn't he showing more interest?
"The weapons channel is appreciated," Smith replied, each word deliberate, "but that's not what I'm after. I need a specific assurance."
He flipped open a notepad and wrote. "$100 million in specialized scientific gear and materials. Many items are restricted or bespoke, and some have military applications. I need Stark's procurement muscle to source them."
Pepper felt the questions stack up. Scientific equipment, not arms and not straight cash, research components.
"May I see the list?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Smith pushed the notepad toward her. She scanned the items: precision fabrication gear, exotic alloys, high-end computational arrays, experimental energy prototypes.
Her confusion deepened. This was not a weapons order, it was a lab requisition. What could require all this?
"The full list is more extensive," Smith said. "But that should give you an idea. Can Stark Industries source it?"
"Yes," Pepper replied without hesitation. "As long as you bring Tony back alive, $100 million in equipment is not a problem. Send me the complete list when you're ready."
She paused, then added, "I accept your terms. And if you deploy your full resources to find him but come up empty, I will still pay $10 million for the attempt. Your organization should not go unrewarded for trying."
Happy made a small sound behind her. Pepper ignored it. She was committing Stark Industries to potentially massive expenditures without board approval, but she'd worry about that later.
Smith's expression shifted slightly. "That's generous. I appreciate the gesture."
He stood and extended his hand. "You have a deal, Ms. Potts. As long as Tony Stark is alive, we will extract him from Afghanistan."
Pepper rose and shook his hand firmly, relief washing over her like a wave. "Thank you, Mr. Doyle. Truly."
"I'll arrange a $10 million advance payment as soon as I return to my office," she continued. "Consider it a demonstration of good faith."
Smith nodded. "We'll begin immediately. I'll contact you with updates as we develop."
Pepper and Happy departed minutes later. As they walked back toward their car, Happy finally spoke.
"You just committed a lot of company money without authorization."
"I know." Pepper's jaw set. "If Tony's alive, he'll understand. If he's not..." She didn't finish the sentence.
Fraternity Headquarters
John Wick materialized as Pepper and Happy left the building, falling into step beside Smith as they walked back toward the operations center.
"What did they want?" John asked quietly. "Please tell me they don't know about the Dragon Balls."
Smith shook his head. "Nothing like that. Tony Stark is missing, kidnapped in Afghanistan. She wants us to find him. Offered $100 million in resources for the job."
John exhaled in relief. "That's... manageable. Better than explaining resurrection to a weapons manufacturer." He paused. "Wait, the playboy billionaire is missing? I haven't been following the news lately."
"Apparently." Smith considered the timeline again.
Tony's either still imprisoned building the Mark I, or he's already escaped and is wandering the desert. Either way, locating him shouldn't be difficult.
"Do you need me for the operation?" John asked.
Smith clapped him on the shoulder. "What you need is to focus on your training. You're nowhere near the level needed to achieved flight in your current condition."
John grimaced slightly. "Chief, I'm not exactly young anymore. And I've accumulated a lot of damage over the years, old injuries that never healed properly. Reaching the absolute human limit..." He trailed off, the implication clear. It might not be possible for me.
Smith thought about that. John Wick at his peak had been perhaps the most dangerous baseline human assassin alive. But peak performance had come with a price, accumulated trauma, microfractures, scar tissue, joint damage from decades of brutal combat.
The medical pod could fix that. Restore him to optimal physical condition, maybe even improve on his previous capabilities.
"Focus on consolidating the Continental Hotel conversions," Smith said. "Make sure the transition is smooth, prevent any former Continental members from causing problems by not understanding the new structure."
He added, "As for your injuries, I'll let you use the medical pod soon. It should repair your accumulated injuries completely."
John's eyes widened. He'd seen the strange cylindrical chamber in the medical bay, heard whispers about its origin. "Chief, I, thank you. I won't waste the opportunity."
"See that you don't." Smith's tone softened slightly. "You're one of my most valuable people, John. Getting you back to peak condition benefits everyone."
They continued down the corridor, John's stride noticeably lighter than before. Smith's mind, meanwhile, was already turning to logistics.
Finding Tony Stark.
Step one: deploy intelligence assets to Afghanistan, focus on areas with Ten Rings activity.
Step two: locate the cave system where he's being held. Step three...
He paused mid-thought. Actually, step three might not be necessary. If Tony's already escaped, he'll surface on his own soon. I just need to have people in position to "discover" him at the right moment.
Either way, this was one of the easiest $100 million dollars he'd ever make. And the equipment list Bulma had given him yesterday would finally get filled without bureaucratic obstacles.
Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is worth more than any amount of combat power.
Smith smiled slightly and continued walking.