Tony Stark (in_extremis) wrote in oh_marvelous, @ 2009-10-05 00:01:00 |
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Circumlocute
Characters: Tony Stark. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, my judge, my jury. Open to all for reactions-- Fury, Elektra, Wanda, Rogue.
Setting: Stark Tower, New York City
Content: No explosions.
Summary: Just the same press conference Tony's had about 80 times.
The worst part about starting the day with Fury was that he wasn't starting his day with you. He had probably been awake since Vietnam. 'Slept with one eye open,' you could say. If you wanted to be tasting gunmetal. By the time Tony started his day, Fury had probably run over a whole terrorist cell on a motorcycle, shot the wings off a butterfly at 300 meters with a handgun, frightened a whole platoon into permanent speech impediments and had his Cheerios.
Tony started his day nursing his coffee and staring across the desk at General Fury. It was 8:46.
At 9:04, Pepper was slapping Tony's mug away, trying to touch up the red mark under his chin, asking him to repeat the words she had neatly typed for him that were on the other side of the page. He was drafting a touch responsive multisurface kitchen countertop.
It wasn't a very large audience, but then, it wasn't a very large event. Tony counted 40-- 46 members of the press; the usual with a few he guessed were overeager, young architecture writers and those angry online conspiracy theory peddlers that only ever surfaced when Tony really didn't want them to. It was 9:16.
Construction on the Main Tower and North Building of Stark Tower continued, even today, but the sounds of the pounding hammers and squealing drills that were so overbearing outside were kept outside. The only noise in the hall was the rustling of paper, murmured notes, and Tony's voice as he explained the finer and more elegant engineering points of the South Building as much as the public was required to know. Smile, rumble of laughter, camera flash. He was overjoyed to be able to introduce and welcome the members of the press and colleagues to what was unofficially known as the Supreme Headquarters (smile, laughter) because they wouldn't be allowed back in here until they shaved their heads and had 46 mission hours under their belts. The new S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was protected by a leap in security technology that was only rivaled by that of the Baxter Building just a few blocks away, yes, I don't know, you will have to direct your questions to Mr. Richards, yes, that was a tragedy we have learned much from and have taken measures to not have it repeated.
At 9:34; “Mr. Stark, Jerome Cichon from Midnight Midtown.” Here it comes. “Stark International's income was--”
“We were spending more than we were making, it happens. We're building a tower, moving a lot of things around, but we know a few things about bouncing back from hard times.”
“But recently there was a dramatic income spike, to the tune of--”
“Bounce back.”
“--six hundred million dollars.”
“Good bounce, huh?”
9:35; “Was it a single contract, Mr. Stark?”
At 9:36 the whole room was silent, and the only person not looking at Tony Stark was Tony Stark.
“You don't ask a question like that unless you know the answer to it, Mr. Cichon.”
“The U.S. Military--”
“Is a damn fine institution.”
“Mr. Stark.”
“You want me to tell you that I'm manufacturing weapons because that makes me a fear monger, baby killer, war profiteer and that looks good in print.”
“Are you making weapons?”
“I'm making progress and funding my research divisions to help kids who never thought they would walk again run marathons. I'm applying and making accessible technology to end the AIDS pandemic. From military funding and technology comes consumer application to put a stop to global warming, traffic jams, and American Idol.”
“A little rusty, Mr. Stark.”
“It's been a while.”
“So you're saying--”
“I never stopped and I never started making weapons. I produce technology that has as many non-military applications as it does military ones, bombs just make a bigger bang. You came here for this story but it's not the story that is going to get you new readers, Mr. Cichon, because we've all read it before. Midnight Midtown-- you write the kind of stuff nobody wants to spend ink on, Mister-- can I call you Jerome? Jerry. Yours is not the popular opinion and that's why you have the readers you do, and this is not the thing that's going to help you break out. You want me to tell you about a bigger bang? You wrote it for me, and I quote: 'It is a shame that the necessary violence in the role of the costumed hero overshadows what a great good they have done for this country and the world over. The feeling of suspicion and mistrust continues to permeate our culture despite the incredible respect men like Captain America deserve-- respect that we as a people graciously give our soldiers as long as they are in fatigues and not tights. The role of the costumed hero is even greater than that of our sons and daughters fighting overseas; the soldier is an icon, as a concept. But a soldier only becomes a man when he comes home. The costumed hero personalizes and humanizes the incredible sacrifices a man can make, the good he can do, and the moral standard he should strive for. Spider-man may be a combatant, but he is also a moral compass.'”
“I-I'm glad you're a fan Mr. Stark, but I don't know what this has to do—”
“Because you're not listening, Jerry. The necessary evils overshadow the ultimate good. You can't justify what the Avengers do and not apply the same argument to my technology.”
“They're men, though. They can make choices. A land mine is a land mine.”
“But it isn't. If you're going to strip it down and make man and tech the faces of good and evil, what does that make Iron Man?”
"Iron Man is a hero, Mr. Stark--"
"What if I told you I was Iron Man?"
It was 9:41.