ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟɪᴇsᴛ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ (weaponizing) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-02-20 19:37:00 |
|
|||
Gamora had an office. It was strange, a little, since she was not in the line of work that usually led way to time at a desk. But there was one for her at Stark Industries (a place to check email, at the very least) though she didn’t foresee herself spending much time there. Much of her job would be conducting physical security surveys and inspections, installing new systems, things like that. But there were also times when there’d be documentation and staring at a computer screen - the best of both worlds, she hoped. Overall, she was looking forward to this opportunity. It had been interesting so far. She planned to wear slacks to work and to adhere to the dress code, things that were easy to move around in (and allowed her to still be armed) but today since she had a meeting with Stark himself, it was a blouse and skirt - a professional one, wine-colored like a rich burgundy Pinot, with black tights beneath and black noir heels that didn’t need to add to her height, but did anyway. Gamora was perfectly comfortable beating someone up in a skirt or pants, either was fine with her. Her interview and on-boarding stuff had all been done through her department and of course HR, but every new employee was required to attend a meet and greet with Tony Stark. Did he remember the names of all he talked to? Probably not, but she liked to think she was plenty memorable - it wouldn’t hurt to get in good with the CEO, so she wanted to make a positive impression. In the lobby of his office suite, she sat and waited, her spine ramrod straight and her hair pulled out of her dark eyes, twisted into a professional updo. The admin at the front desk seemed unnerved by Gamora and her intense silence and gaze (considering how she kept nervously click-clicking on her keyboard and sweating a little), but she couldn’t help it that she had a don’t fuck with me stamp on her forehead. The answer to her question was that no, Tony didn’t remember all the names he talked to. He barely remembered the ones from that day. It took quite a bit for Tony Stark to remember a person--his head was so filled with other things that names and faces often slipped through. Often, but not always. Actually, he could remember some things about people quite well. Tony often got distracted and lost track of the time, lost track of his appointments. This is where Jarvis 2.0 came in. Jarvis was the AI that he’d developed in the Dreams. Some of the tech was lost between worlds, but Tony had recreated an AI in this world that acted mostly like the Jarvis he knew from the other side. The pleasant tenor came over his speakers, pausing his music. “Mister Stark, you have an appointment.” Tony stopped his welding and lifted the faceplate to glance around the lab. He quirked a brow as he tried to remember what appointment it was. Was Pepper coming in for something? “What time is it?” “Right now, the time is--” “No, Jarvis, what time is the appointment?” Tony set his tools aside and took off the helmet. The current project--developing a prototype for a project that Shepard had brought to his attention--would have to wait. “Three minutes ago, Sir. With Gamora. New hire.” Damn. Tony climbed up from his chair and moved through the lab to his office area. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to walk through the lobby--though it fed into both his lab and his office, there was a back door so he could sneak through. He didn’t have time for a shower, but he pulled a clean shirt on. He could look somewhat presentable. “Gamora. That a first name or a last name?” He asked aloud, knowing that the AI program would hear and respond. “Unknown. Shall I send her in?” “Yeah, go ahead.” Tony slipped into his office, the screens lighting up in front of him. With a wave of his hand they all shut off. He moved to the dry bar to pour himself a drink and wait for the new arrival. In Mr. Stark’s Office Lobby, the woman behind the reception desk didn’t smile. She lifted her head, though, having heard the instructions in her ear piece. “Gamora?” She said, sounding only slightly nervous that she was being rude not using a title or a prefix. “He will see you now.” She clicked a button on her desk, and the door between the lobby and Mr. Stark’s office opened automatically. How...sci fi. But then again, that was Stark Industries - the cutting edge of technologies in all things. Her surname wasn’t actually that complicated - it was Ben Titan - but Gamora worked just as well. No ‘miss’ or ‘mizz’ or whatever required; she simply stood from her seat and said a polite thank you to the receptionist before heading back into the CEO’s office. “Mister Stark?” She didn’t smile either, but she didn’t look unfriendly - for once, anyway. His office was huge, and she had no idea it was connected to a lab, but that made sense too. So did the bar that he was at, and her lips finally quirked in something resembling a look of amusement. “I’m Gamora, I just started on the security team. I’m glad I get the chance to meet you.” It was probably laziness on someone’s end (definitely not Tony’s) that led to Gamora’s surname being left off the entry in Tony’s calendar. But no matter. He didn’t need to know the woman’s history for this informal meet-and-greet. Tony liked to look each of his employees in the eye at least once during the time that they worked for him. Early on was even better. Just to have some idea the type of people he had at Stark. When she said his name, Tony glanced over his shoulder and gave her a nod and something of a smile. “Can I pour you a scotch, Gamora?” He asked, lifting up the decanter. It was crystal and gaudy and absolutely ridiculous--a relic of his father’s, actually--but something he just couldn’t seem to get rid of. Besides, it did the job. And added a touch of class to the place. “No, thank you,” she responded, though scotch in the middle of the afternoon surprisingly did sound good. Something to take the edge off. But she imagined that Tony Stark had the best kind - the more aged it was, the more of a tingle and burn it provided. On many workdays, Gamora could see why one would need something like that. Though she stepped closer, inquisitive for some reason, a glint of that curiosity in her eye - smoky quartz, almost, close to an amber shade. Her blouse brought out the color. “That’s beautiful,” she said about the crystal decanter. “My father has one like it. Have you ever had wine from grapes grown in volcanic soil?” Tony finally turned to face the woman, fully taking in her appearance. She was beautiful. Classy, but with an edge to her eye. Definitely formidable. And Tony liked them that way. (Pepper. Hello.) He glanced at the decanter as he set it down. “Thank you. It was my father’s.” Something they had in common already. See? Building bridges and all that. “No, I can say I’ve never had the pleasure.” He added, motioning to the chairs in his office. They were leather and incredibly comfortable, slightly away from his desk and next to the window. An excellent view awaited them through the glass. He sat without waiting for her to sit. “Do you often drink wine from grapes grown in volcanic soil?” Gamora took her seat right away, no need to dawdle. She wasn’t the type to hem and haw anyway - though the view by the window, it was nice. This office in general, it was incredible. Naturally, Tony Stark had money. But she got the impression that he tried to do the right thing with his money too, putting it to good use - she wouldn’t have worked here if she thought otherwise. Like if he was just buying hookers and heroin for millions and billions. “Somewhat often,” her mouth tipped upward in a little smile. “It’s big in Hawaii, that’s where I’m from. But the condition of the soil adds kind of a smoky quality to the wine when it’s made. Fruit wine is big too - guava and jaboticaba. It’s blended with grapes from California. I am surprised you don’t own a vineyard, especially in such a lush region.” It would be a good investment, owning a piece of Napa land. “My father owns one, in Hawaii - he owns many hotels and shops too. I traveled the world at his behest and for the benefit of his businesses, but here,” she straightened up, though she never slouched regardless. “It was my own decision to come here.” "Ah, Hawaii. I haven't been back in far too long." Of course, Tony Stark, poor little rich boy that he was, had been all over the world. He really liked Hawaii, and had been back for both business and pleasure several times over the las few years. But then she brought something up that made him pause. Yeah, he probably should own a vineyard. Or a distillery. Or something. "That's a good point. Maybe that's something I should look into." Now that Pepper was doing more around the company, and his Dreams were a bit calmer, he had more time to focus on something else. Then again, maybe he could just hire some good people and throw some money at it. Tony was pretty good at reading people, figuring out how to delegate things when it came to all this business stuff. (Pepper again.) "We're lucky to have you." Tony added, giving a nod of his head. "Next time I'm in Hawaii, I'll have to send your father a note. I'd like to try some of the wine from his vineyard." “I can have a bottle sent here, if you want to sample some in advance,” Gamora offered. It would not be too difficult to do. Perhaps it would not even involve talking to Thanos at all - he had people who handled that sort of thing for him, and she had no desire to be communicative with her father. But that was not something she would tell the CEO of Stark Industries right now, nothing about her daddy issues. He was very good-looking, this one. She’d focus on that instead. “Are you married?” she asked bluntly, with a speculative squint and a bit of a head tilt. Gamora didn’t think he was, since she hadn’t read about it in any magazines or newspapers (surely it would be there), but she was curious anyway. “I wouldn’t say no to a bottle.” Tony agreed with a smile. Hey, it would be good to make that connection. Tony’s life was all about connections. Though, marriage was not a connection he’d made thus far. Her question came while Tony was sipping from his tumbler, and he paused for a moment with the crystal still touching his lips. He raised an eyebrow as he lowered it. “No. Not married. Why do you ask?” “Just me being nosy,” Gamora actually smiled a little, a ghost of one. “I feel as if we’ve met before. But you probably get that a lot.” She was being truthful though - it was the strangest thing, because that feeling you got when you ran across someone? Like you’d know them from anywhere, or like you’d been in this situation before? Kind of like deja vu, but not. She didn’t know how to describe it. How odd. But she wouldn’t linger and give off obvious ‘crazy’ vibes - not like she wanted Tony Stark to rethink the decision of her hiring. Gamora sort of needed this job. “Anyway, I will get back to work,” she added, as she rose from her seat. “You are a busy man too. But hopefully we will meet again soon.” Tony nodded, watching her carefully. He thought she might have been on Valarnet, and if she was there? It was always a possibility that she was a Dreamer. Maybe they shared a Dream… universe. Or something. He knew of quite a few people who he knew (or who knew him) from the Dreams. “I do get that a lot.” He said, and broke into a smirk. “But consider me flattered,” he added, a bit flirtatiously. The kind of flirtation that was innocent and light-hearted. Playful. Not serious by any means. “It was nice to meet you, Gamora.” Tony said, and stood, too. He reached out a hand across the desk to shake hers once more. “Thanks for coming up for a visit.” The flirtation made her smile a little more, since it was amusing. It got her to relax some, at least, and she reached over to shake his hand. “Of course. Expect that wine very soon too, Mr. Stark. I promise you’ll love it.” She made a mental note to have that sent right away. It made her memorable as a bonus, so that was something good - Gamora would prefer to stay on Stark’s radar, but only for good reasons. |