{fic} Some things are expected, and some things are not.
Title→ Some things are expected, and some things are not.
Synopsis→ Apparently when you’re kindasorta involved with a kindasorta criminal thing, they like ask questions.
Verse→ Happiness is a Warm Gun
Who→ Agents Burns, Nester & Frank; with mentions of Justin Hammer (hammertech) and Ivan Vanko (thereisblood)
Warning→ Iron Man 2 spoilers~
Authors Note→ I haven’t written ~fic~ since early early this year, but really I haven’t been super inspired since late last year. It feels good to ~be back~ (tildes are always necessary)
There were a lot of things that Gabriella hadn’t expected that had happened in her short time at Hammer Industries.
There were small things. She hadn’t expected to get someone she could order to get her a cup of coffee whenever she wanted one. She hadn’t expected to see a bird flying around the facilities. She hadn’t expected to enjoy staying at work until late into the night enthralled with whatever she was working on. And she hadn’t expected that on some of those late nights she would meet her boss, and end up dancing with him while talking about things that most definitely weren’t work related.
And then there were bigger things that were unexpected. She hadn’t expected to meet an insane Russian ex-con. She hadn’t expected for that same Russian ex-con to corrupt the drones that he was building so that they went crazy at their showing. She hadn’t expected having to collect her boss from prison and take him back to his home where he was put under house arrest. And she hadn’t expected that he’d want her to come by and be with him, even though she still wasn’t sure what that exactly meant.
Another thing that was unexpected by Gabriella Gray, though when she looks back at it, knows she should have seen it coming, was that she was going to be interrogated regarding her knowledge of the events that occurred at the expo.
When she’d heard a knock on the door that morning she had expected it to be what it normally was. A neighbor coming to see if she had a cup of something; or maybe a Girl or Boy Scout selling something. Or maybe even someone whose pet had somehow gotten out of the door as they were coming in with the groceries, and unable to find it roaming the halls, wondering if maybe she had taken it in. What she hadn’t expected to greet her were two men in suits and sunglasses (inside!), telling her that she was to come with them as they needed to talk to her. Of course she had made them show her their badges, anyone could dress up and say they were agents after all, and she didn’t exactly want to go along with them thinking they were one thing, and end up raped, killed, and dumped in a dumpster. Not when other things were seemingly looking a bit brighter in her life.
She had tried engaging in conversation with the two on the drive to the…what would she even call it? Interrogation room? Chamber? That made it sound like some kind of torture room. She tried to ask about that too, where exactly they were going, but it was like the pair were deaf to her, and after five minutes of trying she came to a realization that she was just talking to herself, and sank back in her seat to stare out the tinted windows, so dark that it made it difficult for her to see just where they ended up.
Let out of the car she was lead by the pair, one on either side of her (though why they were standing so close she wasn’t exactly sure, it wasn’t like she was going to bolt), to a brightly lit room with a mirror that, from her TV knowledge told her was probably went two ways, and smiled at it before sitting down.
“Wait here.”
She opened her mouth to make a comment that it wasn’t like she had anywhere to go, but before she could get a syllable out she was left alone, and with her shoulders slumped slightly. The next minutes were spent looking around the room and wondering what they were going to ask her, besides the obvious, and slowly she drifted off so much that when a file was dropped onto the table she nearly fell out of the chair as she jumped with surprise.
“Ms.Gray. I’m Agent Burns. Thank you for coming in today. We just have a few things we need to ask you about, and then we’ll let you on your way. Nothing for you to worry about - you’re not in any trouble.”
She almost made a comment that she would be in trouble if it proved she had done something, but realizing that that would be like joking about having a bomb at an airport she caught herself when it was at the tip of her tongue.
“It’s nice to meet you, Agent Burns,” she replied politely instead, and smiled at him; folding her hands in her lap as she watched him expectantly.
“You recently started working for Justin Hammer at Hammer Industries, yes?”
“I did indeed. I worked there before too, the summer before I went to college. But that was mostly just observing and getting coffee and tools and things they needed…” She trailed off to a stop as he looked at her, deciding that maybe it would just be best to answer his questions as simply as she could.
“And in this time, Ms.Gray, was there any indication of what was going on?”
“Do you mean in general? Because obviously I saw what was being made. It’d be hard to work without seeing what I was working on...”
“Did you know that there was going to be drones?”
“I…” She paused for a moment to chew on her lower lip, before letting her gaze drop for a moment. “Of course I did. I…I even thought that it was a bit of a good idea. Of course I didn’t know that they were going to go batshit insane, but…I figured that having something like that. It’d cause for less war casualties. Like those pilotless airplanes. But…they could also be bad. Because then the enemy would want to create something bigger and better, and I can see where that’d be a concern. But really, in war, one side is always going to try to one up the other…and I’m rambling. I’m sorry. I do that when I’m nervous.”
“Do you have any specific reason to be nervous, Ms.Gray?”
“What? No! I just haven’t been inter…questioned before. I was half expecting the room to be dingy and grimy with only one naked light bulb swinging right over the table. Or one of those bright lights you always see. Either/or.”
“We’re not a bad TV show.”
The smile on his face was thin as he looked at her, and returned with a lopsided half one from her. Keeping quiet - that was her plan now.
“Did you have any contact with a man named Ivan Vanko?”
“I…did. A little. Not a lot, but the occasional conversation when I saw him. I thought he said I should work as a stripper once, but he meant I should be a librarian or work at a bookstore.” She crinkled her nose a bit. “The name sounded familiar to me, when he first introduced himself, but I couldn’t for the life of me place it. It wasn’t until after the incident that I finally Googled it, and connected it all together, with who he was and where I’d heard it. The Grand Prix, and all. That was - uh, a shock to say the least. I thought he was just creepy.”
“I see.”
She wasn’t exactly sure what he saw, but nodded and smiled nonetheless, before another awkward silence came between them. He was clicking his tongue as he continued reading the file that he had originally dropped onto the desk. The one that had her name on it, and the more she stared at it, the more curious she was to know exactly what it said. However, she was in no position to ask to look.
“Are you and Mr.Hammer in a relationship?”
“What?” She squawked, that coming out of nowhere and making her stare at the man across the table, eyes bulging slightly. Why would he ask that? And then her mind went to the dancing. And of course they’d take all the security tapes. But would those still even be there? “No. No we’re not.” At least not that she was aware of. They did…things. That could make it seem that way, that much she realized, but that wasn’t something she wasn’t going to be flapping her gums about in that moment. “We’re not.”
“I see. Thank you, Ms.Gray. I believe that’ll be all for right now. Agent Nester and Agent Frank will take you back to your home, or anywhere else you’d like to go. Thank you for your cooperation.”
He extended a hand that she in turn shook, and before she could say anything else - struggling to find the right words to say to something like that, he was out the door, replaced by the two agents from before.
“So, are you going to talk now?” she asked, a bright smile reappearing on her face. But on theirs their stoic expressions remained, and one held the door open, while the other shooed her out through it.
Synopsis→ Apparently when you’re kindasorta involved with a kindasorta criminal thing, they like ask questions.
Verse→ Happiness is a Warm Gun
Who→ Agents Burns, Nester & Frank; with mentions of Justin Hammer (hammertech) and Ivan Vanko (thereisblood)
Warning→ Iron Man 2 spoilers~
Authors Note→ I haven’t written ~fic~ since early early this year, but really I haven’t been super inspired since late last year. It feels good to ~be back~ (tildes are always necessary)
There were a lot of things that Gabriella hadn’t expected that had happened in her short time at Hammer Industries.
There were small things. She hadn’t expected to get someone she could order to get her a cup of coffee whenever she wanted one. She hadn’t expected to see a bird flying around the facilities. She hadn’t expected to enjoy staying at work until late into the night enthralled with whatever she was working on. And she hadn’t expected that on some of those late nights she would meet her boss, and end up dancing with him while talking about things that most definitely weren’t work related.
And then there were bigger things that were unexpected. She hadn’t expected to meet an insane Russian ex-con. She hadn’t expected for that same Russian ex-con to corrupt the drones that he was building so that they went crazy at their showing. She hadn’t expected having to collect her boss from prison and take him back to his home where he was put under house arrest. And she hadn’t expected that he’d want her to come by and be with him, even though she still wasn’t sure what that exactly meant.
Another thing that was unexpected by Gabriella Gray, though when she looks back at it, knows she should have seen it coming, was that she was going to be interrogated regarding her knowledge of the events that occurred at the expo.
When she’d heard a knock on the door that morning she had expected it to be what it normally was. A neighbor coming to see if she had a cup of something; or maybe a Girl or Boy Scout selling something. Or maybe even someone whose pet had somehow gotten out of the door as they were coming in with the groceries, and unable to find it roaming the halls, wondering if maybe she had taken it in. What she hadn’t expected to greet her were two men in suits and sunglasses (inside!), telling her that she was to come with them as they needed to talk to her. Of course she had made them show her their badges, anyone could dress up and say they were agents after all, and she didn’t exactly want to go along with them thinking they were one thing, and end up raped, killed, and dumped in a dumpster. Not when other things were seemingly looking a bit brighter in her life.
She had tried engaging in conversation with the two on the drive to the…what would she even call it? Interrogation room? Chamber? That made it sound like some kind of torture room. She tried to ask about that too, where exactly they were going, but it was like the pair were deaf to her, and after five minutes of trying she came to a realization that she was just talking to herself, and sank back in her seat to stare out the tinted windows, so dark that it made it difficult for her to see just where they ended up.
Let out of the car she was lead by the pair, one on either side of her (though why they were standing so close she wasn’t exactly sure, it wasn’t like she was going to bolt), to a brightly lit room with a mirror that, from her TV knowledge told her was probably went two ways, and smiled at it before sitting down.
“Wait here.”
She opened her mouth to make a comment that it wasn’t like she had anywhere to go, but before she could get a syllable out she was left alone, and with her shoulders slumped slightly. The next minutes were spent looking around the room and wondering what they were going to ask her, besides the obvious, and slowly she drifted off so much that when a file was dropped onto the table she nearly fell out of the chair as she jumped with surprise.
“Ms.Gray. I’m Agent Burns. Thank you for coming in today. We just have a few things we need to ask you about, and then we’ll let you on your way. Nothing for you to worry about - you’re not in any trouble.”
She almost made a comment that she would be in trouble if it proved she had done something, but realizing that that would be like joking about having a bomb at an airport she caught herself when it was at the tip of her tongue.
“It’s nice to meet you, Agent Burns,” she replied politely instead, and smiled at him; folding her hands in her lap as she watched him expectantly.
“You recently started working for Justin Hammer at Hammer Industries, yes?”
“I did indeed. I worked there before too, the summer before I went to college. But that was mostly just observing and getting coffee and tools and things they needed…” She trailed off to a stop as he looked at her, deciding that maybe it would just be best to answer his questions as simply as she could.
“And in this time, Ms.Gray, was there any indication of what was going on?”
“Do you mean in general? Because obviously I saw what was being made. It’d be hard to work without seeing what I was working on...”
“Did you know that there was going to be drones?”
“I…” She paused for a moment to chew on her lower lip, before letting her gaze drop for a moment. “Of course I did. I…I even thought that it was a bit of a good idea. Of course I didn’t know that they were going to go batshit insane, but…I figured that having something like that. It’d cause for less war casualties. Like those pilotless airplanes. But…they could also be bad. Because then the enemy would want to create something bigger and better, and I can see where that’d be a concern. But really, in war, one side is always going to try to one up the other…and I’m rambling. I’m sorry. I do that when I’m nervous.”
“Do you have any specific reason to be nervous, Ms.Gray?”
“What? No! I just haven’t been inter…questioned before. I was half expecting the room to be dingy and grimy with only one naked light bulb swinging right over the table. Or one of those bright lights you always see. Either/or.”
“We’re not a bad TV show.”
The smile on his face was thin as he looked at her, and returned with a lopsided half one from her. Keeping quiet - that was her plan now.
“Did you have any contact with a man named Ivan Vanko?”
“I…did. A little. Not a lot, but the occasional conversation when I saw him. I thought he said I should work as a stripper once, but he meant I should be a librarian or work at a bookstore.” She crinkled her nose a bit. “The name sounded familiar to me, when he first introduced himself, but I couldn’t for the life of me place it. It wasn’t until after the incident that I finally Googled it, and connected it all together, with who he was and where I’d heard it. The Grand Prix, and all. That was - uh, a shock to say the least. I thought he was just creepy.”
“I see.”
She wasn’t exactly sure what he saw, but nodded and smiled nonetheless, before another awkward silence came between them. He was clicking his tongue as he continued reading the file that he had originally dropped onto the desk. The one that had her name on it, and the more she stared at it, the more curious she was to know exactly what it said. However, she was in no position to ask to look.
“Are you and Mr.Hammer in a relationship?”
“What?” She squawked, that coming out of nowhere and making her stare at the man across the table, eyes bulging slightly. Why would he ask that? And then her mind went to the dancing. And of course they’d take all the security tapes. But would those still even be there? “No. No we’re not.” At least not that she was aware of. They did…things. That could make it seem that way, that much she realized, but that wasn’t something she wasn’t going to be flapping her gums about in that moment. “We’re not.”
“I see. Thank you, Ms.Gray. I believe that’ll be all for right now. Agent Nester and Agent Frank will take you back to your home, or anywhere else you’d like to go. Thank you for your cooperation.”
He extended a hand that she in turn shook, and before she could say anything else - struggling to find the right words to say to something like that, he was out the door, replaced by the two agents from before.
“So, are you going to talk now?” she asked, a bright smile reappearing on her face. But on theirs their stoic expressions remained, and one held the door open, while the other shooed her out through it.