One More Hand To Play

[the_new_shaman]

If it was one thing about rich people on this earth, Nate found, it was that they tended to be easily rattled. They have the best protection money can by, they figure no one can get past their security, they figure they have nice little bubbles where they'll be totally safe and no harm will befall them. Burst that bubble, you scare them to death

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[stark_inc]

Meanwhile inside the room...

"Do I dare ask what that was out there?" asks the industrial billionaire playboy. "Or is it dealt with enough for the next hand?"

Not that the Iron Man doesn't have a very good idea already of what's happening and that the three metas from the other side of town aren't testing his poker face more than the high stakes game already is.

[barwithnoname]

There were a fee muffled noises coming from the other side of the door as Jessan stepped back into the room. Moments later, there was the sound of an explosion, and the walls shook a little, though the room they were in was otherwise undamaged.

Jessan waited a few moments, then smiled to herself.

"The situation has been dealt with. You've nothing further to worry about, American. Shall we continue?"

[stark_inc]

This is a real test of his pokerface. He wants nothing more then to leap from this table, go and see what the the hell that was and see if they lived through it, and then take Tyger Tiger to Sing Sing.

But then the Symkarians wouldn't get the weapons they need to repel Doom, and thousands more horribly then those three semi-professionals might have.

"Absolutely." His cards show a pair of queens in a hand of mostly random clubs.

[barwithnoname]

"You seem to be slipping, Tony," said Viper as she entered the room with a smirk on her face. She, the current ruler of Madripoor, was followed by General Nguyen Ngoc Coy. And the two of them, along with Tyger Tiger were the leaders of the alliance that allowed them complete control of Madripoor's underworld.

"Perhaps you're tired of playing games." She looked at him with an almost knowing grin.

[stark_inc]

"I am at that. Not the your hospitality hasn't been exemplary," he lies smoothly. "Or the view stunning -" he notes his almost Bond girl like security shadow. "But I did come here for a high stakes game. So far all this has been is petty cash."

Petty cash in the tens of thousands, but she's right. It's not what he came for.

"Can I assume the others at this table are equally weary and have an equal amount of their homework for show and tell?"

[barwithnoname]

"Oh, of course." Viper's smirk never wavers as she takes a seat. For the moment, the General chooses to stand.

"You see, coming here to buy guns on behalf of the people of Symkaria? How very sweet of you, even though we both know you never cared for that silver-haired tart. But getting guns is something a man of your wealth can easily do via proxy, which makes me wonder just where your precious Iron Man is at this hour.

"But, regardless, you could've gotten the guns without setting foot on our shores. For you to come personally, the stakes must be extremely high, and from the moment we heard you were heading here, it was obvious what you were really here for."

She pulled an envelope out of her pocket, and placed it on the card table, right on top of the pile of chips at the center. He's free to inspect it should he so choose.

"But the one thing I want to know, what are you willing to give to get back what you want so badly?"

[stark_inc]

"Symkaria is important to my business dealings. You do understand business?" There's an implication as he glances over the bodyguard/spy that Silver is also business. Sadly, that's not the truth, but she'd be the last person to want him doing something just for revenge. "Doom is a business rival and a loud one. I don't need the scandal, but I need him out. Plain and simple - and the bodyguard you've assigned me on this venture is doing her job well." Add a People magazine grin on that one.

At her next offer however..."I suspected you had that. Before I start gambling for it, would 5 million flat do or is the game more what you want?"

[barwithnoname]

There was an amused chuckle from Tyger Tiger.

"You really think us that foolish, American? That we would give up something this valuable for mere money? Not everything can be measured in dollars and cents."

[barwithnoname]

"However," Viper started, "this is Madripoor, and everything has a price, even if its not cold, hard cash. So, consummate businessman that you are, I'll make you two offers:

"The first. You can buy this, for merely one-hundred and fifty percent of its current value. Only you'll be paying us in Stark Enterprises stock."

She gave him a moment to mull that over.

"The second. You match the value of the Stark, Inc. stock with an equal amount of Stark Enterprises stock, we put it all on the table, and we play for it. One of the three of us wins, we'll forever own a little piece of everything you've ever worked for." It was clear that she liked that idea. "You win, and you're completely free of us. We'll even let you walk out of here alive."

She brushed a bit of her green hair out of her face.

"So just how much is this worth to you, Anthony?"

[stark_inc]

He's dealing with maniacs. It's a good thing to keep in mind. He doesn't believe the last bit about them letting him walk out of here alive without some intervention for a second - at least not without doing something to him to bolster their own power first.

Good thing this is an LMD and he's out here in the suit at a nondescript dockhouse loaded to the teeth with arms that were going to be shipped to Latveria despite what had been arranged already.

He makes the puppet smile and move his chips all in.

[barwithnoname]

His paranoia is justified. She said 'alive', not 'unscathed'.

Her grin, though, was a very predatory one as Stark agreed to the game. The General took a seat, his stoic poker face still firmly in place.

"Glad to see you're game," Viper smirked. "So let me explain the rules.

"We play until one of us wins five hands." Because she just had to stack the odds in their favor. "Since you'd have to be a fool to trust us, we'll let you deal the first hand, then you pass the deck to the left for the next round."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Still game, Anthony?"

[the_new_shaman]

But before he can get a chance to answer, that large metal blast door wrenched loudly as it was bent, then then knocked off its rails and thrown aside.

Nate stepped through the passageway, looking a little worse for wear after being unexpectedly blown up. Luckily a hastily thrown up tk-shield took the worst of it, so the three of them only got knocked around.

"This a private game, or can anyone join in?"

[stark_inc]

He has to shut off the link a split second to call this idiot's mother something very rude. It's them. Nice to know they lived through that. Fury would love this clowns.

"You're intruding," the LMD notes dryly. "Unless you have a few million we aren't aware of."

[red_sonique]

"I've got a few million words to say about the poor people here who are dyin' like flies in winter. Anyone want to hear those?"

[venom_blast]

Jessica raises a hand. "I'd love to."

[barwithnoname]

This was a serious test of Viper's poker face. She and Jessica Drew had... history. Most of it mutually unpleasant, so it was difficult to keep her smirk from becoming a scowl.

"Quiet, bitch." She looked over at Theresa. "You too, unless you want me to cut out your tongue."