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[color=#2a73b2][b]Location: [/b][/color] [i]Stark Tower, midtown Manhattan[/i]
[color=#2a73b2][b]Date: [/b][/color][i] July 5th, 10:15am[/i]

[color=#2a73b2]"Ok, listen, buddy... Wait -- What's your first name again? Right, Tom. Well, [i]Tom[/i],"[/color] a frustrated Tony Stark said, leaning forward and propping his elbows upon his knees, the very expensive leather couch he was sitting on suddenly becoming not so comfortable. [color=#2a73b2]"You know I have special clearance to test in the city's airspace, so I don't see what the problem is. No one probably even noticed."[/color]

[color=#488d41]"Are you [i]kidding[/i] me?"[/color] 'Tom' scoffed back, the incredulity in his voice nearly matching Stark's level of irateness. [color=#488d41]"What did you think? That they would think you were some kind of [i]firework[/i]? A [i]festivity of the evening[/i]?"[/color]

[color=#2a73b2]"...Maybe."[/color]

[color=#488d41]"Don't bust my balls, Tony," [/color]Major Thomas Shaw barked.[color=#488d41] "I know you've had this conversation with Howser already. [i]Twice[/i]." [/color]

[color=#2a73b2]"Ok." [/color] Tony said, leaving beat before continuing. [color=#2a73b2]"But, tell me honestly, this is really about Macy's having an issue with me stealing some of their thunder, isn't it? Because I can pay you double whatever they've offered you to be their personal bulldog." [/color]

[color=#488d41]"..."[/color]

Tony tried to stifle a wiseass smirk as he locked eyes with the blueish image of the man on the ‘screen’ of the holographic smartphone in his hand, settling back against the pillows of the couch in an effort to look more casual. He was not going to let the military throttle him, not when he had agreements that allowed him to test certain 'non-lethal' products in the city airspace. Now, just because his father had fought for those 'agreements' to be put in place nearly forty years ago, before present times, that didn't mean they weren't still perfectly legal. [i]For now[/i]. Honestly, Tony was surprised they hadn't been revoked entirely after 9/11, much like some of his other standing 'privileges' had been, but his family had a long history of contribution in New York City to various charities, as well as political candidates (ahem) that had allowed certain... [i]loopholes...[/i] to stand... 

The military man on his phone looked distinctly ruffled, his nostrils flaring with effort as he tried to regain his cool and not escalate to a shouting match. [color=#488d41]"Mr. Stark," [/color]he said in a very choked sounding voice. [color=#488d41]"I know you think that you're [i]immune[/i] to the way we do things here, but this is a different administration and a whole new ball game. Don't mistake [i]patience[/i] for [i]tolerance[/i]. If you do," [/color] he growled, narrowing his eyes some.[color=#488d41] "You're going to be [i]very[/i] sorry and I'm going to have fun watching my superiors do what should have been done a long time ago." [/color]

[color=#2a73b2]"Is that a [i]threat[/i], Major?"[/color]

[color=#488d41]"Only if you choose to take it as one, Stark." [/color]

The call ended abruptly, hung up in a rather dramatic fashion from the other end. 

[i]Overly dramatic[/i], or so Tony thought. [i]Typical self-important, blowhard, military asshole.[/i] Really, Tony was just upset that he didn't get the last word in. He [i]always[/i] liked to get the last word.

So, ok, [i]maaaaybe[/i] taking the suit out for a test flight during the annual New York City Fourth of July firework display that Macy's put on every year was a misstep in hindsight. He could see how that [i]may[/i] have stepped on some toes from a security standpoint -- [i]rogue object in the skies, rocketing around and looking like an out of control explosive to the average person...[/i] According to the call(s) from the previous evening, the only reason he hadn't been shot down was because the air traffic controllers were able to verify that the strange 'craft' was indeed registered with the FAA. Well, [i]technically[/i]. He had maybe not been totally honest with the specs of the 'aircraft', but Stark had taken enough legal steps to ensure that he couldn't [i]immediately[/i] get into trouble. Between his general understandings with the city and the red tape his registration brought up, he was sure it would have taken longer before the government started making angry calls.

[i]If Rhodey were still alive[/i], Tony thought bitterly, [i]then this wouldn't even be an issue.[/i]

Colonel James Rupert Rhodes, or 'Rhodey' as Tony had called him, had been one of his best friends and his general go-to guy for relations between Stark Industries and the military. Rhodey had always known how to smooth over the technical wrinkles that Tony usually managed to kick up with the nature of his work -- the man was a PR genius in a military suit, honestly. Or, he [i]had [/i]been. Rhodey had been gone almost a year now, killed in a rescue mission to Afghanistan. For [i]him[/i].

That was the kicker.

Tony still lived with the guilt of losing his friend daily. It had been a hard pill to swallow.

[i]If only the rescue hadn't come at all. If only they could have known that he'd been provided by the terrorist themselves with the means of escaping and didn't need their help.[/i]

No one could have known that, though. It was really nobody's fault, which was what hurt the most in Tony's mind. [i]No one to squarely place the blame on.[/i] He would have loved to point the finger at the military for some measure of incompetence, but with Rhodey having headed up the rescue mission, Tony knew that his friend would have left nothing to chance. It was just an unfortunate turn of fate. That was all.

[i]Everyone's life spun on the space of a dime.[/i]

Snapping shut the ends of the high tech smartphone, Tony tossed it onto his coffee table with a huff.

[color=#e27926]"Rough morning, I see?," [/color] came a voice from the other side of the room. 

[color=#2a73b2]"You've gotta love the military," [/color]he replied, his tone forced into lightness. He even offered the woman across from him a humorless smile.

[color=#e27926]"This wouldn't happen if you just agreed to share the design with them, you know." [/color]

Pepper's heels clicked across the polished black floor and she set down a large to-go coffee cup next to the discarded smartphone. 

[color=#2a73b2]"I'm not [i]obligated[/i] to share all my moments of inspiration with the military, as you [i]know[/i]," [/color]Tony grumbled. [color=#2a73b2]"And since when do you buy the paper?"[/color]

[color=#e27926]"Oh, [i]this[/i]?" [/color] Pepper Pots, his assistant, feigned ignorance, untucking the folded newspaper from under her arm. [color=#e27926] "Oh, I don't know... Maybe since you started showing up on the front page?" [/color]She handed her boss the paper with an arched brow and a tight frown. He knew that look -- she was anticipating a PR nightmare or some other problem that would likely drop into her lap as a result of his shenanigans. 

[i]She knew him well.[/i]

He neglected to take the paper and watched as she dropped it on the table next to the coffee she had gotten for him. He could see enough from the blurry photo and the caption in large block font "PATRIOTIC UFO SPOTTED OVER EAST RIVER?". The Daily News had clearly done an [i]exceptional[/i] job with their reporting.

[color=#2a73b2]"I fail to see what the problem is."[/color]

[color=#e27926]"Tony, [i]seriously[/i]?" [/color]

He blinked at her and opened his mouth, spreading his hands in a gesture that was clearly stalling for time as he thought how best to respond.

Pepper wasn't having it.

[color=#e27926]"You know how tense everything is right now with these... [i]superhumans[/i]... popping up all over the place. I mean, sure Superman is great and all, but you know that the city is on high alert because of all this[i] other[/i] stuff happening. Should you really be pushing the government's buttons just at the moment? I mean," [/color] Pepper shrugged, somewhat at a loss,[color=#e27926] "I know you like to bend the rules, but maybe you should consider the potential problems that what you're doing can cause." [/color]

Tony paused and met her eyes. He could see the genuine concern there. He [i]appreciated[/i] that. He truly did. But then he deadpanned,[color=#2a73b2] "...So, you like Superman, huh? Want me to see if I can get his number for you? Because I probably could." [/color]

Pepper pressed the palm of her left hand to her forehead in exasperation at the man across from her.

This was just a [i]stellar[/i] morning so far.