Tony got to his feet, albeit wobbly. He quickly shoved his exposed length back into his pants and gave his 'guest' a good, intense look from head to toe. She had a strange, noble aura to her, a sense of pride rising from her being.
But he shrugged and looked at the sink. He turned on the faucet and started splashing water on his face. He tidied up his look and then looked back at Darcy still sitting on the closed toilet seat, already fallen asleep.
"Ugh… We drank too much," He groaned, rubbing his head. But with some sanity left, he went ahead and got Darcy up, giving her his shoulder to rely on. The young intern kept mumbling about how much she was a big fan of Iron Man.
Tony took her out of the bar and brought her to the small single-story motel they were staying in. He first settled her in her room, tucked her in her bed, wrote down a small note for her, and left it beside her bed.
It was an invitation for her to join Stark Industries as an intern if she was interested. Other than her well-endowed body and beauty, he was also interested in her brain. And in Stark Industries, such brains were always in demand.
Thud!
Tony locked Darcy's room, ensuring she'd be safe inside. Noticing the white-haired mutant still tailing him, he turned and waved her along. "You guys don't know when to give up, do you?"
"A lot is at stake."
"Oh, I love steaks. Jarvis, find me a good place for steaks in Texas," Tony quipped casually, catching Ororo off guard. She had dealt with her fair share of problem kids in school, but handling a grown man with the enthusiasm of a teenager was a whole new ballgame.
He led her to the terrace of the motel and walked over to the edge. From there he could see the Iron Guardians still at work repairing the small town. Most of the work was already done and the news channels had already gotten their interviews from the great Tony Stark.
"I wish I had a cigar," Tony muttered and turned around to look at his guest. "So, what can I do for…"
"Ororo Munroe. Or you can call me Storm."
"Any relation with Maril—"
"None," she cut him off. "My plan was to find you and try to clear up the misunderstanding with Jea—"
"Misunderstanding? Hold on a second," Tony interrupted her, his playful smirk morphing into a look of seriousness. "First off, I'm not a fan of that 'holier-than-thou' tone of yours. Look, I am who I am, and there are three things I absolutely adore—science, women, and freedom. The good deeds I pull off? That's all thanks to the money I make exercising freedom over the science I tinker with. Without that freedom, there is no Tony Stark.
"Nobody messes with my head, nobody messes with Tony Stark. I'll let your school know when I'm ready to deal with that fiery redhead you've got running wild."
Ororo wanted to snap back right away but found herself swallowing the words back. She froze for a moment, thinking about how to deal with Tony. He wasn't happy with what Jean did, and from the looks of it, he wasn't willing to forget it either.
Eventually, she calmed herself down and stared at Tony's face. Looking back at her own life, she somewhat understood what Tony was feeling. Indirectly, Charles and they were trying to put the future of mutants on this man's back. It would have been more suspicious if there were no setbacks and moments like this.
"Mr. Stark, I was born in Manhattan, yet the greater part of my life was spent in Africa. My parents perished when a plane crashed into our home in Cairo, leaving me, a young girl, alone and vulnerable. In the face of such despair, I turned to theft, becoming quite adept at it. As I grew older, my life became a whirlwind of danger and adventure. I faced many trials, nearly lost myself to violence, and in one pivotal moment, I...
"Anyway, I swore then never to take another life. I trekked across the Sahara, discovered my ability to control the weather with my mind, fell in love and lost it, and was worshiped as a goddess—"
Tony was feeling drowsy from her long story. "You have a story like everyone else. Welcome to the club."
"I'm not some villain, Mr. Stark. Nor is Charles, nor Jean." Ororo added and stepped modestly closer to Tony. "There are countless mutants who have endured or are still enduring far greater suffering than I have known. I ask only that you do not close your heart to their cries of desperation. Charles truly believes you'll win the election—but I must ask you. Are you ready for it? Will you wield your authority with integrity? If you believe you can, then…"
Ororo took out something from her leather jacket pocket and grabbed Tony's hand. Without revealing what it was, she placed it in his hand and curved his fingers to cover it.
Tony looked at it right away. It was just a small piece of metal. "What's this?"
"Analyze it with your tools later," Ororo said, stepping back to create some distance. "There is much you do not know about the world, Mr. Stark. Perhaps together, we can bridge the gap to something greater."
Tony playfully tried to bite the piece of metal but found it no different than common iron. But he still pocketed and looked back at the tall woman. Her hair shined fairly brighter that night. Charming, he thought.
"Ororo… Storm—mind if I call you Stormy? I want to help you guys, I really do. But I can't step into this half-heartedly. Because once word gets out, everything your people do—good, bad, or anything in between—I'll be held responsible for it. Your lifestyle, what you eat, and how you interact with everyone—I'll be on the hook for all of it. Being President is a political position, and politics can be a very messy swamp. I need to think about possible setbacks and plans for damage control. What if one of you loses control of your powers like that redhead? What if one of you accidentally offs a powerless guy? And I hear you have an opposing team—some Brotherhood. I need to talk with those people too."
"Magneto will kill you," Ororo warned him. "He believes in mutant supremacy and wants the mutants to rule the world. His powers create and control magnetic fields. He'll crush your armor like a can, while you're still in it."
Fuck! There goes my weekend. Superpower supremacists weren't the headache he wanted right now.
A serious frown crept across Tony's face, but he couldn't help but spread his arms wide as if to say, 'Told you so.' "So let me get this straight—despite a faction like his running around, you want me to be the one holding the bag for your future actions? How do you expect me to help you all unite with the non-mutant populace when the mutants aren't united themselves?"
That was it. Ororo was out of words. Everything Tony said made every bit of sense. She remembered hearing her students and her colleagues calling humans war-hungry brutes. What does that make them? Superpowered brutes?
Pat!
Tony gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder as he strolled past. "Hey, I'm not giving up on you guys just yet. As promised, I'll hit up baldie when I've got a brilliant plan. But until then, do me a favor—try to fix this Brotherhood issue without making a loud mess."
"I'll pass on your words." Ororo agreed as she saw the resolve in his eyes. But she almost summoned thunder when his face looked downward at her chest.
"Night night, Stormy." Tony left before facing the consequences of his appreciation of her beauty, waving a hand before shutting the terrace door.
Ororo just sighed alone, shaking her head.
This man was going to be the next President, and she hated not even being able to doubt that he could do it.
####
♫I don't want to set the world on f…♫
Blasting music to his ears, Tony chose to fly back to New York the same night after two hours of sleep. Although spending more time with Darcy and exploring more of her was enticing, he chose to head home and give his 'loot' a look.
"Sir." Jarvis interrupted his music. "I have compiled the data you requested on the Senators and Representatives. Would you like to be briefed right now?"
"Sure, shoot."
"Sir, the current congressional approval rating stands at eighteen percent. However, the re-election rate remains remarkably high at ninety-five percent. Furthermore, ninety percent of Congressional districts are deemed secure, as the residents therein are already aligned with the party that they feel best represents their interests. Consequently, the outcome of an election hinges on the decisions of merely ten percent of the electorate, as the remainder has made their choice well before Election Day." Jarvis briefed.
Tony lost himself to calculations and thoughts. "So you're telling me I'm gonna lose?"
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