23

Chapter Text

To: Stark, A. E. You Know Who I Am; Department Head [R&D, New York branch]

From: Hill, M. Head Intel Officer [Communications, New York branch]

Subject: Full Disclosure

You're sure you don't want me to tell the company what the Avengers did, like the Penthouse Incident? I can assure you, word wouldn't get out to the public.

The rumor mill's working hard, and some of the stuff they've got is almost on the mark. I know Thor apologized, but the rest of the team has even less of an excuse, especially given everything. I know you value your privacy and want them at the ready, but…

Please let me know soon, my inbox is already starting to blow up

—Hill

—————————

To: Hill, M. Head Intel Officer [Communications, New York branch]

From: Stark, A. E. You Know Who I Am; Department Head [R&D, New York branch]

Subject: The Incident, Rich Protocols

Please don't. It'd be a bloodbath, with Legal leading the charge.

I'm fairly certain they've got a grudge the size of Texas against Rogers and Romanov, and I wouldn't have any peace of mind if our best option for keeping the planet safe so far is behind bars.

Project Ultron has been scrapped officially. Unofficially, it's been renamed JOCASTA because of obvious reasons, but either way still won't be able to go online for two years at the very least. I need the team handy until then, just in case.

I have no issue with you being vague as to the details; even minus the Penthouse Incident, just Johannesburg onwards would've been enough for me to call it quits. You're also more than welcome to mention Vision; he's going to be spending a lot of time around here, after all.

But until JOCASTA's up, we need to have the team ready. They're not worth investing in for the long term, not as they are now, but they're a necessary evil for the short term. Plans B and onwards going to take a while, after all.

Good luck

—Stark

The next few days were a whirlwind for Tony.

On the plus side, he got so much done. The press conferences about Iron Man's departure from the Avengers, the video conferences with various politicians because apparently he was the only one qualified to do so, the sheer volume of stuff Legal had churned out because this was the first time the Avengers had acted as an independent group since DC and there were so many precedents being set.

On the other hand, it was exhausting on a level that was getting alarmingly familiar. [Not as bad as Afghanistan, or DC—dear lord where had he gone wrong to where Afghanistan was a simpler time?]

Just…coordinating with PR and Pepper and Rhodey to make the best image they could and pretend he'd already been planning on leaving the team even before they'd decided to switch up the roster, no, really, it wasn't trouble in paradise.

Tony's cutting ties with the Avengers meant Legal was scrambling to make things as simple and tidy as possible, because they weren't sure who'd be legally representing the team from now on. Not to mention Johannesburg in general, or how the international coalition would be handling damages, or…well. It was a mess, and all of it needed to be addressed ASAP because best strike while the iron's hot, and everyone was grateful enough to allow a few concessions before anyone took a good look at the newest roster.

And that wasn't even bringing in the World Security Council.

Which…Tony didn't even. Just the debriefing afterwards, talking about after-action reports and casualties and timeframes and jurisdiction and appropriate responses had already been a headache [and he'd curled up with Rhodey afterwards, because some things had hit way too close to home], but their continual insistence on him staying on the damn team got old fast.

No, he was just a consultant, not interested in sticking around, thank you very much. Besides, he was working on something that'd be a longer term solution, just in case. Why would Fury have known about it? Why all the damn questions when he's a private citizen and they can probably call Rogers? Why was everyone blowing up his inbox?! [Geez.]

At least Pepper and Happy and the rest were on his side. Sure, he didn't see them very often, because, just like DC, everyone was too busy getting shit done to really sit down and talk, plus it's hard to really catch up when Pepper's in Paris and Happy's still doing physical therapy because apparently he didn't trust Extremis enough to use it to heal.

But overall, his people were safe, Phase 2 was coming along well, and that's all Tony could ask for, really.

To: Chan A. Department Head [Legal, New York branch]

From: Rivera, M. Coordinator [Legal, New York branch]

Subject: The Red Migraine

Just got a message from USCIS asking about Wanda Maximoff. Yeah, /that/ one.

The gist of it's 'why wasn't her surprise move-in to the Compound cleared with us when she's a foreign national?' and immigration protocols and green card applications and you can guess the rest.

Are we seriously dealing with this on top of everything else? I mean, it'd be doable, but…

Please say no

—Rivera

—————————

To: Rivera, M. Coordinator [Legal, New York branch]

From: Chan, A. Department Head [Legal, New York branch]

Subject: Only If You REALLY Want To

Didn't you get Jordan's FAO?

We're fielding stuff from the UN, State Department, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Sokovia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that's just a glance of our department's inbox from the past six hours.

SHIELD's been pestering us since like DC, they're more than welcome to have a crack at the workload for everything else. They made the team, they can keep it for I care. Dr. Stark's got enough going on without whatever it was that had rich protocols kicking in.

The Avengers are not our problem, Iron Man was only a consultant and he's taking advantage of that status now and severing ties.

If they want to recruit the chick who's responsible for like half the paperwork I've been dealing with, then it's their problem, not ours. Dr. Stark wants them available if necessary, which is why we're doing rich protocols rather than what we did with AIM, but they've been our headache for long enough. They're grown adults, they can handle themselves.

And if not, well…one of the guys in my department said something about a program that compiles highlights, so we'll just commandeer Conference Room 3 on a Friday, borrow Marketing's popcorn machine.

It's not like we haven't earned it, at this point.

Good luck

—Chan

"I must insist on talking to Mr. Sta—"

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Stark is unavailable at the moment. Your best bet's scheduling an appointment, you can do that at the front desk."

Maria Hill smiled at the latest man in a cheap suit who thought he could intimidate her, could try to strong-arm his way to talking to Dr. Stark when the man already had so much on his plate as is and whose schedule was booked for the rest of the month.

"Oh, I wasn't aware he'd replaced Potts with another lackey."

…This was nowhere near the first time Maria'd had to deal with smarmy-looking men with egos bigger than brains in her long career. Shutting them down, however, never got old. [And if her smile sharpened even more, until it was exactly like the one she'd refined at Director Fury's side years ago, well. All the better.]

"You are nowhere near the first, and your best bet's making that appointment. Go ahead. Anything else would be a waste of both our times." Before I call Security, she nearly added, but he way he leaned back told her he got the message well enough.

Now he got the picture. The way he shuffled back from his attempted looming was very gratifying, even more so when he ducked his head, muttered an apology, and slunk away.

Funny, how everyone seemed to forget that she used to be a Deputy Director, or thought she'd somehow gone soft. Because while Stark Industries was technically a civilian enterprise, it sure as hell didn't feel like one.

Not with how heavily involved Dr. Stark was with international politics and bureaucracy. Or the fact that her job had her doing much of the same duties as before DC, albeit it different channels to go through and a more streamlined process thanks to JARVIS.

While Dr. Stark collaborated with PR to leave the Avengers looking as best as possible, Maria was constantly in communication with SWORD [and okay, yes she liked the acronym, but she'd take that tidbit to her grave] and Legal and the rest, because SWORD's mobilization in the debacle was a mixed bag.

On the plus side, they'd done everything above-board, tidy and official and had helped minimize damages.

On the other hand, in doing so, they'd also caused a lot of paperwork.

Maria had ended up having a meeting with the Legal and PR representatives almost upon arrival from Sokovia about SWORD, for instance. Explaining how it'd been started as a support group helped them from being in the doghouse [though she still got a few suspicious looks], as had their actions in Johannesburg and Seoul.

Maria didn't know when she'd become the spokesperson for SWORD, exactly, but it was an interesting experience.

Lee had gone over the implications, in detail, of what a worst-case scenario looked like, if anyone were to read it the wrong way. An almost paramilitary group with their own agenda and only directly affiliated with Stark Industries, and formerly associated with SHIELD did not sound good, Maria had to admit. Good deeds or not, they'd need to do a lot of fast talking because with their luck…well.

Privately, she was very grateful nobody'd mentioned their new group's new name to the general public, too, because as it was the knowing looks she'd gotten when explaining just when and how SWORD had gone from a support group to an emergency task force had been hard enough, never having to keep a straight face when defending the acronym that she personally hadn't voted for, no, really. And that the S definitely stood for sentient, not Stark, where'd you get that idea from?

On the plus side, everyone in the room knew about the bad blood between them and SHIELD, so at least nobody asked about their affiliation beyond the unsaid obvious. That…would have been a dicey situation, given how rabid some of SWORD's members were about not wanting to be even remotely affiliated with SHIELD.

Of course, that wasn't the only meeting Maria'd had to attend, regarding SWORD's formation.

HR had a lot to say about their support group's recent actions, for instance, and hammering out a battle plan for how they'd approach it in the press meant there was even more facepalming as JARVIS chimed in with the discovery that somehow, over the course of the past 48 hours, SWORD also had an insignia as well.

When she saw it, and the relevant logs, Maria didn't even bother to hide her exasperation. [Really, Decker? A name wasn't enough?] At least Jordan and Lee were amused by the logo, and thought it might come in handy for the future.

In the end, the all agreed to play off SWORD as an emergency task force part of the Security division, one that'd been intended to help with disaster relief from the start. It was a thing of beauty, actually, and if she didn't have a cluttered inbox saying otherwise Maria would've almost believed it as well.

There had been so many knowing looks being thrown around, however, and while Dr. Stark didn't need to concern himself about this latest development as well as what else he had on his plate, that didn't save Maria from having her inbox flooded with not only the paperwork concerning the Avengers but also the surprise formation of SWORD.

Thank goodness JARVIS was able to help, and being able to delegate some of it to SWORD's members meant it was bearable: after all, Phase 2 demanded a lot of her attention.

To: Hughes, N. Assistant [Communications, Los Angeles branch]

From: Decker, M. Analyst [Accounting, Los Angeles branch]

Subject: Thoughts On The Dossier

You got a copy of Hill's findings, right? The one with the notes on Rogers' shitty hiring choices? And brief overview of her take on the latest week from hell?

Did you also get the attachments from JARVIS, with his own data?

I…I got nothing.

Well, actually, no, considering the almighty AI's apparently giving us a hand with this mess, but really this is so far out of my league it's right up there with the world domination thing Vera from Legal always jokes about.

Who's the poor schmuck that made the initial proposal for the Avengers Initiative, again? Sucks to be them, because comparing the stuff we had on file then and what I have a copy of in my hard drive is just pitiful.

The stuff JARVIS lifted from HYDRA's servers was…are we sure this Maximoff chick didn't mind-whammy Rogers? Because I've seen people half a second from alcohol poisoning make better choices than what I'm seeing here.

Just…

This does not compute

—Decker

—————————

To: Decker, M. Analyst [Accounting, Los Angeles branch]

From: Hughes, N. Assistant [Communications, Los Angeles branch]

Subject: The Dossier

Same. You know how some people in PR also got it too? Wang damn near /cried/ when she got to the Johannesburg part.

I know Coulson and Fury were the bigger proponents for the Avengers Initiative, and I never thought I'd pity either of them but I do. Dr. Stark's too generous; if it were up to me, I'd have just walked off because /fuck/ HYDRA. Maximoff's lucky none of your crew were around, I'm p sure Palamas alone would've gone for a headshot.

The rest of the new roster…meh. I am distinctly underwhelmed. Broken pedestal's a given with the obvious, although I hadn't thought it was possible to be less impressed with Captain America until now. Wilson's an unknown, but from his service record he has some potential.

Not as a threat, mind, he's nowhere near close to being more than a possible nuisance if the chips are down, but all in all he's got the profile for someone we might've wanted to bring into the fold, if he didn't want to go into a civilian life.

I could go on, but I'm saving the rest of the bitching about this for the drinking game next Friday. Got to at least /try/ to give Accounting a run for their money. (Ha, accidental pun.)

Good luck with your paperwork

—Hughes

Stark Industries' Public Relations department was on fire.

Not literally, mind: they weren't about to try to steal R&D's style anytime soon, but metaphorically?

It was a thing of beauty, what they were doing. Sure, the initiation of rich protocols limited their options somewhat, but they were getting rid of the biggest headache they'd had to contend with, things were going great.

The world was nervous: Sokovia reminded everyone of New York enough that they were able to use some of the reassurances from back then with only minimal changes in wording, and Iron Man's departure from the Avengers had the PR department pitying whoever got stuck with the job for the team now.

After all, outside of the United States, everyone knew Iron Man was the leader of the Avengers.

Maybe not in name: all of SHIELD's leaked files and the way they interacted in the field said Steve Rogers was the team leader, of course. But in reality? Despite the PR department's best efforts, everyone associated Tony Stark with the Avengers.

Since DC, he'd essentially been the face of the Avengers; between Dr. Banner and the spies being camera shy, Thor being off-world, and Captain America's going off-grid in his search for…something, the media could only really focus on Iron Man. Which, combined with his very visible efforts to clean up after the fall of SHIELD, the recent creation of the Security department, and the Iron Legion's international aid after natural disasters, and…well.

Really, the PR department's efforts to keep Iron Man separate from the Avengers had been doomed from the start.

It was easier in the states: Captain America was a classic everyone'd grown up hearing about, meanwhile they'd accidentally gone overboard in playing down Tony Stark's threat. Thanks to mass media, everyone now knew Steve Rogers was a paragon of virtue and righteousness, whereas the Fashion Week Fiasco of '97 still made its rounds every so often even now. It wasn't hard to convince everyone that Iron Man was just a consultant, there.

Internationally, though? Up until relatively recently, the Stark name had been a threat. There, it was far, far harder to convince everyone that no, Tony Stark wasn't the leader of the Avengers, not when the man sent mixed messages.

Yes, he was interested in keeping the world safe, here, look at the Iron Legion and their applications in search-and-rescue operations and such. No, he wasn't the new leader, despite taking in the bulk of SHIELD's burned spies and continuing to clean up after the team he said he wasn't part of. And now also on the World Security Council's speed dial. Right.

So when Iron Man announced his departure from the team, it was a mess.

Nationally, not as much of an issue, all they really needed were a few lines about focusing on business and reducing carbon emissions. Internationally, though, it was a bombshell.

Well…they could work with that.

Focusing on how Iron Man was leaving the Avengers meant there was less attention on the new additions to the team's roster, so it wasn't that hard to play up a few things while intentionally neglecting others.

Sure, some of it might end up biting someone in the future—already there was speculation as to just what had prompted Tony Stark's rapid departure, and more than a few wary looks were already being thrown towards Maximoff in particular— but since the Avengers were no longer their problem, the PR department didn't care. They had better things to do, after all: the Iron Legion's debut in helping fight aliens was something that also needed careful handling.

Not to mention Hill's little club, which was both cute but had also resulted in so much paperwork.

On the plus side, they'd been crucial in reducing damages and losses. On the other hand, an ex-SHIELD group mobilizing and operating under the Stark banner, after DC, and calling themselves SWORD of all things…

Okay, so Stark Industries' Security division had a specialized department to work with the Iron Legion, reduce damages, and help prevent disaster. That was why their name was Sentient World Observation and Response Division, and if it so happened be easier to refer to them as SWORD was a complete coincidence and had absolutely nothing to do with recent events involving SHIELD, right.

…Needless to say, it was a very good thing the PR department were among the best in the business. Goodness knows how it might've been interpreted otherwise; as it was, there were already concerns about Stark Industries' power and influence, though at least they were in the minority.

They'd need to do something about that soon, though, wouldn't they? Can't have plans be interrupted by mere fearmongering, just because someone got it in their head that Tony Stark was a threat, after all. Legal had enough on their plate as it was, R&D was booming—literally, and more so than usual—and Phase 2 was well underway, but Phase 3 needed a lot of prep and this was the perfect time to do it.

Notes:

Rich protocols are a go! And cue the start of consequences, even if the team won't really feel them until the CW arc, as per canon.

And if SI had gotten wind of the Penthouse Incident...Tony underestimates things, again. Because, again, Legal's grudge is way bigger than what he thinks, and with SWORD? Talk about dodging a bullet.

Also: the Avengers aren't the only ones facing consequences. SI has to cover for SWORD, because the implications of what they pulled off are also part of the butterfly effect.

All in all, Phase 2's going well. gee I wonder what Phase 3 is

----------------------

The fallout-from-AoU/buildup-to-CW arc's exactly what it sounds like: slower than not, but that's because it's also laying the building blocks for what lies ahead. I did quite a bit of meta on the dynamics on tumblr, so if parts of this look familiar you'll know why.

PR's Phase 3 prep is mainly getting ready to roll out the memes, most of which I'll leave up to your imaginations because that's not my forte.

SWORD's logo, on the other hand, is something I came up with and drew months ago, and it's on my tumblr.

Again, broke student here, erratic updates are a thing.

On a final note: not sure who's bright idea it was to schedule midterms right before Thanksgiving, but there you have it. Happy holidays, everyone.