Chapter 86: Justin Hammer

A/N: Remember back in Chapter 63 (yeah its been a while) when Pepper said Justin Hammer was up to something? Well, that little plot thread is finally bearing fruit.

-x-X-x-

The place is so exclusive it doesn't have a name. Some call it The Club. Some call it The Lounge. Only true movers and shakers know about it. That's why Justin picks it, because it has a reputation for secrecy and exclusivity that he needs if he's going to pull this off. Arriving fashionably late with a broad smile on his face, he approaches the doors to the meeting room with pep in his step.

"Everyone already inside?"

"Yes Mister Hammer."

Tipping the staff at the door a crisp hundred dollar bill, the CEO of Hammer Industries steps through the doors as they cycle open. Then, he stops for a moment while they cycle closed behind him, just taking a look at all of the people sitting within, waiting for him. They all look back at him, some of them with measured gazes, some with raised brows, and some with irritation in their eyes.

Justin lets his smile turn into a grin as he steps right up to the last seat at the table, right in front of him, and sits down.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming. Ah! One moment!"

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulls out a small disc and sets it on the table in front of him. Pressing a button, he watches on in amusement as everyone at the table stiffens when a blue field explodes out from the disc, passing through each and every one of them until it hits the walls and almost seems to stick to them for a moment before fading away into invisibility.

Sliding the disc forward so it's at the center of the large table, Justin leans back in his chair, still grinning like the cat who caught the canary.

"There. Now we know for a fact that we're not being recorded, nor will anything we say in this room be overheard by those outside of it. Gentlemen… we're as secure as can be."

For a long moment, there's silence… and then one of the men at the table finally speaks.

"And we're just supposed to take your word for it, is that right Mister Hammer?"

Peter Scarborough. Chief Executive of Risk Management for Roxxon. Not the CEO of Roxxon that Justin had wanted, but to be fair August D'Angelo was a hard man to get ahold of, unfortunately. Still, to have someone from the Roxxon Corporation here in the first place wasn't half-bad. They were one of the largest conglomerates in the world, after all.

Chuckling, Justin shrugs.

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't at least a little curious, Mister Scarborough. And I would say that rings true of all of you."

His eyes sweep across the room then, meeting the gazes of each of the other three men at the table. Ward Meachum, CEO of Rand Enterprises. Darren Cross, Personal Assistant to Hank Pym of Pym Technologies. And last but certainly not least, sitting right across from Hammer is Wilson Fisk of Fisk Shipping… and a half a dozen other corporations besides.

Fisk sits quietly, seeming content to let the others do the talking. Ward Meachum on the other hand, scoffs. His gaze flicks to Scarborough and Cross rather disdainfully for a moment.

"I was told this would be a meeting of equals. Instead, Roxxon's CEO is a no show and Pym sent his damn assistant. I'm beginning to feel like I wasted my time."

Peter just smirks, but Darren… Darren definitely gets his feathers ruffled. The man smiles a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, even as they narrow and become rather flinty.

"I haven't been Hank's assistant for years, Meachum. And frankly, Hank Pym doesn't have the stomach for what we're talking about here today. He doesn't have the stomach for much these days… the board is talking about forcing him out. If they do, who do you think gets his spot, hm? Who are they going to have replace him?"

Far from backing down, Ward just raises an eyebrow.

"His daughter, presumably. Seeing as she herself is on the board."

But Darren just grins and shakes his head.

"Hope? She doesn't have the will for leadership. She and I have been talking already, you know… and when the time comes, she might just be the deciding vote for seeing her daddy kicked to the curb."

That much seems to vaguely impress the CEO of Rand Enterprises, because he doesn't have anything else to say to that. Justin waits a beat to see if either of the other two men at the table will interject, but Scarborough just continues to look vaguely amused, while Fisk remains quiet.

Clapping his hands together, Justin brings everyone's attention back to himself, grinning wolfishly.

"Now that we've broken the ice, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? We all have a lot in common, gentlemen. But more than anything, we have one thing in common above all else. Our enemy. Stark Industries."

That gets varying degrees of sour looks from everyone at the table except for Fisk. Justin beams and continues on.

"Tony Stark and his company has been a thorn in the side of Hammer Industries for-!"

"Heh. Giving yourself a little too much credit there, don't you think Hammer? Isn't it more like Hammer Industries has been a thorn in Stark's side? A very small, almost unnoticeable thorn?"

Hammer's smile drops at the Executive from Roxxon's clear provocations. He grinds his teeth as his eyes flash for a moment, but ultimately he maintains control.

"… As I was saying, Hammer Industries has been competing with Stark Industries in the weapons market for decades. And sure, SI has stepped out of its comfort bubble once or twice and created products that might rival something from the Roxxon Corporation, or Pym Technologies… but mostly, Stark has stayed in his lane. It just so happens to be my lane as well."

SMACK!

Slapping his hand down on the table for effect, Justin grins.

"Not anymore though! You've all felt it, I'm sure! The past few years, that mad man has made it his life's mission to 'win' Capitalism itself! He's spread into every market, every sector, every possible product and service. Stark Industries has gone from a weapons company that makes a few interesting doodads on the side to a global powerhouse that puts ALL of us to shame."

There's some grimacing at that. They all know he's right, of course. In six short years, Tony Stark took Stark Industries from one of the world's leading weapons manufacturers to the biggest company in the world. Bigger than all of them combined, almost. Key word there being almost.

"None of us can take on Stark and his company alone. I tried for a long, long time and I'll admit… I failed. But things have changed."

The Rand CEO huffs and speaks up at that.

"Yes they do. Now SI is a dozen times bigger than it was back then. Not sure how we're supposed to fight that."

"Simple! Yes, Stark Industries has grown in leaps and bounds. But it's only been six years. Stark has spread himself too thin. He's put his fingers in too many pies. I say it's time we show him that. I say it's time we work together to topple Stark Industries before it gets to be too big for even all of us combined to deal with."

Darren Cross clears his throat, tapping the table somewhat nervously.

"That sort of backroom collusion… wouldn't that be illegal?"

Chuckling, Justin just shakes his head.

"Of course not. We're just talking business, really. Besides, if anyone is doing anything illegal, it would be Stark Industries. They're anti-competitive, they're monopolistic, and they're pushing out not just the little guy, but even the medium fish as well! Soon enough, it'll only be us big fish left and by that point we'll be dealing with a fucking Killer Whale. Best to take Stark and his company down while we can."

There's a pause as everyone at the table considers those words. Until ultimately, the tableau of silence is broken by the only man who hasn't spoken yet.

"You keep talking about Tony Stark. But Tony Stark isn't the problem."

Wilson Fisk has this presence to him. A presence that makes it hard to look him in the eye. Justin still forces himself to do so of course, even as he looks at the large man across the table.

"I don't see how he isn't."

"He's not the CEO. Tony Stark, in this day and age, is a politician. Dangerous? Yes. But he's not the one making decisions for Stark Industries. That's his woman. Pepper Stark."

There's a pause at the table, before Scarborough laughs.

"Oh come off it Fisk. Pepper Stark is nothing but a convenient cover. The woman started life as Stark's Personal Assistant and worked her way into his bed until he married her. It's obvious that her being CEO is just a way for Stark to keep control of the company while appearing like he's not in control. Everything they've been doing has to be from him. She's nothing but a pretty mouth for him to use… in more ways than one."

One would expect a group of men like this to all react to a crass joke like that with laughter. But one would be wrong. Call it what you will, too many sexual harassment seminars or something, but honestly… Fisk doesn't react at all, Meachum and Cross both grimace, and even Justin finds himself wincing a little bit.

Even if privately, he does actually agree with Scarborough just a little bit. But whoever is truly in charge of Stark Industries… it doesn't matter.

"Pepper Stark, Tony Stark, whatever. Our enemy isn't a person, it's the company. Stark Industries is set to take over the world of business… some would even go so far as to claim it already has and that there's no hope. Well I disagree. I think we still have a chance to formulate some sort of defense, some sort of opposition. But the window is closing fast, and we can't do anything by ourselves."

Raising an eyebrow, Justin looks around the room.

"Well, gentlemen? What do you say?"

-x-X-x-

Pepper Stark watches from behind her desk in her office as the group of businessmen all agree one by one to team up and start working against her and her company. Their little 'secret' meeting is currently projected in high-definition hologram, filling the center of her large office with the entirety of the table, the chairs, and the five scheming men sat in them.

Justin thought he was being so clever, buying a device that promised total secrecy and security. And to be fair, the device did do those things… it just also recorded everything that happened within its sphere of influence, sending it all to JARVIS, who of course was more than happy to send it on to Pepper in turn.

Speaking of which…

"Shall I neutralize them, ma'am?"

JARVIS sounds so casual, even as he offers to kill the five men for her. Rich and powerful men one and all. But nothing more than ants before something like Tony's artificial baby boy. Grinning wickedly, her eyes slitted as she arches her back like a particularly satisfied cat, Pepper shakes her head.

"No, JARVIS. That won't be necessary. In fact, take no action against any of them… yet."

"Ma'am?"

"We already have the skeletons in all of their closets. Taking down those men would be… child's play. But what would be the point? Other men would just take their place. No, let's let them scheme for a little while. We'll let them all find enough rope to hang themselves with before we strike."

In fact, Pepper already had some ideas. It was unfortunate that the Roxxon CEO wasn't involved in all of this, meaning that the conglomerate would probably survive the coming storm that their Chief Executive of Risk Management was brewing for them under the table. However, Pepper wasn't worried about an aging, decaying behemoth like Roxxon. They were easily the biggest player at the table, and yet… they were also already on their way out. Decrepit and rotting. Out with the old, in with the new.

As for Justin Hammer and Wilson Fisk… one was a slimeball and the other was a criminal who thought himself a kingpin. They'd overplay their hand soon enough as well. And finally, Ward Meachum and Darren Cross… well, if Pepper let them go as far as they wanted to go, she was confident that they would take care of themselves for her.

And in the wake of their idiocy, it would leave an opportunity for Pepper and Stark Industries to step in and… 'help' Joy Meachum and Hope Van Dyne get their houses in order. As brand new subsidiaries under SI, of course.

"Very well, ma'am. I shall keep an eye on the situation and alert you if there are any further developments in their plans. So far, their initial gambits do seem to be rather… ineffective. I estimate less than a one percent chance of their actions having any impact on Stark Industries Operations in the next six months."

Pepper smirks.

"Of course. That's because they still don't understand that they're not up against Tony. They're not even really up against me. They're up against you, J. And they simply aren't ready for it."

"Mm… while I appreciate the compliment ma'am, I must protest. I am merely your humble subordinate. It is your competent administration and stewardship of Stark Industries that has made Sir's company grow in leaps and bounds these last six years. You have wielded me quite effectively as everything from a scalpel to a bludgeon."

Pepper opens her mouth, but before she can offer a rebuttal, she feels resistance down between her legs. Narrowing her eyes, the CEO of Stark Industries pushes her chair back from her desk and loosens her grip on the brunette kneeling between her thighs.

Pulling away from her crotch and looking up at her to give her a wide grin, a glistening wet Darcy Lewis snickers.

"JARVIS is right, Pep. You shouldn't sell yourself short. Those idiots aren't going to know what hit them."

Well… to think she would be ganged up on in her own office. And for the sake of complimenting her of all things! The insubordination!

Huffing good-naturedly, Pepper rolls her eyes and shoves Darcy back into her cunt. If the PA had time to talk back to her, she had time to lick. Meanwhile, the duplicitous businessmen that Justin Hammer has assembled into some sort of Fearsome Five have finished their conversation and Hammer reaches out to turn off the disc and end their meeting. As the holographic representation of the room disappears from her office, Pepper arches her back, getting comfortable again.

Then she hums for a moment, not having anything else to watch while she enjoys Darcy's enthusiastic tongue.

"You might be interested to know that Betty Ross has arrived at Bruce Banner's laboratory, ma'am. He is currently unaware of her presence but will learn of her arrival quite soon."

Pepper's eyes light up at that, and she almost tells JARVIS to put up a screen of the impending reunion. But in the end, she just sighs and shakes her head.

"… Let's leave them to it, J. Unlike those scum suckers from earlier, THEY deserve their privacy. Though of course be sure to summarize the events and tell me about it all later."

"Of course, Mrs. Stark."

In the end, Pepper just leans back in her chair and lets her eyes grow lidded as Darcy eats her out, focusing entirely on the other woman's technique. Once upon a time, Pepper had considered Betty Ross as a possible grab for not just Tony's scientific pursuits, but also her and Tony's bedroom. But he'd been rather recalcitrant about it, and ultimately he'd come to tell her of his friendship with Bruce and the love between Dr. Banner and Dr. Ross.

How could Pepper really come between the two cute nerds? She was such a sucker for a good tragic love story… their very own modern day Beauty and the Beast.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Justin Hammer: "So you're saying that no matter what, no one will be able to hack through this tech?"

Stark Industries wearing the classic big nose/glasses/eyebrows disguise: "... Yes."

Anyways... next time, Bruce and Betty!

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