Chapter 29

Jen sighed deeply as she finished reading the documents in front of her, silently slipping the papers back into their folder before leaning back in her chair, trying to process what she had just read. On the other side of her desk, Ben Urich watched her with an impassive look on her face, waiting for her response. "Not a pleasant read, is it, Miss Walters?"

Jen said nothing for a moment "I knew that Tony-I knew that STARK had done some rotten things before, but this... I guess I just hoped it was all a big misunderstanding somehow, or that there was extenuating circumstances or- or SOMETHING, but there isn't. He really did take advantage of this whole mess."

"All in the name of the greater good of course" Urich said somberly, digging around his coat for something "Not that I'm one to talk, I had this information all this time, and I just sat on it, because I was afraid of disrupting the fragile peace we seemed to have, and things would get even worse than before."

"None of us came through this whole Civil War business looking our best, Ben. You're not any more to blame than the rest of us, Stark might have been the worst, but we all screwed up this whole thing from day one." More than once, she had felt tempted to use the Time Gem to go back and simply prevent any of this from happening, to simply go back and warn the New Warriors or toss Nitro into the sky before he could explode if that's what it took, or get that damn reality show cancelled, or ANYTHING. But something always held her back. Maybe it was fear of creating a worse outcome if she changed anything major, she wasn't sure. Forcing away the idea, she refocused on the task at hand.

Ben nodded at the file in her hand "You think that's enough to take Stark to court?"

"Combined with the other evidence I've gathered? It's enough to create reasonable suspicion at the very least. I can't guarantee a victory, but I've won cases with less. Granted, none of those were against the Director of SHIELD and CEO of Stark Industries, but..." Jen shrugged "You go to war with the army you have"

"Speaking of army, last I heard you had a pretty impressive ally on your side, but I haven't seen him around, I figured he'd stick close to this case, he seemed passionate about the issue when he visited me."

Jen shook her head "Ginnungagap might be powerful, but he doesn't have any legal expertize, he left it up to me to assemble the case, he's mostly helped by finding evidence that would be difficult for me to aquire myself." The truth was, she hadn't seen the man for almost a week, not since that last morning at her apartment. Then she had heard about his "fight" with the Avengers in Westchester and after that, he'd run off to do god knows what.

And then there was that dream she had a few days ago. Most of it had faded, but she still had that odd feeling when she thought about it. About him. Like there was something she needed to remember... something important.

"It doesn't matter anyway, legally speaking he wouldn't be much use in the courtroom, the jury will be skittish enough as it is without adding a reality warping mutant to the mix, Stark's lawyers would pounce on the idea that he's using his powers to affect the trial. I have the summons ready to go, we just need it delivered to Stark and Reed." Jen reached into her desk drawer and withdrew an envelope, when a third voice made the two jump in their seats.

"Did someone say my name?"

...

Both Jen and Urich nearly jump out of their shoes when I pop into the office, Urich clutching his chest dramatically. "Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?! "

I just scoff "Oh please, if Norman Osborn couldn't drive you to an early death, you might be functionally immortal. Now, whats this I hear about our little scuffle with Stark being ready to roll?"

Jen gives me an annoyed glare "There's this thing called a cell phone, Johan. It's what people use to keep in regular check with other people they're working with. Instead of appearing out of thin air and scaring the hell out of them! How did you know what we were talking about anyway?"

"...well, I certainly didn't put an alert on you that would inform me when the case was nearing conclusion, if that's what you're thinking." Jen just sighs and shakes her head in disbelief.

"Well, you heard that part right atleast, I'll have an assistant deliver the court summons and-"

"Oh, hey, you're sending that shapeshifting guy your firm employs, right?"

Jen blinks "...Yes, but how did-"

"Before he goes, can I have a minute to talk to him? There's something I want him to do."

...

The sound of a doorbell rang through the private lab located deep within the Baxter Building, pulling the two men standing by a massive collection of computer monitors displaying weeks of study and work away from their labor. In the light from the screens, Tony Stark looked dislevelled and gaunt, his unshaven and slovenly appearance a far cry from his usual playboy looks. "Hey Reed... your lab doesn't have a doorbell, does it?"

Reed didn't look much better than Tony, the past few weeks of fruitless searching, both for the missing Infinity Gems and some way to counter the abilities of Ginnungagap having taken their toll on him. Pulled from his thoughts, it took a few moments for him to grasp the question. "No, Tony... not unless Sue decided to put one in without telling me, though that seems rather unlikely. Johnny might have found it funny, but I would have noticed him trying to tinker with my systems."

"That's about what I thought..." Stark stared at the large metal door on the other side of the lab, just as another chime from the non-existant doorbell rang, sounding almost impatient this time. "What does the security system say?"

Reed frowned "...nothing. According to it, there's no one on the other side of the door."

Stark reached out for the familiar object lying on the table next to him, sliding the Iron Man gauntlet over his hand even as he nodded to Reed. "Open it... and be prepared." A press of a button, and the metal door began to slide open, the two men tensing, just as the doorway revealed... a short, pink-skinned man with sunglasses, dressed in an old-fashined telegram messenger uniform. There was a moment of silence as the three men stared at eachother, before the messenger cleared his throat.

"Mr Stark and Mr Richards?"

Tony blinked stupidly at the bizarre sight "Uh...uh, yeah, that's us?"

"Singing telegram, sir." He cleared his throat again... and then he began to sing.

Take You Out to the Ballgame

Take You Out to the Crowd

Bind You With Rope and A Sailors Knot

Take You to Jail Where You'll Sleep On a Cot

'Cause You Broke, Broke the Laaa-aw!

Off You go To the Can!

Where It's One Two Three Years Away, I'll Send You Spam!

In a flash, the man crossed the room in a smooth wave of pink, and pressed a yellow envelope in Tony's hand while he was still busy staring in disbelief at the ridiculous display. The messenger stepped back and lifted his cap courteously and nodded "You've been served on behalf of Jennifer Walters. No tipping necessary!"

And in another flash of motion, he was gone, leaving the lab as empty and silent as before. Stark shook his head, trying to process what had just happened. "Did that actually happen, or have I gone too long without sleeping again? Because that hallucination was messed up, even for me."

"Not unless you're also hallucinating the court summons in your hand..."

They looked at eachother for a moment before Tony reluctantly began opening the envelope, and pulled out the document inside. A glance was all it took to realize the situation.

"Well, shit."