An Iron Resolve Ch. 106 (Marvel)(Time Travel) (Patreon)

A/N: Scott Lang gets his happy ending and nothing else happens.

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Sitting there outside of Pepper Stark’s office, Scott Lang wondered, not for the first time, what he was even doing here. Well no. He knew why he was here. He was desperate, obviously, and this wasn’t an opportunity he could afford to pass on, even if it turned out to be absolutely nothing.

Ever since he got out of prison, Scott had been struggling to get his life back together. Specifically, he’d been trying to get back to a place where he could be a father to his daughter Cassie. It was hard. On the one hand, what he’d done to VistaCorp had felt right. Finding out they were stealing from their customers and then getting fired for it had lit a fire in his belly that wouldn’t go away until he’d fixed things.

However, he now knew he’d gone about things all wrong. At the very least, he should have tried blowing the whistle and letting the government know about VistaCorp’s crimes before becoming a criminal himself. Would it have done anything? Maybe not. Even if there had been a successful investigation, it would have taken years for something to be done more than likely.

But in the end, all Scott himself had achieved was getting the heat off of VistaCorp and onto himself. Because of the way he’d done things, nobody believed his accusations and VistaCorp was allowed to sweep it all under the rug using their news station lackeys. They’d even been so bold as to have Which World News, a subsidiary of VistaCorp, interview him while he was in prison, solely to rub dirt in his wounds.

And what had he gotten for his troubles? He’d lost years with his daughter. He’d lost the ability to pull any job better than working as a cashier at a fucking Baskin Robbins. He’d gotten saddled with the forever title of ‘convicted felon’, limiting his ability to even be in his daughter’s life, let alone raise her as the father he should have been.

So yeah, when he’d gotten a call from Stark Industries about an offer, Scott hadn’t exactly asked questions. He’d simply leapt at the opportunity without even looking where he might land. Now though, sitting outside of the CEO’s office, he found himself wondering why they would even bother with him… and why was Pepper Stark herself the one he was meeting with?

“Lang?”

Scott jolts, pulled out of his thoughts as he looks up and finds himself being stared down by the most intense woman he’s ever laid eyes on. Dark hair and even darker eyes, with a killer body clad in a bouse, pencil skirt, and heels. Half-rising from his seat, he swallows and nods.

“Uh, yeah… yeah, that’s me.”

She all but glowers at him from the doorway, and for a moment he thinks he’s about to be told to get the fuck out. But then she takes a step to the side, leaving the path clear for him.

“Her Highness will see you now.”

… Her Highness? Scott blinks before a growl from the extremely intense woman who can only be Pepper Stark’s PA gets him to scurry forward into the office. Pepper Stark herself sits behind her desk, looking equal parts exasperated and amused as her PA closes the door behind him.

“Thank you Hela. Mr. Lang. Please have a seat, I don’t expect this to take long.”

“Yeah… sure. Honestly, not entirely sure what this is about Mrs. Stark. The phone call said your company had an offer for me?”

As he sits down, the now-named Hela moves into position at the periphery of his vision. Scott kind of hates that if he’s being honest. It was a mind game and reminded him of his time in prison. He’d worked hard to make friends with everyone during his time behind bars just so he didn’t have to worry about being shanked by some irate fellow prisoner, but it hadn’t always been a cakewalk.

Pepper Stark, meanwhile, is like the good cop to Hela’s bad cop. Or maybe the good police chief to Hela’s bad cop, given their power dynamic? She has a kind smile on her face as she studies him from behind her desk.

“I’m a big fan of yours, Mr. Lang. What VistaCorp did to its customers was criminal and what you did in turn… that was justice. It might make you happy to know VistaCorp has been too scared to actually claw back the money you refunded or continue overcharging their customers ever since you wound up behind bars. They recognize that they barely got away with it and have since kept their heads down and their noses clean… for the most part.”

Scott’s mouth opens and then closes as he takes a moment to process all of that instead of giving his kneejerk reaction. Honestly, he didn’t really have a high opinion of corporations at this point. He hated VistaCorp and the suits at the top the most, but he’d sort of internalized that all corporations were just as bad as them after everything that had happened to him.

So to have Pepper Stark, possibly the most powerful CEO in the world, tell him she was a big fan and that VistaCorp were criminals… well, it led to a bit of cognitive dissonance that Scott had to take the time to work past. Especially with her frankly frightening PA still looming just out of the corner of his eye.

In the end, he decides to be bluntly honest with Pepper and see where that takes him. If it gets him thrown out of her office, so be it.

“Truth be told… no, it doesn’t make me happy. Maybe it would have made the Scott all those years ago happy, but the me of today… I just want to be able to see my little girl. To provide for her. And because of past Scott’s actions, I can’t do either.”

Far from getting angry at his cynicism and depressing outlook, Pepper maintains her smile and even nods.

“I understand completely, Mr. Lang.”

She would, he belatedly realizes. He remembers seeing it in the news a while back. Something about some scheme to kidnap the Starks’ daughter and how it all went pear-shaped and everyone involved who was working against the Starks got completely FUBARed.

“Perhaps this will help.”

Suddenly, Pepper slides a tablet across the desk to him. Scott hesitates for a moment before picking it up and beginning to peruse its contents. It’s multiple things, he quickly realizes. Slowly, Scott sits back in his chair, before wincing and glancing up at Pepper.

“Er… may I?”

“Of course, Mr. Lang. Take all the time you need.”

Right. He would be sure not to push it. Still, this was… a lot. First was an employment contract with Stark Industries. A very generous employment contract, he quickly realizes. He’s not being hired as some small fry either. The position in particular is as a ‘Manager In Charge of Asset Liquidation and Repurposement’ and if that alone wasn’t opaque enough, it looks like he’ll be reporting almost straight to the top, to Pepper or people working directly for her.

The second thing though… well, that explains the job title a little better, even if it completely boggles his mind at the same time. After the employment contract is some details on what his first job would be as a ‘Manager In Charge of Asset Liquidation and Repurposement’ and Scott finds himself gawking as he looks from the tablet up to the serene smile of one Pepper Stark.

“I’m… not sure I understand.”

Pepper just inclines her head.

“I understand Mr. Lang. It’s a lot to take in. Allow me to clarify then for you. Stark Industries acquired VistaCorp and all of its subsidiaries in their entirety last week. While some of its parts are worth incorporating into our own structure, much of it is… less than valuable to us, especially with the poor and ultimately detrimental reputation VistaCorp has developed among certain groups of people since your incarceration.”

Gesturing to the table, the Stark Industries CEO continues with a little shrug.

“While the general public might not know or otherwise believe your claims about VistaCorp’s crimes, those in the tech and security sector know enough to know you were telling the truth. There’s a reason SI was able to acquire your previous employer for pennies on the dollar.”

Then, Pepper lets her smile become a little knowing.

“I won’t lie to you, Mr. Lang. This is as much a PR move as anything else. Having you dismantle VistaCorp, liquidating the vast majority of the company and putting that money back into programs that will help the people must affected by their crimes… will boost Stark Industries’ reputation with those exact same groups of people.”

That… all makes sense, Scott supposes as he looks over the documentation. It was hard to believe that the big bad boogeyman in his life had just been gobbled up so easily by an even larger company… but then, it was just like Qui-Gon Jinn said, wasn’t it? There was always a bigger fish.

He just was struggling to wrap his head around the idea that that bigger fish was offering him a helping hand. Because while Pepper Stark could definitely phrase it as a PR move, she was still offering him a chance to basically right the overturned ship that was his life.

Not only was the money really, really fucking good, but working for Stark Industries would put him in a position where his ex-wife simply wouldn’t be able to rightfully deny him access to Cassie anymore. If she did, he could afford the lawyers to take her to court and renegotiate custody if need be.

It almost felt too good to be true. And yet… this WAS the wife of the man who literally saved New York from both aliens and a nuke on the same day. And the employment contract was incredibly airtight on both ends, with morality clauses that made Scott’s head spin. Yes, if he did anything fucked up, they could terminate him. But also, if they did anything fucked up like VistaCorp and he uncovered it, he could literally quit on the spot and they’d have to pay him out the rest of his contract. It was right there, in writing.

… He wasn’t going to get a better offer than this. He shouldn’t have gotten this offer in the first place. It really was too good to be true, but…

“I’m in. Where do I sign?”

For Cassie. For Cassie, he was willing to take the leap of faith.

-x-X-x-

It’s a little while later that all of the paperwork is taken care of and Pepper watches a happy Scott Lang walk out of her office with his head held high and a new lease on life. When Tony had told her about the man, both his circumstances before now as well as the visions of his future that would never come to pass thanks to them, she had decided something had to be done. And Tony had in turn been in full support of her plans.

Someone else on the other hand…

“Hmph.”

Looking over at Hela, Pepper can’t help but be amused. The depowered Goddess of Death is glaring at the door to her office that Scott just exited through, her eyes narrowed in thought.

“Problem, Hela? Too weak for you, perhaps?”

“… No. I thought at first that he was nothing but a spineless wimp and wondered what you saw in him. But I realize now he had an inner strength to him. For all that he was no warrior, he has a fighting spirit, doesn’t he?”

Pepper, who hadn’t told Hela any of Scott’s history before now, lets her smile grow.

“Indeed he does. Though you could have gone without calling me ‘Her Highness’. The general public doesn’t exactly know that Tony and I are… King and Queen of Midgard.”

Quite frankly, Pepper herself still wasn’t entirely sure about those titles. But as Tony had explained to her, the King of Asgard himself and a magical table had decided Tony was King, and if Tony was King, she was definitely Queen. Therefore… well, at least where Asgard and Odin were concerned, there was no escaping it.

Hela scoffs as she saunters over closer to the desk.

“He is not part of the ‘general public’ anymore though, now is he? He is one of your servants. He should know who he serves.”

Pepper sighs and shakes her head, deciding the point wasn’t worth arguing with the intractable Asgardian, especially since Scott had ultimately shrugged it off without issue. Instead…

“Speaking of which, Tony and I spoke about you and your recent service… and decided that you deserved a reward. It took some wrangling to make this happen, but…”

Pepper waves a hand airily and a nearby door opens up. Hela turns and watches in confusion… as a small black wolf pup toddles out into the room, sniffing curiously and looking about with tiny glowing green eyes. Then, when it lays eyes on Hela herself… it makes a cute little yipping noise and all but bounds over to her.

Hela just stares in confusion for a moment, before her eyes widen in recognition and she collapses to her knees at the side of the desk.

“What… what is this?”

Pepper smirks, leaning back in her chair.

“As I said… a reward for your services. You killed someone for us, Hela. A man who had masterminded a plot against our daughter Morgan.”

Indeed, as much as Fisk might have tried to distance himself from his compatriots and the Hand at the end, the fact was, none of it would have been set in motion without him. That was why, even if he was already in Ryker’s, he’d most definitely needed to die.

But what do you get an exiled, depowered Goddess of Death? Her powers back? No, neither Tony nor Pepper thought that Hela was in any way ready for that sort of responsibility again. While Pepper liked to think Hela was making great strides during her time on Earth, she wouldn’t trust Odin’s Executioner with the sort of power she used to wield. Not by a long shot.

So then what? Well…

“This is a… simulacrum then? A copy of my old loyal mount?”

As Hela runs her hands through the green-eyed wolf pup’s pitch black fur, Pepper smiles and shakes her head.

“Ah, no. That’s really him. Why do you think he recognized you?”

Hela’s head shoots up, her own eyes wide with disbelief as she looks at Pepper. It’s a testament to how far they’ve come that she doesn’t call Pepper a liar. She believes her after a moment, but still has to ask the obvious.

“… How?”

Pepper hums before answering. She and Tony hadn’t been sure about letting Hela know this part… but to be fair, the Goddess of Death probably already did know, having faced Tony’s secret weapon in the battle that let Odin seal her powers in the first place.

“My husband holds the Aether, an ancient weapon crafted by Malekith himself, Ruler of the Dark Elves.”

Hela’s eyes narrow as Pepper explains further.

“The Aether, though most don’t know it, was crafted out of an Infinity Stone… specifically Reality. And ever since Tony became the Aether’s wielder, he’s been working on learning to utilize its powers. At full strength under the right conditions, Malekith believed he could use the Aether to literally snuff out all light in the universe, plunging it into eternal darkness. In comparison… well, Tony just had to get your father to tell him where he laid Fenris to rest. From there, he brought your mount back, albeit at a much regressed age. I won’t lie, that was in part purposeful, but also apparently necessary according to my husband.”

Pepper looks down at the admittedly adorable wolf pup… who would in turn grow up to apparently be about ten times the size of a person if left unchecked. Then, she looks back to Hela.

“So yes, that is the real Fenris. His mind has probably regressed back to a pup as well, but he seems to still recognize his old Mistress all the same, doesn’t he?”

For a long moment, Hela falls quiet as she runs her hands through Fenris’ fur, almost like she still can’t quite believe he’s real. Watching the imposing, intense Goddess of Death cuddling with her loyal wolf for a bit is honestly just too cute, and Pepper makes sure to send the recordings of the moment to Tony for him to enjoy as well.

Finally though, Hela straightens up and with a snap of her fingers, sends Fenris off to the side where the pup obediently curls up against the wall and rests his cute little head on his cute little paws. His mistress, meanwhile, moves to stand in front of Pepper’s desk, gazing down at her as Pepper remains seated.

“Loki warned me, you know. When I said your husband was clearly out to seduce me and get into my pants like he did hers, the Silvertongue herself told me that it was you I should truly look out for. That you would try to seduce me, given half the chance.”

Pepper frowns a bit at that. She’d barely even tried to seduce Hela, actually. All she’d done was treat the Asgardian with basic human decency. If she was really trying to seduce Hela, then the other woman would have known it long before now. However, before Pepper can say as much, Hela suddenly leans forward, placing her hands palm down on the desk and spreading them wide.

“It is working.”

Oh? Oh… well, on the one hand, that was just sad. On the other hand…

“You know that joining Tony and I in our bed will not get your powers back any faster, yes? This and that are two different things.”

Hela scoffs.

“Of course. I would not debase myself to anyone to regain what is my birthright.”

Well, so long as everyone was consenting adults going in with their eyes wide open… Pepper grins wickedly.

“You probably don’t know this yet, but Tony used to go by another title, before he was King of Midgard, before all of this really. A title that was given to him by others, but a title he lived up to all the same.”

Hela frowns, visibly intrigued now.

“Oh? And what was this title?”

Hah, Tony was going to spank her silly for this but… well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

Pepper tells Hela and watches as the Goddess of Death’s eyes light up with exactly as much interest as she’d expected the other woman to have. From there, it’s not exactly hard to get things going…

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A/N: Muwahaha, I said in the opening Author's Note that nothing else would happen in this chapter, but I LIED!