Chapter Text
It was shortly after the invasion of New York that Pepper Potts decided to go evil. That's how Tony later titles the shift in her attitude anyway, she herself just calls it "taking a more active role", though maybe, privately, she had to admit that Tony's way of putting it might have some merit. Taking a more active role in what, after all, that's the rub.
These are the facts of life Pepper now has to contend with.
One, the man she's in love with and finally resigned to spending the rest of her life with has decided he needs to save the planet. Before it was just doing good things to combat the bad things his inventions had caused, but space and aliens and invasions of aliens from space changed things, and there was a fundamental upgrade of priorities now. Tony Stark is the Iron Man, and he has decided he needs to save the planet-
Alright.
Two, the planet will require saving. There are threats out there that go so beyond her scope of understanding that it leaves Pepper feeling a little faint. Gods and aliens and all-powerful artefacts from space, with the power and intent to invade the Earth and probably to do worse things too. According to Tony, the fact that the portal over New York hadn't sucked out the atmosphere might've been a kindness on their enemy's part. A kindness.
Alright then.
Three, there are superpowers and superpowered individuals out there, and not all of them would fall under the umbrella of superheroes. It was fine – not good, but manageable – when it was just angry businessmen and scientists with armoured suits taking their grudges out on other people with armoured suits, but now there's more than just mechanics involved. Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner with chemical enhancements, Thor is an alien with divine power over lightning, Loki with honest to god magic. None of those are things Tony can build in his workshop, at least not yet. And from what she'd heard second hand from Tony's babbling, there's so much more out there in their very heavily populated and contested galaxy.
Right.
Four, all these things would inevitably escalate. They also are – things had escalated in the forties with Captain America's creation as people scrambled to bring out something to match him, things escalated with Iron Man, and they did it so much faster than with Captain America. The escalation of SHIELD in answer to Thor was already apparent in new, alien inspired weaponry – and now New York city is covered in the scrap of an entire alien invasion. It wouldn't take long for people to reverse engineer it and what would follow that… Pepper can't even begin to predict it. Earth-built alien weaponry would be first, then derived engines and whatever those speeders and Leviathans used for locomotion – flying cars would be the least of it. Already, space agencies all over the world are sharing new research, theorising of new forms of space travel. Already, the United States Department of Defence is making budgets for new, hitherto unnamed, space force.
Tony might've put the military roots of Stark Industries behind him, but Pepper remembers – Pepper still had to swim in those waters. She might not have military expertise, but she knows the impact hostile military activity has on nations, on economies, on markets. Alien invasion is unprecedented, but the reaction would be predictable. Already military recruiting is picking up pace, and whatever company would win the contract for the reverse engineering of chitauri technology for the United States military would be set for the next ten, twenty years.
It wouldn't be Stark Industries though. They don't do the military anymore. Tony had already turned down all the offers and appeals – they'd consult, sure, maybe even contribute... but they wouldn't be building any space drones or bombers. And while Pepper understands where he's coming from and appreciates the morals he's now living by…
There's a new realm coming up, a new age, space age, and playing things close to the vest wouldn't cut it. Not if she wanted to keep Stark Industries afloat in a market that would soon begin concerning itself with technologies not from their world. Tony and his position as Iron Man would carry them, and their other products would keep them going…
But they're already only barely balancing the heavy costs of Iron Man – and for all his good work and splendor, Iron Man doesn't bring in revenue. Not outside the merchandise and such.
So yes.
Pepper Potts decides she has to take a more active role in things, if she's going to keep Tony in the world-saving business for the next ten years and more.
First things first.
"Thank you so much for coming, Captain Rogers, and on such a short notice too," Pepper says, shaking his hand firmly. "I know you're about to head out of New York, and I really appreciate you taking the time to come see me."
"My pleasure," he says, a little uncomfortable, but mostly curious. "I've been living on Tony's dime for a couple of weeks now, and after he got me the bike, well. I figure I owe you a meeting at least."
"Not at all," Pepper smiles. "After all the service you've performed for New York, I think I'm the one who owes you something. Please, take a seat," she adds, motioning to the couches.
That puts him on edge a little, and the discomfort on his face shows a little more as he sits down. "Nah, it's alright. I did what any decent person would've done, if they had the means."
Pepper tucks that away in her mind – what anyone decent. He's not so naive after all, then. "One can only hope," she agrees and sits down across from him. "How are you finding the future so far?"
Steve considers it for a moment. "I'm not sure I have, actually," he admits. "I've been told some things, I've seen some things, and I've read some things. It's not enough to bring me up to speed, or enough to make up my mind yet – not really. That's why I'm heading out, to see for myself. See how the world's changed."
And to get out from under the SHIELD's thumb, Pepper assumes. And everyone else's – there's so many people vying for control over Captain America now that the public knows he – and his ludicrous political potential – is back. "That's probably for the best," she agrees. "Making your own observations, drawing your own conclusions, that's what I would do. Never mind just taking time for yourself – I can't even imagine how tiring it all must be."
"Nothing I can't handle – though it is a bit… loud," Steve says and relaxes a little, looking at her. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Miss Potts?"
She'd ask him to call her Pepper, everyone does, except he seems like the sort of guy who will be more comfortable with the distance of honorifics between them. She can also tell the setting of her office makes him feel out of place.
She'd wondered if she should have this meeting in the company cafeteria for a more casual atmosphere – but in the end formality won out, as did security. Better run with it, rather than give him mixed signals.
"I know it must be a… touchy subject for you," she begins. "But it's the serum. Project Rebirth."
She's relieved to see it didn't immediately put him on edge. He does look at her more warily with the words hanging in the air, but he doesn't tense and he doesn't lean away, his body language remains relatively open and polite.
"I… didn't think Stark Industries was in the business of supersoldiers," Steve says. "Tony was pretty vocal about his opinions about it."
He would've been – the issues there run deep. "We aren't," Pepper says. "Nor do I have any interest in getting into that sort of business, the ethical implications alone turn my stomach, without even getting into potential experiments. But there's an aspect to the Project Rebirth serum that does interest me, and not just as a business woman – but as the significant other of a," semi-suicidal, reckless, constantly hurt, already permanently injured and suffering of chronic lung condition never mind chronic pain… "baseline human superhero."
Steve blinks at that and lifts his head, his interest sparking. "The healing factor," he says.
Pepper nods and crosses her hands in her lap to keep herself from wringing them. "I won't beat around the bush – if we could make a drug that would produce even a single percentage of the effects the Project Rebirth serum had on you, it would help a lot of people, it would save a lot of people. I know the risks of abuse and mismanagement are great, but… so are the potential benefits."
Now Steve leans back, folding his arms. He looks thoughtful, though. "SHIELD scientists said something similar," he says. "And I can see the good it could do, I can. Been thinking about it myself, ever since I changed… but I could also see that it wasn't just medicine they were after."
Pepper hums. "If the serum could be replicated in full, it would change everything," she muses. "For better or for worse. I'm not after my own production line of supersoldiers, though – as things stand now, Stark Industries doesn't even do medicine. But we do make body armour, scanners, sensors, security systems, defensive technology… Considering what happened, things are going to change, and with more superpowered threats on the horizon, I worry that preventive measures won't be enough."
"So, medicine for future superpowered conflicts," Steve says thoughtfully. "Curative measures."
"That's the idea, among other things," Pepper agrees. "I'll be honest with you, Captain Rogers – I'm not the first thinking about this, nor the best qualified. My only claim to experience in these matters is Tony, and Stark Industries history with Iron Man. And Stark Industries is primarily a tech company. To pursue this kind of research, we will have to open a whole new branch of the company at the very least, hire new people, buy or construct new facilities – the investment will be enormous," Pepper sighs. "So it's not something I can throw myself into, not without something to start with, as much as I would like to. I need an… asset."
What she needs is an incentive, first and foremost, and Steve Rogers would be that. Even if the serum never got anywhere, just having Captain America somehow attached to the research would get them backing and donors, and the positive – and negative – publicity would open doors and offer her opportunities she might otherwise have difficulties gaining. Stark Industries to join forces with Captain America in order to reverse engineer the incredible medical powers of the Project Rebirth serum and produce a new general purpose medicine...
Even if it never worked, and she dearly hopes it would, that kind of publicity would bring equal funding, and that kind of funding could produce results.
Steve is quiet, thinking about it. "Fury warned me about making any deals," he says. "Not that I would blindly anyway, but he told me, anything anyone can make out of me… it will make them really wealthy. Especially," he says slowly and meets her eyes. "Especially if it's medicine."
"Without question," Pepper agrees. "You would be able to make people wealthy just by saying publicly you endorse them – saying you work with someone would be even more effective. I won't deny that medicine makes people rich these days, but more than that… it makes sick people healthy. At least, that's the idea."
Steve hums, noncommittal, and Pepper feels her respect for the man grow. Tony had made him out to be naïve and gullible, but there's a level head on the man's shoulders.
"I don't mean to ask you to sign a deal right away," Pepper says. "I don't even have a deal for you to sign. I just wanted to see if this kind of research would be something you'd be interested in taking part in, Captain Rogers. It would help a lot of people, advance our understanding of medicine... with a potential for a great deal of abuse," she admits. "And yes, it could likely make a lot of people very wealthy too. Yourself included."
"Not something I'm interested in, honestly," Steve says grimly. "But…"
Pepper smiles at that, understanding. "But you are interested in helping people?"
"Yeah," Steve says and shakes his head. "I don't know. I need to think about it. It's a… is a big decision, and I haven't been around long enough to know what it will really mean for me, or for other people."
"I understand – and I hoped you'd say that," Pepper says. "I just wanted to make sure you knew the option was out there, and that we'd be interested in pursuing it."
"And if I decide to pursue it with some other company?" Steve asks thoughtfully. "A proper medical company?"
"Well, it would be a rotten shame," Pepper admits and smiles. "But I would understand."
And then do her damndest to buy the said company wholesale.
Steve nods, watching her, still thinking. "Was there anything else?" he asks then.
"No, that's about it," Pepper says and stands up. "Thank you for your time, Captain Rogers – I sincerely hope you enjoy your road trip. Here, my card, in case you want to get in touch – the number on the back is my personal phone."
"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Steve says.
They shake hands, it's firmer on his side, and then Pepper watches him leave, thinking, thinking…