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VALOR
v. THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN

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   THE YEAR IS 2010.

   The world is growing stranger and stranger as the days pass. With rich, caucasian men flying around in tin cans and jolly green monsters demolishing Harlem, no one knows what to expect next. Aliens? Gods? Super soldiers? Witches? The possibilities are infinitely endless, and with these possibilities, all we can do now is wonder and prepare for what's to come next.

   That's why public organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. exist—to protect the people from whatever may haunt Earth next. The only question left is: Can they protect us?

   Riley O'Dair was confident that there would be a day where she would have to fight to save the world. She wasn't sure when, but Riley was sure she'd be way older when that happened. She liked to think she'd be well into her thirties before she had to save the world, so at least if she died in action, she'd have already lived a full life.

   Of course, Riley had yet to learn that she was one of the unluckiest people in the galaxy when she thought this through.

   Until the day came where Riley O'Dair would save the world, she'd have to keep training to become a hero. She was confident she'd become a superhero one day. After all, what else was she meant to do with her supernatural powers? It just made sense to the 9-year-old.

   Riley O'Dair didn't know what to think when she arrived for training early one morning and her trainer was absent. She stood around for a solid minute before deciding to get started on her daily stretches.

   Yes, oddly enough, Riley and Natasha Romanoff let their training sessions last for an entire year. No one had expected the two to last so long in their partnership. Surprisingly, the council and Fury were accurate about one thing: Employing Natasha to train Riley alongside her other duties was the right call.

   Riley had transformed a lot throughout the past year. It was clear as day that she'd adopted a lot of Natasha Romanoff's personality from spending so much time with her. Not only had she become a skilled Level 6 agent, but Riley was colder and more ruthless.

   Riley hardly let her emotions overcome her as they used to in the field. Hell, Riley rarely ever showed her emotion during her fieldwork nowadays, excluding a few judgemental facial expressions here and there whenever someone would do something stupid. Riley had matured as an agent, and it showed.

   She sighed as she stretched her legs out, sliding into the splits effortlessly. At first, Riley found worrying about her flexibility pointless in fights. Of course, that was before Natasha taught Riley some of her trademarked moves in fights. No one knew how to do them other than the two, which Riley prided herself on.

   Riley and Natasha's friendship had been rocky, and it still was to this day. However, Riley felt successful knowing that even though they didn't get along, they could tolerate each other. That seemed to be enough for them.

   When Riley heard the door open, she teased, "You're late, Auntie Nat. Hey, how come you don't get punished for being..." She twisted her body, stretching her back to see Natasha. Riley paused upon taking in the Russian's appearance. "...late...? What the hell are you wearing?"

   Rather than wearing her usual black jumpsuit, Natasha Romanoff was adorned in a business-casual outfit with a dress shirt, trousers, and high heels. "I thought I told you not to call me that," stated Natasha. "I've been assigned a new mission."

   Riley adjusted her sitting position to stretch her legs more. "Are you going into real estate?" she taunted before the thought traversed her mind. "Wait, but what about our training? Are you ditching me? 'Cause I have attachment issues."

   Natasha narrowed her blue eyes at the girl. "You don't even know what that means."

   Riley just shrugged. "Still, what about our training? I thought you were gonna teach me that one thingy you do with your thighs!" Riley pouted.

   "This is your training," reported Natasha. "Come on, we gotta go." She motioned for the nine-year-old to stand up.

   Riley knitted her eyebrows together as bewilderment splashed her face. "Go...?" echoed Riley, proceeding to follow after the redhead. "What are you talking about?"

   "Fury wants you to shadow me in some fieldwork," simply said Natasha.

   "But S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't do shadowing in fieldwork...?" lingered the child hero. Riley was beyond confused. What was Natasha dragging Riley into?

   Natasha hummed. "They don't," she confirmed. "But that was before they got an agent who can turn invisible and happens to need more experience in the field." Riley nodded slowly. "Plus, you need to be exposed to more stressful environments while using your powers. It'll help you manage them better, especially in fights. All you have to do is stay silent and observe. Sound easy?"

   Riley paused. "Well... It's better than that time you made me spar you while blindfolded," she admitted. The two walked at a fast pace. Riley had to work twice as hard to keep up with the much taller woman. "So what's your new mission?"

   "I'm supposed to keep tabs on Tony Stark," explained Natasha Romanoff. "Ever heard of him?"

   Riley recognized the name immediately. "He's like Paris Hilton if she was a genius," she recited, speaking the words Maria Hill once used to describe him at lunch the other week. "I've only really heard about him in the news though—"

   "Great," interrupted Natasha. "Then I don't have to do any explaining." Riley rolled her eyes as they stepped outside. "Pick up the pace, shortie."

   Riley's entire face twisted with disgust at the nickname. "Shortie?" mirrored Riley. "That's a lame nickname."

   "If you can call me Auntie Nat, I can call you whatever I want," Natasha explained while rolling her eyes. "It's called a compromise. Can you even spell that?"

   Riley scrunched up her nose. "You people ask me if I can spell a lot," she grumbled. "You know, I'm supposed to graduate at a high school level next year!"

   "Am I supposed to be impressed?" mocked Natasha, causing the 9-year-old to roll her eyes.

   "Whatever," she mumbled as the two boarded a small aircraft. "Where are we going anyway?"

   Natasha sighed. "Must you ask so many questions?" retorted the redhead rather than answering the question at hand.

   "Must you ask so many questions?" mimicked Riley. "And to answer your question, duh. You don't let me watch my teen dramas anymore, so this is the next best thing of entertainment."

   Natasha just leaned into her seat and went over her mission to herself, trying to ignore the hyperactive 9-year-old beside her.

○ ○ ○

   If Riley was being honest, she had no idea what to expect when she discovered she was being assigned a new mission. Technically, this was Natasha's mission, but Riley felt like she could say it was also her's since she was shadowing her superior.

   Riley was thrilled to be apart of a new type of mission. She'd only ever been apart of the "violent" action, but nothing regarding the "domestic" action (unless you considered stacks of paperwork to be "domestic" action). What Riley meant by that was she never got to do any sneaking around or spy-work. She was always fighting bad guys and practicing her powers on them. Riley wanted to know what this other world she was missing out on was like, and finally, she was getting the chance.

   According to Natasha, this mission was designed to identify whether or not Tony Stark was compatible with the Avengers Initiative. Riley never cared much for the Avengers Initiative (excluding the Carol Danvers story, of course) until a few months ago when she realized she had a good chance of being apart of this potential team of superheroes.

   Riley was eager to see what Tony Stark was really like. She wondered if they'd get along and what he was like behind the cameras. Was he the same? Was he different? Riley had so many questions, but she knew she wouldn't be able to ask any of them if she was supposed to be a silent shadow.

   Riley wasn't worried about keeping up her invisibility. She'd been training hard for the past year, after all. This was the first time, however, where Riley needed to remain invisible if she didn't want to ruin the mission. But Riley wasn't too overwhelmed by that thought though. She'd once spent more than 12 hours in an invisible state. She was sure she'd be fine as long as she could focus solely on being invisible.

   It didn't quite click in Riley's mind that she was in the field for a proper mission until she was introduced to a tall, slender woman with strawberry blonde hair and a kind, but rehearsed smile. Her name was Virginia Potts, but she preferred Pepper Potts instead.

   Standing in a lavish home in sunny California was exactly what Riley had anticipated from someone as famous as Tony Stark. The windows were nice and big, allowing handfuls of sunlight to fill the contemporary building. When Riley glimpsed out the window, she could see the ocean waving at her, seagulls soaring overhead.

   "The notary's here! Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?" loudly called Pepper as she walked into another room. Riley trailed after her, leaving Natasha to take her sweet time following them.

   Riley's eyes widened at the sight before her. There was a boxing ring in the middle of the room. In it were two men: Tony Stark and his bodyguard, Happy Hogan. Intermingled with their grunts as they sparred with each other, strange music could be heard.

   The sight of Tony Stark left Riley in awe. She didn't know a whole lot about him. She was too busy to research celebrities, so all she knew was what people said about him. Tony was supposed to be a genius. Riley pondered all of the intellectual conversations she'd have with him if he got to join the Avengers.

   Her ongoing thoughts halted as she took note of their techniques as they boxed. She cringed. She wondered if she looked like that before Natasha started training her.

   Riley strolled past the racks of weights and dumbbells to get a closer look at Tony Stark. "I'm on Happy time!" remarked Tony before continuing to box Happy and ultimately elbowing him in the face. Riley had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing. "Sorry."

   "What the hell was that?" Happy hissed.

   "It's called mixed martial arts," Tony mentioned. "It's been around for, uh, three weeks."

   Riley made a face. She was pretty sure that he was just cheating. "It's called dirty boxing," snapped back Happy Hogan. "There's nothing new about it."

   With that being said, Natasha walked into the room with her usual mysterious look on her face. Her entrance grasped their attention. "I promise this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company," Pepper mentioned as Natasha approached her with some papers in hand.

   Riley whipped her head back around at the two men at the exact moment Tony Stark kicked Happy Hogan, causing him to go crashing into the corner of the ring. 'Well, at least we know he can... kinda fight without the armor,' thought the child.

   Tony pointed a finger at Natasha. "You," he beckoned. "What's your name, lady?"

   'Lady...?' thought Riley. She hadn't been expecting such an informality from Tony Stark.

   "Rushman," Natasha quickly introduced. "Natalie Rushman."

   Riley found herself smiling at the name. 'She really couldn't think of anything better? She doesn't even look like a Natalie!'

   "Front and center," continued Tony. He motioned to the ring. "Come into the church."

   "No," immediately opposed Pepper Potts. "You're seriously not gonna ask—"

   "If it pleases the court," Tony interjected, "which it does!"

   Riley tilted her head to the side. She was incredibly confused by the man and his magnetic personality. Natasha didn't seem opposed to the request, for she entered the ring with a brief, "It's fine." Before Tony swapped places with her, he asked Happy to give Natasha a quick lesson.

   Riley approached Tony with a fascinated glint in her eye. She had been expecting to see someone a little more professional.

   Pepper sat down on one of the cushiony seats just before Tony joined her. Riley found herself getting closer to them rather than Natasha. She observed them and how they spoke to one another.

   Upon being asked who Natalie was, Pepper briefly explained, "She's from legal. And she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that."

   The corners of Riley's lips flickered upward. She decided that she liked Pepper. Riley thought she was funny (and particularly very mature). Pepper reminded Riley of a few of her colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D.

   "I need a new assistant, boss," remarked Tony, speaking over the woman. Riley was fascinated by how casual Tony was.

   "Yes, and I've got three excellent potential candidates. They're lined up and ready to meet you," Pepper replied.

   "I don't have time to meet," Tony insisted. "I need someone now. I feel like it's her."

   "No, it's not."

   Riley was dumbfounded. 'That was a lot easier than I thought it'd be,' she thought, recalling how Natasha needed to find a way to get close to him.

   "How do I spell your name, Natalie?" called Tony.

   As Natasha called out the letters of her alias surname, Pepper made a face. "What, are you gonna google her now?"

   "I thought I was ogling her," Tony riposted whilst typing in the letters on some kind of holographic keyboard. Natasha's fake file immediately opened up, revealing all kinds of information regarding the woman. "Wow. Very, very impressive individual."

   "You're so predictable," commented Pepper, "you know that?"

   "She's fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin. Who speaks Latin?"

   "No one speaks Latin," said Pepper. "It's a dead language. You can read Latin or you can write Latin, but you can't speak Latin."

   Riley had to refrain from shouting out, "That's what I said when I found out she knew Latin!"

   Ignoring her, Tony clicked on a rather sensual photo of Natasha. The sight of it made Riley cringe. That was certainly not something she needed to see whatsoever...

   "Did you model in Tokyo?" Tony questioned Pepper. "'Cause she modeled in Tokyo."

   "Well—"

   "I need her," intercepted Tony. "She's got everything I need." Riley wasn't really sure by what he meant by that.

   Before Pepper could say anything in response, the three were caught off guard by Natasha grabbing Happy's fist as he was about to swing at her. She flipped him over effortlessly, her thighs over his head.

   "Oh, my God! Happy!"

   "That's what I'm talking about!"

   Meanwhile, Riley was simply in awe. 'How the hell does she do that thing with her thighs!?'

   Tony rang a seemingly decorative bell as Natasha calmly exited the ring. "Looks like a TKO to me!" declared Tony, causing Riley to quietly laugh in amusement. She knew she was supposed to be a silent observer, which she usually was on missions; however, she was just so intrigued by Tony Stark that she wasn't sure how to act. Besides, it was so loud in the room that it didn't seem to matter.

   Natasha stood before Tony with an innocent smile. "I need your impression," she told him.

   Tony stared at her and fired off his response without hesitation. "You have a quiet reserve. I don't know, you have an old soul—"

   "I meant your fingerprint."

   "Ohh, right."

   Riley felt herself facepalming as Tony filled out some paperwork. From what Riley could gather, Tony was passing Stark Industries to Pepper Potts. Riley wasn't sure why, but she honestly didn't care all that much. If anything, it seemed like Pepper could handle the stress of taking care of such a popular company. Then again, what did Riley know? She could've been completely wrong.

   What she did know, on the other hand, was that Tony Stark was a very... confusing person. Riley had been anticipating to meet someone who was put together and confident in a humbling manner. She wasn't expecting someone who was cocky, arrogant, and had a rather specific sense of humor.

   Riley's head spun with uncertainty. This was who Fury was interested in making an Avenger? Now that she'd seen the man in person, Riley felt that she could safely assume that he wasn't the kind of person Fury was looking for.

   But who knows? Maybe Tony Stark would change her mind.

   "Yes, that'll be all, Ms. Rushman," Pepper kindly said to Natasha. "Thank you very much." The redhead politely smiled before walking away, causing Riley to leisurely follow after her. Before exiting completely, Riley glimpsed over her shoulder at Tony Stark once more.

   "I want one," Tony mentioned to Pepper, causing Riley to make a face. 'What was that supposed to mean?'

   "No," Pepper immediately shut down.

   Riley scrunched her nose up with curiosity. She just hoped there was more than what meets the eye when it came to Tony Stark.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

so...riley meets team iron man! sorta!! i've mentioned this in aib, but riley quickly turned into a little robot when it came to missions. she started keeping everything inside and showed her emotions less as you'll see throughout this book! BUT we all know riley and we know she's actually quite talkative/funny, SO expect lots of fun internal thoughts from riley as she shadows nat on her mission!

i rly love riley's curiosity about this whole situation. she's still learning about the world and industry she's in. she's so used to being one way because it was the norm: maturity, organized, responsible, "grown-up". that's why she immediately takes a liking toward pepper.

SO being around tony is gonna be a HUGE culture shock for her, and it'll ultimately influence her to be more comfortable with who she is, just like tony.

comment your thoughts! i'm excited! aaaaaand get ready for iron man 2 (if you haven't picked up, that's the movie this book has dived into first!)! i can't wait <3