"Mr. Stark, your 10:30 appointment is here." Booster's Executive Assistant says into the intercom.
"What 10:30 already? Where does the time go? Gimme a sec will you Pixie, I need to make myself decent." The voice on the other end of the intercom says.
The young redhead behind the desk just rolls her eyes and directs the other woman to sit on the nearby couch. "Mr. Stark will be right with you."
The well dressed reporter sits and looks at the woman's nameplate on her desk. "Your name is Trixie, but he called you Pixie?"
The woman's freckles disappear as she blushes. "Yes, well Mr. Stark has an affinity for nicknames. Whether they are welcomed or not." The telephone rings and Trixie answers it leaving the other woman to wait for her appointment with one of the most quirky and mysterious millionaires on the planet.
After about ten more minutes the double doors to the office open and a well dressed but slightly disheveled man steps out. The suit is probably worth five thousand dollars, but it's wrinkled like it was left on the floor over night and just thrown on.
"Ms. Morgan? A pleasure to meet you, you're from the Daily Bugle right? So much better than that rag the Daily Planet. I wouldn't line my dog's cage with that, not that I'd put him in a cage....not that I even have a dog." Booster extends a hand to shake hers.
"Um, actually Mr. Stark I write for the Daily Planet." She shakes his hand before she realized he was insulting her paper.
"Oh right. That's what I meant, the Bugle is a rag. But please call me Booster." Booster directs her into his office by placing his hand at the small of her back.
She can't help but be charmed a little despite thinking he's a total ass. Before they could enter the office though Trixie speaks up. "Mr. Stark you have a meeting with Mr. Kord in half an hour."
"Well that's no problem, we shouldn't be much longer than that." Booster responds.
"Yes sir, though the appointment is at Mr. Kord's office....across town." She feels the need to point out.
"Oh yeah. Well Rhodey won't mind if I'm a few minutes late." The doors to the office close behind him and he leads Ms. Morgan over to the two couches sitting opposite each other.
"Pixie is one hell of a secretary." He says as he sits down and directs her to sit down opposite him.
She pulls a small pad of paper and a pencil out of her purse. "Secretary is a little old fashioned isn't it?" She asks.
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting what decade I'm in. Executive Assistant. Though I did hire her because Trixie Potts sounds like a secretary from one of those old black and white movies."
She just takes his mention of not knowing what decade it is as a joke. "And your next appointment with Mr. Kord. Is that James Kord of Kord Omniversal Research and Development Incorporated?"
"Yeah Rhodey and I go way back. He helped me start my first company. Would you like something to drink?" He leans back into the couch, apparently the interview has started and she wants to talk about everybody but him.
"Just water thank you. And you pay back KORD Inc by contracting much of your own research and development to him. But why the nickname Rhodey?" She jots a few things down. Just simple questions at first to get things going.
"Oh that. Well it's just a joke, it isn't something that he spreads around much but James Kord is actually a Rhodes Scholar. Yes they still have those." He smirks and leans forward placing his elbows on his knees.
"JARVIS! A water and a scotch please!" He calls to somebody in the next room. After a few seconds a hovering golden object comes into the room with a tray balanced on top of it. There is a bottle of water and a tumbler of scotch on the tray.
"Thank you JARVIS." He snatches up the scotch for himself and hands the water to Ms. Morgan. "I still have no idea how he gets the drinks on the tray....he hasn't got any hands." Taking a sip of the scotch.
Ms. Morgan just watches as the little device leaves the room and comes back a moment later without a tray but seems to putter around the office. "Just a reminder sir, you are expected at KORD Inc. in precisely...."
"I don't need the precisely, Pixie already reminded me. Thank you JARVIS." The robot hovers over to the windows and the automatic blinds open filling the room with sunlight.
"That is an intriguing device. Some kind of artificial intelligence?" Pointing at JARVIS with her pencil.
"JARVIS? He's well...if Pixie is my Executive Assistant then JARVIS is my Personal Assistant I guess." Taking another sip of the scotch.
"It truly is fascinating. Which brings me to my first real question Mr. Stark, I mean Booster. A few years back you came out of nowhere and now you've got patents on some of the most advanced technology in the world. Very little is known about your childhood, where you're from but you're one of the richest men in America. What is your story?" She grasps the bottle of water but doesn't open it, she just places it on the table.
Finally she's got to the questions about me ,he thinks to himself. "Oh, well haven't you heard the rumors? I'm from the future." He gives her that winning smile that has been plastered all over newspapers, magazines and yes a few tabloids. She just smirks in response. Most people would just attribute his answer to the eccentricities of the wealthy.
"People do call you a futurist, it is even in your company's slogan: 'Keeping an eye to the future'. What do you think the shape of the future will be Booster?"
He finishes off his scotch and leans forward with a completely serious look on his face. "Now that would be telling." He then gives her a wink and a chuckle.
"Now if you'll excuse me as you heard I have an appointment across town. Perhaps we could continue this later, dinner perhaps?" He stands up.
"I suppose so." She stands up as well and walks to the doors.
"Good. JARVIS will be in touch with you. I will see you later Ms. Morgan." Escorting her to the outer office.
"If we're going to be having dinner you can call me Angel." She extends her hand to shake his again. Booster takes her hand and kisses it.
"Until later my Angel." The elevator doors open and Angel Morgan descends back to the lobby.
Trixie Potts just rolls her eyes again. Thankfully her employer doesn't notice. "Should I have Daniel bring the car around Mr. Stark?"
"No, thanks Pixie. I think I'll fly there. Apparently Rhodey has something new to show me so I thought I'd show off my latest armor. Besides Manhattan traffic is such a bitch in this century." He says stepping back into his office. Trixie just rolls her eyes again as the doors close.
Inside the office JARVIS hovers beside Booster. "I still think it was unwise to hire your ancestor to be your chauffeur sir."
"Well I couldn't have my great great grandfather delivering pizzas while I'm around." Stepping from his office into his secure armory.
The robot follows. "Correction sir, he is your great great great..."
"I don't need the specifics JARVIS. From now on just give me the bullet points and keep the specifics to yourself." Booster steps up to his newest armor.
There are various other specialty armors all around him, some with blue parts, some with red but they all have on similar attribute: they all shine so much they appear to be made of platinum. The armor assembles itself around the wearer and the roof opens up as he rockets into the sky.
Far below Angel Morgan the reporter for the Daily Planet steps into the back of a limo. As the door closes her appearance transforms into something else. A voice from the car's other occupant breaks the silence. "How did it go?"
"Just as we expected, he is an idiot though somewhere beneath that idiocy is some charm. We will be meeting for dinner later." She responds as the car begins moving.
"Good. You will need to keep an eye on our Mr. Stark."
@PrinceIMC: Nicely done! A great merging of Tony Stark and Booster Gold, love this bit@PrinceIMC said:
"I still think it was unwise to hire your ancestor to be your chauffeur sir." "Well I couldn't have my great great grandfather delivering pizzas while I'm around."
Do you mind if I mention Anthony Stark in my next Green Panther #4. Dinah's rounding up funds from the jetset elite so Oliver & Booster probably/possible know each other at least socially
@batkevin74: Go for it. I kinda figured he'd be a good contemporary of Oliver Queen's. Friends and competitors at the same time. Building bigger and bigger skyscrapers just to out do each other, drunken ostrich racing, maybe even some synchronized supermodel dating.
@PrinceIMC: Okay we have to write that! That's hilarious and awesome! Imagine the pair of them and Logan Wayne on the town wasting ridiculous amounts of money! WE WRITE THIS! :)
He did leave the group, but said he wanted to continue this and John Strange the Magican from Mars as independent fan fictions.
Yet he never did...
That's what he said. I only said what I was told.
I still intend to....eventually. And my John Strange story as well as something else I had an idea for but couldn't use because the characters were claimed. I'll let you guys know.
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