“We still have to go back to the city tomorrow,” Pepper reminds him. “Don’t try to talk me out of that one.”
As if on cue, FRIDAY chimes in: “Good evening, Ms. Potts, Mr. Hogan. I now have the full list of reporters attending tomorrow night’s press conference. The local reporters include Mr. Robert Nells from the Bugle, Ms. Karen Page from the Bulletin, Mr. Umberto Moretti from the Post, Ms. Jennifer Rosen…”
Oh God, they’ve all sent the sharks. Pepper can hear Tony say it in her head. Well, except the Post would’ve normally sent Will Hadwood, whom Pepper now presumes dead. But Moretti’s almost as bad at the best of times.
She knows what she has to say to them, at least. Unless some miracle delivers Tony back to her before then. In which case she might have to postpone the press conference, because she’ll be too busy strangling him, and then dragging him to the nearest ordained individual. Happy can be one of their witnesses, and if the two people he left Earth with are both dead (God, she hopes that poor young man Peter isn’t), they can probably still get someone off the street. She’s not waiting around for something else to happen with him first.
But all thoughts fly out of her head when FRIDAY continues, “Also, Mr. Barton arrived on the premises half an hour ago. Under the circumstances I did not think it appropriate to prevent him from coming in or roaming freely, though he has mostly hung around the foyer, awaiting you.”
Happy’s still turning the car off when Pepper launches herself out of it, barely keeping hold of the StarkPad she’s been using, hurrying towards the building as fast as her heels will carry her. “In a few minutes, FRIDAY,” she says, “I’m going to want the latest on SI’s shares and the situation back in the city. We’ll monitor both overnight. We have to decide by 4 AM at the latest whether we’re going to try to have the offices open tomorrow.” She’s thinking probably not until the afternoon at least, though.
Clint is there when she nearly collides into the opening doors, and he doesn’t resist when she goes for the hug. She wouldn’t with him normally, but, well.
But he pulls away to sign, “Where are they? Do you know?” Grateful now she taught herself sign language back when the Avengers Initiative began, Pepper gives him a quick rundown.
It takes enough time for Happy to catch up with her. He looks Clint over, but says nothing. He doesn’t know sign language anyway, and when Pepper looks, she sees Clint isn’t wearing any hearing aids.
“I’m going to try to contact them again in half an hour,” she finishes. “You should join me. But does the government know you’ve broken out?”
He shakes his head. “Natasha taught me early on how I could turn the ankle monitor off quickly. I did so with a minute of it happening. They probably think I died. Don’t know how long that will last, but my reasons for complying with them are gone now. All of them.” He’s hanging his head as he signs that last part.
“Oh, God,” Pepper breathes out loud, then signs, “I’m so sorry. That’s so terrible.” Happy looks stricken too; he must have guessed what Clint’s just told her.
Even so, he says to Pepper, “We need to know if he’s staying with us. The government knows all our hiding places in here; if they come looking…”
“I’m going where the Avengers are going,” Clint replies out loud. “Simple as that.”
Pepper considers the latest plans Steve passed on to her. “They don’t have their immediate destination settled yet,” she signs and says both, “but I’m doubting it’ll be here. I’m sure they’ll help you get to them in any way they can, and I’ll try to help too.”
“In any way you can?” Happy asks carefully.
“You really shouldn’t get yourself arrested,” Clint signs in agreement. “You’ll be too useful to us doing things on the sly.”
“I won’t get myself arrested, then,” Pepper responds to them both. Then, for Clint only, she signs, “Speaking of which, how do you feel about going to Baltimore and extracting Sharon Carter? Someone needs to. Preferably within the next day at most.”
Clint sort of smiles, probably as much as he’s going to for a while. “Agent 13? Let me at it.”
Well, Pepper can’t but think, that’s one problem taken care of.