The hotel room was seedy, almost as run down as the rest of the neighborhood that it was in, and the people around fit in easily. On the corners scantily clad women waited, bored looking, while shifty looking me called out to passerby offering various illegal wares. It was the sort of neighborhood you might be in when you first arrived in town broke, or the sort of place that you could end up in after you lost it all. "Thank you," Jackie Lukas said flatly into her phone from where the black haired woman sat on the rumpled bed, "I can certainly understand your position. If another position comes up in your firm could you contact me? I'd greatly appreciate it." Jackie turned off the phone, fighting the urge to fling it across the room. She had been interviewing for architectural firms all across LA, but her criminal record and prison time seemed to make her unemployable. They were terribly polite about it and they never said that was the reason, but she could read between the lines. ring! "Yes?" Jackie answered her phone grimly, wondering if another firm was calling to tell her that they weren't hiring her, too. "Hi Jackie," Warbird's familiar voice answered, "is this a bad time? You sound stressed." Jackie took a breath, glad that Warbird couldn't see the sort of dump she was staying in. "It's good to hear from you," she answered in more normal tones, "how are you?" Warbird chuckled, "Not bad, all things considered. I had my friend do those background checks we talk about..." Jackie felt a burst of dismay. She had asked Warbird to look into her own background as well as that of Olivia Stane, not wanting the other heroine to be blindsided by her criminal background. "What did you find out?" she kept her voice steady. "So far Olivia Stane checks out squeaky clean," Warbird answered, "and I know about you and the Bloodaxe thing, too." Her voice was nearly gentle as she said, "I contacted a few Avengers who were around at the time, all of them agree you were possessed. Why did you decide to plead guilty to reduced charges?" Jackie felt a odd mix of emotions, both shame, guilt and relief warring within her. "I guess I always thought I could have done more to stop the weapon," she admitted, "and I felt guilty over the harm I did, so..." "I know how that feels," Warbird was sympathetic, "I've screwed up myself more than once." Jackie looked around her dump of a suite, her thoughts turning to her current situation. "I think I'm going to take Stane's offer," she said quietly, "how about you?" "I haven't made up my mind," Warbird admitted, "but I think I'll give it a try for awhile. If I find out something shifty, I can always bail." "Good," Jackie felt herself smile faintly, "it'll be nice to have someone I feel I can trust involved in this." "Then we'll meet at the Stane complex and tell Olivia," Warbird said, "when do you want to go over there?" Jackie got up, feeling a sudden surge of energy. "You busy now?" she asked curiously. Warbird chuckled, "I'm going to be keeping my day job, but I think I can get away with slipping out for awhile. See you there in half an hour?" "Got it," Jackie agreed, hanging up. Locking her door Jackie headed up to the roof, carefully stepping over a drunk sleeping in the hallway. 'The sooner I get out of here, the better,' she thought grimly as she opened a door to the rooftop. The crunch of crumbling roofing tiles beneath her feet was the only sound as she drew her mace from the bag she always carried, then with a deep breath she slammed the handle down. THOOM! In a burst of lightning and a roar of thunder she transformed, taking on a distinctly Asgardian aspect. Blue chainmail hugged her body, black pants tucked into golden boots while a red cloak swirled around her. She spun her mace with the ease of long practice and tossed, gripping the chain and being yanked into the air. The blue sky was obscured by smog, but up there it still felt marvelous cutting through the air. The magic of the Thunderstrike mace carried her out over the city then to silicon valley, the home of much of the best in electronic design and research. With barely a whisper of wind she shifted course to descend to a familiar set of buildings, a mix of manufacturing, research and office structures. Warbird stood by the front gate, the heroine dressed in simple black and gold, a white stylized lightning bolt down her chest. Her blonde hair glowed as she smiled, the crinkling at the corner of her eyes visible even under her simple mask. Seeing her Jackie felt her heart beat speed up a bit, a sensation she still couldn't quite explain. "You made good time," Warbird smiled, her teeth flashing white. "Remind me not to race you," Thunderstrike answered as she set down beside her, the two walking towards the front gate. "I was nearby anyway, because of my other job," Warbird answered dryly. They were recognized by the guard but still underwent a security scan before being let by. "Wonder where they got the scan data?" Thunderstrike murmured. "Probably the War Machine," Warbird answered quietly, "she did observe us in action against the Wrecking Crew, after all." "Ah," Thunderstrike nodded as they headed to the main offices. "Welcome," a pretty brown haired woman nodded as she greeted them at the door, "my name is Constance Leeds, but you can just call me Connie. I'll take you up to see Ms. Stark." "Have you been working for Stane long?" Warbird asked casually, but her eyes were intent. "Nearly a year," Connie said, cheerfully leading them across the lobby, "one of my areas of responsibility is personnel, which is why I went to greet you." "Ms. Stane is that confident we're coming here to join her team?" Thunderstrike asked wryly as they took the elevator up. "More hopeful, I think," Connie answered. She dropped her voice, "She really reamed out the publicity department about issuing that press release too early." "Press release?" Thunderstrike echoed, feeling mildly stupid. Surprisingly Warbird answered, "Stane Enterprises sent out a notice to the papers announcing the formation of a team, but no real details yet." Connie blinked, looking at Warbird as she asked, "Do you have friends in the media?" "Something like that," Warbird smiled faintly. They headed out of the elevator and up a short hallway, leading into the main office. Olivia Stane was standing by her desk, smiling slightly while nearby Jennifer Swensen looked out the window, the redhead's foot tapping nervously. "Have you had time to consider my offer?" Olivia asked, pushing a strand of white-blonde hair back from her face. "I'm in," Thunderstrike nodded, her hand tightening a bit nervously on her mace. This was a big step on multiple levels, and she prayed she was ready for it. "Me, too," Warbird nodded, "if only to keep T-strike here company." "Then welcome aboard," Jennifer grinned, moving forward to shake both their hands with a surprising degree of enthusiasm, "as we'll be working together, call me Jen." "I'm glad you've decided to join us," Olivia agreed. She gave Connie a grin, "We'll get the paper work out of the way, then start talking organization." Connie looked hesitantly at the two of them, "How would you like to be paid? If it's cheque or direct deposit I'll need a name or account number..." Thunderstrike raised her mace and gently struck the floor, transforming once again into Jackie Lukas. "I'm pretty sure Ms. Stane has my name already," Jackie felt a bit ashamed at needing the pay, "and I wouldn't object to being listed as a company employee." "We'll put you down as a special consultant," Connie pulled out a hand held computer and began typing away as she added, "you'll get a signing bonus along with standard wages." "I don't need special treatment," Jackie started. "It's not special," Olivia said firmly, "I try to keep my people happy, and the signing bonus fits with your architectural qualifications, too." 'Wonder if they really need an architect?' Jackie thought, but wisely decided not to argue. She could put the bonus to working getting out of her dive of a suite. "Miss Warbird?" Connie looked at her seriously. Warbird chuckled, "Half a second." With that she flared golden a moment, her costume replaced by street clothes, a nice if off the rack business suit. "Carol Danvers," she introduced herself with a smile. "Nice to meet you," Jackie said, faintly surprised to see she looked as good in regular clothes as she did in costume. 'Where did that thought come from?' Jackie thought, surprised. "Thanks," Carol's smile widened.
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