Chapter 15 - The Watchful Eye
Nick Fury sat in a conference room of SHIELD headquarters, his one good eye scanning the reports laid out before him. He didn't like what he was seeing. Stark had been off the radar, his movements erratic but too quiet to his liking, his projects classified beyond even SHIELD's reach.
That was a problem.
"We need eyes on Stark." Fury said firmly, glancing around the table at his trusted agents. "He's moving in ways we can't predict, shutting down oversight, cutting off our access. We can't let a wildcard like him operate unchecked anymore."
Maria Hill shifted in her seat. "We have assets near his operations, but nothing concrete. He's careful. Whatever he's doing, he's covering his tracks well."
"Then we send someone who can get close." Fury said, already knowing who he had in mind. "Someone Stark won't see coming."
The room fell silent as everyone turned toward Natasha Romanoff.
She arched a brow. "You want me to babysit Stark?"
"I want you to infiltrate Stark Industries." Fury corrected. "Get close to Stark, monitor his moves, and find out what he's hiding. If he's clean, we back off. If he's not… we take action accordingly."
Natasha leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "You do realize Stark isn't an idiot, right? He'll see through a normal agent in seconds."
"That's why it has to be you," Hill said. "You're the best at what you do. He won't suspect you, not right away. And although he seemed to have changed, we all know his promiscuous lifestyle."
Natasha considered it. She didn't particularly like the idea of spying on Stark. Unlike other billionaires she had dealt with, Stark wasn't a puppet for some higher power. He made his own choices, for better or worse. But orders were orders.
Fury slid a folder toward her. "You'll be going in as Natalie Rushman, a new executive assistant in Stark Industries. You'll have access to his inner circle and a front-row seat to whatever he's up to. Think you can handle it?"
Natasha smirked. "I think the real question is--can Stark handle me?"
---
Stark Industries' main office in California buzzed with its usual controlled chaos. Executives hurried from meeting to meeting, engineers discussed cutting-edge projects, and Pepper Potts tried to keep everything from descending into madness.
And now, there was a new face among them.
Natalie Rushman, tall, poised, with just the right balance of professionalism and charm, walked into the office, her sharp eyes taking in everything. The security measures, the layout, the key personnel. Every detail mattered.
"Miss Rushman?" Pepper greeted, offering a polite smile. "Welcome to Stark Industries. I trust you've been briefed on your responsibilities?"
"Of course." Natasha said smoothly. "I'll make sure Mr. Stark's schedule is properly handled and assist wherever I'm needed."
Pepper gave a small, approving nod. "Good. Just one thing...he's unpredictable. Stick to the basics, and you'll do fine."
"I can handle unpredictable." Natasha assured her.
Just then, Tony Stark strolled into the office, sunglasses on, an easy smirk on his face. "Ah, new assistant. What happened to the last one? She run off to join a monastery?" He was invited by Pepper for him to meet the new hire. When he saw a familiar beautiful face, his eyes narrowed and thought that SHIELD was finally getting more involved.
Pepper rolled her eyes. "No, Tony. This is Natalie Rushman. She's here to help keep you on schedule. Your schedule is getting out of control and add your own pace, it's getting worse. With my increasing workload, I can't do that anymore."
"Are you not happy that I promoted you to be the president of Stark Industries?"
"No, I'm just too busy to keep the CEO on his toes and avoid spending all his time in his garage."
Tony gave Natasha a once-over, his gaze lingering for a fraction longer than necessary. "Rushman, huh?" He extended a hand. "Tony Stark. You may have heard of me. Genius, billionaire, philanthropist, you know, all that."
Natasha shook his hand, her grip firm. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Stark. I look forward to assisting you."
Tony grinned. "Well, aren't you professional? Let's see if you can keep up."
As he walked off, Natasha watched him go. Stark was sharp. She would have to play her role carefully.
'This is getting interesting.' Tony thought as he reminded himself to give his agents some heads up about Natasha. 'Maybe a little family reunion.'
---
Natasha had been in Stark's inner circle for only a few days, but already, she was noticing things. Stark worked at odd hours, disappearing for stretches of time with no explanation. He took private calls that weren't on any official schedule. And most notably, there were parts of Stark Industries that even she, as his assistant, wasn't allowed near.
That was suspicious.
She had subtly tried to gain access, using minor pretexts, but Stark's security measures were tighter than expected. Whoever was running things behind the scenes wasn't just protecting trade secrets. They were hiding something bigger.
One night, after most employees had left, Natasha moved carefully through the office, accessing terminal logs. She wasn't looking for financial records or blueprints, she was looking for anomalies, patterns Stark might be trying to conceal.
She was halfway through decrypting a restricted file when a voice spoke behind her.
"You know, if you wanted to go snooping, you could've just asked."
Natasha turned, finding Tony leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. He didn't look angry, if anything, he looked amused.
"Late-night work?" She asked smoothly, closing the screen.
"Oh, you know me, always the insomniac." He stepped closer. "Or maybe I just wanted to see how my new assistant spends her free time."
Natasha kept her expression neutral. "Just familiarizing myself with company files. Due diligence."
"Mmhmm. Right." Tony studied her for a long moment. "Tell me something, Natalie, where did Pepper find you again?"
"Recruitment agency." She lied effortlessly.
Tony chuckled. "Funny. Because I did a quick background check. And let's just say, your paper trail is a little too perfect. Almost like someone wrote it overnight."
Natasha's stomach clenched slightly, but she didn't let it show. "You don't trust me, Mr. Stark?"
Tony smirked. "Oh, I trust you... to be exactly who you don't want me to think you are. The question is, who sent you?" He feigned ignorance.
For the first time in a long while, Natasha Romanoff felt the thrill of a real challenge. Stark wasn't just some playboy genius. He was playing the game just as much as she was.
In the end, Tony let Natasha off the hook, it's not like he caught him with a conclusive evidence, suspicious but not enough. Most importantly, he has no intention of doing something.
At least not yet.
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