Ms. Stark, I Presume?

Pepper seemed quite happy showing Aaron around many of the state of the art facilities and labs on their way to meet Stark International's CEO Tanya Stark and Aaron had to admit that he was blown away. He still preferred Omen's Labs but he couldn't deny that Stark's Labs were ahead of Omen's in many respects.

"I never imagined that Stark International's Robotics Lab and Neuro-telepresence Systems were so cutting edge.," Aaron exclaimed in wonder after leaving one of Stark's R&D Labs. He had spent the last twenty minutes doing an impression of a hummingbird as he moved rapidly from one cutting-edge piece of tech to the next. Of course, It was nothing compared to what he had developed over the years working in Knowhere but what he was seeing was still incredibly advanced for The World at large.

Pepper beamed from ear to ear as she showed Aaron every lab, machine shop, and experimental prototype on their way to the meeting.

"To Clear and Prepare All This In Advance and Make It Available To Me... Apparently I've Already Made An Impression With Ms. Stark.," Aaron thought to himself.

"How Could She Not Be Impressed With You Father... You're The Smartest Person In The Building.," Gog chirped through their Link.

A few minutes of walking and sight-seeing later and Pepper lead Aaron through a set of enormous double doors and onto Stark International's Primary Factory Floor where Tanya Stark was busy directing her technicians and support staff in getting ready for the big roll out for The Sentinel Project.

Ms. Stark hadn't noticed the pair yet and she was some distance away but even from where he was it was obvious to Aaron that she was a rare beauty. She was 5 foot 7 with back length black hair, smooth blemishless alabaster skin, statuesque curves, and Aaron was in awe of her grace... Even the most subtle movements of her body conveyed a grace and poise that seemed impossible for someone so young. After all she was only 25 but she had grown up in and around the family business all her life, even being mentored by her older Brother who upon his unfortunate **** would pass his legacy onto her instead of Lisette who by rights was the next oldest and the rightful heir to The Stark Legacy.

Walking arm in arm, Aaron and Pepper continued chatting and every one of the workers that saw them as they passed by on their way to talk to Ms. Stark thought they were old friends., "So you never did tell me the name of your favorite restaurant."

Pepper stopped, turning to face Aaron with a serious expression., "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course I do. How am I supposed to take you out on the town if I don't know where you favorite place is?"

It was rare to see Pepper so shy because she was normally fiercely self-confident and professional but being near Aaron made her feel feminine and girly which was refreshing from having to be a hardass all the time.

"It's probably above your pay grade but since we've just become friends and Honesty is important to both of us... I'm not going to pull any punches...," Pepper took a deep breath before continuing., "... Dei Frati. Tony use to take me there."

"Dei Frati?... Isn't that The Restaurant in The Romani Hotel?"

"You know IT?!," Pepper asked excitedly.

"Well yeah, Hasn't everybody? It's one of the hottest places in all of The Union and one of the most expensive...," Before Aaron could say another word, Pepper began frantically backpedaling., "See I knew it was too high-end. Just forget I mentioned it... We can go some place else. God, I Feel Like An Idiot and Why Did I Have To Mention TONY?!"

"Just relax...," Aaron spoke soothingly, His hands resting comfortingly on her shoulders., "... And take a deep breath."

[Inhale... 3... 2... 1... Exhale]

"There now.... Feel better?," Aaron asked with genuine concern to which Pepper nodded sheepishly.

"I get that Dei Frati holds alot of memories of the times you spent with Tony but I expect you to remember that I am not Tony Stark nor should you expect me to treat you as he did... I am me... Aaron Cross... And speaking for myself... I would be honored to take you to Dei Frati."

"REALLY?!," Pepper squealed excitedly., "Its Not Too Much?!"

Aaron chuckled softly., "No, Not at all... In fact they keep an open table just for me."

Pepper couldn't believe what she was hearing., "Are You Serious?! They Keep An Open Table Just For You?!"

Aaron smirked confidently, "They Do Now."

Pepper's face flushed and she felt warm but before she could voice any objections or any more doubts could creep into her mind, She heard Aaron say., "I hear they have a Bacon-Wrapped Duck Breast with Apricot Chutney that is to die for."

"I guess I'll have to try it then.," Pepper stated with resolve, regaining her composure and assuming a more professional air., "Shall we?"

Aaron nodded and the two approached Ms. Stark who had just finished reviewing some maintenance reports before handing them over to the floor supervisor who in turn issued several orders to her workers and technicians on the floor before leaving., "Thank You Ms. Stark I'll Get It Done."

Tanya Stark turned toward the direction Aaron was coming from and abruptly stopped and raised an eyebrow as she took in the sight of a smiling, giggling Pepper walking arm and arm with a pale young Man dressed in an expensively tailored black suit.

Ms. Stark looked quizzically from Pepper to Aaron and back again before saying anything., "Lovely to see you on the floor Pepper as always... Who is your friend?"

Pepper pulled her arm from Aaron's and gave him a gentle push forward., "This is Aaron Cross, The representative from Omen Enterprises and he's here to..."

The moment Pepper mentioned Aaron's name, Tanya's eyes lit up and she didn't give Pepper a chance to finish Aaron's introduction., "Talk about the upcoming Sentinel Roll-Out and whether or not Omen will be getting the contract or not."

Tanya extended her hand for Aaron to shake., "It is nice to finally meet you Mr. Cross. Looking at you I can honestly say that Ms. Sinclair's description of you was rather lacking..."

"Oh, In what way?"

"Well for one you're even more handsome than Vivyan implied and second... Based on the brief you e-mailed to my Head of R&D earlier today... You are obviously a far more formidable intellect than I was expecting to be sure. All in all I believe that Ms. Sinclair has underestimated your value to her company But I do have a question?"

"And what is that Ms. Stark?," Asked Aaron with a slight blush.

"Just How did you manage to bypass the encryption on our research servers and gain access The R&D Head's personal e-mail?"

"Before I answer... Can I ask you a question?"

"Please Do."

"Can we agree that Omen Enterprises and Stark International are two of the largest tech companies in The World and that they have the drive and the talent to excel in their chosen endeavors?"

"We Can.," Tanya readily agreed.

"Then with that in mind Ms. Stark... I work in Omen's Research and Development Section and I can say with every confidence that I am not only qualified to work there but I am very good at what I do."

"Well I can see you two have alot to talk about so why don't I leave you two alone besides I have a mountain of paperwork to get back to anyway.," Pepper apologized.

"Thank You Pepper.," Tanya smiled at Pepper who gave Aaron an encouraging smile and a thumbs up as she made her exit.

Aaron found himself staring as Pepper walked back through the doors he and her had walked through together not long before.

"Quite a feast for the eyes, isn't she?," Aaron heard Tanya's sultry voice from behind him.

"Yes.. I Mean No.. I Mean.," Aaron stumbled., "[Clears Throat]... What I mean to say is that she is very beautiful and quite knowledgeable about Stark International's inner workings."

"Well she should be... She runs much of it and she is The Boss when I'm busy or away."

"She does seem quite capable.," Aaron admitted.

"We only employ the best... Speaking of which... I hope that Melokuhle and Aasir weren't too tough on you when you arrived. They are good at their jobs but they can be a bit overzealous when it comes to performing their duties so if they overstepped I would like to take this opportunity to apologize."

"No apologizes necessary... They were actually much friendlier than I was expecting and besides it was nothing I'm not already use to... I mean I am quite unusual even for a Blanco.," Aaron stated cordially.

Tanya wrinkled her nose., "They didn't call you that did they?"

"They did but I don't hold it against them after all they did apologize and they do come from a place where Caucasians like you and myself are quite the oddity....," Aaron paused with a smile., "They're both from Angola aren't they?"

"Yes, That's right... How did you know?," Tanya asked curiously.

"Merely an educated guess Ms. Stark.," Replied Aaron.

"Well then I guess I should show you around... Please follow me Mr. Cross and I will give you the grand tour.," Tanya Stark said as she turned but Aaron hesitated.

"Before that I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to you and your Family for the loss of your Brother."

Tanya immediately stopped and turned to face Aaron., "Did you know My Brother?"

"No I only met him briefly at a Tech Party held at The Romani Hotel and aside from that brief meeting I really didn't know him but I have Three Sisters and if anything happened to any of them I don't know what I would do... So again Ms. Stark I am Sorry for your Loss."

"Thank You for that... Aaron.," The way Tanya looked at Aaron and the manner in which she spoke gave the impression that she was seeking permission to call Aaron by his first name to which Aaron gave a subtle nod of his head. Tanya's posture and expression visibly relaxed where it had been hesitant and uncertain moments before.

"Can I ask you what your impression of my Brother was when you met him?," Tanya asked hesitantly.

"He was in many ways just as I expected... Intelligent, of course but also engaging and seemingly without trying at all he commanded respect and admiration... and then there the things I didn't expect..."

"Such As?"

"Forgive me but he seemed to like drinking a little too much and he was something of a trickster... He delighted in playfully antagonizing his date."

"That definitely sounds like my Brother alright. What did you two talk about at the party... If I may ask?"

"We talked about alot of things but one subject really peaked my interest... We discussed The Possible Miniaturization of The Arc Reactor developed by Tony's Father Howard from blueprints handed down to him by his Father."

The look of surprise on Tanya's face took Aaron by surprise and even more surprise when she grabbed his arm., "Really, He actually talked to you about that?... What did he say?"

"Please Ms. Stark...," Aaron pulled his arm from her grip.

"Please it's Important!," Insisted Tanya.

"If you must know... We discussed different means of Micro-Circuit Miniaturization and a number of potentially useful energy equations to maximize power output.," Aaron replied.

"Do you think you could remember the particulars?"

Aaron smiled knowingly., "Of course but why?"

Tanya's eyes took on a determined hardness., "Here at Stark International I've tried my best to carry on my Brother's work and one of the projects left unfinished by Tony's untimely **** is The Arc Reactor.," Tanya gestured toward the center of the floor where the enormous Arc Reactor that powered the entire factory stood. It was close to 21.3 Meters (70 Feet) tall and nearly twice as wide., "The Arc Reactor Project was initiated in the days before The Orbital Elevators were built in order to provide power for The Future but as you can see for yourself they are not only massive and ungainly but extremely inefficient and unable to keep up with the trillions of adjustments in power flow required to power something as large and multifaceted as a City."

Aaron rubbed his chin in contemplation before replying., "Perhaps I could assist you in some way..."

Tanya opened her mouth to speak but Aaron continued., "... First by sharing what Tony shared with me and then by offering my expertise."

"But Why?," Tanya wondered aloud.

"Because it's a worthy cause and despite the abundance of power and assurance of prosperity provided by The Orbital Elevators not everyone has access to such resources like The Independent Congress of Neutral Territories for instance whose citizens still live in poverty and squalor. A smaller and more efficient Arc Reactor Design could save Millions if not Billions of lives in The War Torn Middle East to say nothing of The Human's Colonies in Space and throughout The Solar System."

After Aaron's heart felt declaration, Tanya was looking at him in a new light.

"Very admirable Mr. Cross. I would love to talk more on this matter later but for right now Why don't I show you what you came here to see?"

Aaron gestured with his hand., "Please lead the way Ms. Stark."