A light rain fell outside the Capitol.
Broadcast vans packed the steps, their antennas rising like a steel forest freshly softened by rain.
Reporters held up microphones, their faces showing both the exhaustion of chasing stories for two days until they had evolved beyond sleep and the excitement of feeling their careers flourish.
"The Administrative Bureau's Hydra scandal has entered its third day. An emergency congressional hearing will begin in twenty minutes."
The camera cut to the hall.
The lawmakers walked quickly.
Their soles struck the marble in a flurry of sounds like a colony of cockroaches moving house.
One remaining Administrative Bureau official clutched a document pouch, his face as white as if he had crawled out of a shredder the night before.
"Gentlemen, I think we should focus on the security vulnerabilities."
"Shut up."
The older lawmaker lowered his voice.
"The focus is Superheroes running out of control."
The remaining official's mouth twitched.
What an elegant angle.
A snake laid eggs in the house, and the homeowner's first reaction was to blame the cat for not catching it beforehand.
Very Washington.
Whatever. They made the decision themselves. If the sky falls, those tall bastards can hold it up.
The remaining official, who had escaped the purge, considered whether his superiors would approve his resignation if he submitted it now.
The camera cut to Stark Industries' New York branch.
Tony Stark sat beside a lab bench, coffee in hand, with eight news channels open on his screen at once.
Every anchor looked as if they had just swallowed a fly bearing the national emblem.
"Congressional sources say Stark Industries may be required to surrender some of its armor interfaces to ensure national security."
Tony watched the captions.
Half a second.
One second.
Two seconds.
He slowly set his