AN: Time to do Harem progress.
===
The hallway set inside Titan's Los Angeles soundstage had been dressed to resemble the executive floor of Stark International, with polished stone, brushed steel, glass offices, and enormous windows overlooking a digitally extended Los Angeles skyline. Crew members moved quietly behind the cameras while Clone Alex watched three monitors from the director's station, checking the framing before the assistant director called everyone into position.
Rachel McAdams waited near the far end of the corridor as Pepper Potts, dressed in a restrained business outfit that reflected the exhaustion her character had carried since Tony disappeared. Jeff Bridges stood farther down the hall beside Don Cheadle, both already in character as Obadiah Stane and James Rhodes.
Clone Alex looked toward the Steadicam operator and pointed toward the floor marks. "Start farther behind Pepper this time. I want us observing the conversation with her instead of immediately telling the audience what she's feeling. Let Rachel's reaction pull us forward."
The operator nodded and adjusted his starting position while the focus puller checked distances again. A lighting technician made one final adjustment to the soft daylight pouring through the artificial windows, and the assistant director raised his hand.
"Picture's up, everybody. Quiet across the stage."
The corridor became completely still while the cameras rolled.
"And... Action!" Alex called.
From down the hallway, Pepper watched Obadiah and Rhodey in close, heavy conversation. Jeff leaned slightly toward Don, keeping Obadiah's voice too low for Pepper to hear while his expression carried the practiced seriousness of a man pretending that every decision came from concern.
Jeff looked over and caught Rachel's eye exactly as planned. He allowed the recognition to sit for half a second, then turned away and walked down the opposite corridor while shaking his head.
Don started toward the elevator.
Rachel stepped directly into his path.
"So that's it? Everyone's pulling the plug and moving on..." Pepper asked, keeping her anger under control while the camera moved closer.
Don let Rhodey hesitate before answering, his shoulders carrying the exhaustion of someone who had spent months chasing leads that went nowhere. "There's nothing left we can do. If there was any indication Tony was still alive--"
"Spare me. I read the official email. Thought maybe you'd have something different to say," Pepper replied as she moved past him toward her office.
The Steadicam followed Rachel through the doorway, with Don entering several steps behind her while another camera inside Pepper's office picked up the transition.
"If anyone could figure out how to beat the odds, it's Tony. If it was you over there, he'd be finding a way to get you back. Or inventing a new one," Pepper said while crossing toward her desk.
Don stood near the doorway, absorbing the accusation before asking, "What do you want me to do?"
Rachel stopped beside the desk and turned toward him with tears threatening beneath the anger. "Be a better friend to him."
She stormed past Don and disappeared through the office doorway, leaving Rhodey standing alone while the camera held on his face.
Clone Alex waited another second before calling, "Cut. That was strong, although I want one more angle before we move forward."
Rachel relaxed immediately and took a breath while Don rolled his shoulders. Jeff had already returned from the far end of the hallway and watched the monitors beside the director.
Clone Alex replayed the final exchange. "Rachel, your last line works exactly where it is. On the next take, don't push the anger harder. Let Pepper sound disappointed because that'll hurt Rhodey more than yelling ever could."
Rachel nodded while accepting a bottle of water from an assistant. "You want her feeling like she expected better from him."
"Exactly," Clone Alex replied while turning toward Don. "And when she says it, don't react immediately. Let Rhodey take the hit before your face changes."
Don gave a small nod. "That gives us the reason he makes the decision afterward."
"That's the bridge into Edwards," Clone Alex said before looking toward the camera department. "Let's put Camera B inside the office tighter on Rhodey this time. I want his reaction clean enough that we can cut directly from that expression to him walking toward the transport."
The crew reset quickly.
They made it halfway through the second take before trouble appeared.
Rachel entered Pepper's office with Don behind her, but one of the large overhead practical lights flickered twice before dimming completely. The exposure shifted enough for the cinematographer to raise his hand immediately.
Clone Alex called, "Cut. Lighting problem on the executive practical."
A technician hurried toward the fixture while another crew member checked the dimmer board. Rachel stayed near the desk while Don looked toward the ceiling with amusement.
"I'm guessing Stark International forgot to pay the electric bill," Don joked as several crew members laughed.
Rachel looked toward him without leaving Pepper's posture completely. "Tony's been missing for three months, so apparently infrastructure collapsed with him."
The technician opened the panel and found a loose connection in the practical circuit. Within several minutes, the fixture returned to full brightness, and the cinematographer checked the color temperature against the surrounding lights.
Clone Alex watched the waveform monitor and nodded. "We're matched again. Let's reset from the hallway entrance and keep the same emotional level."
The third take ran cleanly until Don reached his question.
"What do you..." He stopped, looked toward Rachel, then closed his eyes with immediate frustration. "I just lost the rest of the line."
The crew stayed quiet while Clone Alex remained relaxed behind the monitors.
"You're fine, Don. The line is, 'What do you want me to do?' Keep the stumble out of your head because Rhodey is already emotionally off balance here."
Don nodded while walking back toward his mark. "Yeah, I was thinking about the Edwards scene before we'd even finished this one."
"That means the transition is already working," Clone Alex replied. "Let's take it again from Pepper reaching the desk."
The restart went smoothly.
"What do you want me to do?" Rhodey asked, sounding genuinely helpless beneath his frustration.
"Be a better friend to him," Pepper replied, quietly enough that the disappointment landed harder.
Rachel walked past him, leaving Don completely still inside the office.
Clone Alex watched Don's face tighten before he finally looked toward the doorway where Pepper had disappeared.
"Cut. Print that one."
The assistant director immediately announced that they were moving to the Edwards Air Force Base setup.
Titan had constructed the military loading area on another section of the backlot, with a full-scale section of a C-17 cargo aircraft positioned beside painted runway markings and surrounding support equipment. Additional backgrounds would be extended digitally, though enough practical machinery, personnel, and vehicle movement surrounded the actors to make the environment convincing before visual effects touched anything.
Don now wore Rhodey's military uniform with a duffel slung over one shoulder. William H. Macy waited beside a golf cart in General Gabriel's uniform while dozens of background performers dressed as soldiers prepared to board the aircraft.
Clone Alex walked through the scene with them before cameras rolled. "Don, this isn't Rhodey trying to prove anything. Pepper got under his skin because she was right, so he's making the decision before anyone can stop him."
Don adjusted the strap of the duffel. "He's already accepted the career consequences."
"Exactly," Clone Alex replied before looking toward William. "Gabriel knows that too. He's trying to give Rhodey one final rational exit, although part of him already respects the decision."
William nodded thoughtfully. "So he starts as the commanding officer and ends as the older soldier who understands why Rhodey has to go."
Clone Alex pointed toward him with approval. "That's the scene."
The slate snapped, and Alex called, "Action!"
The first camera took a wide-angle shot showing Rhodey walking toward the aircraft with the line of soldiers while a second camera tracked alongside him. The golf cart entered from the opposite side, stopped near the boarding line, and William stepped down.
Everyone saluted.
William returned the salute before pulling Don several feet away from the others.
"What do you think you're doing, Rhodes?" General Gabriel asked with controlled irritation.
"Going back there, Sir," Rhodey replied.
William looked toward the aircraft, then back toward Rhodey. "Listen, son, it's been three months without a single indication that Stark is still alive. We can't keep risking assets, least of all you."
"Are you blocking my transfer, Sir?" Rhodey asked while holding his posture.
William looked around at the nearby soldiers before lowering his voice slightly. "Any one of these guys would kill for your career. Are you telling me you're willing to sacrifice that to fly a bunch of snake-eaters on a desert patrol halfway around the world?"
"I am, Sir," Rhodey replied without hesitation.
William let the answer settle before his expression softened. "Then I have one thing to say to you: Godspeed."
He saluted Rhodey.
Don returned the salute.
William turned toward the soldiers. "As you were."
Rhodey turned and started up the loading ramp.
Clone Alex allowed Don to climb several steps before calling, "Cut. Excellent first pass. We're doing coverage."
The next setup moved Camera A closer to William while Camera B took a tighter profile on Don. Clone Alex wanted the scene cuttable without losing the disciplined military atmosphere surrounding them.
On the second take, William delivered the career warning beautifully, though a background soldier crossed behind him several seconds too early and briefly blocked part of Don's profile.
Clone Alex called the cut without irritation. "Background timing issue. Everybody stays exactly where they were. Soldier number fourteen, hold until Gabriel says 'least of all you,' then cross behind Rhodey."
The background performer nodded quickly. "Understood."
The third take gave them the clean profile coverage.
Clone Alex then ordered one final version from farther behind General Gabriel, letting the enormous C-17 dominate the background as Rhodey made his decision.
William delivered, "Then I have one thing to say to you: Godspeed."
The salute followed.
Don returned it with complete seriousness before turning toward the aircraft.
This time, Clone Alex kept the camera rolling much longer.
Rhodey walked up the ramp while other soldiers entered ahead of him. The loading bay swallowed him gradually until only his silhouette remained against the interior lighting.
"Cut."
The stage remained quiet for half a second before Clone Alex looked toward the cinematographer.
"That's our transition. Pepper tells him to be a better friend, and the next thing we see is Rhodey putting his career on the line to go looking for Tony."
Don walked back down the ramp with a satisfied smile. "That actually makes Pepper's scene hit harder."
Rachel had arrived from wardrobe to watch the final setup and nodded from behind the monitors. "It also means Rhodey earns the rescue instead of conveniently appearing when the story needs him."
Clone Alex smiled while checking the captured footage again. "Exactly. Character choice first, plot movement second."
He marked both scenes complete on the shooting schedule before turning toward the assistant director. "Alright, that's a wrap for today. Get the cave unit ready for tomorrow. Rhodey's decided Tony is still alive, so now we show the audience exactly what Tony's been surviving. And awesome work, everyone."
...
[Titan HQ LA]
That evening, Alex cancelled the directing clone and decided to check the modeling department. He was staying in the city for the next few days because The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring would officially launch in two days, and the publishing team had already packed his schedule with interviews, signings, press appearances, and enough promotional work to make him regret becoming an author.
Evangeline wanted to attend the event, but she was shooting for Hobbit 2. Chloe and Trixie came with him to LA. Trixie was at Dan's, and Chloe went on a girls' night out with her LAPD friends.
'Everyone seems to be busy,' Alex thought.
The modeling floor was still active when he entered. Bright studio lights flooded the main photography section while assistants adjusted reflectors, stylists waited near clothing racks, and Janet stood behind the primary monitor watching the final frames of a magazine cover shoot.
Angela White stood beneath the lights in a fitted blue party dress, working through the last series of poses with effortless confidence. She shifted toward the camera, changed her expression, then rested one hand along her hip while the photographer caught several quick frames.
Alex stopped and watched for several seconds. 'Holy shit, she is a bombshell. Maybe she can be one of the girls... Okay, time to get to know her. After that, I'll decide.'
Angela noticed him between shots, and a knowing smile briefly touched her lips before she returned her attention toward the camera. Janet called for one last pose, the photographer captured several frames, and the shoot finally wrapped to approving applause from the nearby team.
Angela glanced toward Alex again before heading toward her private changing room.
Alex walked over toward Janet while she reviewed the final photographs. "So, how is she doing these days?"
Janet barely needed to think before answering. "She's still holding the number one spot across the division, so that probably tells you everything worth knowing."
Alex looked over the campaign shots and nodded with visible approval. "She earned it, because those pictures are going to sell themselves once the magazine hits shelves."
Janet closed the image viewer and turned toward him with a thoughtful smile. "Since you're standing here anyway, have you ever considered getting back into the modeling side yourself and doing a few couple shoots again?"
Alex raised an eyebrow as he folded his arms. "Really, people are actually asking for that again?"
Janet laughed and pointed toward a nearby cabinet filled with organized mail. "You have absolutely no idea how many letters, fan requests, magazine pitches, and campaign messages we keep getting from women asking when Alex Wilson is going to model again."
Alex looked toward the cabinet, then back toward Janet with growing amusement. "Well, if the demand is genuinely that ridiculous, I don't see why we shouldn't have some fun with it."
Janet's smile immediately widened as she picked up her radio. "Great, then give me about an hour and I'll have wardrobe, styling, lighting, and the photography team ready for a couple shoot."
Alex stared at her for a second. "In an hour?" He asked.
Janet nodded toward Angela's changing room with complete confidence. "You're already here, Angela's already here, and the entire crew is already warmed up, so congratulations, Boss, because you're going in front of the camera in an hour or two."
[Spoilers: Upcoming chs names. Click to read][1]
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] + [Streamer in Modern Family> 29 chs> All chs available for all tiers]
[1] Ch: 336 [Photoshoot & Dinner invitation] Ch: 337 [An Unexpectedly Sweet Night] Ch: 338 [Night of pleasure with Chloe] [r18] Ch: 339 [The Empire Beyond Entertainment] Ch: 340 [The Household Recognition Act]