04 [Central: Stark Tower - Open to Anything] A first class diva for all your Stark needs.

[starknaked]

Building and presenting the wind tunnel had actually made Tony happy. It was a scary thing to be happy with giving, and he blamed his time with the Avengers for such emotions. Whatever it was, he had thing to do in and about the Tower. If he was stuck here for the duration, then there was a lot that needed to be done.

Plans for the rooftop suit robotics were in place. He'd gotten things up and running on Taxon's electricity since the device he'd used for sustainable energy before hadn't proven compatible to this place. At least not yet. That left some of the little things.

Stepping into the lab, he heard movement. His first thought was Selina, though a mental image of Sherlock flashed through his mind as well. It turned out to be neither of them as the cylindrical head lifted, slowly tilting to one side quizzically.

His breath caught in his lungs. An award winning robot built when Tony was just seventeen and for all his issues with the thing, with it's lack of judgment in so many things, Tony suddenly felt a little less cut off from his life to see Dummy there.

For a long time he was silent before stepping into the room and crossing to stand before the robot.

"You've been slacking," he said, waggling a finger at the robot. Dummy's head tilted the other way. "Don't give me that. We've got work to do."

Pausing, he clunk his brow against that cylindrical "head" before turning away. "Right. Work. Come on."

An hour later he was on a ladder, mounting one of a series of cameras to the outside of the building. This one over the main door, pointing at the spot before a buzzer. He looked up into the camera.

"Link the locks with the camera and link it into the facial recognition hardware," he said to the robot inside, his tablet blinking through the entire moment as he'd found Dummy and building the cameras as it broadcasted. He really didn't pay it any attention.

Climbing down from the later, he pulled a flat, engraved panel from his back pocket. Using a drill and masonry bit, he mounted the plaque beside the buzzer.

STARK TOWER
Ring buzzer for admittance
Smile for the camera and the facial recognition software

If you're Sherlock, the US government, or somehow Fury...
Make an appointment for two weeks from never

Comments

[genequeen]

"He's a ... he's unique, Loki," Madelyne says softly. Pressing her lips together, she lets out a long breath through her nose.

"Jarvis? Your... computer?"

[starknaked]

"You're too kind for him," he said with a snort. "Though I think about as much of him as I do my government. The went to nuke New York," he admitted, shaking his head, remembering that fear.

"He's more than a computer, but he needs computer impute," he corrected, using a rag to wipe his brow. "That's the problem I've been running into."

[genequeen]

"He is .... complicated but, yes, the god of chaos and mischief is most certainly crazy," Madelyne says with a small smile on her lips.

"More than a computer, then. I am afraid I don't know enough to help you with that. Computers and I... are only passing acquaintences."

[starknaked]

That got a frown from Tony. "You sound almost like you're defending him," he said, the wounds still fresh for him. Especially as he was blaming all of this, being here, on Loki.

"I'm not sure anyone can," he admitted. "I'm just unwilling to keep trying."

[genequeen]

"I'm not defending him. I just know what he is and how that predicts his interactions with the world," she says giving a small shrug. "There aren't a lot of options on the wheel when it stops spinning."

"I know what that's like."

[starknaked]

He realized how he sounded, tossing down the rag with a sigh. “Sorry. Just the thought of him being around long enough for anyone to get to know the way he interacts? Just leaves me tense. I apologize, Maddy,” he said with a nod.

“How most are here, from what I can tell.”

[genequeen]

"Thank you but no need to apologize to me for being defensive about Loki. You're not the only one to have run into the force of chaos that he is," she says with a small smile.

[starknaked]

"Not being the only one doesn't mean I get shitty about you sounding like you... Oh God, don't tell me you think he's cute," he asked, gasping and going wide eyed. "Nooooo."

[genequeen]

Madelyne's eyes go wide for a moment.

"No, well, I guess sort of, but he offered me power once and I had to turn him down," she says looking a little embarrassed. Of course, she turned Loki down but not the ones who came later.

[starknaked]

Oh but Tony wasn’t letting this one go. It was too much fun and, for Tony Stark, it was all about his fun. “You think he’s cute,” he accused, barely holding back laughter.

Right until he realized what she’d said.

“He offered you…” He tried to imagine someone like Maddy on Loki’s team. He winced at the very thought. “But you turned him down,” he pointed out. “That’s what matters. You can’t help some psychotic primadonna saw in you what others likely do as well.”

[genequeen]

She can't help blushing a little bit because, well, Loki /is/ attractive - until you take in the complete and total lack of anything remotely resembling sanity.

"He offered me the ability to heal, it was before I had any powers of my own, I ha....." Madelyne frowns at him and tilts her head to the side, baffled, "Saw in me?"

[starknaked]

"You're smart, attractive, and have the potential to completely and utterly lead things into insanity like he is. Not yourself but others as well. I can see what he saw. That said, so glad you didn't take it. I'd hate to have to loathe you right now," he admitted.

[genequeen]

"Oh. Well."

Madelyne clears her throat and looks awkward for a few moments and then smiles, a self-deprecating expression, "Well, I did try to send New York to Hell, once, so neither of you is all that wrong about me."

[starknaked]

He considered that, arching a brow. "That is really only putting you on par with the government. Definitely not Loki level of douche."

[genequeen]

"I...."

She shakes her head and isn't going to disabuse Tony of the notion of take the time to explain it better. Not today, not right now at least since it just isn't something she likes talking about.

"No, I don't think I reached Loki levels."

[starknaked]

He watched her listening to her tone as much as he does her words. "You aren't and I don't think you will. That you seem to be worried that you could means it will be a lot harder for you to become that."

He firmly believed that. She was showing too much conscious.

[genequeen]

"I do appreciate that, Tony. I have to watch myself and be careful. It is so easy to overstep, to do the wrong thing, to take advantage without meaning to do so," she looks down at her hands.

Then she gives him a smile, some what worried but at the same time brave.

[starknaked]

He considered that, knowing it was something he did regularly though on not so grand a scale perhaps. "You've got a conscience and empathy. I don't think you're a threat to anyone when left to your own devices."

Already though he knew that wasn't true here, but he had faith in her.

[genequeen]

"I do appreciate your faith in a woman you've only just met, Tony. I truly do, though you've never seen me at my worst." Madelyne smiles at him more broadly and then looks toward his machine.

"What more do you need for the machine?"

[starknaked]

"No, and I don't have to. I can see the look in your eyes when you think about it," he said, shrugging. "Of course, that could be me flirting in the best possible ways," he admitted, actually meaning both if he was honest.

"To get it into place. There's a curve on the path along the opening Loki left where I want to put it. Everything else will have to be tweaked up there."

[genequeen]

"Are you ready to get it in place or do you have more you needed to do before that?"

Madelyne just moves past all of this talking about her. She's really not comfortable talking about herself as if she's a good person.

[starknaked]

He stepped around the machine, considering it and not her for the moment. He nodded.

"Anything else I need to do I won't be able to ensure until I get it up there," he admitted.

"You up for this?"

[genequeen]

"It's only heavy, Tony. It isn't like you're asking me to do surgery or electrical work with my mind," Madelyne smiles with a self-awareness of yes, what she's doing is above and beyond the normal. She extends her hand toward it and carefully starts lifting. It takes a few moments to her and the machine to be wreathed in bright green flames.

"Just don't ask me to solve one of those cube puzzles."

[starknaked]

"Wait, you can do electrical work with your mind," he asked, perking at that. "May need that one day," he admitted.

"There's two options. The service elevator and hope, or I go up and you lift it out the windows, which I made operational, and raise it into place with my guidance. Which works for you?"

[genequeen]

"I can manipulate wires with my telekinesis," she says softly, "I don't know a lot of anything about electrical anything but if you need me to change a light bulb, well, you know where to find me."

Pressing her lips together she looks at it and chuckles, "How high are we looking at lifting from here? I'm pretty sure I can make it out the windows from here."