Chapter 7
“I first met Tony when we were in college together.” Vicky Stark said “He was so sweet and kind. We got married not long after graduating. We couldn’t have kids of our own, so we adopted, often. Within five years of marriage we’d taken in ten different children who didn’t have homes, and we made the all feel loved. But all that changed when he came back from Mars.
“He became cold, distant. Obsessed with that box. I hadn’t seen him in almost two years. Sure, he’d send me a message every day, but I got more out of his mail than him. I was convinced he was sleeping with one of the two female astronauts that made the trip, but the girls swore up and down nothing had happened.
“Then, came the day the world ended. We were all gathered at the event he was hosting. I watched him touch the box. I watched as it… did things to him. I watched as it… our children…”
She began to cry.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… I don’t get to talk to others about it. I’ve barely seen another human face in the past two decades not my own. Thank you for listening to me ramble.”
Daisy and Skye were unsure what to say.
“What’s the implant for?” Daisy asked
“Tony’s… well, he has an interesting way of showing he still loves me. That suit is all that keeps him alive. He’s told me over and over that I can’t get near the box, and that he can’t get away from it. So… this way, we’re always together.”
“So he’s heard everything you’ve said?” Skye asked.
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Stark said, “he heard me and I heard him talk to you.”
Daisy got up and started banging on the door.
“You hear that Stark? I want out!”
“Now, now, child, that’s not going to do anything but hurt yourself and the baby.”
Daisy stopped.
“You know?”
The older woman nodded.
“Your robot told Tony everything about the two of you.” She said “How you’re from different earths and just tell everyone you’re twins.”
She stepped closer and put her hand on Daisy’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. About what happened.”
“No… No…” Daisy said, holding back her emotions and her fears “He’s… he’s smart… he’d figure a way out of it. If anyone could, it’s Scott.”
“Out of a 20,000 foot fall?”
“His record is 35,000…” Skye said “But that was into a swimming pool.”
“Well, Agent Riley, what have you got for us… and it better be good.” One of the council members said.
“Well… I dismantled the robot and examined it… There’s not much I can do with it.”
“Why’s that?” another asked, who he recognized as the counterpart to Senator Nadir.
“Well… When you caught it… its AI deleted itself. You’ve got the hardware, but no software.”
“Son” Pierce began, standing “You’re telling me the machine committed suicide?”
“In essence yes.”
“So this was all a waste of time…” Hill asked, cocking her gun.
“Not necessarily.” Scott said “The suit itself works, I just need something else to control it.”
“What are you suggesting.”
“On my world, Stark used this technology to create suits of armor for him to wear. I could probably convert this into something similar. Piloted power armor.”
Scott walked up to Pierce.
“I’m willing to play ball. I’ll do just about anything you ask. I just have three conditions. One, I’m not treated like a prisoner. If I want to rest, I rest. If I want to go to the bathroom, I go to the bathroom. Two, when I ask for something, I get it. And Three, no one stands over my shoulder all the time, second guessing everything I’m doing.
“If you’re willing to give me what I need to do this job, I can have this ready for a human user within 24 hours.”
“Well… what do you need?”