Echoes

Tony had lost interest in his story after having teased Rhodey about getting what he wanted. He hadn’t heard the follow up or the invitation to meet again in the weeks that followed. Instead he’d caught sight of something he was very much interested in. The news followed the story about a woman he didn’t recognize. Judging by the way the reporters spoke of her he seemed to be the only one who didn’t know who she was. She was tall, curvy in all the right places, and wearing possibly the classiest black dress he’d ever seen. She was ignoring the press and their questions with poise and grace while leaving the City Hall building in Boston. The press couldn’t get enough of her and followed her every move!

What was just as interesting, once Tony had managed to pull his gaze away from the woman’s figure, was that there were bodyguards on either side of her. On their vests, though it was faded and partially hidden, was the familiar logo of an eagle. They were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Why would this strange, attractive woman have S.H.I.E.L.D. escorting her in and out of City Hall? And why would it be on the national news? The stories scrolling along the bottom of the screen were unrelated and local. The report itself was too quiet for Tony to hear.

The volume was turned down low so that the sounds of the shows wouldn’t overwhelm the patrons looking to chat up their friends and colleagues. The screen transitioned away from the reporter and to a much closer shot of the woman and her bodyguards. She was making a statement about something or other as flashes of camera bulbs went off in the background. From the few words Tony could make out by reading her lips it had something to do with a place called “Refuge”. He was far too distracted by the woman on the screen to read the rest of the headline running beneath her and reading her lips was having unexpected physical consequences.

Who was this woman and why had he never seen or heard of her before? There had been a time where Tony made all the rounds through the Hollywood socialites. Even then he couldn’t recall having ever seen anyone quite like her before. Her long curly chocolate colored hair was half hidden beneath a black hat that matched her dress and though her eyes were hidden by sunglasses he could catch glimpses of a sparkling blue behind them when she turned her head the right way.

“Tony, you zoned out. Is everything okay? Should I be worried?” Rhodey waved his hand in front of his friend’s face and finally got a response but it wasn’t the one that he had expected.

“Pause!” Tony spoke to the television but it didn’t respond as he had hoped. For a brief moment he’d completely forgotten that he was no longer in his home. There Jarvis obeyed his every command but in the bar he was powerless to control the progression of the news story. There was no way for him to rewind. Soon enough the story would be over and the glimpse he’d caught of her would be gone. He’d never know why she was with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or what Refuge was or even what her name was. For some reason, Tony very much wanted to know these things. Rhodey laughed and turned his attention back to the news story. He wasn’t sure what had left Tony so transfixed but was more than willing to find out.

“I’m afraid that won’t work here.”

“Who the hell is that?” Tony peered around Rhodey who blocked his view trying to steal glances of the woman. He strained his ears in attempts to make out some of the dialogue but it was a fruitless effort. The volume was so low it might as well have been muted. Even with only a handful of people in the bar too much noise was being made. Funny, Tony could hear every word to a crappy commercial but when it came to something he actually wanted to hear it was too quiet. Go figure. He resorted to reading lips again but that also proved fruitless. He doubted that they were talking about giant juicy melons. It was more than likely his subconscious hoping that they were. The nature of the news story had distracted him far too much to concentrate on such a trivial task.

“You don’t know?” Rhodey seemed suddenly far more amused than he had been when Tony had completely derailed their conversation for a news story.

“Don’t act all superior about it. Just tell me who she is!”

“You seriously don’t know?” Rhodey turned sideways in his seat and pointed to the television in front of them seemingly in disbelief.

“I swear, you’re going senile. I’ll ask again. Who is she?”

“She’s been all over the news for the past few months.”

“She’s got a great rack.” Tony made a face of approval and strained to see her in the picture on the screen that had shrunk to a small corner so that the reporter could continue with the story. “I can’t tell about the backside. They’re not giving me enough angles to work with here.”

“Yes, because I’m sure that the news is very concerned with how great the woman’s ass looks.” Rhodey laughed.

“They should be. It’s a very pressing matter if you ask me.” Tony nodded and finally peeled his eyes away from the television as the reporter transitioned to something far less interesting. “I’ve been kind of out of the loop lately. I don’t put the television on much anymore.” Pepper used to brief him on the news that pertained to him and current events each morning but since she no longer served as his assistant he had to rely on Jarvis for the news. Eventually it had all sounded the same to Tony so he’d stopped requesting it. Now he was regretting that. Apparently some very interesting things had transpired since he’d stopped paying attention.

“Really? You used to be the first to know about everything.” Rhodey scowled. The worry was thick in his gaze again and Tony turned away to avoid it. If Tony had stopped caring what the media thought then it meant he had stopped caring what they thought about him. While the way they felt had never particularly affected his behavior in any way, he had always wanted the media’s input. He’d often enjoyed giving them a hard time and playing them to his favor. And the media, in return, had enjoyed his outlandish lifestyle and had played right into his hand. If Tony had lost that part of him then it was due to something bigger. Rhodey knew that Tony would never grow tired of attention, it was in his nature to be the center of things. It only solidified that something was very wrong with his friend, something far beyond his relationship with Pepper.

“Are you going to tell me who she is or not? I need to know and if you’re not going to tell me then I’m going to have to start Googling and you know how I feel about Google.” Tony hoped to avoid addressing the many things wrong with him. Tony knew he had problems, but he was finally feeling like his old self for the first time in a very long time. He didn’t want the happiness to disappear quite yet. Plus, he was still very, very interested in the woman on the television.

“That’s Miss Scarlett Damien.” Rhodey began.

“Oh, Scarlett, that’s a nice name. I like it. Very femme fatale.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows comically. “Miss too, means she’s not married. Who is she? Why is the media stalking her?”

“She’s a genius.” Rhodey smirked. It was very rare that he had information Tony wasn’t privy to and he was rather enjoying lording it over his friend. “Like the stupid ridiculously smart kind. Like you.”

“Geniuses don’t look like that.” Tony stared in disbelief at his friend.

“Some would argue the same about you.”

“Aw, I’m flattered Rhodes. I didn’t know you thought I was pretty!”

“I was speaking on behalf of others, not myself. Don’t get cocky pretty boy.”

“It’s these damn eyelashes. I can’t help it that I’m so beautiful.” Tony smirked. Rhodey turned in his chair and reached inside the briefcase that he kept at his feet beneath the table. “But you know what I meant. You expect something much different than that when you hear the word genius.”

“Here, hold on.” Rhodey dug around in his bag before withdrawing a thick magazine. He then laid it in front of Tony, keeping his hand at the top of it. Plastered on the magazine cover was the face of the same woman that he’d seen on the television. Now that he could see her close up, Tony could see just how stunning she really was, at least to him. Her eyes were blue, he’d guessed right even behind her dark sunglasses. On the bottom of the magazine in bold letters it read Finding Refuge. Apparently he was better at reading lips than he thought he was. “I told you, she’s everywhere now. Magazines, newspapers, television… everywhere.” Hastily Tony grabbed the magazine away from Rhodey and opened the pages so he could find the article about the mystery woman.

“You said she’s a genius?” Tony asked, paging through the magazine and eyeing the article but finding himself distracted by the picture on the left side of the page. “And that answers my question about the back side…”

“Genius can be pretty vague, I suppose.” Rhodey watched Tony, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “She’s something of a medical marvel.”

“Yeah?” Tony finally looked away from the article and back at his friend. “How is that? Did someone build her, because if I was building women…”

“She’s changed the world of medicine! That’s what I meant. It’s all about prosthetics.” Rhodey laughed. Tony rolled the magazine so it was folded in half and turned so the picture of Scarlett was facing Rhodey.

“Those are not prosthetics.” Tony pointed to Scarlett’s legs. Rhodey tried to snatch the magazine away from Tony but the billionaire pulled it out of his reach and dared him with his eyes to try and take it again.

“She doesn’t have prosthetics.” Rhodey laughed. “She’s developing prosthetics. Well, developed them. It’s been all over the news for the last month.”

“Then she’s not a medical marvel.” Tony turned the picture away from Rhodey. “Prosthetics, yeah right.” He muttered and tilted his head to the side as he flipped the pages. “Maybe implants, but no prosthetics.”

“They’re not implants.” Rhodey stopped Tony before he could inquire further. “How did we even start talking about this?”

“You lied to me about her being a medical marvel. You should have said that she is the creator of the next medical marvel, not that she is the next medical marvel.”

“Since when do you work for the grammar police?”

“Since you changed the meaning of that sentence and confused me.” Tony paid him no mind. It was hard to read the article while both listening to Rhodey and ogling the glossy photos of this stranger.

“You knew what I meant.”

“Are you going to tell me about the medical marvel thing or are we just going to argue about how bad your grammar is all afternoon?” Tony tapped the picture of Scarlett in the magazine. Rhodey narrowed his eyes at him and then sighed.

“I could let you read the article on your own, but I guess I’ll tell you since you don’t seem to have any patience.”

“And I’m the one who isn’t chivalrous.”

“Shut up.” Rhodey leaned back in his chair before continuing. “She came out of nowhere with this technological advance in robotics. Apparently she was an engineer sometime in the past and worked in run down hospitals in Africa. They don’t say much about that history but since then she’s been traveling and developing different advancements and technology. Her list of credentials is insane. One of the magazines narrowed it down and I was blown away. But the crazy thing about these prosthetics is that they fuse with the human body via the nervous system without brain surgery. Don’t ask me how she does it because the technology goes way over my head.” Rhodey waved his hand. “I had one of the med tech guys try to read me in on it and I swear my brain boiled.”

“Without brain surgery?” Tony was looking over the article and lifted his head when Rhodey mentioned it. The implications were staggering and Tony was temporarily left speechless. He’d seen prosthetics make leaps and bounds in the last ten years. Even the most advanced prosthetic technology involved brain surgery. Not to mention the technology was insanely expensive and wasn’t always guaranteed to work. There had been speculation that the technology had hit its peak and wouldn’t get any better.

“That’s right. It’s something about fusing artificial nerves with the existing nervous system. She broke it down to a cellular level treating the existing body like a machine that needed rewiring. Even the blood stream is connected throughout the prosthetic. The work that went into this technology, it’s amazing, Tony. They even bleed if you cut them. I didn’t believe it was real until I saw it with my own eyes. What she’s done is amazing. The advancements that this woman has developed are going to change the lives of war veterans around the world. And even more extraordinary is that she’s giving prototypes to volunteer veterans who were injured free of charge.”

“Smart move for her company. Refuge, right? Otherwise they’re throwing this word in my face way too often for my liking.” Tony cocked a curious eyebrow before looking back to the magazine and the tiny print he was skimming. Rhodey’s version of the story was far more entertaining.

“Yeah, Refuge. She claims that the name derives from the fact that she believes that humanity should take refuge beneath technology not from technology. It’s brilliant actually. People have really warmed up to her even with her reputation…” Rhodey was obviously excited to get to the juicier parts of her story.

“No, that’s not it.” Tony closed the magazine, unable to concentrate on the words when those pictures were accompanying them. He was sure it was all very informative but if they really wanted people to properly focus on what they wrote then they shouldn’t have put pictures of her in such a flattering dress. That seemed perfectly logical to him. Then again, when the Founder and CEO of a company looked that good there was no reason not to exploit it. It certainly got him interested. He would’ve bought the magazine if he’d passed by it on the rack.

“That’s what she said.”

“That was a terrible joke. Do you understand how that joke works? I don’t think that’s what she said at all.”

“No, that’s what she really said in an interview.” Rhodey chuckled and wiped his hand over his chin. “Prosthetics was what made her big but from what I understand she’s not a one trick pony. Apparently there are many more developments up her sleeve. Yesterday morning her company went public on the trading floor. She was seeking out private investments for awhile to keep her company funded but it’s gotten so popular and successful in a short time that it’s been opened to the public for investments. From what I saw on the news before we met here it’s doing remarkably well.”

“Yeah, her presence at the exchange in that skirt had absolutely nothing to do with sales.” Tony muttered beneath his breath.

“As I was saying, that’s why she’s doing all this press today.” Rhodey cleared his throat and spoke over his friend. “Not to mention there’s this rumor going around that she’s seeing this British guy who was an investor in her company. He’s this big theater buff or something. Very popular because he’s a heartthrob. There are pictures of the two all over the less informative magazines.”

“Rhodey, when did you become such a delightful gossip?” Tony couldn’t help but smirk, the worries that had been plaguing his mind completely forgotten for the time being. Rhodey seemed to pay this insult no mind.

“To sweeten the deal her history is this huge thing for the press. From what I understand it’s next level spy stuff but it’s all been classified and she refuses to talk about it in public. There’s these crazy conspiracy theories about what it could be but there’s no real validation to any of it. I doubt there ever will be.”

“Oh come on, really? Talk about a publicity scam.” Tony chuckled but in the back of his mind he recalled the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been by her side posing as security guards. Maybe there was some validity to what Rhodey was talking about. It would explain why he’d never heard of her before in all of his years in the industry.

“I checked into her background personally when I got the chance because she’s got this upcoming contract with the military. I guess we’re going to be doing some work together for something. I’m really looking forward to it. From what I heard she’s very interesting to be around. Not at all what you’d expect given her reputation.”

“Work with the military? Really?” Tony placed the magazine in his lap and leaned his arms on the table.

“She apparently has these plans for new body armor. The material is stronger than Kevlar and more reliable. I’m telling you, it’s remarkable stuff. And while I may sound like a gossip talking about it here with you I’m really looking forward to working with her. She’s exciting and since you don’t work with us anymore it’s the most interesting thing that’s happened since you let me use the Warmachine.” Rhodey reached for his magazine but jumped back when he was swatted away by Tony.

“Since you stole my Mark II, you mean.”

“From what I understand you let me take it because you thought that you were dying. Remember? Your opinion on that changes depending on your mood.” Rhodey challenged him. They’d had this conversation a number of times and the argument differed each time. Rhodey could never tell whether or not Tony had let him become the Warmachine or if it was something he’d done on his own. It didn’t seem to matter now that the deed had already been done.

“So what’s with the S.H.I.E.L.D. detail, then?” Tony nodded toward the television that was transitioning from the news and onto a sitcom that Tony could care less about. “If she’s working with the military then why does she have S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on either side of her watching her back?” Rhodey seemed surprised to hear this and turned back toward the television even if there was nothing there to see.

“I didn’t notice any S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with her.”

“Oh, they weren’t trying to be noticed for what they were but considering how often I’ve worked with them I can just tell. That little bird symbol may have been small but it was still there.” Most people were blissfully unaware of the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. so the fact that they still wore their insignia even if they didn’t want to be recognized wasn’t a very big deal. There were only a handful of people privy to any knowledge regarding the secretive company.

“Maybe they’re interested in her for the same reason the military is. Either that or it could have something to do with this mysterious past that no one seems to know anything about and she’s unwilling to reveal.” Rhodey shrugged his shoulders and stirred his straw again in his near empty drink. “I’m not surprised that they would be interested. From what I’ve read on this woman they’d be a bunch of idiots not to back her or try to get her to deal with them. You don’t understand how amazing this is, Tony.”

“Enlighten me then.”

“The prosthetic technology is unreal. I watched this video of a demonstration of the new prosthesis and it is astounding. Honestly, I can’t even describe it to you. You’re going to have to see it for yourself. It is undeniably the coolest thing that I have seen since you started developing Iron Man armor. I know it seems like something small but the advancements that are going to blossom out of this new technology are unheard of. Do you have any idea how revolutionary that is? Nothing like this has happened in years.” Rhodey seemed to have stars in his eyes.

“You’re painting a very vivid picture for me.” Tony didn’t like hearing that something was more exciting than technology that he had developed. He’d discovered a new element! He’d changed the way that energy worked. He’d created the first fully armored suit capable of flight! What was more innovative than that? And yet he was intrigued on top of being jealous. It was a strange unfamiliar feeling. Usually Stark Industries was leading the way in revolutionary mechanics. Now it seemed like Refuge was overshadowing his company. That could have been due to the fact that he had very much been neglecting his company, preferring to work on the armor that could keep him and those he cared about safe instead.

“She’s going to be incredibly wealthy by the end of this. I don’t know if she was before or not because again her past is this huge thing no one knows about. I’m going to guess she didn’t have much to start with because of how she had to find all that funding but with the way things are going for her now? I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up as rich as you are in ten years Tony.”

“Not possible.” Tony dismissed the idea quickly but the gears were turning within his mind. He didn’t care how much money she was making or how much she was eventually going to make. He couldn’t get past the idea of how the prosthetics were working for her without having to perform any kind of brain surgery. It was brilliant and he wanted to see how it worked. Somehow he doubted that it would be general knowledge information. If he wanted to know he would have to find out on his own and there was only one way to do that. Well, there were two ways to do it but one of them involved breaking the law while the other involved meeting the creator. After seeing the creator, he definitely preferred the latter.

“Oh, it’s possible.” Rhodey smirked, eyeing Tony curiously. “Jealous, are you?”

“No.” Tony practically pouted.

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m curious, not jealous.”

“Really? Because you look mostly jealous.”

“No, I’m not jealous, Rhodey. I’m glad that progress is being made with prosthetics. I’m not the type who’s going to be angry at others for developing technology and helping it along. However, I am wondering if something she’s working on could help me with a project of mine.” Tony mused, tapping his fingers against the magazine cover.

“Do you plan on losing a limb anytime soon?” Rhodey joked with a straight face.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t plan limb loss.” Tony scoffed but then kept talking. “The suit I was telling you about, my newest one… this technology that I was looking at to get it to assemble on top of me without any technological requirements is very similar to the central nervous system implants they use with modern day prosthesis. The implant, you see, is inserted into the brain and creates a wireless link with the arm making it possible for thought to control the arm the same way that you would with the limb you were born with. However, brain surgery is, no matter how you turn the phrase, brain surgery. It’s dangerous and about the one thing I’m not willing to do to myself. I’ve tried several other methods including heat seeking and radar. None of them have worked and it’s been a real treat testing it. Let me tell you, I have some bizarre bruises.”

“I’d ask how you were doing those tests Tony but I’m pretty sure that I never want to know.” Rhodey grimaced but he was already thinking about what kind of hell Tony had forced himself to suffer through for the sake of his suits and the drive for seamless technology. In a way, he wondered if Tony was punishing himself by continuing to test.

“Good call there, Rhodes.” Tony poked at the remaining condensation on his glass since there was little left inside of it besides ice. “This technology she’s using could be the answer to my problem. It’s possible she could offer some insight into my failures and help me develop something that could go that one step further with my armor. I’m sure there’s something I could offer her in exchange.”

“Don’t go there.” Rhodey warned.

“Where?” Tony looked away from the glass and to Rhodey and then laughed upon realizing the implications. “You pervert, I was speaking technologically. From one genius to another I would be happy to offer her some insight in something she was working on.”

“That somehow still sounds dirty.” Rhodey narrowed his eyes at Tony suspiciously. At the same time he wondered about the possibility though he kept these thoughts very much to himself.

“You’ve been spending too much time with me. Or not enough depending on how you look at it.” Tony tossed the idea around in his mind. The more he thought about approaching Scarlett to work with him on his suit the more he liked it. He’d never had a second opinion on what he was doing with his Marks and that had been by design. He didn’t want anyone to know how the reactor worked and he didn’t want anyone to know the secrets behind his armor. It was uniquely him and he wanted to keep it that way. But if this woman was as brilliant as the press and his best friend claimed her to be then it could be well worth letting her in on his secrets. Additionally Tony had a good feeling about the idea and that went a long way. Really the deal was already sealed in his mind he just had to make it happen.

As long as he didn’t let her know how the suit was actually built from scratch, there was no risk of her replicating the technology. If he made it clear that was part of the deal he could be safe, or at least he hoped so.

It had been a very long time since Tony had gone above and beyond to make anything happen for himself outside of his armor advancements. Then there was the pesky problem of publicity and what that would say for him and his company to have this woman coming into his home to work with him privately. If she was as much of a media darling as Rhodey claimed her to be, and Tony suspected that she was, then it was possible that it would cause him some trouble with the press. Not that bad press had ever stopped Tony before but he was already trying to think of how to handle it so he could cushion the blow.

Then it occurred to him that there was a big nagging problem he’d been ignoring that he could ask her to help him with at Stark Industries. If he could hire Scarlett as a consultant for his company then it wouldn’t seem at all unsavory for him to be seen with her in public. She would be a huge asset for Stark Industries and it was possible it would shoot his company back into the limelight and give him some good press instead of the kind he had initially worried about. Sometimes Tony couldn’t believe how brilliant he was even in his darkest hours.

“What’s going on in that head of yours? I can see the gears turning. I’m waiting for smoke to come out of your ears but nothing’s happened and I’m starting to get bored. Plus I have a date tonight, we can’t stay here forever. Eventually you’re going to have to snap out of it.” Rhodey yawned, pretending to be bored and checking the time on his phone.

“Oh that’s right, this mystery Olivia girl that I can’t meet. If I don’t get to see a picture soon Rhodey I’m going to find one myself and you might not like the process I have to go through to do that.” Tony threatened and before Rhodey could object he continued onward to explain what thoughts had been running through the back of his mind. “You remember the energy project, right?”

“Yeah, the one that’s supposed to revolutionize the energy industry as we know it? The one that’s supposed to create a clean and efficient energy plant that will replace nuclear plants all around the world and make electricity clean and affordable?”

“Yes, that one. Thanks for clarifying for me.” Tony rolled his eyes and continued. “The reason it’s still in production and not in the first phases of testing are because I’m working on something to convert this power source from the new element in my reactor into the current voltage we use for power here in the States. Once I can do that it’s just a quick adjustment for different currents used in other countries. But there’s been a snag in the process. I can’t seem to figure it out. Something seems to escape me every time I sit down to work on it and it’s not for lack of trying. So the testing on different conversion techniques and amplifiers has continued but with a very low success rate. Actually the last attempt blew up a significant portion of my building. How I kept that out of the papers is beyond me. No one was hurt but man it has been a pain in the ass rebuilding that lab…” Tony drifted off on the topic and flicked at his straw wrapper.

“You think that Damien could help with that too? It’s not exactly in her line of expertise that I know of. Energy technology and all that. I think she’s more into robotics and the like.”

“Technology is technology, Rhodey. If she’s anything like me then she’s excited to learn new techniques and explore new areas of engineering and robotics. I think that if nothing else it would excite her and it would be considered another area of philanthropy. It would only boost her popularity to help. With all the mystery surrounding her, my guess is that her publicist, if she has one, is pushing her to seem benevolent so that people will stop assuming that she’s had a notorious history of dark deeds.” Tony explained, wondering if Rhodey understood.

They had grown up together after college and while Rhodey had been witness to the insanity that was often party to Tony’s life he sometimes didn’t understand what it was like to have every aspect of his personal and professional life scrutinized by the public. Everything he did was subject to the opinion of some person across the country he’d never met before. Public approval was sometimes the only key to success and thankfully Tony had somehow managed to win the hearts of his public despite his history.

“Well, I think you should do it. The worst she can do is say no.” Rhodey thought about it for a second. It was a risk, letting Tony pursue a woman like Scarlett Damien, considering his reputation and the current rumors about where he’d disappeared to and the trouble he was in. But Rhodey was sure it was a risk worth taking for him. Tony needed to get out of his basement and back into reality. What better way to do that then to send him across the country to talk to a fellow engineer and get him back to work? Even if he still obsessed over the suits and his safety, at least he was getting out of the house and back into the public eye. Tony needed to be the center of attention even if he didn’t realize how much he thrived on it.

If he made the first few steps he’d eventually be the person he once was and learn how to recover from the trauma he was suffering through. Rhodey wanted to help his friend no matter the cost.

“You think so?” Tony looked surprised to receive his friend’s approval. He’d half expected Rhodey to lecture him about responsibility and how he had a girlfriend and all that nonsense. Why that mattered, Tony wasn’t sure, but he was sure that it was something that would’ve come up. Given that Tony had once taken anything with legs to bed, he could understand why someone would think that he was working to get her into his arms. Tony was sure that if he hadn’t been dating Pepper then that is exactly what he would’ve done. Unfortunately there was a part of him that still very much wanted to do that.

“Yeah, why not? She’s smart and innovative. If she offers you some insight into what you’re working on both publically and privately then what’s the harm? Even if she doesn’t help you with it then it’d be good press just to have her around since Refuge is doing so well. Tony Stark and Scarlett Damien working together? You’d be back in the papers faster than you could breathe. I can’t think of better press for Stark Industries and hell, you need the good press right now.”

“Are people still theorizing that I’m dead and my double’s walking around somewhere just so people don’t panic that Iron Man is gone?” Tony smirked. He had ignored most of the press but he couldn’t help but enjoy the wild theories that the gossip magazines posted about him and the insane stories that occasionally popped up on the internet.

“Yeah. One of my staff sergeants asked me if it was true you’d been abducted by aliens the other day.” Rhodey laughed heartily as he recalled the series of events. “I assured him that you were at home and simply taking a break from the public life. After he left I made sure that someone set up a psychiatric review for him.”

“Wow, aliens. The press must be desperate. Or that guy is way off his rocker.”

“Either one is entirely possible. I try to ignore what I hear about you most of the time. Half of it’s a crock of garbage and the other half of it is disconcerting.” Rhodey grimaced. “But this thing with Scarlett? It’s a good idea.”

“You really think that?” Tony seemed somewhat apprehensive but Rhodey smiled confidently.

“Yes! Go to Boston and talk to her at Refuge Headquarters. Make a gesture of goodwill and peace and she just might buy into it before realizing what she’s gotten herself into.” Rhodey grinned playfully.

“You know what? I think I will do exactly that.” Tony leaned back in his chair and glanced down at the magazine before setting it on the table in front of him. He had absolutely no intentions of giving it back to his friend. He wanted to try and read the article properly without getting distracted by the pictures next to it. He wasn’t sure how well that would work out but he was certainly going to give it the old college effort.

“However, I would suggest doing one teeny little thing before you fly up there and start worming your way into Refuge business.” Rhodey winced and held up his thumb and forefinger as an example.

“And what is that?”

“Talk to Pepper about it first.” Rhodey stated simply. Even if Tony and Pepper were having problems Rhodey didn’t think it was fair to alienate Pepper in regards to something that could potentially be a very big turning point in Tony’s life.

“What? Why should I do that? She’s my girlfriend not my mother. I don’t have to tell her about every little thing I do. She doesn’t tell me about every stupid thing she does all day so why should I bother? I don’t need permission to talk to another woman.” Tony immediately grew defensive but wasn’t exactly sure why. He knew that he should talk to Pepper about it, deep down. But every time he talked to Pepper it turned into a fight and he honestly didn’t have the energy to fight with her about anything anymore. Fighting drained him. This was the first thing he was passionate about besides a robot in a long time and he didn’t want to give it up simply because Pepper could end up being a little jealous.

“Tony.” Rhodey snatched the magazine from the table and held it up so that the cover was looking back at Tony. He didn’t even have to say anything because Tony knew that he had to talk to Pepper as he stared into the dangerous blue eyes looking back at him. Scarlett was likely going to be intimidating for Pepper. Sometimes Tony hated being someone’s boyfriend. The freedom that had been taken away was maddening. He missed it.

“Point taken.” Tony pouted. He knew he had to talk to her about it even if he didn’t want to. Even if it became a fight he had to at least let her know what he was up to in case it turned up in papers that he was with a woman who had a notoriously risqué past, a past that Tony was very curious about. The fight would be much worse if Pepper had to find out on her own about it rather than Tony letting her know. At least she’d have a heads up when the rumors were published.

“Good. You’ll fill me in on how it all turns out, right?” Rhodey stood up and started to button his coat. Tony pulled some cash out of his wallet and left it for the tab along with a gracious tip. He always over-tipped, it was sorta his thing. On this occasion he hoped that the bar would welcome them when they returned.

“Always.” Tony picked the magazine off of the table before Rhodey could reach for it and narrowed his eyes at him. “This is mine now.” Rhodey chuckled before shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Fine, keep it. I already read it. Just try not to do anything gross to it if you can help it.”

“I’ll replace it if necessary.” Tony joked and tucked the magazine under his arm as he stood up. It was obvious that Rhodey was done with him for the day and had somewhere else to be. He was grateful to have gotten out of the house and glad he’d agreed to come. It was nice to be with someone who enjoyed his presence even if he’d spent the first half of the conversation alleviating his worry. It was the least he could do after everything Rhodey had put up with over the years.

“Gross.”

“You started it.”

“Look, I’ve got a date in a couple of hours and I’ve got to get ready and then I have a long drive ahead of me.” Rhodey nodded toward the door. “The last thing I need is that mental image.”

“Let me know if you want to do this again next week. You said we should, right? Or was I hallucinating that you said that?”

“Oh, you were listening. I thought you were too busy drooling all over yourself to hear that bit.”

“I listen more than you think I do.” Tony shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “Get out of here. Go impress Olivia. Show her you can dance! Women like that sort of thing.” Tony shoved his free hand in his pocket and searched for his phone. There was a car waiting outside for him that would take him home. He’d anticipated drinking a little and had planned ahead just in case the drinking got out of control. Jarvis would pilot the car he’d driven to the bar home without him.

“I’ll call you next week, Tony. It’ll be real soon, before you know it. Think about what I said with Pepper, okay?” Rhodey started out the door.

“I will.” Tony nodded though it was something he very much didn’t want to think about anytime soon if he could help it.

“Oh and if you try to find Olivia before I show her to you, then you’re going to be sorry.” Rhodey spoke as he walked out of the bar without turning around. Tony smirked and shook his head as his friend disappeared from view.

The drive home was over too quickly as Tony read over the article. Everything that Rhodey had told him about the woman was in there almost exactly as described. It still didn’t explain to him why she was surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. detail or anything about her past. It mentioned the British actor whose name Tony immediately forgot. Her past was almost completely unknown and when questioned she mentioned that the past is irrelevant and what matters is the here and now and what they do with the days ahead of them. It was a smart move. By the time he pulled up to his Malibu house in the black town car, Tony was very impressed and more convinced than ever that he had to approach her about his suit and the energy project.

When he got home Pepper was nowhere to be found, much to his relief. Jarvis filled him in on any messages received and how boring it had been after he’d left. Tony threw the magazine down on the coffee table in his living room next to his pile of pillows and blankets that were lying in between the couch and the table.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir.” The voice followed Tony as he descended the stairs into his laboratory. The mess that he’d made around his desk earlier when he’d had his fit was still there. He’d never instructed his robots to clean it up and somehow seeing the result of his anguish made him sad. What had broken inside of his head to make him like this?

“I need you to write an email for me… Only I don’t have contact information for where to send it.”

“That’s never stopped us before. What is this email concerning? Are you perhaps angry with CBS again for canceling yet another clever show? Or for replacing Charlie Sheen with pretty boy Ashton Kutcher?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Tony couldn’t help but laugh. Even in his worst moments Tony’s smart computer could make him laugh.

“What a shame. I rather liked that Matthew Perry show.”

“I need you to write up a request for a meeting and a job offer for one Scarlett Damien, CEO and Founder of Refuge in Boston. Tell her I need a response immediately.” The computer didn’t respond for a moment so Tony resorted to picking up the mess around his desk. “Also that Perry show was ABC. Get your references in check, Jarvis.” His efforts were half hearted but at least they were efforts at all. Days prior he wouldn’t have bothered with it and would’ve waited for Jarvis to find a way to take care of it. At least now something inside of him cared whether or not there was a mess in his basement.

“Of course, sir. Address obtained.”

“You’re the best, Jarvis.”

“I know, sir. For the record, there have been so many canceled Matthew Perry shows I have forgotten which station aired what.”

“Touché.”