Lab Under Stark Industries, Wednesday Morning

[imafuturist]

Tony had a day to himself, quietly working on his armor. It was so quiet that all his experience with the Avengers told him that something bad was bound to happen.

Of course, he'd had that feeling for most of last week too. So.

"Sir, there is a breach in the security systems," JARVIS finally said, letting that other shoe drop.

Tony looked up from his work on a gauntlet to frown at where a holographic projection pulsed like an alarm. "What are they doing?"

"Attempting to gain access to communications syste--"

"Jarvis?"

[For one!]

Comments

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

An impatient female voice answered him instead.

"Don't be a baby," she said. "Go look out the window! ALIENS!"

[imafuturist]

"You know, I've heard this one before," Tony drawled, already typing away at his console to bring JARVIS back. "Invasion, paranoia, the who thing."

C'mon, JARVIS.

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

"Will you just listen to me?" the woman grumped. "I've taken this to the FBI and the Saints and the President and the Secret Service and nobody listens to me, and yet now there's a GIANT SPACESHIP over some stupid island in Maryland abducting people. PAY ATTENTION!"

[imafuturist]

"And you came by this information... how?"

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I just patched some malware into every two-bit satellite and sensor on the planet and wrote a program to monitor for extraterrestrial activity," the woman said. "I already have aerial photographs if you don't believe me. Plus a whole bunch of heat signatures just BLINKED AWAY last night."

Beat.

"I wasn't supposed to know about that satellite. Ha. Like I wouldn't find out."

[imafuturist]

Well now, Tony was forced to confirm her insane ramblings by neglecting JARVIS for a moment to check on the aliens.

"How did you find time for that with all the tinfoil hats you must make?"

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

"I'm the Press Secretary for the President of the United States," she said flatly. "Kinzie Kensington."

Okay, maybe not Tony's President of the United States, but still.

[imafuturist]

"Not any president I know," Tony shot back, frowning at the refills he found. Those were... decidedly not good.

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

"The one that saved the world by disabling a nuclear missile aimed for the United States? That President?"

Sigh.

"...Whatever, it's not important. I'm trying to access the ship's systems right now and I need your help. Or at least your processing power."

At least Tony's setup was shiny.

[imafuturist]

"Different universe," he replied dismissively. "JARVIS will help. Just give me a minute to get him out from under the intrusion into my network."

Hint hint.

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

"Seriously, you're letting an AI manage your systems? Are you trying to start the robot uprising?"

Kinzie let out an irritable sigh. "I'll be back in a second."

Her presence abruptly blinked out of Tony's system.

[imafuturist]

"-ems. My apologies, sir."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry about it, babe. Let's get started on our new alien friends."

[toosmart4zin.livejournal.com]

Back in Washington, DC, Kinzie sat back in her seat. "Stupid high-ego code-jockeys," she muttered. She punched in a few more lines of code. "Whatever, I'll just grab the listserv and go from there. Maybe SOMEONE on that island isn't a total condescending asshole."

... to be fair, she was also kind of a condescending asshole.