Tony woke up to a small nudge. Blinking his eyes he saw a newly repaired DUM-E staring at him. A look at the clock on the wall told him that eleven in the morning was far too early to be woken up. "What do you want?" he grunted, putting his head back down onto his pillow.

"Sir," said Jarvis, "you have a phone call."

"Just ignore it," Tony mumbled.

"It's from an unidentified caller, and I have been unable to track the call."

Tony sat up, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Alright, let 'em talk."

"Hello," said an unfamiliar voice. "Am I talking to Mr. Stark?"

"You are," answered Tony. "And who am I talking to?"

"Oh, I don't think I can tell you that," said the voice. It was foreign, probably from somewhere in the British Isles. It was definitely male, and it was very soft.

"Why not?"

"I don't want this call traced back." Tony started to think that the speaker was Irish. "Things would get too messy. I've had my eyes on you for some time, Mr. Stark. You can say that I'm a big fan."

Tony smiled. "Look, if all of this is just a fan call, I'm really sorry but I had a late night-"

"Oh no no no no no, this isn't just a fan call." The caller chuckled. "This is a business proposition."

"What do you want?" Tony asked, pulling up a holographic screen. Jarvis was right; the call couldn't be traced.

"First off, I want to make sure that you're listening, Mr. Stark."

"Look, I'm listening, but I think this would be a lot easier if I knew your name-"

"And I told you I can't!" Tony sat in silence, his blood beginning to boil. The caller cleared his throat. "I can't. Now back to the proposition: I would like to strike up a bargain. I'll pay you 300 million quid for your weapons technology."

Tony got out of bed. "You'll do what?"

"I think you heard me, Mr. Stark. I will pay you 300 million quid for your weapons technology."

"Like hell you will."

"400 million?"

"No."

"600?"

"Uh, no."

"Name your price, Mr. Stark, and it will be paid in full."

"It's not for sale. None of it's for sale! Also, I think you're a little behind on the times; we're into energy now."

"To be perfectly honest with you, we did try to break into your system, but you were particularly thorough in your firewall protection."

"Wait, who is this 'we'? Is this S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to mess with me?"

"I can assure you it's not. I'm just your biggest fan, Mr. Stark," the caller said in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, and it sounds like you're also a hacker. I don't have time for this, I'm ending this call."

"Are you-"

"Bye."

The room was quiet once again and Tony pressed his hand to the window. Apparently his fan club wasn't just filled with happy citizens. Oh no, now it had spread to crazed Irishmen.

"Sir, he's calling back," said Jarvis.

Tony stepped back from the glass. "Ignore him."

"I'm afraid he's overriding the-"

"Oh hello again," said the Irishman.

"You just rewrote-"

"Rewrote your program, I know," the voice said in a manner that was far too calm for Tony's liking. "I worked in IT once. Well, I worked in IT because I was good at IT. I told you that if it wasn't for your programming, your weapons plans would be mine already."

"Only one person has been able to break through the technology-"

"Yes, well I don't particularly care about what ordinary people do. I care about you. Don't turn out to be ordinary."

"I don't think I've ever considered myself to be-"

"I'm going to need you to prove it to me."

"I don't have to prove anything to you! You have made me very mad, you know that. First, you wake me up, and then you hack into my phone system?"

"This can all be settled if you give me your weapons plans."

"Not gonna happen."

"Mr. Stark, you'll give me the weapons, or your only three friends in the world will die."

Tony froze. "What?"

"I don't think you need me to repeat that."

Tony thought of the woman who was currently in California, putting together a new business proposal. "Pepper," he whispered, his heart beating fast.

"Oh, not just Pepper. Everyone."

Tony's mind rushed to the gamma radiation scientist who had recently stayed with him and Pepper. The man had visited since the Battle of New York, but ever since Tony's operation, he had been around more often. "Bruce."

"Everyone."

"Steve?"

"Three explosions, Mr. Stark, three deaths. Or more, depending on who is nearby at the time. It'd be a pity to lose your new tower so soon, wouldn't it?"

"Who are you?" asked Tony through gritted teeth.

"I'll be calling again soon, dearie. I'll have my answer then. Until then, think about what I said, would you? Don't be ordinary."

Tony collapsed on his bed and pressed a fist to his forehead. "Jarvis, are you with me?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"Track that call."

"But-"

"I said track it!"

Tony was not going to let some punk tell him what to do. He hated to be handed things, and he was just given two options that he did not like. Tony Stark didn't take other people's decisions; he made his own. Pepper, Bruce, and Steve were all going to be safe. The mysterious caller, on the other hand, was not.