Sweat dripped down the back of her shirt as her fingers typed away furiously at the ancient laptop before her. Its fans hummed obnoxiously as it tried to keep up with the speed of her work, but what really worried her was the way the light on the small device beside her laptop blinked rapidly. It wasn't supposed to do that. That device was the only thing keeping her safe right now, so it better be working. If not… well at the very least she wouldn't be getting a meal tonight. He promised her this wouldn't be a dangerous job, but of course that had been a lie. Why would he tell her the truth when he knew she would back out? A timer popped up on screen just as her device short circuited and started smoking from beside her. She quelled the urge to fix it as she raced against the clock to complete the job; if she screwed this up, she was ruined. She couldn't afford to muck this job up. And then she was in. A small smile appeared on her face as the files started flitting over onto the flash drive; she'd actually done it. Now she had to get the hell out of there and get the flash drive to her boss before she got caught. Once the transfer had been completed, she shoved the device and flash drive into her pocket and slammed the laptop shut, stuffing it into her backpack desperately. Finally, when she was sure she had left no trace, she yanked her mask up so it was covering her nose and mouth before ducking out the window of the dilapidated building, one of the many peppering this part of the city.

She casually turned the corner, planning on blending into the throng of people ever present in the big city, but suddenly broke into a sprint when she saw the pair of policemen point at her and start to make their way over. She wasn't taking any chances today, not when she had a huge payload to deliver. Her small form weaved through the crowds before slipping into an alley, hoping to lose them with her quick move. Alas, luck was not on her side, as she was immediately grabbed by officers lying in wait. A sigh fell from her lips as she was handcuffed and escorted to a cruiser, being lectured after being read her rights. There went her job.

The door to the interrogation room swung open, and she watched with a look of indifference as a man dressed in a sharp three-piece suit strolled in. She recognized him, of course, and pushed down the feeling of admiration that threatened to overcome her. In this instance he was not her personal hero, he was some rich guy coming to bury her in lawsuits. So, when he took the seat across the table from her and folded his hands in front of him, she watched him silently, seeming completely disinterested in easily the most influential person in her life.

"So, Jenny-is it okay if I call you Jenny?-you decided it would be fun to pop around my mainframe and nab a few files of mine, did you?" he asked casually before opening the manila folder on the table. "Jenny Li, seventeen, disappeared from the system after your last family was given an eviction notice," he read from her file as if he was reading the specials from a menu. "Guess they decided letting you leave was easier than leaving their home. Still, gotta say, I'm impressed you could even get in. Hell, if you were a bit older, I might even offer you a job."

"Stark," the officer in the room growled. The billionaire was getting off topic. "Just do what you were called here to do."

"Oh, yes, right." He turned his attention to the teen in front of him and narrowed his eyes. "Why'd you do it? Who hired you?"

Rolling her eyes, Jenny slouched further in her chair and gave him a look, silently asking if he was serious. Did he really think she was going to tell him anything because he asked nicely?

"Right. I'm assuming you're in the silent brooding I-hate-the-world phase," he snarked. "I went through one of those. Actually, I may still be going through it. I don't know, I like to change it up a bit. Keeps things interesting. Speaking of interesting, where did you get the ink?"

She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, tugging at the sleeves of her shirt so they hid the tattoos from view once more. He smirked, knowing he was finally getting somewhere. The guard, on the other hand, was not so amused at this change of topic and let out a loud sigh.

"Would you say," Tony started, pointedly ignoring the officer in the corner, "you got them willingly? Kid your age, hard to find a place that'll put a needle to your pure skin, unless, of course, you've found yourself in a place with some lenient rules."

"No one forced me to get them," Jenny finally answered, not wanting him to think she was in some sort of gang. "But I wouldn't say I got them willingly."

"The plot thickens."

"They don't have anything to do with why I hacked into your system, just so you know."

"And we've come full circle, now haven't we? Then tell me, Miss Li: why did you hack into my system? While you do seem like the kid who would do it just because they can-god only knows how many places I hacked into for the same reason at your age-you stole something. Kids like you usually don't take something when they break in. They hack into things just to say they can."

"So I stole something. Why can't I? If I can, why shouldn't I? Besides, you know, laws and stuff like that, but since I'm in the I-hate-the-world phase, I don't really care about those."

"Sass as a defense mechanism, haven't seen that one before."

"At least I can blame mine on teen rebellion. What's your excuse?"

"I'm a rich superhero?" he offered with a smirk. "But back to my question. Why steal those files? What have you to gain from them?"

"Do I look like someone who's going to spill my evil plan to you?"

"They're going to find out. Wire transactions and all that fun stuff."

"Except maybe I'm not getting paid for my work, so good luck with that."

"So if you're not getting paid, maybe this is personal for you."

"Personal how? Like you said, I've been in the system most my life. I've got nothing to my name."

"You vanished from the system," he pointed out. "So maybe this is survival. Too young to get a job that could support you, so you wound up working under the table, being paid in food and board instead of cash." Stark watched the girl closely, noticing the way her nose wrinkled ever so slightly. "Ah, I see. Homeless teenager on the brink of starvation is saved by some underground organization that offers you a place and a warm meal. You just have to worm your way through a few firewalls, no big deal. At least not for someone like you."

"Guess this makes your lawsuit a bit easier," she snarked back. "Not like I can afford someone who can possibly stand a chance against your team of corporate lawyers."

"Except I never planned on using them against you. Kid like you… I could never raise a finger against you."

"That's your problem. You care too much."

"I care too much because I know who you are. You're me before I did everything wrong. You're me before I drowned that spark of hope in whiskey."

"What hope?"

"That you can do better. You're smart, Jenny, almost too smart to know what to do with it. You've got all these things swirling around that brain of yours, and if you don't do something, anything, it'll drown you. So when someone comes up to you and asks you to do something, you do it. What else can you do? You're hungry and tired and desperate for something to do. Except, everything before was harmless. You take a few thousand dollars from some multi-million mega-conglomerate, what's the big deal? They won't even miss it. This job, though, this is where it all changes. This is your weapons deal. With that information, anyone can start a war. And your friends are going to sell that to the highest bidder. World War 3. Complete nuclear devastation. All of it can be traced to you, to this exact moment." Jenny glanced up to see him staring at her urgently. "Something tells me you don't want to see that. You're a good kid, a smart kid. Don't let anyone take advantage of that."

Stark suddenly stood up and started adjusting his suit jacket, smoothing out any wrinkles that could have formed during their conversation. "Where are you going?" Jenny asked worriedly. What was going to happen when he left?

"Home." He took something from his pocket and slid it across the table to her. "You'll be needing this back, and if you ever need a meal or a couch to crash on, give them this card."

"Give who this card? Why are you giving me back this information? Mr. Stark!"

"Officer Stacy, I will be dropping all charges on this young woman, so if you would please?"

She gaped up at him as he gave her a wave and left the room. The officer let out another long sigh before reaching over to unlock her handcuffs. What had just happened? Why was he letting her go with the information? The information he said could start a nuclear war? She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly as she was given back her belongings and escorted from the building. Nothing was making any sense today. She needed some air… and a drink.