EDITED: 6/3/2013
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"JARVIS talking in Jack's head"
This fanfiction is rated M for strong language, hints at adult situations and fighting.
Iron Man, Avengers nor any other Marvel identities belong to me. Any songs/song titles used are not owned by me either. I only own Jack Rowen, her family and any other fan OC that may show up in this fic unless stated otherwise. I am making no profit on this fanfiction.
Song used for title by Papa Roach
Chapter Two: "Even If I Could"
Silence was not a good thing when one lives within a forest setting, that was one of the things you have to learn early on when you start living in one. The creatures always knew best when danger was with the area. A small child around the age of eight, wearing ripped and tattered clothing, looked around at the surrounding trees that only moments before held singing birds. Dull blue-green eyes searched the area that she stood in before glancing at the small fish that she had caught moments before. A sigh came from the child before she looked up, her eyes widening as a missile came speeding at the small girl.
"Jack?"
Jack jolted horribly into awareness, scaring Pepper, who was about to shake her shoulder, in the process. She had been in a daydream, 'No,' she thought, 'I was locked in very inaccurate memory.' She had missed Pepper coming out of her shock enough to explained what happened to Iron Man and Happy. Both had not noticed the unconscious men and had thought Jack had been the one to attack Pepper. Happy had looked up from his phone call the moment Jack had went into the alley and had promptly called Tony after confirming that Virginia was no longer at The Coffee Meter. Jack shook her head to dislodge her thought process before looking at Pepper. "Sorry, you were saying?" she asked as she wiped her face with her right hand.
Pepper forgot what she was about to say to the younger woman when her eyes landed on Jack's right forearm, "Jack, your arm?!" her voice sounded confused and held panic. She took a step toward her, bringing her hand up to touch Jack's arm but stopped.
'Oh.' Jack thought looking to her right forearm, the knife had started moving around which within itself was creepy. 'I never like this feeling...' Pain wasn't what she felt as the blade began to dig deeper into her arm, the feeling was like when a body part falls asleep then begins to wake up. A horrible pins and needles feeling that she hated with a passion. Hate was another emotion that wasn't a stranger. Pepper's out burst had drawn the attention of the other two still conscious, Tony having removed the metal face plate before to take to Pepper.
"What the fuck?" Happy gasped, making Jack look up at him, before he put a hand to his mouth, looking to a little sick. "What the fuck?" He repeated in a muffled whisper. Her eyes than landed on Stark whom was was watching in what she thought was child-like wonder.
As Jack felt the nano-machines finish with the metal, letting whatever wasn't fall away, she rubbed the area roughly. "Now, I assume Pepper told you what happened?" She asked, ignoring Happy and placing her arms behind her back. 'Because I'd seriously not want to talk more than needed.' She deadpanned in her head.
Tony nodded before pointing an armored finger at her,"What just happened with your arm?" Tony asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Before she could even decide if she'd answer, Happy, who seemed to get over his rolling stomach, piped up, "I don't think that is the question you need to be asking Tony! What about what Pepper said, she knew the name of leader of those men that attacked her!" He was gesturing wildly at the red haired woman by now.
She scoffed, glancing at Pepper with a deadpanned expression that matched what she thought before, "Now for a man named Happy, you haven't held up to your name sake." She sounded bitter, robotic and if anyone asked those that heard her, snarky. 'Like I'd make deals with scum. I work alone fat boy.' She thought this as she glared at the man.
"Well, maybe, its because I don't trust you!" Happy bit out, his face going just a little red with possibly anger. "All that still seems planned to me." He was close to start getting into her face but was trying to refrain himself, he wasn't about to let some one that was obviously dangerous get away with whatever she was planning.
"I didn't, and still don't, know those men personally, I didn't even know those men were going to be here." Jack was close to growling back, she suddenly rained in her anger before speaking again. "I had been about to speak to Miss Pepper after she was done with ordering from the coffee shop." 'I can't let him ruin this either, if someone ruins my chance at life, it'll be me alone.'
"Why not talked to her in the coffee shop?" Tony mumbled, more to himself than anything as he stared at the Fedora wearing woman before him. She was definitely different, what with glowing green eyes, skin turning to metal and absorbing a knife blade, he was sure she was. What he wasn't sure about was how she was doing all of that. He also noticed how she seemed to only have two emotional states, anger and emotionless. Odd.
The anger that she had tried to keep behind her mask suddenly lashed out and loosened her tongue. "I looked them up by facial recognition, nothing more." She snarled, her eyes had a dim green tint to it, but her deflated at the looks she was getting. "What?" 'Oh shit, what did I fuck up?'
"How would you be able to do that?" Tony suddenly started to walk towards her, looking her over once more. "You don't have any visible tech to do so, so fast and in such a dark area." He stopped near Pepper, placed an armored hand on her shoulder carefully noticing her slightly distant look the stared at the odd woman before him.
Jack removed her fedora then and started messing with the brim, she didn't know where to go with all this now. She didn't feel safe telling them anything about herself that they hadn't seen for themselves so far but she was getting to her limits with what she can say. "Its...its the same reason my body absorbed the metal of the knife..." Information on herself had to be kept limited, but she knew she had come so far and she had only a week left. 'I have to trust these people but this area isn't safe.' She was getting nervous, which she hadn't felt in so long so she clamped down on the emotion, her face went neutral.
By the look Tony had, he was interested, if he hadn't been before from the knife. "And that reason would be?" He drew out his sentence. He needed to know now, know how this woman could make her skin metal, how she could absorb metal and look people up just from a glance.
Jack blinked at him slowly, "I would rather not talk about that...in an open like this." she glanced back at the still unconscious men, "I'm taking a risk here you know, coming all this way to Malibu, California." 'Talking to you in general could be life threatening...'
"Then why not come back to my place sweet cheeks?" Tony gave her a winning smile that she ignored, "You can ride with Pepps and Happy" He made it sound like a done deal before glaring at Happy, whom seemed to be about ready to argue.
Jack placed her hat back atop her head before motioning Pepper to go first, "I would be happy to" she than turned to Happy and raised an eyebrow "If you're driver doesn't try and kill me." The robot she was was back.
The ride to the house was quiet, which Jack didn't mind much, she was used to quiet as long as memories didn't come up. Pepper had spoken up twice in the ride but to only thank her again then to ask where she lived before coming to California. Jack had answered with the blunt answer of New Jersey but didn't let her know where in New Jersey. Soon after, the ride was quiet again though Jack had noticed Happy making quick glances back at her.
When they finally arrived at the house, Jack was astonished from the beauty of the place and couldn't help but think of how much it looked more of a mansion then a house. She let herself out of the car to see the white building more and almost missed Pepper's look of amusement. 'Holy shit, this is amazing! The curves of the house, the way it all flows and such grace!'
As they walked inside, Jack noted that Tony was already there and out of his suit with what looked to be a glass of scotch. "Well that took you long enough, what did you give her a tour of Malibu? At this time of night?" Tony looked to find his own joke funny, he had a large smile on his face.
Jack took this time to look over the man before her, she took in his dark brown almost black hair, his brown eyes and goatee. He was now wearing a black t-shirt, she could vaguely see a blue glow from his chest, black slacks and shoes. He was observing her as well.
"Sorry, we can't just fly back like you" Pepper kinda snapped back at him, walking passed him in the direction Jack assumed was the bathroom. Happy looked to be content with walking into the living room and sitting on the couch in front of the wall of windows, watching Jack as closely as the distance allowed.
"So," He dragged out the word then gestured in the air for her to begin as he took a sip of his drink, "Care to enlighten us, you seemed pretty set on talking to me from what Pepper said-"
"I remember what I had said," Jack cut him off, she glared at him with a grimace, "I'm not in the habit of forgetting important conversations." She then turned and followed Happy's lead to walk into the living room which she was delighted to say was beautiful. She took note of the fire place, the coffee table, the guitars, the everything before making her way to the couch to sit as far as possible from the grumpy Happy. That's when she spotted the water falling between the glass in front of a staircase and had to stop herself from smiling.
Tony glared at her back when she walked away from him, "I didn't say that you were. Now," He said this as he walked into the living room after her and placing his drink on the coffee table. "You have your audience so perform for them."
Jack stopped herself from getting mad at him as she took notice that Pepper had come back but looked to have fixed herself up. She also took note of how tired everyone was. Jack glanced around at everyone again before nodding, more to herself than anyone, stood up and began to pace. "As you know, my name is Jack. Jack Rowen, and I'm dead," she stopped here for a moment before continuing, "or at least that is what the world believes. As you can see, clearly that is not the case." She stopped again to take a breath before sighing, "My recorded death, the one that can be seen by the general public, was the same day that I truly started living. I became what your see before you. I am a host of varying nano-machines, or nanites. These allow me to do several things, absorb metals, access computers and tech, heal. If I send out enough I could control a human body for a short amount of time."
Tony watched her pace as she spoke of this and was about ready to stop her to get her to sit down again but she did so herself before he could. "That's all fine and dandy but I don't see where I am in all of this." He finally sat down himself, on the arm of the black leather chair near the guitars, Pepper sat in the seat itself. Tony was interested in what she was saying, sure, but as he said, he had no clue how he fit in. He couldn't even think of how this woman would even get nanites like the ones she spoke of and he was a genius!
The sigh that came from Jack's mouth was slow and sounded painful. 'I can't believe I am disregarding my pride...' "I can not remotely update my nano-machines. I need to absorb the software needed for this and it has been years since I have done so, because I didn't even know I needed to. I found out that I need to keep my mind busy, I need to keep the nano-machines active. Hacking had always been something that did that for me but recently, I have been leaving foot prints. I can't be found, I would rather die then be used." She grabbed her head, looking at her lap while gritting her teeth. "I came to you because I need your help, your tech is the best out there." 'And I would also rather die than have second best.'
"Why should I help you? Did you think that just because I let everyone know that I'm Iron Man that I'd just help you? You said so yourself, maybe not in words, that your a danger to everyone." He made a face at her before grabbing his drink again to take a long sip, "You setting up an attack again Pepper is starting out to sound just about right, right around now."
Jack didn't miss the look on Happy's face when she looked up, "I would never do such a thing! I have never and will never endanger anyone innocent on my own free will!" Her short fuze lit her anger, "I have been saving your ass way before today and you dare throw it in my face?!" She stood up abruptly and walked over to the big screen TV that was not far away and hidden behind a painting. Her eyes started to glow as she got it out of hiding, turned it on and the screen went from a show to static.
"Sir, it appears as someone is attempting to hack into your systems, I'm trying to block it but I can not seem to caught up." A proper British accented voice spoke up from the almost everywhere, it was ignored by Jack but Tony told it to allow Jack to hack the TV but nothing more. "Understood, sir."
As the voice finished speaking, footage appeared on the television which was split in four different squares. It was video of different countries trying to replicate the Iron Man suit with slim success. Seeing this, Tony stood up and walked closer slowly, his face didn't have an emotion that Jack could decipher. "When were these taken?"
"Recently. I personally made sure that none of them were even close, as well as leading them farther away from completion." Jack replied, her voice finally back to it's calm robotic tone. "That is what I do and its not just for you, I do it for anyone that truly needs it. If you have heard of Doctor Banner, he is one of them. This is why I need your help, not because I'm looking to collect but because I can't do my job anymore. I hack to remove information, to lead those that mean harm away, to help."
That's when the screen changed and a video took up the full screen, "Is that Hammer?" Tony asked, Jack nodded. Both of them winced as the man in the suit turned and suit clearly killed him. "Did you...?"
"No, I had nothing to do with that error, there was going to be an error where it just stopped moving all together twenty minutes of being on." She let go of her control of the TV before turning to Stark, now noticing that the other two had come closer. "If you do not wish to help me, I will leave now and will not bother you farther."
"Fine," Tony said, keeping a straight face. At Jack's questioning stare, he smiled which grew as he spoke, "But I want a blood sample."
Note: Edited this chapter as well, though not as much being as this chapter was meant to being mainly conversation. If you noticed Im trying to make sure that Jack's main emotions shown physically are only emotionless and anger. Other emotions are supposed to be kept under the surface, they tend to be locked away but can still come out. Astonishment over the house slipped out because of her love of art.
Thank you AvengerSSB, Cocagirl3, Deb Tiaki11, Two Days Ago and Null Fox for following this story and thank you RandomnessIsKey01 and Kitten-Kath for favoriting.
AvengerSSB: I'm happy you like this so far~
Also, if anyone likes Doctor Who, go check out PenSmith433 with Falling into Wonderland and its sequel Wandering in Wonderland. These stories are what inspired me to start writing again.