Extra-long chapter! :)
The Girl in the Iron Mask
Chapter 5 – The Heist
Jasmine was watching TV when her dad finally came home. Though she'd just decided to steal the museum's new painting, she still had to play it cool. Even so, it seemed almost like a chore to do. In fact, though she tried to deny it, she was uptight with nervousness.
"Hey Jazz!" she heard a voice say on the other side of the room.
Jasmine instantly jumped in her seat before turning around to see that her reaction had caused her dad to chuckle.
"Don't do that!" she said angrily, though she was laughing, "I hate it when people sneak up on me!"
"Hey jumpy you used to sneak up on me all the time."
"Yeah, when I was, what, seven?" Jasmine asked, frustrated and embarrassed that Tony brought up her spying phase.
But no matter what she was feeling, Jasmine couldn't help but feel happy that her dad was finally home, and feel the shadow of guilt for planning her great heist. Still, she walked over and gave her dad a side-hug.
"How was your day?" he asked.
"Cool," she replied. Though inside she wanted to say, Yeah, it was fine. I just decided I'm gonna become a first-class criminal.
Hoping to change the subject, Jasmine asked, "You?"
"Simply marvelous," he replied, "In fact, I, have been invited to attend the gala that the Museum of Natural History is holding in a couple weeks."
Jasmine's heart sank instantly, suddenly feeling as heavy as a forty-pound weight. "The Museum of Natural History?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face.
"Yep," he said, "some pretty weird stuff is goin' on, and your dad has been asked to help out."
"What do you mean 'help out'?" Jasmine asked, suddenly, and nervously, curious.
"I mean 'help out' Jazz." Tony then left it at that and went before to grab himself a drink.
Something inside Jasmine ached for her to reveal her plan to her dad, but she fought against it like a gladiator fighting for his life. She knew perfectly well what her dad was talking about, but something in the back of her head told her it was best not to tell him.
As if to physically try and escape it, Jasmine said, "I'm going to bed."
"This early?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jasmine replied, feigning a yawn, "I'm really tired. Sorry we couldn't talk for long…Um, see you later. Bye."
"Good night," Tony said as Jasmine went upstairs. Jasmine knew that her father might now be suspecting her, but the less he knew, the better.
The following night was spent in both excitement and stress for Jasmine: excitement at what she was planning to do, and stress at the possibility of either going to prison or having her dad find out that his daughter was soon to become what the public would perceive as a thief. She knew her dad was smart, and she was going to have to be extra creative to keep her secret. Plus, maybe going on this heist would get her his attention, if not directly. In the past she'd thought of ways for him to pay attention to her, but this one seemed to take the cake. Not only was she going to steal a priceless piece of art, but she was going to do it in her own Iron suit.
But, like with most great plans, making all of it happen was easier said than done. Jasmine decided that the best time to work on her suit would be during the day, while her dad was at work. She also decided that the best place to store her suit would be in an extra closet she found. Her room was designed very similarly to her dad's workshop, and that was because before she was born, this part of the original house was where her dad worked on his Iron Man suits, until one of his most powerful enemies, the Mandarin, destroyed the house. Tony had it rebuilt with the original design after he married Pepper, but decided to make this room a storage place since he wasn't Iron Man anymore. And this was where Jasmine would eventually move into.
The next morning, once her dad left, Jasmine went to the desk where her laptop was, took up a small remote, and pressed one of the buttons. Out from inside the wall near her desk came a large, empty, translucent screen. She'd need to get good visuals on Tony's blueprints for his suits. Though he wasn't Iron Man, he still kept the blueprints for anything that might come up in the future.
"Jarvis," she said, "What were the suits my dad preferred most?"
"That would be either the Mark III or the Mark VII," Jarvis replied.
"Can you give me the blueprints of both?"
"Blueprints coming forth."
The blueprints of the Mark III and the Mark VII soon came up on the screen. Jasmine scrutinized them carefully, pressing her finger to a certain spot on the screen when she wanted a better look at something. Before long though, she realized this was going to be a bit harder than she thought.
"Yeah I'm probably not gonna be able to build a whole suit," she concluded.
"Why?" Jarvis asked.
"Well, I'm planning on doing the heist during the gala," Jasmine explained, "when everyone's distracted."
"Isn't your father going to be there too?"
"Yeah, but that's a good thing. He won't be here when I deploy my suit. But I am gonna have to make it slightly differently for time constraints and the fact that I'm smaller and more, feminine, than my dad. Besides, why would I need to build a whole suit if I have gymnastics training?"
"I only hope you know what you're doing Miss," Jarvis suddenly said.
"Like I said before, I've got it under control," Jasmine assured him, "I'm just gonna need some metal for the armor, a bunch of other things, and a lot of coffee!"
After examining again the blueprints for the suits, Jasmine decided that she would build armor only for her head, chest, arms, and legs. But what she also needed was something to wear under it all, something for her flexible body, among other things. That day, she went to the mall, and spent the money she got for her good grades on a black unitard, black knee-high boots, a short black skirt with purple along the hem, and long black gloves.
And that was just the beginning. The next day, Jasmine measured her head, torso, waist, arms, and legs, to see how big or small she should make the armor, and then later when to the junkyard to get the metal she needed. She admitted it wasn't really the first place she had in mind, but she liked it anyway because it was quick and cheap.
That was when things got more difficult. Jasmine spent the next few days modifying the metal to make her armor, to design it to fit the measurements she made. When she was satisfied with what she had, she spray-painted the armor silver, with light purple here and there. But then came the hardest part. Not only did she have to apply and test rockets for flying and repulsor rays for attacking, but she also had to add a little modification of her own: a cloaking device to keep her signal and – more importantly – her identity from everyone. She would even have one installed in her helmet to keep her dad from figuring out who was wearing it.
The days were long and tedious, and the work of both assembling the armor and keeping her secret was a stress-fest, but before Jasmine knew it, two weeks had gone by. On the night of the heist, she was inspecting the Iron suit she'd finally finished. She stood back and looked, and was, needless to say, very pleased with what she had created.
"Perfect," she declared with a smile.
"Jasmine!" she suddenly heard her dad call. She quickly took her remote and closed the closet door before hurrying down to the living room.
"What is…?" She stopped when she saw her dad in a black tuxedo. Her eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"What do you think?" he asked, cracking a shining white smile.
"Alright," Jasmine said, crossing her arms, "Who are you, and what have you done to my dad?"
"Funny," he chuckled, "but seriously."
"You look great Dad," she assured him, "Just don't scare people."
"Oh you know how men in tuxes usually…"
"I know," Jasmine finished for him before hugging him, "I'll see ya later."
"You too," Tony said, "I should be back by around midnight."
"I'll be in bed sleeping like a baby," Jasmine said sweetly.
"You kidding me? You hardly ever slept when you were a baby."
That did it for Jasmine. She let out a droll chuckle and then shoved him off.
"Okay I'm going," Tony chuckled.
"See ya Dad," called Jasmine, "Have fun."
"Oh I'm gonna have fun."
"Then go ahead."
"I will."
"Good!"
"Bye!"
With that, the door closed behind Tony, and Jasmine waited until after she heard him drive off before hurrying back up to her room and changing into her unitard, feeling almost immense guilt over what she was about to do.
Even so, for the next half-hour, Jasmine stretched and prepared her body like she would before a gymnastics tournament. Only this wasn't a tournament. She was going to steal this painting right under her dad's nose. Just thinking about it that way made her want to not go through with it. But she forced herself, reminding herself that people's lives would be on the line if she did nothing. She could explain all this later.
Jasmine then pulled on her skirt, gloves, boots, and the arm bands she had finished recently that would allow her armor to connect to her body. She also put an elastic band in her hair, reminding herself how lucky she was to have short hair before she made this plan. Finally, she looked at herself in the mirror, thinking herself looking quite nice, before she walked outside onto the balcony and stood on the railing, looking down below and forcing herself to take a breather.
"Okay Jarvis," she called back, keeping her head straight for fear of losing her balance, "Are the cloaking devices active?"
"Yes Miss."
"Great," she said, "I'm ready. Deploy!"
Jasmine jumped as though she was diving headfirst into the ocean below. She stretched out her hands – and closed her eyes – and seconds later she heard a loud beep. She grit her teeth, hoping desperately that this would go as planned, when she realized that she hadn't met the wet world of the sea.
"Miss, you can open your eyes," she heard Jarvis say.
Jasmine did, and was not all that prepared for the sight she beheld. She gasped when she saw she was up in the air by the rockets she applied, and seeing through her mask, with apps on both sides of her view like her glasses. She couldn't believe it. But her eyes weren't lying. She had done it.
"It worked," she laughed, "It actually worked!"
She then flew back to the balcony and landed, feeling happier than when she was on laughing gas for those two fillings she had.
"Jarvis can you believe this!" Jasmine almost squealed, "It's official! I am a genius!"
"Yes Miss but…"
"Wait, hold on a sec," she interrupted. She ran over to her mirror and looked at herself in her armor. She then tweaked her belt followed by her metal gloves. Though she could see through the mask, her reflection showed her with it on. Still, even though she couldn't see herself do it, she was smiling like an idiot.
"I hereby dub thee, Iron Girl!" she declared happily.
"Miss, I believe you have a mission to carry out," he reminded her.
"Oh, oh yeah," Jasmine replied, almost embarrassed. But soon she was back on track. She grabbed from the closet a black case large enough for the painting to fit inside, and hoisted the straps attached to it over her shoulders. In addition to the clothes, she'd bought this case and cut off the straps of her backpack, applying them to the case so she wouldn't have to worry about dropping it.
Soon she was back on the balcony, taking one more deep breath before saying, "Alright Jarvis, let's fly."
She then took off into the night sky, past the ocean, and, before long, found herself traveling through the city. Though she had never really done it before, she made sure she was flying not too high or too low, and she loved every minute of it. She remembered when she was little how much she loved pretending to fly. Here it was happening for real, and she loved it even more. The city looked like it was made of a big mix of black, gold, and little hints of all sorts of colors. She'd seen it at night of course, but never from this view. If she could, she would keep flying forever.
Before long though, Jarvis pulled her back.
"Miss, you're almost at the museum, I suggest you land."
Jasmine looked up, saw the museum in sight, and looked around for a suitable landing space before she found a darkened building behind it. She looked up from behind the edge and saw that there were cameras looking down on either side of the building. Luckily though, the door to back entrance was in between them. What she was trying to ignore was the pounding of her heart beating against her chest.
This is it, she thought.
"Jarvis, time."
"Nine-twenty p.m. Miss," he replied, "The gala should be well underway."
"Cool."
Jasmine then lowered herself down to the ground below, walked over to the door, and was about to open it when she suddenly saw the knob move. She quickly pressed herself against the side where the door would cover her, and watched as what looked like a maintenance worker came out, before catching the door for herself and hurrying quietly inside.
She walked into what looked like a warehouse, and the lights were on. Deciding not to take any chances, Jasmine got down on all fours behind a large row of crates, and whispered, "Okay Jarvis, I'm in. Is the painting in here?"
"Negative," Jarvis replied, "It's on the other side of the building."
"Okay," Jasmine nodded, "But what about the security system? Can you hack into it?"
"Perhaps. It might take a while though."
Jasmine ended up waiting for another five anxious minutes before she heard Jarvis again.
"Miss, I've successfully hacked in."
"Alright," she nodded, "Shut down the security cameras."
"Yes Miss. Cameras are shutting down in five, four, three, two, one…"
Meanwhile, in the camera room, each of the group of five people watching instantly became alarmed when they saw every single screen being reduced to showing blank images.
"What's this?" one asked, "The cameras are all down."
"Well, can't you turn them back?" another asked.
"I can't," the first replied, trying to figure out the problem, "I don't know what's going on."
Back in the warehouse, Jarvis messaged Jasmine.
"All security cameras have been shut down."
"Thanks," Jasmine nodded, "How much time do I have?"
"Fifteen minutes at least," Jarvis replied, "I will give you directions."
"Okay." Jasmine then looked around the crates and saw the door on the other side of the room. She raised up but quickly went back down again when she saw someone coming. She crawled quietly around the corner and then peered around again. Seeing that his back was turned, Jasmine shot for the door, opened it, and then closed it again behind her.
She hurried up a small flight of stairs and found herself in a dark hallway.
"Which way J?"
"To the left Miss," he replied.
Jasmine nodded and hurried swiftly, but still as quietly as possible, down the hall. Her heart pounded, and she could feel the adrenaline levels heightening, but she kept going, until she came across what she immediately knew by the sounds and lights to be the gala happening in the foyer.
"Twelve minutes left Miss," Jarvis said.
Jasmine nodded and then crouched down behind the banister before proceeding forth. However, when she was halfway there, she succumbed to the sudden urge to look, if only slightly, over the banister, and saw who she instantly recognized to be her father, holding a drink – as expected – and carrying on in conversation with two other people. Jasmine could only bite her lower lip in guilt. The notion of seeing her dad happy while being so close to accomplishing her mission almost made her lose focus – until she saw a security guard on the other side of the room, looking over the gala from the blocked stairs. Realizing that she probably lost even more time, she hurried – still crouching – over to the next hallway, and then rushed down when she was sure she wouldn't be seen.
After a few more minutes, Jasmine came to a large darkened room, and was about to hurry through it when she saw two flashlight beams on the marble floor. She immediately crouched down again to hide behind the wall banister, and then sat down against it, desperately trying to think of a Plan B.
Suddenly, she heard one of the guards say, "You know, I don't get paid enough for this."
"Well someone might be here," the other one said, "Why else do you think the computers went down?"
"Who knows?" the first one asked, "It could just be merely due to poor maintenance."
They then turned around and, even though it was very slim, Jasmine saw her opening and took it, slowly and as quietly as possible walking across the visible area to the next banister.
"What are you doing?"
"Look at this shadow puppet my cousin taught me."
The second one sighed, "Fine, but make it quick."
Jasmine, now in the middle of the opening, hurried over to the cover of the banister and then went for the corner. She then rose up and was turning to make sure the guards still had their backs to her, when the case on her back hit the wall, making her let out the faintest of a gasp.
"What was that?" one of the guards asked before turning around. Jasmine's eyes immediately widened.
"Hey!" he shouted.
Jasmine instantly took off as fast as a lightning bolt down the hall, still trying to remain quiet even though the guards were in pursuit of her. She was determined to get away from them and lose them, when she soon came into a room with two levels, a banister around the second. Hearing the guards in the hall behind her, she immediately flew up to the second level and then got down on all fours, her hands covering her head. Soon, she heard the two come in.
"Well, where is he or, she?"
"You search this floor I'll search that one."
Jasmine lifted her head up only slightly to see the beam from the flashlight slowly travel around the wall on her level, and brought it back fully down again when it came near her. The following few seconds were perhaps the most apprehensive of her life. She could feel herself begin to sweat as well as her pulse in her head, when she soon heard the first of the guards say, "I got nothin'."
After another while, the other agreed, "Me neither."
"Maybe it was Ryan trying to trick us," the first said as he walked out. The other walked out only in silence.
Once they were gone, Jasmine let out a very faint sigh of great relief. That was way too close, she thought. She then decided to wait for the perfect opportunity to move again, when she suddenly heard Jarvis again.
"Miss, you have seven minutes before the cameras go back on again," he said.
Rolling her eyes, not at Jarvis but at herself, Jasmine stood up and lowered herself back to the bottom floor. "Alright J," she whispered, "Lead on."
She followed Jarvis's directions back out into the hall, reminding herself to pay more attention, when she soon saw from around the corner an electronic sliding door like the ones she had at home.
"Is this the place Jarvis?" she asked.
"Yes Miss," he replied.
"Are there any people inside?"
"Only two."
"Where are they?"
"Prepare yourself," Jarvis said, "They're coming for the door."
Jasmine immediately pressed herself against the wall, looking only slightly around the corner. In just a few seconds, the door opened, and out came two people in long white coats. Fortunately, they headed down the hallway away from Jasmine, allowing her to slip past the corner and catch the door right when it was about to close.
She soon found herself in a pretty fancy looking room with all sorts of pieces of art in glass containers. Turning around and looking at the letters on the door – though they were backwards – she made it out to be the preservation room. Instead of clapping, she snapped her fingers. Bingo. She'd reached her destination.
"You have four minutes Miss."
"Alright. Where's the painting?"
"To your right and then right again."
Jasmine nodded and went the way Jarvis told her, going down a long hallway and then turning to the first room on her right. And there, on the other side of the room, was the painting, contained in not one, but two glass containers. But between Jasmine and the painting were just the things that Jasmine wanted to see: red motion-detectors.
Deciding not to take any risks, she took the case off her back, put it on the floor and, hoping the floor was well waxed, gave it a shove. To her delight, it went all the way across the room and stopped next to the painting. Now she herself needed to get across. But Jasmine only smiled. I've always wanted to do something like this.
Putting her gymnastics training to good use, Jasmine first performed a diving roll, then a cartwheel, and finally a side roll, all to dodge the red lasers. To her own amazement, she managed to avoid them all. Now for the most important part of the mission. She got back up on her feet, and, after squinting her eyes glaringly at the painting, unclipped the black case.
"Three minutes Miss," Jarvis said urgently.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Jasmine replied, frustrated.
She then opened the first container with the most unlikely tool – a butterknife – and quickly but carefully took out the painting, slipping it inside the case before putting her knife back in as well and clipping the case closed again. Though it was quick, Jasmine smiled at her achievement. She had done exactly what she came here to do. Now Loki's scheme would fail – and now all she had to do was leave before anyone caught her.
"Two minutes."
"I'm going! I'm going!"
Jasmine shoved the box back to the doorway of the room, and repeated the same moves as before to perform the lasers again. Once she too was at the doorway, she pulled the straps of the box back on her shoulders, and hurried through the hall and into the room.
She unlocked the door and then rushed out into the dark hallway.
"Sixty seconds."
Jasmine only nodded, but by the time she came to the next major hallway, she heard to her dismay Jarvis counting down.
"Five, four, three, two, one…"
As soon as he reached one, Jasmine was pressing herself against the wall, hoping not to be spotted.
"Cameras are now active again Miss," Jarvis said.
Jasmine only let a very faint, frustrated, sigh escape her lips. Thank you Jarvis, she thought before going back to heading down the hall.
Meanwhile, three more security guards were now in the preservation room. After hearing that the cameras were working again, they wanted to make sure that everything was where it had been before, and at first, everything seemed to be in order. Until they got to one certain room, the most important. The only things awaiting them were the motion-detectors, and an empty glass container.
The first immediately got out his walkie-talkie and said, "Code red, code red, we have a break-in. Sound the alarm, lock the place down. Don't let anybody leave, and call the cops!"
In the foyer, Tony was listening to a very interesting debate on what type of computer chips work better, when suddenly, he and all the guests heard the loud and insistent sound of the breach alarm and saw two red lights begin to flash near the ceiling. Gasps and concerned mumbles were immediately heard, and Tony, like everyone else in the room, could only wonder what was going on, but he alone also wondered whether this could have anything to do with the rumors going around.
But before long, the alarm stopped and the security guard at the top of the stairs shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. I've received word that we just had a break-in, and until further instruction, no one is allowed to leave this room."
Even after the announcement, the incessant concerns of the people continued. What no one knew though, was that during this whole time, Jasmine had been listening nearby at one of the further corners of the upper level. She could only press her lips together at the notion that she could get caught at any time, but she wasn't about to give up trying. Instead, she crouched down and hurried past the banister and into the next hallway.
However, another guard in the hall behind her heard footsteps. He rushed to the corner, and spotted Jasmine just as she was heading down the next hall. With his walkie-talkie in hand, he said, "Security, you're not gonna believe this, but I think I've found our intruder. I'm in pursuit." And just as he promised, he went off in the direction Jasmine went.
Jasmine was hurrying down the last hallway before the warehouse, her heart beating like a drum, when she soon heard a voice behind her. "Hey, security, stop where you are!"
Though she knew what it was, she turned around and saw a security guard coming towards her. "Oh snap!" she muttered to herself. Realizing that she'd now been busted, she went against his order, and took off as fast as she did before.
"Stop!" the guard yelled. But Jasmine kept going. Just when she was reaching the stairway to the door that led to the warehouse, four more guards came around the corner.
"Catch her!" one of them yelled.
In a split-second reaction, not caring whether or not the door was locked, Jasmine shot her repulsor rays at the door, sending it crashing down, and causing the guards to back off in alarm. Jasmine then jumped down to the bottom of the stairs, and, upon entering the warehouse, ran into one of the employees.
"Hey, you're…"
Before he could say anymore, Jasmine pushed him aside, immediately felt sorry for it, and fired another repulsor ray at the next door, dashing past the crates and then through the door to the outside, all the security guards hot on her heels.
She managed to get to the front of the museum, and though she was low on air, she was as determined as ever.
"Hold it! Freeze!" she then heard someone yell. And before she knew it, she was encircled by thirteen security guards, all of them raising their guns at her. She looked desperately around for an opening, but there was none.
"It's no use running Miss!" one of them said, "You're completely surrounded!"
Jasmine could feel beads of sweat trickle down her face over what she should do, and she could also feel her adrenaline skyrocketing. Wait, she suddenly thought, Rocketing? That's it!
Jasmine stood straight, and made sure the straps on her shoulders were firmly fastened, before saying, in her planned, British-sounding voice, "Can any of you fly?"
They all looked confused at her.
"Do me a favor," she said, "Tell Tony Stark he has a new rival."
With that, she fired the rockets in her arms and legs, and blasted off into the sky, hearing one of the security guards shout, "Someone stop her!"
Inside the museum, Tony, who had been near the entrance, heard what sounded like miniature versions of a space-shuttle taking off and gunfire. Against the previous orders of one of the guards, he immediately burst through the door to see what was happening outside. Needless to say, what he saw immediately made his eyes widen. A group of security guards was firing at the rocket-boots of someone clearly intent on escaping them, in armor that looked very much like his. He almost couldn't believe it. Was this what he was to face?
He watched in near disbelief as the person flew off. The guards stopped firing, and some police cars showed up. Tony then hurried over to one of the guards, eager to know what was going on.
"What was that?" he asked him, "What just happened?"
"Mr. Stark!" the man exclaimed, a little bit flustered to be approached by Tony of all people, "Um, Sir, you might think this is crazy but, we found the intruder, a young woman it seemed, and she was wearing armor a lot like yours."
"What?" Tony asked in alarm.
"She flew off before we could apprehend her," the man added. He pointed to the trail of light traveling through the sky, and Tony thought he saw the slightest hint of silver metal.
"That was no accident."
"Sir?" the man asked.
"It was by design. My design!"
Before the guard could say anything else, Tony took off, following the human comet as fast as he could. He pulled back his sleeves to reveal the arm bands he was wearing, and spoke into one of them.
"Jarvis, you there?"
"Yes Sir."
"Deploy the Mark XLIV, now! I may have found a key clue regarding our 'special mystery'."
"Yes Sir, deploying the Mark XLIV."
Before long, Tony could hear the faint sound of rockets. He held out his arms, allowing the arm bands to catch the armor's signal, and soon, he suited up as Iron Man once again after nearly twenty years. Seeing, though, that this thief was getting away, he fired his rockets and flew up above the city.
The first sight that caught Tony's eye was the thief being pursued by a group of police cruisers. He then looked at the thief herself and zoomed his vision in on her. What he saw made his mouth fall open with surprise. The armor she was wearing was almost a complete replica of his own. She also wore what looked like a medium-sized case across her back. No. Had she stolen that painting from the museum?
"Jarvis, can you tell me who's wearing that armor?" he asked.
"Negative," Jarvis replied, "There appears to be a cloaking device in the helmet."
Tony raised his eyebrows. "This one's good. Alright then, I'm going in direct pursuit."
He fired the rockets again, and flew even faster after the thief, who by now was getting away from the police. Soon, he was right on her trail.
"Hey!" he shouted. The thief looked behind, allowing Tony to see that even her helmet was almost exactly like his. "Yeah, you! I don't usually go after art thieves, but tonight I'm willing to make an exception, since you stole my art!"
The thief didn't immediately stop, but Tony wasn't giving up. His chance came when she headed for the roof of a tall building, and landed. Deciding to take this opportunity, Tony landed as well, and pulled back his mask to reveal himself, though, her back was turned on him.
"Now," he said, "why don't you just hand over the painting – and the armor – and we can all forget this ever happened and go on home?"
The thief didn't say anything. She only raised her hands up and turned around to face him. He walked over, ready to either compromise, or even apprehend her, when suddenly, out of nowhere, the iron-clad woman fired rays like his out of her palms, not directly at him, but near his feet. The impact instantly caused him to tumble to the ground, the side of his face hitting hard against the floor.
He then looked up, and saw that she was standing on the edge of the building.
"Good night Mr. Stark," she said in a British-accented voice. She then performed a backflip off the roof, and Tony heard her fly off away into the night, leaving him to wonder over what had just occurred.
"Jarvis," he said, "do you have any female relatives or girlfriends I don't know about?"
Meanwhile, in one of the deeper parts of the city, in a thought-to-be unoccupied building, a lone, electric-blue eyed man, slammed his fist down on the desk, furious over what just happened. He'd been trying to get the signal on the painting working again for nearly twenty minutes, but to no avail. By the simple act of putting the painting behind a substance other than glass, the signal had been lost. And he was sure that the breaking news report about a heist at the Museum of Natural History was in no way a coincidence. Nevertheless, he knew he had to tell his master the news, and he doubted he would take it lightly. But he went anyway.
He found his master in one of the upper rooms, his back turned to him. His black hair fell to his shoulders, he wore an armored suit and a long green cloak, and, from what the man could tell, was looking out the wall of windows down at the city below.
"It's no use," the man said, "I've lost the signal."
After a few, silent, almost agonizing seconds, his master merely said in a calm but spine-shivering voice, "Thank you for your report."
The man was taken aback slightly at this unexpected reaction. "You're not mad?"
"Well, yes and no," his master admitted.
"Well, either way, according to the news the painting's been stolen," the man went on, "And, get this, they say the thief was a woman dressed in an Iron Man-inspired suit."
"Fascinating," his master said.
This time, the man was even more confused. "Don't you think this is a setback Sir?"
"Well, I will admit that this is rather unfortunate," his master replied, "But, where you see a disadvantage, I see a window of opportunity."
"Sir?"
"Think man. My army has already grown to a satisfying number, and suspicions have been rising recently. This woman could be of use to us."
"How so?" the man asked.
"Simple. A distraction," his master explained, "She very likely knows we're using other art pieces. Besides, even Tony Stark is not going to let someone use a suit like his to steal. She'll soon run out of things to take of course, and she may even get caught; but either way, before long, the world will finally know that Loki Laufeyson has returned."
He turned around to face the man, his fierce green eyes both intimidating and inspiring at once.
"You're dismissed."
The man, still confused, only nodded. "Thank you Sir."
He then left his master, who turned back around to look at the city again, and smiled a sinister smile, certain that nothing was going to stand between him, and absolute power.
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