A/N Thanks for the lovely encouraging reviews. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
Tony stalked into the main lounge back at Stark Tower a little after 2pm.
Jarvis welcomed him back whilst advising that Natasha and Clint had decided to go out in search of food that didn't require any effort on their part (Jarvis' words) and Bruce had retired to his room with some reading: The lounge was deserted.
Tony needed a drink.
What he did not need as he headed towards the bar was to get the distinct impression he'd just seen a ghost!
For a split second, before he turned and looked directly towards the window, he could've sworn he'd seen a tall blonde man standing, staring at him.
"I'm losing it…I've lost it…finally…" he muttered as he grabbed the nearest bottle and a crystal tumbler and began to pour a hefty measure.
Steve moved from his place by the window and approached Tony, he wasn't sure what to make of the genius' reaction but he could have sworn for a brief moment the man had looked…startled?...when he'd glanced in his direction.
"Tony…can you see me?"
Tony downed the first glass in one and certainly did not appear to have heard anything: He refilled the glass and held it, lovingly, staring into the golden liquid as he swirled it gently in the crystal.
Steve frowned, he was sure Tony had seen something…..perhaps he was just clutching at straws?
"So J….what's new?" Tony flicked his eyes slightly skyward, "Saw you were running a diagnostic…got a problem?"
"There appear to be some incongruities in my data banks Sir. I have run a full diagnostic and everything appears to be functioning normally, however some files are….wrong." there was an audible hitch in the AI's vocal processors at that point. "I do apologise for being unable to be more specific but there are anomalies which I am unable to isolate. It is most perplexing."
Tony anxiously pulled up the interactive screen on the nearest surface and started to analyse Jarvis' databanks: "Wrong? You're a computer J: Computers aren't vague. That's impossible. What information's affected?" he asked.
"I can only tell when I access individual files. Security video files appear to be most commonly affected though: The problem was discovered when I was unable to ascertain who has typically been responsible for the morning supply of coffee in the kitchen." Tony could have sworn there was a hint of embarrassment in the AI's tone.
"…and?"
"Mr Barton and Dr Banner….improvised: It was not particularly successful."
"What? Do you mean there was no coffee?" Tony was in a borderline state of panic. If there was one substance more essential in his life than alcohol, it was coffee. In fact it was more than possible, were a needle to be inserted into him, that, amongst the caffeine, alcohol and blood cells the platelets would be in the minority.
"Great! The future of the World is at stake and everyone's preoccupied with coffee." Steve stopped himself from rolling his eyes – after all, what's the point if no-one can see you?
"How can we not know who makes the coffee? This is serious! What other files are affected?"
"I am only able to establish that on a file-by-file basis but the problem does appear to be extensive, covering internal security videos and some interaction records with both yourself and other residents of the Tower. If it is a virus, it is of a completely unknown type and origin. I should also inform you that my internal scans suggest we have two rooms within the residential area which are empty and serve no purpose. I am at a loss to explain how this has not been noted previously."
Tony was now so gravely concerned he temporarily abandoned his alcohol.
"We've got what? I only rebuilt the place in the last few weeks, how've we got rooms with no purpose? Where are these rooms?"
"One is located among the sleeping accommodation, the other adjacent to the main gymnasium." Jarvis must have been working on his apologetic tone all day, Tony reflected.
"Enough with the weirdness," Tony thought. "I don't do anything without a purpose; Jarvis doesn't describe things as 'wrong'; I certainly don't create rooms for no reason in my new purpose-built Avengers Tower: And I don't FORGET STUFF!"
He swivelled round on his bar stool and, briefly, saw the figure again. This time it was sitting, cross-legged, chin rested on knuckles and gazing at him…blue eyes….familiar….and gone once more when he looked directly at it.
"What have I missed? Am I being haunted?" There was an unusually nervous tone to the billionaire's voice as he spoke to the empty room.
"Not haunted Tony. But you can see me…a bit at least. Why? Why you? Half the time you don't see me when I'm actually there, so why now?"
Tony stood and headed to the elevator, clutching the bottle and half-filled glass; "Jarvis, commence full environmental analysis of the tower and get Bruce to join me in the lab, I could use his mind on this."
"Scan commenced, Sir. These anomalous occurrences are most worrisome."
"That's understatement of the century…." Tony mumbled as he entered the lift, momentarily reconsidering his extremely brief flirtation with abstinence and downing the contents of his glass.
Steve followed him into the lift and to the lab. He'd only ever entered Tony and Bruce's inner sanctum on very specific Avengers-related business and he certainly hadn't spent any amount of time in there (it felt far too much like intruding) but now he needed to see what Tony was going to do: Unlike the others he could at least see that something had happened and whatever he might feel about the man personally, at times, the extent of his genius was undisputed. If any man on Earth could figure out what, if anything, they could do about this it had to be him.
"Jarvis, any results yet?" Tony asked en route.
"Preliminary scans indicate there are no abnormal readings within the building. However, I will subject the results to greater scrutiny to be certain – it is likely to take some time."
"Keep me updated and route a list of all 'wrong' (Tony winced inwardly at the use of the word) files discovered so far to the lab."
"Certainly, Sir."
Steve crouched in the corner. For a moment he almost forgot his situation and leaned back but gathered himself before he fell through the wall. As ever, he found himself fascinated watching Tony manipulate files on his holographic interface with the ease of an artist inspired; he'd yet to tire of watching someone so in-tune with the same technology that so intimidated him.
Bruce sauntered in a couple of minutes later.
"You wanted me?"
Tony had located the specific file he was searching for by time and location and was scanning through but paused playback to ask:
"So…I heard there was a coffee shortage this morning?"
"Yeah, you'll have to show us how to use that machine of yours…ended up sending out for a drinkable cup…" Bruce laughed.
"I've no idea how to use it," Tony was deliberately nonchalant, "It was bought new during the rebuild and I've never needed to learn yet."
"Really? That's kinda odd…." Bruce's voice tailed off as though distracted before brightening and asking, "how was your conference?"
Tony regarded him curiously, usually Bruce's scientific mind would be all over any kind of puzzle or mystery. "So….it's not bothering you?"
"So what's not bothering me? ….What do you need help with?"
"Trying to find out who made the coffee every morning till today…"
"Why? It's only coffee, we'll figure the coffee maker out with practise." Bruce seemed unable or unwilling to grasp Tony's not unreasonable concern that someone unknown had been in his home and even his AI didn't know who it was. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you to your er….whatever…I've got papers to annotate." He glanced at the bottle of whisky and glass on the workbench before adding: "Go easy on that stuff," then left the room without another word.
Astonishment was a rare sensation for Tony Stark to experience but realising an intellect almost as keen as his own was capable of being distracted with such apparent ease was both alarming and admirable in a sense: "OK…when I find out whatever it is that's doing this, I need to figure out how to use it on my Board Members." More to the point, why was he immune?
One out of him and Bruce was acting uncharacteristically and Tony Stark was NEVER wrong, he knew it wasn't him!
He cued up the video of the kitchen area for early morning, yesterday and watched with care, half-speed…
…and nothing…
…or was there..?
It was like the barely glimpsed sense there was someone in his lounge…he almost had to catch the video playback unawares in order to realise there was a point the coffee jug went from empty and uninviting to full and tempting: As if he had to force the realisation on himself that somehow it had happened – then, with a concerted effort to focus on it, he noticed the time-stamp jumping through phases of time unexpectedly…and eventually, momentarily, on a sixth time of watching…a tall, blond figure appeared randomly, briefly but distinctly….before vanishing again.
"Got you…" Tony breathed.
"Sir, Director Fury is on the line, he says it's urgent." Jarvis informed him.
"Great timing Cyclops." Tony thought, glancing at the time, "calling after 6pm?"
"Really honey? A little late to be calling for a dinner date….I might have already made arrangements". Tony batted his eyelashes as the Director's face resolved onscreen: The man bore the exasperated expression of someone who was finding it hard to believe this was the leader of his elite response team.
"Well that makes two of us then." Tony's own mind responded.
"We've got an incident in the city Stark. Nothing major but the police are nervous because there seems to be some kind of energy-based weaponry involved: Barton and Romanoff are already on their way – we need you to analyse and neutralise what they're using - minimise risk to people and property. If you involve Banner, it's only as Banner: Understood?"
Tony sighed. There had been a few of these lately: Everyone in New York had been apprehensive since a good portion of the city had been flattened by aliens during the Chitauri incident and, as a result, the Avengers were being called in as soon as anything slightly out of the ordinary happened.
Deploying them like this did, at least, help to keep people's mind off the cost of reparations and reinforce the value of the Avengers to the populace (SHIELD hoped these petty missions would become less necessary after a while) but, in the meantime, it was all pretty tedious and Tony, particularly, didn't see it as a good use of his (very) valuable time: In fact, he had a strong sense he often didn't get involved with these "PR" missions at all.
Tony swiped the file icon for the briefing attachment and scanned it superficially, unaware that Steve was by his side also absorbing the mission notes.
"Will be there shortly," he nodded to Fury and closed communication.
Tony prepped his suit and forwarded everything to Bruce with instructions to get himself to a suitable distance from the incident for observation purposes only and to let him know when he was in position.
He also chose to ignore the uneasy feeling he had that this was not how they usually operated as he headed off unaware that his malaise was shared by a concerned Captain.