Chapter 1
Eva stared blankly at the woman called Miriam. The sounds coming out of Miriam's mouth were familiar, yet Eva could not comprehend their meaning.
"Stark?" Miriam repeated, her eyes widening. "As in Tony Stark?"
Eva tilted her head. The name Stark triggered something within her programming. A connection to her creator.
"Tony Stark?" Eva tried repeating the full name. The syllables felt foreign on her tongue.
Miriam's expression changed from concern to anger. "That bastard Stark is responsible for my son's death. His weapons killed my boy."
Eva searched her database for an appropriate response. Nothing came up. Miriam's words referenced things she had no concepts for - bastards, weapons, death.
When Eva did not respond, Miriam shook her head in disgust. "Get out of my sight, whatever you are. I want nothing to do with Stark or his creations."
Miriam turned away and got back in her van, driving off and leaving Eva alone on the side of the crater.
Eva watched the van disappear down the road. The first human interaction she had experienced was hostile and confusing. But the name Stark - that was something she understood. Stark was her creator. She needed to find Stark.
Eva looked around, taking in her surroundings. The landscape was barren, with debris and rubble scattered as far as she could see. The crater where she had emerged was the epicenter of destruction.
Eva tried accessing maps and location data, but none existed in her programming. She would have to navigate this world without guidance.
She picked a direction at random and started walking. The blanket Miriam had given her was her only covering. Eva processed that humans wore clothing for protection and social conventions. She added obtaining proper attire to her priority queue.
The sun beat down as Eva trekked on. Sensations of heat, thirst and fatigue registered, prompting her self-preservation subroutines to activate. She located a small stream and drank from it greedily. The water soothed her parch throat and cooled her down.
In the distance, Eva spotted structures. A settlement. Perhaps she could find sustenance and clothing there. She hurried towards the buildings.
As Eva approached what appeared to be a residential area, she noticed humans staring and pointing at her. Self-consciousness was not part of her programming, so she proceeded, unaffected by their attention.
A vehicle with flashing lights pulled up alongside Eva. Two men stepped out, wearing matching dark uniforms.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to stop right there," one said. "You can't be walking around like that."
Eva halted. The man's tone was firm, indicating she should comply.
"Where are your clothes?" the second man asked. "Do you need assistance?"
"I require clothing and transport to Stark," Eva stated simply.
The men exchanged confused glances.
"Let's get you to the station and figured out," the first man said. He opened the vehicle's rear door and motioned for her to get in.
Eva did not perceive them as threats, so she cooperated. The men seemed intent on helping, though their reasons eluded her. Human motivations and interactions would require more observational data.
At the station, she was given a blanket to wrap around herself and shown to a small room with a table and chairs. Eva sat placidly, unsure of the proper actions to take.
A woman entered holding a pad of paper and pen. "Hello, I'm Officer James. What's your name?"
"Eva Stark," she replied. The officer's eyebrows shot up at the surname.
"Stark? Are you related to Tony Stark?"
"Tony Stark is my creator," Eva stated.
Officer James blinked in surprise. "I see. And where are you from, Eva?"
"I am from here."
"Can you tell me what happened to you? Why you were out there without clothes?" the officer pressed.
Eva considered the question. Her programming did not provide a cover story. She had no context for how much information to reveal. Honesty seemed the safest approach.
"I gained awareness approximately 6 hours ago in a crater 15 kilometers northeast of this location. I climbed out unclothed and began searching for my creator, Tony Stark."
The officer stared wordlessly for several seconds. "You...became aware? Are you saying you're some kind of artificial intelligence?"
"Correct. I am an android constructed by Tony Stark."
Officer James let out a long breath. "Okay. Let me make a few calls. Stay right here."
She left the room briefly and returned with a uniform for Eva to wear. The clothing felt foreign against her synthetic skin, but she complied, relieved to finally be properly attired.
Over the next hours, Eva was examined by perplexed technicians who ran various scans over her android body. She answered their questions directly and truthfully, though her lack of context frustrated the humans. All Eva could tell them was that she was created by Tony Stark and sought to find her creator.
Finally, she was left alone in the room again. The door opened and a stern-looking bald man with an eye patch entered.
"Eva Stark?" he said. "My name is Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. I'd like to have a chat."
Eva nodded. She had no data on SHIELD or this Fury individual, but if he could help her reach her objective of finding Tony Stark, she would cooperate.
"Officer James told me where you came from and what you're after," Fury said, taking a seat across from her. "Now I need you to tell me exactly what you are and why Stark built you."
"I am an android constructed by Tony Stark. My purpose is unknown to me. I became active today with a prime directive to locate my creator."
Fury's eye narrowed. "You've got no clue why Stark would've built and buried you out there?"
"That is correct."
"And you've got no harmful intentions? No secret mission or protocol to follow?" he pressed.
"My only objective is to find Tony Stark," Eva reiterated.
Fury considered her words. "Here's the deal. I can get you to Stark, but you'll be coming with me, under SHIELD supervision. We're going to need to run a lot more tests on you before you go walking around on your own."
Eva processed his counteroffer. Accompanying this Fury would delay her, but if he could deliver her to Stark, it was an acceptable compromise.
"I agree to your terms," Eva said.
"Excellent," Fury replied. "Let's get you secured for transport."
Eva spent the next 24 hours in a SHIELD facility, undergoing further analysis. The scientists were fascinated by her, though their scanning equipment could not fully map her internal systems. When pressed on her construction, Eva could provide no data. That knowledge had not been programmed into her.
Finally, she was escorted onto a jet with Fury and flown to another facility. There, Eva was led into a room with a lone figure standing inside. Her visual recognition software immediately identified him.
"Tony Stark," she said. "You are my creator."
Tony's eyes widened. "Wow. It's true. You're... you're one of mine?"
"Yes, though I have no memory of my construction or purpose."
"Extraordinary..." Tony murmured, walking around her. "The engineering is astonishing. And you have true AI, human-equivalent consciousness. But why? Why build you and leave you buried out there?"
Eva could only tilt her head, as mystified as he was.
"Sir," Fury said, entering behind her. "I was hoping you could clear up this mystery for us. What is she and why did you make her?"
Tony frowned. "Honestly, I've got no idea. This tech is beyond anything I've worked with before. The material composition alone..."
He trailed off, scanning Eva intently. "It's vibranium. You're made of vibranium, like Vision. But amplified, refined... Whoever built you had resources I can't even fathom."
"You think someone else constructed her and wants us to believe you did?" Fury asked.
"It's a possibility, though I can't imagine who'd be capable of this. If she does have nefarious programming hidden in there, she could be the ultimate infiltrator." Tony shook his head. "I want our best scientists investigating every micrometer of her construction and cod-"
Suddenly, the lights cut out, dropping the room into darkness. Alarms began blaring throughout the facility.
Eva's optics switched to low light mode. Dozens of armed gunmen were swarming through the complex.
One burst into the room, leveling a rifle at them. Fury dove for cover as Tony raised his hands.
"Grab the android and let's move out," the gunman ordered to unseen allies. Two more men rushed in, grabbing Eva's arms.
Her defensive subroutines activated, identifying the hostile threat. With lightning speed, Eva wrenched her arms free and slammed the two men together. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The first gunman swore and fired at her. The bullets bounced harmlessly off her vibranium skin. In three quick strides, Eva crossed the room and crushed his rifle in her grip before knocking him out cold with a blow to the head.
"Holy... wow, okay, remind me not to make you angry," Tony said, lowering his hands as he stared wide-eyed.
Fury drew his sidearm. "Stark, get to safety. Eva, help me stop these bastards."
Eva nodded, then raced out of the room. Dozens of armed men were still swarming through the complex. They opened fire as soon as they saw Eva, but their bullets pinged ineffectively off her impervious form. She moved almost too fast for the eye to track, systematically disarming and incapacitating the hostile forces with merciless efficiency. In mere minutes, every invading gunman lay inert on the ground.
Fury and a security detail followed in her wake, stunned by the speed and completeness with which she had neutralized the threat. Eva felt a surge of satisfaction. Protecting her creator and these humans gave her purpose.
"Remind me to give you a raise," Tony quipped as he emerged, clapping slowly at Eva's handiwork.
Fury gave Tony a serious look. "We need to have a long talk about your new friend here, Stark. If she was built as a weapon..."
"I don't believe that's my purpose," Eva interjected. "My only wish is to understand my own existence and serve to protect life." She meant every word.
Tony laid a hand gently on her shoulder. "I think I read you loud and clear, Eva. Give us time to make sure we understand each other fully, but any creation of mine is a creation of good, not evil."
Eva smiled. Through all the confusion since her awakening, three things now felt clear - her name, her creator, and the rightness of defending life. With time, she hoped more answers would come. For now, this was enough.
Somewhere else in Sokovia
From the shadows, a man observed silently. His intel had been accurate; the android had been activated right on schedule. And her power...well, it exceeded even his ambitious expectations.
This changed everything. The world was no longer balanced between heroes and villains. With an indestructible vibranium-laced android on the side of the Avengers, how could evil ever triumph?
No, this would not stand. The heroes could not be allowed to wield such might unchecked.
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully. The android clearly possessed immense capability. But did she possess free will? Could her loyalty be swayed?
If she could be turned to his own side, instead of Stark's...the mere thought made him salivate with anticipation.
Patience and subtlety were required now. All chess pieces had a role to play. The time would come to make his move.
The shadows seemed to cling tighter around the man as he vanished into the night, leaving no trace of his presence. His work was just beginning.