章 46: Stark Mansion
Princess Ororo—her posture straight and dignified. She wore a flowing gown of deep azure blue, accented with intricate patterns of silver embroidery that shimmered in the soft light of the room. Her silver-white hair was styled in a ponytail, her sharp gaze like a storm on the individual that it rested on. With Felix, she was particularly interested in his face.
Emma Frost—reclined gracefully on the couch. Sleek and stylish, she donned herself in a white dress that accentuated her hourglass figure. A diamond-studded choker wrapped her neck, matching her icy blue eyes. She held a mild interested in Felix, who was only able to know as such due to his glasses and their facial analysis. His thoughts were rapid, the flashback of his time with Ororo lasting less than a second. Too fast for any human to read. His Spidey Sense wasn't tingling either yet question of whether she was reading his mind or not kept surfacing no matter how hard he tried.
Could she read minds in the first place? Was it simply mind control and not mind reading? He didn't know. He just didn't know. His instincts as a scientist accelerated his thoughts. Question after question after question erupted in his mind in several different ways and he didn't have a single answer. If she was a mind-reader, what could he realistically do here? Being so close, nearly catching her eye, could Emma pick apart his memories too?
Again, his Spidey-Sense wasn't tingling which was odd. It was more than a danger sense, it was psychological awareness of his surroundings. Herbie outright told him it would react against her powers. So what the hell was going on? Was she reading his mind or not?
'Emma is prettier in person.'
So he didn't think about it. His hyperfast thoughts stopped, replaced by normal policed remarks, and he moved on to the other guests.
Susan Storm—wearing a blush pink blouse paired with tailored white trousers. Her golden blonde hair cascaded in gentle waves around her shoulders, framing her delicate features with a radiant glow. She was smiling and pretending to be interested in everyone equally.
Each woman sat on separate sofas. Each stared at Anthony Stark and his unknown guests: Christine Everhart, Maria Hill, and of course, Felix himself.
Who, unknown to them all, was hacking into the Stark database. According to Herbie, Stark had optimized his mansion to include state-of-the-art home renovation. Advanced cameras, a narrow AI that could tell the weather and such (like Alexa), and a garage that was littered with experimental devices.
"Hmph, fine, they can stay," Emma said, gaze lingering on Felix.
"Excellent! Dum-E, fetch us some alcohol!" Anthony said. Ten seconds later, a table-esque robot with two long arms appeared. Literally, small legs with wheels, a table in the middle, and two arms extending from the sides. Wine glasses were placed on the table.
Anthony gestured to the drinks with a flourish. "Please, help yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. Dum-E here makes the best martinis in town."
The robot offered the tray to each of them in turn, its metallic appendage deftly holding each glass steady. Susan's sneer softened slightly as she reached out to take a glass, while Ororo and Emma accepted theirs with polite nods of thanks.
Felix was moderately impressed. According to Herbie, Dum-E's sole function was to serve drinks. A way for Stark to be able to serve guests while demonstrating his technological marvels. Dum-E wasn't commercially released yet the schematics were quite advanced and personally tailored by Stark.
Drinks in hand, the atmosphere cooled.
"So…" Anthony began, shaking his drink. "A shame about Martin Li."
"A shame, indeed. I was aware of his shady business. To think he would be Mr. Negative was beyond my expectations," Emma said.
"Mhm, mhm." Anthony sipped on his drink. "Lucky that Spider-Man intervened. Without him, we'd still be shitting our pants."
Ororo perked up, though didn't say anything. Susan, on the other hand, tilted her head.
"Ohh, the new spider?" Susan shook her head and pursed her smiling lips. "Heroes come and go. With the splash he made, it's going to be hard to live up to expectations."
"Says the hero that quit," Anthony said snarkily. Susan didn't so much as twitch.
"It comes with the job. You can't do it forever."
Anthony scoffed. "Didn't you do your little hero business for a year? Less?"
"And time will tell how long he lasts," Susan said. "Even the largest fireworks inevitably fade. Ooh, now that's a quote I should put on my Instagram." The blonde hid her grin behind a sip of her drink.
Princess Ororo spoke casually. Felix, however, sensed a thrill in her timbre. "Spider-Man is a hero. He saved us. That is all that matters to me."
"Of course, of course, Your Highness." Anthony smiled. "He did save you from certain doom. We should all be thankful for that."
"Indeed. Cheers to Spider-Man?" Princess Ororo raised her glass. Everyone soon followed.
"Cheers to Spider-Man," Anthony added. With that, everyone drank, including Felix, Maria, and Christine.
"Ah…" The glass left Emma's lips. "Is this what you really want to talk about? Spider-Man?"
"What, you don't think one of our own being a supervillain doesn't warrant a discussion."
"Martin Li was never one of us," said Emma. "He was always in the corner doing his own thing. Rich and wealthy, sure, but isolated. A simple businessman." She snorted. "At least that was what we were led to believe."
"Oh? Then what's this I'm hearing about Frost International buying out Li Shipment?" Anthony smirked. "Or…are those just rumours? You can confirm it now, my lovely."
Emma narrowed her eyes. The CEO of Stark Industries was quick on his feet. Emma Frost's mind-reading abilities were rendered useless if the man in front of her was randomly coming up with ideas with no plan. Felix drank his martini, wanting to be a spectator.
"Li Shipment does require a new CEO," Emma replied. "Alas, that someone won't be me."
"Oh? Then a friend of yours?"
"Define friends." Emma smiled. "Are we friends, Stark?"
"Are we not?"
"Some might say we are not."
"Who says?"
"Me."
A pregnant pause. Emma's smile matched Anthony's. As carefree as their tones were, there was a tug between them. A conflict that transcended the conversation. Since Herbie was focusing its efforts on breaking through Stark's database, he wasn't able to switch to hack into Emma's phone and figure out the nitty-gritty.
"So much tension," Susan said. Her presence was out of place given her status as ambassador, her acting background, and her massive social media presence. She was important but to Felix, the reporter's status was different than that of the leaders here—lesser. "Come on, Emma, chill out. We're friends here."
"Yes, yes." Emma nodded and crossed her legs. "Friends. Of course. Then I'm curious, Ms. Susan Storm, why are you here?"
"Mr. Stark said he wanted to complete the bidding wars on me without any nefariousness," Susan explained. "I can only be the ambassador of one company, after all. Latveria is very picky on that sort of thing."
"That sort of thing..." Anthony chuckled. "You mean Americans."
Susan merely smiled. "I don't mean to offend."
"No need, dear," Anthony said, "I get it."
'A social media ambassador. Makes sense,' Felix thought.
"I have no interest in this little bidding war of yours," said Princess Ororo. "Although you two seem quite keen on acquiring Ms. Susan Storm."
"Oh no, it's not me," Anthony said. "It's Emma. When I approached Ms. Storm, out of nowhere, Frost Industries sent a better offer. I, in turn, gave an even better offer. Rinse-repeat and here we are—at a cross-road. Really, this situation shouldn't have escalated the way it did."
Princess Ororo nodded, calm and understanding. Her next words stopped Anthony in his tracks and nearly made Maria and Felix react.
"I see…I thought this had something to do with you wanting to usurp Norman Osborn's Project New Element." Princess Ororo chuckled. "Perhaps not."
Maria pretended not to know. So did Felix. Everyone else was confused. Stark had no idea what she was talking about. No, wait, Emma—! Empty thoughts, empty thoughts! But wait, shit, Maria was here! Worst case scenario, there was no stopping Frost from reading her mind. There was no stopping this line of thought:
'How does Princess Ororo know!? Only I, Felix, Dr. Octavius, and Shuri know about it.'
Felix noticed. He noticed that Emma was looking right at Maria and then at him. Her eyes squinted by a fraction. Felix kept his thoughts empty. He occupied his thoughts with the deliciousness of his martini. Even so, the futility of the situation was on him. He knew she probably read Maria's mind.
"New Element…?" Anthony repeated. "What is that?"
"Ah, ah. Me first. Tell me, what is this new supercomputer you're developing?" Princess Ororo asked. Anthony drank instead of answering. "Tell me, Stark. You know you can't hide. I've seen the records. The material you've been pulling from my country is eerily similar to what NASA asks of me when they build their supercomputers."
Anthony took another sip. After a longer, second gulp, he sighed and leaned forward to put the glass on Dum-E. "I guess there's no hiding from you." Anthony glanced over at Maria and Felix. He didn't seem to mind Christine's presence but they were a little…
"Why don't you two go upstairs?" Anthony suggested. For some reason, he didn't include Christine Everhart. "Maria, you know where the pool room is. I'll join you in an hour."
Maria exchanged a quick glance with Felix, her expression unreadable for an instant. "Sure, Anthony," she replied with a forced smile. "Come on, Felix."
Felix followed Maria as they made their way up the grand staircase. 'I'm not imagining it,' he thought, counting every step. Everyone was watching them but one gaze in particular was strong. His Spidey-Sense lightly tingled. Emma Frost was watching him.
The fact that his Spidey-Sense was tingling now and not before meant his danger sense did indeed apply to her intrusions and that there was a cap to her powers. No way could she read and control the minds of everyone here. Otherwise, well…she would have done just that. There was a reason she hid her powers. There was a reason she made her captivators at the Empire State Building kill themselves at an isolated floor rather than stop the situation from happening in the first place. A time limit? Or did it drain energy?
His Spider-Sense stopped tingling. Whatever she did, it likely wasn't a full-scale usage of her powers. Did she probe his emotions or did she read Maria's mind? If that was the case, there was nothing he could do about it. Maria wouldn't believe him and Emma herself didn't seem interested in stopping him. Felix had to take what he could get and run with it.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, the feeling of being watched disappeared. Maria must have felt it too because she veered off the main hallway and led Felix down a narrower corridor lined with ornate paintings and antique furnishings. The air grew thick with tension as they approached a set of double doors at the end of the hall.
Maria pushed open the doors. Plush carpets lay under their feet. The bed was large yet simple and had two tiny cube-shaped side tables flanking it.
While the room was overly simple, the bed faced a glass window staring up at the night sky. The tiny stars that filled the black void were enchanting. A telescope was planted close to the wide window wall.
Felix's heart skipped a beat as he realized where they were. This was Anthony Stark's private bedroom, a space typically off-limits to guests. Maria closed the door behind them and whipped out her phone.
"I planted a bug in the room," Maria explained. The application on her phone was waiting to be activated. "We can listen to their conversation."
"Nice going!"
The play button was pressed and Anthony Stark's voice flooded in.
"...And that's why I've decided to name it JARVIS," Anthony exclaimed, his tone brimming with pride. "It stands for 'Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.' But trust me, it's much more than just an intelligent system. JARVIS will revolutionize the way we interact with technology."
Felix exchanged a glance with Maria, his interest piqued by Anthony's words. The prospect of a groundbreaking supercomputer intrigued him. 'I doubt it will compete with the Fantastic Computer. After all, that thing is hooked up to a super advanced AI too.'
"Forgive me for asking, Stark, what exactly sets it apart from existing AI technologies?" Princess Ororo asked, her voice slightly distant. He wondered just where and when Maria planted her eavesdropping device. Herbie was too occupied with breaking through Stark systems to have detected it.
"Current AI systems are quite limited in their capabilities. They're primarily programmed to perform specific tasks based on predefined rules and algorithms."
Emma agreed, "Indeed. They lack the capacity for true understanding and independent decision-making. All the reports I have received say it will take another century to reach a crucial point in AI."
"They're not wrong either. However, the next step might come sooner than you think. My current home AI is narrow. It has been programmed with specific functions and it executes it with some level of flexibility—'
"Here, hold this," Maria said, handing the phone to him. She jogged over to the cube-shaped side table and opened the drawer up. "Remember, we need a laptop or phone. A small bug we can plant and then use as a backdoor."
Originally, the plan was to have Maria search the house after she excused herself to the bathroom. However, being purposely dismissed like this made it better. Maria scoured through the drawers, trying to find any device, phone or laptop ideally. Little did she know…
HACK COMPLETE! STARK INDUSTRIES DATABASE NOW ADDED TO FANTASTIC COMPUTER. LIVE FEED ADDED!
ACCESS GRANTED. SUCCESSFUL ADMINISTRATOR STATUS IN STARK MAN111 AI SYSTEM.
He tapped at his glasses, putting it in device-scanning mode. He glanced around, letting it pick out the mansion. 'They're a lot of pipes and wires in this place,' he noted. 'I bet since Herbie hacked the place, if I order the temperature to go down, it will.'
Holding the phone, listening to Anthony's deep explanation on AI, he opened the door. Maria looked back. "Where are you going?"
"He threw a party," Felix stated. "He's arrogant but not stupid. The laptop isn't here or anywhere we can touch."
"Good point."
"You know this place. Where else could it be?"
Felix already knew. As a matter of fact, the full schematic of the mansion was on the lenses of his phone. Stark had put his phones and laptops in his garage, which was completely sealed off. The reinforced steel entrance could survive a C4 explosion. But because Felix was an administrator like Stark, he could gain access to it.
Meaning, Felix had to act and somehow make their way to the garage. The question remained…how? The talk was still going. Stark was still explaining the logistics of his new supercomputer and the AI software accompanying it.
"By having Susan as my spokesperson, I was going to give it a public presence. I was going to be the Da Vinci of this time."
"You did not just say that unironically." Emma scoffed. "Christ, your ego is only rivalled by your ambition."
"Isn't that how we run business? By being egotistical? By being ambitious?"
"No, we do it with wisdom and ambition. And let's face it, Frost International is going to outpace Stark Industries in four years."
"Oh? That's not ego talking?"
Okay, so Emma and Stark were having a spat. Great. That meant time for Felix to figure out how to guide Maria to the garage. "I doubt he's keeping everything in the pool room, right?" he said.
"Right. That leaves…the garage…" Maria murmured. "I have never there but I believe it's where Stark keeps his inventions. He is very careful with it, never allowing reporters there."
"How do we get there?" Felix asked quickly.
"...follow me."
Rather than go into the hall like he expected, Maria went toward the glass wall. At the side of the glass was a hatch, outlined by a small lining. Felix might not have noticed if not for Maria pointing it out. She opened it up, the night wind spilling inside, and went through. The platform wasn't quite a balcony though it did have railings to keep a person from failing.
Felix adjusted his glasses and followed. Both Maria and Felix were unaffected by the wind. One due to training, the other due to his adapting biology.
There was sufficient space to stand and walk one step forward and five steps left and right. Nothing extensive. Maria put a foot on the steel railing.
"Wait, are you—"
Yep, she did. Maria pushed herself onto the railing, standing briefly before jumping off. She soared through the air and landed in a roll. Felix was impressed. She was like a ninja.
All the guests had left so it was just her outside on the grass. Moreover, Stark's bedroom was directly above the garage. In other words, Maria had made it to her goal.
"Um, how are you going to get back up?" Felix asked, hands on the railing.
"I can manage," Maria said. "You stay there—"
In two seconds flat, the male landed with a soft thud, smoothly rolling to absorb the impact. Maria looked at him, surprise flashing across her face.
"You made that look easy," she remarked.
Felix shrugged modestly. "Just a little trick I picked up," he replied, trying to play it cool. "My mom used to do gymnastics."
He wasn't lying, his mom did do gymnastics. However, that was during college and she certainly didn't teach him anything as a kid or during his adolescence. His childhood and adulthood was spent entirely on studying. He wouldn't have known she did gymnastics in the first place if he didn't see her college photos in the family photobook.
"How will you get back up?"
He flashed her a smile. "I'll manage."
Felix and Maria found themselves facing a sleek, metallic door. A digital panel embedded in the wall beside it blinked with a faint blue light, indicating it was waiting for a security code.
Maria's brow furrowed in thought. Felix examined the keypad closely, noting the intricate design and the faint glow of the digital display.
"It's a biometric keypad lock," Felix explained, studying the interface. "It requires a fingerprint scan and a passcode to gain access."
'Either that or being the administrator of the house.'
He didn't play his cards just yet, not when Maria had her own. She gestured for him to return her phone, which was still playing live audio. She opened up a new app, the audio lowering in volume, and the screen changing to a black screen with green text.
"A hacking software?" Felix muttered. Maria gave a curt nod.
Felix was surprised but not caught off guard. She was a former SHIELD agent. Of course she had a solution. She began typing furiously on her phone, attempting to hack into the keypad's security system.
After a few tense minutes, Maria frowned in frustration as her hacking attempts proved unsuccessful. The keypad remained unresponsive. It was like it didn't acknowledge her existence.
"It's not working," Maria muttered, shaking her head in disappointment. "Security is too tight. I need to find a fingerprint of Stark's." Without a word, she jumped and swiftly scaled the mansion. Each crevice and foothold was used to pull herself upward.
From Felix's perspective, it gave a nice view of her ass. The beige skinny jeans gave it a toned, round look.
Felix flushed and looked back down. With Herbie, he could very easily open the garage up. Alone at the garage door, Felix contemplated his next move.
'The lock is a Stark original. No previous model on the market. Made of…what? No way, it's made of Secondary Adamantium!?' His glasses proceeded to scan the rest of the garage. 'Holy, even the garage door is made of Secondary Adamantium! What is Stark hiding in here?'
Good thing he brought Herbie with him. Secondary Adamantium…he wasn't sure if he could break such a substance with his fists alone. It was a cost-effective version of Adamantium but it was still bestowed the title of Adamantium for a reason. It was super tough shit.
Wanting to inspect the lock, he reached out to touch the padlock—but never did. A surge of black electricity crackled from his fingertips and to his astonishment, the keypad immediately responded, its lights blinking as it unlocked with a soft click.
Felix jerked his hand back, the black lightning flickering white. His glasses' interface glitched. The black and white lightning grew sharply, his glasses glitching again, then faded back into his fingertips. Felix stepped back, staring at his hand in disbelief.
'Black and white lightning…don't tell me…Mr. Negative's power caused my body to adapt and learn lightning too!?'
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