Drunk Science (Tony)

[Forge]

It was late afternoon, and the sun had just dipped below the skyline of Manhattan. Forge had finished up with the day’s classes, graded some papers, and now had some well-deserved time off in a city with some of the best nightlife on the planet. Naturally, he was spending the time working.

To be fair, it was actually a legitimate project this time, and he wouldn’t be working alone. Hell, he wouldn’t even be working with Hank, Charles, or Frosty. It was almost like socializing. Stark had contacted him a week ago with some questions about updating the security on that tower of his, and…well, the Institute was probably in need of some upgrades too. Collaboration had seemed like a good idea; designing security systems wasn’t just a matter of technical skill, but also creativity and experience. They had different enemies with different powers. One of them might see a security gap that the other missed. Forge had reluctantly agreed to meet up and discuss plans with his fellow inventor.

Although he still wasn’t too big on the idea of sharing security plans with someone else—it seemed like asking for a problem—Tony was probably one of the safest people to collaborate with. The Avengers and X-Men got along fairly well. He had worked with Stark in the past, namely in the current design of the Helicarrier. It was still flying, last he heard. Most importantly, however, they both understood the importance of keeping some technology out of government hands. They’d both dealt with the consequences of that in the past. Forge was fairly confident that anything they came up with wouldn’t leave Stark Tower.

Amazingly enough, Forge hadn’t actually been in Stark Tower before. He’d heard about it—namely construction details—and he’d driven by it a few times, but hadn’t actually stopped to take a look around. He had to say, he was impressed. It looked like a pretty typical skyscraper, but he could feel the support structure behind it. If what his powers were telling him was correct, it could probably withstand a small nuke. A while back, Forge had heard a rumor that the entire building was laced with vibranium for support. Maybe there was actually some truth to it.

The ground floor of the tower was spacious, but crowded; mostly with people in suits or lab coats scurrying about. Forge was baffled for a fraction of a second, not sure how he was going to find Stark in the massive building. ‘Up’ was probably a good direction to start, but he had no clue what floor to go for. Probably the top, knowing Tony. He could never resist showing off. Forge’s eyes landed on a central desk. Good; someone that could point him the right way. He strolled over, and found what looked like a secretary sitting undisturbed. “Hey,” he greeted the woman, “I’m meeting with Stark. You know where he is right now?”

The secretary looked him over, obviously unimpressed. Forge wasn’t anyone she recognized, and his t-shirt and jeans were a far cry from business attire. “Mmhmm. Name?” It sounded like she dealt with this frequently.

“Fo—Jonathan Silvercloud,” he replied, correcting himself quickly. That was the most likely name for it to be under. Sometimes there were drawbacks to having multiple identities.

The secretary frowned, looking at her computer. “I’m sorry, you aren’t coming up.”[/b] She didn’t sound sorry in the least. “Perhaps there is someone else you can talk to? Or if you state your business with Mr. Stark, I can schedule an appointment for next month.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. This was ridiculous.

[Tony Stark]

There were many things that could be said about Tony, most of which in the very negative sense. It was fair wording, and all of which probably were true in some level. Though honestly, calling him the worst thing to happen to women in the current century went a bit far, didn’t it? Still, the one thing good about Tony that could be said by all was that when he had an appointment, he kept to that appointment. He might arrive naked and with a party hat on his head, but he’d show up to it. Besides, most liked seeing him naked. He was gods gift to women after all. But still, if Tony had an appointment, he would never miss said appointment. Especially if said appointment included women.

This particular appointment sadly lacked the feminine wiles and charms, but did involve at least a colleague of his, Forge. He’d proposed the idea after both Fury and Roger’s nagging of needing to improve security, but only after Potts suggested it herself. Fury and Roger’s he could blow off, Potts however was someone he listened to. Having breasts might have helped her in that regard. Still, the idea did seem like a good one, and he didn’t mind Forge all that much. The guy may have been a mutant, but he wasn’t as hugely destructive as some. And they both understood the need to keep some scientific breakthroughs a trade secret. What with Stark and his suit, and Forge and his… everything.

But at the moment, Stark was actually not in his tower, which did not help in improving his mood. A nearby threat to safety had called him out to some action, and he was racing back to the tower as fast as possible. He was still a few minutes away, but Forge was a punctual man, and might honestly get there early. And Tony simply could not be late to an appointment! He always made to to arrive on time, after all.

“Let’s get a view of Tower’s exterior,” Stark said, his onboard computer activating and bringing up a small visual display of the security cameras. He scanned the scene briefly as he went but couldn’t see Forge outside his tower. Possibly good, possibly bad. Either way, he needed more. “Let’s try interior, Lobby,” Three more videos popped up from interior cameras, searching for Forge among the crowds. “There,” two vids faded and the third enlarged, showing a man at a reception desk looking a bit annoyed and flustered. “Pepper, My meeting with Forge is penciled in, right?”

“I’m sorry Stark but it seems it somehow got misplaced.” Stark rolled his eyes, kicking his jets into high gear to try and get there quicker.

“Great, just great, just what’s needed. What the hell do I even pay you for? Let’s get a hold of Pepper then shall we?”

“But you are speaking to Pepper,” the AI retorted in a flat voice.

“I mean the other Pepper.” A small image came on in Stark’s Heads up display, showing an image of Pepper Potts and a “Calling” word above it. And it seemed she was thankfully picking up. Good, at least she’d know what to do.

“Pepper, dear, got a favor to ask,” Stark said, already moving into his schmoozing suave voice. Granted, this was more of an instant reflex reaction for Stark. Pepper had long ago become immune to his charms.

“I’m a bit busy here Tony doing the other twenty favors you asked of me, can it wait?”

“Not really. I need you to have fun with a man for me. Well, not fun, I’d get jealous. Unless you wanna do that, long as I can watch.”

“Tony!”

“Right right, probably not your type anyway, he’s too metallic,” Tony could almost feel Pepper’s heavy eye roll through the phone, “anyway, seriously, I need you to get someone into my office. I’ve got a meeting with him but it seems to have mistakenly not gotten penciled in.”

“Did you do it while drunk?” Oh that acid venom. She was mad at something, though what Tony just couldn’t imagine.

“I’m pretty sure I was actually sober. Though I’m not sure how many whiskeys I drank that night, but pretty sure I made the appointment while sober. Besides the point though. He’s at the reception. It’s Forge, Jonathon Silvercloud, Nouns the verb, whatever he’s going by right now.”

“Fine.”

“You’re a doll.”

“12% of one?”

“Are we still going on about that?”

Pepper didn’t answer, but Tony was pretty sure she was smirking her “I got one up one up on you” smirk. She’d clear this up, hopefully. Even better if she managed to get Forge to his office right as he got there. Though now he had to wonder if she was into being watched.

[Forge]

Great. He had no clue where Stark was, and the receptionist was already ignoring him pointedly. Would it be bad form to just…take her computer and find the information himself? It would be faster. More efficient. Probably would be less painful for both of them. Besides, this meeting was about security protocols. Might as well test out how secure Stark Tower was. “Look,” he continued, patience fraying, “I really do have an appointment with him, and if you could stop being a bi—“

”Mr. Silvercloud?”

A voice made Forge spin around, and he found himself face-to-face with an attractive redhead. Oh hey. That was…whatever her name was. Stark’s assistant. Finally, someone who wasn’t incompetent. His relief must have been visible, because she smiled brightly at him.

“Sorry for any confusion, there seems to have been a scheduling error. Tony will see you shortly. If you’ll follow me?”

“Gladly,” he replied, shooting a smug glance back at the receptionist. She was still doing her best to ignore him, although he was pretty sure her head had dropped by a few inches. Sometimes petty revenge was the best kind. He followed Stark’s assistant to the elevators. She was giving him some sort of reasoning as to why Stark was running late. After Forge got the general gist of ‘saving the world again’, he tuned her out. He was looking at the architecture. What were the outer walls reinforced with? Hmm, elevator was quite nice too; at this speed it could get to the top floor in…oh, say, forty seconds?

The elevator doors dinged, and Pepper led him out. Top floor, apparently. Thirty seven seconds. Fairly close. He glanced around the floor, which seemed to be part lab, part living area. Or perhaps all of Stark’s labs had a full bar and lounge. Forge really wouldn’t be surprised. Massive glass doors led to a balcony and landing pad. Forge appraised it for a moment before catching sight of a bright streak in the sky. Ah. And there would be his host.

[Tony Stark]

Ah, there would be his baby. Stark Tower, what many called an eyesore, yet completely self-sustaining and off the grid. Seems the booster propulsion jets were working wonderfully to speed up travel. Stark focused on the landing pad, locking on target before coming in to a near dead stop above the pad and hovering downward. Funny how without this armor he’d have long ago harmed himself or even killed himself with stunts like that, but now it was fine. In fact, it was almost fun. Actually, it was fun. A great joyride. A wonderful time. He loved it, loved doing it. Loved having fun. More people should do it. But not in his suit. Never his suit. His suit was his baby.

With a loud CLANG Stark landed on the pad and began walking. Automated robots then began their work of detaching the suit from him. First the chest, then the arms, head, and legs. It was a fluid enough motion to keep him walking without interrupting. A technological marvel, but something Forge might just look at and think Child’s play. Truth is it was child play to set up for Tony too. But the effect was still nice to impress with.

As he stepped in Tony went straight to the bar, giving Forge a cursry nod. “Thank you Pepper, you’re a doll. More than 12% of one.” He said, seeing her smug face as he poured a drink and she left. “Can I get you anything Forge? Rum? Brandy? Beer? Firewater? Spiked Motor Oil?” he said, pouring himself a mixed drink of various beverages. The options were mostly in jest, poking fun in a light hearted way, but still something.

[Forge]

The bright streak in the sky grew larger, and a moment later Forge saw Stark hover above his landing pad before dropping down. Impressive landing. A flurry of robotic activity around the pad began to remove the suit. Which, now that he thought about it, was a little weird. The man definitely had his kinks. Forge was a cyborg and he still didn't use robots to get naked. Well, other than his arm. But still.

“Now he's just showing off,” Forge muttered wryly. Pepper apparently caught the remark, and he saw her failing to hide a smile. This he could use. The cyborg had no legitimate reason to mock Stark—well, other than petty jealousy—but it wasn't like he had anything better to do while Tony was stripped down by robots. Besides, the man had built a skyscraper with his name on it. That wasn't usually considered a sign of humility. “What's the main production of Stark Industries, anyway? His ego?”

”You would be surprised,” she replied, voice warming up.

“Nah, I really wouldn't. This isn't the first time I've worked with him.” Forge smiled, nodding back at Stark as he approached them. He said something to Pepper that went over Forge's head, and he could only assume it was some in-joke. Or a continuation of an argument, maybe. Naturally, the billionaire bypassed a more formal greeting in favor of the bar. Also hardly surprising. Forge was about to decline Stark's offer of a drink—this was business, after all—but reconsidered. What the hell. One drink wouldn't hurt, and maybe it would make Tony a little more tolerable. Seeing as he was already making firewater jokes...yeah. Alcohol it was.

“Sure. Rum and Coke, if you've got it.” The thought of Stark not having such simple ingredients was hilarious in itself. Forge had to admit that he was tempted to request spiked motor oil, just to see what Stark came up with, but he had a feeling it would end up being precisely what it sounded like.

[Tony Stark]

Stark might have been a coinsure of the finer alcoholic beverages, but to think he didn’t have such basic beverages was almost comical! Upon Forge’s request of the Rum and Coke, Stark pulled out a bottle of golden Rum--a higher class brand from the looks, being Mount Gay--and then pulled forth a nozzle connected to a tube on the side, splashing some coke into the tumbler glass before placing it down upon the edge of the bar. Stark himself then grabbed his drink and Forge’s before coming over and holding the tumbler for him to take. “How’s the servos in that arm and leg?” He asked in another joking manner, and then continued with the jokes. “But it seems my security system is a little too tight to not even allow colleagues in. Thank goodness for Piper.”

With that, Stark held up his hand and snapped, a Holographic display of Stark tower appearing before flattening and subdividing itself into various systems. HVAC, Maintenance, Science projects, Business projects, but the one that remained was the Security plans. Small areas lit up to show the pattern of security, with Stark swiping his free hand in the air to manipulate and move things. Many of the movements was much like the controls of an apple product, except Jobs wished he was a brilliant as Stark. “Take a look, Figure it’s good to get a fresh set of eyes on this first. I’ve had Piper and Happy look it over, but someone outside of my paycheck might be good too.”

Stark took a moment to walk over to a table and grab a small remote, one that controlled things further if Forge couldn’t get the hand of the movements with hands and fingers to manipulate the schematics. “Oh, and Captain Ahab I guess found out about this collab as well. If we do managed to come up with some breakthrough or idea he wants to know asap so his flying Dutchman can be better protected.” Stark didn’t like that Fury had found out, but hey, he, Forge, and all the other geniuses had worked to build that flying tanker. Might as well work to improve it if they can think of something more.

[Forge]

Forge accepted the glass from Tony as he came over, and took a sip of the dark beverage. Hmm, not bad. Whatever he was using for rum was smooth. Not that he really expected Stark to be using Captain Morgan; he doubted the man would even allow that on his bar. Ignoring the quip about his prosthetics—they were always fine, thanks for asking—he nodded. “Pretty sure your receptionist didn't recognize me, can't really blame her for that,” he replied. Well, he could blame her for that, considering he'd given her a name and everything. He eyed the schematics as Stark brought them up, slowly walking around the display. “Now, if I had needed to break my way in here...”

“Hmm. The retinal scanners and keycards at secure points are nice, but you might want to add in something else, too,” he commented, zooming in on one particular doorway.”I know if at least one mutant who can copy retinal patterns and voices. One mutant who would love to get her hands on some of the stuff in here. Individualized voice keys might be a good way to go. Specific phrases.”

Forge nodded absently as Stark mentioned that Fury knew about this. He didn't really expect anything less from 'Captain Ahab'. Right now, Forge didn't much care about who looked at their collaborating session; he was too engrossed in the actual details of Stark Tower. It was a very nice building. Maybe he'd incorporate some of the design features the next time the Institute got leveled. This current one had been standing for almost two years now; it was almost certainly overdue. The electrical system was designed to give the most power to the labs and Stark's personal rooms up here, while diverting only enough power for lights and computers to the lower levels. Clever, although...Forge zoomed in on one of the lower outlets, following the wiring up. Yup, another potential access point.

“And unless you're planning on giving Dr. Pym his own personal elevator, your wiring needs some sort of containment,” he continued. “Pop off an outlet cover on one of the first floors, and there's access to a crawlspace, for something small enough.”