Through The Atmosphere - for justintelligent

[starkingenuity]

"Hey."  It was actually pretty common for all of the lights to go out, but usually, after Tony Stark tripped a breaker or caused a fire or crashed into something in the R & D level of the Avengers Tower, the emergency lights came back on.  But not today.  And that was a shame because he was almost sure he'd perfected grilled cheese without Pepper

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[justintelligent]

The lights didn't turn on. In fact a lot of the systems weren't working as efficiently nor at all actually. It was all a tiny bit dead, at first it looked like a malfunction but usually JARVIS would chip in and explain it. Instead, there was silence. Then a long clang of metal and a small bash, followed with familiar voice cursing.

There was a figure standing there among broken fallen pieces, looking admittedly rather confused. And lacking anything resembling clothes.

"Erm, Sir, we seem to be experiencing some slight technical difficulties."

And that had to be the understatement of the month.

[starkingenuity]

Tony's eyes weren't the best in low light conditions but he did know a person when he saw one and that was a person. Wrong shape to be Rhodey, wrong gender to be Pepper. Way too small to be Happy. "JARVIS, intruder alert."

His bet was on Barton. The man hung out in air ducts for a living and frequently attempted to break in on Tony. Systems were down. Lights were out. And now he'd broken in. Probably with stolen SHIELD technology and ooooh. Tony was so not happy! He was already thinking of new and clever ways to redo his security system when he realized that it wasn't Barton either.

Barton didn't walk that way, stumbling along like a foal.

[justintelligent]

"You're not very observant today, are you sir?" Jarvis counter as he stumbled, unable to work out how this stupid body worked. It was like driving a new vehicle with no prior lessons. He knew the basics, he knew human biology to near perfection. But being one was a whole new ball park.

He gripped the side of the work table, keeping a balance as he finally found the overhead light and flipped it on, shining it enough for Stark to get a better look at the very naked blond man squinting in pain at the light and holding up his hand to protect himself. It was a lot less of a bother to his senses when he was a robot.

"I can't be hundred percent certain, what with the lack of mirrors, but I believe I'm human."

[starkingenuity]

"Uh. Yeah." Tony wasn't staring, he was trying his hardest not to stare actually which was doing almost no one any good because he would need to look to figure out what happened.

To create the biological from the artificial was beyond even him, which was saying an awful lot. He stroked a finger down the side of his mustache and shifted his weight from one foot to the next and jutted out a hip and crossed his arms and--

Tony's eyes scanned what they could of the darkened room. Cameras. Had to be.

JARVIS was speaking through...a filter...somewhere.

None of this was actually possible.

"Turn around."

[justintelligent]

He did just as he was asked, preforming a turn in a rather rigid manner as if he was afraid to move too fast. All in all, it did look rather mechanical and not overly human. He adapted fast usually, he was sure he'd get the hang of it but right now? He was in something he didn't know how to pilot and was very worried about somehow crashing.

"Sir. we need to fix the overhead lighting. Or leave the room. I imagine upstairs has more power? However I'm not sure where I am and I'm no longer linked into the mainframe of the tower."

Already off to a smashing start, if that wasn't clear. He staggered forward, trying to move towards the Tony shaped object without knocking anything else down. If anyone could sort out this very odd incident, it was probably Tony. He had faith in him, even if he occasionally acted like a total self obsessed asshole.

"If this was somehow your fault or your idea, I would prefer you say now. I'm not massively fond of the body."

[starkingenuity]

"If it was my fault, you'd have breasts and no penis," Tony said, catching Jarvis by the elbow before he tripped over DUM-E. "Well, maybe you'd keep the penis, it depends on my mood." He laughed as he took the little lost foal over to a stool and had him sit down before he tossed over one of his fire retardant aprons. "But seriously, not one of mine. Not an experiment in the R&D department either. I'd have had to sign off on them. Or Pepper would have and she'd have told me to make me jealous."

Tony sat back on his work bench, stroking his facial hair again. It was all so...

Curious. Confusing. Wonderfully so.

"I need to do tests. Upstairs!"

[justintelligent]

"Right, lovely, thank you for sharing that," he never realised he was lucky to be male before but it left him with one less worry when it came to Stark. He really did chance any women that moved. It was startlingly easy to get rid of most of them as well, they didn't tend to be the intellectual elites.

Which spoke a lot about Tony and the type of women he liked.

"Tests? Not that I doubt your processes, sir, but I've seen you do tests. I would prefer them to be quick and painless, if possible. And I would at least like to be clothed."

He was new to this humanity thing but he didn't enjoy having his privates hanging out in full view.

[starkingenuity]

The types of women - and men for that matter -- that he liked happened to be people that were throw aways. A body without having to resort to prostitutes. He had sex, he got up, he played with his robots and his machines and that was that. Easy. No mess. No fuss. If there was, Pepper took care of it in the morning.

"We have to figure out if you're really human or some genius little work of android art. And then we have to figure out who that body belongs to and get it back to him."

Tony knew magic. He'd been given quite the view of it during the battle in Manhattan. That didn't mean he really believed that it could turn a voice-only, software based AI into flesh and blood. Send golden haired demi-gods flying? Sure.

But c'mon. This was real life!

[justintelligent]

"If some genius had made me this body then they did an amazing job installing me and placing the body into our labs with neither of us noticing, sir. They always did a remarkable job on the heart," Jarvis deadpanned, looking at Stark as if he really wasn't thinking here. It was unrealistic and strange, yes, but that didn't mean someone defied both of them and somehow made him into a very human like AI.

He looked at at himself and around the room before frowning somewhat.

"Yes, yes, God forbid we let someone go without their body. Never mind me," he was human, very naked and pretty cold actually so really, Tony? Clothes. And perhaps somewhere with some light. Making a move to get upstairs, he carefully off off the stool and gestured for the other man to go first.

Ever the gentlemen, of course.

[starkingenuity]

He did throw an apron at the man! He didn't keep anything else down here. He's be fine, it would cover everything, and given how late it was, there shouldn't be anyone wandering around. A quick trip to the elevator to head down to the biological scanners would not have an ill effects.

Right? Right.

And light would be great...if the whole building hadn't lost power. A light here or there that ran on battery was working, but even the back up generators weren't flicking on because that was Jarvis's job. That's what Jarvis did. Regulation, plain and simple. And without the AI hooked in... Tony would have to do it himself.

Something he was just realizing when he noticed the elevator didn't come to call.

"Aw, damn it. It'll have to wait. How do you feel about climbing fifteen sets of stairs?"

[justintelligent]

Yeah, an apron. That thing without a back. And he was meant to go up fifteen sets of stairs with nothing on the back? Did Tony really want to look at that the whole way up? Sighing, Jarvis tried to adjust the apron to give a bit more cover as he eyed up the entrance to the stairs. He didn't really fancy it but how hard could it be?

It was just moving his legs up stairs! It had to be easy, he'd seen people handle stairs easily enough before.

"I'm sure we can manage sir but I suggest you go first."

As they started, Jarvis kept a pace behind Tony, clambering up the stairs and being rather thankful that there were a few of the side lights were battery powered or he'd never find the steps! "So, tell me as I'm just dying of curiosity, how do I look?"

He didn't sound overly fussed and he wasn't massively but he just wanted to see how he ranked up to Tony.

[starkingenuity]

No offense, Jarvis, but he's really not interested. His mind goes to strangle unexplained phenomena first, thrill seeking second. Butts rank in around number ten on his most interesting list. With just one pocket flashlight in hand, Tony forces open the door to the stairs and heads up. First of course. Jarvis will just have to keep up. Hopefully he was in as good of shape as Tony happened to be!

Around the sixth landing, Tony finally answered, not pausing, as he used the guide lights along the stairs to keep himself from falling down them or missing one. "You look blond. And leggy. Usually my taste," he joked and rounded another corner. Not too much more to go, and hopefully he'd wake up from this surreal nightmare.

It was all so...weird.

No power. No backup. No Jarvis in a way that could be possibly helpful!

[justintelligent]

No offence taken, on a list of ten things he wanted to do, being felt up Tony Stark was certainly not on it. He just didn't really feel like having to run nearly completely naked up some stairs. No one sane would-- which is why he was sure Stark would probably have no issues with it. He highly doubted most of Starks friends would, they didn't exact conform to what he had assumed was the normal standards of the social world.

Of course he was no expert, he only got to speak with a select few and the sanest was Miss Potts.

"Oh dear, if I had only been female, this may have been more of a thrill for you," he deadpanned as he got past the second set and paused to take a breath. It wasn't as easy as it had originally looked but he wouldn't say he was challenged much. Whoever gave him this body seemed to think he'd need to be in shape, which made sense or he'd never keep up with Tony.

Pausing, he shot his companion a confused expression. "Leggy?"

[starkingenuity]

"If you were suppose to be a gift, someone at least got most of the package right." Innuendos aside, Tony was actually starting to wonder if this wasn't a prank. Barton could have scoured the world, literally, for a man that sounded like the voice he gave to his AI and sent him over as a great big 'haha, now get yourself another PA so you remember to eat' thing. Barton was like that. Their friendship was an odd one, based on pranks and some distorted affection.

Tony wasn't too sure how to take this so his brain offered up any other explaination than the obvious. The obvious was too weird.

He turned over his shoulder to arch his eyebrows suggestively at Jarvis before the building shook. This high up, it was suppose to sway, but to be noticeably felt in the core stairwell?

Bad. "Shit. Jarvis, diagno--" Okay, never mind. "Sorry, old habit."

[justintelligent]

Jarvis was not the best go-to man right now, he stumbled up a step when taken off guard by the strange feeling, smashed his hand on the rail of the stairs when trying to grab it and cried out, holding his hand with a very confused expression. He felt that. He felt pain. It was horrible and wonderful. He'd never been in pain before, what with being unable to actually experience most physical and emotional hurts without being programmed too.

This was a whole new league, he rubbed his hand and looked at Stark. "Ow."

Reaching onto the rail, he gripped on ad continued up the stairs, hoping they could get up there before he was killed in his first 20 minutes of mortal life. In an apron. He would not die in one!

"I never realised you were so dependent on me. I'm flattered but disappointed you can't seem to do much without me. Honestly, sir."

[starkingenuity]

"Save it for a discussion with Pepper," Tony growled. As the tower stopped shaking, he took off in a run. He needed to get up the last four flights before it started again. And it would start again. That had been no earthquake. It wasn't a direct attack either. He was pretty sure that something had either just landed, or was in the sub basement moving along inch by glorious inch. Or perhaps it was inside the exterior building envelope. Didn't matter right now.

"Just keep up!"

As expected, a flight from the top, the tower shook again. No explosion. What was shaking them?

The emergency redunant lights were on in the condo and Tony breathed a sigh of relief as he headed towards another set of stairs to get to the flight deck. "You should probably put on some pants!" he called as he went, just starting to get out of breath. "And then hide. I'm going for the suit!"