Marvel: Short Stories

Story 3: A Man Like No Other

Malibu, 2009

"J.A.R.V.I.S., turn the power up to twelve please," Tony says as he fiddles with the shoulder of his suit.
You step into his lab. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
He looks at you. "And who are you?"
A small smile grows on your face. "If you turn the power up any higher than ten you're going to fry the whole system and electrocute yourself. We wouldn't want that, would we, Mr. Stark?"
He gulps. "No, we wouldn't." He turns to the computer screens. "J.A.R.V.I.S., reduce the power by two and get this woman a brandy!"
You step further into the room and take your seat at his desk. "I'm Morgana, Pepper's replacement as assistant. You hired me last week." You say as you rest your notepad on the surface.
"Did I? I don't remember doing any of that," Tony says with a puzzled face.
"No, sir, Miss Potts and I looked through the most eligible candidates and selected the most qualified on your behalf." J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupts as one of the robotic arms pours highly expensive brandy into a glass beside you.
"Thank you," you say as you take a long sip from the glass.
"And it's Morgana what?" Tony asks as he types your name into the system.
"Morgana Fray, sir." You answer shortly. He nods and adds the last few letters to his search. Your profile appears on the screens around you.
"You're not what I would have normally gone for, Miss Morgana Fray."
You grin. "No, well, Miss Potts preferred that she hired someone who can save you rather than... well, entertain you." You say coyly.
"I don't need saving. Pepper doesn't know what she's talking about." Tony insists.
"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I just saved you from killing yourself!"
He shrugs. "Okay, you've got my attention."
You smile and take another sip of brandy. "Miss Potts informed me that you're working on something big. Can I know what it is?"
He turns to his computer and brings up the blueprints to a new suit. "I'm trying to improve my flight ability. I'm doubling the amount of power in the suit to see if that makes any difference." You whistle through your teeth, grabbing his attention immediately. "What?" He demands.
You turn your attention to the blueprints. "If it were me, I'd triple the power and disperse it throughout the suit, therefore balancing the energy throughout. But that's just me," you say with a cocky shrug.
He sighs and takes another look at his work. "I hate you so much right now," he says as he makes the alterations to the suit. You stand from your seat and make your way to the door.
"I start tomorrow at seven, Mr. Stark. I look forward to seeing you then." You say as you open the door and leave, missing the glance he directs at you. He drops back into his chair and runs his hand down his face.

The following morning you walk into Tony's lab holding two steaming cups of fresh coffee. As you set them down on his counter you realise quickly that the room is empty.
"Mr. Stark?" You call out. There's no reply. "J.A.R.V.I.S., where is Mr. Stark?"
The screens around you light up as J.A.R.V.I.S. seems to awaken. "Still in bed, I'm afraid."
You grin and take a seat as Tony's desk. "Please wake him for me, will you?"
"With pleasure, Miss," J.A.R.V.I.S. answers happily. You soon hear a loud thud and Tony exclaim above you. You can't help but chuckle as J.A.R.V.I.S. awakens his creator. You take the brief opportunity to sift through the documents on Tony's desk, not looking for anything in particular. You become engrossed in Tony's plans, beginning to see the genius behind the madness.
"Are you planning on stealing those from me, Miss Fray?" Tony says as he steps dazedly into his lab.
You stand quickly from your seat and look directly at him. "No, sir. Though I do think it'd be a good idea to organise your files so that only a select few can access them. Any old folk could waltz in here and steal your work," you say with genuine concern.
"Not today," Tony begins as he takes a sip of the coffee and winces as it burns his mouth.
"That's my job, sir. I'm your assistant. I do all the jobs you don't want to do," you explain.
He takes another sip and gives the same reaction. "Not today," he says as he bites his tongue, trying to fight the numbness. "You're smart, Morgana. I want to see how good you really are."
A sense of pride washes over you as the words register in your brain. "Oh," you exclaim. "What did you need me to do?"
He shakes his head. "No, you're going to be in here with me." He presses on his keyboard and blueprints begin to unfold on the screens. "I want your help to build this,"
"But this is..." you begin as the reality of what's happening sets in. "Tony, this is one of your suits. You can't expect me to be smart enough to help you with such a task."
He picks up a pencil and rests it against his lower lip. "At this very moment, Miss Fray, I think there may be a chance that you're smarter than me. I can either sulk about that realisation or use it to my own advantage."
You grin, not taking notice of how offended you should be that Tony Stark only wants you here for your brain, and begin to analyse the data in front of you. "You know a lot of these numbers are wrong, don't you?" You tease.
"Don't push it, Fray!" He warns jokingly.
You pause and watch him work for a moment. He stands from his chair to access his computers in the exact way you expected. He catches you watching him and you avert your gaze. "Please, stare. It makes me work better," he says with a strangely calm smile. You shake your head and return to the blueprints in front of you.