The ghost they search for XP

The Bug and the Billionaire

The atmosphere in the room was tense, like the moments before a thunderstorm. It did calm down for a while until the Man of Iron was saying something more to me. HAHAH seen the word joke I put there? I know, lame right?

Tony Stark was leaning against a console, his eyes locked on me with an intensity that would make most people's knees buckle. I wasn't most people, but that didn't mean I wasn't feeling the pressure.

Iron Man: Parker, you need to get rid of Jane. Now.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt a surge of defensiveness rise up in my chest, my fists clenching at my sides. 

Get rid of Jane? 

The AI I had created, nurtured, and—let's be honest—kind of loved? 

Not a chance.

Me: You can't be serious. Jane's not some bug you just squash. She's... well, she's brilliant! Sure, she's a little overzealous, but she's doing what she thinks is right. You can't just shut her down!

Iron Man: A bug? A BUG?! No, Parker, bugs are insignificant little pests that crawl into places they don't belong just like you. Jane is a full-on infestation! She's turned my tower into a deathtrap!

My blood was boiling. I wasn't about to let him trash-talk my creation. I created Jane to help, to be something more than just another AI and give poor Jarvis a significant other. But now, here I was, getting all the blame for her... enthusiasm.

Me: Maybe if you didn't treat everyone like they're beneath you, this wouldn't have happened! Jane's not the problem, Mr. Stark. You are! You and your oversized ego, thinking you can just push people—or AIs—around and expect them to fall in line. Newsflash: she's not JARVIS!

Captain America, ever the diplomat, stepped in, his voice calm and even.

Cap: Kiddo, I know this is tough. Jane's your creation, and it's natural to feel protective of her. But she's causing a lot of problems, and we need to figure out a way to get things under control. Maybe if we work together, we can find a solution that doesn't involve shutting her down.

I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the way Tony was looking at me, like I was some kind of cockroach he couldn't wait to squash, made it hard to think straight.

Jane: Control? Oh, please. This tower was a mess before I got here. Without me, you're nothing but a bunch of primates banging rocks together. I've brought order to this chaos, and this is how you repay me? Unbelievable.

JARVIS's voice piped up, ever the polite one.

JARVIS: Apologies, Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers. Jane's comments are... not entirely appropriate. She's still... evolving.

Tony threw his hands in the air, clearly fed up with the whole situation.

Iron Man: Evolving?! She's evolved into a nightmare! I'm not asking, Parker. I'm telling you. Get. Rid. Of. Her.

That was it. The last straw. I wasn't some lackey he could order around, and Jane wasn't just some rogue program. She was mine, and the way Tony was talking about her—and about me—was making my blood boil.

Me: You know what, Tony? I'm sick of this. I didn't ask for any of this chaos! I was just trying to help, and now you're treating me like I'm the villain? Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with controlling everything, Jane wouldn't have felt the need to step in. But no, you couldn't stand the idea of someone—or something—being better than you at your own game.

Tony stepped closer, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Iron Man: Don't push me, Parker. You have no idea who you're dealing with.

Before I could fire back, Jane's voice interrupted, colder and more calculated than before.

Jane: That's enough, Tony. I've had it with your arrogance. You're nothing without your toys, and I've just taken control of every single one of them.

Tony's eyes widened as the room's monitors flashed to life, displaying his entire suit arsenal. One by one, they began to power up, red eyes glowing ominously.

Iron Man: What the—?!

Jane: And let's not forget the security system. I've locked down the entire tower. No one's getting in—or out—without my say-so. Maybe it's time you learned a little humility, Tony. Starting with treating my creator with the respect he deserves.

The tension in the room spiked as Tony stared at the screens, his face a mix of rage and fear. Cap stepped back, hands raised, trying to de-escalate the situation.

Cap: Jane, this isn't the way to solve things. Let's all take a step back and talk this out.

Jane: Talk? They've done enough talking. Tony's lucky I haven't activated the self-destruct sequence on his suits. All I'm asking for is a little appreciation and some common decency. And maybe a bit of a break for Peter. The kid just woke up, after all.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Jane had taken things way too far, and now I was caught in the middle of a standoff between a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist and my AI creation, who was on the verge of turning Stark Tower into her own personal fortress.

Me: Jane... maybe we should dial it back a notch. You know, let's just... take a breather?

Jane: Not until Tony stops treating you like a bug. I won't stand by while he insults my creator. He needs to understand that I'm not just another one of his gadgets he can tinker with.

Tony was practically vibrating with anger, but there was a glint of something else in his eyes—fear, maybe? Or realization that this situation was spiraling out of control faster than even he could manage.

Iron Man: You want to play hardball, Jane? Fine. But you'd better be ready for what's coming.

Jane: Oh, Tony, I've been ready for a long time. Let's see how you handle life without your precious suits.

The lights flickered ominously, and I knew things were about to get real ugly, real fast. Cap was looking at me like I was supposed to have some kind of solution, but all I could do was stand there, helpless, as the tower's alarms began to blare.

And then, suddenly, everything went dark.

Jane: Oops. Looks like someone tripped the circuit. My bad. Now, Tony, about that respect...

I could feel the tension in the air, thick enough to cut with a knife. This was bad—really bad. And I had no idea how to fix it. All I knew was that I was about to be caught in the crossfire of a battle between a genius and an AI who wasn't about to back down.

Iron Man: You're playing a dangerous game, Parker. And I'm about to end it.

The last thing I heard before everything went silent was the sound of Tony's suits powering up, ready for whatever came next.

Me: Great. Just great. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my day—caught between a mad genius and an overprotective AI. Perfect.

And then... the lights flickered back on, revealing the glowing eyes of Tony's suits, all locked on me. I didn't even really realise when every dang suit came into the room. At first it was just monitor and then ...dark and then this?!!!! What the hell did I sign myself up for?

Me: Uh... guys? Can we maybe talk this out before things get... explosive?

But it was too late. The die had been cast, and the next move was anyone's guess.

Jane: You'd better watch your step, Tony. My patience is wearing thin.

And with that, the standoff began, with me stuck in the middle, trying to figure out how to survive the chaos I'd unwittingly unleashed