Peachy Keen

Chapter 11

Boss, it's Thursday!"

"No, you're Friday," Tony muttered around the wrench he was holding in his mouth. Holly wanted
to change the shower head for a more efficient model, but the old one had been in place since the
house was built, and it just did not want to come off. He'd tried two different kinds of wrenches, and
so much WD-40 he couldn't smell anything else and it still was stubborn.

He tried once more and it finally gave. "GOT YOU, you bitch."

"Language," Charley said cheerfully. She was watching from the doorway, with Tripod in her arms.
Possibly she was thinking to try to give the cat a bath, which would not work out well for anyone

"I'll put a quarter in the jar," Tony promised.

"BOSS, it's THURSDAY!" Friday said again.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony picked up his phone. "Oh, right. Surprise day. Let me just put the new shower
head on."

"Your surprise is in your workshop," Friday said.

"Great." Tony put on the new shower head, tested it, attempted to soap and rinse the WD-40 stink
from his hands, gave it up as a bad job, put the tools away in his tool bucket and left the bathroom.
"Don't wash the cat," he told Charley. "He might rust." Which was a lie and Charley knew it,
Tripod's prosthesis was stainless steel, with a high proportion of chromium and nickel.

Tony went out to the workshop. A tall man was standing in front of the shop, peering into the open
door. Tony's heart rate sped up a little, because while the local folks were accustomed to Harley's
'tinkering' and accepted Tony's gadget filled shop as proof that 'it ran in the family', this wasn't
anyone he recognized. People around here didn't wear Burberry coats, with a Mulholland's Deerskin
Rucksack tossed casually over their shoulders.

Then the man turned and smiled at Tony. "Hello. I bring you greetings and best wishes for your
future endeavors."

"Vis!" Tony grinned. "You old son of a... well..." Tony belatedly recalled that Charley had trailed
behind him, cat still in her arms. "How have you been? You're looking good." Vision had learned to
smile like a real person. Tony was so proud of him.

I have been well, Mr..." Vision paused. "Mr. Keener. Friday tells me you have adjusted to a
changed lifestyle."

"Yep. I'm doing good here. So, Friday talks to you."

Charley walked up to Tony and tugged at his shirt sleeve. "I'm Charley," she said, as if reminding
Tony of his manners. "And this is Tripod," she petted the cat's head.

Vision blinked. "I am pleased to meet you. My name is Vincent Addams. I am an old friend of Mr.
Keener's."

"I'm a new friend," Charley said, and then she put the cat down and wandered away, apparently bored.

Vision blinked again. "Tripod's prosthesis appears completely successful

"Yep. Come on in, you can meet Quasimodo. Although it's not an A.I. so there's not so much
meeting as getting out of the sun." Not many people went past the Keener house, but some did, and
as Tony knew, the gossip train operated at great speed. Almost certainly people had already seen
Vision and begun making up stories to account for him, but Tony didn't see the point in adding 'he
hung around outside Sterling's workshop with a backpack, maybe he's a mad bomber'.

Vision looked up at the cloudy sky. "Thank you, that sounds... interesting."

Tony led Vision into the workshop and slid the doors shut behind them. "So, how's everyone doing?
I mean, if you know. I'm not sure where you've been and whether you were in contact with anyone.
I've been watching the news, but there's not much. People seem to be keeping their heads down
and..."

Vision took off his backpack and set it down on the table and opened it.

It was full of refined vibranium.

Tony stared, shocked into silence.

"I have been traveling, assessing the resources and weaknesses of the world, against the coming of
extraterrestrial hostiles, which you have predicted, and I find myself in agreement that scenario is
very likely," Vision said. "This is a gift from Wakanda."

From a side pocket of the rucksack he pulled out a rolled parchment sealed in black wax with the
impression of a snarling panther's mask. "This is documentation signed by the king of Wakanda and
the Wakandan council of elders approving your possession of it, and authorizing you to use it as you
see fit. I am told to say that this is in recognition of the fact that you have demonstrated restraint of
power under severe temptation, and so they have no fear that you will abuse it."

Vision tilted his head. "You are crying, Mr. Keener. Have I upset you?"