thecapitol | I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

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I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

WHO| Tony Stark, and anyone who can see him!
WHAT| Tony is not really loving this whole kidnapping death match thing
WHEN| 11th of the May
WHERE| Several locations in the tower
WARNINGS| References to the end of Winter Soldier but it's only a spoiler if you haven't seen it or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But you can avoid it by not reading what Tony's doing/thinking on the roof

--

[District 12's floor]

After Tony had told the Gamemakers what they could do with their evaluations and had been left in his room with a communicator and a credit card, he stood in his room for a moment staring at both. Then after a moment he dispassionately drops the card on the bedside table and starts turning the communicator over in his hands.

Sure it wasn't the first time he was taken away from what he knew and threatened with death, really it's starting to become a major theme in his life, he's had better themes to be honest, just as destructive, but on the whole more fun. However this was the first time he was kidnapped, given an allowance and technology. He isn't sure if it's amature, or cocky but he's not going to pass it up. Frowning a little Tony pockets the communicator then starts looking through his room as he runs a hand through his hair now and then. Clothes, Shoes, a remote (Which he also pockets) but no much else. Frowning at what he's found he leaves the room and turns his attention to ferreting his way around the floor as a whole, for now he's staying out of the bedrooms but if he can't find so much as a screw driver, very narrow knife or a broad fork he's going to invade privacies.

But as it is, right now he needs what he knows, and that's playing with tech, and he's probably not being quiet in his looking as he loudly moves things about and mutters to himself.

[Central Commons - Cocktail Bar]

After his attacking of his floor for something to do, Tony started to feel a little claustrophobic and found his way to the bar, something else that was familiar enough to act as a calming agent. You know what Tony also finds calming? Scotch. When he orders, he doesn't even realise it's free, he's just assumed they've given him an automatic tab, which for him isn't unusual.
He contemplates the two neat amber fingers in the glass then toasts the air.

"Here's to kidnappers with a resort and open bar."

He takes a drink and takes in who's wandering around the bar, feeling the twinge of homesickness. It's weird being held hostage but not you know being threatened with pain if you don't build a weapon for them while being allowed to apparently roam free for the moment.

[Roof]

The homesickness got to him for a while so after just idely riding the elevator with no purpose, Tony takes it up to the roof. It's about as quite as a roof top in a large city can be and if he closes his eyes he can almost pretend he's standing on the landing pad back in New York, Pepper listing the names of S.H.I.E.L.D agents who have jumped that sneaky ship and are banging on his doors for work.

He runs a hand over his face and huffs, he really needs to quit being a hypocrite with all this sentimentality of his. He walks to the edge and looks down seeing what little he can of the busy streets.

Tony let's his mind tick back to when he was told that he had been selected for a battle to the death.

"If this is going to involve swords, and war horses then I am in a lot of trouble."

He could probably use another drink. Actually, what he could really use is Pepper.

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"Survive, mostly. It was all somewhat..." He gropes for words for a moment. "Post-apocalyptic."

A haunted look flashes through his expression for half a moment as he finishes off his beer, placing the empty glass back on the bar top before returning the question. "What about you? Something with a lot of face time with other people, is my guess."

He didn't miss how well rehearsed that smile and handshake were.

While Tony has no experience with post-apocalyptic worlds, he does at least understand the haunted look and decides not to let his curiosity of what that could be like.

"Uh. You could say that, yeah. I own a multinational company whose leading the market in sustainable free energy, and I privatised world peace."

He takes a drink before adding.

"I also was big in the party scenes too."

"Privatized world peace?" Albert cocks at eyebrow at that. "How... enterprising of you."

Can you even do that?

"If you managed to achieve world peace, my hat's off to you. It seems to be an impossible thing."

"I had the time and the, tools for it."

You can when you're Tony Stark.

"Wait. I said I privatised it. Not achieved it, I'm just really good at what I do."

"Ah, I misunderstood." Albert grins a bit. "Though I am somewhat curious what sort of tools one could use to do that with."

"A highly advanced life support and flight system, to be specific actually. With an uploaded A.I."

Tony says casually as if it was hardly a big deal.

At the mention of A.I. Albert tenses up visibly, suddenly cautious instead of the relaxed posture he'd had moments ago. "You're a robotics and computer engineer?"

"I'm also a mechanic and full time philanthropist. Something wrong with that?"

He adds casually, curious and cautious as to why Albert tenses.

"Negative personal experiences in the field." He shakes his head, forcing himself to relax. "I apologize for my reaction, it has nothing to do with you personally."

Obviously, considering they've never met before today.

"Homicidal A.I's and killer robots are something of a reoccurring hazard in my line of work." Y'know, hero-ing.

"Can't say I've ever had to deal with killer robots or homicidal A.I." He pauses "Smartass A.I I get more than I'd like sometimes."

That's a lie, he likes J.A.R.V.I.S' personality, but why give that away?

"You must have an interesting line of work."

"Interesting is one thing to call it, yes. Lacking your world peace plan, there were people and organizations that needed fighting. My allies and I fought them." He shrugs as if it's no big deal. They'd lost so much in that continuing fight, but it was something necessary and he's accustomed to no one really knowing, no matter how many times they'd stopped various megalomaniacal madmen or religious fanatics from trying to literally blow up various portions of the world.

"I was part of the German military for awhile, mostly training and desk work, until the world went to pot again. Then it was more of the same." Or at least what he remembers of it. Let's leave out the part where he suddenly woke up a clone in some indeterminate post apocalyptic future with no idea how his previous life ended. They'd showed footage in that expose the Captiol put together, but he has no memory of it at all.

"And now I'm here." He finishes with a small flourish of his hand and takes up his glass again, thankfully refilled due to an attentive barkeep.

"So." Tony starts as he gives a contemplative nod. "Things haven't changed too much for you then. With the exception of free drinks?"

Tony smirks clearly aiming to raise the mood, so far his mood shifts have been so all over the place due to everyone he's met or things he's been told that really he has alcohol, and it's soul purpose is to make him happy (Also to hide but even he won't admit that to himself.), so he wants some more cheer into this situation.

And the lack of free will, his mind supplies moodily, but he doesn't say it out loud. Albert's companion is clearly trying to lighten things up, not darken them.

"Basically." He raises his glass in affirmation, a toast to how the more things change, the more they stay the same. "What about you? Adjusting alright? Given the circumstances."

He knows the answer is closer to no than either of them will admit. They are sitting at a bar with the express purpose of drowning their sorrows. "The level of technology must not be much of a shock for you as it is for others, at least."

"The level of technology isn't that much of a shock. The not letting me get into the systems is what's getting to me."

If there was one thing Tony couldn't stand it was having technology in front of him and not having a way to get into the inner workings to make them work for him.

"Otherwise, almost feels kind of the same."

"They've got all kinds of security." Albert shakes his head, finishing off his drink. He's going through them rather more quickly than usual. "If I had my cybernetics, then maybe but..."

He trails off, swirling the dregs of his glass.

Tony nods at him.

"You're not wrong there, I could really do a lot here if I had J.A.R.V.I.S with me. Unfortunatly."

He just stares into the glass for a moment.

"Jarvis?" An assistant maybe? Or a mentor? Either way he can't imagine wishing this place on anyone but your worst enemy.

"Uh he's. Well you could call him my computer, other people call him my butler and that works too. Both aren't the most accurate these days though."

He knows there's better ways to describe J.A.R.V.I.S and he has used them, but sometimes even Tony likes to go simple with his explanations... Occasionally.

"Your A.I." Albert supplies for him. "I suppose they wouldn't afford you the materials to rebuild it. It would be too dangerous for their delicate sensibilities."

He needs another beer. Or not really, considering the last few have loosened his tongue enough already, but he still wants another. He's getting far too old to be dealing with this sort of shit...

"I'd call him more than just that. But it's workable. Yeah, somehow I don't think they'd let me build something capable of working his way into their systems to let me learn everything, either."

Unlike Albert, Tony's not even contemplating his want for liquor, he just gestures for more when ever his glass is empty and still doing a remarkable job of seeming sober.

A better job than Albert, anyway. He can hold his liquor, certainly, but he'd already been several in before he noticed Tony and though he may not be slurring, his mood has tanked low enough between the ambiance and the topics to be somewhat dangerous.

"Could you do that? If you had the right components?" Maybe he's someone Lonestar could use, if he really is as philanthropic as he says.

As yet, Tony doesn't realise how potentially dangerous this topic could become, so his answer comes easily.

"With the right components, I could not only build another AI like JARVIS. I could rebuild my armor."

And he really does miss his armor.

"Armor? That would help in the arena maybe but not outside it." He finishes another glass and shoves it away with finality. Jet will kill him if he's too drunk and he might already be there.

"The Capitol comes at you in other ways. Punishes friends, loved ones, perfect strangers for your crimes."

"It's not the knight of the old kind of armor."

Tony watches him push away the glass and thinks about what he says.

"People have done that to me before."

And it never ended up working out for anyone who did that, however he still can't help but think about the time he couldn't say Pepper. But the potential for that to happen again isn't going to stop him.

"I didn't think that's what you meant, but it doesn't matter. They won't let you build it. As for the rest, I can't decide if you're brave or foolhardy. When I say they'll come at those close to you, they are not limited to those here. They pulled us here, they can pull others. I've seen it."

Albert stands, deciding he's not for company any longer. He tosses money on the counter.

"If that still doesn't stop you, then good luck I suppose. Just try not to get too many innocent people killed. It's a difficult burden to bear."

He inclines his head by way of goodbye and turns to go, hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket.

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arrogantalloy - 2014-06-22 04:31 (UTC) - Expand

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