“I will have to inform Mr. Stark that you have overridden my security commands and gained unauthorized entry,” the mechanical yet rather pleasant voice told him.

“You can inform Mr. Stark upon his arrival,” Nick Fury noted, tapping a few more commands on his control pad, then pocketing it and looking around. Tasteful art on the walls, yet the way he figured it, Tony Stark had had no hand in picking them out. He had other people for that.

“You have prevented me from informing Mr. Stark,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’ voice commented dryly from the hidden speakers. It was like a ghost; a disembodied voice, yet Fury kept expecting to see a shape moving out of the corner of his eye.

“I have,” he said frankly, stepping over to the wide set of windows looking out over the water.

“May I enquire after the purpose of your visit?” J.A.R.V.I.S. asked, ever so polite. He wondered if the program had emotions at all. Could someone program emotions? Well, if anyone could, it would be Tony Stark.

“You may,” he replied.

J.A.R.V.I.S. waited.

Fury didn’t speak. If the program was anything like its master –

“The purpose of your visit, sir?”

“Social call,” he replied, looking out still. It made him wonder… “Mr. Stark is a rather eccentric, lonesome personality, is he not?”

“One could see it that way,” the program replied.

“Yet he built you.”

There was silence.

Fury smiled. A man who did what he wanted, with anyone he wanted… and yet he built himself this slightly British-accented, highly developed and intelligent program – to do what? Run his household?

“J.A.R.V.I.S.?” Tony Stark called out, walking in.

J.A.R.V.I.S. went to answer, but Fury shut it down for now; he didn’t want to be interrupted.

It was time to see how well Mr. Stark could play with others. A lone wolf… or a team player.