Chapter Text
The hall hushed.
Seamlessly, the last few visitors slipped into the back rows of the auditorium and slid themselves into the assigned seating. The whirr of the moving walkway was muted and the lights dimmed gradually. A beep sounded shyly off in the corner. Someone on the side adjusted their phone with some embarrassment and then settled back in. The silence crackled with electricity.
“Ladies!” the man on the podium cried out in glee, throwing up his arms in welcome. “…and that other not important gender…”
A small surf of giggles rose up and then impatiently died down again.
“I trust that you all had a good fifteen-minute break, and I hope you were just itching to get back to business – I know I was. I purchased a very special backscratcher for the itch, as a matter of fact. Very easily, without even opening up my laptop or so much as lifting a finger to my eBay app. But I’m sure that’s not news, seeing as how we’ve been discussing the more fine-line details of android support systems for the past hour or so.” The speaker flashed a stainless smile and turned around to glance at the lady behind him, by the curtain. “Pepper, let’s demonstrate, shall we?”
The elegant figure moved forward, ginger hair swinging behind her back as she walked over, creating an effect akin to nearly swimming. The elegance of the steps was enough to cause mild vertigo – and immediately, the audience reacted accordingly, almost hilariously in sync, by tilting their heads to the side. The speaker’s eyes slipped over to them and then moved away again quickly, hiding a smirk.
No matter what, humans could still tell what was and wasn’t one of them. An innate instinct… perhaps even a spiritual one.
Something he might have to fix in the future.
Pepper arrived at his side quickly – but by then he was almost already too lost in thought to continue with the presentation.
“Let me see – how about we go shopping? Just for an example. Right here, right now, no gadgets, no credit cards… Well, not ones you have to pull out, anyway. Nothing is required in terms of effort except the effort of talking to a pretty lady.”
More laughter, though quieter now. They were listening.
“How about a trampoline? I think that sounds like a great idea. Let’s buy a trampoline, Pep.” He smiled at his eager crowd. “What brand shall we look for? Anyone has any experience with these things?”
After a little while, someone in the front called out a name.
“Good – I’ll trust you completely, young man. I hope you don’t disappoint me, seeing as I consider my jumping experience to be extremely crucial to my work ethic… Now then, we can set a price range – a delivery time range, a size, a color, anything you want. The specifics are as endless as the internet itself.” He clasped his hands together. “Let’s say I want a pink one – as big as the swimming pool!”
Pepper paused after a second and then looked up. “There are 9 hits to your description. Indicate price range?” she asked politely.
“The most expensive one they have,” he replied, and then grinned at the chuckling observers again. “Buy it on my Paypal account.”
“One hot-pink trampoline, diameter 5 meters, shipping out from Florida by Business-class mail. Confirm?” Pepper inquired.
“Make that Express delivery,” he corrected.
“Express delivery mail - change made. Confirm?”
“Fire away.” He rubbed his hands together happily. “This should be fun. You’re all invited, of course! But not to jump; just to watch me jump. You can take pictures – I’ll make sure to wear something flattering. Or nothing. Which, for me, is flattering anyway.” He laughed along with them this time and then motioned for Pepper to move back.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, this order was made on terms of voice recognition. You could also go into the settings and change it to either fingerprint and iris-scan identity confirmation. Your personal android will know whether you are actually you – and not your uncle bob, and not your twin. We have taken precautions to make this experience safe, and you can believe that I am working to better it every day. This includes not only purchases but also bank transactions, stock market moves, business strategies and bill payments… Is there anything I missed? I mean, you all know I own a backscratcher now – or I will when I get home and the package is there, waiting for me – but do you really think I’ll scratch my own back? No! Pepper will do it for me, of course, she’s that much of a sweetheart.”
More laughter – he sensed his ending kick. They were already impressed. He had to wrap this up neatly.
“This isn’t only a personal at-home PC encased in nice hardware – if you know what I mean, ey? This leading technology will make itself available to medical facilities, to business corporations, to elderly homes – everywhere we can stand to combine the power of the future with the old, familiar smile of the past. We’re not just doing entertainment, here, ladies and gentlemen! We’re opening a new door into interaction with our own technology! This is the first step into what could be the most seamless ascent into an impossibly more efficient system of not only existing but also LIVING. And we all love to do that, don’t we? Now, if you have any questions…” He waved his arms, spread them out, and threw a broad fishing net glance at the audience.
For a while, no one said anything. Shocked, they were, probably, by the looks of it. That didn’t bother him one bit, though. He expected that.
But then a hand went up in the back of the auditorium.
“I’m sorry if this is prying, but we know that the first androids were developed by your father, some years ago – the non-working proto-types.”
He grinned, imitating his Crest commercial smile. “That’s correct.”
“And I know you’ve managed to further the research to finally bring them to life,” the questioner continued. “Recent rumors have suggested that you have discovered one of the antiques in your father's holding cells – the very first android to ever be developed 50 years ago, and that you have finally managed to upgrade the system enough to interact with the interface and make the android useable.
“Yes, that is true as well,” There was nodding to accompany this, and steepling his fingers together expectantly.
“Do you plan to donate this android to the museum?”
A flicker of an unexpressed emotion crossed the smiling face. It seemed like the corner of the mouth holding up the smile flinched and let go, but then caught the shining grin again. “No, I do not.”
Everyone was watching him now.
The reporter continued “Then what, pray tell, do you plan to use the android for, Mr. Stark?”
Tony Stark pursed his lips, folded his hands behind his back and tipped back on his heels like a four-year old. This time, instead of faltering, his grin seemed to grow – and although the physical manifestation of his joy had limits, it seemed that the utter excitement emanating from his persona was endless. His eyes sparkled.
“For science,” he replied.