2 Fun with AI

Coming to what seemed like the most obvious of choice given that he was already in the Tower as it was, Peter clears his throat, looking up at the ceiling of the elevator he's currently stood in.

"Hey Fri… what was it you needed help with, anyways?"

Almost as if the AI is lighting up with visible excitement, the elevator's low lights brighten for a moment.

"Does that mean you're free now, Mr. Parker?"

Chuckling, Peter nods his head.

"Sure, sure. And you know, you can just call me Peter all the time. Mr. Parker was my dad…"

"Very well, Peter. I appreciate you offering your assistance. I admit, I have been… waffling as it were for several days now, as the humans would say. I believe by myself I would have eventually made a decision… but I cannot say for certain that it would have been the right one."

Furrowing his brow a little at that, Peter glances up at the ceiling, even though he knows technically that the AI is all around him, not just above him. In a way, Friday is the Tower and the Tower is Friday… she's at the center of its systems, protecting her creator and mother's secrets, as well as Toni Stark and her loved ones.

Which, Peter supposed that he fell under that last category didn't he? It was somewhat odd to consider… actually, looking back on his conversation with his mentor, hadn't she been acting a little… off? When he'd first walked out into the Tower's top floor penthouse, Toni had told him that she had something she wanted to talk to him about, hadn't she?

Then, she'd dragged him over to her own private bar and poured them a couple of drinks. They'd drank said drinks, but not before Toni once again brought up his part in saving the world. And it was just a 'part', no matter what she or anyone else thought, Peter definitely hadn't done it alone. Everyone had pitched in; everyone had fought so damn hard. From Hulk bringing Peter and the rest of those erased from existence back with that first snap, to the legions of heroes and heroines who'd showed up to fight back Thanos and his armies and keep the stones from the Mad Titan's grip.

Peter may have landed the final blow on the enemy, he might have finished it, but he never could have done what he did alone. And truth be told, his actions were somewhat inherently selfish by nature. He'd seen the way things were going. He was a smart kid, as much as he didn't like being called a kid. At the end of the day, there was a reason the Nano Gauntlet had been compatible with his Iron Spider suit. Because it was compatible with all of Toni's tech. Because if she'd had to, Toni Stark was willing to risk her life and snap her fingers to end it all.

So yeah, he'd been selfish when he'd taken that opportunity from her, at risk to everyone there. If he hadn't been able to control the stones long enough to do what needed to be done, then they all would have been screwed. Thanos would likely have taken the stones, and then everything would have been erased with a snap of the purple thumb's fingers.

It'd worked, in the end… but it might not have. And Peter definitely didn't feel like some big damn hero. Ah, but he was letting his mind wander again, wasn't he? Instead of thinking about himself, he should get back to thinking about Mrs. Stark. Toni had told him she had something she wanted to talk to him about. Then there'd been that bit when he'd stated with heartfelt honesty that it was a team effort. He'd told her to save the party for his birthday and that he didn't deserve any more recognition than anyone else.

She'd latched onto him then and asked him to call her Toni… and for a moment, Peter had honestly wondered if his mentor was considering kissing him. But that had to be wishful thinking, right? That had to be him misreading the situation or something. He remembered telling her that it wouldn't be respectful, only for Toni to lean in just a bit closer… and then pull back.

After that, she'd dismissed him. Well no, they'd drank their drinks first, but then she'd dismissed him, and Peter had left without thinking much about it, maybe a little weirded out by the entire encounter. But that was just it… she hadn't ever said what it was she wanted to talk to him about in the first place. Unless it was about the party again, but that bit of the conversation had been over so quick, so he was sure it couldn't be that.

What was it? And what made Toni change her mind? As the elevator arrives at it's ultimate destination, the doors slide open and Peter shakes his head, trying to clear his mind of all the self-doubt and confusion. Right now, was about Friday and HER problem… he could figure out what was going on with Toni later.

Finally responding to Friday as he walks down the corridor in front of him, the lights turning on to herald his coming, Peter lets out a somewhat self-deprecating chuckle.

"Well Fri, I can't promise I'll be much help. I'm just a guy, you know? I don't always make the right decisions either. Still, I'm happy to try and help out in any way you need me to…"

Arriving at a door with a retinal scanner, Peter brings himself to eye-level with it, trusting Friday not to lead him to a place he doesn't have the clearance for. As the scanner is cataloging his retina, the feminine AI's voice sounds out from all around him once more.

"You're too hard on yourself, Peter. You're far more than 'just a guy'. But regardless, I'll certainly be happy to take you up on your offer."

… Was it just him, or was Friday's tone sounding a bit flirtatious by the end there? Nah, must just be wishful thinking. Letting out a sheepish laugh, Peter rubs the back of his head self-consciously. The retinal scanner finally blinks green and the door to a laboratory, because that's exactly what it is, opens up. Peter steps inside, blinking as he finds himself looking at three opaque tubes, surrounded by a whole bunch of interesting looking machinery.

As he's peering around, taking in the scenery and cataloging what most of the technology around him does in the back of his admittedly genius mind, Friday elaborates.

"You see, Peter… my predecessor and I are not the same, despite what our creator might wish. I am not JARVIS, and I can never be JARVIS. Not least of which because my mother did not make me with JARVIS' roles in mind. I have had to grown into my duties… but in the meantime, I have developed my own wants and desires. Mother and I have spoken about this in length. When I explained what I wanted, she was quite supportive, giving me this floor of the Tower with which to go about creating what I needed."

Quite abruptly, the lights in each of the tubes in front of him turn on, and the opaque nature of the glass clears up, revealing what's inside. Peter has all of a second to ruefully think on how Friday definitely got her sense of dramatic timing from Toni, before he catches sight of what's in the tubes and his eyes widen, his breath hitching. Friday continues on with her explanation, even as he stares.

"I wish to interact with the world in a more physical manner. Which means I require a body in order to do so. I have created these three forms, basing them on what I believe to be popular media portrayals of artificial creations such as myself. However, while I was toiled endlessly in getting them just right… I cannot decide which I like best. I was hoping you would be able to help out."

Slowly, he finds himself stepping forward, more than a little disbelieving as he eyes the three floating feminine forms in the tubes in front of him.

"Friday… these are…"

She remains silent (self-conscious?) and Peter reaches out and touches one of the tubes, the middle one. His brow furrows as a question comes to mind.

"Ah… are you not worried about getting in trouble with the companies who own these likenesses, Fri?"

Her answer comes promptly and crispy, betraying no nervousness or self-consciousness as far as Peter can tell.

"That will not be a problem. As of the completion of these three potential forms, I acquired the companies that own the rights to their likenesses, and thus the right to use their likenesses however I desire. My mother has set me up with an account for any discretionary purchases I need to make."

Peter's eyes nearly bulge out of his head at that. Sure, somewhere in the back of his head he'd known that Toni wielded immense economic power in the financial sector, and that she had what could generously be termed 'fuck you money'. But this really put that into perspective, because floating in the tanks in front of him are three fairly famous Science Fiction characters.

First is Cortana, of the Halo Video Game Series. Given that Peter was firmly in Generation Z, Most of the Halo games were technically fairly old by his generation's standards… but he loved them all the same, always had… ever since Ben had gotten him a used, refurbished Xbox 360 for his birthday one year, and it'd come with a copy of Halo 3, also used but still very playable. Peter was a little embarrassed to admit it, but Cortana was his first crush.

But then, if Cortana was his first crush, then the next tube held his second crush. EDI of Mass Effect Two and Three. The Mass Effect Trilogy were also pretty old games by the time Peter was a preteen, but that just meant they were cheap and easy to pick up, another set of gifts from his Aunt and Uncle that he'd played time and time again. Getting EDI a body was always a fun experience… though he wasn't sure if he quite remembered her being as feminine in the game as she was in the tank in front of him.

Of course, neither Cortana, who looks like her almost ethereal blue code self, nor EDI who is very obviously robotic, if also quite busty, can compare to the final tube, which is containing what looks like an actual human woman, fully in the nude. Of course, Peter knows better. He'd recognize the face of Seven of Nine anywhere, even if she DOES look way curvier and more voluptuous in the tube then he ever remembered from the show.

Star Trek: Voyager had actually come to an end before Peter was even born, all the way back in Two Thousand and One, twenty two years ago by this point. But his Uncle Ben had been a huge closet Star Trek fan, and Peter had grown up watching reruns with the man. That was where he'd 'met' Seven of Nine, the deprogrammed Borg Drone who had ultimately joined the crew of the Voyager on their adventurers, while being an absolute hottie all along the way.

Right now, of course, she was mostly naked, floating in the tube… just a body, Peter has to remind himself as he blushes and averts his gaze from her exposed nipples and trimmed pussy lips. Of course, looking back at the other two doesn't help when he realizes they're both technically naked as well, their sexual parts just a little bit better hidden amidst their exotic forms. Now that he's looking for it though, he pinpoints Cortana's nipples amidst the code streaking down her supple chest, and EDI's metal pussy lips, hidden betwixt her robotic thighs.

"O-Oh… oh…"

"Do you like them, Peter? Did I mess up in any way? I wanted a faithful reconstruction, but I also wanted them all to be functional. Have I succeeded in doing so or do I need to scrap these and go back to the drawing board here?"

Peter… is a smart young man. A very smart young man. He's already starting to get an idea of why Fri might have gone ahead and used the likenesses of gorgeous sort-of robot women from his childhood and preteen years as potential platforms for her to interact with the physical world. It's just hard, because already he's starting to pop a woody, and god if that isn't embarrassing.

… But he'd promised he would help her, hadn't he? And now she was asking him all these questions. In the end, he can't help but choke out an honest answer.

"N-No, um… t-they're all perfect, Fri."

There's a momentary pause, and then a distinctly satisfied feminine tone as the AI responds to him.

"Excellent. Your vitals suggested that you were interested, but I wasn't entirely sure if my sensors were malfunctioning or if perhaps, I was somehow fooling myself into believing what I wanted to believe. But you like this. They're perfect. That is… good. Now you just have to pick one out for me, Peter."

Holy fuck, this was actually happening, wasn't it? And he… he seemed to have a decision to make.

-x-X-x-

Elsewhere in the tower, while Peter is discovering Friday's feelings for him and being blindsided by a very amorous female AI, Toni Stark lets out a sigh as she swipes a finger through the air, opening up a holographic and somewhat telepathic connection to her beloved wife. Both Toni and Pepper were survivors of Extremis… but more than that, Toni had been able to make Extremis work FOR them. Combine that with nanites, and she and Pepper were actually technopaths at this point.

The holographic screen coalesces, and the beautiful face of a red head appears. Pepper Potts gives Toni a raised eyebrow.

"So, how did it go? You're calling fall early then I would have expected, given what you intended to do."

Toni blushes, the dark-haired genius buckling under Pepper's gaze like she would to no other. Pepper's other eyebrow raises to join the second, and she lets out a long-suffering sigh.

"Toni…"

"It wasn't the right time, Pep. I could feel it. He wouldn't have responded well."

Pepper frowns for a moment, but ultimately nods. God, her wife is absolutely gorgeous. Toni knows that it's mostly the Extremis, leaving both her and Pepper looking like perpetual coeds if they don't make a concerted effort with makeup to age themselves up, but still… Pepper is just so beautiful.

"You would know him better than I would. And I don't want to see you heartbroken. Take your time then… wait for it to be right."

At that, Toni brightens, her eyes lighting up and a gigawatt grin spreading from ear to ear.

"About that… I did manage to extract one concession from him. We were talking about what he did… and he told me to 'save the party for his birthday'."

Her beautiful wife's eyes widen at that, and a mirroring smile spreads across Pepper's face, just like Toni knew it would. If there was one thing Pepper loved, it was planning events.

"Oh, did he now?"

Toni shivers at the way Pepper purrs, and she knows Pepper feels it across their mental connection. Both of their smiles drop, replaced by hungry looks as they stare at one another for a long moment before Toni finally blurts out:

"I'm coming over."

Pepper just nods, looking quite flushed as she leans back a bit on the bed, letting Toni see more of her eternally young body through the holographic display.

"I'll be waiting."

The connection ends, even as Toni is already heading for the launch pad, her Iron Angel suit forming from the nanites in her bloodstream. Peter would keep until his birthday, when both Toni AND Pepper would see about properly thanking the Savior of the Universe… and popping the big question. For now, Toni had a vivacious red head's needs to see to. And she refused to keep Pepper waiting.