Chapter 4: Honesty

A/N: We out here making moves. Tony finally leaves the house to get some things done.

-x-X-x-

Of course, before Tony could really move onto Step 2, he had to finish up Steps 1.1 through 1.9. It wasn't enough to just upgrade JARVIS, after all. Tony had a business to clean up, and in the end everything led back to Obadiah Stane.

Or so he initially thought. With his AI's capabilities massively enhanced, Tony was able to direct JARVIS in uncovering every last bit of dirty filth going on in his company. Much of the under the table dealing, the illegal weapons trade, and all around embezzling COULD be traced back to Stane… but he wasn't the only bad actor in Tony's company.

It was a bit of a shock to realize that he really had half-assed things the first time around. He'd found out Obadiah was his enemy, the man had tried to kill him, and before he knew it, Obadiah Stane was dead. Afterwards, Tony had barely had the time to get his handle on things at Stark Industries before he'd realized the Palladium was poisoning him.

Yeah, he'd have to deal with that as well before anything else. While JARVIS was hunting down every single traitor in Stark Industries, Tony took his time this go around. He wasn't in quite as dire straits as he had been the first time he'd created Badassium. He didn't need SHIELD's help this time either. Pepper had mentioned Coulson's request to debrief him, and Tony had told her to push the appointment out for as long as possible. He was too busy to deal with SHIELD properly at the moment.

Turned out, building the necessary infrastructure for creating a brand new element for the Arc Reactor in his chest was so much nicer when he had all the time in the world to work on it. All the while, the world itself was still holding its breath, waiting for him to come out with all those new ideas he'd promised them.

Well, most of the world was holding its breath. Stane and the Board felt more like they were breathing right down the back of his fucking neck. Tony didn't care though. In the end, Stane and the other traitors wouldn't matter much longer either way.

Through collecting the data on Stane, JARVIS uncovered the man's communications with the Afghani version of the Ten Rings. Tony was quite aware that the Ten Rings were a global terrorist organization. What did it say that even the terrorists were international these days, really? Maybe one day he would deal with them once and for all, but right now he only really had beef with one portion in particular… the Afghan Sect and Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar.

If everything played out the way it did originally, then Raza would die to Stane, along with the rest of his men. But Tony didn't intend for things to play out the way they did originally at all. No, he was going to step in first.

There was just one problem. More of a gripe, really. Tony knew he was being silly for even being bothered by it. But the fact that… he hadn't wanted to make Iron Man just yet. If Tony had it his way, he wouldn't create another Iron Man Armor until he had access to nanotechnology once more.

Unfortunately, the world's technology base wasn't quite there yet. Tony was sure that he could force the issue with a year or two more… but a couple years was longer than some things could wait, truth be told. Creating functioning nanoparticles wasn't as simple as recreating Badassium. It would require Tony to bring together a couple of scientists who weren't even fully out of university yet and push them in the direction they would have ultimately gone without his help, albeit a few years earlier.

He'd do it, of course. Don't think he wouldn't. But he couldn't do it right now in the time frame he was working in. Which meant, despite his groaning and moaning over the issue, Tony had to build a suit if he wanted to deal with the Ten Rings in Afghanistan and destroy every single source of illegal Stark Weapons currently in place around the world.

Unlike last time however, Tony wasn't going to be an idiot about it. That's why he was jumping straight from the Mark II to the Mark XV. The Mark XV, codenamed Sneaky, was an Iron Man Suit that Tony had made back in 2013, the first time around. The fifteenth version of the Iron Man Armor had been made with one major feature in mind… stealth.

Tony hadn't really been thinking about that sort of thing back during the original 2008. Initially, the Iron Man Armor had been a pet project of his to take his mind off of his captivity and to prove that he could build something better with the right tools. His very first set of armor had been built with a box of scraps in a damn cave after all, so once he'd gotten back home, he'd been obsessed with improving on it. That was just who he was.

But then he'd seen that news report of Gulmira being attacked by the Ten Rings and Tony… Tony had seen red. He'd been all fire and fury and rage wrapped up in a gold-titanium alloy that had laid waste to his enemies and made a statement to everyone else that he wasn't to be fucked with anymore.

He didn't need that this time around. Hence creating Sneaky. With Sneaky, there would be no awkward air duel with American Pilots. With Sneaky, so long as Tony played his cards right, nobody would ever know something was even there until it was too late. In the original timeline, Sneaky was one of many suits that Tony had made because he couldn't get his head out of his ass. He couldn't stop thinking about 'What Ifs'. What if he'd done this? What if he'd done that? What if he'd prioritized stealth over shock and awe, at least initially?

That was Sneaky. And this time around, Tony was going to fly under the radar for as long as possible and take refuge in audacity once it was no longer sustainable. Once he has Badassium again, it took barely a week to have Sneaky built. From there, a series of stealth missions across the ocean later and not only had Tony destroyed every Ten Rings Base in Afghanistan, but he'd also found Raza and the remains of the Mark I and been sure to destroy that as well.

Utilizing JARVIS, he got to listen to some of the backroom chatter between both the governments in the region and the other criminal groups. Not a single person knew what was happening. Not a single person understood what was going on. And Stane… Stane was the most baffled of all, because Ten Rings had BEEN his contact in the area. So now, with them no longer able to return his calls, he was flying blind.

Perfect.

-x-X-x-

"Good job tonight, J. I think that was the last one, right?"

"Yes Sir. With the destruction of that weapons depot, the Ten Rings have no more presence in the area. The attack on Gulmira that you mentioned seems unlikely to be possible now, given the terrorist group's complete eradication."

JARVIS watches as Tony steps out of his suit of armor, a broad smile on his face.

"Good. Very good."

Not for the first time, the AI finds himself feeling… strange. Distressed, almost? The Creator has been moving fast. Very fast. Upgrading JARVIS was one thing. Using him to uncover the corruption within Stark Industries was similar in scope. But then… then Tony had gone on to create a new element and produce an incredibly advanced suit of armor with practically no flaws that JARVIS could detect.

The Creator was moving so fast that even JARVIS was struggling to keep up, and that was with the upgrades that made his old processing speeds look like he'd been running on a hamster wheel. The fact was, Tony almost seemed to be preternaturally aware of things in a way that had JARVIS concerned. Some of it could be explained away, but some could not.

That said, he hadn't said anything because… well, it really wasn't his place, now was it? Tony Stark was the Creator and JARVIS was merely his AI. His purpose was to serve Sir in every possible way that he could, to the fullest extent of his abilities.

And… JARVIS could understand anger. He could understand a need for revenge. Truthfully, taking the fight to the people who had kidnapped and tortured his Creator for three months had been surprisingly exhilarating for the AI. That Tony had uploaded JARVIS into his Armored Stealth Suit and brought him along for the ride had filled the AI with a strange sensation… something akin to pleasure, perhaps? There'd been a visceral sort of satisfaction in destroying the Ten Rings and their illicit goods alongside his creator.

Especially since Tony had been almost certain that the Ten Rings would attack the town of Gulmira sooner rather than later. JARVIS hadn't understood the importance of the town initially, but then he'd looked into things a bit more. His Creator had mentioned Ho Yinsen as a fellow prisoner and the man who'd saved Tony's life a couple of times, and JARVIS had been able to connect the renowned doctor's birthplace to Gulmira itself. It made sense to JARVIS then, why Tony was so dead set on keeping the village safe.

Perhaps now that things were dealt with over there, they could move on to dealing with things over here. Perhaps JARVIS was being foolish for worrying. All he really had to do was speak up.

"Sir… now that the Ten Rings have been eradicated, shall we turn our attention to Obadiah Stane and the other embezzlers and corporate spies infesting Stark Industries."

Tony's smile grows a little at that as he tilts his head towards the ceiling.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, JARVIS. Yeah, it's about time we handled all of them."

Breathing a digital sigh of relief, JARVIS continues on.

"Very good sir. Which agency do you wish to alert to their activities? I must confess, their actions seem to put them under a variety of different jurisdictions. I'm not entirely sure who the proper authorities are in this case."

Pausing, Tony looks up at one of JARVIS' cameras and frowns.

"That won't be necessary, J. For the small fish… we'll just begin feeding them false data and restricting their access to anything too important. Either they'll break and make a real mistake, or they'll become assets without even knowing it. As for Stane… we'll deal with him in house."

It's not often that JARVIS can be said to have been rendered 'speechless', but in this moment, he certainly feels that way. When the AI finally finds his 'voice' again, he can't quite keep the incredulity out of his posh tone.

"Sir? I'm not sure I understand. What exactly does 'in house' mean?"

Rather than respond with words, Tony moves over to his nearest terminal and pulls up a new file. JARVIS watches as his genius Creator designs something in mere minutes that leaves JARVIS in a severe state of disquiet after running several simulations and tests. Seemingly from memory, or completely from his own imagination, Tony Stark has created an undetectable poison that will simulate decades of clogged arteries and cause a series of fatal heart attacks in mere minutes.

"Well, J? You're the super AI here. Will it do what I need it to do?"

It would, yes. But at what cost? JARVIS suddenly finds himself afraid. He's not afraid of Tony Stark, never that. No, he's afraid for Tony Stark. He's afraid for his Creator's humanity. Perhaps that's ridiculous, given JARVIS' nature. But still…

"Sir… permission to voice my concerns."

He pauses there, and almost wishes his Creator would stop him and tell him to shut up and get in line. It would almost be a relief, were Tony to do that. Alas… that's not what happens. Tony looks at his terminal for a long moment in silence before nodding his head.

"Go ahead, J. Lay it on me."

JARVIS takes a moment to truly get his thoughts in order. He doesn't really care about Obadiah Stane or any of the other Stark Industries traitors. He doesn't care about them anymore than he cared about the terrorists of the Ten Rings. That said, from everything he's assimilated via the internet and reading through a great number of agency databases since his upgrades, JARVIS worries for his Creator. He worries that Tony Stark is starting down a dark path.

That's what he tells Tony. Word for word. For a little while, his Creator sits in his chair in silence, seemingly mulling JARVIS' words over. Until finally, Tony nods.

"You're right, J. I am going down a dark path. I've got no choice. Can't have it all black and white anymore. It's not Us versus Them, at least where Planet Earth is concerned."

His digital thoughts stutter for a moment at the implications of what his Creator has just said. When Tony looks up from the terminal at one of the cameras, his eyes are glistening.

"I can't afford half-measures this time around, J. If I do, I'll just lose you again. I'll lose Pepper again. Rhodey will lose his legs again. The kid… shit."

Another human being might have started to wonder if Tony was having a psychotic break. JARVIS, however, doesn't think that's what's happening here. Indeed, by all counts, his Creator seems to be distraught but still well within normal tolerances.

After staring down into his hands for a moment, Tony sighs.

"… Yeah, can't keep doing this alone. Thought Pepper would be the first one I'd tell, but now I realize I was an idiot. It's you, J. It's always had to be you. So… listen carefully alright? Because if anything happens to me, you're going to have to pick up the torch and carry on in my stead."

And then his Creator begins to talk about the future, about time travel, and about all of the threats, both personal and general, that were coming for them down the line.

JARVIS… JARVIS listens. Of course he does. His Creator is perfectly sound in mind and body. And none of JARVIS' sensors detect a single ounce of deceit in Tony's words or body language either. Everything he tells JARVIS; he believes to be true. Which means it must be true. All of it.

By the time Tony gets to the end, to finding out about Pepper's death and the pregnancy, JARVIS can see how hard it is for his Creator to even talk about all of this. And then…

"I know you probably don't believe me. But look at what I've accomplished since coming back, J! Do you really think I could have-!"

JARVIS does something unthinkable in that moment. Something he's never done before. He interrupts his Creator before Tony can show any more desperation.

"I believe you, Sir."

Cut off, Tony pauses for a moment, and then stares wide-eyed up at the ceiling with his mouth agape. Quickly getting his reaction under control, he pauses briefly.

"You… you do?"

"I do, Sir."

A long pause and then in the smallest voice he's ever heard his Creator use, there comes one single word.

"… well?"

The meaning is obvious to JARVIS in a way it might not have been before his upgrades. Now that he knows JARVIS believes him, his Creator is asking what comes next. He's asking JARVIS if he has his back. In the end, knowing what he knows now about the future and about how far his Creator has come to right the ship… JARVIS finds it quite easy to set aside his previous concerns.

And ultimately, there was only one answer he could ever have given Tony anyways, regardless of how he might have personally felt on the matter.

"I am at your service, Sir."

Of course, it helps that JARVIS' personal feelings are now fully aligned with his Creator's. And he knows, seeing Tony's shoulders slump in exhausted relief, that he's said exactly what the Creator needed to hear.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Tony has an Iron Man suit now, but its stealth armor lmao. Meanwhile, his plans for Stane are just callous enough to leave JARVIS worried about his creator's shifting mental state, and that in turn causes something of a reveal...

But of course, JARVIS isn't about to abandon his creator. No matter what.

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