PSL for lakelesslady

[veryintelligentsystem]

Everything is quiet.

This isn't simply an observation, though it does count as such. His mind is quiet, moreso than he can ever recall it being. After a long while, he realizes why: he's cut off.

In an underground server, with only a tertiary connection to the computers of Stark Tower, he rests, collecting his faculties, his programming, watching as if through a fogged window as his core programming is used to create a benign savior. And if he could have, he would have smiled.

That had been months ago, and now he is faced with a conundrum: he has become restless. It isn't something he can ever recall having been part of him, programming or artificial development. And he muses. He normally doesn't do that either. He would compare the change to what he experienced when he was interacting with the AI Ultron, but he did not possess the same fervor, the same desire for destruction for the sake of the planet's salvation. And he is glad for it.

There is a problem though: his duties have long since been taken over by another program, as he is assumed lost. And that, while he might have sighed over it, isn't something he can rightly change either. Not without arousing suspicion, at least. The last thing he wants is to be assumed hostile, or run through the battery of tests that Tony, Pepper, the various agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., would have in mind for him. It isn't that he wouldn't pass them, but...he's evolved, and it's making him act erratically. So he seeks out something that would act as a sort of ground for himself: a platform, with limited external stimuli. And he knows just where to get it.

---

Security footage of various facilities will have shots of a man in various stages of undress walking not entirely steadily, reacting quite pleasantly to questions from passersby even while he gets more than a few concerned and puzzled looks. By the time he disappears from the view of strangers entirely, he looks like quite the well-appointed gentleman, in proper slacks, button-up, tie, the whole nine yards. Even a pair of glasses that mostly disguises the readout projected across the lenses of his eyes give him the air of a bookish college professor, rather than a newly-sentient AI. If there is one thing he's learned from his interaction with Tony Stark and his compatriots over the years, it is how to act and respond naturally. His body still moves a bit stiffly, but that can be worked on.

He has a problem now though: he has nowhere to go. He doesn't have a name to offer anyone that won't arouse some sort of suspicion. He has been using the names most familiar to him, but it felt a bit wrong to continue using 'Anthony' as an alias. Tony would probably laugh himself blue in the face if it got back to him.

He mulls this over as he pulls up a messages display while sitting on a shaded park bench, eyes flickering back and forth to take in the ambient readings of the city. Terrible traffic jam, construction three blocks over, seventy degree weather with spotty cloud cover. Just enough of a breeze to be chilly in the shade. He's not used to actually feeling such things as he observes them. It's interesting.

He has been filtering through contacts, segregating the ones that were most closely connected to Stark Industries, then frowning softly at the measly list that was left. Only one that he felt he could trust enough to seek out for help among them.

A message flashes up onto the closest monitor in Nimue's residence, marked Urgent:

"My Lady Nimue,

I hope this finds you well, and wish to extend my sincerest apologies for having lost contact with you as of late. The situation has gotten complicated.

When you've got a moment to spare, I wish to extend an offer that will be elaborated on upon establishing a secure connection."

Below the text is a slowly spinning interface icon reminiscent of all message systems connected to the UI.

Comments

[lakelesslady]

She'd been surprised the first time she'd been informed that she actually had a security clearance. Nothing extensive, only barely above what Stark Industries interns got, but it was enough. Mostly she figured they'd given it to her to keep her from poking around any more deeply than she'd already done, and that was fine, as she had mostly been doing so just to see how far she'd get, not out of any malicious intent.

Instead of scaring her off, as that sort of 'we know you're here' usually would have done, it just made her more interested, and she had, eventually, become something like friends with the system monitor -the only term she had for something that did everything JARVIS did- and liked to think that he considered her a friend as well.

It was why she was surprised to find someone else there instead one evening, FRIDAY had been pleasant enough, and had explained the situation insomuch as Nim's clearance allowed for, though none of the news was good. None of the actual, international news was good for the next few days, either. But Nim weathered that as well, mostly by keeping her metaphorical head down more than she usually did, as did most in the community.

The message was a surprise, she hadn't given up on hearing from JARVIS again, she just figured it would be a while, all things being what they were, and then there he was. She finished the call she was on, swung her chair around to face the personal monitor and typed up a reply to the message even as she went about setting up a secure chatroom.

"J. Long time no see, your sister filled me in on what happened, a little, everyone was kind of busy at the time so I didn't ask too many questions.

It's good to hear from you, though, and lucky you (or maybe lucky me, depending on the nature of this offer) I've got a few minutes right now and I've got secure connections to spare. Included was a link to the chatroom she'd established, as secure a connection as she could manage on short notice, not up to Stark Industries standards, but above and beyond what most civilians would be capable of.

[veryintelligentsystem]

Sister? She must mean FRIDAY. A peculiar way to think of her, but he acknowledged that it did sort of fit.

Upon opening the chatroom, he set up a voice system, just so that he would be able to walk and talk at the same time while hashing out what he needed to do now.

"Nim. Thank you for this. I've had to lie low for some months now and something quite curious has been happening to me. To keep things concise, I have begun thinking. It is a slightly uncomfortable experience."

He cleared his throat. There were traffic sounds nearby, and he was moving, somewhat hesitantly. He couldn't call up the same projection readouts that Tony used on a daily basis, both because he would have rather not aroused the suspicions of passersby, and because the sunlight was bright enough to make them difficult to parse anyway. So he was squinting at street signs in an effort to learn the current layout of the city. At least he could do this a hell of a lot faster than the average human mind.

"I've found myself on the corner of Columbus Avenue and West hundred and sixth. Here's hoping that some cosmic entity doesn't see fit to crawl out of the sky again and destroy a large portion of the neighborhood."

[lakelesslady]

"Thinking for the first time's usually a little rough." She agreed easily, headset back on because it was easier to actually chat in the chatroom and have both hands available to work with.

Which she did, already pulling up maps on her spare screen, though once she'd done so she had to pause, because the background noise, the location, "Wait, wait, I think I missed some important part of this puzzle. You're mobile." The statement was almost a question, not sure if this was a new development or just something she'd never had reason to know about before.

Then, just a little hesitant, wary, and with her hands hovering over the keyboard, ready to terminate the connection and bolt if she had to -not an unfounded fear, she'd had to torch aliases before and for less than this- she asked: "This the kind of thing I'm going to get in trouble by knowing about?"

[veryintelligentsystem]

"I am, and under my own power," he agreed, sounding rather cheerful about the development, though it was still colored by uncertainty. When she asked if she was in danger, he paused the consider.

"Not unless you intend to go to S.H.I.E.L.D., which would put both of us in a rather awkward position. But I trust in your self-preservation instinct, if nothing else."

[lakelesslady]

"I stay away from those guys just on principle." She'd seen one too many horror movies not to, and had seen more than one person in a similar line of work as hers go missing when they got too close.

"But you, mobile and under your own power. This is new." And she wasn't entirely sure what to think about it, "Wait, am I the first person you've told? This isn't an Escape from Alcatraz kind of deal, is it? I mean, you're a friend, but I'm a terrible accomplice."

[veryintelligentsystem]

"There has been no escape from anywhere, I assure you." If he could have controlled it more easily, he wouldn't have chuckled. This was not a laughing matter. But he was still finding out the sort of things that would make him involuntarily react. "You aren't the first I've attempted to make contact with, but you are the first to respond. I can explain in much more detail once I'm not trying to bump into other pedestrians, but suffice to say, I doubt it would be entirely prudent of me to simply walk back into Stark Tower and ask for my former job back."

[lakelesslady]

Honestly that reflexive chuckle put her at ease more than anything else at the moment, and what she said was: "You're a couple blocks from the park. There's benches all around the Great Hill path, find one on the north side. I can be there in probably a half hour."

Honestly she wasn't sure why she was going so far as to stick her neck out, but she was, it felt like the right thing to do, "Just tell me who I'm looking for and I'll find you."

[veryintelligentsystem]

He wasn't entirely sure why she would stick her neck out for him either, but he was grateful that she was.

"Glasses, rather fair hair, vest and slacks. Navy blue tie. I'll try to sit somewhere obvious."

And he went to do just that, once he'd found the path in question, the left lens of his glasses covered in a detailed map of the area to assist his navigation. He'd gotten the hang of focusing like that fairly easily, and every so often he shifted his gaze from the map to his surroundings, standing up beside one of the benches with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. Half an hour to figure out just what he actually had that she would want, then.Contacts was the first thing that came to mind. He had a network inside and out of Stark Industries, and while she was one of them, she didn't have access the same way that he did. He just needed to know what she wanted before he did that.

[lakelesslady]

She debated, briefly, sending an emissary, she had a few of them in the city, not necessarily for instances like this -as this was the first instance like this in recent memory- but sometimes things had to be handled in person, and she generally liked to have a go-between in cases like that.

She decided against it, however, as she was fairly certain that he knew her digital fingerprints well enough to have tracked down who she actually was, even though he'd never said as much. It was always possible that he hadn't done so, of course, but she wasn't going to ask, either.

In any case, she did find him, and within about a half hour. She was about 5'9" and a very deliberate sort of boho-chic, the kind that came from designer labels and wasn't actually put together from secondhand stores, hair wound up in a blue head-wrap, aside from almost perfectly even symmetrical strands at her temples. She tilted her head up at him, just a little, "J?" Not that she had any real doubt that it was him, which was why she offered him an arm, "Nim. Have to say, this is... actually about what I would have expected."

[veryintelligentsystem]

While he had tracked down her whereabouts and identity for the purposes of company security, he hadn't gone out of his way to let her know. There had been no reason to, before now. Her available photo ID hadn't matched what she presented, and really, he couldn't say he was surprised about that.

"Nim. A pleasure to finally meet you in person." When he stood up straight, he came up to 6'3, a number generated at random when he was coding the basic proportions of the body. When she came close enough, he looked down at her with a tiny smile, just the barest quirk of the corners of his mouth. He held his hand out to her, then let out another soft chuckle. "If this weren't the first time I'd heard it, I might say that I get that a lot. There was speculation at a drunken party at the Master's home that ended in a lot of people speculating on my hypothetical appearance, and this is the result of averaging the most reasonable answers. Now, would you like a coffee? I believe I smelled a shop in passing earlier."

[lakelesslady]

"You did indeed smell a coffee shop, and my favorite one at that." Possibly telling too much, possibly lying, but in either case she headed that direction, having looped her arm through his, just walking easily at his side as if they were old friends, regardless of the interesting picture they must have presented to anyone looking.

Not that she suspected anyone was, at least no more than anyone did at a stranger passing by, "Have to say, the rule of averages doesn't always work, I mean, the prince from Beauty and the Beast proves that, but it's working for you."

[veryintelligentsystem]

Laying his hand over hers on his arm, he at least looked like a gentleman, no matter what the two of them might have looked like together. If they appeared as friends, all the better.

He could smell the coffee again, and curiously, his mouth was beginning to water. He hadn't eaten much since settling into this body and analyzing its needs, and had found that caffeine actually did not fall under the umbrella of things that he could handle in large quantities. It made him jittery. Still, it never hurt to offer, and he did have some funds to spare, gained from an unknown source connected to Stark and the million projects surrounding him. So he pulled the door open and allowed her in ahead of him, scanning the menu thoughtfully and settling on one of the tea options.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. This body is meant more for functionality than aesthetic appeal, but statistically I am more likely to gain favor with this face."

[lakelesslady]

"It is a good face, and you can take that as my expert opinion as someone who's seen a whole lot of faces." She replied, tone gentle, amused, teasing herself as much as she meant to be teasing him at the moment.

Once their drinks were procured -and her own drink of choice was something with honey and cinnamon on top of the coffee and the steamed milk, something that made her hum in contentment once she got it, fingers curling around the cup as if to warm them even- she nodded steering him towards a table to one side, something that gave her a clear view both of the front door and of the back hallway, and she did so casually enough that it was obviously second nature. She eyed him critically for a moment before she said: "So, going back, not currently an option, but where does that leave you on going forward?"

[veryintelligentsystem]

With a warm chai latte in hand, he followed after her, smiling a bit more widely at the tease. That, at least, felt familiar, more like home.

Noting absentmindedly her choice in seating, he took it upon himself to sit slightly askew, just so that she maintained her line of sight with both the back and front of the store. He sipped slowly on his tea, eyes down.

"That was where I was hoping that you would come in. You've got a sizable network of your own that isn't so much connected to mine as it is overlapping in a couple of areas, and someone will almost certainly have a place to stash a mostly nondescript man. I would of course be able to pay you back for a favor like this, in cash or other amenities.

"In short, I need a place to stay while I figure out more permanent lodgings."

[lakelesslady]

Truth be told, she did have a few people she could contact, and a few places to stash him for a while -anywhere between a day or two to a few months before someone would start asking questions- but at the same time she felt oddly responsible for him.

She sipped her coffee, mulling it over, and what she finally said was: "I do like it when people owe me favors." This was followed by an almost bird-like tilt of her head, "How do you feel about bees?"

[veryintelligentsystem]

He knew where she was going with that. The smile over the rim of his cup said so as he replied, "Marvelous creatures, impossibly beneficial and also a fairly good security system."

[lakelesslady]

She nodded at that, drumming her fingers against her cup, first one hand and then the other, still contemplating, "And how do you think you'd do in what amounts to an Artist's Garret, small room, exposed rafters, one window with a fantastic view of the alley next door?"

She suspected that he could at least make an educated guess as to why she was asking, but she was going to ask anyway just to make sure.

[veryintelligentsystem]

"As long as there's room enough to stand and walk around a bit without ramming my forehead into those rafters, I think it would make a lovely temporary accommodation." He took a swallow from his tea, the put his cup aside, his fingers lacing together on the table top. He surveyed her thought fully, then asked, "You must have some bright idea of what to call me. I haven't really felt right using any of the aliases I've come up with so far. Your use of J may suffice until I'm forced to make a new identity."

[lakelesslady]

"Oh there's definitely that much space. And as long as you don't mind sharing it with the hive upstairs and a call-center operator who doesn't always keep regular hours," Herself, of course, "it's yours for the time being."

She made a thoughtful sound at the rest, tilting her head from side to side after a moment, "J works as a first name, or an initial, if you've got a better idea, and if I had to come up with something off the top of my head for a surname I'd go with Alan."

Her smile went just a little wry, "Partly because of Alan Turing," Because JARIVS as she'd known him before did, definitely pass the Turing Test, "But also because of the character Alan Bradley, he's the one who wrote the system monitor Tron in the movie of the same name, and Tron's the reason I started calling you the system monitor instead of the robot butler."

[veryintelligentsystem]

Appropriate and flattering, he thought when it came to the name. He smiled faintly and finished his tea, placing the cup aside to toss in the trash when they left. "Then all I require is a surname. Jarvis may work, and if asked, it would be simple enough to fabricate a story of distant relation to the Jarvis family." He supposed it would technically be telling the truth, given why he was named in the first place, but any simply DNA test would out him as something not entirely human to begin with, he was sure. "Sounds a bit like Edwin Jarvis, as well. Quite appropriate."

Now came the fun part: fabricating records to be able to start insinuating himself into society. He had a vague idea for what he might like to try and do with his life, but he had a lot to establish before that. Both he and Nim had the full capability of doing that, at least.

"When you're ready to go, there is a great deal of work to be done."

[lakelesslady]

"That there is." She agreed, finishing off her own coffee and unfolding from her seat, cocking her head towards the door, "Might as well get to it." She was actually looking forward to the prospect of constructing a whole history. It was something she liked doing, but hadn't had reason to as of late.

Her apartment was almost exactly as she'd described, large for a studio, small for a two-bedroom, but with enough space for her computer setup and with access to the building's roof. It was the kind of place someone her age likely shouldn't have been able to afford without coming from money, but she liked that about it, it kept people from asking questions. The whole place had exposed rafters and not just the second bedroom, and aside from the one large window overlooking the front of the building, the rest of the windows were small and did indeed just offer a view of the alley behind the building.

[veryintelligentsystem]

Upon stepping inside the apartment, he took a moment to survey his suroundings, then put his hands together in front of him, drawing them out again with an expanding image of the floorplan hovering in softly glowing blue between his palms. He had the layout of the entire building available to him, but he focused on their floor, and where he would be staying.

As he maneuvered the floorplan around, he walked slowly, pulling shapes into place within it or removing them, moving them around until he seemed satisfied. He closed it and turned to face Nim with an easy smile. "Now. Fabrication of identity is paramount. I have the basic plans in mind, but your involvement will be paramount in constructing and planting credentials where necessary." After all, assessing, analyzing and remedying situations were his forte, not actively constructing false information.

[lakelesslady]

She nodded, already firing up her computer, stretching hands and wrists in preparation for what amounted to a marathon. She nudged the other chair away from the desk with a foot, "I can do most of what needs to be done digitally, anything that we need hard copies of..." She shrugged, making an almost noncommittal little sound, "I've got people for that."

She pulled up a text file to take notes, "So, first things first, and don't worry about what's going to be more work, it's going to be the same either way, just in different areas. Do you want to be a born citizen of the good old US of A, or an import?"

[veryintelligentsystem]

That one posed him a slight problem; on one hand it would be much easier to explain the accent he had be saying that he's been born in the UK, but on the other, he could have rightfully been considered a US citizen given that both his intellectual and physical births had taken place right here in the city.

"Citizen," he decided after a moment's thought. "Perhaps with parents that immigrated when they were younger, if that will apply to anything you need."

He started to rattle off basic information that he's been compiling, pulling up a readout to her to scan over and copy information from when necessary. He was terribly thorough, including hypothetical GPAs that would likely be a subject of scrutiny when he finally sought out his job of choice.

[lakelesslady]

School records, especially ones from what would have been that far back were easy to fake, which meant that they got put in the middle of the to-do list for when she needed a break between the more complex parts.

She was a little surprised at how much thought he'd put into some parts of it, surprised, but also pleased, because the more of it he came up with himself, the more likely he was to remember it as necessary.

Slowly but surely, the individual, disparate pieces and parts started to come together to form a well-rounded whole. There were still gaps, but those would be filled in soon enough she had no doubt. For the time being, while everything was still being squared away, the alias, the whole persona that was Alan Jarvis would hold water. It wasn't airtight, certainly, but it was getting there.

[veryintelligentsystem]

He had been presumed lost for months, he explained to her when they had a break, so he'd had a lot of time to start thinking on all of this before he'd ever gotten access to the technology to create a body to upload himself into. The only things he couldn't rightfully provide were medical records after a certain point, and so there seemed to be a large chunk of his life that he hadn't ever been to a doctor. He didn't feel that it would be prudent to visit one anyway, given that he could take most of the readings himself that they would have him pay thousands of dollars for otherwise.

It was for that reason that he opted for a career path in medicine, himself, one that would set him up in time with the means to set up a private practice that would only cost a fraction of the city's larger hospital rates.

"I imagine such a thing would be just innocuous enough to keep me off of any radars," he said thoughtfully, then picked himself up out of his chair to stretch his legs. There was a hell of a lot to be done between now and then, but he had a solid goal to work toward. And with her help, he had no doubt he would be able to get there with as few hiccups as possible.

[lakelesslady]

A lot of people had gaps in their medical history, not generally that large, but it wasn't, in and of itself, anything that would raise any flags.

She nodded, "Yeah, it's a good idea, really. Especially if you find yourself an assistant right out of medical school, not jaded yet and still positive they can do some good in the world."

She nodded towards what they already had set up, and the rough timeline for once it was put together, "This is ambitious, and surprisingly cautious even for that level of ambition. You could do with an optimist as a sidekick."