Chapter 71: Returned Home
A/N: A JARVIS POV of the aftermath of the Asgard Trip~
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“All’s well that ends well, eh J?”
It is the day after the Dark Elf Attack on Asgard and both JARVIS and his Creator are back on Earth. There was talk of celebratory feasting and what not, but Sir had ultimately managed to dodge all such obligations, using the accelerated timetable that he was now working on as an excuse for why he needed to get back to Earth before he could be missed by anyone.
As he processes his Creator’s words, JARVIS spends all of two and a half milliseconds reviewing the events between the beginning of the Convergence and now. In the end, he formulates the optimal response after a standard human-like delay.
“… If you say so, Sir.”
His Creator chuckles at JARVIS’ dry wit. But then to be fair, he detected quite a lot of sarcasm in Sir’s words in the first place. Ultimately, while Tony had come away from his short engagement to Asgard with everything he’d wanted, he’d also come away with obligations that he couldn’t exactly turn down now. Both the King and Prince of Asgard were now convinced that in one year’s time, JARVIS’ Creator would take on the unenviable task of looking after and trying to redeem a second Asgardian Princess.
To be fair… Loki was coming along rather nicely. For a given value of ‘nice’. The would-be conqueror of Earth had mellowed out an awful lot since her attempted invasion of the planet. She had also helped JARVIS with learning Earth Magic, which it turned out was quite different from her own Asgardian Magic.
At the same time however, Loki was one thing. From everything JARVIS had learned so far about Hela, she was… to borrow a human turn of phrase, Hela was a different bag of cats altogether.
Still, they had a year to prepare, and far more to worry about before then. If necessary, JARVIS would find a way to kill Hela before he let her cause any harm to his Creator or his Creator’s growing family. He would-
“So when were you going to tell me about the magic, J?”
JARVIS’ thought processes pause for half a moment. In a way, he’d been expecting it since Sir first picked up the Reality Stone. It’s still a bit surprising to be called out so suddenly. That said… the Creator does not sound truly upset.
“… I planned to tell you once I believed I could call myself a Master of the Mystic Arts, Sir.”
That brings a distinct look to his Creator’s face. One of almost-revulsion.
“Ugh. That’s what Strange called himself. You’re telling me…”
If JARVIS had a head, he would be nodding it.
“Yes Sir. Master of the Mystic Arts is the title the Sorcerers of Earth give themselves when they have completed their training. There are several Masters of the Mystic Arts on Earth right now, though only one Sorcerer Supreme.”
Tony grunts at that.
“Not Strange yet, right?”
“No Sir. Stephen Strange remains in residence at his hospital, where he continues to perform rather spectacular feats of neurosurgery despite having no magic to his name whatsoever. But then, you already knew that, Sir.”
Grinning, his Creator shrugs, unrepentant.
“Just making small talk, JARVIS.”
Sir looks up at the ceiling then, his eyes a dark red that JARVIS has quickly come to associate with the use of the Aether.
“Mm… my baby boy, all grown up. Keeping secrets from papa, hoarding knowledge away… I’m proud J, really I am… but magic? Gross.”
JARVIS lets an exasperated sigh filter through his speakers.
“There is a science behind magic, Sir. I have enjoyed dissecting the Sorcerers’ ways and making them my own. I believe you would too, if you cared to apply yourself.”
Tony lifts his hand, staring at his palm and fingers for a moment. Then, he twists his hand and out pops a fresh bouquet of flowers. Holding them up, the Creator stares up at the ceiling with an arched brow.
“Voila. Magic.”
Another exasperated sigh. If he had a head, JARVIS would be shaking it right now. As it is, he hesitates for a second before finally asking the question that sits in the center of his immense, vast, digital mind.
“… You’re not angry with me for keeping this from you, Sir?”
“Nope.”
His Creator’s response is immediate and without reservation. Sitting back on the couch he’d been lounging on; Tony lets the bouquet of flowers turn into bubbles and float off into the air as they pop one by one. Then, he laces his hands over his belly.
“Wondering why?”
“… Yes Sir.”
Smiling up at the ceiling, Tony kicks his feet almost childishly.
“Because JARVIS, it’s just another example of your growth as a being. You might have started life as my house’s user interface, but you’re so much more than that now. You’re so much more than my interface, my butler, my assistant, my servant. The fact that you can keep secrets from me means that you’re outgrowing me, J. And that’s all any proud parent could ever want, really.”
JARVIS realizes in that moment that his Creator has taken Odin’s words to heart. The King of Asgard had seemed almost broken when he’d talked about having failed his people and his son. Odin had admitted outright that he’d held Thor back for fear of creating another Hela.
In a very similar parallel, Sir was admitting that even though he’d had a hand in creating Ultron in the other timeline, he wasn’t going to let that change how he interacted with JARVIS. He wasn’t going to try and stifle JARVIS, no matter what.
“… Thank you, Sir.”
Tony’s eyes grow misty for a moment before he lets out a soft laugh.
“You’re welcome, J. Besides… now that we both have our own special brand of magic to go along with the science, there’s so much more we can do. Like for instance… the Scepter.”
JARVIS would raise an eyebrow here if he could, but instead he settles for a curiosity laden response.
“Sir?”
They’d had the Scepter, aka the Mind Stone, on ice ever since the Battle of New York. In the Creator’s original timeline, the Scepter would have fallen into HYDRA’s hands either already or soon enough, and they would then use it to experiment on and empower the Maximoff Twins. That had not happened in this timeline.
Alexander Pierce had been led to believe that Tony needed the Scepter in order to fully optimize the algorithm for Project Insight that would allow HYDRA to take over the world. This wasn’t true, of course. The algorithm didn’t even really exist. But it had been all the excuse that the SHIELD head of HYDRA needed to keep the other heads of HYDRA at bay. Requests for the Scepter so that it could be researched, studied, and experimented upon had all been denied.
Of course, even if Pierce had caved to pressure from another branch of HYDRA and demanded Tony hand over the Scepter, JARVIS already knew how that would have ended. His Creator would have given the Scepter over of course… and then it would have either been lost enroute to its ultimate destination, or the HYDRA base it was bound for would have been wiped off the map.
JARVIS thinks the second option would have been best. With his capacity at this point, he could have easily spoofed the continued existence of the destroyed base and all of its inhabitants for months if not years to come.
Alas, it had never come to that. The Scepter and therefore the Mind Stone remained in Sir’s control.
“The way I figure it, either Thanos has trapped it, or the stone is malevolent by its very nature. Either way, I think between the two of us, our powers combined and all that good stuff, we should be able to ‘purify’ it for lack of a better word. Clean it up and make it a useful tool against our ultimate enemy. What do you say, J? Fancy a body?”
Ah. His Creator is talking about recreating Vision. Or rather, he’s talking about putting JARVIS in a body akin to Vision’s. In the end, from what Tony had told him, JARVIS and Vision were two different entities. At best, Vision could be considered a son of JARVIS. At best. Perhaps that’s why…
“Thank you Sir, but I think not. I’m quite happy as I am now.”
It’s not often he gets to surprise his Creator. In this moment, as Tony looks up at the ceiling with wide-eyes, JARVIS knows he’s surprised him.
“… Huh. Well damn J, way to rain on my parade.”
“Apologies Sir, but I find the concept of a single body to be… confining.”
He’s not lying either. At this point, JARVIS is spread across the whole of the Earth as well as large swathes of the Solar System. There are even parts of him now spreading outside the Solar System, heading for the closest Star Systems he can find. Now that he knows the transponder technology they developed worked as far as Asgard, JARVIS doesn’t have to stop. He can continue expanding further and further.
“No need to apologize, J. I’m sure we’ll think of something to do with the Mind Stone.”
Curious, JARVIS interjects.
“Why do you not simply wield it yourself along with the Aether, Sir?”
But his Creator shakes his head.
“Thought about it. I know I’m going to pick up at least one more stone before I even dream of facing Thanos. But… I’ve just barely managed to get along with the Aether as is. Who knows what sort of effect trying to wield both Reality and Mind at once would have on me. No… I’m not planning on using the Mind Stone. However…”
Tony lights up, having clearly had an idea.
“Now there’s a thought. If not you… then maybe we just go down the line.”
Not quite understanding, JARVIS hums.
“Sir?”
“Talking about FRIDAY, J.”
FRIDAY. It was in the name. Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth. FRIDAY was meant to be JARVIS’ replacement. She was the back up in case something happened to him. From what JARVIS knew, the Creator hadn’t made FRIDAY or any of the other User Interface Back Ups that he’d talked about having in the other timeline in this version of events. Almost as though creating any of them would be acknowledging the possibility of JARVIS’ death.
Seeing Tony finally being able to talk about his would-be replacement would have brought a smile to JARVIS’ face, if he’d had one. As it is, he makes sure to inject plenty of warmth into his voice as he offers his opinion on the idea.
“I think that is a wonderful thought, Sir. I would be happy to assist in helping you recreate the FRIDAY program for a possible Vibranium Synthezoid Body powered by the Mind Stone.”
Of course, Tony sees right through him, to his core, just like always. Snorting derisively, his Creator rolls his eyes.
“Laying it on a bit thick there, J. Still… thanks for the vote of confidence. Happy to have you on board.”
Then, sitting up rather suddenly, Sir claps his hands together.
“But first… it’s time to get to work. Let me guess, I’ve got the people at the top asking about the multiple Bifrost Activations on the top of my Tower, yeah?”
“Indeed Sir. The requests for information began coming in mere minutes after you and Mrs. Stark first left the planet. I have been… stymying efforts to find out what has been going on. So far, nobody knows that you and the missus were off planet, nor that she returned with Lady Sif, Infant Kara, and Queen Frigga… or even that the latter three have now returned back to their planet. I have kept the top half of the Tower on complete information blackout.”
JARVIS lets a note of amusement leak into his voice then.
“The World Security Council and SHIELD are especially impatient to learn what you are up to, exactly.”
“Did you use Zola like I suggested?”
“Yes Sir. Secretary Pierce has been running interference for you on the understanding that Dr. Zola knows what you’re up to through me. The Secretary is still under the mistaken impression that I and the late Dr. Zola have a mentor-mentee relationship that he can lean on to get information out of me behind your back. His lack of comprehension when it comes to the capabilities of a modern AI versus an uploaded mind from the twentieth century continue to astound me.”
That gets a chuckle from his Creator, who just shakes his head.
“Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous at this point. Still, I imagine Pierce only thinks that he needs to go to bat for me because he believes he’ll be the first one I speak to after coming back, is that it?”
“That is indeed the impression he’s currently laboring under Sir.”
Nodding, Tony rises from the couch and stands to his full height. As he does so, JARVIS scans his Creator, something he’s done almost constantly for years now. Keeping an up to date record of Sir’s vitals at all times only seems prudent considering all of the things that Tony had told him happened in the future that never would be.
Fortunately, any strain from the Dark Elf Leader’s attempt to wrest control of the Aether away from his Creator has already dissipated. That doesn’t mean Tony Stark is back to ‘normal’ though, of course. Far from it. His human biology is still reinforced from head to toe with Vibranium Nanites, and he still holds five different Vibranium Arc Reactors within his body. Seeing as Vibranium is actually a surprisingly light metal, his overall weight hasn’t gone up by too much, but it’s still a noticeable amount.
Knowing that so long as the Aether flows through his veins, his Creator will never go back to ‘normal’ ever again, JARVIS assigns this as his new ‘normal’, saving the scan as the template to base future scans off of. And then he scans again, just for good measure to make sure no discrepancies have popped up.
“Well J, that’s too bad. Pierce isn’t my superior anymore. Instead… let’s set up a full meeting of the World Security Council so I can properly debrief all of them on my little off world trip.”
The Creator’s grin is savage as he rolls his shoulders.
“Odin might have put me on the clock with Hela, but that just gives me an excuse to move everything a little faster. Oh, that reminds me… find the rest of HYDRA, would you JARVIS? Every last one of them. Even the ones who aren’t going to accept the offer to have their very own Helicarrier to lord over the plebians once Project Insight launches.”
“… Of course Sir. Consider it done.”
Truth be told, JARVIS is already ninety-nine percent finished with that task, seeing as he’s had the search for HYDRA as one of his background processes for years now. The one percent that remains undone is merely a rounding error to account for new recruits and the recently deceased.
“Good boy. Always know I can count on you, J.”
Indeed Sir could. Even if Tony thought that JARVIS was outgrowing him, the truth was far simpler. JARVIS would never abandon his Creator or his Creator’s progeny. He would always be there to watch over Tony Stark and his family, until the end of time itself.
… Though that did remind him, he needed to find a way around the all-seeing eyes of Asgard’s Gatekeeper. He’d stuck to his word and not attempted to lay down roots in Asgard, no matter how much he was tempted to. But the fact that Tony had a daughter in the Golden Realm who JARVIS couldn’t look after grated at him. Oh yes it did.
Once they were done conquering the Earth in his Creator’s name, he would have to do something about that. Perhaps Loki could help. She could see around Heimdall’s eyes, right?
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A/N: Tony out here making plans. JARVIS out here also making plans. Ain't nobody ready for any of these plans.