"And Killian… why would I kill him? What would be the point? I'd been watching him and AIM and Maya Hansen for the past eight years ever since I met the two back in 2000. I was rooting for them honestly. When Killian took his own life… of course I had to swoop in, for Maya if nothing else."
Yes, that also rang true from what Pierce knew. As much as he respected and trusted Nick Fury to be a good, diligent Director of SHIELD… sometimes the one-eyed man's paranoia could get the better of him in a big way. And he especially hated it when there was something he knew he didn't know. Tony Stark had become like a piece of old leather Nick couldn 't resist gnawing at over the past year and a half. "I believe you, Tony. So JARVIS… that was where it started, yes?"
Tony smiles softly and it's clear he holds a large degree of affection for the AI he'd created. That's good, from what Zola tells Pierce, JARVIS makes for an excellent weakness for Tony.
"Yes… yes sir. JARVIS was nothing more than my house's security system when I was taken in Afghanistan. While I was there, I couldn't help but think to myself… if I'd just made him something more, he could have helped me. He could have had my back when no one else did. The first thing I did was turn him into a full-fledged AI when I got back home. And from there I was able to hold off SHIELD… from there, Dr. Zola found us."
Ah yes. As Zola had told Pierce, it had been complete happenstance. Tony and JARVIS were hacking into SHIELD, and in doing so they put themselves on Zola ' s radar. After watching them for a time, the older AI had reached out and the rest… well, the rest wasn't quite yet history, but it HAD led to this meeting, with Tony Stark in Pierce's office.
"Dr. Zola told me about that. I wonder, what was that like from your perspective, exactly?"
Flashing a fragile smile, Tony lets out a soft laugh.
"… Terrifying, truth be told. SHIELD couldn't do anything to JARVIS after I brought him to full sentience. But Dr. Zola wasn' t SHIELD. And he had so much experience it made JARVIS look like a toddler. For a little bit, I was afraid that he might hurt JARVIS. I was afraid he might hurt me. But… in the end, Dr. Zola turned out to be a godsend. He was exactly what we were looking for."
Indeed. Zola had explained how he'd gently coaxed Tony and JARVIS out of their shells. Like creator, like creation. Tony had been jumping at every metaphorical noise he heard and JARVIS had been like a guard dog, doing his level best to protect his creator from any potential harm. Against an organization like SHIELD which was admittedly purposefully hamstrung by HYDRA to keep them from operating at their full potential, they'd done just fine.
However, against an experienced uploaded mind like Zola, they hadn't just met their match, they'd met their superior. From the sound of things, JARVIS and Tony considered Zola to be something of a mentor at this point. Perfect for HYDRA's purposes, if a bit surprising.
"Exactly what you were looking for, you say. Can you expand upon that, Tony?"
"O-Of course, sir. After Afghanistan… I was looking for a reason for why the world was so chaotic. So… disorderly. I spent all my life living in order and I thought because of my wealth and influence that order would follow me wherever I went. But in Afghanistan I learned that wasn't true." Here, Tony reaches up and touches his chest in remembrance.
"There was a man in those caves with me. He saved my life the first day I was there. Then, a few weeks later, he sacrificed himself to save me again. I thought he wanted to see his family again. That's what he'd told me anyways. But it turned out… his family was already dead. By dying to save me, he WAS seeing them again."
A touching anecdote. Pierce can see that it's had a deep and lasting impact on Stark as well.
"JARVIS and I were working on figuring out why the world was such a fucked up place together when Dr. Zola found us. But before he found us, we found SHIELD… my father and my Aunt Peggy's child. They built SHIELD up from pretty much nothing, trying to create something that would defend civilization from the barbarians at our gates."
The man has a gift for words, Pierce notes. He's just about to interject when Tony suddenly lifts his head, his eyes blazing as he looks directly at the Secretary with an intensity that takes him aback.
"But it wasn't enough, was it sir? All of their work… they didn't go far enough. They held themselves back from doing what needed to be done. Dr. Zola has been showing me and JARVIS some of your work. He ' s been showing me the difference you've been making behind the scenes. I want in. I want to help. That's why I asked for this meeting, because I recognize now that in order to build a better world, sometimes you have to tear the old one down first."
Pierce jolts, finding that those words… they resonate with him rather deeply. Something he'd heard before? Something he'd maybe said before? Either way, he finds himself quite liking Tony Stark. And not just because the man represents a massive infusion of wealth and influence right when HYDRA needs it the most. Of course, that doesn't mean he isn't going to downplay things. " We want you onboard too, Tony. Though there is the question of what you bring to the table."
Here, Tony Stark smiles like a boy excited to show something off to his father.
"Of course sir. I've brought something to show you… may I?"
When he gestures to his pocket, Pierce smiles magnanimously and gestures for him to go ahead. Tony pulls out a small disc and places it on the desk in between them. Then, he presses a button. In an instant, a holographic display lights up and Pierce finds himself leaning forward, his eyes widening at what he sees. Rows of metal men, or robots, each of them looking like something straight out of Science Fiction… each of them a veritable weapon of war in their own right.
"Oh my…"
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