Marvel: 2011-04-08 - Changing the World

Tony Stark

The maker of Iron Man, sponors of the Avengers, former playboy and party man. He is the founder and CEO of Stark Enterprises. One very rich man, one of the richest in the world likely. He is a genius engineering at the very least. Tony Stark, the risk taker and the former war mongrel turned peace keeper.

Amazing right? That sexy newspaper that currently rests over his face as he has his feet propped on the other bench seat as he slouches in his own bench seat. Stark's arms are crossed over his chest, head resting back so the newspaper won't fall over his face. An empty coffee mug rests in front of him, along with the newest Stark Tech cellular phone that appears to be in operation or something.

Vanessa isn't really all that familiar with the more popular super heroes. She might know or have seen Iron Man on occassion on tv but the tv watching she does is in the ultra rare situation she's in a sports bar because someone she knows wants to do a round of pool or somesuch. Otherwise, Stark is just some other guy to her, though he -is- a bit too popular not to really take a few extra looks at.

At this point in time there is luckily only one person in front of Vanessa as she gets to the counter, and then she's hunting around in her short-shorts, "Hold on, hold on. I've got a few bills here..." And she goes through the pockets a few times, "I had twenty bucks, I swear, and no one pickpocketed me, I just got it from a tutoring gig right before... oh, shit, right before lunch." She sighs some and holds up a finger, "Gimme a moment, okay, I'm just going to take another look for my cash..." And she steps out of line incase someone else comes in, and she starts doing the inevitable pat down of her own body that is fruitless, and she knows it too, but it's hopeful that some money just fell into her shorts or shoes or cleavage without her having been aware of it.

The newspaper lifts between two fingers of Stark and he glances at the noise. Ah...that is more of a rear, and he slowly looks up. Niiiice, not that he dare touches, being he is sorta seeing Sawyer now. Trust is such a difficult thing to build, especially since he has betrayed it once already. Still, he is a hero! Stark sets the newspaper down and picks up his cell phone to slip it into a pocket, still mentally carrying on the conversation on it through his cyberpathy powers. His other hand pulls out a money clip and he soon steps up beside Vanessa to slip some cash across the counter as the money clip is slipped back into his pocket, "Here is her payment. Keep the change." Stark then smiles back at you, a face that has been splattered across a number of billbards, advertisements, and of course the news many times, even globally. "Can't let Iron Man save all the ladies," he adds with a playful wink. Alright, so he's a flirt, he is getting better at resisting. He doesn't flirt with his employees anymore! Not yet anyway.

Vanessa ohs and she looks at Tony with a sidelong glance, "Yeah." She turns back to the counter and orders herself a large bottle of water, and about as many cookies and snacks the bill Tony gave over will allow. She gets a small bag full of various gingerbread, chocolate, sugar cookies, and the large bottle of water. Moving towards Tony's table though, she tilts her head, "Um, thanks?" She questions before stating, "You aren't my type though, before you get all ready to start flirting and all. I mean, your pretty, but I usually go for the large scary type." And she smiles at that, not that she's been in any sort of relationship in ... ever, actually. She starts pondering something internally before shaking her head and taking the seat at Tony's table, "So, who the hell are you? You look so damn familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it." She must no get to a tv, newspaper, magazines, or anything much, if at all.

Stark doesn't appear insulted, but rather laughs. "I think that is the first time I've ever heard that. Though if it will relieve you, I am currently in a semi-relationship, and thus required to behave myself." He shakes his head, "Do women all live in caves these days, or is it old age getting to me that I am so unrecognizable?" He sighs dramatically and motions toward the booth he was sitting at as if to invite you to sit. "Tony Stark," he says smoothly. "And you damsel in distress, who is highly selective?"

Vanessa sits at the booth where Tony was sitting, and settles her bag of cookies and things, "Oh, theee Tony Stark?" She questions, still not really impressed. "I sort of actually do live in a cave, more like a 180 square foot studio in Hell's Kitchen, sharing a floor wide bathroom with about fifteen other rooms. Not a cave, but close enough. Good thing I rarely stay there." And she's pulling out a cookie, breaking it in two and taking a bite, "Vanessa" pause, "Vanessa Larson. Not that I'm famous at all." She states, "Nor wealthy. Nor am I even in a semi-relationship. Everybody I meet though seems to be, not that I'm looking, just, not really the relationship type. You know? I wouldn't last in monogamy."

"I thought that once, and maybe it's the truth. But never know least you try." This from the playboy Tony Stark?! Yet, Stark sits across from you with ease and mentally finishes his other conversation on the phone before hrming, "Now your name sounds like I should know it. Perhaps it is similar to another name however?" A few pauses then, "Must be, the name I'm thinking of is in the U.K." Apparently, Stark didn't bother to look at your pictures, he just looked at your data files. He smiles easily.

"And that is very cave-like. Better than the street though, even a lot better than the street if you have heating and air conditioning." A hint of humor is in Stark's tone, but the truth is, he has lived on the streets for a month. Very few people know this, and Stark has made sure to bury the police report.

"Yeah, the UK, that's me." Vanessa looks to Tony, "Do you stalk everyone, or am I special somehow?" She questions, no real sense of humor, just asking, no real fear or insult either, she's simply curious. And on top of that she adds, "I don't want a relationship. I think, for the most part, I have to get used to the idea that my friends, if I get any, won't last as long as me, and any relationship I get into that's serious, I can't maintain. Not because I can't, I guess, because I won't, and I don't think that's a bad thing given the type of person I am." She adds, "As for air conditioning, no, and there's no heat really either, but I don't care about either of those. I stay warm enough no matter what, I own zero jackets, and love the rain. Maybe it's the time I spent in the UK? Nothing quite like london weather here in the states."

A blank look at that, "Huh?" Surprise? Yes, Stark is surprised. "I...well, Stark International held a contract with Excalibur, we provided personalized tech to all the team members...you know, the fun stuff?" Well, it isn't often one gets to shock The Tony Stark! "I recognized the name from the membership list, I don't forget stuff easily," not anymore especially. "This is a strange," and he shakes his head. "Well, how have you been since Excaliber, other than stuck in a dinky apartment?"

Vanessa shrugs her bared shoulders a little, "You probably don't recognize me then." She's pretty forthcoming with information, probably doesn't get afraid much. "If there were pictures, it was probably of my other half. But, I've been doing fine, I was never... fully, in the team, but I helped them with a lot of the more dangerous things." There's a pause, "To be honest, I really liked a lot of the fighting, was able to get it out from time to time, know that I had a place. Now, I just feel like I'm trying to live like a normal every day person, and I'm not. I guess, being so rich, smart, et cetera, you probably experience much the same." She raises up her wrist to show off a thickish metal watch, "I'm not sure if Moira got it from you, but there's some pretty hefty technology in this..." It would be a watch that tells time, but the bracelet part is made from a mixture of titanium and admantum to be able to resist some pretty hefty damage. Though it is obviously not armor.

Stark reaches out and gently touches it, studying it for a moment before he shakes his head. "Not me. I suppose you mean Muir Research Center? They do some impressive work all without me. I have heard of the good doctor, but have not met her or visited her center," but he has heard of it between the X-Men and Excalibur. "Their work is very much needed however," as they specalize in mutant research. He had originally thought the watch was an adapted holo-bracelet, but he honestly has no clue what it is.

"Oh." Vanessa looks at her watch then back to Tony, "So, did you provide weapon technologies, or the like to Exaclibur? I remember some members using some pretty interesting things. I... just don't need any help in those areas." She comments, not exactly the meanest looking chica on the block. "And, yeah, their research is good, just slow. But I guess you can't rush genius. Or, can you?" A small smile, "I mean, if you can rush other things, why not rush genius? Science is a tad slow for me though, I wish it could advance a lot faster."

"Ah, no." Stark weighs his words, "Informational tools." Spy gear and communication gear basically. He just isn't about to blurt that out in public. He then smirks a bit, "I'm working on that. Give me a few more years and you will see the world much changed from a technological standpoint, I assure you. And I'm not talking military," as he no longer deals in those sorts of contracts. "I have a number of projects that should prove fruitful."

There's a little shrug of her shoulders, and Vanessa leans back in her seat, readying another cookie to consume. These things 400 calories each and she's got a whole bag of them, and no fat on her. No super muscles either, but still, cookies galore!? Hrming a little before she says anything, "Really? I mean, I suspect I've got a lot of time to see things change, but a few more years for anything really noticeable? That seems slow." She offers with a quirked mouth and another tiny shrug, "Not that I really understand it all... just seems like, for the past hundred years, cars have been cars. The new ones not hugely different than the old ones. But in the same time, people, have gained so much due to mutations, in some respects cars and other technologies are going out of style. A world of tomorrow might see people as power plants, you know, that being their job, not slavery or anything, because I met a guy who could do stuff with electricity that was -insane-. And he was just -one guy-. I bet he could power all of new york as his day job."

"Creating something is one thing, but one must also make sure there are no flaws, then make it affordable to mass produce and market it to the world. Changing a world is not something that happens overnight," and there is a mildly bitter expression on Stark's face for a few moments. "And I have created flying cars, I have Prowler that is a joy to drive though I haven't taken it out lately," he admits. "Can you image the law makers nightmares in trying to market that to everyone however? Sometimes making a leap from one thing to another is not very productive," he advises you. "I cannot walk up to you and suddenly say, you are to suddenly like geekie guys with bad breath and have it happen. Something would have to happen in stages for your interests to change," he advises you. "Even developing new power sources, you need to make sure they meet the saftey standards, are affordable to build the plants and redispute it. If the power source differs too much from electricity, how will it be relayed to all the homes? I'm not saying it is impossible to make change, but one must thinks of all the ins and outs, all the road blocks from legal, to consumer use, to basic affordability. Do you think it would not be cruel punishment to make that guy power New York? Never to have a day off, to be able to go on vacation?" Stark is trying to make a point here, if Vanessa gets it or not is another thing entirely.

Listening to you, Vanessa is interested, or at least somewhat, as she chews on more cookie. She rests her elbow on the table, leans in a little bit to rest her head on her hand, and keeps listening, chewing on cookie. "Yeah, well, there's got to be more than just one of that guy, right? Or other means to get power. He'd be nine to five, like everyone else. I'm just saying. In a few years, maybe we've got three hundred of that guy, and they don't need to be on the grid anymore. Right? What about in 20 years from now?" She shrugs her shoulders, "Plus all the things you are talking about are like, vmmmmm." She runs a hand an inch above her blonde hair to indicate it's going over her head, "I'm just looking at what people can do these days, versus technology, and I don't think it's too far off for us investigating on how to make more people able to do the things technology can. Cause people... we're powered by cookies and bread and stuff. Renewables. Most technology, even if powered by renewables, still take some manner of resource for a time. Like the best car, it still uses some metal and plastics and such that can't be used for something else. As far as I can tell, the only limit to population is food source." Another shrug, "Then again, I think I'd rather see technology win the day. Too many people with that level of power, and you'll just have wars."

"Let's forgo on the clones," Stark advises. "You are going to give me nightmares," he says with only vague humor. "Not everyone is a genius, but that is why I have Stark Enterprises. To make the dreams of a furturist like myself into a reality for the world." He nods, "Power can be...corrupting, blinding even. It is best to carefully weigh your effects upon the world, and it is the same way in introducing new technology. If I do such and such, how will it affect the world? I never thought of that before when I developed weapons."

Tony shakes his head slightly, "Not thinking ahead is a bad thing. You can have dreams, and they are a very good thing. However, one should always consider two things: the best way to obtain them, and how the path there and obtaining them will affect the world. Will it affect it for the better?" He smiles a bit at that, glad you seem to understand at least a little bit.

"Strange, I went through that same sort of discovery in a backwards sort of way a few years ago." Vanessa says, and offers, "My dream, was to rid myself of my... powers." She isn't too sure what you've read on her, but certainly you know of powered people, mutants, Excalibur, so she just leaves it as vague. "And I still have that dream, but I realized the consequence of my dream was to remove from other people the ability to live. Without people like me, people capable of doing the things I do, others wouldn't be able to acquire their own dreams." She shrugs a little bit, and hrms, "Not that I'm some sort of altruistic virgin Mary, but, it made my life a lot easier. Instead of fighting against this sort of impossibility of finding a cure, I instead focused on finding a stop gap, and finding other things that let me live how I want to live, instead of being stuck. I really hate being stuck, you know?" And she shakes her head a little bit, chewing on more cookie, "But, just cause you think this way, doesn't mean others do. In fact, I'd wager most of the governments, military, and all, they're already cloning people like me, or trying to make them. I wouldn't be surprised to find some corporation powered by human batteries, it's just, that's how technology gets developed and you are only one guy, one company, big, sure, but just one. People might not take you up on your offer just because you aren't trying to fuck the world."

Tony's expression hardens, "Not in Stark Enterprises. And believe me, I'd love to shut anyone down that is doing that," if he caught them. But he then relaxes. "Sometimes we have to make sacerfices or reconsider our dreams and ideals for the greater good. It doesn't make life easier, but it can often make life better," he advises you. He then pulls out a buisness card and slides it to you. "Here is my number and e-mail address. Drop me a line sometime and we can talk, or if you need help let me know," he says with surprising sincerity. "I unfortantly have a bored, I mean board meeting to get to."

Taking the business card, Vanessa looks at it, "I don't really have a phone, planning on rectifying that if I get this job I applied for..." She's really fending by the minute, but doesn't look dirty or anything like normal homeless people might. In fact, she's had a lot of expensive tattoos done, so maybe she just doesn't budget what she gets right now very well for random Cafe stop-offs. "Tony Stark, well, thanks, rich guy. I'm not sure I'd actually know when or why I'd be calling you. Maybe, I can come in, and see how much it might cost to get my bracelet worked on, has a huge, nasty after effect when I have to use it, but I've been dealing for a few years. If I can get the time cut down that'd be great." And she continues chewing on cookies, and then stands up, "Well, you get to that Board Meeting. I'm going to go wander New York some more, got to get used to this place... it's gigantic." And then she's off, not even saying good bye.