2012-06-22 - Creepy Rendezvous in Central Park

Great, a creepy note that reads:

Meet me in Central park at 1 A.M. by the bench on the hill that overlooks the park.

It is not signed, and it is block printed too. Iron Man is behind a tree right now resting, his back to it and hidden from easy view from the bench as people walk up the path. Your documents that you left on your desk were slightly messed up as if someone shuffled through them, but that was it. Normally, Stark would be angry, but he was laughing too hard in the armor as the poor attempts of someone without any deep knowledge of electronics or engineering trying to make an Iron Man suit.

Poor Ben King.

Ben was there, at the park.. Iron Man might have been the technical genius, but Ben wasn't an idiot and he didn't take too kindly to his things beind rummaged through nor the creepy letter left on his home/work desk. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent didn't head directly for the bench as requested, he had plans of his own. He wanted to scout the area before hand, was Iron Man setting him up for some kind of trap? Iron Man wasn't exactly on the best of terms with S.H.I.E.L.D., but then again, most Heroes weren't these days it'd seem. Ben didn't know what to think about that creepy message in the end though, but consider it paranoia from his identity being exposed, he wasn't about to put himself in such a predicament or situation. Although Ben was wearing his casual clothing, he had on his bulletproof vest underneath his shirt, it was well enough hidden that in the dark it was hard to tell he was wearing it. He also had his sidearm tucked away, just incase. He'd like to believe that Iron Man wasn't out to 'get' him, but he didn't know and he wasn't taking chances.

Though the Avengers did officially recruit Black Widow from just S.H.I.E.L.D. Laison to official member after their strange kidnapping. So it is not entirely bad, but they have their bickering. Still, finally S.H.I.E.L.D. has an insider that can go to the recesses of the Avenger's Headquarters, which Black Widow couldn't do before.

Iron Man waits till you approach, his sensors registering your head signature before he steps out from behind the tree when you are almost up along the entire path. A computerized voice greets you, "Agent." The Iron Man armor is not powered up for attack, the chest piece and repuslors are not glowing brightly in the dark. Just the eyes seem to be glowing. "My apologizes for the unusual invitation." Iron Man then leans down and picks up something from the ground that was near his feet. It is a paper bag and a cup of coffee. "I thought you would a snack as a reward for responding to the improper intivation." No other S.H.I.E.L.D. backups nearby that his sensors are picking up. Ben is either stupid, crazy, or just insanely brave. Maybe a mixture of them. Iron Man isn't sure about the man just yet.

When Iron Man moved to reveal himself, Ben started to reach for his hidden sidearm behind his back. He sighed, a bit of relief when he realized it was just Iron Man, he slowly released his firearm and moved his hand back to his side. Ben grumbled irritably, shaking his head,"You do realize that you've not only broke so many federal laws, but me being here, is breaking sooo many S.H.I.E.L.D regulations as well? There's a team of Agents on stand-by not far from here, I'm surprised you haven't picked them up yet. You must be using your short range scanners or something." He frowned then,"I have a feeling I know what this is about and lucky for you, I decided to show up to this meeting without a wire even though it was heavily insisted that I wear one." Ben reaches up to remove his earpeice from his ear and shove it into his pocket. "What happen to keeping this all a secret? I thought we had some kind of trust going on?"

"I understand. However, I did not wish our communications to be tracked." Iron Man sets the items on the bench for you to take as he stands there. "They do not have communications with you right now, and not in radius. I also have control of the satallites so I will know if they train it on this spot." What?! "There is no trust that is not obtained in blood," Iron Man states simply in that computerized voice of his. "I have put my life at risk countless times to protect the Iron Man legacy, and I am not the only one. When Mr. Stark attempted to share the legacy through the Guardian armor, people died. This legacy destories lives Agent. As a result, it is a secret that must be closely guarded."

"Don't worry about that, they've only honed in on my tracking beacon, to know my location, that's it. As far as this conversation goes, they won't hear a word of it." He shrugs,"But I'm sure you're already aware of that much." Ben folded his arms over his chest then, giving Iron Man a rather intent look,"I agreed to Jarvis's terms, I've kept my end of the bargain and I don't appreciate you breaking and entering into my apartment and going through my things."

"The Iron Man suit is not something you can simply recreate. It has a soul in it Agent. Destroy anything that may reflect you were ever inside the suit, record none of it. That would be honoring the promise." If you accept the coffee and pastry is up to you, but it remains on the bench. "I regret not being able to be here, that the world suffered so much. Even the park is still torn up. Yet, I am thankful that someone was able to step up and become Iron Man in my absence, to assist when the world greatly needed it. Each death that happened while we were away weighs heavily on us, though we had no control over it. And what is worse, the thing is still alive and in existance. It could happen again."

Ben laughs, shaking his head,"Recreate? Yea, I'm sure you know as well as I do, that'll never happen. I'm no genius like Stark, but I thought maybe I could do something, I'm not going to lie.. I felt, alive, I felt .. awesome. I felt .. worthy. I felt .. heroic while inside your armor." Ben sighed, lowering his head,"I'm well aware of what's happened recently, and that's why I wanted to make my own suit of armor. I know it'd be nothing like your's, but it'd be something... You ever feel .. helpless? Vulnerable? The enemy is stronger than you, faster than you, smarter than you, better equipped than you. That's how I've felt lately and to know that it could happen again?" Ben lifted his head to look to Iron Man intently,"Not that you even care."

"The armor is not what makes you worthy Agent, it is the actions you take within it. And those actions carry with you with each step you take, inside or outside the armor." There is a brief pause before Iron Man speaks again, "How do you think Hawkeye or Black Widow feels against such an enemy? What about the young woman without superpowers enrolled in Avengers Academy that has the promise of being one of the greatest superheroes in existance, and she is just a baseline human? She is truly frightening in many ways, but she is missing something important that is holding her back. An open heart," the computerized voice of Iron Man says. "It is not the powers that make a hero, but what they do with what they have. Do you understand this Agent?"

"I don't need a lecture from you, Iron Man." The Agent starts to turn away,"Is that all you wanted? To tell me not to expose our little secret? Like I told you, like I told Jarvis .. I'm a man of my word. I haven't told anyone, I haven't planned on telling anyone, and no one is ever going to find out."

"I also want you to have confidence in yourself," and Iron Man looks down at his right hand. "The shield this armor presents, can be as much a curse, as it is a blessing Agent. I do not wish for an obsessed fan, but I wished for someone that could perhaps understand how it was to be seperated from the world you wanted to protect." He lowers his hand back to his side and looks over at you. "I have quit before," he states in that computerized voice of his. "And yet, there has always been an Iron Man." He leaves that for you as food for thought. "Be well Agent. Should there be a need, I apologize ahead of time for calling on you." He then turns away.

Ben sighed, looking over his shoulder toward Iron Man as he turns away. He then just shakes his head,"Next time, don't leave a mystery note, and be more careful about how you contact me. S.H.I.E.L.D. is watching. And don't let them see you on your way out." He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his earpiece, slipping it back into his ear, he taps the earpeice as he speaks,"No one here, false alarm. I'll write up a full report when I get back to the office." Ben communicate with the other Agents via his earpeice as he headed back down the path.