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[color=#ed1c24][b]#ed1c24[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0198967d-1a17-74f6-8cfa-40da92e7e1c5.webp][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]Descendant's Tower[/b][/color]
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[Color=a8f9ff]"Anthony James Stark."[/color]

Imogen used his full name. It was never a good sign. Hell, Jim knew, in some small way, that he had fucked up before the storm rolled in. He had picked up the habit young. When he was six, he had ended up getting socked for mocking a classmate who believed in Santa. Pepper had tried to scold Jim, but Tony found the situation hilarious. As he got older, it kept happening. If Jim knew something, he had to share it. And as more and more people resented him for it, a part of him resented them too. People wanted to live in ignorance. They didn't want reality, they wanted their bubble. They wanted to hide behind privacy, anonymity, feelings, beliefs, anything other than come to terms with the reality of the world they lived in. He never quite got around to realizing that he, too, lived in a bubble. A bubble composed of jaded privilege and a need to prove he was the smartest person around. To the world's benefit, Jim had largely pushed everyone away already.

Jim had zoned out when Myla clapped back. He stared blankly at the floor, his brows knit furrowed. June had backed away from him, Imogen was in damage control, strangers had entered, Myla was storming off... and he somehow still couldn't comprehend why. Did they think their flimsy identities would remain a secret? That the same masterminds who kidnapped their family, stripped bare their identities, would suddenly develop amnesia? That so long as Myla kept her name a secret she could just walk away and everything would be fine? It was idiotic. It was like his father, still deciding to wear that damn suit after everyone went missing. Even a genius like him still lived with this stupid illusion that he was invincible as long as he wore his armor. It's no surprise he went missing. He deser-

Pain. Jim's empty hand was clenched in a fist at his side, a shot of pain rocketing up his nerves as fingernails dug into his palm. He didn't bother looking down at it. A small beeping emitted from his ear, warning him of his elevated heart rate and high blood pressure. He could faintly hear the usual cold, collected voice in his ear giving him yet another warning that he blocked out. He knew the breathing exercises to balance his system, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He deserved the distress, the spiral, that much was clear.

June's voice, as always, cut through his mental static. [Color=375a87]"Having a secret identity isn’t just about anonymity, Jim. It’s about keeping the people you love safe from the people who would use our identities to hurt them."[/color]  A reasonable point, surely... but they were beyond that point now. Their loved ones were already in danger, what use was an identity now? If he could piece together the dots, so could the enemy.

[Color=375a87]"Will you be sharing my secret identity with everyone too? Would you take away something as intimately personal, something I’d only give in trust, from me, too? We’ve all only just met each other, you didn’t even give them a chance. This is our only hope, why are you trying to—"[/color] Sabotage it. Push everyone away. He could fill in the blanks, even if June wouldn't finish the thought. Her questions lingered in the air as she left him with his suit. Would he? Her hypothetical was flawed: she had revealed her identity to anyone who was paying attention in this lobby. Myla did too, and Theo. Walking around without a mask in the information age-

That wasn't the point. Would he reveal her identity, just to prove he knew it? No. Which then begged the question of why he wouldn't. Or would he, if she had annoyed him? Still no. But why? She was a friend, they had mutual respect. It was unlikely that would remain, for how could it after this stunt? Jim had reached out, this was their plan, their hope and lifeline to finding their families, and he couldn't shut the fuck up for 10 minutes? They didn't even-

Jim's mind halted abruptly. They didn't know. The distress signal had no instructions, no clarifications. A location, a time. That was all they could give away in hopes of avoiding detection. He wouldn't have trusted the message, who would? So it would stand to reason, then, that these people had every expectation they were meeting enemies instead of allies, to some extent.

Jim felt a hand touch his shoulder, rousing him from his reflection. He looked up to see Coulson standing before him, his annoyed expression registering even to Jim. [color=d6d6d6]"Let's take a walk."[/color] It wasn't a question or suggestion, but a demand. One that Jim knew he could not refuse. The two men began heading out of the lobby and down the hall a short distance. Phil's hand remained firmly held on Jim's shoulder to guide him, and a tight squeeze signaled their pause just out of the eyesight of everyone else in the lobby. Phil somehow looked just as tired as Jim was, and his voice matched the exhaustion. [color=d6d6d6]"What the hell was that?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"I was running a background check on-"[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"No, that was humiliation."[/color] Jim winced, Phil's tone was sharper than he had ever heard it before. [color=d6d6d6]"Why even go through all this if you're just going to piss off everyone you need for this mission?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"I wasn't trying to-"[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Bullshit. That wasn't about safety, you wanted a fight. Why?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"I... I don't know what-"[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Anthony."[/color]

Jim paused, his lip quivering slightly. Tears began to well up in his eyes, the overwhelming surge of emotions finally breaking through. But he did not sob, he just let a few tears fall as he closed his eyes. [color=ed1c24]"They're all so... stupid, Phil. Bruce, Tony... all of them."[/color] Phil watched silently, his hand still firmly squeezing Jim's shoulder. [color=ed1c24]"They knew people were going missing. Heroes. And they just couldn't stop and think for one minute that maybe... just maybe..."[/color]

Phil's tone and expression softened. [color=d6d6d6]"They knew, Jim, but they weren't going to sit back and let people suffer and die just to save themselves. It's the job."[/color]

Jim was silent for a moment, taking in Phil’s words. Of course, he was right. It was hard to admit, from a former SHIELD agent who took on adult babysitting as his retirement plan. It was the job that everyone has signed up for. Everyone but him. Jim didn’t want to be a hero. He loathed the thought of it. He was here as an advisor, a strategist… he wasn’t like June, the Asgardian, or even Myla. They were out doing the work. And now, they were all here. A single question creeped into Jim’s throat. [color=ed1c24]"Are we doing the right thing? Bringing them all here, in one place?"[/color]

 Phil paused for only a moment, churning the question over in his head. [color=d6d6d6]"Your father went missing because he was working alone. He didn't have someone watching his back. They have a better chance if you can stop pushing them away and start watching their six."[/color]

Jim nodded weakly, lifting a sleeve to wipe away the tears. [color=ed1c24]"You're not bad at this, Phil."[/color]

Phil gave a short, dry laugh. [color=d6d6d6]"Well, you're not the first Stark I've dealt with. You might not want to hear it, but you and your dad aren't so different. The main difference is... he knew how to make it up to people when he royally pissed them off."[/color] He lifted his left hand and slid back the sleeve revealing a rather expensive watch. It bore a Stark logo on the clock face, a custom job from Tony himself. He took a deep breath, while Jim stared at the watch. [color=d6d6d6]"Now, why don't you take 5. You can join us when you pull yourself together."[/color] Phil patted Jim's shoulder, and turned to leave him to his thoughts.

Jim pressed his back against the wall, and slid down into a sitting position. He tucked his knees under his chin wrapping his arms around them as he stared at the opposite wall. The large logo for the Descendants Academy was hard to miss, and Jim felt his vision scan over it. He had never formally attended, his only times in this tower spawning from brief visits with his father. And even then, those days were mostly spent up in his penthouse designing gadgets based on random requests.

A small flash of recognition crossed Jim's face. He slid his hand into his pants pocket, and produced a small flat circular device. He tossed it onto the ground in front of him, the impact sparking it to life. A large holographic projection hung in the air in front of him of the Stark Enterprises logo. The display faded into a neatly organized desktop display that encompassed Jim's field of vision. His voice was quiet, but his tone had evened out. [color=ed1c24]"H.E.L.E.N., start up a new project catalogue."[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Establishing an encrypted database. What is the catalogue classification?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Special Projects, child directory of Legacy Protocol."[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Confirmed. What is the category code?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Mark it as Category D. Import B-009 and B-011."[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Confirmed. D-001 and D-002 established."[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Create new file from template B-007."[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Processing. What is the desired codename?"[/color]

[color=ed1c24]"Devilspawn."[/color] Even in his emotional state, Jim still had time for his little jokes. A 3D display of a cowl appeared, with a full teardown. Jim stared at it for a moment, swiping his hands in the air. The image changed into a teardown, with layers of materials and electronics spinning in place. Jim tore away a number of the internal sensors, altered a few protrusions on the helmet, and nodded. He would work on it more later, now that he had the basics.

[color=ed1c24]"Send it to my lab."[/color] Jim watched as the holographic display began to fizzle, and he picked up the puck from the ground. He slid it back into his pocket, and stood up. His quick pace brought him back into the lobby, moving towards an isolated chair in the corner farthest from the entrance. Catching a glimpse of the reception desk, a new thought emerged. He tapped his earpiece. [color=ed1c24]"Let's also go ahead and set up an onboarding package, while we’re at it."[/color]

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[hr]Location: Descendant's Tower - Lobby
Interactions: Myla, June, Imogen, Phil Coulson
Mentions: Magni, new arrivals