A Special List

March 26, 2018:

Rami Ghai comes to visit Stark for some gear she can't get through SHIELD.

Stark Industries

It's Stark Industries. And it is so wow.

Characters

Courtier

Iron Man

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]

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Fade In…

Rami Ghai arrives at Stark Industries just after lunchtime, coming at her appointed time to pick up some requested technology. She had put together quite a list of needed gear, and what hadn't been either supplied by SHIELD or denied entirely was meant to be fulfilled by Stark. She was directed from the lobby to the elevator, marveling at the place with a slightly agape expression.

A few long years ago, Rami had received a letter from SI, accepting her application for an internship. She had been eager at first, but then the old family ties caught up with her, and she ended up enlisting instead of packing her bags and heading to the states. Now, the Sikh questions her decision as she steps into the lift and keys the floor. "Wow," she says to no one in particular. "Wow."

"Mister Stark will be glad to know you appreciate the building, Miss Ghai." Comes a voice from the elevator. All around really. "I am JARVIS. Mister Starks assistant. He should be waiting for you in labs. He was working on something important he said. But I reminded him he had an appointment."

Message delivered JARVIS falls silent as the doors hiss open to reveal what is apparently one of the /low/ security labs. However there is still enough tech simply lying around on benches and work tables to qualify for some science fiction award. Holograms and drones skitter about carrying messages between workers, robots trundle though the various full labs on various tasks. Lights and what seems to be almost magic everywhere.

In the middle of it all though is one Tony Stark, not the tallest in any room, but the glowing ARC reactor in his chest makes up for it. Bent over a table as he works on something or the other, tools attached to twitching fingers before he nods and pushes away from the desk.

"And done!" He declares as he raises his hands. "Upgrade finished. Don't say I never do anything for you all!" He calls as he pushes himself back, poking his head out until the hall as Rami steps from the elevator. "Hey! Are you my meeting? I'm supposed to have a meeting?"

The sound of JARVIS makes Rami jump, and she grabs onto the wall with one hand with a startled, "Fucking hell." She looks up at the elevator's ceiling and then around it. "Oh. Um. Thanks, mate." She gives the ceiling a salute, and then she turns her attention to the lab. She hesitates in the lift car for a second, and then slowly meanders out.

The handler is cautiously peeking around before she hears the famous Tony Stark's voice speaking in her direction. She hesitates, and then starts forward. "Yeah, um. Rami Ghai, MI—I mean SHIELD. I'm just here to pick up some requisitions…" And apparently have a meeting with Tony Stark.

"Didn't I scout you for an intern like…a few years ago?" Stark calls out as he smirks towards her, not getting up from the rolly chair he's in before he rolls across the hall and into a second office. "Well come on in. I'm gonna guess you have a list? They always have a list."

He looks like he hasn't slept in possibly days. Hyped up on caffeine and work. Or not letting himself slow down and his brain to catch up with the fact that the former SHIELD liaison to the Avengers is now lying in state. Take your pick there. "So you like to be called Rami or Ghai or should I just make up something for you? I'm going to do that anyway just so you know. I do that for everyone."

"I… what?" Rami is disarmed by that. "Um, yes. I… a few years ago." She's not used to being so fumbling with her words, but she approaches the office as he rollers himself on in. "You even accepted me, but… I went into the Royal Air Corps." Because somehow that's better than Stark Industries. She recognizes that slight, accidental insult, and clears her throat. "Family obligations."

At the mention of the list, she draws her tablet phone out of her pocket and immediately hands it out to him after keying it unlocked. "I have a list. I like lists."

At his quest for what to call her, she blinks a bit. "Oh, um… Rami, but feel free to make something up… make it bloody lovely though, alright? You Americans already find something amusing about my surname."

"We will start with Rami then, and move on from there. Now…list? Yeah. Air Corps? Military always like lists." So Stark looks at the list, still in her hand. Doesn't take the list. Pepper isn't there to take the list so there is an awkward moment where everyone just waits for it, then Stark spins the chair away and snaps his fingers.

A holoscreen appears next to his hand.

"So why don't you sum up said list!"

Nothing on the list is weapon related and entirely operational. So, there's that. Rami flashes a sudden and warm smile at the cooky inventor. "I'm a communications expert… and SHIELD does not have the right kind of field gear. Their earbuds are fine, decent even, but the lack of audio and visual is disgraceful. I need to hear and see, and zero lag time is preferred. I also need some eavesdropping goodies that apparently make them uncomfortable." Because spies make everyone uncomfortable.

She steps to take a seat, settling in comfortably. "And I need some non-lethals… specifically for targets that have high pain tolerances and metabolisms." Specific…

"Non-lethals at a level ICER's don't provide huh?" Stark replies with a quirked eyebrow. "…just what are you hunting you need that for?" The man asks after a moment of thought and a shrug. "Not like SHIELD ever tells me anyway, but I'm curious now. Cause I /have/ stuff for that. But…"

But he doesn't like to give out anti-god darts to anyone.

"The rest is fine. Stealth mini-drones can give you audio and visual. I can give you hologlasses for zero-lag playback. Not entirely standard issue kit though. Eavesdropping stuff is a bit more problematic if you want it to be undetectable but its doable…"

"Oh, love, I'm worse than SHIELD. I'm MI-6. I definitely won't be telling you a fucking thing." The casualness of her vulgar language suggests she doesn't actually mean insult. She does smile at him though, all brightness and dimples. Then she shrugs her shoulders a bit. "I need to be able to subdue someone that I have a deep loyalty and affection for, and make sure he's not broken when all is said and done… if that helps."

The idea of non-standard issue does make Rami smile again. "I'm pretty non-standard, so that's just fine. And yes… undetectable."

"Please tell me you're not a Carter? Please. I get enough of 'I'm not telling you anything!' from the ones of those I already know." Stark grouses with a shake of his head before he shrugs slightly. "So you need to roofie someone you like. Gotta love you spy types. You want contact, airborne, ranged? Give me application vectors here." He asks as he starts making notes.

"The drones I can give to you now. Same with the glasses. I'll have to work up some kind of bugs though. Scanning gets better every day, gotta keep ahead of the curve. You need anything else? Hellicarrier? Anti-personal orbital laser?"

Rami actually looks like he's just complimented her, and she starts to smile. "Sorry, but no… I'm not a Carter. I just know one or two of them." Then she chews a bit at her lip at the request for vectors, and she nods a bit. "Contact and range… but if I have to choose one, range." She at least does look somewhat uncertain asking for a weapon to take down a friend, but she just doesn't know what she's about to walk into.

"I'll take what you have, Mister Stark, and then I can come back when the rest is ready." She pauses. "I can also help if you do not mind an extra hand… I did almost intern with you, and if you look at my application, you'll see applied theoretical engineering was one of my bonus bullet-points on my C.V." She does offer a wry smile at his less serious questions. "I would not mind a pair of really comfortable heels, if we're going for outlandish requests."

"Darlin, I can build anything in the world. But comfotable heels are impossible." Stark replies glibly before he whistles. A battered looking drone hovers in. Round in shape, with a single glimmering sensor eye. Its off-white casing shows battering of rough use. Though somehow it bears the scars with a manner of pride instead of shame. Its two stubby round wings waggle slightly, the multi-vector repulsor engines in them glowing softly as it whirrs its way into the room.

It also has a note stuck to it.

Its says 'I'm with stupid' and has an arrow to the right.

"Dunce!" It burbles. "Urgh fine. Ace. Take Rami to get her stuff. Don't headbutt too many of the spy drones into submission." He calls out as he waves her on. "Well. Get on out miss bullet-point. If I need ya I'll call ya. And hopefully I'll cook up something that won't kill anyone when I'm done. Thats all the promise you get from me." He says cheerfully.