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[ Finding out that Pepper's stocks in Stark Industries have been transferred to him - and because she'd been running it, he can only assume that it's the lion's share - and that that means she's presumably gone is not the way he wants to start the day. But it is what it is and there's nothing he can do about it.
He's wearing the suit, though the helmet's off, and the expression on his face is as professionally detached as the matter-of-fact tone of his voice when he speaks. ]
It's come to my attention that Pepper Potts may no longer be in residence in the city.
[ That covers that and he's not lingering on it. If he does, he'll wonder what that means, if some piece of her has gone back to the world she remembers or if she's dead and her body is being recycled or whatever it is they do with clones when they're gone. It isn't something he needs to worry about right now. Not in front of an audience. So he moves right along to business. ]
I've been informed that per her request, her interests in Stark Industries have been transferred to me. For those of you don't know, I'm Tony Stark, and if you work for SI, it means you're working for me.
[ May whatever aliens people consider gods help them all. ]
If you do, I want to know who you are and what you do for the company. If you don't, and you want to, talk to me.
And be prepared for change. It's coming.
[ What that change is, he doesn't know yet. But once he finds out what the company's been doing, he'll figure out the right path for it to take under his leadership. And this time, it's going to be a damn sight better than the last time he was at the helm. ]
He's wearing the suit, though the helmet's off, and the expression on his face is as professionally detached as the matter-of-fact tone of his voice when he speaks. ]
It's come to my attention that Pepper Potts may no longer be in residence in the city.
[ That covers that and he's not lingering on it. If he does, he'll wonder what that means, if some piece of her has gone back to the world she remembers or if she's dead and her body is being recycled or whatever it is they do with clones when they're gone. It isn't something he needs to worry about right now. Not in front of an audience. So he moves right along to business. ]
I've been informed that per her request, her interests in Stark Industries have been transferred to me. For those of you don't know, I'm Tony Stark, and if you work for SI, it means you're working for me.
[ May whatever aliens people consider gods help them all. ]
If you do, I want to know who you are and what you do for the company. If you don't, and you want to, talk to me.
And be prepared for change. It's coming.
[ What that change is, he doesn't know yet. But once he finds out what the company's been doing, he'll figure out the right path for it to take under his leadership. And this time, it's going to be a damn sight better than the last time he was at the helm. ]
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[An argument that originally started from his disagreement with Loki is now about who has the right to be Tony Stark? He's not sure what that says about any of them.]
I liked the guy. He was an asshole, but I liked him. I liked working for him. He... let me be someone I wasn't before. It would be a shame to let his work go to waste, and I don't know how leaving is supposed to help defend him. Should I have done that?
[The tone he takes is simple and open. Honest question, it says.]
I'm sorry... I guess for him more than you, but I liked him. Tony.
[The last word is him addressing the other man. Can't they just quit this? He looks at the other man through the connection with sincere wear on his face, but a clear determination. He's speaking to this man. Tony. The one using the console.]
We're not the same. I never thought we were.
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Maybe it hasn’t been a conspiracy. Maybe it’s only been a few who have sought to slot in one face for another and this man has been as much a victim of it as the one everyone’s trying to replace. The sentiment goes a long way. So does that expression of sympathy toward the Tony who isn’t there any longer.
This Tony studies him for a moment, silent and trying to see beyond all of the emotions that are clouding the issue. Quietly, without censure or mockery, he asks; ]
Who did you get to be when you worked with him?
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He hears the question, and ironically he thinks that it means a lot less now. What he had been trying to do and who he had tried to be feel like trivia now that he's being asked about it. Had he been daydreaming all that time?]
A person I've always wanted to be. The man I tried to be, although the last time didn't work out so well.
[Once he says it, the words come out surprisingly easily. Even to himself he sounds lighter than he feels. It's a pleasant voice. One he might have forgotten how to use for awhile, and it makes him smile.]
Someone else.
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He’s often wanted to be someone else. Someone who can go to the store without being mobbed. Someone who can make a decision and not have the fate of the world riding on it. It hadn’t been possible at home. But here? Here the cloning might be good for something after all. ]
First try never takes. But the second…
[ He shrugs, lets his voice trail off. ]
You can be anyone you want here. That’s the bright side of being what we are.
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[Wasn't this proof enough of that? He has been playing at being someone else for a time, but in the end it never did work. He was still himself, still Tony Stark, and that was what had led to this break down of everything he'd had again. He'd been running from it since he woke up. Resilient was a way to start over, yes, but he was also running. He had told his friends he wasn't good at that whole business thing. And even when he'd been Iron Man, it had all been apologies for things he couldn't remember, denials, and more running. Doing everything he could just to keep himself from being what they expected of him.
Keeliai had been kind of a blessing in that, but even here he couldn't escape it.]
Well, that was a selfish wish anyway. [He says that casually, pretending he hadn't really invested in it. He still looks tired, but he can sound lighthearted at least. He gives Tony a look that does carry some apology with it.]
I'm still Tony Stark.
[Even as a clone, he still can't escape that. There's cosmic irony for you. But in a weird way, it's also a relief. For a long time he was only "Stark", and being denied being Tony, however bad that Tony was, had hurt him on a deeper level. He'd gone with it eagerly because he had wanted to escape all of those downsides. The responsibility. The judgment. Being held accountable for sins he couldn't even remember and knowing that somehow it was his fault that he had ended up that way. He had run, but even then, he had missed being Tony. Tony, and not just a lesser version that happened to copy the last guy's image. Now that he couldn't run anymore, he realized that part of him had been missing. This change felt good as much as it hurt.]
For what it's worth, I don't think that meant much to anyone else. One was enough for them. Me, I... I kind of like the fit. Every other day.
no subject
Does he have the shrapnel? He’s a clone. This isn’t the body the memories suggest that he had been born with. Are there little metal pieces lodged in his new heart? Was he created broken? Is that another crime the kedan – or whoever it is that brought him here – will have to answer for?
He has a lot of questions and relatively few answers. Having seen video of a man that looks just like him doing things he can’t remember was unsettling. Speaking to another man who looks almost the same yet just slightly off is a little less awkward. It doesn’t give him answers to his own existential dilemma, but then, maybe nothing will.
Some day, he hopes, he’ll have it all sorted out. Right now, he doesn’t, and it’s either fall to pieces and let the alcohol carry his cares away again or try to deal with this responsibility that’s been unceremoniously dumped in his lap. For the moment, he’s going with the latter. ]
Jury’s still out for me. Maybe one day they’ll come back with a verdict. Until then— [ He shrugs. ] —what can you do? I say, be who you are, whoever that is. It doesn’t have to mean anything to anyone but you.
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[The answer comes out a little wry and with a laugh, because he's getting advice on being himself from himself, and as far as he's concerned, he isn't a first voice for anyone's counselor needs. He just admitted that he doesn't know who he is either, so that pretty much makes them even. Except that this Tony is better with his fronts. The first thing that he thinks is, It must be nice to have that kind of confidence. It's weird, because Tony looks older than him, like the last one, but he takes things in stride with that kind of devil-may-care attitude that he wishes he still had. Just go with it and forget about everyone else. That's the way to get things done.]
Honestly, I'm the last person it needs to mean something to.
[The rules are different now. He doesn't have a lot of people who know him, but there are still enough of them around that he has to try to live up to whatever image they have. There are kids, and they're having enough problems without dealing with Iron Man creating more questions. He just doesn't have time to be a clone. Even if that's what he is. Even if he could be someone else, he really can't. Ah, well, he'll worry about it later. Maybe he should have gotten more distance like the man he's talking to did. For someone that doesn't know who he is, he's doing a great job of keeping up appearances.]
What are you doing to do with it?
[He switches topics because the conversation was making his chest ache, and for him it has nothing to do with injury.]
Out of curiosity. I've got no horse in the race, but I did kind of get attached to the place. I'd just like to know what you guys are planning to do now.
[Oh. Right. The afterthought finally comes to him now that he's back to business.]
And I'm sorry about the scene. You surprised me.
[That isn't completely true. The words stung, and he had lashed back because of what Tony had said about him. What he'd implied had hurt. But going into that would mean bringing it back up.]
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It’s a thing. Causing a scene. Like performance art. No big deal.
[ And with that, he’s happy to let the subject drop and not bring it up again. Prolonged arguments never really work with him. Once his temper explodes, it peters out in a hurry. Sustaining the anger takes entirely too much attention and unless it’s warranted, he tends not to see the point.
Instead, he counts the question of what’s going to happen to Stark Industries with a raised eyebrow and a slight cock of his head. ]
We guys? [ He tips a shoulder in a shallow shrug. ] I don’t know. What are we going to do with it? [ In case it needs pointed out, he adds; ] I didn’t hear a resignation and I'm not accepting one if you're thinking about giving it.
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The answer he gets to the question is weird. He should probably have expected that. After all, he's talking to himself, which is, by definition, metaphysically weird. Still, he raises his eyebrows and sits back slightly at the blunt refusal calling him out on that implied resignation. So much for closure.]
No offense, but I don't think you could make me do anything I didn't feel like doing. I'm sure you're good, but you're not that good.
[Which of course doesn't assert whether or not he does feel like walking out. What he said before was true. He likes the escape. But being told he can't do something defeats the whole point of that. And then there's the completely valid point Tony made earlier.]
What happened to "you aren't him"? Isn't that a little too close for comfort?
[It feels a little like an excuse. Maybe it is. He believes it right up to the point that he hears himself say it, and then Tony frowns. Running away and starting over is his go to when things fall apart, but here there isn't that far to run. Eventually he's going to have to suck it up and share space with this guy, even if it isn't work space. And work space might be the one area they can actually agree on, so throwing that back in his face might be getting too far ahead of himself.
Why did life have to go and get complicated again? Why can't doing the right thing ever be easy? Rescuing dogs from being run over or helping old ladies across the street. Something that doesn't involve struggling with the ethics of working in a company started and then run by alternate versions of himself without committing some kind of identity theft.]
Am I always this much of a headache, or is this just your thing?
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[ Instead of being offended that his other self is casting aspersions on his abilities, Tony just quirks an eyebrow and rolls his eyes. ]
I’m Tony Stark.
[ Fake it until you make it is good advice and he’s applying it here. Plus, his memories tell him that this is the case. That Tony Stark does what he wants. More than that, Tony Stark makes the impossible happen. Maybe he’s not really Tony Stark. Maybe he’s just a fading echo of the guy. The point is, the memories give him an edge. If nothing else, they make him bloody-minded and stubborn as hell. ]
Desensitization is a wonderful thing for taking the discomfort out of tricky situations. Neither of us is him. We know we know that. Problem solved. Except for the headache. I think that’s a universal constant. Hardwired into our metaphysical whatever.
[ He waves his hand, as though the simple gesture can cut through the tangle of emotions surrounding the whole damn mess. ]
Work tomorrow. Be there. I’m not the most punctual person. I’m guessing you’re not either. But if you’re there by, I don’t know, let’s say noon, I’ll show you the plan.
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Are you sure? it asks. He's still wondering if any of them know who they are, but the better part of him thinks that it doesn't matter. He just has to manage to convince the rest of himself to agree with that.]
I still think you being a headache is our universal constant. You're one of a kind for that much.
[The offer or order gets noted, digested, and held out for a few long moments before he responds to it.]
I'll think about it.
[People telling him what to do rubs him the wrong way, whether it's just a hang up from some other guy's memories or not. He doesn't like it, and he doesn't think it matters all that much whose issue that really is. The urge to buck off that authority is too great to ignore.
He isn't refusing either. He knows that might be setting himself up for an ultimatum. Then he'll have to give a real answer. But this is his best attempt to satisfy both personal pride and curiosity without starting up another battle. And everything in his gut is trying to maintain both, so that's his compromise on the whole thing.]
no subject
For the moment, being Tony Stark’s all he’s got.
The response he gets about his counterpart’s continued employment isn’t very helpful at determining whether he’s still going to come in to work or if he’s going to need to be ferreted out of wherever it is he’s staying. But Tony knows his own reactions. He knows how fast and how deeply he can dig in when someone’s trying to make him do something. ]
Don’t take forever with it.
[ That’s all the goading on that front he’ll do. Anything else, he believes, will be counterproductive. ]
We don’t have as much time as it might look like we do.
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Tony doesn't try to corner him, which is smart. Pushing him harder would have gotten a flat out refusal, and probably worse if he tried to make him show up. The offhand comment at least appeals to his curiosity. That's much more effective than anything else he could have tried.]
Right. There's never enough time to do what we want to.
[He doesn't confirm any intention to show up, but if he's going to do anything, he'd probably prefer to see what his alternate self has going on. The truth is that he does want to know what SI will do now. He just doesn't want to say as much. Tony gives the man a slight sneer--just enough to tease--before gesturing with a lazy salute and disconnecting.]