video;

[upshore]

[There's a man in his late 20s on the screen, and he looks tired. Not like he hasn't been sleeping well - though that, too - but like 'tired' is just generally a state of being for him. His hands are out of frame. He's going to keep it that way.]

Not to diss Raine and Heather, without whom I would be dead, and I am very grateful for their help, I've got a question. Out of curiosity, are there any doctors here? Gonna be clear here - I don’t mean maniacs with rusty shears, I don’t mean someone with a penchant for making people into unwilling human guinea pigs for whatever the fuck, I don’t mean Dr. Strangelove’s crazier Nazi cousin who’s trying to turn mental patients into batteries for nanomachines with more tubes in them than that one senator guy called the internet.

‘Cause before I let anyone come near me with so much as a stethoscope in future, I’m going to need to see some medical credentials.

[A pause, and then:]

Also, if anyone comes at me dressed as a priest, this is the only warning you’ll get that I am going to set you on fucking fire. It worked on the last guy.

Comments

[highprofilerichkid]

[Oh, jeez. He's not taking this well.]

Well, they're not hurting you, right? [Tony points out, trying to look on the bright side.] What are they supposed to do? Do you think you can control them? I mean, they could be useful, couldn't they...?

[upshore]

[Miles looks up from his anger/despair-ball on the floor at Tony.] They hurt like fuck when they went in, now that I know that's what that was!

It's a weapon, [he says, hanging his head, his tone bitter.] The Walrider is a weapon. That's all it is. I thought I destroyed it. I was wrong.

Killing Billy didn't accomplish anything. I should have...I should have just let Walker rip my fucking head off, [he says, laughing bitterly.] He just wanted to keep this parasite from getting out of the asylum.

[highprofilerichkid]

Someone wanted to use it as a weapon - that doesn't mean that's all it can be.

[He's assuming the 'Walrider' is the nanite swarm? That must have been the name of the project.

He's not sure he wants to know who Billy is. One of the test subjects - "the guy who was controlling them in his dreams" - obviously. But also, by implication, one of the patients in the asylum, and probably not someone whose murder, necessary or not, is going to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy. Tony decides he'd rather not hear the details.

But not wanting to be forced to advance weapons research? Not wanting to become a weapon? That's something Tony can sympathize with.]

Look, man - people are always trying to steal my inventions and turn them into weapons. And Extremis was supposed to be a weapon. I could still use it as one if I wanted to. Some people will try to turn any new tech into a weapon, because it's profitable. But when we've got that tech and they don't, it's up to us how to use it. A nanite swarm is only a weapon if you use it like one.

[upshore]

[Miles shakes his head, getting up from the floor.] It has no other purpose. It was the product of Nazi research, taken by an amoral corporation for no other reason than to make money by selling it to the highest bidder. The only way to make it not a weapon is to not use it, or to destroy it.

I want it out. You're the nanite expert. How do I get it out?

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony sighs, and de-armors. The suit folds itself back into its compact configuration.]

You don't. There's no way to do something like that here. The tech level isn't high enough. Maybe if we were still in Hatal, but I couldn't promise anything. They don't have nanotech yet.

What does it do, anyway? What kind of weapon is it?

[upshore]

Thaaaat's fine. [Miles laughs, a little hysterically.] This is fine.

It's...well, most of what I saw was its aftermath, so, turning people into bloodstains and organs and the occasional limb. And when it's humanoid, it can pick up even someone who's three hundred pounds or more and toss them around like they're a baseball. I saw it do that to someone. And it threw me around a lot, too. Like I said, like an orca playing with a harp seal. Toying with me, because its controller wanted to kill me.

So, not exactly capable of doing anything useful like talking to satellites, [he mutters.]

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony tries not to look too appalled, because those nanobots aren't going anywhere and Miles clearly needs to come to terms with that, but, okay, yeah, that's pretty appalling.]

That's... not great. But you're the host, now, so you're the one controlling them, right...? So you could just. Not use them.

[Right? Right?? Tony wonders if maybe he should have kept the armor on. He does not want to know what getting turned into meat soup feels like.]

[upshore]

Well...yeah, I am. But I don't want anything with that kind of capability inside me. I wouldn't use them even if I knew how.

[He closes his eyes.] Bastards.

[highprofilerichkid]

Until I can do some serious upgrades on my lab, you're kind of stuck with them, [Tony says apologetically.]

If you don't want to do anything with them, then just don't do anything. But I might be able to help you figure out how to control them. They've got to be good for something other than killing people. [Shrug.] That's all I've got.

[upshore]

[Dryly:] Maybe I can use them for whittling.

[Miles, don't be an ass.]

Controlling them would be good, even though I don't intend to use them. I just don't want to hurt anyone by accident.

[highprofilerichkid]

If they can function outside of the host, you can use them for... Anything. [Come on, Miles, use a little imagination.]

One of the other versions of me based his armor on nanotech like that. He stored the whole thing inside his body as a disassociated swarm, and then he could form the armor with Extremis commands. [It's basically the coolest thing ever and Tony wants it so bad.

He regards Miles with new intensity. If he could figure out how to make these Walrider nanites compatible with Extremis...]

[upshore]

[Tony, no. Miles isn't really liking the way you're looking at him, Tony.]

Hang on, 'one of the other versions of you'?

[highprofilerichkid]

Yeah, this place can grab different versions of people from alternate universes. [Tony says it so casually, like he expects Miles to find this merely a moderately interesting factoid.] I'm the third version of me that's been here.

[upshore]

Wait.

What?!

[This is not just an interesting factoid. This is WEIRD SHIT, TONY.

Also, playing up his reaction means that Tony stops looking at him like he's a science experiment.]