2012-11-01 Foundations: Tony Stark

It is not every day that Emma Frost gets pencilled onto the schedule of-- arguably-- a competitor. Less frequently does she exert her considerable force of personality to ensure that 'pencilled in' more resemble 'inked'. And the cherry on top of the whole pie is the reason given for the visit. Despite Frost International having an extensive electronics business as one of its primary subsidiaries-- and a CEO who is herself far from unversed in electronics design-- It appears Ms Frost has requested this meeting to discuss a rather large technology purchase.
Emma is, as ever, on time, and dressed with a curious sort of perfection-- a crisp, pressed, immaculately-tailored Armani suit with an ice-blue blouse, blonde hair in a tight, neat bun at the back of her head and the whole thing offset by a pair of white Chuck Taylor All-Stars peeking out from under the neatly-creased legs of her slacks. Somehow, the canvas shoes don't seem out of place. She waits patiently to be let in, and then crosses Stark's office with a smile several degrees above the 'ice queen' temperature she's most famous for. "Anthony. Darling. How are you?" Apparently her famous whim is falling on the 'friendly' side today. Or it could just be because she wants something. Who can tell?
"Bored."
Tony Stark. The Billionaire Mogul is seated at his desk and there's not a damn thing on it but things he's made out of paper. Papers he's more than likely had supposed to sign. Right now, though, the entire office is filled with paper planes of varying shapes and sizes and random pieces of TechnOrigami are scattered across the desk. Tony's whole bodily demeanor is a little off from his usual lively self. To match his words, he actually LOOKS like he's bored. And Tony Stark being bored is never a good thing.
"So. Emma. Is this a real meeting or are you just here to distract me while your spies attempt their corporate espionage tactics." Tony flashes a quick grin at the other famous person in the room and even motions for her to have a seat. Even if both of the near-desk chairs are littered with paper airplanes.
"Please, Tony. Unlike some of our so-called colleagues, I would never be so crass as to drop spies into your company during a business meeting." When she could just rummage around in his head for anything she wanted anyway. "I am actually here for precisely the reason I indicated when I made the appointment," Emma confesses, brushing planes off of the seat without comment. Like it's the most normal thing she's done all day. One, she picks up and considers. "I thought delta wings and canards were the vogue in aerospace these days," she notes mildly. "Planning on flying wings making a comeback?" She gives that last one a little toss, and slides gracefully into the seat.
And promptly gets to the point, banter concluded. "I have a new project. It is extremely important and I think that the work you've been doing in computerized workspaces is ideal for the purpose. Have you put together any setups with... educational purposes in mind?"
"Three years from now flying wings will be the new Kanye West. Mark the calendar." Tony is a Futurist through and through. And he says that with so much confidence he almost believes that he can foretell the future. And if he can do that, the lottery would be going to him every time they had a drawing. Not that he needs the money but it's always good to have more. Not to mention talking about the wings makes it easier to not make it so obvious that he has no idea what the meeting was being set up about. Tony heard 'Emma Frost' and was on his way to the office with time to spare.
"I haven't. But I can." Tony says this with a shrug because he knows he could whip up whatever it is that Emma is talking about without fail. He's Tony Stark. Making things work is what he was born to do. "Y'know, if I had a reason to." Hint, hint. Wink, wink.
Emma has a fair idea of Stark's futurist tendencies. She does have some of her own, after all-- if in another direction. The woman leans forward, slightly over the edge of the desk, and smiles a slow, lazy sort of smile. "How does 'The Academy of Tomorrow' strike you? Tell me Anthony... did you find your schooling terribly, dreadfully dull?" She has a suspicion as to the answer. And also that the best way to draw Stark in is to talk about... Stark.
"School sucked for me. So if you're about to tell me that I've got a chance to make sure the newest generation of Tony Starks don't have to grow up the way I did, using the medieval methods that I had to, then we may not even need a dotted line for me to sign on." Another paper airplane is made and set to the side, before Tony finally looks up with wide and attentive eyes. "Any chance we can change the name to Tony Stark's Academy of Tomorrow?"
Emma beams. "I've already paid for the sign, dear." And most of the building, of course. "However, you're... nearly correct in your guess. I am offering the chance to be part of that, not only for the future Tony Starks, but also the next generation of Mozarts, Picassos and the Justice League. We're talking gifted children of many stripes. Powers, intellect, artistry... regardless of background, they all find themselves marginalized and schooled poorly in what they need to thrive and succeed in a real world. I'd like to change that." She settles back, and laces her hands in front of her chest, steepling her arms with her leggs crossed at the knee. "I was, however, considering that the Tony Stark Technology Center has rather a nice ring to it."
"Sold. Billionaire's Soul for Technology Center." Stark is no longer worried about the foolishness that is the making of paper planes. Oh no. There are much more important things to actually listen to and pay attention to in regards to this whole Tony Stark Technology Center. "I'll put an assembly team together pronto for the tech that's going in my center. But I'm also going to need all the information about the building you have as well as your architect and contractors numbers. Because I'm pretty sure my Center is going to need some adjustments." Grin.
Emma Frost smirks. "You'll need the rest of the plans anyway, because I want the whole building wired." She pulls out a USB stick and passes it across the desk. "Everything you'll need, including the layout of the other sections of the school. For the tech labs, of course, you are free to design as you like. I would prefer to stay away from rows of desks and move towards collaborative workspaces."
Indeed, the school seems more like some sort of multifaceted workshop business, with conference rooms and open floorplans, music halls and studios. The chemistry and engineering labs that have been pencilled in resemble professional workspaces and at least one auto garage. There are clearly marked sections reading 'Stark, T.', with others marked with other names. "I must tell you to be restrained with the library. Our librarian has specific requirements." And her mutant power is a rather nasty form of possession, but Emma's not going to offer that information just now.
"What the hell is a desk?" Tony Stark is already up from his own desk and plugging the USB stick into something on the wall. The floorplans pop up IN THE AIR of the room and he's grinning like a kid that has just bought a new toy. Which is why he's focused on the plans and he's already grabbing at them and throwing them in different directions, so that he can better see what he's going to do with this entire thing. "No, no. You're right. No desks. If we're going to do this thing, we're going to do this right. And with a little bit of Stark Style." He's got his hands all over the now 3D digital renders of the school plans. "I'm sure you're partial to white, but might I just say that Red and Gold make for some very fitting school colors." His hand is already on his chin as his mind is working a billion miles a minute. Tony Stark, in his element.
"White and gold," Emma counters. Of course, that's already what she's settled on, so it's not exactly a negotiation. But everything is a fencing match at these levels. "I have an additional purchase I would like the make as well. Home unit, personal use. I'll be moving into a new place and I prefer my living space computerized. Does your hardware have pluggable input and output interfaces? I have a set of rather... proprietary devices in mind, and I can bridge if there's a documented interface available." While she talks, she catches a round room on the top level, in the center, and pulls it off to her corner of the workspace, manipulating the image of her office thoughtfully. Oh yes, this will do.
Stark turns and narrows his eyes for just a moment. "Uh huh. No touchy." He wags a finger but is already smiling. Maybe he's just being coy. Or maybe he's just being Tony Stark. Whether or not he's actually upset about Emma moving around his 3D constructs is hard to tell. He's in full on Think Mode. Which is pretty interesting considering this is one of the rare moments that he does not focus his attention on hitting on women. He's really a workaholic. To be honest about all of this. "I can pretty much build you whatever you want. That's not the problem. The problem is going to be convincing you to let me have some serious power in this little endeavor. I've always wanted to help the future of our generation excel beyond their means. And this school looks like the place to do it. But if you won't even let me have a little hot rod red..." He's already pulling and expanding on the Stark, T. sections to make them bigger. "Are there dorms? Please tell me there are going to be dorms." He's got an idea for those, apparently.
The workaholic quality is what Emma likes most about the man. It's the reason she's here, among other of his better qualities. But she's better equipped than most to know what other people are *really* like, deep down. She puts her office back where it goes, and allows him his environment to think in. "I wouldn't be here if I wanted everything to exacting specifications. I think we have room for some red accents," she muses in a coy tone. "Yes on dorms. We haven't laid specifics down for them yet," she says in a prompting tone. It doesn't take a telepath, sometimes. "As long as they are secure and can be easily modified to handle some of the more esoteric requirment our powered students may need in the future, I am extremely flexible."
"Watch this." Tony is already moving around the space and making room, before he steps over to a side panel on the wall and is keying in some code or something. "JARVIS, I need an upload. Hashtag 90210. Hogwarts of Alcatraz." Whatever it is that Tony just said, the AI seems to have picked up on because in the space where the Emma's dorms were... a new red hued design has overtaken, literally crushing the previous design and shattering it into thousands of digital pieces. Stark has a big smile on his face as he looks through the holographic designs at Emma. "I dreamt these up a couple years ago. I'll have to make some changes to bring them up to where my brilliance has taken me since then, but they are self-contained rotating super dorms, basically. You know like in Japan or wherever, they have those parking garage shelves for your cars? Same concept. But way more me." The image looks like a giant wall from all directions. Weird. "Every kid gets an ID Card. You pop it in and the rooms, which are each personally stabilized, swing around in a ferris wheel type motion." The image displays exactly what Stark is saying. "So it's kinda' like your room comes to you. The doors open and bam, your room. Cards can be coded with various forms of access, of course. I originally designed this for a prison system that never got off the ground, but, well, school's kinda' like prison so you can see where I'd make the connection."
Emma is torn between obvious concerns and being completely intrigued by the overall concept. She does have a thing for efficiency. "That is quite brilliant," she muses, wandering through the space to have a closer look. "Though I wonder how the kids would feel about the arrangement." She taps her chin, looking it over, clearly not 100% against the concept.
"It can be modified. As I said, this was at least two years ago. Of course, if you'd rather have some technologically advanced traditional dorms, I can do those just as easy. This could always be Detention." Stark grins a little bit at that thought. Perhaps because he spent so much time in detention when he was actually in school. That mouth of his would get him into so much trouble. Or was it the fact that he was smarter than his teachers? Who knows. "This is your child. I'm just making her Perfect. So whatever you want, I'll do." Tony may be a crazy workaholic that wants to control everything but Emma's hot. So he'll let her have her vision. "But the Tech Center is mine. And will make NASA cry."
Emma nods, walking around the display. to be honest, this is the point in these things she likes best. Collaboration and work-focus is always a pleasant mental state to be surrounded with. After some thought, she tilts her head, and gestures. "May I?-- JARVIS, yes? Can you give us... a cylindrical stack, vertical. Eight room modules per level, seven levels. Hollow center with a rotating elevator. A rough model is fine." A pause, and she glances at Tony. "Color scheme based on previous design," she adds, then passes what she gets towards Tony. "The direct passcard access is an excellent idea, and the modular design was perfect. If we add an intercom so students can approve access to their rooms to visitors, I think they have everything they could want." She is, of course, expecting Tony's perfection-pass to involve tech-ing the rooms out deliciously, because... one does not come to Tony Stark for anything less.
Tony just smiles at the technospeak that comes from Emma. It's funny how when people talk to JARVIS they talk to it in this weird and technical manner. Meanwhile, Tony just treats it like it lives. There's something wrong with Tony Stark, really. He's not right in the head. He walks around the new imaging that has appeared and is balancing one arm on the other and stroking at his goatee. "I can make this work. What's my timetable like? When do you want to open? And how much are we leaking to the press?" Stark is already thinking about the opening and the party that should come along with it. "And do I get to teach?" Wait. Where the heck did that come from? Sneaking more parts of the deal in there, it would seem.
Emma considers this. "Let's say... be prepared to open in a week. I'll be doing a press tour in the next couple of days, you're welcome to leak as much as you'd like. This is an exceedingly public institution." She grins at the last question. "And yes. I would be genuinely happy to have you." True facts. The grin turns to a bit of a challenging smirk. "If you think you can handle a bunch of precocious children in your workspace."
"Okay. It's a deal. But I expect way more than the going teacher's salary." Tony is already pondering who to call in so that he can get this building and remodeling thing on the road. He's going to have to get some people in that will work all night. Not to mention some of his more robotic assistants to help. He can probably get this thing up and running in less than a week. But the extra days are going to work well for making it look pretty. "I think I can handle it. They can't be any more childish than I am, right?" If only Tony knew what he was getting himself into.
Emma chuckles. "It will be a learning experience, I'm sure." For whom? She doesn't say. "The home system installation for my new place should be much more straightforward. Once I've selected a location and knocked out the walls, at any rate." She looks his way. "Contact and invoice information is on the USB-- I'm sure you've already got it filed." She strightens her jacket. "I'll be available if anything comes up-- I should let you get to the business of details, I expect." She can tell he's itching to get going. It hangs on the air around the room like live electricity.
Tony is already moving his hands around on the new design and putting his own stylish touches on it by the time Emma finishes speaking. He's clearly taken this moment to dive right to work. He's not /really/ worried about the money. He's a holymajollionaire. But he sure could use the press and stuff to help boost his own sales. Not to mention attaching his name to this school is likely going to boost the enrollment. Who wouldn't want to go to a school designed and tech'd out by Tony Stark? Honestly? "I'll give you an update in a couple of days. Over breakfast." Grin. And now... to work!
Emma throws an amused smile over her shoulder. "Breakfast, then. You know where to find me," she notes, and leaves him to his work, letting herself out... and already reaching for the phone in her jacket as she does so.
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