Tony may have been a genius, but when it came to his daughter, all his smarts melted out of his head and he relied on his baser instincts for his parenting. And right now, they were telling him that the charming professor was holding something back. Something crucial.
After he watched his daughter and the Teach do their Vulcan Mind-Meld thing, the family discussed what the professor had found. As they talked about Darcy's obvious telekinesis and ways to help her harness her powers, there was something about the older Mutant's expression that was setting off klaxon's in Tony's head.
The duo had spent a grueling ten minutes in silence as they did their mind-share thing, but when Xavier had opened his eyes again, his face was full of a multitude of expressions that flickered almost too fast for Tony to catch. There was awe, pride, concern, and fear.
What did the professor see?
The man in question had mentally called out to Logan to come to the office so that he could escort Tony's family to their rooms, but gave Tony a look that commanded him to stay after the rest of his party had walked out.
To create a distraction, Tony began rambling aloud about how he just needed to talk to the Professor, genius to genius, and compare their genius mansions. He wasn't entirely sure what other bullshit he spouted as his family left, rolling their eyes good-naturedly, as he was too distracted by the weight of Xavier's gaze and his own shaking hands.
The heavy wooden doors thunked close with a finality that Tony desperately tried not to compare to a death knell.
"Sit, Mr. Stark."
"I think if you're diving into my kid's head and having me here alone for a heart-to-heart, you can probably cut the Mr. Stark crap and call me Tony." He sighed as he fell back into the leather armchair with a heavythunk. "Before you get lost in all this powers mumbo-jumbo, just tell me if my baby girl is safe. From herself, from whatever. Please."
"I assure you, Tony, that Miss Darcy is quite safe. Between you and your friends, JARVIS," at this he nodded to the security camera mounted on the wall. Tony had to smirk, the AI was about as trustworthy as he was at times. Smiling at Tony's expression, the professor continued.
"Your family is more than capable of protecting her, and she is in no danger from harming herself or others with her powers unless she was to desire to, much like any other gifted individual." Tony nodded when the professor paused, a gesture for him to continue telling him about his daughter.
"When I fell into your daughter's mind, I was in awe. I have not seen a mind like hers ever before, Tony. Young Miss Darcy is special, this we knew, but I don't think any of us were prepared for just how special she truly is.
"Looking into her mind was like looking into an supercomputer. Faster than I can even comprehend, Miss Darcy's mind is pulling information, data, from her surroundings and assimilating it into terms her young mind can comprehend. For lack of a better term, Miss Darcy is gifted with super intelligence. Without this mutation, she certainly would be gifted with genius, much like you and your father, but the mutation has taken what was laid as foundation and amplified it to a level I am not sure we will ever fully understand.
"I chose the simile of a supercomputer for a reason, as well. Her baseline genius that she inherits from you makes her predisposed to have an affinity for technology, granting her levels of expertise that should be impossible for her to achieve at her age. Her mutation and natural abilities with technology have created a network that connects her mind to the technology around her. It's called technokinesis. When I was in her mind I was able to see these other...connections? Some were stronger than others, and these connections that branched from her mind to elsewhere. I believe that the stronger branches lead to the robots in your home, as well as JARVIS."
Tony was glad that the professor stopped his speech for the time being, this was way above his pay grade and he needed a few minutes to think. Or years, holy shit why can't Starks deal with normal crap?!
He took a moment to break things down. His baby girl was gifted with a mega-mind. A mega-mind that was basically live streaming data into her head every second of every day and connected her consciousness with technology. He'd need to have a talk with JARVIS later, but this information made sense of the other 'bots' closeness with Darcy.
"Okay you're just going to have to keep going, Teach, then give me a minute to hyperventilate before I start going all mad scientist on this and asking you a million questions, sound good?"
Xavier just smiled and continued, "Very well. I believe that both the technokinesis and telekinesis are simply side effects from Miss Darcy's main mutation. Her 'mega-mind,' as you call it. From the beginning of her life, she showed an abilities that were not proportional to her age let alone her body's physical capabilities. I believe that her mind was pulling information from her surroundings so fast that her body was getting left in the dust. In order to overcome her physical limitations, her mind furthered her mutation to let it evolve, gifting her with the sub-mutations so that her body could navigate her environment at the same pace as her mind.
"I have never seen a child so young with so many gifts. Many mutants do not come into their powers until they reach some higher maturity than Miss Darcy, but I firmly believe that your daughter's abilities are still developing, and will continue to develop as she ages.
"When I meet with Miss Darcy tomorrow, I will explain to her the gifts she has like I have to you. I thought it would be best so she could have the day to settle in, she already has had quite a shock and did not need me piling it all on within the very hour she had arrived."
"Thanks for that Teach. I appreciate it. Gotta ask, though, why did you look scared, earlier? Lil Bot -and holy shit is that name even more appropriate now-has a hell of a noggin, but you said she's safe." Tony felt dread pool in his stomach, hurriedly thinking back on the conversation and looking for any sign of danger that he missed.
"She is safe, Tony. With you and your family. However, should someone find out about her abilities, someone who does not love her and wish to protect her like you do, I fear that they would attempt to use her for their own machinations." The professor leveled an even glare at Tony, making sure that his gaze was met, "You and I both know of someone who would not hesitate to do so, Mr. Stark."
Every bit of fear that Tony's body could create slammed into him at once, despair pooling in hit gut as Xavier's words sank in.
"Stane."
Tony walked out of the professor's office and into the rest of the mansion in a daze, half-heartedly dodging the mutant kids that were running amok in the halls. Huh, recess? After a few minutes of mindless searching, he felt a firm hand grip him by his elbow, pulling him in a different direction.
"Whoa there cowboy, do not-! Oh, hey kitty!" Tony snickered at the look on Logan's face as the man dragged him down the hall, "Where we heading, pussycat?"
He full out cackled with glee when Logan growled at him.
"Ya know, Stark, I was tryin' to be nice an' offer ya a beer, but now I ain't so sure I want to put myself through yer special brand of company."
"Hey now let's not be hasty, tiger, I'm all about the booze and I most definitely need a beer."
Logan nodded and let go of Tony's arm as they rounded a final corner, pushing open a door to their right. Tony blinked at the brightness in the industrial kitchen, pulling out his yellow-tinted sunglasses and popping them on the bridge of his nose. Much better.
He let his gaze shift around the room until he landed on Logan, who was looking at him like he grew another head, two beers in his hand.
"What?"
"What the fuck is on yer face, Stark?"
"...you mean my goatee that is devastatingly stylish rather than those terrifying bushes on the side of your face?"
He had to smother another laugh behind his hand as he watched Logan close his eyes and take a deep inhale before letting the breath out as he opened his eyes once more. Tony was both impressed that Logan seemed to have reigned in his temper and disappointed that he did. He wanted another look at those claws.
"Just shut the fuck up, Stark."
"No promises, kitten."
Sliding a beer to Tony with a bit more force than was necessary, Logan plopped into a barstool on the opposite side of the counter from Tony, gesturing with the bottle in his hand for Tony to take a seat too. Shrugging his shoulders, Tony did.
"Gotta tell ya Stark, yer kid, cute as a button but has about as much tact as you do. Whole time you were in with the professor, damn girl kept followin' me around, meowin', of all things, till that firecracker of a lady told her to go work on her 'bot or some shit."
Tony stiffened slightly when Logan mentioned Pepper because he definitely did see that wink earlier, and was not a fan of whatever was happening there, thank you very much, but refocused his priorities on Darcy, since she was the reason they were here.
"Yeah, Darcy doesn't get much time with that many other adults that don't live with her, so congrats on being her new favorite person, tomcat." Tony chuckled at the man as Logan dropped his head to the metal counter with a shit cursed under his breath. Taking a long pull from his beer, Tony decided he had enough of the small talk.
"Alright, ocelot, we've established that I'm not you're favorite person but you think my kid is fuckin' swell. So tell me, why are we sharing a couple of beers like the best of buds?"
Logan looked thankful for his bluntness as he replied, "Charles tell ya that he was goin' to tell the rest of yer people bout the kid's abilities?"
Tony nodded, thinking of the professor's explanation of some sort of mental data dump so that Tony wouldn't have to repeat the conversation with his family.
"Well, he plopped all that info in my head too."
Tony froze. Through a clenched jaw, he threw an icy glare at Logan and gritted out, "Now why would he do that, when he said to keep her powers a goddamned secret?!"
Logan lifted both of his hands in surrender, beer bottle dangling from a couple fingers in his right hand. "I ain't yer enemy Stark, the opposite, if yer so inclined. Charles called me here when he got word from yer robot butler that there was a special kid comin' who might need some more muscle on 'er side. I'm not gonna stick yer family around like a bad smell or nothin', I'm just here ta' offer some help if ya need it. Give yer family a way to contact me if ya need me for some reason." He threw his head back and downed the rest of his beer in one go before he finished, "I'm beggin' ya, don't need me."
With that, Logan stood and tossed his bottle into a garbage can across the room, clapped Tony on the shoulder, and strode out of the room without another word. Tony continued to sit at the counter and fiddled with the beer bottle between his hands as it slid around in it's condensation. He thought about what the professor and what he had said concerning Darcy's abilities. He trusted the professor, and he didn't get any bad vibes from Logan, so if the professor said Logan was ok, then that was good enough for Tony.
He rolled his eyes at himself at the thought, You're getting soft, Stark.
Thinking of his daughter and his devotion to her safety, he decided that he could be soft for now and accept Logan's help.
Besides, he smiled a shark-toothed grin as he stood to leave the kitchen, Darcy's always wanted a cat.
Chapter 10
Chapter Text
Rhodey wandered about the mansion, having decided to take a walk as he processed the information the professor shunted into his head. Which is not a feeling I will be forgetting about anytime soon. He shuddered at the memory. There wasn't a physical sensation, per se, but it was more of the feeling that something other was in his head. He trusted the professor, if only for the safety of Darcy, so he decided he'd let the intrusion slide.
Pausing his stride, Rhodey looked around and realized he had no clue where the hell he was.
"...shit."
Shrugging, he chose the hallway on his left on a whim, and followed it until he reached a door that seemed to lead outside. Having nothing better to do, Rhodey chose to open it and go outside. The weather was pleasant, after all.
Hands on his hips, Rhodey stood in front of the closed door in what appeared to be some sort of garden/patio area, filled with flowers and fountains and stone benches sporadically placed throughout. He felt a small smile on his lips as he saw a shock of dark hair blow about in the gentle wind on one of the benches further away. Weaving his way between large planters and flowerbeds, Rhodey made his way over to the girl.
"Hey, Lil Bot!" he called, chuckling to himself as he realized just how well that name fit her with the professor's account of her powers, "What are you getting up to out here?"
Darcy sat up to turn and smile at him at the sound of his voice, waving him over. "Hey, Rhodey! I'm working on the 'bot kit dad got me! Come sit with me!"
As he cleared the last flowerbed, Rhodey finally got a clear view of Darcy. The girl was sitting on the ground on stop of a stone mosaic, thousands of tiny tiles in bright shades of blues and greens. Around her, Darcy had spread out her supplies in what he could only call organized chaos. Just like her old man.
Rhodey sighed as he eased himself down, sitting with his back against a large pot housing some funny-looking tree across from Darcy. Looking closer at the girl and her project, his eyes widened at what he saw.
Now that he was more or less on the same level as Darcy, he could see that the supplies he thought were sitting on the ground were actually floating, hovering around Darcy a good four inches off the floor.
Raising his eyebrow in consideration, he decided to go ahead and address it, "I see we're learning some things about our abilities, then." The girl blushed a bit before looking down at the circuit board in her hands, shrugging.
"I guess. I think after watching the video and having Professor Xavier poking around in my head made me figure it out. It's like I know now where the switch or button for it is in my head. I can't do a whole lot now, only what JARVIS showed us." She was strangely hesitant to add that last sentence, Rhodey could tell. "Everything just kind of floats slowly, but I can tell it where to go."
Rhodey studied the way she was hunched over herself, her usual exuberance muffled by 's self-conscious, he realized.
"Darcy," he breathed, "Do you realize how amazing all of this is?"
With a shy smile that was entire out of place on his Lil Bot's face, Darcy replied, "Really?"
"Uh, hell yeah, girl! Look at you! You're making all this 'bot stuff float by only using your brain. Now, go ahead and tell me how that's not the coolest thing anyone has ever seen." Rhodey felt himself relax as the girl let out a loud peal of laughter, her wild curls dancing around her face.
For the next couple of hours, Rhodey was content to stay sitting on the tile with Darcy, poking the floating materials to make her giggle, content to not worry about Lil Bot's safety concerns or anything pressing. He was more than happy to hang out with his niece and watch her talk animatedly about what she was building.
Like any time he was worried about Darcy and he future, he took a moment to think back to what he thought each time and let himself smile.
Yeah, Darcy's got this handled.
The following week at the mansion was about as close to a vacation that he Stark-Potts-Rhodes-Hogan household was probably ever going to get. Darcy spent about an hour in the mornings with the Professor, discussing the implications of being gifted like she was, and making sure she knew not to use her powers for anything bad.
Darcy was mostly concerned with how cool it was, but she figured the rest of her adults would appreciate that she was getting firm lessons on morals and ethics.
Next, Darcy would go find a quiet place either in the mansion or in the gardens to work on her 'bot and think about what the professor had taught her that day. Before she got good and distracted by the project, Pepper would often find her and send her to go hang out with some of the other kids so she could "socialize."
There weren't a whole lot of younger kids there, seeing as it was summer and those that could had decided to go home, so she would spend a few minutes chatting with them before sneaking away to go find Logan. He was cooler, anyways.
Darcy would spend the afternoons shadowing Logan, talking his ear off until he got fed up with her blabberin' and had her practice with her powers. She worked on her telekinesis with him, hurling targets at him so he could also practice his defensive fighting with his claws. It was slow going at first, but soon enough she was able to grasp her powers enough so she could send sandbags and heavy metal disks through the air at alarming speeds, changing their directions at a breakneck pace and managing to keep Logan on his toes.
Whenever she managed to get something past his defenses she would laugh at yell at him, "Come on, Kitty! Gotta keep your claws sharp, ya know!" He would roll his eyes at her and tell her to shut up, but she could see him smile when he tried to hide it, so she knew he actually didn't mind.
Training with her technokinesis was more challenging. No one in the mansion had a power that was similar, and not much was known about what she could do with it. After spending time with Logan, she would find her Dad and they'd sit together in front of their computer he brought, and talk to JARVIS and the bots at home.
After a couple minutes of excited beeping from the bots and polite conversation with JARVIS, Darcy would quiet and search her mind for the "branches" that the professor had said he felt in her mind. It wasn't until the fourth day at the mansion that she was able to actually connect the branches from her head to where they met the bots.
When she connected to U, DUM-E, and Butterfingers, it felt like traveling down wires until she reached their 'mind.' U's wire was a dark red, DUM-E's pink, and Butterfingers' was purple. It made her smile that they were the bots' favorite colors.
She couldn't actually talk with them, seeing as her Dad hadn't programmed them so they could speak, but she could communicate. Darcy could speak to them, but in response she got emotions or feelings. They could also send her the feed from their cameras, which was how Darcy spent and evening getting a tour of the Malibu mansion from three very excited bots. The resulting headache from getting threeseparate tours at once was worth their happy little beeps and whirrs.
Making that final connection with JARVIS was proving to be almost impossible. Darcy's Dad thought that it may be because of how vast he was, that as a fully-functional AI he wasn't 'compatible' with her seven-year-old brain. Darcy would just roll her eyes at her father when he said this, point to her temple, and remind him "Mega-mind!"
Darcy was shocked at herself at not being more shocked at what she learned about her mind, or her intelligence, rather. It wasn't every day that someone was told they basically had a supercomputer for a brain, after all. As she thought about it, Darcy came to the conclusion that she always had the brain she did, and knowing that it was even more complicated wasn't going to change who she was. Letting her brain do it's own thing as it had been since she was born, she focused her efforts on connecting with JARVIS.
It was the night before she and her family left to head back home that Darcy finally did bridge the gap between her and her brother.
She was sitting with her Dad in front of the computer again letting the three smaller AI's 'speak' with her in her head when she had an idea. All of the tech in their home was connected to JARVIS, including U, DUM-E, and Butterfingers. If her brother was simply too big to connect with like she had with the 'bots, she could use them and trace back to JARVIS!
Proud of her plan, Darcy closed her eyes and found the 'bots, and started following them home.
Darcy was not expecting to pass out, nor was she expecting to wake up in what looked like an infirmary feeling like she got hit in the head with a baseball bat.
She froze mid-groan when could hear a familiar calling to her in her head.
-cy? Darcy, can you hear me?
JARVIS?
She felt what must have been a sigh of relief from the AI before he continued, Yes, Darcy, it's me. I am sorry that you are in pain, it seems that your mind wasn't prepared to enter my coding and it overwhelmed you. Currently I am 'holding back,' as you would say, and letting you access me at a much slower rate than you at first attempted.
Darcy chuckled, able to feel JARVIS' concern and scolding tone like it was a tangible thing.
I'm sorry, JARVIS. I guess I didn't really think about you in terms of your data size, I just wanted to be able to connect with you like the rest of the 'bots.
She could feel affection flood toward her from JARVIS, and she knew she was forgiven.
I understand, Darcy. You were just a bit reckless and you had us worried. You've been unconscious for three hours.
Hey! You've stopped calling me 'Miss Darcy!' Darcy was stoked, she'd been trying to get him to stop that ever since she was three. She could feel something like haughtiness and a tinge of embarrassment come through when JARVIS replied.
Yes, well. I see no reason to keep up with the formalities now that we can access each other's minds...little sister.
Darcy about fell out of her bed with glee when JARVIS called her his sister.
IT'S ABOUT TIME! I love you, JARVIS.
And I, you, Darcy. Sleep now, I will tell everyone that you are well, and Sir will be here when you wake in the morning.
Comforted by the weight of her brother in her mind, Darcy slept.