2012-10-16 Well-Suited

Enough with the lizard-men in the sewers and all the other nonsense that's been cropping up lately. Bethany takes a break from this Columbian problem and meeting with Stark lawyers about Tony's new media ventures to swing by Force Works, to bug Rhodey. Not about anything in part... okay, it's about her suit. She wants to see where he's at with it.

Bethany gives PATTON a cheery wave of her Stark Phone and heads in. She tells herself again and again that she's perfectly sufficient the way she is. She is. She kicks ass. She doesn't need enhancing. But. A suit. Going fast. FLYING. She does a little dance in the elevator on the way down, then forces herself to stop acting like she's sixteen.

It goes without saying that Rhodey hasn't slept since his encounter with Loki. He never sleeps. He hasn't even been able to relax, though. He's constantly on edge, constantly alert. His brow and mouth are creased into a permanent-looking frown. He's apparently grown frustrated with some of his projects. There are remnants of several Jericho missile iterations that have been destroyed, but not by any testing procedure. Stress tests, maybe. An entire corner of his shop has been dedicated to a new computer setup; feeds from security cameras, still photographs, satellite images, and every other piece of surveillance he can get his hands on are being fed through PATTON's AI and a set of complex facial recognition protocols. Right now he's working on the one thing that's been able to help him clear his mind, if for only a few minutes at a time. The new suit. It's floating in an antigrav shaft, seemingly suspended in midair. Compared to his own armor, or even Tony's, this prototype is slim. Sleek. Streamlined. And noticeably womanly, but not in an exaggerated fashion. In fact, the posterior could probably use a little letting-out. "PATTON, I think we have a winner," he says, a small smile tugging at his lips as he checks the results of a full diagnostic on one of the display screens. "Power levels are holding steady. All systems are online... 93 seconds, no burnt relays. That's a new record. This could be it." "Good," PATTON replies. "Because Ms. Cabe is on her way down." The AI pauses, then forges on in his most respectful tone. "Are you going to tell her?" "I don't know," Rhodey replies honestly. "I guess we'll see. Slow the lift down a little. Give me an extra ten seconds to breathe. Then let her in."

Bethany frowns at the numbers on the elevator. This is taking longer than usual. When the doors slide open she can't help but casting a curious glance at the camera eye overhead. She's good at this stuff, she can tell when the time on something is off.

"Are you arguing with PATTON again?" Bethany asks as she breezes in. That would explain the slowdown--one of them getting in a final point. She's wearing a very flattering green dress today, her hair is pulled up in a twist. Probably meeting with lawyers by the look of her. "What is it now? Football? Politics? The corners on your bed this morning?" She hangs up her bag and coat and then heads over to see whatever Rhodey's working on.

"No, we were just..." Jim trails off when Beth crosses into view. He recovers fairly quickly, but there's still a noticeable gap. "You look really pretty today. That's a nice dress." Another gap, this time as he shifts his attention back to the suit that's bobbing serenely in the antigrav shaft. "I think it's really ready this time. All internal systems are holding at ninety percent power or better, and have been for a few minutes. No spikes or fluctuations."

"It's beautiful." Bethany slides her arm around Rhodey's waist and gives him a little hug. "I know it's taken you hours just to get this far. You're fantastic. When can I try it on?" She's trying not to bounce on her toes and only succeeding a little.

Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths. Rhodey returns the hug and kisses the top of Beth's head. "In a few minutes. I want to let it run a little longer in diagnostic mode before I call it a successful prototype. Can I ask you a question while we wait?"

"Sure." Bethany lets go and hops up to sit on an empty space on a workbench. "What do you want to know?"

Rhodey's lips press together into a tight line for a moment. He accesses an image of Loki taken through his cybernetic eye, feeds it to the Ghost-Tech system, and projects a holographic recreation for Beth. It's left to hang in the air for a moment while he considers how best to sum up his experience. "This guy came to see me yesterday. He was... unpleasant. Said he knew you. I really want to find him. Don't suppose you could help?"

Bethany is surprised and she shakes her head, looking frustrated. "He does know me. We haven't spoken in a while. I suppose, unofficially, I was fired. I know where he is, in theory, but I can't get there. I suppose I could try and contact him but..." she trails off and shrugs. "I'm sorry he was bothering you. He's Thor's adopted brother. Slightly less obnoxious than Thor--believe it or not--but a moral relativist to say the least. He can do things to your mind, it's... I never quite knew if I was myself around him."

"Yeah. Tell me about it." Rhodey agrees. He coughs, clears his throat, and disperses the projection. Unconsciously, he assumes the military 'at-ease' posture. Hands clasped together neatly at the small of his back. Feet set just a hair wider than his shoulders. He looks anything but relaxed, though. "Um. Yeah. Too bad. I was thinking of paying him a little visit." "It would take magic to get there. A great deal. I don't buy that they're Gods, but whatever they are, they're powerful. Loki doesn't even have to leave home to cause trouble." Bethany tugs at the pins in her hair. Everything feels too tight now, uncomfortable. "He frightens me, honestly. He's a broken person. And Thor, well..." Her face pales and she shakes her head to loosen her hair. "He may seem like the better option, but he still sees us all as inferior beings, and he sees Earth as his domain."

"So they're both jerks." Rhodey takes a deep breath, sighs it out slowly, and then gives his head a short, brisk shake. Not the answer he was hoping for, clearly, but it's the answer he was suspecting. "Okay. Nevermind. Thanks, though."

"I'm sorry. I wish none of them were here." Bethany slips down from her perch and crosses the room to tuck her pins away in her bag, trading them for an elastic to hold back her hair. Her bright mood is gone, she's not sure how to feel. Angry. Frightened. For some reason, ashamed of herself. She's not sure what she's more sorry for, but she wishes things could go back to five minutes ago or yesterday or whenever it was that they started to go wrong.

"Aw, man," Rhodey says, footscuffing abashedly. "I ruined it. I'm sorry. C'mere."

He takes a step closer and wraps an arm around Bethany's waist, gently drawing her in. "Hey. Hug me. It makes me feel good. I bet it'll make you feel better, too."

"It's not your fault. Blame reality." Bethany slides her arms around Rhodey's neck and rests her head on his chest. "It does make me feel better. Always." Her body is taut with anxiety and she hangs on to Rhodey like a child. "I don't want to talk about them now. I'll send you some of my information if you want it."

"Yeah... That'd be fine. I don't want to talk about 'em anymore, either." Rhodey rests his cheek on top of Bethany's head, closes his eyes, and nuzzles against her. His arms tighten around her slightly, but as always, he's concious of the pressure he exerts. "I didn't mean to upset you. That's-- no, that's not what I wanted. This is all I really wanted."

"Me, too." Bethany sighs and leans into Rhodey for a long moment, then she stands on her toes and tips her face up so she can kiss his cheek. "Okay, so I did want to see my suit." An impish little smile lights up her face and she wriggles with excitement as she remembers why she's here--now that things are better again. "Let's talk about that and how awesome you are for working on it."

Rhodey closes his eyes and turns his face into the kiss. He's smiling, too. He takes Beth's hand in his and leads her back over to where the suit is hanging in midair. "There she is. It's still what I'd call a prototype, but all the basic systems are wired and online. I haven't put any weapons or defensive systems on it yet. I wanted you to pick those out." He paces a slow circle around the new armor, showing it off proudly. "It uses one of my power cores," he explains, pausing to tap his chest-mounted reactor through his flight suit. "So there's enough juice to keep it flying, keep the repulsors firing, and some left over for whatever you want to add."

"I can't believe this. Seriously, it's the coolest thing." Bethany actually squeaks and hugs Rhodey again. She's not even going to try to be cool about it. "Can I try it on? I can't wait to play with you."

Rhodey's hands come to rest on Bethany's hips. When he picks her up and spins her in a gleeful circle, it feels good. Natural and comfortable. He's chuckling warmly, his happiness mirroring her excitement as he sets her feet back on the ground. "Yep. Arms up. I'll show you how to strap in. For now, we'll have to do it manually and you'll probably need a partner at first. We'll get Tony to program you an AI, too. You'll need someone to filter all that sensory input for you." He lets go of her and reaches out to pull one of the gauntlets free from their suspension beam. "I didn't just build it for you, you know." he admits. "This is a present for me, too. Not that my ass would fit in there. You know what I mean. Right?"

"I know, I get it." Bethany lets Rhodey help her with the suit. It's different from his and she's never done anything like this before... and it's hard to be patient when she really just wants to go flying. She knows, however, that she's going to spend a lot of time running into things at first. As long as it's nothing breakable, she'll be fine. "You don't get to share this stuff with anyone very much. Tony's a busy guy and he's got other interests. Don't think I haven't noticed that you spend too much time alone, Mr. Rhodes."

Each of the armor pieces had a simple release switch or latch, but they're all so cunningly concealed that it'd take a technical genius or a detailed scan to find them. Lifting a tab on the inside of the forearm opens up the gauntlet so he can slide it around Bethany's arm. When he triggers the tab again, each of the individual flaps, joints and armor scales lock into place. He's done his homework. It fits like a glove, pun most definitely intended. The other gauntlet follows, along with the upper arm and shoulder pieces. "Yep," he says, though he seems a little distracted. "I need another armor buddy. No one I trust more than you. You have full access now, y'know. You can come down here and play with this stuff even when I'm not home. Just try not to blow anything up. Go ahead, wiggle around a bit. See how it feels. Also, the repulsors are online. So try not to blow anything up."

"You know I have no idea what I'm doing, right?" Bethany isn't used to that feeling, but she's too happy to care. When she moves, she's very cautious, just flexing here and there to see how the suit behaves. "Also, how happy I am it's you making this and not Tony." She looks down at herself. "Because otherwise I'd end up with some enhancements I don't really want," she says dryly.

"I tried to make it feminine, but not... y'know, Tony-feminine," Rhodey chuckles as he attaches the breast and back plates. "Anyway, just relax. Let the suit do the work for you. Honestly, there's not a lot to learn. You move, it compensates and assists. I don't even notice mine anymore. Hold on, time to head downstairs." By that, he means attaching the bottom half of the suit. He presents each of the boots to Bethany as if they're glass slippers, then snaps the calf and thigh scales into place. Once all the parts are attached, he shows her the button that activates the final set of mag-locks. "Press that and you're good to go. Remember, flying is the only really tricky part. Stay below a thousand feet on your first couple of runs. From that height, you should be fine even if you crater."

"Well, I know I'll be fine because I'll have you there." Bethany hesitates before she hits the final button. "You are coming with me, aren't you? Because I'm not going anywhere without you." She's not going to budge until she gets a promise on that, and not just because she's as nervous as all getout about flying on her own.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Rhodey replies, smiling broadly. "Hold on a sec." He steps into a chamber that's set into the wall. A coffin, really. A door slides shut, and when it opens again a few seconds later, the War Machine is in full gear and ready to deploy. "Don't worry. This is going to be fun," he says, rolling his shoulders to loosen muscles that no longer exist. "And you know, you're probably faster than me. Same power supply, but you've got a lot less badass slowing you down." It's true, too. Side by side, War Machine masses half again as much as Bethany does in her streamlined armor. If she's a sports car or a scout's motorcycle; he's a Humvee or a heavy-duty truck. Satisfied, Beth hits the button to lock down her suit and takes a few steps, carefully. "You're all the badass I need." She bounces lightly on her toes. "I don't want to wreck your workshop fooling around in here." She reaches out and playfully pokes War Machine in the armoured belly. "Want to fool around with me, Rhodey?" she teases. Her usual teasing posture, complete with the wiggle and her hand on her hip, comes through just fine in the armour.

"Baby, If you only knew," Rhodey jabs back, but keeps his strictly verbal. He can't smile with his faceplate down, but his deep, booming laugh is much in evidence, even through his vocalizer. "PATTON, give us an exit." Obligingly, the AI slides open a set of heavy doors in the ceiling, revealing a shaft that runs through the entire building and all the way to the roof. "It looks good on you, you know," he says, glancing over at Bethany. "Then again, most things do. You ready?"

"Scared but the good way," Bethany admits. She takes off a little bit by pushing off and directing herself skyward, and it's really weird the way the suit just *knows* what her body wants. "This is so cool." The display is barebones, it's all just experimental, but it's still like being in a videogame. Once she's clear of the building, she has room to move a little and zips up high enough to make herself squeak with how fast she goes, then starts giggling. The suit isn't quite sure what to do with giggles at first, which makes her laugh harder.

"You better catch me if I screw up!" she calls. She picks a direction--out toward the ocean--and takes off.

Rhodey's takeoff is smooth and clean. He's had plenty of chances to practice. Even so, it takes an extra boost from his jets to bring him alongside Bethany. "You're doing great!" he calls back, using a direct link between the suits to feed his voice into her helmet. "Man, you're fast. C'mon, open her up. Let's see what she can do." WHOOSH! He blasts past Beth, roaring out a joyful, boyish laugh as he starts to near his top speed. "Catch me if you can!"

"Ugh, Rhodey!" Beth feels like the kid sister as she pushes the suit to catch up with him. If she watches her HUD and not what's actually outside her, it's not as scary as she thought. "Wait up!" Of course, it doesn't take her long to hit the same speed he's going, then start to catch up. When Beth catches sight of her actual velocity in the HUD, she says something unladylike, then laughs. "Why would you ever take this off?!"

Showing off now, Rhodey rolls over on his back and tucks his arms behind his head in a faux-leisurely posture. "So you can express your heartfelt gratitude by covering me with kisses," he replies in a parody of his normally serious tone. "Whoa-whut-whoa!" Without his hand units to stabilize his flight, he catches too much air at the wrong angle and goes into a flat spin. A few corrections from his repulsor units stabilize him, but it takes him a second to catch up with Beth. "Ahem. So. The suit is not a toy. Obviously. But isn't it *really* cool?"

"Okay, that's a decent reason." Beth agrees, laughing. "I will take it off for necessities like sex and showering, but that's all. Maybe if I have to go do dinner. MAYBE. But not sleeping." She turns and flies loops around Rhodey until she makes herself dizzy with it. "It's awesome. And scary. And awesome. I feel amazing."

"You are amazing." Rhodey airbrakes to watch Bethany's corkscrew turns, nearly coming to a stop in the process. Slowly revolving in place to keep her in sight, he meets her at the end of her last loop, catches her, and pulls her in for an armor-on-armor hug. "I'm glad you like it. It's good to share the sky with you."

"No, you," Bethany teases. She bumps her faceplate against Rhodey's to give him a 'kiss' and puts her arms around his neck. "This is pretty much the best ever. The only thing that would make it better would be a fight, but we'll get one when we're ready."

A boost from the jets in Rhodey's boots sends the two of them into a graceful pirouette. "I can think of one other thing," he says, taking on a now-or-never sort of swiftness. "You know how I feel. By now, you have to. I don't think I really need to say anything else. Maybe I shouldn't. But I had to say something."

Bethany is halfway through thinking 'wheeeee' when her mind catches up to what Rhodey's actually saying. "Oh." She puts all that together and nods. "Yes. I do." She's not oblivious to that, or to how little time has passed--though it feels like forever some days--since Alex died. "You should say what you think and what you feel. Otherwise everything stagnates. I don't know what I'd do without you, Jim. I don't know what I'm doing with myself these days, but I know you make things better for me when they're wrong. I find I'm glad I got hired by SI because I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

"So much has happened," Rhodey acknowledges, nodding solemnly. He pulls back a little, but retains a hold on Bethany's hands. "I don't know if it's too soon, too late, or somewhere between. Maybe this wasn't the right time after all. But I do... I'm very fond of you. If decide you feel the same way, I'd like to take you on a proper date sometime. And if you don't, that's fine. I'm happy just having you around."

Bethany refrains from teasing about whether or not she can wear the suit. She's got a feeling she could get away with about anything, though. "I would love it if you took me out on a date." She squeezes Rhodey's hands gently. He can't see her smile but it comes through in her voice. "Really. It'd make me happy."

"Really? I mean, yeah. That'd be great. Really." Beth isn't the only one smiling. Rhodey tugs at her hand and draws her a little closer. "As long as you're sure. I already had one woman take the pity-date route with me. That doesn't really seem like your style, though." Having let out the question that's been clawing at him for the better part of a day, Jim feels lighter. At ease. He's poking fun at her, which he accentuates by giving Bethany another tug. "Make you a deal. I'll race you back to my place. Winner gets to pick what we blow up on our first date. Or... which restaurant we go to. Either way."

Bethany tugs on Rhodey's hand and pulls herself into his arms instead of taking him up on the challenge. "Don't you dare think I'm not sure, Rhodey. This isn't a pity-date. I think you're hot. Seriously. And when the time is right, you won't ever have to wonder about that again. Clear?"

"Are you real?" It's an odd question to ask. Rhodey even pokes Beth in the belly with a metal finger, as if that additional bit of contact is what will convince him. Then he chuckles and gives her a hug. For the first time, he can squeeze her and not worry about hurting her. Even with the armor between them, it's a good feeling. "Seriously, that was the perfect answer. Clear. A hundred thousand percent crystal."

Bethany bumps her forehead against his gently, laughing, then pushes away slowly. "Good, because I damn well mean it. And you better believe I'm real. It'd be a shame to see a man lose a race to a figment of his imagination." She raps his shoulder with her knuckles and takes off at top speed, already targeting home base. "Try and keep up!"

She's faster. Probably a lot faster, truth be told. Rhodey, on the other hand, has years of experience piloting his armor. They stay neck and neck until Rhodey's house is in sight. At the speeds they're traveling, it doesn't take them long to get there. Bethany takes the lead during their final approach, edging Jim out by a few scant meters. As the first to funnel down the entry chute, she's the winner. Which, honestly, is something he can live with.