Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark…
but what if they were in a Sci-Fi setting and weren't human?
Join our group bid now and make this awesome fic happen!
Contact massivespacewren on discord or at [email protected] for more info!
(@marveltrumpshate is a charity auction for fanworks. We will bid on the author Reremouse to write this awesome idea. Your contribution goes straight to charity.)
This is the prompt our author @reremouse agreed on:
Once the deadliest stealth/attack ship in Hydra's fleet, Bucky was abandoned for newer technology, then salvaged and repurposed as a passenger ship. As he doesn't interact or perceive as humans do and can't behave in a way humans relate to, he's treated solely as a vehicle. But his array of sensors give him constant input about the world around and within him. Tony is a bipedal man-like android. Also an AI, he's able to interact with humans on a level Bucky can't, but they are unable to see him as he is: a construct of code and data.
They meet when Tony boards, get closer, and progress from AI constructs with mutual commiseration, but no emotion, to realizing they've discovered "love" and a sense of self. They recognize themselves as people, not unfeeling tools. Will feature: becoming people, discovery of pleasure through interfacing and mingling code, and recognition of what constitutes an emotion.
“I mean, sure, there probably aren’t any wealthy people of the top 1% slowly being replaced by highly-intelligent androids as part of a secret conspiracy of some weird alien conspiracy to take over the world,” Clint, going on thirty-two hours of no sleep and wearing his best wide-eyed, wild-haired crazy conspiracy theorist look, waves his hands for emphasis. “But can we really know that for sure? CAN WE?”
“No,” T.O.N.Y. says calmly without looking up from the tablet he’s using to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mainframe and figure out who the hell fucked their mission up beyond repair, “we cannot.”
Howard Stark had once said that the greatest things can be achieved through technology. Most people didn’t realize the length he had gone or the Stark Family’s biggest secret. After all, Howards Starks greatest creation has been, and always will be, his son. Tony Stark. Mark 1
STEVE
PRS - Model: CAPTAIN
Project Rebirth. The idea that could change the face of war: The Perfect Soldier, that was built from scratch. While Dr. Erskine was in the process of creating their “Captain America”, he knew that war was won with more than just strength. So he gave their soldier the one thing he needed, humanity. The ability to feel true emotions.
BRUCE
BNR - 8212 - DEFECTIVE
Bruce had started off as another working android for a private science research facility, however, he soon developed what was thought to be a minor glitch. However, it soon turned into a highly dangerous virus. One that affected his ability to process directives and even his appearance. Virus Code GREEN.
NATASHA
RM_983 - Model: BLACK WIDOW
In the Red Room, each of their soldiers had been given cybernetic enhancements that improved each and every one of their senses to the point of perfection. Natasha had been their best and the most perfect soldier at the time.
CLINT
HK-5245 - Model: ENTERTAINMENT
Androids were built with more purposes than just fighting wars or taking care of the crippled. There are those who were made to entertain. Upon activation, HAWKEYE had been passed from circus to circus because of his amazing inability to miss anything in sight. No matter the distance. His eyes were the best ever made.
THOR
Project Mjölnir - 001
When Thor was young, he admired his father's work with cybernetic advancements from beyond this planet. One day, a young Thor had wandered to where he should not have been and discovered a strange object that seemed to have come from space. The alien object found the boys' soul worthy and bonded with the boy's body.
Tony's an android that's linked up/can communicate with other tech while Bucky's a cyborg. Maybe Bucky finds Tony lying in a trash pile somewhere, Tony had been on the run from people who had been using him for bad things and ran out of power. Bucky fixes him up and Tony pays him back by upgrading his arm. Bucky's surprised by the level of detail in Tony's work and how advanced he is, it turns out Tony was Stark Industries's secret weapon.
The garbage under Bucky’s foot slipped and Buckystumbled. His boot dove into the depths of the trash, and a neon green liquidsplashed up from where his foot had landed. Bucky grimaced behind his facemaskand yanked his foot out from the hole it had fallen into. He examined his boot,searching for any signs that the green liquid was acidic. He’d lost many bootsthat.
“You okay, Bucky?” Steve hollered from the trashhill just meters away from where Bucky was rummaging for anything that lookedlike it could be repaired and reused. Steve was a frail thing, and we wouldkick the ass of anyone who tried to remind him. Steve took the term “frail” asa slight against his height and lack of muscles; Bucky often have to defend theterm via the fact that Steve was frail because he couldn’t go a month withoutsome disease that left him bedridden for days. Even so, Steve punched him everytime for the reminder—in a “friendly” manner, of course.
“I’m fine.” Bucky huffed. He kicked the head offa broken, one-eyed doll.
“What?”
“I’m fine,” Bucky raised his voice so Steve couldhear him. He didn’t want to speak too loudly. Steve and Bucky weren’t the onlyones who went through the garbage dump in search of goods, and not all thepeople who did so were the savory type.
Then again, most people who lived in the outerrings of Midgard had an edge and hardness to them. Those in the outer rings hadbarely enough to survive, and therefore had to get creative and aggressive withhow they made their living.
Bucky’s left arm spasmed, and he dropped his sackof goods. He sighed and watched as his metal arm twitched without his say-so.The damn thing was always going off every now and then like it had a mind ofits own.
Bucky was grateful to have an arm at all—he’dlost his flesh one some time ago—but it would be nice if he could go a daywithout it acting up.
Once his arm quelled its movements, Bucky pickedup his sack, threw it over his shoulder, and skidded down the side of the trashhill. He’d looked the hill over thoroughly; it was time to check out anotherone.
Steve and he had come too late. Most of the goodsbrought in from the inner rings trash had already been taken. There wasn’t eventhe misplaced chunks of scrap metal that Bucky and Steve always made a point ofgrabbing. The scrap yard was guarded day and night, so the best place to getscraps was from the garbage dump. Steve and Bucky had witnessed many who triedto sneak into the scrap yard only to be tasered then taken somewhere to neverbe seen again. The scrap yard wasn’t worth the risk.
Bucky rounded a trash pile and stopped just shortof someone lying against the pile. A sheet stained with blood was draped overthe person so only their face was visible. It was a man, possibly a few yearsolder than Bucky. The man’s hair even when mussed appeared to have been styled,and the shaven design of the man’s facial hair suggested he was a resident ofthe inner rings.
Bucky knew all about inner ring members beingtossed to the outer rings, and while it wasn’t uncommon for such folks to windup in the dump, looking for anything to get by, it usually wasn’t until a fewdays after they’d been booted. The man in front of Bucky looked too clean tohave been in the outer rings that long.
Bucky frowned and approached the man. It was thenthat Bucky realized the man wasn’t breathing.
Even for a fresh corpse, the man would be showingsigns of discoloration by now.
Android. Bucky had run across plenty when the militarystill had humans in its employ and he had been a part of it. None had everlooked so human-like though. There had always been something that gave themaway. Usually it was a seam or just simple positioning and movements that didnot look natural on any human that gave away androids.
Bucky yanked the bloodied sheet off the androidand prodded it. He jerked away in shock at the feel of flesh and warmth.Bucky’s heart pouded in his chest as doubt about whether or not the beingbefore him was human or android slammed into him.
Perhaps the man was even a cyborg, like Bucky?
Bucky checked the man’s pulse but felt nothing.He gently flipped the man over. His nerves were on edge the whole time. If hewas dealing with a living being then Bucky moving them should cause them tostir. No such thing happened though.
Bucky inhaled sharply at the round contraption inthe man’s chest. A soft, barely there, blue light flickered within the device.The contraption looked like a power core, but if it was, it was barely emittingany power.
If the man was a cyborg then the device mostlikely was for his respiratory system and/or heart.
The man would die within the hour if that was thecase.
Bucky forgoed his sack of goods and slung the manonto his back. He was not going to let someone die in a dump.
(Mobile readers: Read More)
“This is nuts.” Sam cocked the man’s head to theside and peered into the man’s ear. “I could almost believe he’s human.”
With the help of Steve, Bucky had carried theunconscious man (android?) home from the dump. They had been greeted by acurious and slightly panicked Sam, but once Bucky gave a quick explanation, Samtook the lead and set about examining the android.
“Almost?” Bucky crossed his arms over his chestas he did another once over of the android he’d found in the garbage dump.“What gives him away to you?”
“I don’t see anything different,” Steve said fromhis spot on the floor. He had a torn jacket in his lap and was doing what hecould to salvage it.
“The moment I pried his eyelid open is what gaveit away. Too perfect, especially for someone blacked out in the middle of adump. Plus, he’s got a microphone in his ear. It’s subtle, but recognizable.”Sam let the android’s head flap down then went over to a box of cables the triohad collected over time. Sam hummed as he rifled through the cache until hefound a gray cable. “This should do. I’m just going to hook it up to a battery,and see if we can get this guy operational again.”
“He could still be a cyborg,” Bucky countered. Aperson could be ninety-percent machine and they would still be considered acyborg.
Bucky grabbed a car battery off one of theirshelves of junk. Electricity was costly and a sudden spike in their electricalusage could draw attention from those Bucky and his friends would prefer not toknow of their existence.
Sam took the battery from Bucky. “Well then, feelfree to ask him when he wakes up, but until then, we’re going with my androidtheory. Unless you don’t want to trust the guy who you’ve been running to everytime your arm starts acting funky.”
Bucky held up his hands in surrender. “Fine,fine. You’re the boss.”
Sam would have the best guess out of any of themanyway. Bucky had loved taking tech apart and putting it back together when hewas a kid, but his depth of knowledge only went to what had been commonhousehold items for him at the time. Sam was no scientist or engineer, but he’dpicked up a few things while he’d been in the air force, and that hadbenefitted the trio of friends greatly.
“If he is an android, what are we going to dowith him?” Steve inquired. His brow furrowed as he mulled over his ownquestion. “Having an android around could be helpful, but it would draw a lotof attention. Someone will come to investigate to find out how a couple ofex-military living in the slums got a hold of one.”
“No one we know is going to want to buy him—it—either.”Bucky rubbed the a knot forming in the back of his neck. It’s not that peoplewouldn’t mind having an android—especially if it was one that was programmedfor menial jobs and not just shooting enemy targets; however, no one had thecredits to afford a fully functioning android, and just like the trio, mostpeople didn’t want the government’s attention drawn toward them.
Bucky could take the android apart and use it forscrap. He’d have no problem doing it too if the android didn’t work, but if theandroid functioned properly it would pain Bucky to do so. Even if he knew therewas no chance they could sell the android, it would still sting to know he wasdestroying something that sold for thousands of credits, if not more.
Sam patted the android on the head. “Well, whilethis fella charges, let’s take a look at the other crap you brought me.”
Bucky sighed, his thumb hooking around his beltas he shook his head in disappointment. “You’re going to cry.”
Sam didn’t cry outwardly when he rooted throughSteve’s sack only to find a few pieces of junk that could be spruced up andused. Bucky swore though that inwardly his friend was tearing up and cursingout whoever he felt responsible for the lack of goods.
Bucky wasn’t the only one with the same opinion,because after a few seconds of Sam staring blankly at Steve findings, Steveclapped Sam on the shoulder and said: “We’ll make due.”
Bucky set about making lunch and let Steve assistSam today on repairs. Sam wasn’t as much of bitch to Steve as he was to Buckywhen their hauls were lacking. Obviously, Steve was Sam’s favorite.
Bucky had finished prepping the vegetables whenhe glanced over to the “parlor” (the parlor, which was also the living room,the workshop, the guest room, and sometimes an extension of the kitchen).
Bucky froze as unfamiliar brown eyes jumped fromcasually looking at Sam and Steve, who were combining two toasters into one, tozooming in on Bucky. The android was awake, and whatever the hell Sam had saidabout his eyes giving him away sure as fuck seemed to be a lie, because thoseeyes were pretty damn human looking. Hell, his eyes were even squinting like ahuman’s as he scrutinized Bucky’s metal arm. His skin wrinkled around his noseas he scrunched his face.
“You’re just three men from the slums,” theandroid said.
Steve and Sam jolted with surprise and whirledaround to see the android was awake.
Sam cursed. “He looks a lot more human when he’sawake. Maybe he is a cyborg.”
The android (or whatever the fuck he/it was),cocked his head then smirked. He gestured to the car battery and wires hookedup to him. “I guess I owe you one. Thanks for the recharge.”
Bucky muscles tensed. He’d never heard anyandroid speak like that. Hell, he wasn’t sure he’d ever met an android whosmirked.
Steve snapped out of shock first and struttedover to the man. “You can start by telling us who or what you are.”
“Tony,” the man supplied. He leaned casualagainst the wall, crossing one leg over the other. “And I’m a treasure.”
Steve frowned at Tony’s response. “What does‘Tony’ stand for?”
“Highly praiseworthy, last time I checked.”
Steve was thrown by Tony’s answer. “It’s not anabbreviation?”
“It could be.” Tony rested his hands behind hishead. “If you want to know if I am an android, you could just ask.”
Bucky, Steve, and Sam all shared looks. All ofthem knew that the government and the companies it had under contract weretrying to make more human-like androids, but Tony’s casual demeanor, hisgestures, and the way he spoke were so very human that all of them doubtedtheir earlier assumptions. Add to that suspicion, the way he responded to acommand and his name not standing for anything, it was hard to believe he wasanything other than cyborg.
“Keep gawking boys and I’m going to develop acomplex,” Tony teased.
“What were you doing in the garbage?” Steveasked.
Tony shrugged. “I thought I had more power than Idid.” Tony patted the device in his chest.
“You weren’t breathing.” Bucky watched the riseand fall of Tony’s chest.
Tony shrugged. “Obviously, I was only mostlydead.” Tony grinned and looked at Steve, Bucky, and Sam as if he were waitingfor them do something. When they didn’t react, he frowned. “Probably too old astory for you to get the reference.”
Tony cleared his throat and stood. His kneeswobbled as he tried to find his balance. “Not to be a pain, but you wouldn’tmind letting a guy hang around for a few days, would you?”
Bucky was about to explain that had been theplan, but Sam cut in. “I mind. You’re acting pretty evasive.”
“I’m just shy.” Tony waved off Sam’s comment.“I’ll repay you. I just need some time to charge this.” Tony gestured to hischest device. “As well as some time to look into a portable battery pack or abetter energy source so I can keep going well after we have separated.”
Steve and Sam shared looks of skepticism. Buckycouldn’t deny that he also was beginning to feel the stirrings of doubt inregards to Tony.
Tony’s eyes slid over to Bucky’s arm. “Okay. Howabout you let me fix his arm so it doesn’t act like it’s possessed every nowand then, and if I do a good job, you consider letting me stay a night?”
Bucky jolted and covered his arm with his fleshhand. “How do you-”
“I recognize that crap piece of a model. Thatthing is barely worthy of being scrap metal.” Tony put a hand on his hip andgestured at the room. “Listen, your operation here is cute, but it’s obviousthat you’re all amateurs. If you don’t want to trust me with the arm, I cantake a look at something else first.”
“You really don’t want to go home,” Steve stated,suspicion leaking into his tone.
“What home?” Tony asked. He shook his head.“Doesn’t matter anyway. As I said, I need time to charge or else I’m just goingto end up back in that dump or in some alley.”
It was a valid argument. Bucky hadn’t carriedTony all the way home just so the guy would end up unconscious on the streets.“One night isn’t going to kill us,” Bucky said. “And why not see what he can dowith some of this junk? It’s already broken.”
Sam and Steve mumbled their agreements after amoment of judgemental silence and pondering. Bucky understood where theirhesitance came from. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help someone in need,but Tony’s evasive behavior when they inquired about what or who he was madethem wary. He had yet to give them a straight answer, and while he could justbe a secretive person, he could also be hiding something that could put thethree of them in danger.
Tony beamed. He bent and picked up the carbattery so he could walk around while still charging. He plopped it on thekitchen table-turned-work table. “Now, slide over those toasters and let a proshow you how it’s really done.”
The one night stay grew into two then three, andsoon Tony had stayed a week with Bucky, Steve, and Sam. He was a genius withmachines and tech, and repaired things faster than Sam, Steve, and Bucky evercould. He’d also taken scraps that they left lying around and built devices andcontraptions that the trio had only ever dreamed of being able to building intheir humble abode.
Tony was still evasive, and none of the trio wascertain if he was cyborg or android. When they had finally asked him pointblank, Tony’s response had been, “Does it matter?”
On the day they had met, Bucky might haveanswered yes, but after a week of living together, whatever Tony was, he wasintelligent to the point of sentient. If he was an android, he wasn’t a“thing,” and he deserved to be treated no different than any other sentientbeing.
“You have no idea how happy I am that you’refinally letting me do this.” Tony pulled up a stool across from Bucky and laidhis makeshift tool belt on the table next to where Bucky had laid his metalarm.
Bucky’s fingers twitched against his will.
He grimaced at his fingers “My arm bother youthat much?”
“Your arm is like a teenager who thinks it knowsbetter than everyone else. I’m going to teach it a few lessons that will makeit a mature adult.”
Bucky wrinkled his nose. “That’s a weirdanalogy.”
Tony bent over Bucky’s arm and felt along thepanels before selecting his tools for the operation. “Not my best, but it getsthe point across.” Tony winked at Bucky. “I promise when I am through, your armwill be worthy of being attached to such a strong and handsome guy asyourself.”
Bucky cocked his head. The corner of his mouthcurved into a bemused smile. “Are you flirting with me?”
“I am stating facts.”
“Sure you are,” Bucky said sarcastically.
Bucky watched Tony as the genius worked. Tony wasmeticulous. He constantly checked with Bucky to make sure Bucky wasn’t feelingany pain as he worked. He was a professional, and a professional like Tonywould excel in the inner rings of Midgard. There were only a handful of reasonswhy someone like Tony would be in the outer rings.
“You’re running from something, aren’t you?”Bucky asked.
Tony didn’t stop working. “Aren’t we all?”
Bucky kept quiet and watched Tony work. WhateverTony was running from, it was probably for the better that Bucky didn’t knowwhat it was. It meant he wouldn’t have answers when someone came looking forTony and Tony was gone.
He doesn’t remember how many hours and days and years have led up to this moment. He doesn’t remember when he last ate or slept. Can’t even recall when he was last bothered by that irritating assistant who’s always so insistent on getting him to drink something or put his work down for a second to catch some sleep. Howard doesn’t need sleep. He needs- He needs.
He remembers the way his fingers type as fast as possible, yet always a little too slow to catch up with his racing thoughts with a startling clarity. Remembers the code, every line, every single command, can see it character by character, running right before his inner eye as soon as he closes them for a moment. Remembers building and adding and correcting until he breathes the numbers, until they settle like tiny dust particles into the innermost cells of his lung, enter his bloodstream, become one with him.
Howard Stark is an engineer. A builder. A creator. [And he wonders, at once terrified and exhilarated, whether this is how God has felt, looking down at the brightest, the most perfect of his creations. His heir.]
The first functional android is built in 1982 by the American government. A military project with the goal to create a robot capable of fullfilling high-stake, high-risk missions deemed to dangerous for humans, particularly as a rescue unit in unstable environments.
BOBB-Y has the height of an average twelve-year old, a humanoid-shaped body with the strength to lift approximately 150kg of weight and the capacity to adjust his movements and actions according to a variety of constantly-changing circumstances. The international outcry that follows BOBB-Y’s reveal puts a hold on several more advanced — and better armed — android projects. In public at least.
[Watch and observe, Howard commands.]
In 1987, the first android is sent on an official mission sanctioned by the US government. The UdSSR reveals its own line of operational androids four weeks later.
[Analyze and conclude, Howard adds.]
In 1993, androids are commercialized for the first time. Due to vehement protests by international organizations and skeptics, a set of mandatory rules and safety measures are established that have to be included in every android’s code.
In 1994, Stark Industries launches its first line of androids, the SI Prototype 001.
[Learn.]
By 2005, the use of androids is widely accepted and affordable even for small businesses and wealthier families. Androids are mostly used in low-skilled jobs that require no fine-motor control or creativity, whereas their usage in security branches and military operations is strictly regulated and often classified. While their appearance has become more human-like and their capabilities have improved along with technology everywhere, androids are not considered living beings as they are not yet capable of making their own decisions independent of their program.
we're all freaks (but that's alright) #fake fic ask
Okay, hear me out: android!Tony. In which Howard Stark’s greatest creation is a humanoid android called T.O.N.Y.
Androids are nothing rare in the future Steve Rogers wakes up in. But despite their live-like appearances, they are not legally recognized as people – because an android is no more than their program. They learn no more than they are taught. They are not capable of true choices, only of following orders, as is their purpose.
So, when the Avengers take down a terrorist organization linked to HYDRA, Steve is in for the surprise of his life when he witnesses the android T.O.N.Y. disobey a direct order of his owner and kill him instead. Instead of reporting the AI as a threat, Steve covers for him and demands for T.O.N.Y. to be added to his team. A strange friendship blossoms as the Avengers are forced to realize that T.O.N.Y. is like no android they ever met, is closer to human than anything they’ve ever seen.
A friendship that is put to a test the day T.O.N.Y. reveals his true agenda – to free the closest thing to an equal he knows – HYDRA’s half-human-half-android Asset.
