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[His eyebrow lifts at the it's you, then curves even higher as she starts actually talking.]

Not just developed, but weaponized? [It's an important distinction, especially for a former weapons developer.

Tony's eyes narrow just a little, his focus sharpening. She's got every bit of his attention now, but there's something almost sympathetic in it. He can guess where this is going.]

What happened to you?

[It's not like she would talk to Steve about quantum entanglement. But she knew Tony would get it.]

The idea was to make a sort of entangled army. People that could interface with people with clearance codes and information in governments and corporations around the world. The biggest security breach the world could imagine. So, yes- weaponized.

The short version is that when I was nine the people responsible for this project were somehow able to leak information through SHIELD ensuring that Fury would send Natasha to handle it. We were the first successful test subjects though it took years before we realized there was something going on.

The long version starts with the fact that the people that developed it were my parents.

[Tony's frowning a little as he tries to work through the implications of that. And then his brain catches on Natasha and we and he just. Stops.]

Wait. You were what, tied in with Natasha?

[That's a slightly terrifying concept for anyone, let alone someone as young as Ava is. And it had apparently taken years to realize -- how old had she been?]

[She nods, takes a slow sip of her can of soda, and there's a smile that's a little thin.]

She was Natalie Rushman when you first met her. From Legal.

[Which is to say yes, but proving the point. Something she shouldn't know, but does, because that's what they'd made her to do. There's a clear touch of nerves, because she'd never had to tell anyone about this before. The people that knew already knew, and the ones that didn't, it was easy enough to shrug and figure that if Nat and Tony didn't think they should, that was good enough for her.]

We broke the link, but I still have her memories. It's not reflexive like it was when we were connected, but I.. I fight like her too.

[There's a slightly kneejerk reaction Tony has to people knowing things they shouldn't, but he fights it back just as quickly. Ava's already looking uncertain enough, and Tony's not enough of an asshole to pile on to that. Especially not for something she clearly didn't want. Who would?]

Okay. So Romanoff-lite. [It's faintly teasing, though his expression hasn't changed much. At least he gets why Ava seemed to know him so well. Few people know him like Natasha does.] Is it still causing you problems, or?

[Basically, is there something she needs fixed or is she just letting him know.]

[She flashes him a look that's a little apologetic. She understands what it's like, and how knowing Natasha means she knows pieces of other people, too.

But then he says Romanoff-lite and she can't help slightly rolling her eyes. At least it's better than Natasha Junior and Mini-me... Oh wait, it's not. She guesses she would have been surprised if he hadn't teased her about it, though.]

Not really. I mean-- it's better than it was. But, the powers? I got those when we killed the device. Natasha was off handling the bad guy, which left me trying to wire a state of the art SHIELD drive with our code on it into the motherboard of a machine made with tech jut past the end of the Cold War. So when it works, and the thing goes up, I'm at ground zero.

[He nods once, though there's a slight smile playing over his mouth at her obvious irritation. Yeah, he's never letting that one go.]

Good to know. It mean, it sounds like a clusterfuck, but clearly you managed.

[She's irritated, but it's a familiar sort of irritation. It's not that she likes it, but it's one of those things that makes this world seem a little like the one she left behind. The people, at least.

Tony's just as endearing and frustrating as he was before. Not exactly shocking.]

Mm. More or less.

[It's a little evasive, but it's personal. And oh yeah the boy I was in love with died making sure I could take it offline isn't a conversation she's ready to have with anyone.]

It's always something, isn't it?

Always. [The agreement is dry, but there's an understanding in it. Something is always fucked, and if there's anyone who gets that on a fundamental level, it's Tony Stark.]

So once I finish getting set up here, I'm gonna start on your fireproofing. [He gestures vaguely around him as he says it. Not quite a subject change, but at least trying to get them out from under the worst of the heavy stuff.] I'm thinking maybe safe polymers, at least until we can figure out how to get your thing more under control.

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