Tony does not typically look through his father's previous possessions

Call him sentimental. Whatever. Even Tony isn't sure as to why he's rummaging through the storage room dedicated to his father's belongings.

It's not a place he likes to be. Too many memories and ugh… emotions. Yuck.

It had been years since he last saw many of the personal items that littered the floor. None of it was organized. There was dust everywhere. The windows were covered in ancient, moth-eaten, curtains. The only light that comes into the room is the third-grade hanging light on the ceiling.

He can barely look at anything around the forsaken room. He sees pictures, framed, with stories that held a history of his family's outings. He also sees things that his father had brought from overseas. Most of what he had carried home came in the forms of tribal art, expensive relics, and memorabilia. Some of it was familiar while other pieces were lost on him.

Then he finds… the… thing…

Human?

(Humans don't have bleach white skin…)

Dead?

(Dead? Was it even alive in the first place?)

Had his father killed someone, stuffed them in this storage room, and hoped that no one would ever find the body?

Tony finds his eyes lingering on the limp form of a humanoid being leaning against the wall. It had been tucked in the farthest corner. Tony might not have found it had he not decided to venture deeper into the cluttered mess. Regardless, Tony was unsure as to how he was to feel about his father being an apparent murderer until he realizes that the apparent human did not show any signs of decay. All he saw was a thick layer of dust covering the stranger's entire body (not to mention the cake of dust on top of his head).

Tony gulps.

He stretches out his hand.

Holds out a finger.

Poke.

The stranger does not move.

Tony lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

Wait. Why was he relieved? There was still a body here!

Not dead… okay… but still… it was human right…?

No? Then what about a realistic human-looking doll? Life-sized. Just like how his father liked th- ugh - eyuck - HNGMF.

Bad image. Bad image.

"Jarvis?" Tony calls out.

"Sir?"

"Is everything in this room on file?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me why this guy," Tony gestures to the supposed doll, "is here?"

"I believe that is an android prototype willed to Howard Stark after Elijah Kamski's death."

Elijah Kamski? Now that is a name that Tony knows. Elijah Kamski was a legend in the technological world. He had been a genius that had advanced the progress of technology, advised his father on certain technological developments, and he was also the man who created a program called AMANDA. Said program was essentially the first steps of mankind creating AIs. Tony had looked into Kamski's work many times when creating Jarvis.

"An android prototype, huh?"

"Correct," Jarvis answers Tony.

"Does he have a name?"

"Mr. Stark has referred to him as 'Connor' multiple times in his restored journal entries."

"So does he work?"

"No."

"No?" Tony stresses in his exasperation. "What was the point in giving him away if he doesn't even work, to begin with?"

"I am afraid I do not know," Jarvis answers, "as my knowledge of your father's dealings is limited."

"Hmm," Tony hums as he takes a closer look at the prototype android. His simple inspection made his curiosity run like wildfire. He stares at Connor as if he had suddenly been issued a hidden challenge from his deceased old man. That is why he asks, "Do we have any information on Kamski's living descendants?"

"He has one daughter," Jarvis answers immediately, "named Chloe."

"Yes. Yes. Chloe," Tony tries out the name. "Maybe she'll have something on this."

"Would you like me to search for her current residence?"

"Yes. Do that."

It takes him two days until Tony finds himself in Detroit. Detroit, while not the safest place in the world, was the city that brought up Elijah Kamski. He doesn't have to stay in the city for long as he travels to Chloe Kamski's home. Her home resided on the outskirts of the city.

He had called beforehand so that he wouldn't have to drop in on her unannounced. That is why Chloe answers the door in anticipation of his arrival. Tony, with his endless charm, made certain that she had all of the pleasantries of a greeting until she had purposefully directed the conversation away from their small talk.

"What might I do for you?" She asks.

She leans back in an arm-chair that she had positioned out near the entrance of her home. Tony had taken a seat across from his and takes the opportunity to examine his host carefully. He first notices how little she resembled her father. He would not have guessed her to be Kamski's daughter in any other circumstances unless she had announced it to him personally.

"I was looking through my father's things." that is not how Tony usually starts conversations. This. This is the exception. "I found something that was given to my father after Mr. Kamski passed away."

"The android."

"An android pro-" he pauses, "uh… yes… the android."

"I know of him. Connor, right?"

He didn't know why he'd think she wouldn't know about him. Maybe it was because Tony himself hadn't known about the fact that there was an android gathering dust in his father's storage space? It was such a specific - obscure - thing too. I mean. Androids? Who talks about those sort of things every day.

If he had asked Chloe - at that moment - he would have heard one answer.

Elijah Kamski would talk about those sort of things every day.

"Yeah," Tony manages to say, "That's right."

Chloe smiles pleasantly. "I believe I have something that may be of assistance to you."

"Oh?" Tony's eyes light up in interest.

"Blueprints." Her explanation is short and clear.

Tony, for a moment, gets lost in his excitement. He thinks of finishing one of Elijah Kamski's works, doing what his father could not, and succeeding in creating one of the first androids.

But there has to be a catch.

"What is it you want in return?"

Chloe tilts her head to the side in an innocent-looking manner.

"I need nothing," she says. Tony was about to call BS until he hears her perk up, "Oh! Wait! There is something."

Knew it.

"I'd like to meet him when he wakes up."

Oh. Okay.

That was… easy? Hmm.

"Is that all?" Tony asks.

"Yes."

Tony spends some time in Detroit after his encounter with Chloe. His thoughts linger on her eagerness for him to bring Connor back to life. It was also weird that she had given him many of Kamski's research notes free of charge. Not many were willing to give away their family's life-work. Regardless, after hitting up a few excellent establishments, and staying in a high-class hotel for two nights, he decided that it would be better to start on Connor sooner or later.

Tony spends days simply scanning Connor's inner-workings.

He is quite hesitant to touch Connor. He doesn't want to destroy him on accident.

Tony scans all of Kamski's notes, blueprints, and puts them into a virtual database. He made certain to give Jarvis the acceptable permissions to go through all of Kamski's things. He would find himself asking Jarvis to look through Kamki's notes to determine how certain parts worked.

Like the weird circle thing on the side of Connor's forehead.

"It identifies the type of android he is-"

"Type?" Tony mumbles to himself. Was there more?

"And reflects his mood."

"Hmm," Tony grunts.

It takes two months for Tony to fully understand the ins and outs of Connor. He finds himself admiring Kamski's work, a lot, but he wouldn't say it was at fanboy levels. He could appreciate the work that Kamski put into the creation of Connor as a fellow enthusiast in technology. Connor had a lot of parts, programming, and mechanics that was years ahead of modern times.

"You better be worth it!" Tony huffs as he holds up a vial. It holds the latest version of Thirium 310 or, as Kamski put it, 'blue blood.' Connor had something similar to a human heart that would use this blue blood to properly function. Blue blood was definitely on his list of 'one of the most difficult things he's ever had to recreate.' It had taken him a whole three months.

Three months!

That's far too long! Nothing takes that long! Not with Tony Stark involved!

Two months scanning. Three months creating blue blood.

Five months-

Hopefully, the satisfaction was worth all the damn work he had put into this android.

But Tony knew he'd get Connor to work. He would succeed where his father had failed.

He gets semi-success two days later.

"Optical units?"

"Operational," Jarvis replies.

"Audio processors?"

"Replaced and operational."

"Excellent," Tony says as he rubs his hands together in his excitement, "now that we've already given him the required thirium…"

Tony clears his throat.

Loud. Clear. Just like his old man.

"Connor."

Eye-lids fly open.

Tony feels a fire light in his chest. He is so excited that he doesn't notice that Connor hadn't made any movements except for opening his eyes. That is why, after a few seconds of triumph, Tony begins to notice that Connor hasn't responded to Tony's call.

"Connor?"

No response.

Tony calls out another name, "Jarvis?" As if the AI knows all the answers.

"Did you properly reboot him-"

"Reboot! Yes - yes - uh… wait…"

Tony thinks about the things necessary for such a thing and lets out the heaviest of sighs. Right. Right. He was so busy working on the physical parts of Connor that he had forgotten about his damn programming.

Programming.

Tony knows a thing or two about that.

"Looks like we'll have several more sleepless nights," Tony groans.

"I do not sleep, sir, so that statement is only applicable to you."

"Oh, shuddup!"

Two more weeks pass. Tony juggles a lot of his daily activities around Connor's repair. He cancels many of his meetings just to get more time with recreating Connor. He doesn't know when it happens, not really, but he starts thinking Connor as more of his own creation rather than the product of Kamski's genius imagination. Sure, he had to attribute a lot of Connor's coming about to Kamski's beaming intellect, but Tony had poured his heart out just to see Connor work properly.

Today is the day.

Today is the day.

"Jarvis?"

"I have no doubts, sir," Jarvis answers him.

Tony nods. He swallows air.

His throat is dry. Maybe he should have some water? It wouldn't take too long just to walk out and - and - he wouldn't delay this any longer. Not for the world. He had a satisfaction that deserved to be his! He was ready to embrace success with open arms!

"Connor."

Eye-lids fly open. Again.

Oh. But this time?

Connor's whole upper body shoots up.

Connor's eyes flicker around the room and take in everything. Tony knows, that at the moment, Connor must be seeing various blue screens flying in his vision due to his optical units. Half of those blue screens simply stated the percentage and levels of his working parts.

"How are you feeling?"

Connor looks at him. He blinks.

He blinks!

Hallelujah! The android blinks!

"Good."

He speaks too!

Tony's excitement bursts through the roof.

Good. Good! That's good! That's definitely good!

"What is today's month?"

"July."

"What is my name?"

"Tony Stark," he answers.

"Tell me about the weather today."

"Chances of precipitation at 0%. Expect a warm and sunny day."

Tony throws his hands up in victory. Connor tilts his head. Connor tilts his head. Damn! If that isn't the greatest technology that Tony has ever seen!

"Connor," Tony has the biggest of grins on his face. "Welcome to the world."

Connor answers, according to his programming, "Thank you."