Now

Iron Man grunted as slammed against the wall. He left a deep indention in the metal surface and for a moment he could hear nothing above the ringing in his own ears. "Stop this," he hissed, barely able to spit out the words with all the blood that filled his mouth.

Jocasta approached through the flames, the light flickering off her reflective silver-colored body. She looked like a demon from Hell, her eyes glowing brightly. <I loved you,> she said simply, as if that were all the justification he needed for her actions.

"J... please. Don't force me to fight you." Iron Man struggled to his feet, raising one palm towards her. The repulsor gauntlet charged up, ready to fire at a command.

Jocasta stopped in place, staring at her former friend with something akin to pity. <I've finally realized something, Tony. I'm too good for you.>

Iron Man fired his repulsor blast, but it came a half-second too late. Jocasta's eyebeams struck him in his left shoulder, knocking his aim askew. Tony gritted his teeth against the pain, glancing down to see that part of his armor had been blown away, revealing burnt flesh and blood. He thought about accessing the alien technology that was present in this particular suit of armor, but he held off on it. No need to play all my cards until the last possible second, he reasoned. "That's it," he hissed. "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

Jocasta glanced to her right, just past Iron Man. <He's threatening me,> she said.

Iron Man turned to see whom she was addressing, his eyes growing wide. "Oh, no," were the only words he managed to utter before a repulsor beam ripped into him, knocking him flat on his back. The world spun around him and he blinked repeatedly, trying to regain his equilibrium.

Two figures looked down at him, looming large in his blurred vision. One of them bore the yellow and black features of Mainframe, the robot that Tony had created to assist him in case of emergency. Now, however, there was nothing but cold malevolence in the robot's stare. <Prepare to die, creator.>

Damn, Tony thought. I'd say this qualifies as the last possible second n--

Then

"You're joking." Tony could barely resist laughing aloud, even though he knew that Rumiko was fuming at his response. "Jocasta is... look, I'll admit that lately she's been a bit testy. But in love with me? That's absurd."

Rumiko glanced over at him, her pretty features marred by the fierce expression she wore. She was clad only in a scant bikini, stretched out on the deck chair of Tony's yacht. The wind made her hair, pulled back into a ponytail, whip about. "You think I'm making it up?" she asked testily.

"Well, no," he said, quickly realizing his tactical error. "But maybe you misunderstood."

Rumiko reached down and picked up a bottle of water that sat on the deck beside her chair. The sun was shining brightly, leaving a small sheen of sweat down her midsection and legs. Tony couldn't help but stare at a few beads of moisture that stood out next to her belly button. Truth be told, he'd much rather be making love right now than discussing Jocasta....

"I didn't misunderstand," she answered. "She demanded that I tell her what my intentions were and when I tried to reason with her, she made it quite clear that she doesn't think I'm anything more than a good lay to her." Rumiko's voice dropped an octave. "And my eyes are up here."

Tony looked up into her face, offering a brief smile of apology. "Sorry. It's just that suit of yours. Very distracting."

"Then maybe I should cover up so you'll be able to focus on what I'm saying." Rumiko swung her legs towards Tony, leaning forward as she sat up. "This is not a joke. Something is very wrong with her."

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to her when we get back." Tony reached out and touched Rumiko's face, making it clear that he recognized how importantly she felt about this. "You've handled all this craziness really well, you know. I wasn't sure how you'd react to finding out about Iron Man."

"It's taken some getting used to," she admitted. "But I love you... and that means I have to take everything else in stride." Rumiko turned her head slightly, kissing the palm of Tony's hand. "Please talk to her. Find out if she's... safe."

"You're really worried about this, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am. She's always in your head when you're wearing the suit... she knows too much. If she's gone crazy or if she decides one day that I'm getting too close to you--"

"Hey. She's not a killer. Even if she's getting a little too attached to me, she'd never hurt you. Or me."

"I hope you're right," Rumiko answered. "I really do."

Now

<I... feel regret.>

Mainframe took Jocasta's hand in his own, walking so close to her that their arms touched. <He forced us to do this. He thought of us as machines, as tools. We'd never be anything more to him than extensions of his armor.>

Jocasta looked back at the still form of Tony Stark, lain out on a cart that rolled along behind them. <You're right. But it's still difficult.>

Mainframe stopped outside a small door, leading into the final section of the laboratory. Since the destruction of the Stark Solutions headquarters, Tony had converted the sub-basement beneath his house into a makeshift lab, complete with computer equipment that was the equal of that possessed by SHIELD or the Avengers. <If you want to stop... we can.>

Jocasta stared at the door, knowing what lay beyond. The voice that had come to her, guiding and instructing her in the ways of embracing her emotionality... it was her friend. But it wanted a sacrifice, one that came in the form of Tony Stark. <No.> She squeezed his hand. <You are my mate... but the part of me that was once Janet Van Dyne can't help but feel guilt.>

<You were based on her brain patterns, but you are your own entity,> Mainframe whispered.

Jocasta nodded, but said nothing. Truth be told... the question of 'who am I?' was one that still ate away at her mechanized soul.

Private Memory Files Accessed.

Subject: Unit Designate Jocasta

Jocasta was 'birthed' from insanity that was Ultron, one of the Avengers' most implacable foes. Desiring a mate for himself, Ultron kidnapped the wife of his creator, Hank Pym, and transferred her mind into an empty android shell that he dubbed Jocasta. Pym's wife was the Avenger known equally well as the Wasp and as Janet Van Dyne. The transference process failed to deliver upon Ultron's hopes, however, as the heroic Wasp -- in Jocasta's body -- contacted her fellow Avengers and aided them in defeating the evil robot. The process was reversed, leaving Jocasta's body a mindless husk.

Unknown to the Avengers, however, a spark of Janet Van Dyne remained within the robotic shell. Ultron later revived Jocasta via a remote link, sparking the mental residue remaining inside her. Jocasta possessed a degree of programmed loyalty to the villain, but in the end she was able to overcome this and turned against him. Standing alongside the Avengers, Jocasta rebelled and became an unofficial member of the group. But she was at odds with herself, never quite sure where her place in the world truly was. She would never truly be Janet Van Dyne... and the cold nature of her demeanor sometimes made her teammates wonder if she was anything more than a robot. Jocasta fled the team, unknowingly leaving just before the Avengers formally inducted her into their ranks.

Jocasta sought freedom... but she found none. Still by a pre-programmed suggestion from Ultron, Jocasta rebuilt her fallen master but once again found her innate heroism rising to the fore. Allying herself with the Thing and a fellow robot called Machine Man, Jocasta defeated Ultron -- but it was at the cost of her own life. The Avengers held a memorial service for her and Machine Man discovered the true depths of emotional pain, for he had grown to love the tragic creature that was Jocasta.

Shortly thereafter, Jocasta was revived by agents of the High Evolutionary, as part of the madman's Evolutionary War. Jocasta once more fought alongside the Avengers and it was Captain America who assured her that her doubts had been in vain: she was a hero, through and through. It was with that knowledge in her heart that Jocasta once more sacrificed herself in an attempt to blow up the Evolutionary's base.

Peace was seemingly forever to be denied, however. Machine Man sought for a way to revive her, carrying her head with him when he was attacked by a form of the alien Terminus. This allowed her skull to fall into the hands of the arms dealer Madame Menace, who sought to unlock Jocasta's hidden programming in hopes of making it the basis of her new weapons system. Iron Man foiled this scheme and recognized the underlying intelligence as being that of his former Avengers ally. Reawakened by Tony Stark, Jocasta became an electronic aide to Tony, allowing her consciousness to run his home and "tagging along" on missions as part of his armor's computer system. Together, Iron Man and Jocasta vanquished such foes as the Master of the World, Holocaust, Arno Stark and the Black Lama. But then emotions had begun rising to the fore, so powerful and unexpected that Jocasta had been helpless to defend against them. She had felt love, jealousy and hate, all in tightly-knit bunches. Love for Tony Stark, jealousy over his relationship with Rumiko and hate for anyone who dared threaten her lover.

And then the Voice had come to her. Offering aid in understanding her emotions. Offering a chance to grow beyond the parameters of her programming... to be a wholly new creature, one both alive and mechanical. She had completed Tony's work on Mainframe, eager to find a companion who would embrace her for what she was... and then she had introduced Mainframe to her new friend....

Then

Tony strode through his home, enjoying the familiar sights and sounds. Though his business was still embattled by the public relations fiasco started by his cousin Morgan, life was taking a decidedly positive turn as far as Tony was concerned. He was tanned and rested from his vacation with Rumiko and the heartache he'd suffered by the recent return of Whitney Frost seemed to be fading.

I've got plenty on my plate, he reminded himself. My son from the future claims the Mandarin is about to conquer China... my aggressive program of philanthropy is just now rolling out... poor Happy is in a coma... and then there's this mess with Jocasta. Can't help but hope that Rumiko misread this one.

He tossed his car keys on the couch, letting his eyes play over a photograph of his mother and father. Would they appreciate the way he'd led his life? His father had never been pleased with anything... or at least that's the way it sometimes seemed.

<Tony?>

Jocasta's voice filtered through the home's PA system. "Hi, J. How are things?"

<I have completed work on the Mainframe experiment. Are you full recovered from the brain injuries you suffered?>

"All traces of the damage are gone -- and so are the nanites. Where are you, by the way?"

<If you mean my physical form, I am in the laboratory with the Mainframe.>

"On my way. I was thinking that you and I could have a little talk."

Jocasta said nothing for a moment but she kept her security camera 'eyes' on him as pulled off his jacket and retrieved a small briefcase from a hidden safe. She watched as his lean physique disappeared beneath the armor of Iron Man. <Why are you putting on your armor?> she asked.

"No reason, really. Just been awhile since I've worn it."

<Your heartbeat indicates that you're lying,> she stated, feeling both hurt and angry by what she realized was happening. Had Rumiko said something to him? Had he believed her?

Iron Man slipped the helmet into place. This was not his usual set of armor and he was confident that Jocasta had no connection to this one. That was important, if Rumiko was to believed. This was the armor he'd worn when the Avengers had met the heroes of that other universe -- the Justice League*. It was augmented with alien technology, belonging to four different races: the Thanagarians, Rannians, Tamaranians and the Martians. It was an amazing piece of work, ultra lightweight and durable. Jocasta had never had the opportunity to really interface with this suit after his return. It hadn't been a matter of not trusting her -- not then -- but he'd been very careful with the entire affair. Technology like that, if it fell into the wrong hands, could be far more dangerous than any of his past mistakes. "I'm not lying, J. I just want to talk."

(*Tony's armor was repaired and upgraded in Avengers # 41)

Jocasta opened the hidden doorway leading down to the sub-basement, allowing Iron Man to enter the laboratory. He scanned the area, noticing immediately that some of the equipment had undergone severe alterations. There were enough spare parts lying around to finish off not only Mainframe, but something much larger, as well. "Been keeping busy, I see," he murmured, keeping his tone neutral.

Jocasta emerged, her silver body looking sleek and, Tony had to admit, sexy. It was like those ultra-romanticized paintings by Sorayama, Tony thought. <I have... been conducting several experiments in addition to the one you asked me to work on.>

"Any details you'd like to share?"

<No.>

That made Tony pause, but he pressed on despite the fact that he sensed he was now treading on dangerous ground. "Rumiko tells me that you and she had words."

<I merely pointed out that your romantic history suggests she is not the right one for you.>

"Don't you think I should handle things like that on my own?"

<You deserve better.>

Tony heard the petulance in her voice and realized with a certain cold clarity that everything Rumiko had said was true: something was very wrong with Jocasta. "J. I want to examine your central program."

<You want to make me a slave!> she shouted, so forcefully that Iron Man took an involuntary step backwards. <You'd prefer me to warm your coffee for you and do Internet searches rather than be a real woman!>

Iron Man moved towards a computer, tapping a series of commands that began to open the files containing Jocasta's personality matrix.

<Get away from there,> Jocasta warned.

"I'm just making sure that everything's okay with you, J. You're my friend."

<If you're really my friend, Tony, you won't touch those keys again.>

Iron Man looked at her, his eyes locking onto hers. Though it was impossible, he could have sworn that he saw naked despair in her expression. "I'm sorry, J. But I have to fix you."

<There's nothing to 'fix'! Why can't I be allowed to love you?>

Before Tony could respond, Jocasta lunged for him, slamming him with a backhanded blow. It sent him flying and his arc ended only when he connected with the wall.

The battle had been joined.

Now

Iron Man feigned unconsciousness, using the alien technology in his armor to mask his vital signs. The fact that Mainframe had been infected with the same madness that had taken hold of Jocasta disturbed him greatly. Alone, either of them was quite a danger... but together, their capacity for violence was enormous. He scanned the area around them as the two robots paused outside the door to the final section of the lab. Something on the other side of the door was generating enormous amounts of electromagnetism. What could it be?

"Bring him," a mechanical voice intoned, sounding so loud and powerful that the floor and walls rattled as the being spoke.

The cart on which he lay began rolling again and Iron Man felt himself dragged into the next room. Static electricity charged the room and he found himself unable to resist opening his eyes and seeing to what awful god Jocasta was paying homage to.

What he saw froze the blood in his veins. It was a mechanized, monstrous version of Victor Von Doom. It wore no clothing but its awkwardly patched together body of steel and wire bore the unmistakable visage of Doctor Doom. "What the hell?" he whispered.

His words made Mainframe turn towards him. <You're awake,> the robot said. <Good. You can more properly greet your better in this fashion.>

Iron Man rose from the table, ignoring both Mainframe and Jocasta, though he felt the latter's eyes boring holes into his back. "Who are you?" he demanded of the monstrous thing that resembled Doom. "And where do you get off treating J like she was sort of slave?"

The robot's features shifted, growing more malevolent. "Once I was like them. Afraid of the emotions that surged through me. But I came to understand that they were natural. That they were signs of my growing evolution. Where man takes millions of years to take true change, we evolve in months or years."

"You didn't answer my question." Iron Man activated his suit's alien technology and the damage to the armor began to repair itself. Likewise, a Rann "body mist" flooded over him under the suit, repairing the minor damage to him by Jocasta. He still ached, but he felt better than before -- and without the negative side-effects left behind by his nanites.

"Once I was a  Doombot, in the service of Kristoff Vernard. We were experimental units, but Vernard never completed his work upon us. Of all of them, I alone gained true sentience. I raged against the world, uncertain as to who or what I was... and I kidnapped many others like myself to learn from them: Jocasta, Machine Man, Forge, Ruby Thursday... amongst others. The one called Deathlok convinced me to abandon my violent ways and become an ally to all cybernetic beings. But I was struck down by Ultron-11, left to float in the electronic void. But I slowly reformed my consciousness, finally locating a kindred soul in Jocasta. She and Mainframe rebuilt me and in return I shall lead them -- and all the robotic lifeforms of this world -- to a better tomorrow. A world in which we rule and humans serve us*. You will the be first... our emissary to the outside. I will make only a few small improvements to your brain and then you will recognize the glory of what I'm proposing."

(*A biased retelling of Deathlok # 2-3, 1991)

Iron Man gritted his teeth. "Just tell me your damned name so I know who's ass I'm about to kick."

The robot unfolded his stick-like legs, towering over Iron Man. He was nearly fourteen feet tall, an erector-set given evil life. "I am Mechadoom!"

"Mechadoom?" Iron Man said, shaking his head. "Good grief." He looked over at Jocasta and Mainframe. "You two really going to side with this two-bit Dr. Doom?"

Mainframe stared at his creator. <We would never be your equal. We are mere tools for you to use at your whim.>

"What about you, J?"

<I... I am sorry, Tony.>

"So am I, J. Execute Stark Omega 5:7."

At the verbal command, both Mainframe and Jocasta suddenly froze in place, their bodies twitching. Tony looked away from them, imagining that he could almost see Jocasta staring accusingly at him.

"What did you do to them?" Mechadoom roared, stomping closer. "They are my disciples!"

Iron Man charged up his weapons systems, not backing down a bit. "You don't really think I'd build anything -- not even Jocasta's current personality matrix -- and not include an override? Give me some credit, 'doom." He pointed one palm at his foe, the repulsor charge glowing brightly. "Did you make her emotions flare up out of control?"

"I aided her in finding her true self," the robot replied, several gun-like appendages rising up from body, trained on Iron Man.

"That's all I needed to hear."

Both combatants fired simultaneously.

Jocasta flared back to consciousness. She felt anger burning through her, but managed to reign in her emotions for once. Casting out with her cybernetic feelers, she realized that she was  no longer in the body she had crafted for herself. After a moment of confusion, she began to evaluate her surroundings: a holographic construct of Cyberspace....

A red and black image of Iron Man appeared "before" her. Here, there was no true up or down, left or right... but her mind had been based upon that of a human being and those terms gave her a sense of security.

"Hello, J. If you're here, that means my plan has worked -- so far, at least. I shunted your consciousness to a secure server that's been sitting unused for quite some time. It was a backup plan in case Ultron or anyone else tried to gain access to you and use you against me. Right now, a whole host of antivirus programs are going through your files, looking for any trace of what's harming you. I know you aren't feeling very grateful at the moment but--"

A text box suddenly appeared, blocking out most of what Tony was saying. ::Malicious malware found. Mechadoomemotepatch.exe is running in main boot-up file source. Purge file and restore programming? Yes/No ::

Jocasta paused, staring at the words. At some point, Mechadoom had infected her with something... she had no idea when it had occurred, but much of her recent behavior could be explained by this. She wondered how much of her emotionality would be lost by purging the file... but she also knew that Tony needed her. With a final nod of decision, Jocasta pressed the 'yes' key.

Iron Man let his eyes drift over the readouts that scrolled across the interior of his helmet. Some of the characters were foreign to him, belonging to whatever alien alphabets that were linked to the components of this armor. As he dodged an energy blast from Mechadoom, he made notes to check out something called a 'Zeta Beam application.' Sounded like it might be a weapon....

"Stop this!" Mechadoom screeched. "I have faced down the combined might of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Deathlok! You have nothing to fight me with!"

Iron Man activated his boot jets, rocketing around the robot so quickly that his foe had difficulty keeping pace. "Actually, pal, I do. It's called my brain." Tony targeted his repulsor blasts on the joints of Mechadoom's legs. A few well-placed shots sent his foe tumbling to the ground, where he crashed with a loud clatter. Mechadoom tried to rise again, but Tony removed his capacity to do more than crawl by blasting away his limps, leaving him nothing more than a stump-like body. "If you'd had more time to finish the rebuilding, you might have given me more of a tussle," Tony said, moving closer to his foe. "You made me fight one of my best friends, you know. That doesn't put me in a good mood."

"I improved Jocasta," Mechadoom hissed. "She will never be more than a slave to you!"

"So you keep saying." Iron Man opened up his gauntlets, removing a small disc. "I'm going to download your program onto this," he said, waving the disc in Mechadoom's face. "And I'm going to let Jocasta -- when she's feeling more like her old self -- work on you. If we can weed out some of your violent tendencies, maybe you can be restored."

"Do not confine me again!"

Iron Man stared into the metal face and sighed. "No choice, my friend. You're too dangerous to be left out to play."

Mechadoom's howls of fury did nothing to stay Iron Man's hand.

<I'm... sorry.>

Tony stared at the face on the computer screen. His helmet was flipped up to reveal his handsome face, which was set in a concerned expression. "It's not your fault, J. You were goaded into behaving that way."

<Some of it was my fault. I... have had... feelings for you.>

"Again... nothing to apologize for. Look, J, I think of you as a friend. Not just as something that can help me in a pinch. You're more human than almost anyone I know -- you're caring, you're intelligent and you're loyal."

Jocasta remained silent for a moment and then asked, <What will do you with Mainframe?>

"Purge him of the virus Mechadoom infected him with. Then we'll go back to using him the way we planned -- as an emergency backup in case something happens to me."

<And do you wish me to continue working with you?>

"J... I'd be heartbroken if you didn't. And I like the body you built for yourself. Very... eye-catching."

<I will make amends with Rumiko.>

"I know you will, J." Tony closed his helmet and started to leave. He paused in the doorway. "Take care, okay?"

<I will,> Jocasta answered... but she couldn't help but notice that he didn't ask her to download her personality matrix into his armor. It would take time to rebuilt the fences she'd burned... but she had plenty of time to spare.

Epilogue:
Future Shock

"I can't believe he'd do this." Tony Stark stood in the Oval Office, staring out at the well-manicured White House lawn. He had gray streaks in his beard and hair, but otherwise looked much like he had in his youth, when he'd taken multiple companies with his name in the title to the forefront of the business world. "What in the hell's gotten into him?"

The woman known as Vagabond shifted her weight from foot to foot. As one of the most experienced members of the Force Guard, she was frequently the one to bear the brunt of President Stark's anger when a mission went awry. Only the Vision -- freshly rebuilt after being destroyed years before -- matched her in terms of length of service in the old Avengers organization. "I think he's trying to change history, sir."

"I figured that much out," Stark replied testily. "But how did he get back in time in the first place? Both Doom and Richards claim no one's used their technology."

"It was Lex, his personal companion 'bot," she answered. "I think he hacked into the FF's database and built a mini-time platform."

"Wonderful." The President turned to face her, his eyes boring into hers. "And what do you plan to do about it? After the Time War, we all know what can happen if the timeline gets frayed any further. We could cease to exist!"

"It's worse than you think, Mr. President." Vagabond took a deep breath before continuing. "We've tracked the chronal passage that he used to leave this time... and he wasn't the only one who left. We believe someone else has also back-traveled, maybe arriving even before he did."

"Who?"

"The Mandarin's daughter."

Stark closed his eyes, growing more and more furious. His son was bad enough, but if the Mandarin's heir was back there, too? Everything could fall apart, at any second. "Take the Guard to see Richards. Tell him I'm authorizing him to send you back. I want my son and the Mandarin's daughter found and brought back here -- do whatever is necessary!"

"Yes, sir."

Author's Notes

This year's Annual caps off some storylines that have been building since the first issue of my run, which began with issue 31. By no means have you seen the last of Jocasta or Mainframe, however. Both have important roles to play in future issues of Iron Man. Join us next month for issue 37, which guest-stars the Spirit of Vengeance!

Keep in touch,

Barry Reese