Unexpected // An MCU Story (Book One)

v

I was sitting on the couch reading with Pepper upstairs while she worked and watched the news.

"Stark Industries! I've get one recommendation! Ready? Ready?" The man on TV was saying. "Sell, sell sell! Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells?"

An audio clip of screaming played and I looked over to Pepper, who looked equally as annoyed as I was.

"Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!" He took a baseball bat and smashed a mug. "Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!"

I looked at the TV in confused disgust, highly annoyed by it.

"Pepper." Tony suddenly said through a tablet. "How big are your hands?"

"What?" She asked in confusion, turning down the TV.

"How big are your hands?"

"I don't understand why..."

"Get down here. I need you."

She sighed, heading down to the lab as I followed. I'd been told not to go down there but I didn't care. 

Something interesting was happening and I was going to be there.

She typed in a passcode and entered the lab, where Tony was laying down a chair with no shirt. I had heard about the electromagnet from Pepper, but this was the first time I actually saw it.

He was holding a new arc reactor and was hooked up to a lot of machines. I looked at him in confusion.

"Hey." He said casually. "Ah, you brought the kid. Great." I couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not. "Let's see them. Show me your hands. Let's see them."

She put her hands up and he nodded.

"Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed. I just need your help for a sec."

"Oh, my god, is that the thing that's keeping you alive?" Pepper asked.

"Cool." I whispered with a smile.

"It was. It is now an antique. This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future." He said, holding up the new reactor. "I'm swapping it up for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump."

"Speed bump, what does that mean?"

"Are you okay?" I spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing. It's just a little snag. There's an exposed wire under this device." He removed the old reactor and my eyes widened in intrigue. "And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a bit of a short. It's fine."

"What do you want me to do?" Pepper asked.

"Put it on the table over there. That is irrelevant."

"Oh, my god!" She exclaimed, putting it in the table.

"I just want you to reach in and you're gonna gently lift the wire out."

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. It's like Operation. You just don't let it touch the socket wall or it goes "beep".

"What's- what do you mean 'Operation'?"

"It's just a game, never mind. Just gently lift the wire."

"Okay."

"Okay? Great."

Pepper snatched her hand back. "You know, I don't think I'm qualified to do this."

"No, you're fine. You are the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great." They stared at each other for a moment before Tony continued. "Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm..."