Three Thousand: A Marvel Fanfiction

Idiots and Dum-Es

Clang! Clang! Clang! 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., Where's the welder?" Morgan looked around for the welder, when she all of a sudden heard some glass break followed by a mechanical sound underneath the blanket next to her. 

"Ma'am, I believe the welder is under that blanket over there." F.R.I.D.A.Y.'S words made Morgan shiver with nervousness as she saw the blanket move again. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., What's that?" Morgan asked anxiously. But F.R.I.D.A.Y. never responded. "Okayy..." Morgan scooted towards the blanket and lifted it up with caution. Then suddenly, a mechanical arm had shot out from underneath the blanket, almost hitting her in the face. She squealed and ducked for cover, only when she realized the mechanical arm was holding a welder...the same welder Morgan had been looking for. "Oh." She was mostly confused as to how this mechanical arm-thing even got there. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Morgan looked for answers. 

"Ma'am, that is Dum-E, one of Mr Starks old inventions. Dum-E could also be of some help, if you need it, ma'am." 

"Oh?...Dum..E?" She repeated, not sure how to say it's name. Then she realized and laughed. "Oh, Dum-E. Ok, 'Dum-E', thanks for the welder." She takes it from the mechanical helper and it responds with a friendly beep. 

***

About five hours later, she had finished the prototype for the gauntlet. She put it on and tried it out, seeing how it felt. She was glad both F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Dum-E were there, helping her along the way. Now...to test out the mechanisms. Maybe try the repulser? She thought, but as soon as she had aimed for something, she heard a knock behind her. She looked at Pepper, guiltily and then ignored her, going back to what she was in the middle of doing.

"Morgan, what are you doing?"

"Don't worry, mom, it's perfectly safe." Morgan replies, the repulser ready to blast. The all of a sudden....PUASHHH! The blast sent her back about nine feet, landing on a pile of boxes of her dad's old stuff.

"Perfectly safe? Honey, I'm worried." Pepper responded.

"Worried about what? I'm fine!" Morgan smiled, getting up off of the pile of boxes, walking towards her mother. She started, rewiring the mechanisms inside of it. 

"Worried that you're becoming more like your father." Her mother crossed her arms, but then smiled. She then looked towards Dum-E, then uncrossed her arms. "Is that...?"

"Dum-E." Morgan responded, her voice slightly muffled over the wrench in her mouth. 

"Really!?" Pepper sounded amused. "Dum-E is eleven years old, y'know."

Morgan scoffed. "And how do you know that?"

"Because he helped your father build his almost, very first Iron Man suit."

Morgan stopped, taking the wrench out of her mouth. "Oh, you mean that story he always used to tell me about how he killed a bunch of guys in a cave?" She guessed.

"A little further than that."

"Oh, oh, building Mark II?"

"Yep. And he did the exact thing you just did."

"What, he put a wrench in his mouth?"

"Well, that and he almost killed himself trying out that repulser." She giggled.

Morgan paused, thinking if she was actually, really like her father. "Is it that noticeable?" she thought out loud.

Pepper gave her a smile. "Well, yes actually. Tony hated Dum-E, but eventually found a soft spot for the thing."

"Well it's not like Dum-E's a dog or something. He could've just donated it to a city college." Morgan retorted.

Her mother laughed. "He said that too. Morgan, you're going to be amazing some day."

"I thought I already was." Morgan gave Pepper a genuine smile, then looked back at the gauntlet she was working on. She could feel Pepper getting closer, probably trying to comfort her. She didn't need it, though. Not right now. She was too busy with trying to make her own armor-something that her father promised of her a long time ago. But, looking back on what she'd accomplished...of what it looked like a twig with a few wires around it, she wasn't too sure if this would actually work. After all, her father is way farther along with making suits. He could probably make one every day of the week now, since his technology would eventually advance.

"Morgan. You've been amazing ever since we knew you were going to be with us forever. Honey, you don't have to follow in your father's footsteps. There's a lot more you can do." She tried to comfort Morgan with a warm smile. But Morgan just looked at the ground, in deep thought. Pepper took her daughter's hand in hers, then kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, Morgan."

Morgan smiled to herself. "I love you too, mom." Just as she said that, Pepper had gotten up, then headed towards the door. 

"Don't blow anything up in here, okay?"

"Alright mom." Morgan looked towards the gauntlet on the work table. Once she had heard the door close behind her mother, she sat up, her mind stimulating again, causing a slight migraine. She started thinking again. I need more advancements. I need like, a whole army of Dum-Es. She laughed to herself. Better technology....she sat, thinking. I need to go through some more junk. And she knew just where to look. She advanced her look towards the pile of boxes she had pummeled over. It was one of many places she could have looked, but...maybe there could be something significant, you never know.