Accidentally, Maybe

Iron Man - Part 3

I finished stretching in Tony's home gym. My muscles and joints still stiff after being in the hospital for so long, and I wanted to get back into shape so I could get back to work. Working out at the house wasn't as great as training at SHIELD, but once I was feeling stronger I would be able to get back.

I heard my phone go off from across the room and I went to grab it to see that it was a message from Pepper, 'Turn on the TV.'

"Jarvis, turn on the TV please."

"Right away, Miss Stark!"

"Start Industries! I've got one recommendation! Ready? Ready? Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells?" I watched the TV shaking my head at what the guy on Mad Money was saying. "Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!" As he proceeded to smash a coffee mug with a baseball bat. "Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!"

I couldn't handle watching this anymore. "Jarvis, turn it off."

"Yes Miss Stark!" Jarvis said. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Yeah, where's Tony right now?"

"Mr. Stark is in his lab with Miss. Potts."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

I walked out of the gym and down to Tony's Lab. There I saw Pepper leaning over Tony who was seated back in a chair. I entered the code to get into Tony's lab and as I walked in I could see Pepper about to stick her hand into Tony's chest hole. As I walked over I could hear the heart monitor beeping at a steady pace.

"You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this." Pepper said, and removed her hand quickly. "Emily, can't you do this?"

"Oh, no. No thank you. This is all you Pep." I said laughing and I leaned against a table nearby.

"No, you're fine. You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great." Tony told her.

"Wow. I feel absolutely loved Tony." I teased.

"You know I love you. But you do have big hands." I glared at him. "Okay fine, your hands are bigger than Peppers."

"Mhmmm."

"Now Pepper. Is it too much of a problem? 'Cause I'm... I really need your help here." Tony pleaded with Pepper.

"Okay, okay." Pepper hissed as she started putting her hand back into the chest hole. "Oh, oh, there's pus!"

"It's not pus. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body." Tony corrected.

"It smells!" Pepper squealed.

"And with that, I am now leaving." I said getting up from my sport at the table and heading towards the door. "Bye! Enjoy yourself Pepper!"

"Emily! Get back here, don't make me do this myself!" She pleaded.

"Sorry Pep, got to go! Bye!" I said and ran out the door and up the stairs.

And with that I headed upstairs to shower so that I could be ready to head out with Tony to visit Rhodey. Tony hadn't told me what we were going for, just that he had been working on something and wanted Rhodey's input on the project.

At some point I knew I had to make a visit to SHIELD to meet with Fury, but I wasn't quite ready for that yet.

****

We walked in the hangar and saw Rhodey taking around a group of cadets. "The future of air combat. Is it manned or unmanned? I'll tell you, in my experience, no unmanned aerial vehicle will ever trump a pilot's instinct, his insight, that ability to look into a situation beyond the obvious and discern its outcome, or a pilot's judgement."

"Colonel?" Tony interrupted Rhodey's speech. I walked up to Rhodey and gave him a hug, after all, he was like another older brother to me. "Why not a pilot without the plane?"

"Look who fell out of the sky. Mr. Tony Stark and his sister Emily!" Rhodey said and smiled at me.

"Speaking of manned or unmanned, you gotta get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at spring break. Just remember that, spring break, 1987." Tony teased Rhodey, talking to the cadets. "That lovely lady you woke up with."

"Tony!" I scolded as Rhodey also said, "Don't do that!"

"What was his name?" Tony asked him. "Was it Ivan?"

"Don't do that. They'll believe it. Don't do that." Rhodey told him. "Give us a couple minutes, you guys."

"It was nice meeting you guys." I said to the cadets as they started to walk away, get smiles and waves from a couple of them.

"I'm surprised." Rhodey said to Tony.

"Why?"

"I swear I didn't expect to see you two walking around so soon." Rhodey explained.

"We're doing a bit better than walking," Tony said and turned to me "right, Emily?"

"Yeah, just trying to get my mobility back." I said nodding. "Taking it day by day, for now, I'm just hanging around with Tony."

"Really? Good for you." Rhodey said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah." Tony paused. "Rhodey, I'm working on something big. I came to talk to you. I haven't told Emily what it is either, I was hoping you could both be a part of it."

"You're about to make a whole lot of people around here real happy, 'cause that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy." Rhodey said happily.

"This is not for the military." Tony explained. "I'm not... It's different.

"What is Tony?" I asked.

"What?" Rhodey interrupted, "you're a humanitarian now or something?"

"I need you to listen to me." Tony asked.

"No." Rhodey interrupted again. "What you need is time to get your mind right." Tony scoffed at him. "I'm serious."

"Okay." Tony said nodding.

Rhodey started backing away, the conversation clearly finished. "It's nice seeing you Tony. You too Emily, it's been too long."

"Thanks." Tony muttered.

"Bye Rhodey." I said and waved. I turned around to Tony. "So what is this you're talking about?"

Tony started to walk out of the hanger, and I followed behind. "I'll show you."