The Ghost Initiative (Avengers Next Gen)

Learning to "get along"

Tony's p.o.v

Now that the Ghosts had arrived back I had a chance to escape and think, my first thought was my lab. But walking to the door a robotic voice sounded " unauthorised personnel at entrance" Alex looks up saying something I couldn't hear through the glass the door slid open and her voice was the first thing I heard.

"Is there something I can do for you? Cause this labs normally off limits to people living here" I scoffed, who leaves a lab off limits.

" I don't need anything, I just wanted a place to build something." She spun in her chair to point to a desk in the far corner. " you can work there" that's just not gonna work

" I built this lab, I have more right to use it than you." She laughed before giving me a looks that screamed 'are you serious'

" do you. Really think I didn't gut the poorly designed outdated and rundown labs you left behind? I thought you were meant to be a genius. The labs in this building are state of the art, and I own the building meaning I have more rights to any part of it than you at the moment." She was seriously calling my building poorly designed?

"I'm sure your mother loved you claiming the company instead of Pepper, just because I slept with someone once, doesn't mean your anything like me" she stood up swiftly glaring at me from across the room.

" for the record. My Mother is Pepper Potts, and you did nothing to make life easy for her! I deserved to take over the company after what you put her through. Stark industries needed new blood especially after two generations of Warmongers running it. You changed your tune so late I spent the first years working there-" she was cut off by another voice

" ROBIN, Lock the main lab Doors. Override code 13SS. You two are staying in there until you can learn to get along." Alex started to run towards the door, yelling out for her to stop. The doors slid closed and Alex began to bang on them

" Melody!! Open the doors! You know this isn't gonna work. Just come on and open the door... I'll buy you a new Disney Shirt... I didn't think that would work" her yelled quietened down as Melody began to walk away

Angrily she walked towards the desk she had been working at, sitting down harshly she opened some book and started gluing little pouches on it. Glad to see my genetic weren't being used by her.

" can't you override the door or something? Since your so willing to claim ownership of the building. Surely you at least put in a security override protocol" her grip on the hot glue gun tightened

" don't you think... if I could override it... I would. The systems designed so I can't override Mel's in case I ever lose control" she flinched at the end. Oh great I'm stuck in the room with a crazy person. I watched as Steve and his sister Amelia walked past they stopped and Amelia looked to the ceiling talking before shrugging her shoulders and walking off.

" if your Pepper's daughter then why isn't she around huh? I doubt Pepper would be thrilled about you running around nearly killing yourself." She spun around standing up so she was across the aisle from me.

" my Mother knows absolutely nothing about what I do, because if what you did to her. You have no idea what I've been through! You have no clue what it was like growing up with her!" She's started to scream the longer she talked about Pepper. It was almost like we remembered completely different people.

" Pepper is an amazing person and if you think any differently than your more thick headed than a mop! I'm sure Pepper was a amazing mother and you're just to self absorbed to realise it" she laughed in my face as if I had just said the worlds funniest joke.

" My Mother... was an alcoholic... who couldn't remember what day of the week it was half the time... I was cooking three meals a day before I started school... and James! Don't even get me started on how she treated James- " she threw her hands in the air and a sharp gust of wind came through knocking all the paper from her workbench"- she treated him like he was the be all and all. Poor James taken before his time... Poor James having to sacrifice himself because Ali was too slow... she never even once asked me how I was... if Hydra had hurt me. I spent 7 months! 7 months being a lab rat with Melody and when we escaped she couldn't even look me in the eyes. I needed a mother and because of you... I had to become one." Tears had started to make pathways down her face " you don't get to call me self absorbed... not when your the person that tore my mother apart. Not when your the reason she had her son, my brother taken away when he was only 10"

Her breathing was fast and shallow, and it seemed as if the ground itself was shaking. But all I could focus on was her face. It reminded me so much of the face I saw in the mirror every morning when in was younger. The face of someone trying to carry the world and failing. I leant down to pick up some of the papers and saw a collection of photographs, Pepper with two young kids, just the young kids, Rhodes with the kids... it hit me like a wrecking ball. Photo therapy... she was making an album to help pepper in rehab.

" i didn't realise. I'm so sorry kid. You shouldn't have had to put so much weight on your shoulders-" I knelt down in front of her holding the pictures" why don't you give me some of that weight? I'm here now and i'm not leaving you again"