The Beginning {𝟙} | Marvel √

7

Tony's Lab

Pepper walked downstairs to the lab to see Tony laying on a propped up type of bed. She, concerned and confused, typed in the code to get into the lab. "Hey," Tony said as Pepper approached him. "Let's see them. Show me your hands. Let's see them," he said and Pepper showed her hands. "Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed."

Emma looked at her baby hands, thinking that maybe she could've helped her dad.

"I just need your help for a sec," Tony said and Pepper noticed an arc reactor in his hand and one in his chest.

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

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

"Speed bump, what does that mean?" Pepper asked.

Emma gave the tv a look. "Like on the road, mommy," she said before giggling.

"It's nothing. It's just a little snag. There's an exposed wire under this device," Tony started to say as unscrewed the arc reactor from his chest. "And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short," he continued as he gave it to her but she looked at him with concern. "It's fine."

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

"Put that on the table over there. That is irrelevant," Tony said as Pepper put the arc reactor on the table behind her then looked back at Tony. "I want you to reach in, and you're just gonna gently lift the wire out," he said and Pepper looked at him in concern.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

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

"What do you mean, Operation?" Pepper asked.

"It's just a game, never mind. Just gently lift the wire. Okay?" Tony said as Pepper slowly started to put her hand into the area in his chest.

"Okay," Pepper said softly, though she felt she couldn't do it. "You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this," she said, backing down.

"No, you're fine. You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great," Tony said, looking at her with a soft smile.

A smirk appeared on Emma's face as she saw Tony softly smiling at Pepper like he was in love. "hehe." she mumbled to herself.

"Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm-" Tony started to say.

"Okay, okay," Pepper said before going back to put her hand in his chest.

"I really need your help here," Tony said as Pepper put her hand all the way into his chest, trying to reach the wire but felt a gooey substance.

"Oh, there's pus!" Pepper exclaimed.

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

"It smells!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Yeah, it does," Tony said before Pepper looked away. "The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?"

"Okay, I got it! I got it!" Pepper quickly said as she slowly started to pull it out.

"Now, don't let it touch the sides-" Tony started to say but the wire touched the side, and Tony yelled in pain. "out when you're coming out!"