Valor ↠ Prequel [0] ✓

09 | Peace In Our Time

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VALOR
ix. PEACE IN OUR TIME

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  YOU'D BE SURPRISED AT how often Riley O'Dair was dragged off by Tony. You'd never think that a genius like him would need or want the company of a teenager, but the world surprised Riley every day.

  She accompanied Tony and Bruce in the labs while Dr. Cho did her finishing touches on Clint's wounds. Originally, only Tony and Bruce were supposed to be working together in analyzing Loki's scepter, but given Riley extensive knowledge and ability to learn quickly, they decided to include her in their shenanigans at the last minute.

  There wasn't much they knew about the scepter. The structural and compositional analysis lacked in information because the material was alien, meaning some elements were merely unquantifiable. All JARVIS could detect was that the jewel in the scepter was a protective housing for something inside—something powerful.

  "Something powerful?" repeated Riley. "Like what? Because I'm telling you, this feeling I get when I'm near that thing," she nodded to the scepter, "isn't like anything I've ever felt before."

  "Well, I can't help you there, but I think there's a code that can be ciphered from the jewel," revealed Tony. "We were wondering how Strucker got so inventive with it, so I've been analyzing the gem inside the scepter."

  A golden 3D image of JARVIS's consciousness emerged before the trio. Riley found herself smiling at him. "'Sup, Vis?" she greeted.

  "Miss Valor," politely returned JARVIS, greeting the two beside Tony."Doctor."

  "Starting out, JARVIS was just a natural language UI. Now, he runs the Iron Legion," Tony reminded them. "He runs more of the business than anyone besides Pepper." Riley smiled at the memory of Pepper. She'd always liked Pepper. "Meet the competition." Another 3D image appeared. It was blue and much larger than JARVIS's consciousness. An otherworldly aura encased it.

  "Holy shit," immediately breathed Riley. She walked around it, sharing a similar astonishment with Bruce. "That's what's inside the stone?"

  "It's beautiful," Bruce said. Tony asked them what they thought the mass was doing, causing Bruce to approach it closer. "Like it's thinking. I mean, look at this thing! They're like neurons firing."

  Riley agreed, "You can literally see the electrical impulses shooting through each junction."

  "Mhm," returned Tony. "Down in Strucker's lab, I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. They deep-sixed the data, but... I gotta guess he was knocking on a very particular door."