Why me?

The Bionics

"Clint's not down here, and I'm here to make sure nothing happens. Anyway, you need to do some work to get these to work for you. Come here." Tony muttered once we were in the lab, looking at the ceiling and scowling to a Clint who couldn't see him. He picked me up out of the chair and lifted me into the walking frame. It closed around my legs as My feet dropped into it. It fit like one of those knee-braces you would get at the hospital, with the bend in the middle and held together with metal bars, but it extended down around my feet and ankles and up around my waist and halfway up my back. "I can paint it if you like, instead of having it just metal, but does it fit alright?"

"Fit alright" I repeated; Tony's head jerked up and he eyed me suspiciously. "It fits perfectly. When can I start making it work?" I asked eagerly. I'd been dependent on other people for less that a week, but that felt like too long already.

"Once this chip is in you, it will take a couple days for the electrical impulses to pick back up to what they were, but pretty much instantly." He explained, though I could see he was itching to explain all the science-y bit to me.

"Spit it out Tony. You want to go all science nerd explanatory on me, I'm sure I can keep up, did no-one mention I went to a tech school for two years?" I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"No, no-one did, that's cool! Ok, It's made from a titanium alloy, similar to Rhodey's though yours are coated in a fine layer of brushed aluminium for the finish instead if tungsten carbide, very light but durable. I tried a prototype from carbon fibre, even lighter, but the joints didn't move as smoothly, and it wouldn't be as durable at all. The actual electronics are hooked up to a motherboard in the back-plate with an override panel for if something goes wrong with the chip." He looked up at me and carried on "Everything should wake up straight away when the chip comes into contact with the spinal fluid. Oh, and the inside of the frame is lined with half an inch of foam and a cotton lining so it can be worn against any material and not rub. I've made it as slimline as possible so it shouldn't get in the way too much." It was so slimline, it was barely visible, only sitting about an inch thick over my leggings. I looked at Tony and smiled.

"I would come and hug you, but I can't currently move. Thank you, Tony. Really this is incredible. You said the chip was ready?" I finished, beaming and breathless with excitement. I felt like a kid at Christmas. A kid who can't wait to open the box with a new toy in it.

Tony held up the syringe that must have had the chip in it. I pulled my shirt out from under the frame, where it was pinched between the metal and my skin, and held it out of the way. Tony wiped the skin over my spine with an alcohol swab and counted down from three. His hand was cold as he placed it against my back and I fought not to wince at the touch.

I felt a sharp pain in my back and fought not to flinch. The needle felt cold under my skin, but it was out before I had time to fully process the sensation. "All done, Jess." The frame vibrated slightly around me; it was working. "It will take a little while to get used to, and may not work straight away, but try taking a few steps." He murmured, walking to stand in front of me and hold his arms either side of me. I focused and tried to take a step. My left leg moved a little and took a tiny step forward; I focused again, and my right leg moved, a little more than the left. The more I focused the more each leg moved each time, and within ten minutes, I was pretty much walking. My head throbbed a little as I moved, the ice pack long-forgotten on the side.

"Can I try the stairs?" I asked, turning to Tony, who had positioned himself on one of the counters and was watching me with a smug but oddly proud smile.

"Go ahead." He offered, gesturing to the glass doors and sliding off the counter. He walked ahead of me and opened the doors, holding it as I walked through it, a little clumpy and shaky, but the movement was there. I tried to take one step up, but my foot didn't rise enough. I placed it back down with a small clunk, then tried again, this time getting closer, but not high enough to take the step up yet.

It took a few tries with each leg, and Tony catching me more than once as I came flying back down the few stairs I had managed, but after an excruciating hour of failures and successes, I was up the stairs, facing the door to the main living room. I could see the back of Bucky's head, the ponytail he had put in before now neater. Nat was on his left, arm over Clint's shoulders. "Tony, I can't do the door and walk at the same time yet," I complained, and he pushed past me to place his hand on the keypad.

"Don't worry," he said before his palm touched it. "I'll sort it out with JARVIS and get a voice command sorted for you to open the doors you'll need." And he pressed his hand flush to the sensor, and the door slid open. I walked in, and Bucky twisted around.

"Hey, Jess – Wait for what?!" he leapt up then saw the frame around my legs and halfway up my midriff. "Nice! Guess we're both bionic now." He smiled, then his face lifted a little more as a thought struck him. "Steve came back while you were downstairs. He's just cleaning up, but he should be back in a –" As if on cue, Steve walked in, hair still wet.

"Jess, you doin' OK?" He began, then his eyes fell to the frame. "You're stood up! Does it work well?" He smiled like an idiot.

"Works great," then I realised I hadn't actually thanked Tony. I twisted around as gracefully as I could and looked at him, he was smiling like Steve, but looking at the frame. "Tony, Thank you. Thank you so much."

"It's the least I could do. I'm surprised you haven't gone to the gym yet, put it through its paces." I instantly made to go downstairs, this door not needing a handprint. "Hey!" I stopped at Tony's shout. "It took you an hour to get up the stairs, and you fell a good few times, there's no chance I'm letting you go down by yourself." Steve and Bucky moved to help. I saw Clint facepalm out of the corner of my eye, knowing I was completely ignoring his commands of 'no training' but he didn't protest.