Crumbling {𝟞} | Marvel √

two

"Okay," Emma muttered.

"So, at first it was fine, they were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her a big brain."

"Ew. My ears," Emma said.

"No! Not that!"

"Then his what?" Emma asked.

"Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?"

Happy held his tablet up and pointed it towards Pepper's glass office, where Killian and Pepper are standing close together on the coffee table watching the 3D image of the brain. But all Emma saw was Happy pointing the tablet camera at himself. "Look at what? You watching them? Flip the screen and then we can get started," Emma said.

"I'm not a tech genius like your dad. Just...just trust me, get down down here."

"Happy, I can't get down there. Okay. So just. Flip the screen, then I can see what they're doing," Emma said.

"I can't! I don't know how to flip the screen!"

"Happy, shush. Just calm down. Okay? Tap on the screen. There should be two buttons. The hang up button, and the flip screen button," Emma explained.

"...oh...yeah, I...I got it."

The screen flipped to Pepper and Killian and Emma squinted her eyes at the screen. "Mom, what are you doing?" Emma muttered, then Happy flipped the screen back to his huge face, making Emma jump.

"Now. I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him, he's shifty."

"Well, have you talked to my dad about this?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

Emma just blinked at him, waiting for him to elaborate on what Tony said. "And?!" Emma asked.

"He just said to secure the perimeter."

"Seriously Dad?" Emma asked herself then she looked at the tablet. "You should do, what you think you should do."

"On it," Happy said before he hung up. Emma slightly frowned but then Tony ran in, and Emma jumped at him.

"What?" Emma asked.

"So he listens to you? A TWELVE year old?" Tony asked and Emma smiled.

Stark Industries

Back in Pepper's office, after Killian had showed her his new research, "Imagine if you could hack into the hard drive of any living organism and recode its DNA," Killian said.

"It would be incredible," Pepper said and Killian smiled. "Unfortunately, to my ears it also sounds highly weaponizable. As in enhanced soldiers, private armies, and Tony is not..."

"Tony. Tony. You know, I invited Tony to join AIM thirteen years ago, he turned me down. But something tells me now there is a new genius on the throne who doesn't have to answer to Tony anymore, and who has slightly less of an ego," Killian explained.

"It's gonna be a no, Aldrich. As much as I'd like to help you," Pepper said.

———

Outside of the building, Pepper walked out with Killian. "Well, I can't say that I'm not disappointed. But then as my father used to say, Failure is the fog through which we glimpse triumph," Killian said and Pepper nodded.

"That's very deep," Pepper said and Killian smiled. "And I have no idea what it means."

"Well, me neither. He was kind of an idiot, my old man," Killian said and Pepper laughed. "I'm sure I'll see you again, Pepper."