Valor ↠ Prequel [0] ✓

08 | Tinker Bell

   "That was rhetorical. Just show me," Tony directed before peering back at Riley. "So, that's your gimmick? You're a... superhero orphan that's inventive and annoying?"

   Riley tilted her head to the side, eyebrows bunched together. "Annoying?" she repeated. "I thought I was funny!"

   "More or less," quipped Tony. He turned around to face the model again. "So you're a bit like... Hm..."

   "Like what?" she commanded. When Tony didn't reply, she added, "It's okay. Take your time. It's not like we're in the middle of saving your life or anything."

   Rolling his eyes, Tony snapped his fingers and spun the holographic model around. A large, spherical object developed before them. "Come here, kid," urged Tony. He waved his hand, allotting Riley to move closer. He motioned to the sphere and asked, "What does that look like to you?"

   Riley was briefly stunned. She hadn't expected him to actually use her for his mission. When she worked with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists to uncover a temporary cure for Tony's heart, she had to fight for her place there. But with Tony, he seemed like he wanted to trust her.

   "Uh, well, it's not like an atom," she observed. "'Cause the nucleus would be right... there. Its biological makeup is abnormal."

   "Correct. That was a test," confirmed Tony. He pulled up a chair for himself, grabbing an extra one for Riley. He sat in his before patting the second one for the child. She smiled at the praise. "JARVIS, highlight the Unisphere. Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them."

   Riley's eyes lit up in astonishment at how the holograph moved as he pleased. It reminded her of her forcefields. She wondered if she could manipulate her fields like that...

   "What is it you're trying to achieve, sir?" pondered JARVIS, which caused Riley to raise her hand and say, "I would also like to know that."

   Tony eyed the holograph. "I'm discovering... Correction, I'm rediscovering a new element, I believe," he clarified. "Uh, lose the landscaping, shrubbery, the trees... Parking lots, exits, entrances—"

   "Aw, do you have to get rid of the frozen yogurt place?" teased Riley.

   Tony glimpsed back at her, almost hoping for his thought to immediately make itself clear. "I'm telling you, it's on the tip of my tongue..." He shook his head, focusing again. "Okay, structure the protons and neutrons using... the pavilions as a framework."

   Then, Tony outstretched his arms. The model resembled a nucleus, but as he expanded it, the holograph surrounded him and Riley in an array of blue lights. "Whoa..." whispered Riley, astonished. Tony had done it—he had rediscovered an element. It would be the perfect replacement for the Palladium in his arc reactor.

   Tony spun in his chair, a twinkle of enlightenment in his eyes. "Dead for almost 20 years and still taking me to school," he muttered. He clapped his hands together, forcing the model to shrink. "Thanks, Dad."

   "The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium. Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize."

   Tony rose to his feet, looking around at the robots scattered around the lab. The next step was to prepare a machine of some sort that could store the newly rediscovered element, which would ultimately save Tony's life. "Get ready for a major remodel, fellas," Tony blazoned. "We're back in hardware mode."

   Riley raised an eyebrow, unsure. She looked around the lab as she queried, "Are you... talking to the machines...?"

   Tony was quick to defend himself. "Hey, robots have feelings, too... even if these guys are absolute morons." He turned to her. "Alright, come on. Up and at 'em. We've got work to do."