Chapter Three: Specialty Paint Stores
"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." -Nido Qubein
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"Alex," I tap on my friend's window, "Alexander, wake up."
"What are you doing, Mon? Crap, you know you can't fly your suit here," Alex rubs the back of his head as he comes to the window.
"It's finished."
"Monica, what are you-" Alex's eyes widen as he realizes what I'm talking about, "No way."
"Yes way! This baby is functioning completely on this thing right here," I tap on the triangle shape in my chest.
"I thought you didn't want it to be a triangle?" Alex squints at the glowing light, "You know so it didn't look like Tony's..."
"I didn't," I sigh, "But it creates the best flow for the energy than any other shape- maximizing its power."
"Ah."
"You want to come with me to pick up the paint?"
"It's five-fifteen in the morning, where on earth are you buying paint?"
"Lowe's! It opens at five-thirty."
"Okay, but what about your suit? You can't just walk into Lowe's in your suit," Alex whispers.
"I'll take it off," I roll my eyes.
"And hide it where? Behind a dumpster?" Alex raises an eyebrow.
"Shut up and trust me," I reach out my hand.
"I need new friends, you know?" Alex mutters as he grabs my hand, climbing out of the window.
"Stiffen up," I commend him as I wrap an arm tightly around his torso.
I rocket up into the sky. I see out of the corner of my eye a big grin on Alex's face.
Alex and I have been friends since kindergarten. While all the other girls played with dolls, I decided to join the boys in playing with blocks at recess. The other boys ran away yelling "cooties"; Alex didn't want to play with the blocks alone. And that was a simple start to our friendship. Since then, Alex has been my only consistant friend. When you're skipping grades every year during high school, one tends to lose friends quickly. Plus, I found it hard to relate to most girls who cared mostly about the superficial aspects of life. In no means am I saying they were not wonderful people, but only that they could not take an interest in the topics of science and engineering that Alex could.
Alex also shares my interest in engineering. He doesn't build the extreme things like I do, but he loves helping me out whenever I am working on anything. He does enjoy helping me figure a formula or misconnection out or even working on the project himself. Alex is extremely gifted when it comes to computer design and creating programs; I often find him on my laptop working to tweak and perfect my suit's programs. Other times Alex will simply sit in the workshop to keep me company. Either way I fully enjoy having him by my side. Alex graduated from our high school midterm last January and is striving to start classes in the fall for his computer science and programming.
Alex is the only one outside of my family who knows Tony Stark is my dad. He figured out when he was over at my house and my mom decided to make a surprise visit. Both nearly passed out at the sight of one another; my mom went into a panicked frenzy as she knew our secret had been carelessly blown and Alex could not make out a coherent sentence that Pepper Potts was standing before him. I had to do a lot of explaining that night.
"Lucis, disable all security cameras on the block," I command as the luminescent sign glows on the near horizon.
"All security cameras from Blakely to Twenty-Third Street are down," Lucis confirms as he hacks into the businesses' security systems.
"Thanks."
"You're always so polite to him," Alex laughs as I land softly on top of the Lowe's building.
I chuckle as I take off my suit. The way I step out of my suit, is the entire front opens up so I can step back in. Once I'm inside the suit, with quick security recognition, the machine will close over me. I gently sit my precious suit down on the flat roof. I lead Alex to the utility ladder where we climb down to the sidewalk.
"You do realize I'm just in my pajamas right? You're lucky I decided to wear a shirt to bed," Alex smirks.
"I'm glad I avoided that horror," I tease.
Alex purses his lips together and glares at me before rolling his eyes. We enter the hardware store. A few sleepy-eyed workers roam the store as the two of us head back to where the paint is. As we walk past the aisles of tools and supplies, Alex glances over at me, "You never told me what colors you decided on."
"Navy and silver," I answer as I pat down my pockets for the sample, "Crap, I forgot it at home."
It only takes me a few minutes of scanning the display to find the same palette as my original ones. I assume it's the same, if not it is close enough I really don't care.
"Ooh, you're going that dark?" Alex exclaims as I point to the darkest shade of blue on the sample, "I think that'll look sharp."
"Thank you, I think so too."
I point to the paint colors I want so the employee can mix the pigments. A few minutes later I have two cans of all-weather metal paint in my hands. After tossing the cashier a few dollars, Alex and I sneak around to the back of the building where the utility ladder is.
After awkwardly scrambling up the ladder with one can of paint and Alex carrying the other, I see my suit still lying untouched where I left it.
"I need you to carry the paint while I fly. Unless of course you want me to carry you and the paint at once and fly unstably causing the risk of crashing in a painful and fiery death?"
"I would have agreed to carry the paint without that awful image!" Alex gapes at me, "I need a new best friend."
"You might not want to say when your life depends on me while we're flying hundreds of feet in the air," My voice becomes mechanical-sounding at the end as the suit encloses me, "And actually I can carry it but I don't want to."
"I swear you get your humor from your dad," Alex chuckles.
"Have you met my mom? Where else!" I laugh as I hold onto my friend, "Stiffen up."
I take off into the night sky with Alex holding onto the two cans of paint. "When are you making me my own suit? I feel my manliness level going down each time I have you carry me."
I let out a laugh. "So are you staying with me the rest of the night? I'm just painting but I'd love the company."
"Sure," Alex keeps his eyes closed as the wind rushes past us.
"Lucis, has mom gone back to bed yet?"
"No, ma'am, I'm afraid not."
"Hmm, oh well."
"You finished your suit, flew it to my house, and went to Lowe's all with your mom being up?" Alex asks as I say yes, "You never cease to amaze me, Monica."
"Well there was no way I was going back to sleep after that; I heard a few things I wasn't supposed to..." I murmur.
"What things?"
"Just about my future after Tony finds out about me. Like if I'd work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or what."
"Oh, what do you want?"
"You know my dream is to work for S.H.I.E.L.D," I sigh, "However, I never thought about the consequences about working for them and seeing combat."
"You could get killed," Alex states as I land in the grass in front of my garage.
"I've thought of that, and not being with my family as much," I respond as we enter the shed. I take of my suit and put her on the table.
"But you would be with your dad all the time."
"Assuming he didn't hate me."
"Hey," Alex turns to look at me as I step out of my suit, "Tony would be stupid to hate you. You are amazing, talented, a genius, not to mention beautiful. Plus nothing will change the fact you are his daughter."
"I love you, you know that right?" I hug him.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Alex smiles softly as he hugs me back. "C'mon, let's get that suit painted."
"Lucis, put on something to keep us pumped, will you?" I instruct Lucis.
A second later, a rock song comes playing through the speakers. "Hey, Alex, can you get the paint sprayers out and lay out a sheet? I want to do something real quick."
"Sure," Alex walks over to the shelves.
I insert two chips into my laptop so I can program them. I want to be able to call my suit at anytime, anywhere. Once I sync the two chips together I can signal for my suit to come to me wherever I am. I slide one chip into a metal band bracelet and the other into my suit. Now anytime I wave my arm three times with my bracelet on suit one will come flying to me no matter where on Earth I am.
"Alright," I rub my hands together as I walk over to where Alex has started to paint my suit, "Let's get this suit looking pretty."
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I am super excited for this story. Very, VERY excited. It's my favorite story I've ever written. So I really hope you enjoy it, and if you do please leave me feedback ! Nothing makes me happier than my readers enjoying my work (:
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