Justice League Fan Fiction ❯ Speed of Lyght ❯ A Helping Hand ( Chapter 18 )

“Yeah. Long story short, he ended up making a makeshift suit to escape; destroyed their base and everything. I finally found him roaming the desert. We got back here, he updated the reactor, his company stopped producing weapons and he created what you see here.”

“Wow! He’s been through a lot…”

“Yeah. And… since you live out in space, you probably don’t know that the government wants his armor…”

“… What?!”

“And, here you are, making them indestructible…” he looked at her. She returned the stare.

“What you saying; that I was sent here by the government…? I was doing this as a favor for a friend!”

“No; I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you. I just found it slightly ironic of your timing. The two of you do incredible work…” he gazed at the black and grey armor. She took notice and slightly nodded.

“James… do you like his suits?” she pried. He slightly shrugged.

“I won’t lie; it’s the best thing that he’s ever created. I’ve seen it in action; it’s no wonder the government wants them.”

“But… do you want one?” she gave him a look, waiting for his response. He returned her gaze.

“What are you getting at?”

“Why would he make so many different armors? You’d think that if he’s such a great engineer, the only thing he’d have to do is just… continue to modify the one suit, right? He knows what I can do; all he had to do was let me upgrade one of the suits and be done with it. But, I’m upgrading all of ‘em!”

“Maybe he’s using them for different circumstances…”

“Or maybe… he’s making them different for different folks…”

“Let’s say you’re right. How would someone else work the suits? His arc reactor powers the suits; he and the armor are one.” James pointed out. Tabitha studied the armor that she was working on and smiled.

“I ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer… but I do know a few things! I noticed that this suit… don’t need his reactor; it’s got one built in, already…”

“… Really…?”

“It’s the only suit that does. Let’s see; he just met me and Pepper don’t look like she’d do the superhero stuff… this is your suit, James…”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because… he’s your friend…”

The three completed their work ahead of time to Tony’s delight. He was so impressed with their work, he invited them to stay for his birthday party. Had James not told the story of how Tony came to be, Tabitha would’ve declined, as Ramil and Ashley did. However, she was even more curious about the arc reactor… as well as her theory about the extra armors; she wanted to get a chance to talk about both to him.

She was slightly disappointed as James and herself sat away from the crowd that begged for Tony’s undivided attention; he had given her the run-around and never wanted to talk about anything that she found was important. She sighed and shook her head as she watched him; he insisted on enjoying himself in one of his modified armors sans his helmet. She wasn’t used to seeing anyone drink as heavily as he did; her forehead wrinkled at the fact that he was on his eighth stiff drink.

“That ain’t healthy… or safe, is it?” she noted. James shook his head.

“That’s Tony for you! By the way… you look nice tonight.” he surprised her. She blushed as she sipped her champagne. She hadn’t packed for a night on the town; her wardrobe was work-related: t-shirts and jeans. She couldn’t imagine what James was seeing that was different about her, aside from the t-shirt head wrap.

“Um… thanks?”

“… Anyone in space missing you?” she smirked at his boldness. The thought made her blush even more.

“Uh… yeah, actually.”

“So, Tony was right! He said that he’s an alien…”

“Martian!” Tabitha rolled her eyes and laughed. James chuckled slightly but then gave her a look.

“Wait… Martian? As in…”

“Yes; the one who rehabbed me…” she slightly sighed out.

“How did that happen?”

“I don’t know; it just… did.”

“Hmm. He’s lucky…”

“He’s also a mind reader so watch what you think!” her words made him straighten up and stare at her.

“Wait… he doesn’t have to be here to read minds?!” his shocked expression made her laugh aloud.

“Nope. He don’t have to know you or have ever even seen you before to do it. Oh… and he could be here; he’s a shape shifter, too!”

“Holy… makes it hard to cheat!” he laughed and shook his head, “So, I’m getting you in trouble by just talking to you!”

“What? No! He’s… not like that… I don’t think…” she wanted to giggle thinking that J’onn would ever get jealous, “Anyway; I wouldn’t think of cheating…”

“Is it serious, then?” his question made her think back to her time-traveling adventure. According to that scenario, it definitely was serious between the two. She remembered her words about the Martian being able to read minds and immediately stopped thinking about the secret mission, smiling down at her glass.

“I would think so…”

“You ‘think’ so?”

“I mean, if you’re asking if he proposed or something like that, no. But, that ain’t on my mind right now. We’re still tryna figure out how to tell the others about us…”

“Wow; no one knows?!”

“Only my best friend, the two that were with me this whole week, Mr. Stark and you. Oh, and one Justice League member. Being a superhero has its disadvantages…” she realized sadly.

“Why do it, then, if you have to keep it secret?” he asked. She leaned back in her seat and thought about his question.

“Is Mr. Stark and Pepper seeing each other?”

“It’s… kind of hard to say. You see it wanting to happen but then… Tony will be Tony…”

“Since he’s told everyone that he’s Iron Man, how many times has she been kidnapped or threatened?” she wanted to know. It was James’ turn to lean back in his chair to think. He slowly nodded and looked at her.

“Good point…”

“The worst thing a villain can do is hurt the one you care about…” her words made her think back to two instances. When Joker took Ethan hostage and called her out; he knew what to do to attempt to grab her attention. Had Bruce told her, she knew that she wouldn’t have thought twice about saving him, herself. The other instance was when she was terrorized briefly by J’onn’s twin brother. She knew that the Martian was going to do anything to get her out of harm’s way; if that meant succumbing to the very virus that killed off his race, he was willing to do it. Another thought had crossed her mind; she knew that Ma’alefa’ak had terrified her… she couldn’t put her finger on exactly why she was too afraid to continue her attack on him…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a series of drunken cheering. Both put their attention towards the front of the room, where Tony was standing beside the deejay’s booth, grabbing a microphone.

“Oh, hell…” James sighed. Tabitha shook her head but laughed a little.

“It’s his birthday; let ‘em have some fun!”

“Thank you for coming to celebrate with me. I know most of you are wondering how I go to the bathroom in the suit…” he drunkenly announced. Tabitha raised an eyebrow and had to admit that she wondered the same. He closed his eyes for a moment, slightly wobbled and a sign of relief flushed across his face, “Like that!”[1] he continued and the crowd roared with laughter. Tabitha widened her eyes.

“Oh… my… God… did he just really…”

“I really don’t want to know right about now!” James rushed, shaking his head. Tony’s antics prompted Pepper to appear and attempt to scold him.

“They act like my mom and dad…” she didn’t know why it warmed her slightly, “You know; without all the drinking!”

“Your dad embarrasses your mom a lot?”

“No… he just does shit that makes her fuss at him!” she smiled. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a blast; her instincts made her dive towards James and cover him on the ground.

“What the hell…” was his muffled response. She quickly looked around and noticed that Tony’s arm was extended out towards what used to be the door.

“Sorry; you alright?”

“I’m fine. You would’ve made one hell of a combat buddy…” he smirked at her.

“Oops…” Tony drunkenly smirked. Instead of the partygoers becoming intimidated, they began to cheer.

“Blast this!” one drunken woman yelled and threw a vase in the air. Tony shrugged and extended his arm out once more, exposing the proton blaster in his suited glove. A light blue repulsor ray shot out and hit the vase, shattering it into pieces above the partygoers’ heads.

“Okay; that definitely ain’t safe!” Tabitha got up from the floor. James followed her as they approached Tony.

“I think that’s enough!” James threatened.

“He’s right, Mr. Stark; you’re gonna seriously hurt someone…”

“Dawling! You know, I really love your accent; get up here and show them what you can do!” he tried to pull Tabitha beside him.

“Mr. Stark!” she snatched away from his grasp.

“Oh, don’t be shy; hit me with that lightning of yours!”

“You’ve had enough fun for tonight; don’t drag her into this!” James gently pushed Tabitha out of the way so the two men were nearly face-to-face.

“I really think you’re out of your league, ‘soldier boy’!” Tony actually laughed, pointing his proton blaster towards James.

“Stop it!!” Tabitha was beyond shocked that he would threaten the lieutenant colonel like he did. However, James didn’t flinch, narrowing his eyes at his friend. His lips formed a thin line before he slowly backed away and stormed off. Her concerned stare for James switched to irate as soon as she laid eyes on Tony laughing. Without thinking, she placed her hands on his chest plate, charged up and gave him a powerful shock, knocking him off his feet. The crowd continued to cheer even as she went after James, following him to the lower level of the home, “James…” she tried however he was too busy fuming to listen to her. He put the access code in to continue beyond the glass shield and continued his aggravated pace towards the back, “James! What you gonna do…?”

“Even the odds…” he finally responded. He suddenly turned to her, “You know… you’re the only one that calls me James… it’s nice to hear that instead of ‘Rhodey’ all the damn time!” he slightly smiled. James approached the grey and black Iron Man prototype armor, “Help me into this…” he ordered. She simply stared at him.

“Do you think it’s worth it…?”

“He said I was out of my league. I want to see what he’ll say after this!”

“… I don’t think you’d know how to operate it…”

“I’m a pilot, Tabitha; how hard can it be?”

“James… don’t do this. Let’s just… leave and let ‘em be. He’ll pass out sooner or later…”

“He is going to hurt someone! Do you want that to happen?”

“… No…”

“Then, help me… please? You said it the other day; this is my suit.” he slightly pleaded. She sighed and started to help him into the armor.

“Don’t kill him!”

“You think I’m reckless?”

“No but… things can get outta hand quick. I’m coming with you.”

“Fine.” he said as the suit immediately enclosed on him. Moments later, his limbs moved, “Hmm… sensors… they respond to my every move.” he noticed. Tabitha grabbed the helmet and put it over his head. The front shield immediately covered his face and the eye plates lit up white, “Alright; let’s clear the party out!”

When the two made their way back to the party, they saw that Tony was dancing around. Tabitha filled the air with her lightning, drawing the attention of the crowd.

“I’m only going to say this once… get out…”[2] James threatened.

“Yep… you ain’t gotta go home but you gotta get the hell outta here!” she continued to charge up. The partygoers left immediately, leaving only Tony, James and Tabitha.

“Two against one? You two can’t take me on…”

“You’re drunk, Mr. Stark. We don’t wanna hurt you while you’re like this…”

“Really? Oh, dawling… I don’t want to hurt you!” he retaliated. Before James could react, Tony released a repulsor ray towards Tabitha. She barely missed getting hit, doing a Lightning Cloud out of the way. She appeared behind Tony, placed her hands on his back and released her lightning, making him stumble to the ground.

“Whoa…” James couldn’t help himself; he noted that she was incredibly quick. It didn’t change the fact that his friend had attempted to hurt her; he stalked him angrily, “You don’t even deserve to wear one of these; shut it down!”[3] he growled at him. Tony wearily got up and sighed.

“Goldstein…”[4] he looked towards the deejay’s booth. The man came out of his hiding spot, peeking slightly over his laptop.

 “Yes, Mr. Stark?”[5]

“Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy’s ass to…”[6] he actually laughed. Tabitha raised her eyebrow at his cockiness however James grabbed him from behind. Without warning, Tony blasted backwards, making both go through the adjacent wall. Tabitha gave an apologetic look towards the deejay and followed the two to the other room. She didn’t know what to do besides make sure that she was careful not to get in the way; the two exchanged each other’s blows, Tony with more strength although he was intoxicated. She realized why; the two hits she delivered to him had charged his suit up… twice. Her lightning would only increase the power within the suits.

As she watched Tony get the upper hand in the fight, she immediately went to James’ side as he was knocked down.

“Tabitha…”

&ldqu o;Relax…” she warned and gave him a shock. With renewed energy, James grabbed Tony and threw him into the ceiling, knocking him into the level upstairs. She continued to follow the two, making sure that neither was injured badly. Another thing that she had to admit was that she did a great job on the armors; as much as they were throwing each other around, going through ceilings and walls, she couldn’t see so much as a dent in either suit.

James proved that although he was a pilot, he was inexperienced in operating the armor; Tony yet again took advantage and slammed him down on the ground, hard enough to go through the floor. Tabitha followed the two, jumping down from the hole they made. When she saw Pepper and Natalie in the corner of the room, her instincts kicked in; she pushed the two towards Tony’s bodyguard, Happy.

“Get ‘em out of here!” she yelled at him. While doing so, she noticed that the crowd that was partying were standing outside, watching the fight through the panoramic window. She went outside and glared at them, “Didn’t we say get the hell on?!” she purposely made sure that the crowd saw the waves of currents flowing around her hands and arms. They immediately ran away from the area, “Damn; do they want to get hurt?!” she shook her head in anger. She went back inside to tend to the two men, sighing a bit in relief to see Tony down, looking defeated. Before she could move, he rose his arm up towards James, prompting him to do the same; she held her breath.

“Put your hand down…”[7]

“You think you got what it takes to wear that suit…?”[8] Tony challenged.

“We don’t have to do this.”[9]

“He’s right, Mr. Stark… please…”

“You want to be the ‘war machine’, take your shot…”[10] Tony challenged as he began to charge up. She had to do something, she realized. She made her move right as the two proton beams connected; her plan was to push Tony out of the way. Tabitha hadn’t planned on the force of the beams knocking both men back; she was thrown back into the wall along with Tony.

He saw it in a split second and gathered his senses quickly.

“No… Tabitha!” he yelled. James hurried over to where the two had crashed into the wall, quickly moving Tony out of the way. Her breathing shallow and her body battered, he gently scooped her up. He took to the sky, hoping that their antics hadn’t cost her life.

She awoke with a start and immediately wished she hadn’t; her entire body throbbed with pain. She let her eyes adjust and saw that she was in a room; the hospital, she realized. She looked towards her right and sneered at the IV in her arm. As she calmed down, she started to feel a bit better, letting out an exasperating sigh. What happened, she tried to think. She moaned as she tried to sit up, debating on snatching the IV out of her arm as she lightly fiddled with it.

“H-Hey… don’t do that…” a familiar and concerned voice came at her from her left. She quickly turned and was looking into James’ brown eyes. He slightly smiled, “You are one tough cookie!”

“Tell me something I don’t know… like, where am I…” she croaked out.

“Base hospital; I didn’t know where else to take you.” he tried to explain. He helped her sit up in the bed and gave her water for her throat.

“What the hell happened? Why do I feel like I went through a concrete wall?!” her questions spewed out after she wetted her throat.

“People feel like that when you get a guy in a metal suit slamming into you… going through a wall!” he tried to make light of the situation. He was amazed that she had survived the collision; anyone else probably would had died. When she smirked at him, he returned the smile.

“How long I’ve been here…?”

“A little over a day. They… noticed how advanced your body is and wanted to do some tests… but I talked them out of it; told them that your ‘condition’ was top secret.”

“Thanks…” she said, sincerely; the last thing she needed was to be treated like some lab rat.

“I’m so sorry, Tabitha. I never meant for you to get hurt…”

“It’s alright… I guess…” she slowly shook her head. She knew it was her fault for attempting to meddle; all she had to do was stand out of the way. However, they had already destroyed half of Tony’s home; she had enough of the uncalled destruction. She suddenly looked at him, “James… where’s your suit?” she asked. He opened his mouth to speak but then turned towards the wall.

“I… turned it in… sort of…”

“You did what?! James! That was your suit!”

“And, it’s still my suit. It’s just government property as well.”

“I can’t believe you. You know what’s gonna happen! They won’t be satisfied with you being in control of the suit; they’re gonna take it and make copies! Is that what you want? Because you got pissed off at a friend?!”

“You could’ve been killed; he could’ve injured other people!”

“I can take care of my damn self! And I took care of everyone else when you two didn’t give two shits who got in the way!” she fumed. She looked angrily at her IV, “Get me a nurse or doctor or someone who knows how to take this shit off of me…”

“Tabitha… what else was I supposed to do?”

“Act like a fucking grownup! You really want me to try to pull this out myself?!”

“What are you doing…”

“Getting the hell outta here…”

“Tabitha…”

“Don’t try to stop me; I’m either getting outta here the easy or the hard way…” she glared at him. He let out a huge sigh and called for a doctor. He gave her a sympathetic look.

“I really don’t want you upset with me. But… this couldn’t be helped. He’s out of control.” he stopped speaking when she glared at him yet again. He didn’t know what else to say to make her understand his actions; his best bet was to simply be quiet and let her leave.

She was upset with both men however, she felt that Tony at least deserved to know what his supposedly friend had done. When she went by his home, she realized that either he was wealthier than she expected or what happened the night before was commonplace; there were no signs of the fight between the two. An apologetic yet frustrated Pepper found his coordinates for Tabitha and she found him at a local donut shop… still in his Iron Man suit. She sighed as she approached him and noticed that he wasn’t alone. Sitting across from him was Natalie and a dark brown man. When Tony’s attention went to Tabitha, the two turned to look at her.

“Dawling!” his teasing made her jaw slightly twitch. She gave him a quick narrow stare and put her attention towards his company. Looking at the older man, she knew how others felt when they stared at her snow-white hair; the man was wearing an eye patch. She couldn’t help but to wonder what he had gone through to have to wear it however she kept her thoughts to herself as she gave them a dry smile; she was still sore from the ordeal she had gone through.

“Natalie…” she nodded.

“Natasha.”

“&he llip; no, it’s Tabitha…” she gave her a confused look. It was enough to make Tony snort and the other man give her a smirk.

“Natasha is Natalie’s real name. Apparently, she’s a spy; a Russian one at that…” Tony’s words made Tabitha’s eyes widen.

“What the fuck did I miss…”

“Miss Tabitha Lyght. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person…” the older man continued to smirk at her.

“And, you are…?”

“Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Never heard of ‘em…”

“Short for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

“That did… nothing to make me understand… but I’m flattered that I’m popular with you guys. Sorry but I was recently put through a concrete wall so I’m a little slow right now…” she finally put her attention towards Tony, “I wanna talk to you… in private.”

“It may have to wait; we’d like to talk to you as well. Please, have a seat.” Nick announced. Tabitha looked at him with a confused look and then looked back at Tony.

“They’re forming a superhero boy band…”[11] he commented while sipping his coffee. He patted the spot beside him, “Come on; they have good coffee here and I know you love coffee…” he coaxed. She reluctantly sat but looked at the older man.

“Mr. Fury, I already belong to a group of…”

“I know; the Justice League. We have no jurisdiction where Watchtower is so I was unable to talk to you there.” he surprised her. She shot a look over at Tony who shrugged.

“That wasn’t my doing; he knows a lot of things that he shouldn’t know…” he explained. Tabitha slowly nodded as a waitress appeared at their table, “She’ll have a coffee. Cream, sugar?” he asked Tabitha. She looked at the waitress and gave the Japanese woman a polite smile.

“Two creamers, please…” she said and took notice of the woman’s nametag: Hino Rei. Where had she heard that name before? The waitress smiled back at Tabitha, refilled everyone else’s beverages and left the table. Tabitha racked her brain as to why the woman’s name looked familiar. She sat straight up and quickly looked at the waitress once she realized, who was towards the kitchen area.

“J’onn! What are you doing here?!”

“… How did you figure it out…?”

“The Lindseys are anime fanatics; I learned a little something while I was there! Hino Rei, Rei Hino… Sailor Mars…” she smiled to herself; she was actually elated that she had guessed right. She looked over and warmed up at the returning smile.

“I was worried when I tried to contact you and received no response; I sensed that you were injured…”

“Hmm… a dollar past and a day short you are, hon…”

“… I believe the saying is a day late and a dollar short…”

“Are you… flirting with the waitress? Dawling, I didn’t know you swung that way!” Tony’s voice startled her. Blushing, she looked at the three and shook her head.

“N-No! She’s… not who you think she is… a-anyway; you said you wanted to talk to me. I ain’t joining your group, just to make things clear…” she warned.

“You may have no other choice, once you hear what I have to tell you…” he retaliated. She gave him a look.

“Do you know what he’s talking about?”

“I just now found out. For what it’s worth, I apologize…”

“Operation: Recharge was an S.H.I.E.L.D. beta project, an old one. We were attempting to copy the success of the ‘Super Soldier Serum’; our version would be able to give elemental super abilities to test subjects along with super strength, accelerated healing and super speed. You are familiar with Steve Rogers…?” Nick tried. Tabitha slightly nodded.

“Captain America; he helped us out against the Germans in World War II. Wait… I’m like Captain America?!” she widened her eyes.

“Yes and no. The project had dangerous side effects and was eventually shelved; put away until technology would catch up to improve it. We found out too late that a scientist had stolen the beta formula.” he finished explaining. It was enough for Tabitha to slowly sit back and shake her head.

“You mean to tell me that the son-of-a-bitch wasn’t even a real general…” she slowly began to fume.

“Remember your breathing…”

“Gary First was an extraordinary scientist… but he had mental issues. The one thing that was agreed on was that the serum wouldn’t be used on every single person; just a small select few. He wanted to turn every single military personnel into a ‘Super Soldier’ variant.” Nick said. Tabitha sat there, arms folded across her chest, shaking her head.

“What do you want from me?”

“Two things, actually. Mr. Stark knows about the ‘Avengers Initiative’…”

“Superhero boy band…” Tony mumbled.

“We would like for you to consider it, both of you. And, seeing that you’re the sole survivor of the beta program… we would like a sample of your DNA…” his last words made her glare at the two.

“What?! No! Hell no!! I ain’t gonna be responsible for another plague of fucking white-haired kids! Fuck that; I don’t care what government agency you’re from!”

“You are a valuable asset to your country, now Miss Lyght.” Nick tried. She rose from her seat but shook her head.

“No… I’m just another test subject to you; I’m a valuable asset to the Justice League, now!” she mentioned and turned to leave. She was stopped by J’onn who was still shape shifted as the waitress. He gently grabbed her hand.

“Trust me; no one is taking you anywhere… if I have anything to say about it…” he threatened, looking dead at Nick.

“Um… a little too much testosterone in your diet, miss…?” Tony tried. It was enough to make Tabitha slightly smirk.

“J’onn J’onzz; Tony Stark, Natal… Natasha, Nick Fury.” she introduced.

“J’onn J’onzz? As in…”

“Shape shifting, alien boyfriend J’onn J’onzz…” Tony finished for Nick.

“Martian…” both Tabitha and J’onn corrected; he continued to look at Nick, “As far as attempting to make her join… that conversation is now over…” he clarified. Nick uneasily cleared his throat and looked Natasha’s way.

“Fine. But, I guarantee that we’ll see each other soon, Miss Lyght.”

“No, we won’t. If I see anyone who even looks like a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee or agent or whatever… I’m shocking ‘em to high hell!”

“Tabitha…” J’onn warned.

“I will… you two included…”

“You think you would get away with attacking us…?” Natasha asked with a slight smirk.

“Honey, all the spy techniques in the world won’t stop you from getting electrocuted! You really wanna see how fast I can do it?”

“She’s really fast…” Tony nodded in agreement. Natasha pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Tabitha. Nick nodded politely as the two got up and left. J’onn shook his head.

“Why do you insist on taunting people?”

“It’s the only way to get the point across…” she sighed.

“You know; it’s a bit unnerving to look at you and hear you speak…”

In the comfort of Tony’s labs, J’onn examined Tabitha, paying close attention to her bruises. He shape shifted back to his normal form, making Tony blink a few times.

“Hmm… not what I was expecting for you to look.” he commented. J’onn ignored him as he ran a finger gently across a bruise on Tabitha’s forehead, making her completely flustered, “Oh… is it happening now? Like, right now…?” Tony’s question drew their attention.

“… What…”

“The Martian sex; are you two getting nasty right in front of me?” his question made her turn completely red as well as gape at him. She was too stunned to notice that J’onn only lightly chuckled.

“I assure you that we’re not having sex right now. I prefer physical contact…” he gave her a wry smile as she shot a look his way.

“C-C-Can we just… change the subject?!”

“Yes. Tell me what happened to you…” J’onn grabbed her arm and studied the bruises that ran along it. She sighed and glanced over at Tony.

“Kinda got rammed through a wall… followed by a metal suit…”

“Which I would like to formally apologize for, if I haven’t done so…” Tony quickly added as the Martian slowly glared at him. His look softened as he felt her hand on his chest.

“It’s alright… kinda. I miscalculated; I was tryna stop him and his buddy from tearing up the house... even more. Oh! Mr. Stark… James turned in your grey and black armor…”

“The Mark II. I’m not too worried about it; it was his suit…”

“I knew it…” she beamed, “Look; I’m fine. A bit banged up but it’s okay. I just wanted to know one thing and then we’ll leave: don’t all that drinking affect that thing in your chest…?” she asked him, seriously. Although she was still upset at James for turning in the armor, the one thing that she agreed with him on was that Tony was out of control. The man shrugged slightly as he went through a chest.

“Before, I didn’t care…”

“… Why?”

“… I was dying. The core of the arc reactor is made of palladium…”

“Oh, God; science…”

“Which, from your reaction, you have no idea what it is! It was poisoning me…”

“Oh…”

“Why not just tell you…?”

“Because Nick Fury is an idiot! I think he knows… but he doesn’t… if that makes sense…”

“Kinda…”

“Maybe we could be of some assistance…” J’onn volunteered.

“See, when he said ‘we’, he really meant him cuz I have no clue on this stuff!”

“J.A.R.V.I.S., you don’t mind if the Martian helps us?”

“The more, the merrier, sir…”

“Clever; you named your A.I.”

“That’s what’s been talking to us this whole time?!” Tabitha smiled.

“Clearly, you didn’t fall for her because of her brain…”

“She is intelligent in other aspects…”

“Um… right here, guys… and I can hear you!”

The three sifted through the various documents the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. had given to Tony. They found out that his father, Howard Stark, was actually the founding member of the organization and that a lot of his creations just needed to wait for technology to catch up. A clue in one of the old film reels led to Tony and J’onn creating a diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo. After getting some rest, Tabitha made her way back down into the lab.

“You’re supposed to be resting…” the Martian mentioned, still studying the diorama. She shrugged.

“I’ve worked on less sleep… which I see that there’s no more work to do…” she looked at the small scaled model, “You should be telling your lab partner to get some sleep…”

“I have tried; he will not listen…”

“We’re not out of the red, yet…” Tony yawned. He studied the model along with the Martian, “There’s something here. Don’t need to rest until I find out…” he continued. She took a seat across the way and idly looked along with the two; she had no idea what they would be looking for in the first place.

“Hmm… maybe if you could get a digital picture of this; could flip it all kinds of ways to see stuff better…” she shrugged. She knew that science was beyond her and was waiting for one of the men to brush her idea aside. However, she became startled when Tony suddenly clasped his hands together.

“You heard the lady!” he announced. J.A.R.V.I.S. scanned the model, producing a holographic image, “Dawling, I would kiss you… if I knew I would live afterwards…” he added when J’onn shot him a look.

“… ‘Dawling’…?”

“Don’t ask…” she huffed. Her exasperation turned into amazement as she watched Tony lift up the hologram away from the model. He turned it a few times and stood it upright, backing away to study it. J’onn followed suit.

“You see that?”

“Yes… I do. An atomic structure…” J’onn noticed. The two took turns analyzing their findings, “Do you have the means to synthesize…?”

“… I can make do. Dawling… you feel up to breaking walls down the right way?”

“Cocked, locked and ready to rock!”

After reconstructing a portion of his home, Tabitha and J’onn helped Tony build a modified particle accelerator, synthesizing the new element in a triangular case. Tony carefully removed the case and placed it inside of a spare arc reactor. Moments later, a confirmation was made that the element was accepted as the core of the reactor.

“I will run diagnostic tests now, sir.”[12] J.A.R.V.I.S. informed. After the tests were ran, Tony grabbed the new arc reactor and looked at Tabitha.

“I would ask if you would like to do the honors but…”

“… I’d be honored…”

“Really? I thought all this ‘science stuff’ was beyond you…”

“I’m good at making things work; not good at explaining how it works: I’ll leave that to you and J’onn!”

“I’ll talk you through it, then…”

“Am I gonna be dealing with a lot of wires and stuff?”

“Highly possible.”

“Then… I can make sure that they never fray on you. Seeing that it’s keeping that shrapnel away from your heart… I think you’d like that peace of mind…”

“Actually… I would. Work your magic, dawling!”

Tony and J’onn shook hands while Tabitha and Pepper did the same.

“To be honest with you… I don’t know how to thank you two.”

“I’m just relieved that the poison’s gone. Maybe you won’t be so reckless, now?” Tabitha eyed Tony, who smirked.

“Me, reckless? When did that ever happen…?” he asked and the women chuckled.

“You know… deep down, I guess you’re an okay guy, Tee…”

“Tee?”

&ld quo;If ya gonna call me dawling all the damn time, I get to call you Tee!”

“Fair enough…” he agreed. Tony handed her a glass case that contained his old arc reactor and an envelope. She narrowed her eyes at the paper.

“Is this money? Cuz, if it is, I ain’t accepting it…”

“What? No! It’s a card…”

“Tee…”

“A thank you note! For God’s sake; take it and get out of here! I’m pretty sure you have some Martian sex to catch up to…”

“Oh… my… God…”

She waited until she was back on Watchtower to open the envelope. Just as she had suspected, there was a check inside of the envelope. What she didn’t expected to see was the amount; a quarter of a million dollars! She shook her head at the check and pulled out the note that came with it; at least he didn’t lie to her, she figured:

Thanks for your help, again, “darling”! I know that I got a bit carried away at my party and just wanted to let you know that I never meant to put you in any physical danger. Give the Martian my thanks as well (I have no clue on how to spell his name…). Whenever Rhodey decides to come around and start speaking to me, again, I’ll let you know. If there’s anything you ever need, don’t hesitate to call me. And, by the way… deposit the damn check: you deserve every penny of that and then some!