Author's Note: Another slow update, I know. But here you go! Also good news: I have finally completed this story so I just need to edit the chapters. So hopefully the updates will be a little more frequent. Enjoy.
The process took about four hours and by then parts of the house were completely trashed, almost as bad as it had been at the party. When Tony and Gemma were ready to synthesize the new element, pipes ran though the workshop, making it practically impossible to walk through. Concrete pieces lay scattered on the floor, as Tony had made holes in the walls and in the ceiling of the workshop to get everything just right. Gemma was finishing up by making sure all the pipes were level. "Hey, Dad, this one's not level. We need to put something under it," Gemma said. Tony glanced around the workshop for a moment. "Grab that," he said, pointing to a metal plate of some sort. He held the pipe up as she grabbed the object. It was a circular shield-looking thing with stripes and a star in the middle. "This looks incredibly familiar," she said, lightly touching the star. "It's just what we need," Tony replied. Gemma looked at the object curiously. "Hey, doesn't it have something to do with that guy? America- something?"
"My dad wouldn't shut up about him," Tony mumbled to himself. "Put it under here." He lifted the pipe up further and Gemma slid it under. Tony measured it with the level. "Perfectly level," he stated. "Lights off," he told JARVIS. As the lights in the workshop dimmed, Tony picked up a giant wrench and held it on the metal wheel. A second later, a beam of light escaped the coil and Tony tried to aim it at the metal plate that would synthesize the new element. In the process, the laser beam cut through the walls and book shelves. "Dad, watch out!" Gemma cried, her eyes widening in alarm. "Whoops," Tony answered. The laser finally found its way to the plate, it produced a brilliant light. Tony waited for a couple seconds then turned it off. The metal plate was still glowing. "That was easy," he said. He walked over to the new element and picked it up with a pair of pliers. "Congratulations, sir. You have created a new element," JARVIS stated. Gemma walked over. "It's beautiful," she said.
Tony placed the element into his new arc reactor and waited. "The reactor was accepted the replaced core. I shall begin running diagnostics," the AI said. "We did it, really," Gemma said, staring in awe at the new arc reactor, putting her arms around her father's shoulders. "Yes we did," Tony replied, smiling. Gemma looked around the workshop momentarily. There were pipes, coils and rubble everywhere. It was almost impossible to see the floor. "Oh, God. This is going to be hell to clean."
"Yeah, well, we don't have to clean right away." Tony smiled, clutching Gemma's hands. There was an almost inaudible tapping sound, and then Agent Coulson strode into the workshop. "I heard you broke perimeter," he said, slightly smiling at Gemma. "What no, I was cleaning spilt gasoline," Tony said, gazing at Gemma to make sure he was telling the story she had told Coulson. She nodded. "Save it, I got a message from Agent Romanov," Coulson replied. "But that's not why I'm down here. I've been reassigned. Something came up in New Mexico."
"Oh, what for?" Gemma wondered. "What could possibly pull you away from the glorious job of babysitting Dad?"
"It's classified."
"You do realize that I could hack the SHIELD databases if I wanted to," Gemma smirked. Coulson sighed. "I don't all of the details, but something about an unidentified object landing in the New Mexico desert."
"Well, have fun," Gemma replied. "Thanks," Coulson said simply, and then turned to leave. "Oh and Stark," he shifted his gaze to Tony, "don't get into any trouble while I'm gone." Tony chuckled. "Come on, it's me." Coulson smiled and strode out of the workshop. Tony gave Gemma a look. "Hacking the SHIELD databases?" he asked. "Well I could," Gemma told him. Her father smiled. "Yeah you could."
"Sir, there is an incoming call," JARVIS chimed a while later after Gemma convinced herself and her father to start cleaning up the workshop. If they didn't start now, Tony would push it off until next week, or get his robots to do it for him which wouldn't end well. "Hmm, phone privileges were reinstated," Tony said. "About time," Gemma added.
Tony walked over to his desk and answered the call. "Hey Coulson, how's the land of enchantment?" Gemma giggled slightly, but her heart froze a second later when the reply came. The voice definitely didn't belong to Agent Coulson. "Hey Tony, how's it going?" There was a deep laugh on the other end. Her mind flashed back to the Monaca Grand Prix. You lose, Stark. You lose! The memory played over in her head. The voice belonged to Anton Vanko. Gemma's gaze darted up at her father. His expression was the exact same as hers, confusion, distraught and fear, though Tony was better and hiding it behind his eyes. Didn't Vanko die in the jail in Monaco?
"I double cycle," Vanko said. "What?" Tony asked harshly. "I double cycle for more power. Good advice."
"You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy," Tony said, not even flinching at Vanko's voice. Gemma could tell that he was trying to bury all of his emotions. "So do you," Vanko replied. Gemma felt a pang in her chest. Her heart pumped faster and faster, but she tried to steady her breathing. Tony pressed the mute button and told JARVIS to trace the call, then unmuted. Gemma gazed at the screen, closing in on the New York area. "What your father did to my family over forty years ago, I will to you and your family in forty minutes," Vanko told them. Another pang in her chest. "Sounds good, let's get together and hash it out," Tony replied nonchalantly. The call was coming from Manhattan, according to JARVIS. There was another deep chuckle from the other end. "I hope you're ready," Vanko said, and the line went dead.
"The trace was incomplete," JARVIS stated. "Oh my god," Gemma whispered. It took her a few seconds to process what she had just heard, but something seemed off. Why was Vanko in Manhattan, of all places? Then her mind clicked. The Expo was in Manhattan, as well as Hammer Industries. She turned to her father. "I think Vanko is working with Justin Hammer, he's going to attack at the Expo." Tony looked are her with worry. "You're right," he stated, string at the screen again. After a moment he got up and walked over to the stand holding the new arc reactor. "You are not putting that in your body right now," Gemma told him as she walked over to him. "The diagnostics are not complete, sir," JARVIS added. "Honey, how long have you known me?" Tony asked, smiling. Gemma scoffed and rolled her eyes. Tony took the old reactor out of his chest and put the new one in. "JARVIS, complete the suit while you're at it," he said. The reactor glowed bright in Tony's chest, and Gemma knew was going to regret leaving him to his own devices. At least Tony wouldn't be as reckless as before… she hoped.