How do you think Emily will be in battle?

Recap - AIM has made their attack and now it's time for the Stark Family to fight back if they can.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Technovore Part Two

Stark Towers - 18:27 PM

Emily's not only suffering from an unbearable fatigue but also jet-lag from Prague's six hour time difference with New York. Not to mention that she's barely gotten any sleep while in Prague because she's been busy with her business affairs and the ideas that her intellectual mind keeps on making. As of right now, her body is the equivalent of a car with an empty gas tank that's scratching the surface to use whatever little bit of energy is left. Her brain, however, is incredibly active, always coming up with the best ideas when sleep-deprived.

Basically, her body knows that it should rest and wants to, but her mind won't allow it.

Needing more coffee, Emily yawns as she turns from her workstation to find the nearest espresso machine. She opens the door and sees several masked agents wearing the same yellow jumpsuits. They're all standing in a triangular formation with their guns pointed right at her. It almost seems as if they have been waiting for her to walk out for a long time.

A part of her wonders if she's going deaf or just didn't hear them assembling right outside her door. The same goes for that unanswered questions she asked Jarvis a while ago which she just remembered she asked.

Emily hesitates, unsure about what the hell is happening. She does understand one thing: these people want her dead.

"Okay, look," Emily starts, holding up her hands to show that she has no weapons on her. "I plan to have an open casket which means that when you fire your weapons at me, you better make my corpse pretty. I need to be as intact as possible which means that I better have two eyes, one nose, all my limbs, and a full set of teeth. Those must all be there or I swear that I will haunt you, you understand?"

Nobody responds or moves for that matter. Emily stands there awkwardly.

"While you guys discuss a new strategy on how to kill me without deforming me..." She mutters, walking backwards. "...I'll just wait in my lab. Could one of you grab me an espresso?"

"Fire!"

"Or just forget the espresso!"

As guns start to fire, Emily quickly turns around and sprints towards her workstation. She leaps over a table, purposely bringing it down with her so that it lands on its side and she could use it as a shield.

-o-

The elevator doors open and Pepper sees the same type of agents who are currently with Emily. Pepper stands up straight, heart racing, as she backs up as far as she can before hitting the elevator wall (which makes her jump a little). The agents corner her as one of them (one with a badge of authority on his chest) grasps her arm tightly.

"Hello, Mrs. Stark," the leader greets, tapping his fingertips on her bicep. "Do you know who I am?"

Pepper takes a slow breath. "Should I?"

"You really should. I am the Scientist Supreme of the Advanced Idea Mechanics, AIM for short. I am now in control of you."

Pepper scoffs. "Possessive, much?"

Ignoring that last comment, he continues talking, dragging Pepper with him. She would escape but she's surrounded by the Scientist Supreme's henchmen and their guns.

"To keep you informed, Mrs. Stark, I have released my pet and creation, Technovore, in your tower. Its only purpose is to consume. Its goal right now is to feed on any and all arc reactor activity, like the energy powering your husband's heart. It has the power to crush an army."

"Good thing Tony doesn't have an army," Pepper responds.

"If Technovore feeds on your husband, Tony must agree to give up all his technology for his life to be returned. Even if Tony does concede before feeding time, he will still be eaten."

Pepper looks up at him. "Technically speaking, Tony can't give you his tech if he's dead."

"That's also why you're here and why my men are searching for Emily as we speak. Just a little somethings to speed up the trade. In fact, I think they have her."

-o-

Behind her table, Emily feels all the bullets bounce off. She's not scared because she's actually beyond terrified. She's alone, inexperienced in this kind of situation, worried about her parents, unarmed, and about to throw up the bile that's rising in her throat. Her body is shaking like an earthquake. She looks at her hands and sees her engagement ring that still sparkles in the danger. That motivates her to calm down and realize that something else is shining in her eyes: the completed parts she has for her suit.

Emily quickly crouches forwards and scrambles for whatever parts she has and rushes to put them on, along for a pair of tennis shoes that were under the other table. Overall, she has her non-dominant hand with a repulsor beam, the armor of it going up to her elbow just before the joint; her opposite leg going up to her knee, also just before the joint; and the metal brace that goes across her chest, torso, and back with an arc reactor in the middle of her chest.

"Come out, Miss. Stark," they taunt her, "we don't want to hurt you."

Emily rolls her eyes. If they didn't really want to harm her, they wouldn't have started firing at her simple request of an espresso.

"Open casket or closed?" Emily asks them.

They surprisingly stop firing at her odd question. Emily smiles to herself.

"Cremated," they respond in unison, making one of Emily's eyebrows rise up.

"Good," she replies, "then you won't mind me blowing your face off."

Emily quickly stands up and fires the one repulsor beam she has at them. Taken by surprise, they immediately fall back. Emily starts flying with the one boot she has, making a staggered flight pattern. She falls forwards as one agent grabs her dominant hand. He uses his advantage in strength against her. Emily panics a little, looking down. She uses her armored foot to kick him over.

Emily hears another agent running up to her from behind. She turns around, swinging her armored leg as her attack but the stubborn screw from earlier pops out, causing the whole thing to dismantle.

"...well, that's embarrassing," Emily says.

To keep her fight going, Emily holds up her hand to fire but then realized that she's pointing her weaponless hand. Again, embarrassing. In her defense, the only motivator she has to keep fighting is her will to survive.

-o-

From a hole in the wall, Technovore slithers out and lunges itself at Tony. He falls onto his back with the creature on top of him. With his arms, Tony grunts as he uses all of his strength to keep Technovore off of him. Tony takes a moment to examine the computerized creature as it opens its mouth. He sees the tentacles inside and notices them salivating, specifically over his arc reactor.

Tony pushes his arms to the side, tossing Technovore. He quickly stands up and sprints down the corridor. He takes a brief glance over his shoulder and sees Technovore already on his tail. The moment Tony's eyes land on Emily's suitcases, he's automatically grateful that Emily is a procrastinator when it comes to certain tasks. He picks one up by the handles and swings it as Technovore like a baseball bat. Technovore flies into a different room that Tony quickly closes the door to to give himself more time (probably a few seconds) to formulate some sort of plan. Tony opens one of Emily's suitcases and searches for something useful, finding nothing. He pulls out one of Emily's cardigans and grips it tightly.

As Technovore pounds against the door Tony confined it to, Tony runs over to the elevator and pries the door open just big enough to squeeze through. He wraps Emily's cardigan around the cables to use as a rappelling rope of some sorts. Once it's secure, he hears Technovore burst out of its containment. Tony jumps, sliding down the elevator shaft with no creature above him until he lands on top of the elevator car.

Not gonna lie, Emily is me in fights.

Stay Tuned - With the Stark family in different parts of the Tower, will they ever reunite?