I woke up way earlier this morning than I had the last couple of days. I guess my body was finally starting to go back to normal. Which I guess means the nightmares decided to plague me again. Yeah. I tried to go back to sleep but that was no use. I glanced at the clock on my dresser table and that read two am. Great. I'm wide awake and I don't actually have to be up for another seven hours.
I stretched and felt around for my crutches. I slid my door open and began to think of ways to silently get to the kitchen without FRIDAY being alerted. I glanced across the hallway and saw the door was now closed. I wonder why. It's the one room they didn't show me. Rationally speaking, I knew that it was not a good idea to try to get inside the room. But I was also bored. Like, really bored. Plus, satisfying my curiousity was always a good way to fall asleep.
I went back into my room and found my favorite two paperclips in my backpack. I quickly hobbled back to the door and slowly began picking the lock. It was slightly harder to pick the lock because I couldn't exactly bend over, but I eventually hard the familiar yet satisfying click of a door being unlocked.
I pushed the door open and was greeted to a landing and a stairway. There was a single light over the landing, but everything else was pitch black. To the right of the landing there was a door that led to some stairs that lead to the rest of the room. I crutch over and push the door knob. It was also locked. I looked at the handle and noticed there was a hand pad. Hmmm. Couldn't exactly pick that lock and I bet it was Tony's fingerprints that unlocked the door. What to do?
Bzzz. Bzzz. I groaned as I heard my phone buzzing. I glanced at the clock. It was two in the morning. Who the heck could be calling? I glanced at my phone. I had messages from Friday. I looked at Pepper sleeping next to me. I smiled. She looked content.
I slid out of my bed and slipped out of room and across the hallway to Pepper's office. I closed the door and asked, "What's up Friday?"
"Sorry to wake you Boss, but AJ has opened the door to the garage."
I raise my eyebrows up, "What? Has he gotten down into the garage yet?"
"No. All he has done is pick the lock on the outer door. He is currently trying to figure out how to get pass the hand scan. Should I inform him to stop?"
"Is there any dangerous experiments lying in the garage area?"
"No, Boss."
Pepper would definitely tell me to stop AJ from breaking into the garage, but I am curious if he'll give up and go back to bed.
"No. Don't inform him and pull of video footage. I want to see if he gets in. Do not tell Pepper about this."
"Got it, Boss."
Let's see how you get in, Kid.
So far I had thought of two main problems. One, I needed to find Tony's hand print. Two, I need something that held his hand print and be able to stick it to the scanner. The handprint was the easiest. When he came into my room yesterday, he leaned over my desk to see what I was drawing. He probably left I good sized handprint on it. Now, I need some powder.
I easily hobbled into the bathroom and searched through the cabinet for some kind of powder. Again, as I looked through Tony Stark's bathroom cabinet, I was struck with how this man really was normal. It, in a way, was weirdly disappointing. I thought he would be all techy. All I've seen so far is FRIDAY, and she's only in the living room. I guess he's changed.
Jackpot! I picked up a bottle of foot powder. Yep, this man has definitely been domesticated. I also found a make up kit of Pepper's that had a brush in it. I grabbed those two things and neatly put the cabinet back in order.
After putting those back into my room, I ditched the crutches and quietly hobbled into the kitchen. There was no need to alert FRIDAY of my presence. I went searching through the cabinets until I found cornstarch, a plastic bowl, and some rubber clothes.I put those on the counter and kind of one hopped my way to their storage closet. Inside I found the silicone gun I was looking for and some clear packing tape. I grinned as I hobbled make to my room. I was now ready.
Tony watched in awe as the kid hobbled around the kitchen, the closet, and what he assumed the bathroom, looking for seemingly random objects.
"Fri, what has he collected?"
"Silicone, cornstarch, packing tape, foot powder, and a makeup brush sir."
"He's making a mold of my handling," I say out loud as it dawns on me what those objects are for.
"It appears that way, Boss."
"Interesting."
I poured the foot powder on the spot on my desk where his hand would've been. I took the brush and lightly brushed the powder away so I had a complete hand print. I'm assuming Tony uses his right hand to open the door because it's his dominant hand, but he didn't I'm gonna have wasted all this effort.
I peeled a large piece of tape and stuck it on the powder. What came off was all of Tony's fingerprints and the shape of his hand. Now for the mold.
I squeezed some silicone into the bowl and added almost double amount of cornstarch to it. I pulled the gloves on and began to knead the two together until they were perfectly mixed. I then shaped my mold into about the size of Tony's hand. If I wasn't on a mission, I would definitely take time to admire how far my sculpting skills have come.
Once the mold was done, I pressed the tape pieces I jade put the prints on into their corresponding places on the hand. I set it on my desk. It need about twenty minutes before the mold would and I tested it out. I glanced at my clock. The mold would be done about three am.
Twenty minutes later, I was anxious to try my idea. I touched the mold to be sure it dried and hobbled make into the garage. This was the moment of truth. I pressed the hand onto the scanner and...there was a beep sound that told me it didn't work.
"Nice try kid."
I jumped about a foot and looked at Tony wide eyed. I immediately raised my hands in front of my face, "I'm sorry!"
I saw something flash across Tony's face before he said, "Chill. I'm not mad. I'm actually quite impressed with how you attempted to get in."
I lowered my hands and asked hesitantly, "You're not mad?"
He shook his head.
"You're not gonna...not gonna punish me?"
When AJ asked me that questioned, it felt like someone punched me in the gut. They way the kid said punished...he thought I was going to beat him. I saw the flash of fear cross his face before it was instantly and expertly masked.
"No. I would never intentionally harm you AJ," I said. It was probably the most genuine think I had ever said.
The kid must of heard my tone because his shoulders dropped a bit, but he still held a reserved look on his face.
I gestured towards the dark garage, "Do you want to see what's down there?"
He raised his eyebrow, "You're actually going to let me go down there?"
I chuckle, "I believe that hard work deserves an award. Tell you what, you don't tell Pepper I brought you to my lab at three am and I won't mention you did a lab experiment at two in the morning."
"How'd you-"
"There cameras in the house. Not in the bathroom or your bedroom, but I was able to watch most of your excursion. Plus, Fri's programmed to alert me when there is unauthorized personal in my lab."
"It's not just in the coffee table?"
I laugh, "Nope. Just seems that way. Do you want to see or not?"
He nods quickly and I walk to the door panel that he had tried to break into.
I clear my throat as I begin to scan, "The reason your fake model doesn't work is because Friday also scans by DNA plus the person putting their hand on the pad. So she knows it's not me or anyone programmed with access."
A look of realization crossed his expression just as Friday finished scanning and the door opened with a click.
Tony walked into the garage and spread his arms out as all the lights turned on and he said, "Daddy's home guys."
My jaw dropped at what I saw.
