Disclaimer: I don't own Iron Man. I don't own Jetta. I make no money writing this, which is why I mixed the two together with some cement to lay down a walkway in my garden. I probably should buy some paint to cover up all the red and gold.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. In recompense this is a double update. I've just been snagged by real life and, in my spare moments to write, have been hijacked by plotting this story through Civil War and beyond. The ripples of adding a character and all that.

Chapter 13: Operators

Jetta- Operators

When they got in the door, Tony had JARVIS direct her to a guest room before he wandered off somewhere deeper into the house. Happy helped her carry her bags. His heavy tread on the stairs behind her was a comfort while she felt so out of place.

Angela had only been in the Stark Complex West a handful of times, and never on the upper floor. Upon entering the room the AI directed her to, she dropped the suitcase she was carrying on the bed and sighed.

"Are you alright?" Angela turned to see Happy watching her from near the sliding doors to the closet.

She sucked on her bottom lip and considered her answer. "I will be," she offered, turning to unzip the case. Her eyes traveled over the curve of floor to ceiling windows. They lent the room plenty of light, a sharp contrast to her last accommodations. "I'm better than I was," she amended.

Happy walked up next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "The Boss will get you straightened out."

She nodded. "I know."

The big man gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm gonna head home. Pepper's had a busy day."

"Go," Angela waved him off. "It's going to be a few weeks before the furor dies down. Try to get your wife to pace herself."

"Sure," he drawled skeptically, heading for the door. A wry smile lit his face as he turned back. "Try not to strangle the guy I'm supposed to keep alive."

"No promises," she mock warned.

After he left Angela unpacked, then listened to her voicemail. The message was from an Agent representing some government group. The man said he wanted to debrief her about her experiences in Afghanistan and Italy. Not too keen on the idea, she dismissed the call.

It was only a few hours later when Tony's voice came through the house intercom. "Panda, come downstairs."

She leaned back from where she'd been crunched over her notebook. Not having to design a solution for her power problem left her free to elaborate on her other ideas. They kept her occupied without necessitating venturing further into the intimidating modernly designed house.

Wondering what the man wanted, Angela grabbed her ever present tether and meandered toward the main level. When she got to the living room, there was no sign of Tony. She rolled her eyes at his lack of specifics, hefted her battery, and made her way down to the lab.

At the base of the stairs the locked security door greeted her. "If you want me in there you're going to have to open the door," she called. There was a sudden beep and the door unlatched.

Pushing her way into the lab, she spotted Tony moving around a make shift medical area. Angela noted the reclining hospital type seat already in situ.

"What did you need a map?" Tony jibbed.

She raised a dark brow, unimpressed. "Be more specific with your instructions," she tossed back. Her boss ignored her.

"Come here," he beckoned. She crossed the room in short, hesitant steps. Tony patted the hospital seat. "Up. I need measurements."

Angela eyed the chair distrustfully, but climbed up onto the seat, perching herself on the edge. Her nose wrinkled at the familiarity.

"Shirt off." At his command she shot him a narrow eyed look and Tony held his hands up in defense. "Just the button up," he assured. "Touchy, Panda."

With a thunk, she placed her battery on a nearby table, then proceeded to unbutton her over shirt. Angela figured she owed him an explanation. "It's not personal. I had a doctor at the Italian base who I did not like."

Tony fiddled with a caliper and made an enquiring noise.

"The man was far too interested in 'the melding of flesh and machine,'" she grumped.

Her boss's chin jerked up, eyes narrowed, and she realized she suddenly had his full attention. "Like a cyborg?" he asked.

She nodded. "He wanted me to be a case study." With a roll of her shoulders, her shirt slid down her arms and she let it drop onto the seat behind her. "Medical settings and being asked to take my shirt off, I'm a little sensitive."

He grunted in understanding.

A quick tuck folded the top of her tank top down into her bra so that her boss could see better. He didn't comment about it, just worked carefully, keeping touching to a minimum. She appreciated the rare show of tact.

After feeding the measurements into a drafting program, he had JARVIS scan her. "What's your socket? Stainless?" Tony wondered.

"Yeah." Digging behind her, she retrieved her shirt and slid it back over her shoulders. Her hand automatically looped through the strap of her battery and she hopped off the table. Tony moved across the room to a work station. She followed in his wake.

Her boss double checked the values on the screen before murmuring, "Okay." He clicked quickly through a fabrication program and then straightened up to look at her. "You ready to start, Panda?"

"I thought you said you wouldn't have everything necessary for a few days," Angela reminded.

"Not everything, but enough to get started," he clarified.

That was good enough for her. She swore lugging the battery was making her right arm disproportionately muscular.

"Let's do this," she agreed.

…...

"Stop moving my soldering iron," Angela cried. She was tempted to follow up with the threat, 'or I'll jab it into your thigh!'

"Technically, it's my soldering iron," her insane boss pointed out. "And I need it."

"Technically, it's your soldering iron that I am currently using, right now. Stop moving it." she demanded.

Beeping came from the security door, but Angela ignored it in lieu of continuing her complaint. "You weren't working on soldering when I started." She scooted the base back in arms reach, wiping the tip on a sponge before going back to work.

Tony shuffled along a table, fingers searching for a specific part. He found it and then commented, "And now I am. So I need it."

"I have one spot. Just one. Then I'm finished and it's all yours," she bargained.

"It's already mine," he quipped, hovering over her shoulder. Angela drew in a deep breath and concentrated on finishing her last join. She straightened back up, wiped the tip again, and put the iron back in it's holder.

Turning around, she shot Tony an expectant look. "Well?"

"Leave that," he commanded. "You're finished. We need to work on this." He held up a few pieces of what she recognized as the internal housing.

"You have the schematics for that?" She asked.

He gestured to the computer screen two stations over and started to manually thread a screw into the middle assembly he was holding.

Crossing the room, she set her battery down on the desk and leaned toward the computer to get a better look. She hummed to herself, fixing the design in her memory, before picking her battery up and walking back to the table she'd been working at. Absently she arranged the pieces, matching them with what she'd seen.

She glanced around the desk. "Where's my phillips bit?"

When she turned around, she found it on the work table Tony was using. She grunted in frustration. There were multiple phillips bits. He didn't need to grab the one on her work bench.

Angela picked up her battery and walked back across the space to retrieve the tool. When she turned to make her way to her table again, she found that Tony had moved over there. He was taking apart the face plate she had put together a few hours before. "Why are you taking that apart?" She asked through clenched teeth.

The man glanced up at her. "I'm checking it."

"Check it with you eyes. Don't check it by taking it apart," she reprimanded.

"I need to make sure you put it together correctly," he countered.

Angela ran the heel of the hand with the screwdriver in it across her forehead. Patience, she tried to council herself. It didn't help that they were both in the same spot, in parallel builds, in a lab that was really set up for one person.

"It's nice to know you hired me because you were so confident in my skills," she sassed.

Dropping her hand, she watched him completely disassemble the cover plate. He checked a few things, flipped a piece over, and then walked away leaving it disassembled. "You had it right," he commented.

Unconsciously her grip shifted on the screwdriver to an overhand hold and she raised it to chest level threateningly.

There was a soft chuckle behind her. Angela turned her head and saw Pepper putting a box down on a table near the entryway.

"Pepper," Angela whimpered.

The red head gave her a sympathetic look. "Ready for wine yet?"

"Are you saying my lab assistant is an alcoholic?" Tony asked as he sauntered across the room.

Angela made a threatening growl. "I am not your assistant," she denied.

"But you are an alcoholic?" He smirked.

Taking a steadying breath through her nose, she looked at Pepper. "I think he needs a nap. Does sleep scheduling fall into your purview?"

"Is this how she talks about me at work?" Tony wondered.

"No," Angela denied.

"Not at work," Pepper qualified. "I believe this is the last of what you ordered, Mr. Stark," she smoothly continued.

Tony moved to the package by the door and tore into it. While he was distracted, Angela hefted her battery and hustled back over to her work table. She started to reassemble the cover plate as quickly as possible.

In the background she could hear Pepper trying to go over company business while Tony chattered. When it sounded like their conversation was wrapping up, Angela waved her arm to get the PA's attention. The red head glanced at her and Angela made a 'keep it going' motion with her hand. Pepper rolled her eyes.

Having put it together once before, the face plate assembled faster the second time. When she finished, Angela saw that Tony was still occupied with bantering. She cast a sly gaze toward the soldering iron and the handful of places Tony still needed to work with it on.

With an impish grin, she sidled her way to his station, keeping an eye on her boss's back. She unplugged the iron and then gently scooted it so that it was hidden behind his computer monitors. Pepper must have been watching her because she suddenly snickered.

"What?" Tony turned around. When he didn't see anything, he glanced between the two women suspiciously.

Angela looked back at him innocently and then turned to Pepper. "Have you had lunch yet?"

The red heads lips were quirked in amusement. "No, I haven't had time."

"Do you have time now? We could order something in?" Angela asked.

"We just got the last shipment of components," Tony whined.

Angela nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, and I haven't eaten in ten hours."

He made a dismissive huff and went back to his work station.

"What do you think of ordering from that new place down the pier?" Angela asked as she joined Pepper walking towards the security door.

"Oh, I've heard good things about their house sauce," the red head agreed.

Before the lab door closed, the two women heard Tony cry out, "Where is my soldering iron?"

…...

A few days later, Tony was head down over a set of precision tools when the beeping of the door caught his attention.

"That's my work station," Angela pointed out, stepping into the room.

He didn't bother to look up. "You aren't using it, too busy napping."

"Sleeping," she corrected. Her shoes pattered on the concrete towards him. "Is that my arc reactor?" It was. "I thought the point was for me to learn how to build one, not for you to do it."

"Yeah, well, you knocked off early." He peered through the magnifying glass, positioning the screw plate with his forceps.

"It was one in the morning," she argued.

"Had to get your beauty rest," he gibed. Blindly reaching over for his screwdriver, he groped along the countertop. Forced to finally look over, he found the tool dangling from Angela's fingertips. He never should have given her up to date clearance. "That's mine," he protested.

"And that's mine," she gestured toward the arc. "Move."

The woman aggressively invaded his personal space, which was startling enough to make him back away. Taking his place in front of the bench, she began taking apart what he'd put together.

His mouth dropped open in incredulity.

…...

Tony wandered up the steps from his shop, on his way to find an evening shower. As he passed through the living room a glow from out on the balcony drew his attention.

Stepping closer to the window, he could make out Angela curled up on one of the patio chairs, watching some weather documentary on her laptop. She slumped lazily against the cushion, head tilted to the side and dark hair spilling over her shoulder.

Tony watched her through the tinted glass, feeling his own mind and body slowly relaxing. She'd been staying at his house for over a week. Unused to prolonged houseguests, Tony found that having Angela around was… not a hardship. The corner of his lip lifted in a lopsided grin. Shaking his head, he turned back toward the stairs.

…...

Standing next to Angela, Tony looked down at two upgraded arc reactors. They were both glowing brightly, ready to be installed. He had a moment to observe the different sizes next to each other, like his and hers watches.

"You ready for this, Panda?" He asked, glancing over. From the corner of his eye he saw her tilt her head. Her hair was falling out of its bun again.

"I'm a little nervous," she admitted.

"It'll be fine." He quirked a brow at her. "I've done this before."

"You changed your own out?" She questioned.

Wiping his hand over his mouth, he admitted, "Well, no."

Her brows scrunched in concern. "That plugs in to the back of my socket, correct?"

"Yes," he answered.

"How are we going to plug it in?" She glanced down to his side and he wondered what she was looking at. "You're hands are too large."

Tony subconsciously flexed his fingers and then surveyed her electromagnet. It was just visible between the lapels of her unbuttoned over shirt. "You'll have to do it," he confessed.

"Blind?" There was a soft note of panic in her voice.

"I can guide you," he assured. Tony stepped forward and grabbed the smaller reactor. "No time like the present."

She followed him over to the make shift medical area and boosted herself up onto the chair. When she settled, Tony took note of the way her lips were drawn into a tight line and her pulse pounded at the base of her throat. He waited while she stripped her over shirt completely off, then carefully attached the cardiac sensors to her chest.

"We've got to be speedy about this," he reminded, trying not to pay attention to the swell of her breasts.

Angela closed her eyes and took a steady breath through her nose. The way her chest heaved didn't help his distraction.

Mentally slapping himself, Tony watched her hold a hand up and flex the fingers a few times until they stopped shaking. She reached down and unscrewed the electromagnet from her housing. Before she removed it she looked up and Tony could see the barely veiled fear in her eyes.

On impulse, he reached over and slid his palm down her arm. "Quick switch," he coached. Her skin was smooth and her arm solid under his hand. Tony took in a breath to center himself.

Her jaw firmed. Then, with a swift motion, she pulled the magnet out. The alarm on the cardiac monitor started to go off and Angela gasped in shock. Tony took the hunk of metal and wire from her hand, replacing it with the connection for the arc. He held the reactor itself in his other hand and guided her fingers back into her socket as best he could.

For a few hair raising seconds she fumbled. Her eyelids fluttered and Tony's heart skipped a beat. Finally, with a click and a short yell, she got it in place. He waited for her to remove her hand, then gently clicked the arc the rest of the way into her housing. She lay against the slanted table back, slightly pale and breathless.

"Done," he announced, feeling tension release from his shoulders. He made a mental note to find a better way to do that.

After a moment to collect herself Angela began tugging off the sensors still connected to her chest. She sat forward and tipped her head down, little strands of hair falling around her face. The fingers of her right hand ran across the face plate. A soft blue glow illuminated her features.

Tony remembered this moment for him in the cave, when Yinsen had clicked the piece home and he had lain there for a moment longer to absorb what had happened. His shoes scuffed over the concrete floor as he took a few steps back to give the woman room. He knew she would want to test her new range of mobility. The corners of his lips curled up slightly in remembered and reflected triumph.

Angela hopped down from the seat and stiffened her spine. Then, she took six ground eating strides across the lab. She gave a light laugh, spun on her heel, and shot the battery a dirty look.

Tony chuckled, drawing her attention back to him. She smiled, the left side of her lips a little higher than her right. Without warning she walked back over to him and gently grabbed his biceps. It always amazed him how small women's hands could be.

"Thank you, Tony." There was no amusement in her eyes, just fondness.

He cocked an eyebrow at her and hummed in acknowledgement, willing himself away from both their vulnerabilities. "Now," He turned and hopped up onto the seat she'd just vacated. "Help me switch this," he demanded. She huffed out a laugh.

Tony took off his shirt and flung it at her. She in turn tossed it on a nearby bench. "You know most women have more of a reaction to that," he teased, flexing the muscles in his chest. Angela gave him a deadpan look, grabbed one of the cardiac sensors and stuck it a bit harder than necessary to him. "Easy, Panda," he whined.

She smiled cheerfully and Tony pouted as they both continued positioning the sensors. "Focus," she chided.

"Really, I think I'm insulted," he started.

"Focus." She drew the word out sternly and looked him in the eyes, but she was grinning.

He smiled before forcing himself to sober. "Okay."

Angela briefly jogged across the lab to grab the other arc reactor. He noticed it looked like there was an extra bounce to her stride. By the time she came back, he'd switched his focus and had unlatched the Mark I reactor.

Working to disconnect it, there were a few brief jolts, and he deduced there was a short somewhere. It was probably the unshielded copper wire he'd been forced to use.

He hummed. "Speed bump," he commented.

Angela tilted her head. "Speed bump. What does that mean?"

"It's nothing. It's just a little snag." Tony lifted the Mark I out, fully concentrated on what he was doing. "There's an exposed wire under this device. And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short." He gave a sharp yank and the original device disconnected with a snap.

"Oh," Angela called in dismay.

"It's fine," He mumbled, handing the device to her. She quickly set it down on a nearby table and handed him the Mark II.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked, glancing at the readings from the cardiac monitor.

"I want you to reach in, and you're just going to gently lift the wire out," he directed.

"How far out?" She hovered her hand over the open socket.

"Just out," Tony said, preoccupied by the idea of someone else's hand in his chest, again. "Don't let it touch the side wall," he commanded.

"Is it a live wire? Is it going to shock me?" She demanded.

"It'll be fine," Tony murmured, willing her to just get started already.

"That does not answer any of my questions," she said tensely, but reached in anyway. Her mouth dropped open in an expression of revulsion. "Oh, gross, pus," she whined.

"It's not pus," he denied. "It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body." Tony closed his eyes on the visual of Angela's hand in his chest.

"It smells," she complained tightly. "Is this going to happen to mine?"

"Yeah it does." He grimaced. "And no. Give me some credit. I fixed that problem," he gritted.

She gave a disgusted huff. "Sorry."

"The copper wire," he reminded tightly. "The copper wire, you got it?"

"Okay. I got it," she replied, slightly breathless.

"Okay," he breathed. "Now just don't let it touch the sides." The last word turned into a drawn out holler when the wire contacted the side and shocked him. His eyes shot open. "When you're coming out!"

"Sorry. It slipped. I'm sorry," she cried.

"That's what I was trying to tell you before," he complained. "Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out you don't," he trailed off, incredulous, as she yanked the magnet from his chest. Beside him the cardiac monitor started beeping in alarm.

Angela held the dripping magnet up and stared at him surprise.

"There's a magnet at the end of it," he said belatedly. "How did you not know that? You had one!"

"Mine was different! Shit," she cursed. "Be more specific in your instructions," she reprimanded him. Angela glanced at the beeping monitor. "Are you dying?"

"Little bit," he said blithely. "I'm just going into cardiac arrest because you yanked it out like a trout," Tony finished sarcastically.

"What do we do?" She dropped the magnet on the table next to her.

Tony struggled to breathe steadily and focus passed the crushing pain in his chest. "We gotta hurry. Take this," he handed her the new arc reactor. "Attach it like you did yours."

She shuffled her grip on the wires and then quickly stuck her hand back into his chest. Tony noticed she didn't bother to whine about the pus. There was a click and a zing of pain shot through his system. Next to him the monitor started beeping normally and he laid back, catching his breath.

Angela let out a long sigh of relief and quickly locked the reactor into it's housing. She took a moment to steady her own rapid breathing. "Are you okay?" She asked him, holding her hands stiffly over his chest.

"Yeah I feel great," he quipped. "Are you okay?" He looked at her put out expression and started laughing.

Angela squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she glared and smacked him in the shoulder with her wet hand.

"Ew," Tony complained. Inorganic or not, it was gross and she wiped it on him.

"Next time, full instructions first," she bit out through clenched teeth.

Tony shot a smile at her. Next time, huh?

Pulling the cardiac sensors off himself, he saw Angela turn and fling her hands down at the garage floor. There was a wet splatter. "Yuck," she groused.

He hopped off the table and walked over to grab his shirt.

"What do you want done with this?" She questioned, picking up the Mark I.

"That?" Tony glanced at the old chest piece. "Destroy it. Incinerate it," he decided. He didn't want to have it out in the world and he didn't need it hanging around his lab.

Angela frowned. "You don't want to keep it?"

He smirked at her. "Angela, I've been called many things. 'Nostalgic' is not one of them."

She favored him with an exasperated look and headed toward the sinks.