Earth-717: Iron Maiden Vol 1
Chapter 4: Forging Heroes
Tasha pulled the bottle off of the table and put it to her lips. Taking a tiny gulp, she revelled in the small amount of relief that the nourishing liquid provided to her parched throat. Coughing, she handed the bottle to Yinsen, who took it with a nod. After he also took a tiny gulp, he screwed the cap back on and placed it back on the table.
Placing her hands in the bowl, Tasha mashed the orange powder in it with her hands. Each bit of powder massaged her skin just as much as she massaged it. The powder flowed between her fingers as she pressed into it. Yinsen handed her a small piece of sheet metal, which she placed over top the bowl of powder. Moving over to the forge, she used the tongs to pull out the container holding the liquid metal she had placed earlier. Yinsen grabbed the bowl and held it steady.
Tasha narrowed her eyes as she focused on the bowl. Her breathing slowed as she reached the desk. She looked at Yinsen, who nodded again. Looking back at the bowl, she slowly tipped the tongs, allowing the liquid to flow easily into the bowl of powder. The sheet of metal ensured that the only liquid that reached the powder was in the shape of a ring. After the pouring was complete, Tasha placed the tongs and empty container on a nearby stand. Sitting back down at the table, she took a set of tweezers and lifted the sheet of metal off of the bowl of powder. Placing the sheet in the tong container, she then took the tweezers and lifted the newly forged iron ring. Holding it in front of her, she inspected it from all angles as Yinsen watched.
In one of the upper corners of the room, a lone security camera was placed, aiming down towards Tasha and Yinsen. A small blinking red light was attached to it, next to the lens. The camera was wired directly into Wong-Chu's command room, which contained several makeshift computers and television screens. Sitting as his chair, he had one hand on his chin. Snarling, he stared at the screen which displayed the feed from the security camera. He watched as Tasha took the small metal ring and placed it inside of a small piece of tupperware as Yinsen prepared another container on the forge.
One of Wong-Chu's soldiers walked up to him.
"Commander," he said.
Wong-Chu did not turn around to address him.
"Report."
"The villagers have surrendered," said the soldier. "We're moving in to take supplies and prisoners. After that, we'll be going on to the next town per your orders. As well, more materials have arrived. We'll be ready to deliver them to Stark within thirty minutes."
Wong-Chu sneered.
"Good. Tell me when they're ready to go."
"Yes sir."
The soldier turned around and left the room. Wong-Chu continued to stare at the screen as Tasha began putting her hands into another bowl of powder.
Wiping the dirt off her forehead with a soiled rag, Tasha sighed as she strung the copper wire around the metal ring she had made. The taste of grime in her mouth had become near unbearable to her, but she did not reach for the little amount of water they had left. Gulping down the sludge she had in her mouth, Tasha cringed as she continued to string the wire. After she was done, she set the metal ring down and scratched at her neck.
Looking down, she saw that the dirt had piled up on her clothes. Rubbing her left hand against her shirt, she then stared at her palm. The dust and gunk caked on her filled in the creases in the skin of her palm. She focused on her hand for a long while.
"I would think that tarnished clothes and filthy hands would be the least of your concerns."
Tasha turned around to see Yinsen walking up to her, holding a pan and a wooden spoon. He was gently scrapping the spoon against the pan, stirring the brown muck and beans inside of it.
"I suppose the menu hasn't changed," said Tasha.
"I'm afraid not," replied Yinsen. "Wong-Chu doesn't much care for the nutritional needs of his captives."
Tasha turned back to the table and grabbed the small piece of circular glass attached to the core that she had prepared earlier. Putting it in place over the metal ring, she then pushed it in and tightened the seal as the entire device began to glow with radiant blue light. Yinsen looked at it with a raised eyebrow as he continued to stir.
"What . . . . what is that?"
Tasha smirked, but did not turn to Yinsen.
"This, my friend . . . . is a miniaturized arc reactor," Tasha explained. "The prototype technology is back in the States, but I figured the project deserved some attention now that I'm . . . . here."
"What does it do?"
"It's a fully self-sufficient power source that is also capable of syphoning energy. It'll be able to replace your device and, hopefully, keep me alive for as long as I live."
"Incredible . . . ."
Yinsen began coughing violently as he walked up to Tasha. She immediately stood up and grabbed the pan from him, placing it on her stool. She then wrapped her arm around Yinsen and supported him as he keeled over, coughing. He dropped the spoon on the ground.
"Excu . . . . ugh . . . . excuse me."
"It's okay," said Tasha. "Get it out."
Yinsen hacked and coughed some more into his hand as Tasha held him upright. His glasses almost fell off his face, but Tasha pushed them back into place. She then grabbed the water bottle and held it to his mouth.
"No, Stark, I don't . . . ."
"Drink it."
Tasha poured the last of the water into Yinsen's mouth. He allowed it to sit for a moment before swallowing. She then placed the now empty bottle on the bench next to her as she helped him sit down. Yinsen sighed. For a few minutes, they just sat on the bench together in silence, with Tasha's arm around Yinsen's shoulder.
"You continue to surprise me, Stark."
Tasha raised an eyebrow.
"Continue? When did I do it the first time?"
"Six years ago, when we first met."
"We did?"
Yinsen chuckled.
"We did indeed," said Yinsen. "Technology conference in Bern. We only spoke for a couple of minutes. Considering how intoxicated you were, I'm not offended that you don't remember."
Tasha snickered and grinned.
"Why am I not surprised . . . ."
"Now, you're helping an old man like me with what little strength you have left . . . . when you should be using it to help yourself . . . . why?"
Tasha looked at him.
"Why would you care what happens to me?"
"I could ask you the same thing," replied Tasha. "You saved my life . . . . I figured I owe you that much."
Yinsen chuckled.
"Always selling yourself short. You're just like your father."
Tasha's eyes widened as she looked over at Yinsen.
"You knew . . . ."
"Of course I did," replied Yinsen.
Yinsen looked forward and smiled.
"I remember the last time I saw your parents. They had come to visit me in my home . . . . probably not that far from where we are now."
Yinsen coughed again. Tasha stared at him.
"He had wanted to see me because of my work with surgical equipment . . . . it was for your mother."
Tasha felt her facial muscles start to quiver.
"When she fell ill, he believed that my prototype electromagnets might have been able to save her from her heart . . . . I tried my best, but she was too far gone . . . ."
Tasha let a single tear stream down her face.
"She died on my operating table. You were only two years old when it happened. After your mother died, your father told me that, despite all we had been through, he couldn't bear to stay in contact with me any longer. I always kept you in mind after that . . . . you must have had no idea of your significance to me when we first met."
Tasha bit her bottom lip as another tear fell out of her eye.
"I must have been . . . . such a disappointment."
"Not at all . . . . you couldn't have known."
Yinsen stared forward as Tasha looked at him. They were silent again for a few moments.
"My father . . . . he told me she died in a car crash."
"I know," replied Yinsen. "He couldn't have you know the truth . . . ."
"The truth?"
"That her heart was nearly destroyed by a malfunction in one of his machines."
Tasha frowned as she closed her eyes in pain.
"His entire life . . . . he had tried to build things to help people . . . . and one design flaw killed the love of his life. It broke your father's heart. He never forgave himself after that. He would always mention how he was a flawed man in the press afterwards . . . . never letting go of the pain of one mistake."
Tasha reopened her eyes and looked back at Yinsen.
"I wasn't able to save your mother . . . . but I was able to save you . . . . with the same type of electromagnet that I put in her heart."
Yinsen tapped the electromagnet on Tasha's chest with his finger.
"Funny how things work out, isn't it?"
Yinsen coughed again as Tasha allowed herself to cry. After she wiped away the last of her tears, she sighed and looked back at him.
"My mother . . . ."
Tasha stopped. She looked down for a moment before looking back at Yinsen.
"What was she like?"
Yinsen smiled again.
"She had one of the warmest hearts I've ever known," Yinsen replied. "She was also a hell of a stubborn woman."
Yinsen and Tasha shared a short laugh.
"I remember . . . . she kept telling Howard not to worry. She was going to be just fine . . . ."
Tasha closed her eyes again for a brief moment.
"I don't remember anything about her," said Tasha.
"You would've loved her as much as she loved you," replied Yinsen.
Tasha closed her eyes and placed her forehead against Yinsen's temple. Yinsen breathed in and sighed heavily. After a few moments, Tasha pulled herself up again and looked at him. He turned to look at her.
"I wanted to ask. You said that I was always selling myself short. Why is that?"
Yinsen nodded.
"I'll tell you what I mean when we leave here," said Yinsen.
Tasha bit her lip again as she looked at him with red eyes. She nodded.
"Okay."
Tasha took her arm off of Yinsen's shoulders and stood up off the bench. She grabbed the pan off the stool and placed it on the bench next to him. As he looked down, he noticed the wooden spoon on the floor.
"Well . . . . that's unfortunate."
Tasha looked at him and snickered.
"I would think that dirty spoons would be the least of your concerns."
Yinsen looked up at Tasha and laughed. Tasha smiled at him before looking back at the arc reactor.
"I'm going to need your help with this."
Yinsen stood up and walked over to her.
"I'm going to take out your electromagnet," explained Tasha. "I need you to plug in the reactor. I might not be able to do it myself after the magnet is offline."
"Okay."
Yinsen grabbed the arc reactor and held it up to Tasha's chest. She grabbed onto the wires and pulled, shouting as she did so. After a few seconds of struggle, she yanked the electromagnet out of her chest, and began to gasp for air. Yinsen quickly plugged the arc reactor into the metal tube in her chest and twisted it into place. A soft humming noise was heard as the arc reactor glowed. Tasha sighed and breathed slowly for a few seconds.
"Are you alright?" asked Yinsen.
"I'll be fine," replied Tasha. "Let's get to work."