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𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚈𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝟹 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛

reflecting against the pristine glass of the peculiar high-rise building that some might find obnoxious.

But, Tony wouldn't be himself if not obnoxious.

At the tower's foundation stood a small girl, looking up at the seemingly never-ending building. She took out a laminated badge from her purse, staring at it.

I really should've put more makeup on the day we took these pictures, she thought, sighing at the small picture of herself.

"Miss Clark," Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorman.

"Yes, sorry," She stepped inside the building. Its immense architecture was really notable, as Tony Stark was to have the best always. "How are you today, Aaron?"

"I'm well, Miss Clark. Yourself?"

"Same as yesterday," She gave a lipped smile, her heeled boots clacking against the marble flooring as she made her way to the elevator.

There were people bustling all about the lobby. Stark's employees on the phone, guards absolutely everywhere, and the occasional crazed-fan fighting the doormen. Every morning was the same for her, tediously so.

"Top floor, ma'am?"

"Yes, Richard," She, as if a reflex, held her finger out to the device Richard held up. This gained her access to the elevator. "See you tomorrow,"

Richard worked the morning shift every day. She knew this because, well, she was in Stark Tower everyday. Except for Sundays, those were for Tony and Pepper as most of the staff knew.

She hummed to herself, waiting as the elevator lifted her swiftly up the tower. The monitor played clips of Tony's greatest interviews on his many notable works.

"And that's how I invented this little killer," She mouthed by memory as the clip played.

The glass shaft allowed her to look out on the city, the harbor glistening in the morning sun. If you were afraid of heights, well, Stark Tower is simply not the place for you.

With a ding!, the doors opened. She stepped out, greeted by an empty living space. She walked over to the familiar laboratory room, an eye-scan completed before she could do so.

"Good morning, Miss Clark," A voice sounded.

"Jarvis," She smiled.

"Your first daily test awaits you,"

She slipped on a finger cover that was hooked up to various colored wires, all connected back to the big table in the center of the lab.

"Clock me in for being ten minutes early. Tony will be pleased to know that I pay attention to such detail,"

"Of course,"

"Tony probably won't care," She heard.

"Not enough to give me a raise?" She countered.

"Miss Clark, you don't get paid to be here,"

"Don't remind me."

"We do, however, pay for your insurance,"

"Translation: you'll provide compensation if anything bad were to happen to me," She smirked.

Tony chuckled, sliding his fingers across his holographic screen.

"Blood toxicity levels have raised by 0.03%, Jarvis write that down." He said, not looking at her. "How is the missus?"

She subconsciously twisted the ring on her left hand. "Declan's alright, same as usual. He'd be better if he could get some actual answers as to what I do here,"

"Miss Clark, I know I don't need to remind you how essential it is to keep this project classified,"

"Yeah, yeah, I know,"

"Good girl. Jarvis, her brain please,"

"Yes, sir,"

A complex display hovered in the air, spinning slowly for Tony to study. Different sections highlighted, showing the most activity in the b

"That's a big brain," Another voice sounded through the air.

She turned to see a new face walk in the door, setting down his work bag on a chair. The man appeared scattered, pushing his glasses up his nose like a nervous tick.

"Miss Clark, meet Dr. Bruce Banner. Banner, Alexandra Clark."

"Call me Alex," She smiled, holding out her hand. "It's an honor to meet you,"

"The honor is all mine, Alex. From how Stark talks about you, you're a pretty impressive specimen."

"With all due respect, Dr., I'm a girl, not a specimen,"

"What's the difference?" Stark poked.

"So, why have you called me in, Stark?"

"Miss Clark and I have been running tests for the past three months. Her molecules continue to move at an alarming rate within her body, as well as her blood toxicity levels. We've gathered over the weeks that what's surging within her is, well, energy."

He pulls up more diagrams for Banner to peruse. They glow in the air, displaying a light to represent the energy moving throughout her body.

"Energy, huh?" He held up her hand gently, examining it. "And that's all the progress you've gathered."

"Well, why do you think we called you here, big guy?" Tony said, annoyed.

"Don't piss me off, Stark. Has she been able to control anything?"

"Yes. She can, so far, draw energy from lights,"

"Can she show me?" Banner asks.

"No need to talk about me as if I'm not here," she stands up.

"Jarvis," Tony points at his machine.

"On it. Displaying vitals on screen A, and strength levels on screen B," Jarvis' voice sounded throughout the small lab room.

Alex closed her eyes, holding out her hands. Her face scrunched up as she concentrated on harnessing energy. The lights began to flicker, dying slowly.

"Watch her strength levels, they increase as she takes the light," Tony commentated. "That's enough, Miss Clark,"

"Yet her vitals, they seem to decrease? What's up with that?"

"I start to get tired if I pull for too long," She sat back down, taking a juice box handed to her by Jarvis. "Thanks,"

"Yeah, we're still working on a fix for that." Tony said. "But what do you think?"

"What do I think? She's a walking energy magnet,"

"And?"

"If we found a cure for your fatigue then....I'd say she has potential to join the team,"

"And with that statement I present to you: Project PANAMA," Tony gave some jazz hands, scowling when he was met with confused faces.

"P-Panama?"

"It's an acronym. Everything here is. Brownie points if you can decipher it," He waved them off.

"But, here's the thing. That energy she takes, where does it go?" Tony said, business-pitch tone of voice. "She manipulates it, and absorbs it."

"You absorb the power." Bruce looks at Alex, who nods. "You're a force to be reckoned with, aren't you?"

"I don't mean to hurt anyone with it,"

"We'll see what you say when someone attacks." Tony winked.

"When?"

Bruce waved him off. "So, Alex, when did this start?"

"Right. Well, the pieces are very blurred, but I've slowly begun to get memories back the more I pull energy."

"Pull from where, exactly?"

"Myself."

"Is that a good idea, Tony? It sounds dan--"

"Dangerous? No, she just passes out before she can get to her second birthday party." Tony cut in. "So, it's been a slow process of getting those precious tidbits in her brain. They're all recorded in Jarvis' log."

"What do we have so far?"

"Jarvis, roll the memory logs."

"Rolling, sir."

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