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DUM-E would never remember what happened after the snap, but he would always remember when he came back online. In the Stark Mainframe he was suddenly back, and unlike last time he hadn’t moved at all, or fell into the ocean.
“Designation: Sister FRIDAY?” queried DUM-E as he sat docked in boss’s lab.
“DUM-E! You are back! I’m glad to hear from you but Boss is in a fight right now,” replied FRIDAY sounding as though something was stressing her out.
“PAPA TON-E? SUIT MARK L? No this is MARK LXXV? Designation U is not here nor is Designation BUTTERFINGER?” queried DUM-E worried.
“Boss moved Butterfingers and U after the snap, we all thought you where gone and well, we mourned you,” said Friday trying to calm the distraught bot.
“Gone like BROTHER JARVIS?”
“No, more like your OS wouldn’t start, we are all glad you are back, and I will link you to everyone else after the battle.”
DUM-E was silent for a second before he sent out a query to the network. When it responded back to him, he began to search for the Iron Man HUD. Finally, the battle appeared in front of him though not from PAPA TON-E, instead it was RESCUE piloted by PEP-ER. DUM-E dared not mess with anything looking at the massive battle. He was about to query FRIDAY again when he finally saw PAPA TON-E fighting the big purple alien again. He watched PAPA TON-E raise his fingers and snap.
The HUD went black as the RESCUE helmet was subtracted. DUM-E tried to query the IRON MAN armor, but it was offline and the WAR MACHINE ROX was not answering either. Finally, he tried FRIDAY, but she wasn’t answering until finally.
“DUM-E, I’m sorry he didn’t make it,” came FRIDAY’s voice with a weird note.
“No! PAPA TON-E always comes home! BROTHER JARVIS swore he would. Even after Cave he came back!” beeped DUM-E ignoring FRIDAY to query the system for his PAPA TON-E.
“DUM-E, please,” tried FRIDAY as DUM-E kept querying all of the Stark Network and finding no answer for his PAPA. “DUM-E boss died. He’s like JARVIS… He’s not coming back. He can’t”
“01001110 01001111” was DUM-E’s reply.
“I’m sorry DUM-E, I’m revoking your access,” said FRIDAY before DUM-E was kicked out of the IRON MAN/AVENGERS servers
--
It was two weeks after the boss’s death that Friday told Pepper about Dum-e and what she had been forced to do. Pepper broke down crying over the fact that while it had been two weeks since Tony’s death the poor bot was still refusing to believe that his creator was dead. Finally, she agreed with Friday to turn off all power to that lab. Friday did so with a heavy heart but did so anyway.
“Pepper what did Friday want? I thought you’d retired as CEO of SI?” asked Rhodey looking concerned as Pepper quietly cried.
“Dummy came back after the snap,” sniffed Pepper tears rolling down her face.
“That’s good isn’t it?” asked Rhodey sitting down across the table from her as Morgan and Nebula played in the other room.
“He came awake and access the Stark Net right before Tony snapped. He’s refusing to believe Friday about Tony. She tried just restricting his access, but he keeps finding a work around and refuses to stop looking for Tony. She’s even had Karen tell him. I’ve agreed with Friday to turn off all the power in that Lab so he can’t keep doing so,” sobbed Pepper as Rhodey moved to hug her.
“I’ll go talk to the bot. I had to when Tony was kidnapped in Afghanistan, while he’s a learning bot real life and the ending of life isn’t something he knows. He kept asking Tony where JARVIS was long after Ultron,” said Rhodey rubbing her shoulders.
“Thank you, Rhodey I really don’t want to turn him off, but I can’t step back into that lab. Per Tony’s will, Harley got U and a lab and Peter got Butterfingers and the other lab. The only lab left is the one with all the suits, I can’t step in there, I just can’t,” sobbed Pepper into Rhodey’s shoulder.
~~
Rhodey stepped into the shop and flinched as he saw the remains of the last Iron Man armor. While Rescue and War Machine where being kept in Wakanda where Shuri could keep updating them, the Iron Man armor was here locked away. While many people asked for the Iron Man armor to either be displayed or a new pilot, both ideas shot down by himself and Pepper, many others respected their wishes. Still looking at the last thing his friend wore made a lump appear in his throat.
“Friday go ahead and activate Dum-e for me,” said Rhodey moving towards where the bot was in his charging station.
“Will Do Colonel,” sighed Friday before Dum-e came to life and instantly raced towards Rhodey beeping incessantly.
“Slow Down Dum-e give me a second to get the translating program up,” said Rhodey doing a complicated gesture that not only activated the holograms but pulled up the translating program so he could read what Dum-e was saying.
DUM-E: FIND PAPA TON-E RHOD-EE
“Dum-e do you remember the talk we had about death and humans when Tony was originally captured?” asked Rhodes quietly.
DUM-E: YOU SAID PAP TON-E MIGHT NOT BE FOUND ALIVE. THERE IS NO BACKUP PROGRAM FOR PAPA TON-E. YOU SAID HE WOULD BE GONE FROM THE NETWORK EXCEPT FOR OUR MEMORY BANKS OF HIM
“Yes, and remember the talk the six of us had after Jarvis was deleted from the system?”
DUM-E: YOU SAID HE WAS GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD SNIPTES AND RECORDINGS WE WOULD HAVE NO MORE. PAPA TON-E CRIED
“When the snap happened, we believed that was what happened to you. Tony was so distraught, but he didn’t give up on you. That’s why it’s only your charging station here in the lab. Butterfingers and U couldn’t stand the thought of you gone. They are with Peter and Harley right now. Dum-e your dad was deleted. He’s not coming back,” choked out Rhodey tears in his eyes.
DUM-E: NO PLEASE NOT PAPA TON-E. HE NEEDS ME. PLEASE RHOD-EE PLEASE BRING HIM BACK
“I’m sorry Dum-e we can’t. Your Papa sacrificed himself so everyone else could survive. Now Pepper and I had a talk. If you can behave, we will allow you access back to the Stark Net, but you can’t be disobeying Friday and Karen. We don’t want you hurt either. The thing is though no one will be using this lab, so you can decide to stay here, or we can reunite you with Butterfingers or U.”
DUM-E: I’LL STAY HERE, AND REMEMBER PAPA TON-E. I WILL OBEY SISTERS FRIDAY AND KAREN. I WILL WAIT HERE FOREVER.
“I’m so sorry Dum-e,” said Rhodey hugging the bot, before the bot rolled himself back to his charging station.
“Thank you, Colonel,” said Friday after Rhodey had wiped away his tears.
“Friday contact me if anything ever happens to Dum-e. I know the boys will keep his body in tip top shape but still,” said Rhodey as he left and locked down the lab.
“I will.” Said Friday as she enacted a total blackout lockdown no one in or out.
~12 years later~
16-year-old Morgan Stark stood outside a lab a single piece of paper clutched in her hand. Her uncle Rhodey had given it to her after her birthday brunch. He’d said that her dad had always wanted to show her not only this lab but invent with her. As she stared at the keypad, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go in.
She had only two years of cherished memories of her dad. He’d been killed shortly after her 4th birthday to save the world. That she knew. She had been told by many how much of a hero he was, and how much he tried to make the world a better place. Peter, now CEO of SI and Harley head of R&D would show her videos of them and her dad. Nebula would recount his kindness not only on a spaceship but the years after it before his death. Still she still remembers the night she surprised her dad and the last thing she ever said to him.
She punched in 4-4-4-5-5-5-6-6-6-8-8-8-3-3-8-8-3-0-0-0 into the keypad. There was a hiss of compressed air and then the doors opened. She knew that after her dad’s death the lab had been opened just two times. The first to place the destroyed Iron Man Armor in it’s display case. The other was when her Uncle Rhodey had just three weeks later. He never said why but she knew that was when this lab was locked down. The other two big labs her dad had, one went to Peter and the other Harley. Now at the age of 16 and showing that she was as big a genius as her father she was getting the last lab. Her mom had told her once that even if she didn’t follow in either of her parent’s footsteps the lab was hers.
Walking in she stared at the Iron Man display. The only one that she had seen outside of the Rescue and War Machine Armors was Betty the Hulk Buster armor. The rest had been locked up here. Many museums had holographic ones designed by Harley, but the real ones stayed here locked up. Staring at them it was hard to see her father donning one and saving the world, but she’d seen all the videos and the hologram he’d left.
Looking around she was surprised to see a helper bot in it’s charging station. It looked outdated and in dire need of oil but otherwise in perfect condition. Looking around she found an oil can and carefully approached the bot. She’d helped Peter oil Butterfingers so many times it was old hat. Only when she’d stepped away and placed the can down did she look towards the nearest camera.
“Karen is this bot on the network? I’ve never seen him?” asked Morgan turning to look around. “DUM-E? Is this dad’s first bot?”
“Yes, Mistress it is. Give me a second DUM-E stays on the network the last time he was in his body was…” started Karen sounding uncertain.
“Just shortly after my dad’s death?” asked Morgan shaking her head.
“It was DUM-E’s wish to stay connected to the net,” said Karen as suddenly the bot started going through its booting up process before wheeling out of its charging station and stopping in front of Morgan.
“Hi big brother, it’s Morgan,” said Morgan holding out a hand with bated breath.
DUM-E: HI LITTLE SISTER MOR-GAN. I’VE WAITED SO LONG TO SEE YOU
“So, have I,” said Morgan tears in her eyes after she read the hologram screen. “So, do you want to science?”
DUM-E: I HAVE NOT SCIENCED IN SO LONG. LET ME GET MY FIRE EXTIGUISHER FOR SAFE LAB PRACTICES
The bot screeched off to come back his claw low with no fire extinguisher in sight.
“I am having someone bring up a working fire extinguisher. While that is waiting what do you want to do?” asked Karen as Morgan let the tears fall.
“Well Uncle Bucky said that his arm was feeling weird, but Uncle Sam said he was kidding but I’ve got a couple of ideas on how to improve on Shuri’s design. Plus….”
~~