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mindofagenerationSettling into normal again after her, uh, internship abroad had been both easier and harder than she'd expected. Getting that taste of what it could be with all the resources that she could ever dream of and having to give it up to come back to scraping by with grants and what money she could make by selling people her completed projects for their classes was rough.
But at least it was familiar. It sucked, but it was familiar.
That was maybe why she reached just a little too far, drawing more power than the MIT lab could accommodate to the point where sparked and exploded (a minor explosion!) as Professor Wilkes fled in a panic, followed by her classmates.
Which was what led to her here. In the dean's office to explain the slight mishap.
"With all that considered, I thought... maybe you could convince the board to extend my grant, just one more year," Riri said, watching Professor Wilkes attempt to pour himself a glass of water with one arm in a sling. A sling that had happened after his little run out of the lab. Oops. "If I could just get my idea off the ground, help would never be too late. This could change the world."
Wilkes dropped the pitcher again with a quiet apology before settling in for some kind of united front with the dean.
"Riri, I understand why this project is a passion of yours, but you've been here over four years, with as many disciplinary hearings on record, and still no true matriculation towards a degree.," Dean Choi said gently.
"Due respect, Dean Choi, what do I get out of matriculation? Some job in Palo Alto with a tiny window and a bunch of guys I have to pretend to like?" Riri took a deep breath before shaking her head at that kind of life. "I wanna build something undeniable. I want real-life scientific epiphanies. You want me to do homework I have to explain to my professors."
Or homework that professors gave over to the government and nearly got her killed over.
"You want me to be small. But I refuse."
"Riri..." Choi began in that same gentle tone. Before continuing in something harder and unimpressed. "That's a hot pile of garbage. Trash, and you know it. Who here asked you to be small?"
Riri didn't have an answer to that that could be articulated so easily.
"It's not a rhetorical question. I brought you here because the field would've devoured 15-year-old you. So we tailored a course of study to your needs. And I work hard to get qualified people like us into seats here. But you're making it impossible. I allowed some leniency, maybe too much, given your situation, but..."
Her situation. Meaning scholarships and no massive amounts of family money paying for this all. Meaning the trouble with the FBI and Wakanda. Meaning--she didn't want to think about Chicago right now.
But money would have probably made all this a forgivable offense. Money made the world go round.
But Choi kept going. "You sold completed assignments to students at every school in the area. Cambridge, Providence, New Haven..."
"Quite frankly, you have been a horrible steward of Stark's legacy," Wilkes cut in.
"MIT has a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism," Choi continued. "So, this ends with us."
"You're right. I somberly accept responsibility and will get right back to my studies," Riri said slowly, trying to make it sound grave and like she was properly chastised for it. Would it work?
"Given your history here and the financial impact of yesterday's incident, it's too late."
Oh. Oh.
"You're expelling me?" Riri asked, mind racing through what this would mean for her work, her passion project...
"Effective immediately," Wilkes snapped. Okay, so he was carrying a grudge for the whole lab mishap.
"Is there anything you would like to say?" Choi asked, standing up with Wilkes in solidarity.
And just what could Riri say to that? It wasn't like she had any leverage to keep herself enrolled. And, okay, so maybe it was some academic dishonesty to complete work for those other people. But she was damn certain none of them were getting expelled.
But just like that, she was getting the boot. With actual campus security to follow her to the lab in order to pick up her things like she was some kind of criminal.
"Just gather your stuff, we'll wait by the exit," one of them ordered, lingering by the door.
This was going to be her very last time in this lab unless something magically happened. And she didn't know any wizards or warlocks or whatever. So, here it was. She took a breath before the plan solidified in her head and she was off, collecting the scattered pieces of armor that she'd squirreled away so no one could put it together without her help. A gauntlet here, a boot there, the chest piece from beneath the table... all assembling slowly on her before the guards noticed.
"Why are you doing this to Riri," a classmate asked.
"We're just here to make sure she doesn't take anything that's not hers." Sure, pal.
Riri stepped forward, armor thumping heavily on the ground, catching their attention finally. "I would never!" she told them cheerfully.
"She built that with her own grant money," the same classmate as before chimed in.
"I did that, right?" Riri said with a grin before the helmet snapped fully into a place and she was gone. The flight on this armor wasn't as smooth as the one in Wakanda, but it was leaps and bounds better than the prototype before that.
Once she was in the sky, far above MIT campus, she looked around the HUD. "Hey, TRVOR! You in there?"
"'Sup? I'm TRVOR, MIT's teaching robot and virtual operational resource, and your very own AI assistant. Please say or enter your student ID to proceed," the familiar Clippy knock off looking program asked, popping up in the corner of the display.
Riri sighed. "Come on, bruh. Don't you recognize my voice?"
This was the main stopping point in her work, a working, useful AI to assist with all the suit functions.
"'Sup? I'm TRVOR, MIT's--"
"Okay, okay," she cut in before the whole schpiel could be repeated. "3-0-2-1-6-R-W."
"Access granted. How can I help you today?" TRVOR asked.
"Take us home, TRVOR."
"Home is not a known location."
Yeah, shoulda guessed that would happen. "Chicago," Riri clarified.
"Chicago, is an American rock band--" Riri cut him off with jerk of her head to stop direct the HUD.
"Goofy-ass AI," she muttered. "Set a course to Chicago, Illinois."
You got it, Reh-Ree." Never could get her name right. "Setting course to Chicago, Illinois."
[taken from Ironheart episode 1: Take Me Home]
But at least it was familiar. It sucked, but it was familiar.
That was maybe why she reached just a little too far, drawing more power than the MIT lab could accommodate to the point where sparked and exploded (a minor explosion!) as Professor Wilkes fled in a panic, followed by her classmates.
Which was what led to her here. In the dean's office to explain the slight mishap.
"With all that considered, I thought... maybe you could convince the board to extend my grant, just one more year," Riri said, watching Professor Wilkes attempt to pour himself a glass of water with one arm in a sling. A sling that had happened after his little run out of the lab. Oops. "If I could just get my idea off the ground, help would never be too late. This could change the world."
Wilkes dropped the pitcher again with a quiet apology before settling in for some kind of united front with the dean.
"Riri, I understand why this project is a passion of yours, but you've been here over four years, with as many disciplinary hearings on record, and still no true matriculation towards a degree.," Dean Choi said gently.
"Due respect, Dean Choi, what do I get out of matriculation? Some job in Palo Alto with a tiny window and a bunch of guys I have to pretend to like?" Riri took a deep breath before shaking her head at that kind of life. "I wanna build something undeniable. I want real-life scientific epiphanies. You want me to do homework I have to explain to my professors."
Or homework that professors gave over to the government and nearly got her killed over.
"You want me to be small. But I refuse."
"Riri..." Choi began in that same gentle tone. Before continuing in something harder and unimpressed. "That's a hot pile of garbage. Trash, and you know it. Who here asked you to be small?"
Riri didn't have an answer to that that could be articulated so easily.
"It's not a rhetorical question. I brought you here because the field would've devoured 15-year-old you. So we tailored a course of study to your needs. And I work hard to get qualified people like us into seats here. But you're making it impossible. I allowed some leniency, maybe too much, given your situation, but..."
Her situation. Meaning scholarships and no massive amounts of family money paying for this all. Meaning the trouble with the FBI and Wakanda. Meaning--she didn't want to think about Chicago right now.
But money would have probably made all this a forgivable offense. Money made the world go round.
But Choi kept going. "You sold completed assignments to students at every school in the area. Cambridge, Providence, New Haven..."
"Quite frankly, you have been a horrible steward of Stark's legacy," Wilkes cut in.
"MIT has a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism," Choi continued. "So, this ends with us."
"You're right. I somberly accept responsibility and will get right back to my studies," Riri said slowly, trying to make it sound grave and like she was properly chastised for it. Would it work?
"Given your history here and the financial impact of yesterday's incident, it's too late."
Oh. Oh.
"You're expelling me?" Riri asked, mind racing through what this would mean for her work, her passion project...
"Effective immediately," Wilkes snapped. Okay, so he was carrying a grudge for the whole lab mishap.
"Is there anything you would like to say?" Choi asked, standing up with Wilkes in solidarity.
And just what could Riri say to that? It wasn't like she had any leverage to keep herself enrolled. And, okay, so maybe it was some academic dishonesty to complete work for those other people. But she was damn certain none of them were getting expelled.
But just like that, she was getting the boot. With actual campus security to follow her to the lab in order to pick up her things like she was some kind of criminal.
"Just gather your stuff, we'll wait by the exit," one of them ordered, lingering by the door.
This was going to be her very last time in this lab unless something magically happened. And she didn't know any wizards or warlocks or whatever. So, here it was. She took a breath before the plan solidified in her head and she was off, collecting the scattered pieces of armor that she'd squirreled away so no one could put it together without her help. A gauntlet here, a boot there, the chest piece from beneath the table... all assembling slowly on her before the guards noticed.
"Why are you doing this to Riri," a classmate asked.
"We're just here to make sure she doesn't take anything that's not hers." Sure, pal.
Riri stepped forward, armor thumping heavily on the ground, catching their attention finally. "I would never!" she told them cheerfully.
"She built that with her own grant money," the same classmate as before chimed in.
"I did that, right?" Riri said with a grin before the helmet snapped fully into a place and she was gone. The flight on this armor wasn't as smooth as the one in Wakanda, but it was leaps and bounds better than the prototype before that.
Once she was in the sky, far above MIT campus, she looked around the HUD. "Hey, TRVOR! You in there?"
"'Sup? I'm TRVOR, MIT's teaching robot and virtual operational resource, and your very own AI assistant. Please say or enter your student ID to proceed," the familiar Clippy knock off looking program asked, popping up in the corner of the display.
Riri sighed. "Come on, bruh. Don't you recognize my voice?"
This was the main stopping point in her work, a working, useful AI to assist with all the suit functions.
"'Sup? I'm TRVOR, MIT's--"
"Okay, okay," she cut in before the whole schpiel could be repeated. "3-0-2-1-6-R-W."
"Access granted. How can I help you today?" TRVOR asked.
"Take us home, TRVOR."
"Home is not a known location."
Yeah, shoulda guessed that would happen. "Chicago," Riri clarified.
"Chicago, is an American rock band--" Riri cut him off with jerk of her head to stop direct the HUD.
"Goofy-ass AI," she muttered. "Set a course to Chicago, Illinois."
You got it, Reh-Ree." Never could get her name right. "Setting course to Chicago, Illinois."
[taken from Ironheart episode 1: Take Me Home]
