"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Anakin asked, eyeing the workshop setup with suspicion.
"Because you were curious about getting a newly upgraded mechanical hand. That's why," Scott replied matter-of-factly.
"No... I was just curious about your Earth technology," Anakin responded, gesturing to where his right arm ended at the wrist. "You two convinced me to let you replace my prosthetic without really explaining what you had in mind."
Scott looked at his partner Peter, and they both shrugged in unison.
"Well, we're going to do this anyway," Scott declared.
"For justice!" Peter exclaimed dramatically.
"For science!" both engineers shouted together.
Anakin rubbed the bridge of his nose with his flesh hand, wondering what kind of chaos this was going to unleash.
The sounds of metal grinding, bolts being hammered into place, sparks flying, and precision cutting tools filled the workshop. Skywalker wondered how long this entire process would take. After such a long day, he wanted to get back in time for dinner with Padmé.
"Okay, we're ready!"
Anakin looked toward the two Avengers and saw them wheeling over a cart covered with a large tarp.
"Took us a while to figure out what would work best for you," Scott began with obvious excitement.
Peter pulled back the cloth covering, revealing a large, spherical, blue cylindrical object with a yellow energy meter on one side and a tapered barrel at the end.
"I present to you... the Mega Buster!"
"...it looks like an arm cannon," Anakin observed flatly.
"That's exactly what it is!" Scott picked up the device and quickly attached it to Anakin's arm stump. "It fires concentrated energy beams. If it's charged long enough, it can deal devastating damage to your enemies."
Anakin struggled to lift his arm. "How much does this thing weigh?"
Peter and Scott looked at each other and spoke in perfect synchronization: "A lot."
"Then I'd rather not have this attached to me," Anakin said firmly. He used the Force to detach the Mega Buster from his arm, letting out a slight hiss of discomfort. "Next option."
Placing the Mega Buster back on the cart, Scott then revealed the next contraption.
"I present to you... the Kitchen Crusher!"
Anakin gave the invention a deadpan stare. "It looks like a bunch of cookware and utensils welded together."
"Hey, you never know when you might get attacked while you're eating, so this thing's got you covered."
"True, but I'd look absolutely ridiculous wearing that. Next."
"But aren't you going to at least try it on?" Scott suggested hopefully.
It was obvious that Anakin was not interested.
"Okay, okay..."
The fabric was pulled away again, revealing a white prosthetic hand with elegant gold trim around the wrist and forearm area.
"Hmm, looks... interesting," Anakin said, using the Force to pull the object closer. Skywalker attached it to his right arm and flexed his flesh hand against its surface. "Feels pretty good so far... but why does the hand feel like it's made of rubber?"
"I honestly don't know," Peter replied. "Scott designed it for a specific purpose."
"And that purpose is...?"
"It's meant for therapeutic massage. It sends out gentle vibrations that can help relieve muscle tension in areas like shoulders or legs."
Anakin stared at the prosthetic hand for a moment longer, finding the sensation odd, especially after activating the vibration function.
The Jedi placed the vibrating prosthetic on his shoulder. "It actually feels pretty good. Maybe I could use this on Padmé sometime. She's been really stressed with all the Senate work lately. She might appreciate it."
Scott said dramatically, "Oh, Anakin... you have no idea how much she's going to love that."
Anakin removed the oddly named "Sweet Relief" from his arm and looked at the final prosthetic on display.
This one was noticeably bulkier than a standard mechanical prosthetic, with thicker armor plating. There was a circular indentation in the center of its palm that seemed to glow faintly.
"What's this one?"
Scott looked back and saw the specialized model in Anakin's hand. "Oh, that? That's the repulsor."
"Repulsor?"
"The name doesn't really matter, it's just a code designation," Peter said, examining Anakin's original mechanical hand. "It should work like the repulsor technology in Iron Man and War Machine's armor."
"Really?"
It didn't take long for Anakin to attach the final prosthetic to his arm.
"This might take some getting used to," the Jedi noted. "Are you sure this can't be made more streamlined?"
"It's possible, but for now you'll have to deal with the bulk."
Anakin nodded, then examined the palm of the mechanical hand more closely.
"So how do I operate it?"
"Point, aim, focus, and fire," Scott said simply. "That's what Rhodey told me, anyway."
Anakin nodded and aimed toward an empty area of the workshop. The repulsors suddenly came to life as he concentrated.
"Oh, careful there. The first time firing, you're usually—"
Both Scott and Peter watched in shock as Anakin was propelled backward from his position, flew across the entire room, and crashed headfirst into the far wall. The Jedi let out a low groan as he slowly slid down the wall and collapsed to the floor.
"...Are you okay, Anakin?"
"I'm fine, Peter," Skywalker muttered, prying the prosthetic arm off and tossing it aside.
"I think we should dial down the power output," Scott suggested. "Want to give it another try?"
"No, absolutely not," Anakin said emphatically. "I'm not trying that again."
"Oh, come on, Anakin, don't you want to do something awesome with your arm?" Peter pleaded.
"It's fine. I like my regular mechanical arm. It's got gold plating and custom craftsmanship," Anakin argued.
"But can it fire a massive energy blast that instantly vaporizes enemies?" Scott asked with a mischievous grin.
"Yeah, that's tempting, but I think I'll pass."
Peter sighed. "Well, I didn't want to resort to this, but Anakin, please take a look at this."
Anakin watched in confusion as Peter held up his Earth device, displaying what appeared to be some kind of animated cartoon. In the animation, he saw a young hero transform his arm into an actual energy cannon and fire a massive beam that obliterated everything in its path.
"Now tell me," Peter said in a teacher-like tone, "do you want your arm to be boring and ordinary? Or do you want your arm to do THIS?"
"Peter, are you insane or something?" Anakin asked, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Of course I want an arm like that! Get that mechanical arm back over here and let's try this again."
The two Avengers quickly sprang into action, determined to give Anakin exactly what he'd requested.
"Alright, we've installed shock absorbers in the arm that should handle the recoil," Peter explained. "Now aim at that target over there and destroy it."
Standing safely behind the Jedi, Scott and Peter watched as Anakin took his stance, raised his upgraded arm, and began charging the energy systems.
Several meters away was the practice target they had set up for Anakin's test.
The energy in the prosthetic continued to build until...
WHOOOM
All three of them stared with their mouths hanging open at the massive hole Anakin had just blown through the target, the wall, and possibly several rooms beyond.
"Uh... I think we might have overdone it."