Iron Lies
"I present to you, the Jericho Missile." The man raised his hands and dust swept over the land. Everyone was blown backwards. Applause filled the pause after the explosion. This was one of the best weapons that have ever been invented for the military. I could tell that the soldiers surrounding the man felt invincible, untouchable, and powerful. I felt that way to, even though I never planned to use any weapons like that. Colonel Rhodes approached me and Tony Stark as we headed for the truck. "Rhodey, don't get me wrong, that was pretty awesome!" Tony exclaimed. He'd been drinking apparently.
"I think that you had just changed the history of the United States Military. But I think that you should ride with me."
"Nope. I got a date with the party car," he started to walk away. "Heather, are you coming?"
I nodded excitedly. Little did I know that this was the start of the greatest adventure in my life.
Music blared as we rode through the Middle East. But Tony Stark didn't care. But other than the music, the car was silent. The soldiers glanced uneasily at the billionaire in the back seat. As usual, he was drinking. I was there too. My dad told me to get a picture of the missile that Mr. Stark had just created. Tony was a big weapon maker for the government. My dad worked with him. But being the innocent 14 year old that I was, I didn't know what he was really up to.
"What is up with these guys? They aren't allowed to talk or something?" Tony nudged me. "I feel like I'm being taken to a court, Marshall," He raised his voice. "Or is it something personal?"
I grinned and said "I think you scare them."
"Isn't that what we're going for here? I mean I just created what could be the most dangerous weapon that the military could ever use, and they're not scared. Don't think so, Heather."
We laughed, and the soldiers began to laugh too. The one next to use shyly raised a hand.
"You're kidding me with the hand up right now," Tony took another sip of the drink.
"Can I get a picture with you?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, totally!" Tony playfully pushed me to the floor so he was next to the soldier. I rolled my eyes. It's typical for Mr. Stark to take pictures with random people. He's the typical billionaire; play boy, limelighter, genius… You know. But I think I'm the only one who knows him for who he really is: a man who would do anything to protect the people that he really cares about. That's me.
Suddenly, a loud boom shook the car. My ears rang. The car in front of us had exploded. Tony covered me as shards of glass and metal fell through the air. He told me to stay down. I did as I was told. "What's happening?" I yelled over the gun shots.
"We were hit!" A soldier yelled back. As they left she shouted, "Stay here!" Another boom rocked the truck. I was scared and that was all I could make out.
Explosions filled the air. The soldiers who been driving us now lay dead. Suddenly the glass broke in the car. Tony looked dazed. We made eye contact. "Get out of the car!" He shouted. "We'll get killed!"
I ran blindly as glass pierced my skin. My ears rang and my vision blurred. I felt warm blood run down my face as a rock struck me. I stumbled, but knew that I had to keep going.
As we ran, Tony pointed to a rock that looked sheltered enough. We crouched behind it, holding onto each other. He took out his phone about to call for help when a missile landed next to us. I noticed the label; "Stark Industries". The attackers were using Tony's weapons against us! Before I could make out what was happening, Mr. Stark picked me up and threw me out of the way, just as the missile blew up. Tony was thrown toward me. I yelled and ran to him. His shirt was soaked with blood and his face was caked in dirt. I started to cry. How could everything that had been going so right, suddenly have gone so wrong? We were having a blast, ready to go home, when this happened. He had holes in his shirt and he had blacked out. I noticed that the gunfire and explosions had stopped. I turned around to see men with guns coming toward us. I yelled for them to back off, but I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and I lost consciousness.
The next thing I remember was a light; a blinding light. I tried to raise my hand to block it out, but realized that they were tied behind my back. Looking around, I noticed that we were surrounded by men with guns. Stark's guns. Tony was on my left, his chest bandaged and awake. A man with a camera was in front of us. Another guy was reading something from a scroll. But it was in another language. It started to dawn on me that Tony and I were now prisoners and these men were terrorists, probably asking the United States for something in return for us. I didn't know what to do.
About a day later, I was sitting next to Mr. Stark who lay on a cot in a cave. He had had a horrible wound in his chest. The only thing keeping him alive was a little device that was placed inside of him. He looked horrible and I think his shoulder was dislocated. But the only thing I could do now was waiting. I wasn't in the best condition myself: I had broken my nose and maybe cracked a rib, but at least I was awake. I heard a moan and Tony suddenly opened his eyes. "Mr. Stark!" I exclaimed. "Are you ok?" He looked around wearily. He started to pull the oxygen tube out of his nose. "Um, that's not a good idea, Tony." But he had already pulled it out. I shrugged and stood. He sat up. But quickly lay back down. He had a look on his face of sheer terror. He ripped open his shirt to reveal the device in his chest. He laid his head down. I started to cry again. "It's ok." I murmured. "Everything is going to be ok… Right?"
He smiled weakly. "Yeah. Of Course it is. Don't worry. We're alive, right?"
"Luckily," Said a voice behind us. I looked around and saw a man sitting by a fire making some stew. It didn't smell all that good, but it had been so long since I had eaten that anything sounded good now. "You had been hit with poisonous metal. The only thing keeping you alive is that device hooked up to a car battery." Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door. Someone shouted inside. "Get up!" The man whispered. "Do as I do." He put his hands behind his head. We did the same.
A group of men entered the room. The man in the lead spoke. His hand gestures were mockingly welcoming. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but I heard him say "Tony Stark and Heather Stane." When he finished, he gestured to the man next to us.
He sighed and muttered, "He says 'Welcome Tony Stark and Heather Stane." He wants you to build a missile. The Jericho Missile."
Tony narrowed his eyes. He raised his head a little bit and answered "I refuse."
Suddenly, a man grabbed me and pointed a gun to my head. I yelped and tried to struggle free, but he was too strong. Tony stepped forward, but stopped. It slowly entered my mind that I could die right now. Right here. That wasn't exactly how I had planned to. I had my whole life ahead of me. But I knew I might have to. The terrorists would use the weapon to destroy the United States. If I died, it would be for my country.
Tony fixed his eyes on me. His expression was obvious: There's always a way out. I nodded. He answered that he would build the missile, but I could see his fingers crossed behind his head. The "Big Guy" signaled to his men and a bag was pushed over my head. I could feel myself being roughly led through the caves and outside. The bag was pulled off and I found myself out in a little village. The heat was blinding after being inside a cave for two days. As we walked around, there were lots of weapons and bombs; all labeled "Stark Industries." The Big Man turned to us and asked Tony something. Our interpreter told us "He wants to know what you think."
Tony stared back. "You have a lot of my weapons."
The Big Man answered and the Interpreter said "He says that you have everything here that you will need to build the Jericho Missile. He wants you to make a list of materials." He continued to translate as the Big Man spoke "He said that he wants you to start working immediately, and when you are done, he will set you free. As for the girl, she will be kept for motivation to work." A man nudged me with his gun when he said this.
The Big Man held out his hand to shake. Tony shook it and with a smile said, "No I won't." I couldn't help but smile a little bit. The Big Man had no idea that Tony was going to get us out of here.
Later that day, we sat by the fire eating some slop that our interpreter had made. It turns out his name was Yinsen. Tony sat in silent thought. Yinsen was trying to get him into action. "Didn't you see what was out there? You're life's work; in the hands of those murderers. Is that what our country is coming to? Are you going to stop them? Is this the last defiance of Tony Stark?"
"No it isn't." I said. They both looked at me. "He'll find a way. He always does." I looked affectionately at my friend.
"She's right," Tony put down his untouched stew. "I have an idea. I'll get us out of here."
Soon the cave was bustling with men pulling in equipment and materials as Tony rattled off a list to Yinsen who translated to the workers. I sat in the corner, trying to stay out of the way. But a man stood by me, gun ready in case Tony changed his mind.
When everyone was gone and Tony started his work, he gestured to me to go over to him. I did and as he worked, he whispered to me his plan. He wasn't working on a missile at all. I began to get excited. I knew that with Tony's smarts, we would be able to leave, and save our country.
For the next several weeks, we worked on Tony's project. In that time, we helped him build a small device. He replaced that one with the one in his body. It looked a lot more stable, and didn't have to be hooked up to a car battery. Once that was finished, he showed us the blueprints for our escape. An iron suit connected with weapons and could even fly.
When I went to sleep, I overheard the guys talking about life at home. It turns out that Yinsen has a family and he plans to see them when he leaves. He asked Tony If he had a family. Tony just chuckled and answered "Heather is the only family I've got. Not even family. But she's the closest person to me. She's been by my side ever since she was six." He sighed. "I just can't stand the thought of her dying here" I smiled into my pillow and sank into a dreamless sleep.
Suddenly, the next morning, I was woken by a sharp bang at the door. I jumped up and put my hands behind my head. I saw Tony and Yinsen do the same.
I saw the Big Man walk in. But he stood to the side. I had expected him to come to the front and confront us. But instead a taller bald man stepped up to us. He examined us and smile wickedly. "Relax." He told us. I was surprised that he spoke English, and quickely lowered my hands. As usual, another man came to my side and pointed a gun at me. Typical.
He strolled to Tony and opened the top of his shirt to reveal the Shrapnel in his chest. He said nothing about it but continued. "The bow and arrow once was the panicle of weapons technology. It allowed the Great Emperor's Khan to rule an empire greater than any empire in the world. But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons, rules these lands." He picked up the blueprints of the armer. I saw Tony get a little uneasy, but Yinsen motioned for him to remain calm. The bald guy continued "And soon, it will be my turn." He looked at Tony with a strange gleam that I'm pretty sure was not good. He turned to Yinsen and he started to talk to him in another language. Yinsen looked nervous as they spoke. I couldn't help but get the feeling that they know that we aren't creating the missile. I think Stark got that feeling too. The bald guy motioned to two men who came forward and forced Yinsen down to his knees. I started to stand, but I was pushed back down. The bald guy walked to the fire and took out a piece of hot iron. Continuing to speak, he moved toward Yinsen with the iron in a clamp. Yinsen gulped and I looked away.
Suddenly Tony stepped forward. All guns pointed toward him. "Wait, I need him!" He stammered. The bald guy hesitated. I held my breath. "He's a- er, good assistant."
The bald guy dropped the iron next the Yinsen's head. "You have until tomorrow." He said. With a flourish, he left.
Tony worked through the night and to complete his suit. I helped of course. None of us slept. Early that morning, we had the suit assembled and ready for action. It wasn't completely done yet, but we had no time. Yinsen and I helped Tony into the suit.
Tony looked at me and said "block the door with dynamite. It might buy us some time." I nodded and grabbed the nearest block that I could find. I set it so it would blow if someone tried to open the door.
We were almost done, but we suddenly heard banging on the door, I quickly hid under the table. "Yinsen! Yinsen, stop!" Someone yelled. But Yinsen kept working. The men tried to open the door. Just like it was supposed to, the doors exploded and the men went flying. I heard shouts and running.
"There's no time! Yinsen, you have to finish." Tony said.
"It's not finished!" He protested.
"I don't care, we are out of time! Initialize the power source!"
As Yinsen worked, the shouting got louder. "Tony!" I shouted, "They're coming. And we need more time!" I came out from my hiding place.
Yinsen blinked. "We need time. I can buy you some time!" He grabbed a gun from one of the unconscious men.
"Stick to the plan!" Tony yelled, but Yinsen was already gone, shooting randomly with the machine gun. He looked at me. "Heather, I need you to finish this. Unhook the suit."
My hands shook as I worked. I had never done anything like this under pressure. The gunshots got quieter, but the footsteps never stopped. Tony talked to me the entire time, telling me not to rush and to just get it done. The power source was almost complete, just a few more seconds… The lights dimmed and went out as the power took it's toll. I couldn't see anything, but felt myself being lifted up and carried through the corridors. I prayed that the plan would work.
I heard three men enter the room, all looked scared at the power outage, and no sign of the billionaire. They walked around while me and Tony stood hidden in a corner. Before they knew what was happening, Tony threw one against the wall. The other two fired their guns, but the bullets just bounced off his iron suit. It wurred and banged loudly, but it did the job and soon the men lay dead on the floor. I picked up a gun and ran after Tony who had already started down the hall.
In the corridors, anyone who had a chance to live were the ones who ran screaming in the other direction. The others were either knocked out or killed. Nothing stood in our way. I had to admit, it had to be the greatest invention of Tony Stark.
We eventually made it to the exit of the cave, where we found Yinsen lying in a bloody mess. "Look out!" He coughed just before a missile blew up next to us. There stood the bald guy who was trying to reload. But Tony had already shot one at him and it exploded next to his head, knocking him out. I ran over to Yinsen. He had been shot about 5 times in the chest. He gasped for air.
"Come on, man." Tony took off his mask. "We have to go. We can get you fixed up. We had a plan and we have to stick to it."
"This was always the plan." Yinsen whispered.
"Come on you have to go see your family, now get up."
"My family is dead. I am going to go see them now, Stark," He shook his head tiredly. "It's ok. It's ok. I want this… I, want, this…" He closed his eyes and he was gone.
I cried quietly. He had been a good assistant- and a good friend.
Tony stood and motioned to me. I climbed onto his back as we made our way outside, leaving Yinsen's body where it belongs.
When we walked outside, we saw tons of armed, yet terrified men who immediately fired at us. Of course it did no harm and I even fired a few rounds at them. After a while, they were out of ammo. I could tell Stark was grinning under his mask. "My turn." He said. He let loose his flame throwers, setting most of the men on fire. He pressed a button on his arm and we were soon in the air just as everything at the camp exploded. But not long after we got into the air, we started to fall. We yelled as the wind pulled at the suit, ripping it to pieces. He held onto me as we hit the hot sand.
When my eyes cleared, we were waist deep in the desert. But we were alive. I jumped up. "We're alive!" I shouted. My knee and ribs hurt but I didn't care. We had escaped the terrorist's camp and Tony had probably just invented the most amazing weapon in all of mankind!
He took off his mask and breathed a sigh of relief. "Not bad."
For the next few hours, we were trudging through the hot desert. But before we knew it, two military helicopters flew over us. We yelled and waved. We were saved! After 3 months in captivity, we could finally go home.
In the plane, we finally got some fresh clothes and medical attention. I had broken two ribs and sprained my knee, while Tony had a dislocated shoulder and a nasty gash on his arm. All in all, not too bad for a 200 ft. drop. We found Pepper Potts waiting for us. As we got in the car, the driver asked "Where too sir?"
"Take us to the hospital-"
"No" Tony murmered.
"No? Tony, you know that you have to-"
"I don't have to do anything. There are two things that I do want: an American cheeseburger, and call for a press conference right now."
"A press conference? What for?"
"Drive. Cheeseburger first."
I grinned. "I can go for a cheeseburger too!"
"You are going home to your dad, pal," Tony pointed out. "But you can have a cheeseburger. I feel for you."
After I called my dad, it turned out he would be at the press conference. So I could go with Tony there. We both had two cheeseburgers each and we felt very satisfied. I ran to my dad when we got there. He pulled me into a warm hug. "Don't ever do that again!" He teased. "Tony's getting you into too much trouble these days. Speaking of which," he went over to Tony and gave him a hug too. "You never went to the hospital!" Camera's flashed as I limped after my dad and Stark. When we entered the conference hall, everyone cheered.
I stood in the back against the wall grateful for the support. My dad went to the podium. But I noticed that Tony had sat down in front of the podium. "Would it be ok if everyone could just sit down? You know, a little less formal." Everyone hesitantly sat down. "My eyes have been opened over there." He continued after a long pause. "I have seen young Americans killed by the same weapons that I created to defend them. I realized that I had more to offer to this world then just making things blow up. So this is why I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing part of Starks Industries." All the reporters jumped up and started asking questions at once. I sat there with my mouth hanging open, dumbfounded that he would just stop his weapon making business. Isn't that what made him a billionaire? As he walked away, my dad tried to calm the crowd. What was Tony Stark up to?
My dad was looking for Tony. He told me to go home, so I did. I took a much needed shower and laid in my bed. It felt so good to be home. But I felt a little uneasy. I know my dad was a little money greedy, but I know that he won't ever hurt me. But what about Tony?
The next day, I got a call from Tony. "How big are your hands?" he asked.
"What?"
"Your hands. How big are your hands?"
"I don't really know what you're saying-"
"Get over here I need you."
So of course, I ran over to Tony's place and down into his basement, where I found him sitting in a chair with the Shrapnel in his hand. "Um, what am I supposed to do?"
"I am switching this one out for an upgrade," he showed me one in his hand. "But there is an exposed wire that is contacting the circuit wall and causing a little shortage." He pulled the devise out of his chest and handed it to me. I couldn't help but grimace. "Ok, now just take the wire out."
"Is it safe?"
"Yeah, it's just like operation just don't let it touch the wall or it goes beep. Just gently lift the wire." I carefully reached in but quickly pulled my hand out.
"I don't think I'm qualified to do this…"
"No, no you're fine. I think that you're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person to I've ever met. You'll do great." After a pause, he smiled "Is it too much for me to ask, because I really need your help here."
I breathed deeply trying to calm my nerves. "Ok ok." After carefully sticking my fingers in, I immediately felt a weird gooey liquid. My face contorteted with disgusted. "Ew, there's puss." I could feel myself gag. Don't puke, don't puke.
"It's not puss, it's a liquid that came from the device, not from my body," Tony answered seeing my reaction. I didn't care what it was- it was gross.
"Ew. It smells."
"Yeah it does." I could see him trying to keep himself calm.
I grabbed the copper wire in the liquid. Almost over, almost over. I kept thinking to myself. Suddenly it brushed against the edge of the opening and there was a loud buzz. Tony yelped and jerked. I quickly recoiled. "Sorry, sorry! I am so sorry!"
"It's ok." He answered gasping for breath. "Now just don't pull out the magnet at the end of it-" I pulled out the magnet. The beeping got faster. "That's the one I told you not to!" he gasped.
"Oh geez!" I went to put it back in.
"No don't put it back in!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest because you yanked the magnet."
"But I thought you said this was safe!" I started to panic. I could see sweat beading on his forehead.
"It's ok. Just take this," he handed me the newer Shrapnel. "Just put this in its place."
"Ok." I took another breath. "Tony, this is going to be ok, I will make this ok."
"Just focus," he said through gritted teeth.
I reached into the tube to attach the Shrapnel to the baseplate. Once again I felt the gooey, pussy liquid and forced myself to concentrate. As I plugged it in, he let out an "Ooowwww," and started to breath normally again. The beeping slowed and I let out a sigh of relief. "See; that wasn't so bad,"
"Are you ok?" I gasped.
"Yeah never better. Are you ok?" He laughed.
I looked at my hands, which were covered in the liquid. "Don't ever ask me to do something like that again."
"You won't have to." He got up and put his shirt back on. I wiped my hands on a paper towel.
I picked up his old Shrapnel. "What do you want me to do with this?" I asked.
"Ask Miss. Potts to destroy it please."
"You don't want to keep it?"
"Heather, I've been called many things, but a hoarder is not one of them." He stood next to me.
"Will that be all Mr. Stark?" I asked, knowing his and Pepper's little joke.
He grinned, "That will be all Miss. Stane." He turned to his robot Dummie. "Hey, Butterfingers. What's all this on my desk?"
I smiled as I exited his office. Another wacky adventure with Tony.
The next day, I went to Tony's to pay a visit. I found him in his basement apparently working on a new project. "Hey," I said.
He jumped and tried to hide everything. "Oh, uh, hi Heather."
"Don't try to hide it Tony, what are you doing?"
He sighed. "I guess you have a right to know." He leaned close to me. "I'm perfecting the suit that helped us escape from the Middle East."
I grinned. "And you plan on doing this by yourself." I jumped onto the table. "Can I help?"
"I guess so," he sighed obnoxiously. After showing me his new blueprints, we got to work. I've worked with him on a lot of his projects before, but this was advanced, and detailed and needed a crazy amount of concentration. I couldn't believe how patient he was. No wonder he was a genius. He just did everything without barely thinking about it. As for me, I mainly just watched and got him anything that he might need. I wasn't much of a help, but it gave me something to do after school.
The first test that he made was the boots. They were the things that made him fly. I held the camera and focused on him. He walked to the center of the floor and made sure that everyone was out of the way.
"Ok. Activate hand controls." He took two devices from his pockets. "We're going to start out nice and easy using 10% thrust capacity. In three, two, one-" He hit the button and went flying backwards into the wall. As he fell to the floor, Dummie sprayed the fire extinguisher. I ran over to see if he was ok. Luckily he had landed on a mat and wasn't harmed. Now I could laugh.
After a few more adjustments, he decided to make flight stimulators. As he was working on the one for his right hand, I noticed Miss. Potts coming down the stairs. She carried a box wrapped in paper with a coffee mug on top.
Tony noticed too because he quickly finished with the stimulator. With it strapped onto his arm, he proceeded to test it. Miss Potts came up to us. "Haven't you been hearing me? I was buzzing you. Obadiah's here."
"Ok I'll be up in a second."
"I thought you weren't making weapons anymore," She asked seeing the stimulator.
"He's not," I replied. "You might want to step back."
Tony fired the device and went flying backwards as sparks flew. He lay against a bookshelf looking somewhat stunned. He groaned. "Tell Obadiah I'll be up in a minute."
He came upstairs a few minutes after we did. I was eating pizza that Dad had brought pizza back from New York. He sat the piano playing little song that I knew well from childhood. As Tony came up, he asked "How did it go?"
My dad just looked at him.
"That bad?" Tony noticed the pizza and went over to get a slice.
"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean that it went bad."
"Yeah, sure."
"It would have gone better if you were there!" Dad answered.
"No, you told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low while you take over."
"Come on," he got up from the piano.
I knew that they would get in an argument about politics and business. I just decided to block them all out. I reached for another piece of pizza as the continued to talk. Nothing reached me though. It was all just boring guy stuff.
Eventually, Tony went downstairs again. I got up to follow, but Obadiah stopped me. "I think it's time to go home." He smiled. But I could tell that he was frustrated with Tony. I nodded and grabbed another piece of pizza. We headed home.
"Day 11, test 37, configuration 2.0, for lack of a better option, Dummie is still on fire safety. If you dowse me again and I'm not on fire, I'm donating you to a city college." Tony was once again in the middle of the floor, and I held the camera. He had completed his stimulators and was testing them with the boots this time. He continued, "Let's start nice and easy. Seriously, I'm just going to start off with 1% thrust capacity. In three, two, one." He slowly lifted into the air. I whooped. It was actually working!
He landed a little unbalanced. But he got a hold of himself. Suddenly, Dummie started aiming for him. "Please don't follow me around with it either, because I feel like I'm going to catch on fire spontaneously. Just stand down. If something happens then come in." He looked at me. "Ok, let's bring it up to 2.5." He shot up higher and started to move around. I followed him. "Ok, this is not where I want to be. No not the cars," I couldn't help but laugh. He looked pretty funny trying to stay under control. "It could be worse. We're fine." He landed heavily. He looked at me again and grinned. "Yeah, I can fly."
He stepped forward and I helped fit the entire suit on. Soon he was in a full iron body suit. I had to admit, I wanted one.
I could hear him talking to Jarvis, his computer, and he started walking around a bit. I kept the camera rolling. I heard say that he wanted to start flying. I was shocked. He could barely walk in that suit, much less fly. "Sometimes you have to learn to run, before you can walk." He said. "Three, two, one." He shot down the hallway leading outside. I could hear him whooping with delight. I ran to the phone and decided to call him. "Hey," he answered.
"What's it like up there?" I asked excited. I ran to the window and saw a light streak across the sky.
"I'm going to try to see how high I can get." He answered. The light started going upwards toward the moon.
"Be careful." I said worried.
As he rose, I heard Jarvis tell him that there was a build up of ice occurring. Suddenly the light went out and the line went blank. "Tony?" I asked. "Oh no." I saw something falling from the sky. I think that's him.
Suddenly the light was back on and he was streaking across the ocean. He went up on top of the roof and tried to land. I heard crashing above me and he fell through the roof onto one of his cars. I laughed as Dummie dowsed him with the fire extinguisher. "Dude!" I yelled. "You can fly!"
The next day, I went with my dad to a party. It was meant for Tony, but no one expected him there tonight. I found myself wearing a black dress. Only these parties would get me to do anything like this. I stood with my dad outside the party house thing when I saw a familiar looking car. The man who walked out was none other than Tony Stark.
After getting through the press and girls screaming his name, he approached my dad and I. "What's the world coming to when a guy has to crash his own party?" He asked.
"Hey… Look at you. What a surprise." My dad put his hands in his pockets. I know that he's nervous when he does that.
"Nice to see you." Tony patted me on the back. "You look very nice," I rolled my eyes. "Hey can you come with me really quick?" I nodded.
My dad pulled Tony to the side and whispered something in his ear. Awesome. Secrecy. Can't I be trusted? Don't think like that. I told myself. Tony has trusted you with keeping his iron suit a secret.
We entered the building and more people surrounded him. We went to a quiet corner where he ordered a drink. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I just wanted to come." He shrugged.
"But you were told to lay low. I thought you were painting your… um… suit."
"I am. Well Jarvis is. But don't worry. I think I've been laying low for enough time, don't you think?"
I nodded. "I guess so."
He perked up. A song that we always liked to listen to while we worked was on. He grinned. It was a fast beat and others started to dance just random dances. "Would you like to dance?" He asked bowing in a somewhat goofy way.
I laughed. "I guess so." We went out to the dance floor and just went nuts. Neither of us could really dance, but no one seemed to care, even us. By the time the song was over, we were sweaty and out of breath.
I went to the counter to order a glass of water. I noticed that Mr. Stark had gotten caught up talking to another guy. He I think he was that guy with the really long name. I suddenly saw Miss Potts. He shook hands with the guy and walked over to her. Too many people have ADD these days. I sat in a stool and sipped my water. I almost choked when I saw him pull Pepper into a dance. If dancing with your boss isn't weird, I don't what is. Sure I danced with him, but he's not my boss. And it wasn't slow dancing like what they're doing now. Tony just keeps getting weirder and weirder. After a bit, the went up to the roof. I decided that I wasn't really needed right now and went outside to join my dad.
After I while, Tony stormed out of the building and walked right up to Obadiah. He showed him some pictures. It looked like the place that we had been held captive. My dad gave me a look that told me "The grown-ups are speaking now." I groaned and stalked away. A couple of camera's followed me but I waved them off. I wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to know what was going on with Tony and my dad.
I noticed that Tony seemed very angry about something. My dad got nervous and soon walked away. I ran after him, since he was my only ride home. I shot Tony a quick smile before I hopped in the car.
I sat in my room, bored out of my mind. I wanted to do something or go somewhere, but Dad was out of town and no one was home. I finally decided if Tony and I could go do something. Maybe I could help him work on his suit some more. I called him, hoping that he would pick up. He did.
"Hey Tony, this is Heather."
"Sorry who? Speak up please."
I could hear whistling in the background. "Tony, what are you doing?"
"Um, driving with the top down."
"Oh, then I guess you're busy." I sighed. "I was hoping we could do something. Dad's out of town and-"
"Sorry Heather I've got another call coming in. I'll talk to you later, ok?"
"Sure." I hung up. Of course, no one has any time for me anymore.
I decided that I would just go to his house. I know the password. Maybe I can do some tinkering or something. Maybe play a virtual game. I don't really know. I got up and went outside to go to Tony's house.
Pepper showed me the way down. But when we got down there, we saw that the glass doors were shattered and Tony was trying to get a very damaged suit off. It didn't look like it was going well.
"What is going on here?" Pepper stammered. I gaped.
"You weren't out for a drive, were you? You were out for a fly!" I said.
"Let's face it this isn't the worst thing that you've caught me doing." He smiled.
"Are those bullet holes?" Pepper seemed very distraught.
"Maybe I should go home," I mumbled. Before they could stop me, I was up the stairs and out of the house. I was scared for him. He went out into the terrorist area and had been shot at and probably almost killed. I don't want him to hurt himself.
I got a call from Pepper later that day telling me that we were going on a mission for Tony into my dad's office. We had to get some type file that had to do with weapons or something. I was apparently the best chance because Obadiah was my dad. I could go into his office without him getting suspicious. I was still angry with Tony, but I decided that I guess I could help. "If I get in trouble, it's his fault." I smiled wearily. I made my way back to Tony's. This could get dangerous.
We soon found ourselves in my dad's office, hacking into his computer. I didn't really know how to hack, but Tony's instructions helped. I started to feel guilty when I realized that I might be betraying my dad. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom. "Heather, your father would like to speak to you for a second." I gulped. Did he find out what we're up to?
"Great." I muttered. "Keep working," I whispered to Pepper as I left.
The walk to my dad's room, I tried to come up with an explanation for being on his computer. I stopped outside the door. I could hear the TV was on. I tried to calm myself as I opened the big wooden doors. I didn't see my dad anywhere, buy heard rustling in the bathroom. I decided to sit on the couch and wait. All of a sudden, I heard a loud ringing. I couldn't move, I could yell. I tried to breath but it stuck in my throat. My dad came into my line of vision. I couldn't move my head to look at him, but he just sat down next to me. "Heather, I thought that you would know better than to go try to get information off of my computer. But I guess not. I know what you're up to. I don't know how you have forgotten that we had put up cameras all over the house. You even helped me." He said soothingly. I realized just how out of his mind he is. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. At least not permanently." He held up a small device. "This is a little invention that me and Tony have come up with a while ago. The government didn't approve. It's a pity, really. Temporary paralyses could have helped us in many ways. But now I just have it for my own purposes. I know you understand. I'm your father after all. Now just stay out of the way, and we can finally become a family. Without that blasted Tony Stark in our lives." He stood. I felt dread run through my body. He's going to kill Tony! I thought. I tried at hard as I could to move, but I remained motionless and helpless. Pepper, get out of there! "Don't worry, you'll be moving again in about 15 minutes." He laughed wickedly as he exited, locking the doors behind him. My best friend was about to be killed, and there was nothing that I could do about it.
"Help! Help! Pepper! Someone?" I yelled as I banged on the door. It was no use. I was locked in the bedroom of a maniac. My eyes rested on his phone. Of course! I can call Pepper or Tony to warn them. I tried Tony's but no one answered. I then called Pepper.
"Heather! Oh my gosh! Are you hurt?" Pepper gasped. "I called Rhodes, he's coming to get you and Stark. Just stay where you are."
"But Tony's going to be killed! I have to do something!" I started to panic.
"Just stay where you are." She repeated. I heard a beep as she hung up. I couldn't just do nothing. I grabbed a brief case and flung it at the window. My tinkering was about to come in handy. I pushed a switch on my bracelet and jumped. I was about 4 stories off the ground. I heard a buzzing behind me. Suddenly, Tony's old suit came flying toward me and started to assemble. Just as I hit the ground, the jets started and I shot into the air. Jarvis came on the screen.
"Wait you aren't Mr. Stark,"
"Now's not the time, Jarvis. We need to get to the lab."
I was new to the flying, but I quickly got the hang of it. It's amazing how much you can do when a life is in danger.
Suddenly, behind me, I heard a wurring noise. I looked around to see Tony in his suit coming up behind me. He stopped in front of me, forcing me to stop as well. I grinned. "Tony! You're alive? But Dad wanted to kill you!"
"He almost did. Good thing Miss Potts didn't destroy that Shrapnel like I told her to. How did you get my suit anyway?"
"Let's just say that I learned a few good tricks from a good teacher."
"Don't get too involved," It was impossible to see facial expressions behind his mask, but I bet that he was smiling. I wonder if he's proud of me.
As we flew, he explained that there was a good chance that his power source wouldn't hold up very long. The Shrapnel that Obadiah took was more powerful and the backup one wasn't meant for flight. I realized that he meant to die for this cause if he had to. I vowed to make sure that that never happened.
He told me to call Pepper. I gladly did. "Pepper?"
"Heather! Where's Tony?"
"He's right here with me. We're on our way!"
"Just be careful. You're father! He's gone insane!" I heard a rumbling on the other end of the line. Pepper screamed and the line went out.
"Pepper's in trouble!"
Tony nodded. "We're almost there."
We turned a corner and saw a giant suit, similar to Tony's, but it looked a whole lot bulkier. Tony yelled and charged the giant. I'm assuming it was Obadiah. They were both sent flying into traffic. I rushed over to Pepper. She looked dazed. "What? Who?" She stammered.
I lifted the mask that covered my face. "It's me Miss Potts. I figured out how it works." I could hear car doors honking and people screaming. I was hoping the battle was going well. I doubted it though.
The ground shook. We saw Tony streak towards the sky with Obadiah close behind. We stared after them helplessly. "Oh, Tony. What have you gotten yourself into?" Pepper muttered.
After waiting for what seemed like hours, we got a call from Stark himself. Pepper gasped. "Tony! Are you alright?"
"I'm running out of power. I've got to get out of this thing. I'll be right there."
I was watching him on the roof and saw Obadiah sneaking up behind him. "Look out! I yelled. I flew up to the roof and banged my father on the head. His lights flickered. I sent flares at him, but he only looked confused. In the smoke, Tony and I were able to get away and hide behind a wall.
"Very clever, Tony," I heard Obadiah roar.
"What are you thinking?" Tony whispered. "You're going to get yourself killed."
"So are you," I answered confidently. "And I won't let that happen. Besides, I'm his daughter."
"I don't think that even his daughter would stop him from ruling the world."
I paused. It seemed true. My father didn't really care about me. I felt like I was just another nuisance that he had to take care of. Would he really stop if I asked him to? "Just let me try," I said stepping out from behind the wall. "Dad!"
Obadiah turned to me. "Who's that?" He raised his blaster.
"It's me dad!" I took off my mask. "You don't know what you're doing!"
"Yes I do. I want what's best for you, Heather. And I don't think that hanging around that, that, person is what's best. I want us to have a life together."
"I don't want a life like this! Knowing my dad has killed my best friend. I don't think this is what you would want either."
He sighed. "It's not what I want. I guess that you deserve to know the truth. I don't care about you, Heather. I don't love you. I didn't even love your mother. We were both drunk and in college. Once she had you, she just gave you to me and disappeared. I didn't know what to do. I had to drop out of college. I could have gotten a great education. But you just dropped into my life."
I stepped back. "You're not my father. You're just another selfish, greedy maniac. You're even willing to kill me just to get Stark Industries?" I started to cry. "I loved you my whole life, thinking that you loved me back. But you're just a monster!" I closed my mask.
"Whatever. I won't even remember you once I rule the world!" He blasted me. I went flying off the building and onto the hard pavement.
I was stunned. What just happened? Every memory I had with my dad: playing softball together, going to the movies, eating ice cream together. It was all a lie. He never loved me. I suddenly noticed that I was in a lot of pain. My arm was numb and every breath sent firey pain through my lungs. I couldn't take any more of the pain, and I blacked out.
Three days later, Tony and I were at a press conference reading the news. It turns out, no one knows who "Iron Man" is. I found that kind of funny. No one mentioned me, which was just fine. Tony did all the work, I just made my life worse. I looked at him. "What?" he asked.
"Are you going to tell them that you're Iron Man?"
"I don't know. I kind of like the name Iron Man. It's got a nice ring to it."
"But you have to stick to the script."
"I don't really like the idea of this story. What's this about him being my body guard? That's a little crazy, don't you think?"
A man walked in. "You're on in 90 seconds."
"You know what, I am Iron Man."
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not. You are Tony Stark who invents weapons, not superheroes." I said as I helped him get his jacket on.
"Alright, suit yourself."
Miss Potts walked in. "Hey, Heather can we have a moment alone?"
"Sure," I winked at Tony. I had an idea about what they're going to be doing.
While Tony was making his speech, I dozed off and started day dreaming. I wondered if Tony could make me my own suit. Maybe I could paint it a cool color like blue or green. I was thinking of the upgrades for my own suit when I was snapped back to reality by Mr. Starks sudden statement that he was Iron Man.
The press jumped up and started asking tons of questions. I myself gaped at him. What was he thinking? S.H.E.I.L.D. had told him to keep his identity a secret. I laughed. Typical Tony. He just had to have the spotlight.