Tony huffed as he followed Pepper and her work detail around the small Russian town, already bored out of his mind. It was the first of several stops their little 'work detail' had to make on their "tour".
In reality, Stark Industries had been commissioned by the Russian government to help it provide… something (to be honest Tony hadn't listened to Pepper when she tried to explain the details) to the outlying towns and villages.
So, first chance he got he slipped away, ready to head back to the hotel. But as he wandered through the dirty alleys he soon heard whimpers, automatically recognizing the severe amount of pain hidden in the light sound. He carefully made his way toward the source, ready for anything.
Well, except for what he found.
Lying on the ground was a young woman, badly hurt in many ways. Tony covered his mouth as he kneeled beside her, checking her for a pulse as he looked her over. A gaping hole in her chest and no limbs at all, it was hard to think she was the one making the noise. But when she rolled her head to the side and looked up at him, he felt his heart break Even in the dim lighting, he could see her eyes brimming with tears. He immediately got on the phone, taking off his jacket to wrap around her. "Pepper I've got an emergency! I have to get back to the tower, and I've got to do it now!"
{What's wrong?}
"I'll explain later!" He carefully lifted the girl into his arms and dashed off. He wasn't even halfway to the hospital when a S.H.I.E.L.D. craft flew down over him. "Stark we heard your call! What's wrong?"
"Oh God Natasha I am so glad to see you!" Tony watched her open the bombay and jumped on as fast as he could. "Get us to the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical ward now!"
The woman didn't question him, only went supersonic as fast as she could. Within moments they were at the ultra secure, ultra effective hospital. Natasha watched in confusion as Tony hopped out with the girl still carefully held to his chest, and wasted no time in following after him. Almost immediately after setting foot inside the facility was Tony surrounded by doctors, and they looked on in amazement at the near-lifeless girl so carefully held in his arms. "I need help! Now! This girl is seriously hurt!"
The doctors quickly set to helping the man, leaving no reason for him to protest until he was forced to actually wait in the waiting room. Natasha looked at him in confusion as he anxiously paced back and forth.
"Wow Stark, this is the first time I've seen you so worked up."
"Can't help it..." he sighed and sat down, but was up again in a flash when a doctor approached him. "What is it?!"
"Mister Stark there seems to be a problem. Do you know who the girl is?"
"Of course I don't! I found her dying in an alley in Russia!" He growled. "What's going on?"
"She's in surgery now, but we can't get her prosthetics because we don't know if she'll live. There's a disease eating away at her heart. Even if we can deal with it, without being constantly hooked up to an electric pulse to keep her heart beating she won't live. Unfortunately we can't do anything-"
"I can." Tony said the words without thinking. "Just keep her here long enough for me to make her an arc reactor. As for the prosthetics, I can do that too."
"...we still have absolutely no idea who this girl is."
Tony paused, suddenly unsure. But when he thought of the desperate look she had given him in the alley, he locked his jaw. "Then I'll adopt her. Not like she has a family to object after all."
The doctor seemed unsure, but nodded. "I'll bring you the paperwork..."
Natasha watched the man plop down, pulling out his phone to get on the Internet. She watched him get on some website, not sure what he was doing. When the doctor returned the phone was put away, and a pen taken up. Both people curiously looked over Tony's shoulder as he wrote down a name...
Arina Anthonva Stark.
Natasha seemed surprised, realizing that her comrade's quick Internet search much have been for a crash-course in Russian names. As the doctor took the papers away Tony turned to his friend. "I have to get to the tower."
"Take the jet, I'll stay here for her."