Artemis Lillian Stark, an agent for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics, set in Caesar's Palace Casino and Hotel watching clips play of her brother and even a few of her since she helped Tony with some stuff.
Artemis glanced to her left and saw her brother still wasn't there, but she did see Obadiah, a man that Artemis didn't trust at all.
Artemis faced forward when the video stopped playing and the Stark siblings close friend James Rhodes stepped up to the podium and called Tony a patriot "it is a great pleasure to present this Apogee Award to my friend and great mentor Tony Stark"
People began applauding but Tony was nowhere to be seen, Rhodey looked at Art who sighed and stood up. Art walked up the stage and took the award "you're a life saver" Rhodey whisper to her giving her a hug then turned to the crowd "Artemis Stark everyone."
Art smiled stepping up to the podium and looked at the coward "I may not be my brother but you've got the better looking Stark" Art joked and the crowd laughed "seriously on behalf of my brother, I'll like to thank everyone. I know he is honored to receive this award. Thank you"
Artemis walked off stage and walked to the casino where she could see her brother surrounded by women "Tony" she said and Tony looked at her "my beautiful sister" Tony said looking at her "I'm heading home" she said kissing her brother's cheek "ok" he said.
Artemis walked to her limo and the chauffer open the door for her "thank you" she said and got in. When she did she was greeted by her godson's laughter "Peter" she cooed taking him from her assistant Addison 'Salt' Mercer
Peter Parker is Artemis godson and lives with his Aunt and Uncle in New York.
The screen that was blocking the front came down "Coulson" she greeted him. Coulson smirked "you got a new mission" he said "so then why is Peter here not that I'm not glad to see him" Artemis asked
Coulson smirked "because you have to figure out who selling your company's weapons to terrorists" he said.
Artemis glared "what" she growled and Coulson nodded
"Romanov was in Afghanistan and saw some people with your company's weapons" he explained. Artemis huffed at that "I'm going there tomorrow for the Jericho missile demo" she said and Coulson nodded.
They next morning Artemis entered the lab and saw her brother working on a car "sup Tony" she said walking over to her station. Tony waved at her as Artemis got the tools to work on the hover bike she was building
The two worked in silence and when the clock reached a half past eight Salt came in carrying Peter and behind her entered Tony's assistant Virginia 'Pepper' Potts.
Salt went to Artemis desk "Artemis there's some stuff you need to sign before you leave" she said and Artemis walked over to her.
Artemis read the reports and signed them "so are you ok with watching Peter for me" Artemis asked and Salt nodded.
Artemis left to go get ready to leave and made sure to grab her Sai and their holsters that straps to her back along with some other weapons.
Artemis then grabbed a jacket and headed down to the basement with her suitcase that has some more weapons in them.
Artemis drove herself to the airport with Salt and Peter in the car. The two got out and Artemis greeted Rhodey with a smile after she got Peter out of his car seat "Artemis, you're late" he said giving her a hug "no you're just earlier" she said.
Rhodey snorted then gave Salt a hug and took Peter from Artemis "when we get on the plane your need to give all your weapons to me" he said.
Artemis gasped at that "why" she said "because the general is weird about civilians having hidden weapons" he replied. "But I'm not a civilian, I'm a very high agent" Artemis whined since Rhodey knows all about her job since she sometimes needs to land a jet onto an air force base.
Rhodey handed Peter to Salt and patted Artemis's back then frowned when he felt the Sais "really Artemis you brought you Sais" he questioned and Artemis nodded "they always comes with me" she explained.
Rhodey nodded "I know but you have to remove them" he told her gently "but Rhodey" she whined.
Salt was watching amused "Artemis no but I'll let you keep the knife you have in your boot" Rhodey said. Artemis nodded with a pout, she then walked onto the plane and headed to her area then began removing her weapons even her Sais.
Once they were removed Artemis exited the plane "now I feel naked" she muttered. The two smirked as Tony arrived "now Salt if he gets fussy call the bird and he'll sing to him" Artemis said.
Salt rolled her eyes "I know this isn't the first time I had to watch him" she said. Artemis nodded then gave Peter a kiss on the cheek "bye baby Mama loves you" she said then headed to the plane. Tony walked over to his nephew "Peter you give Salt and Pepper trouble alright" he said rubbing his head. Salt glared at him as Peter laughed, Tony grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek "later Salt" he said heading towards the plane.
Once the plane took off Artemis headed to her area and went to sleep.
When it came time for to demonstrate the Jericho missile she was bored. When it was finished she was sitting in a Humvee staring out the window wishing she could have stayed home with her godson especially since he's going to start walking soon
"I feel like I'm being driven to a court martial. This is crazy, what did I do? Seriously I feel like you're going to pull over and shoot me. Are we not allowed to talk?" Tony said. Artemis sighed, she should have figured Tony wouldn't stay quiet for long "Hey, Forrest."
The soldier in back with them, who Tony named Forest, spoke up "we can talk, sir"
"Oh, I see, so it's personal" Tony said
"No, you intimidate them" the driver said
"Good god you're a woman. I honestly couldn't have called that." He said, scrutinizing the female driver. "I'd apologize but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first."
"I'm an airman" the woman said.
"Well you actually have excellent bone structure, I'm having a hard time not looking at you now, is that weird?"
Artemis glared at her brother wishing she would have rode with Rhodey, as everyone laughed
"Hey it's ok! Laugh!" her brother said loudly.
"Sir, I actually have a question" the man in the front seat next to the driver looked back at them.
"Yes, of course, please" He opened questions
"Is it true you went twelve on twelve with last year's cover models?"
"That is an excellent question. Yes and no because March and I had a scheduling conflict but it evened out because for Christmas it was twins" Tony said causing Artemis to wrinkle her nose
"Anything else?" He asked
Forest actually raised his hand. "You're kidding me with the hand up, right?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.
"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?"
"Yes, that is very cool" Tony said, removing his sunglasses.
Then the guy pulled a camera out of his bag and handed it to the guy in the front seat. Artemis tried not to get into the picture but her brother had other plans "seriously" she whined but Tony ignored her "I don't want to see this on your Myspace page. And please, no gang signs." He said, as the guy pulled the peace sign.
"Oh go ahead throw it up there. I love peace, I would be out of a job if there was peace." He smiled, as does Artemis when the truck in front of them blow up.
Artemis cursed silently in Russian as the driver stopped "What's going on?" Tony asked, for once sounding shaken. As the lady got out of the truck, she was shot down.
"Jimmy, stay with the Starks!" the front seat guy said, as he climbed out of the car and he climbed down from the truck and tried to stay low and use it as cover.
"Stay down!" Forest shouted, Tony and Artemis got down and Artemis glanced at her watch that if she pressed a button it alerted her boss of an emergency but before Artemis could think any more of it the front seat guy was shoot
"Son of a bitch!" the guy with the siblings shouted, he got up and got out of the car, leaving them. "Hey, hey, hey! Wait! Give me a gun!" Tony and Artemis shouted to him, but the soldier just turned round and shouted "stay here!" at them through the window.
A blast came killing the last soldier
A blast of fire from nowhere made both Stark's dazed.
"Tony stay here" Artemis ordered but Tony got out anyway "the one time Rhodes makes me leave my weapons is the one time I need them" she muttered then exited the Humvee after activating the distress signal on her watch
"Tony" she yelled picking up a gun and began shooting the terrorists, using the Humvee as cover.
Artemis saw her brother run behind a rock and began running to him.
But before she got there a Stark Industries missile landed in front of her.
She began running away from the missile
A roar was all Artemis heard then blinding pain in her arm, "Artemis" she heard as she fell to the sand and the last thought before she blacked out was ~I thought Budapest would kill me
When Artemis woke up she saw Salt sleeping in a chair by her bed with Peter sleeping on her chest "Salt" she said waking the blonde up "Artemis thank god" she said then pressed a button to call a nurse. The nurse came then when she saw Artemis was up went to go get the doctor "how long was I out" Artemis asked her "two days" Salt replied as the doctor came in.
Salt then left to give them some privacy
Artemis tuned him out until she heard something about her arm "what about my arm" she asked him.
The doctor looked at her "your right arm is gone" he said causing Art to look down and see it was true "how didn't I notice that" she questioned.
The doctor continued but Artemis wasn't listening 'cause she was trying to figure out how she was going to be an assassin with just one arm.
When the doctor left Salt came back in with a now awake Peter "when can I leave" she asked "today" Salt replied handing her Peter.
Peter smiled at her "I'll go get your discharge papers" Salt leaving the room again
The ride home was mostly quiet "what happened" Artemis asked Salt, who was driving "Fury got your signal and sent a team that helped the soldiers" she began "when they got there it was only you but no Tony."
Artemis let tears fall at that at that and Salt wasn't surprised "hey they'll find him" she said to her and Artemis nodded
"Does Fury know" Artemis asked looking at her stump "yeah but he hasn't told anyone else. He doesn't want the two distract on their mission" Salt explained "plus he knows that you'll be building a substituted for it anyway"
Artemis smirked "damn right I will" she said
They got to the house and Artemis went straight to the lab with Peter as Salt went to take care of press issues.
When they entered the lab Artemis set Peter at his play area and let him fiddle with things while she started up a new project
"JARVIS, start a search for Tony" Artemis ordered "start from where we were attacked and work from there. Be on the lookout for strange blasts in mountains or caves"
"Right away Miss Stark" the AI said and Art looked at her godson who was playing with a toy bow
Artemis smiled and started to design a new arm "let's see the arm has to be flexible" Artemis said jolting down ideas "very durable, plus have a hidden weapon, in case I ever get captured"
The next few hours the Artemis designed the new arm while Peter played with his toys
Artemis looked at the time "let's go get something to eat" she said and Peter smiled up at her held up his arms.
Artemis stood up and picked him up "so what do you want to eat" Art asked her godson when they got to the kitchen "carrots" at that Peter cheered
Artemis nodded then looked at the high chair then Peter "Salt" she called and Salt walked in took Peter and set him in his high chair then set a bag of food on the table
Artemis set in front of Peter and began feeding him "Artemis, Coulson is calling" Salt said taking the food out of the bag. Art sighed "ignore him" she said not feeling up to talking to the handler
Over the next three months Artemis was either working on finding Tony or working on her new arm, while ignoring her handler and partners
"How's the arm coming along" Salt asked coming down
"I can't find a power source that will be stable enough to power the arm" Artemis said.
Salt nodded "Nat called again and said that if you don't answer next she will come here and hurt you" she said
Artemis groaned at that as Pepper came into the lab "Artemis, he's been found" Pepper said. The two looked at her "really" Artemis asked and Pepper nodded with tears in her eyes.
Artemis smiled as tears appeared in her eyes "we're going to meet them at the air force base" Pepper commented "let's go" Artemis said standing up. Artemis picked Peter up from his play area
When they got to the base Artemis stood by Pepper and Salt with Peter, who was playing with her locket, in her arms.
The plane landed and Artemis wiped her tears before Tony could see them.
The ramp lowered and Rhodey helped Tony down and Tony waved away the paramedics that was heading towards him
"Hmm… Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?" he asked Pepper when he got to them.
"Tears of joy, I hate job hunting," she smiled.
"Yeah, vacation's over," he said then turned to his sister and pulled her into a hug being mindful of Peter "Art I thought you were dead"
Art smiled returning the hug "it'll take more then a missile to kill me" she said then noticed something hard on Tony's chest.
She tapped it and looked at him confused "later" he said and Art nodded.
Tony glanced at Artemis's right arm "what the" he asked grabbing her arm and saw the prosthetic "it was blown off" Artemis explained. Tony gave her puppy eyes "it wasn't your fault" Artemis told him
They got into the car and Tony set Peter in his lap. Salt set up front with Happy
"Where to, Sir?" Happy asked from the driver's seat.
"Take us to hospital, please, Happy." Pepper answered.
"No," Tony contradicted.
"No? Tony you have to go to the hospital. The doctor has to look at you." Pepper tried to reason with him.
"No is a complete answer. I don't have to do anything." Tony said flat out,
"I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger and the other..."
"That is enough of that." Pepper interrupted
"…is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."
"Call for a press conference?" Pepper asked "What on earth for?"
"Hogan drive, cheeseburger first," Tony ordered.
Art rolled her eyes at her brother who was making faces at Peter
They got to Stark Industries and Artemis stood behind with Pepper and Salt, who was holding Peter, as Stane led Tony to the podium "what is your brother up to" Pepper asked and Artemis shrugged "hell if I know but I have a feeling it's going to be big" Art said
"Ms. Potts" someone said from the other side of Pepper and Artemis tensed and slowly began edging away as Salt hid a smirk. Peter head whipped to where the voice was coming from and smiled
"Yes." Pepper replied, "Can I help you?"
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" the man asked.
"I'm not a part of the press conference but it about to start," Pepper informed him. "I'm not a reporter, I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," he said handing Pepper a card.
"That's quite a mouthful," said Pepper
"I know. We are working on it," Agent Coulson deadpanned.
Artemis and Salt snorted
"We've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, and The CIA." Pepper told him. Yeah they were and they all left when Artemis glared at them
"We're more of an organization with a specific focus, we need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape."
"I'll put something in the book, shall I?" Pepper said
"Thank you." He smiled and walked away making sure to give Salt and Artemis a meaningful look
Artemis sighed relieved the turn to the podium "Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can… A little less formal and…" Tony said while unwrapping his burger, and then took a bite. "Sis get up here" Tony called out, and waved at Artemis to come to him.
Artemis sighed and walked up to the stage and set besides her brother
"I never got to say goodbye to Dad." He said to Obadiah, and then turned to the press.
"I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did; if he was ever conflicted; if he ever had doubts; or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels…" Tony began
Artemis kept the emotions from showing on her face, she knew her father had regrets that's why he told her about the program he helped founded, well it did help Artemis liked snooping and found stuff about the it
"I saw young Americans killed, by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I become part of system that is comfortable with zero accountability."
From the back Salt noticed the change in Stane's face and made a note to tell Artemis later
"Mr. Stark?" asked news reporter.
"Yes," Tony acknowledged.
"What happen over there?" he asked.
"I… I had my eyes opened. I came to realized that I have more to offer to this world," Tony started, as he stood up and Artemis stood up with him, "than just making things that blow up."
"Tone where are you going with this" Art asked
"An excellent question Artemis" Tony said
"So… effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International…"
The press jumped from the ground and started to asked questions. "...until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be." Tony continued as Stane pulled Tony away from the podium.
Artemis led Tony away from the chaos and to Happy as Stane took the stage "What we should take from this is that Tony is back!" he said.
Let me know how you guys like the rewrite. I try to have the others up soon