Chapter One

"Fuck!" It was the third time this morning that Toni Stark had somehow managed to get electrocuted by her newest invention if she could even call it that. The damn thing wouldn't work and it was beginning to piss her off. "JARVIS, rerun my calculations again. This piece of shit isn't getting enough power."

"Of course Miss stark" replied the smooth British accent of the A.I. "Oh, and save all progress so far. I need to get some more coffee from upstairs since somebody broke the coffee machine down here." Toni said while looking at a very guilty DUMMY sitting in the corner in time out making very dejected whirls of what could only be described as apologies.

"Yes, Miss Stark but you must understand that DUMMY was just trying to help," Said the British voice laced with a hint of amusement if you could call it that. Could the A.I. even feel emotion? She would have to check if she put it in his programming. Was she drunk the night she built the code for his personality? Maybe, after all, it was when she was at MIT. There were lots of nights where she couldn't remember a thing due to the alcohol messing with her brain. Anyway, what was she thinking about again? Oh right, coffee. She couldn't wait to get some scorching black coffee filled with caffeine in her worn down, not to mention exhausted body.

"Tell that to my poor broken coffee machine, what it ever did to deserve such a fate, I have no idea; maybe it was a shity air conditioner in its past life. The point is, is that DUMMY is not moving from the naughty corner until I see fit that he's learnt his lesson and that there's a new coffee machine down here within the week." She finishes her rant and realised that she was at the top of the stairs leading to her lab. She set her eyes on the coffee machine in the kitchen and made a beeline for it. That is until an angry Virginia "Pepper" Potts blocked her to the cure for her exhaustion.

"Toni" Soft yet firm. Great. Just what she needs, another lecture about how she should go to the hospital …or eat …or sleep. It's been five months since the demonstration of the Jericho missile in Afghanistan and two since her escape. She was fine. Defiantly not having nightmares which is the reason why she tries to get as little sleep as possible, catnaps is the best she can do right now but they don't even last a full hour because she wakes up screaming "bloody murder" while covered in a cold sweat. So no, Toni Stark is perfectly fine and is doing a damn good job of showing it. "Hi, Pepper. Do you mind?" Skilfully slipping past the strawberry blond with years of practice, she continued to make her way to her salvation until a petite hand caught her wrist. "Toni" uh oh! "Yes?" Toni said it in the most innocent way possible but everyone knows she's hardly innocent.

"When's the last time you slept?" Yesterday. She thinks. It feels like yesterday. She still remembers the dream. Must be yesterday. "I slept last night Pepper. No worries'. I'm a big girl who can take care of herself" as she said this, her persistent assistant loosened her grip enough for Toni to pull away with ease. "And what exactly was the day yesterday?" she reached the kitchen by now and was opening a cupboard with the mugs in as she absent minded replied "Tuesday. Why?" Pepper sighed. She can mentally see Pepper behind her shaking her head as she always does when Toni is apparently oblivious to something. Like she can be oblivious to something, she a genius for crying out loud. "It's Saturday, Toni. You haven't slept for four days. That's 96 hours you've been awake, maybe even longer, you need to rest." At least she wasn't stopping Toni from turning on the coffee machine. "Are you sure it's Saturday? I'm pretty sure it's Tuesday"

"Yes, Toni. And do you want to know why I know this? I know this because there was a meeting with the Board today that you missed." Oh, there was? She doesn't remember. Maybe it was mentioned at that meeting last week. Oh. That would explain a lot since she zoned out and started to come up with new ways to improve the Mark V armour. She still to chicken thought to actually test them in flight and combat. Not that she'll ever admit that of course.

"Toni?"

She was already on to Mark VII and letting JARVIS pilot the suits to destroy SI weapons that some terrorist groups managed to get their hands on and she suspect a rat. Maybe she should have shut down the weapons division when she came back from Afghanistan but she would have scared of the rat and it's someone with so much power and authority in the business that they can actually ship of SI weapons to them, which is why they have got to be stopped. And yet that stupid piece of crap that she was playing around with a few minutes ago just doesn't want to work which is why she's made it her mission to make it work. If Toni Stark is anything, she's stubborn. After all, it's in the Starks blood to be hard headed, determined and stubborn. But despite that she has made it her mission to make it work, she … doesn't exactly know what it's supposed to do.

"Toni"

It's a minor setback but if she could just emit enough power to actually make it work. Then and only then will her mind be put at ease and curiosity satisfied. But if she even manages to get the right power levels, there's no guarantee that it will actually do something and if that's the case, she gonna get her welding torch and fry the thing until it's nothing but a smouldering pile of …..

"TONI!"

"Huh?" The shade of Peppers face at the moment compliment her hair very well, it was just the scowl that accompanied it that was making her nervous. "I'm sorry, what?" If possible, the shade of red on Peppers face just deepened to crimson with the frustration she was feeling towards Toni's obliviousness. "Have you not heard a single word I've just said?" she asked disbelievingly while slowly letting go of her hair that Toni just notices she was clutched tightly in her hands. "Um. No?"

"I said, because you weren't there at the meeting today or any other meeting for the past two months except that skype call last week, the board has proposed that you should give up your shares of the company due to fact that you are still recovering from your captivity and that it would be unsuitable for someone in your position to be the leading face of the company and that you should get rest. Obadiah has offered to take the company back off your hands until you have recovered and is acting as CEO."

Right after Pepper finished the report of the meeting, Toni was visibly shaking with rage and the cup of coffee that was poured moments before was slammed down onto the kitchen counter and smashed from the force, followed by a very serious order from Toni "JARVIS Call Obie. NOW!" She stormed out the kitchen and into the living room while waiting for her father figure to pick up the damn phone. "Toni?" a confused voice of a man sounded throughout the room. "Obie, what's going on?"

"Ah, Toni I was just about to call you about…"

"Save it, what the hell does the board think there doing? They can't push me out and what's worse is that you're supporting them!" The bitter statement would have had a grown man shaking in fear. "I don't support them Toni but the whole board agrees and I'm trying to save the company for you, so all you have to do is go to a therapist for the next year or so and the company is yours again."

"A year! No. Obie, not good enough. I can't waste my time to go to talk to someone about feeling for an hour for the next year and pay them for it." It was true. She would be too busy to do it. After all, her mind works non-stop and she needs to get every idea down on paper. If she had a whole year to herself (which might be happening!), she would spend it down in the depth of her lab.

"Well your gonna have to do it unless you want to be permanently out of the loop and don't think the board won't do it, Toni, just because your name is on the side of every product we make doesn't mean they aren't willing to do what's necessary for the good of the company."

"I think we need to have this talk face to face if we want to get anywhere, Jarvis hangs up" she ordered as she went back down to the lab to get one of her fastest cars. "Toni waits, you can't ….." Was the last thing she heard when JARVIS dropped the call and she slammed the door to her Audi R8 shut and turned on the engine.

Obie's office was clean and orderly with only a few pieces of paperwork on the deck and the state of the office seemed to reflect the state of the man behind the desk. Obie was in a clean cut black suit with a black tie and white dress shirt with the blazer around the back of the chair he was sitting on.

"Toni"

"Obie"

"I was going to tell you that it wasn't necessary to come all the way down here until you rudely hung up on me," he said. His annoyance slipping through into his voice. "Thought I would visit my new CEO to see how he was doing" she spat venomously at him and this time, the annoyance slipped into his facial features. "Oh and it was JARVIS that rudely hung up on you"

"And there's no doubt that you told him too. What do you want me to do Toni? I've done all I can and there's nothing more I can do." The heated glare he shot her way was met by her own." I want you to convince the board otherwise. I don't need therapy. I'm perfectly fine" she argued. "That's not what the board sees and not what I see. Since you got back you haven't left you house until today" Huh? Has she really not left the house for two months? No, she had to. After all, there was a thing she went to right and… and…. Maybe a gala. Wow! She hasn't left the house for two months. Now that the realisation hit her she suddenly very self-conscious being out in the open and not in the comfort of her own home. Her breathing quickened. No, no, no, no not now. Fucking panic attacks.

She opened her close eyes (when did she close them?) and saw that Obie was standing in front of her and his arms were wrapped around her in a tight embrace. It was anything except comforting but it snapped her out of the panic attack. She controlled her breathing and put on her best mask which consisted of a stoic expression.

"You can let go now, I'm fine," she said in a monotone voice. "That's what the board is talking about Toni, which is why you not getting this company back until you sort out this problem." He stated in a matter of fact tone. "It's not a problem, even if it is which it isn't; it has nothing to do with the company."

"It has everything to do with the company Toni. Imagine you had a panic attack during a press conference. Rival businesses would see this as weakness and the stockpile would drop. Understand?" he asked and had a pleading look in his eye. Toni nodded reluctantly and Obie released her and then checks his watch. "I have a meeting I need to get to. Are you ok to go home by yourself? I could have a car out front in a few minutes"

"No, I'm fine" she replied as Obie got his blazer from his chair and started to put it on. "Aright, I trust you can let yourself out" it was the last thing he said as he exited his office, leaving Toni standing there alone. A little ding alerted her that Obie had gotten some mail. Feeling that she hasn't accomplished anything today, she decides that some snooping would cheer her up. After all, she loved sticking her nose in other people's business.

Toni walk around the desk to face the computer and plopped herself in Obie's chair. It required a password, mmm Howard? No. Stark? No. Ooh, Iron Monger. Obie always referred to them as ironmongers. Now allowed access to Obie's computer, she opened his mailbox and began to skim read the list of mail until something caught her eye. It was labelled in a different language.

What she saw left her shivering in fear and disgusted. It was a video. Of her. She looked to be in a dazed state from the drugs that had been pumped into her system, for the operation to get the shrapnel out of her chest. She was kneeling on the floor with men in masks behind her holding guns to look intimidating. There were bandages all over her chest stained by blood, now dry. Her hair was a mess of wild curls that the dust and blood clung to.

They were talking in a language she has heard many times in her captivity. There was a translate button in the bottom left corner of the screen. When she clicked it, she let all the information she was hearing to be absorbed by her brain.

"You did not tell us that the target you paid us to kill was the great Tony Stark. As you can see, Obadiah Stane your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill Tony Stark has just gone up."

As soon as she was in the lab, she ordered JARVIS to lock it down so no one could get in. Not even someone like Pepper, who has override codes, and immediately set to work on the shity device that refused to work to pent out some of the anger and growing stress. In the end, she threw it at the nearest lab wall and stared at remains with tears in her eyes. She refused to cry. Starks don't cry. Crying shows weakness and Toni Stark is not weak. She's witty and arrogant and sarcastic but not weak.

What would Howard think of her now? Losing the company to the Board of Directors. To Obadiah. She should fight, to be that thorn in their side but Toni Stark is no fool. Even though she now she has evidence against Obadiah, the court case will take months to finish due to the accusation's and people involved. She knows a losing battle when she sees one and the odds are not in anyone's favour. The company would be ruined and public image and trust are all but scattered to the wind.

She was held captive in a desert for three mouths and being tortured weekly all because her father figure thought she had given all she could give to the company and wanted to take it over himself. All for Money! You'd have to be pretty heartless to do that to someone you practically raised.

Right now, she's already pick up the hunk of junk that is her invention and put it near the couch in the far right corner of her bright white lab located in the basement of her Malibu home, where she was now lying down and slowly closing her eyes, letting the blissful peace wash over her as her tense muscles relaxed and the darkness consumed and trapped her in past memories of the cave in Afghanistan.