Evelyn had jumped on the first flight to Afghanistan, using one of her father's planes. Everyone had voiced an opinion, saying that Evelyn shouldn't be heading out into the place where her father had been deemed missing… but she wanted someone to answer her questions. Someone who wouldn't beat around the bush with her, just because she was Stark's daughter.

"Ms. Stark," the co-pilot stepped into the cabin of the plane, a nervous look on his face. "They're not allowing us to land; they're threatening to shoot us down if we don't leave the airspace."

Evelyn bit her lip as she looked out of the window, she could see the runway to the base as they circled. She briefly wished that maybe she should have brought someone along, someone who knew what to do in a situation like this… someone likes Rhodes.

She was going to have to wing it. She stood up and walked up to the co-pilot. "Put out a call for Colonel James Rhodes," Evelyn instructed, putting on a serious face… trying to give off the impression she had planned for this, "tell them that its Evelyn Stark, tell them I need to speak with whoever's in charge."

The co-pilot seemed hesitant but nodded and returned to cockpit, leaving Evelyn alone once again. She sat back down in a nearby seat, waiting for the co-pilot to return to tell her the news that they'd either been allowed access or if they'd been denied. A few minutes passed as the continued to circle the airstrip when the co-pilot stepped out, his face full of concern.

"They've given us our final warning," he informed her, Evelyn frowned as she tried to think of something… anything that could get her down, "Miss, we need to leave."

"We can't leave," Evelyn said, shaking her head, "we haven't even arrived," god she sounded like Tony, "isn't there any codes we could use in order for them to let us land?"

The co-pilot turned back around and stepped back into the cockpit, once again leaving Evelyn by herself.

She shouldn't have come here without a plan. She was flying in dangerous airspace, she was aware of the fact that anyone could shoot her out of the sky, yet she had ordered Happy to drive her to the airport and she jumped in the private jet her father had gifted her on her sixteenth birthday and ordered them to fly to wherever Tony had been before going missing. It would be on her hands if something happened to the pilot and co-pilot… yet she found herself willing to take that risk.

She glanced out the window, surprised to see the ship had finally stopped circling the airstrip and instead moved to start a decent. "Miss Stark," the voice of the captain sounded from the intercom, "General Talbot has given us permission to land, please buckle up and upon landing prepare to show identification."

She nodded, pulling her seatbelt together and closed her eyes as she prepared herself for this meeting.

…

When the plane finally landed, Evelyn stepped out to be greeted with multiple armed men and women aiming their weapons at the plane. Evelyn had never seen this side of her father's job; she only saw it from a screen or a data report… but standing before all the men and woman who had probably lost a friend, a family member or maybe a partner in the attack on the convoy it just further proved to herself that her project was needed.

As she stepped down the steps of the plane, she was pulled to the side where she was thoroughly patted down and she was allowed to confirm her identity. It seemed to put everyone at ease, if only for a moment, Evelyn was escorted to a tent about a five minute walk away from the plane.

"Evelyn Stark," a gruff voice called out at her as she stepped into the tent, and she was greeted by a tall man dressed in military garb with a black moustache, he seemed angry she had visited, "what in the name of god are you doing out here."

"I…I," she stammered for a moment, intimidated by the man who stared her down, but she raised her head to look him in the eyes, "I've come to learn more about my father's disappearance."

The man eye's seemed to flicker to something akin to pity, something Evelyn felt she'd have to get used to see if they didn't find her father, before it turned into a frown. The attack was still fresh to them all, it would make sense for her to visit so quickly… but still, he'd tell her all he was able to tell her… which wasn't much.

"All I can tell you Miss is that the convoy your father was in was attacked by a group of militants using Stark weaponry."

Evelyn's eyes widened a fraction. "What… Stark weapons?" she shook her head, it wasn't possible, "that's impossible," anger suddenly began to bubble within her, "my father would never supply weapons to terrorists!"

"We understand that," a female's voice spoke and Evelyn turned around to find a woman with brown hair tied into a tight ponytail step into the room, "General Talbot, I'll take it over from here."

General Talbot seemed glad; he had one Stark to worry about let alone another. "Thank you, Agent Woods."

Evelyn was gently taken out of tent, allowing the General to continue whatever task he had been up to before Evelyn's sudden arrival. Agent Woods took her to an empty tent, gesturing for the woman to sit in a cot.

"Miss Stark," Agent Woods began, her tone was kind but her words were blunt, "I know it's a shock for you to find out this information, but is it at all possible for Tony to have sold weapons to terrorists groups?"

Evelyn's jaw dropped and she stood from the cot, her face turning red as she grew angry once again. "My father maybe many things, Agent Woods, but he would not sell his weapons to terrorists," she hissed, "how dare you assume something like that!"

Agent Woods seemed unfazed by the anger. "We understand that, Miss Stark, but the truth of the matter was that Stark weapons were used on the convoy as evidenced by," she reached out to show Evelyn her phone, showing a picture of a casing with part of the Stark Industries logo it, "these were found near the site."

Evelyn sat down, looking at the image as tears began to pool in her eyes. It was true, she'd heard stories on the news that Stark Industries weapons had been fallen in the hands of terrorists, she hadn't wanted to believe it then and she most certainly didn't want to know… yet as she flicked through the photos, she found pictures of more weapon casings with the company brand on it, then the last picture was of the wreckage of the convoy. She looked away for a moment, wiping away her tears as the pictures seemed to zoom in on the destroyed humvee's, was her father even alive?

"I know this is hard for you," Agent Woods took the phone from her, offering the woman a sympathetic smile, "he was your father after all, but is there anyone within Stark Industries you could think of who'd be able to control assets without Tony knowing?"

Evelyn shook her head, her mind clouded with too much emotion to think clearly. "What about Rhodes?" Evelyn whispered, the idea of losing not only her father but the man she considered to be an uncle only made her upset.

"You'll be glad to know that Colonel Rhodes and his humvee survived the attack," the woman informed and Evelyn let out breathe of relief, "he and his squad are in the medical tent, recovering," Evelyn almost jumped to her feet, ready to see the man… to see if he had any answers, but Agent Woods stopped her, "he was sleeping when I saw him last."

Evelyn sunk back into the cot, running a hand through her hair, trying to compose herself. "Do you know when he'll be awake?"

"I'm not sure," Agent Woods shrugged, offering the woman a small smile, "but I've got some questions I'd like to ask him and his team when they awake, so I'll let you know when he's awake."

"Thank you," Evelyn cleared her throat, offering the woman a sad smile, "but I don't think General Talbot will allow me to stay for long."

Her plane was probably a potential target, if there was any chance the Stark's where being targeted by the terrorist group, she'd understand if the General would order her to leave Afghanistan and never return. Maybe she'd go and see Rhodes while he slept, just seeing the man might help her feel anything other then fear for her father's wellbeing.

"I can ask Talbot to give you 24 hours on base," Agent Woods offered, catching Evelyn by surprise, "it can give you time to speak with Colonel James Rhodes when he wakes up, you might even find there's something to do around here to help," she looked down at her phone, seeing a message appear on screen, "I need to report to my boss, let him know what I know, but stay here until I talk to Talbot."

Evelyn nodded and just watched as the woman walked away, speaking into her phone as she began to relay her information to whoever she worked for. Despite having slept quite well the night before, Evelyn suddenly felt exhausted, lying back in the cot and she closed her eyes, decided that maybe she'd fall asleep to wake up from the nightmare she found herself in.

It was probably about half an hour when Agent Woods stepped back in and woke Evelyn up, letting her known she had 24 hours before the pilots and she would have to leave Afghanistan, which was reasonable.

While her pilots remained on the ship, Evelyn found herself trying to find something to do while she waited for an update on Rhodes. It was a terrible thing to think about but she thought she could use this in her proposal for her project, get some support to have her idea support the men and women who were fighting the War on Terror, or maybe use her father's disappearance as a reason for Stark Industries to focus on more peaceful alternatives. She shook her head, clearing her head of all thoughts as she stepped into a nearby tent.

Her heart sunk at the sight before her. Men and women dressed in scrubs hurried around a makeshift tent, their scrubs covered in blood as they worked to save as many of the soldier wounded either in the humvee attack or in any other attack. She half expected to be shoved out of the tent, scared she'd be bringing in bacteria or something that could prove hazardous to those in need of attention… but she wasn't. The doctors and nurses were too busy to focus on Evelyn, some briefly looked at her as Evelyn began to walk in, but no one stopped her. The casualties of war, her father's weapons she'd suppose,

Evelyn had no idea how long she had been in the medical tent, talking to those who'd survived attacks and even helping some of the nurses with reapplying gauze and cleaning some minor injuries had made the hours seem to pass. It felt good to know she was helping, not in the same sense as the actual doctors and nurses, but her ability to listen to the men and women's stories of their wounds had been interesting. She had made trips between the plane she'd arrived on and back to the tent with armfuls of snacks and cold bottles of water, handing them out to those who needed them and gave them to the doctors and nurses to eat once the business had settled.

She had missed the way General Talbot and Agent Woods had watched her closely, noting how different she was compared to her father. The man wouldn't have provided anything from his private jet for his allies, well nothing except alcohol for him and a select few, yet they watched as Evelyn made the trek between the plane and tent without asking anyone to help her once. Agent Woods was sure to make a note of this for her records, this could provided useful for the future.

"Miss Stark," a voice called out into the tent, Evelyn excusing herself from the conversation she was having with a soldier, "Colonel Rhodes is awake."

Evelyn's eyes widened and she followed the soldier to another tent, where Rhodey was stood with his back to her. "Colonel," the soldier called, saluting the man.

Rhodey turned around; ready to send the man away, when he spotted Evelyn. "Evie?" he breathed, not believing the woman to actually be there.

"Uncle Rhodey," Evelyn ran to the man, tears falling from her eyes as she hugged the man, "oh thank god."

Rhodey hugged her tightly before he pulled away and held her at an arms length, the soldier who had escorted her over having left by now. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he demanded, worry in his eyes as he feared losing another Stark.

"I came as soon as I heard," Evelyn told him, wiping her eyes with her hands, "they said was captured and that your squadron had survived the attack… I just… I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"Oh Evie," Rhodey sighed, pulling her back in for another hug, "I'm so sorry."

They stood like that for a moment before Evelyn pulled back, a firm look on her face. "Tell me what happened, Rhodey."

He sighed and gestured for her to take a seat, waiting for her to sit down before he finally began to explain all that he could to Tony's daughter. It wasn't easy for him to recall it; there were times during his explanation he had to compose himself, just as Evelyn had to as well. There wasn't much that Rhodey knew that Evelyn hadn't known from the soldiers of his squadron had told her, she was just glad to learn that Rhodey was planning a search and rescue.

"Miss Stark," Agent Woods stepped into the tent, a look of regret on her face, "you're twenty four hours are up, General Talbot needs you to evacuate the base."

Evelyn looked over at the woman, a desperate look on her face. "Is there no way I can stay," Evelyn tried, "I could help with the search and rescue."

"I'd rather you be safe in Miami, Evie," Rhodey told her, watching as Evelyn turned to look at him, "I lost one Stark out here, I'm not losing another."

Evelyn made a move to protest, to defend herself saying she wouldn't be lost to the group, but she saw the pleading look on his face and she sighed. She stood up, saying a quick goodbye to Rhodey and making him promise that he'd keep in contact with her on any updates, before being escorted back to the plane by Agent Woods.

"I saw what you did today," the older woman said as they walked to the hanger, the plane must have been moved there to refuel and to keep safe, "it was really good of you to stay with those soldiers."

Evelyn just shrugged, her mood was shifting between happiness at seeing Rhodey and grief for her father. "It wasn't anything special," she brushed off the compliment, "it was nice to talk to them, nice to see I can do something good."

They reached the hanger, the co-pilot stood by the steps as he waited for her arrival. "Miss Stark." He greeted and turned to enter the plane.

"Thank you, Agent Woods," Evelyn held a hand out for the woman to shake, "for allowing me to stay on the base, I don't think I can do anything to repay you."

"It's nothing," it was Agent Woods turn to brush off it off, shaking hands with Evelyn, "just promise me one thing," Evelyn nodded as she made her way up the steps, showing that she was listening, "continue your work on your project."

Evelyn turned once she reached the top of the stairs, confusion in her eyes. "How did you know about that?"

"People are watching you, Miss Stark," Agent Woods told her, a smile on her face, though it made Evelyn uneasy, "with the way you acted today, people will start to notice your plan."

And with that, Agent Woods walked off with a small smile on her face and watched as the plane left off the runway.

…

When Evelyn returned to Miami she was greeted by Liam, Bianca, Pepper and Happy, the group standing with mixed emotions on their faces. Evelyn just stepped off the plane, tears flowing down her face as she reached the final step, and the group instantly consumed her into a hug. No one said anything as Evelyn sobbed, each person fearing for the worst possible outcome.

They knew that she'd tell them what she learnt when she calmed down… even if wasn't answers they were hoping for.

…

A month had passed since Tony had gone missing and Evelyn hadn't lost hope. Rhodey was still calling her every few weeks to give her an update; despite there being no changes it was still nice to be kept up to date with the search. Evelyn was lucky she had a strong net to fall back onto, if it wasn't for her friends… she didn't know what she'd do.

She hadn't touched her project for the last month, too distracted by nightmares and thoughts of finding her father dead or having him just forgotten. Not that the world could possibly forget Tony Stark… right?

Instead, she found herself being distracted with plans made by Liam and Bianca, the duo having made it their personal duty to ensure that Evelyn wouldn't just sit in the mansion and let the grief consume her. No, instead she found herself travelling the globe with Liam, going on adventures with Bianca whenever she returned home and spending some quality time with Pepper. The two women had grown incredibly close in the time that Tony had been gone, Pepper really stepped up to become that mother role Evelyn once thought of her as.

…

In the second month Evelyn found herself working on her project, remembering Agent Woods words that people would be watching her… whatever she meant by that. She had planned another proposal to Oscorp, it seemed bad to reach out to a competitor but she was running out of people to turn to.

She also welcomed the distraction with open arms, sure it was nice to spend time with her boyfriend and best friend… but it was getting a bit dull. She felt like everything was just a repeat of something she had once enjoyed, even spending time with Bianca was getting to become the same stale thing. It should be like that, she should enjoy spending time with them.

So Evelyn stood in front of a mirror holding up two blazers, which looked the same to her, as she tried to find a suitable outfit to wear. She decided against wearing a skirt, instead going with a pantsuit, her hair tied back into a loose ponytail and she wore a minimal amount of makeup. She didn't want to people at Oscorp to think she was trying to impress them with her looks, she wanted them to focus on her pitch.

Pepper stepped into the room, smiling at the woman's reflection. "You should go with the first grey one," Pepper suggested, Evelyn jumped slightly as she was pulled out of her thoughts, "it goes with your pants."

Evelyn nodded, tossing the other blazer onto the bed behind her, and shrugged on the blazer. She tugged it down a few times before stopping, deciding that she looked professional enough. "Do you think they'll listen to me?" Evelyn asked, turning to Pepper.

"They better," Pepper nodded, stepping over to straighten out the blazer, before resting her hand on her shoulder, "otherwise Stark Industries will take this from them."

Evelyn shook her head, she'd been over this idea before… or at least Bianca had. "Stark Industries wouldn't touch this plan," Evelyn informed Pepper with a smile, "I don't think a refugee and rehabilitation center would match their weapon manufacturer reputation."

"You never know, stranger things have happened." Pepper suggested with a smile.

Evelyn smiled back at the woman, taking a took at her appearance once again, before shaking her shoulders and grabbed the folders and tablet from her bed and walked out of mansion. Maybe she'd successful.