Chapter 2
Anna and Tony had left the press confrence behind and had Happy drive them to the building that housed the Arc Reactor Project. They both stood there, staring at it, not knowing what to say to the other.
"Anna…"
"Tony…"
They spoke at the same time. This caused them to shoot each other nervous glances.
"Ladies first." Tony said quickly before she could say anything. Anna sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Tony, I'm sorry I wasn't here helping you with everything, and for disappearing."
Tony immediately shook his head. "No, don't put it all on you, Anna. This was all on me. I am the one that treated you like crap, who didn't treat you like the best little sister that you are. I am the one that didn't protect you, that hurt you all of those years ago. Do not think for a second it is your fault."
Anna sighed again. "I guess we can agree to disagree, brother."
Another silence.
"So, what happened?" Tony asked. Anna shot him a curious look.
"What happened with what?"
"What happened in Qatar?"
Anna knew that she could never endanger her brother in the war between Autobots and Decepticons, and she knew that she could never tell him that she was now the Allspark either. "What happened in Afghanistan?"
Tony pursed his lips. "Touche."
He opened his mouth to say something else when they were interrupted by Obi coming in. Anna rolled her eyes and moved to the other side of Tony, not wanting to be anywhere near him.
Obi had a cigar in his mouth as he put his hands on his hips and stared at the two of them. But most of his attention was centered on Tony.
"Well, that… That went well."
Tony looked away. "Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?" Tony asked.
Obi walked towards him. "Your head? What about my head? What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?"
Anna decided to step in. She didn't like how Obi was treating Tony, like Tony was a misbehaving kid who needed to be scolded.
"Optimistically, 40 points." Anna pipped up.
Tony turned his head and nodded to her in agreement. Obi stood back and looked between the two of them.
"At minimum."
Tony untied his tie and put it next to his suit jacket in front of him. "Yep." Tony said, agreeing with Obi's statement.
"Tony, Anna, we're a weapons manufacturer."
"Obi, I-" Anna cleared her throat loudly. Tony shot her a slight grin before turning serious again as he turned his attention back onto Obi. "I mean we, just don't want a body count to be our only legacy."
"That's what we do. We're iron mongers. We make weapons."
"But we don't have to make weapons, Obi, that is what Tony is trying to say."
The two men turned their attention onto Anna.
"I've been on the front lines, I've seen some pretty bloody action out there on the front lines. I've seen men and women that I have known for years killed right next to me. And Obi, if the board members try to give any grief to this, tell them that this is in honor for all those that were killed in the service of protecting my brother."
Obi sighed.
"It's mine and Anna's name on the side of the building."
"What we do keeps the world from falling into chaos."
Anna rolled her eyes. It was like Obi hadn't heard her.
Tony shook his head in denial, staring directly into Obi's eyes. "Not based on what I saw. We're not doing a good enough job. We can do better. We're gonna do something else."
"Like what?" Obi immediately pounced. "You want us to make baby bottles?"
"Why don't you leave what we are going to be doing to Tony and I. After all, Tony and I own anything that has Stark on it, so let us make the decisions about our company. Tony, let's go. I haven't been home in years."
Tony smirked at her. His attention no longer on Obi, but Anna could see Obi glare at her when Tony's attention was turned onto her.
"Yea, let's go… And Obi, I agree with Anna. Let us worry about what we are going to be doing with our company."
The two ignored Obi as he tried to protest with them leaving and went outside and got into the car that Happy was leaning against waiting for them.
"Where to, sir, miss?" Happy asked, sliding into the driver's seat.
"Home, Happy. We're going home."
"Yes, sir."
Anna leaned her head on her brother's shoulder and sighed.
"I'm glad you're home, Tony."
"I'm glad I'm home too… And don't think I've forgotten about my question about Qatar. I will be getting the answers from you, one way or another."
Anna snorted. "Whatever you say, Tony, whatever you say."
They were together again. It was the two of them against the world again. They were once broken, now they are one.
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NEST POV
"Hey Lennox!" a soldier on base shouted as he came into the hanger.
Lennox looked over from where he was talking with Epps on the catwalk that had been built for the human soldiers to communicate easily with the Autobots. Speaking of the Autobots, all of them were along the back wall in recharge, or sleeping.
"Yes, soldier? What is it?" Lennox asked as the soldier ran up the stairs and towards him.
"You've gotta put on NBC, now!"
"Why? Is it Decepticons?" Lennox asked even as he turned on the tv and flipped it to the news channel. But Lennox should have known that saying that word would cause the Autobots to awaken. Immediately, Optimus, Ironhide, Jazz, Ratchet, and the sparklings that Anna had created had transformed and come to see what they were all watching. But not only did the Autobots that had been there for months with them join them, but also did the new arrivals. Sideswipe, Mirage, Jolt, Wheeljack, Prowl, and Inferno came over as well.
"Did you say 'Decepticon'?" Ironhide rumbled, his hands changing into canons and back again as if anticapating a fight.
"No, no, it's not Decepticons!" the soldier that had came in said. "There, stop!"
There was a news report titled 'Stark's Return'.
Lennox immediately knew why the soldier was acting the way he was. "This is about Tony, Anna's brother?'
Immediately the Autobots that had begun to lose interest in what the humans were doing returned their attention back to the televsion. The original Autobots had told the newcomers all about the human femme and they all knew that the woman was special and that the Autobots owed her a debt for saving Jazz's life.
"… in another news, Tony Stark has been found after having been held captive by a terrorist group in Afghanistan. Everyone is relieved that he has been found, but everyone, even Obidiah Stane, CEO of Stark Industries, was shocked when Tony Stark shut down the weapon manufacturing department of Stark Industries." the male news anchor announced.
A clip was shown of Tony Stark standing in a room of reporters with cuts and bruises over his face and with his right arm in a sling announcing the shut down.
After the clip, the camera returend to the male and female reporter sitting at the desk. "And it seems that Tony Stark isn't the only Stark brought back into the spotlight. The long lost daughter of Howard Stark and Maria Stark, sister of Tony Stark, who hasn't been seen in years, surprised all in attendance at the press confrence, even more than Stark's shut down of his company. Here's a photo that our photographer managed to take showing the Stark siblings reunited once again."
An image popped up on the screen showing the two of them hugging, and if you looked closely, you could see a single tear slipping down Tony's face as he hugged his sister.
"The question now is: what is the plan now for Stark Industries?"
Lennox shut the television off.
"So, the chica is alright then?" Jazz asked. They had all been worried when Anna had disappeared from their radar - Cybertronian and human - two weeks ago after having been in a coma for three months.
Lennox turned around and saw that the Autobots were unnaturally still, their blue electric eyes focused on him to say whether or not Anna was safe or not.
"I believe so, yes. I don't think Tony Stark is going to let anyone or anything close to Anna to hurt her."
Optimus nodded. "Even so, I believe that she should have a guardian. We don't know if any Decepticons have seen this broadcast."
Immediately Sideswipe, Jazz, and the sparklings volunteered to be her guardian.
Optimus thought it over. "Gleam, you will go as you can pose as her cellphone. And both Sideswipe and Jazz will be her guardians. There is something special about her, something that needs to be protected. And, Sideswipe, when Sunstreaker arrives, he will be joining the three of you. Dismissed."
Sideswipe and Jazz transformed and waited for a minute for Gleam to get in Jazz's alt form before speeding off through the Arizona desert towards Malibu, where Tony Stark lived.
The two of them were excited for they as well could sense that Anna was something important to the Cybertronian race as a whole, and they hoped that as their guardians, they would be able to find out what it was, real soon.