AN: It was my birthday on the 15th of August! I'm nineteen now, which makes this my last year as a teenager. I'm excited, because it was Becky/Morgan's birthday on the 17th. Happy Birthday, my creation. So, as a present to her, here is some agony and pain!
Thanks to Amymikaelsonand, yukicarr, pan94, for favoriting
Thanks to SilverWolf1992, ebongiovanni, Wingdings13, Amymikaelson, Narablack15, yukicarr, pan94, dallysbear, djmegamouth, Irrelevant86, for following
To:
==NM==
There was a brief moment when I was passenger side to Tony's crazy driving, that I thought we were going fast enough to travel back in time. It would be the only way Rhodes wouldn't be pissed at us for being late.
Tony had must Pepper and I wait another twenty minutes before leaving his house. Was it really so difficult for him to chose one stupid fucking car?! They all made him look like an arrogant asshole. Pepper was ripping her hair out at the roots, and I was planning on killing Becky's roots.
When we pulled up to the runway, I saw Rhodes standing on the jet waiting for us. He looked angry even from this distance.
Tony slammed on the brakes. I was pulled forward, only barely held back with the seatbelt.
I climbed out of his car, only mildly affected at his driving. Happy pulled up just a few seconds after.
"You're good." Tony complimented. Well, his version of a compliment anyway. He was laughing too. "I thought I lost you back there."
"You did, sir." Happy deadpanned. He popped open his trunk, pulling out our overnight bags and Tony's suit. "I had to cut across Mulholland."
"I got you. I got you." The billionaire acknowledged, before walking towards the plane.
"Sorry Happy." I sighed. I reached for my bag. He waved me off.
"It's alright, Becky." Happy grunted. "I got it."
My messenger bag was over my shoulder. It held a lot more than those suitcases, including some gear I thought would be nice for the cave. The suitcase Happy was holding was as useless as an hole filled sock. I only brought it to keep up appearances.
I ran to the plane, catching up to Tony and Rhodes.
Rhodes stared flatly at Tony. "What's wrong with you?" Rhodes asked.
I paused on the steps, confused by the angry declaration. What? What did I do? Was it the outfit? Damn, Pepper, I told you this outfit was ridiculous!
"What?" Tony asked innocently.
"Three hours." Rhodes stated.
"I got caught doing a piece for Vanity Fair." Tony excused.
"More like doing someone from Vanity Fair." I grumbled, climbing up his stupid steps.
"For three hours." Colonel Rhodes growled. "For three hours you got me standing here."
Tony walked past the Colonel. "Waiting on you now. Let's go. Come on." Tony hopped into the plane.
I sighed, pulling my bag higher over my shoulder. "I'm so-"
"Wheels up! Rock and roll!" Tony shouted.
"Nah. It's okay." Rhodes replied to me. "I'm not blaming you for your dad being an ass."
The three of us walked onto the plane. There wasn't much else to do.
==NM==
Pepper sent me the files of our newest weapon. I was reading over the designs, and projected financials once the contract goes through. It was all mostly legal mumbo jumbo, do I was putting a Harvard degree to use.
She threw in some newspaper arrival about me accepting the award. Pepper liked showing me that I had value in the company, even if Dad (why do I do this to myself?) didn't see it that way. Well, as much as we argued about it, the dress looked nice on me.
Rhodes and Tony were sitting at the plane side table.
"What you reading, platypus?" Tony asked Rhodes.
"Nothing." Rhodes deadpanned.
Looking up from my seat on the couch, I could see Rhodes just not giving Tony any sort of slack.
"Come on, sour patch." Tony teased. "Don't be mad."
"I told you, I'm not mad. I'm indifferent, okay?" Rhodes replied.
"I said I was sorry." Tony argued. Oh, of course, because that means something from him.
"Good morning, Mr. Stark." The black haired attendant greeted. Tony didn't like name tags, and the attendants were different every flight (so I was told).
Tony grinned at her.
Rhodes dropped his papers on the table. "You don't need to apologize to me. I'm your man."
"Hi. I told him I was sorry, but he..." Tony waved his hand, as if it explained everything.
I rolled my eyes, going back to my papers.
"I'm just indifferent right now." Rhodes went on.
"Hot towel?" The attendant asked.
Tony took one, half ignoring Rhodes. "You don't respect yourself, so I know you don't respect me." Rhodes spoke.
"I respect you." Tony shrugged. I know he actually did, but that was just annoying.
"And you haven't respected Becky since she was born." Rhodes added.
"Thanks for that." I voiced. "Thanks for dragging me into that."
"I'm just your babysitter. So, when you need your diaper changed." He respectfully waved the attendant away. I soon followed. "Thank you. Let me know and I'll get you a bottle, okay?"
"I don't need a babysitter." Tony brushed off. "Becky's the one under the drinking age."
"Which means I don't get drunk, which means I have no reason to need a babysitter." I argued. "Unlike you, Mister Driving-Over-The-Speed-Limit."
"Hey! Heat up the sake, will you?" Tony asked to the blonde attendant, before turning to me. "Thanks for reminding me."
"That is not what I meant." I commented, though I knew he wasn't listening.
"No, I'm not talking..." Rhodes sighed, looking awestruck that Tony was still this stupid. "We're not drinking. Becky's too young, and we're working right now."
That was the point I brought the reports up to my face, trying to hide from the craziness I found myself in.
Rhodes was still going though. "It's too irresponsible."
"It's not irresponsible. I'm just talking about a nightcap!" Tony excused.
"Nightcaps happen at night!" I corrected.
"Hot sake?" The blonde attendant offered.
"Yes. Two please, and a soda for the kid."
"I'm not a kid." I argued.
Though my voice was again ignored.
==NM==
One Hour Later
The boys were on the couch now, getting their 'nightcaps'. Tony had the clubs lights on, as well as the loud hip hop music. I would have honestly preferred to have packed headphones, at least then I could pretend I wasn't in a strip club with my bio-dad. And that is the most disgusting sentence I have ever thought.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose to fight off my now constant headache. This wasn't what I needed to be dealing with right now. The Becky part of my personality was squirming inside of me, not liking the idea of being on this plane.
The eleven year old though, it was hard to hide this from her. I wanted to stay a kid sometimes, to hold onto what was left. I'd seen so much, and in less than a day I would go through so much more. Whenever I went Home, if for nothing than to just kill the time, I was back to acting like a stupid kid.
Rhodes laughed over the music. "That's what I'm talking about." He gripped Tony's shoulder drunkenly.
I rolled my eyes, trying to get deeper into the reports for the Jericho. If I was going to be trapped in the cave, I would need a baseline understanding of how to build the Jericho.
"When I get up in the morning, and I'm putting on my uniform, you know what I recognize?"
"Yourself?" I remarked dryly, lifting up the report of the Jericho. Adjusting my reading glasses, I kept an eye on the measurements.
"Yeah. You know what else?" Rhodes asked. I snorted. He was such a lightweight. "I see in that mirror that every person that's got this uniform will get my back!"
"Here we go again. I'm not like you." Tony
"No, you don't have to be like me. But you're more than...yes you are."
"Will you excuse me, I'm a little bit distracted here." Tony gestured to the dancing attendants.
"No, you can't be distracted right now. Listen to me!" Rhodes insisted.
Only Tony was distracted. He always was.
==NM==
It was hot.
Becky, or at least her body, was used to the heat. She grew up in LA. She wore sweaters all the time. This heat was nothing.
My personality, the dominant one, hated anyplace hotter than 70 degrees. It just wasn't natural.
Once Air Stark had landed, Tony wasted no time before his weapons presentation. I stood off to the side behind the group of military men. Rhodes was beside me. Judging on the slight distance he was keeping from me, I had a look of pure annoyance on my face.
"Is it better to be feared or respected?" Tony began. "And I say, is it too much to ask for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries freedom line."
'Humbly? I shocked he could pronounce that.'I thought, using my hand to fan myself.
"It's the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology. They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree." Tony explained dutifully. "I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once."
I scoffed.
Rhodes smirked at my side. "You wear sweaters in LA, Beck."
"JARVIS keeps it Antarctica cold in LA." I countered.
"You better get used to this." Rhodes added, teasing. "Cause you'll be in charge of Stark Industries if something happens to your dad. Transactions like this will be commonplace."
I threw him a spare me glare. "With my luck, he'll live to be ninety." Rhodes snorted. Tony went on with his speech, though I wasn't listening. "But, no. He's more likely to give the company to Pepper."
"She'll never take it." Rhodes stated simply. "No way. She'd beat Tony-hell I'd beat Tony-if it didn't go to you."
I smiled in thanks, even though I knew he'd give the company to Pepper the next movie. "I'd screw it up. The company would be in shambles in a week." They shouldn't put this much faith in me. All I could do, all I was good at, was helping people from behind the scenes(ish). You know, the thing I've been doing for nearly a century? Saying right words at the right time, pushing this person out of a bullet's path, or getting them their crush.
In a few hours, Tony's humvee would go up. There was no chance I was letting him go into that hell alone, so I would be at his side. There was no telling if the Ten Rings would kill me just to keep Tony Stark. Why keep the prototype when there was a finished product? There was some use in me as a hostage, but if Obadiah wanted control over Stark Industries he needed Becky dead.
It didn't help that just as I thought this the Jericho went off.
==NM==
Tony popped open the champagne case. Before I could even reach for a glass, he pulled it out of my reach.
"We throw one of these in with every purchase of 500 million or more." Tony added to the military men.
Right. It was for the client's. My bad.
It didn't stop Tony from having his own glass. "To peace!" He flipped open his phone, revealing the half (at least I hope it was half) naked business partner to Tony Stark.
"Tony, Rebecca." Obadiah spoke.
"Hi Obadiah." I greeted in a tense smile.
"Obie, what are you doing up?" Tony teased.
"I couldn't sleep till I found out how it went. How did it go? Did Rebecca learn anything?"
"That I don't like the desert." I replied dryly. "And Dad can pronounce humbly without choking."
Obadiah laughed.
"Yes. Spectacular acting on my part." Tony acknowledged. I snorted, smiling at his 'I am Tony Stark and I am perfection incarnate' personality. "Went great, looks like it's gonna be an early Christmas." Tony explained. He started walking off.
I followed, stopping when I remembered we were walking into the humvee. Looking around at the soldiers, I recognized some as the ones from the opening scene. The ones that died...
"Hey, way to go, my boy. And Rebecca, keep your dad's head on straight." Obadiah cheered. I stood mute, nodding was my only possibly response. "I'll see you both tomorrow, yeah?"
"Why aren't you wearing those pyjamas I got you?" Tony joked.
Okay. I'll admit, that one made me chuckle.
"Good night, Tony, Rebecca." Obadiah deadpanned.
Swallowing my nerves, I climbed into the humvee. Tony just behind me. I tried to hide my nerves with slow breaths. Just keep Tony alive, at least until the cave. If I make it that far...
"Hey Becky, Tony!" Rhodes called out.
"Rhodes!" I answered. The Becky part of my mind wanted him to come along. Rhodes was family to her, someone she knew she could trust.
Tony slammed the door. "I'm sorry, this is the fun-vee." He stated. "The hum-drum-vee is back there."
Even behind his glasses, I knew Rhodes was looking at me. "Nice job."
It didn't feel like it. It felt as though I was killing every soldier in this car.
"See you back at base." The weapons dealer took another gulp of his drink.
The Colonel walked away.
"Rhodes?" I called out, voice trembling in a break of character.
"Don't worry about it, Becks." My friend assured. "I'll see you later!"
The humvee started up without another word. I couldn't do anymore to stop it.
And you know what happened next...
