"If this is going to be our work place, I want it well lit." Tony called. Today, early I'm guessing by the feeling in my bones, we were calling out the list. I felt so tired, but really that could be the electromagnet failing. The water treatment had affected the workings of my electromagnet, and if I didn't get the arc reactor soon, I'd be dead. "I want these up."
"I need welding gear, two of propane, and two of acetylene." I told them. Yinsen was hurrying to translate it to the people walking around us, bringing in things as we said it. A man beside us was taking down what we said, but in a different language, just in case they missed everything.
"We need a soldering station, with helmets, and goggles." Tony instructed, not taking a breath. I wondered at him. This morning, or whenever I had awoken I'd found myself wrapped in strong, muscular arms that led to Tony. I'd been so happy, both to be in his arm, and as well, that I'd awoken first. I don't know if he had done it on purpose, but I'm almost positive that my face had been past blood red. I was so comfortable though, and Tony and I were so well fit together. My entire body had fit so well against his with me turned to see him, and him facing me. I felt so warm and…loved.
"I'm going to need a smelting cup and three precision tools."
It took them some time, because the missiles we wanted were quite heavy, but when they were all gone, and I had shed the jacket Tony and I started work on one of the missiles. Yinsen hovered over us, not knowing what was going on. Tony was taking apart the missile at one part, trying to get to the palladium, while I was trying to get to the longer pieces of coiled up wire in there. I yanked on the fins, trying to get to the bolts underneath. I grunted when it came off. Yes. Starting to take the bolts off I listened to the conversation between Yinsen and Tony.
"How many languages do you speak?" Tony asked, conversationally. I glanced up from my work and grinned over the missile at Tony. Awe, he's trying to get along with Yinsen. Not that I cared, because Tony had slicked his hair back. Even with his facial hair more of a full on beard, and him being dirty, and aging constantly, I loved him looking like this. He didn't know this but his eyes were wide with inspiration, and determination.
"A lot, but apparently not enough for this place." Yinsen answered, watching Tony as he opened the front of the missile. I finished taking the bolts off, and used a flat head screwdriver to ply open the back. I glanced in at the layer of wires and metal in there. To anyone else this would look like nonsense, but that's the way we made it. It wouldn't do any good if everyone could copy our weapons. I tugged out the metal, careful not to force it, or cut the wires.
"They speak, Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Russian," Yinsen listed off, but I interrupted.
"I know that one." I said, wiggling the rest of the metal out. They looked at me. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you guys having a man's moment?" I asked, grinning at them. "I speak Russian, Italian, and French. Thanks for asking. You know feeling the love." I rambled, turning into a whisper after a few moments. I was only joking with them really. Tony snorted at me and kept talking with Yinsen.
Tony yanked out the other side of the missile, the part I didn't need just yet. We only need wiring from about two missiles, with just the two of us, but we needed a lot more of the palladium, and soon I would need to help break down what seemed to be like millions of missiles. It hurts to even think that now, I'm sitting here taking apart my own missiles in a cave, being held hostage, and tied to a battery that is keeping me alive. I think it'd hurt anyone really but…it's just something that changes your perspective on your life. So far my life hasn't really amounted to anything more than money and weapons. Neither of those things means something in the long run.
"Who are these people?" Tony asked Yinsen. I cut off some of the wires, obviously using wire cutters but also being careful not to split the copper and iron pieces from each other. I needed the blue, red and green wires but I couldn't cut the green one off without cutting the yellow first or…well boom. I moved the glob of metal closer to the light that was balancing close to the table's edge, while Tony began to get to the palladium.
"Your loyal customers, sir." Yinsen answered.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed, pulling back my hand when I cut myself using the wire cutters. I made a face at the little cut. I hate pain period, and after all of this pain I've already been through, you'd think this wouldn't mean anything, but it just hurt okay. I grabbed a rag from somewhere and wiped away the blood, getting back to work in a noticeably worse mood.
"They are called the Ten Rings." Yinsen filled in Tony, but I already knew. I think it was one of the questions I first asked wasn't it? Ah, who knows? I glanced at them and Tony had pulled something out from behind the other hunk of metal, which held the palladium in it. Tony brought it to my table, with the light and began picking through it for the palladium slice that was in it.
"You know, we might be more productive if you two include me in the planning process." Yinsen hinted. I snickered, and finally cut the last wire. I speculatively looked at the wires. Yes, they were the right length, but I didn't need that yellow one. I threw it in the trash at the edge of the table. Then I grabbed the metal piece that Tony had dragged out, the piece before he got to the piece he's using now, and I started cutting.
I jumped when Tony threw the piece of metal he was working on over his shoulder, "Okay, we don't need this." He held up the little life saving piece of palladium. It was silver colored, and thin in a rectangular shape. We were going to need a lot more than that.
"What is that?" Yinsen asked. I moved towards them, as they were on the other side of the small table from me.
"That is palladium, 0.15 grams." I told him, staring at the little strip that was going to keep Tony and I's hearts beating.
"We need at least 3.2." Tony told Yinsen, looking to the man, already knowing that this process was going to be long and complicated. "So why don't you go ahead and break down the other 23?" Tony asked Yinsen. I rubbed the side of my face with my hand. I suppose it was better than a lot of paper work, but I'm starting to appreciate the lack of physical work I have to do for the paper work.
It took two days for us to break down the twenty two missiles, and we ended up wasting some time trying to make sure that they didn't catch us. But I spent some of the third day making the mold for the palladium to be shaped. We needed two, and my whole, in my chest would need to be cut larger, merrily because but it was going to be okay. I'd have some of the left over anesthetic, that we were splitting between Tony and I, so it should just be a little more ache around the circle in my chest, but just for a little while. Yinsen says it shouldn't be as bad as the time before.
Now Tony and I were holding our battery's up, carefully watching Yinsen take the palladium, in a smelting cup, and pour it into the molds that I made, carefully made. "Careful…" Tony warned Yinsen who held the smelting cup carefully, and steadily.
"Easy…" I muttered myself, worried. There was no way that we'd get any more palladium, either because they didn't have any more, or because they would get fed up with us. We were probably already walking a thin wire as it is.
"Careful, we only get one shot at this." Tony warned again. Yinsen smirked.
"Relax. I have steady hands. They are the reason you two are still alive." Yinsen told us. I rolled my eyes and went ahead and placed my battery down on the table as Yinsen carefully made his way over to the table to pour. Tony followed my example, dropping his battery down as well.
I held my breath as Yinsen began to pour the liquid palladium into the first mold, and then the next. I zoned in on it, while Yinsen and Tony muttered to each other. I breathed out when everything went according to plan, and the palladium melded to the mold. I held up my hand for a high five and Tony snorted at my enthusiasm, but none the less gave me a high five.
"We're on our way." I teased.
For the next day and a half we worked continuously, taking the palladium from the mold, placing it carefully in a glass casing, and then welding with small welding utensils so that we could get the previously mentioned wires, having stripped them of the protective outsides and soaked them in the necessary chemicals so that we could use the actual wiring and correctly. We had to use magnify glasses on some of the things, something Tony and I really had to adjust to, seeing as we were both so used to having Jarvis around to do the work for us. It was a trip, doing things for ourselves for once. Most of the time we are spoiled rich kids, and don't even realize that someone has to actually do their own stuff.
Finally on the third day we connected the ready arc reactor to a source of special blue energy, which could only be conducted through the palladium, thus the importance. Tony had his hair slicked back again with grease, and I had mine tied back with stray pieces of wiring. My jacket was off, and I had oil and dirt stains on me, not even taking breaks to shower seemed important anymore. I was just ready to not have to worry about one more thing.
I sat in front of the two finished arc reactors, just waiting for that dial to be switched on, to see if the idea of a miniaturized arc reactor could work. "So, who should do the honors?" I asked quietly, as if I would blow the entire arc reactors up if I were to speak above a whisper. I looked up to Tony and Yinsen. Yinsen, as pristine as he can be in this place, was looking to Tony, who met my green eyes. He smiled at me, something rare in these caves, and something I looked for from him, even if I had to shock it out of him.
"You." Tony decided. I smiled at him, happily. Before this place, and after Tony started being…Tony, he would have wanted to do it. I reveled in this wonder, as I started flipping the switch through the power stages. The more I amped the reactors, the more of the blue light funneled from the connection tube, and into the arc reactors. Not only that, but the lights began to flicker, and when I hit the max, a few unused bulbs smashed. I jumped, and glanced at them but then steadied my attention on the arc reactors.
"We did it." I muttered happily, as everything, except the lights in the background that were protesting their lack of power, remained stable. I looked up to Tony, but he wasn't looking at the arc reactors, like I suspected. Strangely he was tenderly looking at me. The look only confused me.
"We did." Tony repeated, standing straight and full on grinning at me now. "You've come a long way from engineering as a hobby." Tony told me, rubbing my head. I muttered curses as I felt over my nasty hair. God, I miss civilization right now. Yinsen at some point had taken his hat off, which was dorky if you wanted my opinion, and now was looking in wonder at the two creations awaiting installment into our chests.
"Wow," He whispered. "Those do not look like Jericho missiles." He told us.
"That's because they are miniaturized arc reactors." I told him, grabbing a spare rag that was on the table, so that I could wipe my hands off, and my face.
"Anna and I have a big one powering our factory at home." Tony intoned, now looking contemplatively and soberly at the arc reactors. "It should keep the shrapnel out of our hearts." Tony told him. I gauged how much of the energy had been fueled into the palladium, to see if there was enough in there that it could hold its own energy conducting source. It just needed a little more I believe.
"But what could it generate?" Yinsen asked. I looked up at him.
"If my math is appropriate, and I don't mean to brag but it is one of my strong points." I noted. "Three gigajoules a second sounds exact." I told him, resting my head on my hand. So far, I'd had three hours of sleep since that first day that Tony and I had rejoined each other.
"That could run your hearts for…fifty lifetimes." Yinsen figured up. I looked him in the eye as Tony answered for us.
"Yeah, or some big for 15 minutes." Tony answered. I stood up and stretched, popping my back quite a few times, leaving a dull ache there. My bruises were healing up nicely, with zero complaint from me. All of the moving around I'd done had helped my soreness, and the aching to where I felt no pain, as of right now anyways.
"Which one of you wishes to go first?" Yinsen asked the question that had been weighing on all of our minds. I sighed and tried in vain to push my greasy hair back from my face. What could I do? I asked myself. I didn't want to see Tony go through it; I mean it's going to be bloody and probably a painful process to watch. I don't want to do it first though, what if it doesn't work? The process has to go fast, so that the shrapnel doesn't pass to close to our hearts. The shrapnel didn't make it too far; it usually takes an entire week to take a life. Going though it now though, will probably make it easier for me, instead of just waiting for it to come to me.
"I'll go first." I looked to Tony, surprised. Since when did Tony want to do things first, without me trying it out? Who was the first one to try the new computers, the new equipment, and the newest rum? Tony always waited for me to go first, even if it was something simple.
"You absolutely will not!" I exclaimed, looking at him in disagreement. Tony only looked back at me, with a straight face and a determined look that I'd never seen on his face before.
"Like hell you are." Tony answered, moving forward, laying one hand on the desk, next to what I'm sure is the finished arc reactors, energy all soaked up, but I wasn't paying attention to that, or the still flickering lights. Instead I was paying attention to the odd Tony, who, for once wanted to take up his responsibilities.
"And why not?" I yelled at him, moving forward as well, my battery wires stretching. "I'm not going to sit and watch Yinsen put the arc reactor in your chest!" I told him, poking him on the right side of the electromagnet. Tony grimaced and opened his mouth to argue again. "No!" I closed his mouth with a finger under his chin. "I may put up with you not going to meetings, and I may put up with your one night hops, but I'm putting that thing in my chest, first." I huffed, and turned to Yinsen, who had been looking between us. It took me a second before I grinned soothingly at Yinsen.
"Jesus." Tony muttered, and then grinned at me. "You're scary when you're angry." Tony told me. I rolled my eyes and huffed. "All, five feet of you." Tony joked, trying to relieve some of the tension I suppose. I shrunk up in mock anger, hitting Tony's arm lightly.
"Come on, I'll show you something before we go under." Tony said, moving to another table, the lights began to stabilize, the less of the energy that the arc reactors needed fueled into it. Yinsen and I followed Tony with no argument, of course he wouldn't have had to tell me to follow, that's just my job, to shadow Tony everywhere he goes and make sure he's always okay. Tony shuffled a few tracing papers together, and stacked them together. I moved forward to look through them.
"No way." I muttered, surprised. Was this…?
"This is our ticket out of here." Tony said, needlessly, or not so needlessly, seeing as Yinsen couldn't understand all of these plans, but I got it and I was amazed. Only Tony could come up with something this magnificent, in a cave with a bunch of scraps. I let go of the tracing paper and thought of all the possibilities. I mean, what if we were back home? Do you understand how far we could take this? And…we could use it for something other than handing over to the army, at least until we find out who's been dealing under the table.
"What is it?" Yinsen asked, not as technology understanding as Tony and I are.
"Flatten them out and look." Tony ordered, and then did it himself. I looked, in complete and utter awe at the piece of drawn machinery in front of me. If we could pull this off….We'd be not only home free, but we'd have something amazing to do afterwards. What we could do with this technology, if it works, and it always does, we could save some of the lives that we had taken indirectly. I breathed out in shocked amazement.
"Tony…this is…" I muttered, flipping through the many layers of tracing paper. "Amazing." I picked up a plate, correcting some of where the bolts where with a pencil I'd stuck behind my ear.
"Impressive." Yinsen, the ever neutral man said. I looked through all of the tracing paper and distractedly told Yinsen, "Go ahead and prepare the treatment table." I told him, changing a few wiring difficulties, so we'd get more mobility out of the legs. Tony sat down beside me, watching me fix a few of his mistakes. I didn't notice, or really care, being too engrossed in the project before me. I licked my lips thinking hard, something seemed wrong with the plate that covered the neck. There was no way that we could fit it that way, unless we cover the neck with something leather, or else it'd rub Tony's skin off every time he moved.
"Anna," Tony stated, getting my attention. I turned to him, and then Yinsen who was holding one of the finished arc reactor's in his for once clean hands. I set the tracing paper down and stood up.
"Right." I said, moving towards the table that had been stained a darker color then natural, from just blood that I'm sure came from Tony and I's body. I tugged off my leather jacket, with so many memories tugged in every wrinkle of it's fabric, placing it on Tony and I's bed. I pulled the thin shirt I had on, off, and stopped at the bra. I didn't need to take it off, because I'd been given one more, just yesterday but it would get soaked with my blood if I didn't. I didn't care, there was no way I wanted Tony to see my breasts.
I climbed onto the nightmarish table and I cringed as I placed my head on the pillow that braced my head. Yinsen moved over to the table and picked up the IV that was as clean as we could get it, which wasn't very clean, no matter how hard we tried. I grimaced when he stuck the IV, carefully into the vein in my right arm. Yinsen looked to me for permission to start the IV. I glanced once at Tony, seeing the out of character worry and sighed, nodding.
Once Yinsen opened the valve for the anesthetic to go down, I watched the path the clear medicine took through the tube, to disappear into my arm. The effect was close to immediate. I couldn't explain it if you asked me today but it was like forcefully falling asleep at a desk. You didn't want to go to sleep, and you had no time to, but your body was overruling every attempt to stay awake your brain made.
I don't know how long I was out, but I know it felt like I was half awake, though I couldn't feel anything. Have you ever felt awake, but asleep at the same time? Like you believe your muscles are moving and you're doing something but you aren't? It's the best way I could explain this feeling of being under the anesthetic. At some point the feeling faded but instead of awakening like a sleeping beauty, I fell deeper into slumber, losing base with consciousness all together despite the tightness that was new to my chest.
When I awakened next, it was to a lumpy, but warm mattress and me on my side. For a moment I panicked, only clinging for a moment to the nightmare of steel feet and aching ribs before I realized that I was in the cave with Tony, and they hadn't hit or kicked me in a few days. This dream though, gave me bad feelings. I panicked a little more when I realized that I was sleeping on my side and there was no feeling of wires tugging. I moved, glancing down and what met my eyes was the blue shine of the arc reactors energy. I breathed out heavily. It was a welcome sight that I wish I didn't have to see. I can't imagine needing this little light to keep me going. Was this how people with pacemakers felt?
I sat up, carefully and analyzed the mobility of the arc reactor. There was a little sting and I frowned. There was only a dull tugging sensation around the arc reactor, no doubt due to the amount of scar tissue now on my chest. I could feel the pressure of having the reactor in my chest, but instead of being frightening it felt…comforting. I felt like I was safe with that weight on my chest. I sighed and brought my hand up to rub it, gently pressing on it a bit, not enough to unlock it, as Yinsen had had to insert a tub to fit the arc reactor into, no doubt the cause of the tightness.
I glanced away from the arc reactor to look around the room. Nothing looked new, but the bluish white light radiating from my barely clothed chest bathed the room near me in a light, illuminating the blood soaked cloth of my bra. I tugged the extra bra, and a shirt out from under there safe place beneath the bed. Then, hesitating I looked around for my fellow captives. Yinsen and Tony, to my surprise as I didn't think he'd have been awake yet, were to my even greater shock playing some kind of game, using bolts and nuts. They couldn't see me though, so I quickly changed out of my bloody bra. I hadn't needed bandages it seemed, but that was okay with me. I tugged on my jacket over my shirt and stood up, stumbling for a moment.
I glanced around again to see they'd started already on the armor, I could see some welding had been done, and most of the metal flattened. That was alright, I no longer had the strength to do any of the metal shaping, because of my lack of food, and now lack of nutritional food. I was slowly losing any weight I still had on me. I'd always been a thin person, but never this thin. I seemed anorexic at best. I moved on my legs, making sure nothing had been damaged during the surgery but surprisingly seemed in check, even better than I'd expected.
I cautiously began to move towards the gaming two. Everything seemed easier now that I didn't have to worry about pulling the wires out, or dropping the battery, or even breathing to large a breathe. I could breathe fine, and walk without hindrance. I pulled up a chair, creaky and sat beside the two, grabbing both of their attention. "How long have I been out?" I asked quietly, not willing to break the optimistic mood I'm currently in. Though, seeing that bright blue light that already shone from my chest, showing in Tony's chest just like it did in mine, really brightened my day.
"Two days." Tony answered, eyeing me as if I would break, and the blue light that shone through the shirt and through my hair which was growing more, down to the start of my thighs. "We let you sleep, since you've been getting so little." Tony told me, rolling some kind of dice. Yinsen looked back to the board and smiled lightly, not a happy smile, but a smile.
"Good roll." He muttered. I analyzed the game, but it didn't interest me. Instead I tugged a notebook my way, and a mechanics flat pencil my way, deciding to doodle some. I looked up at the scene the two made, they would make good subjects. I began with Tony's slick hair, working my way down.
"You still haven't told me where you're from." Tony stated, trying to make conversation I suppose. I looked up to Yinsen interested, and also wanting to start on the picture of them together. I used to draw a lot, before I took over my parent's company. It was back when I was just a smart kid, and hadn't been a genius just yet, when I wasn't pushed into doing something all the time. I remember drawing on those long business trips, when my nanny couldn't take me on, or when mom demanded my presence, in hopes of getting the attention of the other business people. I remember I'd been drawing when I met Tony.
At a young age, when I was nine, I was a sad kid. I had long black hair, big green eyes and a dislike for everyone. I wouldn't show it; in fact everyone just thought I was the little cute kid. I played with educational toys, wearing them out in hopes that my parents would love me if I was smart. I was at Vinci, in my Mom's office. She had wanted to bring me to the office, in hopes that the Stark's would sign to work a little with us. (It wasn't agreed to because my mother was greedy.)
I was drawing the really pretty empire state building that was outside, among all of the other buildings. I was sitting in a corner, where a little glass table and a small chair had been placed off to the side for me. It didn't really matter. When I did come here I was always rushed around the business room so Mother could show me off to her friends.
I sighed as I doodled in a pretty plane with the Stark symbol on the side. When the door opened to Mother's office, I expected to see Ms. Cindy, Mom's assistant coming to tell me that Mother was ready for me to come to the business room and talk to the adults. Instead I saw a boy my age poke his head in the doors. I shrunk into my chair, tugging on my hair. He had brown hair that ruffled around his ears, and brown eyes that locked onto me.
"Hey!" He grinned at me, walking fully into the room, hurrying to close the door. He practically bounced over to where I sat wide eyed and curious. No one my age ever talked to me. It was always the adults with their false smiles, and mean eyes.
"Hi." I muttered, covering up the picture I'd been drawing. I didn't fool him though. This boy was persistent.
"Whatcha doing?" The boy asked me, sitting in the big chair that Mother put there so that it looked like she played with me. I stared at him, my eyes probably taking up my entire head I was so surprised!
"Ummm…Mother let's me draw." I muttered looking down at a few of my drawings, one of Mother in her big desk, and another of a flower she kept in her shelf. I liked to draw it because there was always a different flower there when I came in.
"Can I see?" The boy asked me. I felt my fingers clench around my dress, a cute little white dress with red flowers on it that matched my ribbon.
"Ummm….sure." I said, gulping for breath as he pulled the pictures over to him, grinning as he saw each one of them.
"This is really great!" The boy smiled at me, I noticed he had dimples on his face. "Wow, my tutor would be fascinated by these. I can't draw, but she says it's a good way to do something in the future. I think she wanted to be an artist, but her drawings aren't like this." He blathered, and I stared at him. I'd just been…actually praised? No one's ever praised me and meant it, not even nanny. She only does it because she has to, I know because I heard her talking to the kitchen cook. They don't like me either.
"Thank you." I told him, fiddling with my pencil. "Uhh…who are you? If I can ask." I added on. I didn't even know who this was, in his little jeans and stripped shirt.
"I'm Tony Stark." This Tony guy said, puffing his chest out. I flushed and smiled at him. This was the kid of the people that Mom wanted to sign with.
"I'm Annabella Vinci." I said, copying him and puffing my chest out. He laughed at me and I shrank back.
"That's a long name." He told me, propping his chin up and then swinging his legs back and forth. I messed with my dress, hoping to make me look better. "Don't they call you anything?" I blinked.
"No." I answered, flushing. They called me things, not to my face but that was okay, I didn't want to hear them anyways. "Just Annabella." I told him, scribbling on a piece of paper.
"Well, then, I'll call you….Anna!" He announced. I smiled tentatively at him.
"Anna…" I tried out. "I like it."
"Of course you did!" Tony bragged, and then he hopped out of his chair. "My father's in a meeting and I ditched my Nanny. Let's go explore." He told me, smiling.
"Explore? Like the people in the amazon?" I asked. I've never…explored before. "Can we chop down trees? And save the people?" I asked, excited, hoping out of my own chair.
"Of course! That's what they're for!" Tony announced. "Who do you want to be?" He asked me.
"I wanna be Anna." I said, confused. "That's my name." I told him. He sighed and shook his head.
"No, when you play a game, you have to be someone. I've seen the other kids and that's what they do. Look, I can choose first. I'm Captain America, and you can be…Agent Carter!" He announced. This story, I knew it seeing as it was in the history books. He helped to defeat Hydra, and Hitler when they tried to take over the world. I'd already been taught that.
"Okay!" I said. Agent Carter was an old friend of the family but she doesn't come around much, ever since Mom and Dad started really gaining universal attention.
"Come on!"
I remember those days fondly, even when sitting here in this cave, doodling Tony years from that first meeting. I'd been so shy back then, but Tony had still been Tony just like he is today. Though, I have to say Tony wouldn't have asked Yinsen if we were anywhere else.
"I live in a small town called Gulmira." Yinsen answered Tony, moving again. I sketched the arms of Tony, and his jacket, which was open to show the arc reactor which shown brightly in his chest, with the red around his arc reactor that said to me that his 'surgery' hadn't been that wonderful. I could see more on his reactor, such as the edges of the tube, where the arc reactor locked together with the tube.
"Where is that?" I asked distractedly.
"Close." Was all Yinsen answered. "Maybe two, three days walk from here." Tony moved. I looked to a cup of water on the table, and then decided to drink it. I smiled when I realized that it was tea and not water as I had thought. Tony looked at me and pouted. I must have drunk his drink. Oh well, he can deal with it. "It's actually a nice place." I doubted it was, but that was probably from being from different cultures and being surrounded by different descriptions of normality. For me, dirt on the ground and the air, and the house, and the food was never a good think, but maybe Yinsen was just used to it, who really knew? I mean, he'd be a little overwhelmed if he had to live in a mansion where everything you wanted was just an order away, and you didn't have to work for any of it. Well, I work but I don't fight for every morsel of food.
Then something struck me. What if he had other people to look after? I don't have a family, no extended family and both of my parents are dead. My family has all strategically been taken out; their killers caught a moment to soon. So I hadn't come to me to think about this before. "Do you have a family?" I asked Yinsen, watching Tony fix himself another thing of whatever kind of tea this was. It looked like they'd gathered the tea leaves in as clean a rag as they could find and I have to admit it wasn't the worst, or the best idea in the world.
"Yes," Yinsen said lightly, his voice a little more high pitch than before. "And I will see them when I leave here." I frowned but there was no sense in my calling him out on the lie, seeing as I didn't know really if he was lying or he just felt that sad.
"And you, Anna?" Yinsen asked. I flinched, almost ruining my doodle.
"Um, no." I muttered, scribbling on my paper. I didn't have any family, friends, or really anyone who cared. I hate to admit it but somewhere deep in my core, I knew that Tony was the only one I had now and that was the reason that I held so tightly to him all the time. Pepper wasn't that close, as of late, and Rhodey was Tony's best friend, though he was in everyway Tony's opposite. No one but Tony. What a sad life I've lived.
"Stark?" Yinsen asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise at me. Tony was looking down at the board now, not meeting Yinsen's eyes, but strangely enough not moving on the board. He just made a funny movement with his lip, as if he found this topic painful. I wouldn't doubt that it was, seeing as neither of his parents showed much affection.
"No." Tony stated, finally moving on the board again. I finished Yinsen and Tony, beginning on the background now, the cave of wonders. Sarcasm.
"No?" Yinsen asked in surprise. He looked between the silent Tony and I. There was no talking for a moment and then Yinsen spoke his disbelief. "So you two are the couple that has everything, and yet nothing." He said. Tony stilled, glancing at me but my heart flipped in nausea. What could I say to that? He was right, I had nothing. Hell, there's going to be nobody waiting on me if we do get out of here. The only real person I have is right here beside me, and he has plenty of other people waiting on him.
But when I looked at him, he looked paler than before, and his eyes were a million miles away. I sighed and rubbed my face. "We should get back to work." I said, moving the finished doodle to the table. Tony's hollow eyes looked at the picture and then he was back in the cave with us. I blinked as he picked it up and raised his eyebrows.
"You've gotten a lot better." Tony noticed, glancing up at me. I grinned at him.
"Thank you." I told him, stepping up and out from the table, ready to work. I felt sort of rejuvenated because of my nap. I felt like I could handle the work load that would need to be pulled off as quickly as humanly possible. After all, if we spend to long on one thing, then they'll notice through those cameras that something is wrong.
I started on putting together the chest plate, using the cutting torch and welder. Yinsen started on cutting for the legs, and Tony started on the inner workings, and something that I thought suspiciously looked like an explosive. Not that it mattered, if we have explosives in the suit, he can have at it. It was hard, hot work but together, with three people we were making it. Every so often we'd force each other to take breaks. Surprisingly it was Tony who was the hardest to get to take breaks. But this is a different situation then just dragging him to meetings and doing paperwork.
We couldn't get the pieces perfect, like the ridges could be seen, and the corners weren't rounded. It was a far cry from Tony and I's usual work, but there was nothing we could really do about it. If I were being honest with you though, I felt kind of annoyed that I couldn't make it look good to. I wanted the last thing these people see is a perfect suit of armor taking down their forces, all by their own doing. I mean, who was the one that stuck the world's greatest known inventors in a cave with all of the things we would need to make bombs, and mines, and missiles to kill them with? Who is stupid enough to do that?
If they had been smart, they would have merely gotten us to draw the blueprints, and given it to someone they were paying and who was loyal to them to make it. I'm not going to tell them that though, for obvious reasons of course. I'm pretty sure their mistake will have been made when Tony takes them out.
It was a week and a half later that we were almost finished. Tony and Yinsen had checked out the leg joints, to make sure they had enough mobility for Tony to walk strongly in the suit, and not over balance. So far everything had been all right, and we were finishing up well. However, I was working on cutting out a protective piece for Tony's back, when there was that foreign screaming from the door. It had happened once or twice, and Yinsen would answer but now Yinsen dropped the hammer and chisel he'd been using and put his hands over his head. Tony, who was close to me, having been working on the chest plates inside workings, and I were quick to follow, me turning off the torch.
The vault like door was opened and a large group of men came in the door, carrying guns and wearing the clothing of their people. The cruel man was here again, walking in and looking around but to my surprise he was not in the middle, like the leader. Instead it was the bald man. I shuttered unnoticeably. That man had been there every time that I'd been beaten. I bit the inside of my cheek and swallowed away the memories of the boots, the kicks, the hits, the bruises, everything. I wouldn't let this over come me.
We all looked at him with caution, but out of the three of us I believe that I was the only one to have seen him before. He stopped inside, and looked to Tony and I, then Yinsen and back to us. "Relax." He said. Was he going to try to gain our favor, threaten us, or just plain out beat us? Who knew but him? With all these people in here they could have been tired of waiting and had decided to just shoot us instead.
Tensely I watched as the man moved forward, taking slow, unhurried steps towards Tony. My breath became short until my breath stuck in my throat, as the bald man moved Tony's shirt, which was unbuttoned enough for the arc to breath. We hadn't thought of that in our plans, and so we'd had to leave our shirts open. It wasn't so bad for Tony but as a girl, and my boobs being the last weight I had on me, I had to watch what I was doing so that this bra, my last one, didn't move to far over and give one of the men a free shot. Not that I was really worried about that, but I like to think that it was a way for me to hold on to reality.
"The bow and arrow," The bald man began, looking over at my own chest that was shining with the same light as Tony's. I pressed my lips together as he move toward me, so that the others could not see his face. But I saw the dirty smirk on his face. It took every bit of self restraint that I'd perfected having dealt with Tony, not to reach forward and knock the smirk right off of his face. "Once was the pinnacle of weapons technology." He turned away from me to look at all three of us, moving again slowly to where we were all in his vision now.
Then he moved towards our things, all of the metal being strewn out. I released a quiet but shakey breath as he moved away from us. Only I sucked my lungs back in when he got closer to where all of the papers, with the plan on them were strewn out everywhere, but the body of the armor, the pieces of tracing paper, were stacked one on top of the other again.
"It allowed the great Genghis Khan," he continued. I didn't know what he was talking about. Was he talking about history kind of bow and arrow, or some kind of 'Bow and Arrow' company? Though Genghis Khan probably meant history. "To rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine."
I shuddered as he picked up a group of wires; all attached to what would control Tony's left arm movements. Tony glanced back at me, without moving his head and I met his worried eyes with my own panicking ones before I looked back to the speaking man. "An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great." Oh, so I was correct, it was history. It's all very fuzzy, as my history lessons have always been, you understand. "And four times the size of the Roman Empire." I frowned as he walked back in front of Tony and I, slow and showing us that he didn't feel threatened by us at all.
"But today," I gulped as he picked up the tracing paper, lying on the table like I had feared. I looked to Yinsen, being behind the bald man's back but he shook his head and his hand, telling Tony, who was also looking, not to panic. "Who ever holds the latest Stark and Vinci weapons rules these lands. And soon," He ruffled through the tracing paper and it came to me that they were upside down. He didn't even understand what they were. We were safe. I watched as he placed them back down unaware. "It will be my turn." He turned to us, trying to be menacing but I was caught up in the relief that we'd yet to be found out.
I soon returned to reality when the bald man looked specifically at me, frowning and then his face cleared, he turned to Tony, standing in front of him, Tony taller by half an inch. Then he started speaking in some language that I couldn't understand. Apparently he was talking to Yinsen because Yinsen answered. I watched, looking between Yinsen and Tony, and the bald man. Tony looked worried for Yinsen, while the man himself had moved, looking away from us so that he could speak straight to Yinsen. I frowned.
They stood together and I shuffled on my feet, trading a glance of worry with Tony about this. How could this have happened? We were so careful that they didn't know what we were doing. I nearly moved forward when the bald man ordered two of the men with the guns to get Yinsen to his knees. The bald man moved toward the fire, and I couldn't see what he was doing but that didn't matter because I knew it would be bad. Without thinking I clutched onto Tony's sleeve, anxious. Tony grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it, stay in place it told me.
Then the bald man turned around, holding a coal in a pair of pincers. I sucked in a breath, my eyes widening. Oh, no. "What does he want?" Tony asked, finally greatly concerned enough to ask. The man took hold of Yinsen's head and moved it onto an anvil pushing it down, ordering Yinsen to do something. The conversation was hectic, getting louder and louder.
"What do you want?" I yelled, while Tony moved forward releasing my hand.
"A delivery date?" Tony asked, trying to think what they could possibly want from Yinsen. I freaked when the men with the guns came forward, all speaking in different languages, but the meaning was clear. 'Don't take another step towards him.' I pulled in a sharp breath and moved forward, only to stand beside Tony slightly behind him. I'd back him up if they tried to shoot him down. "Jeez." Tony muttered.
Now the man was looking at Tony and I, not Yinsen. "I need him." Tony told him strongly, trying not to give away any emotion. Tony was good at that, but it was probably from years of being in the limelight. "Good assistant." Tony said, nodding his head. I watched as the man's eyes started glinting with an idea, probably something that we wouldn't like. I could almost feel it.
I didn't hear it though. One second he ordered the men to do something and the next I yelped as I was grabbed by both arms and hauled forward towards the door. "Anna!" I heard but I didn't look back, that would do no good. Instead I swung my hair over my face, so that couldn't see how scared I was. Not fighting, I remember that was part of the way to do it. It always made them angrier.
"You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile. If you do not make it, then Vinci will be slowly boiled to death." The man said, walking behind me, the men falling in line as I was roughly man handled out the door. I heard the large vault door swing closed behind me and locked. The hall was just as I remembered it; cave like and with bad lighting along the walls. For once my head was not shoved into a bag, or my eyes covered at all. They led me through the halls and without even having to think about it I knew where they were carrying me, to that room, by myself. I groaned in misery but no one noted it. Again we passed by the place of light but now I knew what it was, I could see out of it to a bright light mostly but also cars with guns on them, and a lot of them.
As they pushed me faster I realized that what I had seen was where they parked their vehicles. If I could get out there, then I could find my way out. I could grab one of those cars. I knew how to hotwire a car, after all I've made cars before, but I was cautious to do so. If it backfired, which Stark & Vinci cars are made to do, and then I would be shocked by a few bolts of electricity and would remain in a stupor for four hours. Enough time for them to realize that I was gone and would kill me.
As they shoved me into the room, onto the floor that had been stained with my blood, I knew that at least this time I didn't have to worry about if Yinsen or Tony were hurt. They'd be fine now, and they could make the armor. When they released it I'd make my way out, somehow. I just have to worry about the door first. I looked back now, at the closed door and looked it over. The metal would be a problem, but if I could lure the man over to the door I may have a chance.
For now I scooted back to the edge of my corner, not even noticing the blood there and planned. I could call the man over and opening in the door was just at waist level, where I knew the key to be held on the guard. I hadn't been able to do much while I was in here before but looking out of the slit had been a constant. After that I could unlock the door, which conveniently also unlocks from the inside. No doubt that had been so that I couldn't lock them in here with me. Once I had that done I could fight the person out there, and grab any weapon I could find off of him. After that making my way back to the 'parking lot' they had. I would steal a car, and drive off to meet with Tony who would by that time be flying off, if we were lucky.
Ta-da! I hope you enjoyed it! I had to work really hard on this scene and the next part. For some reason I couldn't get it to do what I wanted.