Disclaimer: We own nothing but Benni and Jack.
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Both Starks were relieved to be going home to California. Three months in captivity made them both nostalgic for home, for the familiar.
Of course, neither liked the wheelchairs they were forced into before they left Afghanistan. Once the ramp was lowered, both siblings discarded them. Well, Tony did, and Benni leaned on her brother. She was still recovering from her wounds. Well, so was Tony, but he refused to show any weakness.
Waiting by the ramp were the people the Starks missed most. Happy, Jack, and Pepper.
"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony asked Pepper.
"Tears of joy, I hate job-hunting." The redhead replied.
"Yeah, vacation's over." Tony joked.
Pepper chuckled, and wrapped her arms around Benni, as did Jack.
"Missed you both." Benni said.
Missed you more! Jack signed, not letting go of Benni, even after Pepper did.
It was actually comical, the sight of the two hugging. Jack, a tall man, standing over her, hugging teen who barely reached his shoulder. And she was even thinner than before, having lost weight during the three months.
Afterwards, the group piled in the car.
"Where to, Sir?" Happy asked.
Pepper answered instead. "Take us to the hospital, please, Happy."
"No."
"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital." Pepper argued.
"No is a complete answer."
"The doctor has to look at you and Benni!"
"I don't have to do anything. We've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other..."
"That's enough of that." Pepper glanced at Benni.
"..Is not what you think. I want you to call a press conference now."
"Call for a press conference?" Pepper repeated.
"Yeah."
"What on earth for?"
Tony didn't answer. "Hogun, drive. Cheeseburger first."
They actually did stop for food. Tony ate three cheeseburgers, and Benni ate two.
"Did anyone bring my back-up aides?" Benni finally asked.
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled them out.
"Thanks, Jack!" Benni exclaimed, placing them in her ears after turning them on. "Feels so much better to hear for the first time in three months."
Eventually, the arrived at Stark Industries, ready for a press conference.
Tony went off, doing his own thing before it began, and the other three went together. As soon as Benni entered the building, reporters went mad, screaming over and over. "Miss Stark! Miss Stark!" Camera flashes kept blinding her, since she was still getting used to sunlight again.
Pepper grabbed onto her elbow, gently pulling her away from the reporters, who she glared at warningly. Somehow, they backed off.
"What was that about? How do they know about me being a Stark?" Benni asked.
Pepper bit her lip. "Colonel Rhodes and I thought that if everyone knew who you really were, they would try harder to find you. And they did..."
"Let me guess, I'm well-known as Tony now?"
"Possibly more..."
"Just perfect." Benni growled irritatedly.
A man in a dark suit approached them. "Miss Potts?" Benni could see he was trying not to know her, even though they knew each other quite well.
"Yes?" Pepper answered.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?"
"I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now."
"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." Coulson explained.
"That's quite a mouthful." Pepper said.
"I know. We're working on it."
"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA..."
"We're a separate division with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Miss and Mr. Stark about the circumstances of their escape."
"I'll put something in the book, shall I?"
"Thank you." Coulson said.
Then the press conference started.
Tony stood for a moment, before sitting down by the podium, burger in hand. "Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can... A little less formal and..." He trailed off.
Uncertainly, all the media people slowly sat down.
"First off, from what I've been told, you all know about Benni?"
A reporter stood up. "Mr. Stark, are we really supposed to believe that Miss Howard is your sister? Howard Stark died several years ago, before she would have been born."
"True. Technically, she is my half-sister, and her mother, who we will not name, died in a car accident when Benni was an infant. I have sole custody of her as of her seventh month. We, as in her and I, believe that a woman decided to infuse her DNA with my father's DNA. She is a genius. Basically, everything but her name was known, everything else that you may know is probably true. She will still head up the Research and Development division, and will remain in my custody until she reaches legal age. Now, to what this press conference was called for.."
I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. lf he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels. ... I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability.
A reporter yelled,"Mr. Stark!"
Tony looked at him. "Yes, Ben?"
"What happened over there?" Ben asked.
"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."
The media erupted into yells and chaos, flashes going off as pictures were taken.
Tony was rushed offstage by Obie, and he quickley pulled Benni with him. Obie took the stage as the siblings left the room.
"That was interesting, at the least." Benni commented.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" Tony asked.
"Of course I do, I was thinking about the same thing."
They walked in silence together, until Obie found them.
"Well, that... That went well." He said.
:Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?" Tony questioned.
"Your head? What about my head? What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?"
"Optimistically, 40 points."
"At minimum."
"Yep."
"Tony, we're a weapons manufacturer."
"Obie, I just don't want a body count to be our only legacy. I know Benni feels the same way."
"That's what we do. We're iron mongers. We make weapons."
"It's my name on the side of the building." Benni elbowed Tony. "And Benni's name."
"And what we do keeps the world from falling into chaos."
"Not based on what we saw. We're not doing a good enough job. We can do better. We're gonna do something else."
"Like what? You want us to make baby bottles?" Obie asked sarcastically.
"I think we should take another look into arc reactor technology."
"Come on. The arc reactor, that's a publicity stunt! Tony, come on. We built that thing to shut the hippies up!"
"It's works."
"Yeah, as a science project. The arc was never cost effective. We knew that before we built it. Arc reactor technology, that's a dead end, right?"
"Maybe."
"Am I right? We haven't had a breakthrough in that in what? Thirty years."
"That's what they say. Could you have a lousier poker face? Just tell me, who told you?"
"Never mind who told me. Show me."
"It's Rhodey, Pepper, or Jack."
Obie pointed to Tony's chest, where the small arc reactor was. "I want to see it."
Tony unbuttoned his shirt, showing the glow. "Okay, Rhodey."
"Okay."
"Okay? It's works."
"Listen to me, Tony. We're a team. Do you understand? There's nothing we can't do if we stick together, like your father and I."
"I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads-up, okay? But if I had..."
"Tony. Tony, no more of this ''ready, fire, aim'' business. You understand me? And that goes for you, too, Benni."
"That was Dad's line."
"You gotta let me handle this. We're gonna have to play a whole different kind of ball now. We're going to have to take a lot of heat. I want you to promise me that you're gonna lay low." Obie said.
Both Starks promised, and headed back to their house, eager to finally be at home.
A/N: Okay, and that was chapter six! Sorry about the wait, we've been busy. We decided to post it today, only because I(Ash) am home sick today. So be happy that I'm ill. Well, don't be happy that I'm sick, just that I posted the new chapter. Hopefully, the next one comes quicker, it just depends. As we've said before, junior year freaking sucks! Otherwise, we've been quite busy lately. Hope you like the new chapter, leave comments and reviews please!
-Jack and Ash
