The Next Day
Tony had just got back from visiting Rhodey at the base and was now back in the garage.
"Jarvis, you up?" Tony asked as he was typing something on the computer he was working at.
"For you, sir and Miss Stark, always." Jarvis replied, powering back up.
"I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark Two." Tony said as he pulled up the schematics for the suit he had made.
"Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?"
"Actually, I don't know who to trust right now. Till further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server? Let me daughter be the only other person to access these files."
"Working on a secret project, are we, sir?" Jarvis asked almost sarcastically.
"I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands. That's why I only want my daughter to be able to see this." Tony replied, altering things with the holographic version of Mark One. "Maybe in my hands, it can actually do some good."
==Days Later==
Tony was sitting in the garage working on a boot to his suit.
Dummy was trying to help, but he was getting in the way more then he was helping.
As Tony was trying to get Dummy to stop getting in the way, Bella walked in hearing her father getting annoyed again. "Forget it. You are a tragedy."
Looking up from the files that Virginia had sent. "Well, what did you expect You programed him when you were drunk. Or hung-over. I don't know. I can't remember."
Putting down the tool he was using, he replied with a mock sigh, "I thought we went through this already." He started with a small smirk, "I was drunk when I programed YOU, hung-over with Dummy."
They both mockingly glarred at one another before breaking out into laughter.
"What are those?"He asked when he finished the boot.
"More aquestions. More trouble being raised after the announcement was made." Bella put the files next to her father, then examined the boot. "Are you gonna test them out?"
"Pretty quick." He said as he put the boots on, grabbing the hand controls. "C'mon. You can help Dummy and You." As she followed her father to the area he had set up to test out the boots, he was giving orders to the two robots. "Okay, let's do this right. Start mark, half a meter, and back and center. Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety. You, roll it. Hun, just watch and tell after, tell me what you think I should add or change. Okay. Activate hand controls. We're gonna start off nice and easy. We're gonna see if ten percent thrust capacity achieves lift. Countdown for me Ellie?"
"In three, two, one." She counted down, and moments after she had said one, Tony had managed lift, only to end up smacking the ceiling and then drop to the floor. Right after her dad hit the floor, Dummy doused him with the fire extinguisher. "Oh my God! Daddy! Are you okay?"
Groaning, he slowly stood up, "that didn't go as smoothly as I hoped." Waving her off when she tried to help him stand, "Don't worry. I'm fine."
Helping him up anyways, "Maybe some sorta stabilizer?"
"Right." He took off the boots pulled open another file on his computer. He grabbed his now cold coffee and started to alter the stabilizers. "Something like these?" He asked as he pulled up a holographic version.
Turning her head to the side to get a better look, "That should work."
==Couple Days Later==
Tony was once again down in the garage working on the stabilizers. Hearing someone coming down the stairs, he looked over and saw Pepper coming into the garage. Walking over towards him, carrying a fresh coffee, something wrapped in brown paper. "I've been calling you. Didn't you hear me on the intercom."
"Huh?" He looked up, "Yeah."
"Obadiah is upstairs. What would you like me to tell him?" Pepper asked as she placed the things she was carrying on one of the tables.
"Great. I'll be right up."
"Uh-listen. Before you go up there, I wanted to talk to you about something..."
Finishing up what he was doing, he replied, "shoot"
"It's about Isabella." Pepper said right away.
Putting his tools down, "what about my daughter?"
"That's just it, Tony. She's not your daughter. You don't even know who she is or where she came from. She doesn't exist anywhere."
Glaring at the woman. "That little girl upstairs, she is my daughter. When I found her, I searcd on every data base known to man just to try and find any information on her. I raised her-"
"No. You programed Jarvis to raise her. A child-"
"I raised Ellie by myself till she was seven. I did not go over seas, I never left the state till I could trust that she could be to be left alone for even a hour. I raised her with the ASSISTANCE of Jarvis. Who I trust a hell of a lot more than you right now. "
Pepper looking as if she had been slapped, "She is a teenager who is living a life of secrecy. Her only friends are your driver and your friend Rhoddy. She hardly ever leaves the manor. She was running an international company and she is just a child."
"Ellie is homeschooled because no other child her age can keep up with her level of thinking. I even tried offering to send her to a boarding school if she wanted. My daughter goes to the mall and any other place she wishes. And YOU were the one who had my Ellie preparing to take over the company."
Tony had become furious at his assistant. Arguing with her about his daughter was a regular occurrence that was happening more often than not.
"I'll report you to children's services. The way she is living is not what a child needs."
"You'd breach your contract. If you do that, I can and will have you fired, arrested and charged. My daughter is seventeen. If you were to call them, she would be placed into foster care, were she would age out in a year." Fuming at the woman, "look at what she has accomplished here with me. She had finished high school at thirteen. She is studying at a university level. She knows how to defend herself. Ellie proved that she too could run the family company at a young age. We found each other when we needed each other the most. Without my daughter, I would have self destructed a long time ago. And if I had not found her, she would have been shot dead or she could have froze to death. She may not be my biological daughter be Ellie is a Stark.
"Tony-" Pepper tried to continue arguing.
Snapping, "no! She is my daughter. If you threaten me with my daughter, you will never be able to hold down a job at a garbage dump let alone Stark Industries. I will make your life a living hell. And that's if I don't have you sent to jail."
The two of them stood there, glaring daggers at each other.
"Sir. If I may interrupt. Mister Stane still awaits you upstairs. And miss Stark sends a message. if you don't come up soon, she will eat all the pizza that Mister Stane brought from New York."
"Jarvis, buddy. Tell them I'll be right up." With one final glare at Pepper, "your done for the week. No pay." She looked as if she were going to demand why. "You threatened and disrespected my family. I can handle a week with out your assistance. Good night Ms. Potts."
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed up the stairs.
Most likely only to have to deal with another problem.
hey everyone.
Let me know what you think.
Auggie Frank.
