Quite a long chapter to make up for the shortish ones I've recently uploaded.


The first thing I noticed when I pulled back into consciousness was the smell of antiseptic.

When I opened my eyes, a tiny crack, clean white walls greeted me, and I realized I was in a hospital room. I blinked, trying to get my bearings, reaching up to smooth down my hair and touching a gauze bandage strapped to my forehead. I stiffened, feeling congealed blood and coarse tape, and realizing I'd been knocked out in the mansion attack. Beside me, a heart rate monitor and a few screens showed I was more or less all right now. My heart rate did speed up a little when recollections of what just happened hit me like a sledgehammer.

Tony!

Pepper?

Maya…

The door opened suddenly and a doctor walked in. "Hello, Isabella. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," I said, the words suddenly spilling out shakily.

"Well, you've survived the destruction, that's for sure," he replied, glancing at the screens. "I'm Dr. Fraction*, by the way. You had a bad concussion, but luckily you won't suffer any lasting effects. And a good thing too; we wouldn't want an IQ like yours taking a dip."

I sat up. "Did you find Tony?"

Dr. Fraction looked at me and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. We never were able to recover him."

I let out a shuddering sigh and drew my knees up to my chest. The room swirled around me as a pit formed in my stomach. Had I lost Tony for good?

I could never allow myself to think that.

Beside me, I could sense that Dr. Fraction was a little awkward. "I've got a note here. From Miss Potts."

I looked up as he handed it to me. "She left it for you."

"She left? For where?"

He shrugged, genuinely apologetic. "I'm sorry. She and Miss Hansen took the car a little over an hour ago. She didn't say where they were headed."

I took the note and unfolded it, not expecting the best.

Iz,

I am so sorry I couldn't stick around for when you woke up. But I had to leave at once. Turns out Maya came here to tell Tony something important that might have to do with all these attacks. And I know Tony would never want me to get involved, but right now we're the only ones who can get to the bottom of this. So Maya and I are on the road, laying low. I don't know when we'll be back; but I promise I'll let you know as soon as we come up with something.

Right now, I need you to be on your guard and laying low. I've phoned your parents and they're taking the first flight out of Chicago to get to you. Once you get home, try to protect them at all costs, but DO NOT try to find the Mandarin. PLEASE do not use your suit. I know you will hate me for saying this, but keeping a high profile will only make you a target.

Do not trust anyone. Be safe.

Pepper

I put the note away in the pocket of my jeans. "Have you seen my suit anywhere?"

"It's at the foot of your bed."

I nodded. Dr. Fraction turned off some of the screens.

"We're going to keep you here until your parents arrive. After that, I'd advise you to rest and not do anything strenuous." He left the room, shutting the door behind him. Suddenly, the realization that I was truly alone sank in.

I leaned over the bed, picked up the suit, which had folded into its backpack form. Even if Pepper had told me to never wear it, just holding it made me feel a little bit safer. It was pretty much the last thing I had left of my uncle. Now what was I supposed to do?

The nurse wheeled me out of the emergency ward and into the waiting room where my parents—obviously—were waiting.

I don't think I've given a lot of description about my father before. Basically, my dad, Morgan, is on top of the Chicago branch of Stark Industries, but he also handles their international affairs. That's why he and Mom traveled a lot, and since there was no one at home it made sense for them to put me in boarding school. Dad has black hair like me. Like Tony, Grand-uncle Howard and basically all the Stark men I'm aware of, he has a mustache too. I bet if I was born a boy, I'd grow up to have that mustache as well.

This time, instead of my mother at his side, he had a skinny, brunette girl with large eyes and bony features. Katrina.

"Bell," Dad said with a relieved sigh.

"Dad, Tony's—" I blurted out helplessly. To my surprise, Katrina put her arms around me.

"It's okay, Isabella, I'm sure he's out there somewhere. You're going to be fine."

"At least you're safe," said Dad, and I could see tears in his eyes.

The first thing we did after leaving the hospital was check into a fancy hotel as close as possible to the Stark Industries headquarters in Los Angeles. Dad, as usual, had a couple of work things to go through. After this he promised a flight back to Chicago and all the ginger ale I could drink. Katrina, probably excited to get a chance to mother me, made me stay in one room of the two-bedroom suite, all fixed up in bed so I didn't 'strain myself after that concussion,' but in fact, I was fine. The obvious thing to do right about now, at least to me, was figure out a plan of action.

The problem was,I didn't have the motivation to think of one.

Where are the Avengers when we need them? I found myself thinking. Anger started to simmer deep in me, frustration toward people I should have been thankful for for saving the world. Where were they now? Were they worried about Tony too, were they even thinking of going to look for him?

"Good evening, Miss Stark. All armor systems are back online."

"FRANNIE?" I said, glancing at the small voice coming from my suit, which sat folded up on a chair. "You're back!"

"Yes, ma'am, and glad to be so."

I chewed my lip. "Answer me a question. Why'd you accept Tony's override code?"

"Mr. Stark implanted that protocol to ensure that I would keep you safe under his direct command, and at any cost."

"You didn't tell me this," I said, stung.

"That was part of the plan, ma'am." I growled in annoyance, but she interrupted me again. "However, I think you'll quickly forgive him once you hear his last voice message."

"Voice...message?" I whispered.

"The call came in around three hours ago on a Stark secure system, originating from Rose Hill, Tennessee. Forty-five minutes ago, I detected a signal from the same location."

"What…kind of signal?" I said curiously.

"Unbelievable as it is, ma'am, it's definitely the signal emitted by JARVIS' system. There's no way I can make contact with the rest of the suit however."

"It's still a chance I'm willing to take," I said, breathless with the prospect of finding Tony. "Play the voice message."

Instantly I heard my uncle's voice crackle on: Pepper, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way…

"He's alive," I said. Could anybody choke on happiness? I think, at that moment, I just did. I squealed in delight. The game wasn't over yet! "He's alive!" There was a noise at the door.

I looked up suddenly as the door to the suite opened as my dad entered. "Honey, I'm home," he sighed. Those words, previously assigned only to my mother, made my insides churn, but I jumped out of bed and bounced into the main room of the suite where Dad was kissing Katrina's cheek.

"The company's in a mess, but I managed to keep things together," he was telling her.

"Well thank God you did! Isabella, your father's he-"

"Guys!" I said, interrupting them impatiently. "Listen to this." I played Tony's message to them from my backpack. Katrina looked confused, but Dad's face went slack with relief.

"That's really Tony's voice! Where did this transmission come from?" Dad wanted to know.

"Rose Hill, Tennessee!" I said impatiently. "Look, I have to go find him, Dad, he's out there somewhere and I have to—"

"Whoa, wait a second," said Dad, obviously startled. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" I challenged.

"Just because the signal is emitted from Rose Hill doesn't mean that Tony is still there," he said matter-of-factly. I blinked.

"It's still a lead," I said. "It'll be like a treasure hunt."

"And besides, I trust this Pepper when she says 'lie low'," said Katrina, pulling the note out of her breast pocket.

"She said Don't go looking for the Mandarin," I countered. "I'm looking for Tony. Don't you want him safe? Don't you want him back?" I was too old for the puppy-dog eyes. Good old plain reasoning would have to do the trick. Katrina glanced at Dad, but Dad glared at me.

"If Tony is really alive, then he'll find a way to come home to us," he said. "I am not allowing you to endanger yourself. Now go to bed."

I glared back. "What the hell is this, Dad? What've you got against Tony anyway?"

"Isabella—"

"Dad!" I cut him off aggressively. "A member of our family is lost out there after a manic terrorist tried to kill him. Tony's looked out and after me when you guys couldn't; won't you let me do SOMETHING for him?!"

"Morgan, she's right, let her go!" Katrina burst out. "She's not a little girl anymore!"

I blinked. Well, that was surprising. And helpful.

"Thank you, Katrina," I said. "No, seriously."

Dad bit his lip.

"There's something I have to make you understand," I said levelly. "I'm probably Tony's only hope right about now. If there's at least one chance that he might be alive, I'm willing to take it."

"You don't have to prove anything, Isabella," Dad said in an undertone.

I shook my head. "Not trying to prove anything, not this time. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know, in my…heart, that it's right."

A silence descended upon the three of us. What would happen if my father didn't understand? Then screw that—I'd go looking for Tony anyway. The only price I was scared of paying was having to disobey my father and disappoint him forever.

Finally he looked up at me.

"You go find him," he said. "Help him. And bring him back home."

*Dr. Fraction is named after Matt Fraction, who wrote the Invincible Iron Man series and the recent, ongoing Hawkeye. He's one of my favorite Marvel writers J