The Mark II file held all of the plans she had seen earlier, but having already seen the Mark I suit, she was seeing all of the similarities. The basic layout for the suit was the same, except Mark II had much more advanced upgrades and attachments. Flight stabilizers, thrust capacitors, scanning and aiming technology within the helmet and inbuilt weapons. It was as if Tony was designing some kind of war suit, but what he intended on using it for was what caught Rebecca's attention. As she looked over both Mark I and II again, she felt stupid for not noticing this detail earlier. In the chest piece of each suit was the same circle of light that was in Tony's chest. This must of been why he needed the arc reactor technology. Rebecca added up all the information she had, piecing together the puzzle going on in her mind. The Mark I suit had the same chest piece as Mark II which only confused Rebecca even more. She was sure none of these files existed before Tony was taken, she had searched them herself for some sort of clue in finding him, so that meant the Mark I suit was built after his captivity since that's when Tony had the electromagnet in his chest. It was all so confusing, Rebecca ran her hands through her hair, leaning her head back onto he chair. Tony had only been home for a few days, there was no way he could have built the Mark I suit in such a small amount of time. Even if he did, where would it be? There were so many things that Rebecca needed answering, even after her talk with her dad that same day, she knew he was hiding something from her. Obviously, since she had found out for herself. He had never spoken about these suits of armor before, never even considered them, so why now? Instead of going to find her dad and demand answers, she spent the next hour or more reading more about the suit and figuring out all of the information for herself.
It was a beautiful day in California the next morning. Rebecca had spent most of her night still reading up on the suits and piecing all of the information together, unsure of whether confronting her father was the best idea just yet. Pepper and Tony were in the kitchen when she walked out, obviously having slept in. She knew Pepper wouldn't have a problem with her sleeping a few extra hours in the morning considering her sleeping troubles from the last few months.
"I'm going to see Rhodey today, you gonna be okay here?" Tony asked as Rebecca sat on the couch in the living room, watching the news reports. It had turned into a habit for her.
"I'll be fine." she answered, eyes still glued to the television. She wasn't sure herself if she was genuinely interested in the news report, or was avoiding her father. "Why, is something wrong?"
"No, no. Uh, just got some things to catch up on that's all. I might be a while..." he waited her for to respond.
Rebecca just nodded her head as he spoke, knowing there was more to it than he was letting on. "Okay then."
Tony waited for her to continue, but that was all she said. Normally she would want to go with him to see Rhodey since she enjoyed criticizing what he thought was 'powerful technology', something she had picked up from Tony. He didn't push the issue though, on this one occasion he was actually glad she decided not to go, there was something he needed to ask Rhodey, and he hadn't told Rebecca about the suits yet.
Not long after Tony left, Rebecca made her way back downstairs to the workshop to look even further on the suits. There was only a certain amount she could study last night while worrying her dad would find out, but now that he was gone, she was free to search through the files. There was a slight feeling of guilt as she knew she was betraying her dad's trust, but she needed to know, the idea had consumed her.
"Jarvis, the Mark I and II." she requested as she lowered the lights, preparing to study the hologram sketches and plans.
The files weren't protected by a password, and even if they were, Rebecca knew how to get past those sort of barricades. She had dealt with Jarvis for years, she knew all of the right things to use to her advantage and she had memorized most of the necessary passwords. The Mark I suit was soon up in front of her, and she studied the chest piece closely for confirmation that it was actually made and it was after the three month captivity. What seemed to confuse her was the fact that there were no plans for the Mark I suit, it had come out of nowhere. Whereas the Mark II suit was going through considerable plans and production. It had to be, it was the only option. He had built it while in captivity. She knew that the man her dad spoke of, Yinsen, was a very intelligent man, this may have been his possible work. Or it may have been collaborative. There were too many things to focus on, but nevertheless, she continued studying, making sure she wasn't interrupted.
A few hours later, Pepper arrived back at the house to finish off some of the business Tony hadn't got around to taking care of. Rebecca, luckily, had finished looking through the files, after copying them onto a drive so she could view them on her laptop later, as Pepper made her way down to the workshop. Rebecca was standing over by her work area in the room, looking over the old car in front of her.
"You getting back into all this again?" Pepper asked when she walked over beside her. Rebecca shrugged her shoulders, unsure. "I think it'll be good for you."
"Yeah...I guess, I don't know if I want to...yet." Rebecca sighed.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Pepper asked with a concerned look. "And don't say nothing. I think I'm entitled to say I know you better than that now." she tried to get a smile out of Rebecca, and Rebecca relented, giving a small grin.
"I don't know..." Rebecca let her arms fall to her side. "I think...do you think..." she was struggling to make a sentence, or a question.
"It's your dad isn't it?" Pepper asked, although she was sure of the answer. "And don't worry, I've noticed his secretive behavior lately." Rebecca looked up at Pepper, wondering how much she knew.
"What's going on?" Rebecca questioned. "Why...I'm not used to it. I'm not used to him hiding things from me."
Pepper put a hand on Rebecca's shoulder as she had done many,many times before in an effort to comfort her. "You're the most important thing in the world to him, you know that, everyone knows that. So when he hides something from someone like you, then it's obvious that there's a reason behind it." Pepper stated. "Time. That's all he needs, just a little time. I'm not saying he needs to get himself together or anything, I don't believe he's lost his mind at all. I just think he needs time, simple as that, to do whatever he needs to do."
Tony walked through the door later on that evening, just on dark, and was carrying a bag of take out food. As he sat the bag down in the kitchen bench, he found a note from Pepper explaining she had gone home and left him a small list of things she needed him to do before tomorrow as she had done more than her fair share. Another layer of guilt on Tony was the way he felt he treated Pepper. She put everything on the line for his daughter, and for years she had been doing to same for him. She was so much more than just an assistant to him. Tony made a mental note to make sure he did actually finish all of reminders on the list for her before peaking into the living room. Rebecca was sprawled out across the lounge, her eyes closed as the television was on low, showing some comedy movie.
"Hey," he nudged her softly, just enough to shake her from drifting off. Luckily, she wasn't actually asleep yet. "Hungry?"
Rebecca yawned before sitting up on the couch, accepting the container of Chinese food. "We really need to work on our diet." she shook her head as she remembered they had eaten take out food for the past few days. "This can't be good."
Tony agreed, and they sat quietly eating as the movie on tv continued. A few laughs here and there were all that was heard from both of them for a long time after they had finished eating. Rebecca thought of asking him about his day, what he was talking to Rhodey about, but she kept to herself, remembering Pepper's words. Tony, on the other hand, was shocked that Rebecca didn't comment on his late arrival back home, especially since for the last few days she was almost attached to him at the hip. There was something she wasn't telling him, not that he could blame her after everything he was hiding from her as well. For the rest of the night they sat quietly watching the movie, both knowing that the other had something to say, but each remaining silent.
The next few days went by the same. Each day Tony would moderate between working in the workshop, working with Pepper on the business he needed to take care of, and spending time with Rebecca. At the same time as Tony was working in downstairs, Rebecca would be monitoring all of the new information being added to the Mark II folder that involved upgrades and production. She was sure her dad would have known by now that she had the files, and Jarvis would have no problem telling him, but somehow he didn't notice, too busy with the plans. When Tony would swap his activities and go with Pepper, Rebecca would go down to the workshop and work on her own projects, getting back into things before she made a design whether or not to begin working on the car once again. It wasn't long before one of the company dinners were held. Pepper, Tony and Rebecca were all going as to show their support and dedication to the company since the injunction had been filed against Tony. It wasn't something that Rebecca looked forward to, since all of the company's families were attending as well, but her stress was building lately and there had been many close calls where she almost confronted her dad about the suits.
"You're kidding me." Rebecca looked at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, Pepper standing next to her. She was wearing a cute black dress with lace covering her chest, a vintage style dress that Pepper had chosen and apparently way to 'girly' for Rebecca's taste. "I look like a..."
"You look like a sixteen year old girl whose wearing a dress." Pepper simply stated, smiling to herself at Rebecca's shock. "Don't be so dramatic, you look very mature, and beautiful."
Rebecca gave her reflection a disgusted look. "I don't know what sixteen year old you're looking at."
"Stop being so hard on yourself!" Pepper scolded. "You need to have some fun tonight."
"I don't even want to go." she sighed. "I hate these things. And now all these people's kids are going to be there too."
Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh teenage angst, I sure don't miss that." she began walking to the door.
Rebecca looked up at her. "Angst? What angst? How am I angst-y? I'm not a drama queen Pepper, I just really just don't want to go."
She could hear Pepper talking to her dad outside of her room, Pepper still laughing as she explained Rebecca's reaction to the dress.
"You look very handsome." Pepper complimented Tony, adjusting his tie for him. This would be his first night out in a long time, and she worried it would overwhelm him, but this was Tony Stark she was talking about. The life of the party, the attention of the party, there was no way that he couldn't handle a dinner party.
"And you look very beautiful Miss. Potts." Tony grinned. They shared a moment of silence together as they stood in the hall, both admiring each other. They shared many moments like this, neither knowing what to say or what to do, but both thinking the same thing.
"Okay," Rebecca walked out of her room with slight heels on, hair done and some makeup, although an unimpressed look on her face. "Im ready."
Happy pulled the car into the entrance to a plaza where the company dinner was being held. As expected, there were manyo cameras and reporters all waiting for the arrival of Tony Stark. By now, the public was aware of Tony's situation within the board and were all eager to get some sort of response from him. Tony stepped out of the car first, after Happy had opened his door, and he held his hand out for Rebecca to grab. The flashes from the cameras were almost blinding as they made their way across the path to the doors. Tony slowed his pace to make sure Pepper was close behind and not being hassled by the reporters. They all held their microphones close to Tony as they threw their questions at him, unsuccessfully getting a response, which was unusual as Tony always had a something smart to say to them while ignoring their questions.
"Tony, has the board taken into consideration your current well being?" one woman asked.
"One thing you need to know," Tony finally spoke as they approached the doors, pretending to make a sad face to them. "Oh no, another time then?" he waved to them as he was ushered through the doors.
When they finally made it inside, Obadiah was in view as he mingled with the guests and families of the members. Had hadn't noticed Tony's arrival as of yet, and Tony took advantage by rushing them off to the other side of the room.
"Tony! Tony, Tony, Tony!" an unfamiliar man held his arms out to Tony, welcoming him.
"Yeah, that's me." Tony put on an excited expression.
The man and Tony talked for a short while before Tony apologized and guided Rebecca over away from the man. He should get used to idea of people he didn't know coming up to him, after all, it would be endless all night. Pepper was soon taken away by one of her nicer acquaintances within the company to meet their family and Tony watched as she walked away, his expression giving away his adoration of her. The night was going slow, and they hadn't even had dinner yet.
"Let's go get some air or something, get away from these people." Tony walked them to the balcony.
For a moment, Rebecca was actually worried that her dad wasn't coping well with the overwhelming attention he was getting, but she knew he could handle it, he always did.
"You okay?" she asked him when they stepped outside into the cool night air. "Dad?"
Tony took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine." he smiled, resting his arms on the railing. "These parties always annoy me, just not in the mood."
Rebecca let out a small laugh. "And I just love them." she spoke with obvious sarcasm.
They were quiet for a while, enjoying the look of the city in the night, before Tony spoke.
"I think...tomorrow, I could show you something I've been working on." Rebecca nodded her head, interested in his idea. "It's nothing major, just a more advanced tracking device."
Rebecca continued nodding, and she could feel the annoyance inside her. It had been building for days, reaching boiling point, and when she finally thought Tony was going to tell her about them it all took a turn. How long did he think he could keep the secret? More importantly, what did be even plan on doing with them once he managed to make them? Rebecca stood by the railing quietly, offering nothing to the conversation until she decided to just let go and come out with it.
"You know, after our talk the other day, I thought we might have been done with all of the lying and hiding secrets." she turned to look at her dad, who was looking down at the streets below before he met her gaze. "I don't ask for much, in fact I don't ask anything from you, especially since I had to go three months not even knowing if you were alive." Tony noticed the intensity in her voice and watched as she took a brief pause, taking a few breaths. "I know about the suits, dad. I know about everything."
Tony looked back at her with genuine worry and shock on his face. He hadn't planned on her finding out like this, he hadn't planned on her finding out at all, he wanted to tell her for himself, when the time was right. Instead, he had created a situation he didn't either of them to be in. There was no chance for Tony to speak, to explain, as footsteps approached behind them.
"Tony! It's good to see you, alive and well I see." the man extended his arm to Tony. "There's so much to catch up on!" the man seemed excited as he shook Tony's hand eagerly.
The man was familiar, an acquaintance of Tony's. Rebecca remembered seeing him many times at company functions and parties like these, but she couldn't remember his name. The only thing she could remember of the man was his persistent son, Lucas.
"Hey, haven't seen you in a long time." Lucas walked over to her as their dads spoke. "Where have you been?"
Rebecca gave him a weird look. "Uh...my dad kind of got kidnapped, so I haven't been very social." she told him.
"Oh, no, of course not. I mean, the last one of these things...you weren't here." he clarified.
"Oh, yeah, I was finishing a..a degree course." she told him quietly. She still felt incredibly self conscious about her achievements at such a young age.
Lucas was about to continue speaking before his dad interrupted him, laying and hand on his shoulder.
"Lucas, I'm going to get me and Tony a drink, you'll be okay around here." his dad didn't seem to be asking a question rather than telling his son.
"Oh, it's fine," Tony brushed of the offer, waving his hands. "I was just having a conversation with my daughter actually, so-"
"No, no," Rebecca stopped him. "It's fine, we can talk anytime, right?" she looked at her dad. "I'm okay on my own."
"What a lovely daughter you've got!" the man praised, and Rebecca gave him a light smile. "Shall we?" he gestured for Tony to walk with him.
Tony gave an apologetic look to his daughter, who only looked blankly back at him, before he followed the man back inside. There was no awkward silence between Lucas and Rebecca, who were the only ones now left on the balcony. Rebecca didn't know him too well, she just remembered him talking with her at a few of these parties before.
"How's your dad?" Lucas asked when he joined her by the railing. He was a nice young man, although he shared the same arrogance as his father.
Rebecca shrugged her shoulders in response. "For a man who was held captive by terrorists, he's doing pretty well."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, that's tough."
Rebecca looked out at the city once again, admiring the lights that beamed out of the buildings. The people walking the streets beneath, the cars flowing on the roads, the cool night air. Although she was looking at one of the most beautiful sights in the city, she couldn't take her mind off what she had done, and what she had just caused between her and her father.
Hope this chapter didn't rush through things or drag on for you guys! I had a lot I wanted to throw into this chapter. Oh, and don't confuse this party with the same one in the Iron Man film, that will be happening later on in the story still. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and aren't losing interest in the story. I appreciate the reviews, let's me know how I'm going with the story! Thanks.