Ava nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that's reasonable. So, what do I do first?"

That comforting voice responded. "Well first, I need you to explain the layout of wherever you are being kept. Any details you can think of would be helpful."

Ava sighed. "Alright, let me think. I just need to concentrate, I guess. Well, if you can hear me, does that also mean that you can see what I can?"

There was a pause, and then Jarvis responded. "I do not believe so, no. But if you think about it as a clear enough picture, then it is possible for me to receive it. But I am just as new to all this as you are." Ava closed her eyes, and tried to imagine her situation in general, so that Jarvis would be able to see what he needed. Jarvis interrupted her thoughts. "You are focusing too much on the situation, and not on your surroundings."

Ava sighed with frustration. "Well, I'd like to see you try imagining the entire place! It's impossible. All I know is that I'm in a house belonging to a man that Tony tried to kill a few years ago, his name is Obadiah and he's bald."

Ava could hear the implied gasp in the electronic voice. "Obadiah? I must insist that you allow me to postpone this conversation."

Tony was sitting on the couch, watching the news. He couldn't help it as his eyes kept flicking up to the ceiling, trying to figure out what was going on. He wished that there was some way to talk to Ava himself, but he was just grateful that he had thought of sending Jarvis to keep the girl company. Jarvis's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Sir? I have been able to make contact with Ava, as you know. From what I could see, she has regained certain memories from your time together, but not any that paint you in a flattering picture. She is in the custody of Obadiah, originally she went willingly, but she is now being held against her will."

Tony immediately bolted up, forgetting about the glass that had been balanced carefully on his leg. It fell to the carpet with a muffled crash, and Tony frowned at the broken shards of glass. He couldn't stop the shout from escaping his lips. "What the hell!?" and looked up as Pepper ran into the room.

She looked at Tony first, to make sure that he wasn't injured in any way, and then her eyes slid down to the broken cup. She sighed. "Tony…"

He brushed her concern aside. Pepper was in no position to lecture him about anything lately, when he knew that she was just as stressed as him. "It's nothing. Why don't you just go back to whatever you were doing before? I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Pepper narrowed her eyes. She wasn't stupid, she knew how to recognize Tony's deflection methods. But she knew that she needed to give him some space right now. Nobody in the tower was feeling particularly settled, especially the two who lived there full time. Pepper lowered her voice so it was gentle. "Tony, you know that I am right here, as soon as you need to talk, just come to me. I don't even care if I'm in the middle of working."

Tony scoffed. "I don't need to talk about anything."

Pepper hesitated before speaking softly. "Well, maybe I do. I miss her too, you know. Maybe we didn't get along so well in the beginning, but it wasn't too long before I realized how much she was a part of this place, and her being gone, it's as wrong as if I came home one day to find that Jarvis was gone."

Tony frowned, because he knew exactly what Pepper meant. Ava really had become a part of the tower, in some strange way, and he had grown used to it, until he was taking her presence for granted. "Pepper… We'll talk later, okay? Right now, I think that I may have a lead on Ava's whereabouts."

Pepper nodded, and she turned to leave the room. When she got to the door, she paused to glance back. "Don't forget to get that mess cleaned up. I hate that you were drinking scotch out of a wineglass, but I'm glad it wasn't wine. That would be a bitch to get out of the carpet." Then she left the room, and Tony sighed.

"Jarvis, do you know where Obadiah's current safehouses are?"

Jarvis made a strange sound, almost like he was clearing his throat, despite his lack of actual body parts. "Sir, have you considered going back to the building that you and the other Avengers infiltrated the first time to find Ava? Obadiah would not expect you to search the same house again, and since you did not actually spot the man while you were there, you assumed that he was not in the area."

Tony nodded. "Jarvis, get my suit ready. I'll go check the place out, just to see. Tell Ava that I'm on my way to the place where we think she could be."

"Of course, Sir. Would you like me to call the other Avengers as back up on your trip? It could be dangerous to go on your own."

Tony hesitated, then shook his head. "Nah, I'll just be checking the place out. And the odds of finding her there are very slim, I don't want to tear the others away from their important saving-the-world work."

He hurried up to the roof, where he stepped into his waiting suit, then flew off to the coordinates that had been recorded in the computer system during his last trip there, since this time he didn't have Thor to guide him.

Tony got there a little while later, and was quickly able to see that the amount of security around the house hadn't diminished at all. That was a possible sign that Obadiah really was there. Jarvis spoke into Tony's ear. "Sir, I have just asked Ava to stand by a window and wave. If you fly around the house, and this is where she is being held, you should be able to spot her."

Tony nodded gratefully, and began to slowly circle the house. He was far enough away that he wouldn't be spotted by any of the security team making their rounds around the grounds, but close enough that he would be able to see Ava standing in a window, waving at him.

As he was almost finished going around the entire building, Tony couldn't help that feeling of disappointment in the pit of his stomach. Until he spotted movement coming from one of the second story windows, and he dove down a to get a better look. Ava was standing in front of a small window, a bored look on her face as she moved her hand back and forth.

Tony couldn't help the noise of excitement that came out of his mouth. "Jarvis, tell Ava that I'm here, and we've found her."

"Of course Sir." There was a moment of silence as the AI was speaking to Ava. Then Jarvis spoke again. "She said that she can see you, Sir, but wants you to do something to confirm that it is you. Just clap your hands four times."

Tony was wary of doing something that could potentially alert the sentries to his position, but he wanted Ava to trust him so he could rescue her, take her home, and let everything go back to normal. Tony clapped his hands quietly four times, and suddenly, there was the sound of lots of guns firing at him.

Thousands of miles away, Ava stood at the window, waving her hand, but she couldn't see anybody. Apparently Jarvis had been wrong when he said that Tony was coming to save her. Too bad, she had almost believed it, too.