A billion years ago, there lived a lonely creature known by many names but most commonly known as Mania, the goddess or mother of souls. She gave birth to the soul of every creature in the universe and was known to be the one who controlled prophecies and destinies. However, with such power came a sad and lonely heart. For she was alone and craved the affection and attention of someone, she could call her own. Upon realizing her dismay, she looked upon her children and saw that they, too, were unhappy with their lonesome lives. It was then that she decided that everyone deserves to have someone to love.

On many planets such as Asgard and Earth, they were called soulmates. Now unlike familiar tales, you don't have to wonder if the person you're with is your soulmate; because at birth, they are tattooed with a symbol of your soul. Soulmates brought happiness and love to the universe, but they also brought jealousy and war. There was a flaw in Mania's work. Many creatures were not born with a soulmark and therefore believed that they were destined to have a life full of hate and suffering. Little did they know that their soulmate had not been born yet, but it clouded their mind with darkness. Many creatures lost their soulmate and therefore were left to live with a broken heart till they followed their mates to the other side. People died defending their soulmates, and to this day, life revolved around them.

Those who remained markless continued to grieve and dwell with inner hate and jealousy and lashed out at the thought of being stuck with someone forever. Some lost their love to soulmates, and others had to sit back and watch as their friends and families were happily in love. Others accepted it and married other markless people and lived the rest of their lives feeling half empty. The bond between souls cannot be broken or tampered with unless acted upon using the soul stone. This powerful entity was created by the goddess herself along with the other gods of the infinity stones. It remains safeguarded and hidden away somewhere in the Universe.

It was not uncommon for a person to bear the symbol of more than one soulmate. Although rare, a baby's birth with multiple markings was no mistake, and they usually consisted of fulfilling a destiny. In modern times, a baby was born with an extraordinary prophecy that would save the Universe in future times.

That baby was born on Earth.

April 7th, 1989

5:17 PM

A loud wail rang throughout the hospital in the labor and delivery department of Houston Methodist Hospital. The most precious sound Kimberly Jones has ever heard, even as she gasped for air. She peaked up in time to see her beautiful baby girl appear from between her legs, the doctor holding her as the nurses wrapped her in a warm blanket.

Beside her, Dr. Arnold Jones clutched his soulmate's hand tightly as he beams proudly. "You did wonderful, my love," he cooed to her, kissing her knuckles sweetly.

Kimberly pants, leaning back in exhaustion. "I want to see her," she managed to breathe out.

The nurses handed her the bundle of joy, but their faces reflected concern which did not go unnoticed by Dr. Jones. Kimberly held the precious bundle close to her chest while her soulmate gave the nurses a suspicious glance. "What is it?" He finally says out loud.

The head nurse, Trinity Vasquez, gave the others a worried glance before clearing her throat. "Dr. and Mrs. Jones, your daughter has a soulmark."

Kimberly smiled brightly, "Well, that's wonderful! I wonder who they could be! Let's see that little soulmark shall we!" She cooed before unraveling the blanket.

"Wait! Mrs. Jones-," but the nurse was cut off by a gasp.

As Kimberly pushed the blanket down her daughter's back, it revealed a small thunderbolt on her neck and the large lime green flower in the center of her back.

"Two!?" Dr. Jones exclaimed. Having two soulmates was not unheard of, but it was still a rare event.

Nurse Vasquez swallows before responding. "Not exactly…"

The nurse then proceeded to turn the baby to the right then the left, exposing two more soulmarks on each of her arms along with two more on her ankles.

"SIX!?" Dr. Jones shouted, causing their baby to jump and begin to cry. Kimberly wrapped her back up and brought her back to her chest, gently rocking to ease her wails.

"How can this happen? Has this ever been seen before?" The mother questions.

"We've called a soulmate expert already, and she is on the way," the nurse replies. "In my twelve years as a nurse, I have never seen such a thing!"

Dr. Jones was still shocked by the new information, and throughout his years with science and technology, he had never thought six soulmates were even possible.

"Well, as long as she is healthy, that's all that matters. Our little Alyanna," Kimberly cooed, her lips coming down to peck the tiny forehead.

Later on, that evening, after the couple settled into the recovery room, a knock on the door was heard. The door opens to reveal a tall, gray-haired man and a small fair-skinned woman. Arnold rises to his feet and greets the couple with a warm smile.

"Howard, my friend, you made it!" He shakes Howard Stark's hand, who returned his smile.

"When I heard Kimberly went into labor, Maria and I hopped on and plane and came here as fast as we could," He tells his old friend.

Maria walks over to Kimberly and awes over the new baby girl.

Arnold looks behind them, "Is Tony with you?"

The owner of Starks Industries shakes his head. "He couldn't make it. He had other plans to partake in," He said coldly with slight disappointment.

Next Scene

Malibu CA

Tony takes another shot as he wraps an arm around a young blonde girl. The crowd around him cheers as the music bumps throughout the penthouse. A young Rhodey pats Tony on the back. "Hey man, how did you get your parents to let you throw this sick party?"

Tony shrugs nonchalantly, "They went out of town, something about Dr. Jones's daughter being born or something."

Rhodey shakes his head and finishes off his beer before dancing away with a beautiful dark skin girl. Tony turns to the girl and begins to kiss her neck when suddenly pain filled his chest. He pulls away, grasping his right breast as it suddenly began to feel like it was on fire. Tony lets out a shocked gasp as he stumbles away from the crowd of people who looked at him with confusion. He ignores their stares and bolts out of the room.

He runs to the nearest bathroom, the pain intensifying. He grips the counter and practically rips off the shirt he had been wearing. He holds his chest and, with wide eyes, stares as his skin began to change color right before his eyes. A dark branch with six bloomed cherry blossoms formed on his right breast. As the last flower appeared, the burning stopped, and it grew cold. Tony continued to gasp as many emotions filled him.

A soul mark?

He had a soulmate. And they were just born. How could this have happened? Tony was sure that he was going to remain markless for the rest of his life. To be a playboy with beautiful girls, stunning mansions, and his inventions surrounding him bring him happiness that he lacked throughout his childhood. Now there was someone who was destined to bring him love, compassion, and acceptance.

But he was still young. He put his shirt back on, fixed his fair, and washed his face. No one must know, the press would go crazy, and he would have countless girls and boys ringing his doorbell, claiming to be his soulmate. His fortune was more appealing than his apparel, good looks, and charming but sarcastic personality. No, he would wait till his soulmate found him; he would continue to live his lifestyle till then.

Next Scene

Seventeen Years Later

The door to the U.S Army recruiting office jingled as a young Alyanna walked in confidentially. This was the third office she'd been to. The Navy, Air Force, and even the Marines wouldn't take her. Her last bet was the Army, the less picky of the branches. She could only hope that her soulmarks wouldn't be the only factor of being denied enlistment into the military.

A middle-aged African American woman sat behind the desk wearing an Army uniform and supporting the rank of Master Sergeant. She looked up from her laptop screen to peer up at the teenager. She was small and frail-looking, not military material, MSGT Williams thought in her head.

Alyanna could already see the skepticism in the woman's eyes, but she was not backing out over a stare after being turned down three times.

"Can I help you?" The military woman says in a monotone voice.

Alyanna stood up straighter, "I would like to join the Army, ma'am," she said in her most confident voice.

The sergeant lifted an eyebrow. "What's your name?"

"Alyanna Jones," she answered, sticking out her hand.

"Sergeant Kathy Williams," the woman replies, taking her hand. "Have a seat," she motions to the cold metal chair that was placed in front of her desk.

Alyanna's eyes lit up momentarily before she shook it off and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Williams placed her laptop aside before pulling out some papers. "So, Jones, are you in high school?"

"I graduate in May," she responds.

"Do you want to go to college?"

Alyanna scratches her leg nervously. "I-uh, not sure, honestly."

Williams narrows her eyes. "Most people who walk in here only sign up to get money for college."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Alyanna gives her a slight shrug, "No, my father is a scientist for Stark Industries; we have the money."

"Stark Industries? You could pretty much get a full ride anywhere. So why enlist?" The older woman continues to question.

"I never saw myself sitting in a classroom or an office building, ma'am. I want to get out on the front lines and serve."

"Infantry?" The soldier raises an eyebrow.

"I was hoping for special forces, ma'am," she states boldly. "My goal is to become the first female Green Beret."

Williams looks taken back by Alyanna's declaration. "That's some mighty big boots to fill," she responded skeptically. "You do know you must meet the max male qualifications even to be considered, right?"

Giving her a short nod, Alyanna acknowledges the challenge. "I've been preparing for this since I was thirteen. While other girls my age tried out for cheerleading or volleyball, I trained in martial arts and jujitsu and winning competitions. While girls my age spent their free time shopping with friends or getting into trouble, I was at the rifle range. I'm fluent in Vietnamese and currently studying Arabic. I've studied military history, combative strategies, and protocols my whole life. I was born to do this."

The woman in front of her didn't give any reaction to what Alyanna was saying. She remained neutral as she absorbed all the information. Leaning forward, Sgt Williams rested her elbows against her desk. She stared deeply into the younger girl's eyes, finally breaking out into a smile as she saw the fire engulfing Alyanna's pupils.

"What's the catch? Sure, you're seventeen, but there has to be something else. Why is this little firecracker sitting in MY seat and not somewhere else? Didn't want to be a marine? Or a Navy Seal?"

Alyanna looks down; briefly, her tough exterior slightly wounded. She twiddles her thumbs nervously. "Well...I…They all rejected me."

Nodding, Williams pressed for more information.

"It's because…" Alyanna was hesitant, but she knew they would find out sooner or later. "I have a soulmark."

Letting out a snort of a laugh, Williams pushes off from her desk and leans back into her chair. "Ha! That's it? Sweetheart, most everyone has a soulmark. Who's your soulmate? The president?"

"I don't know who my soulmates are," she continued.

This caused Williams to pause. "You mean as in plural?"

Swallowing, this was usually where the recruiter would reject her. "I have six."

She expected the woman in front of her to look surprised, shocked, or even disgusted. Instead, her eyes softened. "I can see why you've been having a hard time finding a recruiter to enlist you. Having unknown or many soulmates can be a good or a bad thing. It poses a risk for one of them being part of the enemy, leading to treason. Your chances of becoming special forces are doubtful unless you find your soulmates, and they all pass security clearances. However, I will help you get into the Army. After basic, it's up to you in what happens with your path."

Alyanna couldn't believe her ears! She shot up from her seat in excitement. "Really!" She then realized her composure, and she cleared her throat. "I mean…Thank you, this is like a dream come true."

Sgt Williams pushed a few pieces of paper in front of her. She knew that this little girl in front of her had the potential to do something great. "Just read and sign these, then you'll be on your way to making a difference."

Alyanna smiled as she picked up the pen.

The Girl With The Six Marks

The Battle of New York City

Chapter One

Manhattan, NYC

5 Star Hotel

Alyanna Emily Jones admired herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a bright red mermaid dress, running up to her neck. Her hair was done in a beautiful braided bun, and her make was simple with thick winged eyeliner.

On her right shoulder, exposed to all, was one of her marks. It is a circle with an upside-down red outline triangle in the middle. It's the size of her palm and caressed her shoulder gently. On her left shoulder was her other mark, a circle with a red and blue star in the middle, again her palm's size. On her neck, right above her spine, was a lightning bolt: her third mark. In the middle of her back, below was a lime-green flower with a yellow center; this was her most significant mark, the size of a small dinner plate. Her last two marks were on each of her ankles, a red hourglass on her right ankle, and a bow and arrow on her left.

Alyanna was the daughter of Arnold and Kimberly Jones, a scientist and a science school teacher. Her mother was adopted into the U.S when she was nine years old. And at the age of twenty, she met her soulmate during a Stark weapons convention where her father was showcasing a new invention with Howard Stark. They married, and years later, they had her. But to say they were shocked by what marked their baby girl would be an understatement.

She dealt with many stares throughout her childhood since no one has ever seen someone have so many soul mates before. Some gave her looks of envy while others with pity.

She spent six years in the service and served three tours to Iraq, where she earned the Medal of Honor for saving her commander and squad when caught in the line of fire. Although Howard Stark died a few years after her birth, her father continued to work for Stark Industries until his retirement. Since her father had been one of Howard Stark's most trusted and loyal friends for many years, his son Tony decided to invite her to an honorary banquet to celebrate her return and acknowledgment of her service.

She found it highly unnecessary but considering Stark had been generous enough to recognize her; she figured she shouldn't turn down the billionaire playboy.

"I still don't see why I am the honored guest tonight; I have never even met Mr. Stark; why would he be interested in throwing me such an event?" She says into her phone, her childhood best friend Annie was on the other end.

She hears a chuckle from her phone. "If you found out one of your father's best friend's daughter is a freaking war hero, wouldn't you want to show that off?"

She sighs, reaching up and pinning back a loose stain of hair with a bobby pin. "I still don't believe I deserve all this. I was just doing my job."

"Aly, you ran through the enemy fire with your wounded commander on your back. You took out five enemy soldiers while saving his life. You saved the whole squad. You are a hero," Annie tells her sincerely, her voice laced with emotion.

Alyanna stares at her reflection, closing her eyes as the flashback of that scene played back into her mind. The yelling, the loud crack of rifles going off, the shouts of her men, and the explosion of grenades being thrown fills her mind.

She snaps her eyes open, "I was only doing what was right of me. I do appreciate being recognized, but a banquet for just me is a little much. Besides, what I did is nothing in comparison to what Iron man does."

Annie scoffed, waving her hand in the air. "Give you a suit too, and you'll be saving cities too. Now shut up; you look beautiful tonight, just go, smile, have fun, maybe you'll even meet one of your soul mates!"

Alyanna couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I have six soul mates, and it's been 23 years, and not a single one has found me."

"Maybe they are all in one place?" Annie teased. "Maybe it's Stark himself? The magazines say he has a mark but still hasn't found her. Maybe that is why he is throwing this party for you!"

Alyanna dismisses her, "Annie! He is like 50 years old!"

"He's only 41, and can I say sexy? Not to mention rich!"

She rolls her eyes again, but in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't help but feel the tickle of butterfly wings. What if he was one of her soul mates? And the party was just a way to get to her?

She shook her head to rid of the thoughts; no soul mate could wait that long after knowing who their soul mate was.

She glances at the clock above her toilet. "Crap! The limo will be here in ten minutes, sorry Annie, but I have to get going! I'll call you tomorrow to tell you how it goes!"

"Good luck, darling!"

Next Scene

In the Limo, pulling up to Stark Tower.

The door opens, and Alyanna steps out of the sleek black limo. As soon as her silver heel hit the ground, she was assaulted with shouting and flashing cameras. She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath, trying her best to ignore the noise, for it began to make her feel anxious. She pasted a smile on her face and began to walk down the deep blue carpet, nodding to everyone in appreciation.

She was met with a man in uniform at the door; she recognized him as Captain Randy Thomas, one of the unit's officers. He offered her his arm, "Sergent Jones; it is a pleasure and honor to be able to escort you this evening."

Alyanna blushes, taking his arm. "Thank you, sir; it is a pleasure to be here."

He smiles before leading her through the big doors and to the main room. The ballroom was extravagant, with huge windows lining the walls, brilliant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and dozens of circle tables with a white tablecloth and red roses as the centerpiece. She couldn't help but gawk.

Captain Thomas leads her to a smaller room where the reception was held. "Will I be meeting Mr. Stark before the banquet begins?" She asked Captain. Thomas, her eyes were scanning around to all the people in the room.

"Unfortunately, Iron Man will be missing the reception. But he will be present to give you an award," he answers, grabbing a small cocktail for both of them.

Grabbing the drink, Alyanna had to swallow the disappointment. "Late to his banquet?"

Cpt. Thomas gave her an apologetic smile. "No, tonight, ma'am, it's your banquet."

Alyanna had to stop herself from grimacing.

She walked around the room where she was introduced to almost everyone. Many of the people were essential persons in the government and high-ranking officers in the military. Each greeted her warmly. By the end of the hour, she had forgotten almost all their names and was ready to leave, but she still had three more hours to go.

However, one person stood out to her, though, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Air Force liaison to Stark Industries. He approached her warmly, offering his hand.

"Sgt. Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you," Rhodes greets her. "I'm James Rhodes."

She shakes his hand firmly, smiling in return. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Tony wishes to extend his apologies for arriving late. He had a few things to take care of," he smiled sheepishly.

Alyanna knew what he meant. "Iron man stuff?"

Chuckling, he confirms her beliefs. "Iron man stuff."

When Tony Stark had first came out as Iron Man, Alyanna had been on her second tour. She remembered watching the T.V press conference a year after Stark had gone missing in Afghanistan. She had almost been assigned to escort him, but the Air Force decided to take on the mission. Unfortunately, those airmen didn't survive, and Tony had remained a prisoner for three months. Alyanna had always wondered what would have happened if she had been the one to go.

Everyone finally began to make their way back to the ballroom, taking their seats as the first toast and speeches started. But there was still no sign of Mr. Stark. Her commander, Colonel Julian Martinez, who was still recovering from the attack, was the first to speak.

"Never in my 30 years of service have I ever met someone as strong and brilliant as Sergent. Jones...if she had not done what she did, I and some of our fellow soldiers would have flown home wrapped in the American flag…."

He went on to describe the amazing things she had done as well as listed some of her other accomplishments. She felt tears swell in her eyes as she listened to the kind words of praise and the raw emotion he expressed when speaking of their lives and how proud her family must be.

"And it's with my utmost honor and privilege to say this," Col Martinez turned to her. "Thank you." He then salutes her, and she nods in return, gently reaching up and wiping a tear from her eyes. She smiled brightly as everyone clapped and cheered.

The lights suddenly changed color, and the back windows began to move downwards. A loud bang, and everyone gasped and turned to see a bright light moving quickly towards the tower. Panic started to set in but was diffused when they saw what it was.

Iron Man had finally arrived.

Tony Stark flew in gracefully, capturing everyone's attention as he landed right on the stage. Everyone clapped and cheered as his metal suit began to retract to reveal him dressed in a black tux.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman, sorry I was running late; I was stuck in traffic." The court erupted into laughter.

Alyanna felt her whole body tense up at seeing him. Her right shoulder began to burn and itch, and she couldn't help but let out a short gasp.

Tony felt his soul mark on his right breast begin to stir. He paused slightly, his eyes scanning the room in the wonder of who could be causing this sensation. For 23 years since the mark appeared, he had not once felt it. But tonight, it felt like it was on fire. His soul mate must be here. But since he was in front of all these people, and tonight was about honoring Dr. Jone's daughter, he will search for his soulmate during dinner.

"If I calculated this correctly," he mutters under his breath, straightening up his tux. "Colonel Martinez, thank you for your wonderful words to our honored guest. Speaking of that," Tony pauses to walk to the podium where he bent down to retrieve a large plaque. "I must say how truly impressed I am to know that a close friend of my father had a daughter in the service. To say that she is now a Medal of Honor recipient is remarkable. I have heard of what Sgt. Alyanna Jones did for her platoon, and for that, I would like to present this plaque and a check for $250,000!"

Confetti blew everywhere, and the crowd went wild. "So Sgt Jones, if you could please come to the stage."

Alyanna felt her whole body stiffened at his words. Not only was that a lot of money, but now all the attention was directly on her. The spotlight felt hot on her body but not as hot as her shoulder. She gulped and slowly rose, gaining Tony's attention.

His eyes flickered to her, finally seeing where she had been sitting. It was at the moment his whole world froze.

ALYALYALY

I am BACK on fanfiction, can you believe it? Let's see what's happened since the last time I've been on here.

I had two babies, got married, and started Univeristy again!

I'm not going to lie, I started writing here when I was about 14 years old. The grammar mistakes, weak characters, and unstable plot lines were due to a lack of maturity in my writing. That is why I have re-written my stories so many times and have taken them off and republished them. Now I'm ready to try again, and give you all some decent work for your entertainment!

With that being said, hope you enjoy or re-enjoy The Girl With The Six Marks!

Lots of Love

Alyne