AFGHANISTAN, SOUTH ASIA
"I'll be home soon...okay?"
"I'll see you back at the base."
His last words to Rhodey had turned out to be so far from the truth.
Not even 10 minutes after he had driven away from his best friend everything had gone to hell. There had been gunfire and explosions all around him before there was nothing but darkness.
Now as he gasps awake Tony Stark felt a violent pain radiating from his chest, flashes of masked men standing over him pulling scraps of metal out of his chest rushing through his brain. Something horrible had happened to him, Tony could feel it, there was a part of his mind screaming that he shouldn't be alive.
That he should have died.
With a shaky hand, the billionaire slowly begins to rip the oxygen tube from his nose only to cry out in pain as he does.
He had never felt so much pain in his life, every nerve ending, every muscle in his entire body felt like pure fire spreading through him.
Turning his head slowly he couldn't help but gasp in horror as he takes in his surroundings. He was locked away in a dark cave, completely isolated away from the world, locked up, and trapped.
Reaching forward in an attempt to grab the glass of water on the wooden table beside him, however, his body was too weak, he couldn't even grasp it around his palm. His shaky fingers doing nothing more than knocking the glass to the ground, the shattering sound of the glass causing his ears to scream.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
At the sound of the sudden unfamiliar voice, Tony groans attempting to turn the man in the corner of the room only to let out a harsh scream of agony. Every part of his body felt breakable, like one small movement and his bodes would shatter one by one.
Watching the man skeptically for a moment Tony attempts to sit up only to hiss as something keeps him from moving. Turning his head slowly his eyes widen in confusion as he spots the wires all over the bed connecting to a large battery.
Dread instantly filled the billionaire as his eyes start to follow the wires which were coming from the battery in his direction. The wires were situated across the bed leading up to a metal object. A circle metal object was currently embedded in his chest where his heart was.
Tony lets out a horrified gasp as he stares at the foreign object which seemed to be the thing that was keeping him alive...at least that was his best guess. To be honest, he had no idea what the hell was happening but he knew one thing...
He had broken his promise to Buffy...he wasn't coming home anytime soon.
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
Worry.
That was the feeling that was pumping through Buffy's veins as she sent punch after punch at the vampire's face. She had come to the local graveyard in an effort to get her mind off her father. She had to admit, his entire trip to Afghanistan she had been worried.
Worried that something would go wrong, that she would never see him again.
She just hadn't been able to shake her worry away...hence the need to beat a vampire to make herself feel better.
Until her father's flight landed she was going to continue taking out her frustration on the vampire population of Malibu.
"He is always getting into trouble you know?" She mumbles out loud as she swings her knee into the vampire's stomach before tossing him into a nearby gravestone "Once when I was 13, I found him on the balcony passed out about to choke on his own puke. Talk about yuck-fest."
As she continues to ramble on to herself out loud, the vampire who was pulling himself back to his feet frowns as he glances up at the Slayer who was beating him to a pulp "Who are you talking to?!"
"Hey!" Buffy exclaims as she swings her leg out, effectively shattering his jaw as her heeled foot connects with his face "This is my private thoughts time."
With that, the blonde leaps up, flipping through the air over his head and as she lands behind him she drives the stake right through his back. As his body combusts into dust Buffy couldn't help but pout slightly. That had been quicker than she had planned, she wasn't done with her rant.
"Stupid talky vamp." She mutters in annoyance as she claps the dust from her hands before beginning to make her way home. Maybe just maybe, using vampires as therapists wasn't such a good idea but then again it wasn't like she could talk to a real therapist without risking the world finding out who she was.
If the world found out Tony Stark was her dad, everything would go to hell. Plus trying to be The Slayer and a billionaire's daughter wasn't exactly something that meshed easily.
Sure enough though, due to her life-sucking beyond belief most of the time, despite the fact her identity hadn't been revealed...she was about to receive worse news.
Pulling her now vibrating phone out of her pocket, Buffy couldn't help but wince as she spots Pepper's name on the screen. She could only imagine that Jarvis had sold her out to Pepper.
"Whatever Jarvis said, it's not true." Buffy quickly rambles out in a panic as she answers, not even giving Pepper a chance to breathe or yell "I'm so in bed right now...he's just...defective. I think it's his code."
"Buffy, sweetie...it's Tony...something happened."
AFGHANISTAN, SOUTH ASIA
"What the hell did you do to me?"
That was all Tony could stutter out as he continues to stare at the metal contraption that was embedded into his chest. The skin around where the contraption seemed to have been forced into his chest, was red and tender. It felt like his entire chest was on fire, burning him from the side.
"What I did?"
The mysterious man who was still sitting in the corner of the room questions with a small chuckle "What I did is save your life. I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there's a lot left and it's headed into your atrial septum. Here, want to see?" With that, the man who claimed to have saved his life makes his way towards the billionaire, with a small glass jar in his hands.
Catching the jar in his hands as the man tosses it to him, Tony's eyes widen as he examines the small piece of shrapnel that had once been inside of his chest.
Tony couldn't help but stare at the small piece of metal, just the sight of this hunk of metal caused flashes of the explosion to fill his mind. The terror in his heart as gunfire reigned down around him and then the complete crushing agony in his chest that made him almost pray for death.
"I've seen many wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs."
Glancing back in his savior's direction Tony couldn't help but sigh as he really allows his mind to absorb the seriousness of this situation. He had almost died, the pain had been so intense that he had practically begged to die. Yet there was one thing that kept him going, gave him that will to live.
His daughter.
Her bright smile and laugh as she teased him about his childish antics, the way she still slept with the stuffed pig he had given her when she was 3 years old.
He had made a promise to her. To come home and that promise was keeping him alive. Well, that and the temporary device in his chest. He could tell just from the look of it that it wasn't built for longevity, if he was going to survive this cave and get home then he was going to have to get to work.
Inhaling tightly the billionaire takes the metal device in his chest drawing his newfound friend's attention "What is this?"
"That is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart."
Sighing at the man's words, Tony quickly zips up the jumper he had been given before allowing his eyes to scan over the room. Taking in his surroundings, the best he could, he didn't want to miss any little detail that could help him come up with a plan to get out of here.
As his eyes search through the rotted down cave which could barely be considered a room, the only way out was the large metal doors which he could tell were heavily guarded. It was crystal clear from this cave that he wasn't a guest here, he was a prisoner, something they needed something from. He just wasn't too sure what that was yet.
Spotting at least four cameras in each corner of Tony's thoughts were cut short as the man behind him pipes up again "That's right. Smile. We met once, you know at a technical conference in Bern."
Tony couldn't help but wince at the mention of that conference. He remembered certain aspects of that trip. He remembered that it was the first time he had been allowed to take Buffy abroad without Joyce. Buffy had barely been 8 years old at the time and while he remembered the fun father-daughter stuff they did, like Snowboarding, when it came to the conference it was a completely different tale.
During the work side of the event, while Rhodey had taken Buffy to a Christmas Fair, Tony had pretty much drunk himself into a catatonic state.
It was fair to say, that was the last time Joy had ever let him take their daughter abroad again without her there. She hadn't exactly been ecstatic to learn that instead of Disneyworld like he had promised, he had taken Buffy to Bern for work.
"I don't remember." Tony admits awkwardly, it was not a good time in his life, and he had constantly been screwing up everything in his life.
"No, you wouldn't. If I had been that drunk, I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on integrated circuits."
Wincing slightly, Tony rubbed his sore head before exhaling deeply, he didn't want to talk about the past right now. He needed to focus on his terrifying present.
"Where are we?"
Before Tony could get any answers, however, his situation became more terrifying as guards began pushing through the metal doors screaming at him.
Allow his cellmate to help him Tony's eyes widen in horror as guards continue to rush in, with guns in their arms. Each one of their guns aimed in his direction, ready to end his existence in a second's notice.
As the guards continue to scream frantically at each other in a language Tony couldn't understand, the billionaire had never felt more lost. For the first time in his laugh, he had no idea what was happening and it wasn't a feeling he liked, he didn't like not having control over his own life and choices.
"Just do as I do. Come on, put your hands up."
As his cellmate hisses at him attempting to help the billionaire yet again, Tony gulps before slowly raising his hands above his head just as three guards walk into the cell. More guns being aimed right at Tony's head. However, what caused him to freeze this time was not the fact he had guns drawn on him, it was the fact that they were his guns. Stark Industry guns, weapons that he had built and designed were now being used against him.
"Those are my guns." He breaths his eyes widening as he glances between the weapon-wielding men "How did they get my guns?"
Despite, Tony's horror over the reveal of his own weapons being aimed right at his face, his newfound friend was clearly more worried about the current issue at hand. The men holding those guns and what they wanted.
"Do you understand me?" He hisses to Tony in an urgent voice trying to get the billionaire not to do anything stupid that would get them both killed "Do as I do."
Reluctantly tearing his gaze off his weapons Tony's eyes fall on one of the men standing in front of him. Who was now speaking to his still un-named friend in Arabic?
"He says, 'Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America.' He is honored."
At the translation, Tony's eyes widen however, slowly dread begins to fill his gut as he spots his translator's face drop. Horror filling in his eyes. Whatever he was being asked to translate was clearly not going to be good.
"He wants you to build the missile. The Jericho missile that you demonstrated."
Taking a photo of his own weapon that the guard hands him, Tony clenches his jaw stubbornly, he may be a drunk but there was no way in hell he was going to help these guys slaughter god knows how many people.
"I refuse."
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
Days.
Days since her father had been reported missing in Afghanistan.
Honestly, Buffy wasn't even sure how many days it had been since Pepper called her, time had just blended together becoming nothing more than a haze of sitting on Rhodey's couch in silence. Merely listening to him on the phone with anyone and everyone he knew trying to find some sign of her dad to no prevail.
It had been over 72 hours now and there had been nothing. No ransom demand, no video...just nothing.
"Come on Buff, eat." Her God-father orders as he pushes her bowl of Chinese takeout towards her. With Joyce in Italy for a few more days for some art show and Pepper trying to handle all the drama at Stark Industries that left him and Happy in charge of keeping Buffy distracted.
But it wasn't exactly easy to distract a teenage girl when her father was missing and possibly dead. Plus when you also have to sneak said teenage girl out of her dad's house so the press who were now all staking out her home didn't spot her didn't make it any easier.
Feeling something hit her between the eyes Buffy frowns before glancing down only to spot the egg roll that Rhodey had hit her right between the eyes with, now resting on her lap. Rolling her eyes the blonde cracks a small smile as she tosses the egg roll into the air, catching in her mouth with ease.
Rhodey couldn't help but grin as he spots a small smile graze his niece's lips, given that she had barely spoken or changed her facial expression since he had picked her up at the mansion it was a miracle.
"Would you look at that? Hi Buffy, been a long time, I met your twin by the way. Grumpy, she's not so funny."
"Haha." Buffy snarks before picking up her bowl, slowly beginning to devour the 2-day old takeout "There. Happy?"
Laughing at the sight of her food-filled mouth, Rhodey shakes his head in amusement before sighing as he spots Buffy eyeing the file on his desk. Worry filling her already terrified eyes.
He knew she was scared at the prospect of him heading back out there to try and find Tony. While she wanted to find her father he also knew she didn't want to lose anyone else.
"It might be a lead." He assures her as he places his food to the side of the table before leaning forward, doing his best impression of what a serious guardian would act like. But given who her father was, this was not exactly the first time where he was having to step into a father-like role for her.
"Then let me come. I can't hide indoors while he's out there."
Spotting tears filling his God-daughter's eyes as her mind began to run through the worst possible scenarios her father might be in, Rhodey sighs in worry.
Standing up he moves to sit beside her allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder as tears stream down her face.
A rare moment of vulnerability making its way out of the still so young girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"I'm gonna bring your dad back to you." Rhodey assures her as he squeezes her shoulder softly wanting nothing more than to make sure he never had to see her cry again "I promise, Buffy. I'll bring him home."
Letting out a small sniffle as she keeps her head rested on his shoulder, Buffy sighs weakly. She wanted more than anything to believe that he would bring Tony back. But lately, since before he had gone missing...she had just had this feeling in her gut...that something horrible was going to happen.
Not wanting him to worry more about her than he already was, Buffy forces a small smile on her face, hiding her terror and dread deep down inside "You're just saying that so that I don't have to live with you."
Rhodey couldn't help but snort at the short blonde's words, stealing an egg roll off her plate he tosses it in his mouth before flicking her nose as he used to when she was little "Damn, Buff. That hurts... but warning I will ship you off to military school, you're already on the waitlist for this one in England."
As her godfather laughs in her face the blonde couldn't stop the small bubble of laughter that escapes her. Shaking her head in amusement she shoves him away from her but not before snatching up the last of the egg rolls "You suck, JR."
AFGHANISTAN, SOUTH ASIA
"I love you tons Buff."
"I love you 3000 daddy."
The sound of Buffy's voice was abruptly ripped from Tony's mind as he is finally yanked out of the water, allowing oxygen to fill his lungs again. Being waterboarded and having his head shoved into a bucket of water were definitely not his favorite activities.
Yet the sound of his daughter's voice filling his mind kept his heart pounding. He wanted to see his little girl again. He had already missed so much and if he didn't get home he would miss even more. He would never get the chance to see her graduate high school or get marrier or hell threaten her future husband with a bazooka like every father dreamed.
He needed to hold on, to figure out a way out of this cave and get home.
As he is dragged into another room, Tony is almost blinded by the bright light filling his eyes. However, as his irises finally adjust to the brightness, he felt horror and dread fill his core as he spots the weapons surrounding the room. Though they weren't just any weapons, each of the vast amounts of weapons was lined with the same name.
Stark Industries.
This was his work, his designs being used by terrorists to kill and murder innocent people.
Feeling sick to his stomach Tony couldn't even tear his eyes from the crates of weapons as his translator speaks up "He wants to know what you think."
Scoffing in disgust the billionaire finally turns to face the guard beside him, glaring at him blankly "I think you got a lot of my weapons."
While the guard circles Tony, the father of one turns to his translator awaiting the horrifying truth of why he had been dragged here "He says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile. He wants you to make a list of materials. He says for you to start working immediately, and when you're done, he will set you free."
Despite the horrifying words being translated for him, Tony couldn't only stare at the monstrous guard standing in front of him grinning like a made man. Staring at the monster's outstretched hand, Tony clenches his jaw tightly he wasn't an idiot. He knew there was no way in hell he was getting out of here without a fight not even if he handed over the weapons.
While he didn't know a lot right now, Tony knew one thing if he was going to get out of here and home to his daughter, he would have to figure out a plan to break free all on his own.
