Here's the next chapter. I wanted to say thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. Anyways here's the next chapter. It picks up right where the last one left off. Please read and review. I love getting feedback and your opinions on this story. So enjoy :)
When I finally regain consciousness, my head is pounding. I see my phone on the ground next to me and that's when I remember, Dad's missing, terrorists have kidnapped him, and I might never see him again. The last thing I said to him was that he's a jackass! What the hell is wrong with me!?
I get my phone and call Rhodey. He answers on the second ring. "Are you all right? The call dropped and you didn't call back right away?"
"Doesn't matter, where are you right now?" I ask.
"I'm at the Air force base in Kandahar."
"Okay I'll be there tomorrow. I'll text you my flight details."
"Nora no. You can't be here it'll raise too many questions. What can a sixteen-year-old girl do to find a kidnapped billionaire? No you need to go home stay there and I'll keep you updated."
"But Rhodey-"
"Nora trust me, there isn't much you can do right now that isn't already being done."
"Okay I'll head to the ranch. I expect to be constantly updated." I say, already making plans on how I'm going to find my dad.
"I will. We'll find him Nora, I promise."
"I know we will." I said and then hung up. I got my laptop and started booking an earlier flight to Dallas. I sent a few emails to professors and Doctor Selvig explaining that I had a family emergency and had to return home immediately. After that I started running around the apartment picking up and packing my things. My phone rings a couple of times but I didn't answer. As soon as I have everything packed, my passport in my hand and my flight confirmation printed out I leave the apartment. I get in a taxi and go to the airport.
In the car I check my phone and see a few messages. One from Rhodey telling me they're expanding the search radius and one from Dean asking me if everything was okay.
Dean. Shit what do I tell him. I can't tell him my dad is Tony Stark and that that's the family emergency. I don't have time to stop by his apartment. I decide to send him a message. After about thirty minutes of typing and deleting the message I finally settle on the right words.
Hey Dean, sorry for leaving early this morning. I got a few texts from my uncle telling me there was a family emergency. When I tried to call him at your place the phone died so I went to my apartment to charge my phone. Turns out there's something wrong with my dad and I have to go home asap.
I sent the message just as we arrived at the airport. I got out of the cab, grabbed my things and walked inside. I had to wait in line for twenty minutes to check in my suitcase and then get my boarding passes printed out. I passed through airport security. Then I had to fill out forms and go through US customs and immigration. That took about forty-five minutes. I had thirty minutes before my flight started to board. I was sitting down reading news report on my dad's disappearance. His business partner was supposed to give a press conference. I don't know what it was about that guy that always gave me a bad feeling.
I felt my phone vibrate. I unlocked it and saw the message from Dean.
Oh. Crap. Are you okay? Did you already book a flight? I'm on my way to your place to help you pack.
I texted back:
Dean, don't go to my apartment, I'm already at the airport. My flight boards in fifteen minutes.
He doesn't reply right away. Instead he calls me.
"Hello," I answer.
"Are you okay?"
"I could be better."
"You want to talk about it?"
I hesitate before I say, "Can't really say much. My uncle just gave me a vague idea of how bad things are and tat they needed me back."
"Everything's going to be okay Nora."
"I hope so, the last time I saw my dad we had a bit of a falling out. We both said some things to each other and I need to apologize. I need to be able to say I'm sorry. I was such an idiot and now I might not get the chance. I'm the world's worst daughter." By the time I finish talking I'm crying.
"Nora baby, listen to me. You are not the worst daughter in the world. People say things in the heat of the moment that they don't mean. I'm sure no matter how bad things got your dad doesn't hold it against you. Everything's going to be okay." He says calming me down.
That's when they announce that my flight is now boarding.
"I have to go, my flights boarding," I say sniffling a bit.
"Okay, text or call me when you land please. Just remember I'm here for you."
"I know thank you." I say and then hang up my phone.
I really do hope my dad can forgive me because if not I don't think I can live with that guilt. All I can do for now is wait to get to the ranch. Once I'm there I am not going to stop until I find him.
Kandahar, Afghanistan- Tony's POV
I thought the worst part of getting kidnapped and being imprisoned in a cave was the fact that there's an electromagnet in my chest keeping shrapnel from piercing my heart that was placed there by weapons I designed and that I now have to carry around a car battery but this is much, much worse.
Yinsen, the man who apparently saved my life and is also a hostage by a terrorist group tells me to get up and do as he says when some men come to get us.
They bring us to their leader and Yinsen translates:
"Welcome Tony Stark, The most famous mass murderer in the history of America."
He says he is honored to meet you and wants you to build the missile, the Jericho missile you demonstrated"
"I refuse" I can't let anyone else be hurt because of my inventions.
"He wants to know what you think" Yinsen translates.
"I think he has a lot of my weapons." I retort.
"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 work immediately and when you are done he will set you free."
I know that's a lie. "No he won't," I tell Yinsen.
"No he won't"
They take us back to the cave where I woke up. I can't stop thinking of all the soldiers in the convoy. Weapons I designed to protect them attacked them. Everything I believed was a lie. I'm not better than the terrorists that kidnapped me.
"I'm sure they are looking for you, Stark," Starts Yinsen. "But they will never find you in these mountains."
"Look at what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark" My legacy is one of death. Nora was right. I do have blood on my hands. I'm a horrible father and now I may never see her again.
"Nora was right..." I mutter.
"Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?"
What can I do we are out gunned. Hell I should know I designed the weapons they are using.
"Why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week." If the shrapnel in my chest doesn't kill me then the creeps out there will. My options aren't great either way.
"Well, then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it?"
I'm a genius with years of weapons design under my belt. If anyone can figure a way out of this mess it's me. If anyone can build a way out of this its me.
The Next Day:
I take advantage of the fact that they are willing to get me anything I need to get started and set up a more rustic version of my workshop. And by rustic I mean almost archaic.
I decide to get to know Yinsen. If I'm stuck here and he's going to help get us out of here I need to know whom I'm working with. That and it also helps distract me from the life and death situation we're in.
"How many languages do you speak?" I ask curiously.
"A lot. But apparently, not enough for this place. They speak Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Farsi, Russian."
"Who are these people?" They seem to well organized for your average run of the mill terrorist.
"They are your loyal customers, sir. They call themselves the Ten Rings. You know, we might be more productive if you include me, in the planning process." Yinsen says analyzing every move I make to try and figure out what I'm making.
"Okay, we don't need this." Ignoring his earlier statement. He can't really help considering I making things up as I go. I really wish I had paid closer attention to Nora's plans for the prototype mini arc reactor. I found the plans when I hacked her computer to check up on her. I was too proud to apologize but I was still her father. She was on to something I just never found out if anything came of it.
"What is that?"
"That's palladium, 0.15 grams. We need at least 1.6, so why don't you go break down the other 11?" I say. He wanted to help. The quicker I finished this the quicker we could get to work on the grand plan.
After I heated up the mixture and set up the molds, I gave Yinsen the clamps so he could hold the container and fill the molds. "Careful. Careful, we only get one shot at this." I said.
"Relax. I have steady hands. Why do you think you're still alive?" He replies sarcastically. Oh we are definitely going to work well together.
"That doesn't look like a Jericho missile." He asks pointedly. Looks like he finally figured out.
"That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor. I got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart." I explained, leaving out the real reason I was able to miniaturize it.
"But what could it generate?" He asks in amazement.
"If my math is right, and it always is, three gigajoules per second."
"That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes." He points out.
"Yeah. Or something big for 15 minutes." I say with a smirk.
After the arc reactor was in place and I no longer had to carry around the car battery. I started sketching plans.
"This is our ticket out of here." I tell Yinsen
"What is it?" He asks skeptically.
"Flatten them out and look." I could have put all the plans in one sheet but the less our captors suspected the better.
"Oh, wow. Impressive. Good. Good roll. Good roll." Says Yinsen more than a little impressed.
"You still haven't told me where you're from." I say as we start pulling the wires out of the missiles.
"I'm from a small town called Gulmira." He says with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "It's actually a nice place."
"Got a family?" I ask curiously.
"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?" He asks probably out of courtesy. Its public knowledge I'm an orphan and have no one else.
"Nora" Is all I say.
"Nora? You keep mentioning her. When I was operating on you that's all you would say. Who is she?" He asks curiously.
I debate telling him or not. Then I realize chances are we might die so I decide to tell him. "She's my daughter. She's the only family I have. We had a fight and haven't talked in over six months over how wrong it was to create weapons of mass destruction and my selfishness. She was so right and now all I want is to see her again and apologize."
"Then that's one more reason to get out of here." He says.