Hey everyone. Just wanted to say thanks for all the support. Here's the next chapter. It's a little longer than normal. Please read and you, enjoy ? ﾟﾘﾃ
After the big fight in Gulmira, I decided to take a step back and evaluate the situation I was in. So I made a pro and con list.
Pro: I'm helping people
Con: I technically helped create a weapon of mass destruction, again
Pro: Dad and I have never been closer
Con: My anxiety was at an all time high.
Pro: Dad is no longer making weapons and is a bit more considerate. Not a lot but a bit.
Con: What we are doing could technically be considered illegal. We essentially invaded foreign soil. Saved a lot of people but destroyed their town in the process. Not only that but also destroyed US military property as well.
Things were not looking good. I am so screwed.
Dad, On the other hand decided to take a break from fighting abroad after the last time and a lecture from Rhodey. Instead he focused on the company, specifically finding out who was dealing on the black market. I decided to let him handle that on his own. I'd never been interested in the company, I mean I always knew that option was open to me but living in the limelight and having to deal with people who are only interested in how much money you could make didn't seem all that appealing.
About two days later, I had just gotten out of my gross anatomy lab when I got this really strange feeling I was being watched. I looked around but all I saw were a couple of students and a couple cuddling on a bench. I decided to ignore it and go drive home. Why does this keep happening to me? It must be the stress.
Third person POV-
"I'm a glorified babysitter." Muttered the man looking through a pair of binoculars at the teenager walking to her car. He saw her stop walking and take a look at her surroundings. "That's strange, she can't see me up here." That's when his phone started to buzz. He checked the caller ID. COULSON. He sighed before picking up.
"Barton."
"Coulson, How's Malibu? Too much sunshine and surfing for you cause I would be more than happy to trade."
"Well you should've thought of that before you decided to ignore your paperwork for months. How's the potential asset?"
"Same as she's been since the last time you asked. She gets up, does yoga, goes on her computer for a few hours, goes to class, studies in the library, more time on the computer, goes to bed and repeats the same thing all over again."
"Anything out of the norm?"
"Except that one time she got up at 3am and was on the computer talking to someone, no. Are we seriously considering recruiting her, she's barely sixteen?"
"It's still up in the air and ultimately not up to me." At that moment Coulson saw Pepper Potts practically running down the stairs to the lobby. "Got to go, keep me update if anything changes." And he hung up.
"Ahh," He let out a sigh and packed up his things. He was in for a long night.
Nora's POV
I got to my apartment and just crashed on the couch. It was a long day and I couldn't stop thinking about whether or not what we were doing was the right thing.
My phone yelling interrupts my thoughts. That's right yelling. I changed dad's ringtone to a very loud scream recording after he wouldn't stop teasing me for screaming during his last crime-fighting outing. I get up and answer the phone
"Hey dad what's up?" I greet.
"Get to your computer and start hacking traffic cameras all around Stark industries."
"Good to hear from you too," I tease, "I'm good, just had class and-"
He interrupts "NORA! Hack! Now!"
"Okay I'm on it jeez, what crawled up your ass today?"
"Oh I don't know, I found out my business partner sold me out to terrorists and has been dealing under the table for years, then he walks into my house and paralyzes me while he takes the reactor out of my chest and leaves me to die. I think about covers it."
"Oh shit, how the hell are you still alive?" I say as I start hacking into the traffic cameras surrounding Stark Industries and the company security system.
"I have a very nostalgic assistant who wanted proof I had a heart."
"Aww, you so have a thing for her." I check the stats on the suit. "How's the old reactor handling the suit?"
"Its not even at forty percent power. On the plus side it's still powering the magnet so I'm not dead."
Got to love his attempts and lightning up the mood.
"What does Stane want to do with the Arc reactor?"
"He needs it to power his new weapons but he's going after Pepper first to cover up any evidence she may have gotten against him."
"Found her! She's in the room where the arc reactor is."
"Okay going in." He says "Pepper!" And he mutes me again.
"Tony! Tony, are you okay?" I'm guessing that would be Pepper
"I'm fine. How are..." She doesn't let him finish.
"Obadiah, he's gone insane!" I'd say psychotic and power hungry.
"I know." Dad said remorsefully. I'm sure he felt horrible for dragging Pepper into his mess. "Listen, you'd better get out of there." He told her.
"He built a suit." Oh that's the new weapon dad mention earlier. I was afraid of this happening. Why am I always right.
"Get out of there right now!" He ordered Pepper.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.
"Your services are no longer required." Then dad unmutes me and asks, "Where is he?"
"I don't see him," Then out of the corner of one of the cameras I see it. "Oh shit, he's outside and I think he put on a couple pounds since you last saw him"
"What do you- Oh shit!" Dad exclaims, "Stane!"
"I love this suit!" They're both standing on the freeway in the way of incoming traffic when out of nowhere Stane stops a minivan with a mom and her kids inside and lifts them up.
"Put them down!" Dad yells out.
"Collateral damage, Tony." Stane retorts. What a douche.
Dad starts strategizing where to divert the limited power the Arc reactor can give. "Divert power to chest RT."
"Power reduced to 19%." Jarvis Responds.
"For 30 years, I've been holding you up! I built this company from nothing! Nothing is going to stand in my way." The typical bad guy rant from every action movie you can think of. Can this guy be anymore of a cliché? "Least of all you!"
At that moment dad manages to catch the car and then flies off trying to get Stane away and limit civilian casualties.
"Impressive! You've upgraded your armor!" He goaded, "I've made some upgrades of my own!" How is that thing flying? Its huge.
"Sir, it appears that his suit can fly." Jarvis alerts dad.
"Thank you for stating the obvious Jarvis" I retort.
"Duly noted. Take me to maximum altitude." Dad orders.
"Dad that's a bad idea, you barely have enough power as it is." I state.
Jarvis continues with, "With only 15% power, the odds of reaching that..."
"I know the math! Do it!" Dad yells.
"Thirteen percent power, sir." OH this is bad. I don't want to watch.
"Climb!" Dad yells.
"Dad, please think this through." I say.
"Eleven percent."
"I have thought it through," he tells me. "Keep going!"
"Seven percent power." OH crap, crap, crap.
"Just leave it on the screen!" Dad yells at Jarvis obviously annoyed at the countdown. "Stop telling me!"
"You had a great idea, Tony, but my suit is more advanced in every way!" I highly doubt that.
"How'd you solve the icing problem?" Dad says with a smirk and that's when I realize what his plan was all along.
"Icing problem?" Stane says confused.
"Might want to look into it." Dad retorts.
"Two percent." And after a brief pause, "We are now running on emergency backup power." Barely made it.
Dad mutes me again and says "Potts!"
"Tony! Oh, my God, are you okay?" She says relieved to hear from him. She's totally into him. I just hope he realizes it.
"I'm almost out of power. I've got to get out of this thing. I'll be right there."
He starts to get ready to get out if the suit when we hear him, "Nice try!" Oh come on!
"Weapons status?" Dad asks
"Repulsors offline. Missiles offline." Jarvis responds. Oh shit this is bad. That's when I see it. The original Arc Reactor, the one that started it all.
"Flares!" Dad tells Jarvis and the suit fires them.
I'm still muted so I text dad:
Dad the reactor, the big one right below you.
Dad reads the text and he gets where I'm going with this.
"Very clever, Tony." Stane taunts as the flares set off the missiles he fired at dad.
"Potts?" Dad calls out
"Tony!"
"This isn't working. We're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof." Dad tells her.
"Well, how are you going to do that?" She responds and realize dad's going to have to move quickly.
"You're going to do it." He tells her, Go to the central console, open up all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I'll let you know. You're going to hit the master bypass button."
"It's going to fry everything up here." She's getting it.
"Okay. I'm going in now. Make sure you wait till I clear the roof. I'll buy you some time." He unmutes me and says, "Good thinking kid. I don't have any weapons I can use what do I go for?"
"Wire sticking out of his back." I respond if its anything like the mark II that will do it.
"This looks important!" Dad says as he hits the spot.
"I never had a taste for this sort of thing, but I must admit, I'm deeply enjoying the suit! You finally outdid yourself, Tony!" Stane taunts. "You'd have made your father proud!" Oh shit he went there.
"It's ready, Tony! Get off the roof!" Pepper tells dad. "Tony!"
"How ironic, Tony! Trying to rid the world of weapons,
you gave it its best one ever!" That when it hits me. I never wanted this to happen. Things are worse than before.
"Pepper!" dad calls out and snaps me out of my mini episode.
"And now I'm going to kill you with it!" Stane yells. Too bad be can't. "You ripped out my targeting system!"
"Time to hit the button!" Dad calls out. He's still on the roof what is he thinking?!
"You told me not to!" Yeah dad you told her not to.
"Hold still, you little prick!" Asshole.
"Just do it!" Dad yells out.
"Dad no, get clear first." I practically scream.
"You'll die!" Pepper says just supporting my argument without knowing.
"Push it!" Dad yells out.
"Tony!" I hear Pepper scream before the comms cut out and I pass out.
The Next Day-
I wake up in bed, no idea how I got there. The last thing I remember is… Dad! I check my phone and I see a text from Dad.
Hey kid, everything's Okay, don't freak out the blast from the reactor kind of knocked out the comms in the suit. Probably didn't help that it powered off right afterwards.
I let out a deep breath and fall back on the bed. Everything's Okay. Everything worked out.
I get out of bed and go to the kitchen. I turn on the news while I go set up the coffee maker and make breakfast.
The first thing I hear is:
"You've all received the official statement of what occurred at Stark Industries last night. There have been unconfirmed reports that a robotic prototype malfunctioned and caused damage to the arc reactor." Rhodey says trying to cover up Dad's involvement. "Fortunately, a member of Tony Stark's personal security staff..."
My phone rings letting me know I have a text:
"Iron Man." That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it.
Typical Dad, I answer with:
Was Gold Titanium Alloy Man taken?
Then I hear Rhodey announce
"And now, Mr. Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions. Thank you." After the last press conference I have to say good call Rhodey.
That's when dad comes up to the stage.
"Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I'll stick to the cards this time." Everyone chuckles.
"There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop..."
Dad get interrupted by a blonde reporter judging by her tone I'm going to guess they have history. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that, that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you..." Why did you have to question him?
Dad answers that with, "I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."
"I never said you were a superhero." She retorts. OH now she's done it.
"Didn't? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic." Okay he's sticking to the cards this is good. "I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public." Oh shit, please tell me he's not going to do what I think he is. Rhodey goes to his side and whispers something in his ear.
Whatever he said to him, Dad just responds, "Yeah, okay. Yeah."
Then he goes rogue
"The truth is I am Iron Man."
Oh shit. The reporters go wild they start shouting questions and Rhodey escorts dad out of there.
I get my phone and text him
I'm going to go on a limb and say no one explained to you the purpose of a secret identity.
He responds back
They did when I agreed to read off the cards then I thought what the hell and I just went with it.
I replied
You do know that this changes everything right? Chances are the government's going to want the suit.
He just says
Let them try.
I was afraid he would say that.
Third Person's POV- the previous night
Agent Barton was watching the girl in her apartment, as he had been for the last three weeks. She had gotten back from class and laid down on the couch for about an hour. Then all of a sudden she stood up and got on her computer. She had a headset on and was typing faster than he had seen anyone ever.
She did that for almost two hours there was a bit of shouting. She stood up for a bit, yelled at someone over the speaker and then she started to sway a bit before she fainted.
That's when he decided to take a closer look. He scaled down the side of the building and went into the alley on the side of apartment building. He found the fire escape and climbed up to the fifth floor window of the girl who he had been shadowing's apartment. He managed to pry open the window and slipped inside. He looked around and the first thing he noticed was how simple everything was decorated. There were no pictures around the apartment. It almost seemed like a common hotel room. He went to the computer's desk and saw that the girl was still unconscious and on the floor. He looked her over, making sure she wasn't hurt. When he saw that she was fine he picked her up and placed her on her bed in her room. He draped a blanket over her and closed the door to her room.
He went to her desk and read through the papers she had scattered around. They were all notes from her classes. He saw her computer and decided he should try to see what she was working on. He tried to access it but it was password protected. He used the trick his partner had taught him but nothing. The security system on the computer is not something he expected a college student much less a teenager to have. This only raised more questions. Coulson had only given him a surveillance picture and told him to shadow her to since she was being considered for recruitment. Who was this girl?