Chapter 10

The three months were the worst in her life. Rhea lost all the hope that she would find her father. Had it not been for Kichu Rhea was so sure either she would have been in a mental asylum or would have taken drugs, alcohol or whatever. She had around five episodes of breakdown. Though Kichu would drag her for sightseeing but as soon as she steps into the lab things would go downhill within an hour. Life was moving slow. She remembered waking upon her birthday to end up having a screaming match with Pepper and Kichu. She ended up crying to sleep.

Pepper looked at the girl curled up next to her friend. She didn't look like the one who came to the Malibu house months before. Her phone rang.

"Pepper we found him." Rhodey's voice rang out. She gasped. "What?" "We found him." "Oh My God! Thank you." Pepper whispered. She went to the kids. "Ri, Honey get ready we need to go."

"Go! But where to." "They found him. They found your dad dear." Rhea hugged Pepper and cried. "Oh my god, oh my god." She sobbed. Pepper hugged her. "Now we need to get ready, we need to bring him back home." "Yeah." Rhea agreed. "But first you need to take a bath. You are stinking you know." Kichu said as he sat up on the bed. Rhea threw a pillow at him. "Kids no fighting." Pepper said.

They reached the air force base. Rhea saw her dad step out of the plane. She ran to him and hugged him. "I am sorry Dad. I shouldn't have said all that all of that." Tony pulled his daughter closer to him. He couldn't believe this. He had his angel back in his arms. "Hey it's okay." He said as he kissed her forehead. "It's not okay I sent you off to a war zone saying that I hate you." She said. "It's okay kid. Now we have each other. I am back safe and sound for you." They went towards Pepper and Kichu. Tony shook hands with Kichu. He turned to Pepper.

"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long lost boss?" Tony asked. Rhea mentally face palmed she thought at least after all these the two would acknowledge their feelings for each other. Now she will have to play parent trap. Kichu came closer to her and whispered. "you know he is stupid at times. That woman spent three months crying for him and he asks one insensitive thing."

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." Pepper said. "Yeah, vacation's over." "okay there they go." Rhea whispered to Kichu. "Yeah," Kichu nodded. Rhodey raised an eyebrow at them. They grinned. They got inside the car.

"Happy take us to the hospital." Rhea said. No.

"What dad? No? You need to. I don't want to hear anything."

"We will go. But now I need two things. First an American Cheese burger and.."

"I don't want to hear the rest." Rhea said covering her ears.

"Not what you think kid. A press conference."

"A press conference?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah."

"But what on earth for?"

"Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first." Pepper looked at her while she shrugged her shoulders saying "I don't know."

Rhea wanted to puke when she saw Stane playing the concerned uncle with her father. "Sly cunning Fox" She cursed under her breath as she followed Pepper to the conference. Kichu silently followed her. He knew she was fuming.

She stood next to Pepper. She saw a bald man in his forties come towards them. The person greeted Pepper.

" . Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"I am not part of this press conference. I don't have answers for your questions"

"I am not a reporter. I am Agent Phil Coulson from Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"That's quite mouthful." Rhea snickered next to her. Pepper shushed her.

"We are trying to shorten."

"We have already been approached by DOD FBI CIA."

"We are a different division. We need to brief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape."

Agent Coulson then turned to her. "Miss Stark, a word." Pepper looked at Rhea. She shrugged her shoulder, she was equally confused.

"Agent Baron said Bunny misses you."

"Oh! tell Bunny Birdie will soon come back to the nest." She whispered.

"Done."

Pepper looked at her. Rhea went to Kichu.

"Should I be concerned?" Pepper asked her.

"Nope.. all fine."

"Okay…"

Rhea turned to see her dad asking everyone to sit down.

"Why ask everyone to sit down?" Rhodey asked Pepper.

"I don't know. Only he knows what he is upto."

Rhea was amused at her Dad's antics. Then again he was 'The Tony Stark.' She sighed. Stane sat down next to her Dad.

"Ri, Kid come here." Her dad called her. Rhea looked nervously, public speaking or appearances were never her thing. On top she wasn't even in a proper attire. She was looking like a homeless person. An oversized t-shirt which was kichu's and a pair of shorts with sneakers. Her hair was a mess. She fidgeted with the edge of her shirt.

"It's okay Kid." He called out. She wrung her hand. She sighed. She inhaled before walking to the podium. She sat down next to her Dad. He pulled her close to him and squeezed her shoulder. Rhea realised he was making sure this wasn't a dream.

She smiled at him.

"I never got to say goodbye to my dad. I never got to say goodbye to My father. For a moment I thought my daughter wouldn't too. We had a fight,well my Dad and I before we parted. My daughter too had a disagreement. I was scared that the last memory she has about me was us fighting." Rhea looked at her Dad. he had been through hell. She could feel the dread.

"There's a question I would have asked him, my Father. I would have asked him how he felt about the company? If he was conflicted, if he ever had any doubts or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels." He paused.

"I saw young Americans get killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability." One of the reporters raised their hand.

"Hey Ben."

"What happened over there?"

"I had my eyes open." Her Dad got up. Rhea followed him.

"I came to realise that I have more to give to this world than just making things that blow up and that is why effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International" Rhea gaped at her Dad. It was a riot that followed. The press went crazy.

"Until such a time as I can decide what the future of this company will be." Stane opened his mouth. 'Mute' Rhea thought. She always ignored him. She didn't hear the rest of her Dad's speech as Happy and Kichu came to her and escorted her out of the building.

Rhea was happy about her Dad shutting down the weapons division. She knew Pepper and Rhodey were happy with his decision. Growing up in the third world Rhea realised most Asian countries blamed the west for the political unrest in the western part of the continent. She was happy that the Stark name would no longer be associated with it.

Pepper was watching news when Tony called her.

"Hey Pep, where is Ri?"

"Beach.. on a walk with Mr. Iyer."

"Okay how small is your hand?"

"What?"

"Come to the lab"

"Why?"

Rhea came running to the lab with Kichu hot on her heels. She was drenched.

"No..no..no.. no water in the lab." Tony said.

"Holy Shit! What the hell is that?!" Kichu shouted as he saw the arc reactor. Rhea gaped at her Dad.

"Language," Pepper scolded Kichu.

"Dad...What is it?"

"An Arc reactor. It's keeping the Shrapnel out of my heart."

Rhea gasped. She felt like her head was spinning.

She heard Pepper and Kichu shout her name out.