I am sorry but this chapter is going to be super rushed. I just want to skip to Pre Avenger-1.
A few days later…
Rhea had a huge textbook of Molecular biology in front of her, while Kichu was solving some of the problems her dad had left in his journal, "Does he know that you have his book?" Rhea asked, they were sitting in Rhea's room, books papers strewn across the floor, and the two of them right in the middle of the mess. Rhea winced as she noticed the mess they made. Rhea was thinking about dragging her dad out of his den when she heard something crash. She jumped, Kichu looked equally startled.
"From where did that come?" Kichu asked, "Sounded within the house." Rhea stated, "DAD!" She gasped realizing the only source would be her Father. She dashed out of the room but came to a stop as soon as her eyes fell on the destroyed Piano in front of her and the gaping hole that stood in its place. She looked down the hole to find a metal figure lying on one of her dad's cars.
"Dad..." She called out skeptically. The metal figure raised its hand.
"What?!" She exclaimed, Kichu who looked into the hole winced. Rhea ran downstairs, overriding Jarvis she entered.
"Would you care to explain what exactly is going on in this house Tony?" Her Dad groaned before resting his head against the hood of the car.
"Pa…" She warned. "Ri, give him some time. The man needs to reorient,"
"He should have thought about that before falling from god knows what height," She grumbled, she then stomped off, grumbling about how the piano was no longer salvageable. Tony groaned, "Need a hand, Tony?" Kichu asked him.
"I am good, ugh, maybe an ice pack would be good."
Rhea walked upstairs, she knocked into Pepper, "What the hell happened here?" Pepper asked, "My Dad happened," Rhea snorted. Pepper chuckled, "Pepper can you please make sure that this is cleaned up and if the piano is salvageable could make sure it will be restored. And if he comes upstairs just tell him I have gone to bed, Good night Pep,"
"How did you even fall in love with this man?" Rhea asked her mother's photo in the nightstand.
Rhea woke up in the morning to find Kichu looking at her skeptically.
"What?" She asked groggily.
"I have been trying to wake you up for an hour now, I thought you were dead." He deadpanned.
Rhea rolled her eyes as she got out of the bed. "Where is Dad?"
"The shop," He said as he placed her breakfast on the nightstand.
"Idli-Vada!" Rhea jumped up and down before hugging him.
"Ew... Ri you stink go get fresh,"
"I hate you," She grumbled as she walked away. Kichu chuckled, "Then make your own," He teased her, "Haha, you know that I can't even boil water," She snarked.
"Not my problem,"
"Kichu please..." Rhea put the best impression of puppy eyes. "Fine... but you need to take me somewhere,"
"Okay..." Rhea agreed, "but where to,"
"Las Vegas." Rhea looked at Kichu incredulously. "I am serious," Rhea nodded.
"So a two day trip before you leave, I need to talk to Pepper though,"
Rhea looked at Pepper expectantly, "No, I am not letting a Fifteen-year-old and a Seventeen-year-old to on a road trip to a different state,"
"Pepper, Kichu is almost Eighteen,"
"Still no Vegas," Pepper stressed, "I am sure Mrs. Iyer would say the same." Rhea looked at Tony. "Sorry kid, but no Vegas at least not till you are forty. Same for boyfriends." Tony said as he went back to the workshop. Rhea and Kichu groaned, "Instead you people can go to Disney World,"
"Disney is for Kids!" Kichu groaned, "Technically we are..." Rhea muttered under her breath. "Not helping the cause,"
Little did Rhea know her trip was just going to end up in another kidnapping.
She was walking with Kichu to the tower of terror, the boy was just a few shades away from green while Rhea was talking excitedly. She looked at Kichu, "Duck," She pushed him away as a burly man charged towards them. Rhea instinctively punched the man across his face.
"What the fuck is going on Ri?" Kichu asked as he took a defending pose.
"How do I know?" She snapped as they were surrounded by huge thugs. "These men are twice our size, we can run," Kichu said, "Code Kabbadi," She said, "Sure?!"
"Yep, now," They charged forward only to duck before their opponents could catch them. Rhea pulled out her belt. Tony had helped her to design it to a whiplash sword. The leather covering fell off to reveal a titanium sword.
"How the hell did you pass through the detector?" "I never went through one," She said slyly. She slashed through the air brandishing the sword. She noticed several mothers covering their children's faces.
"I don't know who you people are but, can we do this away from the children." She asked. "Ri, seriously they are attacking two minors and they would step away from the children"
"Shut Up Iyer,"
"We know you wouldn't kill us, Miss Stark, especially after you let go of the first one." One of the men spoke, "Oh, you guys do speak, I thought you people were mute, maybe mere puppet," Rhea said cockily. Kichu looked at his best friend wondering what exactly was going in the girl's head. "They are here to kill you, do you think it's the best idea to provoke them."
"Sorry, couldn't help myself," She said, he snorted. "Duffer, I am provoking so that they attack, they are underestimating us since we are teens,"
"If you don't know I had a knife at the last guy's throat," She sneered at her attackers.
"Freeze..." They heard a third voice, Rhea saw Clint coming towards them with a number of other agents. "You don't get to speak like this all the time Kid," Clint said as the agents subdued their attacks. "Clint," She hugged him.
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Kichu shouted exasperatedly, "One moment there are four thugs who are trying to attack us then you go hug this one here,"
"Kichu you don't remember Agent Barton," She asked him.
"I don't remember any Baton but now one thing is clear you are not safe here."
"So?"
"You are coming back to India with me," Rhea looked at him ready to kill. "Kids you can fight after we reach a safe house," Clint said standing between them.
Rhea refused to talk to Kichu as they drove back to their hotel room. "Kids, don't panic but someone is following us,"
"Barton... What on earth is going on?" She snapped at Clint.
"Stane is the one who kidnapped your dad. Pepper, along with a few of our agents is right now heading to arrest him and your dad is not responding to calls, Colonel Rhodes has gone to check on him." Clint said impassively, "Way to break it to a teenager," Kichu snorted.
"I am sorry Ri," Clint said, "I knew he was the fox, I just didn't have proof. Something didn't sit right with him," Rhea said dejected.
"You have a great instinct kid,"
"Clint, I know what you are trying to say, my answer is still the same, Nope, Nada, Nill,"
"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Kichu was clearly confused, his best friend sounded like an adult than the fourteen-year-old she was.
"For God's sake, Kichu, We are being followed by people who want to kill me."
"What offer from Baton here are you rejecting?" Kichu demanded ignoring her. Rhea sighed.
"He wants me to follow his footsteps you know play double oh seven," She groaned,
Clint looked over the rearview.
"Okay, Kids, we need to focus, there is a curb nearby one of our agents would be waiting for us,"
"What about those following us?" Rhea turned to look at the SUV following them.
"Don't look ba" She saw the vehicle blow up. Rhea screamed.
"WHAT?! You blew them up, Clint you killed someone,"
"We had a sniper following us in case of emergency, Rhea you are heiress of a large company, a company that shaped America's history, Your grandfather helped the Army to create Captain America, protecting the Stark legacy is the best thing we could do." Rhea opened her mouth and then shut it. "I need ice cream," She said before laying her head on Kichu's lap.
"Icecream?" Clint asked Kichu.
"It's her way of saying I need a Drink," Kichu explained.
Rhea was pacing back and forth in the safehouse living room. Her dad was still not reachable, Rhodey had gone to check on him. "CLINT!" She yelled into the kitchen. "No news yet Ri,"
"Aren't you a spy, you should have something on this," She was whining, Kichu crunched his nose up at her spoiled attitude. "You need to stop this, he is trying to help,"
"Urgh... easy for you to say, your parents are all good, my mom is dead, my dad seems to attract trouble ever since I met him," She snapped before she stormed off to the backyard of the house. She was kicking a bush when Clint found her slashing of its head.
"Didn't know you had a green thumb?" He asked, Rhea, snorted, "I don't, my mom did," She said, she smiled remembering their Kitchen Garden back home and all the exotic plants her mom brought back every time she went for conferences and conclaves.
"Well, Stane is no more, your Dad is fine," Clint said, Rhea smiled at him brightly. Clint continued, "You should apologize to the kid, he cares for you, I know he isn't your boyfriend, more a brother." Rhea nodded.
"Riiiiiii..." She heard Kichu, she ran inside the house, to find him with a tub of icecream and Tom and Jerry running on the TV. She opened her mouth, "I know you feel stupid and you want to apologize, apology accepted. You do need reign that temper Miss Stark," She giggled before she hugged him.
The next Day, Rhea was sitting in front of the television watching the press conference happening right outside. Agent Coulson was standing next to her.
"I am Iron Man," Her father announced, Rhea let out an exasperated scream. Right now she wanted to barge out of the room and scream at her Dad. She turned to Agent Coulson, "Could you tell Director Fury that I am taking up the offer to train?"
I was supposed to finish this yesterday, later my friend texted me saying I had a seminar today on Epidemiology, I had to work on that. After five long hours of reading and researching and nagging the professor in the middle of the night I got the finished product and I did it. (my first seminar went down the drain, I sulked for the rest of the day)
Constructive Criticism always welcomed.
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