Five
When Tony explained that he was planning a trip to Afghanistan for a weapon's demonstration, Ada had been dreading the moment he left. She had seen enough stories and broadcasts to know that the Middle East was constant at a state of turmoil. Civil wars usually broke out between different countries, often dragging others into their mess. Though it was full of political unrest, Ada also understood the urgency to provide protection to the military currently stationed there.
She just couldn't shake off the feeling that something horrible would happen to him. After so many close calls as it was, she knew that Tony's luck would only last so long. Obadiah had always reassured her that it was probably just her nerves getting the better of her. But something in the back of Ada's mind told her there was more going on.
When she tried talking to Pepper about it, the strawberry blond simply brushed it aside as if it was nothing to worry about. Now that Ada thought about it, she wondered if she should have tried convincing Tony to let her go with him.
With the early morning sunlight filtering through the curtains that covered her broad windows, Ada shifted uneasily in her bed. She hadn't gotten much sleep that evening after Tony left. Nightmares kept haunting her dreams when she closed her eyes. A combination of the dreams she had of those people, and of something terrible happening to Tony, kept reoccurring. It was barely past six in the morning, yet she knew that trying to get some sleep was pointless.
Her mind was already churning with anxiety as it was when she finally sat up and tossed the bed sheets aside. The knot in her stomach refused to go away as she got into the shower and tried washing away her worries. When that didn't work, she quickly changed and tried thinking of something else that might put her mind to ease.
Ada knew that it was illogical to worry so much about something she had no control over. In the back of her mind, she kept telling herself that everything would turn out okay. Hearing Tony's voice tell her that she had arrived the other night had been oddly reassuring. He sent her pictures, and he told her that he would likely be back the next day if everything went according to plan. She at least had hope that things would go smoothly enough.
She shook her head at the thought and decided to reach her bed. She pulled a notebook out from under her bed, with pages that already had paragraphs written down. After discovering the use of her powers, Ada had gotten into the habit of writing down her progress. This time though, she wrote down the very vivid memory of her dream in full detail. She needed to remember this dream – something in the back of her mind told her that they were important.
Writing down everything from memory was the best way to figure out in detail why she kept having those dreams in the first place. She wanted nothing more than to understand why they kept reoccurring the way they did. Few people had dreams the way she did.
Once she finished writing everything down, she hid her notebook under the bed to keep anyone else from discovering it. It was the first time Ada had realized that those people were similar to her. They may not have had the same powers, but that woman who died in front of her had powers of her own. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there had to be some kind of connection. After all, the only other people born with powers were mutants.
Maybe that's what I am, she thought, wondering if that was true. If that was the case, maybe she should have looked more into it. She'd read into studies done by Professor Charles Xavier. He was one of the most powerful influences she knew in the world of mutants. If anyone knew whether or not she had some connection with mutants, he probably would.
Ada squeezed her eyes shut at the thought, making a mental note to look into it later. Anything as better than not knowing at all. All she wanted to do was figure out where her powers came from in the first place.
After all, how many human beings were born with powers like hers?
She skidded down the rocky bluff that led to the cove where she set up targets for practice. After learning how to control fire, Ada had spent hours in the lab designing targets that were fireproof. Such an object came in handy during moments like these when she needed to vent off some steam.
She used the targets themselves as a way of controlling her temper. Ada had learned the hard way that her powers were based off how strongly she felt. That first night when her powers first developed, she'd panicked. That was why the bed sheets caught on fire.
Waves crashed onto the sandy beach when Ada reached the cove. She relished the warm sun that bathed her skin, soaking it in. There were many times when she thought of herself as lucky to have been adopted by Tony. She never realized until than how much she loved the beach, and everything it had to offer.
Taking a deep breath, a flame appeared at the palm of her hand when Ada concentrated hard enough. That was the key to focusing her powers – concentration. The first time she tried this trick, she nearly burned the mansion down in the process. She was lucky, though. On a good day, Ada had learned how to harness her powers and figure out where to aim them at. Hence the targets that were used on a weekly basis.
Each shot she fired hit the target with ease, causing a tiny explosion in the process. It amazed Ada that no one caught onto what was happening. Though, she had a feeling that things would end badly if they found out what she was up to. She moved from one spot to the other, firing each target until she ran out of energy. By the time she was finished, smoke rose from the wooden posts that the targets were attached to.
Once she was left gasping for breath, Ada sat down on the beach and stared at nothing in particular. With Tony gone, Ada had enough time to think about how she would tell him that she had powers. The thought had never really occurred to her, that often. She often worried what he would think of her if he found out that she could manipulate fire. Memories of that dream kept telling her that he would react badly.
Not for the first time, Ada found herself looking down at the palm of her hands where a tiny flame appeared to be dancing. She often wondered where this power came from. Or, why they only just started to develop the way they did. Waking up randomly one morning and finding the bed sheets and mattress on fire was not normal. Not in the least.
It was one of the many reasons she hadn't told anyone what she could do. She was terrified of how everyone would react. Tony might take it well enough, but the others were a complete mystery. Besides, the less she knew about her powers, the less chances she had of hurting someone.
"What the hell am I?" she wondered out loud, her voice barely a whisper.
The thought terrified her. As much as Ada tried telling herself that she was normal, she knew she was anything but normal. No kid her age had the level of intelligence she did. No kid at the age of six could speak in full sentences and make full-grown adults look like idiots in the process.
Her mental abilities were what made her stand apart from everyone else. She'd caused quite a rift within the school when she was taking her classes. Tony wanted her to have a normal life at one point. But when she proved that she was capable of so much more, he finally pulled her out.
That was also one of the many reasons she didn't have many friends her age. As difficult as it was to accept it, someone like her didn't normally fit in with society. It wasn't Tony's fault. She just couldn't bring herself to have a normal conversation with someone her age without causing them to judge her.
Her thoughts were churning with so much anxiety that she hadn't even noticed the waves were also churning stronger than ever. Ada nearly leaped out of her skin when the wave suddenly began to rise as she stood up. When she tried lifting her hand, she noticed with a start that the wave was following her movements. Ada blinked in disbelief when she flicked her wrist, watching in amazement as the wave suddenly broke and crashed back into the ocean.
Ada couldn't help but stare at the water in amazement as she noticed droplets just hovering in front of her. With a sigh, she let her hands fall to her sides, and the rest of the water crashed down as well, splashing her in the process. It took Ada a few seconds to process the realization that she had been controlling the water.
I can control water, she realized silently, almost giddy with excitement. Despite her earlier fear, Ada felt more at ease with this kind of power. Water was soothing, calm and healing. Fire was damaging, terrifying, and powerful in its own way.
More questions than answers formed in the back of Ada's mind as she tried figuring out how this was even possible. It suddenly left her wondering if she could control other elements. Fire, water… the possibilities were endless. Ada knew that powers like these weren't normal, and that she would need to keep them hidden now, more than ever.
She jumped when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. When she fished for it and held it up, Ada's eyes widened when she realized that it was already past noon. She hardly even noticed how much time had passed. Focusing her attention on the targets and her powers seemed to take away more time than she would have hoped.
"Ada, you might want to get inside, something's happened."
That was Pepper's voice she heard through the voicemail, and the urgency in her voice sent thrills of alarm through Ada. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as Ada climbed back up the rocks and made her way towards the mansion. Pepper rarely sounded worried, unless Tony was somehow involved. That only left Ada feeling even more anxious when she finally reached the living room, blinking in surprise at the people standing around inside.
Rhodes and Obadiah were also with Pepper, neither looking thrilled with whatever had happened. The knot felt tighter than ever, and, Ada knew something serious had happened. Especially as she caught Rhodes refusing to meet her questioning gaze.
"It's about dad, isn't it?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear. She knew the unrest in the Middle East was the reason why Tony hadn't allowed her to tag along with him. That along with the fact that this was nothing more than a weapon's demonstration. Pepper's nod only confirmed Ada's worst fears. "What happened?" she demanded, trying to keep the anger and fear from overwhelming her.
"It was after the weapon's demonstration," Rhodes explained uneasily, "He took a separate caravan and it was ambushed. When we managed to find the caravan, it was destroyed, and the only body we couldn't find was his. We haven't heard from him or seen him since."
Ada had to sit down beside Pepper as she tried processing what Rhodes told her. Images of a caravan going up in smoke suddenly flashed across her mind. She couldn't shake off the overwhelming feeling of fear and worry. This shouldn't have happened. This couldn't have happened. Not now, not ever.
"There's a press conference scheduled at the labs, tomorrow," Obadiah added, cutting through the icy silence that followed as Pepper took hold of Ada's hand and squeezed it gently, "We'll find him, hopefully."
"He can't be gone," Ada whispered, trying to ignore the tears that stung the edge of her vision. Pepper squeezed her hand once more, and suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a comforting hug, "He can't be," she kept repeating herself, feeling an ounce of denial when Obadiah took a step back.
Obadiah had always been a family friend. Yet, there was something about the way he spoke and acted that left Ada feeling even more uneasy about the whole situation. He didn't seem to care that Tony was missing. In fact, he showed no emotions at all. Just, an eerie sense of calm.
How can he be so calm? she wondered, feeling her heart sink even lower at the thought that she might not ever see Tony again. And, only after they just started getting along, too. Ada couldn't imagine what he must be going through, if he was alive.
Once Obadiah left, Ada let out a quiet sigh as she buried her face into Pepper's shoulder. Knowing that Tony was gone didn't help matters. It suddenly left her wondering what would happen to her. As selfish as it sounded, Ada knew she wouldn't have anywhere else to go if they decided to give her up.
She would be forced to live out on the streets once they chose that option. That thought alone left her shivering with unease. She wasn't sure what would happen to her if anyone figured out that she had powers. Living on the streets was one thing she could probably deal with on her own. But, she wasn't sure how people would react to someone who had the kind of powers she did.
"Look, I'm going to do whatever it takes to find your dad, Ada," Rhodes reassured her after reaching them. "We've already started sending out search parties."
She just gave a nod to show that she understood. Even through Rhodes' words of encouragement when he turned to leave, that didn't stop the flicker of doubt clouding Ada's mind. She couldn't help but think back to how many enemies Tony would have gained while developing those weapons. Or, how many more people would want him dead because of his money, and family name.
"Hey, everything is going to be okay," Pepper tried putting in once Rhodes was gone. Ada bit back a retort as Pepper stood up and tried brushing off the tears from earlier. "We're going to try and make the most of this, okay?"
"What's the point?" Ada muttered under her breath, "It isn't as if he's going to be found, anytime soon. It's like trying to look for a needle in a haystack."
"Ada, you can't just give up hope," Pepper let out a sigh after she realized this was something that Ada wouldn't let go anytime soon. She of all people knew how close they had been. Losing Tony hit her hard, harder than she wanted to admit out loud. "I think Tony wouldn't want you giving up that easily."
Ada swallowed hard when she heard the implications in Pepper's voice. She didn't want to give Ada false hope that they would find Tony. Yet, she also didn't want her giving up hope. Ada's hands balled into fists as she glared down at the floor.
"He said he wasn't going to let anything happen," she murmured crossly.
Pepper suddenly caught Ada by surprise when she reached out and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Finally having had enough with holding back, Ada suddenly buried her face into Pepper's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh of her own.
"We're going to find him," Pepper reassured her once more, though even Ada could hear the doubt in her voice.
After everything that happened, she didn't want to believe that Tony was dead. But, the odds of him surviving something like that were slim. She knew that she should have been there with him. If anything, she could have at least provided some protection. Now, she would have to live with that guilt, and the realization that he might not be coming back.