GULMIRA
"I don't know if I should be flattered that you got mad for me or what," Tony called back from his end of the phone.
Abel sat at the end of her bed and smiled slightly. She looked up at the TV and was just grateful that it wasn't recorded, though she had a feeling a certain origination was behind it all. "I'm sorry I caused a scene. That wasn't my intention."
"Don't worry about it. Looks like the new reporters didn't really care, so you shouldn't either." His words brought a smile to her face and set her heart at ease. "By the way...are you free again?"
Her smile fell the instant those words came out. "What are you asking of me this time, Tony? If it's the public eye then please don't."
"What? No. No, no, no. I need you back here for something. I need your help."
Just as he said that a segment about Gulmira came on the screen. Abel looked up and saw Tony's weapons being used for the wrongdoing while the innocent ran scared. Just looking at it through a TV screen made her sick but she couldn't look away. This was reality and now she had a feeling what Tony meant when he said that he needed her back at his house.
Abel shut the TV off and got up. "I'll be there in a moment."
Abel sat in a silent zone like trance and typed furiously, a program on Tony's computer. Her hands speeding away on the keyboard faster then he's able to understand what was going on and was just so caught up in looking at it in amazement. Without looking, she grabbed a little device from off the table and pointed it at him in his red and gold suit of armor. Abel pressed a button and the computer screen lit up with cameras. Tony's suit was set up with at least four cameras on his body so Abel would be able to see what he saw.
"There we go." She said in a chipper voice and spun around to face him. "You're all set to go."
There was a whirring sound whenever he would walk. He looked over Abel's shoulder and saw all the camera's moving with him. "When did you do this?"
"When did I not have the time is what you should be asking." Abel shot right back with a smile. She had a point. She was working on his suits beside him the whole time so she had plenty of times to set those cameras up. "I have one in the back, one in the front and two on each side. This way I can help you and watch your back."
Tony nodded and the mask slid open, revealing his face. "I'm surprised that you're not telling me to not go." He admitted.
Abel took a breath and set her hands in her lap. "I'm worried for you and that's why I set those cameras up. We can't just let this go on. The safest hands are our own you know. So," She gave him that signature smile and held her hand up. "I'll support you 100%."
Tony could feel his heart beating slightly faster than normal. He took her hand and grasped it tightly, enclosing it in armor. "You got my back?"
Abel's voice was soft and honest. "I have your back."
Tony flew through the air at a fast pace as there was a crackling sound from the barrier breaking. He spotted the town off in the distance as women and children were torn from their father's arms.
"That man..." Abel called out. "Is the one from the cave."
Tony zoomed in and spotted what she was looking at and saw that she was right. It was the man they met back in the cave who tried to convince him to make them weapons the first time. Tony slammed down right between him and the family. He rose to his feet an was immediately shot out, but the bullets just bounced right off his suit. Tony struck the gunner in the chest and sent him flying away. He spun around and launched a repulsor blast towards another. Tony began to lay waste to the armed terrorist with ease as the bullets bounced right off the suit. One after enough they fell at his feet but he stopped suddenly when they began to point their weapons as the woman and children.
"You can't beat them with guns pointed at the innocent. You have to take them down all at once." Abel stated quickly.
Miniature missiles popped up from the shoulder pads of his suit and struck all the terrorists in under a second before they could even understand what was happening. They were down.
A young boy ran from his mother's arm and went right up to his father that he thought was going to get shot. "Papa!" He cried out
Tony walked right past them and was still on the lookout for that man they met in the cave who seemed to have disappeared during the chaos, but not for long because this is exactly why Abel installed all those cameras on his suit. That man, that terrorist could not escape from her shape gaze.
"He's behind the wall right in front of you," Abel called out immediately.
Tony walked right up to the wall she pointed out and he raised his fist. He rammed it right through the concrete wall and latched ahold of something, ripping it out from behind the wall and into the open. The man who threatened them.
He activated his trusters. "He's all yours." He left the fate of that man to those angry civilians before flying off.
Tony flew through the sky and spotted another town off in the distance. It wasn't long till Abel called back with a report of her findings, but this time it was different. It was what they were after.
"I see the Jericho Missiles." Abel pointed out to him. "You got to get rid of those things befo—Watch out!"
A missile came out of nowhere and knocked Tony out of the sky. He plummeted to the ground and slammed into the sand as a cloud of dust formed around him. Tony crawled his way out of the hole he made. His suit now had a few more nicks and scraps in them from the impact. He looked up and saw that it was a tank that knocked him out of air.
"Tony? Hey! Are you okay!?" Abel called back in a panic.
"Hold on a moment, sweetheart." Tony groaned out.
The tank launched another shell at him but he swiftly moved to the side away from it. Tony raised his arm up and launched a missile from his arm right at the tank. He turned to walk away just as it detonated. Bullets ricocheted off his suit as the terrorist group rained on him with their guns as he hovered in the air. He targeted his missiles and pulled a repulsor blast on them, destroying them for good and finally ending this situation that was placed upon him.
Abel breathed out a large sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair. She glanced up at the ceiling and was just glad that Tony was out of there safely and that the Jericho missiles were finally destroyed. She hasn't been this stressed out for a while, even when she was in captivity by the Ten Rings.
"You haven't stroked out on me yet, have you?" She heard Tony's playful voice through open communications.
Abel's face heated up red when she realized that he heard her deep and relaxed sigh. "Just worried. That's all. I hate you being down there and in trouble like that." She said softly.
"What?" She could even hear the smile in his voice. "Are you saying that you would rather come down here instead of me?"
Abel was quite for a long time as she stared at the live cameras on his suit as he began to fly back home, back where it was safe. "Yes." She said as simply as that without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice.
Tony paused even longer, and when he spoke up his voice cracked. "Abel...Hey-Hey, would you...you know, get some dinner after all this?"
Abel blinked in confusion. "After you just got done with this mess of a situation?"
"You know...I'll just walk it off. A little dinner with a beautiful woman will definitely help in the long mile."
Abel could feel her heart speed up like a race car breaking the speed limit. A smile cracked to her lips despite not even realizing, but a rapid beeping caused her ears to perk up. She darted her head to another monitor. On the screen was a live tracking system of the U.S. Air Force targeting Tony's current destination.
Abel would feel her heart plummet to the ground. "Oh, God."
Tony quickly answers the built-in phone in his suit as he continued to fly throughout the open skies. "Hello?"
"Tony?" He heard Rhodey on the other end.
"Who's this?"
"It's Rhodes."
"Sorry, hello?" Tony called again, unable to hear him over the sound of the wind beating against his suit
"I said it's Rhodes."
"Speak up, please."
"What in the hell is that noise?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm driving with the top down right now with my lady friend. Say hi, Abel."
"Hello?" Abel answered back. Hearing only Tony say her name. He noticed that her voice was a little distressed.
"Yeah, well, I need your help right now." Rhodes insisted.
"It's funny how that works, huh?" Tony was really more concerned as to why Abel sounded the way she did.
"Yeah, speaking of funny, we've got a weapons depot that was just blown up. A few clicks from where you were being held captive."
"Well, that's a hot spot. Sounds like someone stepped in and did your job for you, huh?"
"Why do you sound out of breath, Tony?" Rhodey pointed out.
"Have you seen Abel? Blonde hair and brown eyes. Anyone would be out of breath if they saw her." Tony quickly covered up.
Rhodey lifted a brow. "You sure you don't have any tech in that area I should know about?"
"Nope!" Tony insisted.
"Okay, good, 'cause I'm staring at one right now, and it's about to be blown to kingdom come."
Abel saw on the hacked Air Force monitor, Tony in his suit flying through the skies. She quickly shut off the communications connecting her to Rhodes.
"You got two F-22 jets coming up on your rear. Bank left! Now!" She practically screamed into his ear as panic caused all the color to drain from her face.
She saw the suit cam dive down as fast as it can, falling just as fast as her heart was at the moment. Her head spun in circles and she couldn't stop the shaking of her hands. He had to be faster. He had to move quickly. He didn't do that then...she feared that he might not make it out of this one alive and there will be nothing Abel could do about it.
She saw in the rear cams, one of the jets launch a missile. "Flares! Right now! Flares!"
The flares were released and detonated the missile but caused Tony to swerve out of control. He flew through the sky with the thrusters cutting in and out. Tony managed to gain control and was off once again with the jets right on his heel.
Abel bit down on her lips as her eyes were glued to the screen. This was the worse thing ever. He was in danger and there was nothing she could do. She wasn't in control and was just scared.
"Deploy flaps!" The sudden halt caused the jets to fly right past him. "You're out of sight right now and you need to stay like that."
"Hello?" Rhodey answered when Tony suddenly called him.
"Hi, Rhodey, it's me."
"It's who?"
"I'm sorry, it is me. You asked. What were you asking about is me."
"No, see, this isn't a game," Rhodey said angrily. "You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. Do you understand that?
"It's not equipment, sir. It's him." Abel answered back.
"Wait, what?"
"She's right. I'm in it. It's a suit. It's me!"
The jet was just about to return to base when one of them turned to the side, revealing Tony clinging to the belly of the jet. The other pilot's eyes widen when he saw that and quickly informed his partner. The jet began to spin around and Tony couldn't keep his grip and flew off. He flew back and knocked off a wing of the jet behind him. The jet lit up with fire and smoke and the pilot had no other option than to eject from the inside just before the jet exploded, but as he was tumbling to the ground, he couldn't pull his chute because it was jammed. Tony made a quick change in direction and began to fly down to the falling pilot.
"Be careful, Tony. They reengaged you."
"I know!" Tony was close enough and he reached his hand down and yanked the lever and pulled the chute, at last, saving the pilot.
"Good job, but you need to get out of there right now!"
"Tony, you still there?" Rhodey called in.
"Hey, thanks."
"Oh, my God, you crazy son of a bitch." He laughed with relief. "You owe me a plane. You know that, right?"
"I'll have to make that up to you later. I think Abel's on the verge of passing out. Now, are you going to come by and see what I'm working on?"
"No, no, no, no, no, the less I know, the better. Now, what am I supposed to tell the press?"
"Ah? Training exercise. Isn't that the usual BS?"
"It's not that simple."
"Well..." Abel chimed in. "You either tell the press the truth and cause a lot of paperwork or tell a little white lie so no one can get hurt." There was a long pause
"Well...you heard the lady."
"Hey. Ow! Ow, Ow," Tony complained loudly.
He was finally back at home, safe and sound with Abel as white as a sheet, but he found a new problem arise...he couldn't get the suit off. He had both Abel and Jarvis trying at this point.
"Just please hold still. I think it's slipping." Abel tried to assure him. She stood behind him and tried to yank the backplate off as the claw machines fiddled with the rest.
"Be gentle. This is my first time." Tony joked with a sly grin on his face.
"You designed this thing to come off."
"We designed this thing to come off," Tony corrected. "But it looks like you need a better look into it."
"I did take a close look into it. I'm sorry, but I think this one is on you." Abel turned her head and jumped a bit when she saw Pepper walking up to them.
"What's going on here?" She asked softly.
Tony looked back at Abel, hoping for an answer but she quickly hid behind his back, making him face the problem on his own. "Ah? Let's face it. This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."