Obadiah quickly walked up to Tony and stepped in front of the podium. Pepper said she would make an appointment for Phil and left. As I walked away I saw Phil talk into his phone as he got into a black car. We all got into the car and drove back to the house; I walked in and sat on the couch.
"Let's order some pizza" Tony said sitting next to me "Kida how's school?"
"Good Amy came back early from her trip"
"Really"
"Yeah"
I questioned if his mind was alright, he was acting different. He walked downstairs to his lab and I turned the TV on to reveal a news anchor talking about how my dad was draining the company. I turned it off and went upstairs. I went to my room and watched some Star Trek.
"JARVIS what's my dad doing?" I asked
"He's working in his lab"
"Working on what?"
"Classified"
"Classified" I repeated "what the hell is so important that it's classified? JARVIS if you tell my dad I'm coming down I'll hack into you and make you a girl again."
"Ms. Stark I"
"Can it JARVISKA"
I got up and walked out and down to the lab; there I saw Tony swipe blue prints away from a screen as I walked inside.
"What are you working on?" I asked
"Nothing, JARVIS why didn't you tell me Kida was coming?" he said quickly changing the subject
"She threatened to turn me into JARVISKA again"
"Really" He said "that's not nice"
"It was funny though, the look on your face was priceless" I said
"Come on and help me with my cars"
"I don't know dad"
"What's wrong?" He said walking to his tools "You've been my personal Spock, my little Watson"
"I'm not little" I said and stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed "but are you sure you're ok dad?"
He looked over at me before walking to me, he hugged me and smiled.
"I'm fine you can stop worrying"
"Dad why did you say that to the press?" I asked "What are you going to do now Stark Industries won't make weapons?"
"I'll make something that will make the world better"
"Dad what happened?" I blurted out I put my hand on his chest and noticed it was hard, too hard for it to be muscle "What's on your chest?"
"Kida, when I was taken a piece of shrapnel went into my chest. And something was put in the keep the shrapnel from reaching my heart."
"Dad what was put in?" I said as I stepped back
He pulled his shirt up revealing a blue circle of light in the middle of his chest. My hands covered my open jaw. My eyes grew wide in shock and I thought of how it must felt to have that.
"That keeps you alive?"
"Yes"
"What happens if it stops working?" I asked worried
"It won't"
"Dad everything breaks at one point" I said "will it kill you?"
"No no," He pulled me into another hug and slowly rocked back and forth "nothing is going to kill me alright. Now go upstairs and do your homework."
"It's Friday"
"Ok well how about you and Pepper go shopping" he said "there's that charity event at Disney Music Hall she's going it'll be fun."
"Dad you just got back why are you trying to get away from me?"
"I'm not trying to get away from you it's just" he paused looking for the right words "look you're too young to understand"
"Understand what"
"Kida please this conversation is over" he turned around to walk away
"Dad why are you lying to me"
"KIDA JUST GO" He yelled
I jumped snapping my mouth shut, this was the first time he ever yelled at me like that. He saw he frightened me and started walking to me. I turned around and ran upstairs; I went down to the beach and moved my hand back and forth. The tide got higher around me stopping in front of my feet. I looked over my shoulder and saw Shadow walk up to me. He pressed his head against my arm letting out a purr.
"Hey" I said
"I came to tell you there's a man watching you" She said "up on the cliff, a man with a gun and badge"
"Is there a picture on the badge?" I asked
"It looked like a bird with open wings"
"Coulson" I said out loud
I looked up to see an all black car with tinted windows on the cliff above me. I could feel the person's eyes on me and the car pulled out of my line of vision. I heard footsteps and Pepper appeared holding her heels in her hands.
"Hey are you ok?"
"I'm fine"
"You know the charity event at Disney Music Hall is tonight, and you don't have a dress." She said with a small smile "Do you want to go dress shopping?"
"No thanks I don't think I'll go"
"You sure, I think going out and having fun will help"
"I'm just not in the mood to have fun Pepper," I said looking up to her "I'm just so worried about dad, he's not the same."
"He's been through a very traumatic experience; he'll be back to his old self in no time."
"Ok, I'll go I don't have any other plans" I said getting up "I'll be ready in a few"
She smiled and we walked back to the house, I brushed the sand off me and fixed my makeup. Soon I climbed into the back of one of the cars with Pepper while Happy drove us. We stopped on Sunset Blvd. and walked to different stores. While we got a dress we picked out some other clothes and got our nails done. When we got home I saw Obadiah holding a pizza box, I grabbed a slice before going up to my room. I changed into the long black dress; the front covered my chest completely with long sleeves. It showed my entire back and lightly touched the floor around my feet. I put my hair up and put on a large gold necklace. I put heels on and ruby red lipstick; I walked downstairs and could faintly hear the sound of a TV in the lab.
I walked downstairs to see him on the couch watching the TV in front of him. It showed people in a long line moving behind a newswoman. She was talking about how refugees lost their husbands and fathers that were taken from a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. Then it showed some men with a missile behind him, the missile had the words "Stark Industries" on the sides. I looked back to my dad and I could see extreme guilt. I opened the door and the clicking of my heels made him turn to me. The guilty look went away and he stood up I turned the TV off.
"Wow you look beautiful" He said
"Dad why where you watching the news?" I asked
"I like to know what's going on"
"Dad, do you blame yourself because the Ten Rings has your weapons?" I asked "Because it's not your fault"
"I built those weapons to keep our troops safe, instead there being used to kill innocent people." He turned around and walked away from me "There dead because of me, I just wanted to"
"Dad" I walked up behind him and hugged him "you weren't the one that pulled the trigger. You're not like those men, they can only dream of being close to a great man as you."
He turned around and wrapped his arms around me.
"Go you don't want to be late" he said
"Ok dad" I turned around and walked out the door "love you"
"Love you too kiddo" He said as I walked up the stairs
