I've been thinking about writing an Ironman story ever since I saw the movie. Which was great :D I just thought I'd see what people thought of it, if everyone seems to like my story, I'll continue
I already have a couple of chapters so updates should go smoothly, for a while at least. Reviews are very welcome, and even suggestions of how the story should progress :)
I think it goes with out saying, or writing.. but I own none of the characters
"I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this-"
"-Shut up already, we all know!" A small girl turned to the voice that had interrupted her, eyes glaring and bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Keep it to yourself." The source of the voice, a young man with all of his dark brown hair shaved close to his head, turned away from the girl and began jogging away.
"No you don't." She mumbled in retort, knowing that he wouldn't hear her.
She was one of many in the large room, surrounded by white walls and florescent lighting; though she was the only child. Standing on an Olympic sized track as a group of young men and women ran by her, she seemed very out of place. They all wore matching shorts and shirts, standard issue for military. They all had there head's shaved, standard practice. But the girl seemed to be no more the five years old, which was well below the standard eighteen.
The adults continued running around the track, most not even glancing in her direction; some watched her carefully, as if curious to what she would do next. She crossed her arms stubbornly and stood still in the centre of the path. The same young man who had spoken to her before was about to lap her when he stopped and looked down at the girl. He towered above her, something she seemed aware of as she stood taller.
"You'll get in trouble again if you don't start doing your laps," he sounded more gentle then he had before.
"Yeah, well, not like I care. There's really nothing left for them to do to me," she grumbled in reply. She turned her gaze from his disapproving look to the synthetic floor and fidgeted uneasily, as she always did under scrutiny.
"There's always something to take away, you should know.." He looked around quickly, checking if they had been noticed yet. "C'mon, laps are easy." When she still didn't budge he sighed. "I thought you were the smart one, don't be stupid."
"I am smart, I know that there's no point.. in anything," she looked back up at him defiantly.
"Yes, tragic. If you get in trouble again, I won't help you." He grunted in frustration and continued to run around the giant oval.
"Private!" The girl turned around sharply to the older man who had shouted, undoubtedly at her. He stood at the entrance of the giant room, his light grey hair a sharp contrast to the dark green army uniform he wore. The many metals and pins on his breast a sign of his high ranking. She sighed in defeat, and started a light jog over to him. The others in the room continued to run as though nothing had happened.
"Yes, Sir?" She said standing tall, feet together, and looking straight ahead, exactly as she had been taught to. She had her hand held to her forehead in salute, and the other hand stayed obediently at her side.
"Don't feel like running laps today?" He asked the child sarcastically. "Well, we'll deal with that later, you've been called to the Med Room for a check-up." He paused as he scanned the room and nodded in satisfaction. "You are to report there immediately, you're to remain there until after lunch period, understood Private?"
"Yes, Sir!" She knew better then to argue with her superiors. After what had happened the last time she had tried to stand up to the officers, she didn't want to repeat the punishment she had received.
"Good, you are dismissed." He wasn't even watching her as she saluted again and walked to the doors.
The girl walked out of the room and into an equally plain white hallway, wondering what was going on. She was never sent to the med room for check-ups during training. Check-ups were a part of her punishment and happened on her free time. She hated that fact, but the actual check up wasn't that bad. A blood and tissue sample being the worst parts, needles were a form of torture, she was sure.
But at the end she always got a treat, candy or chocolate, and the doctors were surprisingly kind to her.
She realized that something must be going on, and a smirk crossed her childish features as she slowed her pace. She knew by the manner in which she had been sent away, there was nothing wrong with her. They were sending her away because they didn't want her to be seen, by whom she didn't know. The child grinned, a plan forming, albeit a simple one.
The girl continued her walk down the long hallways and turned left at the second intersection. With a confident walk, she looked like she knew exactly where she was suppose to be going, and of the few adults she passed, none gave her much attention. She turned left again at the second intersection and made sure there was no one around to see her. Short legs carried her on at a slow pace, trying to drag out a bit of time before she got to where she was going. She took yet another left and saw her destination, the same door she had come from.
Her little trip had taken her about twenty minutes, the halls were long and she had been really really slow. Luck had made sure she wasn't caught where she wasn't suppose to be. She stepped over to the door and opened it only slightly, so she could peer in without being noticed.
"So what's the big deal," she muttered to herself, looking in she didn't notice anything out of place. The soldiers were now sparring, something that she had been good at before. She glared down at her tiny body, and sighed.
"They're very good," a strange voice brought her out of her own thoughts. "Might even give me a run for my money."
"They're only soldiers, Mr. Stark. But perhaps one day they will fight alongside you." She easily knew the voice of Lieutenant Parnell, the man who had sent her off to the doctors. But not the other, she gently pushed the door open wider to get a better look.
A tall man with wild black hair stood next to Parnell, watching her fellow soldiers fight. He wore a dark suit, it gently reflected the lights and seemed very expensive. He chuckled at the other man's words and looked around, as though bored. She froze as he turned and saw her standing at the door. The girl remained still, hoping he wouldn't see her, knowing that he already had.
"Hey you!" He called out, stepping toward the door.
"Shit," the little girl mumbled as the door was thrown open and she was revealed. He froze at the sight of a child and stared at her with confusion obvious on his face. She stared up at him in terror, her previous confidence forgotten. Her eyes darted between him and the Lieutenant, who seemed surprised at the moment. But she knew it wouldn't last too long.
"Uhhh, Hi!" She chirped, trying to sound normal. She tried to stall, knowing she was going to be in a lot of trouble for this. "Who are you?" She asked as she tilted her head to a side quizzingly.
"I'm Tony Stark," he introduced himself then turned to Parnell. "You let kids in here?" He seemed confused.
"No," The Lieutenant walked over to them and looked the girl in the eye. She stood at attention and saluted, just as she had been taught when approached by a superior officer. Tony frowned at the action, crossing his arms. "You may wait for me in the-"
"This child is a soldier here?" Mr. Stark interrupted the Lieutenant. The girl's eye's widened in shock, he didn't know anything about her. This was Tony Stark, she had heard of him, he was the genius weapon developer, also known as Iron Man. He was the reason for the tiny army of elite soldiers she was a member of, and she knew he didn't know what they were for. She waited for the Lieutenant's response, while thinking of her next move. At least she knew why she had been sent away.
"No, this is an orphan of one of our officers," He explained to the other man. "The child likes to play soldier, but isn't suppose to be so close to the training facility. I shall be back once I deal with this situation, Mr. Stark."
"I didn't know you kept orphans here, Lieutenant Parnell." The man knew something was wrong with the situation, and knelt down on one knee to look the five year old in the eyes. "What's you're name, little man?"
"I'm a girl," The girl pouted, resenting her shaved hair. The Lieutenant looked as though he was about to explode, he ground his teeth and she could feel his resentment toward her. "And my name's Alexis" She glanced up at the fuming officer and dropped her eyes to the ground.
"Oh, sorry kid," Tony apologized for calling her a boy. "You don't see many little girls with their heads shaved, playing pretend soldier." He patted her head and she looked back up at him in surprise, she wasn't accustomed to actually being treated like a child. He watched her reaction carefully, his brow furrowed in thought. "Shouldn't she be in a foster home, Lieutenant?" He stood back up and turned to the other man.
"Well it all happened quite recently, Mr. Stark." He paused and cleared his throat. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss this in front of the child."
"Hmm, I see." Tony looked back at the soldiers, who hadn't stopped the sparring session. Alexis's heart sank, it was over, she wished she had just gone to the Med Room after all. Casual conversation and maybe a piece of candy would have been better then knowing what was going on. She had thrown away her life, as she was sure she wouldn't be alive after this was over, to satisfy her curiosity. "I'd like to adopt her."
"What?!" Parnell nearly choked on his words. "Mr. Stark, you can't be serious.."
"Why wouldn't I be? If she's an orphan, I don't see the problem. Surely you don't think I would make a bad parent."
"We are currently waiting for her family to collect her." He explained.
"Really?!" The girl jumped up and down at his words, hoping she was acting like a typical five year old. "Mommy said we were special cause we didn't have any other family.. we were.." she pretended to stumble on her word "Unique!" She grinned up at the officer, who barley controlled his anger. She saw her opportunity to escape from the base and wanted to leave with Mr. Stark. She had been forced into this life and wanted out of it. In fact her first attempt to escape was what she had done to deserve the tiny body she now called her own. Her punishment. Before that she had been as old as the rest of the soldiers. She had come so close to success that it scared the higher ranking officers, and they made an example of her. There was no way a child could escape a compound like the one she was in, so everyone had thought.
"Well, they can't be that close then," Tony chuckled. "I'd like to talk to speak to the General about this, Lieutenant. I think I've seen enough of the new recruits." He turned to the little girl. "Come on, kiddo." He walked out of the door, with Alexis following. The Lieutenant growled and walked briskly out of the room, quickly passing them and leading the way to the General's office.
She turned on the way out to see the shocked expressions of many of her fellow soldiers as she left.
She had only seen the General a few times, once after the attempted escape. Alexis looked up at Mr. Stark, he wore a smirk of someone who knew they would get what they wanted. She hoped for her sake that he would.
"Sir!" The Lieutenant saluted as he pushed open the door of the office and walked in. Tony followed and motioned for the girl to stand close to him. "Mr. Stark would like a word with you, General."
The General looked up from his desk and saw the young soldier standing next to Tony Stark, but if he was surprised he didn't let it show. "Tony," He greeted. " How are you?" He smiled at the man as though they were good friends.
"Hello John," Tony smiled back. " I'm doing well, just had a look at your soldiers. They're pretty good."
"Yes, well, they'll have to be, with all these new threats." The General looked serious for a moment before smiling again. "So What's so important that it couldn't wait for our lunch meeting?"
"Ah yes," Tony looked down at Alexis and smiled. "I've been told that this child is an orphan with no other family to look after her."
The General paused for a moment before nodding his head, "Yes, tragically."
Tony nodded, "I'd like to adopt her." He stated bluntly.
"Tony," The General laughed. "You must be joking."
"No, John, I'm not. It's about time I became a father, I'd like to have someone to pass the business down to, and I don't know how I would manage raising an infant." his tone made sure the other man knew he was serious.
"No offence intended, but.. We all know about your lifestyle, Tony. You really think that's a good way to raise a child?"
"I'm getting older, It's about time I settled down." He paused and sighed. "Look, John. I know I don't have the best reputation, but you have to admit I'm a better choice then a lot of the people who have kids out there." He smiled and scooped the girl up into his arms, startling her. "And she'll be far better off with me then a foster home where she'll probably end up, you know how people only want to adopt babies."
Alexis looked over at the General, the man scared her and was now contemplating her with a cold stare. She looked away and tried to think of what a five year old might do. Under the gaze of everyone in the room she felt extremely uncomfortable and began to play with Mr. Stark's tie.
"Tony, I don't know if you understand what taking care of a child entails." The General tried to convince him his decision was wrong. "You can't just hire a nanny and leave."
"I know, just trust me John," his eye's narrowed and he almost glared at the other man. "I've done a lot for this military over the years, I would hate to have to stop because you didn't trust me to look after a little girl when I've been looking after a country."
The General sighed, "All right, Tony. She's yours."
Alexis almost cheered, she looked to the man who had 'adopted' her with wide eyes. He smiled and patted her head affectionately, he was sure that something strange was going on at this base, and that the little girl was a part of it.
"Thanks, John." He said with a grin. "I assume you'll send the adoption papers?"
"Yes, I'll send them to your assistant. Did you want to continue the tour, Tony? Or shall we call it a day?"
"I think I've seen enough. I better get this one to her new home." He continued to hold the girl in his arms, she avoided looking at anyone. "You're going to come live with me from now on, Kiddo. Do you have anything special you'd like to bring with you?" She looked up at his face and realized for the first time that Mr. Stark was actually incredibly attractive. The thought brought a slight blush to her cheeks and she shook her head no. He just laughed and turned back to the General. " I'll have to catch up with you later, John." He waved and started out of the room, the Lieutenant behind him.
"Good-bye, Tony" The General waved back distractedly. He growled with frustration when they had left and picked up the phone.
They were escorted off of the military base by Lieutenant Parnell, Tony wearing a self satisfied smirk. There was no doubt in the small girl's mind that he always got what he wanted, she looked to Parnell, who was looking stiffly ahead as he led the way. Tony continued to carry her as they left the base, the large exit doors were thrown open for them to pass. Sunlight and a warm wind blasted into Alexis, she grinned and took a large breath. She had been inside for far too long.
The sky was bright blue and looked almost transparent, with a few light clouds smeared across it's surface. The air smelled of wild flowers and dirt, and the light breeze stirred it around the small girl and the man. They were in a desert. The light brown sand and dirt ground stretched all the way to the sky in the distance, dotted with the occasional plant life.
A red Ferrari stood alone on the single road in front of the building, it's polished exterior reflecting the bright sunlight. Mr. Stark walked directly over to it without hesitation, the girl knew that it must be his car. He gently set her down in the back seat of the sport car and turned back to the Lieutenant. She scrambled to look over the side of the door, sitting up on her knees to be tall enough and holding onto the top of the door for balance.
"Thank you for the tour, Lieutenant Parnell." He said formally, shaking the man's hand as he did so. "It was very informative."
"My pleasure, Mr. Stark." The response was just as formal. The Lieutenant saluted him as he turned away and opened the driver side door of the car. Alexis couldn't keep the grin off of her face as she watched the scene. Tony shut the door after climbing in and turned back to her.
"Seat-belt on," He said with a grin. He turned and put his on as well. Alexis put her seat-belt on quickly, she figured he had a sport car for a reason. "See ya, Parnell!" He yelled back as he slammed on the gas pedal and they shot forward down the dusty road.
She giggled at the sensation of her stomach being left behind, it felt like a roller coaster. She almost felt like she was dreaming, finally she was free of that place. Something told her that it wouldn't be so easy, but she was confident that she'd be all right with such a powerful figure as Tony Stark.
Alexis tried to see over the door while being tethered down to the seat, she wanted to see the desert zipping by them, but couldn't seem to stretch her neck high enough. Tony seemed to be enjoying the rush of the wind and turned the stereo on, the sound of rock music blasted from the speakers in the front and back. She was glad for them both that she wasn't an ordinary child.
"Having fun, kid?" He yelled over the music and the rushing wind, looking back at the small child in the back seat. She grinned and nodded in reply, knowing her own voice wouldn't carry over all the noise. He smirked and turned back to the road, much to the girl's relief.
She yawned, she was beginning to get a little bored. Her eye's started to droop, heavy from all that had occurred already that day. It was barley noon, and the sun was high in the sky, but still the girl closed her eyes and fell asleep in the seat of the noisy car.