REBEL OF THE BALL
CHAPTER TEN
The sun overhead was blazing, sending off heat waves that made the desert lands of Afghanistan even drier. This made Tony almost regret that he was wearing a suit — if he knew it would be this stuffy, he would dress into something more comfortable — a white shirt probably and jeans or cut-off shorts.
But wearing that in front of military officials — Tony bet Pepper wouldn't like that idea. Be on his best behavior, she said, and he will. He already messed-up a lot of things at home. He didn't dare try to be naughty again.
So that was why he was stuck wearing the suit. Long-sleeved button down, a tie and a coat — it was suffocating. He might as well be jumping inside a giant oven.
It was already hours after that sample demonstration with The Jericho, and he was heading back to the military bases so he could fly home. Although his friend Rhodes wasn't here since he forced him to ride on the following vehicle, Tony had to admit he was having fun. Sometimes, that officer acted like he was his babysitter, which, he definitely isn't.
Tony flipped his phone open, his fingers waiting to push the button. He wanted to call his secretary, to try and check if the kid is doing okay. She probably is doing great — seeing how angry Urania was the last time he saw her, she might be even happy to have some girl moment alone. Tony is that perceptive, and he tries to keep his skill a secret.
Father and daughter relationship? The percentage is probably equal to a 3% — mostly the kid hating him.
With a sigh, he slid it back on his pocket and shifted his attention on his drink, which he still was holding. He scanned the soldiers seated around him, tense and wary. Excluding the issue between Urania, Tony was quite in a great mood. He striked a great deal, he knew how awed those military officers are with him, he was drinking alcohol even it's still high noon, rock music playing — come on! How could they not enjoy the moment?
Everything around him was silent, except for the tiny clinks of the ice on his whiskey and the rumbling of the vehicle's machine as they pass rough terrains.
Tony looked to his left and caught the young soldier beside him looking at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"I feel like you're driving me to a court-martial." Tony complained loudly, indicating the awkward atmosphere. "This is crazy. What did I do? I feel like you're going to pull over and snuff me — what? You're not allowed to talk? Hey, Forrest!" He addressed the young man next to him.
The boy barely even looked at him in the eye. "We can talk, sir."
Tony snorted, aware of their discomfort. "Oh, I see. So it's personal?"
"No, you intimidate them." The driver cut in, eyes still fixed on the road behind.
The billionaire's eyes snapped to the soldier in front, surprised to hear a feminine voice.
"Good God, you're a woman." Tony said, barely hiding the mild shock in his voice. He placed his drink aside. "I honestly…couldn't have called that. I mean, I'd apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here?" He grinned, quite relieved to see the other two soldiers smiling. "I thought of you as a soldier first."
"I'm an airman."
"You have, actually, excellent bone structure, there. I'm kind of having a hard time not looking at you now. Is that weird?" Laughter erupted from his companions. "Come on, it's okay, laugh. Hey!"
Suddenly, the soldier in front of Tony, seated just beside the driver, turned to him.
"Sir, I have a question to ask." He said, quite anxious.
"Yes, please."
"Is it true you went 12 for 12 with last year's Maxim cover models?"
Thank God for Tony and his good charm.
"That is an excellent question." Tony noted, taking off his sunglasses to look at the soldier better. "Yes and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict but unfortunately the Christmas cover was twins."
Now, he could really feel the atmosphere warming up. He looked around, eyebrows raised.
"Anything else?"
Forrest raised his hand.
Tony shot him a pointed look. "You're kidding me with the hand up, right?"
"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?" He asked, somewhat hesitant.
"Yes. It's very cool."
Grinning, the young soldier took his camera from his pocket (Tony wondered if all soldiers do that, have a digital camera zipped inside their camouflage pants) and handed it to the other man.
The man grinned and raised the gadget ready.
Tony scooted beside him. "I don't wanna see this on your MySpace page." He glanced at Forrest, noticing he was holding up his two fingers. "Please, no gang signs."
A little surprised, the soldier obeyed, looking a little dismayed.
"No, throw it up. I'm kidding." Tony started to smile. "Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace."
Tony was a little annoyed because it the picture wasn't taken yet. It seems the other soldier doesn't know how to do it. Forrest seemed a little pissed too.
"Come on. Hurry up." He said. "Just click it. Don't change any settings — just click it."
BOOM!
The convoy in front of them suddenly exploded, setting the air on fire.
Tony jerked back into his seat, shocked.
The woman soldier slammed her foot on the brakes, screeching the car into a stop.
"Contact left!" She began to start yelling.
"What's going on?" Tony asked, trying to stay calm yet he knew he was panicking. He looked at Forrest. "What have we got?"
The driver kicked her door open, gun ready, but immediately fell onto the ground when the bullets started raining, pelting heavily against the hard metal.
"Jimmy, stay with Stark!" The other soldier yelled.
Before Tony could react, Forrest suddenly grabbed his shoulder and forced him to duck.
"Stay down!" He ordered against the noise of firing guns.
It was funny, what Tony had thought. War could really change a person. Look at Forrest. He was always so nervous and jittery a minute ago but now, he was a lot braver and stronger. Maybe it's a soldier thing.
"Yeah." Tony answered, his heart racing.
Oh God. Oh God.
It was one of his greatest fears, to be honest. To be captured either dead or alive by terrorists or some unknown group. He knew the dangers of his business but never really minded it, because he never went into trouble.
But now, he was. Big time.
Tony looked at past the windshield, just in time to see the Maxim soldier — the one seated right in front of him, get shot.
Tony yelled in surprise. Fear got a hold of him. He realized that staying here is a mistake. He glanced at Forrest and was about to talk to him when the young soldier suddenly cursed.
"Son of a bitch!" This attack surely got them surprised. He too, was panicking. He grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Tony cried, eyes alert. The last thing he wanted was no one protecting him. "Give me a gun!"
"Stay here!" Was all Forrest said.
And as he turned around, another rain of bullets came pelting right at them, shattering the car windows.
Tony blinked, suddenly hearing silence. The impact was so loud he knew it affected his hearing. Static filled his ears, as he tried to catch up with what's happening.
He looked outside wildly, his heart sinking as he saw soldiers drop dead. Fire, smoke and bullets filled the environment — it was total chaos.
Tony instantly acted on instinct. He went outside and immediately rolled to the right. Something blew up beside him but he didn't care. He began to run — not knowing where he was going. He was dazed. All he wanted to do was find a place where he wouldn't get shot and killed.
He ran and ran, diving right behind a huge rock when something exploded. Tony gasped, trying to get his breathing right. Everything smelled of smoke and burning fuel.
Shakily, he fished out his phone, trying to dial anyone — it doesn't matter. Everyone's life is on the line.
Tony was pressing buttons when a loud, homing sound filled the air. Followed by some kind of shrill tune, indicating a time bomb.
It landed just beside him.
"Whoa!" Tony yelled and leapt to his feet.
Too late, the bomb blew up, sending him flying a few feet away.
Tony gasped in pain, feeling something wet and sticky clinging on his shirt.
Silence again filled the air and slowly, he ripped his upper clothing away, revealing a bulletproof jacket. But it was useless. Blood began soaking through the stuff, spreading on his button-down. But for a moment, Tony could feel no pain.
Because he was still numb with shock and surprise, he knew he won't forget the fact that those attackers of his are using his own warfare products. His own machines. His own weapons being sold to the wrong hands.
Stark Industries, his company logo kept flashing into his brain — until he began to lose consciousness.
It was already 1:27 AM in Malibu but Nia was still up, curled on her bed, reading. She knew the time because her brand-new digital clock said so. LED numbers flashed before her eyes whenever she looked beyond. It was her way of keeping track of the time.
It was also the third day in which Tony isn't at home.
Pepper was sleeping here, thought she preferred to sleep in the guest room downstairs. Nia was astounded to discover that this mansion indeed has a lot of rooms. Why not make this place a hotel?
Tiny clicks on the floor announced Rocket's arrival. Nia looked up from the book she was currently reading, just in time to see her grown, Belgian Shepherd jump on her bed.
She grinned, setting the novel aside and scratched her new pet's ears lovingly. Pepper was absolutely frozen when she found out Nia wasn't adopting any puppy at all. But rather, she wanted to skip to the growing stage and get an older one instead. But Rocket is just 8 months old — so, he's not really an adult yet. But he's that huggable.
She had once offered Pepper to hug Rocket, but the secretary only looked at Nia like she was crazy.
But he was big enough to swallow Tony whole — exaggeration inserted.
Anyway, the whole 'shopping extravaganza' with Pepper went well, if her opinion was asked. It turned out, they couldn't max Tony's credit card after all, as if its limit was set on infinite. Nia's favorite part was buying Rocket and then having her hair streaked, even though Pepper's isn't entirely keen on having some of her black strands colored orange. But the secretary got her way too — she managed to force Urania in trying on a thousand clothes and shoes.
"Nia, you only got your bag and it has only like, three t-shirts." She could recall Pepper saying back then. "And to be honest, they're starting to look worn-out."
Nia remembered how much she debated and argued with Pepper hours ago. She wouldn't need much clothes. But then, it didn't matter because Pepper won. The woman can be very pushy if she wants to.
Which, in the end, filled Nia's bedroom with a lot of shopping bags from different stores, all brand new and untouched. Pepper tried to fit them all in her wardrobe but failed. It was that many.
Nia's stomach suddenly grumbled. Even though she ate a lot of burgers, pizza slices and fries, it felt like it was ages ago. So she stood up and headed to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator, leaving Rocket whining inside her room.
Her bare feet slapped on the cold tiled floor. Nia was dressed in PJ bottoms and a tank top, ready to go to bed. Just as she was about to head to the hall directing the kitchen, she heard the doorbell rang.
Nia frowned. Who could it be? It's already late.
Funny, it also reminded her that Pepper would be furious to see she was still up even though it was way past her bedtime.
Whatever, Nia wouldn't want to leave the visitor hanging. Open the door and let the guest in — that's the basic etiquette.
But something had stopped her. She caught a glimpse of Pepper's red hair walking through the front door.
Nia's mind told her to go back to the kitchen, before her father's secretary could spot her. But being the stubborn kid she was, she refused. Instead — she chose to spy. It was becoming her habit. Maybe she should sign up as a secret agent or something. She was seriously getting good at this.
She ducked and hid behind the sofa, not wanting to be caught. Pepper would surely erupt since she was breaking two unspoken rules. One — not following her sleeping schedule and two — eavesdropping on adult business.
A male voice was suddenly heard and it made Urania's ears perk up. Who is he?
Silently, Nia dared to sneak a peek. With Pepper was a tall, olive-skinned man. He was dressed in plain jeans and a conservative-looking polo. But his hair was untidy and he looked like he hadn't slept. Again, she began to wonder who the stranger is. But it seems Pepper knows him well.
"Colonel." Nia heard Pepper say.
"Pepper, good evening. I'm uh, really sorry to be this early." He said — even his voice sounded strained. "Since when do you stay here?"
"Just now." Pepper answered. "Mr. Stark left me with some matters to attend to. What brings you here? Is he home already?"
Awkward silence. Nia suddenly got the feeling that this is the kind of conversation in which she should not eavesdrop.
"Pepper, our convoy got ambushed by an unknown group." The 'Colonel' said at last. "We were heading back to the military barracks just after Tony's demonstration for his weapons deal with a few of our officers. We were escorting him back but the bombs took us by surprise."
In her hiding place, Nia froze, her mouth fell open slightly.
Ambushed?
Pepper seemed to be momentarily shocked as well. And when she talked, her voice sounded weak.
"And Tony?"
The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's missing. We still don't know for sure but…we think he's been taken."
"Missing? What do you mean missing? He's just…gone?"
"We found his phone nearby. But that's all. After the investigation, the soldiers we've tasked to look after him were badly injured — some are dead. Tony must've gone out of the vehicle seconds after it exploded."
"But — but…" Pepper sputtered, her usual air of order was gone. "Surely, you found him…right?"
"We're still searching. The military had sent out aerial forces to try and track the attackers' hideout." He gave out a frustrated groan. "I'm very, very sorry. He didn't want me to ride on the same vehicle he does. But I should've insisted…This is all my fault."
Nia didn't know what to make of the man and Pepper's faces. Her mind was numb, her heart was racing. She couldn't believe it.
Tony is missing.
Even though this could lead her into trouble, Urania's instincts kicked in. She immediately shot up, attracting Pepper and the Colonel's attention.
The strawberry-blond gasped. "Nia!"
Nia could only stare at her — at them, her eyes blank, her face disbelieving.
The man, however, frowned. "Who's she? Your relative?"
"Is Tony gone?" Nia asked at the man, her eyes looking forceful.
He looked taken aback at her sudden question but he answered "Yes."
Nia felt like her body went cold. Her mind was spinning — everything was overwhelming. She felt angry, worried, panicked and devastated at the same time. She felt like her chest had suddenly gotten tighter, squeezing her lungs so hard she couldn't breathe.
She braced herself for the onslaught of tears — but not even one drop fell on her eye.
"Nia…" Pepper's voice sounded so far away. "Are you all right? What's going on?"
"This isn't real, is it?" Nia managed to whisper. "This isn't happening…he couldn't just — not like that. Tony…he…"
"Urania, breathe." The woman approached her. "Calm down, we'll find him —"
She felt her gentle hand on the small of her back but Nia, as if suddenly electrified, bolted away and headed downstairs without saying another word.
Pepper watched as Urania ran away, her black hair (now with orange streaks) flying behind her.
She sank down on the couch, rubbing her temples. Things aren't looking so good. Not at all.
Her boss is missing — the one person she thought the least would get kidnapped. No, Tony Stark isn't a James Bond kind of man, but he could definitely find his way out of something serious. But shockingly, he really is MIA, as Col. James Rhodes said so.
Plus, she really thought Urania was having a panic attack. The kid was fighting to breathe earlier, but then managed to walk away. Pepper understood her — she wanted to be left alone for a while. But she needed to check on the kid, she was seriously concerned of her health.
"You need to look after that kid Pepper." Rhodes commented, eyes still fixed on the stairs where Urania had disappeared. "She seems distressed. She must've admired Tony a lot."
"Colonel, you don't get it." Pepper exhaled loudly, rubbing her face. "That kid is Tony's daughter."
The military officer stared at her. "You're kidding." He said flatly, shaking his head in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding."
"I don't think it's a great time for jokes right now." She found herself saying. Realizing it sounded rude, she quickly added "Tony found out a few days before. She suddenly came in, saying he's her dad. And everything she said was true — Tony couldn't do anything. Her mother just died and she ran away from the orphanage…"
"She ran away? Wouldn't that lead to more trouble?"
"I think Robert is fixing that in the moment."
"I see." Rhodes stood up straighter. "I really do suck at timing…broke the news right in front of the kid. I really am sorry Pepper. But I swear, we'll find him. Tony's like a cat — he's got like, nine lives. It would take more than an army to finish him."
Pepper nodded, smiling a little, though she was still worried. "Thank you Mr. Rhodes."
Rhodes gave her a curt nod. "I think I should go. I flew here just to tell you that. And please tell the girl I'm sorry. She could hit me in the face if she want."
"Don't worry. I'll…send the message."
Ten minutes later after Colonel James Rhodes' departure, Pepper headed down to Tony's workshop, with Nia's enormous dog right at her heels. She knew Urania was staying there. Although the dog quite scared her, the secretary still went to her boss' daughter's room to fetch the dog. The kid could use some comfort.
The woman typed in the passcode and the door slid open. Everything was silent, except for Rocket's nails clicking on the tiled floor and the soft beeps of keypads being pressed. She could immediately spot the young girl, facing the displayed screen floating in mid-air, typing something on the holographic keyboard.
"Tony's not dead." Nia said, her voice hard. Her back was still turned on her. "I could feel it Pepper — he's still alive."
"I know Nia. I know." Pepper answered softly.
Urania turned around and Pepper was quite surprised to see she didn't look like she was crying. Maybe she really didn't shed any tear at all. Wow, this kid is tough.
"I'll find him. I'll find my Dad — I'll breach the military's security system if I have to." She added, her grey eyes glinting with the challenge.
"Ms. Stark, if you don't mind me saying," Jarvis began to interrupt. "You really don't have to hack the government's files for Mr. Stark's whereabouts."
"No Jarvis — I'll do everything. I don't care if I'd get into trouble."
"I've received an email containing several passcodes. It seemed that the military sent this willingly. They must have deemed you worthy of helping them."
Nia nodded grimly, ignoring Rocket's whining at her heels. She looked at Pepper, face serious and business-like.
For a minute there, Pepper thought Nia really resembled Tony.
"I'm right behind you." Pepper said, nodding as well.