Gabie
III
With a ringing phone in hand and Allie's suitcase in the other, I furiously throw clothes from her closet onto the bed.
"Gabie what's up? Everything amazing and normal over there?" Clint greets with a huge amount of tension in his voice.
"You saw the news."
"I did yes," he admits. "Stark really messed up, that terrorist is going to attack him."
"I fucking know! Now if you'd please put Natasha on the phone so I can discuss this development concerning her soulmate that would be great," I grumble and toss Allie's prized copies of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies.
"What makes you think she's here?" Clint asks and I sigh.
"This is her number Clint," I deadpan.
"What?! Not it's not! There is no way that I am currently using Nat's phone to scare a Shield scientist into making me a poison arrow," Clint rambles sarcastically.
"Poison arrows? Sounds cool, but seriously give her the phone Clint," I reply sullenly. I'm not currently in the mood to joke around with him.
"Alight here she is-"
"Gabie what's going on?" Natasha queries casually. "Clint just gave me my own phone while rattling off apologies."
"Turn on the news," I say.
"Alright."
It's quiet for a moment before I hear Tony's stupid speech again.
"You packing her bags?"
"Yep, ETA?"
"30 minutes. I'll pick up Ranger Rick on the way. If Playboy Bunny attempts to interfere you know what to do," Natasha states coldly and hangs up without warning. Natasha and I have code names for everyone to make talking about them easier for us.
As I zip up Allie's bag I dial Steve's number. He picks up before the first ring ends.
"Natasha just texted me to pack a bag and wait for her outside my apartment; I'm guessing you're calling about the same thing now," Steve concludes.
"Smart boy Rogers, just open the news app on your new phone and you'll understand," I say.
It only takes two minutes before Steve's grumbling "gosh dangit Stark" under his breath.
"Natasha is coming to pick you up and then you'll be getting Allie away from this place ASAP," I say.
"Thanks for the heads up Ms Trent," he returns and I roll my eyes. Stevie boy and his formalities.
"No problem Amurica," I snap back. "Just get here soon before Tony does something else stupid." With a huff I hang up before saying goodbye.
What has my life become?
III
Allie
III
"What the hell was that?" I hiss, finally finding my voice.
"Not sure, don't care. Let's go I have studying to do," Tony replies in a clipped down and brings her car to a slamming stop in front of the mansion. He gets out and I follow in shock. What the hell is going on in his mind?
Once inside the house Tony takes my hand and pulls me down to the garage.
"Jarvis!" He calls.
"I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from S.H.I.E.L.D., F.B.I., and C.I.A. intercepts," Jarvis informs and the files all shine onto Tony's desk. "Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction."
The image appears in Tony's hand so he turns it an enlarges it onto the room floor. He also throws the files up in a rotation above the scene. Tony takes my hand and guides me up the steps into the center of the scene and floating files.
"Okay, what do we got here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning "adviser to the king." South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher," he rattles off, absentminded. "There's lots of pageantry going on here...lots of theater."
"Is that all they have?" I mutter and Tony frowns.
"Close," he orders and pushes the virtual information down. Tony looks down at the crime scene reconstruction and squints.
"The heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius. Any subjects within 12.5 yards were vaporized instantly."
"No bomb parts found in a three mile radius of the Chinese theater," Tony concludes.
"No, sir," Jarvis confirms.
"Gabie might have seen something," I say. "But she did say she forgot most of what happened before."
"Short teen amnesia," Jarvis supplies and I nod.
"Talk to me, Gabie, Happy," Tony murmurs and looks down as the images of their bodies begin to form. I flinch at seeing the representation of Gabie laying there, so injured.
In the reconstruction Happy's eyes and infer are pointing to something. Tony steps over and leans down.
"When is a bomb not a bomb?" he utters.
I watch him pull the object up and away from the scene. It's a pair of dog tags. "Any military victims?" Tony questions as the dog tags image becomes clearer and clearer.
"Not according to public records, sir."
I lean over Tony's shoulder and examine the tags. The last name reads "Taggert."
"Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees," Tony requests and climbs up two file cabinets to get an overheard view. I follow after and sit beside him,
"The oracle cloud has completed analysis. Accessing satellites and plotting the last twelve months of thermogenic occurrence now," Jarvis announces as the map of the US with the thermogenic spikes finishes forming.
"Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack," Tony says and several of the spikes disappear. They're all a match to known attacks...except one.
"One of these things is not like the other," I say and Tony pulls the different one away.
"No it's not," he agrees and pushes the Mandarin files away till only one remains.
It's a file for the Rose Hills, Tennessee explosion.
"That. You sure that's not one of his?"
"It predates any known Mandarin attack. The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide."
"Bring it around," Tony says and the file unfolds before him.
"The heat signature is remarkably similar. Three thousand degrees Celsius," Jarvis chimes in while Tony examines the information.
The man that set off the bomb was also in the military.
"That's two military guys."
"Solid connection," I observe. I don't know what else to say, what else to do. Tony is desperate to finish this.
"Ever been to Tennessee, Jarvis?" Tony asks and I raise an eyebrow.
"Creating a flight plan for Tennessee."
"Tony are you sure about this?" I query and place a hand on his arm. Tony turns, grabs my arms, and stares into my eyes.
"I'm going to find this guy and kill him. Allie I will make this place safe for you again," he vows.
All I can think to do is nod.
A second later the doorbell goes off twice and Tony scowls,
"Are we still at "ding-dong"? We're supposed to be on total security lock down. Come on, I threatened a terrorist. Who is that?" Tony huffs and looks over his shoulder at the security camera screen.
It's a woman.
"There's only so much I can do, sir, when you give the world's press your home address," Jarvis replied haughtily and I grin. He may have no emotion but Tony did program him to have sass.
"Alright I'm suiting up," Tony grumbles and hops down from the file cabinet. He makes gesture at himself and the armor flies onto him almost seamlessly.
"It's getting better," I remark.
"That face mask though," he grumbles and holds his arms up. I push off the file cabinets and he catches me. "Let's go meet this random lady."