Chapter Seven. I don't own anything, yada yada the usual (but Sarah and Leilani are mine).
Tony sprinted down the road straight towards the chaos, the opposite direction to the crowd. Dodging oncoming people, he took a left into a dark alleyway, one of the multiple along this road. The suit only took fifteen seconds to boot, but it felt like fifteen seconds too long. He propelled himself into the sky, and looked down upon the chaos. The computer quickly disassociated who was Tong and who was civilian.
"Computer, find Sarah." The computer scanned the crowd, attempting a super speed facial recognition, but it failed to find her.
"Shit. Computer, locate Sarah's phone location." Locking on to the SHIELD satellite, the computer quickly scanned the area and then showed Tony, in infra-red mode, one of the side alleys, with 5 figures, one on the ground. Sarah's mobile phone glowed purple, and Tony watched in horror as the Tong knocked her about. He went supersonic with the repulsers, getting to the alley as fast as possible. Before he had a chance, he watched as one of the Tong slashed her back and Sarah went down. He descended in the alley, cutting his repulsers and flung an armoured hand into the unarmed ninja, flinging him through a wall. Turning, he took a hit from the staffed ninja that threw him off balance. The ninja continued to move quickly, hit after hit landing, keeping him unbalanced. Tony lifted his arms and the magnetic waves pulled both the knife and the metal staff from both ninja's hands. Realising that they were unable to fight Iron Man without weapons, both disappeared, leaving Sarah unconscious on the ground. Dropping the weapons, Tony ran to Sarah, kneeling down next to her.
"Sarah? Sarah, can you hear me? Oh god. Computer, full body diagnostic. Contact Leilani Marley and tell her that Iron Man is taking Sarah to hospital after he intercepted the Tong attempting to capture and possibly kill her." Watching the computer run the diagnostic, he started to pick up Sarah's unconscious body and when he had her securely in his arms, he took off as fast as possible without putting Sarah's body through any more strain.
"Tony? What's happened?" Rhodey and Pepper had been unable to contact Tony via Bluetooth while they had been running, but they had arrived at the armoury and both were at the control seat.
"They got to her. I'm taking her to hospital and the suit is running a diagnostic."
"Diagnostic complete: large laceration to the posterior area, damaging muscular structure. Bruising throughout the body. Recommendation: immediate treatment." Tony descended at the hospital, and handed over Sarah to the waiting staff, having gotten the computer to contact ahead during mid-flight. He repeated what the diagnostic had said.
"Her mother has been contacted and should be on her way."
"Thank you Iron Man." They wheeled her away as fast as possible and Tony was left standing, watching as one of his best friends was surrounded by medical staff. He then let the auto pilot take him back to the armoury, his mind unable to cope.
Pepper and Rhodey were waiting when Tony came out of the suit back at the armoury. They watched him walk past them, collapse in a chair at the computer and start typing. The two shuffled closer, not wanting to set off what was perhaps a time bomb of stress and fatigue. They watched as Tony pulled up the medical records at the hospital. He read them out loud.
"They took her in to surgery right away. She's still in there, but they think that she's going to be okay." He ran a hand through his hair.
"They got to her too quickly. I wasn't fast enough." Pepper spoke up before Rhodey could.
"Tony, you did all that you could. Imagine if you weren't Iron Man. Then she would probably have been dead." He sighed.
"I know."
"C'mon." Pepper pulled Tony and Rhodey out of the armoury and to the couches that they had set up in the huge shed. Collapsing into them, the three sat in silence. Rhodey broke it.
"We're going to have to be careful how we approach the next, um, phase. We can't go rushing off to the hospital because technically we don't know that it happened. Only Iron Man does and if you go rushing off to the hospital then it's sort of a dead giveaway and we want to keep SHIELD and Detective Marley off our backs." Pepper was jumping up and down in her seat, hand raised.
"How about I text her? Not really a big deal, considering. I can say that we saw what happened in the street on the news or as we were walking the other way and then if she doesn't reply, which she probably won't because they tend to confiscate personal items from patients. Then when she doesn't reply I'll ring her mobile a couple of times and when she doesn't reply I'll ring her home phone…"
"You have her home phone?" Pepper just gave Rhodey a glare.
"..of course I have her home phone, I have your home phone. Anyway, I'll ring her home phone and if her mum answers, which she might, then I can talk to her and find out what happened that we already know about." Both boys were just staring at Pepper. That whole plan had come out of her mouth in less than forty seconds. Rhodey's face was sceptical.
"Pepper, it's a bit…"
"Pep, that is actually brilliant." Tony stood up and started pacing. Then he paused and turned to Pepper.
"You would actually do that?" Pepper just smiled.
"Already texted her phone. She hasn't replied and she normally does. I'll text her 2 more times before I ring her phone."
The first thing that Sarah felt was the cold. Her leg was twitching and she was unable to stop it. Feeling started to return to her body and she had to think hard about where she was, not able to remember anything immediately. Then realising that she had been under attack, her eyes flew open and she drew a huge gasp. She went to sit up, but her back didn't let her. Her eyes roamed the room and she realised that she was in a hospital room. Sarah told herself to breathe calmly and assess the situation.
They had obviously operated on her back where the ninja (she still hadn't gotten over the fact that they had been ninjas) had slashed a long gash across her back. She couldn't feel any pain, and assumed that the painkillers were doing their job. She had a drip in her arm, rehydrating her and giving her other essential things. She was bruised, battered and cut, but she was alive. The door to the room opened and a nurse came in. As the door was closing, she noticed that there were two SHIELD agents stationed at her door.
"Hello deary. How are you feeling?"
"Drowsy."
"Yes, well, the painkillers do that to you." She set her things on the bedside table and had a look at all the machinery attached to her.
"Can I see the doctor that has been looking after me?" The nurse collected her things back up.
"Of course. And after the doctor there is your mother and, well, other visitors." She walked out of the room. Approximately seven minutes later, the doctor walked in bearing a clipboard. He nodded to her and drew one of the seats next to the bed.
"Hello. You were asking for me."
"Yes."
"This isn't the first time you've had a hospital visit, is it?"
"No"
"Well you'll understand the procedure. Could you please tell me your full name?" Sarah sighed and just glared at the doctor.
"Sarah Evelyn Regina Marley-Demine is what it says on my birth certificate and passports, but I go by Sarah Evelyn Marley."
"Very good. Your birthday should be no trouble after that."
"The twelfth of October, nineteen ninety-five."
"Simple. Now you're welcome to ask me anything."
"What happened?" The doctor put his pen and clipboard into his lap.
"You were unconscious when you came into our care. We put you straight into surgery as soon as we were sure that you would come out of unconsciousness afterwards. We had to reattach many of your muscles in your back as when you were knifed it cut through them. You have one hundred and twenty four stitches closing the gash on your back."
He had failed to answer the one thing that intrigued her the most.
"How did I come into your care?" The doctor stood and drew the chair back to where it was before. He checked his watch before answering.
"Iron Man brought you. He called ahead to give us warning, and he also contacted your mother to tell her. Now, you have some very impatient visitors. Shall I send in your mother?"
Sarah just nodded. The doctor left, and through the open door Sarah could see her mother exchanging greetings with the guards stationed at her door. She walked in, closing the door behind her.
"Hey Mum." Leilani smiled at her.
"Not exactly what I wanted to see in the first year of you being in America. Seriously, why can't you take care of yourself?" The joking between the two had started after her first kidnapping. It was easier for both of them to handle than the worry and stress.
"Oh dear, I don't know. Did you get the one on the ground?" Leilani smiled.
"Currently in SHIELD custody. Nice job. Scans show his nose broken in three places."
"He asked for it." Sarah looked over to the window. "What day is it?"
"Thursday. They held you under for a bit longer just for the stitches to grab hold without you accidentally pulling them." Sarah smiled. Her mother leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I have to go and set a few things straight, I'm sorry. The guard at your door won't be removed. You have a few of your friends wanting to see you. They've been hanging around for the past day and a half."
"Which ones?"
"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Her mother left, and she saw a flash of red through the window before Pepper came bursting through the door, followed by Rhodey and Tony. Pepper practically sprinted to her side while Tony and Rhodey brought three chairs over.
"Hey Sarah! They wouldn't let us in until you woke up and talked to your mother but we've been hanging around the hospital for about a day now and it's kinda weird because they dragged Tony away to fix one of the machines that he and his dad had designed and Rhodey's been drooling over one of your guard-"
"Have not!"
"-but other than that it's been fine. How are you feeling?" Pepper collapsed into the chair that the guys had put behind her and Sarah felt somewhat better. This reminded her of the many times the four of them had sat in the empty sheds on the Rhodes property.
"I've been better." The three visitors didn't talk and watched her closely. Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Guys, seriously. It's not like I'm some fragile glass and the vibrations of you speaking is going to shatter me. This is definitely not the first hospital trip that included someone trying to kill me." They stayed silent. She sighed.
"The first time was when I was six. I've had about five since then, not including this one. I have-"A knocking on the door interrupted her. All four looked to the door to see a SHIELD agent.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's someone else to see you." The door opened even more and Bruce Wayne walked through, looking quite sheepish. Pepper gave an almighty squeak while Rhodey sat there, mouth gaping. Tony was the only one capable of anything, so he stood up and walked over. He extended his hand.
"You must be Bruce Wayne. I'm Tony Stark." Bruce shook his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you. I met your dad but never you. I'm sorry for your loss. I do hope that you plan to take back Stark Industries, because Obadiah Stane is making a huge mess."
"Don't worry. I am definitely planning to take it back."
"Good." The two turned and walked back to where Rhodey had recovered but Pepper was still speechless. Sarah spoke.
"Pep?"
"Ahhhhh yeah?"
"Could you grab another chair?"
"Yeah…sure…" She moved as if she was asleep, gliding back to her seat after giving Bruce a chair. After watching her four friends, she started laughing. Then she gasped and grimaced when her stiches pulled.
"Stop laughing." She looked to Tony.
"But you are all so hilarious." He raised his eyebrows.
"How exactly are we hilarious?"
"Look at yourselves. It's like I've invited a wolf into a flock of sheep. Geez. Relax for god's sake. You're all my friends so get over the fact that two of you are rich billionaires. Anyway. What was I saying before?"
"You have how many stiches in your back?"
"One hundred and twenty four. Largest amount I've ever had. Brings the count up to four hundred and sixty seven." She could see the horror that they all failed to hide. "My mum is in a dangerous line of work, and I feel the wrath of it sometimes. Don't worry. Now go. You need to go and relax and stuff like that." The four of them got the hint and left, returning the room to normal. Relaxing back, she wondered how long it would take for her to get out of the hospital.
Chapter finite.