Sorry if this took longer than usual to write. I was busy with graduation and got majorly distracted by Netflix. Jessica Jones is honestly so good. If you're looking for a new show to watch, I definitely recommend it.
Saniya was a lanky child. Her head was oversized compared to her body. And in the several sizes too big sweatshirt, she was nothing more than two legs sticking out of a ball of fabric.
She was just on the cusp of puberty. Diti, her mother, had given her a book that told her all about the "amazing changes her body will go through". It made even pimples and training bras sound exciting. While Varin was burying himself in paperwork, she snuck a scandalous peek at the back pages that talked about boys' bodies. She waited for several moments, holding the book wide opened. Saniya was hoping he would notice and scold her, but he never glanced her way.
It was "Take Your Child To Work Day". Varin had suggested bringing her to the office. Diti and Saniya were equally surprised when he had brought it up that morning. She had been so excited, literally bouncing off the walls. Saniya thought that meant a full day of father-daughter time. But when she saw his boss pat him on the back and hand him a stack of papers with a smile, she knew that wasn't going to be the case.
Her foot began tapping on the floor, getting louder and louder. Varin flinched. His grip tightened around a pen.
"Saniya."
She ducked her head. "Sorry, daddy." She leaned against the cubicle wall. "Daddy?" No reply. "Daddy?" Once again, Varin didn't answer. The book dropped to the ground and Saniya bounded over to Varin at his desk.
Varin sighed. He stopped writing. "Why don't you play with the other kids?"
"I don't like them. They hit me last time, remember?" she protested. Saniya rested her chin on the edge of his desk.
Varin tilted his head slightly, to show he was listening. "Mr. Howard is having his lunch break. How about you talk to him?"
Saniya wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him either. He looks at me weird and always wants me to sit on his lap."
The only reply Varin had was a soft clearing of his throat. He opened his mouth to say something else. She felt hope rise up in her chest. Maybe he would suggest them going on a walk or playing a game together.
He began reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. "I'll give you money for the vending machine."
Her lower lip began to wobble when he held out the crisp five dollar bill. Saniya snatched it from his hand and stomped out from the cubicle. She wiped her eyes rigorously when one of Varin's coworkers gave her an odd look.
The office was bleak and no place for children. Most of the parents had left their kid off in a conference room with a deck of cards and snacks. Saniya had refused to go, instead clinging to Varin's side. She'd much rather stay with her father than play with five-year-olds.
The vending machine was an oasis in the sea of mundane business. The flickering florescent light above was a halo over the least boring thing in the building. Saniya pressed her hands against the glass in awe. There was every type of candy known to man. It was overwhelming how many she had to choose from, most being unfamiliar to her. Saniya's eyes skimmed over the sweets and to the bag of chips, the least exciting of all the snacks.
Saniya slid the money into the machine, only for it to spit it back out. "Stupid vending machine," she muttered, then gave it a kick for good measure. She straightened it on the corner of the machine and tried again. The money was regurgitated.
"Perhaps I can help," someone said behind her.
She looked up. The woman was wearing what the typical businesswoman would wear. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the dull pencil skirt and plain blouse. But, her eyes were drawn to the golden ribbon in the woman's blonde hair. It shimmered like diamonds. It was pure magic. Saniya wondered what someone so boring was doing with something so extraordinary.
"Who are you?"
The woman plucked the money from her tiny fingers and straightened it in her own. When she handed it back, it was as straight as if it had just came from the print.
"My name is Frimia and yours is Saniya."
The vending machine accepted her money this time. Saniya grabbed her bag of chips then turned back to face Frimia. Her foot began tapping uncontrollably. "Did my daddy tell you about me?" she asked hopefully.
Frimia's smile became strained. "I was a friend of your mother," she replied, not answering the question. She pressed a hand to Saniya's forehead, who immediately began backing away. A shudder ran through her body. It felt like a finger had poked her brain. Frimia scowled. "You're so... I... I thought you would be stronger by now."
Saniya blinked. "Okay, you're being weird now."
When she began to walk away, Frimia grabbed onto her arm. "You're weak, just like your sisters," she hissed. She narrowed her eyes. "Why? You were perfect but now... now you're useless to me."
She tried to yank herself away. "I don't have any sisters," she said, panic rising in her voice.
Frimia released her from her iron grip. There were going to be bruises in the morning. "Leave me before I waste any more time on you."
Saniya was tempted to call the woman crazy, but she figured it was better to do that when she was out of earshot. She was already halfway to Varin's cubicle when she looked over her shoulder. Frimia was gone.
Varin was hunched over the stack of papers, just how she left him. He didn't notice her return until she began smacking chips loudly and crinkling the bag. Varin winced at each crunch. "Honey, let daddy work, okay?"
She looked down at her lap. "Can we have dinner together after work? I'm really hungry."
Varin ducked his head. He looked like he wanted to literally be absorbed into the spreadsheets. "We have to go home right after work, remember?"
Saniya let the bag of chips drop to the floor. "No we don't," she protested. "Mommy's getting home late and you always eat dinner out of the microwave box thing after work. I want to eat a real meal. Daddy, please."
"That's enough." He was only half listening.
Saniya's lips curled into a snarl, but she kept her mouth shut. All she wanted to do was have dinner with her father. However, she was old enough to realize that Varin didn't want to spend time with her. Maybe she should stop trying.
She stomped on the bag of chips until the broken chips spilled onto the floor. She glanced at Varin. He hadn't even moved his eyes from his work. Saniya crumpled the bag into a ball and considered throwing it at him, screaming, throwing a tantrum. Instead, she let it drop from her fingers. She doubted that would get his attention either.
Her small fingers ran over the spot where Frimia had man-handled her. It still hurt. Secretly, she hoped bruises would appear. What better way to get her parents' attention than showing proof that she was attacked by a weird woman?
Tony was an idiot. A complete idiot. Maybe the biggest idiot that lived on the face of the earth.
Right before he had gotten into his car, a group of reporters had him surrounded. Then, he challenged the Mandarin to a pissing contest in front of a dozen news reporters and one lucky cellphone camera. Unfortunately, it had already gone viral.
Now, it wouldn't had been a huge problem if that was all there was to the video. That was typical Stark behavior to challenge people like that. The part that made her and Natasha concerned was when Tony released his address. No, concern wasn't the right word for the feelings Saniya had. Anger and frustration fit better.
The mansion was no longer safe, that much she knew. Instead of waiting for Happy to wake up from surgery, Saniya had to pack. She doubted she'd still be in the state by the time he was released. That made her sad, and it was all Tony's fault.
She stomped to the doorstep. The drive to the mansion had taken twice as long as usual. Several reporters had decided to camp out in the driveway. Some brave tourists drove by to snap a picture of an Avenger's home, clogging the street with their rental cars. For the millionth time that morning, she cursed Tony's name.
Saniya yanked on the door handle. It didn't budge.
"Jarvis?"
"I apologize, Ms. Ramakrishna, but the mansion is in full lockdown."
She tried the handle again as if this time would be any different. "It's me, Jarvis, not the Mandarin. No danger here."
"Once again, I apologize. I am not allowed to grant access to anyone, excluding Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts, into the mansion. Or, at the very least, without their direct consent."
Her palm smacked the glass in frustration. "Okay, this is stupid." Sometimes she wished Jarvis wasn't an AI and could make his own decisions. "Can you tell Pepper I'm locked out?" she asked Jarvis.
"Of course."
Pepper was admittedly very fast. In less than a minute, she was at the door, ushering Saniya inside. She scanned the skies and looked down the driveway with narrowed eyes.
"Relax," Saniya said, placing a hand on her arm. "I didn't see any terrorists on my way here, so I think we're fine."
She shook her head. "I'm not taking any chances."
The door locked behind them. Pepper was a woman with a plan; there was no time to stand around. With a flick of her fingers, Saniya was following Pepper up to her room. Tony and Pepper's clothes were pulled off the hangers, most already packed into large bags. All of the drawers were pulled out and emptied and a ball of electronic chargers sat in the middle of the bed.
"Tony owns an island in the Caribbean. We'll be going there until this whole Mandarin... fiasco blows over." Pepper resumed the tedious job of packing for two. She stopped momentarily to give Saniya a sympathetic smile. "You're welcome to stay in the mansion if you like, though I don't imagine you do."
Saniya let out a bitter laugh. "Nope. I don't. Honestly, I want to get as far away from here as possible."
Pepper made a low sound of agreement. "I can arrange a hotel room in the city if you still have work at Stark Industries," she offered.
"I think I'm going to stay away from all things Stark and go back to New York," she said quietly. Everything she needed to find for the report was done, not that it was much work to begin with. It didn't matter whether it was written in New York or Malibu.
Saniya began bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Why...," she started, then drifted off. "What was he thinking?"
"He wasn't," was Pepper's fast reply. Her hair fell over her face as she leaned over the bed. "I already worry too much about him without this. If anything happens to him, I honestly don't know what I would do with myself." Pepper discretely rubbed a hand over her eyes.
She hovered by the door. It was uncomfortable watching Pepper pack. "I should start packing."
Pepper didn't turn to face her. "Good. That's good. Jarvis will call a cab for you whenever you're ready."
Saniya didn't waste any time getting to her room. Nor did it take long to stuff every last shirt and underwear into her bag. She hadn't brought much with her in the first place. The grappling hook was carefully placed on top before she closed the suitcase. The only thing she left out was her gun, which was stuffed in the waistband of her jeans. Airport security was going to have a field day with her, but she didn't feel comfortable without it. Not when she was seen entering and leaving the home of Tony Stark with a terrorist out for his blood.
She had every intention to leave the city as fast as possible. In an airport in another state, she could convince Bruce to leave Malibu too. There was bound to be video or some sort of evidence of Bruce's connection to Tony. If the dread in her gut was anything to go off of, anyone connected to Tony wasn't safe.
The door bell rang when she was dragging the bag from her room.
She pulled the gun out of her waistband. There was no way she was taking chances, even if she ended up scaring some soccer mom trying to get an autograph for their kid.
Her boots were impressively silent as she crept down the stairs. For a brief moment, she pretended she was the Black Widow, the ultimate spy. Saniya leaned around the corner to peek at the door. There was a woman standing there, wearing a leather jacket and a canvas bag hoisted over her shoulder. They locked eyes.
"Are you going to let me in?" was her muffled complaint.
"Dang it," Saniya muttered to herself. She wasn't as sneaky as she hoped she had been.
She rounded the corner and aimed her gun at the woman's head. The door was most likely bullet proof, but she hoped the woman wouldn't call her bluff.
And she didn't. Immediately, she raised her hands over her head. "Don't shoot!" she pleaded. "Please don't- My name is Maya Hansen. I'm here to help."
Saniya took several steps forward, weapon unfaltering. "Show me some ID," she demanded. Maya reached into her bag. "Hey!" Maya froze. "Empty your bag outside, alright. Keep your hands where I can see them."
Maya whispered something that she was sure rhymed with "witch" but did as she was told. A collection of papers and tampons fell from the bag onto the front step. Finally, a wallet dropped. Maya pressed her drivers license against the glass.
"Like I said, my name is Maya Hansen." Her fingers were beginning to tremble. "Can you please aim in a different direction."
Both Maya and Saniya jumped at the sound of clanging metal. It was Tony in his suit, wearing everything but the mask. His hand was held out at Maya, just as Saniya was pointing her gun. "You're not the Mandarin, are you?" He was by Saniya's side now. The hand that wasn't aiming at Maya now rested on Saniya's shoulder.
Maya sighed. "Unbelievable. You don't remember me."
Saniya rolled her shoulders. No one had told her how stiff her muscles would get while threatening someone with a gun. "She says her name's Maya Hansen," she told Tony.
There was a knowing look in his eyes as he studied Maya. He lowered his arm. "You know what? Just come in. I'm getting annoyed with talking through a door."
Saniya stepped back while Maya took a step in. She couldn't help thinking about Maya's jacket. There were so many pockets, so many places to hide things. As much training as she had gone through, she was never taught how to pat someone down. If there was a weapon hidden underneath the leather, she wasn't going to find it until it was being used against her. Or Tony. Or Pepper. Letting Maya in was the second stupidest thing Tony had done that day.
"Stop. You will stay that far from us at all times," Saniya snapped when Maya took too many steps forward for comfort.
Maya looked towards Tony who only nodded her head. "Hey, I'm not going to argue with a woman holding a gun." His hand dropped from Saniya's shoulder. "Might be a wise idea to keep your hands in the open, too. She's trigger happy."
It was oddly satisfying watching Maya stare at the gun in her hand. Apparently Tony's outstretched arm wasn't a problem; she didn't think Tony would blast her away with his suit. Saniya, on the other hand, wasn't as predictable. An odd smirk rose on her face. She held all the power in the conversation.
Maya gulped. "Listen, I came because I need to talk to you, Tony. Alone, preferably."
"Nope," she answered for him. Tony lifted his eyebrows. "Come on, you threatened a terrorist. It's probably not a good idea to be alone with a stranger who you never should've let in your house."
"Fair point," he agreed. "But I think I'm going to anyways, just to watch you squirm."
Right after he said that, two large bags were thrown over the balcony. "Tony, is someone here?" Pepper called out. She began walking down the stairs, giving Maya a cautious glance. Saniya's body relaxed slightly. As long as Tony wasn't alone with Maya, she had some peace of mind.
Tony stepped out of the suit. The hollow husk of metal stood straight like a frozen soldier waiting for orders. "Maya Hansen. She's an old botanist pal that I used to know, barely." Tony leaned towards Maya. "Please tell me there's not a twelve-year-old kid sitting in a car out front," he whispered to her.
She wasn't amused. "No, but I need your help."
"What? Why now?"
"Because I read the papers, and frankly, I don't think you'll last the week," Maya replied.
Saniya nodded. "I completely agree with her."
Tony was scandalized. He glared at her. "Where's your faith?"
"I lost it when you challenged a terrorist to a fight-off!" she snapped back.
Pepper had made it to the bottom of the stairs, slowly crossing the distance to them. Her white shirt was rolled up to her elbows, and she was wearing casual black pants instead of the usual skirt. She regarded Maya with calculating eyes. "An old friend?" Maya nodded. Something clicked inside of her. She gave her a soft, understanding smile, which dropped when she noticed the gun aimed at Maya. "Dear god, Saniya, put the gun away."
"But-"
"Saniya," Pepper said, her tone commanding. "Put the gun away."
Maya was visibly relieved when Saniya tucked the gun back in her waistband. Saniya kept her hand on her hip, though, in easy reach of her trusty gun.
"I'm sorry," Pepper apologized to Maya. "I didn't think we'd have guests with Happy in the hospital, and I have a feeling you don't feel welcomed."
"No, but I understand why," Maya said.
Pepper nodded then faced Tony. "So, by an old friend you meant girlfriend, right?"
Tony immediately shook his head. "She's not. I mean, she wasn't. Not really."
There was a soft pink tint to Maya's cheeks. "No, it was, uh, just one night." Tony let out a quick "yes".
"Oh, I see," Pepper said. "That's how you did it back in the day."
Tony gave her an award-winning smile. "Yep, but not anymore. I'm a committed man."
Pepper scoffed, but anyone could see the satisfied smirk on her face. She cleared her throat as she faced Maya again. "I'm sorry if you came here for something, but we're going out of town-"
"Remember, I said we weren't," Tony interrupted.
"-but I can give you the number to my office. All of the messages will be forwarded-"
"Peps, we aren't leaving."
"-to my personal number." Pepper glared at him. "We are leaving. Immediately and indefinitely!"
"We talked about this," he replied. "I can't protect you out there, I threatened a-"
"Terrorist," Saniya finished for him. "That was the stupidest thing you could have done. Just get out of town, you idiot."
Tony snapped his fingers at her. "I'm higher up on the SHIELD totem pole. You can't talk to me like that."
She rolled her eyes. "Really? That's what you focused on? Not that your life is in serious danger from some guy with the same name as an orange, but that I was rude to you?"
"I think leaving is a great idea," Maya interjected before Tony could reply. She began to make her way towards the bags. Saniya placed her hand on her gun, but one glance from Pepper and she removed it.
Tony moved between Maya and the bags. "Don't touch the bags." He shook his finger at her. "Pepper, honey-"
Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Don't 'honey' me!"
"Listen-"
"We're leaving! This isn't even up for discussion," Pepper cried out.
Maya suddenly froze. "Guys?"
Saniya followed her gaze to the television on the wall. It was a news cast of the mansion. She would have dismissed it if it wasn't for the helicopters flying towards the mansion. She looked out the many windows and sure enough, there they were. There was a small puff of smoke from one of the helicopters. Something was getting closer and closer. She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what was flying towards them
"Get down!" Tony yelled.
The whole wall exploded. Her body was a rag doll flying through the air. Just as she was about to take a deep breathe in, she slammed into the wall.
Saniya fell on all fours, wheezing. Tony's suit smashed into the wall next to her. She blinked when Tony landed on her other side. Pepper was in the suit now.
She closed her eyes. You were trained for moments like this. I can buy them several seconds. Saniya stretched out her hand, twisting it like the dials on a safe. Slowly, everything was pulled in reverse. Pepper, Tony, and Maya were mid-air. She watched the suit peel itself from Pepper and them wall reassemble itself. They landed back on their feet, unaware of what was about to happen.
Finally, when her lungs were about to burst, time played forward.
"Guys?" Maya said.
Saniya scrambled up from her feet. "Run!" she yelled before sprinting across the room. Tony swore and dragged Pepper away from the window. Maya was mid-turn when the wall exploded for the second time.
She was thrown forward, closer to the door this time. Tony and Pepper were further away from the blast. She was thankful for that.
Pepper landed a few yards from her, covered head to toe in the Iron Man suit. Tony was only several feet away from her, groaning in pain. Saniya coughed violently. The air was dust. She struggled to stand, leaving a smear of blood from the scabs that had reopened on her knees. Reliving the explosion only doubled the pain.
Another missile flew through the window, sending Tony flying. Saniya fell again, only catching a glimpse of red.
"Move!" Tony yelled through the chaos.
She lifted her head. The floor was starting to break open. Saniya crawled from the edge that threatened to swallow her. "Get to the door, get to the door," she chanted quietly. Her fingers dug into the debris as she tried to pull herself up.
A metal hand yanked her to her feet. All of her weight was placed on Pepper as she struggled to steady herself. Tony was left on the other side of the chasm. It was too wide for him to jump. "Get them out of here," he told Pepper.
"What about you?" she yelled back.
"I'll... I'll find a way around." Tony noticed Pepper's hesitation. "Go! Stop stopping and go!"
Pepper was practically dragging Saniya, she was moving so fast. When she leaned down to pick up Maya, Saniya was rushing for the door. It was one of the few parts of the mansion that was undamaged. She held it open for Pepper who was carrying Maya fireman style. Maya was gently lowered to the ground outside of the crumbling mansion.
They all held back their screams as another explosion hit the house. Tony was still in there.
Saniya kneeled over Maya. She was grasping her bleeding head but breathing. One look over her shoulder confirmed that Pepper was still alive and utterly terrified.
She pulled out her gun. "We need to get out of here," she said with a shaky voice.
"Tony's still in there." Pepper looked down at her hands, still encased in the suit. Gears were clicking behind her eyes as an idea began to form. "I can—" Suddenly, her body was yanked forward as pieces of the suit disassembled and flew off her, into the mansion. Saniya caught her from falling as the headpiece violently ripped itself off of her. Her fingers clung to Saniya's shirt. "Maybe he's better off with the suit," she gasped.
Saniya began pushing her away from the mansion. "We need to go. What if there are more coming, but on land this time?" She waved her gun in the air. "I can't fight them off! We need to run!"
Pepper shook her head. "Not without Tony."
The best thing for her to do was to run, whether Maya and Pepper came with her or not. It made sense to escape the danger instead of staying within range of death-obsessed helicopters armed with missiles. Her mind was made up, though, when she watched Pepper cup her hands over her mouth as the mansion began sliding off the cliff.
She grabbed her hand. Pepper had an iron grip, even without the suit. Saniya kept her gun ready. They were running at the first sign of more trouble, no matter what Pepper said.
Something large flew from the mansion and one of the helicopters was hit. Then, they watched helplessly as a second helicopter started to give off black smoke. It was sent into a tailspin. To their horror, it crashed into the mansion.
Pepper squeezed her eyes shut. "Damn it, Tony," she whispered.
Maya covered her mouth and looked away.
Saniya was suddenly wishing Bruce was there. Nothing would have stopped the helicopters faster than a Hulk.
She crossed her fingers. "Come on, Tony. You're Iron Man, for Christ's sake."
For a brief, blissful moment, she was sure that Tony would power through, that he would destroy the other helicopters, fly over, and give Pepper a romantic smooch like in the movies. Maybe smirk a little and comment on how that was "too easy" or wonder where the "real competition was". Then, they'd all treat themselves to dinner and laugh over how easy the enemies were to defeat.
Then, the mansion completely fell into the ocean with Tony inside, crushing all her hopes.
Saniya froze. An odd feeling came over her. It was almost as if a hand was squeezing her heart, stabbing her with its fingernails. With each beat, the feeling grew. The gun clattered to the concrete as she tried to comprehend what had happened.
"Tony!" Pepper screamed. She was running towards the debris. Not even the all the missiles on all the helicopters combined could keep her away. She peered over the edge, staring at the waves below.
Her stupor was broken when the helicopters finally began flying away. Saniya shuffled in her boots then rubbed her eyes. "Pepper?" she called out with a hoarse voice. "Pepper!"
Maya pulled herself to her feet. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He was a good man."
"You didn't even know him," she snapped at Maya. Her attention refocused on Pepper who looked dangerously close to leaning too far over the sheer drop. Saniya grabbed her gun as she began walking towards her. "Pepper," she said softly, "get away from the edge."
Pepper stayed where she was.
Saniya lightly touched her arm. "He–"
"I saw him come up," she said so quietly that Saniya almost didn't hear it. "I saw him fly out of the water."
She glanced down at the waves. All evidence of the broken mansion was swallowed by the ocean, erased like it had never happened. That didn't sit well with her, that something so important to her could disappear so fast. "Okay," she said. "Come on–"
"You don't believe me."
"I never saw him come out of the water." She glanced over her shoulder. Maya was watching them. She suppressed a scowl.
Pepper blinked away forming tears. "Maybe he didn't," she relented. "I don't know what I saw, but... I don't know anymore."
Saniya grabbed her hand and lead her away from the edge. "It's..." not okay. Nothing about this was okay. "It... happened. We can't change that now."
"I wish it hadn't."
She nodded slowly. "Me too. God, me too."