So, my cousin deleted everything that I had. My A03 account, my wattpad account, and all of my stories on Fanfiction. I only have Fanfiction and Wattpad back up but no stories as of yet. if you have a wattpad account, please go and follow my new account: Sboyle97 and let others know. Thank you.

Chapter One

Three Airmen occupied the center Humvee as the US Military convoy worms through a barren vista. Crammed in there with them is a woman in an expensive suit, who looks teleported directly from Beverly Hills.

She is, of course, genius, inventor, and billionaire: Toni Stark. Not only is she a woman of an IQ of 270 making her one of the smartest people in the world, but she is also the one and only female billionaire. In her hand is a drink tumbler of what the soldier next to her thought was vodka. He would be wrong though. It was just flavored water that mimicked the looks of vodka so that others would think she was under the influence when she wasn't.

Toni didn't like drinking unless she was home but had to keep up appearances.

For the past hour, Toni had been trying to get her three companions to interact with her but no luck yet. "Oh, I get it. You guys aren't allowed to talk. Is that it? Are you not allowed to talk?"

One Airman grins, fidgeting with his orange NY Mets watch. "No. We're allowed to talk."

Toni hm'd. Took a drink. "Oh, I see. So it's personal."

Then another Airman in the Humvee spoke up. "I think they're intimidated."

Toni's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Good God, you're a woman." Everyone tried to compress their laughs. "I, honestly, I couldn't have called that… I would apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I saw you as a soldier first."

Silence fell over them again.

"I have a question, ma'am." The female Airman said. Toni turned her head towards her with a smile, glad that she was finally getting some conversation out of them. It had been boring so far.

"Please."

"Is it true you're going to be featured on Maxim cover next year?"

Toni winked at her through the mirror - as the other female was driving the Humvee - causing her to blush slightly. She began to think about the male models that she, uh, had the shoot with. "Excellent question. Yes and no. March and I had schedule conflict but, thankfully, the Christmas cover was twins. Anyone else? You, with the hand up." Toni motioned towards the Airman sitting next to her.

"It's a little embarrassing."

"Join the club." Toni quipped before she could stop it.

"Can I take a picture with you?"

"Are you aware that Native Americans believe photographs steal a little piece of your soul? Not to worry, mine's long gone," she said with a grimace but settled closer to him. "Fire away."

The Airman, excited, posed as the Airman in the front passenger seat snaps the photo.

A second later and Toni had no idea what had happened. There was a ringing in her ear.

Another massive explosion rocks them. Through the windshield, the Humvee ahead of them erupts in a fireball.

Toni is flung aside again and in the side mirror, she sees one of the Humvee behind them explode. Pandemonium ensues. The Airmen are instantly in battle mode. They scramble out, shutting Toni inside.

The Airman that had been sitting beside her was now on her side on the outside. He turned and yelled through the window, "STAY HERE!" Before he is gunned down. It is chaos, she sees another soldier get gunned down. Toni's window blows in, spraying glass and shrapnel. She scrambles for the door. She needed to get out and find shelter, wait for the heat to clear.

She coughed once she was able to get the door open. Smoke filled the air. Machine gun fire and shouting came from all around as the soldiers battled with the enemy.

Toni ducks, scampering along. Finally finding cover behind a slope. She spots an M-16, picks it up, but the weapon is burning hot, burning her hands. She drops it, moves on when something pings off a smoldering Humvee and thuds in the dirt near her. She spins and sees something that she couldn't comprehend it.

The RPG had written on it 'USM 11676 - STARK MUNITIONS'. Just as Toni begins to relax, thinking that it's a dud, it detonates and throws Toni back. Shredding her suit and revealing her body armor underneath. She faintly hears more guns going off in the distance before her vision fades to white.

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Toni snaps awake. She's tied to a chair, bloody rags covering her chest. Two insurgents flank a DV camera. Behind Tony a line of armed hooded men and a banner showing ten interlocked rings. The Leader, a huge Chore knife in one hand, looks at the camera as he began to speak.

Toni can't understand what he is saying, but she knows that if she wants to live and have a chance to get out of here, she will have to fight… just as her vision faded to white again.

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Two Days Before

James 'Rhodey' Rhodes stood on top of the stage in Las Vegas where an award ceremony was taking place.

"As Program Manage and Liaison to Stark Industries, I've had the honor of serving with a real patriot. A woman whose life has been dedicated to protecting our troops on the front lines. She's a friend. And a great mentor. A woman who has always been there for her friends and her country. Ladies and gentlemen, this year's ARES Award winner — Miss Toni Stark!"

Thunderous applause and camera flashes went off. But Toni Stark did not appear. A spotlight fixes on her empty chair, causing applause to wane.

Obadiah Stane, CFO of Stark Industries, regards the empty chair. He stands and makes his way to the podium, taking the award from Rhodey, trying to avoid the awkwardness continuing.

"Thank you… I, uhh, I'm not Toni Stark, but if I were Toni, I'd tell you how honored I am and… what a joy it is to receive this award. The best thing about Toni is also the worst thing - she's always working."

Little did they know, Toni Stark was doing the opposite of working. She was giving herself the night off.

Toni is playing craps, a crowd erupting as they all begin winning big. A cute guy was next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist.

In between rolls, she whispers into his ear.

"…you think we're having a 'moment' here, but this is actually logical conclusion of several mathematical truisms. Your hypothalamus is flooding your system with a chain of proteins called peptides, so that every cell in your body is opening itself up to the happy chemical: oxytocin."

The man was seriously turned on. "That's… wow…"

"Hold on a second-" She rolls again. The table is hot. More cheers. She continued. "- so now your limbic system is positively… throbbing. A Kirlian photograph of us right now, occupying this space, would show serious subatomic particles being exchanged between us, with a rapidity that transcends- Are you getting this?" She asked the lust filled guy, cutting herself off. "You will be quizzed-"

Again she cut herself off as she spots a glowering Rhodey coming towards her.

"Uh oh, here comes the fun police, everyone!" She saw what he held in his hands as he came up to her other side. Oh, her award. "My God, what are you, they roped you into this thing too?"

"Yeah. They said you'd be deeply honored if I presented."

"Who said? Because I distinctly remember telling Obi and Pepper that I would come to Vegas but I wasn't going to the award ceremony." She continued at Rhodey's look. She knew he believed her but also knew that Obi and even Pepper tried to control her every move. "Okay, let's do it."

Toni smiled slightly at his less angry, slightly more amused look in his eyes. Rhodey plops the ARES down on the table. Toni and Rhodey knew that they would have to keep the act up of Rhodey being mad at Toni because they could trust no one.

"That was quick. Thought there'd be more of, you know, a ceremony. Maybe a highlight reel-"

Toni shakes karma into the dice, rolls again. She craps out, causing groans from the table and everyone staring at Rhodey the fun police.

Toni turned her head towards the box man. "Color me up." Toni turned her head towards the other people. "My chaperone has just arrived with my" holds up the award "Degenerate of the Year Award. Judging from his look, I may have just peed in the kiddie pool… I must now take my ease, along with the House's funds."

Toni was now ignoring the cute guy from earlier, dislodging his arm from around her waist. He huffed loudly but she ignored him. She wasn't interested in getting laid tonight. She's handed racks of chips, then tips the table Operators and heads off with Rhodey. Two of her security team fall in behind them, the cute guy permanently left behind. As they past through the casino, people gawked, snapping photos of Toni with their phones.

"A lot of people would kill to have their name on that award."

Toni was quick in her response. "It belongs to the old man, Rhodey. I'm just continuing his legacy. They should have given it to him."

Rhodey turned quickly towards her. "What's wrong with you? A thousand people came here tonight to honor you, and you leave them with egg on their face. This award means something, Tony, it's bigger than you-" Toni knew they weren't acting anymore. These were words Rhodey had been thinking the whole night.

"Hold that thought a sec." As she stopped in front of a roulette wheel, she couldn't help but reminisce about her old friends Oliver, Bruce, and Lex. She hadn't seen Oliver or Bruce in about five years, heard from them even less. Lex she saw just last year but they had no chance to catch up. She sighed softly. She lived a good, wealthy life… but it was a lonely life. Toni absentmindedly puts all her chips down, nods to wheel operator.

"Put it all on black." She said, not caring about if she won or lost. The dealer scoops away Tony's chips.

Rhodey could only gape in disbelief at the uncaring nature Toni exhibited at the loss. "…you just blew three million."

Toni shrugged. "Yeah. Don't know what was more exciting - winning it… or the fact that I don't care I just lost it."

Rhodey got into her face again. Toni was quickly seeing the influence of Pepper getting into one of her oldest friends and it stirred a bit of anger in her. "Everything's funny to you."

"No. You're not funny."

"We've got a hell of a day tomorrow. Can we get out of here now?"

"I have one more stop to make. I'll meet you on the plane tomorrow." With that, Toni pulled her sunglasses on and began to walk towards the exit her two guards being joined by two more so that she was barricaded in.

Toni had handpicked the five men that made up her security team and it was best decision she had ever made in the past five years. Happy Hogan was head of her security to the world… and maybe in his mind. But it was the other guys and her driver - the secret sixth man - that made up her true security. She had found via JARVIS her AI system, some very bad men and offered them deals that only idiots would refuse.

Jason Bourne, Robert McCall, Bryan Mills, Clyde Shelton, and her driver Deckard Shaw. All dangerous, all very bad men that no one was stupid enough to go after their employer with them around.

Too bad they weren't around when she went to Afghanistan.