Aubrey was disappointed.
She did not want to admit it, but as she stood next to Tony, with Yinsen on his other side, she felt it spreading through her chest. They were standing in the dark room, staring at a glowing cylinder on the table. The second she saw it, Aubrey recognized what it was; an arc reactor. A small arc reactor, at that. A small and disappointing arc reactor.
Aubrey had watched Tony over the past few days, silently working away on his mysterious project. He would break apart missiles, solder the scraps together, and make small talk with his fellow captives while never directly saying what his plan was. Aubrey had heard of the genius of Tony Stark - whatever he was building, it was going to be big. And it was going to get them out of there.
She had so many ideas of what it could be, but never daring to ask in fear of breaking his concentration. Was it a bomb capable of blowing a hole through the wall? Was it a signalling device to flag down help? Or was it some sort of invention that Aubrey was not capable of understanding, but was so powerful that it would guarantee their escape? No, it was none of these things.
And as Aubrey stared down at the arc reactor lying on the table, with bitter disappointment rising up her throat like bile, she realized that she had allowed herself to get her hopes up. For those two days that she watched Tony work, she started to dream of something bigger than getting her revenge on Raza - she started to dream of going home. She hadn't been sure was Tony was building, but she knew deep in her gut that it would be enough to free them all of that horrible place.
Instead, Tony built a fancy light bulb.
In the short time that Aubrey had worked at SI, she had seen the arc reactor - and heard the criticism behind it. While SI played up the reactor in the press ("Look how environmentally friendly we are! We'll save Mother Nature while blowing holes in her crust!"), everyone who knew anything knew that the time and resources cost more to make it than it was worth.
"An arc reactor," Aubrey stated, dejectedly.
"Hold your enthusiasm." Tony's voice was blunt as he held the reactor in his hand, slowly twisting it in his fingers. Aubrey looked at him, watching as the glow reflected in his eyes; there was a plan buried beneath them.
"What could it generate?" Yinsen asked, seemingly more interested than Aubrey.
"If my math is right - and it always is - three giga Joules per second," Tony explained, still unable to take his eyes off the reactor. It was like he could see a master plan within the device.
"That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes," Yinsen said, in awe. Aubrey could see the scenarios running through his mind; the people he could save with a device like this. This would advance technology decades into the future...
"Or something big for fifteen minutes," Tony added.
And finally, Aubrey could see the pieces falling into place. The arc reactor was not the end goal of these few days of work; it was only the beginning. Whatever Tony's plan was, it was bigger than Aubrey would have thought. Tony was not just planning to escape - he was planning to burn down everyone in his path while he was at it. He was going to make damned sure that Raza and his men could not rise up again.
Aubrey stayed silent as she watched Tony bring out his plan on the trace paper. About half a dozen sheets, all stacked together would show the design of the perfect weapon. She had seen glimpses of the paper, but they all looked like broken pieces of a design rather than a full concept. She realized now that the past few days had meant more to Tony than just working away on the arc reactor. Their small conversations - glimpses into their lives - had been a test that Yinsen and Aubrey had thankfully passed. Tony was making sure that he could trust them as his team before sharing his precious escape plan with them.
"We're getting out of here," Audrey breathed.
It was a suit of armour, more advanced than Audrey had ever seen. The suit was built with a variety of weapons - all deadly enough to cause some serious damage to whoever strayed in their path. The suit was not just built to escape their prison, it was built to leave everything behind them in flames. When they left, there would be no chance that they would be returning.
"Yeah," Tony said, almost as an afterthought. "We're getting out of here, kid."
Tony seemed to snap out of his thoughts, casually picking up the papers and shuffling them. He spared a quick glance at the camera in the corner, but from the angle there was no way that it could have seen the design. Aubrey picked up on his cues, going over to her own station to start tinkering away at the weapons. Standing in a circle and talking about their escape was the worst thing they could have done; they needed to be calm about this. They could not give Raza any reason to question them.
"What is the plan?" Yinsen asked as he leaned over the followed Tony over to the pile of scraps, as he began to pick through.
Tony cleared his throat, turning from the camera so there was no way Raza could possibly read his lips. "We've got one shot at this so we can't mess it up. We have to build each component separately, and we can only put it together on the day that we're blowing out of this place. If something goes wrong..." he paused, "Let's not think about that. Aubrey, I need you to make a show of working on the weapons. Yinsen will be helping me with the main parts of the suit, but I have a feeling you can weaponize it in your sleep."
Aubrey nodded along, realizing how much work would be cut out for her. Tony explained the plan to her. In short, Aubrey had to somehow balance making missiles for Raza while also helping Tony with the suit. If Raza and his men were watching the camera's, then they were limited with how much Aubrey could help. But they also had an assumption that the men wouldn't understand what Aubrey was doing, even if she was building it right in front of them. She would have to be stealthy, but... it could work.
"How long?" Aubrey asked, crossing her arms. She could taste the freedom on her lips. She did not want to be too hopeful. Hope was nothing more than a promise with a dagger behind its back.
Tony let out a breath of air as he thought. "I'd be able to do it in about three months. But with your help... I think we can do it in a month tops. Maybe less if we need."
Aubrey felt the air leave her lungs. A month? It was impossible. She had long since decided that the cave would become her grave, and now Tony was telling them a month? The old Aubrey - the one before Afghanistan would have broken down and cried over the revelation - but all she could do was remain stoic, and stare at Tony with wide eyes. He watched her closely, waiting for a reaction. Finally, all she said was, "Then we better get to work."
Aubrey sat at her work bench, tinking at one of the parts of the suit. It had been two weeks since Tony had shown her the plans, and she had been working non-stop ever since. She had seen Tony's blueprints and saw a major flaw. He had decided a flamethrower would be a 'wicked' way to take down Raza and his men (Aubrey had to agree). Then only issue was that with the metal pressed right against his flesh, there was a real possibility of welding his flesh right onto the suit if the flamethrower backfired and heated up the metal. So now, Aubrey was working at building oscillating fans in the suit to push any hot air out before it could melt him.
"Do you think Raza takes song requests?" Tony asked suddenly, lifting his welding mask above his head. "I've been envisioning 'Highway to Hell' playing in the background while I set everything on fire. I really think it would set the mood."
"I don't know if he has a stereo, but Yinsen and I can sing it from behind you," Aubrey said with a straight face. Tony stared at her, trying to discern whether she was joking or not. Finally, she cracked a small smile and Tony let out a short laugh.
Even Aubrey had to laugh when Yinsen started quietly singing in the corner, "We're on a Hiighway to Hell..."
Aubrey wouldn't ever admit it, but these last few weeks had probably saved her life. She still fantasized about brutally murdering Raza, but it was less obsessive. She found she was less spacey throughout the day, and her head felt more clear. Tony's presence had done more for her than he'd ever know. She was far from the girl she had been before Afghanistan - and maybe that girl was gone for good - but she was finally starting to feel more comfortable in her own mind again. Having Yinsen all this time had helped her from falling off the edge, while Tony and his suit brought her down the mountain.
Aubrey turned back to her work, finishing on the last screw. There was only so much work she could do at a time; they couldn't risk Raza or his men figuring out what they were building, so it was imperitive that they work on each piece separately. Only on the day of the attack would they assemble all pieces together. It was a risk that everyone thought of, but no one would say out loud.
Just as Aubrey set her tools down, she heard a commotion from behind the metal door. Her heartbeat quickened; it was too early for their meal. Something was happening. Aubrey nearly fell out of her chair trying to get away from the door, placing both hands on her head. Memories of Raza's ruthless beating flashed through her head. The dull thud of his boots connecting with her flesh. She had a feeling he wasn't done with her yet.
Tony and Yinsen came to stand next to her, both with their hands on their heads. Tony stood slightly in front of the girl, as if to protect her from Raza. Like he could stop him.
The door creaked open, and a rush of men entered the room. Each man was paired with an assault rifle. Raza stepped in last, a cold smile on his face. His eyes flitted from Yinsen, Tony, and finally to Aubrey. "Ah, I see you have been working over time on my weapons."
Why was he here? Raza rarely paid them a visit. It was only when they were failing to produce results that he came and brought his favorite form of motivation. But it had only been a few weeks since Tony had started working on the "Jericho" missile. Did he actually expect them to be finished already? If he had, he was setting them up to fail.
Aubrey glanced to her left, to see Tony and Yinsen matching Raza's gaze. No one said anything, they just watched as the leader paced in front of them. Finally, he spoke. "I have seen you working, nearly day and night. And still, we have yet to see the missile. Instead, I see you working on what..."
Raza trailed off, peering over Aubrey's work station to see the parts. He picked up the long piece of metal, with a fan fitted in the middle. "Fans?"
Raza waited, but no one spoke. Finally, he flung the piece against the wall, breaking the fan from the metal. "Where is my weapon?!" he screamed. He grabbed Aubrey's shoulders, slamming her body against the wall. "I thought I told you not to play games, little girl? And here you are, wasting my time. Give me one reason why I should not kill you right now."
Aubrey couldn't breathe. All she could do was stare into Raza's furious eyes, terrified that they would be the last thing she saw before she died. Tony and Yinsen wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it either... they would just have to watch as the life slowly left her body. "I-I..." She couldn't find the words the explain herself.
"Where are my weapons?" Raza seethed, his hands forming a tight grip around Aubrey's throat. His eyes were dark and murderous. Aubrey suddenly realized that he cared less about his question being answered, and more about acting on his anger. He needed someone to be his punching bag, and since she was clearly the weakest, that meant it had to be Aubrey. After all these months, no matter how much Aubrey did for him, he was growing tired of her. With Tony Stark now here, she wasn't as useful to him anymore.
Aubrey wheezed, trying to take in air. She opened her mouth to explain, to say anything that would save her, but she couldn't breathe. She was really starting to panic now; she was kicking at Raza, but after all these months, she was far too weak.
"The fans help disperse the smaller warheads after separation from the original missile," Tony called out, in an even tone. Raza's grip didn't slacken, but he turned to Tony, with a new interest in his eyes. Aubrey was growing weaker, and her vision was fading. Tony had to act fast, but he couldn't falter. "The original missile - the Jericho Missile - had a state of the art deployment module. We don't have the technology here, but we can mimic the effects with the fans. Aubrey knows the Jericho Missile inside and out. It was her idea."
Raza's grip finally relaxed, and Aubrey slid to the floor, coughing violently. Raza was staring at Tony now, with a harsh gaze. He was trying to detect whether Tony was lying. Their only saving grace was that Raza was far from an engineer, and he couldn't pick up on the blatant lie by the faulty logic. Finally, he said, "Fine."
He nodded his head to his men, and they fell back, towards the door. Raza slowly made his way to the door, eyeing up each of the captives as he walked. When he reached the door, he turned to face them. "I want Aubrey Howell working exclusively on the Jericho Missile. But, if you do not deliver... I promise you it will be a slow death."
And with that, he walked out of the room. As soon as the metal door slammed shut, and they heard the familiar clang of the lock, Tony and Yinsen rushed to the girl's side. Yinsen was already checking to ensure she didn't have any permanent damage. She had red marks on her neck that were sure to bruise. Aubrey was still coughing, trying to catch her breath. It took a few minutes of her sitting on the floor, but her breathing began to return to normal, and her heart rate finally slowed down.
"You okay, kid?" Tony asked, watching Aubrey as she tried to calm herself down. She nodded once, but didn't answer him verbally. "Where's your head at right now?"
Once again, Aubrey didn't answer. She just sat there, as the fear died down and was replaced with a familiar feeling. Since Tony arrived, she had felt herself began to heal. How silly had she been to forget where she was? Suddenly, Aubrey pulled herself to her feet and walked to the other side of the room. No one stopped her as she picked up the weapon that Raza had thrown against the wall.
She could hear them talk about her from where they were still crouched on the ground. They both had apprehensive looks in their eyes, but Aubrey didn't care. She was filled with a rage so deep and visceral, that it overcame every other emotion. She was running on autopilot as she settled in at her work station and began fixing the damaged piece. It had a new dent in it, but it was salvageable. She had to fix it; the more she worked, the sooner she would be able to leave this place.
"What's going on?" Tony whispered to Yinsen. The man shook his head slowly.
"Aubrey has... not handled captivity well," he admitted. "She has let it consume her. Before you came, the only thing waking her up every morning was the desire for revenge. I thought she was getting better but..."
Aubrey hated the way Yinsen spoke of her, but she did not correct him. Why would she? He was right. Raza's latest visit had just reminded her of her goals. Tony had guaranteed her escape, but it simply wasn't good enough. She had to leave this place in ashes.
Aubrey finally met the men's watchful gazes. Her anger bubbled to the surface as she glared at them. "I'm getting pretty sick of you guys acting like I'm about to break at any given moment. I'm not a porcelain doll. I'm sorry that I might be upset at being held a captive to a terrorist organization, but don't treat me like I'm going insane. You have no idea what it was like for me... He promised me that I'd be safe and now look at me!"
She looked back down at the broken pieces, angrily hitting the piece with a hammer to bust out the dent. She could still feel Tony watching her, but she could not see the change in his body language. She barely heard him over the slamming of her hammer. "Who promised you that?"
Aubrey glanced up, pausing her work. "What?"
"You just said someone promised you that you'd be safe. Who promised you that?" Tony asked. Aubrey stared at him, confused. They hardly spoke of why she had been kidnapped since Tony's arrival, but she had figured Tony knew the gist of it. But staring in Tony's alarmed eyes, she only saw more confusion.
"Obediah Stane," she answered evenly. "Did he not tell you what happened?"
Tony shot to his feet, coming to stand closer to her. "You need to tell me exactly what you're talking about."
Aubrey cocked her head slightly, setting the hammer down on the bench. Tony looked... panicked. It was a strange look on him, considering he rarely showed more emotion than mild annoyance. "I found SI's financial records and discovered that someone was selling weapons to Afghanistan. I told Obediah directly, and he sent out a team to retrieve the weapons. He sent me to disarm all missiles before bringing them back to the States. Obviously that didn't work out quite right because here we are."
Tony was reeling; he began pacing back and forth as he tried to sort out the truth. Aubrey watched him closely, as she slowly understood what was happening. All this time, she thought Tony knew that her capture was nothing more than a mission gone wrong, but it turned out he had been left in the dark. But what did that mean for Aubrey? If Tony didn't know the basis of her capture, then surely the police didn't either.
"Obie said he put you on leave because you were burnt out," Tony said in a low voice. He was tapping his chin, trying to solve an impossible equation. "This doesn't make sense."
Aubrey's mouth fell open. Obediah had told her he'd keep the mission under wraps for obvious reasons, but she had assumed her own disappearance would mean he'd tell someone the truth. At the very least, he could have told Tony Stark. "He didn't put me on leave, Tony..."
Tony ran a hand through his hair. "This has to be some sort of mistake," he decided. "I asked him about the weapons in Afghanistan... he told me it was nothing. He lied to me."
A sick realization crossed Aubrey's mind. When she was first captured, Raza had said they had orders to kill her. She had always assumed that whoever was behind the selling of weapons to Afghanistan had found out that Aubrey knew and decided to take her out before she could tell anyone. But had Obediah been the one to place the hit on her? Did she end up in this situation because she placed her trust in the wrong man?
She could tell that Tony was considering the same possibility. His mentor and close friend - almost like family - had been caught in a lie. No matter which way he played it, there was no reason for Obediah to lie. There had to be more to the story.
"When we get out of here, I'll talk to Obie. I'll get this figured out," Tony promised. Aubrey stared at him; Tony may have been in denial, but she had come to terms with the truth. Obediah Stane had set her up to die, and the truth of the weapons in Afghanistan would be buried with her.
"I think you already know the truth," Yinsen said from the far side of the room. He had been watching the interaction carefully. From the bits he learned about both Aubrey and Tony from his time with them, it was easy for him to piece together the truth. "And I think Mr. Stane had more to do with both your captures than either of you know."
In the next week, Aubrey and Tony spent hours going over every detail of their own captures. Tony would ask Aubrey the same questions, trying to find a shred of evidence proving Obediah was innocent. But each time, it all pointed to Obediah sending both Tony and Aubrey to Afghanistan to be killed. The plan was too easy; sending Aubrey away without a trace to a place where no one would find her body. And Tony flying to Afghanistan was the perfect opportunity to take care of him once and for all. If his plan worked the first time, why would he not do it again to take care of Tony.
The only question neither of them could answer is why would Obediah want Tony dead? Was it for money? The reason seemed lazy. While Obediah hadn't amassed the same mountain of wealth and Tony, he was still a billionaire. There had to be more to the story, but no one could come up with a logical answer.
Tony still struggled to believe it, but Aubrey had made peace with the facts. She had simply decided Raza wasn't the only person on her revenge list.
Now, Aubrey sat on the groung with her head against the cot as she ripped up the bread on her plate with her hands. Yinsen had told her it was called bolani. He had this habit of always explaining the Afghan meals to Aubrey before they eat, as if they were dining in a 5-star restaurant rather than being fed prison food. Tony was sitting on his own cot, hunched over his food as he ate mechanically, clearly deep in thought. Yinsen was the only one sitting at the table, quietly praying to himself before he ate.
What a sad sight. They were painfully close to the suit being complete, and they were all pushing themselves past their limits to finish it. They'd hardly slept, their conversations were minimal, and all they could focus on was the blueprints. Aubrey had grown fond of the words they shared with one another. Being captive for so long made her yearn for human interaction.
"What are you guys going to do first when we get out of here?" Aubrey asked. She knew it was a cruel question to ask; there were so many variabls... so many things that could go wrong with their plan. As they grew closer and closer to finishing the suit, it all became more real. But still, it would be nice to think of something other than all the potential ways they could die.
The two men looked at her for a long moment. Tony had a thoughtful look on his face as he considered what he'd do, without a doubt that their plan would succeed. Yinsen looked almost sad, which he tried to cover up with a smile.
"Probably get a cheeseburger," Tony decided, setting his half eaten plate on the cot. He held up his hands to Yinsen. "Don't get me wrong, buddy, loving the Afghan food. Really, I should ask Raza the name of his chef. But nothing beats a good, greasy cheeseburger."
Aubrey laugh, covering her mouth with her hand as the image of one of Raza's men catering for a Stark event popped into her head. The thought of billionaire playboy Tony Stark eating street food from terrorists was comedic enough.
From the corner of her eye, she could see a soft smile on Yinsen's face. Only then did she realize that this must have been the first time she'd laughed - genuinely laughed - in months. It was... nice. It felt like she was getting some of her sanity back. The three of them were like a weird prison family; Yinsen was the caring and thoughtful father that they depended on, Tony was the goofball that could always cheer them up, and Aubrey was... well Aubrey was not handling captivity overly well so she wasn't contributing too much to the family dynamic at the moment.
"What about you, Yin?" Tony asked, tossing a piece of bread into his mouth. Yinsen barely even had to think about it.
"I would hold my daughter and wife," he said confidently. He had this smile on his face, his eyes glazed over as he relived a memory. His expression turned to one of sadness, and Aubrey was immediately filled with guilt for starting the whole conversation. They were all missing someone; she didn't need to rub it in.
Both sets of eyes turned to Aubrey, and she was struck with the sudden realization that she hadn't thought of her own answer. Over the last few months she had thought of all of the things she would do, but most of them had turned into some sort of revenge plot. But if she were really free, back on American soil, what would she do?
"I'd probably hug my family," Aubrey decided. "The last time I saw them... You know the thing that eats me up? I was so wrapped up in learning about the SI finances that I never took the time to chat with my mom. All she ever wanted was to know how I was doing. And my dad... I barely said a word to him when I last saw him. I just left, thinking everything else was far more important. All I really want now is the chance to say goodbye."
Both men hummed, knowing the regret all to well. Something flashed across Tony's face as he nodded - determination. "You don't have to say goodbye," Tony said stiffly. "We're getting out of here. Three days, that's all we need."
Three days.
It seemed too good to be true; how could Aubrey be stuck in this place for months and now Tony was telling them that they would be escaping in three days? There had to be some sort of catch. And there was. Aubrey knew it deep in her gut.
She looked up at Tony, a vulnerable look in her eyes. She thought back to the weeks prior, when Tony and Yinsen had quietly discussed her poor coping skills. She had been angry at the time, but she knew Yinsen's words were ultimately true. With each passing day, she was losing herself more and more. Having this new found family around was helping her stay on track, but there was only so much they could do. "Do you think I'm going to be okay?"
Tony met her gaze, truly considering her question before answering. Everyone knew that Tony would be fine when he escaped. He had all the money in the world to hire the best therapist her could. And despite having no real family, he had a support system through Pepper and Rhodey. And truthfully, he hadn't felt the same despair that Aubrey and Yinsen felt. Through his entire capture, he always had a plan; he always knew he would escape. But Aubrey... was it possible that she was too far gone to be saved? Finally, he said, "Yeah, kid, I think you're going to be fine."
His words were unconvincing, and he couldn't give her more than that. But still, Aubrey nodded her head and looked back to her plate. She had held so much hope for her escape that she didn't think too much of the effects this would all have on her after the fact. She would surely have to see a therapist to manage some sort of PTSD. But, at least she would be alive, right?
"You have to take it day by day," Yinsen said, pushing his empty plate away from him. He smiled softly at the girl, and she felt his reassurance. His advice was what kept him going throughout it all; he had held his head high, despite being ripped away from his own family. If Yinsen could stay strong through being a captive even longer than Aubrey, then surely it meant there was hope for her.
Day by day.
She could do that.
A/N: another long wait but hopefully the chapter was worth it! I didn't want to spend too much time on Aubrey and Tony's time in captivity, but you definitely get the gist of how it's impacting her mentally. I'm excited for the next chapter because we'll be introducing the very first Iron Man suit!