It was easier than Amelia thought, getting through to Bambi. That afternoon she snuck into Tony's office to pull his schedule from the computer, squashing another bought of anger as she discovered numerous files already signifying a change in leadership. Tony really had given it a lot of thought, he'd even put in a request for a notary to be sent.
"And I know the perfect person for the job." Amelia whispered to herself as she requested one Natalie Rushman to get the job done.
"You just get me in." Romanoff said over the phone, "Let me handle the rest."
The next morning Amelia skipped over to the glass doors, light smile on her face as she opened it on a familiar face. "Natalie." Amelia greeted, gesturing for the redhead to come in. "How are you finding it at Stark Industries?"
"I think I've adjusted well." Romanoff replied, tall black heels clicking on the marble floors as Amelia led her through the mansion, the hem of her sleek black trousers swishing at her ankles and she had a folder stuffed with paperwork under her arm. "So many opportunities here."
The two shared a knowing smile before arriving at the gym where Tony circled Happy in the boxing ring, black hood covering his sweaty features.
"The notary's here." Amelia announced, spying Pepper over by the wall, typing away on her phone.
The ginger burst to her feet as Amelia led Romanoff over. "Can you please come sign the paperwork." Pepper requested, setting her phone aside to glance over the files Romanoff showed her.
"I'm on Happy time." Tony called back, red gloved fists raised, the two bouncing on their toes. Tony elbowed Happy in the nose, sending him stumbling back with a startled look. "Sorry." He apologized.
"What the hell was that?" Happy blurted, adjusting the padding strapped to his head.
"It's called mixed martial arts." Tony answered, dancing on the balls of his feet. "It's been around for … three weeks."
"It's called dirty boxing, there's nothing new about it."
"You're wasting the notary's time." Amelia called, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she watched.
Tony twisted with a frown, mouth open to make some offhand comment and he promptly shut it when he saw Natasha raise those bold green eyes. "I promise you this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company." Pepper didn't look up from the file as she spoke but Amelia still saw her blue eyes twitch over to her.
"I need you to initial each box." Romanoff instructed, offering a pen.
Happy tapped Tony's hooded head with his glove, drawing his attention back to the sparring match. "Lesson one," Happy began, "Never take your eye off…"
Tony thrust a foot out, kicking Happy in the chest and the man tripped back into the corner, bouncing off the rubber barriers. "That's it." Happy rang the bell, unstrapping the headguard, "I'm done."
"What's your name, lady?" Tony pointed at Romanoff, grabbing his bottle full off… well whatever ridiculous smoothie he had himself on and Amelia turned her nose at the murky green liquid.
"Rushman." Romanoff lied, "Natalie Rushman."
"Front and centre." Tony instructed, tapping the rubber rings and curling his finger at the spy, "Come into the church."
"No." Pepper objected, "You're seriously not gonna ask…"
"If it pleases the court." Tony held up a finger, nodding to himself, "Which it does."
"It's no problem." Natasha assured, handing Amelia the binder and stepping over to the boxing ring, slipping off her black heels.
"I'm sorry." Pepper apologized, following Amelia to take a seat opposite her on the cream leather armchairs. "He's very eccentric."
Tony held up the rubber rings with a finger, plastic bottle caught between his teeth as he watched Romanoff duck into the ring, green eyes fixed on him. The two shared a silent look, both waiting for the other, and Romanoff kept a very open look, a very inviting one and Amelia caught the curiosity flooding Tony's eyes. "What?" he blurted after the strange silence passed, flashing a hesitant smile as he nodded to Happy. "Can you give her a lesson?"
Tony squeezed free of the rings, swiping off his hood, his short black hair plastered to his forehead, and stepped over to them. "Pepper." He whispered, appropriating the other half of Amelia's seat. "Who is she?"
Amelia frowned softly at him, shuffling to accommodate him on the chair and ended up stretching her legs over his lap, crossing her ankles casually.
"She's from legal." Pepper informed him as she returned to her phone. "And she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that."
"I need a new assistant, boss." Tony reminded her, tucking his bottle against in the small gap between Amelia's legs.
"Yes, and I've got four excellent potential candidates."
"Three." Amelia corrected, reading the ginger's mind and shooting her a dismissive look around her father.
"What, you don't wanna help dear old dad?" Tony patted Amelia's legs affectionately.
"Our relationship is tenuous enough right now." Amelia reminded him with a sharp look. "You wanna make it worse?"
"I don't have time to meet new people." Tony complained, giving Amelia a hard poke in the shoulder and holding her off as she tried to swat him with Natasha's leather binder. "I need someone now, I feel like it's her."
Tony eventually snatched the binder from Amelia's hands after she stealthily whacked him round the head, scowling at her as Pepper took it. "If you're so confident, why don't you look her up?" Amelia quipped smugly, crossing her arms over her chest triumphantly.
"How do I spell her name?" Tony asked, swiping his gloved finger across the table to wake up the matrix and typed her surname into a search bar as Amelia spelled it.
"You're gonna google her now?" Pepper raised an eyebrow.
"I thought I was ogling her." Tony replied absent-mindedly, swiping through all the information on her, nodding with each new fact. "Very, very impressive individual, she's fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin." He listed away, "Who speaks Latin?"
"No one speaks Latin, it's a dead language." Pepper told him, watching her father sift through her resume, finding some photos from a modelling shoot and rolling her eyes as he zoomed in on one racy picture, "You can read Latin, or you can write Latin, but you can't speak Latin."
"Did you model in Tokyo?" Tony glanced at Pepper, "Cause she modelled in Tokyo."
"I did a shoot for Ruth at Yale." Amelia said without thinking and both their eyes popped.
Tony shook his head, wiping at his eyes dramatically, "I'm sorry, I think I just flashed back to the governor's mansion."
"It was a fashion shoot and it was all very tasteful." Amelia explained, "Just a lot of different outfits, posing in a field of bluebells and maybe the odd charity calendar."
Tony mimicked a heart attack, eyes popping, again, and Pepper assured him Amelia was joking. "If there was a calendar, we would've heard about it." Pepper added, just to be sure.
Tony funnelled through the rest the internet had to offer, tilting his head at a few more photos until Amelia flicked him. "I need her." he repeated, shooting Amelia another scowl before turning pleading eyes on Pepper. "She's got everything that I need."
A grin broke out across Amelia's sharp features as Happy shrieked from the boxing ring, his head pinned between Natasha's thighs as she flipped him over onto the bottom of the ring, pinning him down as he flailed.
"Oh my god!" Pepper cried, standing up, and Natasha released Happy immediately.
"That's what I'm talking about." Tony congratulated with a clap of his hands, pushing Amelia's legs off him to step over to the ring.
Natasha hopped up easily, adjusting her belt as Happy hauled himself onto his feet, the embarrassment leaking onto his chubby features. "I just slipped." He defended, rubbing the back of his head as Natasha ducked out of the ring.
"You did?" Tony dinged the bell twice. "Looks like a TKO to me."
Natasha tugged up her long black trousers to slide her shoes back on, flicking her long red hair out of her face to look up at Tony. "I just need your impression." She breathed.
"You have a quiet reserve." Tony described, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, "I don't know, you have an old soul."
"She meant your fingerprint, dipshit." Amelia corrected, retrieving the binder from Pepper's seat and passing it to Natasha.
"So, how are we doing?" Pepper smiled, standing beside Amelia with her hands clasped in front of her as Tony pressed his thumb to the ink pad.
"Did you hear that?" Tony asked, jerking his head at Amelia as he pressed his inked thumb to the paperwork. "Did you hear what she called me?"
"I'm sure she's said worse." Pepper replied, never losing her smile.
Tony used the front of his hoodie to wipe the ink from his thumb, tapping the fingerprint with his forefinger and flashing the ginger a smile. "You're the boss."
"Yes." Amelia gave her own tight smile, "She certainly is."
Natasha snapped the binder closed as the two dropped their gazes, trying to look anywhere but Amelia. "Will that be all, Mister Stark?" Natasha asked softly, drawing their attention.
"Yes." Pepper insisted at the same time Tony said no. "That will be all, Miss Rushman, thank you very much."
Amelia shook off the disappointment slowly melting into her, gesturing for Natasha to follow her out, and she led the redhead back through the mansion. "So, you're about to get a bit of a promotion." Amelia chatted, frowning at the word she chose, "Although I doubt I'd call it a promotion."
"As Starks assistant?" Natasha predicted.
Amelia snapped her fingers, "Bingo."
"Then it worked." Romanoff smiled, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, you'll still need to win Pepper over." Amelia warned, "That woman is not to be underestimated."
"I appreciate the advice." They stopped by the front door and Natasha considered a moment before raising questioning green eyes. "I wondered if you'd do me a favour." Amelia crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe, nodding at her to go on. "If I'm going to figure this out I'm gonna need all there is to know about Tony Stark."
"Good old SHIELD didn't tell you all there is?"
"There's only so much you can learn from a file."
"Alright." Amelia agreed, pushing off the doorframe, "I'll tell you everything I know."
"And in return?"
"I knew I liked you." Amelia smiled, "I want you to teach me how to do that." She pointed back down the way they came, towards the gym, and now Natasha shared her smile.
"Deal." The agent nodding, waiting patiently by the door for Amelia to grab some gym clothes, stuffing them in a rucksack and grabbed a water bottle, telling Jarvis she was heading out in case Tony asked.
"Is he always so eccentric?" Natasha queried as Amelia slipped into the passenger seat of her shiny silver car.
"Dad likes to think he plays by a different set of rules to everyone else." Amelia answered, rolling down the window as Natasha pulled onto the highway. "Rules he delights in breaking."
"And what about you?"
Amelia frowned, the warm breeze ruffling her dark hair. "Me?"
"Are you a rule breaker or follower?"
Amelia glanced at Natasha, studying the side of her pointed face as she concentrated on the road. "I thought you wanted to know about Dad?"
"We have time." Natasha smirked, "So?"
Amelia shrugged, the wind trickling through her dancing fingers out the window. "Rules are supposed to be objective, to apply to everyone with no exceptions." Amelia said, thinking through her answer. "In my experience it's always been the opposite."
"One rule for some and another for everybody else?"
"I've broken a lot of rules simply because I'm part of a legacy." Amelia continued, "They open doors for me and slam them shut for everyone else."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"If the rules are so subjective, if they're bent and reshaped for one man but not the next, then why not try my hand at moulding a few?"
"Make the rules work for you."
Amelia chose the third option. "It's much more satisfying to make a system set against you, right from the off, work for you."
Natasha took her eyes off the road for just a moment to glance at Amelia, not that she noticed, she was too distracted by the feel of the wind through her fingers to notice, missing the curiosity in her green eyes.
She spent the rest of the ride to the office talking about the agency and Amelia had a sneaky suspicion she was giving the recruitment speech. Everything she said explained what they did, the kind of operations she went on, the protection they gave the world, and Amelia dreaded how intriguing it all sounded to her, how enticing. Now her future lay open, Amelia had a ton of options open to her. Joining SHIELD might not be so bad, and she'd have the added bonus of pissing her father off more. If he didn't want her involved in the company, he certainly wouldn't want her involved with an agency like SHIELD. Two birds, one stone, as they said.
Natasha handed the binder over to Bambi when they reached the office, the two women trundling to the onsite gym and changing so they could train. Amelia found discussing her father with her fists up helped her focus, helped bring out some of her own frustrations, and Amelia in turn got to know the mysterious redhead a little better. The most surprising thing to Amelia was discovery her favourite movie was Lassie. "It's a sweet movie about everlasting friendship and companionship." Natasha defended as Amelia rubbed her shoulder, rolling her arm around in big arcs to work out the ache from being knocked down so many times.
"It's about a dog." Amelia groaned, sweat dripping from her forehead. An hour they'd been training for. An hour of Natasha beating the crap out of her, and what had she learned?
All those self-defence classes came in handy with creepy stalkers and invasive reporters, but when put up against a walking, talking, weapon, they meant diddly squat.
Romanoff gestured for Amelia to form up, adjusting her stance yet again. "So what's your favourite movie, genius?"
Legally Blonde. Amelia cleared her throat, "The Italian Job."
Amelia lifted aching arms, taped fists positioned protectively in front of her face, her elbows tucked in and spread her feet in imitation of the redheaded agent for the millionth time that afternoon.
"Seriously?" Romanoff raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"It's clever, it's funny and it's a classic." Amelia reasoned as Romanoff demonstrated the move once again. "What's not to love?"
"The cheesy acting." Romanoff replied, blocking Amelia's jab with ease. "The terrible one liners." Romanoff landed a soft blow to Amelia's chest, knocking her back several paces. "The awful ending for another." She dipped low, swiping Amelia's legs out from under her with a quick kick, depositing her on the mat with a pained gasp. "I mean, what idiot decides to drive so recklessly through the mountains?" Natasha crouched down beside her casually.
Amelia groaned again, already beginning to imagine how stiff she would be in the morning, and gave Natasha a flat look. "Oh, and Lassie is such a flawless masterpiece?" Amelia commented sarcastically, trying to catch Romanoff unaware and landing with her face shoved into the rubber mat.
"Now tell me what your real favourite movie is." Romanoff demanded, yanking her arm awkwardly behind her back, her knee pressing her to the ground.
"I just did." Amelia reasoned, struggling, and Romanoff tugged her arm a little harder, a squeal escaping Amelia's lips.
"I don't believe you." Romanoff pressed on her knee, bending her back at the wrong angle and Amelia grit her teeth.
Taking a slow breath, Amelia concentrated on the mat below her, clenching her legs and bringing her free arm in close to her torso to wedge herself again the ground. "That sounds like a you problem." Amelia grunted, using the distraction to suddenly roll herself sideways, yanking her arm free of Romanoff's hold to grab the leg pinning her down.
Amelia followed through with the roll, landing on her back and pulled Romanoff's leg down with her, forcing the redhead to lose her balance and drop down to the mat beside her with a gush of air.
As soon as Amelia had Romanoff on the ground she sprang to her feet, dancing out of reach of Natasha's arcing feet and raising her fists once again, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Not bad." Romanoff complimented, flipping herself up onto her feet, "You distracted your opponent with misinformation long enough to come up with a defence." She brushed her long braid over her shoulder.
"Should I have pressed the advantage?" Amelia queried, frowning lightly.
Romanoff shook her head, "Only if your opponent is less skilled than you are."
"How do you know?"
"You observe." Natasha taught, "That's why the first few minutes of a fight are crucial."
"Right." Amelia nodded, "Like how they throw new politicians into an unwinnable battle to test their mettle."
Natasha nodded slowly, surprised by the accuracy of the analogy. "That doesn't mean your opponent won't surprise you later on."
Amelia dropped her hands, deflating, "So first impressions set the tone but prepare for the unexpected." Amelia surmised just as Natasha's phone began to ring. "Is that what you're saying?"
Natasha nodded, stepping off the mats to take her phone out, answering in Natalie's perky tone. Amelia took the chance to grab a sip from her water bottle, gulping down the cool liquid and wiping some of the sweat from her forehead, dabbing at her neck and ignored the messages on her own phone.
"Looks like you were right." Natasha called as the temptation to look had Amelia reaching for the phone. "I'm getting that promotion after all."
Amelia stepped away from her belongings, giving her an overly apologetic look and Natasha rolled her eyes. "Guess I'll be seeing you in Monaco."
"How'd you know?" the redhead frowned, taking a swig from her bottle.
"Where Dad goes, so does his assistant." Amelia smiled, "Prepare for the worst job in Stark Industries, Natalie."
"You're funny."
The second Natasha stepped back onto the mat Amelia broke into a sprint, tackling her from behind and swinging up, pinning Natasha's head between her thighs and flipping down onto the map with a grunt, using all her strength to pull the agent down with her and once they were both on the floor Amelia rolled off, bouncing onto her feet and punching a fist into the air, triumphant grin lighting her sharp features.
"Hey, maybe they'll play Lassie on the plane over." She joked, offering Natasha a hand and pulling her onto her feet.
They did not play the double agent's favourite movie on the plane over, the text message lit a smile on Amelia's face the next morning, once Natasha arrived in sunny Monaco. As part of her new job, she'd flown out a day early to make sure their accommodation and travel was prepared ready for their arrival.
The bright southern European sunlight hit Amelia as soon as she stepped off the private jet, her white heels clicking across the tarmac, her soft blue sundress swishing, as the three of them slipped into the waiting Rolls Royce to take them directly to the Grand Prix de Historique. Tony donned a grey suit and pattered tie for the event, whilst Pepper looked every inch the boss in a matching navy set, striding into the restaurant like a master in those six inch heels, her ginger hair neatly tied in a ponytail as always.
The sound of cheers echoed from the watching fans, the thunderous noise from the racecars drowning them out as they sped by, and those close by turned to stare as Tony ducked out of the car, sticking the peace sign straight into the air at the fans who waved. "You know, it's Europe, whatever happens in the next twenty minutes just go with it." Tony instructed as they entered the gorgeous Hotel de Paris, Happy following behind with that ridiculous red and gold briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.
Amelia came here a few years ago, just as awestruck by the grand white walls, the arced ceiling and gold overlay, the patterned panel floor polished to a brilliant shine underfoot, the tables draped with pristine white tablecloths and decorated with an array of colourful flowers, at least three sets of cutlery glinting in the sunlight streaming from the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the racetrack.
"Go with it?" Pepper repeated sceptically, the cogs in her mind already whirring as they stepped through the glass doors into the packed restaurant, dozens of guests as rich as them milling about the marble bar ordering all sorts of fancy cocktails. "Go with what?"
Natasha stepped in front of them, curved frame fitted into a tight peach pink dress, slim gold belt wrapped at her waist and her dark red locks bouncing in immaculate curls. "Mister Stark." She greeted with a welcoming smile and Pepper slowly turned to give Tony an exasperated look.
"Natalie." Amelia replied, feigning surprise and slapped a big smile on her face.
"How was your flight?"
"It was excellent." Tony answered, blatantly ignoring Pepper's look as he grabbed two drinks from a tray, handing one to Pepper, "Boy, it's nice to see you."
"Isn't it?" Amelia giggled, enjoying Pepper's surprise a little too much.
"We have one photographer from the ACM, if you don't mind." Natasha took Tony's drink whilst Amelia swooped in to grab Pepper's, taking a whiff of the floral gin it contained as the man waiting lifted a blocky camera.
Amelia took a cheeky sip of the cocktail, choosing to keep it for herself after the flavour tingled on her tongue, keeping well away from the camera's lens as the two posed awkwardly in the doorway.
"When did this happen?" Pepper demanded through her smile as the camera flashed away.
"What? You made me do it."
"I made you do what?"
"You quit." Tony accused, pointing them to the camera and Amelia took another sip to stop from laughing at how plastic their smiles were.
"You are so predictable." Pepper sighed as the camera dropped and the man nodded his thanks, dipping away into the crowd.
Natasha gestured for them to follow. "That's the amazing thing." Tony finally took off his sunglasses, falling into step beside the agent.
Pepper and Amelia followed behind as Tony and Romanoff spoke. "Did you know?" Pepper snatched her drink back from Amelia despite her pout and took a long sip.
"You're gonna need another drink if you're asking me that." Amelia commented and Pepper nudged her playfully.
"You shouldn't be encouraging him, this won't end well."
"Nothing ends well with Tony Stark, I thought you'd learned that by now?"
"Is this us?" Tony asked interestedly as they approached a corner table drenched in warm sunlight beside two open doorways, translucent white curtains fluttering in the summer breeze.
"It can be." Natasha replied, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Great." Tony replied, "Make it us."
Pepper and Tony continued down the restaurant as Natasha turned on her heel to catch the host and Amelia paused to listen as the two furiously went back and forth in quick French, negotiating for the table until Natasha came out on top. "See what I mean by rules?" Amelia whispered, leaning in close, "Subjective to the last."
Amelia slipped away into the mingling guests after that, smiling at a few familiar faces, sharing a few small conversations just to be polite, until she spotted an opening at the bar and slid up against it to order. She took her drink out onto the balcony, leaning against the stone balustrade as the breeze wafted her black waves and nipped at the skirts of her dress, the sound of the cars drowning out as she stared into the clear colour of her drink.
"Bored of the party already?"
The familiar voice drew her brown eyes up and a smile spread across her lips. "Harry?" Amelia exclaimed, "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the view." Her best friend gave her a look up and down, "Give us a twirl?"
Amelia obliged with a weary laugh, balancing her drink on the wall and her skirts flared as she twisted, letting Harry catch her in a bug hug.
"Dad's working on Mister Starks car today, thought he'd drag me away from Wall Street for the fun of it." he explained as he released her, leaning against the wall beside her.
"Well ain't that a welcome change?" Amelia took a sip of her drink.
"Starting early?" Harry smirked, nodding at the cocktail.
"As if you haven't already had one."
He turned so his back leaned on the railing, creasing the jacket of his white suit, "I may have dabbled."
"Is that what the kids are calling it?"
"And you?" Harry quirked an eyebrow, "Accompanying your dad for the day?"
"Unfortunately."
"I thought you and him were on better terms nowadays?"
"Haven't you heard?" Amelia quipped with a bitter smile, taking another long sip, "There's a new CEO of Stark Industries."
Harry let out an apologetic breath, perky smile faltering as they both glanced back to see Pepper perched at the corner table with the menu in hand. "You'll get there." He bumped her shoulder comfortingly,
"When?" Amelia blurted curtly and Harry's comforting expression faltered.
She shook her lightly, plastering on a smile as she took a sip of her drink. "Anyway, how's the new job, I'll bet Wall Street is a barrel of laughs."
Harry gave her a hard look before following along with her change of subject, leaning back against the balustrade with an easy stance. "Oh, yeah." He nodded enthusiastically, "Grabbing coffee for some of the best financiers in the country has me in stitches." Harry rubbed at his eyes, chuckling half-heartedly. "I have a degree from Columbia and this is what I get?"
Amelia bumped his shoulder in return, "You'll get there."
She couldn't help but chuckle when he dropped his hand to reveal a flat look. "Very funny, Iron Daughter."
Amelia groaned at the awful nickname, opening her mouth to come back with some pithy retort when a commotion from inside distracted her. "The hell? " She murmured, light frown creasing her brow as she left her drink on the wall and ventured inside.
Pepper had disappeared from the table, and Agent Romanoff's bright red hair was nowhere to be seen, just the growing crowd in front of one of the televisions playing footage from the race. "Is that?" Amelia peered closer to the television, joining the crowd, pushing her way to the front.
The camera zoomed in on the engineers bay, the Stark sponsored race car being prepped for the race, when a familiar figure vaulted over the railings and onto the track, those ridiculous brown tinted glasses perched on his nose. "Well, what's the use of having and owning a race car if you don't drive it?" Tony asked, having swapped the grey suit for blue and black overalls bearing the Stark logo across the chest.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Amelia blurted as Harry joined her side.
"Is he?" Harry pointed to the television, the question voicing itself.
"What is he doing?" Amelia hissed as the actual driver threw his helmet across the track in a burst of rage.
Fear spliced her heart as she watched her father climb into the cockpit, trading his sunglasses for a helmet of his own and the scoreboard switched out the previous drivers name for her father's. Surely he knew how dangerous these races were, people had died because of them, and when was the last time he'd driven a Formula One car?
"Your father certainly has a flare for the dramatic."
Amelia turned her head at the voice, finding Justin Hammer himself standing beside her in a tanned suit, box framed glasses pushed right up his nose to watch the footage. "Justin Hammer, CEO of Hammer Industries." He held a hand for Harry to shake, pulling back after a moment when it was obvious Harry would do no such thing, brushing it down the outside of his suit.
Amelia let a twinkle into her brown eyes at the slight, the two of them standing rigidly beside Hammer, watching him carefully. "Did you know at all?" Hammer pointed to the screen, smiling "He took me by surprise, that's for sure."
Amelia's eyes flickered to the screen, her momentary twinkle waning as the black and white checkered flag waved side to side, signaling the start of the race. "My father does as he pleases." Amelia muttered, the revving of the monstrous engines reflecting the fear sparking in her chest.
"Of course, of course." Hammer nodded, sticking his hands into the pockets of his pants as he raised his eyes to the screen. "Anthony is a force of nature, for sure."
Harry touched Amelia's arm, drawing her attention back to the footage and she took an unconscious step forward, lips parted. A man pushed through one of the chain links gates separating the racetrack from the pavilions, three cars whizzing by as the commentators lost their minds. The shirt of his orange overalls burned away, the bright glowing light of an energy core searing through the material to reveal a complex design underneath, two long, thick wires extending from his shredded sleeves like coiling snakes, fizzing with wild electricity.
A red car raced around the corner, wheels kicking up smoke as it left black skid marks behind it and the man thrust out a hand, bringing the coil down in a wide arc that struck the front of the car just as it passed, cutting away the front wing and sections of the suspension and Amelia's hand shot to her mouth in a gasp. Sparks exploded from the ruined car as it flipped on its head, bouncing off the track before crashing to a stop against the barriers.
The man moved closer to one of the camera sets, the lens focusing directly on him and Amelia's brown eyes widened a fraction. "Is that?" Harry whispered and Amelia grabbed his arm to stop him from saying any more.
"It can't be." Amelia shook her head, "It's not possible."
Though the proof lay right before her eyes. The pixels blurred the image on the screen slightly but there was no mistaking the bright circular orb at the centre of the machine, white light glowing just as energetically as the reactor that kept her father alive.
"Dad." Amelia's voice shook as the exclamation slipped out, fingers clenching on Harry's arm as Tony's car came hurtling around the corner.
Harry wrapped a hand around hers as the coils lashed around the vehicle, the volatile whip slicing the car in two, sparks showering out from the crippled vehicle as it spun across the track, her breath catching. Whispers sparked amongst the watching crowd, a few pitying looks shot at Amelia, but she barely noticed, she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. Amelia could barely blink, the fear gripped her so tightly, and tears began to slowly fill her sight.
The wreck of Tony's car skidded to a halt not far from the first, smoke distorting the shaky footage. "Get up." She found herself whispering, squeezing Harry's hand harder as the intruder casually advanced on the overturned race car.
Two cars collided trying to brake behind him, the static electricity fizzing from the whips now only a shadow compared to the violent explosion that ripped through the metal, one of the drivers tumbling to a stop a long distance from his cockpit. "No." Amelia shook her head as the footage went blank, white fizzing static filling the screen, and the controller switched to another channelling, a wider shot that showed nothing but a coiling plume of grey smoke trailing from the crash site.
"How could he possibly have Stark tech?" Harry whispered as the crowd turned away to start muttering amongst themselves.
"No one has even come close yet." Amelia insisted anxiously, grateful for the distraction.
Ideas, theories, buzzed through Amelia's mind quicker than the cars speeding around that track, each one increasingly unlikely and each one sending a fresh buzz of panic through her veins.
"It's impressive, really." Hammer blurted and Harry glared at him so Amelia didn't have to.
She let her brows furrow in a curious frown, "What is?"
"How wrong you were." Hammer smirked smugly, hands tucked casually in the pockets of his pants. "We're not twenty years away from producing your tech, it's here, right now." He pointed to the blank screen, "In ultra HD."
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Amelia quipped childishly, "I couldn't hear you over the sound of a man's spine snapping during your little test flight."
"That man survived." Hammer defended, his smug look vanishing.
"Tell that to the wheelchair he's gonna need for the rest of his life."
The image returned to the screen just as Hammer opened his slimy mouth to snap back a retort, the image showing Tony wrapped in the full suit, his Rolls Royce shredded beside him, as he stood against the scruffy attacker. He wrapped the crackling whips around his body, yanking him closer with each wide step and struck twice when he grew close enough, hauling the man over his shoulder and tore the reactor from the chest piece in one swift move.
The electric powering the coils died quickly, a few bolts lashing out, but the man stayed down as police bearing protective gear came to grab him, dragging him away from Tony as sirens echoed in the distance.
Amelia breathed out, the fear in her leaping heart easing, and caught the beady look in Hammer's eyes as police dragged the attacker from the racecourse, turning and pushing through the crowded restaurant. "I don't trust him." Amelia murmured worriedly, releasing Harry's hand, "He's got something in mind."
"That makes two of us." Natasha slipped in beside Amelia, nodding at Harry, before fixing her green eyes on her. "Are you okay?"
Amelia looked up at the screen, still showing the burning race cars, the scrambling crowds, as ambulances filled the track. She spotted Tony getting into one of them, shedding the suit, dragging his feet as Pepper screamed at him to get inside. "We have bigger things to worry about." She answered, swallowing.
Something was seriously up here. First, Tony's literal death wish, and now this attack. He's gone a bit off the rails since developing the suit. Her father had done some dumb things in his life, Amelia didn't have enough hands to count them on, but this immediately shot to the top of the list. Even if he hadn't been attacked, what he did today had been dangerous enough, and Tony took his promise to Amelia too seriously to risk breaking it. If he didn't want to hurt her, why do this? Why put himself in harm's way?
No, they were past lying to each other, they were past that point in their lives, and Amelia wanted some answers. Natasha took her to the hospital, finding Pepper milling about in the waiting room with Happy, and she took Tony's change of clothes into her father.
"Hey, Sparkplug." He greeted casually, as if he wasn't currently being stitched up by a doctor.
Amelia dumped the bag on the side and crossed her arms, casting him a blank look that said everything. In any normal household, it would be the father scolding the daughter for doing something reckless, for staying out past curfew, for not doing her homework or pissing off the neighbours. Instead, Amelia had to deal with a father who apparently had a death wish.
"You're going to give me an explanation." She stated, "Right now." Tony's eyes flickered to the doctor, waving him off so they could speak privately. "Formula one is dangerous enough without you getting attacked by a crazy guy holding Stark tech."
Tony's weathered features darkened as he slipped off the boots of his racing gear. "It was sketchy." He told her, groaning as he rolled his shoulder, "Backstreet garbage dump materials."
"But it worked." Amelia reminded him, taking out the fresh shirt from the duffel bag, holding it out for him. "It worked way too well for someone who isn't even supposed to have access to this tech."
"I know." Tony agreed darkly, letting Amelia do up his buttons. "And I intend to find out how he got it."
"Not without me."
Amelia turned as Tony swapped the overalls for a pair of jeans, hearing the clink of the belt as he buckled it on. "You are going home." He told her sincerely, "I won't have you involved with this, it's my problem."
"Like hell." Amelia snapped, turning, finding him bending over to do up his laces. "You might be able to keep the company from me but I'll be damned if you keep me from this."
"Amelia." He breathed exasperatedly, straightening, grabbing the leather jacket.
"No." She cried determinedly, "He tried to kill you, I wanna know why."
She turned on her heel before he could say another word, stopping only to turn back when she realized he wasn't following. "Coming?" she called, crossing her arms over her chest impatiently.
They waited only for the doctors to fill out the release papers, time enough for Happy to discover where the attacker was being held, and Amelia jumped into the spare silver car they used now the Royce lay in tatters. "And don't think you're off the hook, either." Amelia added as Tony slipped in beside her, "You're hiding something from me, I know it."
Tony remained silent, all but confirming her suspicions, and threw his leather jacket at her as Happy drove away from the hospital, towards the facility they took the attacker for processing.
Amelia shoved her arms into the jacket, covering her sundress, and she watched Tony's expression turn darker as the stone buildings of Monaco passed by. He propped his arm on the door, leaning his head on his hand as he stared down Amelia. "I don't like this." He admitted.
"You don't have to like it." Amelia replied, just as stubbornly.
"We don't know who this man is, what he wants."
"That's what we're going to find out."
"Me." Tony tapped his chest, "That's what I'm going to find out, not you."
Amelia fixed him with a tired look, "You can't protect me from the world forever, Dad."
"But I can damn well try." He snapped, slapping his hand down on the door, and a tense silence filled the car.
Even Happy shuffled in his seat behind the wheel, glancing at them in the mirror as Amelia recoiled and Tony breathed out a long sigh, rubbing at his eyes. "I shouldn't have yelled, that's not cool." He apologized, dropping his hand to offer Amelia a softer look. "But you're my daughter, it's my job."
As touching as the sentiment was, they both sensed the hypocrisy in it. "And were you thinking of your daughter when you jumped in that car today?" Amelia stabbed, locking his defensive gaze in her accusatory one, refusing to allow the guilt swarming the brown to taint her anger. "Was that protecting me or was that you being reckless?"
"Oh, come on." He pleaded frustratedly, "How was I supposed to know I'd be attacked?"
"Even if you hadn't been, it was still stupid, even for you."
"What is this really about?" Tony demanded, "It's the company, isn't it?"
Amelia's eyes snapped wider, "Is that really what you think of me?"
"Then what's the big deal, I do foolish things all the time."
"Me, I'm the big deal." Amelia fumed, something stabbing at her heart, "Everything you do, everything you've ever done, has been for selfish reasons, so why should I believe now is any different?" Hurt trickled into her brown eyes. "You keep telling me you're trying to protect me but I'm beginning to think all you've ever done is protect yourself."
Happy pulled up alongside a small rundown building that served as the districts police station and Amelia threw open the door, slamming it shut behind her, earning a few looks from those milling about outside, and stormed through the double doors without waiting for her father. A dark frown creased Tony's forehead as he followed after, joining her at the front desk where a small podgy man in a faded suit waited for them. He gestured them through the lobby, the guard using a key to unlock the iron gates, leading them through the stark stone corridor, artificial light illuminating their way as shouts echoed from fellow convicts.
"We ran his prints, we got nothing back." The detective told them in French, "Not even a name."
"Where are we going?" Tony replied in French.
"Over there." The detective pointed them to a steel door, barred and locked. "We're not sure he even speaks English, he hasn't said a word since he got here."
"Five minutes." Tony requested as they stopped before the door and the detective agreed, switching to English as he turned to Amelia. "This is as far as you go."
Amelia opened her mouth to argue, her earlier anger still bubbling, waiting to overcook, but Tony gave her a warning look, grabbing her arm tightly and hauling her into the security office. "I'm serious, god dammit, you wait here." he ordered darkly as the detective used a key card to unlock the door, allowing Tony entrance.
The cameras caught Amelia's attention as she idly rubbed her arm, leaning over the guards shoulder to scan them all, picking out the right one at last. Tony's attacker looked even worse up close, tattoos covering his olive skin from head to foot, shoulder length black hair knotted and shot with grey. He sat on a bench facing the far wall, putting as much distance between him and the door. Tony stepped over slowly, hands in his pockets, mouth moving but no sound came out. "May I?" Amelia pointed to the headset lying on the desk, speaking in French.
The guard nodded and Amelia set it over her black waves, adjusting the sound until it fixed to the right cell. "You could have doubled up your rotations." Tony advised, now standing before the man with a careful look on his grainy features. "You focused the repulsor energy through ionized plasma channels." Why was he giving this man tips? "It's effective, not very efficient, but it's a passable knock-off." Tony took his hands out his pockets to sit along the other end of the bench. "I don't get it, a little fine tuning, you could have made a solid pay check." Tony stared at his hands as he fiddled with his fingers. "You could have sold it to North Korea, China, Iran, or gone right to the black market, you look like you got friends in low places."
The man slowly glanced up from the floor to face Tony, a long burning anger tempered in his eyes. "You come from a family of thieves and butchers." His accent came from eastern Europe, a low and scratchy sound as he spoke. "And now, like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history and you forget all the lives the Stark family has destroyed."
"Speaking of thieves, where did you get this design?"
"My father, Anton Vanko."
"I never heard of him." Tony admitted with a shake of his head.
"My father is the reason you're alive." Vanko explained with an edge of irritation and Amelia's frown deepened.
"The reason I'm alive is cause you had a shot, you took it, you missed."
"Did I?"
Amelia's features smoothed over, gaze drifting from the monitor as the question rippled through her thoughts, drawing her back to the racetrack, back to the fight. "If you can make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him." Vanko explained, "And there will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come. The truth, all I have to do is sit here and watch as the world will consume you."
The comment rattled Tony too, she could see it in his weathered features, in the pause before he made his snarky remark. "Where will you be watching the world consume me from?" Tony frowned, "That's right, a prison cell." He stood, "I'll send you a bar of soap."
"Hey, Tony, before you go." The man called as Tony made for the door. "Palladium in the chest, painful way to die."
Amelia tore off the headphones, taking a shaky step back from the monitor as fear spliced through her heart like a bullet. The steel door clanged heavily as it opened but it took Amelia a moment of silence before she turned, her sharp features paler than a blank sheet of paper, her brown eyes startled as Tony caught them, stopping dead as she emerged from the security office.
Tony knew the question on her lips before she even asked it. "What does he mean?" Amelia asked it anyway, "Painful way to go?" She stepped closer, aware of the prying eyes.
Tony kept a steady hold of her eyes and it was all the answer she needed. She recoiled violently, her stomach lurching, threatening to empty itself right there at the despairing look in his eye. "No, he's lying." Amelia shook her head over and over again, "He has to be."
Tony let a reassuring mask slip into place for the benefit of those around them, and held out an arm, ushering her closer, hugging her shoulders to his chest. "Come on." He urged warmly, leading them free of the dingy cell block, "Let's go somewhere quiet, grab a drink."
A strange silence fell as they left the station, piling back into the car and Happy drove the to a spot along the coast, right before the bay, at a small brasserie overlooking the glimmering water. Even as the waitress came by to take their order, Amelia barely uttered two words, whilst Tony charmed her into a speedy order, acting like the world hadn't thrown Amelia a curveball the size of the sun. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Amelia finally asked, working moisture into her mouth, "The truth, this time?"
Tony sighed once the waitress sped off to complete Mister Stark's order, glancing out over the afternoon sunlight as it cast rippling rays over the crystal waves. "Palladium in the chest." Tony tapped the reactor through his shirt, the tiniest glow bleeding through the fabric. "The core is slowly, but surely, poisoning my bloodstream."
"So find a replacement." Amelia breathed.
"I've tried every combination I can think of." Tony shook his head, "No dice."
"Then I'll find a replacement."
A rueful smile passed across his bearded lips as he glanced back at her and Amelia's expression flattened. "No." Amelia twisted the ceramic pot of sugar cubes between her fingers as she shook her head, swallowing the lump forming in her throat, "You don't get to do the whole proud father act because you're not dying."
"Amelia…" he leaned forward with a newfound softness to his voice.
"No." She shook her head again, firmer, more desperate, and this time she couldn't keep the shake out. "I'm not losing you, I'm not losing my father."
Amelia shifted her eyes as the waitress dumped a silver tray on the table, oblivious to the shine in Amelia's brown eyes, the regret in Tony's and the layers of tension she waded through as she placed the mugs in front of them.
"Don't say it." Amelia muttered once the waitress left, her hand shooting to her eyes.
"Starks don't cry." Tony quipped despite her, taking her hand across the table.
He squeezed it once, comfortingly, drawing her gaze back to him and he let a little truth bleed into his brown eyes despite the very public setting. "This isn't something you can fix, Sparkplug."
"There has to be a way." Amelia snatched her hand back, curling it around the mug and took a long sip and her nose crinkled at the bitter liquid.
"Bit strong?" Tony teased with a little smile, holding out the pot of sugar Amelia had been playing with.
"Shut up." Amelia hissed, taking two cubes and stirring them in with a sprinkle of cream. "Is this why you handed over the company, sold your collections?" she accused, "Because you're just giving up?" Amelia leaned forward, "You made me a promise, you said you'd always be there to protect me."
"You said it yourself." Tony countered, "I can't protect you forever."
The silver spoon clinked angrily against the ceramic saucer as Amelia set it down, the joke falling flatter than sheet of paper in the rain and they both knew it. "I should've told you sooner." Tony admitted, his own spoon ploughing through the pattern made by the barista as he idly stirred in some sugar.
"You're damn right." Amelia mumbled, staring into her mug.
Tony had the sense to keep his mouth shut as Amelia tried to process the news. But how do you accept that kind of news? Amelia wasn't processing it, she was just watching it spin round like the foam in her mug, stirring it round and round but it never mixed. Amelia woke up that morning expecting an average day, or average for someone like her, in the sunny Monaco streets trying to keep the roaring sound of the race cars from giving her a headache. Suddenly she was watching her father jump into one of those cars and almost killed getting attacked by a supposed family friend with stolen technology. Only to have that same asshole drop a truth bomb the size of Texas a couple hours later, how do you get past that?
Amelia ignored the burning hot coffee as she took another sip, her brown eyes flickering to her father, studying the look in the matching brown. Regret stood out like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm, a mix of hollow acceptance and guilt carried in the thunderous raindrops lashing the rocks. It should've been him, he got that right, and it burned at Amelia that she found out this way but the truth was it hardly mattered. If left to his own devices, Amelia would never have known until she was identifying the body.
Another long sip, another shake of her head to banish the awful image, and Amelia set down the cup. At least she knew now, at least she had time. Tony might have accepted the end already but Amelia couldn't, she didn't want to, not when she was just starting to know what having a real father looked like.