Chapter Eight
In the many months that Aubrey had been captive, her driving skills had declined rapidly. Or maybe it was just the mix of dehydration, starvation, and extreme trauma that made her reckless on the road. Obadiah had been nice enough to leave Raza's Humvee's intact, and Aubrey found the keys safely secured on Raza's bloodied body. Not that it mattered too much since she was still stuck in fucking Afghanistan. God, why couldn't Obadiah fly her to somewhere with a little less terrorism?
Raza didn't have an exact map of the location of his camp, but Aubrey guessed she was somewhere west of Kabul. Considering she had Iran on one side and Pakistan on the other, her best shot of getting out of Afghanistan was through the U.S Embassy in Kabul. So, she filled the back of the Humvee with as much gasoline and water as it would fit and took off east.
All Aubrey could really do was hope for the best and drive - badly - across the desert. She had driven for ten hours before she was forced to stop and rest. Then, after only three hours of sleep, she continued. The more she travelled, the more unsure she became; was she heading in the right direction? Had she misjudged where the camp was located and was driving somewhere through Pakistan now? She couldn't be sure, all she could do was keep going.
The silence should have given her time to think over what had just happened - Raza's murder, her escape, the realization that Tony was alive. Instead, her mind was blank. Some part of her must have known that the pain of it all would be too much for her to bear, and simply blocked it all out. Survival was her only priority.
After more hours had passed and the anxiety of getting lost in the Afghan desert had started to creep into her bones, Aubrey finally spotted it. In the distance she could make out the skyline of a city. Whether it was Kabul, she couldn't tell. But, she could hope.
As she entered the city, she realized it was far too small and run down to be the capital city of Afghanistan. When Yinsen spoke of Kabul, he described the modern architechture and busy roads. Instead, this city had small dusty streets and buildings that seemed to be crumbling as she drove through. She didn't miss the men with guns standing at most corners. She had to remind herself that not every man with a gun was part of the Ten Rings.
Aubrey didn't make it far into the city when action seemed to explode around her. A Humvee rushed in front of her, screeching to a halt and forcing her to slam on her own breaks. Behind her, another blocked her in. She realized at once that they were American, as they rushed towards her with their guns pointed.
Aubrey let out a laugh; it probably wasn't a good look driving into the city in a known terrorist organizaton's vehicle. She opened the door, attempting to step out with her hands raised, but she simply fell forward and landed roughly on the ground. She let out another giggle when her face hit the dirt and people rushed towards her. Because how absolutely hilarious would it be to be killed by American soldiers after finally escaping a terrorist hostage situation?
"What're you doing here!" Someone screamed, digging a gun into her back. Aubrey twisted her head, but her knotted red hair covered her face. She couldn't find the words to tell them. She felt the fear strike through her body, erasing any humour she had once felt. Was there no one she could trust in this world?
"Cool it, Miller," another man hissed, "Look at her, will ya?"
She felt gentle hands on her back, flipping her over so they could look at her face. They still had their guns pointed at her, but they also looked concerned... and confused.
"She don't look like a local," the first man, Miller, muttered.
"Miss, what's your name?" Someone else asked. Aubrey couldn't answer, even if she wanted to. The hunger and exhuastion and adrenaline had finally start to hit her and everything spun. The men's faces blurred and her answer came out as nothing more than a weak groan.
And then, she simply passed out.
The following moments occured in flashes as Aubrey ebbed in and out of consciousness. She felt the hot sun beating down on her as she was scooped into strong arms, and then darkness as someone placed her in the backseat of a Humvee. Conversations around her were choppy, but she could make out the words, "medical attention," and "torture." Then, she felt the bumps and vibrations as she was driven away from the scene.
The next time she woke, she was in a tent, lying on a cot. At once, Aubrey's heart rate skyrocketed and sweat formed on her palms. She had escaped. How could she be back in the Ten Rings camp? She wasn't able to talk herself out of her panic. She couldn't connect the idea that the military had brought her to their base, rather than back to Raza's tent. The clean tent morphed into Raza's torn one in front of her eyes.
"No, no, no," Aubrey sobbed, thrashing in the cot. She tore at the IV's sticking out of her body and tumbled to the ground, clawing to get away. With the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she wasn't able to rationalize that Raza was dead and couldn't hurt her anymore. Her only thought was on survival.
"Hey, hey, calm down, girl," someone yelled, rushing over to her. She felt strong hands grab her shoulders, which only made her thrash harder.
"I killed you!" Aubrey screeched. Her skin burned where they touched her. "Let me go, let me go! I killed you!"
"We need a sedative," someone called calmly. Aubrey pulled against his grip, but she felt a needle puncture her skin seconds later. Just before the sedative took effect, she heard the voice again, but quieter this time. "Who the hell is this girl?"
Aubrey wasn't sure anymore.
When Tony saw Obadiah freeze up in his Iron Monger suit and fall hundreds of feet to the ground, he really did think that was it.
It wasn't until Tony was standing on the roof of Stark Industries, and heard the powerful thump of the Iron Monger landing behind him, did he realize that Obadiah wasn't going down that easily. He had underestimated the power of Obie's new suit; a mistake he wouldn't make twice.
Tony had recognized the suit easily; it was Mark I... or at least built to look like it. The first suit that saved his life, and the same one he left behind in Afghanistan. Obadiah had made some improvements that Tony was having a hell of a time trying to combat. Of course, Obadiah also took some creative liberties with the design - the helmet was nothing like the original. But then again, Mark I was built simply to help Tony escape the Ten Rings... it was never made to be a weapon of war.
Tony ducked as Obadiah swung out at him. His own suit was falling apart after Obadiah's many attacks, and for the first time since escaping the Ten Rings, Tony believed this may be his end. There was no way that Obadiah and Tony were both walking out of this battle alive, and while he didn't want to admit it, Obadiah's suit was stronger than his own.
He jumped at Obadiah, swinging with power and causing sparks to explode as metal clashed against metal. Before he could go for a second hit, Obadiah's arms tightened around Tony. He winced as he heard his suit whine under the pressure. Being crushed to death seemed like one of the least fun ways to go. In a panic, Tony yelled out, "Flares!"
Sparks lit up between the two, temporarily blinding Obadiah. Tony felt the pressure loosen just enough to break free of Obadiah's deadly grip. Once he was released, and his panic hadd a chance to subside, it was replaced by rage. Obadiah, the man who was basically family to Tony, was willing to crush him to death. And then, as Tony jumped on Obadiah's back and ripped at his suit, he was reminded of everything that Obadiah had done.
"This looks important!" Tony yelled, ripping wires from Obadiah's suit. He may not have been able to destroy the suit entirely, but he sure as hell could make it harder to aim.
Obadiah threw him forward, causing Tony to slide across the glass roof. He looked down to see the arc reactor below him. A plan - one that didn't seem to end well for Tony - started to form in his mind.
"I never had a taste for this sort of thing," Obadiah said, looking to Tony's mask as he crushed it. He tossed it, just as easily as he had done to Tony. "But I must admit... I'm deeply enjoying the food."
Tony didn't say anything, all he could do was watch as Obadiah stepped forward. He had the same look on his face as he did when he realized he was about to close a deal... the look of a man who knows he already won. At once, Tony was hit with how power hungry Obadiah was... and always had been. Had Tony been too wrapped up in his own thirst for money and power that he had failed to see Obadia's massive red flags?
Obadiah went on. "You finally outdid yourself, Tony. You made your father proud."
Tony felt the sting of the words. Obadiah may have had the stronger weapon, but he couldn't just let the attacks be physical. Tony pulled himself to his feet, standing tall in front of his former friend. "And what about you, Obie? You think you can get rid of me and everything will go back to the way things were?"
Obadiah laughed, looking down at his own suit. "I don't need things to go back to the way things were. With this weapon, I can have everything I've ever wanted."
"This has all just been the means to and end for you then," Tony called back. "Trying to have me killed, to have Aubrey killed, just for more power."
Obadiah blinked, surprised when he heard Aubrey's name. And then, he broke into laughter. "Raza couldn't do a damn thing right, could he? How hard is it to kill off a little thing like that girl? Greed gets to everyone Tony, remember that."
Tony felt anger flare up in his chest. After the hell that girl went through, to have her death reduced to a lesson about greed was insulting. Now, Tony felt the fire blazing in his chest; if not to protect Pepper from harm, but to avenge Aubrey for all the pain he'd caused her. Tony had promised he'd go back to save her and he couldn't do that... this would have to be enough.
Obadiah shot at Tony, sending him falling towards the arc reactor below him. He caught himself just in time on the thick metal bars of the glass roof.
"How ironic, Tony. Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever," Obadiah called out. His voice had an air of finality. "And now, I'm going to kill you with it."
As Tony screamed at Pepper to blow the reactor, he knew that it meant his likely death. It wasn't that Tony didn't care or that he was scared of dying, but that he understood the consequences of his own actions. Tony had been the one to bring the suit into the world, and it was his job to destroy it now that it had fallen into the wrong hands - even at the cost of his own life.
Pepper argued with him (of course) about whether to push the button, but in the end, she came through for him. She always did.
A wave of energy blasted up from the reactor, sending Tony flying forward. He didn't see Obadiah get hit by the energy, but he saw flashing lights and sparks. He heard the scream. And then, he heard as Obadiah fell, crashing through the metal frame and into the reactor below. Tony was able to move out of the way just as the reactor exploded, sending a massive burst of flame upwards.
By some miracle, Tony had survived, and Obadiah had finally lost. As Tony lay there, energy still vibrating through his bones, he was hit with a wave of grief. At first, he thought it was for his old mentor... a man he had once called a friend. But then, as wide eyes and matted red hair flashed through his mind, Tony realized that he had finally repaid his debt.
At long last, he could let Aubrey rest.
Aubrey had one more meltdown before it finally registered that the tent she was in was a military medical bay and the men there were not members of the Ten Rings. Even then, she flinched whenever someone touched her and could barely tolerate laying in the cot all day. Some times, she would be so lost in her own daydream that the medic would have to repeat himself three or four times before she finally heard.
To say she was traumatized was an understatement. Everyone in that camp knew - despite still not knowing her name or where she came from - that they needed to get her back to America as soon as possible. Her condition may have been stable, but her mind was deteriorating rapidly.
"Where's Tony Stark?" Aubrey whispered out, to no one in particular. In her daze of pain and sedation, she didn't realize how bizarre the question was.
Miller, one of the men who had found her, let out a short bark of laughter. He'd visited her a handful of times since rescuing her, and Aubrey couldn't figure out whether it was because he'd taken a liking to her or if the military wanted to keep a closer eye on her. "Stark? How the hell would I know? Probably flying on his private jet somewhere. Why'd you ask?"
"He cut off my leg," Aubrey muttered, clenching her jaw. Miller didn't reply; he excused half the things she said as delirium. Just another reason to get her home fast.
"Plane's here." Aubrey flinched at the entrance of a new voice. Knox; a sniper who'd spent the past week in the med tent due to getting battered with shrapnel after a rogue grenade went off. He was nice; he'd often tell Aubrey stories from his childhood, though he was never fully sure if she was listening. "And guess who came with it?"
Miller cursed under his breath. "You're kidding me. The mad scientist?" Knox nodded once. Miller turned back to Aubrey, looking more serious. "Listen kid, every few months, this freak shows up at the base, does his rounds, talks to some of our people, and the next day, they're gone and never heard from again. We don't knew where they go or what he's doing to them, but you gotta listen to me: whatever he offers you, don't listen to him."
Aubrey blinked, staring at the man. He looked as if he was actually concerned about her. That couldn't be right; too many people - men - had proved to Aubrey that they couldn't be trusted.
Miller could tell Aubrey wasn't fully listening to what he said - or if she was, she didn't seem to care. "He takes a liking to injured people like you. Not just someone with a bullet hole in 'em, people with life altering wounds. The first few times, we just figured we'd lost touch after they got sent home... But when someone goes with him, we don't see them again. Some say he does... experiments on them."
Aubrey didn't believe a word Miller said. But then again, Miller didn't believe that Tony Stark cut off her leg, so maybe they both needed to start trusting each other.
"You understanding what I'm saying, girl?"
Aubrey bristled. It wasn't quite Raza's name for her, but she didn't like the way 'girl' diminished her into something less than she was. "Don't call me that," she whispered.
Miller was unfazed. "Then what should I call you?"
Aubrey opened her mouth to answer. She wanted to tell him who she was, but a part of her wouldn't allow it. Maybe because she knew that if she told him that she was Aubrey Howell, the Stark Industries intern who had gone missing months ago, it would make it all the more real. This bubble of anonymity was comfortable for the moment. Nobody asked her anything too personal, no one knew what had happened to her.
Maybe she could just become a new person all together. Maybe Miller and Knox would just give her a name and she could pretend she was always that person... and Aubrey could just die in that camp with Raza.
"Hey," Knox said gently. He held his hand above Aubrey's shoulder; he learned days ago that it was a bad idea to touch her when she zoned out like this. Aubrey blinked, returning her attention back to the conversation. "Listen, kid, you need to give us something. We need to find a way to get you back home."
Aubrey looked away, her gaze hardening. "I have no home anymore."
"A name," Knox pushed. "Even a name would help us."
Aubrey met his eyes once more, and he flinched back at the coldness in them. She stared at him for a long time - too long - as if she was staring right through him. As if she could look into his eyes and see exactly who he was at his very core. And finally, after too long, she said, "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm a ghost."
Escaping Raza, stopping Obadiah, it all seemed like a cake walk compared to this.
Walking up to the Howell family house, with Happy by his side, suddenly felt like one of the hardest thing's Tony's ever had to do. Rhodey had told him that they were going to tell Aubrey's family of her death, finally, now that Obadiah had been stopped. But when Tony remembered the desparate family looking for answers so many months ago, he realized how callous he had been. Ending the war in Gulmira had been Tony's way of repaying Yinsen. He had to do this for Aubrey.
When Aubrey's mother opened the door, her breath hitched as soon as she realized who was standing in front of her.
"Kevin," she called, her voice breathy.
"Can I come in?" Tony asked. She didn't say anything, so he stepped forward into the home anyway.
As Tony entered, Kevin entered the hallway. He stopped short, his hand coming to his mouth. "Oh God."
They knew. It was the only reason Tony would show up at their home. There was nothing Tony could say to make the situation better, to ease the pain they were feeling right now. There was no other explanation for Tony Stark coming to their home. Seconds later, Aubrey's little sister appeared at the top of the stairs. In the same way that her father did, she closed off as soon as she saw who it was.
Tony cleared his throat. "Maybe you should all sit down. Happy, go... make them some tea or something." Happy made a face, shaking his head once. Tony. "Right, maybe don't do that."
Minutes later, Tony had managed to guide the group to their living room and seat them on the couch. Suddenly he had no idea why he hadn't just let Rhodey do this. It felt so awkwardly painful and he sensed tears were to appear very, very soon. There was no way out but through.
"I need to tell you what happened to Aubrey," Tony finally said quietly.
No one moved as Tony spoke, retelling how Obadiah had Aubrey sent to Afghanistan after she discovered the illegal weapon sales. After saving his life, they tried to escape, but Aubrey didn't make it. Tony didn't tell the Howell family of her frequent beatings from Raza, or the pain she felt in her final moments. And he sure as hell didn't tell them how he promised to go back for her... but was never able to fulfill that promise.
"I thought you needed to know the truth," Tony finished. "I thought she was just another burnt out intern and I was wrong... I'm sorry."
Tony took a moment to look at the people sitting in front of him. Kevin was leaning forward, his hands in his head as he came to terms with what he'd just learned. Tears are flowing down Karen's face, but she doesn't move otherwise. Jean is the first to move, standing up and storming out of the room. Tony hears something - a vase - thrown against the wall in the other room, before the sound of her feet stomping up the stairs.
Jean's outburst seemed to snap Karen out of her near catatonic state. She whispered, "I wish you'd had lied to us."
"What?"
Karen held Tony's gaze, despite the tears still streaming down her face. "I wish you lied. Our baby suffered. I just-" she choked on a sob, "All this time I have been preparing myself for the worst possible scenario, but nothing could have prepared me for the truth."
Tony sat back, unsure of what to say. He'd thought they'd want answers, but all they really wanted was their daughter back. And now, they'd lost the chance to ever have peace. He could not be blamed for telling them the truth, but he'd run out of options to make it right. He already knew he was going to cover the cost of the funeral and put a hefty sum in the Howell's bank accounts, but he knew throwing money at them wouldn't take their pain away. "I wanted to tell you before the media learned of her death. There's still time to print the cover story."
Karen stood, her face breaking as she let out a sob. "I want you to leave, Mr. Stark. You've done nothing but bring this family pain."
"I'm sorry," Tony muttered out one last time before standing. He nodded once to Happy before making his way to the door. He stopped, turning to look back at the broken family. Karen and Kevin held hands as they both cried. There were very few times when Tony felt helpless, and this was one of them. He opened his mouth to say something, but was at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," he repeated, before walking out the door.
"One of these things is not like the other."
Aubrey blinked open her eyes to see a man standing in front of her, leaning heavily on a cane in his right hand. She couldn't help but think that he was the one who looked out of place. With his awkward smile and thick glasses, he reminded her much more of one of the guys she went to grad school with. None of those guys were the type to enlist in the army.
Aubrey sat up but didn't say anything. When his words were met with silence, the man chuckled awkwardly. "I, uh, heard they found you driving into Shindhand, I figured I'd come see for myself."
The mad scientist. Aubrey immediately felt the hairs on her neck stand up. It wasn't that the man himself was as creepy as Miller had made him out to be, but the opposite in fact. After being surrounded by terrorists for the last few months, it was almost a relief to have someone who wasn't a threat. Still, she stayed quiet; she'd learned that staying silent was often the best way to avoid getting beaten... or murdered.
The man seemed slightly turned off by her silence. He sat down at the end of the cot, awkwardly placing the cane between his legs. Aubrey recoiled, pushing herself up the bed and away from him. If the man noticed her discomfort, he didn't show it.
Miller's words rushed back to her; this man couldn't be trusted. But then again, could anyone in the military? Tony had ties in high places, and she knew for a fact that he had friends in the military; if he wanted to, he could easily have her taken care of. Just like Obadiah had.
"I know you don't trust me, or anyone for that matter. They say by the state of you that you were probably locked up somewhere," the man went on. Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut as an image of the cave popped into her mind. When she opened them again, the man hadn't seemed to notice. "I wanted to help you somehow... help you learn about what you might have missed."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a tablet. It took a second for Aubrey to realize what he was doing, and by that time, he already had Google pulled up. He smiled sincerely, "At your service."
"Tony Stark," Aubrey whispered out, her voice hoarse.
The man's smile fell and he almost appeared offended. "Why would you want to know about him?"
Aubrey recoiled under his gaze, immediately tensing up. The man seemed to realize his mistake because he held up his hands, laughing slightly. "I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan. Here, let's see what we can find."
His fingers flew across the tablet screen, typing in Tony's name. Aubrey couldn't have guessed the headlines that would pop up when he hit 'search.' She snatched the tablet from his hands, staring down at the screen with wide eyes. Tony wasn't just alive... he was thriving. Dozens of headlines detailing Tony Stark's Iron Man littered her screen. The articles described the immense power that his new and improved suit held; how in the right hands, the suit could stop wars and bring about world peace.
Heat seeking missiles, bulletproof armor, targeted hand repulsors, flying speeds faster than sound... the suit was about 100 years more advanced than the military's strongest weapons. Tony Stark had a suit that could do all that, and more... and he still left Aubrey to die.
If the man noticed the rage sink into Aubrey's features, he didn't show it. Or, he didn't seem to think it was a bad thing. "Something tells me you weren't just one of his interns... Aubrey."
She flinched at the sound of her own name. How could he possibly know her? The man reached over, switching to a new browser on the screen - one that already had an article pulled up. Aubrey's heart dropped; her face was at the top of the page.
For nine excrutiating months, Karen and Kevin Howell pleaded with police to help find their missing daughter, Aubrey. The young engineer had only recently started her career at Stark Industries when she suddenly went missing on the night of October 17th, 2007. It was only on June 5th, 2008 that the family's nightmare came to a close when Howell's body was identified. After a thorough investigation, police determined Howell's death to be accidental drowning after she slipped while hiking and fell into a river. "We believe she hit her head and unfortunately wasn't able to swim to safety," LAPD's Detective Howard Lee states. It was only after heavy rainfall in early June that caused Howell's body to wash up on the Paradise Cove beach.
Aubrey stared in disbelief. She had expected to still be listed as missing. Or maybe to hear the truth about her kidnapping and death. But the last thing she expected was to be erased entirely. At one point she had thought of Tony as a friend, but now she saw that he truly was just as money and power hungry as Obadiah Stane.
This time, Aubrey shoved the tablet away, turning away from the man. It was all too much to bear. Tony had betrayed her in the most brutal way; he'd broken his promise and left her to die. Not only that, but he left her to be tortured. He didn't even try. Instead, he did what he did best and threw money at the problem to cover it up. He wiped Aubrey off the face of the planet, and for what? She knew it had to be because of the suit. Because she knew how he made it, and therefore could make her own. She was competition now. What better way to keep her quiet than to kill her off?
Rage burned in Aubrey's gut, and she fought back a scream. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that she had suffered so much and Tony was able to get everything. She had once considered him a close friend, but now? She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him dead.
"What would you say if I told you that I can give back what was taken from you?" the stranger asked. His eyes flitted down to the bandages wrapped around her missing leg.
Aubrey scoffed. This man was too ridiculous to ignore. "I'd say that's impossible."
"Not as impossible as you'd believe." There was something in his eyes... something truthful. He pulled the tablet back towards him, swiping back over to Tony Stark's face. "I can do more than just repair your leg, Aubrey. I think you and I may share a common goal."
Aubrey's eyes narrowed as she took in the man's appearance. Under his unassuming demeanor, a spark of genuis, and possible insanity, lurked. She had seen it in few people before her; he was a man far smarter than everyone else, yet limited by societal restraints. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man smiled, eagerness filling his gaze. "Aldrich Killian. And if you're willing, I think you'd be interested in learning more about a project I've been working on... I call it Extremis."
A/N: Enter Extremis! You may finally see where this plot is heading :)