Tony wasn't sure what happened.

One minute, he was being held at ransom and tied to a chair; the next moment, he was outside. He saw a young girl kneel in front of him, taking out a knife as she cut the ropes off of him. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?" he asked, but he struggled to see her face. He noticed a technological collar he had never seen on her neck. She took his hand, and he was on top of a hill in a blink. He looked around and saw where he was. It was a wooded area with a small garage. It had no windows or cars—it looked deserted, easy to ignore.

Looking down at the young girl, he noticed she appeared to be in her early teens. She was covered in dirt from head to toe, and her clothing was worn out. She only wore an oversized shirt and shorts. Her hair was down but tangled, and she had bruises on her face and neck.

"Were you captured too?"

After he approached her, she frowned briefly but gestured for him to wait before she disappeared. Although she didn't answer, he decided not to wait and started walking away. She reappeared in front of him and noticed that he was in pain. She frowned, realizing his condition for the first time, and offered her hand to help him.

"Listen, kid, I don't know what you're up to, but we need to go before they come back-"

Feeling the warmth spread through his body, he stopped when she touched his arm, causing his pain and cuts to disappear, which made him look at her curiously.

Who was she?

Tony was startled by the loud car screeching, but before he could react, a teenager swiftly pulled him down and led him through the trees. The young girl ran a few feet before teleporting them to another location. Although Tony felt dizzy from all the quick flashes, he trusted she knew what she was doing. Anything was better than being back where they were before.

After teleporting away from their previous location, the girl appeared exhausted. She hid her discomfort and brought Tony to a nearby diner she knew. Upon arriving, Tony was surprised to find himself back in the city and immediately searched for a phone. He led the girl to a corner of the diner where he could see the exits and made his call.

"Pepper, it's me."

"Tony, my god, where are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, call Rhodey, I was abducted with this child-"

"Wait, what?"

"I don't have time to explain, tell Rhodey to hurry."

When Rhodey arrived with Pepper, Tony held her tightly and yet carefully. Although she was showing her tiny bump, she wasn't one to let her pregnancy stop her.

"Oh my god, Tony! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Pepper asked, looking over him, but Tony held her gently, rubbing her arms as he tried to assure her. "I'm fine; don't worry about me," Tony said, but she shook her head in disbelief.

"What happened, Tony?" Rhodey questioned, not settling for that. He knew the billionaire was always prepared. His suits were merely a button away- how did he get here? Tony looked around and noticed that the teenager had given them some distance. Rhodey and Pepper looked at her carefully when Tony smirked, placing a hand on her shoulder as he guided her over to them.

"It's not safe here; we should get out of here before they find us," he suggested, guiding them to the car. The teenager stiffened, refusing to budge. Pepper had just climbed into the car when he looked back at the girl, looking at her curiously.

"Aren't you coming?"

She furrowed her brow and shook her hrsf, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone in that vulnerable state. His mind was racing with all the potential dangers she could face: What if those people found her? What about her family? What if someone attempted to harm her? He knew it wasn't his responsibility, but it was evident that she was frightened.

"Listen, why don't you come with me? We can help you find your family. They must be looking for you." he told her, but that's when he saw the tears form in her eyes, shaking her head again.

"Okay, well. I can't leave you here, kid. Why don't you come to my home, huh? Can we get you some proper clothes, a bath, and maybe some food? Anything is better than here, right?" Tony stated, not wanting to push things. The teenager hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding, going with him. When she approached the car, Pepper smiled at her warmly, offering her hand.

The young teen looked at her carefully before taking her hand and climbing in. Pepper's smile turned into a concerned look; she wasn't a fool. She could see on the teenager the bruises all over her body and what looked like imprints of bondage on her wrists, hands, and neck.

This girl was afraid, but she saved Tony.

Rhodey loaded into the car and drove off. They'd get their answer later.

Returning to Stark's home, Pepper took care of her. The girl bathed alone, but Pepper checked on her periodically.

"Tony, what do you mean she teleported?"

He glanced at Rhodey before continuing to work with Jarvis on the ginger hair molecules he had extracted from her shirt.

"She has these abilities that I've never seen before at all. I know it sounds crazy-"

"Because it is!"

"Is this as crazy as me having this chest piece?" Tony asked, pointing at the chest arch still lit for anyone to see. His friend sighed, shaking his head. "It's just...it seems impossible, but would it explain why you are completely clean of any injuries, yet she isn't?" Rhodey questioned.

"I'll ask her about that later," Tony stated, "but I found the location picture right now." He zoomed into the abandoned warehouse, and Rhodeypullrf hid the phone. "I'll send this to my guys; we will hit that place tonight. I assure you, Tony. I'd still like to know what you remember." Rhodey asked.

Tony sat in his chair, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. "To be honest, not too much. I remember I was heading to a meeting when something came out and hit me. I remember swerving before I hit a tree and lost consciousness. When I woke up, all my tech was gone—they managed to take it off. Thankfully, there's a self-destruct encryption in my tech, but it still doesn't explain why I was there," he explained.

"Did you see anything or anyone?"

Tony shook his head but then suddenly remembered. "I did see an emblem..." he stated as he stood up, drawing what looked like a skull with almost tentacles coming out from it. "That? That's what you saw?" Rhodey asked, receiving a nod from his friend.

"The kid was there too."

"Shit..."

"She got us out of there but hasn't spoken yet. I hope she has something for me."

"And if not?"

Tony took a deep breath, unsure.

Returning to Stark's home, Pepper took care of her. The girl bathed alone, but Pepper checked on her periodically. When she came out of the shower, Pepper saw the damage. She had many open wounds, and she was horrifyingly malnourished. The teen's ginger red hair was nearly matted, and her eyes were hidden. Pepper placed a few shopping bags on the floor for her. It varied from shoes, socks, underwear, bras, and various clothes.

"I brought you some clothes. I didn't know what you liked, but why don't you try them, and I'll wait outside the door? Is that okay?" Pepper asked her, and the girl nodded. She felt for the girl; she was shaking but couldn't speak. She closed the door and waited for what felt like thirty minutes before she heard a knock on the door. Opening it carefully, she saw the girl in canvas shoes, black sweatpants, and a plain brown shirt. She looked like she was swimming in those clothes, but Pepper took it as baby steps.

It would take her time to become more open.

"I can't see your face; all I can see is your mouth. Can I cut your hair for you for now?" Pepper asked her. Almost obediently, the teenager nodded once, kneeling before her. Pepper frowned. What did she go through?

She carefully grabbed the scissors and sat in front of her, and the girl's tense shoulder lowered a bit. Helping her see Pepper cut may have helped her relax a bit. Pepper shortened her bangs until she finally saw her eyes, and she smiled.

"There you are."

She briefly saw the girl crack a tiny smile, but it quickly disappeared. She brought her hair to the front and carefully cut it above it; thankfully, it came to her chest area. The girl teared up, watching her hair fall until Pepper finished cutting her hair.

"Come on, why don't you look in the mirror? Tell me what you think?"

The girl stood up with Pepper and very slowly looked at the mirror. The teenager touched her face carefully and began to cry, and Pepper immediately panicked. Did she do something wrong?

"I-It's me..."

Pepper barely heard her, but she finally spoke. She placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, causing her to look at her. "I see you now. You are a lovely young woman." Pepper told her. The teen cracked a small smile before she cried.

"I-Is this real?"

Pepper smiled at her and nodded before she hugged the teen. She stiffened briefly but slowly hugged her back, crying into her shoulder. She was free now. Once she was calm, Pepper guided them down the hall to Tony, who froze up for a moment when he saw the teen. She had cleaned up quickly, holding onto Pepper as she entered the room, but the collar on her neck was still evident.

"Wow," Rhodey stated, "I barely recognized you. How are you feeling?"

She merely nodded, Pepper rubbing her arm reassuringly. "She must be hungry. Is the food here yet?" she asked when Tony pointed at the counter. "Yeah, Happy brought it up a moment ago. Bags worth of cheeseburgers, fries, and drinks. Please, help yourself." he encouraged her. Pepper guided her to eat, but Rhodey was still cautious.

"I know the kid saved you, man. But we don't know anything about this girl-"

"It appears that this child was reported dead back five years ago. It appears her family home's burned down with her whole family." Jarvis stated, with articles of the fire on screen. "Dead? She can't be dead; she is sitting right here." Rhodey stated, looking back at the teenager.

"Maybe it's connected to her ability..."

"Tony-"

"This kid has been put through a lot. Just look at her," Tony stated, observing the teen eat her burger. "Then why was she there? Who took her?" his friend asked, but Tony knew there was only one way to get that answer. He approached the teenager, and she immediately stiffened, but she didn't disappear; he took that as a good sign.

"Hey, kid. I'm happy you got us out there, but we need your help some more," he said, pulling a stool to come close to her, "those people who had us, do you know who they were?"

She frowned, putting her burger down, but slowly nodded, "Hydra."

"Hydra. What do you know about that place?"

"Ex...perimentation."

Pepper rubbed the teenager's back; it was clear the teen had trouble speaking, but the teenager felt encouraged to continue. "I have been there a long time...I didn't want that for you."

"What were they experimenting for?" Tony asked.

"New soldiers...that's all I know," she said. Pepper looked at Tony cautiously, unsure of their next step. He was considering his options. He would have to start looking into this immediately, especially with their daughter on the way, but what of the girl? Were they preparing her for that as well? Or did they want her ability? Too many questions ran through his mind.

"We appreciate that, kid. Thank you. Once you finish eating, we will take you somewhere to lay low," Rhodey stated, making her frown. "I'm fine...alone. I...help me with this?" the teenager asked, pointing at the collar. Rhodey approached her, pressing a finger onto the collar when he hissed at the shock he received.

"IT'S A FREAKING SHOCK COLLAR?" he exclaimed, looking to Tony in surprise. Tony was worried about this, so he got to work as his glove formed and scanned the collar. "Looks like I can deactivate it from here. One moment." he assured her. The teen sighed in relief when it clicked open, dropping straight onto the counter, but she was oblivious to Pepper's horrified look on her face when she saw the marks on the girl's skin.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" she asked, but the teenager nodded, placing a hand on her neck. Her hand glowed dimly, her scars slowly disappearing. "I was...shocked when I spoke or used abilities," The teenager said, "but thank you. I'll go when I finish eating."

"Tony." Pepper said sternly, throwing him a firm look.

He crossed his arms, knowing he looked fully well what she wanted but needed time to process everything. "Don't leave yet, okay? Give me a moment," Pepper told her as she stood up and approached her husband. She grabbed his arm, taking him to the side.

"Tony, we can't leave her alone."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

She looked at him expectantly, and it dawned on him, "Pepper, no."

"She has been tortured and malnourished, with no one alive to take her. Who's to say the next person who takes her in won't use her either?"

"They'll also be looking for her, and you are with child-"

"You and I both know that she is safest here. And she likes you; why else would she save you?" Pepper further pushed. Tony looked back at the teenager. She didn't finish her food, but she pushed it away. His thoughts went to his parents, remembering the feeling, but it was different for her—this poor girl knew nothing of the world, with a power many would fear. "I would handle all the paperwork, but let us take her in." she insisted. He looked back at his wife, who was looking at him with those stern eyes.

"Fine, she can stay with us."

Pepper hugged him warmly, kissing his cheek, "Thank you, Tony." she whispered before going to the teenager. The teen looked at the pregnant woman nervously, being patient as she waited for her. "Tony and I have spoken, and you can stay with us if you'd like?" Pepper offered, noticing her eyes widen at the offer.

"We will protect you here, and we'd love to have you be part of our family. We will help you figure everything out." Pepper explained softly, and the teenager frowned.

"But, I'm dangerous."

"If you weren't, you wouldn't have saved Tony," Pepper stated, "I know we can't replace your parents, but I hope you are open to us. What do you think?"

The teenager looked at Tony, silently asking him with her eyes. She could tell he wasn't 100% on board, hesitant, but he was uncrossed his arms. "It'll take time, but we want you to stay," he told her.

The teenager nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips, "Okay." Pepper hugged her gently yet carefully, welcoming the girl into the family. Rhodey was still suspicious, but he knew time would tell if this was a good idea.

"What's your name?"

The teenager pondered momentarily, looking down when she noticed her red-orange hair. She looked at Tony and Pepper again before saying, "My name is Evelyn, but...you can call me Autumn."