INFERNO │ Marvel

2.7 she lives

Amelia awoke in her own room back at the mansion. When she had lost consciousness back at the expo, she hadn't expected to wake up. Yet, here she was, alive and well. In fact, she was feeling better than ever. She let out a huff of air as she sat up. She felt absolutely no residual pain from what she assumed had been the night before.

"JARVIS?" she called out. "How long have I been out?"

"36 hours, Miss Stark," JARVIS told her. She widened her eyes in shock. "Would you like me to inform Mr Stark that you are awake?"

"Please. But tell him I'll meet him in the workshop."

"Yes, miss."

Amelia quickly changed her clothes. The sun had just risen over the horizon and cast a warm glow across her room through the large window. She watched colours of orange and yellow dance over the ocean outside. Holding up her hand, she replicated it with fire from her fingertips. It gave her a sense of calm to see her powers in such a small capacity after what she had just done. The fire felt friendlier now, more natural than ever before. It was malleable, almost. Amelia move her other hand upwards and willed the fire to change, moulding it until it was a thin string between her two hands. She could shape it however she wanted. Smiling to herself, she turned to exit the room.

"Holy shit," Amelia gasped as she spotted herself in her mirror. Behind her was a brilliant pair of flaming wings, larger than the ones she could produce with her suit. She was making them on her own. And she could feel them, like extra limbs on her back. Taking a deep breath, she let them dissipate.

The workshop was quiet when Amelia got there: no music, no Tony shouting at his robots. It was just silence. Tony sat in the same car they had sat in when Rhodey had found out he had been dying.

"Tony?" she called out, and he whipped around. He stood quickly, walking over and embracing his sister in a tight hug. "Are you ok?"

"I should be asking you that," he countered. He let out a shaky breath. Only Amelia and Pepper ever saw this vulnerable side of him. He looked emotionally exhausted. "I thought you died, Ames. We couldn't get to you for two hours until the fires were put out. I'm sorry I left you behind."

"It's fine, Tony. Is Pepper ok?"

"She's good," he said. "She's more than good. She's my girlfriend. I think."

"It's about time!" Amelia exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. Tony's heart swelled at seeing his sister not only ok but back to her happy self. "I've been waiting for you two to get together for years."

"Yeah, me too," he replied, giving her a fond smile. "I'm glad you're ok."

"To be honest, I didn't think I would be. I didn't know if I could pull off that whole absorption thing."

"So you were just prepared to die?"

"Of course not," she said. "I would have died there anyway. I was trying to survive. And ended up making myself twice as powerful in the process. I think. I'm gonna have to test some things out."

"Well," Tony started. "I'll be happy to help you with that. Also, Fury wants to speak with us. He's been waiting for a notice that you were back in the land of the living."

"I'm feeling good," she confirmed. "Let's do it."

-

The two Starks sat in a room at some kind of undercover S.H.I.E.L.D building that looked like an old factory or warehouse. The room was bare save for the table they sat at and some S.H.I.E.L.D tech scattered around. Three files were laid in front of them, one each labelled with their names and the third labelled 'Avengers Initiative'. Tony picked it up.

"I don't want you looking at that. I don't think it pertains to you anymore," Fury said, sliding the file in front of Amelia instead, who began to flick through it, and handing Tony the file with his name on it. "Now this, on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff's assessment of you. Read it."

"Personality overview. Mr Stark displays compulsive behaviour. In my own defence, that was last week," Tony reasoned. "Prone to self-destructive tendencies. I was dying. I mean, please. Aren't we all? Textbook narcissism? Agreed. Okay, here it is. Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Man? Yes. I gotta think about it."

"Read on."

"Tony Stark not... Not recommended?" he questioned, confused. "That doesn't make any sense. How can you approve me but not approve me? I got a new ticker. I'm trying to do right by Pepper. I'm in a stable-ish relationship."

"Which leads us to believe at this juncture we'd only like to use you as a consultant," Fury told him. He turned to Amelia. "If you'd like to read yours, Miss Stark?"

Amelia opened the file, skimming through the many details, written and signed by Natasha Romanoff, until she reached the final assessment of herself. "Amelia Stark, while sharing many qualities with her brother, is intelligent and self-aware, pragmatic, has a strong moral compass and shows some potential for the Avengers Initiative." she read out. "Only some?"

"Don't push your luck. We want you to be a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D too, Amelia," Nick explained. "But, if and when we should need you, I would also like to offer you a place in the Avengers Initiative."

"Not without Tony," she tried to bargain.

"I would advise you at least consider it for yourself, Miss Stark. You and your brother are separate parties in the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Then I'll think about it," she told him. She held up the Avengers Initiative file. "Can I keep this?"

"No," he denied her. "But you'll get one of these when it's necessary."

"Understood." She turned to her brother. "You on board with this consultant thing?"

Tony looked to Fury. "You can't afford me," he said, standing from his chair. "Then again, I will waive my customary retainer in exchange for a small favour. Ames, Rhodey and I are being honoured in Washington and we need a presenter."

Nick Fury nodded at them both. "I'll see what I can do."

-

"It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Miss Amelia Stark and Mr Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure," Senator Stern spoke to the crown, his hands clenched around the edge of the podium. Tony and Amelia shared sly smiles between them.

Rhodey was first, and the senator treated him with kindness and respect. "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel, for such an exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."

"Thank you, sir."

Stern faced Amelia next, a tight smile on his face. "Inferno," he addressed her. "Thank you for such as exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."

"It's Amelia," she said, face neutral. "If I were Inferno right now, I'd fry you."

"Is that a threat, Miss Stark?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow at her. She smiled kindly.

"Of course not, Senator. I'm not a weapon. Therefore, I'm no threat to you."

He nodded and swiftly moved onto Tony. Rhodey was looking at her own of the corner of his eye, mildly shocked and amused that she had, indeed, threatened a government official. However, in Amelia's mind, it was well deserved.

"Mr Stark," the senator spoke once more. "Thank you for such as exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."

Tony winced as he was poked with the needle. "Oh, sorry. Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn't it?" Stern asked him before moving to stand in between the siblings. "Let's get a photo."

Amelia looked over to her brother, who lifted his hand into a peace sign as the photographer got into position. She grinned, raising her own hand and joining him.