Choices || CAPTAIN AMERICA (Book 1)

Prologue

The stench of burnt metal filled the air as Tony Stark stirred awake in a cold, dark cave. His head throbbed, a reminder of the explosion that had changed his life forever. Disoriented and weak, he winced, struggling to sit up. Every breath was labored, and with each inhale, he felt the sharp pang of something foreign embedded in his chest. The realization hit him like a freight train—shrapnel, tiny fragments of metal lodged dangerously close to his heart.

He blinked, trying to focus through the haze of pain and fear, only to be met with the grim, bloodshot eyes of Dr. Yinsen, a fellow prisoner and doctor who had been captured alongside him. Yinsen spoke in a calm but urgent voice, explaining that he had fitted Tony with an electromagnet, powered by a crude car battery. It was the only thing keeping the shrapnel from inching its way into his heart and killing him.

"You have to stay alive, Stark," Yinsen said gravely.

Tony's mind raced. The situation was dire, but he was Tony Stark—a genius, billionaire, and inventor. If anyone could find a way out of this, it was him. However, as he glanced around the cave, his heart sank. Where was Alice?

Alice Stark had been beside him when the blast happened. The memory of her face, full of determination and fear as they were ambushed, burned in his mind. She had always been the one to keep him grounded, the level-headed partner who managed the company alongside him. She had a sharp mind for business but had stayed out of the weapon development side of Stark Industries. It wasn't her world. Yet now, she was trapped in it, just like him.

Tony's eyes scanned the dimly lit cave, searching for any sign of her. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her lying on the cold, stone floor, her body eerily still. Panic surged through him, momentarily overriding the pain in his chest. He crawled to her side, his voice trembling as he called her name.

"Alice! Alice, wake up!"

She didn't respond. Her skin was cold, her breathing shallow. Tony shook her gently, desperately trying to rouse her. She had been unconscious since the blast, and nothing Yinsen had done seemed to help. The terrorists had dragged her into the cave alongside Tony, but something was different. Something was terribly wrong.

Yinsen knelt beside Tony, examining Alice with a concerned expression. "She's stable, but... there's something else. Something I can't explain."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, his voice edged with desperation.

Yinsen hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Before you regained consciousness, they did something to her. The terrorists... they brought in a group of scientists. They had found something, an ancient relic. They said it held unimaginable power that could not be found in this world. They experimented on her, trying to unlock its secrets."

Tony's blood ran cold. "And what did it do to her?"

"I don't know," Yinsen admitted. "But ever since they exposed her to that relic, she's been like this. Unconscious, but... different. There's an energy around her, something I can't explain."Tony clenched his fists, anger bubbling up inside him. These people had taken everything from him—his freedom, his safety, and now, possibly, his sister. He wouldn't let them get away with it. He would get them out of here, and he would make them pay.
Hours passed, and the cave remained quiet. The only sounds were the distant murmurs of the guards and the soft hum of the electromagnet keeping Tony alive. As he worked on his escape plan with Yinsen, his thoughts constantly drifted to Alice, who still lay motionless in the corner of the cave.

But then, something changed.

At first, it was subtle—a faint glow that seemed to emanate from her skin, almost imperceptible in the dim light. But as the minutes passed, the glow intensified, pulsing with an otherworldly energy. Tony and Yinsen exchanged worried glances, unsure of what was happening.

Suddenly, Alice's eyes snapped open. She gasped for air, her chest heaving as she struggled to sit up. Tony rushed to her side, relief flooding through him as he helped her up.

"Alice, thank God! Are you okay?" Tony asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Alice blinked, disoriented and weak, but alive. "Tony... what happened? I feel... strange."

"You're safe, for now," Tony said, gripping her hand tightly. "But we need to get out of here. Can you walk?"

Alice nodded, though she was still unsteady. As Tony turned back to his work, she tried to shake off the fog in her mind. But there was something else—something she couldn't ignore. A strange energy surged through her veins, unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was as if the very elements of the earth were at her fingertips, waiting for her command.

The escape plan was simple but dangerous. Tony had built a suit—a crude, armored prototype powered by the miniature Arc Reactor he had created. It would protect him from the terrorists' bullets and give them a fighting chance to escape. Alice, still weak and unsure of what had happened to her, stayed close to her brother, trusting him to lead the way.

The cave was filled with chaos as Tony burst through the entrance, the suit's powerful weapons clearing a path. Alice followed closely behind, shielding herself as best she could. But just as they neared the exit, an explosion rocked the cave, sending her flying.

Alice hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Dazed, she looked up to see a terrorist standing over her, his gun aimed directly at her head. Fear surged through her, but then, something else took over.

A surge of power, raw and uncontrollable, erupted from within her. Her hands glowed with a bright, fiery light, and before she could comprehend what was happening, flames shot from her fingertips, engulfing the terrorist in a blazing inferno. The man screamed and fell to the ground, the fire consuming him in seconds.

Alice stared at her hands in shock, her heart pounding in her chest. What had she done? What was happening to her?

But there was no time to think. Tony called out to her, his voice urgent, and she forced herself to her feet, the strange power still coursing through her veins. She didn't understand it, but she knew one thing for sure: whatever had happened to her, she wasn't the same Alice Stark anymore.

They had to get out. They had to survive. And now, she had the power to make sure they did.

Back in the U.S., Tony announces that Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons, which causes tension within the company, especially with Obadiah Stane, Tony's mentor and business partner. Alice, now grappling with her powers, tries to maintain a low profile while supporting her brother's decision.

Tony refines his Iron Man suit and begins taking down illegal arms deals made with Stark Industries weapons. Meanwhile, Obadiah reveals himself as the mastermind behind Tony's capture, seeking to take over the company by any means necessary. He creates his own version of the Iron Man suit, the Iron Monger, leading to a climactic battle between him and Tony.

During the final confrontation, Alice uses her powers to help Tony by creating barriers of earth and gusts of wind to hinder Obadiah. Together, they defeat Obadiah, with Tony destroying the Iron Monger suit using his Arc Reactor's energy.

In the aftermath, Tony reveals to the world that he is Iron Man, stepping into the spotlight as a hero. Alice, however, remains more private about her abilities, unsure of what her future holds.

Shortly after Tony's revelation, Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., approaches Alice. He offers her guidance in mastering her powers and suggests that she could play a larger role in protecting the world. Intrigued and determined to control her newfound abilities, Alice accepts Fury's offer.Since then, Alice has been training as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., going on missions and learning to harness her elemental powers. With each mission, she becomes more confident in her abilities, carving her own path as both a Stark and a hero in her own right.