Her ankle had swollen overnight, a dull throb pulsing with every step. Still, Rhiley ignored it. Tony hadn't said a single word since the party. Locked himself in his lab.
At least he hadn't kicked her out.
So, she stayed. Quiet. Watching. Placing water bottles throughout the room like offerings to a deity too stubborn to drink.
On the flatscreen, footage looped. Grainy, brutal. "Breaking News: Tragedy in Gulmira."
A journalist's voice echoed:
"The ten-mile drive to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into Hell... simple farmers and herders, driven from their homes at the butt of Western rifles, modern tanks—"
Rhiley's eyes flicked from the TV to Tony, then quickly away again when war images flickered too close to memory. Too close to home.
"—displaced by warlords, insurgents empowered by high-tech weapons purchased with black market poppy money—"
Tony raised the gauntlet. Fired.
A light fixture exploded in sparks.
Rhiley didn't flinch. She'd grown used to the destruction. If anything, she understood it.
If she had the strength, she might have leveled the place herself.
She glanced down and realized she'd crushed a hammer in her grip. Bent it like clay. She shoved the twisted metal under a desk with her foot, sinking back into the swivel chair as if nothing had happened.
Her strength was returning. Slowly.
Had it just been dormant...?
Tony, across the room, blasted a window. Glass shattered. A painting thudded to the floor.
"With no political will or international pressure, there is little hope for these newly-formed refugees..."
"A boy clutches a photo, asking where his parents are..."
"A woman searches for her husband, kidnapped or killed..."
The screen died in a burst of plasma.
This time, Rhiley flinched. Turned. Ready to scream.
But Pepper was already there, watching from the door.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked Tony.
Without looking at her, he said, "Get my house in Dubai ready. I want to throw a party."
Pepper blinked. "Yes, Mr. Stark."
As she turned to leave, Rhiley followed.
Pepper paused, facing her. "Keep an eye on him, okay? He trusts you."
"He hasn't said a word to me." Rhiley bit the inside of her lip a habit she started to form after sneaking her way back into being Tony's assistant. She still doesn't get paid -- but she was still here keeping him safe (at least trying)
"But he hasn't asked you to leave," Pepper replied gently. "He's... self-destructive right now."
Rhiley looked at Pepper, scanning her worried face and frowned, "I know the feeling." She couldn't say much more, "I would have done anything to keep the ones I loved safe."
Pepper stayed quiet.
"He doesn't tell you anything because he's scared." Rhiley added, voice low, "He's terrified of putting you in danger. Because losing you? That's not something he can survive."
"That's not—"
"I know," Rhiley cut in. "Trust me."
Pepper stared a moment longer. Then nodded. "Thank you, Rhiley."
YOU ARE READING
Radioactive | Bucky Barnes
Fanfiction"I want to go back to the time you first told me your name." Rhiley, the twin sister of Howard Stark, finds herself wrapped up with the one and only James Barnes. The next time she sees him is on her new assignment with the 107th Infantry Regiment...
