Caught in Strings

Chapter One

The first thing she felt when Helen came to was a strange tightening sensation on her muscles like something was binding them. She tried to move and found her limbs stiff, a small ticking feeling accompanied the movement. Finally opening her eyes she took a moment to adjust to the blinding light. Where...where was she?

She sat up and looked around, taking in the strange glass room. The walls surrounding her were clear but reflected images of vital signs and strange equations and functions. What kind of hospital room was this?

"Ah good, you're awake. I shall notify Mr. Stark immediately," a woman's Irish voice echoed through the empty room. Helen jumped and looked around frantically for the person speaking but found none.

"W-where am I? Why is da....Stark here? What's going on?" She shot off, her pulse quickening.

The voice spoke again, this time much softer. "Please calm down, miss. You are in Stark Tower. Mr. Stark and Dr. Bamner have been looking after you after the accident," it soothed.

Helen frowned, taken aback. Stark tower? Why was she here instead of a hospital? Did he check her out under his name?

"I-I need to talk to him..." she mumbled and moved to get out of the bed, throwing her feet over the side. Something tugged on her back- no, through her back and she whirled around to see a massive chord coming out of her. "AHH!" She screamed, tugging on the chord until it unplugged from her spine. Dropping the chord she finally looked at her arms and hands.

The last thing she remembered was jumping in front of a barreling semi in the middle of the road so she should be worse for the ware. Yet...her skin was unblemished, no bruises or wounds could be found. But her body wasn't the same....

There were dark black marks in between her joints and the bends of her arms, like thin strips of metal separating her limbs and her skin was ice cold. She turned over her hands to find round disks in the middle of her palms much like the blasters on Iron Man's suit.

In a panic she ripped off the nursing gown and stared down at her body. The black strips continued along the rest of her body and in the middle of her chest was another disk, this was glowing in a pulsating rhythm that was increasing as her fear grew.

"Shit! You woke up early. I-i can explain-" She looked up to see a nervous Tony Stark in the doorway. He quickly grabbed her gown and handed it to her. "You should take a seat."

She did as he instructed, holding the cloth to her body protectively as her mind tried to work through the frenzied haze in her head. "I...what did you do to me?" She croaked, "what am I?"

Stark had the decency to look ashamed as she stared up at him. "I...I'm sorry. You were so mangled from the accident and I...I couldn't just let you die..." he said softly, "youre...you're my daughter."

Helen stiffened, her grip on the torn gown beginning to tremble. "So you believe me now? Because I saved your life?" Stark hastily shook his head, rushing over.

"No! God no! I...I tested your DNA against mine while I was helping you. It...it was definitely a match," he confessed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "I...I'm so sorry Helen."

The girl flinched, "I'm guessing you looked into my background too?" At his short nod she sighed, "but that doesn't explain this...what...what am I now? And why help me? You didn't figure out I was your daughter until afterward."

Stark stared at her then, his gaze pained in a way that anyone rarely saw of the playboy phalanthripist. "Because even after I was awful to you- telling you to shove off after you found me- you...you were still willing to die to save my life. For a complete stranger. I cant...I can't say that's something even I would do on instinct." He sighed softly and awkwardly took her hand in a gesture that was both kind and a bit forced. "I couldn't let someone so good die. Not if I could help it. Realizing you were my daughter afterwards just made it the fucking cherry on the top."

Helen blushed lightly and stared at their hands, staying silent for a moment. "Thank you," she said finally, squeezing his dad, "so...am I a cyborg now? My body feels so...different. It's hard to describe."

Stark winced and nodded, "that's uh one way to put it. Most of your body was destroyed in the crash so I salvaged what I could, used U Gin genetics and some 3d printing to recreate your skin infused with some metal. The arc reactor in your chest is your heart and it's what keeps you running." Helen nodded numbly, looking at her hands, "and the blasters?"

Stark chuckled a little at this, "I well...it was suggested that maybe you could join the Avengers with us. Me. A father daughter team thing...." He raised his brows at her, "we could use some so selfless. A good moral compas. And...this way I could help you transition and we could uh...maybe bond?"

Helen blinked, unable to keep the bark of laughter escaping her lips. "Over punching bad guys and shit?" His face fell at this and she quickly continued, "I...I would like that. I've got nothing else better to do."

Stark looked up at this, his cocky smile spreading across his face. "That's my girl." Helen felt her little machanical heart flutter with joy. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey zhe robo girl iz awake," a thick accented voice spoke from the door. A handsome boy with white hair and black roots smirked at her, a light dusting of facial hair on his face. The hell...Helen was sure he certainly not there a second ago.

"The name is Helen," she huffed, "not robo girl." Brat.

The boy chuckled and in a streak of blue light flashed to her side, "zorry, Hel-en," his deep baritone stretched out the syllables, "velcome to zhe team."

Stark bristled and swatted the boy away, "hey Sonic, stop making goggely eyes at my daughter!" The boy, Sonic?, laughed and winked at her before suddenly flashing out of the room as wind whoosh ed around them. Somewhere in another room she could hear a faint, "ZHE ROBO GIRL IZ AWAKE!"

Stark groaned and rubbed his face, "I'm already regretting you joining the team and it's been two fucking minutes." Helen just chuckled and smiled at him.

Well she certainly had to come to grips with this but...maybe...this was a good thing.

***
Author's note: Good God the cheese in that ending was strong. I apologize for that. Please comment if you liked it or have any pointers, I'm open to criticism! Thank you for reading! :)