Changes | Marvel

FIVE. The truth

Over the next few weeks, Tony spent countless nights downstairs obsessing over making the suit perfect and usable while I tried to ignore the fact that I couldn't do anything except focus on school work or watch him build stuff. When it came out that there were weapons being sent to Gulmira that have been used to destroy innocent town by the Ten Rings, Tony was pissed off to the extreme.

"Relax Tony, the officials will handle this." I beg as he puts on the suit to go and get revenge on the pricks. "Please, stay here. Don't go." I was worried for him; the suit wasn't perfect yet and I felt like something bad would happen. I didn't want Tony to get hurt or get taken hostage again, I couldn't let that happen.

"I'll be fine Ava, let go." he sternly tells me, surprising me with the sudden coldness in his voice. I step back, biting my lip as I tear up. He sighs, kissing my forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." I watch as the chest plate begins to glow, and the helmet slides on on, the face guard moves down and the eyes lighting up. I get distracted by studying the suit and before I know it, Iron Man is flying out into the night sky leaving me to stare out, worried.

I fell asleep later I the night worrying for my brother's safety as I got no news, only JARVIS telling me that Tony was okay. Eventually after a peaceful rest, I'm woken by Tony in the morning with him wanting help to take off the suit. It was the morning Pepper found out about the suit, "Is that bullet holes?!" I can still hear her screeching, and the morning that I clung to Tony like a Koala, happy that he was safe. I was so scared throughout the entire night, I was just glad it was all over. After Pepper left for work after giving Tony a whole lecture on the whole 'this is dangerous', we both sat on the couch to relax and watch TV. I sat down with my Math text book too deciding to do some studying while I spent some quality time with my brother. It had been lacking lately, I needed to change that. About an hour later Tony gets a phone call from Pepper and I ignore it but then I hear a very high-pitched sound and instantly I feel my body collapse involuntarily with no feeling.

I felt my math textbooks slide to the floor, my pens and paper falling with it as my body slumps onto the couch. I couldn't move anything, only my eyes which darted around to see what was happening. I look up to meet eyes with the man that caused it all. Obadiah. Bloody. Stane. I Knew it, I honestly called it from the beginning, but no one believed me – that guy was dodgy as hell. Obadiah takes the phone from Tony and puts down the metal whistle-like object that I recognise from a couple of years ago. It was a prototype that was never released to the public, so Obadiah had to go through our weapons vault and security to get this. I think we should get stricter security on those doors...

"Breathe. Easy, easy." he shows Tony the device. "You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There are so many applications for causing short-term paralysis." Tony was facing away from me, but I could see both Obadiah and Tony because I was lying on my side.

"Tony. When I ordered the hit on you and your dear little sister, I worried that I was killing the golden goose. But, you see, it was just fate that you both survived." He laughed a little, my eyes widening at the news. Obadiah ordered that attack?! "You still had a couple of golden eggs to give." Obadiah walk around Tony and takes out the Arc reactor from his chest. I try to speak but I can't. Obadiah then proceeds to walk over to me and he takes out my arc reactor too. Instantly I feel a sudden burst of exhaustion move through my body, my chest beginning to throb and a cold sweat breaking out over my body.

"Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you? Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?" He kneels next to us, placing both arc reactors into a suitcase that he placed next to Tony's body slumped down on the floor next to me, unmoving. "Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would have preferred that she lived." No... Pepper can't be dead. She's not dead, right?