The Genius// Tony Stark's Daughter

Chapter Twelve

Tony's POV
I turn on the monitor to reveal a slight angry, impatient Rhodey.

"Tony, I've been sitting at this god damn monitor for three hours. You gotta give me something, man." He says in a passive aggressive tone.

"I will give you something when I have something!" I say - maybe a little bit too dramatic. "I just need to think..." I say as I stare at a far wall from the end seat of the empty conference table.

"The attack was four days ago. We've given you all of our insight - all of our evidence, victims, suspects. All of it. Which, by the way, I risked my job getting to you. A thank you would be nice."

"Dammit. Rhodey, I'm working on it!" I slap my fist into the glass table. My breathing quickens, and I feel my heart rate start to rise. I take a few deep breathes. "I'm working on it..." I say almost under my breath. I turn around and shut off the monitor.

I jump on the table. "JARVIS, show me everything." And just like that, my conference room turns into a blue, holographic crime scene. I step over bits of ash and crumpled wood and brick. I eventually find myself standing over a woman, her dark hair in her face and her eyes opened in a deadly stare.

I have to look away for a moment.

I turn back, and take a closer look at her burns. "Damn..." I look over to the rest of the victims. Same burns, same places.

"Sir, if I may add-" JARVIS tries to say.

"Not now, buddy." I need to think.

_______________________________-

"Tony! I'm home, you said you needed me to fix a suit?-" I walk in to the empty conference room, only to see a holographic blue picture covering almost the whole room. Tony quickly reaches over to a glass monitor, switching it off.

"What was-"

"Nothing," and he shoots me a look that tells me not to push the subject.

"Okay... well, the suit?"

"Right over there. Thanks, kiddo." He walks across the lab and leaves.

I walk over to the monitor. "JARVIS? Can you call Lincoln?" After about 30 seconds of ringing, he picks up. He looks like he just woke up, and his hair is falling in every different direction. "Geez, you look like you just got ran over by a train," I tease him.

"You don't look much better," he tells me.

We had talked for almost two hours while I try to fix Tony's suit. It looks like it had been overused, with a few things just needing to be replaced.

I go across the lab to the mini fridge and pull out a lemonade. As I walk back, I get a text from Tony.

Hey Kid, going out. Call me if you need anything. Dinners in the fridge, or you can order a pizza.

I'm slightly relieved. He's seemed stressed out lately, and this will be good for him. He's the kind of guy that copes with his emotions by getting wasted and passing out in the back of a limo.

By the time I'm done tinkering in the lab, it's 3 o'clock in the morning. I put back all of the tools, and lock the toolbox. I walk over to the glass lab door, enter in the passcode, and hear it shut tightly as I walk out. The house is quiet, and I can't see much ahead of me.

"Hey JARVIS, do me a favor and turn on the stair lighting," I suggest. The warm, dull lights appear under each step. "Thank ya," I respond. I walk with caution, because I'm the clumsiest person in existence.

I make my way up the stairs and into the kitchen. I pull some leftover pizza out of the fridge and walk up the stairs to eat it in my room. I shut the door behind me, and pull out my chemistry homework.

Just as I am about to close my textbook, I hear a crash from the floor below me. Tony must be home... I walk downstairs towards the front door, expecting to find a drunk-out-of-his-mind Tony, escorted by a done-with-your-shit Pepper. But I don't see either of them. The house is still dark.

"Tony?" I shout. "Pepper...?"

I hear silence in response. For about 30 seconds, at least. And then, a scrambling of footsteps.

Someone's in the house.

"JARVIS, security measure 2. Put us on lockdown." Immediately, I hear all of the doors in the house simultaneously lock. There is now a red hue to the lights, and the house is dimly lit. I walk silently to Tony's room, which is the closest to me, and lock the door. I dial Tony's number.

"Come on, come on...," I say as I hear the phone ringing in my ear.

"Stark speaking," Tony greets me.

"You need to get home. Now."

"What did you find?"

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. But I'm really busy right now. Can you call Pepper?" He says calmly.

"I think there's someone in the house," I say. I try to make my voice as even as possible, but fail. Tony is dead silent. "Tony!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can. JARVIS, get her a model 65."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS replies through the phone's speaker.

"Kid, find a good place to hide. I'm on my wa-"

-Tony, wait, I thought you were going out?"

"Change of plans. Had to work. Now, I mean it. Hide!"