Daughter of Stark (Re-edit)

Chapter 7

After hearing from Tony that Happy had been in an accident that ended up with him in the hospital, I insisted on accompanying him to visit. Though Happy was currently unconscious and required intubation to help him breathe, I still wanted to see him. The TV was playing Happy's favorite show, Downton Abbey, and the volume was lowered to a faint background noise. 

A nurse entered the room to check on Happy's condition, adjusting the IV drip and ensuring his vitals were normal. She had not yet realized that we were in the room. 

"Hi," Tony spoke to the nurse, startling her. "Do you mind leaving that on?" He gestured towards the TV. 

I watched in silence as Tony explained that Happy thought Downton Abbey to be elegant. Giving me a quick glance to signal that we would be leaving, he reminded the nurse to encourage the staff to wear their badges, saying that not only was Happy a stickler for that kind of thing, but Tony's security would not let anyone in without them. 

"Tony-" I bit down on my lip, knowing that things were hard enough already; He had been insisting more often that I call him 'dad' rather than keep our relationship on a first-name basis. "Dad... are you okay?" 

As we exited the doors of the hospital, we were suddenly swarmed by various media outlets, all wanting to get Tony's opinion on the attack that had occurred. One reporter claimed that her sources were stating this was another Mandarin attack. Tony reached out to grasp my hand tightly in his; Not only did Tony want to keep me close to his side, but I could tell he also needed the support, even if he would never say it out loud. 

"Hey, Mr. Stark." The voice of a male reporter carried over the questions of everyone else, and his next words were what caught Tony's undivided attention. "When is somebody gonna kill this guy?" 

Save for the constant clicking of the cameras, a silence had immediately taken place. Slowly, Tony turned back to face the reporter, who was holding his phone in his hand to record the interaction. The expression on Tony's face told me I was probably not going to like what he would do next. He didn't exactly have a good track record for laying low in difficult situations. I tightened my grip on his hand, insisting that we just leave, but Tony paid me no mind. 

"Is that what you want?" Tony questioned. "Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin. I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you." 

Not another challenge, Tony, please. Wasn't the last one more than enough?

"I know you're a coward." Tony pressed on, his tone cold. "So I've decided that you just died, pal." Removing the sunglasses from his face, he stared at the camera with a hard gaze. "I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here. It's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon, it's just you and me. And on the off chance you're a man, here's my home address."

No, I begged silently. Please don't say it. I was much too afraid of what would happen now to actually speak the words. But the second the address passed Tony's lips, I knew it was too late. The invitation had been given. And the Mandarin would be coming to accept.

As the door opened of its own accord to allow the uninvited guest to arrive, I turned the corner. "Right there is fine." 

The woman took in my appearance, seeming slightly confused. But before she could say anything in response, Tony rounded the corner as well, dressed in full Iron Man attire. "Ava." 

I stepped back, standing behind him in silence, watching the interaction play out. 

"You're not the Mandarin." Tony noted, lifting the face plate of his suit. "Are you? Are you?" 

The woman merely scoffed, nodding her head as she claimed he didn't remember. "Why am I not surprised?" 

"Don't take it personally. I don't remember what I had for breakfast." 

"Gluten-free waffles, sir." Jarvis cut in. 

Much to my surprise, the woman insisted that she needed to be alone with Tony, but someplace not here. Apparently, it was urgent. I followed Tony back towards the couch, wanting to keep my distance from the stranger. At this point, I didn't know who the Mandarin was, and I refused to trust anyone I did not recognize. 

Tony's remark of him being in a serious, committed relationship was cut short by the arrival of two bags being dropped to the floor from the level above. 

Pepper came down the stairs, asking if someone was here. "I'm sorry, with Happy in the hospital, I didn't know we were expecting guests." She crossed the floor to stand beside Tony, tacking on "And old girlfriends" to her statement. 

Tony and Pepper began to argue over whether or not we were going out of town, and the woman agreed that it was a great idea. "I can't protect you two out there!" Tony insisted, the tone of voice rising steadily. 

The stranger then looked at the oversized bunny Tony had gotten Pepper for Christmas, asking if that was normal. Pepper tried to diffuse the situation with Tony, but was not having much luck. When the woman cut in once more, with a sense of panicked urgency in her tone, the three of us followed her gaze to the TV. 

An aerial image of the house was on the screen, and the camera quickly focused in on the missile that was only seconds away. The damage was instantaneous; each of us was suddenly airborne from the immensity of the strike. 

"Ava," Tony called out, searching for me. 

I coughed harshly from the dust I had inhaled. "Dad-" My words were cut short by another cough. 

If it hadn't been for Pepper all but dragging me across the floor next to Tony, and blocking the collapse of the ceiling, I would have been injured worse than I already was. Taking my hand firmly, Tony helped me stand. 

"Like you said," Tony spoke to Pepper. "We can't stay here." 

Another missile crashed through the window, sending Tony flying back towards the couch. "Take Ava and move! I'm right behind you!" 

When the floor caved in, separating us from Tony, he instructed us to get the woman and get outside while he tried to find a way around. Within seconds, we were outside, though Tony was not. As more missiles were fired at the house, it began to break apart from the cliff it had been built on, falling quickly towards the water far below. 

The suit suddenly began to dismantle around Pepper and return to the house. I could only assume this meant Tony was at least still alive and summoning the suit for himself. The three of us watched in horrified silence as two of the choppers were taken down. Pepper instructed me to remain where I was while she ran back inside to see if she could spot Tony. 

When I heard her yell his name, I dropped to the ground, feeling a surge of utter despair wash over me, knowing that I would likely never see my father again.