Iron Soul [2]

Chapter 7

Ada sat on the balcony of her room in Malibu. She was surprised when she found everything was the same as she left it. However, this turned to sadness when she found that no one had the heart to go in there and move anything. She had looked through her belongings that she so desperately missed.

After a while, she had put on an episode of The Office and just started binge watching. The last episode she had watched was 'Goodbye Toby' and was now very pleased that everything seemed to work out for her favorite characters. Like Jim and Pam.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Tony opened the door slightly.

"Hey, kid," he smiled.

"Hey, dad," she returned the gesture.

"I-um...was wondering if you finally wanted to play it?" Tony held up a box.

It was Operation.

A memory flashed through Ada's mind.

"What do you want me to do?" Ada asked in a disgusted tone.

"Put that on the table over there. That is irrelevant," he handed her the arc reactor.

"Gross!"

"I want you to reach in and just gently lift the wire out."

Ada looked in the hole in his chest and took a deep breath.

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. It's like Operation. You just don't let it touch the socket wall or it goes 'beep.'"

"What do you mean, 'Operation'?"

"It's just a game, never mind. Just gently lift the wire. Okay? Great."

She started to reach in, but then took her hand out.

"You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this. Let me go get Pepper or somebody else."

"No, you're fine. You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great. Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm..."

"Okay, okay."

"I really need your help here."

Ada reached in and started digging around for the wire.

"Oh, there's pus!"

"It's not pus. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body."

"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever smelled!"

"Yeah, it it. The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?"

She grabbed the small copper wire.

"Okay, I got it! I got it!"

"Okay, you got it? Now, don't let it touch the sides when you're coming out!"

The wire touched the sides and a loud beep was let out from one of the machines.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've never played the game before."

"That's what I was trying to tell you before, and I will show you how to play it later. Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, you don't..."

"You remembered?" Ada asked.

"Yeah, I did," he looked at the box with a small smile.

"After all these years...?"

"Yes, after all these years. When I lost you, all I could think about was how I didn't give you a childhood and how I could've made it better. But now, I'm going to do everything in my power to give you what you deserved," he explained.

Ada stood up and walked over to her dad. She stood on her tip toes and hugged him.

"Thank you so much, dad," she gripped harder.

"Anytime, kiddo," he returned the grip, but still careful as not to hurt her in any way. "I'm not going to let you go again."

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"I want to go to school," Ada spoke up as she unwrapped Christmas presents with Pepper and Tony.

"What?" Pepper asked while smiling and laughing as if it were some joke.

Everything about the Stark home right now was unusual. From the big bunny as a Christmas gift to Pepper, to Tony's constant work in the lab, all the way to the girl who was not even a month ago presumed dead. Yep, just an average Stark Christmas.

"I want to go to school. Like school for my age. I want to actually go through school with kids my age," Ada elaborated.

"Well how old even are you? You were born in the nineties, but you are biologically 13," Pepper was beginning to get flustered.

"Pep, take it easy on her. If she wants to go to school she can. You can start next school year," Tony suggested.

"Thanks dad!" Ada hopped up and hugged her dad.

Tony thought of how Christmas time for the Starks always seemed to start so well, but would quickly take a turn for the worse. Example, the year Howard and Maria Stark died. This year, unbeknownst to Ada, consisted of the Mandarin's attacks on the country. Ada had just come back into the world, and considering how largely publicized it was, he feared for his daughters life.

However, he should've been concerned about himself.

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Tony's nights hardly consisted of sleep anymore. It was mostly just nightmares and time spent in the lab. The attack on New York was his problem that night. Almost every other night it also included Ada's disappearance.

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip," Steve spoke through the ear pieces.

"Save the rest for the return, J," Tony spoke to JARVIS as he gripped the bomb.

"Sir, shall I try to contact Miss Potts?" JARVIS asked.

"Might as well."

As Tony headed further upwards, he decided to speak to Fury of all people, but still let .

"Fury!"

"Stark, what do you need?" Fury asked as the line to Pepper continued to ring.

"If I don't make it back...please, don't let anyone get rid of my of my stuff, especially Ada's stuff. It's just...one day...She might turn up," Tony felt a year roll down his cheek. "My will from 2008, go by it. Everything goes to Ada. Pepper can have it if she doesn't come back."

"Stark..." Steve spoke up in sympathy.

Tony went through the portal and communications went out.

"Sorry, sir..." JARVIS malfunctioned as everything went out.

He let go of the nuke and watched as it blew up the ship.

"I love you, Ada..." he spoke to nobody listening to him.

He closed his eyes and let the darkness consume him.