Iron Soul [2]

Chapter 12

Ada woke up to nothing but darkness. She blinked and saw a dim light in the corner of the room. She looked around and saw that she was laying on medical table. She sat up and looked around. She looked down at her hands and saw that she still had claws on her hand.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Miss Stark," a voice spoke as a man appeared.

Aldrich Killian.

"What do you want with me?" Ada asked, but it came out more as a growl.

"Oh, I just helped save your life. Pepper was pretty shaken up with Tony being presumed dead and all. When I showed up, you were clinging onto a floating piece of house."

"Why am I not at a hospital then?"

"Have you looked at yourself? How am I supposed to explain that?" Killian pointed at a mirror.

Ada stood and made her way towards the mirror. Her eyes were glowing golden, and her teeth were in the shape of canines.

"What am I?" Ada asked.

"A shapeshifter. You're a special one that can shift into the actual animal you are, but most would call you a werewolf."

"A werewolf? You mean that stuff is real?"

"More real than you would realize. I did my own research, and I think I can help you."

Ada turned to face Killian.

"And what would you know?"

His veins than began to glow a fire orange color.

"More than you would think."

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Ada had been training with Killian for about a week. He would often leave her alone at his...whatever this was. Ada wasn't entirely sure, she hadn't seen the light of day since she got here. She heard voices upstairs frequently, but she never was allowed to go up there. Today was the day, however, that Ada learned of Aldrich Killian's true colors.

It all started when he came down with several other men. They roughly grabbed her and took her upstairs.

"Killian? What's going on?"

"Oh, just relax, Ada. Everything will be fine."

They took her upstairs and forced her in front of a TV camera. Ada took in her surroundings.

"You're the Mandarin," she put together.

"Indeed I am," he smirked. "Now, I need our little wolfie friend to come out."

He roughly grabbed her arm and burned a mark into her skin. She felt herself get angry and her fangs and claws grew. She turned to look at Killian. Anger consumed her and she let out an earsplitting howl. The ground shook as people covered their ears. Glass broke, and previously mentioned people's ears began to bleed.

She stopped and growled at Killian.

He looked at her in fear, but then it turned into a with ked smirk.

"Well, Ada, I think you'll do just fine to finish the job with your dad."

Ada growled louder and lunged for Killian. She clawed him across the face, but his men grabbed her. Killian's wound glowed and healed back together.

"Or you're just a bitch that needs to be put down."

He nodded to his men, but they handcuffed her.

"But that wouldn't be any fun without Tony here to witness it."

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Ada was handcuffed to a steel bar bolted into the ground in the basement. To say she was angry was an under statement. She was furious.

The steel door to the basement creaked open. Her head darted up to see Killian making his way downstairs. She let out a throaty growl.

"Now, now, Ada, that's no way to be."

Ada stopped growling but still had a snarl on her face.

"Now, you're going to help me whether you like it or not," he snarled and then forcibly put a shock collar on Ada.

She cried out as electricity coursed through her body. She shifted back to her normal appearance.

"Now, let's head upstairs, shall we?"

He attached the handcuffs around her wrist by a chain to the collar around her neck. He took her upstairs and forcibly sat her down. The man she thought was the Mandarin sat there with a man lying on the floor. The cameras started rolling and the Mandarin spoke.

"Mr President. Only two lessons remain. And I intend to finish this before Christmas morning. Meet Thomas Richards. Good strong name. Good strong job. Thomas, here, is an accountant for the Roxxon Oil Corporation."

The man on the floor started sobbing.

"But I'm sure he's a really good guy. I'm going to shoot him in the head, live on your television in 30 seconds."

"No!" Thomas cried.

"The number for this telephone is in your cell phone. Exciting, isn't it, imagining how it got there? America, if your president calls me in the next half-minute, Tom lives. Go!"

A phone nearby starts ringing, but the Mandarin makes no move to get to it. Then he fires the gun.

"There's just one lesson left, President Ellis. So run away, hide, kiss your children goodbye. Because nothing, not your army, not your red, white and blue attack dog, can save YOU. I'll see you soon."

The cameras cut off.

"This was also a lesson for you, Ada. Either you help me, or the next bullet goes through your skull. You understand?"

Ada slowly nodded.