ᏴᏞᏆNᎠ ᎷᎪN'Ꮪ ᏴᏞᏌFF

ᏟᎻᎪᏢᎢᎬᎡ ᏚᎬᏙᎬN

Tony and Rhodes secretly watched from behind the glass into the white room filled with various objects. Maddie walked around the room, feeling and playing with the different objects.

"Not even back for one day and you already have me testing the kid to see if she has a bomb in her head," Rhodes scoffed.

"No--Rhodes. It's nothing like that. I'm not fearing my own safety. I'm fearing her's. This kid saved me and now I'd like to return the favor."

Rhodes almost rolled his eyes. Tony turned his attention back to Maddie who had just bumped into a table. She felt it with her hands before leaning down. She placed her ear next to it and gentle knocked on it with her fist.

"Solid," she whispered to herself. She knocked again. "S-Steal--no. Metal."

"Her observation skills are impeccable," one of the scientists said, at the computer. "The way she can identify things it's--it's unrealistic."

"How are her intelligence skills," Rhodes asked.

"Off the charts and I mean that literally. At her rate, she has the mind set way above the normal eight year old."

"Hmm. What level is she?"

"Try collage level," Rhodes and Tony snapped their heads in the doctors direction and he nodded. "She's a genius."

With both men's approval, the man leaned forward and pressed the button to activate the microphone.

"Okay, Maddie. That's enough for today," he announced.

"Did I pass," she asked hopefully.

"We also did a brain scan," the doctor said, standing to his feet. "There is no radiation from the scans but there is defiantly something in there," he said. He pointed to the x-ray of her brain. "Thankfully, it's pretty near the surface so it shouldn't be too hard to take out."

Tony nodded then glanced back over at Maddie's wondering figure. "What do you think of her, Rhodes?" He looked down at his feet. "Do you trust her?"

"Honestly Tony, I can't say. She seems harmless enough but--," he began before Tony cut him off.

"But what?"

"Well, I think she isn't letting on all she knows. She's hiding something."

"I request the polygraph," Tony said making all the doctors and scientists in the room look up. Tony glanced and Rhodes who hesitantly gave a nod.

A few minutes later, they had Maddie hooked up to the machine. "Can you tell me your name," the doctor asked nicely. Maddie danced her fingers over the wooden blocks in front of her, feeling every groove.

"Maddie."

"What's your full name?" Maddie's eyes wondered the room in thought.

"I-I don't know it." The doctor wrote in his file. Tony and Rhodes watched from the other room.

"So far so good," one of the doctors said to Rhodes.

"How long were you in captivity?"

"Three years," she replied.

"Maddie, can you tell me what the chip inside your head is for or what it does?"

"It's a 'fo chip'." The people in the other room began to scramble. "It has some kind of top secret information on it."

"And your parents put it in your head?" She nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Do you know who it's for?" Maddie bit her lip in thought.

"It's for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division,"she said. The people in the room quickly wrote down her words.

The doctor stood to his feet and smiled down at Maddie. "Thank you Maddie. You've been a huge help."

"Did I pass?" The doctor chuckled.

"With flying colors." Maddie smiled and slumped in her seat. The doctor who did Maddie's polygraph entered the room Tony and Rhodes were in. "I want you to contact the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enhancement and--," he waved his hand.

"Logistics Division, sir?"

"Yes. Tell them we have one of their assets and that she contains something of value to them." Men around the room went to work and the doctor faced Tony and Rhodes. "Otherwise, she's clean."

"When will you remove the chip," Tony asked.

"We won't be removing the chip. The people whom Maddie says it's for, will take care for it," the doctor smiled.

"But what if they don't know how--," Tony pressed but Rhodes out a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Maddie will be just fine but why don't you take her home and you can both get some rest." Tony nodded and exited the room. He found Maddie and took her wrapped up hands.

"Are we going back home?" Tony smiled down at Maddie and replied positively. Happy waited for them at the door and escorted them both to the car. Maddie buckled up and look forward.

"Where to, sir?"

Tony look over at Maddie's unchanging expression and grinned. "Home."

Back at Home-

"Mr Stark, Miss Maddie is ready for bed," Jarvis said over the coms. Tony look up from his work. "And Miss Potts has left."

"Uh-huh. So?"

"So I think that since it's Maddie's first night in the house, that you might tuck her in," Jarvis offered and Tony scoffed.

"Why did I program you with sentiment?"

"Sir, she's without family, without love. Can't you show her a little?" Tony sighed and buffed out of his seat. He went upstairs and into the guest bedroom.

"Hey," he knocked on the door and slightly pushed it open. The lights were off and the room danced in darkness. Maddie lay in bed wide awake, Tony taking a seat next to her. "You tired?"

"Not really."

"Hmm. Jarvis told me I should tuck you in." Maddie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Or tell you a bedtime story or something. Would you like me to do that?"

Maddie shook her head. "N-No thanks."

"Okay. Well goodnight," Tony patted her leg before standing back up.

"Tony?" He turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." He nodded and looked down at his feet.

"Look, it's hard for me to sleep sometimes too. Do you wanna help me in the workshop?" Maddie jumped out of bed and took his hand before he led her to his so called 'workshop.'