Stark's Perfectly Normal Daughter (S.P.N.D. Book 1)

Chapter 9: Obadiah's Betrayal

***|Friday, October 24, 2008|***

Walking up the stairs, Shadow freezes right in front of me.

"What's wrong?" I whisper. I step next to her, turning to face the sleek cat. She hisses quietly, her sharp white fangs a contrast to her black fur. When I turn to the living room, I gasp, then regret it. I slap my hands over my mouth. This is my nightmare. The one I had not long ago. I crouch down on the steps.

My blood turns to ice when I see Obadiah leaning over my father's body. He's holding a black and red device to dad's ear. Horror settles into my chest, heavy and hard, as I see the blood trickle out of his ear. The bright red blood contrasts against my father's abnormally pale skin. He is sitting upright on the couch, though he doesn't move. His eyes are slightly bloodshot and his ears are bleeding. His wide brown eyes look straight ahead. It's hard to see him from here, but I can see enough to be scared. What is Obadiah doing to him? Is he dead?

"Easy, easy." He tells him. "Breathe." He lays my father back, and I try to stay still. "You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis."

What? But why is he doing this? And will my dad be okay? If he isn't.... I can't focus on that. I need to figure out what Obadiah is doing and help my dad.

He walks around the couch to stand in front of my father and I tense up. Obadiah grabs my father's chin and turns his face toward him.

"Ah, Tony." He takes out a pair of earbuds as he continues. "When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried that I was killing the golden goose." He opens something. I can't tell from where I am hiding. He steps in front of my dad, back turned to me. I carefully take my phone from my back pocket and put it on silent. Quickly, I text Uncle Rhodey.

Please come.

Dad is in danger.

Hurry.

With that, I open my camera and start recording. Almost immediately I saw that he replied.

Stay safe, coming over now.

"But, you see, it was just," Obadiah pauses and I hear my father gasp. "Fate that you survived that. You had one last, golden egg to give. Do you really think that just because you had an idea, it belongs to you? You're as naive as Lillian. She's bright, of course -takes after her father- but she doesn't have your experience. Still so young and weak. So naive and shapeable, but I will have to kill her too. She's never trusted me. Other methods won't work on her."

I don't know whether to be angry or flattered right now. Angry, I decided.

I hear Obadiah continue. "Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he were as selfish as you?"

I clamp my open hand harder over my mouth. My father is not selfish. He is kind and caring, he just doesn't always know how to share it. I hear a yank and my father gasp again. The familiar blue glow of the arc reactor illuminates Obadiah's hand.

"Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony." I try my hardest not to go and attack him right there. He may be bigger, but no one hurts my family and gets away with it. Obadiah goes and sits on the couch next to my father. I keep the phone up, making sure to capture everything on camera.

"This is your legacy." He is talking about the arc reactor. This is not the legacy my father wanted, and I will make sure this is not the one he has. No matter what.

"A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the power of balance in our hands. The right hands." He moves it from my father's view, putting the arc reactor into the case. "I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as...well, not as conservitive as yours. Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would have preferred that she lived."