Seeing Red (Stark's Daughter 5)

Chapter 3

Swirling around on my office chair, the new missile and gun plans are projected around me. I swipe my hands across the blue lights and rearrange the components, increasing the voltage.

"Skye?" Someone asks, knocking on the door.

Pepper, my assistant is stood at the glass door. Her blonde hair pinned up with a blue grip and she is wearing a slimming blue dress with a silver heart chain.

"Come in!" I shout. Pepper smiles and opens the glass door, ducking under the projected missiles that take over the room.

"What's going on?" I ask as Pepper stands in front of me, clutching files.

"Hope has not come back from her lunch." Pepper announces.

"Okay, give me a minute." I say as i pull out my phone and dial Hope. It goes straight to voicemail. I sigh and slam it down on the desk.

"I've had it with Hope, she doesn't listen to anything." I mutter.

"She's a teenager, its the hormones." Pepper defends.

"Yeah. Thank you for telling me, I'll deal with it." I offer, Pepper nods and walks out, her heels echoing.

I sigh and think of what to do next. Hope is so disobedient.

"Jarvis, search for Hope's phone with the tracking device that i installed." I demand.

The missile plans disappear and on the wall behind me a map is projected.

A blue dot is on a old abandoned car fixing garage.

"Jarvis, i need my suit." I demand.

I reach the old abandoned garage and land softly outside.

"What are you doing here?" Hope asks, her back still to me. She spins around and fires at the glass above my head. I don't flinch.

"You should ask yourself that question." I point out.

"No, i asked first."

"Im here to see why you're not at work." I explain, my voice deep in my suit mask.

"I had to take a break." She admits, pushing her palm forward and shooting the stood up hammer. It explodes and metal sprinkles down to the ground.

"Your break finished 36 minutes ago."

"I came to practise." She admits.

"You promised you would only use your suit in an emergency." I shout.

"I know. But wearing the suit makes me feel powerful and protected." She announces.

I use the mind reading helmet and Jarvis understands me. He scans Hope for her blood pressure levels, heart rate and brain wave levels. All levels are higher then average. Higher then she has ever had before. I pull my mask off and throw it onto the floor.

"Hope this has to stop. You have to stop disobeying us. We have punished you time and time again but you still carry on. What do we have to do to make you listen?" I question, a look of disappointment in my eyes.

Hope's iron mask slides behind her and into the back of her suit, revealing her face. Her eyes flash with anger and mischief.

"I don't know mum. I like being independent."

"This isn't independence. This is disobedience." I correct her.

Suddenly, she lifts her palm to me. My mind races. Hope's eyes widen in shock.

"Mum, this isn't me. How do i make it stop?" She panics, the palm fills with power.

"Hope, stay calm. Fight it. Try to stop it." I order.

I watch as Hope tries to pull her arm down, using her other arm. But she struggles and starts to shake. Slowly, the blue arc reactor on her suit changes to red.

"Hope?"

Her mask clings to her face again.

"Hope? Stay with me." I order as i pick up my mask and clip it back onto my suit.

"I can't stop it. Mum, help." She begs.

Suddenly, the power releases from her palm and i duck just in time as it hits a few centimeters to the right of my ear. I gasp heavily, as Hope's thrusters are put on and she starts to hover.

"Jarvis, how do i stop it?" I ask.

"There is no solution." Jarvis announces.

Hope flies above my head and out of the garage, her red and silver suit turning into a dot in the distance.

"Hope!" I scream but she's too far away.

Its too dangerous to follow her. If I don't follow, Hope will get lost.

"Ugh!" I shout as i kick the metal bin by the door.

"Call Zeke." I demand and his photo appears on the screen and then he accepts, converting the photo to a video.

"Are you in your suit? At work?" He questions.

"Something is wrong. Hope's suit has a problem. The arc reactor turned red and she started shooting me, saying she couldn't control it." I explain.

"Have you gone after her?"

"No, its too dangerous and suspicious if i follow her. I have put a tracking device on her though." I point out.

"Skye, you can't let her get away."

Suddenly, my video call rings and i see a video of Colson.

"Damn, its Colson. Don't go anyway." I say to Zeke and he nods.

I accept Colson's call and his face tinges with anger.

"How can i help you on this pleasant day?" I tease.

"If you don't stop your daughter now, i will have no choice but to send the army on her." He threatens.

"Where is she?"

"In the city. Killing innocent citizens."