Your Little Stark

Ch•17-Eerie

    Pepper pulled me swiftly to the back area of the stage to where Justin disappeared off to. Her heels clicked on the hard floor. That was her angry walk. We overheard Justin talking to one of his assistants backstage. He was arguing with them about being locked out of some systems mainframe.

    "Who's locked you out of the mainframe?" Pepper demanded, not wasting anytime in confronting him.

    "Probably that Ivan guy?" I offered, crossing my arms over my chest, knowing all to well that the racetrack whippy man has something to do with this.

    "No" Justin shook his hands back and fourth in the air with irritation "Just go away, I've got this handled"

   "Have you now?" Pepper placed her hand on her hips. He continued to fight with Pepper for a minute, that's when Natasha took action. She stepped up behind Justin, taking his hand and pinning it behind his back. She slammed his head against the table hard, not caring at all about the pain.

    Justin groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Pepper stood back, surprised by Natasha's course of action. She still knows her as Natalie the Assistant, not Natasha the super spy.

    "You tell me who's behind this" she demanded, hissing in his ear "who's behind this?!" Seeing her in spy mode is actually kinda cool.

"You better tell her" I warned Justin.

    "Ivan Vanko" Justin admitted through his teeth. Called it, high-five to myself.

"Where is he?" Natasha asked urgently.

    "He's in my facility" Natasha then released him from her grasp and ran out of the room towards the exit. I followed after her, not wanting to be left with Justin.

   "Stay here" Natasha ordered, opening up the door and closing it after her. She locked the door before closing it, I placed my hands on the glass "it's safe here" she said through the glass.

    "But I have to help!" I banged on the door as she walked down the stairs to the street. She never answered me. I pulled on the door handle but it wouldn't budge.

    I remembered the front exit. I ran down the hallway, passed the stage and down the isle of chairs. A few stranglers were left behind, they were trying to get out of here like I was. I dashed out the front door to find an army of drones firing their weapons at everything and everyone. The whole area seemed to be falling apart. Explosions followed by flames sprouted up all over the place.

     People were frantically running for their lives. I scanned the ground for anything, a weapon, maybe even a gun. Bingo! One of the police officers must of dropped it at some point because it was just laying there on the floor. Very convenient to the plot, wouldn't you say?

    I grabbed it, trying to figure out how to use it. Behind me, a large metallic foot collided with the ground. My body literally shook from the impact. I slowly turned my head to face my oppressor. It was one of the drones that Ivan built, or Justin built, they're both the same I suppose "uh oh" I took a step back "let's not do anything that we'll regret now, huh? Drones can feel emotion, right?"

    The drone lifted up its arm, assembling it's blaster, ready to fire. I raised the gun quickly, pulling that trigger directly at the blue area on its face, that's most likely its eyes.

   Without that, it can't see or have any sense of coordination "Bye bye!" I smirked, pulling the trigger. Nothing. No blast, no nothing "Gosh darned safety! Why are you always on?!" I struggled with the hand gun.

    The drone clicked it's weapon, that's it, I'm dead. I closed my eyes tight, preparing to die, but it never came. The sound of metal colliding with metal caused me to open my eyes. A Red and Gold suit had swooped down to take out the drone for out me. Dad.

    "Be careful with the gun....!" He yelled from the sky as his voice faded out. I switched the safety off, searching for my first Drone Victim. I ran towards a bush and hid behind the leaves. I looked over the bush, staring directly at one of the Drones. It didn't see me, but it was shooting at a lot of the pedestrians. I raised he handgun and pointed it at the Drone.
First shot, missed.

    Second shot, missed sorta, it kinda hit but the bullet bounced off the bullet proof suit. I tried to remember at home when I shot dead center in between the two picture frames. Sure, it was an accident, but I did it. If I could do it then, I can do it now.

    I focused all my attention on the blue glow in the middle of the drones face, and fired. The bullet whizzed through the air and heading straight for my intended target.

Bullseye.

    The blue cracked. The Drone stumbled around for a bit, trying to figure out what was happening. I aimed and fired again, hitting the blue once more. The Drone fell back, tripping over a fallen car. It landed flat on its back. I ran around the bush towards the fallen Drone. It was still active but not as dangerous anymore. I climbed over its bulky body and used the handle of my gun to bash open the cracked face. Multiple sparking wires were hidden under there.

     I prayed to not get electrocuted when I reached my hand in there and pulled out the wires, the suit stop fidgeting and powered down. The blew light dimmed and faded "One down" I breathed "a hundred more to go..." I rubbed the sweat from my forehead.

    Some people stood around, pointing at me. They knew that I was Jessi Stark, the 10 year old daughter of Tony Stark "What are you still doing here?" I asked, practically yelling "get out of here, it's dangerous!" They jumped and started to run "God I hate stupid people"

                                      ***

    The dim white light on Ivan Vanko's chest began to blink red. Vanko mumbled "You lose" Tony didn't know what was going on. He looked to Rhodey. They both had just fought all of the remaining Drones, destroying every last one of them all on their own "All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here man!" Rhodey yelled, warning Tony.

     "Jessi?!" Tony looked to Rhodey "Pepper!" He took off once more, flying at full speed back to the Expo center "Rhodey!" He called.

    "Yea?" Rhodey replied. He was flying in his tattered War Machine suit just behind Tony.

    "Whoever you see first, wether it's Jessi or Pepper, grab them. You here?"

    "I got it" Rhodey kicked up his thrusters, flying as fast as Tony.

    Jessi still sat on the fallen Drone just outside the arena, she was keeping a look out for anymore. They seemed to be all gone now. She tapped the barrel of the gun on the drones chest, starting to get lonely. Jessi didn't know where Pepper was, or Natalie, or her Father, Rhodey was somewhere.

    She watched as the white reactor in the machines chest started to beep. A red, eerie light blinked instead. She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what was happening.

     "Jessica!" A voice yelled from above. She looked up sharply, searching for the voice that called to her. A ball of light was flying towards her fast. She raised her gun, prepared to shoot, but then she recognized the suit.

    "Rhodey?" She dropped the gun just as Rhodey grabbed her by the arms. Jessi screamed, feeling her feet be taken from the ground. She wrapped her arms around War Machines suit, holding on as tight as she can.

     Below them, the drone that she was just sitting on a moment ago exploded, sending fire everywhere "Whoa!" She yelled, wind blowing her hair all around "Thanks Rhodey. I would've been a toasted Stark!"

    "Don't mention it" He nodded, flying across the water towards the other end of the city "let's get you somewhere safe"