Four, badass, powerful ladies are the only ones left to save the world, to rewrite history. Each with their own powers, each with similarities and each with differences, these four women are the world's only hope.
Living in a dystopian future, the...
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SIDE EFFECTS of time travel may include confusion, amnesia, nausea, diarrhea, and death.
AFGHANISTAN, ASIA. 2010
AURORA woke up in pain, screaming as she grabbed her head. Flames came from her fingertips as she bent over and threw up in the sand. Her head was spinning as she tried to figure out where she was, who she was. All she could remember was her first name Aurora, her age, and flashes of the Titans destroying the world. The young Jenkins looked up, noticing a missile heading towards her. She screamed, passing out before the Stark missile reached her.
AURORA woke up once more that day, but this time she was in a cave. She groaned and tried to sit up, however, she was tied down. Glancing around the room, she noticed two men, Tony Stark and Yinsen. Aurora screamed as she felt her arms heat up.
"Ah, you are awake. Here's some water." Yinsen said, passing the water jug to the little girl. Aurora took a sip, coughing violently as the water went down her throat. Blood came from her mouth, dripping down her chin.
"Where— where am I?" She asked weakly, coughing out more blood.
"Afghanistan. May I ask how you got here?"
"I— I don't know. I— I—" Aurora didn't finish her thought as she passed out again.
TONY flickered awake, disoriented. A tube protruded from his nose. He noticed Yinsen, humming a tune as he shaved by a broken mirror, along with a young girl, barely awake, strapped down to a chair. However, the thing that caught his eye the most was the jug of water. He tried to speak, Aurora waking up to see Tony, her eyes widening. She remembered a bit about her life after seeing him. Aurora could hear Doctor Stanley's voice.
'Grow on Tony Stark's journey with him, guide him to make the right choices.' Of course, she couldn't remember who Doctor Stanley was or why she had to join Tony Stark, but she knew that the man hooked up to the car battery was Tony Stark. She watched as Tony ripped the nasal tubes from his nose, both him and Aurora gagging.
"...Water...water," Tony said in a hoarse voice. Yinsen kept humming while Aurora tried to grab the jug. She wiggled around in her chair, trying to move her legs but she couldn't. Tony yanked the IV from his arm and stretched for the water, but was stopped by a wire under his chest bandages.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, both of you," Yinsen said. Tony followed the wire with his eyes and found it hooked up to a car battery. Meanwhile, Aurora tried to move her legs but quickly noticed that they didn't move, in fact, she couldn't feel them at all. Her eyes became heavy and the room became black.
YINSEN stirred a bubbling pot on the furnace, flickering glances at Tony and Aurora. The seven-year-old stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She stared at Tony as he eyed the bulky chest-piece protruding from his fresh bandages.
"I never got your name girl," Yinsen said as he locked eyes with the little girl's chocolate brown eyes.
"Aurora... my name is Aurora. What's your name?"
"Yinsen."
"Nice to meet you Yinsen. Uh, do you, do you know what happened to my legs? I can't feel them," Aurora asked in a quiet voice, Tony also listening to the two's conversation.
"Abu said he found you in the sand nearby a Stark missile and brought you here. You were on fire when they found you," Yinsen explained. Tony frowned, glancing over at the young girl. He couldn't help but realize how many Americans he had killed and injured with his weapons. How many other little girls were practically paralyzed because of him?
"What have you done to me?" Tony asked, looking down at his chest. Aurora glanced over from her chair, her eyes scanning Tony's face as he looked down at his chest piece.
"What did I do? I removed what I could, but there's a lot left headed for your atrial septum. Do you want a souvenir?" He tossed Tony a jar with scores of bloody Christmas tree-like barbs. Tony regarded the 'shrapnel' he owned the patent to and let the jar drop. Aurora just watched curiously. "I've seen many wounds like this in my village. The walking dead we called them because it took a week for the barbs to reach vital organs. I anchored a magnetic suspension system to the plate. It's holding the shrapnel in place...at least for now." Tony sat upon his cot, struggling as he notices a surveillance camera on the wall. Aurora followed his eyes. "That's right, smile." There was a pregnant pause. "We met once — at a technical conference in Bern."
"I don't remember."
"You wouldn't. If I'd been that drunk, I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a talk on integrated circuits."
"Where are we —?" Before Tony's question could be answered, the door-slat flew open, a pair of dark eyes staring in. Yinsen dropped his spoon, placing his hands on his head.
"Stand up! Do as I do. Now!" Aurora's eyes widen in fear as Yinsen helped Tony stand up. "Listen to me, whatever they ask you, refuse. Do you understand? You must refuse. And you, Aurora, pretend to be asleep, now!" As the door opened, Aurora squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of what could happen if she didn't. Abu Bakar entered with two armed henchmen, Ahmed and Omar.
"Welcome Tony Stark, the greatest mass murderer in the history of America. It's a great honour," Abu said in Arabic, Aurora squeezing her eyes shut even more.
"He says welcome Tony Stark, the greatest mass murderer in the history of America. He is very honoured," Yinsen translated. Abu looked Tony up and down.
"I want you to build this for me — the Jericho missile you were demonstrating," Abu said, holding out a photo: a surveillance image of the Jericho Missile launch.
"You will build for him Jericho missile you were demonstrating," Yinsen said.
"...I refuse," Tony said, Yinsen backhanding Tony across the face, going ballistic.
"You refuse? You will do everything he says. This is the great Abu Bakar. You're alive only because of his generosity. You are nothing. Nothing. He offers you his hospitality, and you answer only with insolence. He will not be refused. You will die in a pool of your own blood." Abu, spooning down Yinsen's food, threw a look of smug satisfaction. He headed out, the door slamming shut. Aurora opened one of her eyes. "Perfect. You did very well, Stark." Tony looked utterly perplexed. "Good, I think they're starting to trust me." He went back to cooking, Aurora raising a brow. "Well, that's the end of my plan."
