Warnings: language, but it's not bad.
Tony walks into the conference room at the public center with joy in every step. It was ironic since he remembers he had a mandatory alcoholic meeting after the second DUI (Driving Under the Influence of alcohol (or drugs)). He shudders at the thought of the awkward conversations, spilling secrets, hoping that it would heal him more than the alcohol would let him forget. That was literal hell, but this meeting would be different. After this, they could sign the papers. Then Peter would be his son—well, not his son—his kid, no—a child under his care. A bland, feelingless label, Tony's specialty. Shit. He is going to fail. Killed by the stress of taking care of not only teenage but also a young superhero
The great Tony Stark straightens his sunglasses and sits in a chair nearest to the door. The chairs are situated in a circle in the middle of the room. Most of them have been taken by couples conversing with each other and sharing pictures of their kids on their phone. The only one without a partner is the woman beside him; she smiles friendly as he sits down.
"So, you're new here." She starts a friendly conversation. "Did you just adopt?"
He nods to the woman. "Going to, hopefully."
"Aww. That's great!" The lady smiles again, giving Tony an unsettled feeling. It was nerves, probably? "Is it just you or..."
"No, no, my fiancee has a meeting she couldn't leave."
"Well, I'm Jenny. Nice to meet you..." She holds out her hand.
"Tony."
"Nice to meet you, Tony." He cautiously shakes her hand.
"So," She says excitedly. "Boy or girl?"
"A teenage boy."
"Oh," Jenny laughs,"that's going to be tough."
Tony shrugs. "He's a good kid. Although he doesn't listen to me half the time. Is that normal?"
"Yes, very normal," her lips tug upward into a smile for the hundredth time. She appears too happy for Tony's comfort.
"What about you? Have you adopted?"
Jenny chuckles darkly giving Tony an uneasy feeling. "Yes, I have two. A boy and a girl, they both are so beautiful and curious, smart too."
"They sound great." Something is off about this woman. He couldn't figure out what yet.
"Yes, they have me read them a story every night." Her voice changes to something evil and dark. "Have you ever heard the story of the eagle and the woodpecker?"
"No, I don't believe I have." Tony shifts uncomfortably in his seat, this woman seriously gives him the vibe of a supervillain.
"You should know it. It teaches an excellent lesson." With her voice changing to one of an evil character in a fairy tale, Jenny smiles sickly. "Once, there was a wonderful eagle that ruled all of the forests. The eagle watched it all on his tall tower-like tree that stretched so far up you can see the sparkling blue lake to the sea. It rose fifty feet above the rest. No other bird could fly there except the eagle. His nest, his home, was built at the top, unreachable and unattainable. Every day the eagle would raise his mighty, powerful wings and fly over the mountains to admire his work. Forgetting about the destruction he really caused, but the woodpecker never forgot. The smaller bird's hated grew every day until one day, the woodpecker lost everything, and the eagle could have stopped it. Should have stopped it."
"The meeting is going to start soon." Tony interrupts, discreetly grabbing his phone from his pocket to run Jenny's ID. As he swipes across the screen, motioning for a picture, she quietly grabs his arm, preventing him from continuing.
"No, Tony, this is more important. You will understand soon." Her voice changes to a bone chilling whisper. "Have you heard from Peter since you dropped him off at school?"
His breath stops as he yanks his arm from her grip. He remembers telling Friday to update him on Peter. He must have got one right?... No! No, no, his hands shake as he grabs his phone, checking for updates on his kid. Heart dropping as his eyes gleam over the words again and again. 'No information available.' Last time Friday recorded him was hours ago around lunch time. "What did you do?" His voice fills with venom. No one harms his family and gets away with it.
"Tsk, tsk." She clicks her tongue, "Let's not be hasty, Tony. The story comes first."
"You have to be joking."
"No," A shrill laugh leaves her mouth. "No, not at all. Now, where was I? Oh, right. The woodpecker..."
"Alright, everyone, let's start the meeting." A lady pulls up a chair in the middle of the circle and sits down, interrupting the incredible story Jenny was telling for a second time.
"Seriously," Jenny rolls her eyes. "Basically, the woodpecker wins."She snaps, grabbing her phone and stands up, dusting away the non existent dirt from her skirt. "My babysitter just texted me, and she has to leave early. Is it ok if I just come next week?"
"Yes, that's fine." The social worker waves her off without another thought.
"Thank you, Mrs. Fisher." Jenny gives an overly-wide smile, and opens the door, making sure to slam it shut, leaving Tony wondering what just happened. He should be moving, running after her, but all he did was sit there in shock. This was Peter, his kid.
Tony takes a deep breath, biting back the panic attack threatening to surface any second. Clumsily fumbling with his phone, he searches for that crazy lady's ID. All background noises fade as he stumbles out of his chair, hurriedly walking to the door. His eyes filled with determination to save his kid.
"Mr. Stark!" an annoyed voice interrupts his course. "This will not bode well for the adoption."
He glances at the group—judgment and disgust oozing from the expressions. "Mrs. Fisher," He retorts, impatiently. "This is about Peter." and with that said, he exits the room.
The car ride to the tower is a blur of lights and the constant sound of car horns from people yelling about his terrible driving. While the drive broke hundreds of traffic laws, it does not seem fast enough. Tony's panic is at an all-time high. The only thing stopping him from falling into a hole of self-destruction is facts and statistics. It is reasonable for Peter to be alive, right? It is true. It has to be.
Laking his flare for the usual dramatics, the billionaire stumbles out of his car, rushing to his tower like a mad man. Businessmen greet him, the receptionist—that Pepper chose—ask him why he is here early, but all the noise comes in one ear and out the other. His tunnel vision firmly focuses on finding his son. Yep, that is right. Peter is his son.
In less than a minute, Tony is in his lab, ordering Friday to sift through all the security footage and anything else she deems relevant. Although she is an AI, he hears the urgency in her voice.
"Friday, I need the security feed from Peter's school." Tony's hand trembles as he taps a hologram into a semi-circle of evidence or anything—everything associated with Peter.
His AI does not respond, but stacks of files appear before him. The largest evidence being a video from Peter's school. His breath halts as a woman, the one that told him a psycho kids' story, walks into Peter's school. His son's school.
"Friday?" his voice barely audible.
"It is she, boss."
"Shit."
Tony's mind goes blank as he grabs a screwdriver, throwing it through the video's hologram. The tool travels, blurring the woman's face for a moment before hitting the wall. Its sound echoes in the empty lab until it is silent. Shit, this is not good.
A shaky breath escapes his mouth. Millions of thoughts pass through his mind. He will get his son back, and he can't promise all the kidnappers are going to live.
Click. Tony's mind ignites the fight-or-flight response. The quiet sound would not have been heard with the music usually playing or Peter's constant chatter. That soft click, almost unidentifiable, is the safety of a gun turned off.
Within seconds, nano-tech armor surrounds Tony's arm. "You pick the wrong time to try—" The hero's heart stops. "Peter?"
So... I'm sorry for the late (that feels like the wrong word) update. Um... popcorn? 🍿
Also the cliffhanger, I know I am evil. 😂
Most importantly, thank you PRINXIETY_IS_MY_LIFE for editing. I couldn't have done this without you.
Plot holes or anything really, please comment! I don't understand why so many have read this, but thank you!!