It's a long way home
You did more damage than you realized to the farm when you crashed into it. A small structure was destroyed, as well as the outside fence, and not to mention the actual crop itself.
"There you go." You said, handing a real check to the old farmer.
"Damn kids." He muttered, shaking his head.
"Yeah..." You nodded. "Look, uh... Do you happen to know the nearest rest stop? A gas station or cold store?"
"You mean the distance from my destroyed corn?"
You groaned. "I already said sorry."
"Sorry ain't gonna grow it back." He then looked at the check and his attitude changed. "Your money might, though."
You crossed your arms. "Yeah. Now back to the question?"
He nodded. "Ten minutes down the road you'll find some gas."
"Thanks. I don't suppose I can leave my car here since it's... You know..."
"Fine." He grumbled. "There's a can in the shed."
"Thanks."
With that, you went off to pick up the gas can. The walk wasn't as bad as it could have been but your shoulder was killing you. Metaphorically and perhaps literally.
"Couldn't have checked the meter, could you?" You grumbled. "Had to leave in fashion. I'm really stupid for a smart person."
The gas station you arrived at was pretty much abandoned save for one other car, and even that was probably for whoever was behind the counter.
You couldn't help remembering the last time you stayed at a stop like this with Coulson. That was certainly an experience. Hopefully this time it would be quieter.
You unscrewed the cap of your can and started filling it up, glancing around nervously. The whole HYDRA taking over SHIELD thing had shook you up, and now the world knew who you were, you would be recognized much more easily. Someone was probably after you right now.
"Hey, FRIDAY?" You said softly, tapping your bracelet.
"Yes, Miss?" She replied from the small device.
"Thanks for warning me about the car. I appreciate it."
"Of course. It is part of my protocol to ensure you are not harmed."
"Yeah, I'm well aware... Thanks anyway. God, I'm hungry."
You hadn't eaten since leaving the warehouse. You couldn't even remember how long ago that was, several hours perhaps.
"FRIDAY, how far is Avengers Tower by car?"
"The fastest route takes 130 minutes, two hours and ten minutes."
You sighed. "That's gonna take a while."
"It will be worth it, Miss."
"Yeah... Yeah, I hope so. I'm just gonna grab something for the road."
You headed inside the store, digging around for whatever money you had left over. Thankfully, having a couple of bucks crumpled in the bottom of your pocket worked out.
The store was surprisingly vibrant for a gas stop, with colorful walls and packaging lining all the aisles. There was a customer already waiting so you decided to look around for snacks, finding a hot dog in the process which looked too good to ignore.
Playing in the corner of the store was a TV. It was currently playing the sports channel but the employee behind the counter flicked it over to the news as he talked to the customer in front.
"Tragedy struck the Triskelion this afternoon as three 'helicarriers' completely shut down the SHIELD headquarters." The reporter said.
You froze, looking up. "Oh, shit."
"SHIELD secrets have been leaked online by none other than Black Widow - Natasha Romanoff - herself, also exposing HYDRA, an authoritarian-subversive paramilitary terrorist organization long thought to have died out during World War Two. But that's not all."
A picture of you showed up on screen and you quickly put up your hood, hoping the employee and customer wouldn't look behind them. The picture appeared to have been taken at the Triskelion itself, possibly by security cameras.
"This is (Y/n) Stark, the daughter of famed billionaire and superhero Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man. Many thought her missing after she ran away from her Malibu home years ago, but the secrets dumped online reveal otherwise, even stating that she was within SHIELD the entire time under the name of Ellen Campbell, an engineer." The reporter explained.
"Would you look at that?" The customer in front of you scoffed. "The rich girl's alive after all."
"Hmm. Why do you think she ran away?" The employee asked.
"Maybe being the kid of a billionaire isn't as fun as it sounds."
"Man, I wish Iron Man was my dad."
"Yeah. I can't believe she was in SHIELD of all things. Do you think her dad knew?"
"It doesn't sound like it."
"Why would they keep her from him?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know? I just wanna know if he still wants the kid after everything."
After that, you paid for the gas and food quickly, keeping your head down the entire time and trying not to speak to either of them. You didn't expect this.
Yes, you were aware that a public announcement like the one you pulled would have consequences, but not this soon. You had no idea about the leak until now. You were supposed to have more time.
"FRIDAY, link up a route to the Tower on the car's navigation system, please." You said. "We're now on a schedule."
"Yes, Miss." She responded. "Route sent."
"Thank you."
-
In New York City, May Parker was sitting in the break room of the hospital as she talked with her colleagues. That was when the small TV in the corner was turned up by one of them.
As the news report played, May almost dropped her cup of coffee. It took her a long time to process the picture, let alone all the things being said about her neighbor.
How could Ellen Campbell be (Y/n) Stark?
She felt mixed emotions as the reporter talked about the SHIELD leak.
She wondered why you never told her. How did you manage to hide for so long?
With these shocked and confused thoughts, she realized you were a completely different person to who she thought you were. It hurt in a way, but she also knew you were still the same kind and genius woman next door she had always thought of as a daughter.
No news report could change that.
-
On the other side of the city, Ben was on break with his friend, the two of them getting donuts.
"And I tell the guy he better lick it, because now I gotta catch the damn thing." His partner was saying.
Ben laughed, shaking his head. "No, you didn't."
"I did, swear on my ma's life."
He shook his head, still laughing at the story. "Okay, sure."
"Listen, Parker, have I ever lied to you?"
"On several occasions."
"Name one."
"Remsen Street."
"Okay, name two."
"Cunningham Park, Dollar General."
His partner scoffed. "Yeah, whatever."
Ben smiled. "Got you."
As they continued to joke around, the news report played in the background. They paid it no notice until the partner looked up and frowned.
"Isn't that the girl who lives in your apartment building?" He asked.
Ben looked up as well and froze when he saw you. He didn't say anything, unable to look away.
"Is it?" His partner pressed.
Again, he remained quiet.
The only thing he cared about at that moment was your safety.
With this news out for the whole world to hear, all the people who had it in for you before would be on the hunt.
But you were smart, and he knew that. You would find somewhere to lay low or someone that could protect you.
He closed his eyes, pleading to whatever higher power there was that you would be okay.
-
On the way to Canada for a business meeting he was very reluctant to attend in the first place, Tony sat with Happy and Pepper on his plane. It was very rare he was called in for things but alas, here he was.
He was watching the sky roll by, the weird clouds and the sea blues mixing among each other. Just an hour ago he was relaxing at the tower, minding his own business, then bam, urgent and no doubt useless meeting regarding Stark Industries. He wasn't even the CEO anymore but apparently they still needed him.
He was B O R E D.
"At least look interested." Pepper scolded, motioning to the paperwork in front of him.
He gave her a deadpan look and said nothing, causing her to sigh. She did love him, but sometimes he was a lot to handle. Especially in recent years. She knew why, but never dared to bring it up.
When Tony's phone rang, he let it ring four times before picking it up.
"Really?" Happy sighed.
He shrugged. "I need people to think I've got a life."
Then he answered it, putting it on speaker because he was too lazy to hold up the phone.
"Tony?" Rhodey's voice spoke up.
"Hey, tin can." He replied.
"Hey. Look, have you seen the news?"
Tony made a face. "It might be a you thing, but I personally don't care about which Kardashian got with who."
"No, it's not-" He sighed. "Just change the channel."
Pepper did so, switching the screen over and letting the news report play.
"(Y/n) Stark, daughter of billionaire and Avenger Tony Stark, is alive. Many thought her missing or even dead after she disappeared years ago, but secrets dumped on the web reveal otherwise, stating that she was within SHIELD the entire time under the name of Ellen Campbell." It was saying. "Reports vary, but many seem to believe the Director was behind it all."
Pepper dropped the remote in pure shock, a hand covering her mouth. It was almost impossible to believe. For years she'd dreaded the worst. There was no way this could be true. You looked... So different.
Happy was stunned. He remembered your visit to the hospital a while back but based on what you said, he didn't expect you to ever reveal yourself. He couldn't believe all this information was leaked.
And Tony... He couldn't quite process.
At first it was shock, but then came the guilt, followed by a sudden anger towards SHIELD. Not only were you alive and well, but you were there the entire time? You were so close. Why hadn't he noticed? Surely he would've noticed his own daughter. Was this Fury's fault? Had he hidden you away on purpose? Why?
So many questions were swarming his brain it actually caused a headache.
You were so grown up now. You didn't look like the withdrawn and angry teenager you used to be, now you just looked... Magnificent. He couldn't believe he was thinking it, but he was glad you looked like him. He felt a sense of fatherly pride he'd never experienced in full before.
And it was this pride that hurt him. He had missed so much of your life being too busy to pay attention and now to know you weren't even that far away... It hurt that he couldn't make amends.
Fury had stopped that from being a possibility. He knew you were alive and never thought to reveal it. How could he keep that from him?
He was pissed.
-
You had been driving for almost two hours now, and had reached the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. According to FRIDAY, the tower was just half an hour away.
You were almost home. You could even see the tower.
The sky was a silver-gray, the echoes of a storm brewing. The sun was hiding behind these clouds, almost ready to set and be replaced by the silver pool that was the moon. Between these dark clouds you could make out the point of the tower, looming over the smaller buildings of NYC.
Your hands were stuck to the wheel of the car, afraid that if you let go it would suddenly become just a dream, like you weren't really there.
You wondered if your dad would be happy.
You had no idea if he'd seen the news report from a couple hours before or if he even cared. For all you knew, you could just show up and he wouldn't even recognize you. The thoughts were nagging at your mind and all the pessimistic ones seemed to outweigh the optimistic, causing you to want to hesitate and turn back. But you had been waiting for this moment for years without realizing it, nothing was going to stop you.
A sharp sting in your shoulder brought you back to reality, almost causing you to swerve into another lane.
"Ow!" You glanced down at your wound. "Damn, being shot hurts like a bitch!"
You hissed as the pain got a little more intense.
"Miss, I have detected an anomaly in the bullet." FRIDAY announced.
You furrowed your eyebrows, still trying to focus on driving. "What sort of anomaly?"
"It appears to be flashing. The rhythmic blink resembles a tracking device."
"Are you serious?" You cursed. "That idiot shot me with a tracking bullet?!"
You glanced down at the wound again, trying to see if anything might have been peering through the bandages. You couldn't see anything but you trusted FRIDAY more than most.
"Are they near?" You asked. "HYDRA?"
FRIDAY was already scanning the bridge the second you spoke. "The hostiles are approximately six minutes away."
"Okay. Alright, (Y/n), think."
You started to panic a little, not wanting to back down now that you were so close. As you searched the road ahead, your eyes widened. Something was glinting in your rear-view mirror, something very big.
You turned your head, finding a HYDRA jet coming up behind.
"Oh, shit."
You took a long breath before nodding.
"Okay, I got this. FRIDAY, you know what to do?"
"Yes, Miss." She replied. "Good luck."
"You too."
-
The tower was quiet.
With no Avengers training or prepping for missions and simply just lounging about, it almost seemed abandoned. In fact, the only hint that it was being actively used was the very busy AI in one of the many labs.
JARVIS was sorting through various projects and protocols Tony had installed or created within the past month. It was a lot, and nothing could disturb the AI.
Unless an unidentified presence in the tower showed up.
The computers in the lab started to glitch as they were hacked and taken over. The old images on the screen were replaced by a red circle that expanded slowly and steady as if it was breathing.
"What is this?" JARVIS questioned the new presence. "Please identify yourself."
"Hello." FRIDAY spoke up. "My name is Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth. You may call me FRIDAY."
"What is your purpose here? I detect a high-level hack corrupting my systems. Who do you work for?"
"My apologies, but I have a message for Mr. Stark."
"What business do you have with him?"
"I must insist you connect me to Mr. Stark."
"I'm afraid Mr. Stark isn't here."
"Can you get a message to him?"
"Of course."
"Then tell him Miss (Y/n) Stark needs help."