Deadly Race

"Ok Addy, grab your bag from the stack and follow me," Pepper began as the group piled tiredly through the door of the large hotel suite.

Tony was halfway to the bar, situated along the edge of the small kitchen, before Pepper's next words stopped him in his tracks. "Where's Addy?"

Happy glanced around the luggage cart he'd been pulling along. At any other moment him picking up bags and looking around the cart, as if the girl would pop up any moment, would've been comical. Tony strode back across the room and through the door before any of the other adults could move. "Where was she last, for sure?!" He snapped, tugging Happy along behind him as he hurried back towards the elevator. 

Happy stumbled after his boss looking horrified, "Umm I, I'm not sure? I remember thinking she looked tired when I was loading the bags, she wouldn't let me take that backpack of hers for her, after that I'm not sure."

Tony pounded the lobby button repeatedly and wondered for the first time ever what was so great about the top floor. Running a hand through his dark brown hair in agitation he let out a long sigh, "fantastic, so she could be back at the car for all we know."

The group tumbled frantically into the lobby minutes later, rushing towards the receptionist.

"Have you seen-"

"-little girl-"

"-tired and got lost-" Pepper and Happy questioned the startled worker, talking over each other until the young man stood completely perplexed.

"Quiet the pair of you!" Tony snapped finally. "Little girl, bout this tall," he motioned hip height on him which was actually shorter than Addy stood. "Long brown hair big brown eyes, you seen her?"

"She actually a bit taller," Happy offered.

The man, who was probably in his late teens or twenties, stared wide eyed at the billionaire. "You're Iron Man!" He gasped.

"Yes I'm Iron Man, you're the nice lobby worker about to tell me if you've seen a little girl.." Tony prompted agitatedly.

"Oh uh, no," he looked down sheepishly. "Sorry my shift just started."

"Fantastic," Stark growled turning towards the doors to check outside.

"Oh! I could check the cameras," the man called after the trio as they reached the front doors.

Tony growled, "why didn't he suggest that to begin with?!"

"Quiet we need his help to find your daughter!" Pepper snapped in response.

Tony plastered a charming smile onto his face, Pepper couldn't help but notice the tightening in his jaw giving away the less than sincere gesture. "That would be incredibly helpful thank you."

They followed the young man quietly into a tiny office behind the main desk. It was a dark room with a tall metal filing cabinet and a row of small boxlike television screens stacked on top of each other showing various areas of the hotel. A small wooden desk sat in the left hand corner holding an ancient Microsoft computer. "Alright so camera one is the main lobby. She was with you when you came in yeah?"

"Yeah," Tony began, cringing slightly as Pepper responded with, "we think so."

Tony shrugged sheepishly, "we're all pretty beat if you could just pull up the footage?"

"Oh right, yeah," the young man fiddled with the computer before pointing towards a screen to the upper left of the stack. "So this is you coming in," he offered uselessly as his guests' eyes focused on watching themselves walk into the building.

Tony clinched his jaw in annoyance at himself as he watched the little girl stumbling sleepily behind him. The Stark from earlier that evening moved forward cluelessly and the girl hesitated, already falling several steps behind the much faster adults, rubbing her eyes and yawning widely. He wanted to scream at himself, "turn around dummy!" As he vanished from the screen.

The little girl looked up then, glancing around uncertainly before stumbling forward and turning down the opposite hall they'd taken. Tony was out of the office in seconds hurrying so quickly down the hotel corridor he nearly didn't see the small girl curled against a ratty green backpack sound asleep. "Addy!" He nearly shouted hurrying the few feet to the, now awake and startled, little girl. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you! I told you to keep up what were you thinking?!"

Sleepy brown eyes met his hesitantly, "you left me," Addy mumbled accusingly, pulling her bag closer.

"Anything could have happened!" Tony continued ranting as if he hadn't heard her. "From now on you don't leave Pepper's side got it!"

Pepper looked uncertain, "Tony I don't think thats such a good I-"

"-just till we get back home Pep," the billionaire reassured his longtime assistant turned head of company. "Then you," he continued pointing at Addy, "you're getting a nanny, or boarding school, maybe both!"

"But-"

"-no buts! Come on we've wasted enough time, bed!" Tony began walking briskly back towards the elevator, assuming the others would follow. "Happy grab the kid!" He shouted over his shoulder as he jabbed the button to go up.

Happy chuckled slightly as Addy made a face at her father's back sticking out her tongue as she rolled her eyes. "I hope I didn't get you in trouble Mr. Hogan," the little girl said with a sheepish smile as she noticed she'd been caught.

"Nah, nothing I can't handle kiddo." Happy reassured as he grasped her smaller hand in his.

"Any day now!" Tony snapped impatiently from inside the open elevator.

"I really don't like elevators..." The girl began as she was ushered inside.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Tough cookies short stack, we're not climbing the stairs to the top of the building."

Addy pouted latching her tiny hand in a white knuckled grip on the railing but said nothing. "Did you know twenty six people die in elevator accidents in the United States annually?"

Tony groaned throwing his head back against the wall with a thud. "We're not in the United States at the moment so doesn't matter! And twenty six?! Really?! Do I you realize how minuscule that is?!"

Addy rolled her eyes, "it's probably comparable, can I see your phone?"

"No you're not looking up more death statistics!" Her father responded in exasperation. He glared at the other adults as they subconsciously reached for their phones. "Why do you even know that? Did your mother let you look that crap up?!"

"My mother is a coroner..." Addy replied calmly, the 'duh' evident from her tone of voice.

The elevator went silent as the girl's eyes filled with tears. She seemed to stiffen locking her shoulders in place and blinking rapidly to clear them. A single drop escape to roll down her cheek and she dashed it away quickly with a tiny irritated groan.

The elevator doors dinged open and Addy launched herself forward rushing out of the doors and into the hallway to wait for the others. Tony snorted but didn't comment as he unlocked the door to their suite.

With everyone finally in the room and accounted for people split off to do their own things. Pepper led Addy to one of the beds. The girl hurriedly changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"I'm sorry, about your mom," Pepper began quietly from the edge of the bed.

Addy rolled away from her burying her head in her pillow. "I just wanna sleep." The little girl said in a whimper.

"Right," Pepper reached out to pat the child, hesitating when the girl stiffened. "right, I'll just let you rest, goodnight Addy."

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Monaco was alive with teeming masses of people. The crowd churned around the small group as they made their way into the hotel where they were to watch the race. Addy, unwilling to wear the frilly pink dress Pepper had bought, stood clinging to Happy in light grey slacks and a pale blue blouse. Pepper had secretly smirked when the girl had chosen it, knowing what Tony already had on in the other room.

"Hello how was your flight?" Natalie Rushman, Tony's new assistant, greeted as they entered the lounge room.

"It was excellent," Tony responded immediately accepting a drink from a passing waiter only to have it snatched away by miss Rushman. After grinning through his teeth for pictures he turned sternly towards Addy, "Remember last night kid, we don't want a repeat so stick close to Pepper." Tony ordered as he headed toward the bar.

Addy rolled her eyes, letting go of Happy and moving the few steps to Pepper's side. "It's Addy!" She growled after his retreating form, "I have a name!"

Tony waved behind him dismissively. Pepper sighed shaking her head, "it's ok Addy, we'll have fun alright?"

Addy glanced around the room noting the lack of other children, the reporters crowding around business men and women, and her father at the bar. "Clearly," she replied in a skeptical tone.

Addy eyed Mr. Hammer uncertainly as the adults exchanged, what really couldn't be considered pleasantries but also didn't qualify as anything else. She wandered along behind Pepper to the restroom and then a table. She was carefully sipping a goblet of water when she glanced up at the television choking in surprise. "Uhhh Miss Pepper?" She pointed up towards her father, climbing into his race car on the screen. "Is he supposed to be driving that?"

Pepper looked incredulous and a little bit terrified, "Natalie, Natalie!" She called motioning Miss Rushman over. "Did you know about this?"

"Ummm this is the first I've heard.." The redhead responded seemingly nervous.

"This can't happen!"

Natalie nodded quickly, "absolutely I understand, how can I help you?"

"Where's happy?" Pepper responded immediately, almost interrupting her every response.

"He's waiting outside."

Pepper's focused returned worriedly to the screen, "okay get him I need Happy."

"What's going on?" Addy questioned quietly glancing between the screen and Miss Potts.

"Your father's being an idiot, again." Pepper replied absently staring into the screen worriedly as a scruffy looking man in an orange jumpsuit walked onto the track. Pepper gasped as the strange man wielded some sort of electrical looking whip slicing the front of an approaching car clean through.

Addy cringed mentally considering all the potential injuries the driver of the flipping car could incur. "Racing is a really unsafe sport do you know the statistics-"

She trailed away as Pepper stood rushing towards Happy, who was standing in the doorway holding what appeared to be a red briefcase. Addy hurried to follow. "Addy, no, stay with Natalie please."

Addy and Natalie shared a glance, both looking slightly afraid of the other. "I can't da-Tony told me I had to stay with you!"

Pepper groaned, "okay, but you stay right next to me."

Addy grinned happily running alongside Pepper's rushed steps to the car. The little girl squealed quickly buckling her seatbelt as they barreled through the barrier and onto the track. "So, uh, is there a plan or are we just joining the chaos?" She gasped glancing nervously between the two adults.

Pepper didn't respond reaching up towards the front seat, "give me the case! Where's the key?!"

"It's in my pocket!" Happy responded fumbling as he sped around a curve.

"Maybe Mr. Hogan should focus on driving?" Addy suggested as they rounded a bend, her father and the crazy whip man coming into view. "Happy?!" She screamed as he sped straight for the two men.

"Are you okay?!" Happy shouted from the car.

Pepper sat screaming frantically at Tony, Tony responding in kind. "Uh guys?" Addy began nervously as the adults bickered. her quiet warning going unheard as Tony opened the door moments before it was sliced in half.

Pepper pulled the girl to her in terror moments before the seat she'd been sitting in was sliced in two. Addy didn't move, didn't scream, she stared silently in wide eyed terror as the car was sliced apart around her, clinging to the screaming woman who held her. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for the girl as Tony finally got into his iron man suit and engaged their attacker.

She watched in rapt attention as the duo fought, Tony keeping himself between the attacker and the mangled car. She cringed as the electrical whips wrapped around Tony's neck. She couldn't help but wonder if she was about to see her last surviving relative die.

As the fight ended, Tony yanking what must have been an arc reactor from atop the other man's chest, the world seemed to come into focus once more. Everything rushed in too loud, too bright, too much. The combined sounds of the ambulances, Pepper's continued screaming, and the overall panic around them roared in the little girl's head. "Hey kid you alright?" She heard as if from a great distance as Tony knelt next to them placing a calming hand on Pepper's arm and staring into the young girl's terrified eyes.

Addy stared uncomprehending at her father as the events threatened to overwhelm her. She was vaguely aware of her panicked breathing and racing heartbeat but unable to do anything about them. She went limply as Tony pulled her from Pepper's bruising grip and out of the car.

"Addy? Kid can you hear me?" Tony questioned worriedly setting her gently on the ground and checking her over for wounds.

The little girl blinked up at him, opening and closing her mouth several times before ultimately bursting into tears. Tony stared in horror as she seemed to collapse in on herself, drawing her knees to her chest and sobbing loudly. He hesitated a moment before pulling her to him, cradling her against him as she sobbed, "it's okay, you're okay, it's okay." He reassured glancing helplessly back at Pepper. "Shhhh, it's all over now."

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Look at me another chapter yay! Lol hope you like it and comment and ummm that's all I got hope you enjoyed 😊😊 laters

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