"But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face" 
- Adele

Roaming around the Stark manor wasn't an easy task, even for the most skilled stalker. The property had a wonderful garden but it also had enormous and curtain-less windows that gave an uninterrupted view not only on the backyard and the street, but also on the sides of the house. The man, dressed exclusively in black clothes and brave – or stupid – enough to venture on this dangerous land, moved quietly against the walls. He managed to reach the garden without being spotted and squeezed the hand of his gun between his fingers. He was only there to check the place out : if everything went according to plan, he wouldn't even have to use his weapon. That's what was planned : he would still use it willingly. Cautiously, he dared to look through a window. He analysed the room in detail : the glass table, the metal chairs, the contemporary styled kitchen, the most sophisticated household appliances... He finally saw her. She was there, right in front of him : his target. Harper Stark was in his hand's reach : he could've broken the window and taken her away in an instant. After all, he had been trained that way. He still decided to hold back : he could never compare to Iron Man. Instead, he took out his camera and started taking some shots. With his eyes fixed on the small machine's screen, he was focusing on the girl when a shooting pain stunned him all of a sudden. He tried to come back to his senses and when he touched his eyebrow, he felt the dampness of fresh blood on his fingers. He turned around : too late. One second, he was face to face with Iron Man himself. The other, he was unconscious. 

***

  "What are we gonna do with him ?" asked Harper, who tried to hide her fear as best as she could.

  "I'll interrogate him. I'll use the elements that the detective gave me after your attack at the grocery store as pressure."

  "The other guy didn't say anything ?"

  "Unfortunately, no. We had his identity and found his criminal record but...nothing conclusive, Tony explained."

  "I guess you're going to question him in a civilised way ?" Pepper asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "Pepper, this is about our own daughter's safety... I'll be civilised but I won't hide my impatience for long."

  "At least try, okay ? We don't need any more trouble that we already have," she said. "Harper, are you coming ?"

  "No, I want to stay," she said in a stern tone. 

  "What now ?" Tony almost gasped.

  "I want to be there. If he knows how tu put an end to all of this madness, then I'll help Dad make him talk."

  "Harper," Tony said, "this might not be a good idea. With your recent panic attacks..."

  "I can control myself, I promise."

  "Fine," Tony sighed. "I should know that you won't change your mind. Let's go."

  Father and daughter entered the small room in which they had locked up the spy. It was a secured place located next to the cave where they stocked wines and old scotches. Tony locked the door behind him and Harper sat right in front of their prisoner, on the other side of the table.

  "Name ?" Tony asked.

  -"Borough." 

  "First name ?"

  "Neil." 

  The man sniggered, proud to make fun of them.

  "You really think it's worth anything anymore ? Hiding the truth from us ?" Tony mocked him. "You're locked up in here and you're not getting out until you've told us everything. I'll ask again. Who are you ? "

  "Alex Harrison."

  "Who do you work for ?"

  "Alex Harrison."

  "We're supposed to believe that ? That no one sent you here ? We know damn well that whoever you're working for is trying to kidnap my daughter. Who ?"

  The man looked at each of them, right in their eyes, a creepy smile upon his face. His eyes only expressed madness and his hands, handcuffed to the table, where shaking nervously.

  "Talk !" Tony yelled with his palms laid on the table.

  "Easy." Harper tried to calm him down. "I know how we can get him to talk."

  Intrigued, Tony watched his daughter placing her index finger on the back of that guy's hand.

  "See, Alex, I think you're gonna tell us absolutely everything. Everything."

  Tony only understood the scared grimace of the prisoner when he saw the fine trickle of smoke rising up from the man's skin, right where Harper was touching him. He understood right away what she wanted to do. Though part of him wanted to stop her, the other one knew this would make him talk. He let her do her thing, watching her in action.

  "It's a pity you tried to spy on us like that," she continued with a sulky pout.

  Her finger slowly went up his arm, leaving a trail of burnt skin on its way. As to Harrison, he gritted his teeth so hard that he was shaking. 

  "Really ! You could've thought of a smarter way to do it : there are cameras everywhere !" she giggled. "Maybe you expected less security measures ? At the Stark's ? How silly of you."

  She lifted her finger, momentarily stopping her torture and gave him a searching look.

  "Now...who do you work for ?"

  "I won't tell you...ever."

  The man spat at the young girl's face. Without stepping back, she wiped the gob of spit of her cheek and never broke eye contact.

  "I think you got me wrong... You're gonna tell us everything, whether you want it or not."

  She raised her hand, a few inches from the table, her palm oriented towards the ceiling. She closed her eyes for a second and when she opened them again, a glowing flame was born in the palm of her hand. She slightly moved her fingers, causing the flame to grow until it reached a height of about ten inches. She moved her hand towards the man extremely slowly. She could see the flame dancing in his eyes and when it touched the point of his nose, he screeched in pain. 

  "What about now ?"

  "Never."

  "In that case..."

  She let the flame dance on his cheek, this time, and the smell of burnt skin rose in the air. Tony watched helplessly as the scene went down before his eyes. He would've wanted not to recognise his daughter and yet, he knew that's what she was capable of : just like him, she would've done anything to protect her family.

  "Stop ! Stop !" the man yelled. "I'll talk !"

  The flame was gone as soon as his words came out of his mouth. Satisfied, Harper crossed her arms on the table and leaned in.

  "I'm listening."

  "Smith. He's the one who planned it all. He's got this small weapon manufactory and he's sure that if he kidnaps the daughter, he'll convince the father of giving him Stark Industries."

  "Ridiculous," Tony scoffed. "How could he ever think that I would let anything happen to Harper ? She's almost as well protected as our President !"

  "That's all I know. We're the muscles, not the brains."

  "How many of you are there ?"

  "About twenty of us, maybe more. Eighteen years ago, we were only his employees."

  "What happened eighteen years ago ?" Tony asked.

  "He completely lost his mind. He told us he had this infallible plan to get a hold on the whole weaponry market. He told us about it : stealing Stark Industries. Seven years later, he told us that Tony Stark had adopted a child who was...different. He warned us against her powers and we started training. We don't know anything else."

  "Where can we find him, that Smith guy ?"

  "I have no idea. We get his orders from video conference and I think he's hiding in some kind of ultra secure bunker. It's probably from World War II."

  "Do you have any idea where that bunker might be ?"

  "Absolutely none. I mean, I know for sure that it's in the US. That's the only thing we can see about his calls."

 "Fine."

  "What are you gonna do with me, now ?"

  "Surrender you to the authorities," Harper answered right away.

  "Yeah, and don't even think of blaming my daughter for that naughty burn on your face. If such a thing ever crosses your mind..."

  "You won't have a mouth that can talk anymore."