The Other Stark

Chapter 12

Bruce was already in the lab when they arrived. Steve placed Tory on the stretcher, his white shirt dirty with her blood. As Dr. Banner organized himself around the lab, taking things he would need, Tony went to his sister.

"It's going to be okay," he assured, wrapping her on a hug. She denied.

"What if everyone got hurt? It would be all on me," Tory said through a sob.

"Hey... it wasn't your fault. It isn't now, and it wasn't then. We are all okay. You didn't know," her brother whispered, stroking her hair calmly.

Steve watched the scene, as Tony had more success in calming her down than him. What had happened for her to act like that? When Bruce got near with everything all set, her brother stepped aside. Tory laid down, pulling the shirt all up to her neck, laying with her stomach down, as she wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

"I'm gonna clean all the blood first, it's going to hurt a little," Banner informed, moving closer with a cloth. He started going through all of the cuts, the woman wincing every time the fabric touched her skin.

As the cleaning was the worst part, Bruce quickly finished his job, soon after taking a look at the other wounds and bruises.

"Please get at least one week without training or doing any workouts. I left the cuts with no bandages so you could take a shower and clean yourself, but after that put at least some gauze on them," the Doc instructed her, putting everything away, before handing her some pain killers and leaving the lab.

"Thanks, Bruce," Tory said before he could disappear, still not looking at anyone.

"I'm going to bed puppy. Anything you need, ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call me," Tony said, kissing her on the head and leaving. Only Steve, Bucky and Tory remained in the room. The Winter Soldier exiting just seconds after Stark, wishing both his friends good night.

Tory got to her feet, stumbling, feeling her legs numb. She looked at Steve for the first time since everything happened, his eyes held sorrow and worry.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked getting closer.

"It's a long story," she responded with a dry laugh, trying to lighten the mood of the room.

"I have plenty of time," he whispered quietly. His calm frame soothing her. They started slowly walking back to their room's floor, silent for a moment.

"You know that reactor Tony had on his chest?" she started, staring at her feet.

"Yep. The one he took out a couple of years ago," Steve confirmed as they got inside her room.

"So... he got that some years before they had found you. We both still worked daily on the Stark Industries in LA, there wasn't Iron Man yet and all these crazy things we live today. I was dating back then and I really thought the guy was the one and all that stuff. When Tony was kidnapped, I thought it would be the end. I couldn't handle any more losses after my parents. When Rhodes found him, I was broken, but happy he was alive and back home. After that, things just got crazy. We discovered Obadiah Stane just wanted the company and power and that he was behind everything that had happened: Tony's kidnap, the lies about us he was feeding the media, the bombs that were sold to kill innocent people on our name."

Tory sat on a chair. Steve was on her bed as she continued her explanation.

"He seemed to know everything that was happening inside the house. We found out he had someone on the inside. Ended up being my boyfriend, who was an undercover agent. He informed Stane about everything he could get, all Tony's schedule, where he would be in the next hour, what the company was doing, and of course, the Iron Man suit. Without Tony to hold the whole Starks Industry, he could get the top chair easily. My boyfriend had everything because I had access to everything. When I discovered, it was too late and Tony almost died because of my stupid blind relationship. He had to live with that thing on his chest for five years and I blame myself for it every day. I don't know what I would have done with my life if he didn't survive that terrorist group."