And then we were two (Tony stark's daughter fic)

When is a monster not a monster?

Peace. No pain, no cold, no light seeping through her eyelids, it was a sure sign she wasn't awake. There'd been a time, when she was really small. Shiloh wanted to go back there, remember that. She couldn't remember who they were but she knew the moment she was lifted into their arms, safety.

"Weapon's entered rem sleep," a woman in a white lab coat commented as she wrote in a notebook.

No one was allowed in the room, shadows of any kind never touched her, ever. The last time they'd made that mistake she'd nearly escaped. Every inch of her room was illuminated at all times. They didn't allow her so much as a blanket. She couldn't have used those shadows, not yet, but they didn't know that.

"Doc wants another try at using her powers."

"The last time you three morons got in that girl's head you nearly fried it!" The woman snapped. "She's useless if you destroy her!"

"We can't find them, Miss Burrows," a white haired man replied in a seemingly calm tone, though his eyes spat fire. "I don't care if she winds up drooling down her nappy I am going to find them! There is only one obstacle to my plans and I am going to be rid of them! Do, you, understand?!"

"Yes sir," she whispered, unable to meet his gaze as she spun around. "Get suited up. We have to get her hooked up."

They came at her as if she was toxic, their suits covered in enough L.E.D.'s they looked like they thought they were going to space in a flying saucer, not planning to hook a 13 year old little girl up to use her powers like a John uses a hooker.

They couldn't have possibly made the sterile, empty, room any brighter but they would try. Shiloh was turned and poked and prodded, her limbs strapped down as she cried. "I can't! I can't do it! It's too bright!" She wailed desperately.

"I don't need you to do anything, child. It's your abilities I'm after."

____

Shiloh knew what was happening. She couldn't do anything, but she knew. Her abilities revolved around the shadows and, while she couldn't touch them herself, they sure as hell made certain of that, somehow they'd found a way to tap into her abilities without her physical form.

It left a shadow, unidentifiable, without full form. It took the shape of her nightmares, her worst memories, and off it went, dragging her consciousness along with it.

The shadow creature laughed as it tore through yet another SHIELD compound. That wasn't her laugh, it was Doc's. He enjoyed this, the sense of power. Of course he did, he couldn't feel it.

It was pain, unimaginable pain the further he sent her and she knew they were reaching her limits. Shiloh's pained scream mingled with Doc's laughter and it was somehow all the more terrifying. "Hurts!" The creature grumbled as Shiloh arched upward on the table.

Someone struck her and she retreated in on herself once more, curling in the recesses of her mind as they used her to rip and tear at the compound and its soldiers.

____

Tony sat at the battered old table, his gauntlet in pieces on the surface as he tinkered. "Little higher, babe," he murmured.

Ally lifted the flashlight she was meant to be directing at the delicate little wires, her legs swinging absently as she nibbled the peanut butter apple slices Clint had brought over. It seemed she'd picked up his snacking habits but Tony wasn't about to complain, it was better than picking up any of his habits.

"Want an apple, daddy?"

"Hmm? No, no thanks babes," he mumbled even as she jammed a slice into his mouth. "Addy..."

"You don't eat enough," she shrugged and leaned across him to steal his water bottle. "Whatcha doin, anyway? It wasn't broke."

Someday he was gonna teach her all the important facts of life. For example, the saying, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it?' bullshit. "Babydoll, we're Starks, ok? We don't settle for it isn't broke. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, dreaming up the next big thing before anyone even realizes it's the next thing. That's what makes us the best, keeps us ahead."

"You're showing off, daddy," she laughed. "So, Whatcha doin now?"

"Upgrading, staving off the boredom. I'm dying here, kid."

There was a thud outside and she leaned off to glance through the window, "you could go outside?"

Tony grunted noncommittally and began twisting two wires together. "Go and grab him for me, would ya babes?"

Addy rolled her eyes and hopped off the table, skipping toward the front door and onto the porch. It was a pretty typical cabin porch, wrapping around the whole of the little house. The little girl leaned onto the railing on her belly with a grunt, watching Steve curiously. "Whatcha doin, Cap?"

'Burning off some frustration before I strangle your father for getting grease all over the kitchen,' he huffed internally. "Chopping some wood, kiddo. Nights are getting cold. You ok?"

She nodded and snatched a leaf from the overgrown box woods that framed the porch. "Daddy's bored. He sent me to get you."

"Lucky me?" He sighed and ripped a log in half. "Why don't you run and find Nat, Addy."

"Hey, Cap. Thought," tony murmured, though Steve couldn't actually see him for the bright light shining in his face. "Notice anything about the thing that dropped my tower...?"

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You get a twofer! Yay!