The Spawn of FrostIron

Cave Meeting

Tony woke up dazed. He was surrounded by several men he didn't recognize. He arched his back in pain as a strange man shoved a circle of metal into his chest. He screamed in agony. The men held him down as he fought to get away. Throwing his head to the side to avoid seeing the hole in his chest he saw a pair of terrified jade eyes. A rag was forced over his mouth and everything faded to black.

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When he woke again it was to a tickling sensation in his nose. He swatted at it only to feel a tube leading into his nose. He gagged as he began pulling it out and saw how long it was. He sat up slowly and looked around. He was slowly beginning to panic. On a nearby table he saw a cup. He reached for it only to be pulled to a stop. Looking down he saw a jumble of wires coming out of his chest. Tony grabbed them and followed them to a car battery sitting on the table with the cup. He gasped in shock. Tony startled when a small hand offered him the cup. He looked to see a young girl standing beside him. "Thank you." He said as he drank deeply from the cup, savoring the water as it soothed his burning throat. "What's your name?" He asked the girl as she sat next to him. "Anselma." She said quietly while swinging her legs. "I'm Tony. How old are you?" Anselma grabbed the hand he offered and shook it. Tony smiled at that. "I'm four." A wave of fury coursed through Tony. What kind of sick fuck kidnaps a kid? He thought with disgust. Looking into Anselma's jade eyes, filled with worry, Tony vowed he would get her out of there. All he needed was a plan. He shifted protectively in front of her as a man approached them. He introduced himself as Dr. Ho Yinsen.

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For the next three months Tony and Yinsen worked relentlessly. Tony especially on the small suit he was building to connect to his. It was designed to protect Anselma from bullets and fire. He took extra care in providing protection for her. Once everything was ready the plan was put into action. It went horribly wrong. They lost Yinsen and Tony lost control of his anger. Anselma cried for Yinsen as they soared above the large cloud of flames.

Tony cursed as they plummeted to the ground. He hissed in pain once they landed harshly in the sand. He quickly ripped off the destroyed suit and helped Anselma out of hers. He looked her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. He sighed in relief when he saw she was fine. "Come on Selms," He said quietly while pulling her into his arms. "Let's go home." Anselma laid her head over his heart and gently laid a hand over his reactor. She closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep. Tony pulled his over shirt over her head to protect her from the sun. He stumbled through the sand in hopes of finding someone to help them.

Hours later Tony slowed to a stop as he heard the blades of a helicopter slicing through the air. He waved his free arm in the air frantically. The helicopter slowed and landed a dozen yards in front of them. Tony sunk to his knees in relief when he saw Rhodey running towards them. He allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness once he was safe beside Rhodey in the helicopter and Anselma was snug in his arms.

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Two weeks later Tony officially adopted Anselma as his own. Neither could have been happier.