Hi guys! If you've been following me for a while, welcome back to a new story! If you haven't, welcome to my story! I hope you enjoy it, and if you like my work, you could go and look at my other fics! I have an Avengers multi-story universe featuring an OC that I'm currently on the third story of. So, without further ado, here is Genii- That's Genius, Plural!

"Visionary. Genius. American patriot." Fiona turned to Obadiah who sat next to her and gave him a "really?" look. He grinned.

"What can I say? The public loves that sort of stuff." The narration continued. "Even from an early age, the children of legendary weapons developer Howard Stark stole the spotlight with their brilliant minds. At age four, Tony built his first circuit board. At age six, Fiona built her first engine." Fiona had to grin at the pictures of her sitting proudly next to the engine, round face smudged with grease and oil, older brother looking on like their father had done in his photos. "When each was 17, they graduated summa cum laude from MIT. Then, barely a year after his second child was born, the passing of a titan." Fiona didn't really remember her parents, but she still felt remorseful whenever one of their names was mentioned. "Howard Stark's lifelong friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to fill the gap left by the legendary founder, until, at age 21, the prodigal son returns and takes the reins of Stark Industries." The final picture, a Time magazine cover featuring Tony standing looking dramatically off above the camera while Obadiah looked on, floated across the screen. "With the keys to the kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting. Today, joined by his sister, Tony Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry by ensuring freedom and protecting America and her interests around the globe." The lights came up and the crowd applauded. Fiona joined them as Tony's military friend Rhodey came on stage holding a small trophy. He stood behind a podium in the center of the stage.

"As liaison to Stark Industries, I've head the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot and a great humanitarian. They are my friends and mentors. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present the Apogee Award to Mr. Tony Stark. Tony?" A spotlight landed on their table. Obadiah nudged Fiona under the table. Fiona stood up, adjusting the strap of her red dress as she walked up to the stage. Rhodey raised his eyebrows and she shook her head slightly with a roll of her eyes

"Thank you, Colonel," she said as she climbed the three stairs and joined Rhodey at the podium. He handed her the award and left the stage. She smiled out at the crowd.

"Uh, thank you, everyone. This really means a lot, and I know my brother would say the same if he were here tonight. Unfortunately, a, uh, pressing matter came up within the company and Tony stayed behind to take care of the matters. But on behalf of Tony, I once again thank you for honoring him with this award." She bowed her head slightly as the crowd applauded.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Fiona made her way through the casino, scanning the tables and machines for her brother. Rhodey, walking next to her, touched her arm and pointed to a gambling table where Tony was rolling a pair of dice. Fiona stalked over to him. "Can you show up to a press event for once, please?"

"Hey! How goes it, sister dear?"

"You are unbelievable, Tony! This is the fifth time in the last three months you've blown off an event like this. People aren't going to buy the 'company trouble' story for much longer." Tony waved a hand.

"Yeah, they will. They'll believe what you say, you're the humanitarian in our little billion-dollar duo and the public loves you." Tony wasn't wrong- while they had both dived into the weapons part of Stark Industries with huge interest, when she had begun working there Fiona had also begun humanitarian work alongside it. Tony reached for his pile of won chips and held up a fist with dice in it to the attractive lady on his right. "Give me a hand, will you? Give me a little something-something." The lady blew gently on his fist, and Tony moved it over in front of Rhodey's face. "Okay, you too." Rhodey scowled.

"I don't blow on a man's dice," he growled, and knocked Tony's hand away, sending the dice flying and bouncing across the table.

"There it is!" Tony called. "Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes rolls. And...two craps. Line away." The pile of chips was taken away.

"Darn, what a shame," said Fiona, taking Tony's arm and leading him away from the table. Rhodey stopped and nodded to a door.

"This is where I exit," he said with a sigh.

"All right," said Tony, not really paying attention.

"Tomorrow!" said Rhodey. "Don't be late."

"Yeah, you can count on it," called Tony as he began waking away from the group.

"I'll make sure he's there," Fiona said, giving Rhodey a quick hug before following her brother through the crowd. She caught up with him as he was exiting the building, their pair of bodyguards closing behind them and following them as they walked through the parking lot. "Mr. Stark! Excuse me, Mr. Stark!" The bodyguards stopped her as she flashed a smile at Fiona. "Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" Tony didn't turn around, looking instead at Happy, their driver, as he inspected the woman.

"She's cute," muttered Happy. Tony swung around to look at Everhart.

"Okay, let's go," he said.

"You've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"

"Absolutely ridiculous, I don't paint," replied Tony. Fiona rolled her eyes.

"And what do you say to your other nickname? 'The Merchant of Death?'" Everhart was not smiling any more. Tony smirked.

"That's not bad. Let me guess, Berkeley?"

"Brown, actually," she corrected dryly.

"Well, Ms. Brown, it's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, and I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals," said Tony.

"Rehearse that much?"

"Every night in front of a mirror before bedtime."

"He actually does, I can hear him," muttered Fiona.

"I'd can see that," said Everhart.

"I'd like to show you firsthand," replied Tony smoothly.

"All I want is a serious answer," Everhart replied, holding up her microphone.

"Okay, here's serious. My old man had a philosophy, 'Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy'."

"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks."

"My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown would call that being a hero."

"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering." Fiona both hated and somewhat looked forward to watching someone interview her brother. Listening to a reporter's sharp tongue and her brother's cocky attitude could prove quite entertaining.

"Tell me, do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology, or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey," Tony pointed out.

"You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" Everhart asked.

"I'd be prepared to lose a few with you."

"Oh, here we go again," muttered Fiona.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The next morning, Fiona went for a run along the beachfront near their Malibu mansion. Some people might find it odd that now that she was eighteen, she hadn't moved out, but the two shared a bond that had formed the moment their parents had died. When the news had come in, Tony was 17 and Fiona was barely a year old. Obadiah had assumed custody of the two until Tony turned eighteen, at which point the two had moved back into the Malibu cliffside mansion and Tony became Fiona's guardian. He spent hours on end playing with her, showing her how the machines in his shop worked and by the time she was six, she could build an engine unassisted. There were times when the siblings couldn't stand each other, but they were extraordinarily close to each other. They wouldn't admit it to anyone, but they both wanted to know that the other was all right every day, thus sharing a house.

Fiona got back in time to hear the voice of Christine Everhart.

"You must be the famous Pepper Potts."

"Indeed I am," replied Pepper's voice. Fiona peered around a corner to find the two women standing in the living room. Pepper was dressed nicely in a business suit, and Everhart wore an oversized t-shirt. Pepper held a dry-cleaning bag. Everhart shook her head slightly.

"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry cleaning." Ooh, you shouldn't have gone there, Miss Reporter...

"I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires, including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?" Pepper replied smartly, the frosty smile on her face a clear indication that she knew where the victory of the spat lay. She held out the suit bag, and, a furious red blush creeping up her cheeks, Everhart snatched it and stalked away. Fiona stepped out of the hallway.

"Very nice. Is that how all the one-night stands are shown off the premises?" Pepper blushed slightly.

"Well, she was rather dignified about the whole thing. Most of them aren't as...presentable as she managed to be." Fiona snickered as she began walking to the hallway that led to her room, then paused as she remembered something.

"Hey, I've got something for you." She dashed off to her room and returned with a small present. "Happy birthday!" she said with a grin. Pepper took the gift and opened it. She pulled out a blue stone on a gold chain.

"Fiona, it's gorgeous! How'd you know that blue's my favorite color?"

"Well, every year when Tony doesn't remember it's your birthday and you buy yourself something from him, it's blue. So...yeah. Blue necklace." Pepper smiled. It seemed a little sad, in Fiona's opinion, but Pepper fastened the necklace around her neck.

"Thanks, Fiona. You keep me sane working with your brother." Fiona nodded and started back down the hallway.

"See you later," she called back to Pepper. She took a quick shower. As she toweled off her hair, her phone rang.

"What's up, Obie? Tony hasn't left yet, but he should be on his way soon. He's due at the airfield in a few hours."

"I was thinking, Fiona, I want you to go with Tony for the weapons demo. It's an important business opportunity and I think it'd be nice if you could go and uphold the humanitarian side of the company, you know, maybe visit a school there or something. Is that okay? I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine, but-"

"No, no, I'll go. You're right, as you usually are about the company. It would be better for both of us to be there. I'll pack some stuff quick."

"Fi, you're great. I only wish Tony was as good at getting to engagements as you are." Fiona laughed.

"All right, talk to you later, Obie." She hung up and went to get her suitcase out of the closet.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

More than a few hours later, Fiona and Tony were driving along the highway with Happy following behind. Fiona, in spite of being angry about Tony's tardiness, was enjoying the ride through the quiet desert.

Rhodey was waiting for them at the top of the jet's steps. He did not look happy.

"Three hours? Really, Tony?"

"Got caught doing a piece for Vanity Fair," Tony said offhandedly as he walked past Rhodey into the plane. Rhodey raised an eyebrow at Fiona, who shook her head and followed Tony, Rhodey following her, after which the plane took off. What followed was an uncomfortable flight which included Rhodey getting drunk and the flight attendants dancing around a stripper pole- which they had in the plane why, exactly? Fiona stuck her earbuds in her ears to drown out the party music and eventually fell asleep.

Fiona was woken up by the plane's descent. The view out the window was vastly different than she was used to- a landscape of desert dotted with mountains. They were coming in to an army base air strip. It was small, and Fiona could make out some people standing and watching the plane as it came in. When the plane landed and the doors opened, the heat hit her like a slap in the face. As Fiona rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, an imposing man came over to greet them.

"General," said Tony.

"Welcome, Mr. Stark, Miss Stark. We look forward to the weapons presentation."

"Thank you,"replied Tony. True to Obadiah's suggestion, while her brother demo'ed the missile, Fiona would be visiting a village nearby. The plane carried Stark Indutries advanced building materials to help fix the dilapidated buildings and Fiona would assist in the construction. After conferring with some soldiers, the siblings parted ways for the day, each off to perform in their element.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Despite the heat, Fiona was having a very good time. The people in the village were kinder than any New Yorker she'd ever met and could not stop gushing gratitude. She was currently working at the school, laying a new floor. More as a moment of silliness than anything, she pushed her open hand slightly into the drying cement, leaving a handprint. The little girl next to her considered it a moment, then copied her, leaving a much smaller print next to Fiona's. The girl ran and took something from a cubby, returning to reveal a stylus. She screwed up her face in concentration, carving out curving lines, moving from left to right. When she finished, she looked proudly up at Fiona.

"Your name?" Fiona asked, hoping the little girl would understand. The girl nodded.

"Delaram," she said, pointing to the Arabic script. Then she held out the stylus to Fiona. "Now you." Fiona took the stylus and wrote her name next to her hand. By now many of the children had noticed what they were doing and had begun mimicking them, creating handprints and writing their names next to them. The teacher, a young woman who couldn't be that much older than Fiona, gave her a huge smile.

When the Hum-vee came to get her later in the day, she almost didn't leave. The villagers gathered to say goodbye, and she hugged each one of them. Tony was waiting inside.

"I take it your day went well?" he asked. Fiona nodded.

"How 'bout you? Have fun making explosions?"

"Hey, it was a legitimate demons-"

"I was kidding, brother mine." Their bantering seemed to put the soldiers at ease. They had been stoic and silent, but began to chuckle at the siblings' words. Tony started slightly, looking at the driver.

"Good god, you're a woman. I honestly...I couldn't have called that. I mean, I'd apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first."

"I'm an airman, sir," the female soldier replied.

"You actually have excellent bone structure there. I'm kind of having a hard time not looking at you now. Is that weird?"

"She's not going to sleep with you, Tony," said Fiona. Any remaining tension in the vehicle dissolved as the soldiers began to laugh.

"Sir, I have a question to ask," said the soldier in the passenger seat.

"Yes please," said Tony.

"Is it true you went 12 for 12 with last year's Maxim cover models?"

"As if I didn't already have an irritating time of the month," muttered Fiona.

"Uh, yes and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict, but fortunately the Christmas cover was twins."

"Yeah, that was fun to wake up to in the middle of the night." Tony smacked Fiona lightly on the shoulder. She smirked at him. The young man to the left of Fiona raised his hand.

"You're kidding me with the hand up, right?" said Tony. The boy put his hand down.

"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?"

"Absolutely, go ahead," Fiona interjected before her brother could get a word in. The young soldier handed a small camera up to the soldier in the passenger seat.

"All right, I don't want to see this on your MySpace page," Tony joked. The boy held up two fingers in a peace sign and Fiona did the same. The man in the passenger seat was fumbling with the buttons.

"Just click it! Don't change any settings!" urged the young man.

Without warning, an explosion rocked the jeep. Fiona let out a scream.

"What's going on?!" yelled Tony.

"Contact left!" the female driver shouted. She kicked open the door and grabbed a gun, but she barely made it out the door before crying out and collapsing to the ground.

"Jimmy, stay with the Starks!" The passenger soldier yelled, before also kicking open his door. He made it around to the front of the car before a second explosion shuddered the surroundings, sending a blood splatter across the windshield. Fiona let out an involuntary whimper.

"Son of a bitch!" Jimmy cursed. He loaded a gun and kicked open the door. "Stay here!" he yelled forcefully before exiting the car, only to scream as a hail of bullet holes punctured the door. Fiona pressed herself into the seat. She felt frantic movement beside her and turned to see her brother scrambling out of the car.

"Tony! No!" she screamed, trying to grab his arm and missing. She tumbled out of the car after him. She saw him duck behind a rock, reach for something in his pocket and saw the blue and the small wave of dust as something hit the ground next to him. The sand settled. A familiar logo was splashed across a small missile. The world seemed to slow down. Fiona wasn't going to reach him in time and someone was screaming his name and then the world was bright and violent and painful. And then she knew nothing but her brother lying next to her as unconsciousness took her into its soft embrace.

What did you think of chapter one? If you liked it, perhaps you could help me keep it going. I want to give Fiona an injury that she turns into an ability, like the Arc reactor, but I obviously don't want to give her that same thing Tony has. So if you've got any ideas, leave them in a review! If I like it, I'll use it and give you a shoutout at the beginning of the next chapter!

Thanks for reading,

~Ophelia