Tony Stark's morning had started like any other. His daughter bounded into the workshop, the tracker bracelet glinting on her wrist as she grabbed a snack from his desk.

"Still don't think I need this," she teased, holding up her arm.

"It's not about needing it," Tony said, smirking as he tapped the device. "It's about your dad being paranoid. Humor me.”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered as she hugged him goodbye.

Now, hours later, that bracelet was his only hope-and it was offline.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony snapped, pacing his workshop, "tell me you're wrong. Tell me the signal isn't cut."

"I’m afraid the tracker was forcibly removed, sir," the A.l. responded.

Tony's chest tightened as his mind raced. Hydra. It had to be. For months, they'd been circling Stark Industries like vultures, searching for weaknesses. And they'd found one.

Pepper burst into the lab, pale and shaken. "Tony," she said, her voice trembling. "They sent this."

She handed him a tablet. On it was a video feed. His daughter sat bound to a chair, her face streaked with dirt and tears. A Hydra agent stood behind her, holding the tracker bracelet like a trophy.