Lyra Redfield has been pushed around ever since she cut ties with the famous Anthony Stark. When fate happens to bring them together again, she realizes just how little her life meant to her. She wanted to make a difference-be better and do better...
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LYRA fiddled with her skirt and shirt that she was simply not used to wearing after being in and out of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the past few months. She stood next to Pepper as the woman scowled at the sky.
"He's really flying in with the suit?" Lyra asked. Pepper nodded. "He loves to make an entrance."
"He's going to send me to an early grave is what he's going to do. Do you understand how much paperwork it'll be if he died?" she teased, holding a clipboard to her chest. "Then, I'll have the mourning girlfriend."
"What a shame it'll be to have to take care of me," she deadpanned with a smirk.
"270 at 30 knots. Holding steady at 15000 feet. You are clear for exfiltration over the drop zone," a voice appeared in her ear as she had Jarvis configured to the pilot's comms in case of a disaster. Music began to play as he jumped out of the airplane, landing on the large stage in front of him in his Iron Man suit. Women danced around him as fireworks went off causing Lyra to flinch as they sounded too similar to the gunshots from Rumlow's guns.
Tony began dismantling the Iron Man suit as he stepped out of it in a clean, crisp suit. He turned to wink at Lyra as the crowd began cheering his name.
"It's good to be back. You missed me?" he yelled in his mic causing the crowd to yell some more. She rolled her eyes at his theatrics.
"Blow something up!" a man yelled in the crowd as the women left the stage to leave Tony on it alone.
Tony smirked at the call. "I missed you too. Blow something up? I already did that." He paused as he looked around. "I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me. I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!"
Lyra smiled at his confidence, knowing he was worried about his health but still putting a brave face for the crowds.
A woman yelled out, "I love you Tony!"
"Please, it's not about me," he said as they still cheered. "It's not about you. It's not even about us. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. And that's why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future. It's not about us. Therefore, what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo."
The crowd screamed in excitement as Tony gestured to the screen behind him. "And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it's all about, please welcome my father, Howard."
