Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

11.

'You okay back there? Why am I asking, I can see your fine. Heartrate's a little fast, though.'

The wind rushed past Sue's ears. She tried to keep her eyes closed as they would dry out from the rushing winds at the high altitude. She gripped the middle of Tony's suit and kept her gaze on the middle of Tony's back. Her thighs clung to the sides of Tony's waist and her ankles linked at his abdomen. Her muscles ached after having to hold on for the flight over multiple states and she was thankful New York was less than five minutes away.

'I don't appreciate the constant analysis of my body's functions!' Sue yelled over the wind. 'Can you fly a little lower, please?! I can barely breathe up here!'

They flew above Pennsylvania and the city lights looked beautiful, but Sue didn't dare look down. Tony made sure to lower his altitude to make sure she wasn't suffocating from the lack of air. This was the only way to get them to New York in time for Justin Hammer's presentation that was destined for disaster.

'Didn't you go into space in a rocket? How is this any worse?' Tony said as he watched the constant rise and fall of Sue's heartrate, body temperature and other vitals.

'This is much worse!'

Tony let out a laugh and decided to do a spin. Sue let out a shriek and tightened her hold on his suit. He wasn't worried about her as he made sure that her suit was almost as good as his for flying conditions. It retained warmth and could withstand a fall into bodies of water from great heights. Although it didn't protect her neck and upwards, Tony would never let her drop.

At the Expo, Justin Hammer danced out on to the stage and babbled on about America's safety. Pepper and Natalie, or Natasha, sat in the crowd. They weren't impressed by Hammer's presentation and the constant jabs he made at Tony. But they had to be there as representatives for the company and for the press photos, but they weren't happy about it.

'Ladies and gentlemen, today, I present to you the new face of the United States military! The Hammer Drone!' Hammer pointed to his right and a part of the stage opened to ascend a group of robots. The American national anthem played as the crowd began to clap at the man that pointed to different parts of the stage.

'Army!'

Camouflage painted drones appeared.

'Navy!'

'Air Force! Marines!

The groups of drones stood tall around Hammer as he indulged in the applause. Pepper and Natalie rolled their eyes but had to admit that it was impressive.

'But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war. Ladies and gentlemen, today, I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes!'

James Rhodes was risen to the stage in a black, bulkier version of Tony's Iron Man suit. A large gun was installed on the back and the arms were bulked with missiles and weapons. The arc reactor that powered the suit glowed white instead of Tony's iconic blue, and Pepper sat with her jaw open at the sight.

'For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for-'

Justin was cut off from the noise of something coming from a far. The audience looked over their shoulders as Tony let Sue slip off his back and drop to the floor as gently as he possible could. Landing on the stage, the audience roared and stood to their feet as Tony stood up in all his glory.

'We got trouble,' Tony said as he walked to stand next to his friend.

'Tony, there are civilians present,' James sighed, Tony waving to the crowd with his arm around the suit that was stolen from him. 'I'm here on orders. Let's not do this right now.'