Streets of Tennessee
On the dark, night, empty roads, Tony was driving, Emma in the passenger seat, while he was reading over some files. But he slightly jumped when the files were yanked from his hands by the little person in his passenger seat. "Eyes on the road," Emma said before looking through the file herself. Tony looked back at the road, and sighed.
"Man. Happy, Happy, Happy," Tony muttered before he pressed a button on his console. "Call Rhodey."
After a couple of rings, a scruffy and confused voice spoke a "Hello?"
"You ever have a chick straddling you and you look up and suddenly she's glowing from the inside out, kind of a bright orange?" Tony asked, causing Emma to stare at him in slight annoyance.
"Really?" She asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, I've had that. Who is this?"
"It's me, pal. Now, last time I went missing, if I remember correctly, you came looking for me. What are you doing?" Tony asked.
"A little knock-and-talk, making friends in Pakistan. What are you doing?"
"Your redesign, your big rebrand, that was AIM, right?" Tony asked.
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna find a heavy-duty comm sat right now, I need your login," Tony said.
"It's the same as it's always been, WarMachine68."
"And password, please," Tony said.
"Well, look, I gotta change it every time you hack in, Tony."
"It's not the '80s, nobody says "hack" any more. Give me your login," Tony said. The two heard Rhodey sigh, in almost defeat.
"WAR MACHINE ROX." Tony and Emma snickered a little. "With an X, all caps."
Emma and Tony just started bursted out laughing, but Rhodey recognized Emma's little giggles. "That is so much better than Iron Patriot," Tony said.
"So much," Emma said.
"EMMA!"
Tony and Emma stop laughing, completely frozen.
"Oops," Emma said.
"Oops," Tony said.
"YOUR MOM HAS BEEN WORRIED SICK."
"Figures," Emma muttered before she straightened up straight. "You know, I told her where I was going."
Elk Ridge High School
Outside of the school, while there was a beauty pageant happening inside, Tony and Emma were in a news station van, on a computer. But as Tony was getting ready to log into Rhodey's account, they heard a man walking up to the van.
"Do not erase a programme from my DVR unless you are 100% sure...because you erase my shows!"
"I think we have incoming," Emma whispered to Tony.
"Glasses," Tony said and Emma quickly pulled out her fake black lined glasses, putting them on, right as the cameraman opened the van door.
"We talked about this," he said but noticed Tony and Emma's backs to him. "Excuse me, sir and-" Emma turned to him with a confused look. "-girl. I don't know who-"
Tony then turned To him, causing the cameraman to stammer in fanboy. "Shh," Tony whispered, his index finger to his lips.
"Mom, I need to call you back. Something magical is happening," he said before he hung up, his eyes still on Tony. "Tony Stark is in my van."
"Shh. Keep it down," Tony said.
"Tony Stark is in my van!" The cameraman exclaimed.
"No, he's not," Tony said.
"No, he's not," Emma said.
The cameraman looked at Emma in confusion, now remembering her. "Who are you?" He asked.
"No one," Emma said.
"No one," Tony said.
But the cameraman still looked confused. "Eyes back here, buddy," Tony said and the cameraman looked at him.
"I knew you still alive," the cameraman said.
"Come on in. Close the door," Tony said and the cameraman got in the van and closed the door behind him, still very giddy. "Shhh..."
"Oh, wow. Can I just say, sir-" the cameraman started.
"Yep," Tony said with a smile.
"I am your biggest fan," the cameraman said.
"Okay. First, is this your van? Is anyone else gonna come in?" Tony asked.
"No, no, no. Just us," the cameraman said with a smile still.
"Great. What's your name?" Tony asked.
"Gary," the cameraman said.
"Gary?" Tony asked before he looked at Emma.
"Gary," Emma said before she and Tony looked back at Gary.
"Oh, wow," Gary muttered, walking a little closer, but Tony put his arm across Emma, and holding up his other one towards Gary.
"Right there is fine," Tony said and Gary stopped in his place.
"Okay," Gary muttered.
"Okay? I get a lot of this, it's okay," Tony said with a smile, and Gary smiled too. But Emma just stared at Gary frowning. She kinda wished she had opportunities like Tony did. Fans meeting her, and completely freaking out. Though Tony didn't want her in the media, to protect her, but sometimes, Emma wished she was because it would make her life just a bit easier. The lying would stop. The isolation could stop.
"Oh, good. Can I just say?" Gary asked.
"What do you want?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. I don't know if you can tell, but I have, like, patterned my whole look after you," Gary said and Emma eyed him, seeing he looked like the washed over version of Tony Stark. "My hair's a little..."
"It's fine," Tony said.
"It's not right, 'cause there's no product in it," Gary said.
"Right," Emma muttered.
"I don't want to make things awkward for you, but I do have to show you," Gary said before he pulled up his shirt sleeve, to see a tattoo of Tony. "Boom!"
"A Hispanic Scott Baio. I'm sorry, is that me?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. It's...I mean...I had them do it off a doll that I made, so it's not like it's off a picture," Gary said.
"Gary. Listen to me, okay? I don't want to clip your wings, here. We're both a little over-excited. I got an issue. I'm chasing bad guys. I'm trying to grab a little something from some hard-crypt data files. I don't have enough juice. I need you to jump on the roof...Right? Recalibrate the ISDNs. Pump it up by about forty percent," Tony explained, while Gary nodded.
"Got it," Gary said.
"All right? It's a mission," Tony said.
"Yeah," Gary said.
"Tony needs Gary," Tony said.
"And Gary needs Tony," Gary said.
"Be quiet about it. Go," Tony said before Gary walked out.
Tony then got back in his chair, typing on the keyboard, accessing the files he needed, with Emma hovering over his shoulder, then a video started playing with Killian, Chad Davis, the woman from before and so many more were in it.
"What would you regard as the defining moment of your life?"
"Well, uh, I think that would be the day I decided not to let my injury beat me."
Tony typed again and another video popped up. "Will you please state your name for the camera?"
"Ellen Brandt."
"Okay. So, the injections are administered periodically. Addiction will not be tolerated. And those who cannot regulate will be out of the programme." Tony typed more and another video popped up. "Once misfits, cripples...you are the next iteration of human evolution. Everybody, before we start...I promise you, looking back at your life, there will be nothing as bitter as the memory of that glorious risk you prudently elected to forego. Today is your glory- Let's begin." Brandt's missing arm grew back as she glowed red while the others glowed red and screamed too. "We gotta get out of here! We gotta get out of here! Get her out! Get them out of here!" One of the volunteers exploded.
Staring at the footage before them, Tony and Emma looked at each other sternly. "A bomb is not a bomb when it's a misfire," Tony muttered before they looked back at the computer. "The stuff doesn't always work. Right, pal? It's faulty, but you found a buyer, didn't you? Sold it to the Mandarin. Got you, pal."
Hotel
Somewhere, in a hotel, Pepper and Maya were sitting on a bed, talking. "What happened? Fun fact. Before he built rockets for the Nazis, the idealistic Wernher von Braun dreamed of space travel. He stargazed. Do you know what he said when the first V-2 hit London?" Maya asked and Pepper stared at her heavily. "The rocket performed perfectly. It just landed on the wrong planet. See, we all begin wide-eyed. Pure science. And then the ego steps in, the obsession. And you look up, you're a long way from shore."
"You can't be too hard on yourself, Maya. I mean, you gave your research to a think tank," Pepper said.
"Yeah, but Killian built that think tank on military contracts," Maya said.
"That's exactly what we used to do. So, don't judge yourself," Pepper said.
"Thank you, Pepper. I really appreciate that," Maya said.
Someone knocked on the door and Pepper looked over. She then got up and opened the door, but when she did, a room service pushed in a tray of food, followed by Killian. Pepper gasped as he snapped his neck. "Maya, run!" Pepper yelled, but Killian grabbed Pepper by the arm, spun her around, and slammed her against the wall, holding her by the neck.
"Hi, Pepper," Killian said before he looked to Maya. "Where's the girl?"
Pepper flinched at the mention of her daughter and Killian's grip grew harder. "With Stark," Maya said.
"You'll never find her," Pepper groaned and Killian rolled his eyes.
"Fine. You want to tell me why you were at Stark's mansion last night?" Killian asked.
"I'm trying to fix this thing. I didn't know you and the master were gonna blow the place up," Maya said.
"Oh, I see. So, you were trying to save Stark when he threatened us?" Killian asked.
"There was a small child there, Killian. And I've told you, we can use him," Maya said.
"Pepper. Pepper. Pepper," Killian softly said.
"Look, if we want to launch a product next year, I need Stark. He just lacked a decent incentive. Now, he has one," Maya said before Killian slowly looked back at Pepper, who looked at him terrified.
Unknown Location
Rhodey flew across the sky in his Iron Patriot armor when someone called in. "This is support team Blue-Zero. Sending coordinates for a suspected Mandarin broadcast point of origin."
"Copy," Rhodey said before flew into the coordinates. His repulsor fired, and people shrieked in fear. "Nobody move." But the room was just filled with women screaming in fear. "Oh. Support Blue-Zero, unless the Mandarin's next attack on the US involves cheaply-made sportswear, I think you messed up again." The women started to leave happily, thanking him as they left. "Yes, you're free, uh, if you weren't before. It's...of course. Yes, ma'am. Iron Patriot on the job. Happy to help. No need to thank me, ma'am. It's my pleasure."
One of the women shook Rhodey's hand but her hand glowed red, causing him to fall backwards, grunting. "Savin?" She asked on comms. "I've acquired the Patriot armor."
"If you want this suit, you're going to have to pry my cold dead body out of it," Rhodey said.
"That's the plan, Colonel," the woman said.
America
Streets of Tennessee
Tony and Emma were back on the road, when they called Harley up. "Harley, tell me what's happening. Give me a full report," Tony said.
"Yeah, I'm still eating that candy. Do you want me to keep eating it?"
"How much have you had?" Tony asked.
"Two or three bowls."
"Can you still see straight?" Tony asked.
"Sort of."
"That means you're fine," Tony said and Emma slowly turned to give him a look. "Give me Jarvis. Jarvis, how are we?"
"It's totally fine, sir. I seem to do quite well for a stretch, and then at the end of the sentence I say the wrong cranberry. And, sir, you were right. Once I factored in available AIM downlink facilities I was able to pinpoint the Mandarin's broadcast signal."
"What are we talking? Far East, Europe, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, Syria? Where is it?" Tony asked.
"Actually, sir, it's in Miami."
"What?" Emma asked.
"Okay, kid, I'm gonna have to walk you through rebooting Jarvis's speech drive, but not right now. Harley, where is he really? Just look on the screen and tell me where it is," Tony said.
"Um, it does say Miami, Florida."
"Okay, first things first, I need the armour. Where are we at with it?" Tony asked.
"Uh, it's not charging."
Tony immediately stopped the breaks, and started to breathe heavily as Emma looked at him worried. "Daddy?" Emma asked softly.
"Actually, sir, it is charging, but the power source is questionable. It may not succeed in revitalising the Mark 42."
"See, it's still charging," Emma said, trying her best to help her father, but she had no clue about panic attacks.
"What's questionable about electricity? All right? It's my suit, and I can't...I'm not gonna...I don't wanna." Tony started breathing heavily again. "Oh, God, not again."
"Tony?" Tony got out of the car, falling on the ground, while Emma quickly got out of the car, running to her father's side. "Are you having another attack? I didn't even mention New York."
"Right, and then you just said it by name while denying having said it," Tony said.
"You are so not helping," Emma said. "Okay, um, uh..."
Emma put her hands on Tony's shoulders, trying to get him to look at her, but he just continued to pant. "God, what am I gonna do?" Tony asked.
"Daddy, just breathe. It's okay. Just breathe," Emma said.
"You're a mechanic, right?"
"Right," Tony said.
"You said so."
"Yes, I did," Tony said.
"Why don't you just build something?"
Tony suddenly looked relieved and took a moment on the ground as Emma looked at him oddly. "Okay. Thanks, kid," Tony said before he got up and into the car. "Emma, get off the ground." Emma sighed annoyed before she got up and into the car.