The Secrets of Petra (Parker) Stark

10

2018

It had been months since the Ultron incident. The Ultron incident being Tony and Bruce may have accidentally unleashed a human-hating, malevolent android on the earth. In their defense, their intentions were good, and they did stop it in the end, but it caused a lot of damage, specifically to Sokovia. 

As if Tony needed more guilt on his conscious.

"Try to remember the kind of September..."

Tony was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of his mother singing that familiar song. Right. It was show time.

"...When grass was green." Maria Stark stopped singing but continued playing the piano. "Wake up, dear, and say goodbye to your father."

"Who's the homeless person on the couch?" Howard Stark quipped.

A young Tony rolled off of the couch and stood in front of his father. "This is why I love coming home for Christmas... right before you leave town."

"Be nice, dear, he's been studying abroad," Maria said, attempting to keep the peace.

"Do me a favor? Try not to burn the house down before Monday."

"Okay, so it's Monday. That is good to know. I will plan my toga party accordingly." The young Tony walked over to stand behind his mother as she continued to play. "Where are you going?"

"Your father's flying us to the Bahamas for a little getaway."

"We might have to make a quick stop," Howard told Maria.

"At the Pentagon, right?" Young Tony asked, earning a stern glare from Howard. He turned his attention to Maria. "Don't worry, you're gonna love the holiday menu at the commissary."

"They say sarcasm is a metric for potential," Howard commented. "If that's true, you'll be a great man someday. I'll go get the bags." Howard exited the room.

"He does miss you when you're not here," Maria said softly once Howard was gone. She stood up from the piano and walked over to Tony, who was now leaning against the wall, brooding. "And frankly," she continued, "you're going to miss us. Because this is the last time we're all going to be together. You know what's about to happen. Say something. If you don't, you'll regret it."

Howard walked into the room and the young Tony turned to him. "I love you, Dad. And I know that you did the best you could."

Maria kissed young Tony on the cheek and exited the room, Howard following her. Young Tony followed them with his eyes. On the other corner of the room, real Tony stood bye the doorway. "That's how I wish it happened... Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing, or... BARF."

This earned a chuckle from the audience, students at MIT.

Now that he had caught their attention, Tony launched into an explanation of the device and how it essentially allowed people to view and change memories. After informing the students of Stark Industries' funding of all their projects, Tony exited the stage.

As he left the building, a woman approached him. "That was nice what you did for those young people."

"They deserve it. Plus... It helps ease my conscience."

"They say there's a correlation between generosity and guilt. But if you've got the money... Break as may eggs as you like." The woman sounded bitter. "Right?"

Tony said nothing.

"I work for the State Department," the woman went on. "Human Resources. I know it's boring, but it enabled me to raise a son. I'm very proud of what he grew up to be." She pulled a picture out of her purse and shoved it against Tony's chest. "His name was Charlie Spencer. You murdered him in Sokovia. Not that that matters in the least to you. You think you fight for us? You just fight for yourself. Who's going to avenge my son, Stark? He's dead... And I blame you."