Stealing Hearts

Chapter 12 - Expo Gone Wrong

Veronica Stark's POV

After my kind of fight with Tony, I feel absolutely horrible. Maybe I am being too harsh and I should've forgiven him and now the guilt is eating away at me. "Happy, do you think I was too harsh with Tony?" I ask Happy who I have always trusted.

"Hell no. Your brother hasn't exactly been very responsible. If anything I don't think you've been harsh enough." I look up at Happy sitting across from me and offer him a weak smile.

"Thanks, Happy."

"Of course Veronica. You have always been my favorite, but I miss getting burgers together." I smile at the memory, Happy and I used to go out and get burgers and milkshakes together once a week. 

"Maybe we can bring that tradition back," I suggest to which he smiles.

"I would like that."

.....

June 4th, 2010

Pretty much as soon as we land in New York I am running around like a maniac. Making sure that everything is set for the big presentation at the Expo tomorrow even though I don't know what Hammer is presenting. But it has been mass pandemom and by the time it's time for the Expo I am completely exhausted. But at least Happy is here for it all and Natasha flew in yesterday to help out.

Today I at least get to dress up all fancy later Natasha and I are going to get wasted at my apartment later. "I'll keep the car down here, all right?" Happy tells us as Natasha opens the door for me to get out. Natasha helped me pick out a form fitting off the shoulder black velvet dress with a low back and slit that ends mid-thigh. I left my hair cascading down my back in it's  natural curls not feeling like doing anything special.

"Thank you, Happy." While Tony might not, I always make sure to thank Happy for everything he does.

Natasha and I are in the front row together watching Hammer dance on stage like a complete idiot. The only reason I'm even here is to make sure Hammer doesn't destroy the place with malfunctioning technology. He looks absolutely ridiculous up there and Natasha and I share a look trying not to laugh. "That's what I'm talking about. Thanks for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long, this country has had to place its brave men and women in harm's way, but then the Iron Man arrived, and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us."

"I swear this man looks stupider every time I see him," I whisper to Natasha trying to not laugh at this ubsurdity. 

"Sadly that technology was kept out of reach. That's not fair. That's not right. And it's just too bad."

"Oh lord," I whisper with an eye roll. Now I'm just annoyed. How dare he show up to the Stark Expo and have the audacity to attack the Stark name?

"Regardless, it was an impressive innovation, one that grabbed headlines the world over. Well, today, my friends, the press is faced with quite a different problem. They are about to run out of ink." With that two people run over and take the podeum he was speaking at and move it off stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone!" 

With that drones for every branch of the military rise from the stage. And I watch in complete shock as a horrible feeling that something is about to go wrong fills my mind. Now I am just staring at the stage pissed, did Hammer really use the Stark Expo to show off his designs that were stolen from the suit Rhodey took? "That's a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you. But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theater 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."