IRON MAN 2 (BOOK 7)

The Senate

"Been a while since I was up here in front of you. Maybe I'll do us all a favour and just stick to the cards. There's been some speculation that I was somehow involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and on the rooftop..." Tony Stark said as he stood in front of the flashing photographers and news reporters.

"Sorry, Mr Stark, do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared despite the fact that you sorely despise bodyguards?" Catherine, the reporter asked.

"Yes." Tony answered.

MOSCOW

"And this mysterious bodyguard was somehow equipped with an undisclosed Stark high-tech powered battle..." The reporter continued to talk.

"I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero." Tony Stark said as he was looking down at her.

"I mean, let's face it, I'm not the heroric type. A laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public. The truth is... I am Iron Man." Tony said as he was looking over the crowd of people.

"Ivan. Vanya. That should be you." Anton Vance, father of Ivan Vanko said as he laid in his bed watching the old tv that showed the news of Tony Stark's interview. The old men coughed a few times, making Ivan look in the direction of the room where his father was and enter.

"Don't listen to that crap." Ivan said as he gave his father a shot of vodka and wiping the corner of his mouth. 

"I'm sorry. All I can give you is my knowledge." Anton said as he coughed a few more times and took his final breath. Ivan is naturally distraught. Takes a swing of vodka. Pulls out blueprints for an arc reactor. 

"270 at 30 knots. Holding steady at 15000 feet. You are clear for exfiltration over the drop zone." The pilot said over the comms as it was flying a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.

6 MONTHS LATER

LORA'S POV

It has been three weeks since I came from Nepal after the whole Shambhala and Lazarevic hunt. Now I'm at the house with William, sitting on the couch watching TV of the Grand Opening of Stark Expo with Riley curled up next to me and napping. We're waiting to see Stark, but then I hear my phone ringing, making me lean forward and grab it. I look at the name and see 'IRON MAN', making me chuckle.

"Where you at, Stark? Got scared of the height?" I ask as I look at the screen while William laughs a little.

"Still in the plane... Sending you a live feed from the helmet on your laptop." Tony said as he ended the call and I reached for my laptop and opened it. After unlocking it, I opened the app that I had installed to connect myself automatically to Stark's suits. 

"Buckle up!" I said excitedly as I placed the laptop between us and watched the event from Tony's perspective. Opening door in the bottom of an aeroplane. And he jumps out said aeroplane, and gets hit by one of the fireworks that were flying up in the sky. 

"Whoa! Holy..." William yelled as he flinched at the sound of the impact with the firework rocket. We watched him landing on a stage, all very ostentatious. Dancing girls, fireworks. Once he landed I closed my laptop and turned my attention to the TV screen.

STARK EXPO – FLUSHING, NEW YORK.
After dismantling Iron Man suit, Tony waited for the intro song to end as he was looking at the dancers and waving slightly at the crowd with a smile.