The Invention Left By A Little Stark | Book 2

4) A Wicked Game

The Midtown Expressway was a nightmare as per usual.

Traffic was piling, drivers were raging, and there was a general sense of negativity in the air.

Tony was on his way to Woodside to pick up Peter from the Leeds residence. Normally he would have sent a driver or gotten Happy to take him, but he had a fondness for Peter which motivated him to go himself for a change.

His fingers drummed along the steering wheel of his very expensive car as Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' played through the also very expensive speakers. He hummed along to the lyrics and mumbled a few words before slouching in his seat and gazing through the window.

Once the song ended the news program that was on beforehand resumed. The most infamous editor-in-chief in the state showed up on the radio as a result.

J. Jonah Jameson.

Tony didn't think much of the Daily Bugle's publisher and his crusade against heroes, commonly referring to him as a grumpy and bitter old man. Still, he couldn't be bothered to switch the station over.

"That's for all you satanists out there." Jameson was saying. "Seriously, who listens to that stuff nowadays?"

Tony scoffed, assuming that Jameson was most definitely a jazz man.

"Now, discussing something that's actually relevant, today marks the anniversary of the Battle of New York. A purely devastating tragedy that left many scarred, many injured, and many more... Dead. It was a brutal introduction into the world of so called 'superheroes' and 'good guys' and I personally think that if these people - most notoriously the Avengers - even cared, then they'd be doing a lot more today than vacationing and sipping margaritas on a beach, wouldn't you agree?"

Tony's jaw clenched. He refused to look at the radio and kept his gaze solely on the views outside the car window.

"It seems this country is courting bad luck." Jameson continued. "On top of the New York City battle, just last year we were exposed to the truth of secret organizations and schemes. The collapse of what can't be more aptly named than a 'spy agency' - SHIELD - triggered further destruction on our already corrupt world. The Triskelion building collapsed, weapons of the most advanced tech were destroyed, and many lost their lives yet again. One of the most notorious deaths was (Y/n) Stark - the prodigal daughter of one of our leading vagrants, Iron Man. So, who's to blame for this? The heroes of course!"

That was enough. Tony leaned forward again and switched the radio off.

He couldn't believe the crap he'd just heard. Not only about you, but about the Avengers apparently not giving a damn. It was all bullshit. He himself had suffered severe PTSD from the events that transpired and in the months following the disaster the entire team had set up fundraisers and often visited the memorials to share in grieving.

As for the SHIELD collapse? They admittedly couldn't do much about what happened in the capital, but that leak happened to expose HYDRA, to try and ensure that they couldn't hide again. By dumping their information on the web, the Avengers found it easier to locate the bases and get a few steps closer to destroying the organization for good. He and Steve had also visited the funerals for fallen SHIELD members to pay their respects.

Jameson was as ignorant as he was bitter and glub.

As Tony stopped at a red light and fought the urge to run it, he realized where he was now waiting. Calvary Cemetery was visible in the distance.