Natasha Stark: Arrival

Chapter 4:

Tasha: Three and a half hours later I was home. I stopped the car, shutting it off. I took a deep breath. I hated being here the past two weeks. I got out of the car, then started towards the house. My pace was slow, and I unlocked the door.

When the door opened, I wanted nothing to call for my mom ask her what was for dinner. But that wouldn't happen.

My house smelled like home, unlike Tony's house. It still had a strong sent that came from my mom's strong drugs she had been on the last few weeks. It still smelled like my mom's favorite foods, her perfume, along with everything she had left out in her passing. My grandparents were cleaning the house out later. I went up the stairs to my room. I looked down at the few boxes I had packed. Then I started packing up the last of my stuff.

As I packed, I looked carefully at each individual thing. The pictures of my mom and I, the inventions my mom used to love. She would never admit it, but I think she always loved my dad. I used to imagine finding my dad and then bringing him to her. Of course, when I got a little older, I realized they had divorced for a reason. Then, when my mom got sick, I imagined it again. That is until I started hearing of Pepper Pots, the new girl of Tony Stark's eye. But I took the measures to keep my mom from knowing. I blocked the words Pepper Pots and Tony Stark from ever coming up on the web pages. I kept E News and other possible shows from appearing on our cable. I wouldn't let her see the magazines. For all I knew, my mom died never knowing of Pepper. That was the way I liked it.

I finished packing and made some quick dinner. Really, that entailed throwing a HotPocket in the microwave. I let the food cool as I packed the car full of boxes. As I ate, my grandparents called, saying for the millionth time they could fight my mothers will in court. I once again turned them down. As much as I didn't know anything about Tony Stark, I knew my mother had a reason for her will. And I wanted more than anything to honor it.

After eating, I went into my room one last time. It was empty. I liked the empty.

I closed my eyes. As I did so, I felt my back. It had been a while since I had let them free.

In my back there was six inch by inch balls embedded in my skin. You couldn't see them from the surface, except a little centimeter black circle of each. Not changing my appearance much at all, but making a world of difference.

I shrugged, exaggerated like it had to not be confused with a simple, non-shelant shrug, followed by three shoulder rolls on each side. One, two, three, one, two, three. As I did so, a suit grew. And when I say a suit, I don't mean some cheap tux. No, I don't even mean a suit like Captain America's. An Iron Man suit grew over my skin, forming to my body. Once the suit was fully formed, I hit a button right in the crook of my neck, where my skull met my spine. Then, a helmet formed over my face.

"Nice to see you again, Tasha," my computer system, AVIS, said in her female voice.

"It's been too long AVIS," I said, with a smile, "I think I'm due for a flight."

"You may want to open a window," AVIS said.

"You'll be fine," I said, "Not like anyone's going to care anyway" The rocket propulsion in my feet started to warm up. I ran at my window, then leapt out into the night, only to fly up into the sky.