Mission Report

Shock

        He freezes, the voice sparking a memory in his head. He slowly turns around to face the unknown man behind him... "Dad"?

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*edited*
Tony POV

My entire body jolts in shock. My mind goes blank as I slowly recognize the voice behind me. I slowly turn my rigged body around knowing who I'm about to see but not really ready to see him.

" Dad?"

"Hi." He says awkwardly.

"What- how- can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on here," I ask in pure shock.

"Sit down bud..." he says to me slowly. We both go over to the work table and sit down.

"You're dead." He bluntly starts off.

"Well, thanks for the clarity! Here I thought I was at a pizza party," I say sarcasm lacing my voice.

He chuckles, "Yeah, I probably should have started that better. This place here, looks like something from up there right? From the living world?"

"Ya, it's an exact replica of my lab..." I say slowly.

"When you enter the afterlife, which is where we are now, you get taken to a place that is at least somewhat familiar to you so you can feel a little bit at home," he explains. I stay silent and wait for him to continue. "You also get people you are familiar with come see you in order to help with taking everything in. That is where I came in."

"So... now what? Is it exactly like the living world down he-" a familiar soft urgent voice cuts me off.

"Is he here yet Howard?" the soft voice asks from just outside my lab's doors. I look up and am met with the kind loving smile I remember so well.

"Hey, mom..." I start.

"Tony..." she never finishes what she was going to say before she quickly walked up to me and embraced me in a tight hug. "Look at you..." she continues. Neither of us said anything in return as she continued hugging me tightly. When she eventually pulled away, she sat us down again next to my father.

"Heh... who knew my next family reunion would be in the land of the dead..." I chuckle looking around. They both chuckle.

"Tony... what happened to you?" she says, looking down at my arm. I look up at them with confusion.

"I thought you guys knew all this since you were sent here knowing I was dead and needed to help me adjust," I say.

"All we were told was that you were dead and they brought you to this exact place and we are supposed to explain the whole being in the underworld thing," Dad says in return. "What did happen to you," He said with concern, an emotion I never really had the pleasure of getting from him.

"Oh, it's a long story..." I say, hoping that they'd move on.

"Well, we've got time, c'mon, talk to us," mom says soothingly. I hesitate. I've never had this sort of relationship with my parents. Never really vented or talked out my problems. We were never this close. This normal. But I think back to the family I lost. The family I always felt free with. The family I could count on in everything and I want that again. So I start.

"Well... after you guys passed, I went down a very dark path. I got involved with all the wrong people and really let myself go. The only thing that I kept the same was the weapons manufacturing business for Stark Industries. Obidiah was always there to bring me back whenever I needed it. Then one day after a presentation for some new missiles, we were bombed and I was kidnapped by terrorists who wanted the formula to make the missiles. They locked me in a cave-like place with this one man, doctor Yinsen. When they bombed us, many pieces of shrapnel went into my heart and caused my health to decline fast. Yinsen did what he could to save me, and together we drafted a plan to build a suit that would eventually get us out while making it seem like we were making the missiles for them. That was how we got that," I say pointing to the bulky gray suit. I managed to escape then, later on, found out that Obidiah was actually planning against me," I continue making my father's eyes widen slightly, "After defeating him I decided to make the Iron Man thing official and continued on with that. Then everything started going wrong. A sparky God randomly showed up because his reindeer helmet-loving psycho brother showed up and wanted to take over earth, Oh and Cap's out of the ice- out of all the stories you told me, you never mentioned how annoyingly optimistic he is."