The Rise of The Guardian

I'm Not Going to Vegas

A part of me has only ever wanted to be normal, have a normal family, normal friends; I even wish I had a normal brain sometimes. That was not in my genetics, and fate had other plans for me. I was not meant to have a father who cared enough to pay any attention to me, and my mother passed before I could remember her voice.

I felt the water swell underneath my surfboard, and I began to paddle to catch the wave. When riding a wave, I feel as though all of my problems are gone, letting me just focus on the water and my board. The wave brings me ashore, and my brief moment of peace ends.

As I approached the gate to the stairs back up to the house's deck, I noticed Pepper looking at me with disappointment. I knew it was disappointment because her stance, arms crossed and head slightly tilted to the side. I gave her a small wave as a peace offering and took out my key to unlock the gate. As I stepped onto the deck, I could feel her staring at me, expecting me to say something or give her some excuse as to why I was not on the flight to Las Vegas. I didn't have an answer for her, not one she would like at least.

"Alex, you should be landing in Las Vegas right now with your dad." I placed my surfboard against the railing and turned around to look at her.

"Yes, that is where I should be; however, that is not where I want to be. I want to sunbathe on a beach in Fiji, but we can't always get what we want." I responded, walking past her to the outside shower to rinse the sand off.

"Your father will want you there when he gets the award tonight," I interrupt her thought, walking toward her.

"No, even if I were there, he wouldn't notice me. Why should I waste my time being somewhere where I would be invisible to everyone but the press? Because it looks good. That is not good enough for me, sorry." I pushed up the sliding glass door open, entering the mansion. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and peeled myself out of my wet suit as soon as I got there. I walked into my connected bathroom and turned the shower to scalding hot water.

As I waited for the water to get hot, I examined myself in the mirror. I released my long black hair from the braid I put in while surfing. I shook it loose of the shape it held and gave myself a once over with my eyes. I knew I was hot, and I was not in short supply of people who loved to inform me of it. I had some muscles, a decent butt, and breasts that were not too big or too small.

I quickly broke my train of thought and got into the shower. I washed away all the sea salt from my hair and finished feeling refreshed. I put on some plain black yoga pants and a baggy sweatshirt before making my way back downstairs.

"Alex! I can get you a plane to Las Vegas if you leave now!" Pepper caught me as I entered the living room.

"Pepper, I love you. But I am not going to the award show, and I am underage. There are not many fun things in Vegas when you can't drink or go to the clubs." I grabbed the TV remote and flopped myself onto the couch, lying down.

"Alexis Stark! That is not the point; this is for your father. Rhodey will even be there; he is presenting him with the award."

"Poor Rhodey, he will be so upset when my dad doesn't show up to accept the award."

"He only agreed to this award ceremony because of Rhodey. He is going to be there."

"Pepper, you and I know he is not getting on that stage tonight. I am even willing to put money on it."

"You can't gamble, your underage remember." Pepper strolled away to the front door to run errands outside the home.

"That is what I have been trying to say!" I laughed and sat myself up, watching the door shut behind her.

I waited a few more seconds to ensure she was gone, and then I got to work.

I ran up the stairs to my room, locking the door behind me to lower the odds of unwanted eyes on my work. I have been working on a secret project now for a while, something that would hopefully make my dad notice me for once. Unlike what Stark Industry produces, this is not a weapon; it is a type of emergency aid kit. The design is drones that can scan the human body to identify the urgent health needs of an individual and provide treatment if needed. They can close open wounds to stop bleeding, be an automatic external defibrillator, and notify paramedics of the individual's location. I am still trying to program them to be able to provide life-saving medication; however, it will require them to do organ scans and blood tests.

I pull up the schematics on my computer and take out the prototype I have been working on. I am trying to solve the power issue; currently, one body scan drains 75% of the battery. In a computer simulation of an individual in a car accident, the drones cannot complete the treatment with a quarter of battery life. I have tried increasing the battery capacity; however, it would require me to increase the size of the drones. Keeping the drones as small as possible is a vital part of my design to try and commercialize them. If they are too bulky, car manufacturers will not want to include them in vehicle sales.

I feel like I am at a dead end; there is no way for me to add other treatment options if the drones do not have the battery capacity now to do the minimum functions.

"Ms. Stark, I think it would not be a bad idea to consult your father on your project."

"Jarvis, I need to do this one on my own. If I ever want to get out from behind my father's shadow, I need to have my own accomplishments."

"I think you have accomplished a lot for a young lady who is not even eighteen yet. Your father would be proud of your work thus far."

"I'm sorry, Jarvis, but I do not think my father knows how to be proud of anyone but himself."

Jarvis did not respond after that, and I continued brainstorming other ways to improve my drones.