Chapter 3
The screen shows a slide show while a voice-over talks about Toni's achievements. "Toni Stark. Visionary. Genius. American patriot."
"Even from an early age, the daughter of legendary weapons developer Howard Stark quickly stole the spotlight with her brilliant and unique mind. At age four, she built her first circuit board. At age six, her first engine. And at 17, she graduated summa cum laude from MIT."
"Then, the passing of a titan."
Toni, Steve, and Bucky freeze, confusing everyone else in the hall. while the future Avengers look at each other
"Howard Stark's lifelong friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to help fill the gap left by the legendary founder, until, at age 21, the prodigal daughter returns and is anointed the new CEO of Stark Industries. With the keys to the kingdom, Toni ushers in a new era for her father's legacy, creating smarter weapons, advanced robotics, and satellite targeting. Today, Toni Stark has changed the face of the weapons industry by ensuring freedom and protecting America and her interests around the globe."
Toni scowls at the sight of Stane
Rhodey appeared on stage. "As liaison to Stark Industries, I've had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot. She is my friend and she is my great mentor. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to Miss Toni Stark. Toni"
"You're great mentor huh?" Toni asks Rhodey
As Toni didn't show up, Obadiah takes charge of the situation going up with Rhodey. " Thank you, Colonel"
"Thanks for the save."
"Where were you?" Harry asks her "Somewhere far more enjoyable." Toni says with a smirk
"This is beautiful. Thank you. Thank you all very much. This is wonderful. Well, I'm not Toni Stark. But if I were Toni, I would tell you how honored I feel and what a joy it is to receive this very prestigious award. Toni, you know...The best thing about Toni is also the worst thing. She's always working."
"That's true," Pepper says with a smile
The scene changes and now it shows Toni at the casino. "Work it! Come on! We should just stay till the morning."
"Like I said far more enjoyable," Toni says, her family and team shaking their heads
"You are unbelievable," said Rhodey appearing at Toni's side.
"Oh, no! Did they rope you into this?"
"Nobody roped me into anything!"
"I'm so sorry."
"No, you weren't." Rhodey says
"I was not." Toni agrees
"But they told me that if I presented you with an award, you'd be deeply honored."
"Of course, I'd be deeply honored. And it's you, that's great. So, when do we do it?"
"It's right here. Here you go."
"There it is. That was easy. I've been needing a new one since Henry blew the last one up. I'm so sorry."
Toni plays her turn and chats with Rhodey while flirting with a woman beside her. After a short scene, they are seen leaving the casino with Happy on their tail.
"Ah I remember blowing those things up." Arsenal says with a grin, his brothers shaking their head at him
"This is where I exit."
"All right."
"Tomorrow, don't be late."
"Yeah, you can count on it."
"I'm serious!" Said Rhodey. "And tell the kids goodnight."
Once outside of the casino, a reporter stopped Toni from getting inside the car.
"Miss Stark! Excuse me, Miss Stark! Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"
Happy whispered to her, "She's cute."
"She's alright?" She turned to face Christine, "Hi."
"You've been called the da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"
"Absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint."
"I do!" Young Steve says excitedly, getting some chuckles from the future Avengers
"And what do you say to your other nickname? "The Merchant of Death"?"
"That's not bad."
Toni winces at the looks thrown her way
"Let me guess. Berkeley?"
"Brown, actually."
"Well, Ms. Brown. It's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."
"You rehearse that much?"
"Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime."
"If only you rehearsed the cards we gave you," Natasha says, earning a smirk from Toni
"I can see that."
"I'd like to show you first-hand."
"All I want is a serious answer."
"Okay, here's serious. My old man had a philosophy, "Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."
"My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero."
"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering."
"Tell me, do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey."
"That's true not one ever talks about the good things your company does," Natasha says,
"Was that a compliment Natasha?" Toni asks
"I take it back."
"No take-backsies."
"You ever lost an hour of sleep your whole life?"
"I'd be prepared to lose a few with you."
Next scene showed Toni and Christine at her house in Malibu about to have sex.
"And that's the cue for you to leave." Scarlet Witch says, scooping her youngest son up, ignoring his protests as they exit the room
The next day, Christine woke up and looked out of the window. "Good morning. It's 7:00 a.m. The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 a.m." The Malibu house is shown.
"I miss that place." Iron Man sighs, Arsenal and Spider-Man nodding in agreement
The reporter walked around the house. "Toni? Hey, Toni?" She tried to play with the controls on the wall.
"Don't do that." Henry snaps
The controls beep at her.
"Idiot." Natasha says
"You are not authorized to access this area."
"Jesus"
"That's JARVIS. He runs the house. I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go", said Pepper appearing behind her.
"Sounds like that's not the first time she said that." Lily says "That's because it's not." Toni says
"You must be the famous Pepper Potts."
"Indeed I am."
"After all these years, Toni still has you picking up the dry-cleaning."
"I do anything and everything that Miss Stark requires, including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?"
"Burn!" Someone coughs into their hand
Pepper passes by the kitchen where a younger Harley and Peter were eating their breakfast, Henry making a fruit smoothie as she tells them that they would be dropped off at school soon before walking downstairs. The screen shows Toni in her workshop, concentrating, and working on one of her cars. "Give me an exploded view."
"The compression in cylinder three appears to be low."
"You and your damn fruit smoothies." Ghost-Spider says everyone knowing Arsenal was a huge health nut.
"Log that."
Pepper entered the workshop talking on the phone. "I'm going to try again, right now."
" Please don't turn down my music," said Toni.
"Do you always work with music that loud?" Lily asks and Pepper snorts "Always. They all do it."
"It helps us concentrate," Peter says
"I'll keep you posted." Pepper ended the call. "You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now."
"How'd she take it?"
"Like a champ."
"Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?"
"Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago."
"Can you imagine being that late for an Avengers meeting?" Spider-Woman mutters to her wife who shudders, knowing Arsenal and Red Widow would give them monitor duty for two weeks straight if that happened.
"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there."
"Toni, I need to speak to you about a couple things before I get you out of the door."
"I mean, doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?"
"She has a point," Harry says
"Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no."
"Is it a good representation of his spring period?"
"Um, no. The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked--"
"So?"
"--not "spring" like the season. I think it's a fair example. Um.. I think it's incredibly overpriced."
"I need it. Buy it. Store it."
"Okay. The MIT commencement speech..."
"Is in June. Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down..."
"Surprised you remember that Toni," Natasha says, remembering her time as her PA.
"Well, they're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes."
"Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me."
"I need you to sign this before you get on the plane."
"What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
"I don't like it when you have plans."
"I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday."
"It's your birthday?"
"Yes."
"I knew that. Already?"
"Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year.
Snickers broke out throughout the room as Toni blushed "I'm bad with dates ok?" She says "It's true. If we didn't celebrate her birthday she wouldn't even realize it was her birthday." Pepper says
"Well, get yourself something nice from me."
"I already did."
"And?"
"Oh, it was very nice."
"Yeah?"
"Very tasteful. Thank you, Miss Stark."
"You're welcome, Miss Potts."
"God you can sense that sexual tension from you two. How long did that last?" Sam asks "Too fucking long." Rhodey and Henry grumble
Toni hugs her children goodbye "I'll be back at midnight, I have food made for you guys in the fridge." she tells Henry who rolls his eyes "I got this shit Mom, and besides if anything pops up I can always call Dad." Henry says before yelling at his brothers to hurry up.
Arsenal, Spider-Man and Iron Man wince, knowing something did happen
"And no wild parties either." Toni says and Henry gives her a cheeky grin "No promises." he says
"You threw parties?" Tarantula asks as Spider-Man snorts "You know he threw a party once that you could hear across the city once when we were kids."
Happy and Toni raced to the airport. "You're good. I thought I lost you back there."
"You did, Ma'am. I had to cut across Mulholland."
"I got you. I got you."
"What's wrong with you?" Asked a pissed off Rhodey standing at the door of the plane.
"What?"
"Three hours."
"Three hours?" Lily asks in shock and Rhodey grumbles in annoyance
"I got caught doing a piece for Vanity Fair."
"For three hours. For three hours you got me standing here."
"Waiting on you now. Let's go. Come on. Wheels up! Rock and roll!"
"Poor Rhodey." Sam says
Inside the jet.
"What you reading, platypus?
"Nothing."
"Come on, sour patch."
"I'm not sour."
"Do you have nicknames for everyone?" Harry asks and the Avengers nod "I don't think she knows my actual name." Sam mutters
"Don't be mad."
"I told you, I'm not mad. I'm indifferent, okay?" Said Rhodey.
"I said I was sorry."
A Flight Attendant appeared. "Good morning, Miss Stark."
"You don't need to apologize to me."
"I told you I was sorry."
"I'm your man."
"Hi. I told him I was sorry, but he-", said Toni to the flight attendant.
"Why are you involving them?" Remus asks
"Mom's bad at feelings," Henry says
"All you Starks are bad at feelings," Rhodey says
"I'm just indifferent right now."
"Hot towel?" Offered the flight attendant.
"You don't respect yourself, so I know you don't respect me."
That made Toni and Rhodey flinch, Toni had been on a self-destructive part of her life then
"I respect you."
"I'm just your babysitter. So, when you need your diaper changed...", he grabbed a hot towel. "Thank you. Let me know and I'll get you a bottle, okay?"
Toni ordered drinks and Rhodey complained about it, saying he didn't want to drink and that she was being irresponsible.
"I bet that changed fast," Pepper says
Time passed and Rhodey and Toni appeared drunk on the couch with the flight attendants dancing around them.
"That's what I'm talking about. When I get up in the morning and I'm putting on my uniform, you know what I recognize? I see in that mirror that every person that's got this uniform on got my back!"
"Hey, you know what? I'm not like you. I'm not cut out..."
Something catches Harry's eye "Is that a stripper pole on your jet?" he asks and Toni nods "It's put to good use." she says, smirking at Pepper while her children wrinkle their noses at her
"No, no. You don't have to be like me! But you're more than what you are."
"Can you excuse me if I'm a bit distracted here?"
"No! You can't be distracted right now! Listen to me!"
Scenes start to cut more quickly. It shows arriving in Afghanistan, meeting the General and giving his presentation with the launch of the missiles.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries' Freedom Line. It's the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology. They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far. Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves."
"You sound just like him." Dumbledore says uncomfortably "Who?" Toni asks
"You-know-who."
"No we don't know who that's why Mom asked." Harley says
"Just leave it Harley they're probably afraid of saying his name." Henry says
"For your consideration, the Jericho." The missiles exploded.
Toni is shown opening a cooler full of alcohol. "I'll be throwing one of these in with every purchase of 500 million or more. To peace!" Her phone rang and Obadiah appeared on the screen of her phone.
The witches and wizards watch the scene in horror except the purebloods who think they could beat that easily
The Avengers and the other's faces darken at the sight of Obadiah
"Tony."
"Obie, what are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep till I found out how it went. How'd it go?"
"It went great. Looks like it's gonna be an early Christmas."
"Hey! Way to go, my girl! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Why aren't you wearing those pajamas I got you?"
"Good night, Toni."
The call ended and Toni entered the military vehicle. "Hey, Toni." Rhodey approached her and talked to her through the open window.
"I'm sorry, this is the "fun-vee." The "hum-drum-vee" is back there."
"Fun my ass." Toni mutters
"Nice job."
"See you back at base."