Relevatations
"Well, you seem on the mend," Amy told Tony, placing her bags into the trunk of the rental car.
"You could stay, you know. I have a guest room. It's very swanky. We could catch up."
"I really have to go back," Amy lied.
"You're running," Tony stated.
"Tony, it was really nice to catch up with you, but I can't." Amy struggled to find her words and her voice. "I'm not going to grow old. Whatever the Tesseract did to me, mutated my DNA. I'm basically immortal. And I can't stand to watch people that I love to grow old, or get hurt, and die. It hurts too much."
"And being alone doesn't? You do care...About Coulson, Natasha, and me, and probably even Pepper. Stop running away."
Amy glared at him. "I'll stop running when you stop being a child." Getting into the car, Amy slammed the door, flipping Tony off. Tony sighed, turning back into the house.
Amy could finally breathe when she touched down in New York. The streets were crowded, and that's when Amy remembered that it was the Stark Expo. "Going to the Expo?" the cab driver asked.
"No...That's the last place I would like to be."
"Gonna be interesting! Justin Hammer is going to show a new arc reactor."
"Huh," Amy sighed. "He's a jackass."
Amy dug around her duffel bag, finding a box. Opening it, she pulled out a card to see Tony's messy handwriting. Just thought to remind you who you were. Peace, Tony.
"Asshole," Amy whispered, digging through the box. She found old pictures of her, Howard, Peggy, Bucky, and Steve. She continued to flip through them, seeing it was all the pictures of her that Howard kept. Amy's eye stung and watered as she found a picture of her and Howard laughing. And then of her and Bucky kissing. She missed her friends. She missed her family. But something stopped her cold in her tracks. "Oh my god..."
"What?"
"I remember...Howard had a partner and I got pervy vibes from him. I helped him send him back to Russia during the Cold War. It all makes sense now!"
"What?" the driver asked.
"You need to take me to my apartment!" Amy rattled off her address. As soon as she got in, she dug around her closet. "Damn it!" Going back to her bag, she dug around to find her phone, stopping when she felt cool leather. Pulling out the garment, she gasped. Pinned to it was another note. "In case you wanted to jump back into the game...I updated your suit. Cheers! Tony."
Pepper, Natasha, and Happy arrived outside the building that the Stark Expo was being hosted at. "Pepper!" Amy called out, wearing a pair of leather pants and a peacoat. "Nat!"
"I can't with her right now," Pepper sighed, heading inside.
"What are you doing here? What are you wearing?" Nat asked her friend.
Amy rolled her eyes, following Natasha inside. "Hammer is working with Ivan."
"What?"
"It all makes sense! Natasha, Justin Hammer broke Ivan out of jail. He isn't dead! He's building an arc reactor like Tony's because he's jealous! Ivan's dad worked with Howard back in the 50s."
"Yeah. I know."
"You don't! I remember him! He was very pervy, and he was an agent for the USSR! Howard found out and had him shipped back to Russia!"
"We need to get people out of here," Natasha realized.
"Da," Amy nodded, but it was too late. Justin Hammer appeared onto the stage, dancing around.
Announcer: …Justin Hammer. His presentation will begin shortly in the main pavilion. "Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. Thanks for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long, this country has had to place its brave men and women in harm’s way, but then the Iron Man arrived, and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us. Sadly, that technology was kept out of reach. That’s not fair. That’s not right. And it’s just too bad."
"Too late," Natasha sighed.
"Regardless, it was an impressive innovation, one that grabbed the headlines the world over. Well, today, my friends, the press is faced with quite a difficult problem. They are about to run out of ink." Two people ran on to remove the podium. "Get that out of here. Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone." Drones similar to the Iron Man suit rose out of the stage. "Army! Navy! Air Force! Marines! Yeah! Yeah! Woo! That’s a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you. But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war. Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes."
"What?!" Pepper bawked as Rhodey rose and saluted.
"For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for..."
People gasped as Tony flew in his Iron Man suit. "We got trouble," Tony declared.
Rhodey's mask was up, stalking towards him. "Tony, there are civilians present. I’m here on orders. Let’s not do this right now."
"Give them a wave."
"Hey, all right. Yeah.
"All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. You gotta trust me for the next five minutes," Tony pleaded.
"Yeah, I tried that. I got tossed around your house, remember?"
"Listen, I think he’s working with Vanko."
"Vanko’s alive?" Rhodey asked, surprised.
Justin smirked. "Yeah."
Tony was angry as he stalked over to him. "Where is he?"
"What?"
"Where's Vanko?"
"Who?"
"Tell me."
"What are you doing here, man?" Justin asked.
Rhodey sensed movement in his suit as his helmet snapped over his suit, a large gun coming out of his armor and aiming at Tony. "Whoa, whoa, whoa."
"Is that you?"
"No, I’m not doing that. That’s not me. I can’t move. I’m locked up. I’m locked up!" All of the drones followed him, taking aim as well. "Get out of here. Go! This whole system’s been compromised!"
Tony took off towards outside. "Let's take it outside."
People started to scream and shout as Drones and Rhodey began to fire at him, Rhodey taking off after him. "No, no!"
"What's going on?!" Pepper asked.
"I gotta go help him," Amy said to Nat.
Nat smiled, seeing Amy unbuttoning her jacket. "Yes, Lt. Rogers."
Amy rolled her eyes, as she ran towards the outside. "Wait...She's a superhero?!" Pepper asked.
"Amelia Rogers, also known as Lt. Liberty and then known as Star Girl back in the 1940s. She's also part of the board. You should be nicer to her." Pepper still stared, mouth opened in shock. "She's also Tony's godmother. Come on...We need to find Hammer and find Vanko."
"Jarvis, break in. I need to own him," Tony told the A.I.
"Yes, sir."
Rhodey was still flying after Tony, his suit still trying to shoot at Tony. "Tony, Tony, I’m locked on. I have a target lock!"
"On what?"
"On you!" Rhodey winced as his suit shot at Tony.
"How are we doing Jarvis?" Tony asked, still trying to escape Rhodey and the drones.
"Remote reboot unsuccessful."
Out of nowhere, Rhodey was hit with a blast of blue energy. Tony looked down, smiling as Amy came out, wearing the new suit that he made for her. Her new top was a corset style with cap sleeves, black sleeve arm protectors, and black gloves. Her pants were skin tight, tucked into black heeled boots. Her black eye mask made her blonde hair brighter as she glared at Tony and Rhodey. "Whoa! She with you?" Rhodey asked as she shot down a drone with her powers.
"Yeah," Tony breathed out, switching his com-link. "Nice of you to join us, Star-Girl."
"Natasha is heading over to Hammer Industries to shut down the main frame. Think you can keep up, Tony?" Amy asked, taking down another Drone as she tries to usher people away.
"We still need to get the civilians away," Tony said in Amy's earpiece. Amy whipped out her staff, smashing a drone to bits before it could hurt a pregnant woman that was holding the hand of a little girl.
"Go!" she ordered, ushering them away. "Any of you have a brilliant idea to keep these people from getting hurt."
Tony landed behind a kid who wore a toy Iron Man mask. He lifted his hand as to shoot, Tony doing it for him.
"Nice work kid," Tony told the tot, taking off again.
"You got multiples coming in on you!" Rhodey informed him.
"Let’s get this away from the Expo. Hang on, StarShine..."
"To what?" Amy asked, shouting as Tony picked her up. Amy grabbed onto the shoulder pads of his suit as he flew them away. He was holding her sort of bridal style, her legs and hair flying in the wind. "I can still see them!" she shouted to Tony over the roaring wind.
"Can you shoot?" Tony asked, trying to loose them.
Amy nodded, grabbing her pistol from her holster at her thigh. Seeing it glow bright blue, she began to fire at the drones.
"Listen, listen. A pack just peeled off. They’re headed back to the Expo."
"Got it," Tony told him.
"I'm closing in on you. Ordnance coming in hot Tony. Watch it!"
Amy saw the blast, closing her eyes tightly as a forcefield appeared around her and Tony in a blue-hazy bubble. "Can you do that again?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah...I think so!"
Tony's masked face nodded down at her. "Rhodey, you still locked on?"
"Yeah."
"Drop your socks and grab your Crocs. We’re about to get wet on this ride."
"Oh shit..." Amy moaned, seeing the Globe Sculpture. Closing her eyes and squealing, she produced another shield, keeping them from getting it.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Rhodey shouted as Tony led them all through the globe structure.
"That's not do that again," Amy panted as they continued to fly.
"I’m sorry buddy. Had to thin out the herd. What’s your 20?" Tony asked.
"Tony!" Amy shouted, bracing herself for impact as Rhodey appeared in front of them, all three of them crashing into a biodome.
Amy was on the ground, her body screaming in pain. From her advantage point, she could see Rhodey onto of Tony, who was pushing the gun away to keep it from shooting at him. Amy grabbed her own gun, and began to fire at Rhodey as she hobbled up.
"Tony," Rhodey grunted, then freezing as his suit shut down.
Amy sighed in relief as she rushed over to the two Iron Mans. "Reboot complete," she heard Nat say over her intercom. "You got your best friend back."
"Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff," Tony said, also sighing in relief. Amy helped him up, as they both looked at Rhodey.
"Well done on the new chest piece. I am reading significant higher output and your vitals all look promising."
"Yes, for the moment, I’m not dying. Thank you."
"What do you mean you’re not dying? Did you just say you’re dying?" Pepper shrieked.
"Is that you? No, I’m not. Not anymore."
"What’s going on?"
"I was going to tell you. I didn’t want to alarm you."
"You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?"
"You didn’t let me."
"Why didn’t you tell me that?"
"I was gonna make you an omelette and tell you."
"Hey, hey. Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you," Natasha informed him.
Amy could see the Drones flying towards them. "Rhodes? Snap out of it buddy. I need you. They’re coming. Come on, let’s roll. Get up," Tony told his friend after reassuring Pepper that he was okay and how sorry he was.
Rhodey's helmet opening as he looked dazed for a second. "Oh, man. You can have your suit back."
Amy offered a hand as did Tony, both of them helping Rhodey up. "You okay?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, thanks. Tony, look, I’m sorry, okay?"
"Don’t be."
"No. I should have trusted you more."
"I’m the one who put you in this position. Forget it."
"No. It’s your fault. I just wanted to say I’m sorry."
"Thank you. That’s all I wanted to hear, partner."
"This is touching and all, but those drones are coming in hot, any second. What's the plan?" Amy asked, staff at the ready.
"Well, we want to take the high ground, okay? So let’s put the biggest gun up on that ridge," Rhodey said.
"Got you. Where do you want to be?" Tony asked.
"Where are you going?" Rhodey asked.
"What’re you talking about?"
"I meant me."
Tony scowled. "You have a big gun. You are not the big gun."
Rhodey scoffed, smirking. "Tony, don’t be jealous."
"No. It’s subtle all the bells and whistles."
"Yeah. It’s called being a badass."
"Guys! Now is not the time to see who's is bigger!" Amy shouted. "Both of you go up! Tony will draw them in."
"What about you?" Rhodey asked. "Don't stay down here. This is the worst place to be!"
"Please...I survived World War II. I can take care of myself."
"You got a spot. Where's mine?" Tony asked.
"It’s the kill box, Tony. Okay? This is where you go to die."
"Too late," Amy said, raising her pistol and shooting. Rhodey and Tony dropped their helmets and the battle began. Amy started to shoot, using her powers to flash in and out of space and time, destroying the drones she passed by. She got her knife out of her sheath, stabbing them as well where their neck would be. Using a couple to propel her, she spun out of existence, only to appear on top of one in the sky, taking it down with her.
"Did you see that?!" Tony asked, seeing the woman taking on more than he and Rhodey combined.
Rhodey suddenly felt immaculate, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Nice."
"Guys, get down!" Amy shouted, her eyes, hair, and staff blowing blue. With a wave of her staff, drones were sliced in half, as well as a tree.
Rhodey: Yeah, yeah. Nice.
"Wow. I think you should lead with that next time."
Amy leaned against her staff, wiped out. "Yeah, sorry, guys. It wears me out. It's a one-time-only trick."
Natasha gave a quick warning in their shared comm-link, another Iron Man suit flying at them, and landing.
"Good to be back," Ivan sneered, glaring at them.
The three of them got into a defensive stance. "This ain’t gonna be good." Ivan's whip turned on. "I got something special for this guy. I’m gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife."
"With the what?" Tony asked.
"Huh?" Amy questioned, watching Rhodey shooting at Ivan, his blast landing in the water. "Hammer tech?"
Rhodey nodded. "Yeah."
"I got this," Tony said. Tony pointed his hand at Ivan's armor with little effect.
"I guess the hard way it is then," Amy sighed. Ivan made the first move, shooting at each of them. Amy, Tony, and Rhodey began to shoot back, trying to get the drop on the Russian.
"Amy! Can you shoot?" Tony asked as he was held by Ivan's whip.
"Yeah!" Amy nodded, being kicked by Ivan.
"Good! Rhodes. I got an idea. You want to be a hero?"
"What?" Rhodey gasped as Ivan's whip squeezed him on the other side
"I could really use a sidekick...And a buddy. Put your hands up."
Rhodey and Amy did as they were instructed. "This is gonna be a really bad idea," Amy sighed. "This is your idea?"
"Yep."
Rhodey activated his pulse reactor, seeing his palm glowing. "I’m ready. I’m ready. Go, go, go!"
"Take it!" Tony shouted.
"Shit!" Amy cried out, closing her eyes as the three blasts met in the middle, exploding right where Ivan was standing.
They were all blown apart, walking over to Ivan, who was mortally wounded.
"You lose," Ivan gasped, his eyes losing all life as he stared up at the sky with a dull expression.
Amy noticed that his reactor was blinking, as well as all the drones. "Wait...What's happening?!"
"All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here, man!"
"Pepper!" Tony realized.
"Hang on, Starshine!" Rhodey told the blonde woman, whisking Amy away.
Amy closed her eyes as blasts erupted throughout her city. Finally, they landed on the rooftop, a couple of away from where Tony and Pepper landing. "Aw," she sighed, seeing them having a moment, and finally kissing.
"I think it was weird," Rhodey said, interrupting their moment. "You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape."
"Haha," Amy giggled.
"I had just quit, actually," Pepper tried to explain.
"Yeah, so we’re not..." Tony nodded.
"You don’t have to do that. We heard the whole thing," Amy grinned.
"You two should get lost."
"We were here first. Get a roof," Rhodey argued back.
"I thought you were out of one-liners."
"That’s the last one."
"You kicked ass back there, by the way. Both of you."
"Please. Compared to the war, that was nothing," Amy sighed.
"Thank you. You too. Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion, so I’m gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?"
"Not okay. Not okay with that."
"It wasn’t a question," Rhodey said, taking off.
"Yeah...and I'll need a ride back to my apartment whenever y'all are done with...whatever this is. Nice to see you again, Pepper!" Amy shouted, blinking off the roof and onto the street.
She was about to find a taxi when she was surrounded by thousands of people, calling her and cheering. Amy felt a strange feeling in her stomach, something she hasn't felt in a while. It was the feeling of pride and joy and accomplishment.
"Are you a superhero?" a small girl asked.
Amy looked down, nodding. "Yeah...I'm also an archeologist."
"I want to be a zoologist when I get older."
"I think you can be anything you want to be."
"Miss! Can I get a statement?! What's your name?"
"My name..." Amy thought. Clenching her fist and giving her best power pose, she raised her chin. "My name is Star Girl."