stark expo
The screen goes dark once again but a male voice can be heard. “270 at 30 knots. Holding steady at 15000 feet. You are clear for exfiltration over the drop zone.” (ACDC’s Shoot to Thrill starts to play)
“That’s the music!” Tony perks up on his couch.
The words 6 months later appear on the black screen. And the back of some high-tech suit is seen as the hatch of the bottom of an airplane opens up.
“What is that?” Howard asks intrigued while he leans in, trying to get closer to the screen.
Far below is a sprawling mess of lights and fireworks as the suit leaps out of the plane, falling briefly through the air before engaging his thrusters and flying down into an arena below.
“It flies!”
“Please tell me this isn’t Vanko,” Tony murmurs while also admiring the invention but doing it quietly.
“Isn’t that the Iron Man?” Maria asks, as always the only person in the family to have some working brain cells and Tony decides to wait and see if this actually could be him.
Said suit flies down right onto the stage, landing in a pose that probably could be described as his signature pose, with dancing girls in scantily-clad dresses behind him.
“That looks nice.” Tony tilts his head.
“Reminds me of my Expo back in the day,” adds Howard.
The crowd goes wild as the girls dance. Then it shows the place but from a distance and the caption 'STARK EXPO – FLUSHING, NEW YORK' appears.
“Huh.”
The girls step back on the stage, as the area where the suit stands begins to rise and robotic arms begin to quickly dismantle the suit.
“Oh, that looks great.” Howard shakes his head, as he watches, eyes glued to the screen not to miss anything.
His helmet is one of the first pieces to be removed and Tony Stark breaks out into a wide grin as he looks out upon his adoring crowd.
“Well, that’s nice.” Tony on the couch breathes out. And then he realizes that his father just gave him his first compliment. Not realizing it was a compliment for Tony but hey.
“Talk about a dramatic entrance, dear.” his mom laughs softly.
The girls continue to dance as the suit is removed from Tony's body, revealing him to be dressed in an elegant suit. Once free, he bows to the audience, arms spread out wide.
“Wait, so I must’ve built an Arc Reactor too?” Tony narrows his eyes because the suit had something glowing in the middle of its’ chest. “Why didn’t we see that?” he looks at the ceiling.
The stage rotates Tony around, as he points out into the audience. The music continues and the girls finish their dance by walking closer to him and facing their palms to him in the gesture he used as Iron Man. Then the dancers walk off the stage as Tony claps. “Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!” the crowd cheers his name.
Tony: “It’s good to be back. Did you miss me?
Man in crowd: "Blow something up!"
Tony: "I missed you too. Blow something up? I already did that."
Maria shakes her head fondly as she watched her son.
He pauses briefly before speaking again. “I’m not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me.”
“Not saying it’s not true but what exactly did I do?”
“I’m not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history.” He says as he bows his head down.
“Captivity?” Maria asks, sounding worried.
“Yea, ya know, living with Howard Stark,” Tony answers nonchalantly.
Howard shoots him a glare but surprisingly doesn’t respond to that accusation by yelling. “It doesn’t sound like that’s what the future-you means,” he says instead, and, does he sound just a tiny little bit worried?
Tony: “I’m not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven’t come across anyone who’s man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day.”
“Pretty sure I just jinxed it.”
People in the crowd cheer him on, and one voice sounds the loudest. “I love you, Tony!”
He turns his head away, waving his hand in her direction. “Please, it’s not about me.”
“Coulda fooled me.” Howard’s voice sounds.
The cheering continued. “It’s not about you. It’s not even about us. [the crowd quiets down to listen better]It’s about legacy.”
“That’s very smart, dear.” Maria smiles.
Tony: “It’s about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. And that’s why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future.”
“That sounds interesting,” Howard says and Tony has trouble believing that the man sitting there really is his father.
Tony: “It’s not about us. Therefore, what I am saying if I’m saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo.” [Tony spreads his arms and gets a big cheer from the crowd.] “And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it’s all about, please welcome my father, Howard.”
“The great beyond?” Howard asks quietly, and seeing as the man appears in the form of a video, Tony feels something uncomfortable in his stomach, suggesting that maybe his father died by that time.
Howard Stark (through a video recording): “Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, [Howard walks across the room towards a model of the City he’s talking about.] the possibility of world peace. So, from all of us here at Stark Industries, I would like to personally introduce you to the City of the Future. Technology holds infinite possibilities for mankind, [While the man keeps talking, Tony is seen doing something backstage. He pulls a small device from his pocket – a Stark Medical Scanner – and tests his blood.]
“Do you have diabetes?” asks worried Maria, because reading your blood sugar levels works that way, by taking a small sample of blood from the tip of your finger.
It’s a blood toxicity test. And gives out a reading of 19%.
“So even if the Vanko guy doesn’t kill me, I’m already dying.” Tony cheers, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Is that why we’re watching this?” he asks, looking up to the ceiling once again, but there’s silence so he’s beginning to think that the Watcher is not watching anymore.
Tony doesn’t look pleased with the results but glances back at the screen as Howard finishes talking “The Stark Expo. Welcome.” and the crowd erupts into cheers once more.
“Oh, my dear.” Maria still worries because of the blood test.
“He’s fine darling, he’s right there.” Howard points to where the teenage Tony is laying on the couch.
Howard’s video ends. There's a cut to a news feed of a reporter outside, reporting live and reminding that the Expo will go on all year long, and she will be there, checking everything out.