Unexpected // An MCU Story (Book One)

xvi

The flight to New York the next day was pretty quick, not giving me much time to prepare myself.

I quickly got dressed in a nice long sleeved outfit before we left for the Expo, and Nat made sure to cover my injuries again on the way there.

I was silent the whole ride, unable to stop myself from wondering where Peter was and what he was doing. 

I was scared I would run into him. What would I tell him? How could I possibly explain to him that I had to stay away when I myself didn't know?

I tried to focus on something else, telling myself it was impossible. It was a huge city. No way.

I stayed away to protect him. It was to protect him.

Nat opened the door for Pepper, snapping me out of my thoughts. I got out after her, looking around me with a grim expression.

"I'll keep the car down here, alright?" Happy told Pepper.

"Thank you, Happy." She thanked.

We quickly made our way to the Expo, and I realized I was starting to regret coming back so soon. 

 We took our seats, me sitting between Pepper and Nat as we waited for the presentation to begin.

Justin Hammer danced onto stage after a moment as people clapped.

"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."

"Oh, lord." Pepper mumbled, making Nat and I look over at her.

"Regardless, it was an impressive innovation, one that grabbed headlines the world over. Well, today, my friends, the press is faced with quite a different problem. That they are about to run out of ink."

Some on the crowd clapped and I rolled my eyes. Tony was much better at public speaking, that was for sure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone! Army!"

Several heavily armed suits came out of the floor as music played in the background, making my eyes widen.

"Navy! Air Force! Marines!"

After each introduction, a new set of suits would rise out of the floor as the audience clapped.

"Yeah! Yeah! Whoo! That's a hell 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 asked in shock as Rhodey was lifted from the floor.

"Rhodey?" I said at the same time.

He lead a salute, the rest of the suits mimicking him.

"For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for..." He trailed off as a rumbling sound was heard approaching us.

We all looked up to see Tony in the Iron Man suit flying above us before landing on the stage, facing Rhodey and receiving a big round of applause.

"Something's wrong." I said quickly, my gut instinct telling me to get out of there immediately.

He walked around to his side and waved at the crowd. Hammer walked over and the two began to talk to each other, but no one could hear what they were saying.