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December 17, 1991 — Cape Canaveral, FL 8:14 AM, EST
"Come on, Cambridge, say it again," Wilson's teasing voice echoed off of the walls of the room that housed the Tenacity rocket.
Adam, the victim of Swampy's teasing that day, had been working on some frustrating calculations when he'd uttered the phrase bloody hell. It was the most British thing any of them had heard come out of his mouth, and the entire team had erupted into laughter. Shelby thought it was quite cute, especially since Adam made fun of the way the Americans spoke, especially Wilson's deep drawl.
"I will not," Adam said, standing to grab the large stereo they kept in the room for group work days.
"Turning on the radio so we can't hear you? Smart," Shelby teased, a wide smile plastering her face. "Switch it to a rock station, would you?"
Wilson groaned loudly, tossing his pen across the room so that it landed on Shelby's clipboard as she did an inspection outside of the Tenacity craft. "No more AC/DC, Red, I swear ..."
"Well, Swamp, if I hear any more Hank Williams, I am going to lose my mind," Shelby retorted back to him. She was a little on edge still from her night of drinking.
Adam found a radio station, one that was playing the end of a Bon Jovi song. "Will this do?" he asked, casting a glance back and forth between his girlfriend and his closest friend on the crew.
"Just pick one and get on with it," Walker called from behind the three of them as he walked in, wheeling a large cart of tools with him.
The sound ended and the voice of the radio station dj picked up. Shelby idly listened as she focused on her work.
"... sad news out of New York last night, where brilliant inventor and scientist Howard Stark was killed in a car accident on Long Island, along with his wife Maria ..."
The clipboard slipped out of Shelby's grasp and clattered to the floor, her stomach dropping along with it.
"Howard Stark, really?" Wilson let out a low whistle. "Man, that sucks."
"Shelby?" Adam called out, watching her carefully as she bent down to retrieve her items. "Are you okay?"
" ... the Starks leave behind one son, Anthony."
"Hey, Colewell, didn't you say you went to school with him?" Walker asked as he began unloading his things. "Stark's son?"
"Yeah, I did," she said slowly, setting the clipboard down on Adam's desk. "Excuse me, I've got to ..." She rushed out of the room, heading for her office as tears pricked at her eyes.
Tony's parents were dead?
She pictured his mother's kind face, his father's hearty laugh. She'd only met them a few times, but they had been so kind to her. Not to mention, they'd created one of the most important people in Shelby's life.
