Howard was having some strong words with an old man. One that he didnât particularly want to see or even hear speak. So it was somewhat of a BLESSING when something came out of the sky and dropped in the park. Both his attention and the manâs were drawn over towards where the body suit - armour? - lay. It instantly produced an air of caution and fear among the bystanders. The last time they saw something like this, it was most likely, a bomb. There were words spoken, only some of which caught Howardâs attention; âis this one of Starkâs?â, âthe Nazis are here!â.Â
Howard, with a glance to the man, gave a sigh and pushed by him. He wasnât exactly familiar with that technology, but damn did it look rough. Whatever it was meant to do - if it was harmful - hadnât worked. And then- then it sat up. He came to a careful stop. Was someone in there?
The murmurings got louder as a crowd gathered. It was a split decision, and while he wasnât sure if it would help or hinder, he decided to throw it all in for this. He moved by and placed himself between him and Tony, smiling that public smile he was known for. âI apologies, ladies and gentlemen. This wasnât supposed to be revealed to the public. My colleague is on his way to get you to all sign waivers; you are NOT to spread what youâve seen here to anyone, or you will be seen as a spy and judged accordingly. Got it? Lookinâ at you, sunshine.â He gave a small, cocky smile at one of the ladies, who blushed in return.
Howard lingered, and it seemed to portray the message to everyone around him to start dispersing. As soon as most of them had continued to go about their own business, he turned, approaching the last few feet to Tony and kneeling down in front of him. âHey, if you turn out to be an enemy then Iâm not going to be happy.â He said, making a point to look into his âeyes?â. He hesitated for a few moments and then he reached out to take the suited hand. âCome on. We gotta get you out of here before you attract anymore attention. I have a car around the corner. Can you walk?â
Suddenly there was a man there, having just jumped out from the rest of the crowd, talking about waivers and spies. What the fuck was this? Had he landed in some kind of re-enactment? Tony was about to speak when the man turned towards him and the teen could swear his heart stopped for a moment, which wasnât hard to do considering it was still beating thanks to a tiny piece of technological marvel. The man in front of him looked like his dad when he was younger. Like about fifteen years ago. Tony wasnât particularly good at history, but he was sure the clothes this Howard-looking guy wore was considerably older than any time his dad had lived during. Even older than the seventies! Was he dreaming? Had he died and come to some kind of low tech world where everyone dressed like grand parents? Had he traveled in time or space? If he could only remember what heâd been doing before the crash landing.
Then the man knelt in front of him. He should say something, but he still felt dazed and well⌠emotional. This man looked like his dad. His dead dad and despite his best effort, Tony felt a lump in his throat and wasnât sure it wouldnât be audible, despite the suitâs voice modulator. Instead he shook his head, no, he wasnât an enemy, followed by a nod to show that he could walk. There was only a momentâs hesitation before he took the outreached hand.
Tony swayed a little, but found his balance. The pain was something he could ignore, heâd been beaten up too many times by now, the dizziness was harder to ignore, but he could manage. âThanks,â he said, his voice thankfully sounding steady and the modulator made him sound like an adult and not the teen he was. âThis might sound crazy, but what year is it?â Tony knew he was still in New York, he recognized the park and part of the skyline, though there was a distinct lack of the Stark Industries tower.
