Little Legends

Synopsis: Matthew Stark is much like his father-cocky, confident, arrogant, self-righteous, iconoclastic, rebellious and a genius with machines. He always feels as though he is in the shadows thanks to his multimillionaire father, Tony Stark. A baby sister, Camilla Ann (Cammy) comes into the picture and he finds his life changed once more. In time, Matthew dvelops a persona for himself with rocket booster shoes calling himself 'Rocket'. He builds rocket launchers to complete this image as he turns himself into a vigilante. Cammy, worshipping him totally, wants to follow in his footsteps.

Chapter 1-Putting Aside Bachelorhood

Tony Stark had always been a man of means. He was a loner by nature, a man who savored the higher persuits of physics, science and humanities. Most of all, his goddess was technology, but one woman always waited for him at home; Pepper Pots. She was certainly a better conversationalist than JARVIS was. There were nights after the loud, raucous parties that Tony regretted going home to an empty bed, so in obligation, he entered into a civil union with Pepper. Granted, he had his relunctance going into marriage to begin with. It was worse than being imprisoned, he felt. Yet, something had reminded him there was no heir to the Stark name, let alone the fortune or technology. Who would helm Stark Industries when he was gone ? Surely, Pepper could do it. She was incredibly saavy and money conscious. She knew how to be frugal and wasn't afraid to bargain and haggle with the big dogs in business. That is why he adored her so much. The wedding itself wasn't a bad idea, anyway. The sex they enjoyed was almost constant, and everything seemed to be pretty ideal. That is until Matthew was born. Everything Tony had been enjoying up to this point came to a shrieking halt. He was beginning to have second thoughts about bachelorhood and wondered if he would or could ever be a genuine, upright role model for his son. He knew the addage about leopards. Like a leopard, he couldn't simply change his spots and transform into someone different. Despite that, he vowed at the moment his son was delivered into his open arms that he would never become like his father. Granted, his father was a great man. He was simply taken so much by technology. It was his whole life, and Tony became a shadow in the background, even when he was figuring out the infinity constant at such a prococious age. Any other man would've marveled at that type of genius, but his father was too busy keeping the blossoming Stark industries growing and improving the technology that would some day become a household name.

Chapter 2-Ingenuity in His Genes

Tony didn't hate being a father, but Matthew by his very nature was curious. More than once, he had been told not to go 'snooping around' his father's tool shed, garage and laboratory. The library, though, wasn't off limits, and JARVIS wasn't against Matt learning about the natural laws and the way the Universe worked. Matthew showed immense promise in engineering, rocket propulsion and the like even well before he could walk or talk. As soon as he became more dexterous, he was building small planes for himself out of his father's scrap metal. Tony couldn't become upset with his boy anymore. It was simply astonishing that a boy, 5 years of age, knew how to put cogs, wheels and different mechanisms together to make a machine that intricate. Matt knew about his father's job with the Avengers, and most of the time, he was away thwarting all kinds of evil. He would watch at home with Pepper on the couch in wonder, pondering what it would be like to be a super-hero like his dad. When he wasn't fighting off villains, Tony and son would bond playing basketball, catch and talk about super-string theory, one of Matt's favorite subjects.

Matt felt he was the only kid in the world, even though he was incredibly popular at school. With most of the kids it was because of his roots and access to money, but Matt paid no attention to pretentious manipulators and users of that callibre. He had true friends that would head to the local pizzaria with him every Friday evening and knock out a few quarters at the Arcade to play against each other. Matt had the most skill in every game he played, especially due to his finesse and reaction time. He had an uncanny ability to predict moves long before they were made and often because of that, he could whip his buddies in an instant.

Chapter 3-Rocket is Born, Metal Follows

Against his father's better judgement and without his parent's approval, Matthew began working on a persona he felt sent a message to the perpetrators he would be facing. He felt he was being a bit of a vigilante, but in all honesty, he knew his father was a vigilante and even at his age, wanted to emulate him the best he could. He wore a pair of aviator glasses that were fortified to withstand anything and were unbreakable. Same with his missle launcher gauntlets and rocket powered boots. He called himself 'Rocket', which made perfect sense, but he wasn't prepared to fight evil yet. He still had to train. What he hadn't realized was that his younger sister, Cammy had been watching him the whole time. Since her birth, she had latched on to Matt and never let go. She idolized him every moment of every single day. Though they had tiffs every so often, Cammy knew she could always count on her brother if she was in trouble and she would always have his back.

'Hey, Matt ! I see you're developing your super hero persona and costume. Gold is definitely your color.', she said. Matthew was about twelve, soon to be thirteen. Cammy was only seven and knew everything about colors complimentary to skin tone. She was not only interested in aesthetics but the practical side of life, too. She held a lot of Pepper's personality, including her sometimes explosive temper.

'I want to be a hero, just like you, bro !', she said, enthusiastically.

'You can't pick an ability like mine. It has to be unique.', Matt said, even though he knew this was distinctly against his father's rules. Time and time again he walked into his father's tool shed and putzed around in the garage. JARVIS made a point not to breathe a word to Tony. It was Matthew and JARVIS' little 'tap of the nose' moment. Camillia sighed and began drawing blue prints.

'I'll come up with something epic and memorable. Something that'll hit the baddies like a ton of bricks that they never expected.', Cammy said, enthusiastically. When she got in the zone it was difficult to break her focus. That made it all the easier for Matt to start a simulation with JARVIS. Having been around his father long enough, he had learned the secret codes to JARVIS' sims and knew their difficulty setting watching his father train with them. He would train Cammy when the time was right. Now, was not the time, since she was still discovering her own inner heroine.

It had taken a few days but Metal was born. The suit she wore was black, but if anyone tried to attack, the armor was reactive. The iradescent purple suit itself formed around her when it sensed danger and her powers were a 'seizmic kick' that threw villains off balance and a spin attack that made her more dangerous than a table saw. Like her brother's armor, the boosters in the boots made it capable of flight. It was a good beginning but she still had to be taught how to fight. At this time, much like her brother, she had been taught all of the basics but had no clue how to defend herself. With help from JARVIS, she and her brother would soon become the most impressive vigilantes the world would ever know.

Chapter 4-When I Grow Up...

Pepper and Tony were excellent parents and made certain Matt and Cammy weren't too terribly spoiled. Many peers and friends of the siblings had remarked how unbelievably unspoiled the two were. Both were rather low-key, but when it came to confidence, the two were unbeatable. They mastered most of their courses and had gotten themselves on the honor roll countless times, but little did mom and dad know the two wanted more than to simply become doctors of osteopathy when they were old enough to go to Medical School. Knowing them, they would get in medical school earlier since they had advanced quickly through many of their classes at prococious ages.

While dad was busy with the Avengers saving the world or Universe and mom was keeping up appearances with detail work on armor amongst other things, the siblings would practice training in the simulation room with JARVIS.

'Matt, this is borrrrrinnnnng ! I want to kick real thug butt !', Cammy moped, sitting on the cold, marble floor of the 'wreck room'.

'I know you do, sis, just as much as I do. Dad and the Avengers get all the real criminals and even interstellar menaces to do battle with.', Matt said, turning on the TV. Right then was a cat-burglar that had slipped past the view of the media cameras capturing the latest bust the Avengers had made failed to make front end '6:00' news, but both the siblings had seen her slip in without setting off the alarm.

'She may just be a petty theif but maybe we can put our suits' technology to good use.', Cammy said, hopeful. Both of them were praying this theif wasn't going to be easy prey. Little did they know they were about to have an encounter with Enchantress herself and she was up to no good, as usual.

Chapter 5-Showdown with Enchantress

The two had no idea that it was Enchantress who was the catburglar and infiltrated the scene without making a peep. Before she could purloin any emeralds, the two Stark siblings stopped her.

'Don't move, theif ! We've come to put a stop to your little escapade !', Matt said, confidently.

'If I were you'd I'd put the pretty emerald back where you found it.', Cammy agreed. Enchantress turned around and nearly laughed herself silly.

'Little Iron Children ? You have got to be kidding me !', she mocked. Cammy felt her ire rising but Matt held her back. It was true that she had inherited her mother's temper.

'We're teens, lady. I don't know who you think you are but you have got to work on your attitude.', Cammy retorted, holding back her frustration. Enchantress lifted her hood and smirked.

'In case you haven't realized, I'm a whole lot of trouble. And if you'd be a couple of good little tincans and leave me to pilfering we can all get along.', Enchantress said as she held the two teens in levitation using her magic. With her other hand she began stealing emeralds, diamonds and whatever she could grab.

'That's the Enchantress. We can't possibly fight her, I mean, she has magic !', Cammy whispered.

'I know, I know. But someone has to stop her. The Avengers are busy, the police are sidetracked giving them rewards. It's up to us to do something. We have a chance to test our mettle as it were.', Matt said, not realizing he had been punny in his statement.

'Like it or not, you're breaking the law. And like it or not we are obligated to stop you !', Matthew said.

'Big words for two teens who have no clue what they're doing !', Enchantress said, tossing them aside as if they were rag dolls. The two tuned into their neural nets and activated their controls simply by thinking. Before they knew it, they were both flying and hadn't even touched the ground.

'Don't underestimate us, witch !', Cammy said, pinning Enchantress to the wall. Enchantress was impressed by the courage of both of these unknown heroes, especially since they matched her blow for blow. She had the upper hand with her magical abilities, but they were unbelievably strong. The match lasted for hours on end until she finally tired out. The two teens, however, were still ready for more and hadn't given up.

'You're both machines !', she shrieked and turned herself into the only authorities who weren't busy heralding a parade to the Avengers. The now-occupied police officers weren't who these 'little legends' were, but once the twins introduced themselves, they had a sense they'd be seeing more of them.

Epilogue

Tony had reprimanded his son and daughter for their actions, he and Pepper couldn't be completely upset with them. They had bested Enchantress simply by tiring her out. Their dedication and vigilance in the fight proved they had more than enough skill to become Avengers later on. They would have to be proven in a real obstacle course, but the time for such rigorous tests wasn't appropriate. The two still had schooling to contend with as well as extracurricular activities. Their names, Rocket and Metal would be headlines for a few weeks, but they would be part of the ever growing legion of heroes to recieve the light of heroism. Granted, it could be quite an onus to bear but there were more than these two maturing legends. There were others that would gladly take the torch as well. For now, the teens could only think of eating pizza as a reward for justice well met, and their parents agreed. This was a time to celebrate. There would be plenty more time for honing their skill as they grew.

The End