Rhodey was waiting for him when he got to the plane.
"I didn't keep you too long, did I?"
"You're pretty early, all things considered. Did you sleep at all?" He'd told Rhodey about losing his two younger brothers to tragic accidents in their youth, but his friend didn't know the full story. No one could ever know who he really was and exactly what he was capable of. The world would go to Hell in seconds.
"Pepper made sure I did." Tony snorted. He proceeded to tell his friend exactly what happened to Christine Everhart. Rhodey howled with laughter, literally gasping for air in the effort to control himself, only to burst out laughing again.
"Oh my God, Tony! That's better than anything we could have thought of for Prank Week! Dude!" Rhodey snickered endlessly.
"Yeah, yeah. She was getting on my nerves. For the love of the gods, how many ways are there to just flat-out say "I'm not fucking into you!" And how the hell did she get my cell anyway? Lucky for me it was my work phone. I damn near threw something when I picked up and it was her. Ask Pepper, she screeched like a banshee."
"You slept with Pepper?"
"In the literal sense, yes. We watched TV together."
"And you're saying she doesn't remember you at all?"
"I was technically a different person, so you can't exactly blame her. It was a while ago." Tony insisted. "We were kids. I can't expect anyone to connect the dots, much less her."
"Still, I'm sorry. It's gotta suck, finding someone like that. She seems to like you, at least. You've gotten this far." Rhodey offered sympathetically.
"Ten years with someone will do that." Tony noted.
The rest of the ride passed quickly, as he made last minute adjustments to plans for the demo.
Things went perfectly fine, and he rubbed elbows with all the right people. Howard would be proud, he mused, but it was painful to think of his old friend. He should have seen the signs. They were so obvious, looking back.
He rode back with a group of young soldiers (and airmen, Rhodey would get on him about that when he was safe and they were laughing again.) And he joked and they laughed and took pictures and then BOMB, because nothing ever went right.
The truck in front of him got blown up and he prayed that Rhodey would be okay, because judging by the shootout that ensued, he wasn't making it out of this alive. Then he got blown up by a bomb with his name on the side. (Not his name, it was always Howard's, always. He had no clue why the bastard was so convinced that weapons were the way to go when he knew, he knew-!) He had a number of thoughts before he passed out, but above all, he prayed to Odin that his friends would be alright.
I've taken enough lives already. This is my penance.