The next morning Clint wakes me up early and says, "Fury called he wants to meet at your house. I'm to drop you off, but not engage. Just in case we need to check on your father again, Fury thinks it's better that he doesn't know who I am." I nod and say, "I get it. I don't like it, but I get it." He hands me a bag and says, "Nat dropped these off for you." I nod and he leaves the room. I get dressed in what Nat brought me which is shorts, a black kiss tank top, and black wedges. All of these things were obviously from my closet. I throw my hair is a ponytail and I am ready to go. I grab my phone and leave Natasha's room. When I step out of it Clint asks, "You ready to go?" I nod and say, "Yeah I'm ready." We make some small talk on the way over, I can tell he's trying to cheer me up a little before I go deal with the mess my father has made. I really appreciate that. He and Natasha say they need someone like me, but I think I need them too. Clint is the best guy ever and Natasha has been a good friend so far. When we get to my house I lean over and give him a kiss. I say, "I'll text you later." He nods and says, "Can't wait, good luck." I nod and get out of the car and head inside to wait.
I beat them there, but not by much because ten minutes after Clint left they pulled up. Dad comes in and says, "Oh, Melody. I'm so sorry." I say, "Not now dad. We have to fix your mess." He turns and glares at Fury. Dad says, "You told her?" Fury rolls his eye and says, "Who do you think told us about the lithium dioxide?" Dad turns to me and says, "That was you?" I roll my eyes and say, "Yes, dad it was. I'm smarter than you give me credit for apparently." He says, "I know you are smart that's not why I didn't tell you. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. I thought I could figure it out alone." I say, "Well apparently you can't, so now you are going to take my help and you are going to take SHIELD's help. And after last night you don't get a say in it anymore." He nods and we all get settled to listen to what Fury has to say about dad's issue.
Fury says, "That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology." Dad interrupts, "No, it was finished. It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturized it and put it in my…" Fury says, "No. Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery." Dad asks, "Just him, or Anton Vanko in on this too?" Fury says, "Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn't deliver they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco." I say, "Wait his son was the man who attacked you?" Dad says, "Yes, he blames the Starks for all that is wrong with the world." I roll my eyes and say, "At this point who doesn't."
Dad nods and says, "You told me I hadn't tried everything. What do you mean I haven't tried everything? What haven't I tried?" I too was curious about this. If there's a way dad usually finds it. Fury says, "He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started." Ah, grandpa was capable of being nice to dad. Just not to his face. Dad says, "He said that?" Fury asks, "Are you that guy? Are you? 'Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart. And you have a better shot at solving it if you have your daughter's help. She is after all smarter than you." I look up at him in shock. Dad says, "What do you mean she's smarter than me." Fury shrugs and says, "I saw the IQ test she had changed. She made you guys even, but really her IQ is higher than yours. Use that to your advantage." Dad turns to me and asks, "Is that true?" I nod and he asks, "Why did you hide it?" I shrug, "You can be sensitive sometimes I didn't want to rub it in." He says, "I'm proud of you princess and I should have known. You read people so well and things come so naturally to you. Even more so than they do for me."
Dad moves back to the original subject about his dad, "I don't know where you get your information, but my dad wasn't my biggest fan." Fury asks, "What do you remember about your dad?" Dad says, "He was cold, he was calculating. He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me, so it's a little tough for me to digest when you're telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he's passing it down. I don't get that. You're talking about a guy whose happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school." That's kind of sad, but I don't think that's how grandpa really felt. Fury says, "That's not true." Dad says, "Well, then, clearly you knew my dad better than I did." Fury informs him, "As a matter of fact, I did. He was one of the founding members of SHIELD."
Dad says, "What?" I say, "That's so cool!" Fury says, "I got a two o'clock." I laugh as dad says, "Wait, wait, wait, wait. What's this?" Fury says, "Okay, you're good, right?" Dad says, "No, I'm not good." Fury looks to me and says, "You got this? Right? Right?" I nod and say, "I'll figure it out." As dad says, "Got what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to get." Fury ignores dad and says, "Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact. You remember Agent Coulson, right?" Dad says, "Yeah." I go over to Coulson and say, "It's so nice to see you again Agent Coulson." He says, "You as well Ms. Stark. Please call me Phil." I nod and say, "Than call me Melody." Fury says, "And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you." The man has style I don't think anyone can debate that. Natasha says, "We've disabled all communications. No contact with the outside world. Good luck."
As she passes me she says, "Your phone still works Clint would go crazy if he couldn't reach you." I nod, but don't respond. We don't need dad prying in on this conversation. Dad turns to Phil and says, "Please. First thing, I need a little bodywork. I'll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to The Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that'd be nice." Phil responds, "I'm not here for that. I've been authorized by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch Supernannywhile you drool into the carpet. Okay?" I laugh go Phil! Dad says, "I think I got it, yeah." I say, "You deserved that one dad." Dad nod and Phil says, "Enjoy your evening's entertainment." I look at dad and say, "Well I guess we better get to work." He nods and grabs the case with grandpa's name on it. Off to the lab we go.
I love my dad, but I am so incredibly mad at him still. I am going to push that down and focus on making him better, but once we have done that I think I might take some time away. He didn't trust me with something that I could have helped on which hurts enough, but he didn't trust and his life is on the life that makes it much worse. I shake all these thoughts from my head and pull out my phone while dad is distracted. I text Clint: (I'm going into the lab with dad. I'll text you when I can.) I put my phone away and walk over to dad. He opens the case to reveal research, blue prints and film. Dad puts the film and we both go over the research and blue prints. The video starts and it is grandpa saying, "Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust heath, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. I'm Howard Stark, and everything you'll need for the future can be found right here. City of the Future? City of Tomorrow? City of… I'm Howard Stark and everything you'll need in the future can be found right here. So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally… Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that?"
Little dad has picked one of the buildings up off the model. Grandpa says, "Put that back. Put it back where you got it from. Where's your mother? Maria? Go on. Go, go, go, go. I'll… I'll… I'll come in and…" The video changes and a man says, "Are you waiting on me?" Grandpa is drinking what looks like whiskey. The video changes again and grandpa says, "So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you my ass. I'd like to… I can't… This is… I can't… We have this, don't we? This is a ridiculous way… Everything is achievable through technology." He and dad are more alike than they think. The video changes again and grandpa says, "Tony. You're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you." I totally knew grandpa loved dad, he just couldn't ever express it to dad. I look over and see that dad is crying and I hurry over to him.
He pulls me into a hug and says, "You know I feel that way about you right? You are my greatest creation. I go too far sometimes and I take for granted all the things people do for me, but I love you so much. I don't want you to have to hear that from a video, I want you to hear it from me." I hug him tightly and say, "I know dad and I love you too." He says, "I'm not upset that you are smarter than me. I'm so proud of you and I'm sorry you felt like you had to tone down your intelligence for me." I say, "I just wanted us to be equal. I love you dad and I don't mind slowing myself down sometimes for you." He smiles at me and says, "You are an incredible kid. You are smart, talented, and gorgeous. I am so proud of you and everything you have accomplished." I smile and say, "Thank you daddy and I'm so proud of you too." We just sit there for a moment and for a split second I feel like I can be the teenager for once it is a nice feeling, but of course I know it won't last long.
After a while of us just sitting there dad says, "I have to run to the restroom kiddo I'll be right back." By his body language and facial expression I know he's lying. I wait five minutes and then ask, "Jarvis is dad still in the house?" I'm not at all surprised when my answer is, "No, Melody he is not." Awesome. I'm not mad at him for leaving, because I really want to believe there is a good reason for him leaving. I'm mad because he didn't explain or take me with him where ever he went. I don't really know what to do, so I do the only thing I can think of. I pull out my phone and dial Clint's number. He answers after two rings. He says, "Aren't you supposed to be working?" I say, "Yeah I am, but my dad has gone AWOL and I don't know where he went. I'm not really sure what to do, I figured you would know what to do, or at least I hoped you would." He sighs and says, "Your dad really has to make everything difficult huh?" I roll my eyes and say, "Tell me about it." He says, "Let me call Coulson and I'll call you right back." I say, "Ok." After that we hang up. While I wait for his call back I decide to continue to go through the research we have to work with. One of us might as well be working.
About ten minutes later my phone rings and I answer, "Hello?" Clint says, "Coulson already figured he was gone and he wants you to go get him. I'm coming to get you and I'll drop you off there too." I say, "Ok I'll meet you out front." After the phone call I continue to work for a little bit longer than head outside to meet Clint.