Author Note:
I feel a little overwhelmed by all this positive attention.
None of my stories have received such a welcome.
In less than 24 I received on Ao3, 9 Comments, 26 Kudos, 5 Bookmarks.
While on I received, 12 favs, 11 follows, 2 reviews.
All this for a single and short Prologue… it blows me away.
Who knew that a simple idea like this could produce such a result?
XXX
Episode 1: A Lying Witch and an iron heroine (I)
Chapter 1: The quarrel between a father and a daughter
Plot : Luz and Tony traveling in an armored limousine to get to a private plane, during the transport they talk to each other. The discussion is not too harmonious ...
XXX
POV Narrator
Year 2018.
It's been ten years since Tony Stark said the famous words: I am Iron-man !
Few months ago, there was an event of cosmic importance, known by all as: Infinity War.
Heroes from all over the world have gathered in Wakanda to face Thanos, an alien warlord, who wanted to gather the seven Infinity Gems to kill half of all life in the entire universe.
In this universe, the presence of a small light prevented the Avengers from separating.
With the world's Mightiest Heroes united and teaming together, they defeated Thanos and hid the Seven Infinity Stones.
The universe has been saved, but that doesn't mean the problems are over.
A certain "Iron-dad" is battling an enemy he cannot defeat, even if he assembles the greatest heroes of the multiverse.
Tony Stark's little light has grown up, and he wishes to carry on the legacy of the iron hero.
XXX
On the runway of a private airline, an armored limousine is approaching.
Inside the vehicle that can envy the president's personal vehicle, there are two people who are arguing: Tony Stark and Luz Noceda.
Tony Stark has aged quite well in recent years, although there are a large number of wrinkles and a few strands of gray hair.
Clearly, being an internationally renowned superhero and a parent is a job that ages you prematurely.
Luz Noceda-Stark has grown up, now 16 years old and 167 centimeters tall, with the physique of an Olympic swimmer and very toned arms.
The result of a healthy diet, lots of exercise, and training from Uncle Steven and Aunt Natasha.
Luz, wearing knee-length black boots, dark blue jeans, a purple shirt, an old leather jacket.
Above Luz's head, like a certain Digimon character, are futuristic purple-white goggles/visors.
Luz's hands are covered in a pair of purple colored gloves, featuring small buttons in the palm of the hand and light knuckle protection.
Father and daughter are sitting opposite each other.
Normally, the two of them are on excellent terms, spending a good part of their time talking about numerous projects to be carried out.
But in recent days, things have gotten quite complicated between the two of them.
"Luz, please, can we talk about what happened?" Tony asks, trying to resolve the conflict with his daughter.
"What do we have to talk about ?" Luz asks, crossing her arms and avoiding looking at her father.
"I want to be a solo superhero.
You want me to remain a princess locked up in your tower." Luz said, being able to summarize the root of the conflict in a few sentences.
"Luz, I don't want to lock you inside Stark Tower." Tony said, not wanting to isolate her daughter from the whole world, making her a kind of Rapunzel.
Luz's expression went from annoyed to hostile.
" Last week, Peter needed help taking down the New Sinister Six.
I put on my latest masterpiece, took to the field and in less than half an hour, the police arrested six super-criminals." Luz said, in a calm voice that hides a great deal of anger.
" When I return to Stark Tower, victorious from my first fight.
You come to me and…remind me, what did you do?" Luz asks, in a fake innocent voice, pretending she forgot what happened a week ago.
Tony looks down, knowing he made a very stupid move in that moment.
"I remembered… You yell at me that I'm an irresponsible girl and I'm getting a house arrest for a week!" Luz said aloud, having just begun to express her feelings.
" If it wasn't enough that I'm being punished for helping a friend and saving lives!
You confiscated all my inventions from me, even my masterpiece was taken apart!" shouts Luz, having almost finished her monologue of fury.
" ¡Lo peor de todo es que has decidido enviarme a quedarme en Wakanda todo el verano! (It's worst of all, you decided to send me for the whole summer to stay in Wakanda!)" Shouts Luz, expressing the last resentment of his heart in spanish.
""I overdid your punishment, but I was worried, you've never done anything like this before." Tony said, admitting his guilt towards his daughter.
At times, Tony can become a rather overprotective parent, the result of becoming Iron-man and a founding member of the Avengers, takes the paranoia and worry to ridiculous levels.
"I've never done anything like this!? I've been a part of this life of heroism since you came back from Afghanistan." Luz replies, with a nasty frown.
Again, Tony has chosen the wrong words.
Luz feels as if all of her work and lifelong achievements have been forgotten by her father's mind.
"In 2008, when I was six. Shortly after you came back, I helped you design the Mark-II.
Later, I built my first AI and my first Battle Drone, powered by an Arc Reactor.
Papi, I have to remind you, that you are alive because I gave you the Arc Reactor of my drone." Luz said, in a serious tone, but her hands are shaking slightly.
Even though Luz doesn't want to admit it, that night was pretty traumatic for a six-year-old girl.
Finding your father lying on the ground, pale as a corpse, without the Arc Reactor that keeps his heart alive.
" You saved my life and helped build my first armor. But to be a hero you need more than scientific skills and an advanced drone." Tony said, not knowing that he's already lost this fight.
Tony Stark should have tried when Luz was a small child, not now that she is close to being of age, not to mention the many experiences gathered over the years.
In 2010, when I was eight years old, I found out you were about to die from palladium poisoning. Instead of crying, I saved your life when I discovered the plans hidden in grandpa's plans.
During the whole period, I finished building my own ranged wizard armor and such a unique AI.
I was a vital element in taking down the drones of Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko." Luz lists the actions she took during a time when her father wasn't stable or a role model.
"You are intelligent and able to function in high stress situations, but to be a hero you have to be able to work in a team." Tony said, trying not to sound hypocritical in front of his own daughter.
"In 2012, at the age of ten, I finished making a remotely guided mini-mecha and my unique AI evolved into what I call a GENIE
Lucky I finished the project, the day before Loki invaded Stark Tower to bring his friends, Chitauri." Luz said, stopping her story for a second.
The brilliant girl can well remember how a man dressed in green and gold created a giant portal, bringing a whole army of aliens to New York.
" I was the last to join the Avengers team.
If I remember correctly, I worked very well with my future uncles and aunt Natasha.
I almost forgot, I sacrificed my mini-mecha to save your life.
If it hadn't been for me, you could have died in space or been killed by the nuclear bomb." Luz said, in a serious tone, being able to counterattack her father's claims all day.
" Well, you saved my life three times." Tony said reluctantly, despising the number of times he gets into a bad situation and Luz of all people has to help him.
"Wrong, I saved your life ten times." Declares Luz, holding up all her fingers, taking into account the number of her saves.
" Why can't we continue to work as we are already doing ?" Tony asks, in a hopeful tone, trying to convince his daughter to keep her position that she has held for years.
"Me in the field while you stay inside the Stark Tower, from where you can take care of the logistics and/or remotely pilot your inventions.
Why change something that works?" Tony asks, wanting to avoid a major change in his relationship with his daughter.
"I dream of being a hero like Batman, not my father's personal Oracle!
I'm too old to hide in a tower, behind a computer! " Declares Luz, tired of being the little daughter who has to stay safe inside Stark Tower.
"Luz, it's one thing to remotely control your machines, it's another thing to pilot your machines yourself." Tony said, not wanting to allow his daughter into the battlefield.
"Dad, don't you risk seriously hurting yourself or worse every time you wear one of your armors?" Luz asks, knowing full well what her father is feeling, the same feeling hers has haunted her for a decade.
Tony Stark hangs his head in defeat, not knowing how to respond.
Tony is well aware that having him as a father has never been easy and everything got more complicated when he became Iron-man.
Sometimes she wonders why, Camilla didn't try to remove custody rights to di Luz.
"Luz, I've always known that you'll be a better person than me. Over the years you've shown yourself to be smart, brave and capable of doing anything you set your mind to." Tony said, with a small smile on his lips, proud in all respects of his daughter.
"Luz, you can accept that I'm Iron-man and you've never tried to stop me. But I can't do the same for you, not after Infinity War." Tony confesses, in a bitter tone, aware that his decision is purely selfish.
"We won the war, but our family got smaller." Luz comments, in an anguished tone, perfectly understanding how her father feels.
To defeat Thanos, Earth's heroes staked everything they had, to save the world, some paid with their lives.
"I've had to bury some of my best friends, I won't do the same to my daughter." Tony said, wanting to avoid this scenario at any cost, even if it means being despised by the person he loves.
" I share your pain, Dad, when one of the family dies, we all suffer.
But I've stopped crying, I have to carry on their legacy." Luz said, fully convinced in her decision.
Her heroic aspiration has long been no longer only about herself, but also about the heroes who sacrificed everything for the common good.
"If you want to honor, you should live a long and happy life, don't try to end up like Rhodey!" Tony exclaims raising his voice, sounding on the verge of a crisis.
Of all the people who died in Infinity War, the loss of War Machine was the most painful wound for Tony, one that will never heal.
"Don't try to bring up Uncle Rhodey in this conversation, he's been a second father to me!" Luz replies, raising her voice and punching the window of the limousine.
If it wasn't bulletproof glass, the window would be shattered to pieces.
" Rhodey was an exemplary soldier, a role model for many, a legendary hero and a good man who supported my dream !
Don't you dare use her name against me!" Luz yells, almost seeming ready to cry and/or punch her father.
Tony Stark is for once speechless, not knowing what to do or say to fix this problem.
The only person who could suffer worse than Tony regarding Rhodey's death is Luz.
Whenever Tony couldn't be acting as a father, Rhodey has always been there for Luz.
The pain buried in Luz's heart is indescribable, but the same can be said of her will to fulfill her dream.
" You can send me to Wakanda all summer, mentored by the best universities in the world, to convince me to become a 100% female scientist, but it won't work!
You can even try to deprive me of the resources of Stark Industries and my inheritance, but you will only slow me down!" Luz declares, in a resolute tone, showing herself unwavering in achieving her goal.
"I'm willing to wait 18 months and come of age. At 18, your chains on me will be broken and you can't stop me from joining the army.
Once inside, I'll do anything to become the next person to bear the War Machine name!" Luz said, laying out her backup plan.
If she can't be a hero working in the private sector, she can become a hero working with the US military.
For Luz Noceda-Stark to play the role of Iron-Woman or War Machine II, it's not a big difference, the important thing is to save lives.
Tony stood still as if he was petrified.
Iron-man's brain is trying to process the information offered seconds ago.
Tony can currently prevent a number of rash moves by Luz, especially as he is her father and she is 16 years old.
But when Luz becomes a legally grown woman, the number of things Tony can do without being charged with kidnapping or kidnapping are terribly small.
The military would welcome Luz Stark with open arms, who wants to build and drive advanced armor for the US government.
Luz can't be stopped by Tony, only slowed down for about a year and a half.
Tony continues to remain silent and the limo pulls up in front of a private plane.
"We have arrived at our destination ... Tony." Luz said, opening the limousine door.
"Don't try to call, because I won't answer." Luz said, in a cold tone, before stepping out of the limousine and going to get her bags from the trunk.
Tony remained silent, looking at the floor of the limousine, not knowing what to do with his daughter.
"Nothing and no one can stop Luz Noceda." Luz murmurs, with a determined look as she climbs inside the plane.
In her left hand Luz carries a black wheeled luggage, in her right hand she carries a "simple" black and gray suitcase, finally on her shoulders she carries a "common" black-purple backpack.
Tony Stark's daughter plans to make a small flight change.
'I hope mom doesn't mind having a little surprise visit.' Luz thinks, with a soft smile, wanting to talk to her mother about her, before taking drastic measures to fulfill her dream.
Continues ...
XXX
Author Note:
If your favorite MCU character is War Machine, I'm sorry to say but in this universe Rhodey was killed by Thanos.
In my mind, the only reason Tony would do anything to stop his daughter from becoming a superhero would be a great loss.
The loss of Rhodey helps explain why Tony becomes hundreds of times more overprotective than normal and why Luz becomes even more committed to becoming a hero.
Tony wants to keep his daughter from ending up like Rhodey, a good person who makes a noble sacrifice, leaving the rest of the family heartbroken.
Luz wants to honor her beloved godfather/honorary uncle/second father figure.
Sounds like a feasible conflict to me.
XXX
In the next chapter, Luz Noceda-Stark ends up in Gravesfield, where she is robbed by an adorable little owl.