Two weeks after Tony Stark's announcement, Franklin saw the first weird thing in the LA sky. He stood in the school parking lot waiting for his mom when something shot through the clouds - too fast for a plane, too big for a bird.
Other kids pointed up, but the thing disappeared before anyone could get a good look.
"Probably a military test," his science teacher said. "They do that sometimes out at Edwards."
That night, the news talked about a "training exercise" over Los Angeles. But the video someone took on their phone didn't look like any plane Franklin had seen before.
At dinner, Marcus mentioned seeing something similar at his construction site. "Bright light in the sky. Moving weird. Security guard said it's the third time this week."
A few days later, Franklin's class watched a news report about an attack in a place called Gulmira. The reporter said something about advanced weapons being used, but then the feed cut out.
During lunch, Miguel pulled up a video on his phone. "Check this out."
The shaky footage showed what looked like a person flying through the air, shooting at tanks. The video ended with an explosion.
"That's fake," another kid said. "Like a movie or something."
But more videos kept showing up. The news started calling it "The LA Mystery" - strange lights in the sky, weird sounds at night, something flying around the city.
Franklin's mom picked him up early one afternoon. "Dad's working late again. They're fixing some damage at the Stark building downtown."
"What kind of damage?"
"Nobody's saying. But there's construction crews all over the place."
That weekend, Franklin watched the news while doing homework. They showed the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark appeared at some party. Pictures of Stark looked different now - he had a weird blue light showing through his shirt.
Later that night, Franklin woke up to police sirens. Red and blue lights flashed outside his window. In the distance, something that looked like a shooting star moved across the sky.
The next morning, his dad left for work before sunrise. "Got called in early. Something tore up part of the freeway last night."
At school, everyone talked about what they'd seen. Some kids said they heard explosions. Others swore they saw two metal men fighting in the sky.
The teacher turned on the TV during lunch. They showed damaged cars on the 10 freeway, broken concrete barriers, and scorch marks on the road. The reporter talked about "unexplained phenomena" and "possible military testing."
Franklin's phone lit up with a text from Jerome. "You seeing any of this crazy stuff out there?"
Before Franklin could answer, the principal made an announcement. All students had to stay inside during recess because of "air quality concerns."
Through the classroom window, Franklin watched military helicopters circle the city. During PE, they had to stay in the gym instead of playing outside.
That evening, his parents watched a press conference with Obadiah Stane. The bald man who used to hug Stark now talked about "stabilizing the company" and "maintaining security."
"Where's Tony Stark?" Franklin asked.
"Nobody knows," his mom answered. "He hasn't been seen since that party at the Concert Hall."
The local news showed more footage from around the city - broken windows downtown, a crash on the freeway, strange lights in the sky. They interviewed a scientist who talked about experimental aircraft, and a UFO expert who said aliens had come to LA.
Franklin's dad came home late again, covered in concrete dust. "Had to fix another section of road. Whatever's flying around out there, it's heavy enough to crack pavement."
That night, Franklin heard more sirens, more helicopters. The sky lit up orange for a second, like lightning without thunder.
The next morning, his mom drove a different route to school. "Part of the main road's closed. They say there was some kind of fight near the Stark factory."
In class, kids shared videos their parents took - bright flashes in the sky, something that looked like two shooting stars crashing into each other, explosions over the city.
The teacher tried to talk about math, but even she kept looking out the window whenever helicopters passed overhead.
At lunch, the TV showed reporters standing outside Stark Industries. The building had broken windows, and the parking lot looked like a war zone.
"There will be a press conference this afternoon," a reporter said. "Tony Stark is expected to address questions about recent events in Los Angeles."
Franklin remembered the last time Stark held a press conference. That was the day he said he'd stop making weapons. What would he say this time?
The final bell rang just as news vans started gathering at Stark Industries. Whatever had been flying around LA for the past few weeks, whatever had torn up the roads and broken windows and made the sky light up at night - maybe they'd finally find out what it was.
Franklin got in his mom's car, noticing more helicopters heading toward Stark Industries.
"Want to watch the press conference when we get home?" his mom asked.
Franklin nodded. He had a feeling this one would be just as surprising as the last.
The press conference started right after Franklin got home from school. His mom left the TV on while making dinner.
"Dad called," she said. "They closed the construction site early. Too many roads blocked around Stark Industries."
On TV, people waited for Tony Stark. Reporters checked their phones and whispered to each other. Agent Phil Coulson, the guy with the long agency name, handed out blue cards to the reporters.
Tony Stark walked in looking tired. His hand had bandages, and that blue light still showed through his shirt. He stood at the podium holding the same blue cards.
"There's been speculation," Stark started, reading from the card, "that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop-"
He stopped and looked at the card. The room got quiet.
"I'm just going to stick to the cards this time," he said. Then he looked straight at the cameras. "The truth is..."
Franklin sat up. Something felt different about this press conference.
"I am Iron Man."
The room exploded. Reporters jumped up shouting questions. Camera flashes went off like lightning. On a split screen, they showed footage from last night - a red and gold metal suit fighting a bigger silver one over the Stark building.
Franklin's mom stopped cooking and watched. "Well, that explains a lot."
The news switched to pictures they'd been showing all month: the weird lights in the sky, the damaged freeway, the explosions at night. Now they had a name for it: Iron Man.
They showed the other suit too - the big silver one that fought Iron Man. The reporters said Obadiah Stane, the bald man who used to run Stark Industries, had built it. But Stane died when his suit exploded.
Franklin got a text from Uncle Jerome: "You watching the conference?"
"Yeah," Franklin replied.
The news showed old clips of Stark next to new pictures of the Iron Man suit. They explained how Stark built the first version in Afghanistan to escape. How he made it better when he got home. How Stane tried to copy it.
"That's why he stopped making weapons," Franklin said, remembering the first press conference. "He was making this instead."
"No wonder the construction sites kept getting damaged," Marcus said. "We had superheroes and villains fighting overhead."
The TV showed old clips of Stark next to new pictures of the Iron Man suit. They explained how Stark built the first version in Afghanistan to escape. How he made it better when he got home. How Stane tried to copy it and went crazy.
"That's why he stopped making weapons," Franklin said, remembering the first press conference. "He was making this instead."
They interviewed people who saw the fight. A truck driver on the freeway. A security guard at Stark Industries. A kid who took video on his phone.
"Iron Man saved my life," the truck driver said. "That other guy, the big silver one, he was throwing cars around like toys. Then Iron Man showed up."
The press conference played again. This time Franklin watched the reporters' faces when Stark said those words. Some looked shocked. Others looked scared. A few smiled like they knew it all along.
Colonel Rhodes spoke next, saying the military would work with Iron Man. Agent Coulson talked about his agency helping too, but nobody could remember the whole name.
"Strategic Homeland... something," Franklin's mom said. "They need a shorter name."
That night, Franklin looked out his window at the LA sky. It looked different now, knowing what had been flying up there. Not aliens or secret planes or military tests. Just Tony Stark in a red and gold suit, trying to fix his mistakes.
The next morning, his dad drove a normal route to the construction site. The roads around Stark Industries opened again. At school, the teachers let kids play outside during recess.
At school, students talked about Iron Man during lunch. The principal announced they'd have an assembly about "recent events in our city." Teachers got emails about how to answer questions about Iron Man.
Franklin watched the news on the cafeteria TV. They interviewed an engineer who explained how the Iron Man suit might work.
After school, Franklin did his homework while more news played in the background. His dad came home early - the construction site near Stark Industries finished its repairs.