This story is a somewhat of a side story to Heroes and Demons by Silver Spider. This is Rhodey's side of the story to Tony's past before his disappearance. Many thanks to Silver Spider for not only the permission but the betaread as well. All characters belong to Marvel. Even Trish Tilby.

Brothers and Sand

By Marie Nomad

It all started out the usual interview about Stark Operations from a military standpoint. Rhodey was the best man for the job since he had helped approve and demonstrate the latest weapons. He can make a person feel comfortable. It also help that the reporter was a very pretty Asian reporter with good looking legs.

"And so, this new camo will make the person invisible to the naked eye." Rhodey finished to Ms. Trish Tilby as she wrote down her notes.

"Fascinating."

"Thanks. Any more questions?"

Trish smiled sweetly and asked, "Yes, would Tony Stark be proud of this invention?"

Rhodey took a deep breath. "He would probably figure out how to improve it."

"I see. People say that you never talked about Mr. Stark's disappearance. Why?"

The colonel glared at her. He should have known that this was a trap. Looks like that Ms. Tilby was more interested in finding out more about the enigma known as Tony Stark than the camo gear. "I never had anything to say."

"But you are his friend, aren't you?"

"How do you know?" Rhodey tensed up.

"I heard rumors that you and Tony were close."

"I'm his best friend and I actually care about him unlike you vultures." He haven't really opened up about his feelings about Tony Stark except for that new girl, Pepper very recently. Even then, all he said was how much he missed him. When Tony first disappeared, there were rumors all around and Rhodey wasn't interested in feeding the fire. Now, there was a whisper in his mind to get it all out in the open. Tony had a legacy that was never really anything more than weapons, parties, and sex. There was another part of him, a part that he protected with all of his power. Maybe, he should let the world know that Tony Stark was a human being with a heart.

"You want a story about Tony. Fine. I'll tell you."

It was a beautiful day as Jim Rhodes walked along the sidewalk towards the MIT campus. This was his first day here and he felt excited. He was thankful that the Air Force is paying his way through college. He was the first guy in his family to go to college and hopefully, it will pay off. All of a sudden, there was a roar of the engines and he glanced up to see a Delorean literally flying towards him.

"AAAAHHHH!" Jim jumped out of the way. The car crashed into the ground and foam spewed all over it. Jim stared wide eyed as a figure climbed out and wiped himself off. "Need to work on air breaks."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The fire impact foam works like a charm." The young man took off his helmet and goggles and got out a towel from a plastic.

"What the hell was that?"

"I'm trying to work on a flying car." The boy wiped himself clean as he grinned. Jim was stunned, he looked the same age as Jim. "It's a little side project of mine."

"Why a Delorean?"

"If you want to fly, fly in style. That, and I want to see if I can convert it into a time machine but the physics are against me, for now."

Jim nearly sputtered at what the kid was saying. Were all students at MIT are mad scientists in training? "Are you crazy? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm alright. Although, I have to get another Delorean now." The boy sighed as he inspected the wreck. "Oh well. I'm Tony, Tony Stark."

"Jim Rhodes." Jim introduced himself. "Why are you trying to build a flying car?"

"I felt like it." Tony shrugged. "I looked up in the sky and thought, I want to fly. So, why don't I make a flying car?"

Jim could understand the desire for flight, that was why he wanted to be in the Air Force. "Why don't you just build a plane?"

"Anyone can build a plan but have you ever saw a flying car? That would be so awesome." Tony gushed, "I could do rocket boots but I broke my legs the first time I tried to test them out and I had to promise Dad that I won't build any more."

"Okay. This is my first day here. I'm taking in the sights." Jim said as he started to inch away.

"Oh, I'm here for my Masters. I can show you around. I've been everywhere." Tony said as he followed him. "I can help you with your homework. I'm very smart." He started to plead, almost like a little puppy that didn't know that he was being abandoned.

"NO!" Jim said as he held his hands up.

Tony's eyes watered as he looked down. "Oh. I see. You don't like me. I don't blame you. No one likes me!"

"That's not... that's not true." Jim felt a little guilty. The kid just seemed so desperate for anyone it was sad. Maybe that came from the fact that he was working on his masters at such a young age. "I'm sorry. Maybe, if you try to be a little less... hyper, you can make friends."

"So, you can be my friend?"

"Yes, I can be your friend." Jim agreed.

Tony jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you so much, Rhodey!"

"Rhodey?" Jim repeated as he tried to pull himself away from the weird kid.

"Yeah, Rhodey. It rhymes with Tony. There are a lot of Jims and James out there but how many Rhodeys do you know?"

"Good point." Rhodey shrugged. "You're a funny kid, Tony."

" After that day, the nickname 'Rhodey' just stuck. I liked it. It took time but I adapted to Tony's weird pace."

Trish scribbled down the notes. "I see. I never knew that Tony Stark could be... so lonely."

"He's a rich genius. So, it would be hard to relate to him. I think he made it his mission to be liked by everyone."

"Why are you friends?"

"I don't know, I just like him."

The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"He's weird but I liked him. He was so vibrant and fun. He loves watching cartoons even as an adult. Deep down, he's a normal guy; just more eccentric."

"That movie was awesome!" Tony gushed as he and Rhodey came out of the movie theater. "Fully advanced robots that could kill at will. Can you imagine an army like that? War casualties would drop."

Rhodey's jaw dropped. "It's a movie about killer robots who took over the planet! How can you even want to think about building robots like that?"

"Okay, it's a little scary but the whole rebellion thing can be avoided with the right programming." Tony waved off.

"No! Don't even think about it! Whenever you get that look in your eyes, stuff gets blown up. Remember the super toaster?"

"That's back in college and the charges were dropped."

"After your Dad paid for the damages and added in a new library." Rhodey recalled.

"He just wanted me away from him." Tony looked down hurt.

Rhodey felt guilty. There was only one way to help Tony feel better. "Only you would want to do anything with AIs after watching something like 'The Terminator'." Rhodey got nervous. Someone as smart as Tony could actually make a real live AI and probably put enough weapons to make it dangerous. He might even add that weird accent that actor had. Tony got out his notebook and started scribbling. "Tony?"

"That has potential." Tony was in his own world again and forget stuff like time.

"Right." Rhodey took Tony by the shoulders and guided him to a cab. "Can't you just wait until we get off of the street before you do what you do?"

The very next day, Tony introduced Rhodey to the beginnings of an AI program named JARVIS.

"He got inspired by 'The Terminator' to create the JARVIS program?" Trish asked dumbfounded.

"The basics yeah. It took him years to fine tune the program but yeah. That's the way Tony is. He gets inspired by the weirdest of things. And he had enough ego to think that nothing would happen."

"Did he change?"

"Well, he learned about girls and booze at college. Tony never really changed throughout the years even after he took over the company. But we stayed in touch. I even became a liaison for Stark Industries just because of Tony. I had to help make sure that he's okay and he don't kill himself."

Rhodey opened the door with his security access card and saw a blond woman wandering around with messed up clothes. He wasn't really surprised.

"Have you seen Tony?" She asked as she walked over to him.

"No, I just got here. Maybe he left."

"That bastard." She held her head as she winced. "I am going to kill him."

"Yeah, well... I'll let you get in line with the other women." Rhodey sighed as she glared at him and then marched out of the door.

Rhodey waited until she's out of sight and he yelled out, "She's gone!"

Tony came out of the closet and brushed himself off. "That took forever. Leave it to a reporter to be stubborn."

"Maybe you should try seeing them off."

"It's always awkward if I do it like that. I don't do awkward."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you are coming with me to that meeting in Afghanistan right? You're two hours late! Come on!"

"It's not like the plane is leaving without us. Part of the perks of having your own plane." Tony argued as Rhodey pulled the billionaire out of the mansion. "Hey! I haven't gotten dressed yet!"

"You should have thought of that, before you did that reporter!"

"She was hot!"

"I just wish you grow up!"

"Later that day, Tony was kidnapped by terrorists. I should have stayed with him. I should not have left him out of my sight." Rhodey felt like crying.

"He was surrounded by soldiers to protect him. My sources said that the enemies were heavily armed. You could have been killed."

"I know. That's what the others told me, but that didn't stop me from feeling guilty. I spent every night scanning the desert for any signs of Tony. I must have run on coffee and anger for three months, tracking every lead I had. Finally, I found him and he's alive." Rhodey sighed. "At least physically."

Tony stared at the doctors looked after him. They marveled at the device in his chest and kept on asking questions about it. "Guys, I'm only one man. All I need is a martini and a hot nurse; red head if you have one."

"Leave the guy alone." Rhodey ordered.

Slowly, the doctors leaved and Tony relaxed in his bed. "I hate hospital food. I want a cheeseburger."

"You'll get one soon. How are you holding up, buddy?"

"Nice to be in a bed for a change and hear people speak English all the time. Music to my ears."

"How did you escape those bastards?"

Tony shrugged. "Oh, you know me."

Rhodey waited but Tony just stared back at him. "That's not an answer. Come on, what did you do to escape a terrorist stronghold?"

Tony looked down and took a deep breath. "A friend of mine sacrificed his life for mine. His name is Yinsen."

The patient closed his eyes and for the first time, Rhodey saw how tired he was. He had never seen Tony looked so depressed. Not even after his parents died. "Tony, I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Did anyone miss me?"

"Huh?"

"Did anyone wonder what happened to me?"

"We had the entire army looking all over the desert looking for you. I spent every day and night taking this whole desert apart. Everyone's worried about you!" Rhodey exclaimed as he remembered every single day and night of the past three months.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Were they worried about my own safety, or are they worried about the overall drop of S.I. stocks?"

Rhodey paused as he thought. Every single briefing he had, it surrounded how terrorists with Tony's abilities could be deadly. The corporation was worried about Tony being blackmailed or used for other companies. Even the ladies that Tony courted really didn't miss him, they said so on various talk shows that it was karma.

"Well? Whenever you don't say anything, you make me worried. I can take it. You're the only one who had been completely honest with me."

True, Rhodey had been honest but this will be very hard. Yet, Tony knew him like the back of his hand, to lie to him would just be a great injustice. "I was worried about your safety! I know that if I was in your place, you would do the same for me! You're my best friend!"

"Thanks. At least one person missed me."

Tony still looked away. He didn't look that surprised at the revelation. Rhodey tried to think of what to do. Usually, freed POWs would be reunited with family or friends or even members of their unit. Tony didn't have that. His family was dead, he was his only real friend, and he was a civilian. "You're not alone."

"Are you sure?"

Trish paused as she looked down. "I see."

"Yeah. Tony just changed. He refused to talk to a shrink or anyone else. He stopped going out at parties. He stopped seeing women. He stopped going out of the house period. Obadiah had to step up and make sure that the company kept on going because of all this."

"When was the last time you saw Tony?"

"The day before he disappeared."

It was dark as Rhodey slowly made his way through the mansion. It felt creepy and dark with all the curtains drawn and the lights were off. Rhodey nearly tripped on one of the many empty scotch bottles. In the distance, he can see a faint blue glow.

"JARVIS, draw back the curtains." Rhodey ordered the AI. Tony gave him access to Jarvis as a way of making sure that he could handle the mansion. Ever since Afghanistan, Rhodey spent a lot of his time in this place making sure Tony didn't kill himself. No one else could really get close to the man. But he couldn't stay here all the time. He had responsibilities to the military.

The curtains opened and a figure screamed, "The light!"

Rhodey saw Tony sprawled out on the floor trying to hide from the light and he was speechless. He was starting to grow a full beard and he was only in his tighty whites. "Oh, Tony."

"Oh, hey, Rhodey. Didn't hear ya come in." Tony said as he stumbled up and ambled to the fully stocked bar.

"Shouldn't you try to hold back on the stuff?"

"Why? They help me sleep better at night. This keeps away the nightmares." Tony pointed out as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"No, they just make you pass out. Besides, this stuff can kill you."

"Nah... I'm already dead. Yensin's right, I am a man who has everything and nothing. I never saw it before, you know. Now, it's as clear as... clear stuff." Tony downed the glass and then poured another one.

"Listen to me." Rhodey grabbed the bottle and held it away. "You need to get out of this house. You need... help."

"I don't need help." Tony denied as he drank another glass. He grabbed another bottle and started pouring another glass.

"Damn it, Tony!" Rhodey snatched the glass out of his hand and smashed it against the wall. "You can't give up!"

"What do I have to live for?" Tony wailed as he gestured around the empty house.

"What about the company? What about all those people who are waiting for your latest invention? What about me?" Rhodey wanted to either smack him or hug him. Tony had been spiraling deeper into depression since he had come back.

"I... I don't want to hurt any more people, Rhodey. I saw stuff in Afghanistan. Those terrorists were using my weapons to hurt innocent people. I don't want that. I don't want any more blood on my hands." Tony stared at his hands.

"Stuff like that happens. We can only control the weapons so much after they leave the plants. They were probably stolen and sold by weapons dealers. That happens."

"It shouldn't happen." Tony sighed as he went to the bar and grabbed another glass. "I don't know why you are my friend. All I do, is stress you out. You're better off without me."

"Don't say that! So you are a jerk and you drive me crazy, but I don't know what I would do without you."

Tony stared at him and said, "That is the dumbest thing I ever heard."

"Yeah, it is. But it is true. You're my brother. You need help. You can't do this alone."

Tony went to the couch and lie down. "Maybe. I don't know. I'm tired, Rhodey."

"Get some rest and clean yourself up." Rhodey ordered as he grabbed a blanket and tucked him in.

"Am I still your friend?" Tony whispered in a lost voice.

"You are my best friend."

"And that's the last time I saw him." Rhodey said as he stood up. "I haven't seen him since."

"Do you think he's dead?"

"Tony has always been the type that to stand out. Everyone looked for him but no one had ever seen him. He was probably in the same place as Jimmy Hoffa. This interview is over."

"Thank you, Mr. Rhodes. I'm sorry for the trap."

"You're a reporter, that's what you do." Rhodey shook her hand and then walked away.

XXX

"What a day." Rhodey announced as he entered his hotel room.

"I suppose the interview did not go as planned." JARVIS said from the laptop. Rhodey had saved the program and the robot helpers when Obadiah sold the mansion. The robots were too big for his place so he put them into storage. Jarvis was thankfully portable enough to carry wherever he go.

"You have no idea." Rhodey took off his jacket and shoes and lie down on the bed. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I need something relaxing. Put up a movie."

"Which one? Kung Fu Master and the Killer School Teachers?"

"Nah. I got it, The Terminator."

"Ah, what a classic, a movie about evil robots." The program said sarcastically.

"Just play the movie, smart ass."

As Rhodey watched the movie, he thought about his friend. What had happened to Tony? Why couldn't he save him? Was there anything he could have done differently to save him?

"Tony."

The End