Here we are... the end of the second story in this series!
I couldn't upload the chapter yesterday. The site wasn't letting me. It was out of my control.
I hope you all enjoy the final installment to Iron Man 2! Please read the notes at the end as I will detail the next story in the series as well as when I anticipate beginning to post it :)
Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2
Nine
Tony tapped Rhodey's helmet as the system restarted, telling him he needed him to snap out of it as he needed him, as they had incoming. Rhodey's helmet opened and he told Tony that he could have his suit back. Tony grinned and helped Rhodey up, asking if he was okay.
Rhodey apologised to Tony.
"Don't be," reassured Tony.
Rhodey felt he needed to. "No. I should have trusted you more."
Sam frowned. "He didn't really give you a reason to trust him though." He pointed out the obvious, silently apologising to Tony with his expression.
"I handled the situation badly," admitted Tony. "I could have done things differently. We know that. I've said it multiple times now." It seemed to be something he had to keep on saying. He was getting frustrated by it.
"I should have thought about our friendship," explained Rhodey. "But you didn't help yourself. It was a bad time for all of us."
Tony said he was the one who had put Rhodey in this position and to forget it.
Rhodey told him it was Tony's fault, he just wanted to say that he was sorry. That was all Tony wanted to hear. They can begin to plan their attack. Rhodey pointed out they needed to use the high ground, so they had to put their biggest gun up the ridge. Tony then asked him where Rhodey wanted to be. Rhodey believed he was the biggest gun and not Tony.
"Rhodey has the bigger weaponry on his suit…" observed Thor. "He should be up high."
"He also has Hammer technology…" pointed out Bruce, remembering the video from the start of the movie where Hammer's attempts to build his own Iron Man suit had backfired. "And we all know how that could go…"
Tony grinned. That's why he had fought to be up high but Rhodey had won the argument, not that they'd had the chance to change positions before Vanko and his drones had arrived.
They bantered a bit before Tony conceded. Rhodey told him not to stay down on the ground as that was the worst place. Tony pointed out Rhodey already had a spot to go to, but Tony didn't have a place himself. Rhodey explained where they were was the kill box, and it was where someone went to go to die.
"Perhaps you should get moving…" hinted Wanda, a slight tingle of worry evident in her voice. "You don't want to be caught in the wrong place."
"Too late," winced Sam as they watched the next part unfold.
They were too late to move to other positions as drones flew into the biodome and landed all around them. Tony and Rhodey's helmets came down.
The drones attacked all at once as Tony and Rhodey defended themselves. Rhodey's big gun continuously fired at the drones, as well as firing little missiles. Tony used a few weapons before directly attacking the drones, flinging them around the area. A miniature missile targeted him and Tony leaned out the way. He fired six small missiles, two each attached to two separate drones before exploding, taking the drones with it.
The drones were getting closer and closer, reducing their space to fight. Tony saw an opportunity and took it.
"Rhodey? Get down!" Rhodey ducked. Two red lasers from Tony's hand gauntlets fired, slicing all the drones in half in one go, as well as a tree.
Steve looked surprised. "If you have that kind of technology, why don't you use it more often?"
"Would you have liked me to have cut you in two in Siberia?" stated Tony.
Steve paled. "No."
"I'm rather glad you didn't," swallowed Bucky, speaking up for the first time.
"I didn't install that weapon on my later suits," admitted Tony. "It was useful but not needed considering the arsenal I have at my disposal. I couldn't have used it on either of you in Siberia. Just wanted to see your reaction if I'd implied, I could have used it on you in Siberia."
Sam shook his head. "We really need to find out the true story of what happened there."
"You will," said Steve.
"We're going to keep on having hints as to what happened, aren't we?" asked Bruce. "Can we not just skip to the Civil War one after this?"
Tony would have preferred that but he had the feeling it wouldn't be possible.
No, the voice explained, my orders are clear. You have to see what has come before, what is happening now and what is in the future if any of you are going to prevent what is to come.
"Guess that answers if we can skip any movies or not," drawled Clint. "Conclusion: we can't."
"Wow, I think you should lead with that next time," suggested Rhodey.
Tony was apologetic. "Yeah. Sorry boss. I can only use it once. It's a one-off."
"One off for each suit," clarified Tony.
"Why can it be only used once?" asked Thor. "Surely a weapon like that should be used often, especially if it turns the tide of battle!"
Tony shrugged. "There was other weaponry I could install in my suits which were not a one-off. It used up space which could be utilised for other weaponry. Plus, I found my other weaponry more effective."
"Honestly, when Tony told me he was removing it as a feature from his suits, even I was baffled," stated Rhodey, "but looking at what he's doing with the suits now mean that the technology for that laser attack is just not viable." He had seen the new suits Tony was working on and the premise behind them. "Trust me when I say you'll be stunned when you see how far his tech has advanced."
"I guess time will tell if you are correct!" finished Thor, accepting the answer both Tony and Rhodey had given him to his query.
Back at the Expo the police arrive and Pepper points to Hammer. The officer told him he was being placed under arrest. Hammer couldn't believe it. The police officer grabbed his arms and cuffed him; despite his protests he was trying to help. Hammer glanced at Pepper and laughed.
"I get it. I see what you're doing. You're trying to pin this on me, huh? That's good. That's good. You're starting to think like a CEO, taking out the competition. I like that. You think you're making a problem for me?" Hammer's voice got louder as he was being led away. "I'm gonna make a problem for you. I'm gonna be seeing you again real soon!"
"Did he forget that he was the one who freed Vanko in the first place?" Sam couldn't believe the audacity Hammer had to try to make it look like he was the innocent person. "You took yourself out of the equation the moment you had Vanko freed from prison."
Bruce glared at the screen. "I don't like how he is threatening Pepper. He didn't do anything to her did he?"
Tony shook his head. "No. I made sure he couldn't. When he gets out of prison, he'll be monitored in case he tries to go after Pepper. He won't get anywhere near her whilst I am around." He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Not if he could help it. But what if I'm not around when he gets out?
It was a worry that didn't sit well with Tony.
Pepper walked outside with some of the police officers. She was giving them advice on where she thought they should station themselves when reinforcements arrived. The officer explained they had already shut down the 7 trains in and out of Willets Point already, and Pepper suggested using city buses to ferry people to operating lines. The officer agreed and asked her if she was coming with them. Pepper said no, as she was going to stay until the park was clear.
"As much as I wish she'd left, I'm glad she stayed, "sighed Tony. It had led to him saving her and then bought them together with their first kiss. Though he had always intended on telling her his feelings, he wondered how quickly he would have done so if he hadn't rescued Pepper from certain death. "Despite the danger she was in, Pepper always knew what to do."
"She's a good leader," observed Steve. "Knows how to give orders and take control of a situation."
"Why do you think I made her CEO in the first place?" grinned Tony. He hadn't been wrong in selecting Pepper as his successor. She was truly dedicated to her role and knew more about how Stark Industries was running as a business then Tony currently did. He'd been too focused on other things.
Back at Hammer Industries, Natasha detected one more drone incoming and that it looked different, and she notified Tony that the repulsor signature was significantly higher.
"Guess that's where Vanko currently is…" noted Clint. "He's like another Stane. Another suit for you to fight."
"Come to think of it, he was," agreed Rhodey. "Though I never fought Stane, I saw the footage and the photos."
Tony and Rhodey looked up as a full suit landed and the helmet opened up to reveal Vanko and he said it was good to be back.
Rhodey whispered to Tony. "Oh, this ain't gonna be good."
"Why did I state the obvious?" Rhodey shook his head, amused by his past self. "Surely our time would have been better moving out the way before he did something?"
Tony shrugged, not really having an answer for him.
Vanko flung his arms out and two electrified whips activated, sizzling within the air.
Clint flinched. "Electrified whips and a drone suit… Lethal combination."
"It nearly was," stated Natasha. "Tony and Rhodey got lucky."
Neither of them could deny that.
"I got something special for this guy. I'm gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife," said Rhodey confidently.
"It's not going to work is it?" Bucky guessed. "Hammer tech."
Tony grinned.
"With the what?" asked Tony.
"It was a dumb name," laughed Tony. "Who calls a weapon 'the Ex-Wife'? It's not exactly the best name."
"Has Hammer ever been married?" queried Bruce. "Maybe he had a very volatile Ex-Wife and he based his weapon on her?"
"I don't think he ever has…" mused Tony. "Not to the best of my knowledge."
"Hammer was like Tony in some respects," explained Natasha. "He was a womaniser too… but he wasn't that popular."
Tony almost made a comment about being a womaniser but even he recognised he had slept with multiple women before Pepper and that name could be applied to him. Though he did feel a bit of pride that Hammer wasn't as popular as him.
Rhodey stepped forward and on his left shoulder a miniature missile launcher rose up, whirling into power, and launched, but the missile bounced of Vanko's armour and fizzled out in the water.
"Hammer tech?" noted Tony.
"Yeah," Rhodey admitted.
"It was impressive when he demonstrated it… the execution of it was dire…" sighed Rhodey. "I was glad when you agreed to keep my suit upgraded. So was the army. They needed technology that worked… not tech which sounded good and failed to live up to its name."
"I wasn't going to leave my best friend without a working suit," smiled Tony.
"I got this." Tony targets various points of Vanko's armour but his tiny shots made no damage.
"That's a surprise…" whispered Wanda. "I would have thought your suit would have damaged it."
"Vanko had studied the armour… He knew the weak spots," said Tony. "He knew what he could use to reinforce his own and make my armour weak. That's why I am always upgrading. I learn from my mistakes and make them work for my next suit. There will never be a perfect Iron Man suit. Each situation I learn, each time I tweak…" He glanced up at the ceiling. "I need to be ready for what is up there."
"You will be," encouraged Wanda. "I know you will."
Tony wasn't sure he believed her. "We'll see. Whatever the last two movies are about will be an eyeopener for all of us."
Vanko attacked them with the whips as they both dived to the side in opposite directions. Rhodey pummelled all his fire power into hitting Vanko, however the whips destroyed his main gun. Tony flew into the air, but Vanko directed the whips in his direction, wrapping around the Iron Man armour and pulling him down, landing with a thud against a rock.
"He's counteracting your every move…" gasped Steve. "Nothing is working against him…"
Rhodey used the distraction to run around and fire multiple shots at Vanko. Vanko blocked them, whilst Tony flew towards him but was knocked out the way.
One of Vanko's whips wrapped around Rhodey's neck, pulling him closer, then punched the armour, sending Rhodey backwards.
Tony bellowed as he attempted to attack from behind, but Vanko dodged. He landed and they both got into a fist fight, with Vanko pulling one of the whips out to slice down Tony's suit and then wrap it around his neck again, disrupting power to the suit.
Everyone winced.
"You're really struggling here," swallowed Bucky. "He's got you both where he wants you."
Tony remembered the feeling of panic spreading through him at this time. He remembered desperately trying to think of a way to stop Vanko. Both their suits had been getting too damaged and they had one shot to stop the threat Vanko posed.
As Rhodey attempts to fire at Vanko again, he stomps forward and slams his foot onto Rhodey's chest. Tony manages to yank Vanko back, freeing Rhodey. Striking back, a whip curled around Rhodey's neck, with them both at Vanko's mercy, with the electrified whips disrupting both their suits.
"Shit…" Steve paled.
"Language," hissed Bucky.
"I honestly cannot see how you two are going to get out of this." Sam watched the screen with worry in his face. "I know you two are here now, but seeing this…"
Rhodey raised a hand. "I thought we were both toast. Tony was the one who came up with the insane idea."
"Rhodes. I got an idea. You want to be a hero?" Tony called.
Rhodey couldn't understand. "What?"
"I could really use a sidekick. Put your hand up." Tony pointed his palm repulsor towards Rhodey
"Oh…" Bruce's eyes widened. "You're doing what you did at the party…"
Tony nodded. "Yeah. Enough power heating his drone suit could make it explosive. Us being too close could have been fatal for us too."
Rhodey recognised what Tony was trying to do. "This is your idea?"
"Yep."
Rhodey raised his palm, the repulsor powering up. "I'm ready. I'm ready. Go, go, go!"
"Did you think it would work?" asked Tony, glancing at his friend.
"You wouldn't have suggested it if you didn't think it would," noted Rhodey.
"I was hopeful," the Inventor admitted.
"Take it!"
Two beams of light connect at the middle, right where Vanko stood, and then exploded, sending them both flying and the glass above them to shatter into pieces.
"He couldn't have survived that…" Sam declared. "He was right at the centre."
Tony got to his feet and approached Vanko, whose suit was wrecked. Vanko was injured.
Sam was shocked. "How did he survive?"
"He was dying," explained Tony. "He'd been fatally injured. The suit protected him but not enough to save his life. Rhodey and I were on the outskirts of it and we had our helmets up, Vanko didn't have his on either, which contributed to his injuries."
"You lose," he managed. Vanko's reactor started to flash red, as did all the downed drones across the Stark Expo.
"They're bombs… All the drones are bombs…" Steve said, a lump forming in his throat.
"It was his back-up plan," snarled Tony. "If he couldn't kill me, the drones would."
Rhodey analysed the data. "All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here man."
"Pepper?" Tony asks, before they both take off, with Tony veering off to the right as Rhodey flew straight up. Tony soared across the sky.
"She stayed behind, didn't she?" Clint remembered. "She didn't leave…"
Tony nodded. "My sensors were telling me she was nearby. I had to get to her."
Pepper was standing by one of the downed drones as the Arc Reactor started to beep and flash red. She peered at it curiously as the beeping got faster.
"Erm… Pepper… why are you still standing there?" shouted Sam, frustrated. "Run! It's going to explode!"
"Sometimes people are frozen in fear and are unable to act," explained Bucky. "You know if you don't move you will die, but at the same time you can't bring yourself to move. We're more attuned to our instincts because of what we do for a living and tend to save ourselves."
"True." Sam could understand that.
Just as the drone exploded, Tony grabbed her and flew off with her. Across the skyline, drones exploded everywhere as Tony flew Pepper to safety. He landed on a roof. Pepper pushed him away as his helmet sparked and came loose. He threw it to the side.
"She really doesn't want to be anywhere near you right now does she…" grinned Clint, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"I don't blame her," agreed Tony. "I put her through a lot in the time she had been CEO."
Pepper freaked out. "Oh my God. I can't take this anymore."
"You can't?"
"I can't take this," shouted Pepper.
"Look at me." Tony told her.
Pepper continued to shout out all the stresses of her life. "My body, literally, cannot handle the stress. I never know if you're gonna kill yourself or wreak the whole company."
Tony winced. He felt bad seeing this back and how Pepper had been feeling.
"I think she handled it quite well," praised Bruce. "Taking over the company, dealing with all the problems you caused… She couldn't have done anything better."
Tony swiped his arm out behind him. "I think I did okay." Behind him everything was on fire. A small explosion went off in the distance.
Natasha pulled a face. "Okay would be the Expo not having explosive drones."
"True." Tony had to admit. "Not my fault. I just had to get there when I could and try to stop it. Not being able to trace Vanko hampered me. If I had been able to, I would have. Hopefully stopped him before he could have done anything with the drones."
"If you had stopped him at the facility, then he probably would have primed them to explode," considered Rhodey, "taking out the main hall at the Expo and killing hundreds of people in the process. Despite what happened, the way it played out was for the best. There were no fatalities."
"Apart from Vanko," added Tony.
"Yeah… he doesn't count when he's the one causing the problem," retorted Rhodey.
Pepper ran her hands through her hair. "I quit. I'm resigning. That's it."
Tony stepped forward. "What did you just say? You're done? That's surprising. No, it's not surprising. I get it. You don't have to make excuses."
She never does, thought Tony.
Pepper stepped closer to him. "I'm… I'm… I'm not making any excuses."
Tony interrupted her. "You actually were just making excuses. But you don't have to."
"I understood where she was coming from. She nearly died. Adrenaline made her feel like that. The shock coming through… I'm surprised she agreed to stay after she calmed down," said Tony.
Pepper shook her head. "No, I wasn't making an excuse. I'm actually very justified."
Tony took her hand. "Listen. Hey, hey. You deserve better. You've taken such good care of me. I've been in a tough spot, but you got me through it, so… Right?"
"Thank you." Pepper was relived.
"That's a better apology than before," pointed out Bruce.
"I've got a lot better at them over the years," shrugged Tony. "For someone who never really apologised, I've come a long way."
Rhodey could back him up on this. "Believe me, when I say this, Tony has come far. He used to say 'sorry' but not mean it… but now he's far more sincere and it means something when he says it."
Steve lowered his gaze. "Tony has, hasn't he." He was recognising how much Tony had changed. He hadn't really given him the chance, misjudging him on the report Natasha had written and forming his own opinion based on the fact Tony was not like his father.
Tony eyed him warily.
Tony nodded. "Yeah."
She smiled gently. "Thank you for understanding.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's talk clean-up."
"I'll handle the transition. It'll be smooth," said Pepper.
"You were just humouring her there, weren't you?" queried Rhodey.
Tony shrugged. "I knew she needed someone to be understanding. I hadn't been there before but I wanted to be now."
Tony considered other aspects as well. "Okay. What about the press? Because you only had the job for a week. That's gonna seem…"
"Well, with you it's like dog years," retorted Pepper.
"I know." Tony was slowly getting closer to her, his eyes focused on her face.
"Kiss her, already!" Clint rolled his eyes. "The sexual chemistry between you two…."
"It was worse being there and seeing it in person," grinned Rhodey. "You can't see me yet but I am on the same roof as them."
"I mean, it's like the Presidency…"
Tony pulled Pepper closer and kissed her on the lips, holding her close. She bought one arm up to touch his face, as they kissed a few times before breaking apart. A gentle smile was on Pepper's face.
"It's about time," grinned Sam, feeling happy for them. "How long had she worked for you?"
"Over a decade," admitted Tony. "Our feelings grew over time. It was the best way for us… We knew each other well enough that we could jump straight into it once we'd finally kissed."
"Weird," considered Tony.
"No, it's not weird," whispered Pepper.
"No, it was weird," said Rhodey, keeping a straight face. "But a relief to be fair."
"It's okay, right?"
"Yeah."
"Run that by me again." They started to kiss again before a voice interrupts them.
"I think it was weird." Rhodey is on the same rooftop, and they break apart from their kiss. "You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape."
"You had to interrupt them…" sighed Sam. "Should have just let them kiss."
"I was right there…" pointed out Rhodey. "Didn't want to be stuck on that roof watching them kiss."
Clint leaned forward. "You could have recorded this and had it broadcasted…"
"Why would I do that?" Rhodey couldn't fathom Clint's logic.
"Well, their relationship is all over the media anyway. Well, it was. Haven't seen much of it lately," mused Clint.
"We're trying to keep things quiet," mentioned Tony. "As much as you seem to think we like to broadcast our relationship… we don't really want to. Unfortunately, there is a certain interest in me that I have to play to. Only way Pepper and I can have any sort of privacy is if we give the media what they want, enough to placate them."
Rhodey leaned in close. "But you're still planning on a quiet wedding, aren't you?"
"Yeah, just will sell some of the photos… Gives the media what they want and allows us to keep it quiet and private like we want," explained Tony. "One time I would have thrown a big party and invited the media en-mass. But… it isn't the right thing to do. It's meant to be a day for Pepper and I… and for the people who know us."
"I look forward to it," smiled Rhodey.
Pepper tried to justify why they had been arguing. "I had just quit, actually."
Tony tried to add further but Rhodey interrupted him.
"You don't have to do that. I heard the whole thing."
Tony pointed at him. "You should get lost."
"I was here first. Get a roof," stated Rhodey.
Sam chuckled. "Your banter… your friendship… I never understood how you two were best friends… but now I know."
Tony laughed. "I thought you were out of one-liners."
"That's the last one," confirmed Rhodey.
"You kicked ass back there, by the way," Tony said.
Rhodey muttered underneath his breath. "Would have been better if I hadn't had Hammer tech though…"
"I am aware Mr. Stark upgraded your suit quite quickly," stated Vision. "He had to strip it down."
"He did. I'm not sure if the suite I have is the original one…" mused Rhodey, glancing at Tony.
"It's a whole new suit. Hammer butchered it," grinned Tony. "Had to start again."
Rhodey laughed. "Don't blame you. I would have done too."
Rhodey stood from where he was perched. "Thank you. You too. Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion, so I'm gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?"
"Not okay. Not okay with that," joked Tony.
"It wasn't a question." Rhodey's thrusters fired and he shot up into the sky.
Tony turned to Pepper, holding her hands. "How are you gonna resign if I don't accept?"
Pepper laughed.
"Would you have made her stay in a position she didn't want?" asked Steve.
"No. I was joking. If Pepper really didn't want to remain CEO, I'd let her leave. But, after we got together, we ironed things out and she decided to stay. She knew as a couple we could work together, and I'd support her. That was what hampered her in those first few weeks. The fact I wasn't helping her…" Tony shook his head. They'd worked things out in the end.
The scene changed. Tony sat inside a building at a table. The SHIELD logo was visible. On the table was a file which said 'AVENGERS INITIATIVE PREMLIMIARY REPORT'. He was about to open it when Fury's hand stopped him and took the report from it.
"I don't think I want you looking at that. I'm not sure it pertains to you anymore." He held up a second file which had been on the desk. "Now this on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff's assessment of you. Read it." He handed it to Tony.
Tony glanced at Natasha. She winced, knowing that the next few minutes may be uncomfortable for her.
Tony started to read. "Personality overview. 'Mr Stark displays compulsive behaviour'." He looked at Fury. "In my own defence, that was last week. 'Prone to self-destructive tendencies." He glanced at Fury again. "I was dying. I mean, please. Aren't we all? 'Textbook narcissism'?" Fury didn't even flinch. "Agreed. Okay, here it is. 'Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Man? Yes.' I gotta think about it."
Fury instructed him to read on.
"'Tony Stark not… Not recommended?' That doesn't make any sense. How can you approve me but not approve me?" Tony was astonished. "I got a new ticker. I'm trying to do right by Pepper. I'm in a stable-ish relationship."
Rhodey glared at Natasha. "You didn't focus on any positive aspects he presented to you. It was all negative."
"I was going by what I had seen," stated Natasha, attempting to defend her position. "I was tasked to assess him for suitability into the Avenger's Initiative. In my estimations – at the time – he wasn't suitable."
"You do realise you were assessing him at the worst possible time, don't you?" stated Rhodey angrily. "He wasn't himself and you knew that!" He got to his feet. "You read her report, didn't you?" Rhodey glared at Steve.
"Yes…"
"And you believed it?" Rhodey wasn't having any of it.
Steve lowered his head, accepting that he had.
Rhodey tutted. "No wonder. Unbelievable. Pretty much, the report you wrote, was wrong. It may have been right at the time but you should have based your report on what he was like when he was healthy not dying from Palladium poisoning!"
"I shouldn't have written the report the way I did," admitted Natasha. "But would it have changed anything if I had recommended Tony Stark?"
"I would have worked with SHIELD," said Tony. "Perhaps even met Captain Rogers after he was defrosted instead of waiting until we were in the middle of a crisis. I was excluded because of your report. There were mitigating circumstances as to why I acted the way I had. Things may have been different if I had been recommended."
"Maybe," she admitted, "but there is no point in thinking about what could have been. I wrote what I had to at the time. Maybe I should have recommended another evaluation. But would you have let us?"
"No," answered Tony. "Not after seeing that report."
"What if you hadn't seen it?" she clarified.
Tony shrugged. "Depends on how I felt and whether I wanted to work with SHIELD. Hint: I would have been happy to work with them. But being a consultant? Yet, when they needed me in the field, they called me in, despite me not being Avenger material. Iron Man and Tony Stark are the same person. You either have Iron Man and Tony Stark or you have neither."
"But you did work for SHIELD as a consultant," observed Steve. "You helped with the new SHIELD helicarriers."
"I did, but that was in my capacity as a consultant, to advise them on the best technology going forward. I wasn't an Avenger. Not officially anyway." Tony shook his head. "Rhodey, sit down. The damage was done by that report years ago. It's not going to change anything, even if Romanoff apologises. They may have a slight difference of opinion of me now, but it won't change what they think of me on a continual basis. They think they know me, but they don't."
"We never said –" began Steve.
Tony shot him a glare. "Helicarrier. Remember?" He was referring to his and Steve's argument where they had both insulted each other.
Steve bit his lip, staying silent.
"I understand you more than I did," said Wanda quietly. "I never thought I would."
Tony smiled gratefully at her. "You surprised me but I'm glad you did."
Fury gets up from his chair and walks round to Tony's side of the table and rests against it. "Which leads us to believe at this juncture we'd only like to use you as a consultant."
He looks a bit stunned. Tony stands and offers Fury his hand, and they shake. Tony clasped his other hand on top of Fury's. "You can't afford me." Tony started to leave but turned around again. "Then again, I will waive my customary retainer in exchange for a small favour. Rhodey and I are being honoured in Washington and we need a presenter."
"I'll see what I can do," promised Fury.
Rhodey stared slack mouthed at Tony. "That was Fury?"
"Yep."
"What was?" asked Bruce curiously.
"You'll see…" teased Tony.
The scene changed to Washington. ACDC's Highway To Hell starts to play. Senator Stern stands at a podium, presenting the awards to Tony and Rhodey. Rhodey wore his Air Force uniform and Tony is wearing a smart suit with darkened sunglasses.
Sam snorted. "You had Senator Stern present you your medals. Was that who you wanted?"
Tony nodded. "It was. Fury knew who I meant when I asked him. I knew how much it would rankle him to have to award me a medal and look happy about doing it." Didn't stop him from trying to hurt me though with the pin.
"It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure."
"I want to know how much Fury paid Stern to say that," grinned Clint.
"He didn't," confirmed Natasha. "He bribed him not with money. Stern had a lot of dirt hidden away that could have ruined his career. Fury simply told him he wouldn't have any issue with leaking that information if he didn't do exactly what he said. It was determined by the higher-ups at SHIELD that Stern should be allowed to stay in power which is why they didn't act on any of the information prior to this…"
Steve knew why. The head of SHIELD had been HYDRA. They hadn't wanted to lose one of their staunchest supporters.
Tony and Rhodey share a knowing glance.
Stern pinned the medal on Rhodey's lapel. "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel, for such an exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."
"He didn't have much of a problem with acknowledging my contribution," grinned Rhodey.
"He never hated you like he hated me," nudged Tony. "He respected you."
"Thank you, sir," acknowledged Rhodey.
Stern picked up the last medal. "Mr Stark. Thank you for such as exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."
Tony winced in pain as Stern pinned the medal to his jacket.
"Oh, sorry. Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn't it?" Stern said, enjoying Tony's discomfort. "Let's get a photo."
"Not sure –" started Tony.
"Don't say it!" Rhodey interrupted him. "I know where you are going with this."
Tony tried his best to look innocent. "I promise –"
"No." Rhodey was very stern about it.
Stern stood in the middle of the two, as a photographer came forward. Tony raised his right arm up in the peace-sign and smiled to the crowd.
The screen went black as the movie ended.
"Is there anything else to come?" Sam said.
They waited but the screen remained black.
"I would hazard a guess the movie is indeed over, Mr, Wilson," advised Vision.
"Another one down…" Sam moved forward and removed the disc from the drive.
Tony wasn't sure if he wanted to hear their thoughts or not. He needed a drink. "I'll be back."
Rhodey watched his friend leave. A part of him wanted to follow but he knew Tony would need time alone after each movie had finished.
The others were quietly conversing with one another, apart from Steve who sat alone, and looked thoughtful.
Taking the plunge, Rhodey decided to go and talk to him. "You okay?"
Steve glanced up. "I'm surprised you want to talk to me."
Rhodey shrugged. "We're in this for the long haul. It feels like you are regretting things you've said."
"A bit, yeah," Steve's shoulders slumped. "I made baseless accusations about Tony without knowing him better. Nat's report didn't help… Yet, what I'm seeing is not what I expected. Tony is… better than I thought he would be. He's made mistakes, plenty of them…"
"But…" urged Rhodey, wanting to know more.
"So have we all… I'm dreading watching about the Accords. Who knows how the movie will present it?"
"Your name is the most prominent on the cover, if anything it will be more positive for you than for Tony," pointed out Rhodey.
Steve wasn't so sure on that. "These movies are doing a good job at shedding the light on Tony as a person. I'm not sure if he will ever forgive me for what I did…"
Rhodey folded his arms across his chest. "If this is about your best buddy murdering his parents…"
Steve winced. "Most of the others don't know yet. I shouldn't have kept it from him… but I did."
"What's bad about it, Steve, is that you asked Tony for help in funding the search for Bucky after SHIELD fell, but you didn't have the decency to tell him his parents had been murdered. That's what hurt Tony the most. The fact you knew and kept it from him," stated Rhodey, keeping his voice low enough so that the others wouldn't overhear. "He's not mad at Bucky, not anymore. It's you. And I don't think you will ever be able to fix that."
"I screwed up." Steve wilted.
"You did. Big-time," reiterated Rhodey. "You judged him based on little information and then proceeded to use his money for your own ends without thinking of how Tony may feel. I'm not sure if Tony will ever be able to trust you again."
Hurt crossed Steve's face. "Even if he doesn't trust me again… I trust him." It was a hard thing for him to admit but it was the truth.
"Are you sure about that?" Rhodey eyed him carefully, unsure of Steve's sincerity.
"I am."
"Then show him. Don't belittle him. Consider every action he takes before making a sweeping judgement," advised Rhodey. "There is always a reason for the things he does."
Steve nodded. "Wise words."
"I've known Tony a long time." Rhodey stood up. "I'm going to go and check on him. Make sure he is alright. We'll be back for the start of the next movie."
Steve watched Rhodey leave through the door Tony had left by just minutes before. He sat there quietly, his thoughts mingling together.
I was wrong about Tony. I need to stop comparing him to his father and start to see him for who he is. If Wanda can make peace with Tony, maybe I can too?
A part of Steve knew that it might not be as easy.
But he was determined to keep on trying.
To be continued in…
Understanding the Real Hero: The Avengers
Please let me know what you think!
Well, that is the end! I find it quite difficult to have meaningful conversations when it's action-orientated scenes. So, those types of scenes in the future may have less character interaction.
On the question of Peter Parker not seeing the movies. I think what I said in my previous notes for the last chapter may have been taken the wrong way. Peter is capable of watching the movies... but would Tony want him there? Considering how Peter reacted to Tony's death in Endgame and Far From Home, forcing him to see it on-screen is cruel. Peter would do everything in his power to make sure Tony doesn't die, even at the cost of his own life - something which Tony would absolutely hate himself, and that is one of the primary reasons Peter wasn't included - to spare Tony the pain of seeing Peter desperately trying to save his mentor at the cost of his own life. It's not fair on Peter or Tony to have that burden on their chests. It's not up to Peter to try to stop Tony's death either. There is a proper explanation coming up in-fic after they've watched Endgame where it is explained why certain people were included and left out in the viewings. There are specific reasons why Peter, Scott Lang, and T'Challa were left out.
The next story in the series will be The Avengers!
I am now intending on taking about a six-week break from posting. I need to recharge and spend a bit of time building a back-log of chapters. I'm also due back to work on Thursday after having a month off due to the lockdown in the UK, so my time will again be limited as I'm sure I will be tired after work. I don't want to be in a position where I am struggling to finish chapters each week, which is what I've been doing with this fic, so taking a break is essential for me to maintain a good posting schedule and then, hopefully, not take any more breaks after each story is finished as I should have a backlog ready to go. I meant to do this between finished Iron Man and starting Iron Man 2, but as you all know, my cat died unexpectedly and it really rocked me. I just couldn't get myself together after it. I'm better now - still miss her - but I'm in a much better place mentally now, where taking the break will be good for me and enabling me to build up chapters.
At the moment, the date I intend to start posting the next story in the series will be Sunday 10th January 2021.
I know it is next year but it will come quickly!
As always, when the next story begins, I will reply to all the reviews for this chapter. Please bookmark the series or subscribe and you will be notified when the next story is posted.
Thank you for all the support for this series so far, and I hope you join me for the next story in the series in January 2021.
I hope you all have a good Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!
Until next time,
the-writer1988