A/N Slightly shorter chapter, but it's here.
New plan: I'm going to keep updating them one chapter at a time, but once Iron Man 1 is done I'll combine it into one chapter. Then I'll do the same process for all the future movies.
Disclaimer: This is not for profit, I do not own the characters or the movies.
They pull him out and put a bag over his head. They rip it off, Tony blinks from the sharp light.
Pepper cries a bit more at his disoriented face.
Tony sees a lot of men, tents, and his guns. The same man speaking Arabic before speaks again.
"Of course he sold weapons to them." There's pure disgust in Steve's voice.
Tony laughs. He genuinely laughs. There's a slightly crazed look in his eyes.
"Steve, you idiot," He says through the laughter. "You absolute idiot."
"What?!"
"You think I actually sold them my weapons? Willingly?" Tony's voice is low. Dangerous.
"How else would they have gotten them?"
Tony lets out a dry chuckle. "You'll see."
Yinsen asks what he thinks.
"I think you got a lot of my weapons."
Yinsen translates into Arabic. The other man responds.
Yinsen tells Tony he says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile. "He wants you to make the list of materials."
The man speaks Arabic again. "He says for you to start working immediately, and when you're done, he will set you free."
"No, he won't." Clint and Natasha say.
"No, he won't." He shakes the Arabic man's hand.
"No, he won't."
Yinsen reassures Tony people are looking for him, but they will never find him in these mountains.
"He's right, Tones. We were really trying." Rhodey tries to reassure Tony.
"I know that now, Rhodey. It's just…" He sighs. "I was scared. I didn't think you'd ever find me. I'm sorry."
The group is quiet, somber.
"Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?"
Tony chuckles.
"He's good at motivation. Morbid, but good." Bruce comments.
Tony questions why he should do anything. "They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week."
Pepper shudders, holding Tony's hand just a bit tighter.
"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." He whispers, as much for her benefit as his own.
"Well, then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it? Hm?"
The scene cuts to Tony directing the men to where to put things while Yinsen is translating.
"You- I can't- you're actually doing it?!" Steve is furious.
Tony scoffs. "Please, Steve, c'mon. Of course not. Sit your righteous ass down and watch."
Steve grimaces, sitting down slowly. He looks around the room for sympathy, but none return it.
Tony asks Yinsen how many languages he speaks.
"A lot. But apparently, not enough for this place. They speak Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Farsi, Russian."
Natasha whistles. "Impressive."
Tony asks who they are.
"They are your loyal customers, sir." Yinsen responds.
"See!?" Steve jumps up again. Everyone ignores him.
"They call themselves the Ten Rings."
Tony's face is white and his breathing is shaky.
"Tones?" Pepper asks.
"Sorry, uh, yep, sorry. Just, uh, didn't want to hear their name again, you know?" He smiles, detaching himself from Pepper and forcing himself to sit upright, rather than curled up as he was.
Pepper runs her hand down his arm and grasps his hand once again. "It's okay. I'm here."
The men of the Ten Rings are shown watching Tony and Yinsen work on a TV.
Yinsen says Tony should tell him what they are doing.
Tony mutters in affirmation as he takes apart a missile. "Okay, we don't need this."
"What is that?" Yinsen asks.
Tony says it's palladium, 0.15 grams. "We need at least 1.6, so why don't you go break down the other 11?"
Thor looks at Tony, about to ask something, but Natasha cuts him off.
"Palladium? Like…?" She looks at Tony.
"Yep."
No one has the guts to question the interaction.
Two men speak in Arabic, one asking what Tony is doing and the other answering "working."
Yinsen pulls something out of a fire.
"Careful." Tony says. He reminds Yinsen they only have one shot at this.
"I don't think hovering is going to help him, Tony."
"Shut up, Brucie Bear." Tony smiles slightly.
"Relax. I have steady hands. Why do you think you're still alive?"
"You are quite lucky to be in the one place there's a surgeon that good." Fury comments.
Tony grimaces, not wanting to think about what would've happened if Yinsen hadn't been there.
Tony asks what to call him.
"Name reveal?" Clint is excited.
"My name is Yinsen."
"Who hooooo!" He grins.
"Clint."
"Sorry, Natasha."
Tony says it's nice to meet him, and Yinsen responds similarly.
Tony puts together a device while Yinsen watches.
"Whoa. That doesn't look like a Jericho missile." Yinsen remarks.
"No way." Bruce looks at Tony, awed.
"Yes way." He grins back.
"That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor. I got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart."
Yinsen asks what it could generate.
Tony says that, if his math is right, three gigajoules per second.
Yinsen tells him that could run his heart for 50 lifetimes.
"Yeah. Or something big for 15 minutes."
"Oh my god." Pepper whispers.
"This is our ticket out of here."
Yinsen asks what it is.
"Flatten them out and look." Yinsen flattens the sheets out to see a drawing of a metal suit.
"Oh, wow. Impressive."
Security footage shows that the arc reactor was successfully put in Tony, allowing him more freedom of movement without having to carry the car battery around.
"And Iron Man is born." Tony grins.