A/N - There's a very graphic description of Tony's burns at the start of this chapter, so read with caution. I'd advise you not to eat at the same time as reading this. You are in for quite a shock but I hope you enjoy it :)
No copyright infringement intended...
All Movie Scenes used here belong to Marvel Studios and their respective owners, I'm not out to profit from this work.
I made it purely for enjoyment purposes.
Answers to your reviews :)
Psyka- Thank you! :) I will.
DrakeRise- Lol IKR! Me neither... I might use that idea later. And no I don't think Steve would have either but in Tony's defence Peter was there purely to web them up and not to get involved in fighting if it comes down to it. Yeah it is also weird how Clint 'adopted' Wanda when he has his own family to think about. I agree Winter and Bucky both need hugs :) LOL XD Silly Steve. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't a little ignorant of that too. You might have to wait a while before Tony is able to be hugged again :,( Poor Tony!
KnowInsight- you haven't seen anything yet ;)
afedrigo - Thank you! :) here it is!
GenderqueerWriter- Thank you! :) Aaaw! I know right! Pincushion Tony is sweet.
1 - Thanks!
Guest - Here it is :)
Yinsen gets up once they dump Stark in a shaking heap by the entrance.
"Stark, what did they do?" He grasps the man by the shoulders and Tony flinches backwards and smacks his arms away.
"Stark-"
Tony gulps and gasps in pain at that unintentional movement and squeezes his eyes shut.
"My back- my back… they did something. I don't-"
"Let me take a look-" Yinsen peers around Tony, taking note of his hoarse voice, before stilling and blanching at the ten rings symbol that faces him along with the full smell of burning flesh.
Steve is once again assaulted with the smell of Tony's burning flesh and the others all look as queasy at the scent as he does. Steve is certain that acrid smell has burned itself into his nostrils.
Meanwhile, Scott has gone almost as green as the Hulk and looks seconds away from throwing up again.
The burns have to be second or third degree; the rings themselves and the two large diagonal blades in the centre of his back were most likely made with a sharpened fire poker, however the smaller symbols inside the rings were clearly made with a small knife as were the details on the handles of the knives.
The poker had gouged into his skin creating troughs of seared flesh and muscle surrounded by raised, charred and cracked skin on either side that diminished to angry red blisters. The knife wounds ran deeper but were cleaner cut. Small reservoirs of blood pool in the burns giving them a wet sheen, a few rivulets drip down his back, but the cauterization from the burns means there is a lot less blood than otherwise.
Rhodey gags at the sight before he is able to voice a string of curses towards the Ten Rings in a lightly quaking voice.
"I completely agree with you… oh my god Mr Stark." Peter's face contorts under the mask, he tries to reach out to Tony only to pull back sharply when his hand goes straight through his shoulder.
Bruce's eyes widen at the sight of the symbol as they go bright green, "I've seen that symbol on someone's back before… in a previously Ten Rings occupied country." 'Why didn't I ever think that Tony would've been treated like that? All the signs were there…'
"That's sick man, w-who would do something like that?" They all turn to Scott who has finally spoken up in a breathless, haunted voice, his green shade has faded to ghostly palor at seeing the black and red charred design on Tony's back. Clint moves over and pats his shoulder as a sign of support. "Deep breaths man… lemme know if you are going to faint-"
"-nah, I'm probably going to puke again though," Clint subtly steps away from Scott at this declaration before nodding at his next words, "... sick fuckers."
No one has time to verbally agree to that as Tony speaks up next.
"It's bad isn't it?"
Silently, Yinsen stands up and grabs a roll of bandages from beside the bed and their pillows, then sets a pot of water to boil over the fire and moves back over to Tony.
"Tell me."
"They branded you like a fucking slave." Snarls Winter as he tears his eyes from Tony and glares ferociously at the door like he wants to kill the terrorists behind it.
"They burnt their sigil into your back," Tony inhales sharply at this but Yinsen continues to talk in a factual, detached tone to try and cut out any sympathy for Stark the Ten Rings could exploit. "The burns are third degree, I will clean them with some water then I am going to have to wrap them tightly in bandages to hopefully prevent infection. It will hurt a lot."
Tony shakes his head, "we need that water to drink, we can't spare it."
"If you don't want to die of infection I will clean them."
"He's worried about the water!" Shouts Clint, "they just branded him!"
"Judging by the amount of water in that bucket it is a pointed concern," Vision replies coolly, looking at the meagre supply.
He helps Tony to stand, managing to take most of his weight to maneuver them to Stark's bed, arranging him onto his side and pushing the pillows against his chest. "They'll support your chest in case you pass out."
"Yeah, thanks." Tony mutters back sarcastically but he wraps an arm around the ratty pillows anyway.
Yinsen starts cutting stips of gauze waiting for the water to boil before letting it cool. They are only given one litre of dirty, brackish water a day that requires boiling before drinking, but for this he boils a small portion again to be sure it is clean.
"One litre a day!" Sam exclaims, feeling outraged, "and that's between the two of them!"
"If that was the standard for the whole three months Tony would have been severely dehydrated." Bruce replies with a scowl.
Several minutes later he's repositioned Tony so he's upright and mostly leaning against Yinsen, the pillow placed between Yinsen's shoulder and his chest but Tony still grimaces as the magnet is jostled. Yinsen uses one arm to support the man while the other soaks a bandage strip in the lukewarm water.
"When will you-" Tony clenches his teeth around a whimper as Yinsen starts dabbing at the wounds, swiping away blood. Although it is clear from the shuddering gasps and whines he makes, that he is making a real effort not to scream or hit Yinsen, his nails instead bite into his face as he holds his mouth shut.
"Stop!" Tony screams when the cloth dips into one of the larger burns.
Wanda swallows and looks away. 'A few days ago I'd have been glad been glad to see Stark suffer like this… but now...now I'm not.'
Yinsen grips his patient's arm a little tighter, "I'm sorry Stark, but if we want to prevent infection I must clean these."
Tony is breathing harshly through his pain but manages to make an affirmative noise.
Peter swallows harshly, feeling tears again burning at the back of his eyes as he watches Mr Stark flinching at the gentle movements of the cloth.
Yinsen returns to his steady task, surprised the man is still holding onto consciousness. He's even more surprised when he hears him trying to speak.
Steve is just as surprised that Tony hasn't lost consciousness at any point yet, either through the torture or the first aid.
"I-I didn't…"
"Hush Stark, there's no need to speak. I'm nearly done."
"Listen to him Tones." Rhodey advises even though he knows his friend can't hear him and wouldn't listen anyway.
"No. Want you t-t'know. Didn't g-give in."
"Oh Tony," Rhodey sighs.
Yinsen pauses in cleaning the last symbol, stunned. Stark's voice is weak and it's clear he's barely clinging to consciousness, but Yinsen is still amazed at the strength of the man he'd previously written off as nothing but a shallow playboy at a conference in Bern.
As is the team. Steve had never expected such fortitude from Tony and wishes he'd seen this earlier. While Natasha appears unsurprised, she always knew Stark was a strong man however she wished she had seen the depths under his mask earlier than now.
He finishes cleaning the burn wounds before moving Tony slightly to clean the shrapnel wounds on his chest. He prays that the stitched wounds weren't exposed to too much bacteria while unbandaged. Thankfully none of the stitches in his chest have been pulled enough to need redoing yet, but some fresh blood spots his chest.
"I'm ready to bandage now Stark."
Yinsen silently apologizes as he jostles Tony against him so he can reach both arms around him, earning a sharp cry from the magnet now digging further into his sternum, moving his arms as quickly as he can to bandage the burns and cause Tony the least amount of pain. But Yinsen isn't even halfway up the knives before the whimpering man suddenly sags against him, knowing that the other man has passed out, Yinsen works fast to finish bandaging the wounds, this time working around rather than over the magnet, until his entire torso is bandaged.
Bruce heaves a sigh of relief when Tony finally loses consciousness, hoping he can at least get some rest and escape the pain for a little while.
Cleaning and rebandaging Tony's arms is much easier now that he's out. But he still whimpers and groans when he has to restitch what was torn by the rough handling; dark finger shaped bruises are blossoming on his arms and shoulders.
Thor thunders a Norse insult that none of them understand but judging from its delivery they all knew it was an insult at the Ten Rings and their treatment of his friend.
Straining, he gently moves Tony to lie on his side once more repositioning the pillows so that Stark keeps pressure off the wounds and magnet.
Tony's arms wound around the pillows as he murmured, "Pepper."
Bemused Yinsen smiles as he looks over then tucks himself into his own bed.
'Why Stark would be dreaming about hugging a spice I'll never know…'
Bucky is rudely awoken by harsh sounding foreign voices shouting this time in a language Tony can't understand. He sees Tony's hands grab the battery just in time before he is yanked to his feet and the familiar dank sack is shoved over his head.
He feels himself being tugged along by harsh bruising hands, they laugh when he yelps as they push against the burns on his back.
Pounding violently at the back of his head, Winter wishes death on all of these terrorists and becomes quickly frustrated by Bucky holding him back from trying to go on another rampage.
'We are in Stark's body at the moment - we can't do anything!'
Winter only growls in answer. 'I know and I have to sit here and see our fr- the person who freed us from Hydra's programming suffer like you... This is bullshit.'
Tony is brusquely pushed to his knees, he shivers slightly from how cold it is but also the dark foreboding notion of what is about to happen when he hears a large quantity of water being poured into what sounds like a metal tub.
Panic grows inside Tony's stomach, clogging up his throat when he realises what is about to happen to him.
"No...no...no. That could kill me-"
The bag is yanked from his head, Tony's eyes squeeze shut as a small amount of light assaults his vision, he feels a calloused hand grip his hair and pull his face upwards.
"You better change your mind then Stark. You are no use to us if you don't build." Tony's eyes widen at the voice; realizing the snarling face of the bald man is who burned him. "Build me my Jericho."
"Never."
Malevolently grinning for a moment, the leader moves around the tub in front of Tony before ordering the men gripping him.
"Dunk him."
Tony's face is shoved boldly into the ebony water and Bucky feels himself be torn away from Tony as gold flashes across his eyes. He watches the others appear one by one next to him and opposite Tony who was being dunked again.
Horrified by what they are seeing, several of the Avengers are spurred into a rage by this memory, the worst surprisingly being Hawkeye.
Natasha has to hold Clint back as he lunges for the Terrorists with fists full of arrows and spit slurred swears.
"Clint! Clint! Look at me! There is nothing you can do to help, this isn't going to help Stark - put the arrows down!"
Fiercely glaring at Natasha, Clint shakes her roughly off him and throws the arrows back in his quiver.
Seemingly at a loss, Natasha steps away and narrows her eyes at her best friend, she appears faintly suspicious. "Is there anything else Fury left out of your file? You're acting a lot like I'd expect Stark to now if he were to relive this."
Clint squares his jaw and flicks his eyes back to the terrorists.
The strong feeling of not being able to breathe scorches their lungs before gold flashes across their vision and the feeling vanishes, however the feeling clearly didn't lessen for Tony.
They watch him writhe against his captors hands and let out a scream as they dig into the burns on his back.
'Idiot.' Tony hisses mentally to himself as his air vanishes with that muted scream, only to be replaced with copious amounts of freezing water.
Letting him back up, his ears reopen and he greedily gasps for air as he tries to cough the water from his lungs.
"Build the Jericho, Stark."
'No… no… but please I need the pain to stop.'
"Stark men are made of Iron! Don't act like such a wuss Anthony!"
They still at Howard's voice whilst they watch Tony's face harden with a malicious determination.
"Sh-Shove it up your ass."
They blanch as the leaders face hardens and Tony is shoved under again.
This time for longer...
Digging and clawing into his already burnt back, the hands keep him under water even as Tony's lungs burn for air and spasm with gasps and screams that send the water rushing in.
"Sir! Please remain strong!"
In that moment Tony is pulled up and shoved bodily on to the floor, he retches up water which most of them bodily cringe at.
'Oh my God I really am losing it if I'm hearing voices already… how long have they been waterboarding me for now?
'First Howard ...now Jarvis… that's exactly what I can imagine them saying too.'
"Build me my Jericho."
"Just build it Stark," implors Scott, as much as he hated Tony before he would never wish that kind of torture on anyone.
Tony's injured arms shake violently as they tried to hold the battery away from the water he is retching up.
"N-no."'I'd tell you where to shove your precious Jericho if I had the strength to.'
"What are you waiting for? Stark wants a round two."
With that they yank Tony off of the floor and shove him under again.
Yinsen rushes over to Tony as soon as the terrorists dump him in a soggy heap by the entrance, however he lashes out blindly, until Yinsen has retreated a safe distance away.
Eyeing both Stark and the battery carefully, Yinsen sees that the battery had miraculously survived the water treatment.
They are all surprised to see how well Tony had clearly protected the dry battery clamped in his hands. With the way that Tony seemed to curl around it too reminded Peter unnervingly of how Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films would protect the 'precious'.
'No doubt this is due to Starks careful shielding alone. I doubt it will last though. Electricity near water is a death trap.' Yinsen thinks.
"You'll forgive the minor freak out right?" Tony's slightly slurred and gasping voice comes from his pale dripping form as he looks up to Yinsen with dark eyes. "They decided to take me swimming. Woulda been fun - but we disagreed how long I had to stay underwater for…"
"Only Tony would describe water torture as swimming… Jesus Stark!" Clint hisses, normally he would have found Tony's retorts and descriptions funny but seeing what he had sucked the good humour right out of him.
Feeling a fiery protective feeling for Stark at this confession, Yinsen frowns.
'He's the same age as Junayd would've been had my little brother and his family not been killed by the Ten Rings before I was captured. Stark reminds me a little too much of him.'
Yinsen quickly moves to grab a small metal bucket and a towel before placing them both by Tony.
"H-how long?" Tony gives a deep, long retching cough after that vague question but Yinsen understands what he means regardless.
"As an estimation, I would guess at three hours this time. They won't let me know the exact time if I ask."
"Three hours! They were… doing that for three hours!" Steve cries.
Thor again crackles with lightning as Bruce turns a light green and Vision's gem glows slightly.
"Why?"
Yinsen stays silent for a moment as he loosens the bandages and peers at the aggravated burns on Tony's back.
"It's a cruel punishment… prohibiting my knowledge of the time means that I am unable to pray at the times Allah requires. Therefore they are sealing my fate, in the afterlife my soul is doomed to go to Jahannam-"
'And never see my family again.'
"I assure you my friends, the fates would not be so cruel to keep friend Yinsen apart from the souls of his loved ones." Thor boomed. "This Jahannam is another version of Helheim is it not?"
Bruce nods.
"Then it is a place for souls such as that of Obadiah Stane not friend Yinsen. A great injustice would be carried out if he was sent there."
They couldn't agree more.
Tony's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "You are a Muslim?"
"Yes."
Tony is silent for a long moment before he pushes the metal bucket off of him, checks his trouser pockets and pats down his arms.
Swallowing heavily, Tony pulls his hands from his pockets. "My watch is gone… I'll make you one. If anyone deserves to go to Jahannam it's them not you, alright. I'm sure Allah will get that."
"My faith is important to me and being unable to practice it-" Yinsen cuts off that thought and gives Tony a small, fake smile. "I appreciate the sentiment Stark. But I can't be so sure."
"Don't do anything to get yourself in trouble Tones, you're in enough as is," Rhodey says sternly to the memory of his friend.
Tony is about to say something else before Yinsen cuts him off. "I expect you must be hungry unfortunately they have not brought any more food for three days and even with rationing we are down to our last portion."
The rice portion could barely even be called that at only a few mouthfuls each just like the last two days, and leaves them both scrapping their bowls.
None of them would have ever expected that Tony had ever been faced with a lack of food and water like this. But the measly amount of food and water they had been given would not keep them alive for long.
It was a lifestyle Bruce was familiar with and it's not something he'd wish on anybody, let alone his friend.
"They probably won't bring any more until I give in will they?"
"I would assume not." Yinsen is careful not to show his hunger on his face.
Tony slumps further, "I'm sorry Doc. This is my fault, you don't deserve to go hungry because of me."
They are surprised Tony gives no complaint for himself as they can feel how empty his stomach is. He's barely had enough food to make one solid meal since he woke from surgery.
"If it means not making a Jericho missile for another day, I'll happily go hungry."
Tony gives a weak smile, in complete agreement.
"Ooo swimming again." Tony looks up at the bald stoic leader facing him, the only man he's heard speaking english, wearing a mask of pure boredom. "How long have we been doing this now?"
"The water treatment is the most effective method in your case, Stark. It has only been two days since we began this routine… there is still time for it to wear you down even more. It will break you eventually. They always do break. Save yourself the pain. Build me my Jericho."
"No."
Scowling the leader looks over Tony's head and barks at the men holding him. "Again!"
The terrorists positioned around Tony are none too gentle with shoving his head in again, tightening their hold as he struggles weakly against their rough calloused hands.
These struggles become more violent after almost a minute when they feel Tony run out of air; the pain of not being able to breathe hits them violently and many of them start to choke and wheeze on the phantom feeling until gold flashes across their vision and the sensation is alleviated.
'The only way I'm going to get them to stop is if they think I'm dying.
'Then let them think it.'
Tony suddenly slumps against them, so convincingly that the Avengers are nearly convinced he isn't faking.
"Get him up! Now!"
The men immediately comply, dropping Tony harshly onto his back.
Tony gives a pain filled yelp, narrowing his eyes at the men who laugh as he pushes himself up onto his knees and launches immediately in a painful sounding coughing fit.
The men's laughter silences abruptly as they watched the bald leader stalks over and roughly pull Tony up by his hair.
"Ow! What the fuck, Baldy?!"
"Sir shut up." Vision sounds sharper than any of them had ever heard him.
Incensed Baldy tightens his grip on Tony's hair. "Use any more such deception or insults against me again Stark, I will pull your tongue out and nail it to the wall. Do we understand each other?"
Steve feels himself go startlingly grey while another round of swearing starts up, Sam is one of the loudest.
"Holy fuck!" Sam yells, "I've heard some messed up shit from my guys, but that… that is barbaric! I've wished Stark would shut up before but I wouldn't rip out his tongue to achieve that!"
Tony's eyes go very dark and wide before his mouth goes thin and he nods.
"Now as punishment for your continued disobedience and rudeness," Tony's jaw goes tight as he eyes Baldy stalking in front of the tub, fear pooling in his stomach. "Let's see if you can deal with two things at once. You're the great, unbreakable, Tony Stark you should be able to take it."
The air vanishes from Tony's lungs as they push the battery in front of him.
The terrorists bruising grip forces him upwards, before they shove his head and the upper half of his chest into the water.
Zzzt. Zzzzt. ZZZZT!
Tony begins to jerk violently against them as he screams into the water.
"Wretched barbaric mortals!" Thor thunders, "I shall drag them to the depths of Helheim myself!"
Bucky fists his hands and snarls behind gritted teeth, struggling to hold back Winter.
"Tony!"
'Now it's Obadiah shouting at me - is that who I do all this for?'
Images flicker in front of their eyes of Obadiah and Tony at lightning speed before they feel Tony settle on one.
They distantly note the surroundings as that of Tony's office, they find themselves next to Tony who is perched on a desk chair peering up at Obadiah who frowns at him from where he is standing before he moves towards Tony.
"No Tony, it would be stupid to look at the Arc...It was a publicity stunt. It was never cost effective. What you do now," Obadiah looms over Tony and grips his chin in what seems to be a loving gesture to Tony but the others aren't convinced. "Your work, your weapons have changed the world, you have shaped the modern age!"
Winter prowls at the back of Bucky's mind, snarling and making Bucky curl his fists.
'Who do you think that sounds like, Bucky?
'Pierce.' Bucky narrowed his eyes angrily, 'Stane must have been better friends with him than I'd thought.'
Obadiah's fingers run along the side of Tony's styled van dyke and his words soften. "I'm so proud of you...I know your father would be too. You wouldn't want to throw all that away in the pursuit of a dead end project would you?"
Under his mask, Peter frowns feeling very uncomfortable with the way Obadiah was touching Tony. Peter rolls his shoulders back and shivers.
Tony finds himself shaking his head before he really knows what he is doing.
"Good boy," Obadiah smiles as he moves one of his hands to create a firm grip on Tony's shoulder. "Now," With the other hand Obadiah gave Tony the file that he was holding, "put this silly file back in storage where it belongs. You need to keep your head in the real world my boy, I know it must be difficult with a mind like yours but that's why I'm here to keep you on track."
Rhodes growls, "No you fucking aren't! Manipulative bastard-"
"I know, the world needs weapons, right?" Tony gets to his feet and hugs the file to his chest. He gives a small smile to Obadiah despite his disappointment.
Wanda's eyes flicker vibrant red with her magic, she feels it barely leashed under her skin with only the knowledge that none of this is happening right now is stopping her from trying to rip out the machiavellian murderers throat.
Lightning crackles softly around Thor as he shifts his grip on Mjolnir, his posture unconsciously shifts into a battle stance. Something about Obadiah's behavior unnerves him more than he can say, but he's unsure why.
'But what if I made the Arc smaller?'
"That's what you're good for." Obadiah delivers the put down so softly that it almost sounds like a compliment. However, Tony's self worth lowers even more without him even realising it.
'That's all you're good for.'
Rhodey snarls viciously at Obadiah, frustrated with himself for missing how very wrong things had been with Stane. 'How did I not see how he was tearing Tony down!'
Bruce's eyes glow a particularly vicious shade of green at seeing Obadiah's behaviour towards Tony parallel with how his father used to tear down everything his mother did. He always hated his father's cruel words and crueler fists. It was a shallow relief that Obadiah wasn't also physically hurting Tony, but Bruce was aware of just how much damage those sorts of words could do, especially coming from someone you cared about. The method of abuse Obadiah employed was a more sly and subtle criticism than Brian Banner's outright hatred and broken bones.
Clint too appears angry and pale, he clenches his fists and his jaw tightly. Despite Harold Barton mainly opting for his fists, he knew emotional abuse when he saw it and everything Stane was doing fit the bill.
All thoughts about the Arc Reactor vanish as he slumps slightly before straightening and making his way to the door.
Steve blinks at the memory version of Tony, surprised by the effect Obadiah's words had on him. It was truly horrible of Stane to imply that all Tony was worth was the things he could make but Steve had seen Tony take worse verbal hits than that with less of a reaction. 'Was Tony's mask that good to hide most of the hurt of what I said to him on the helicarrier when we first met? How is it that he could take words like 'I know guys worth ten of you' on the chin and verbally retort but not Stanes subtle put downs?'
Suddenly, Obadiah speaks up. "Oh and Tony," Tony pauses opening the door and looks back, "keep the van dyke, it suits you."
Natasha shoots a nasty glare at Stane for that. She recognises what he is doing straight away. 'That is what abusers do to make you stay, they tear you down and then bring you up a little to make you believe they aren't bad or to make you not even realise what they are doing.'
The young genius beams before disappearing through the wooden door.
"Tones!"
'No, now it's Rhodey who is screaming for me.
'He's who I make weapons for.
'But he could be dead now,
'Nonono, not Rhodey, please not Rhodey,
'Dead because my weapons got into the hands of the bad guys… just like Jimmy and those other two soldiers…
'I didn't even bother to learn their names...'
"TONY!"
At Peppers scream he feels blackness crawl across his vision as his strength depletes completely.
He turns completely limp in their hold.
They wait a moment before one of the Henchmen, looks cautiously up to Baldy.
"I don't think he's faking this time."
"Pull him up."
Tony flops backwards like a rag doll, the colour seems to have vanished from his face and his chest was lifeless and still.
Inhaling sharply, Peter recoils and Rhodey blanches so violently that he grabs Sam's arm in fear that he might faint.
"Oh my God…" Steve whispers, "He looks - he looks-"
"He looks dead." Natasha's face closes off completely at that declaration, although the slight crack in her voice when she says this gives away how upset she is. "At least they managed to revive him."
Dragging him and the battery a good distance away from the tub, Baldy barks orders at them as one of the henchmen rips out the wires from the magnet and reconnects them.
Reacting to the dripping wet electromagnet the wires let through a surge of electricity and his chest arches upwards.
"H-OLY SHIT!" Peter jumps violently whilst his eyes bulge to the size of tennis balls under the mask. "They actually-" he gasps and swallows before his face splits open in a jaw breaking smile at seeing Tony's chest move again. "YES!"
Natasha quietly sighs and smiles as everyone else cheers in relief.
"Take him back to Yinsen. We'll let him rest for a few hours before we work on persuading him again. But continue to reduce food for both of them." The leader orders as two terrorist henchmen hoist Tony to his feet and drag him away.
