Good afternoon everyone! Please read this note, thank you!
I did end up taking a week off from posting. I really needed to. I only finished this chapter today as well so an update last week was impossible.
Thank you all for being understanding. Pretty much, events in my life are impinging upon my ability to write currently. Back in March when the UK first went into lockdown, I was classed as one of the people who was Extremely Vulnerable to Covid-19 due to the fact I've had a kidney transplant and am on immunosuppression drugs. From March until mid-September I was at home, shielding. I was protected by the UK Government. My job role is in healthcare, working directly with patients. I now have no choice but to return to work. The UK Government have no intention of reinstating shielding so people like me who are at high risk from serious complications from Covid-19 cannot remain at home again if we are of working-age. I cannot work from home. I have to go out to work now. In my role, I do wear full PPE (mask, gloves, apron, face-shield). This is a very scary time for me. Unless I go off sick, I have to go out to work. Anyone here in the UK will know our cases are rising. Some people may say 'go off sick!' but I cannot do that. It's difficult to explain but there is no protection on offer for people like me who are extremely vulnerable and have to still go out to work. We just have to rely on the extra measures currently in place in workplaces will keep us safe. All I am doing is going out to work and coming home. The only other place I will visit is the petrol station when I need petrol, and/or any medical situations such as routine hospital appointments or emergency dental appointments that I have to go to.
As you know, when I first posted this story I mentioned my 4-year-old cat had died. I am still grieving for her. I'm not sure when the pain will go away. Last weekend I was also tested for Covid-19 as I had a change in taste. Thankfully, it was negative.
I work in a very demanding job in healthcare. And I am very tired when I come from work as I'm not used to working now as I was out of it for 6 months. I'm too mentally tired to write when I come home at the moment. I may be able to write a few paragraphs but it depends. The bulk of these chapters are usually written on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I am pushing myself to get chapters out weekly. I want to continue posting weekly, and I fully intend to continue doing so.
I also think it is important to stress how difficult it is to write these types of stories. Until you write them yourself you really do not know how hard they can be. I had a comment saying that they hope one day I will surprise them with 2 chapters at once. This will never happen. I want to stress this now. I will only ever post one chapter at a time. I'm also writing this series differently from other stories that have this same topic as I am trying to show character progression and growth at the same time. The characters are not just simply reacting to what they see on-screen but learning and having meaningful conversations. This is what makes it hard to write this as well. If I was simply writing them reacting to what was on-screen, potentially I could update more often, but that isn't the goal of this series at all. And it will not change. Each chapter will continue to have a lot of thought put into it, trying to grow the characters and progress them.
Yes, it does mean I probably won't get to Endgame until the end of next year but the journey will be worth it in the end.
I hope you can all understand this and will continue to support this series, no matter how long it takes me to write it. I do not intend to stop writing this series. I'm enjoying it far too much to abandon it.
Thank you. And, please, enjoy the next chapter!
Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2
Four
Tony walked with a French Police Officer down a darkened corridor, conversing in French.
"How many languages do you speak?" asked Sam.
"A few," answered Tony. "I had to learn various languages to be able to speak to foreign investors or collaborators. Though I could have used a translator, it just made sense to learn the languages myself. At last, I knew what the conversation was then. You could be agreeing to things you didn't really know was the true translation. You had to rely on other people that they were telling the truth."
"That's smart," nodded Bucky. "You're a shrewd businessman. You know how to work the system. Knowing other languages would be an advantage to you."
Tony grinned. "It was. Especially when they tried speaking in another language to their friends whilst in the meeting and I then revealed that I still understood them, despite their change of language. It was fun."
"But you don't know Latin…" hinted Natasha, teasing him.
"It's not one I would need to speak in, is it?" retorted Tony.
"No, but I could speak it and you wouldn't know what I said."
Tony grumbled under his breath. Natasha had spoken to him in that language before and he hadn't understood it. He'd had to rely on her words that she had truly insulted him. I must remember to learn and understand Latin. Might come in useful one day.
He was told they had run the man's prints but nothing had come back, not even a name. Tony asked where they were going and the officer pointed him towards a cell. They informed him they were not sure if he spoke English as he hadn't said a word since arriving.
"I suspect Vanko knew I would want to speak to him," noted Tony. "He didn't need to say anything. Attacking me piqued my interest in wanting to talk to him further."
Tony wanted five minutes with the prisoner. The cell door opened and he stepped inside, his Arc Reactor glowing beneath his shirt.
Vanko sat with his back to the door, stripped of everything save for a pair of white boxers. His hands were in cuffs in front of him.
"I know he is a criminal…" said Steve, slowly and carefully, "but shouldn't they be treating him in more humane conditions?"
Sam groaned. "I can't believe you just said that, Steve."
"Why not?" Steve was genuinely surprised by Sam's reaction. "It reminds me of the Raft."
"Every country deal with criminals differently, Steve," explained Sam. "He's dangerous. I know you do not agree with the Raft, but for some people – especially him – he's dangerous enough to be able to do anything."
"They hadn't processed him yet," admitted Tony. "I arrived before they had finished the processing and they left him there whilst they spoke to me as Vanko wasn't talking."
"There are processes that need to be followed, Steve," added Sam, watching his friend carefully. "He'll be treated fairly regardless of his crimes."
Steve frowned but let it go. "You guys were treated much worse though."
"What happened to us was unfortunate," retorted Sam. "We broke the law."
"A law we disagreed with and never agreed to follow," pointed out Steve.
"And the Raft was never meant to hold Avengers," said Tony. "Ross went over the committee to imprison you there."
"But he's still in position," grouched Steve.
"Yes, but with a lot less power than he used to have," revealed Tony.
Natasha looked completive. "Steve, you just said that you disagreed with the law, meaning the Accords, right?"
Steve nodded.
"But disagreeing with them and not signing them didn't mean you had the right to carry on as you were." Natasha pointed out, watching Steve carefully.
"In my view, we didn't have to follow the Accords because we never signed them," stated Steve.
Tony rolled his eyes.
"You were breaking international law. It doesn't matter if you never signed them. They were ratified as law. The only thing you could legally do was what Clint did, and retire," continued Natasha.
"You switched sides though," stated Steve.
Natasha shrugged. "Only because I knew you were never going to stop. If Tony had been able to barter for me to stay, I wouldn't have joined you after the airport. I had no choice. I broke the terms of the Accords. I was lucky Tony let me leave. Tony was lucky himself he didn't get imprisoned for allowing me to escape."
"Ross wouldn't have done that to Stark," interjected Clint. "He's Ross' favourite Avenger."
Tony snorted. "On the contrary, he hates me more than he hates the rest of you." He caught Bruce's expression. "Though I could be second on the list…"
"Most likely," agreed Bruce.
Tony sighed. "Look, getting back to the point, Vanko's treatment in prison was in line with the current rules and regulations. He doesn't need defending."
Steve nodded. "I guess you're right, Tony. I think I took it too personally based on when I broke the others out of the Raft."
Tony could understand. The Raft conditions hadn't been adequate or fit for use. Ross had gone too far in using the Raft to house the rogue Avengers, but Tony's hands had been tied. The only thing he could do was allow them to escape. When the opportunity had presented itself he had made certain they had.
Tony strode forward, hands in his pockets. "Pretty decent tech. Cycles per second were a little low. You could have doubled up your rotations. You focused the repulsor energy through ionised plasma channels. It's effective. Not very efficient. But it's a passable knock-off. I don't get it. A little fine-tuning you could have made a solid paycheck."
Rhodey chuckled. "Trust you to get straight into it, assessing his tech."
"And then give him career advice," noted Sam.
Tony sat on the bench, leaning forward. His back was to Vanko. "You could have sold it to North Korea, China, Iran, or gone onto the black market. You look like you got friends in low places." He glanced up and found Vanko looking at him.
"You come from a family of thieves and butchers. And now, like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history. And you forget all the lives the Stark family has destroyed."
"But you've also saved lives," stated Wanda. "You turned your life around."
"Every action we take has causality and effect," said Vision. "What may save lives can equally destroy another life."
"Like Zemo," muttered Steve, remembering the man who had succeeded in splitting the Avengers apart. "We saved Sokovia but his life was destroyed."
Tony wasn't buying it. "Speaking of thieves, where did you get this design?"
"My father. Anton Vanko." Surprisingly, Vanko answered.
"Oh, he's talking now, is he?" commented Clint.
"He knew I wouldn't be able to resist seeing him," shrugged Tony. "I walked right into it."
"Well, I've never heard of him."
Vanko dropped his gaze briefly to Tony's Arc Reactor. "My father is the reason you're alive."
Sam frowned. "Not strictly true. His father may have collaborated on the designs but he isn't the sole reason Tony is alive."
"My father didn't take credit from others," explained Tony, leaning back in his seat. "Vanko's father assisted in the design but he wasn't a sole creator of it."
"But his name was on the plans though," remembered Bucky. "We saw at the start his father's name was on it."
"Correct," said Tony, "it was a collaborative project between the two of them. Further research led me to believe my father had done the majority of the designing himself. Vanko's contributions were minimal but my father still gave credit when he felt it was justified." He hesitated, unsure whether to continue further.
"What is it?" pressed Wanda, noticing his reluctance.
"Anton Vanko's history will be revealed… I'm sure," admitted Tony. "If Anton Vanko hadn't done what he did, he and Ivan Vanko would have had a better quality of life than they ended up living."
It was true after all. Ivan's fate had been bound by his father's reckless choices. Tony had had nothing to do with it. Yes, Howard Stark had deported Anton Vanko from the United States but the evidence had been clear in supporting Vanko's duplicity.
"The reason I'm alive is 'cause you had a shot, you took it, you missed," disagreed Tony.
"Did I? If you can make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him."
"That is true," said Sam. "People look at Tony as a hero. If you see that he is not invincible, easily breakable, they lose their ability to believe in him. An injury can do more damage than death ever could. Even a small bit of blood can prove an enemy is not undefeatable. You just have to find their weak link."
"And there will be blood in the water. And the sharks will come. The truth, all I have to do is sit here and watch as the world will consume you." Vanko sounded so confident about his assessment of Tony.
Tony fidgeted in his seat. "I did fall apart. I made things worse for myself by not trying to help myself or talk to others. All he needed to do was sit there… and I would be consumed. Everything I did was self-destructive. If I'd died then, the world wouldn't have mourned me. Not that I believe they would now… but Vanko was right. He didn't have to do anything more. He'd already proven others could recreate my technology."
"But would he have been successful if he hadn't had the original designs?" enquired Bruce. "Vanko was only successful because he had the original blueprints. He has the advantage over everyone else who attempted to recreate the Iron Man suits."
Tony sniped back. "Where will you be watching the world consume me from? That's right. A prison cell. I'll send you a bar of soap." He stood up to leave, knowing his five minutes were nearly up.
As Tony walked away, Vanko got in the last word. "Hey, Tony. Before you go, palladium in the chest, painful way to die."
Steve paled. "He knew. How?"
"The answer is obvious," noted Natasha. "Vanko created an Arc Reactor…"
"Oh." Steve felt a bit embarrassed. "Of course. He knew what materials were in it."
"And, no matter how much I tried to hide it, people were aware I had an Arc Reactor in my chest. Vanko made an educated guess," added Tony. "He knew the Palladium was a horrible way to die."
Tony knocked on the cell door to be let out and stepped through when it opened.
The scene changed to Senator Stern on TV, slating Tony for telling the world that the suits wouldn't exist for another five to ten years, and yet Monaco had proven that someone else was capable of harnessing the same technology as Tony.
"HYRDA seemed to change their plans for me on a regular basis, didn't they?" mused Tony.
Bucky nodded. "They did. One minute it was to kill you, the next to leave you be… It all depended on how much of a threat you were to them at the time. I think they quite enjoyed you were managing to facilitate your own downfall. Not that I was really awake much during this period… I do have fuzzy memories… But I know they were hoping something would fall into their favour."
Tony grimaced. "It nearly did." If SHIELD hadn't intervened he would have been dead.
It was being broadcast mid-flight on Tony and Pepper's private flight.
Tony muted the TV and told Pepper he should be getting a medal instead. He walked in, carrying a plate with a cover over it. He sat opposite Pepper and lifted the cover off, placing utensils by the side of it.
Thor's face crinkled. "Doesn't look edible…" He glanced at Tony. "Were you never taught to cook friend Stark?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Were you, Prince of Asgard?" he retorted.
"No, but Jane taught me a few things when I was with her."
"I'm sure I would have learned eventually," replied Tony. "Pepper's tried her best to domesticate me. It hasn't always been successful… But she's trying. Thor, you have to remember my father was rich. We hired people to do it for us. Like you had on Asgard, I'm sure. But you were fortunate you were able to live a normal life with Jane for a while where you could pick up those skills. I've never had that type of life."
"Do you want it?" asked Steve. "The domestic life? I remember a conversation we had a few years ago. You mentioned about buying Pepper a farm…?"
Tony sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I'd love to. Get away from all this… But I can't. I have too much responsibility. I cannot turn my back on the world. If I took that route, I'd have to retire… And, I cannot knowingly do that at present."
Steve lowered his gaze. "You'll get it one day Tony."
Tony snorted. "I'm pretty sure if it ever happened something would come along and ruin it for me and I'd be pulled back into the field."
Steve's gaze hardened. "It won't. I won't let it. I prom-"
Raising a hand, Tony interrupted him from finishing his sentence. "Do not say those words, Rogers. We both know a promise won't stop you from breaking it. If I'm really needed no promise you make now can change the fact, you'd still come to call on me for help."
"Tony-" started Steve. He couldn't deny it. "If it meant saving the world yes, I would! There would have to be exceptional circumstances!"
Tony folded his arms across his chest. "Then there is already no point in you trying to make a promise saying you wouldn't let it be ruined. You've already admitted you'd break it in exceptional circumstances!"
"What if you were our only hope and the world was doomed without you?" asked Wanda quietly.
Tony paused. "I'd probably help…"
"It would only ever be world-ending situations, Tony," added Steve. "I wouldn't bring you out of retirement for simple missions. It would have to be a very dire situation for me to call you out of retirement. That's why you can have my word."
"And what if I was still reluctant to help?" asked Tony quietly. "Regardless of the consequences?"
Steve pursued his lips. "I wouldn't push it."
Tony nodded, contemplating Steve's words and the aforementioned promise.
Pepper eyed it suspiciously. "What is that?"
Tony looked like it was obvious. "This is your in-flight meal."
"Did you just make that?" Pepper was surprised, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"At least she appreciated the gesture, in a way," commented Rhodey. "Though I still wouldn't touch it myself."
"Yeah. Where do you think I've been for three hours?" asked Tony. Everyone knew his abilities in the kitchen were non-existent.
A worried look crossed Pepper's face. "Tony, what are you not telling me?"
"She's good at reading you," smiled Natasha. "You should have told her the truth then."
Tony bowed his head. "Looking back I should have done. But I didn't want to hurt her."
Rhodey rubbed him on the shoulder. "I know you know this and probably do not want to hear it but you hurt her more by acting out and keeping her in the dark. I know you wanted to push people away…"
"But it wasn't the right thing to do, I know," finished Tony.
Pepper knew him too well. He could be honest with her. "I don't want to go home. At all. Let's cancel my birthday party and… We're in Europe. Let's go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?"
"I tried to be honest," said Tony, "but I couldn't bring myself to tell her the whole truth."
She smiled. "Oh, yes."
"It's a great place to be healthy," he continued, trying to convince her.
Pepper was reluctant. "I don't think this is the right time. We're in kind of a mess."
"She's right," observed Sam. "Too much is going on for you to run away from your problems right now on one last holiday."
"Yeah, but maybe that's why it's the best time. 'Cause then we can…" He was trying to convince her why it was a good idea.
Tony sighed. "I think a part of me hoped she'd take it."
Rhodey smiled gently. "Pepper is too sensible for that."
Tony snorted, laughing slightly. "I know that now!"
As much as Pepper wanted to, she knew her duties couldn't wait. "Well, I think as the CEO I need to show up."
"As CEO, you are entitled to a leave," suggested Tony.
"A leave?" Pepper asked dubiously.
"A company retreat," added Tony.
"She's just become CEO and you're trying to convince her to take a break?" Bruce shook his head. "Your timing is really bad."
"I was trying to be romantic," defended Tony, "though it didn't really work well."
She wasn't thrilled with the idea. "A retreat? During a time like this?"
Tony knew he had lost a losing battle. "Just a ride. Well, I'm just saying, to recharge our batteries and figure it all out."
"Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony," she joked, both of them slightly smiling at the other.
"Batteries are the wrong word to describe you, Tones," said Rhodey. "You run on coffee. And alcohol."
"Alcohol not so much. Coffee yes," amended Tony. "Coffee was always my go-to drink if I didn't want to sleep which was most of the time."
Vanko sat in his cell. A guard pushed a tray of food into his cell. There was a note hidden under the cup which read in French, 'enjoy the potatoes'. Vanko lifted the 'potatoes' up. It was not real mashed potato. A bomb was hidden within it with a timer set at 35 seconds. Another prisoner entered his cell, one who could pass for Vanko. They shared the same serial number on their prison garb.
Bucky swallowed, already guessing the plan. "The other prisoner has no idea he's supposed to die in Vanko's place?"
Rhodey's face was stern. "No, he didn't. He just assumed he'd pass for Vanko and live out his prison sentence. He was misled."
Vanko knocked the man out, and a passing officer placed the key to the cell through the slit in the door.
"Did we ever find out if those officers assisting Vanko escape were genuine?" asked Natasha, glancing at Tony for clarification.
"We did. They were real officers but had taken bribes to assist in ensuring Vanko's escape," explained Tony. "A lot of these details were kept in sealed folders and never released to the public. The officers were identified and put on trial. Subsequently, they received a prison sentence. I think they may still be in prison now…"
Planting the bomb on the wall, he pressed the red button, starting the countdown, grabbed the key, and unlocked the door to his cell.
He made his way down the hallway, attacking the prison officer who confronted him, snapping his neck, and then the bomb exploded in his cell, setting off an alarm. Vanko escaped down a set of stairs only to see officers at the bottom. He attempted to make his way back up but two other officers grabbed him and placed a bag over his head, dragging him back down the stairs. They smuggled him into a van outside the building and shut the doors.
"Well planned," praised Steve, not liking the turning of events. "Everything was set up and ready to go. There would be minimal security footage too?"
"If I recall correctly all security feeds inside the prison at the time had been disrupted," confirmed Vision. "No one could be traced in relation to the incident and it was assumed Vanko had died in his cell. The decoy's body was heavily mutilated following the blast and he was identified as Ivan Vanko, purely by the rags of his prison overalls with the number on it."
Sam's eyes crinkled, a hard expression on his face. "No way to test his DNA either if his body was that ruined. They could only assume based on the evidence at hand."
When the doors opened again, he was in an airport hanger. At some point in the journey he had been cuffed. Vanko stepped out, eyeing the white jet at the back. Situated in front of the jet with a round table and two chairs was Justin Hammer, eating a meal.
Hammer was pleased to see him, telling the guards to remove the handcuffs. He told Vanko he was a big fan of his and introduced himself. He'd like to do business with Vanko, pointing for the man to sit. The butler placed a plateful of food in front of Vanko, and Hammer continued to speak about where the food came from before abruptly moving the conversation onto Tony Stark.
"What I saw you do to Tony Stark on that track, how you stepped up to him in front of God and everybody that was… Wow. You spoke to me with what you did. And I know that you knew that I'd be listening. This is why I couldn't bear to have you shipped off to God knows where. It would have been such a waste of talent. But if I might make a suggestion, you know, you don't just go and try to kill the guy. I think, if I may, you go after his legacy. That's what you kill. You and me, we are a lot alike in a lot of ways. The only difference between you and I is that I have resources. I think, if I may, you need my resources. Someone behind you, a benefactor. I'd like to be that guy."
"He's willing to throw everything he's worked for away just to try to ruin you?" Bruce shook his head. "Unbelievable."
"Hammer wanted to be the leading expert in innovation. He could only do it if I was permanently out of the picture. Hammer didn't know I was dying. If he'd waited a few months or even weeks I would have died. He could have had everything and not had to lift a finger to do it," advised Tony.
Vanko laughed, his gold and silver teeth showing. He started to speak in Russian. Hammer couldn't understand what he was saying. Hammer wasn't sure if Vanko could speak English and offered a translator. Vanko reverted to English and they clinked bottle and glass together as they celebrating the formation of their new partnership.
Vanko wanted his bird. Hammer promised to get him a bird. He was corrected when Vanko insisted on it being his bird. Hammer finally realised it was a bird Vanko meant back home in Russia.
"He's going to get the wrong bird, isn't he?" groaned Clint.
Natasha nodded. "This partnership didn't exactly work out for the best. Vanko had his own motives. Hammer was just a liability and a means to get his own way. Hammer thought he was the one in charge but he never was."
Pepper and Natasha are back in Malibu, both taking phone calls at the same time. Pepper was being interviewed on television regarding the events on Monaco and whether Tony Stark could still protect the people despite his continuing erratic behaviour. Pepper defended Tony as Rhodey walked in, asking them where Tony was. Natasha said Tony didn't want to be disturbed but Pepper covered the mouthpiece with her hand and told Rhodey, Tony was downstairs.
"You didn't want Rhodey to come and see me?" asked Tony, glancing at Natasha.
"You had said you didn't want to be disturbed…" the spy pointed out.
"I should have clarified. The rules do not apply to Rhodey. Ever. He's allowed to disturb me whenever he wants. Unless Pepper and I -"
"Don't say it!" yelled Rhodey.
Tony chuckled. "I wasn't going to say what you assumed I was."
Rhodey scrutinised him. "Really?"
Tony grinned.
Rhodey groaned. "I fell right into that one."
Tony was sitting in his rolls Royce, a holographic display projected in front of him. Tony was querying about Anton Vanko and JARVIS had compiled a small report for him.
"Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist."
"And there you are. Why Anton Vanko was deported," said Tony. "Limited information but evidence was uncovered he was planning on selling American-designed weapons to his true masters – the Russians."
"But they both dropped off the radar though," frowned Sam. "If no other records existed…"
"They did. If things had been different…" mused Tony, "…perhaps Anton Vanko's son would have been one of my best friends growing up. Who knows."
"He wasn't much older than you, was he?" asked Wanda quietly.
Tony shook his head. "No. Ivan Vanko was two years older. I believe his mother was pregnant with him when the family was deported."
It was strange to consider one of his enemies could have been one of his best friends if things had gone differently. It was not out of the question he and Ivan could have been friends. If their fathers had remained working together, the potential for collaboration between the offspring of two well-renowned physicists would have been expected.
Rhodey entered the workshop and immediately started to lecture his friend. He'd had enough of Tony's antics. "Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now. Listen. I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these. They're gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They're sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore." Noticing Tony wasn't paying attention, Rhodey walked over to the car. "Are you listening to me?" Rhodey placed his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Rhodey bowed his head. "I just stormed in, not realising something was wrong with him. Tony had hidden it so well from us. I just assumed he was acting out because he could."
"Palladium poisoning… not great," winced Tony.
"This was the first time I realised he was not well," admitted Rhodey. "I wish I had spotted it sooner."
"I was very good at hiding my symptoms," admitted Tony. "I didn't want anyone to know."
Steve leaned forward in his seat. "What symptoms did you have?"
"A range of them…" Tony counted off his fingers. "Skin reaction, migraines, my eyes burned, confusion at times, dizziness, metal taste in my mouth, nerve pain, muscle cramps, depression, difficulty in breathing sometimes… There is more. My kidney function was dropping. Liver disease increased. I couldn't sleep and I had heart palpitations. My body couldn't cope and was shutting down."
"I'm sorry you went through that," said Steve quietly.
"Not your fault… You were still in ice after all." Tony rubbed a weary hand down his face. "A lot of my actions here were a direct result of my symptoms. I just… couldn't control myself."
"But when you found a replacement for palladium…" intoned Natasha, smiling gently.
"All my symptoms eased within the first hour. My kidney function returned to more or less normal values. They were able to recover retain majority of their function. The liver did as well." Tony shook his head. "Everything you see here in this movie is my illness. I was dying. I had nothing left to lose."
They all shared a knowing glance with each other.
Clint sighed, his shoulders dropping. "I can understand why. I still do not like you… but I can understand."
Tony smiled gratefully at the archer.
Steve pursed his lips. "I'm beginning to think we've all misjudged you harshly."
"Perhaps you have… Only time will tell if you did," finished Tony.
"Let's go." Tony moved to slip out of the passenger side of the car and immediately staggered on his feet. Rhodey rushed round to support him.
"Hey, man. Hey, hey! You all right?"
"Yeah, I should get to my desk," he winched as Rhodey helped to his chair. "See that cigar box?"
Rhodey opened the box. "Yeah."
"It's palladium," explained Tony. He grunted as he removed the Arc Reactor from his chest. The palladium was smoking.
"Is that supposed to be smoking?"
"Definitely not," observed Bruce. "Why didn't you try to get him help after this? You knew the extent of how unwell he was!"
Rhodey fidgeted in his seat. "I also know Tony. He won't accept help. If I sent doctors round to see him, he wouldn't even let them examine him. It would go nowhere. I've known Tony for years. I know how he will react in certain situations, and what to do. Intervening on his behalf was not going to work, despite my best intentions."
"He's right," nodded Tony. "I'd have sent them away without allowing them to examine me. The outcome would have still been the same."
"You are way too stubborn, Stark," sighed Bruce.
Tony couldn't help but allow his lips to twitch upwards in amusement.
Tony held the Arc Reactor in his hand. "If you must know, it's neutron damage. It's from the reactor wall."
Rhodey took the Reactor and pulled out the smoking piece of palladium. Again, like the one before, had rusted away. "You had this in your body?" asked Rhodey as he inserted the new piece of palladium in. He noticed a pattern on Tony's neck. "And how about that high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?"
"Skin reaction," whispered Wanda. "One of the signs."
Steve felt sad Tony didn't feel he could ask for help. Maybe I need to put my grievances aside and think better of Tony. Maybe then he will feel he can trust us? The Captain knew it was a lot to do but if the outcome was a better relationship within the team, wouldn't it be worth it in the end?
On the Engineer's neck was a zig-zagged pattern that seemed to follow Tony's veins. Tony took the Reactor back and placed it back in his chest. "Road rash. Thank you." He sighed, and the Arc Reactor light flickered on. He took a bottle and drank from it, glancing back over his shoulder to see Rhodey watching him. "What are you looking at?"
Rhodey's face was full of concern. "I'm looking at you. You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act and it's unnecessary. You don't have to do this alone."
"You know, I wish I could believe that. I really do. But you've gotta trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I'm doing."
Rhodey wasn't sure he could believe Tony's assertions.
"I believed you had a solution to your problems. Not a way to make them worse." Rhodey wasn't looking forward to seeing the party birthday antics.
Tony looked at him. "My intention was to make you believe that whilst I threw myself underneath a bus and tore my reputation to shreds, allowing you, Pepper and Happy to get the inheritance you all deserved."
"That's where your fortune would have gone?" asked Steve.
"Yep. I had no heirs. Rhodey would have been given a suit plus a quarter of my fortune and one of my properties, plus a part of my car collection. Happy would have received a quarter too as well as another one of my properties. Pepper would have been bequeathed the Malibu mansion, plus another quarter of my fortune, as well as the rest of my car collection and all my inventions and Iron Man suits. The rest of the money would have been split to various charitable causes. My Will had already been written up. The US Government, nor SHIELD or HYDRA for that matter, would have received anything from me. I had everything sorted to ensure a smooth transition in the event of my death."
"You really thought things through, didn't you?" sighed Natasha. She was feeling more and more ashamed that she had written the report of Tony the way she had.
"Despite appearances, I make sure to look after the people who care about me. I wanted Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy to be well-looked after, once I was gone," said Tony.
"I think we can all recognise that now, Tony," agreed Steve softly.
Over in Queens, New York, at Hammer Industries, a black limousine arrived at the entrance. Inside Hammer escorts Vanko through his production house, telling him this is where he could work in peace. Vanko had been registered officially dead so no one would come looking for him. Hammer showed him a few prototype suits he had been working on and he was very excited about them and they were combat-ready, however he may have done a few miscalculations. He was enthusiastic. He told Vanko to look around.
Vanko put on a pair of glasses and proceeded to hack into Hammer Industries software, despite Hammer's instance on being able to generate encrypted passwords. In Vanko's eyes, the software was shit.
Sam snorted. "I really worry that Hammer was the weapon's contractor for the US government if his servers could be easily hacked."
"You're not wrong," grinned Rhodey. "I had to pretend to like the guy and take him seriously, all because my bosses approved of him. On the surface, his technology looked good. In practice… they didn't operate well… at all."
Hammer admitted he was good, and he was going to show Vanko where he was going to be primarily working, however, Vanko was more interested in the suits, pulling up a ladder and inspecting the first one as Hammer rattled off cost numbers. Vanko pulled the head off one of them. Hammer was having difficulty finding volunteers for the suits.
Vanko asked him what he wanted the suits to do.
Hammer's ambitious motives soon became clear. "Well, long term, I want them to put me in the Pentagon for the next 25 years. I want to make Iron Man look like an antique. I wanna go to that Stark Expo, I wanna take a dump in Tony Stark's front yard. You know what I'm talking about?"
"Hammer has issues." Tony rolled his eyes. "He royally screwed that ambition up when he partnered himself with Vanko."
It seemed right up Vanko's alley. "I can do that. No problem."
Pleased, Hammer celebrated. "Yeah? Hey, fabulous! I love it. Hey, this is our guy. Didn't I tell you? I had a feeling."
Natasha shook her head in amusement. "He really underestimated Vanko. Still, at least he didn't get too far into his Pentagon dream. I'm sure HYDRA would have recruited him at some point. Justin Hammer was far more controllable than Tony ever has been."
An aerial shot of Stark's Mansion at night is seen before it transitions to a shot of Tony's bare chest. The Arc Reactor glowed in the centre of his chest. Hard blue veins spread out like creeping roots in all directions across his chest from the Reactor. It was slowly poisoning him. On a holographic screen it showed the palladium concentration was at 89%.
"How long do you think you had left?" swallowed Bruce, his eyes wide at seeing the extensive skin reaction to the poisoning.
Tony shrugged. "About a week. It was moving too fast for me to try to save myself. I'd already tried everything I could think of. The only way to stop it was to remove the Arc Reactor permanently but that would kill me anyway with the shrapnel in my heart."
"Double-edged sword," muttered Bucky.
Natasha walked in, carrying a box of watches. "Do you know which watch you'd like to wear tonight, Mr Stark?"
He buttoned up his shirt as the watches were placed on the shelf. Natasha started to pour wine out. "I'll give them a look. I should cancel the party."
Natasha agreed. "Probably."
"You could have stopped him…" breathed Rhodey.
Natasha stilled.
Tony tried to find the right words. "Yeah. 'Cause it's…"
"Ill-timed," suggested Natasha.
Tony nodded. "Right, sends the wrong message."
Natasha handed him his drink. "Inappropriate." He took a sip and she queried whether it was dirty enough for him.
Steve shuddered. "Are you two flirting?"
"I had my orders, Steve. Please remember that."
Tony gave her instructions for which watches he wanted to examine and she brought the box over to him. She sat on the arm of the chair, smiled softly and started to help cover the bruise on the side of his face with a bit of make-up.
He watched her intently. "I gotta say it. It's hard to get a read on you. Where are you from?"
Natasha gave the obvious answer. "Legal."
Clint snorted. "Did you suspect her?"
Tony shook his head. "Not really."
Tony glanced up at her as he sat back. "Can I ask you a question, hypothetically? Bit odd." He started to rub his forehead. "If this was your last birthday party you were ever gonna have, how would you celebrate it?"
Rhodey shot Natasha a glare. "You could have stopped him."
Natasha maintained her position, not daring to look at Rhodey.
She gave him the answer she knew he most wanted to hear. "I'd do whatever I wanted to do with whoever I wanted to do it with." She got up and left as Tony finished his drink.
Rhodey nearly leapt to his feet. "You gave him the answer he wanted to hear, not the one he should have been given!"
Natasha raised her hands. "I couldn't say anything else! I knew his reputation. I had a mission I had to complete."
"Even if it meant sleeping with a dying man?" Rhodey looked disgusted.
Natasha lowered her gaze. "If that was what Tony wanted, I would have slept with him. I was prepared to do so. I thought he would. I didn't expect him to go ahead with the party instead!"
"Rhodey… I would have gone ahead with the party anyway. It didn't matter what people said to me. The only person I wanted was Pepper and that wasn't going to happen. I'd already tried to just spend my birthday with her. Maybe if I had been able to take her away, I may have been truthful about what was really going on," said Tony, keeping his gaze on his friend. "Natasha did what she thought was right. If I hadn't been ill, I probably would have slept with her. I did the exact opposite of what she hoped I might do."
"It doesn't excuse the fact she tried to seduce you!" Rhodey bit back.
"I know. And I'm sorry for it. But we cannot change what happened. We can only learn from our mistakes!" retorted Natasha.
"Natasha's right," interrupted Steve. "We've all made mistakes."
"Doesn't mean I have to like what you did," shot back Rhodey, anger still evident in his voice.
"I know," sighed Natasha. "All I can do is apologise and hope one day you can forgive me."
Rhodey didn't answer.
"Am I the only one feeling slightly uncomfortable now?" queried Sam.
There was a round of agreement from the others before they all decided to move onto the next part of the movie.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Steve really doesn't like the Raft and he shouldn't have tried to feel any sympathy for Vanko's prison situation.
I said I would cover more of Tony's symptoms due to the poisoning and how it may have affected him. This is a subject that will be continued to be brought up in future chapters.
Steve is beginning to see Tony in a different light which shows his progress from the previous chapters in this story and the last story.
The last scene... I think Natasha had the chance to stop the party from going ahead. Rhodey isn't happy Natasha could have prevented the party and gave Tony the ammunition he needed to go ahead with the party. She also would have slept with Tony if he had asked it of her.
The next chapter should be posted next week, and it will cover Tony's birthday party.
Until next time,
the-writer1988