Chapter 6: Colonel James Rhodes
Colonel James Rhodes sat in the front seat of Tony's Telsa Roadster, enjoying the wind hitting over his smooth head. Tony invited him along to a meeting he needed to attend. It was out in Atlantic City. Tony promised they would have a boys' day out after the meeting. It sounded too good to give up. Rhodes didn't mind taking some time away from the compound to enjoy a round of blackjack and craps.
Tony insisted on driving rather than take the jet or even let Happy drive. Didn't bother Rhodes. The drive was nice, even if Tony was going twenty over the speed limit. He kept telling him to slow down, but Tony cranked the music up and yell, "What?"
Rhodes gave up and simply enjoyed his life before he lost it.
He watched the scenery pass, trees sprouting more and more around them as they turned off the interstate. The city life was gone, replaced with a greenery that made Rhodes think they were entering the countryside. In fact, as he took a quick look around the setting, nothing resembled Atlantic City. There were no skyscrapers, bright lights or loud sounds. No mass crowds congested the sidewalks. No bars or restaurants and definitely no casinos were in sight.
Only single-story homes lined the road, along with the occasional fast-food chain and gas station. Families were out and about, walking children and dogs alike. A large park came into view with people out having picnics and watching a little league baseball game. Fresh mowed grass overwhelmed him and Rhodes realized he was tricked.
"All right, Tony," Rhodes said as he turned off the music. "Where are we really going?"
Tony steered the car around the corner as pedestrians gaped at the sleek vehicle they could never afford in their whole lives. Probably never seen one in action before. "I wasn't lying to you entirely," he started off his defense. "We do have a meeting to go to. It's just not in Atlantic City."
"I figured that much after passing another park," Rhodes nudged his head to the park behind them. "Who's the meeting with?"
"Dr. Mendel Stromm."
Rhodes heard of that name before. "Dr. Mendel—wait. What? Tony!" Rhodes shouted upon recollecting where he heard the name. "What the hell? We already agreed to Agent Ross's plan."
"No, you guys agreed to it," Tony clarified, defending his poor actions. "I simply said go on ahead. Doesn't mean I wasn't going to follow through with my own plan."
"So you dragged me along with you?"
"I need back-up."
"Jesus, Tones," Rhodes groaned, dropping his head in his hands. How did he not see this coming? He should have known better. After all these years of knowing Tony, Rhodes knew his friend would never bow to authority. Even if they were allies.
"Hey!" Tony exclaimed as he drove his car up a drive. "We're here!"
Tony parked, but neither of them got out of their seats. Rhodes peered at the place. "Are you sure this is the right address?"
"Yeah," Tony said, befuddled as well. "12 W Saddle River Rd. That's what FRIDAY found."
"Is it possible that it's wrong?"
Tony's mouth firmed into a straight line. "No," he stated, unbuckling his seat. "He's in there. And I am going to find him."
He got out of the car and headed up to the building. Rhodes shouted at him. "Tony! Tony! This isn't—are you even listening to me? Tony!" he shook his head, grumbling underneath his breath at the ridiculousness of it all.
"Are you coming?" Tony yelled from the steps to him.
Rhodes threw up a middle finger before getting out of his seat. His new braces set upon movement and helped him up. He slammed the door and walked over toward Tony. "You're out of your god-damn mind," he muttered as he reached Tony. "But whatever. I'm here. I'll help you, but if we get in trouble, I will throw you under the bus."
"Don't want to ruin your newfound friendship with Big E?"
"No, I don't want to receive Pepper's wrath when she finds out."
They followed the concrete path that led them direction to a colossal structure. It loomed over them, crowned in crimson as it welcomed them. Rhodes opened the door and Tony followed, entering the elegant building of Villa Marie Claire, a hospice center.
The atmosphere was not what Rhodes expected. For a house of the dying, he expected a more gloomy appearance. Grey walls, dark floor and a stench that could never be removed. Instead, he found the atmosphere completely different from his expectations. The air had a perfumed scent. The walls white and clean, an architectural designed ceiling along with polished marble. Even the seating were high-end with plush cushions and fanciful decor. Every surface was dustless and shined in the sunlight. A water cooler with plastic cups was available, along with coffee, tea and plain cookies for all to enjoy.
Were they at an inn or a hospice? It was hard to tell.
"May I help you?"
Rhodes and Tony turned to a petite woman with mousy colored hair, fit in tight curls and wore a standard uniform of navy and khaki. Tony whipped off his glasses and put on his charm. "Yes, we are here to speak to a Dr. Mendel Stromm."
The receptionist frowned. "I don't recall Dr. Stromm receiving any visitors today."
"It's more of a drop-in type of situation," Tony answered, turning on his charisma by flattering her with that casual smile. "Old friends. Go way back."
The receptionist wasn't impressed. "Friends? With Tony Stark?" she questioned. "Why haven't you visited him before? Write any letters?"
Rhodes wanted to highly compliment the woman for not following for Tony's flirtatious gestures. Perceptive woman. She deserved a medal.
Tony was not used to being questioned. He straightened his shoulders, deciding on another play. "I've been a bit busy lately," he said. "Seen the news recently?"
She was still not impressed. "I can't let you in there without proper authorization."
"We have it."
The receptionist raised a dubious eyebrow in a tight arch. "Really?" she questioned, crossing her arms.
Tony gestured to her Apple laptop at her desk. "Check the records."
The receptionist pulled herself to her laptop and typed away. Rhodes whispered into Tony's ear. "Tones, we don't have authorization."
"We do now," Tony subtly showed Rhodes his phone. FRIDAY was hacking into the system, a step ahead of the receptionist as it input Tony's name into the visitor's log.
Tony slid the phone out of sight. He leaned against the countered, his lips bearing a semblance of a smile. Enough to make him appear he was enjoying the mix-up rather than being scared that he would be caught. The opposite of what Rhodes felt.
The receptionist stopped typing. She drew her eyes closer to the screen in mild disbelief. She must have re-read the screen for she blinked several times, dumbfounded by her results. It appeared FRIDAY won.
"I am so sorry, Mr. Stark," the receptionist bumbled out of her seat, pulling out tags and scribblings their names in black marker. "I have never made such a mistake and to do it in front of you—"
"No worries," Tony said, snatching his nametag without even looking at the woman. "As I said, it was all very last-minute. Now, where is his room?"
Rhodes could not believe this building was a hospice. It was too nice. Impressionist paintings on the walls, vases filled with freshly cut flowers and carpet rooms filled every corridor. The nurses were unhurried, moving down the corridors with a serene purposefulness in their rounds as if death was not encroaching on their patients at all.
Tony slowed in his footsteps. "This is Dr. Mendel's room," Tony pointed to the 101 numbered door.
They reached the door and Tony tested the door knob. Unlocked. He opened it and they both slipped into Mendel's room. The room itself wasn't that spacious, but nicely furnished with a bed, television, bookcase, a couch and small tokens that belonged to the patient. Pictures of children and adults littered the nightstand that had a lamp overhead a sickly colored man—Dr. Mendel Stromm.
He looked nothing like the photograph Agent Ross showed them the day before. His skin was pallid, hair nearly gone and lips dry and cracked. This was a man who looked half-way dead like the flowers in the vase on the dressing table.
"Is that him?" Rhodes asked, uncertain.
Tony nodded. "Looks like a zombie version of him, but yeah," he concluded. He whipped around the door. "Okay, you stay on guard. I'm going to go and talk to him."
"Wait—Tony... Tony!" Rhodes half-shouted, but Tony already slid across the room to Dr. Mendel's bedside.
Tony stayed a safe distance away from the patient, looking him over with mild disgust and sympathy. He craned his back over, studying the man's tired face. He poked him. "All right, cut the crap," Tony said. "You're not dead."
Rhodes sighed, shaking his head as he peeked the corridor. All clear so far. No one realized they were duped. Yet.
Tony kept on poking the guy. "Hey—come on," he grumbled at the sick man. "I know you're not dead. Wake up."
Dr. Mendel's eyelids slowly peeled back. Tony cringed upon sight, leaning back a bit from him. "Huh—you really are close to dying aren't you?"
Tony's voice shocked something into the dying doctor. His eyes went wide in recognition and dread. Dr. Mendel's hands started to shake as they reached up, attempting to snatch onto Tony's arm. Tony smartly moved himself out of reach.
"Uh-uh, none of that," Tony said, but the doctor kept trying to grab him.
His hands trembled and his mouth made gasping sounds as if trying to speak, but words failed to come out. Perhaps he was parched?
"Tony—offer him water," Rhodes suggested.
Tony looked around and saw a glass. He picked it up and filled the cup with water from the bathroom sink. He returned and held it out for the dying man. But Dr. Mendel didn't take the water. He grabbed Tony's wrist and pulled him in close, spilling the water all over the bed.
"Rhodey!" Tony half-shouted.
Rhodes sprung into action. He ran to his friend's side to pull him away from Dr. Mendel. But the guy had a tougher grip than any dying man should have. His eyes were as wide as saucers and he kept gasping, choking to speak. His words were grabbled, unheard through the wheezing.
Tony and Rhodes shared a look. "What?" Tony asked Dr. Mendel.
The doctor tried again. He swallowed with great difficulty. "P... P-poison," he choked and his finger pointed to his throat. "P-Poison."
They both glanced to the doctor's throat. The gaunt colored skin tinged green, rising up his throat to his chin. "Oh shit," Tony cursed. "Rhodey! Get the doctors. Get help!"
Rhodes didn't need to be told twice. He went back to the door, swung it open and raced out to the corridor. Glancing around, he spotted two people at the end of the hallway. "Help! Help! This man needs help! He's been poisoned!"
That got the doctors' attention. They ran down the hallway, shouting for something and someone. Rhodes went back into the room.
"Got doctors coming," Rhodes announced, but Tony was with Dr. Mendel. Their faces close to one another.
"No—come on," Tony said, patting the man's face to keep him alert. "What did you do with the money? The money!"
Dr. Mendel's chest heaved up in a struggle, but he said nothing. Yellow eyes rolling and unfocused.
Tony grabbed the man's collar. "Tell me! Who did you pay to kill the Parkers?"
Rhodes went to Tony. "Tones, come on," he urged to get Tony to back off the man. He was dying. He wouldn't say anything. Probably even couldn't looking at how polluted his neck looked.
And yet, the man surprised Rhodes. Dr. Mendel pulled Tony closer, gesturing for him to listen closely. There was clearly little time left. They all knew it. But, the man refused to die in peace. He struggled, fought through the agony of the poison that now made the rest of his body look green. He inhaled. His breaths coming in ragged and shallow gasps. Tony dipped his head to hear.
"D... D-Dead," Dr. Mendel stuttered in death's voice, "Pool..."
His fingers loosened from Tony's arm. It fell limp, hanging over the bed as his head sunk back into the pillow. His eyes remained open, locked on Tony in terror and agony. His mouth still parted in the formation of his last word. By the time the doctors stormed into the room with the necessary equipment, he was far too gone to be resurrected.
Tony and Rhodes backed away, letting the doctors and nurses handle the body with care. Rhodes turned to Tony, who was white and unseeing. "What was it that he said?" he asked, unsure that he heard correctly through the man's gasps.
"Dead pool," Tony repeated. "He said dead pool."
"What's that?"
"I have no idea."
"Aren't you glad we didn't follow through with Big E's plan?"
Rhodes exasperatedly shook his head. "I'm not exactly pleased either way," he said. "A man died today."
"Murdered," Tony corrected as they entered the compound. "He was murdered."
The sad and unexpected ending of Dr. Mendel Stromm brought them onto the next stage of the investigation—dead pool. It wasn't very much to go off. Neither Tony nor he knew what it meant. The guy was half-delusional, the poison sucking the sanity out of him that it could have been a simple hallucination. Many dying people experience such symptoms, especially ones who were poisoned with an unknown drug. Like Dr. Mendel was.
"And let me guess," Rhodes said as he walked side-by-side with Tony, "you think Norman Osborn poisoned him."
"Nah… Norman wouldn't do it himself," Tony dismissed with a wave. "He would have another person get their hands dirty like he did with the Parkers."
They stopped at the lounge. It was empty much to their delight. No need to explain their day yet. They both went straight to the bar. Tony poured a scotch and Rhodes ordered a beer. Any beer.
They had their drinks and sat on the stools rather than the comfortable sofas that faced an exquisite view of an open field. Rather, they kept their heads down and thought over what they witnessed.
"He's onto us and this proves it," Tony muttered and he tipped his glass back, drowning the liquid down his throat. "Dr. Mendell knew he was poisoned. Obviously it was done on Osborn's orders. Must have concocted a poison in his lab at Oscorp."
Earlier in the day, Rhodes would have said Tony was paranoid about Norman Osborn. After what he witnessed at the hospice, Rhodes reconsidered his friend's paranoia.
"Probably," Rhodes agreed, mindlessly staring at the green label on his beer. "Do you know of any poison that makes a man turn green?"
"Arsenic," Tony replied, "but that doesn't make a person turn green. It's the other way around. Green is the killer." He paused. "I can't think of anything other than gamma ray exposure like Banner. But, we aren't exactly turning green are we?"
Rhodes checked his hands. Still the same color as before. "No, I guess that rules that out."
Tony heavily sighed. "How did Osborn know?" he poised, clutching his drink. "How did he know?"
Rhodes shrugged. Everything was kept under wraps. Not a single word was spoken about it to any other ears. Not even Peter Parker knew anything about it and he had super-hearing—so Rhodes was told.
That was not a good enough answer. "If he knows we are onto him, then he'll go after the next person or thing," Tony continued as he pulled out his Starkphone. "FRIDAY? Anything yet?"
FRIDAY flared up on his screen. "I have found over 36.7 million matches in the system, sir. Would you like to read them?"
Tony moaned, eyes closed in deliberation. "Narrow it down to anything associating with Oscorp or Parkers."
"Yes, sir."
FRIDAY dimmed and Tony put his phone away. Rhodes watched him pour another glass of scotch. "Dead pool. Sounds like some crap video game," he said and he took a swing of his drink. "Are you sure you never heard this through the military?"
Rhodes thought back. In all of his years, he's never heard of anything remotely like dead pool. "Not in my life," he answered. "Never heard anything of it."
Tony groaned. "That's great. We have a dead man and a random word or two," he agonized as he shoved his fingers through his short hair. "I don't know what to do next."
"Maybe I can be of some help?"
Rhodes swirled in his seat. Eyes to the door, eyebrows arching high up his forehead as he stared at a person both familiar and complete stranger. Grizzled chin, sleek blonde hair and warm, blue eyes met his own as the old friend remained by the door.
Steve Rogers. Captain America. The First Avenger.
He's returned home.
Rhodes turned back to his beer and took a long drink. Today was full of surprises.