Hey, you guys! I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted anything. And since it's almost summer (2 MORE WEEKS!) I'll be able to post more often, and the updates will probably be longer, since I don't have anything else to do with my life.
It's too hot in California in the summer to do anything but lay around with a glass of lemonade.
But for now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
-IRON MAN-
Previously in Key to the Future…
"Just…now…I know that I'm living on borrowed time. And there are some things I can't do."
"Maybe if you just asked someone for help…"
"I said no," Tony said firmly. "I'm not dragging a eleven-year-old into this."
"He can help you," she argued. "Why won't you let him?" Tony sighed, closing his eyes. When he finally opened them again, he looked up at her with sadness etched into his brown irises.
"His whole life, Jason's thought that he could fix anything," he tried to explain. "And the truth is…he can't fix this. No one can. I won't let him carry it around for the rest of his life."
"He is your legacy, Tony," Pepper said gently. "He's going to carry it either way…whether you let him help you or not. And you know that."
"I…" She looked at him, tilting her head to the side.
"There's no other option, Tony," she said softly, kissing his forehead. "You can't always do things alone." He smiled sadly.
"You've probably got a meeting or something," Tony said wistfully. "Tell me how it goes."
"Will do, Mr. Stark," she answered, her serious face twisting into a smile. Then she leaned in closer to him. "You'll figure a way out. I know it."
He watched sadly as she walked back up the stairs.
Not always alone…but who else is there?
-IRON MAN-
Edwards Air Force Base
Mojave, California
"Rhodey, you're doing it wrong," Jason commented from his spot across the hall, watching his father's best friend attempt to fix the suit of his alter ego, War Machine. Rhodey looked up and smirked.
"You think you know better?" he asked.
"Yeah," the boy answered simply, jumping off the stool. "Give me that," he said, pointing to the wrench in Rhodey's hand. The elder handed it to him silently, and watched as the eleven-year-old fixed the suit without a sound. After five minutes, he wiped a few dots of sweat from his forehead and handed the tool back.
"Is it going to work now?" Rhodey asked, grinning at Tony's son. Jason shrugged.
"Dad built it, didn't he?" he asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Even if it has been modified…it should still work the same. So…yeah. It's gonna work."
"Good," Rhodey said. "You know-"
"Something's wrong with him," Jason said quietly, twisting his fingers nervously.
"What?"
"That's what I'm mad at," he muttered. "They won't tell me. Dad tries to pretend like everything's fine. But I know it's not. There's something that he's hiding."
"Why do you think…"
"Not sure," Jason answered thoughtfully, staring at the floor. "But I think it's got something to do with his heart." Rhodey shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm not sure exactly what to tell, you, pal…but…your dad's heart…doesn't work like everyone else's." He placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.
"The reactor," Jason said impatiently. "I know. But something's wrong with it. It's not doing its job, Rhodey. It's…it's doing something to him."
"Doing something?" Rhodey shrugged, nonplussed.
"Something bad," the boy confirmed. After looking down in silence for another minute, Jason looked up at the colonel. "Rhodey…you know Dad better than anyone."
"I'd like to say I do," he said, frowning. "Why?"
"Does he trust me?" Jason asked quietly, brushing dark hair out of his deep brown eyes. "Does he-"
"Of course he does," Rhodey answered, surprised. "I think he trusts you more than anyone…more than your mom…more than me." Jason grimaced.
"Why?" he asked, his expression doubtful.
"Because you're a reflection of him," the colonel said simply. "You're the mechanic…the only one in your family to inherit his looks…do you understand?" Jason nodded.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But that shouldn't matter…should it?" Rhodey coughed, a sigh mixed in there somewhere.
"Look…Jason…listen to me," he said, and met the boy's curious and concerned dark eyes. "There were a lot of things that Tony…your dad…wanted to be as a kid. But his father wasn't always there for him…always shipped him off to school in faraway places like all the other rich dads did at the time."
"He hasn't done that to me," Jason responded, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Exactly," Rhodey said calmly. "Kid, you're his second chance. You're his…vessel…of a new age. He's living through you."
"He is?"
"You bet he is," the colonel said with a laugh. "So make him proud. But don't show him up. He hates it when people are better than him."
"I know," Jason said quietly. "But…then…if I'm such an important part of his life…why hasn't he told me what's wrong? Maybe I could help!"
"Or maybe he doesn't want to see you get hurt," Rhodey corrected gently. "That's another thing about your dad…the reason he became Iron Man. Tony Stark has been called many things. But the one thing they haven't called him…is protective. And it's the one thing that really fits him."
"Iron Man fits him better," the eleven-year-old argued. Rhodey held back a laugh.
"He loves you," he explained. "He doesn't want to see you, your mother, or the twins getting hurt. And the way that he keeps pain from you…is keeping it for himself. I'm not sure if you quite understand that yet. But you will…eventually."
Jason smiled at Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes. "Thanks, Rhodey," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and shuffling away.
But even after he had gone, the colonel swore he heard the boy's voice, saying, "I hope you're right." Rhodey let out a sigh, covering the War Machine suit with the cloth once more.
So do I, pal.
So do I.
-IRON MAN-
Stark Mansion
Malibu, California
"James, give it back!" Elizabeth Stark's blue eyes narrowed, she glared at her brother.
"Why?" he asked, sticking out his tongue. "Starks don't play with dolls, Liz. We build things."
"You're a boy," she argued. "I'm not."
"And that makes you special?" James shot back, his pale face turning red.
"No, it makes me different," Elizabeth answered. "Now give it back!"
"No," he said, causing her to grab hold of his arm and pull him down onto the carpet. "Get off!"
The door opened and closed, and the twins heard footsteps coming towards the living room, their eyes identical and wide. "What's going on in here?" Tony frowned, seeing the innocent smiles on their faces.
"Nothing," James answered, holding his sister's doll behind his back. She glared at him.
"Daddy, James stole my doll," Elizabeth said, shooting her brother a smug grin. Tony turned to his youngest son.
"Is that true?" he asked gently, sitting down on the couch.
"Yes," the boy muttered sullenly.
"Why'd you do it?" Tony asked simply. "We've taught you how to respect other people's property, James, haven't we?"
"Yes," he muttered again. Tony studied his angry face and realized that there was something more going on in his son's mind than he had known. He wrenched the doll from James's hand and gave it to his daughter. He smiled softly.
"Daddy…" But as she looked up at her father's serious face, her small voice faltered.
"Elizabeth," he said quietly. "I'm going to have a talk with James right now. Go play now. I'll be up in a minute." She nodded silently and walked up the stairs to her room. Tony turned to the boy sitting beside him, his arms crossed.
"It's not fair," he muttered.
"What's not fair?"
"Jason's special because he was born first," James said angrily. "Liz is special because she's the only girl. I'm nothing."
"That's a lie," Tony said firmly. "Yes, Jason is older than you. Because of that, he's allowed to do more. But when you're his age, it'll be the same for you."
"That's not what I mean," the boy said quietly. "You love him more because he looks like you." Tony frowned, his eyebrows narrowed.
"That's not true," he answered, a hidden question in his voice. "He does look like me. But you look like your mother. And I love your mother very much, you know that, right?"
"Yeah," James said slowly, furrowing his brow.
"And yes…Elizabeth is the only girl," Tony said finally. "But that doesn't mean I love her any more than I do you, James. I love the three of you equally. I'm sorry if I've ever made you think otherwise."
"No," he mumbled. "Sorry for stealing her doll." Tony smiled gently, ruffling the boy's pale orange hair that reminded him so much of Pepper.
"No lasting harm done, pal," he said. "All right?" James nodded silently as his father kissed his forehead lightly.
"Okay, Dad."
Tony watched sadly as his son walked down the hall, and then looked upstairs, where he knew his daughter was waiting.
Why does it seem like life is always so hard?
-IRON MAN-
Did you like how I interpreted the dynamics between James and Elizabeth? Because 1) I don't have a sister. 2) I don't have a twin. 3) I don't remember how I was when I was 5 years old. But I'm guessing that what James thought about Elizabeth and her doll was pretty accurate.
Also, I figured it was good to show the relationship between Jason and Rhodey. They have the same type of friendship that Tony has with Rhodey.
As always, remember to review-I always want to know what you guys think.
-William D. J. Watson
