The next morning they all woke and got straight to work. There was no telling how much longer that car battery would last and they were sure the Ten Rings were starting to get suspicious. They had been there for months and still didn't have their missile built. They each had a job and started in on it, working for no more than an hour or two before they received visitors. They glanced around at each other and immediately stopped what they were working on, placing their hands on the back of their heads and keeping as quiet as possible. The leader of the Ten Rings made his appearance, looking right at Tony and telling him to relax. Tony hesitated, looking over at Yinsen for confirmation and the three of them let their arms fall to their sides. The Ten Rings' leader approached him and pulled on Tony's shirt to reveal the arc reactor and examine it. Glancing up at Tony as he spoke, "The bow and arrow once was the pinnacle of weapons technology."

He moved on to Olive, slowly and deliberately making himself as intimidating as possible. He pulled at the flannel-like shirt that hung on her body, comparing her magnet to Tony's reactor. Without any other women's clothes available to her, she'd kept her surgery bandages on to keep herself modest and threw on oversized shirt over herself with a pair of middle eastern style pants – the one piece of clothing they had provided for her. The leader looked her up and down with a smirk and she glared at him, feeling objectified, but too afraid of him to say anything. She felt her pulse race with nerves as he continued to speak, "It allowed the great Genghis Kahn to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four time the size of the Roman Empire."

He let her be and she released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. He grabbed a couple of the design sheets she'd had setting next to her and her eyes flickered to Tony. He subtly shook his head.

"But today," he continued, "whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn."

He turned and looked Tony up and down without a word for several agonizing seconds before he started speaking in his native tongue. Yinsen replied and Tony and Olive were forced to sit and listen to a conversation they didn't understand that was obviously about them. However the next thing they knew a couple of their captures had Yinsen on his knees.

"What're you doing?" Olive said, fear slipping into her voice but they ignored her, continuing their conversation in their native tongue. The Ten Rings' leader picked up a piece of hot metal and made his way towards Yinsen. When she realized what was happening, Olive started to panic. She flinched, starting for them, but her car battery stopped her from getting very far. She glanced back at it and cursed it under her breath, and she felt her breath quicken, "Wait, stop!"

"What does he want?" Tony asked but they were ignoring them. YInsen seemed to be repeating the same thing over and over again, with one word they did recognize: Jericho.

"What do you want? A delivery date?" Tony said. He started forward to stop them but their big audience stopped him, and in turn stopped their leader. He looked up at Tony with cautious eyes. Tony couldn't seem to look at him but he spoke the words that would save Yinsen's life: "I need him. Good assistant."

Their leader hesitated only a moment before dropping his weapon and letting Yinsen go, "You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile."

Their captures left and Olive picked up her battery and slid down her knees to meet Yinsen, checking him over for injuries. He assured her he was fine and they both looked up at Tony, who simply nodded in understanding.

"We've got some work to do."

Olive wasn't sure how many hours it took them to complete their project. All she knew is that she was exhausted, dirty, burned in several spots on her body, and so full of adrenaline that she didn't' even care. They finally had it finished and she started to help Tony get suited up immediately while Yinsen finished the programming. Olive taped Tony's hands, slid his arms into his wielding jacket, and helped him into his big leather gloves, then the neckpiece after that. Yinsen announced he was ready for him and Olive walked Tony back so they could lower his chest piece onto him, his arc reactor locking into place.

"Can you move?" Olive asked. Tony nodded in response and she tinkered with some of the adjustments behind him before stepping in front of him and out of Yinsen's way. She set her battery on the table and looked at Tony, "Say it again."

Tony looked her right in the eyes, "41 steps straight ahead. Then 16 steps, that's from the door, fork right, 33 steps, turn right."

"Good. Again." She commanded. But just before he started to speak again the metal peep hole slide open and one of the men started yelling their names.

"Say something." Tony said to Yinsen, "Say something back to him."

"He's speaking Hungarian. I don't know Hungarian!" Yinsen argued.

"Then speak something." Olive said in a harsh whisper. She was the only one they could see and the only one that could see them. Her eyes were wide like a deer in a headlights and Yinsen thought a moment before coming up with something. He hollered back at them and they stopped screaming. Tony looked over at Olive.

"Did they go away?" he asked, but her eyes just got wider.

"Uh-oh." She grabbed her battery and ducted behind their protective wall just as their homemade bomb went off, a booby trap triggered by the men trying to open the door.

"Holy shit." Olive muttered, breathing heavy and clutching the battery to her chest.

"How'd it work?" Tony asked.

She peeked around the corner over her shoulder, "Great. There's no more door."

"That's what I do."

"Yinsen, are you almost done?"

"Almost, let me finish this." He replied. They were starting to panic a little; Tony should have already been in the suit before their bomb went off.

"Initialize the power sequence." Tony told Olive, "Now!"

"Tell me how!" she threw the battery onto the table and leaned over the computer.

"Function 11. Tell me when you see a progress bar. It should be up right now."

"Yes, it's here. I've got it."

"Press Control 'I' and 'Enter.'"

"Got it."

Yinsen was working at warp speed to get Tony into the suit and Olive peeked around the corner at the now open tunnel that would lead them to their freedom, "They're coming!"

"Olive, listen to me." Tony said and she looked up at him with terror in her eyes, glancing over at the tunnel every other second, "Make sure the checkpoints are clear before you guys follow me out, okay?"

She nodded and Yinsen turned around to check the progress of the program, mumbling to himself. He turned back to Tony and Olive, "I'm gonna go buy you sometime"

"No, Yinsen, wait!" Olive called out to him, trying to stop him before he ran off but it was no use. He picked up an abandoned gun and disappeared down in the tunnels. That's when she really started to panic.

"No, no, no, Olive, stay with me." Tony tried to keep her calm, unable to do much in the suit with it still hooked up to their miniature crane, "Listen, the program is almost finished, you've got to help me finish getting into the suit."

There were tears streaming down her face and it took her a moment to refocus but she nodded, grabbing the drill and following his instructions before handing him his helmet. Once it was on she grabbed the drill and started tightening all the bolts into place; she wasn't saying a word, only following instructions. Just as soon as she was finished, a whirring sound filled the room and the lights flickered out, leaving the arc reactor as their only light source.

"Tony, what's happening?" Olive said. She felt the cold leather of Tony's gloved hand on her arm and she looked up at him. He put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to listen. The gunshots had stopped but she could hear footsteps heading their way. Tony pointed to one of the men lying on the ground; there was an abandoned gun next to him and he whispered for her to go get it. She hesitated for a split second before retrieving it and coming right back to stand by him. His mask was lifted so that she could see his face and he turned her to look at him.

"Do you know how to shoot?" his voice was low but stern and she shook her head frantically, "Okay, this is the safety and this is the trigger. Only point it at the bad guys, understand? Good. I need you to stay right behind me. And Olive?"

She was starting to get fidgety, continuously glancing over at the exposed tunnel exit, but she stopped and looked him in the eye when he said her name. He reached over and grabbed her car battery, helping to strap it to her back with the straps that they'd tied to it before putting both of his hands on her shoulders, "We're getting out of here."

About that time they heard someone enter the cave and Tony once again put his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to get behind him as he lowered his mask. She did as she was told and they only waited a few minutes before one of the men came into view. As soon as he turned his head and saw the suit Tony gave a hard punch, sending him flying across the cave. Olive gasped and covered her mouth as his squad mates started to open fire, though when they realized they weren't hitting anything they stopped. That was their chance. Tony turned and reminded Olive to stick close before stepping out into the open, taking out the other two men at the entrance of their prison in two hits. Once they were down, he wasted no time and starting for their first checkpoint. Even through the mask Olive could hear him counting his steps to their escape and she made sure to stay right behind him, using him and his suit as a shield from all the bullets being fired at them from ahead.

At their first stop, Tony took care of three more men before taking their first turn. The men had stopped shooting, realizing that it wasn't doing any damage and started to abandon ship. They all barricaded themselves behind a door, a door that Tony and Olive needed to get through. However one of their men didn't make it into the room with the rest of them. He was pounding on the door, begging to be let in with no reply. Tony stopped and turned his head back to speak to Olive, "Hang back for a sec."

She did as she was told, gingerly holding the weapon in her hands in what she hoped was a fire-ready position. Every now and then she would glance behind her, making sure that she didn't get taken down from behind. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute, terrified that she would get shot or taken back to that cave prison. There was so much adrenaline pumping through her veins and her hands shook so bad she could barely hold on to her weapon. The straps were digging into her shoulders from carrying that car battery, but she didn't care. They were getting out. After who knows how many weeks, they were getting out.

Olive looked away as Tony bashed the guy's head into the metal door, knocking the door down in the process. The men behind it started to scatter, running in the opposite direction of the suit and those who were brave enough to get even remotely close were knocked away with Tony's new-found super strength that the suit gave him. They were doing well, carving their way through the tunnels until Tony ended up with his arm stuck in the wall after knocking away one of the men in their way. He tugged and tugged to get himself unstuck without any luck and Olive tucked herself in behind him, hoping no one would see her. But her hopes were crushed when one of the men did spot her, approaching her slowly and raising his gun to aim it at her head. She had her gun pointed back at him, but it was clear that she had no idea what she was doing and probably wouldn't actually shoot. However she wasn't about to go down without a fight; just as he was about to shoot, Olive closed her eyes and knocked his gun upward, causing him to shoot the suit's head and the bullet to ricocheted back at him, killing him. Tony looked back at him then at Olive. She was breathing heavy and staring in awe at the guy on the ground. A fleeting since of pride welled up in Tony's chest but now was not the time. He pulled his arm free from the rock wall and started forward.

"No time to celebrate, Ricochet. Time to go!" he called out over his shoulder. She did not hesitate to run and catch up to him. The coast was pretty much clear from there on out. But one turn had Olive's heart dropping into her stomach at the sight of a familiar face lying out in the dirt, covered in blood.

"Yinsen!" she started for him and he tried to stop her but it was too late. A huge bullet came out of nowhere and grazed her lower thigh before hitting the wall behind her and exploding. Tony's line of sight pinpointed where the bullet came from and found the leader of the Ten Rings standing at the entrance to the cave with one of his weapons. He pulled open a compartment in his left forearm and pulled on a string, sending a small, exploding missile at him. It initially missed him but caused a part of the rock ceiling above him to collapse right on top of him. Tony took what he could get and turned his attention back to Olive. She had made her way to Yinsen's side and shoved the supply bag that was lying on top of him to the floor so he could breathe.

"Olive, your leg," Once glance at her thigh and Tony knew it was bad. However she was simply ignoring it.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine." She said. She was more concerned about Yinsen, who didn't seem to be in good shape.

"Stark." He said. Tony kneeled down and raised his mask.

"Come on. We gotta go." He said. He was sweating profusely and he looked utterly exhausted, but his blood was boiling with hot determination, "Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it."

"This was always the plan, Stark."

"No, Yinsen. We're gonna get you back to your family, remember?" Olive choked back tears, brushing off some of the dirt and sand that covered Yinsen's chest. He turned to her and gave a weak smile, taking her hand in a weak grip.

"Olive, my family is dead. I'm going to see them now." He said. Tears finally spilled over in her eyes, leaving clean streaks where the salt water cleaned the dirt and grime from her cheeks and Yinsen tried to comfort her, "It's okay. I want this." He turned his head back to Tony, "I want this."

Olive looked over at Tony, covering her mouth with her hand and it was clear that he was trying hard not to give in to his own tears. He smirked, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he spoke, "Thank you for saving me. For saving us."

"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."

And just like that, he was gone. What little grip he had on Olive's hand loosened and fell into her lap. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the sobs that threatened to rack her frame and Tony had had the last straw. It was as if the suit itself switched into high gear and he turned over to her.

"Can you stand?" he said. If she was honest, she'd forgotten all about her leg. She looked down at it and used the wall to try and stand; she was able to get on her feet but with every step she took there was a shot of pain that surged through her whole right side. She was trying to remain calm, Tony could see that, but she was so scared, so broken. She shook her head and looked up at him, apologizing profusely but he stopped her.

"No, you don't get to apologize." He said, "None of this was your fault, and I promised to get us home. I'm getting us home. Now come on, we've got this." He turned, instructing her to grab on to a piece of the suit, "Olive, you've got this. We're almost there. Just stay right behind me."

Olive was in so much pain it was unreal but she remained silent, biting her lip until it bled. Tony knew she was hurting and they needed to get out of there. He led them as slow as he could into the sunlight and she winced at the blinding light she hadn't seen in weeks while Tony took in the situation in front of him, being faced with several armed members of the Ten Rings. There was a moment of quiet before they all opened fire on them and Tony took it without reciprocating fire. Olive pinned herself the back of the suit, screaming in fear of being shot again. But when it stopped she could almost feel Tony smirk through the suit.

"My turn."

He flipped a switch and huge waves of flames came flooding out of the arms of his suit, reaching huge lengths and setting anyone within several yards of them on fire. Slowly, he started to move and Olive went with him as he set just about everything on fire. They were doing well for themselves, Olive and Tony using the suit as a huge shield and being basically surrounded by fire kept everyone away from them. A few in the mountains started to open fire on them, slowing them down but they kept a steady pace until on bullet hit a weak spot in the suit and took Tony down. Olive called out to him and ducked down. He pulled her under him, yelling for her to hang on as he flipped a switch in his arm and grabbed hold of her. The next thing she knew they were both in the air, several feet above the village they had been held hostage in for so long. They weren't getting the altitude they needed until something below them exploded, setting off a chain reaction and giving off enough blast force to get them out of there. And just like that, they'd done it. They were home free. There was a moment of bliss where Olive felt the wind in her face and the sun on her skin, but it didn't last very long and they were faced with another issue. Their propulsion equipment was failing, leaving them to fall without a shoot. Olive gripped the suit tight just as Tony tightened his grip on her, turning over so that they would land on his back and she wouldn't be crushed. They hit the sand with a hard thud and Olive was thrown from his grasp, rolling over the top of the hot sand.

"Not bad." Tony muttered, pulling his helmet off. The suit itself was completely destroyed and he had gotten himself somewhat buried in the sand on impact. He started to peel himself out of what was left as Olive lifted herself up to a sitting position.

"Olive, are you okay?" Tony said, only a mild level of panic and worry in his voice.

"Yeah, uh, I'm okay." She replied, rather unconfidently. The escape had ripped her clothes, completely exposing her bullet wound, showing her that it was a lot worse than she thought. Quickly, before Tony saw, she took a piece of clothe from her shirt and tied it around her thigh, hiding it just as he made his way over to her.

"How's your leg?"

"It's fine." Came her short reply. He helped her to her feet and her whole body tightened, forcing herself to ignore the immense pain that was coming from her leg. She could tell that Tony didn't believe her but he didn't question her any further. She was about to comment on what they should do next when she realized that she felt much lighter, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then she realized and her eyes went wide.

Her battery was gone.