Chapter 5, Just another Day, 2011
A/N: So Far this story has focused on Stark, I was trying to have it somewhat balanced between Rhodey and Stark, so for the next few chapters, I'll do just the opposite, and focus on Rhodey...
The alarm blared Muse's Knights of Cydonia at near-full volume into Rhodey's ear. Groaning, he reached over and turned the alarm off, with one eye buried into the pillow he watched the time pass as it flickered minute after minute into the rest of the day. The alarm went off again and finished the song, the DJ began talking about Tony and Pepper Stark's anniversary plans with Maria.
Rhodey grimaced at the words and threw the covers off him and stood up, he glanced at the naked girl beside him and groaned. What's her name...? Krista? Kristen? Kirsten? Kirstey?...Emma?
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked into the en-suite bathroom and kicked the door shut.
As pilot of the War Machine armour, Rhodey was constantly on-call. But it meant he was working twenty-four/seven, and that wasn't a bad pay check; shame about the taxes; not even S.H.I.E.L.D. could get rid of those. However, as pilot of the War Machine, Rhodey was under a lot of stress, which meant a lot of the time, he was much like what Tony used to be like.
In his teens, when they were at college; Tony studying mechanics, computing and engineering, Rhodey studying piloting, aviation and geography, Tony was very...active in his free time, with booze and broads. Rhodey had often been jealous when Tony brought girls back to their room for a 'night-cap'. He was especially jealous when Tony brought back two sets of twins for New Years Eve, while Rhodey was away at a government meeting.
When Tony had been kidnapped, he blamed himself. If had hadn't allowed Tony to go to Afghanistan, or allowed Tony to go in the second Humvee...But then again...maybe it was a good thing. Tony had created a good weapon in the US' arsenal. War Machine had revolutionised the war industry. The suit that Tony had created in that cave was crude, but effective, he'd blasted his way out, but lost a friend, a man named Yinsen, that guy had saved Tony's life, implanted that godforsaken plate in his chest, but saved his life. The only downside was that Tony now wanted to change Stark Global from a weapon's contractor, to a simple technology manufacturer no greater than Dell or Microsoft.
Rhodey scoffed, and turned on the waterproof shower-radio.
"So folks, let's hear some of your thoughts on Tony Stark's latest radical move; we have one here from Janet Van Dyne "Tony Stark's no longer making weapons? The business his father, and his father's father worked so hard to create, and Tony's about to throw it all away? This guy doesn't know what he's doing! Plus he's got a life-long contract with the government to supply them with weapons. If Stark Global backs down from this, who is going to take their place? Hammer Industries?" Well Janet, your email seems to be the only one we can read out," the announcer laughed, "Such colourful language.." Rhodey turned it off and turned the water on.
He liked being in control of the armour, he wanted to feel that control all the time. It was an addiction, and it only grew stronger. The minuscule upgrades Tony gave the armour were noticeable to him, added strength since the encounter with the Armiger, armour density upgrades, introducing and strengthening the shielding systems as well as multiple upgrades to optional weapons packages.
Tony was going to throw it all away in favour of helping people in other ways. Stupid bastard. Rhodey thought bitterly as he rinsed himself off and got out, towelling himself dry. He grumbled incoherently as he woke the girl, "Time to go," he said.
"Good morning to you too," the girl grumbled back as she stood up against him, pressing her naked body against his, "No more fun?" she asked, teasing his ear with her tongue.
"No, time to go," Rhodey repeated, "I have a busy day." He added and handed her her clothes, "I'll call you."
"No you wont," the girl muttered, and Rhodey had to agree with her. He wouldn't call.
A few hours later, Rhodey was down at the gym at the Triskelion, lifting weights and listening to his iPod. He hated this place, but it was the only place in the world where he could be left to himself., for a short while, at least. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and sat up, removing his headphones.
"Hello?" he asked when he picked it up. There was silence on the other end, "Hello?" he asked again.
"James Rhodes," said a voice in a thick European accent, "Your skills are noted. Watch out for us." The line went dead.
Rhodey frowned and stared at the phone. He blinked, he didn't recognise the number; it wasn't a number, more like an endless string of random numbers and symbols.
He got up and grabbed a towel, and headed towards the locker room, thinking nothing off the call as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and slipped his headphones back in. He hummed along to the song and opened his locker.
In his underground lab, back at home in Malibu, Tony was sitting at the glass desk, tapping away at virtual keys as he ran checks, and double-checks on recent War Machine field-footage, both inside the helmet and outside, also running checks on Rhodey's vitals at the same time during the videos. He picked up his glass of Scotch and sipped it.
Rhodey's becoming addicted to the power of the suit, he thought. He hated people like that. He put the now-empty glass of Scotch down.
"J.A.R.V.I.S?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Run a check on Rhodey's data stream...and run it against both the data stream of an addicted smoker and an alcoholic during consumption." He said as he reached for the bottle of Scotch.
"Accessing data stream records for General "Thunderbolt" Ross and Anthony Edward Stark." J.A.R.V.I.S. stated.
"Hey!" Tony said indignantly, and pulled back, leaving the bottle.
The two data streams lined up with each other on the holo-screens in front of him, and Tony brought up Rhodey's beside them, though they were almost completely different, there were definitely consistencies.
"Shit." Tony cursed pushed back from the desk to stare dumbfounded at the screens. "What have I done..." he began, then sat with his arms folded in thought. "J.A.R.V.I.S?" he began.
At that moment, he heard the door open, "Minimise," he ordered and the screens went down, showing images of cars filling the screens. He turned and saw Maria.
"Hey," he said, sitting forward.
"Hey dad..." Maria said, noticing the flickering light in her dad's shirt. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Tony looked down, "I'm fine," he said, looking back up. "What can I do?" he asked, pretending to play a game they used to play when she was little.
"Mom says that dinner's almost ready."
"Eh..." Tony pulled a face, "Did you ring takeout yet?" he asked, smirking.
Maria smirked, "I thought I'd let you choose tonight," she said, pulling on his hand.
Tony laughed at his fifteen year old. "I'll be right up, we'll have to stick this one out and hope for the best." He said.
Maria laughed, "Okay, dad," she said and left him to it.
Tony watched her leave and his face went blank again. "J.A.R.V.I.S?" he asked again.
"Yes, sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S.' voice said.
"..." Tony opened his mouth to speak, but for the first time in his life, he had no idea what to say. He had no idea how to change his mistake, no idea how to fix his wrong...no idea how to help his friend. He felt completely at a loss, he couldn't conceive an explanation for how this had happened, how his friend had turned from one of the nicest and most respected officer in the U.S. army, to this...creation of Tony's own mind.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke up. Tony's eyebrows went up a little in surprise at being addressed by the A.I. "Missus Stark is requesting your presence for dinner."
Tony sighed, hoping the A.I. was about to offer an insight that would spark his mind into overdrive. "Very well," he said, "J.A.R.V.I.S., just so you know, I want gold roses at my funeral." He joked.
"Of course, sir,"
"Hold the American flags and twenty-one-gun salute." Tony added as he walked over to the door.
He left the computers running.
Rhodey was in the Armoury at the Triskelion, looking over the armour, still marvelling at how something so...dirty and un-readable could be so productive. Wearing this suit, Rhodey's enemies ran and hid from him. He felt powerful, he felt unstoppable, he felt...superior.
The radio was on in the background, a news show playing an interview with Pepper Stark, about how she thought Tony was coping with the lack in sales for Stark Global. Rhodey chuckled; no one wanted Tony's goodies now they didn't blow shit up.
He looked at the faceplate of the armour, level with his eyes from where it hung. He was the only person in the world with this power, but not the only one who knew that power. Tony was still around, Rhodey relied on him to keep the War Machine stocked with armour and regular maintenance to keep it running for him.
"You like being in that suit, don't you?" asked a thick European accent, and a woman with very red hair and very tight cat-suit stepped out from behind him.
"It's just a tool," Rhodey replied, straightening his tie, "It's not the machine, it's the man."
The woman laughed quietly, "You don't honestly believe that, do you Colonel?"
Rhodey didn't answer; he just stared into the faceplate's empty eyes. "Who are you?"
"My name is not important," She said, brushing the question off. "You wish to feel this power more? We can help you." She said, laying her hand on Rhodey's arm.
Rhodey fixed her with a sceptical look. "Who's we?" he asked, then his mind flickered back to the phone call, "Was it you who rang me this afternoon?"
The woman laughed again, "We'll see each other again," she said and moved towards the door, Rhodey's eyes couldn't help but linger on her backside as it moved under the leather.
Rhodey made his way down to the car park and found his Mercedes Benz, he preferred the make over Tony's preference to Audi's, the Mercedes had been around for a long time, and was the pioneer car maker, all the things found as standard in a car now, were first in the Mercedes. He slid into the driver's seat and started the engine with a satisfying roar. He ran his hands over the leather steering wheel before pulling out of the car park.
Before setting off he tuned the radio onto a different station to try and avoid Stark-related news stories, and checked himself in the mirror. He then shifted into gear and pulled out of his allotted spot.
He sped up until he reached the guard gate, and slipped on his sunglasses as he passed the guard his I.D. He paused before carrying on, and looked at the guard, "Jimmy, right?" he asked, and the guard nodded, "Can you give me the name of the red-head who works here?"
"No red-head's work here, sir."
"Are you sure? Very athletic, nice...face," he said. And the guard shook his head.
"Occasionally Virginia Stark comes in, usually with Mister Stark, however." Jimmy said.
Rhodey frowned at the mention of the name. "Right, sorry to bother you." He said and continued driving. What the hell's going on?
Once he was out and away from the Triskelion, Rhodey began to wonder what was going on, whether he should get a CT scan, to find out whether he was suffering from something, he was imagining phone calls and red-headed foreigners... It was at this point that the radio once again interrupted his thoughts.
"And more updates on the anniversary plans of Tony and Pepper Stark," the announcer said cheerily.
Rhodey grimaced and punched the 'Off' button.
