Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Iron Man: Armored Adventures isn't mine. Not even Tony (or Gene! D:), belong to me. The rights ultimately belong to Marvel, so there. :D Don't try to sue me, got that? I'm not making even a single cent off this story.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I really appreciate hearing your comments, and they always make my day! :)


Chapter One: Hopeless

Two years later…

Wearily unlocking his apartment door, 19-year-old Rhodey stepped into his apartment and closed the door behind him. Leaning limply against it for a few seconds, he heaved a sigh and continued on into the dark kitchen area. Tossing his keys down onto the counter, he walked over to check his messages. The red light was blinking, which signaled that he had at least one message. One depressing message that was most likely from Pepper. She made sure to call him occasionally with supposed tips that never shed any light on the case.

Rhodey turned away from the answering machine, heading for the refrigerator. He didn't have the strength to listen to Pepper's cold and hard voice, telling him that she had found Tony, and that she knew where he was. After the first three false alarms, he had lost all hope.

It had been a hard day in his classes today, followed by an even harder several hours at the computer assistance phone service where he worked. He knew that the reason he was majoring in computer hardware technology was because of all his time helping Tony with the Iron Man armor, but tried not to think about that.

He opened the door of the refrigerator, blinking as a brilliant light filled the shadowy kitchen. Staring past the spots in his eyes, he reached for a can of soda and popped the tab open. Shoving the door closed and turning away again, he jumped in surprise as Stark raced up to him, wagging his tail. Yes, he'd named his dog Stark. Tony would have teased him about it all the time, but Rhodey really wouldn't have minded. He just wanted his best friend back, no matter what it took.

Shuffling over to the cramped area beside the small kitchen that served as a living room, he dropped into the single chair and pulled a compact laptop onto his lap. Offering the still-wagging Stark a pat on the head, Rhodey opened the laptop and typed in his password combination. Then he connected to the building's free wi-fi services and brought up the webpage that he had created just after Tony's disappearance.

His chest ached when he saw Tony's grinning photo, and the information about his vanishing act neatly typed below it. Well, most of the information. The part about him being Iron Man and possibly having been kidnapped by a super villain was carefully omitted, for obvious reasons. Tony would want his secret identity protected when he came back. Not if. It was most definitely when.

Rhodey grimaced when he saw the total of hits to the page. Only thirty people had ever clicked on the website in two years, and about twenty-eight of them appeared to have been reporters. Or so he assumed, as the twenty-eight comments were all from reporters requesting interviews so they could write an 'accurate story about the missing teen inventor, Tony Stark'.

He switched the laptop off and dropped it unceremoniously onto the side table. Resting the untouched can of soda on the arm of his chair, he rubbed at his aching temple with both hands. Looking at the webpage always brought up bad memories, and not just because of Tony. It made him remember the big fight he and Pepper had had, the one that had destroyed most of their friendship. It made him remember when the happy and outgoing girl had vanished, leaving the emotionless woman behind to take her place.

Rhodey's dark eyes widened as he stepped into the armory. It had been roughly three weeks since Tony had vanished without a trace, and this was the first time he had come to the armory since then. When Pepper had ordered him to meet her there, he hadn't had the slightest idea what he was going to encounter. Among the high-tech weapons and pieces of junk, furniture and even a bed were decoratively placed. Pepper herself was before an obviously newly-installed computer system, fingers flying frantically over the keyboard as she hacked various government databases.

"P…Pepper?" he asked cautiously, taking a hesitant step over the threshold. Even from behind, he was dubious that she was really herself right then.

"Rhodey!" She turned halfway towards him, her eyes glittering. Her hair was sticking up wildly from her skull, and it didn't look as though it had been washed recently. Her gray sweatshirt and jeans were horribly wrinkled, leaving Rhodey to wonder just how long she had been wearing them. "I think I'm on Tony's trail! I'm checking all the top secret files in several government databases, and I've got tons of leads! This could be it, Rhodey! Tony's coming back home!" She grinned excitedly.

Rhodey cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to word what he had to say. "Pepper. How long have you been down here?"

Her lively expression disappeared, and she abruptly turned away. Her fingers moved more slowly across the computer keys, tiny clicking sounds echoing through the cavernous armory. "I don't know. Does it even matter?" she asked him shortly. "We have to find him, Rhodey. He would do the same for us."

"I know he would, Pepper," Rhodey told her soothingly. "But…Tony wouldn't want you to live your life like this, especially not because of him. He'd want you to be happy."

"I can't be happy, Rhodey!" Pepper snapped, spinning around in her chair to face him. She jumped to her feet, accusingly jabbing one finger towards him. "How can I be happy when Tony is just gone, maybe even forever? He could be dead for all we know, and you don't even care!"

"That's not true," Rhodey declared hotly, both hands clenching into fists as he tried to control his temper. He wouldn't accomplish anything by blowing up at Pepper. "He's my best friend, Pepper. Of course I care. And I made that webpage, remember? If anyone has seen Tony, they'll contact me through the site."

"That's not enough!" she roared angrily. "It's just a stupid website with his picture plastered on it; how is it going to do anything about him? We need to be out there actually searching and doing something!"

"How?" Rhodey asked wearily, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "We don't have any leads, and there's no way to start searching without any. We don't even have the armor to help us out, since Tony was taken along with it."

"That's where you're wrong, about not having any leads. Don't you think it's even the slightest bit suspicious that he disappeared on the exact day that he turned eighteen, finally old enough to take over his father's company? Did you even stop to consider that none other than Obadiah Stane has the best motive to get rid of Tony? Why would he just hand over the company without any protests?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Obadiah would never do that," he answered uncertainly. He just couldn't imagine Stane climbing into the armor that had attacked Tony and trying to destroy New York City. It didn't really seem like some that he would be able to pull off. Besides, he didn't even know that Tony was Iron Man.

"Don't be so sure. The clues I'm uncovering all point towards Stane. Did you know that there's a secret floor to Stark Tower?" Pepper pulled up a building schematic with a single click of her mouse, highlighting a lower part of the building in orange. "He could be hiding Tony there!"

Rhodey swallowed hard, closing his eyes for several seconds. It was time to try his best to reason with her. Things were starting to go down the drain, and fast. "Pepper…your parents are worried about you. No one knows where you are, not even them. When I asked, your dad told me that you just took your stuff and left, then called and said you were living in an apartment, but wouldn't say where."

Pepper turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, duh. I couldn't just say that I was hiding in Iron Man's base under an old airport. They would never approve."

"I think you should go home. We're all really worried about you," Rhodey said quietly. "And staying here isn't helping Tony any–"

"You don't care about him." She spoke in a low voice, turning her head towards him. Rhodey could see tears glistening in her eyes.

"Of course I do, like I said a minute ago. I just don't think that Tony would want you wasting your life here in the base. It's not what he would want for you, Pepper."

"You're talking about him like he's already dead. And besides, what are you going to do? Get a job, go to college?"

"Actually, that's exactly what I plan to do. I've got a scholarship in computer hardware technology to Brickswood State University. I'm going to get an education, using stuff that I learned while working on the armor with Tony–"

"Make your choice, Rhodey," Pepper interrupted him savagely, biting down hard on her lower lip. "You can either go live like you want to or stay here with me and look for our friend. Decide. Now."

Rhodey stared at her incredulously. "You can't expect me to just live here or walk out. That's absolutely impossible, Peppe–"

"College or Tony? What's it gonna be?" Pepper demanded in a tight voice. "You can either drop the scholarship or get out."

"I can't just 'drop the scholarship'. My parents are so proud of me, and it's the only way I'm going to be able to go to a great college like Brickswood. My parents just don't have the money for me to go to places like that."

"Fine. Then just get out. And don't come back." Pepper faced the wall, her back and shoulders as straight as a ruler. She didn't even look like she was breathing.

Rhodey chewed on his bottom lip, trying to hold back various emotions. He took a deep breath, then turned and walked out of the armory. As the door closed behind him, he thought that he heard the sound of sobbing.

Back in the present time, Rhodey blinked rapidly to clear the faint sheen of wetness from his eyes. Even though this painful memory had happened so long ago, he still recalled every detail of it. He knew that Tony would hate what had happened to Pepper and how she had changed so drastically, but he'd never been able to convince her of that. There was nothing that he could do. The only thing that could help Pepper was if Tony returned. And that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.

Stark whined, putting his head on Rhodey's lap. His pink tongue lolled out as he begged for attention. Rhodey absently stroked the small dog's head, weighing his options for what to do next inside his mind. He finally made a decision, climbing to his feet and walking over to the answering machine. Pressing the button, he waited.

"Rhodey, it's Mom. I was wondering if you could come over to dinner tonight. You haven't stopped by to see me in so long, honey. I'd love to hear all about how college is going for you, too. Could you please just return this call? I'm so worried about you, honey."

The machine beeped, and Rhodey steeled his expression. He couldn't go see his mother right now. Not after all the bad memories that the house held for him. And not only because had Tony once lived there, right down the hall from his own bedroom. But one morning not long after his friend had vanished, he'd found his dad unconscious in the kitchen after having a heart attack. He hadn't even survived long enough to get to the hospital.

The machine beeped a second time, then another message began playing. "I've got another lead. I'm completely sure of it this time. Tony's being held in a building downtown, and he's definitely alive. It's some kind of terrorist gang or something, I think. The cover is Press 'N' Wash Laundromat. I'm going down to check it out tonight." The message ended, since that had apparently been all Pepper had wanted to say. That was so unlike how she had once been; her old habit had been to leave thirty-seven messages in a row, each one even more enthusiastic than the first.

Rhodey walked away from the answering machine, towards his bedroom. Closing and locking the door to make sure that Stark stayed safely in the rest of the cramped apartment, he opened his closet and shoved back the racks of neatly pressed clothes. Pressing his hand against the smooth white wall, the correct panel moved aside to reveal the glowing keypad. He typed in his nine unrelated passkeys to open the secret door, which glided softly open in the back of the closet. A green light pulsed silently from within the darkness.

Rhodey slid the door closed behind him, pulling the several locks and latches secure. Then he strode through the secret chamber to the silver rack that gleamed through the faint darkness. A large set of gray armor lay on the table, covered in high-tech devices and weapons, yet surprisingly unbulky. The War Machine armor.

He'd been working on it for some time with Tony, but had only finished it after the disappearance. Now he was using it to patrol the city and keep the streets safe, especially with all of Stane's cronies constantly up to no good. Stane had hired several scientists, according to Pepper's reports, and all were replicating Howard Stark's amazing inventions and changing them into powerful weapons. There was always something going on, and Rhodey usually stopped it, whatever it happened to be. He always did no less than his best, in memory of Tony. And he was getting pretty good at working the armor, after so long.

Rhodey pressed a button, and the armor slid into two pieces. He stepped up onto the rack, and it reformed perfectly around his body. Staring out through the view screen, he powered the armor up. Time to go clean up the streets for the night, sapping more of his precious energy in the process. He was like a zombie these days, even around Stark. He just didn't have the strength to do anything these days, not even visit his own mother.

He could only hope that Tony would have been proud of his efforts.


Pepper sat straight up in bed as her alarm clock suddenly blared, hurriedly blinking the sleep from her eyes. She ignored the tufts of red hair that were sticking up all over her head, instead swinging out of bed and rushing across the armory to the large computer panel. She touched several keys, using the four-letter name that she had as her password. It wouldn't have been too hard for anyone to figure out, considering that those four letters meant everything to her, and she would do anything to get the owner of the name back. Anything.

The address of the supposed laundromat flashed across the large screen, and her eyes narrowed into triumphant slits. "I've got you now," she muttered under her breath. "I'm coming, Tony. I know you're there. I just know it."

She glanced towards the framed photo of Tony, which sat on the counter beside the bulky computer keyboard. He was grinning teasingly, wearing the red shirt and jeans that he had always been clad in. Her hands shook as she stared at him, her whole body beginning to quiver along with them. Tightening her lips into a firm line, she lay her head down on the countertop. It was cool against her forehead, and barely helped calm the violent tremors shaking her entire body. She took several deep breaths to get rid of the painful pangs in her chest, then pushed herself back into a standing position.

"I'm coming, Tony," she mumbled again, trying mostly to reassure herself. That was all she had left these days; she couldn't even count on Rhodey. That jerk was off going to college of all things, not even trying to locate his best friend. He hadn't called her back in months. The only people who called her these days were her parents and Gene Khan of all people. He was always leaving messages telling her things that she assumed were meant to be reassuring. But since she had changed her number two days ago, none of them had been bothering her anymore.

Turning to the left, Pepper keyed the fifteen correct buttons in a matter of seconds, causing the shell of metal to creak easily open. Inside was a suit of special black material that automatically fit itself to her body and something that vaguely resembled a black backpack. It was in reality a jetpack, though she had no pride in actually owning the device she had always wanted, liberated along with the suit from the FBI some time ago. It also had some of Tony's experimental devices added into the mix, but she felt no pride in having fitted them to the FBI devices. Nothing except finding Tony mattered to her now. Nothing.

Pulling off her normal clothes and leaving them in a careless heap on the floor, she quickly dressed in the black costume, watching dully as it made a quiet clicking sound and shrunk to tightly cling to her body like a second skin. She added a black visor that shielded her eyes and a pair of ear clips, one for each ear. She then attached the jetpack securely to her back, tired face a mask of determination. She was as ready as she was going to get. Hopefully no one would have guns or anything when she broke Tony out, like they had the last time. A bullet had deeply grazed her left arm when she'd been trying to get away; there was definitely going to be a scar.

Unplugging her phone from the computer, she stared grimly at the GPS map showing on the small screen. Luckily, the laundromat wasn't very far away from the abandoned airport, so it wouldn't take her very long to get there. Tony would be safely back at home in no time; she was really sure of it this time.

Pushing a tiny button on her left ear clip, she activated both the clips and the visor. The GPS map popped up before her eyes, and her phone's control diverted to the clips. She could leave it at home, yet wouldn't miss out on anything important. She never knew if anyone would call with information about Tony. There was always a possibility.

Reaching over one shoulder to activate the jetpack, she braced her body in preparation for flight. Her boots, which were connected to the actual pack, flared with a bright light, pushing her up from the concrete floor. The tunnel overhead opened with a clanging sound, and she shot up through the concrete and into the darkness outside. The faint breeze shook her slightly, but she managed to keep control and started following the blinking dot on her visor view screen.


It only took about ten minutes to reach her destination. Pepper landed on the roof of a florist across the street from the 'laundromat', crouching down to stare at it intently. She had no worries of being seen, since her suit was programmed to automatically blend as best as it could into any surroundings. And since it was already as black as the night sky, she was pretty much already hidden enough.

Pepper's vision screen flickered with life signs as it sluggishly scanned the inside of the building. Nine life signs radiated to the visor's scanner, all from the basement area of the small building. One life sign wasn't moving at all, and the others were all crowded around it. Yes, she thought triumphantly, sure that all her work had finally paid off; she'd found Tony! I've finally found him! She chose not to think about the other times she'd been so sure, when her instincts had been proved to be so very wrong.

Her intense examination of the building and its inhabitants was interrupted as one of her ear clips trilled shrilly. Information popped up on her visor's transparent screen, reading in large letters, "Khan, Gene calling. 322-4775." She suppressed an annoyed sigh, blinking once to signal for the phone to go straight to voicemail. There a beep in her ear, then Gene's voice said,

"Potts. It's me. I know this is the right number, because Rhodes told me. Why haven't you been calling me back? I know that you're upset about Stark going missing, but it's been two years. You should be getting out some. I haven't seen you around the city for some time. Where have you been hiding?" Gene paused uncharacteristically for a few seconds. "I'll…take you out to dinner if you just call me back. Just as friends," he was quick to add. "I'm really worried about you, Pepper. And so is Rhodey." The phone went dead.

Pepper frowned with frustration. She was going to have to start calling Rhodey from a payphone when she gave him updates on the Tony situation, so he couldn't keep tracing her number and giving out to everyone and their dog. And why hadn't Gene given up on her yet? She hadn't talked to him for two years, but that never stopped him from calling. And lately, he'd been sounding…strange, not his usual smug and arrogant self. She couldn't figure out why. Not that she even cared, of course.

"Okay. This is it," she muttered to herself. "I'm going to get Tony from those goons, and we're going to go back to the armory. This isn't going to be like last time," she added fiercely. "But first…" She activated her phone system by tapping an ear clip twice, then waited.


Rhodey frowned when the comm. system inside his helmet pinged, signaling an oncoming message. Who would be calling him inside the armor? No one except probably Pepper knew that he was War Machine, and only because she'd more than likely guessed, not because he'd actually told her. And why would she be calling him? She had already made her call for the day, by leaving that message at his apartment. Something had to be wrong.

Frowning, he answered the call. "Pepper?"

"I'm onto something. I'm at that laundromat I told you about earlier, and I'm pretty sure that Tony is in there. If I don't call you back in ten, something's happened." The line sharply went dead. That had apparently all Pepper had wanted to say, as usual. She really didn't talk much these days.

"Great," Rhodey muttered under his breath, scowling. What had Pepper gotten herself into this time? It was probably nothing good, especially since her message from earlier that day had insisted the laundromat was a cover for a terrorist organization. "I'm going to have to go get her," he realized aloud. Then, speaking directly to the armor's computer systems, he said loudly, "Locate the address for…" He paused, trying to remember the name she had told him earlier, "…Press 'N' Wash Laundromat, located somewhere in the downtown vicinity."

The computer beeped cheerfully. "Affirmative. Press 'N' Wash Laundromat located. Fastest course to requested location now automatically mapped out. Engaging systems." A transparent map flashed across the inside of the armor's helmet.

Rhodey nodded to himself, turning to head past Chinatown and towards Pepper's location. He could only hope that she would stay out of trouble until he managed to get there. But this thought was doubtful, because Pepper was always in trouble.


Gene, sitting atop his throne and wearing the Mandarin armor that he had taken from his stepfather so long ago, turned when one of his servants crawled into the room. "What is it?" he boomed threateningly, voice echoing loudly with help from his cavernous helmet and the large room that surrounded him. He'd had no trouble pretending to be his stepfather all this time, and still made appearances as himself to keep the servants from becoming suspicious. Not that he thought they would have cared about their masters switching places. They just wanted someone to lead them against the idiotic Maggia and help take stolen territory back. Gene had much higher aspirations, such as finding the other Makluan ring. He already had four of them now, and only needed the last one. Then he would be all-powerfull.

"Master, we have intercepted a transmission from War Machine, as you requested," the man murmured, still bowing low to the ground. He held a small recording device in one gloved hand. "The armor was passing above our location, and we recorded the call."

Gene sighed as though this were a major inconvenience, and roughly snatched the recorder from the servant. "Leave me now, and you will keep your petty life."

"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master. I praise your name." The servant backed out, then disappeared out the door of the room.

Gene stared down at the black recorder in his clawed glove, brow furrowing under his helmet. Who would Rhodes have been getting a call from? As far as he knew, no one knew about him being War Machine, aside from him, of course. He'd had his ways of finding out this little fact, as the Mandarin. And of course it had been painfully obvious when both Tony and Iron Man had disappeared together that they were one and the same. So who else to take over the role of protecting the city than Rhodes?

Waiting for several more seconds, Gene pressed the red button. Rhodes' voice echoed throughout the room, only slightly distorted. "Pepper?"

"I'm onto something. I'm at that laundromat I told you about earlier, and I'm pretty sure that Tony is in there. If I don't call you back in ten, something's happened." It was Pepper's voice. So she knew about Rhodes being War Machine. Interesting.

"Great," came Rhodes' voice again. "I'm going to have to go get her." There was a small pause, and Gene thought for a minute that the recording was over, completely useless to , "Locate the address for Press 'N' Wash Laundromat, located somewhere in the downtown vicinity."

A computerized voice reported loudly, "Affirmative. Press 'N' Wash Laundromat located. Fastest course to requested location now automatically mapped out. Engaging systems."

Gene's eyebrows shot up, so high that they almost merged with his hairline, as the recorder shut off with a small burst of static. "Interesting," he remarked softly to himself. "So Pepper thinks that she's found Stark again. And Rhodes is going to go help her, even though they haven't really been speaking. This must mean that he thinks it's going to be dangerous."

He hesitated for several seconds, at war with himself as he mentally argued against his two options. He finally came to a decision, getting to his feet with a loud clanking sound of metal against metal. Drawing his powerful hand into a fist, he watched the recorder crumble into black dust. "I'm just doing this for myself," he said, trying to sound completely certain of this. "I don't care what happens to either Potts or Rhodes. I'm only going to find out if they've really found Stark, because that could affect my business with the Maggia. Right."


Pepper carefully set the sheet of glass from the roof of the laundromat aside, glancing cautiously over both shoulders. Then, flattening both arms to her sides, she dropped through the hole in the roof, and into what she highly suspected was some type of terrorist organization.

She landed almost soundlessly on the balls of her feet, face settling into a determined expression. It was completely dark inside the building, except for the faint moonlight filtering in from above her. There wasn't a single sound, not even of the life signs she had spotted earlier speaking to each other. But she wasn't afraid, despite the extreme eeriness of the situation. She had done all of this and more, all in the name of finding Tony and rescuing him. And the tips she'd picked up from her father over the years had really come in handy.

She touched her fingers to the side of her visor, and the night vision activated, instantly lighting up the corridor stretching before her like in was daytime. Now that she could actually see, it was just as she had thought. Not a single washer, drier, or rack of pressed clothes anywhere. Just an empty shell of a building, full of cameras that were pointed right at her.

Pepper immediately froze, praying mentally that they hadn't picked her up yet. If so, everyone already knew that she was there. She cursed silently, quickly ducking to one side and pressing her body against the wall. Chest heaving up and down, she scanned the new corridor before her. No sign of any cameras here, surprisingly. Apparently, whoever ran this place was confident that no one else would be able to get past the first line of defense. Well, they've obviously never met me, she thought smugly.

Just ahead was a metal staircase, presumably going down into the basement. Pepper didn't even stop to think about it; she only hurried towards it. The only thing that made her stop was the retinal scanner implanted in the wall beside the metal doors. Perfect. Just perfect. Now how was she supposed to get inside?

A loud clanging sound reached her ears, coming from somewhere behind her. She spun frantically around, muscles tense with adrenaline as she turned to face the threat. Her brow furrowed with confusion when she saw the dark figure, standing in the shadows several hundred yards down the hallway. The figure was absolutely motionless, and didn't exactly look human. Whoever it was had a slightly bulky look to them, their shape distorted.

"Who are you?" Pepper called out boldly, keeping any fear from her voice. "What do you want? And are you holding Tony Stark hostage? I demand to know where he is!"

There was curious clinking sound, then a pair of very white eyes gleamed from the darkness. Pepper gave a startled gasp and took a quick step backwards. She pressed her back up against the firmly locked door, heart pounding against the inside of her chest. "Who are you?" she asked again, weakly.

As though answering her question, the figure took three steps forward, closer to her so that she could see his or her features. When the mysterious person came completely into view, Pepper's knees gave out, and she sagged against the door. She almost toppled over onto the floor, and barely managed to keep herself standing. As she choked and tried to keep breathing, her eyes ran frantically over the red suit of armor. It looked almost exactly as she remembered it, only covered partially in glistening silver instead of yellow.

Pepper cleared her throat, trying to speak despite her suddenly dry mouth. She stepped away from the door, unintentionally leaving her back unprotected. "T…Tony?" she whispered meekly.

The armor's eyes flashed again, then something hard collided with the back of her skull. She cried out and gasped, then everything slipped away into blackness.


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