Chapter 3

Enjoy - sorry if it's a bit off track, *disclaimer: I own none of Marvel, etc etc.* Also, I don't want to offend anyone, or upset anyone. I am not sure about this chapter… haven't really felt in the mood for writing… :( Which is annoying because I LOVE WRITING!... Anyways so yeah - Please give me your thoughts and comments

Thank you!

…

Yinsen stirred a saucepan of a soup/stew-type concoction, as Mr Stark examined his half-robotic chest. He was full of mixed emotion - rage, pain, annoyance, sadness, anxiety, and utter disbelief. This was his feelings without going too deeply into them, anyway. He knew he could have delved straight into that complex brain of his, and try to put his emotion into something better understood, something which he could forget about, mask easier, but they were everywhere, his mind was scattered, and as he looked at that reflection in the mirror, he tried to understand and gather lost, and unknown information. He had so many questions… and so few answers. He didn't know if he was thinking or dazed. In the end he settled for confused, though he wouldn't admit it.

He tried to process things through his tired brain, but it seemed to be too confused and exhausted for that. He would usually try to lighten the mood, but he couldn't. This was him. He didn't know where he was. He didn't have enough facts or information to see a way out. Too many variables. To see once more what he only just realised he appreciated so much. So much to live for, realised too late. Darkness so close to pulling him in. What had he to live for? His usually cheerful sounding voice box could just about manage to ask, in a low tone, what his electronic (he presumed) modification was. Now was a time to ask questions, though he dreaded the answers.

His expression, would at first have seemed hard to read, though it wasn't at all the Tony everyone knew. It was one of seriousness and dread.

"What have you done to me?"

"What I?...What I did is to save your life." Yinsen replied

"I removed all the shrapnel I could, but there's a lot left and its headed into your Atriel Septum - here wanna see? A little souvenir! Take a look."

Tony's P.O.V

Right, so he saved my life. Suddenly I regretted ever thinking, as I went through surgery, that 'I'd kill whoever did this to me' because, although I know what I meant and although I'd happily kill our captors, he saved me, and he is in the same boat as me. A little souvenir… oh geez! Catching the vial I shook it to see the tiny pieces of shrapnel within it, and I began to feel nauseous. I never intended my weapons do this to people! Kill instantly, but not scatter their bodies with shards of metal that would penetrate so painfully, as I have experienced. The words that I heard while holding the bottle only intensifies my guilt -

"I've seen many wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead - because it takes about a week for the bombs to reach the vital organs-"

I quickly cut him off, staring at the floor ahead of me.

"What is this?" I say and look at him through impatient, anxious eyes - I need an answer! I rest my wrist on my knee and clasp the 'souvenir' in my hand, trying to move on from the realisation of the misery my missiles cause - I mean, of course I know they cause terrible pain, affecting not only themselves but those dear to them, but this was unheard of - thousands dying and in pain for days until it finally sunk deeply into their hearts and...

It hit me that as a boy I'd felt hurt so much that I just masked it, created a mask to forget how I really felt and instead amplified parts of my character which meant no one could get to me (which I can presume are traits, as stated by the media, such as: Boastful, full of myself, stubborn, Jerk, playboy *Genius - of which I am very proud*) But these things… I realise that I used this image of me to forget the real me… I didn't change for anyone - I just found it easier to be happy I guess. I realise that I was so deep into being the 'mask' that I forgot my real self, and with that, my enjoyment of materialistic things came over what happened when my weapons left the lab… I knew I was deeply so unhappy about it that I just wore my 'mask' and ignored it. I shouldn't have.

"That, is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and its keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart! Hm?"

Yes, of course I get it. Not worst case scenario, but an unfamiliar one. So… I lay out the facts, mentally in front of me:

Electromagnet - geez. Clever though, to come up with that…

Car battery - how long will that last? Is it safe? Does it need a transformer to make sure it's a safe flow of Joules per second? How old is it? Acid or alkali? Oh geez - I'll be limited now, lugging that around… if I live long enough to care…

I contemplate these thoughts as I uneasily zip up my fleece, thankful of the warmth. I try to rest my perturbed mind, taking in my surroundings in an attempt to get some familiarity with them, and prove to myself its not that bad. Unfortunately though, I rest my eyes upon a camera… mmmph. On following my gaze, Yinsen, again lightening the mood, something of which I was thankful for, chirped in with "that's right - smile!" He said 'smile' with such an easy tone it took me aback - I didn't know it was possible to be so light hearted in our predicament! I wasn't exactly amused… I mean, yeah, ok, but my minds on other things right now, and 'smile' is bottom of the list, unless our captors don't read the instructions to their weapons…

I continue to look around, as Yinsen mentions how he had met me before, at a technical conference.

"I don't remember" I said in a flat tone.

With a chuckle, Yinsen pointed out 'You wouldn't! - If I had been that drunk I wouldn't much have been able to stand, let alone give a lecture on integrated circuits-"

Yet again, my yearning for simple, straight, factual answers caused me to speak as soon as he had finished his sentence, quite abruptly.

"where are we?" At this, I held back a flinch as my head span round to look at the heavy metal door, the view panel of which had been slid back, causing a clatter. A language I did not understand urgh those same voices… filtered through, and were giving us orders, and I was again bewildered, and rose slowly to my feet as Yinsen, for the first time showing some form of urgency, directed me to stand up. He grabbed my arm and whispered 'do as I do' I immediately started to feel uneasy again, as they unlocked the door. I put my hands behind my head as Yinsen had done. I felt so vulnerable. The men entered… their hands gripping weapons, following Yinsen's lead. Guns. My guns. "those are my guns" I whispered quickly, realising something must be wrong, as I had not given permission for any such organisation to be in possession of such powerful tools. "How did they get my guns?!" I asked, anxiously… what if the base had been attacked, what if Rhodey had been hurt? Hit? Paralysed? Dead? "Do you understand me? Do - as - I - do" Yinsen hissed. I quickly cleared and tucked away my thoughts, trying to be as observant and sharp as possible. Yinsen was evidently nervous. So was I. A larger man came through as the lesser ranking guards parted. He stretched his arms wide in a gesture of mock good-will, or even pure joy at capturing me, Tony Stark. "The Mr, Tony Stark" He was switching between languages, intensifying the threat, amplifying the fact that they could plot anything and I wouldn't understand one bit of it. Thankfully, Yinsen translated. Though at the same time, not so thankfully, as the mans words, though at first seemingly welcoming (though I knew better!), had pure venom and penetrating menace.

"He says welcome Tony Stark, most famous mass murderer in the history of America; - He's honoured." All I could do was nod my head the tiniest of bit, to show my understanding. "He wants you to build the missile- the Jericho Missile that you demonstrated" Our captor then handed us a picture of the devastating weapon, "This one" I gritted my teeth. Something was wrong here. Dealing under the table? A leak? Or gained through ransom? Of me? Or of… Pepper? Rhodes? Obie? No. I don't know! Build the Jericho? For them? NOT BL***Y LIKELY! So, I said two, simple words… two words, which I would reinforce with power, through simple, blatant tone of voice. Words which turned Yinsens' gaze even more worried, and made the man so surprised he must have thought I was joking. He looked absolutely taken aback - that I, the stubborn jerk called Tony Stark would make that thing for him?

"I refuse."

…