Hey! Hope you liked last chapter - I'm not sure about this one either, because of Tony's thoughts and thought process… well I hope you know what I mean… rather a short chapter, would add more but just want to get some feedback before continuing… so please read and tell me what you think! Thank you! :D
They could feel his desperate struggle as Tony tried to get out of their grip which held him submerged, suffocating. It seemed the more he struggled the more they forced him into the water, as their leader just smirked. Each second Stark was held under, he felt the icy liquid take his breath away, as though blocking his ability to function at all. But he had to fight these terrorists. His panic caused his breathing to grow ragged, which made him feel even more that he was dying and suffocating. He felt more than ever the weight on his chest - not only the water which seemed to compress his throat and wind pipe, taking the breath out of him, but the reactor.
Oh - those two words… the last two words Tony thought he was ever going to have said, as he seriously thought they would kill him. Drown him. As soon as that sentence - that answer - had left his lips, there had been many glances - Yinsens' of worry, the guards, half of surprise, half professional - showing no emotion, and, possibly the most disturbing one, being the large leaders' expression - his features twisting into an even more menacing face… he was at first surprised, possibly even offended, that their display of weapons and power had not swayed stubborn Stark's decision, but then it dawned on him… he smiled, realising it was time for torture… as Tony drew a breath in, trying to sustain a strong stance to back up his decision, the leader nodded, and one of the guards advanced before Tony knew it, and hit him with medium force with the butt of his gun, around the head. Tony was promptly caught after going to fall in his daze by two other guards, who dragged the man out of the room he had been kept in and to one round the corner. Tony was conscious, but dazed, and by the time his thoughts had cleared from white and his ears had stopped buzzing his captors had plunged his head to his shoulders into the freezing water.
Tony's P.O.V
They'd held me down for what seemed like an eternity. They'd wait until my thoughts were muddled again and I nearly fell limp. They could sense the moment I could no longer tell the difference between consciousness and death. Pain of my past or present.
Flashbacks hit me after just seconds - they were blinding… and the worst part was when I would be so disorientated I wouldn't know what was air and what was water. All I knew was that when I straightened up, I could breathe, without choking on water which would otherwise enter my lungs. So, whenever they hauled me up, I straightened and breathed, hoping the air would never run out.
I am stubborn. Duh. I am not going to break. Not for them. I mean, if you want me to build a highly dangerous weapon for you to use against me - not to mention the newest most powerful one out there - a 'please?' and nice accommodation would go far… I mean, not 5 star, but food other than slop. But hey - no chance . And what about Pepper? Rhodes? Obie? They need an arrogant a$* to annoy them now don't they… Pepper… and I owe Yinsen my life - I must get him out of this place. In fact, It was really only these thoughts - which were in actual fact not really fully formed in part my sub-conscious (the small section which was not in fight or flight mode at the torture I was experiencing) which kept me from giving up. My mask, my stubborn jerk-ish ways had saved me. Made me believe there was a way out… that there had to be. I didn't acknowledge fully these thoughts, nor would be able to write them down, but I knew what I had to do and why. I knew what I meant.
…..:….
Meanwhile, out of his small-portion-of-positive-sub-conscious-mind, he felt he was dying. He probably was. The conscious part of his mind was clouded with pain and fear. He didn't know weather it was fight or flight… he couldn't process the meaning let alone suggest an answer… whichever works best. He thrashed as they gripped his hair and clothing to be able to hold him down, then when they pulled him back up again he would gasp and wheeze and choke and take such deep breaths, Yinsen wondered if he would survive - especially when he would be mid-breath when they would force him into the tub of water again. He surely would choke. Yinsen was thinking… and he didn't like what he was thinking about… other than seeing his friend this way, he couldn't stop thinking about how much worse it could become… and then, as if by thought alone… the arc reactor. It sparked. The water had short circuited the power source… Yinsen could only hope that the added yells and breaths and groans from Tony where because of, as bad as it sounds, their prolonged torture, because if it was because the arc reactor was failing, it would be a LOT worse… those yells would be because the shrapnel was digging through flesh in an attempt to pierce his heart… and Tony would die within hours. The added shrieks were not because of the shrapnel being released from the electromagnets' magnetism, but from the burning sparks from the reactor making contact with Tony's skin. At least, if he survived the torture, he would live then, because his electromagnet had not failed him.
… (Page break)
Any thoughts?
Thank you!