EDIT: Here's the new chapter 3. There are significant changes to this one just like two, so I hope you enjoy it!


Chapter 3

After nearly a month in captivity, JC had finally been allowed to truly help with the construction of the suit of armor that would become the means of their escape. For awhile she was still confined to her cot and only allowed to do jobs that had nothing to do with the suit. Mostly she was just allowed to fiddle with some circuit boards Tony had managed to find and faked working on the launch mechanism. JC wasn't very happy with it, but Tony had managed to convince her that it was necessary, if only to fool anybody watching the security camera. The plan for their actual escape, though, was still a mystery.

Several plans had been constructed, but each one ended with a different version of death for Yinsen and JC while Tony was protected by the suit. Needless to say, they still had a big problem. On the upside, construction was going faster with another set of hands. JC had to be stopped several times from over exertion, but overall she was a help.

They were sitting around the workbench rigging an explosive that would not only blast open the door but hopefully take out any guards on the other side. JC was fairly knowledgeable in that area. Apparently she'd had to engineer some explosives during her time in the Air Force as well as one rare occasion during one of her security jobs. She didn't elaborate too much on that one, but she did hint that she'd managed to demolish a small building in the process. It wasn't really what she had planned, but it had gotten the job done.

"So what was it really like?" Tony asked as he connected the two gas canisters to the frame.

"What was what like?" she replied, not really paying him much attention.

"The coma," he clarified. He knew it was a touchy subject, but he was genuinely curious. He knew she was a strong woman able to take on disasters that he knew he would have crumbled under pressure at, but this coma was the first thing that he knew of that she was indisputably afraid of.

She stopped what she was doing and looked contemplative for a moment. He hoped she wouldn't refuse him. If they were going to be able to escape, they were going to have to learn how to trust each other. He was almost completely sure that he trusted her; he'd seen enough of what she could do that he knew she wouldn't be a liability. However, he was more than aware that she still had quite a few reservations about him. Something like this might just be a step in the right direction.

"It's not easy to explain," she began. "You know that feeling between sleep and awake? You're just floating, not really in one place or the other."

"Yeah," he said. Of course he knew that feeling. Most people did. That wasn't really scary though. If anything, he found it annoying since usually, if he was ever really aware of it, he would wake himself up unintentionally and have to start all over again.

"It's like that, but there's something different about it. You can't feel your body. You can't feel time. That falling feeling you get, it's not there. You're just in this void, and you're aware of it but not at the same time. It's just black. You don't know if you exist or not. You're just…there. All that stuff doctors say about the voices of loved ones guiding you back, it's not true. Not for me, at least. If there was ever a soul with me, a voice speaking to me, I never heard it. I was alone." Her voice started cracking by the end, but it was obvious she still had more to tell. Tony sat there quietly, urging her to continue with a thoughtful stare.

"When my mind started to come back…when I started to dream again…there was nothing good about it. Every nightmare I'd ever had just played over and over, each time worse than the last. It was my own personal torture chamber. Eventually my mind reached a point where I wasn't in a coma but having a night tremor. When I woke up, I didn't know the difference between the dream and reality. It wasn't a pretty sight, so I was told."

While before he had listened quietly out of respect, he was now speechless. He had no idea that it had been that bad for her. While he was sure these terrorists could devise some horrible forms of torture, being a prisoner in your own mind sounded far worse than any physical pain.

"I don't sleep now, not on my own. Every time I get to the in-between point I can't get past it to the dreams. I just get stuck in the black until I can consciously make myself wake up. And when I do, I'm terrified and sweating like I've been running from some monster. I have to take sleep aids, if I want to get some rest."

"But I thought drugs didn't help," Tony questioned.

"Sleep aids are different. They get me past the black and into dreams. Drugs that put you under for surgery, those keep me in the dark, keep me in that place. I don't expect you to understand it, but that's what it is for me," she said, her tone becoming harsh.

"JC, I didn't mean–"

"Save your pity. I don't want it. I don't need it. Let's just get back to work."

With that she went back to politely ignoring him. While he was glad that she trusted him enough to share her story, it felt like a hollow victory. Sure, he'd gotten to see a very vulnerable side of her, but those walls were all too quickly put back up, and she'd gone on the offense, like he had beaten the whole thing out of her instead of her willingly sharing it. Part of him expected as much from her, but part of him had hoped for something better. Still it was better than nothing. A year ago she would never have given him that much. This was progress.


During the rare occasions that they weren't working Tony and Yinsen chose to play backgammon while JC would either sit and watch or wander around the room. She said she was always thinking; of what, Tony had no idea. He imagined that maybe she was just looking for a way to wear herself out to help get to sleep. He had no way to judge since he slept so soundly he never noticed if she had nightmares or not. She always seemed to be awake before him, which would have been a good indication for him, but Yinsen never mentioned anything about her acting strange. Either way, he was sure he'd never know unless she told him so. He had a better chance of the terrorists letting them go; she'd never tell him.

"JC, why don't you come play a game?" Tony offered after watching her wander for nearly half an hour.

"No, thanks. I'm not very good. I tried playing with my dad a few times, but it ended when he thought it would be funny to capture one of my pieces before explaining that part of the game. That was the last time I played," she said, stopping briefly before continuing her walking.

"I could promise to not take any pieces," he offered. It would make the game less interesting, but at least it would get her to do something better than just wander around.

"No, thanks, Stark. That's more for you and Yinsen," she said.

Tony left her alone after that and started another game with Yinsen. Halfway through with no one particularly winning Tony said, "You still haven't told me where you're from."

"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place," he answered.

"Got a family?"

"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"

Tony paused for a moment with an awkward look on his face before answering, "No."

"No?" Yinsen repeated. "So, you're a man with everything and nothing at all," he said with a small sigh. "What about you, JC? Do you have a family?"

"She has a teenage son," Tony answered. He barely looked up in time to see a tool flying toward his head and ducked. "What the hell was that for?" Tony exclaimed.

"I never told you I had a son, and that little fact was not on my résumé. How did you know about him? Have you been snooping into my personal files or something, Stark?" JC fumed.

"I didn't intentionally look through your files," Tony defended.

"Well, no one just accidentally goes through another's files, but I suppose under your definition of accident, I guess it just might!"

"That's not what I meant," Tony tried to explain.

"Then what did you mean?" she demanded, her tone rising another notch.

"You were on your death bed in Japan!" he exclaimed, matching her tone. The room fell silent for a moment as JC and Yinsen both waited for him to continue. "You were dying, and someone had to contact your family. Do you think I enjoyed the prospect of finding out I might have to tell a fifteen year old boy that his mother might die six thousand miles away, or that she might be in a permanent coma? I didn't tell you that I knew, because first, I never saw you again until that day in the desert, and second, I didn't think it mattered that much."

Yinsen sat silently looking like he was afraid to say anything for fear of having something thrown at him or being yelled at, both of which JC would probably have done.

They both stood there fuming for several minutes, each one looking like they were ready to fight the other at the slightest move before JC spoke. "I'm going to bed. Wake me when you're ready to start work again," she growled and lay on her cot with her back to the two men.

"I can never understand that woman. It seems that every time I open my mouth, she yells at me or throws something at me," Tony said in a low voice so as not to give JC a reason to return with more projectiles. "Did I seriously do something wrong? You're married, right? You've probably got a better insight on how to keep a woman happy. Maybe you can help me here."

"Finding her son after what happened was responsible. However, you should not have answered the question regarding her family. She does not seem to be the kind of person who trusts others easily," Yinsen explained hesitantly. From the look on his face, it was obvious he was trying to be careful about his words. He probably didn't want to start another fight, which Tony could understand.

"You're probably half right. She trusts other people; she's never trusted me. She hates me too much for that," Tony admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"What makes you so sure of that?"

Tony sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "There was more than the attack that happened in Japan. I had gotten especially drunk one night. I was being stupid, didn't want anything to do with JC, so I ran off, found a club to help me get over my bad mood. Anyways, I…my memory has always been a bit blurry about what happened. It's taken me this long just to piece it all together. When I somehow managed to get myself back to my room, JC was there. She was probably looking for my drunk ass."

Tony shook his head. "I was really out of it, because I tried to seduce her. She, of course, wouldn't hear any of it in my condition. I went too far, and…I think…I think I nearly raped her. The only thing I clearly remember is her fists pounding on me. She came close to beating me to a pulp. I wouldn't have blamed her." He paused for a moment, taking in another breath before continuing.

"The next morning, I never expected to see her again. What I did was grounds enough for her to quit, but she didn't. Bright and early the next day she was there pretending for everyone that nothing had happened. I couldn't have been more shocked." A look of contemplation crossed Yinsen's face as Tony went on.

"I still can't believe I did that though. I've never gone that far no matter how intoxicated I was. I'm not even sure if I ever truly did apologize for it. Some piece of work I am, huh?" he said. It had taken him over a year and a near death experience for him to finally realize his mistake. JC had been right. Maybe he had known for a long time what the truth was but never admitted it to himself. Somehow it felt too late for any meaningful apology.

Yinsen looked at him sympathetically and said, "You were a different man a year ago. The person you described then and the man sitting before me now are not the same."

"Thanks, Yinsen, but the fact is that one month in a cave doesn't change someone. I was that man before I came here, and unfortunately I'll be the same when we leave. People like me don't change," he said and walked away to his cot on the other side of the room. He turned to JC for a moment catching a glimpse of her face. Her features were scrunched up in a scowl, which he should have expected. What wasn't expected were the tears the he saw on her cheek. He was the cause of those tears, and it twisted his insides to know that horrid truth.

He lay down on his cot and closed his eyes trying to get to sleep, which was nearly impossible through the anger he felt towards himself. He had hurt her without even giving it a second thought. He now truly felt like the villain JC had always seemed to portray him as and knew that it was true. He really was a monster.


Several weeks later the suit was getting closer to completion. The plan, however, was still where it was those several weeks before. The other thing that hadn't changed was the silence between JC and Tony. The only time they spoke was to get tools from each other or grunting for the other to move.

One evening, after getting especially dirty from work, Tony finally decided it was time to wash off some of the dirt and grime. Showers weren't exactly a luxury available to them, so a sponge and water bucket had to suffice every several days, if even that often.

He took off his shirt, and taking the sponge, he began to scrub his arms. Going slowly from the thickness of the grime, he worked until he reached his shoulders. He began to scrub the back of his shoulders but found it difficult to bend his arms that far back.

"Here, let me help you," JC said grabbing the sponge. Tony tried to protest, but JC silenced him by saying, "It's not like I've never seen you without a shirt on, so stop complaining." He quickly gave up and let her continue.

After about a minute of silence, Tony was about to speak, but JC beat him to it. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Tony asked dumbly. That wasn't what he had expected.

"Yelling at you, throwing that wrench," she clarified. "I'm sorry about that. I…I overreacted. I shouldn't have done that."

"You really don't need to apologize. I overstepped my bounds. I deserved it. Well, maybe not the wrench," he quipped. "But the yelling, I definitely deserved the yelling."

He could hear her snicker, a sure signal he had lifted her mood. He smirked; at least he still knew how to make her smile. But he didn't want just that. He turned around and touched her forearm, mostly to be able to keep a hold of her if she thought about walking off, but partly so he could get the point across that his next words were sincere. Amazingly, she didn't pull away from him.

"JC, I really am sorry. I know your family is something very private and personal. I never meant to—"

She cut him off by holding a hand up to him. "Stark, stop. Let's just agree that we both were wrong on something and let the whole thing go. We need to work together now. We can't afford to be squabbling. Our lives aren't worth that."

He wanted to smile at her words. She was actually agreeing to forgive him. Well, not quite, but it was close enough for him. A year ago he knew she would never have let him live it down. To him, this was amazing. He wanted to smile the biggest smile he could, but now wasn't the time. There was still more he needed to say, and he knew it was going to kill whatever moment they were having.

"There's something else we need to settle, and I don't ask this lightly," he said solemnly, staring her in the eye so she knew he was completely serious.

"What is it?" she asked just as seriously, her eyes saying that she knew what was coming and knew she wouldn't like it, but knew it had to be done.

Tony took a steadying breath before continuing. "We have a lot of problems between us, largely caused by me, but for the sake of us getting out alive, I'm asking that we put all of our problems behind us. I don't mean forgive and forget, but—"

"I understand," she said, cutting him off. Her eyes clouded over something between anger and sorrow. "Until we are safe, any issue I have with you is gone." With that she grabbed his other hand and gave the sponge back. "I'm gonna go help Yinsen," she said and walked back to Yinsen.

Tony sighed in frustration. He hadn't wanted to ask that of her, but if he didn't, they would have been at each other's throats indefinitely. That was the last thing any of them needed. They were nearly ready, and it was like she had said: they had to work together. Personal problems were not an option. The only consolation that came out of it was that, for once in the entire time they had known each other, he had finally said a sincere apology. Maybe, just maybe, he would eventually forgive himself enough to ask her forgiveness for his much more severe crime.


Two weeks later they were nearly ready. The only things remaining were face protection for Tony and a better plan. But truthfully, there wasn't a lot of time left to make a better one, so they would have to stick with what they had. He would clear the way, and they would follow behind him. JC was skilled enough that if she could get a weapon, she could take out any that he missed and be able to protect Yinsen. The problem would come when they actually got out of the cave. They only knew one exit, and Tony didn't see any of the vehicles that they had to possess. That meant they were hidden somewhere else, and they wouldn't have time to search every part of the caverns to find them. That wasn't a good thing for them, but they didn't have any other options.

Tony was working on cutting a piece for the mask while JC was helping Yinsen with the mechanism that would get the door open when a familiar knock on the door came. They followed the normal drill and put their hands on their heads and stood as several guards filed into the room.

Behind them was a new face. Instead of the shorter, stouter man that often came in to check their progress, this one was taller, better built, and sported a bald scalp. There was no mistake that he was the true leader of the group. The way he carried himself when he walked was prideful, domineering.

"Relax," he said cordially.

Warily they lowered their hands.

The man walked towards Tony and looked at the Arc reactor in his chest. After he was satisfied with his inspection of the Arc reactor he said, "The bow and arrow was once the pinnacle of weapons technology that allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine, an empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four times the size of the Roman Empire." He paused to examine the stack of drawings.

They each did their best to hide their fear. Tony was about to move, but Yinsen motioned for him to stop.

The man seemed satisfied and continued with his speech. "But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn."

He turned to Yinsen and began speaking in Arabic. Tony didn't know what he was saying, but by the tone of his voice he could only assume that the man was not pleased with Yinsen. The conversation seemed to escalate when two men stepped forward and forced Yinsen to his knees. The leader then went over to the furnace and pulled an ember from the fire. More words were passed between the two as Yinsen's head was forced down onto an anvil. The man continued to speak as the ember was moved closer to Yinsen's face. Tony wanted to do something, anything that would help Yinsen, but he knew that any false move would get someone killed, namely Yinsen.

What had started as a casual conversation turned in a split second to yelling, the leader becoming more aggressive as he held the ember mere inches from Yinsen's face. After several rounds of this, with both getting progressively louder, JC finally spoke out. Everyone turned and looked at her in surprise not only because she was speaking out against them, but she had done so in their own language. Tony knew he should have expected it, but it was still a shock to him.

She continued to rattle on in their language. The man seemed interested in what she was saying since her stopped and turned his full attention to her. As they continued to converse, Yinsen's face seemed to go a shade paler. What could she possibly be telling him that would scare Yinsen? The man didn't seem angry by whatever she was saying. So why then did he look terrified?

The leader looked to his men said something to them. Several of them came forward and after forcing her to her knees pointed their guns to her head. Not good.

"Stop this! What do you want? A delivery date?" Tony exclaimed.

JC said something to the man, but she didn't seem even the slightest bit perturbed. In fact, the look on her face was cocky. Tony didn't know what game she was playing, but he didn't like where it seemed to be going.

The leader dropped the ember on the anvil and threw the tongs away. "You have until tomorrow to assemble my missile. If you fail, she will be the first to die," he said and ordered for JC to be taken.

Tony was about to protest, but JC silenced him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just do as he says."

He watched in horror as they dragged her away and shut the doors. Not wasting an instant, he closed the distance between him and Yinsen and grabbed the older man by the collar.

"What the hell just happened?" he demanded in a growl. When Yinsen didn't answer in a timely matter, Tony shook him roughly. "Tell me what she said!"

"She gave us time," Yinsen managed.

"What are you talking about? What the hell did she say to them?" he demanded again.

"She gave herself up to buy us time," he said with a stern glare. He was obviously as displeased about the situation as Tony was. "Don't waste it."

He had no intention of wasting it, but he sorely wished she hadn't done this. Their plan would be hard enough to pull off. Now he would have to worry whether or not they would kill her before he could get to her. He knew she could hold her own for awhile, but if they were smart, they would restrain her, make it impossible for her defend herself and execute her. But he had a sinking feeling that they wouldn't do that. He wasn't an idiot. He had seen the carnal looks from more than one of the men. If they touched her, he knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill them all.