Chapter Seven

Tony saw Yinsen in Gulmira.

He saw Yinsen in the innocent men with their hands pressed against the walls, waiting for their deaths. He saw Yinsen in the man rushing to his son to give him one last hug. He wondered, despite the feeling twisting at his gut, what Yinsen was like in the last moments before his family was killed.

That image – the one of Yinsen hugging his child for the last one – was the one that eased Tony's anxiety when he fired his repulsor at the Ten Ring's men. He didn't mind so much that he was ending a life when it was them. They had taken so much from so many people. They deserved to face justice in the form of a weaponized suit.

Besides, Tony had spent his life desensitized to the destruction his own weapons could cause. Adding a few more people – people who deserved it – to the list was fine.

And then, Tony wondered if Yinsen's death could have been prevented if he had a weapon like Tony's protecting him at the time. This suit wasn't just the creation of a man with far too high an IQ to let the idea pass; it was the future. It was the beginning of the end of suffering for these people.

Marking the terrorists, multiple small darts shot from his suit, instantly killing them. The people of Gulmira stood there for a moment longer, still in shock of what had happened. One moment, they were sure they were about to die in the most brutal manner. Now, they stood free with their captors dead at their feet.

Tony turned from them, walking towards where he knew a man – Raza's second hand – hid behind a wall. The thermal imaging was a good idea, he thought, slamming his fist through the wall and in front of the man's face.

With one fluid motion, Tony pulled him through the wall and threw him on the ground in front of the town's people. The same people who had nearly lost everything from the Ten Ring's violence.

"He's all yours," Tony spoke calmly as his repulsor's lifted him off the ground. He darted into the sky; frankly, he didn't care to see what happened to the man. His fate was in the hands of his own victims.

Tony was always one to see flaws in his creations, room for improvement. But even then, he had to give himself credit. The entire fight had taken less than three minutes. In less than three minutes, his suit had saved an entire town.

Yinsen would be proud.

Of course, Tony didn't have long to praise himself too much, as he was promptly shot down by a tank. His body slammed roughly into the ground, and even through the titanium suit - he felt it. Sure, he would have been a splatter of blood on rock without the suit, but still. The suit could do with a little... cushioning. Especially since this was all too thrilling to be his one and only 'adventure.'

Tony stood, blinking a few times as he stared down at the tank that had shot him down. He leaned back when another projectile shot towards him, flying past easily. He wondered briefly if the suit could handle getting hit by tank ammunition twice. This probably wasn't the best time to test the theory. He'd put a pin in it for now.

Lifting his hand, he shot off his own missile. A little smaller, sure, but a whole lot more deadly. He turned his back when the tank went up in flames.

Tony felt his annoyance begin to grow as more guns shot at him. These people just did not give up. But with the Jericho Missiles sitting so nicely in front of him, he knew he had the chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Nobody shot at him once those damn missiles exploded. Tony would be happy if he never had to see one again. He'd eagerly spend the next year of his life destroying them if he knew they never had the chance to cause the destruction he designed them for.

When Tony took off into the sky again, he didn't let himself linger on the missiles or the bodies laying beneath him. After years of being asleep, he'd finally woken. He was finally cleaning up the mess he made billions creating.

Little did he know, about a half mile down the road, Raza's truck came to a halt as he stared at the fire that had suddenly exploded from his secondary base. His most deadly weapon was gone; and he was smart enough to know who was the person underneath the red and gold suit. Of course, Tony hadn't seen Raza - or else he'd have happily shown off more of his weapons - but he knew he was sending a message to Raza.

Raza took Yinsen and Aubrey's lives, so Tony repaid the favor. If he knew that Aubrey sat, only five miles away, watching the destruction from the tent's entrance, he would have made different decisions.

Instead, he just kept flying.

For some reason, people thought Obadiah Stane was stupid.

Not stupid like you would consider a high school dropout or a dumb blonde, but in the sense that he wasn't acutely aware of his surroundings. That he was just some old rich lug who trailed after young and fun Tony; he was just some idiot who aligned himself with the right family and got lucky. He assumed it was partly because he had always been so close to the Stark's. Anyone would look like an idiot standing next to Howard Stark. Despite being the one to aggressively pull Stark Industries to the top of the food chain, he never really got the credit he deserved.

And then there was Tony. Now he was an idiot, at least to Obadiah. For all his brains, he knew nothing.

And still, Tony was the genius CEO of Stark Industries, while Obadiah was always the 'business partner.' As if he were merely a placeholder until Tony's balls finally dropped and he could step up as CEO after his father's death.

No one ever gave Obadiah his credit. He was a genius in his own right; maybe he couldn't design a state-of-the-art AI system, but he damn well knew what was going on around him.

He was smart enough that he knew he had a tail.

It didn't take long to piece together what happened. Tony's sudden absence from his life after the kidnapping was enough to raise suspicion. But when his business was quietly being investigated soon after Tony's return, there was only one real answer.

It didn't matter how Tony found out that Obadiah had sold him off to the Ten Rings. All that mattered was that Obadiah had to act fast.

He knew that sooner or later, the truth about Obadiah's failed hit on Tony would come to light, since Raza didn't get the job done. What really mattered was if he could act fast enough that it wouldn't drag him down.

Tony had to go – there was no other way.

If he got rid of Tony, took his rightful throne, and then paid off the right people… Obadiah might even get away with it.

It didn't matter that people know, it just mattered that they kept their mouths shut. Would the Air Force turn a blind eye to Obadiah's crimes? Maybe. If he returned SI back to selling weapons, he was sure they'd be partially relieved of Tony's untimely demise. Most people could get over a murder if there was a big enough dollar sign. Everyone can be bought, he mused. Tony believed that at one point too, he just never knew how to use it to the same extent that Tony did.

Of course, not everyone would be happy with Tony's impending death. James Rhodes would sure as hell have something to say, but Obadiah would take care of him too. He might not be able to pay off Rhodey, but there were other powerful men in the Air Force. Those military guys could make anyone shut up with the right type of incentive.

But Obadiah had learned from his last mistake. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. He'd kill Tony Stark with his bare hands if he had to.

From what he'd pieced together from Raza's meessages and the reports of the weaponized 'robot' saving the citizens of Gulmira, Tony had one hell of a weapon. But if Obadiah could get his hands on his own … that might be enough to rival Tony. And with Tony out of the way, there'd be no one standing between Obadiah and what he's always deserved.

And what would be a better weapon than one that Tony designed himself?

So no, Obadiah Stane was no idiot. He had a plan forming. As he walked towards his private jet, a team of men dressed in black following close behind, he couldn't help the smile creeping to his face. Finally – finally – after years of living in Tony's shadow, he would finally be recognized for the brilliant and cunning man he was.

All he had to do was clean up a few loose ends.

Aubrey pulled the welding mask from her head to admire her work.

She held Tony's mask in her hand, or at least what was once his mask. It now only crudely resembled the original menacing suit. She had managed to reinforce some of the weaker points on it, but it was still badly charred from the escape. Even though she knew the purpose of rebuilding the suit was disgusting… she still felt a level of pride in being able to do it. Sometimes she had to remind herself to slow down, to give Tony time to come save her.

Truthfully, Raza's men probably could have rebuilt the suit by now if Aubrey hadn't taken her time in sabotaging Raza.

After two months of working on the suit, Aubrey had a sudden realization that if Tony died upon escape, Raza would never tell her. There was a chance that the reason Tony hadn't come back for her was because his body was lying two feet under the sand.

But Aubrey also knew she couldn't think that way. Yinsen had told her that when she let her thoughts get dark, it was harder to pull her back to the light. She couldn't give up; she couldn't let herself go dark again, for her and Yinsen.

It was hard.

Back in the cave, she had Yinsen. She had a calm, guiding force, that let her hold onto some of her sanity. Here, she was alone, even when the tent was full of Raza's soldiers. Sometimes she would find her mind drifting back to her murderous fantasies; her movements would slow, and without realizing it, she'd be staring off into space, thinking about holding her blowtorch against Raza's eyeball and listening to it pop.

One of his men - or Raza himself - would usually break her out of her trance by giving her a swift blow to remind her where she is.

Another thing Aubrey hadn't counted on was the sudden increase in violence. Before, Raza had delivered brutal beatings when her products weren't being delivered fast enough. But as it turns out, when you assist Tony Stark in killing half of these men, including their friends, they tend to get a little aggressive. They knew they couldn't kill Aubrey, but there were a few times that they got close.

But even then, Aubrey would do her best to fight off her dark thoughts and remind herself that being wounded was a decent enough excuse to slow her work on the suit. If Tony was still alive, he just needed more time.

A commotion from outside the tent pulled Aubrey from her thoughts.

Fights and arguments weren't uncommon here. Usually, Raza would just let them fight it out, until they got it out of their system. But this time, it was different. It wasn't the excited chatter and booming yells of two men beating each other up. It was an urgency, pulling everyone to something approaching them.

Tony.

Aubrey shot to her foot, nearly falling over as she did. She stumbled to the tent exit, but only made it a foot before someone caught her and pulled her back. It was the doctor - one of the kinder men here.

She watched as Raza peered out through the entrance of the tent, before yelling something to the remaining men in the tent. He was about to step outside when he caught a glance of Aubrey's tangled auburn hair in the corner of his eye.

His eyes shifted to the doctor, before barking out orders in a language Aubrey didn't understand. She could figure out the meaning though, based on the doctor roughly pulling her away from the tent. She tried to fight him – despite being incredibly weak and standing on one leg – but it was the pleading tone in his voice that caused her to stop.

Whatever – or whoever – was out there, was a scarier thought to the doctor than Raza. It was something Aubrey should fear.

Aubrey allowed herself to be pulled behind a tarp panel, which acted as a makeshift storage in the tent. The doctor huddled in close to her, and Aubrey had to fight the urge to recoil. He was kind in comparison to the men here… but he was still the enemy. He would never be Yinsen.

When Raza re-entered the tent, followed by a towering man, Aubrey clasped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping.

She had expected another Afghan terrorist.

She had prayed for Tony.

She would never have thought it would be Obadiah Stane.

Aubrey always held a piece of her fury, designated for Obadiah. He was the one who set her up, wasn't he? He was the whole reason she was in this mess. She expected to feel that same hollow rage fill up her chest, as it did when she looked at Raza. Instead, all she felt was terror.

Because with Raza, as long as she worked, she would be of use to him. Her only use to Obadiah was in a shallow grave.

She watched as Obadiah stopped in front of the suit. It was neatly set up, all except the mask. Aubrey glanced down to her hand. Her gut dropped… hopefully Obadiah didn't know what he should be looking at.

"His escape bore unexpected fruit," Raza mused, noticing Obadiah's gaze.

"So, this is how he did it," Obadiah said as he crossed his arms, looking towards the other man. "It doesn't have a mask?"

Raza paused, before shaking his head once. Aubrey let out a breath; his answer meant life or death for her. "It was lost during his escape. The mask… it does not matter. Not like the rest of the suit. Not like the new suit."

Aubrey tensed. New suit?

Obadiah nodded slowly, turning back to the suit.

"This is only a first crude effort," Raza went on, "Stark had perfected his design. He had made a masterpiece of death. A man with a dozen of these can rule all of Asia… and you dream of Stark's throne. We have a common enemy."

As Raza moves to sit down, Aubrey had to fight to keep herself on her feet. She suddenly felt ill, her head spinning. The announcement that Tony Stark was alive shouldn't have shocked her as much as it did. The fact that Tony had built a second, improved suit… now that was enough to make Aubrey pass out.

Not now, she told herself, swallowing back the bile. She had to compartmentalize. She couldn't focus both on the revelation about Tony and Obadiah's presence.

Obadiah continued to examine the suit as Raza poured himself a cup of tea. A second, for his friend. "We are still in business. I will give you these designs as a gift. And in turn, I hope you'll repay me with the gift of iron soldiers."

Raza held up his drink, a naïve and menacing smile on his face. Aubrey had always thought him to be terrifying, in the physical, brute sense. But now, as she watched Obadiah tower over him, stepping closer, she realized there was a much worse threat than Raza.

Because though Obadiah's movements were calm, gentle even, they held a hidden danger. It was like being too caught up in the peacefulness of the mountains to notice the bear standing behind you.

Aubrey would know, she had fallen for it once too.

With Obadiah's back turned to her, blocking her view of Raza, she couldn't see what was happening. But she could see some sort of device – a button? – in his hand, and suddenly earplugs in his ears were glowing blue.

Obadiah said something that Aubrey couldn't hear. It may have been a different language altogether, she couldn't tell. But then, she heard him clearly as he stepped back. He pressed the button again, and his earplugs stopped glowing. "Technology… it's always been your Achilles heel in this part of the world."

Obadiah paused, shifting just enough that Aubrey could get a view of Raza.

His body was completely tensed up, with black veins crossing his face. Despite not being able to move, his eyes were alive. Whatever Obadiah had done to him, it had made Raza a prisoner of his own body. "Don't worry, it'll only last for 15 minutes. That's the least of your problems."

Aubrey watched in horror as Obadiah gently placed his hand on Raza's head – in a way one might consider to even be thoughtful – before walking out of the tent.

The doctor moved to exit his hiding spot, probably to try and save Raza, but Aubrey held him in place. Despite the language barrier, her gaze is enough to send her message. This little visit… it is not over.

Seconds later, men in black rush into the tent, and begin silently taking Tony's suit down from its mantle. They worked quickly, almost like robots programmed to do Obadiah's bidding for him. But still, Aubrey knew for certain that they would put a bullet straight through her skull if they knew she was there.

Just like she knew all of Raza's men were likely collapsed on the ground outside the tent.

It only took minutes for them to pack up the suit and leave. Everything else was useless to them; the only thing Obadiah couldn't pay someone to make was the only part of Tony left in that tent.

She waited another minute, just to be sure, before stepping out. The doctor followed soon after, making a beeline towards Raza. The doctor whispered things, testing Raza's pulse, his reflexes, as he tried and failed to figure out what exactly was wrong with the man.

The doctor's back was turned – he was too focused on fixing Raza to see what is happening behind him. He didn't see Aubrey hobble across the room, her hand clasping around a wrench on the table. He didn't pay attention to the sound of her foot shuffling across the ground, as she leaned against the workbench for support.

But Raza? His eyes never left hers. He saw the wrench and the anticipation building in Aubrey's eyes. He saw the plan forming in her brain, the months and months of sick fantasies pouring out at once, as she slowly hopped closer.

"Move," Aubrey ordered.

Only then did the doctor finally realize the predicament he was in. His leader down, and the prisoner with a weapon in her hand. He was no military – he ran. Aubrey watched as he disappeared out the entrance.

Aubrey turned back to Raza once she could no longer hear the man's retreating footsteps. Raza's eyes were wide, his body shifting slightly, as if he was fighting off the paralysis. It didn't matter that they had less than five minutes left before his paralysis eased. Aubrey would make it worth it.

Aubrey tilted her head slightly, staring down at the man. How had she ever been scared of him? "You suddenly seem so small."

With one swift movement, the wrench slammed down on Raza's hand. There was a crunching sound and then a muffled, breathy noise coming from Raza's throat. She laughed.

At first, it was only one short burst of laughter, until she hit him again, and heard that strangled cry again. And then she laughed again, this time longer.

The pattern continued, of Aubrey calming herself only long enough to slam her wrench on Raza's body, before she burst into another fit of laughter. His hands, elbows, arms, chest… each time, she laughed a little longer, a little louder.

Finally, she couldn't calm herself down again. She couldn't stop laughing, even when the tears started flowing down her face and the desperation of a trapped animal clawed at her chest. Suddenly she was sobbing as she smashed the wrench – again and again and again – into Raza's head.

Blood splattered across Aubrey's face, as Raza's own caved in. She didn't feel that same satisfaction that she felt in her fantasies; she only felt a hollow horror and regret fill up her chest, seeping into her arms and legs. But she couldn't stop. She had gone too far.

She had done too many horrible, horrible things to stop now.

Aubrey should have accepted death before agreeing to fix Raza's weapons. She should have closed her eyes and let him beat her to death all those months ago. She should have followed in Yinsen's footsteps and gone down fighting. She should have starved instead of fixing Tony's suit.

She had committed too many crimes already. If she suddenly stopped now, she would just be a hypocrite. It had to be worth something. It had to. Or else those months of suffering would be nothing but that.

Suffering.

Aubrey finally threw the wrench to the ground, collapsing next to it as she let out a loud, gut-wrenching scream. It was like all those months of pain and torture escaped her body in one breath. And then, she screamed again. This time, to mourn the two people she just killed. Raza, who despite his blackened and burned soul, wasn't her choice to end. And Aubrey, the girl whose life had fallen apart only because she couldn't let go.

She thought being kidnapped, being held hostage, had been the thing that killed the old Aubrey. But now, as she desperately tried to wipe the blood from her face, she realized that she could have become that girl again. More reserved, more cautious… but the old Aubrey didn't have to die.

But becoming a murder was an instant change. There was no coming back from that. There was no universe where the two versions of herself, the sweet, naïve girl and the murderous one, lived as one.

So, when Aubrey finally dragged herself to her feet, she was sure of two things. First, that she was never going to be able to go back to a normal life. And secondly, that there was only one person to blame.

The person who gave her hope of a better life, only to leave her in the same hell she had helped him escape from. The person who broke the most sacred promise of all.

Tony Stark.

A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter but it was probably one of my favorites to write! Super dark but I felt like Aubrey's actions just kind of wrote themselves and even I didn't know how she'd feel killing Raza until I wrote it. Hopefully it wasn't too graphic!