There have been many occasions in my life, where I worked through the night, but never did I work with the knowledge that if I didn't finish by morning, I would be killed.
Death being only a few hours away, is a great motivator. I don't remember much of what happened that night: it all blurred together as Yinsen and I rushed about our business. Banging, clanging, sawing and melting iron. Finally, it was done.
My magnum opum, my greatest invention yet:the ugliest metal suit known to man. Yinsen helped me put it on, then made sure I knew exactly where to go. I had the route memorised so well, that by now I could dream it. I still know now, many years later, what the route was by heart:
'41 steps straight ahead, Then 16 steps, that's from the door, fork right, 33 steps, turn right.'
Of course, nothing can go right for too long. Outside of our cell, pounding footsteps could be heard as Yinsen put the finishing touches to my suit. A man slid open they eye-hole, eye-slit, peep-hole? I don't know what to call it: 'Yinsen, Yinsen, Stark!'
He shouted. Apparently, he was speaking Hungarian. Apparently, Yinsen couldn't speak Hungarian. He shouted out a sentence, which he probably didn't even understand himself. The men outside the door started shouting louder. I'm pretty sure Yinsen might have excedentally cursed at them, in all fairness: I'm pretty sure I will never know. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know what he had said.
I glanced over the door, which they were now trying to open. Sucks to suck: we had tied the handle closed. With a bomb. Who doesn't want to go out with a bang right?!
I'm pretty sure the two men that flew back the second they broke the bonds holding the door, which was also holding the bomb from detonating, did not share my view. They flew back about two metres. I could barely turn my head in my suit so I decided to ask Yinsen for an update:
'How'd that work?'
'Oh my goodness. It worked alright.'
'That's what I do.' I answered, trying not to be too smug about it.
Yinsen, after I told him to, hurried over to the computer that was in charge of powering the suit: 'Function . Tell me when you see a progress bar. It should be up right now.'
'Yes!'
'Talk to me, tell me when you see..'
'Okay, I have it!'
'Press Control I.'
'Got it.'
'I and enter. Come over here and button me up.'
'They're coming!'
'Nothing pretty, just get it done.' I answered, trying to keep my voice calm, to keep the fear from swallowing me whole.
'They're coming!'
Outside we could hear shouting voice advance. 'Make sure the checkpoints are clear before you follow me out okay?' I told Yinsen, watching the progress bar load up at the slowest pace known to humanity.
'We need more time.' Yinsen realised, turning away from the computer and back to me, 'Hey, I'm gonna go buy you some time.'
'Stick to the plan!' I told him, fear gripping me as I realised what he was about to do. What he was about to ran off, grabbing a gun from one of the two men who had fallen back from the explosion. 'Stick to the plan!' I shouted, petrified at what he was doing. What he was giving up. He ignored me, shooting into the air to scare the oncoming terrorists off: 'Yinsen!' I screamed at the top of my voice. He ignored me, shooting, and dissappeared out of sight.
My eyes filled with unshed tears as I watched the progress bar. 51 %. Only halfway done. Outside I heard Yinsen shouting, terrorist screaming in fear. Yeah: I would be scared to if Yinsen ran up to me with a gun.
Silence followed then. Deadly silence. No, I refused: he wasn't dead. He was just hiding. He was fine. Suddenly, the progress bar shot up. 100 %. All the light in the cave disappear as all the electricity was collected in my suit. The light went out, and the only thing illuminating me was the light of the computer screen.
Outside of the entrance to my cell, I heard footsteps. I breathed in a deep breathe: I knew what I had to do. The men walked in, terror on their faces. I stood stock still, then, the arc reactor lit up. The man standing mere inches from me turned. I'll never forget the look on his face as he realised his story had come to an end. I shot.
The others ran towards me. They were no match. They fell, but I paid it no heed. Yinsen. I had to find Yinsen. I shot down man after man. I clobbered them over the head. Broke down iron doors. All the while following the path I memorised so well.
Finally, I cam to the turn. There, to the side, lay a body. Yinsen's body. 'Yinsen!' I cried out, advancing on the man.
'Watch out!' he cried. A torpedo launched at me. I didn't even need to duck, the main terrorist's guys aim was abonomibale. I undid one of the plates on my armour, revealing my own torpedo. I shot it at him, hitting the wall, not even heeding the cry of pain that I heard as he fell to the ground. I rushed over to Yinsen, throwing a bag that had fallen on him off of him. 'Stark.' he said.
'Come on, we gotta go.' I told him, lifting my vizier so he could see my face. 'Move for me, come on, we got a plan. We got to stick to it.'
'This was always the plan, Stark.' he whispered softly, already falling into the abyss of unconsciousness. Of death.
'Come on,' I breathed, 'You're gonna see your family, you gotta get up.'
'My family is dead,' he answered softly, his eyes only half open, 'I'm going to see them now, Stark.' Pain. That was all that I felt. Yet another person had died. Because of me. For me. It must have shown on my face: 'It's okay,' he told me, 'I want this. I want this.' he repeated.
I breathed out a breath and tried to smile, though I'm sure it was more of a grimace: 'Thanks for saving me.'
'Don't waste it,' he breathed, 'Don't waste your life.' I heard blood gurgle in his throat, he breathed in deep a few times, then his head fell back. He was dead.
After that, I was just mad. There were gunmen outside of the cave. I fought them. I set that camp ablaze with my flamethrowers. I walked around, flames bursting from the suit, wreaking havoc every step of the way. They had machine guns firing at me. I fell. I got up again. Behind me, the weapons exploded from the heat. The camp was exploding. I flipped a switch on the armour, and flew into the air. Away from the chaos. Away from the fire. Away from the death and destruction.
I flew high into the air, high above the exploding valley. I arced across the sky, like a graceful bird. Until, of course, because why could anything ever go right, my thrusters gave up and I face-planted into the sand.
My armour broke on impact. At least I was okay, slightly. I crawled out of the half-buried suit, struggeling against the overbearing weight of sand. I walked. I walked over the dunes, wrapping my sweater over my head against the heat.
The heat was all-devouring, ever present, omniscient, and so was the thirst. I don't know for how long I walked in the blazing sun, for how long I stumbled along the dunes. There was just one thing on my mind: Yinsen. Yinsen had died. For me.Don't waste it, don't waste your life.I vowed then and there, that I wouldn't. I would put things right. I would never let anybody like Yinsen die ever again.
Finally, I heard two helicopters behind me. I turned. 'Hey! HEY!' I shouted, waving my arms frantically. The helicopters landed. I sunk to my knees, fatigue winning. Through the haze of the heat I saw five men running towards me.
At the center was Rhodey. Good old Rhodey. He smiled as he looked down at me: 'How was the fun-vee?' he questioned. I gave him the grace of a short laugh. 'Next time, you ride with me okay?' he ordered. I didn't argue. He just hugged me tight to him.
We stepped into the helicopter and I leant back in the chair. Mumbeling under my breath the promise I had made myself, the promise I had made in honour of Yinsen.
Never again would someone die because of weapons I created. Never again would I let anyone sacrifice their life for me. And, if by my life or death I could protect people, I would. And there was nothing anyone could say to stop me.
