Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - February–May 2009 - Afghanistan
"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?" the soldier Jimmy asked.
"Yes, it's very cool," Tony replied. The soldier next to him pulled out his camera and handed it to the soldier in the front seat. "I don't want to see this on your MySpace page. Please, no gang signs. No, throw it up. I'm kidding. Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace."
"Come on. Hurry up. Just click it. Don't change any settings. Just click it," Jimmy urged his brother in arms.
Just as they were about to take the photo, a rocket hit the Humvee in front of them, and they heard gunshots getting closer to their vehicle.
"What's going on?" Tony asked, growing worried as the driver stopped the car and got out, only to be gunned down.
"Jimmy, stay with Mr. Stark. Transporting him is the objective," a soldier said, but as he was about to shut the door, he too was gunned down.
"Son of a bitch," Jimmy muttered, then rushed out to help his comrades.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Give me a gun!" Tony desperately requested.
"Stay here," Jimmy replied, but he was also filled with bullet holes and fell, his blood staining the car door. Tony's hearing and senses dulled as he stumbled out of the vehicle. He tried to call for help but saw a Stark Industries bomb heading towards him.
"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed, searching for a place to hide, feeling the fear of imminent death. He wished he had the power to survive. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy, as if a lost part of him was restored. His body began to change, enveloped in technologically advanced armor. With a thought, he sent the bomb back at the terrorists.
He observed the people who had tried to capture him approaching. He raised his hand and fired an energy beam, killing ten of them. He felt the power, like he was untouchable, and he soared into the sky, firing repulsor beams at the tanks the terrorists had brought. He intended to eliminate all of them, leaving one survivor for questioning, as they had shed innocent American blood.
The Ten Rings and their leader fled from the scene of the battle. They had witnessed Stark becoming a monster, a devil. Their leader, a man named Raza, was terrified. He had lost most of his men because of the man who had turned into a monster. Stark had become a demon, a devil, and he would not let him get away with it. Stark had to die.
"What the hell is he? He's a demon," one Ten Rings soldier asked.
"He's the devil," another replied.
"We have to kill him. He's a devil, a monster. The devil. The devil will not get away with this; we have to kill him before he kills us," another Ten Rings terrorist said as they rushed back to their base.
Tony followed them, planning to end them, but what was more important was taking the bald guy, their leader named Raza. He needed answers – who had ordered the hit, why his weapons were in their hands, and why they had tried to capture him.
Tony Stark was not a man to be crossed. They had killed four soldiers and Jimmy, a young man, and he would not stand for this.
As they entered their base, the bald guy gave orders, but Tony entered the building and blasted all the soldiers.
"Ah, Mr. Stark," Raza said as he came face to face with the man he had tried to kill.
"You have a lot of nerve," Tony said angrily.
"Please, do you expect me to beg?" Raza asked, unafraid of this monster.
"I expect you to answer my question. Who ordered the hit?" Tony demanded.
"I don't know," Raza replied.
"Don't lie to me. I don't want to kill you; I want information. You're going to give it to me," Tony threatened.
"I will let you live if you tell me," Tony lied, causing Raza's eyes to widen.
"It was Stark Industries CFO, Obadiah Stane," Raza admitted before Tony killed him.
Obadiah would pay for his crimes. He would pay for the deaths of those innocent soldiers and Jimmy, a young man who had paid the price for Tony's past as a weapons manufacturer.
Just as Tony was about to fly away, his armor alerted him to a man approaching. Tony went around the corner, aiming his repulsor blast, and saw a bald man with glasses holding his hands up.
"Don't shoot; I am Ho Yinsen. I am a doctor. They killed my family and kidnapped me, forcing me to heal them," the man explained.
"Are there more of those bastards?" Tony asked.
"No, you killed them," Ho Yinsen replied with relief.
"Come on, Doc, we are leaving. I can use a smart man like you. How about you work for Stark Industries?" Tony offered.
"I wanted to die. Their plan, when they found out it was you who the hit was ordered against, was to leave you near death, bring you here, and force me to heal and help you build the Jericho missile. But I wouldn't have; I would have helped you escape and joined my family," Ho Yinsen explained.
"I've killed them all. You don't need to waste your life; you're a good man, the kind of man the world needs," Tony said.
"Thank you, but I wish to go home to Gulmira and help rebuild my home and be there for my people," Yinsen replied.
"Then you may, but if you ever need anything, please ask," Tony said.
"Thank you," Ho Yinsen replied.
Tony then heard the military, who were searching for him, approaching. They had heard the explosions.
"Don't tell them about the armor; I'd rather not end up a military experiment or worse, be forced to reverse engineer it for them. I'm done with making weapons. Jimmy and his comrades, the people my weapons were meant to help, died because of it. I can't be the merchant of death any longer. I'm done. I will make a difference; I will not let people die," Tony said.
"Okay," Yinsen replied.
Tony and Yinsen left the base, and Tony used his armor to destroy it. He then willed the armor to transform, returning him to his human appearance. He saw Rhodey arrive with the military. The two friends hugged, and Tony lied about how they had made an explosive weapon when his armor had actually formed.
Yinsen, who only knew what happened in the base, confirmed Tony's story. Now Tony was in a helicopter bound for the United States, while Ho Yinsen was on his way to a nearby village in Gulmira.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" Rhodey asked.
"I plan to shut down the weapons department of Stark Industries. I'm done making weapons. They killed people who were there to protect Americans. Jimmy and the other soldiers were there to protect our people, and they were killed. I'm done being the Merchant of Death. I am not making any more weapons.
I have had a change of heart," Tony explained.
"What the hell, Tony? Are you going to abandon us, your country?" Rhodey asked, visibly upset.
"No, you didn't see what I saw, Rhodey. My weapons aren't helping the country; they're being used against us," Tony said.
"I get you, Tony, fine. You're suffering from PTSD. You saw a soldier die and now you're blaming the weapons he used to keep himself safe," Rhodey reasoned.
"Rhodey, you can't expect me to make weapons after what I saw," Tony said, his voice pleading.
"I'm sorry, Tony, but I'm not going to let you do this," Rhodey said firmly.
"You won't stop me. I won't let people die," Tony declared.
"You're an American citizen, and you will make weapons, or else I will have to force a Senate meeting to court-martial you, and I will," Rhodey threatened.
"Are you going to court-martial your best friend? You're a real piece of work, Rhodey," Tony said, his anger at his friend palpable.
"I'm not doing this because I want to, but it's the law, and it's for the safety of the country. The people need the weapons," Rhodey argued.
"No one should have my weapons," Tony replied firmly.
"I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you better fix it fast, or I'm going to have no choice but to send you to the Raft," Rhodey warned.
"Do that, and I won't ever forgive you, and neither will Pepper or Jarvis," Tony said, his voice filled with resentment.
"I'm not risking the lives of Americans just because you're uncomfortable," Rhodey said.
"You're unbelievable, and this is why I don't have any friends. They either betray you or want you to be a murderer. I don't care what the law says; I will not kill; I will not be responsible for the death of more people," Tony retorted.
"You're selfish," Rhodey accused.
"No, I'm not. I care. It's my fault Jimmy and the other soldiers are dead," Tony confessed.
"It's not. The terrorists are to blame, not you," Rhodey argued.
"It doesn't matter," Tony said, resolved in his decision.
"If you don't continue making weapons, we will have to put you in prison," Rhodey said firmly.
"Well then, Rhodey, try your best. You may have power, but don't forget, I am Tony Mother Fucking Stark. I, a civilian, survived and took down a terrorist stronghold that the United States Military couldn't. I have the President on speed dial. I am not scared of you, Rhodey. So, do your worst. You won't break me," Tony challenged.
"You're not invincible, Tony, and one day you will regret this," Rhodey warned.
"Well, I don't. Not anymore," Tony said. "I have my lawyers ready to bury your Senate in human rights violation lawsuits. You and your little Senate won't be able to force me to do anything."
The helicopter landed, and Tony had refused to tell Rhodey about Stane ordering the hit. He was terrified that Rhodey would warn Stane, wanting the man to kill Tony so that Stark Industries could still make weapons. Tony stepped out of the helicopter, feeling betrayed by Rhodey. He saw Pepper Potts, a woman he considered a sister, and went up to her.
"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony asked.
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting," Pepper replied.
"Yeah, vacation's over," Tony said as he hugged Happy.
"Missed you, boss," Happy said.
"Me too, Haps. Me too. Let's get in the car; I have some stuff to debrief you on," Tony said as they entered the car. Tony's face turned pained, and both Pepper and Happy noticed.
"What's wrong, boss? Is everything okay?" Happy asked.
"Tony, is everything good?" Pepper inquired.
"No, it was Stane. He ordered the hit on me, the boss of the Ten Rings, Raza, told me. And Rhodey... he's trying to force me to continue making weapons, or else he will court-martial me. I have to stop Stane. If the US Senate finds out, they will help Stane kill me, and he will still make weapons, leaving me to take the fall," Tony explained.
"Oh my God," Happy said, shocked.
"We have to expose him," Pepper declared.
"I don't think that will work; I'm going to use myself as bait. I'm going to shut down the weapons division. The US Senate will approve Stane killing me, and I will take him out. I'm not the same; Afghanistan changed me," Tony said as a suit formed around him, surprising Pepper and Happy.
As they saw a technologically advanced suit forming around him, one that looked like it was out of a sci-fi movie, Happy exclaimed, "Wow!"
Pepper asked, "How did you—"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling I'm one of those mutants, you know, humans born with superpowers due to possessing the X-gene," Tony said.
"You mean like that hero group, the X-Men?" Happy asked.
"Yeah, something like that," Tony replied.
"This is incredible," Pepper said, amazed.
"Let's go to Stark Industries. Pepper, you call the press; it's time to bait Obadiah Stane into attacking me. I'm going to plant a virus on his devices using my new technology; that way, we can have proof when the US Senate approves a strike against me," Tony said.
"That's good; it will give us leverage over them to leave you and Stark Industries alone and for any future attacks," Pepper agreed.
"Yeah, and it will also prove that the weapons division is the reason they tried to kill me," Tony added.
"What do I have to tell the press?" Pepper asked.
"Just call them; I'll handle it," Tony said.
A few days later, Tony was sitting in his mansion. It had been a few days since he shut down the weapons division.
"Sir, I have news," Jarvis, now a sentient entity made of orange energy, appeared in front of Tony. He resembled Tony's old butler, Edwin Jarvis, but in the form of orange energy. Jarvis had become sentient after Tony unlocked his abilities; he had planned to upgrade Jarvis when he couldn't access Stane's files. Tony knew that his trust in Stane, which had allowed him access to Jarvis, had allowed Stane to cripple Jarvis. Even when Tony edited Jarvis's code, it had brought him to life, and he had taken on an appearance similar to Tony's childhood butler, Edwin Jarvis.
"What is it, Jarvis?" Tony asked.
"It appears the Senate has called a hearing with Obadiah Stane to discuss how to deal with you," Jarvis reported.
"They must be really desperate," Tony mused.
"Indeed," Jarvis agreed.
"Is everything ready?" Tony asked.
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied.
"Then let's get the show started," Tony said.
"Of course, sir," Jarvis replied.
Tony sat there, pretending he was on his phone, and received an alert from Jarvis
that Stane had entered the building. Tony smiled and acted as if he hadn't noticed. Tony heard a buzzing sound – it was a sonic taser meant to paralyze him. However, it didn't work, though Tony acted as if it did. Jarvis, who Stane believed he had shut down, began recording the entire conversation. Tony had evidence of the Senate conspiring against him for shutting down the weapons division, but he needed proof that Obadiah had carried it out. He hoped that Obadiah would admit to double-dealing with terrorist groups and plotting against him behind his back.
"Breathe. Easy, easy. You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There are so many applications for causing short-term paralysis. Tony, when I ordered the hit on you, I worried that I was killing the golden goose. But it seems I was wrong; you came back and shut down the weapons division, pissing off the wrong people. The same people who will give me your entire company, your entire fortune. The same people who you made weapons to protect want you dead for caring for humanity. But isn't that their fault? Stopping weapons manufacturing? Your father would be disappointed in you, but then again, he already was. No matter what little Tony did, it was nothing to Steve Rogers, to Captain America. He knew you were selfish, unlike your father; he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you? This is your legacy. The legacy of the Starks – to make weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands. Just like your father did when he helped make the Captain America weapon," Stane taunted.
"Sir, it's been live-streamed," Jarvis informed Tony.
"You might want to record this, Jarvis. It's time for the world to learn who Iron Man is," Tony said as he felt the energy of his X-gene coursing through him, and his skin was surrounded by armor in a magnificent red and gold glow.
"Do you think you can kill me, Stane? You and the Senate have been live-streamed; the world knows about your plot to kill me for shutting down weapons manufacturing. They also received evidence of your double-dealing with terrorist groups," Tony said as he approached Stane, who backed up in fear. The armored Tony walked toward him.
"The world is going to watch you burn, Obadiah," Tony said.
"Wait, I'm sorry," Obadiah pleaded. He rushed at Tony, foolishly trying to shoot him with an anti-metal bullet designed by Stark Industries. But this armor wasn't made of metal; it felt like metal but was different.
"Too late," Tony said as a beam fired out of his palm, causing Obadiah's head to explode.
"I am Iron Man," Tony declared after turning to the camera. He wanted to make it clear that he wasn't the Merchant of Death anymore; he was Iron Man, and he would protect the world. Iron Man would be the hero the Earth needed; he would make a difference and ensure that people would not die.
Author's Note: Please review! Also, I have a poll if anyone wants to see what the new Avengers would look like.