Iron Man

Tony arrives at the bar. “Two vodka martinis, extra dry, extra olives, extra fast. Make one of them dirty, will you?” He places a large tip in the glass.

“Sounds like a wonderful drink. I would have to try it.” Said Thor.

“Wow. Tony Stark.” Christine Everheart appears from the crowd, sliding next to him at the bar. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Tony analyses her her a moment, mouth open to say… “Carrie.”

“Christine.” She corrects.

“For the record, I did remember her name that time.” Said Tony before anyone could comment. “I just didn’t like her that much.”

“Understandable. She seems annoying.” Drax agreed.

Steve just rolled his eyes.

“You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight. Can I at least get a reaction from you.”

Tony grimaces. “Panic. I would say panic is my reaction.”

“Why were you panicking?” Bruce asked.

“Uh, it was mostly just the first thing that popped into my head after being put on the spot.” Tony shrugged. “Also, when Christine Everheart shows up to talk, it’s nothing but bad news.”

“Cause I was referring to your company’s involvement in this latest atrocity.”

“Yeah, they just put my name on the invitation. I don’t know what to tell you.”

A few people chuckled at that.

“I think she’s talking about something else.” Peter said.

“I actually almost bought it, hook, line and sinker.”

“I was out of town for a couple of months, in case you didn’t here.”

“Is this what you call accountability?” She interrupts him, getting to the point. He hands him some pictures. “It’s a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?”

The atmosphere of the room immediately turned cold. They all remembered that Gulmira was the home of Yinsen.

Tony glares at her a second before setting his jaw and looking down at the pictures.

“Oh, he’s angry now.” Quill muttered.

In them he sees the members of the Ten Rings who had held him captive, including Bakaar, using his weapons to terrorise the town. In another, he sees the Jericho missile, the very one that he was forced to build for them.

“There had been another shipment of weapons.” Steve said. “Recently, going by how they have your missile.”

“It must have been ordered whilst I was laying low.” Tony lowered his head in anger at his own ignorance. “I never even suspected.”

“It’s alright.” Pepper comforted. “You made amends and set it right.”

“When were these taken?”

“Yesterday.” Christine says.

Tony looks up to stare at her. “I didn’t approve any shipment.”

“Well, your company did.”

“Well, I’m not my company.” Tony growls.

“At least you’re starting to see it. Now you can try and take back control.” Natasha said.

“Which is exactly what I did.” Tony said.

“It’s still not perfect though.” Clint muttered, so no one but Natasha and the super soldiers heard.

Outside, Tony confronts Obadiah, where he is still in front of the press.

“Have you seen these pictures? Huh?” Tony whispers, urgency in his voice. “What’s going on in Gulmira?”

Obadiah sighs. “Tony, Tony. You can’t afford to be this naive.”

“There it is. Again with that belittling and manipulation.” Rhodey said.

“You know what? I was naive before, when they said ‘Here’s the line. We don’t cross it. This is how we do business.’ If we’re double-dealing under the table…”

Obadiah shakes his head and doesn’t respond.

“Are we?” Tony insists.

“He’s not going to tell you.” Clint said. “And right now you’re just letting him know that you’re on to him.”

“I know that now.” Tony said. “I guess I still had too much faith in him. He was my father’s partner, after all. I’d trusted him my whole life.”

Obadiah assesses him, before sighing. “Let’s take a picture. Come on. Picture time!” He adresses the press.

“Oh yeah. Take a picture so that you can’t react.” Hope said with a scowl. Even though she didn’t trust the Starks, she could still appreciate the amount of manipulation and control Obadiah had over Tony was disgusting.

He turns and puts an arm around Tony. Christine can be seen eavesdropping from behind.

“Tony. Who do you think locked you out?” Obadiah leans in to whisper to him. “I was the one who filed the injunction against you.”

“He just outright told you?” Sam asked.

“He knew that there was no way to stop me from figuring out the truth. Telling me with my every reaction being recorded was the safest way for him to do so and not face immediate consequences.” Tony said.

Tony’s eyes widen, hurt and betrayal showing through them, though he had to keep it together because of the cameras.

“It was the only way I could protect you.” He pats his shoulder and walks away.

Tony’s mile long stare follows after him. Having heard enough, Christine turns and leaves.

“So that’s why you left me there by myself.” Pepper said. “I understand, that bombshell would pretty much take anyone’s focus.”

Tony winced. “Yeah. I’m still sorry though.”

Back in Tony’s lab, he watches the news showing the suffering that is happening in Gulmira.

“The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern day Heart of Darkness. Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power.”

Wanda winced. This was all to familiar to her life in Sokovia.

The camera pulls back to show Tony, using a screwdriver to alter some part within the gauntlet on his right hand.

“Tony, what are you doing?” Steve asked.

“Upgrades.” Tony said vaguely.

“Oh, what kind of upgrades?” Rocket asked excitedly.

“Violent ones.” Tony replied darkly.

“Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant.”

Tony clenches his fist and the repulser glows blue.

Those who didn’t know what happened exchanged a nervous glance.

On the screen, the Ten Rings fire into a crowd of civilians.

“That’s horrible.” Mantis said. She looked close to tears.

Drax looked over to her thoughtfully and then gently placed his hand over hers in comfort. He too felt distraught at the reminder of the slaughter of his people and the loss of his family.

Quill who noticed the interaction, asked. “How could you have let this happen? Why didn’t the army or someone do something?”

“It’s not that simple.” Rhodey sighed. “They were using human shields. If we were to go in, there would have been countless casualties. We were trying to find a way around it, but these things take time.”

“Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and leaned closer.

The Ten Rings. He was sure he’d heard it somewhere.

But this wasn’t right, he was sure of it. They weren’t behaving as they were supposed to. The Ten Rings weren’t supposed to be this loud, this messy. They were quiet, controlled and precise. They would have never announced their presence quite like this.

He winced as he tried to access the memories, giving himself a headache.

On the screen, a close up of Raza with his burnt face appears. This is then followed by the sight of the Jericho missile.

“As you can see, these men are heavily armed and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way.”

Tony finishes altering the gauntlet and stands.

“I guess we’ve found someone who will stand up to them.” Steve said sincerely.

Tony looked over at Steve’s approval, who nodded once, then turned back to the screen.

“With no political will or international pressure, there’s very little hope for these refugees.  Around me, a woman begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents, either forced to join their militia…”

Tony raises his arm. The whir of the repulser powering up sounds and blasts, exploding a desk on the other side of the room.

“Completely harmless?” Pepper muttered.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be that effective.” Tony said.

“Desperate refugees clutch yellowed photographs,  holding them up to anyone who will stop.”

Tony smirks at the distraction, tilting his head to the side, calculating.

“Oh, head tilts are never a good sign.” Sam said, smirking slightly at Wanda.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She answered back, tilting her head.

“Nothing at all.” Sam said, looking back at the screen.

“A child’s simple question, ‘Where are my mother and father?’ There’s very little hope for these refugees, refugees who can only wonder who, if anyone, will help.”

Tony turns to see himself reflected in the door to his lab. He glares at himself, raising his arm, and firing.

The glass shatters and he doesn’t hesitate before moving onto the next panel and the third.

He stands, stalking away from his destruction.

Rocket chuckled to himself, excited to see what Tony will do next.

The music blares up as Tony steps onto the pad.

The floor opens and robotic yellow arms raise pieces of the armour. Tony steps into the boot pieces, the arms placing and screwing the sections together.

“I’d love to have robots that put my suit on for me.” Thor said. “That must save so much time.”

“I’m sure you would brother.” Loki muttered under his breath.

Flaps in the ceiling open up, with yellow robotics lowering the arm pieces. Tony holds up in arms in place, as the robots attach them. The back and chest pieces are placed on and the arc reactor glows blue as it connects.

Tony drops his arms as two more yellow robotics come to either side of his head, attaching the helmet. The camera pushes in on Tony’s fiery glare of vengeance as the gold metal face plate closes.

“There we have it. Our iconic Iron Man.” Peter announced.

“That does look pretty badass.” Quill said.

“Thanks man.” Tony said.

Tony flies through the air past the camera. As he disappears into the distance, he releases a sonic boom as he breaks the sound barrier.

“Shit, you broke the sound barrier?” Peter exclaimed.

“There is a barrier of sound?” Drax asked.

“He’s just moving faster than the speed of sound.” Shuri explained. “Which I must say, is impressive.”

In Gulmira, people are screaming as the Jericho missile explodes a mountain range behind them.

Rocket whistled. “That thing is destructive.”

Members of the Ten Rings can be seen storming into homes and shooting the villagers inside.

Others are rounded up into the street where the Ten Rings force civilian men to line up with their hands behind their heads.

Gamora shifted uncomfortably, remembering the time her village was pillaged by Thanos. She silently pleaded that Stark would get there in time so those children would not have to suffer as her people did.

Bakaar is there, shouting orders at his men to round up the women and weapons and shoot the men.

“How is that man not dead?” Scott asked.

“He wasn’t at the base when Tony escaped.” Okoye reminded him.

A mother and father with their kids are kicked out onto the street. As they struggle towards the van, the father is violently dragged away.

Bakaar orders that he be put with the others.

“I hate to rush you Tony.” Natasha said.

“He was going at the speed of sound, He couldn’t exactly go any faster.” Rhodey said.

The woman screams for him and her son escapes her grasp to run to his father.

The man breaks free and frantically tries to push his son away to go back to his mother, as the boy just desperately clings to him.

“Where are you Stark?” Wanda said, clutching Vision’s hand in worry.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get there.” Tony assured her.

“What the hell is this?” Bakaar angrily yanks the boy away, throwing him to the floor.

He forces the man to his knees, kicking him when he’s down, then orders for him to be shot.

“Come on, Tony.” Steve muttered.

A gun is aimed at the terrified man’s head as his family screams.

Suddenly a rumbling is heard from overhead.

They turn to look at the sky as a man in iron armour shoots down at speed.

A few people gasp in surprise.

He lands in front of them, his repulsers shutting off, as he raises his head.

“Yes!” Peter fist punched the air.

Shots fire, but none of them even leave a dent. Iron Man responds by punching the shooter, knocking him into the ruined building behind him.

“Woah.” Scott said in awe.

He then turns and starts firing his repulsers at the terrorists preparing to execute the line of civilian men.

The tension immediately went back up.

Then he turns to the men guarding the women and children, only to find them being held at gunpoint by the Ten Rings, shouting and yelling.

Iron Man hesitates, slowing lowering his arms. He twists his wrists shutting off the repulsers.

“What? You can’t stand down now.” Wanda said.

“Wait, just watch.” Vision calmed her.

Inside the helmet, Tony targets each member of the Ten Rings holding a gun.

Suddenly, slots on his shoulders open up to reveal tiny missiles that fire and kill each one, leaving the civilians unharmed.

“That’s a handy feature.” Strange approved.

“Good thing it’s accurate.” Steve muttered. “You could have put those civilians in serious danger.”

“I saved them, didn’t I?” Tony said.

“That’s not the point and you know it.” Steve said.

“Let’s just watch what happens next.” Pepper said.

The mother falls to he knees in relief, as her son finally runs to his father who catches him in a hug.

Nebula noticed her sister’s reaction. Gamora’s expression had softened slightly. Nebula knew that she wished she could have seen her real father saved like this.

The boy’s eyes follow Iron Man as he stalks towards the wall of the ruined building.

Bakaar is revealed hiding behind the wall, about to call for help, when Iron Man’s fist punches through stone, throwing him out into the open.

“I thought that was your move?” Natasha muttered to Bucky who glared at her with no real spite.

Iron Man’s repulsers push him into the air.

He’s all yours. He says to the villagers as he lifts and flies away.

“Damn, that voice is cool.” Quill said.

“Yeah, why can’t I have an epic voice when I talk through my helmet?” Peter complained.

“Because you’ll just spend the day doing Darth Vader impressions.” Tony sighed.

Peter hesitated then sighed. “Fair enough.”

Now the villagers vengeful attention turns to Bakaar on the ground, as they stalk in menacingly.

Iron Man flies through the air, scanning the ground for the Jericho missile.

He’s about to go down to it when he’s suddenly knocked out of the air by a missile off of a tank.

They gasped in surprise, Pepper’s hand instinctively grabbed Tony’s hand.

He plummets to the ground with a boom.

The camera focuses on the crater, as a metal hand grips the edge, lifting a now furious Iron Man from the pit.

“Oh, boy.” Happy sighed.

He stands, facing off against the tank.

The tank takes its shot, which Iron Man side steps easily.

He straightens up, raising his arm and firing his own missile.

The missile his it’s target with a resonating clang as Iron Man turns and walks away from the resounding explosion.

Most of everyone burst into either applause, laughter or sighs of relief.

“If that’s not the most badass thing I’ve seen.” Scott said in awe.

“Dude faces down a tank like it’s nothing.” Sam said.

Steve smile slightly then shook his head in disapproval. This whole mission was turning out to be extremely irresponsible and dangerous. The worst part of Tony didn’t even seem to realise it.

Iron Man steps up to face down the Jericho missile, completely ignoring the many guns that fire upon him.

He raises into the air like an angel of death, as he targets the missile for destruction.

He sends a super blast from his repulsers at the missile, causing it to burst with fire.

“Yes, get rid of that thing for good.” Wanda said.

A Ten Rings truck can be seen passing Gulmira. Raza in the front gazes out at the destruction.