"This thing doesn't look like a Jericho missile."
In the cave of the Ten Rings, Ethan stared at the circular device Tony Stark had built, glowing with a cold white light.
"You're right. This is a miniature arc reactor. I've got a much bigger one back home. It should keep the shrapnel in my chest from moving."
Tony Stark explained to Ethan:
"It doesn't have the massive output of the reactor under Stark Tower, but it's stable… and it'll give a certain big guy fifteen minutes of power."
Ethan locked eyes with Tony Stark. He knew this arrogant playboy had figured out a way to escape.
As the Jericho missile blueprints were stacked together, what finally appeared before Ethan was a bulky iron giant.
"We can't build this big guy without the Ten Rings noticing." Ethan subtly nodded toward the surveillance cameras in the cave.
"That's unavoidable," Tony Stark said in a low voice, glancing at the cameras. "Even if we hide it at first, they'll spot us once the big guy starts taking shape."
"Two days ago, I tried hacking into the surveillance network here and linking to a communications satellite. If my friend picks up the signal and responds, maybe we can buy some extra time."
Time passed, and Tony Stark's suit began to take shape.
There were seven or eight cameras installed in the cave. Even though Tony tried to test the leg joints in the corners, the Ten Rings members constantly watching the feeds still noticed.
Crash!
The moment footsteps echoed outside, Tony Stark and Ethan frantically hid every part of the suit.
The next second, the cave's heavy iron door was shoved open. Ten Rings members stormed in, guns trained on Tony Stark and Ethan.
"Search it."
The Ten Rings leader, Abu Bakkal, waved a hand. Four men advanced, forcing Tony and Ethan into a corner at gunpoint.
The others began scouring the cave for the device they'd seen Tony attach to his leg in the footage.
Ethan glanced nervously at Tony. If they found the blueprints or any part of the suit, its shape—completely unlike a missile—would raise suspicions.
Then both their lives would be over.
For now, they could only hope these guys couldn't read the Jericho missile blueprints and wouldn't find the disassembled suit components hidden behind the missile parts in the corner.
"You've disappointed me."
While his men searched the cave, Abu Bakkal approached the two:
"I let you live. I made a fair deal with you, and this is how you repay me?"
Ethan forced his voice to sound as calm as possible:
"We're working hard. This thing is complicated. It needs a little more time."
Abu Bakkal gave Ethan a cold, insincere smile:
"I didn't send anyone to watch you work in person, but I've been watching you on the monitors."
"What was that on Tony's leg just now?"
"It—it's…" Ethan couldn't come up with anything. He looked desperately at Abu Bakkal, who picked up a red-hot piece of iron with tongs and shoved it toward his mouth.
"It's the cluster bomb separation mechanism for the Jericho missile," Tony Stark suddenly cut in. "I swear it's a critical component."
Abu Bakkal turned his head toward Tony, his mouth twisting into a grin:
"You're lying to me."
Glug glug!
Tony was shoved face-first into a water basin, his head held underwater for over a minute until his body convulsed from lack of oxygen. Only then was he yanked up by the hair.
Beside him, a red-hot iron was pressed hard against Ethan's chest. The skin blistered instantly, and Ethan couldn't hold back a scream.
"Tell me, what the hell are you doing?" Abu Bakkal snarled from the side.
"We're not lying to you. That really is part of the Jericho missile…" Ethan's voice was frail, but he still refused to sell out their plan.
Abu Bakkal clearly wasn't satisfied. He snatched a submachine gun from one of his men and jammed it against Ethan's head:
"Answer me!"
As Abu Bakkal's finger tightened on the trigger, Tony Stark suddenly spoke:
"I need him. He's essential to my work."
"Kill him, and the Jericho missile delivery gets delayed big time."
Abu Bakkal stared at Tony. After a suffocating silence, he finally said:
"Tomorrow at the latest. I want to see the Jericho missile delivered."
With that, he led the Ten Rings members out. The cave was left with only Ethan and Tony Stark again.
One curled up on the floor, chest throbbing from the branding iron. The other, water streaming from his nose, mouth, and ears, knelt on one knee, coughing uncontrollably.
After a while, the two leaned against each other, sitting on the ground.
"Tony, we need to keep working." Ethan avoided touching his wound, gritting his teeth against the pain as he spoke to Tony Stark.
But Tony didn't move, his voice laced with doubt:
"Ethan, are we doing all this just so they can kill us with more conviction?"
"Even if we escape this cave, things outside don't look good."
"How many of them are there? Are there other terrorists nearby? Directions, maps, routes… we know nothing."
"Our best-case scenario is leaving this cave, only to get locked in another one—or dying of thirst or heatstroke out in the open."
Ethan looked at Tony Stark's unfocused eyes. He knew the torture had shaken him.
After endless work and torment, Tony's body and mind were both at their breaking point.
"Tony, think about the world out there. Think about the life you had. Even if there's just a sliver of hope, we have to grab it with everything we've got." Ethan said, "Your family…"
Tony Stark cut him off:
"I don't have a family."
"Friends…" Ethan pressed on, unwilling to give up.
"…No friends either." Tony still didn't budge.
"But you said you sent a signal to your friend. He must be doing everything he can to help you right now." Ethan sighed.
Tony was about to argue when a soft ping interrupted him.
The sound came from the cave's only computer—a low-spec machine Tony had used after being locked up to hack the surveillance system and briefly connect to a communications satellite.
The signal he'd sent out had never gotten a response. Tony had nearly forgotten about it.
But now the computer chimed. Ethan and Tony exchanged a glance, then, ignoring their pain, scrambled over and huddled in front of the screen.
"Detailed satellite map of the surrounding area, optimal evacuation route, 48-hour weather forecast, nearest allied outpost, locations of other terrorist groups…"
Ethan read the information on the screen in a low voice:
"Tony, this has everything we need to get out alive. Oh, and a few videos…"
Tony froze in place, letting Ethan play the videos.
Obadiah's secret emails. Stark weapons funneled through Aegis Security. Board meeting where Obadiah moved to strip Stark of his directorship. Stark firearms in the hands of terrorists…
Tony watched the screen. His expression shifted from confusion to shock to uncontrollable rage, finally settling into a terrifying, ice-cold calm.
The betrayal by Obadiah, whom he'd seen as a father figure. The suffering caused by the weapons he'd built. The fall of his company.
Everything in the videos shattered the beliefs he'd held for decades.
"All this information is signed by someone named Peter Parker… Tony?" Ethan read the sender's name, looking at Tony Stark with concern.
The confusion was gone from Tony Stark's face. His eyes burned like fire.
He walked to the forge, picked up the hammer, and brought it down hard on the unfinished parts of the suit:
"Ethan, I've made up my mind."
"I'm going to live. And I'm going to fix every mistake."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of hammering echoed through the cave. With every heavy strike, Tony Stark's wavering resolve was forged stronger and stronger.