[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/talkfictome]
===
Days passed in a repetitive blur of hammering and sparks.
Inside the cave, Tony had finally discarded the cumbersome car battery. In its place, a miniature Arc Reactor hummed against his sternum, a marvel of engineering capable of outputting 3 billion joules of energy per second. It didn't just sustain his life; it powered his hope.
The first-generation Mark I armor was nearing completion. To accomplish this under the constant, heavy-lidded gaze of terrorists was a feat of "bold and meticulous" genius. The suit was a Frankenstein's monster of technology, assembled from the high-grade components of disassembled Jericho missiles.
It was crude, ugly, and weighed hundreds of pounds, but its defensive capabilities were undeniable. To an ordinary caliber weapon, Tony was now a walking tank.
However, the Ten Rings were losing patience. They weren't judges or scholars; they didn't need a burden of proof to act. Suspicion alone was a death sentence. Tony had been banging metal for weeks without producing the missile they demanded. He knew the clock had run out. He was ready to move today, even if the Mark I's software was still calibrating.
Suddenly, the silence of the cave was shattered. Intense gunfire, agonized wails, and the roar of heavy machinery erupted from the entrance.
"Yinsen, what's happening?" Tony asked, his voice echoing inside the iron shell.
Yinsen listened, his eyes widening with a sudden, wet brilliance. "The army! They found us! Tony, we're saved!"
"Wait... help me with the leg struts, quickly!" Tony shouted. He knew the terrorists' first instinct would be to execute the "asset" before the military reached the inner sanctum.
They worked with a desperate, practiced synergy. They had shared every meal, every fear, and every secret in this hole. But as the progress bar on the laptop crawled upward, the sound of boots hit the corridor.
"Tony? You in there?" a familiar voice bellowed.
"James?!"
Tony let out a breath he felt he'd been holding for months. Colonel James Rhodes burst into the room, leading a squad of specialized Rangers. He stopped dead, his gaze taking in the massive, prehistoric-looking iron man standing in the center of the cave.
Rhodey walked up and rapped his knuckles against the chest plate. "Is this some new Middle Eastern torture, Tony? What have they done to you?"
"Don't get cute, Rhodey. It's a suit. If you'd been three minutes later, I would've fought my way to the border in this thing."
Tony's face was flushed with a mix of relief and ego. With Yinsen's help, he spent the next ten minutes awkwardly climbing out of the metal sarcophagus, grunting as his stiff limbs protested.
"You were actually going to use that?" Rhodey asked, the tension of the last few weeks finally breaking into a smirk.
"Just wait. Mark II is going to make this look like a toaster." Tony rolled his eyes, then turned serious. "How did you find me? This region is a black hole for signals."
"Thanks to this." Rhodey held up the F.R.I.D.A.Y. smart pistol.
The Ten Rings had taken it from the crash site, thinking it was a high-tech trophy. When they couldn't crack the biometric lock, they'd tossed it into a crate in the armory. They didn't realize that Kael had built an emergency transponder into the AI's core. The silent "ping" had led the Air Force straight to the cave.
Tony took the gun, a profound sense of gratitude toward Kael Wayne blooming in his chest. "Fingerprint recognized. Welcome back, Mr. Stark," the gun chirped.
"I'd like two cheeseburgers. Now."
"Searching for the nearest burger joint... estimated travel time: 14 hours," F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied.
Tony smiled. The AI's personality was exactly what he needed.
"Blow the suit," Tony commanded, looking at the Mark I. It was too heavy to carry out, and he'd be damned if he left his flight stabilized tech for the terrorists. A moment later, a grenade turned his first masterpiece into a pile of jagged scrap.
The news of Tony's rescue hit New York like a thunderclap. Obadiah Stane, watching the report in his office, felt his world tilt. He dialed the Ten Rings, screaming every profanity he knew. How do you fail to kill one man in a cave?!
The terrorists, surprisingly quiet, merely promised him a "big gift" before hanging up.
Meanwhile, Kael was on the balcony of his hotel suite, phone to his ear.
"Go pick him up? No, Pepper. Obadiah is still the man of the hour at the Tower. Let's not tip our hand."
"You're right," Pepper sighed, her voice thick with relief. "I almost forgot the danger isn't over."
A soft, feminine voice called out from the bedroom behind Kael. "Darling? Who are you talking to?"
"Kael, I thought you were single," Pepper said, her tone shifting to a familiar, weary disappointment.
"I am single, Pepper. That's why I'm here."
"Was her name Jessie or Mary?"
"I'm honestly not sure. I think it started with an 'S'?"
Pepper hung up. Kael chuckled, turning back to the room. He'd said Tony was his idol, and he intended to follow the path of the "genius playboy" to the letter.
The next day, the military transport landed at the airport. Tony emerged, refusing the wheelchair, his eyes scanning the crowd until they found Pepper.
He had showered and found a suit on the plane, looking every bit the billionaire, though his skin was sallow and his eyes were harder. Yinsen stood beside him, having accepted Tony's protection and a ticket to a new life in America.
As they got into the car, Pepper handed him a pair of headphones. "You need to hear this before the press conference."
Tony's expression darkened as he listened to the recordings from Kael's smart pistol—Obadiah's voice, cold and treacherous, discussing the hit. He sat in silence for a long time.
At the press conference, Tony bypassed the cheeseburgers. He sat on the floor, looked at the cameras, and dropped a bomb: Stark Industries was closing its weapons division.
The room erupted. Behind the stage, Obadiah looked like he was about to have a stroke.
"Are you insane, Tony? We make bottles now?" Obadiah hissed when they were alone later.
Tony didn't answer with words. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the glowing Arc Reactor in his chest.
Obadiah's eyes instantly glazed with greed. He saw thirty years of stalled energy research suddenly solved. He shifted gears instantly, putting a fatherly hand on Tony's shoulder. "Listen, we're a team. Just like your father and I. We'll handle this together."
"Understood," Tony said, his voice flat. He looked at the man he had once trusted, realizing that the real war was just beginning.
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 50 on my patreon, go check it out
exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
p4treon.com/talkfictome
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 50 Power Stones == Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter