From the heavy shadows behind the security guard, a voice tinged with absolute madness rang out.
A small, cold blade was already pressed tightly against the guard's carotid artery.
"You... you... who are you?" the guard stammered, his flashlight clattering to the concrete floor. "What do you want?! Please, don't hurt me..."
He was just a standard security guard. Why was this happening to him? The icy steel at his throat paralyzed him. He had received professional crisis training, but in the face of imminent, visceral death, every protocol he had memorized vanished from his mind.
"Me? Who am I?" The man behind him chuckled—a wet, rattling sound. "I am, of course, your Boss. I'm Tony Stark's... best friend. So, can you tell me... where is he?"
It was Colonel James Rhodes.
Or rather, the monstrosity he had become: The Laughing Rhodes.
Rhodes reached out with his free hand and gently, almost affectionately, stroked the back of the terrified guard's head. The guard shuddered violently, goosebumps erupting across his skin. The gentle hand on his scalp, the lethal blade at his throat, and the madman's insane whispering instantly caused his psyche to collapse.
"Don't hurt me!!" the guard sobbed, his emotional dam breaking. "Please! Tony Stark isn't here! He hasn't been down to the company floors in a month! Stark Industries is managed by Ms. Potts now! She's upstairs in the CEO suite, I saw her go up with my own eyes! I've told you everything! Please..."
Whether he would be fired for breaking protocol didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to live.
Rhodes slowly moved the blade away from the guard's neck. He placed both hands firmly on the trembling man's shoulders and physically turned him around to face him.
"I like smart people," Rhodes whispered. "And clearly... you are one! Want to join my team?"
Rhodes reached out and playfully smoothed the lapels of the guard's uniform. Then, he took a step back, tilting his head to admire his handiwork. The jagged, carved scar at the corner of his mouth curled upward in a grotesque display of satisfaction.
At that moment, under the flickering fluorescent lights, the security guard finally saw clearly who was threatening him.
The white pigment. The exaggerated Glasgow smile. The manic, chaotic energy.
It was a face the guard was all too familiar with. Tony Stark had once fallen victim to this exact brand of madness. While the name 'Joker' might have faded from the daily news cycles, the employees of Stark Industries remembered the psychopath who had targeted their boss.
Aside from the military haircut and tactical clothing, the man standing before him was a carbon copy of the Joker.
"Hey! Hey!!" Rhodes snapped his fingers in front of the guard's face. "Can you hear me? Want to come with me?"
The guard, paralyzed by the horrific realization, couldn't formulate a response.
"You know," Rhodes sighed theatrically, his eyes going dead. "No one likes to be refused."
The short knife gleamed. Rhodes lunged forward with explosive military precision, burying the dagger directly into the guard's heart. His left hand immediately clamped onto the back of the guard's head, muffling any scream by pressing the dying man's face hard against his chest.
The intense, burning agony finally awakened the guard's reason, but on the brink of death, his body had lost all means of resistance.
"You..." the guard choked out, blood bubbling past his lips. "Mr. Stark... will definitely not let you get away..."
Rhodes gently laid the dying man onto the cold concrete. Hearing the guard's final, defiant whisper, he leaned in close, bringing his scarred mouth right to the man's ear.
"What doesn't kill me..." Rhodes whispered, letting out a low, maniacal laugh. "...will only make me more grotesque!"
Under the guard's unblinking, lifeless gaze, The Laughing Rhodes stood up and wiped his blade clean.
Humming a disjointed tune, Rhodes swiped the dead guard's Level 8 ID card. The elevator carried him smoothly up to the executive floors. He strolled leisurely down the pristine glass corridors until he reached the heavy oak doors labeled: Chief Executive Officer.
The scarred corners of his mouth twitched upward.
'Pepper...' Rhodes thought, suppressing the urge to giggle. 'Dear, sweet Pepper. I didn't find Stark today... but as long as you're here, the punchline still works.'
Tap... tap... tap...
Rhodes knocked rhythmically on the frosted glass door.
Inside the office, Pepper was carefully reviewing a stack of R&D budget approvals. Hearing the footsteps and the knock, she didn't even look up from her paperwork.
'It must be the night patrol.'
"I'm in here," Pepper called out casually. "No need to patrol this floor. I still need to work a bit longer."
Tap... tap... tap...
The knocking didn't stop.
Her train of thought derailed, Pepper looked up, feeling a flash of annoyance. Seeing the silhouette standing motionless behind the frosted glass, she sighed, stood up, and walked over to pull the door open.
"Surprise!!"
The painted, scarred nightmare standing in the doorway made Pepper's heart stop. She screamed, stumbling backward frantically until her spine hit the heavy mahogany of her desk.
"What?" The clown tilted his head, an exaggerated, mocking sadness dropping over his painted features. "Aren't you happy to see me, Pepper?"
Rhodes stepped into the office, the door clicking shut behind him. He advanced on her, step by slow, deliberate step.
"You don't recognize me?" he asked, his voice dropping its chaotic pitch to reveal the familiar, resonant baritone of a decorated Air Force Colonel. "I'm Rhodes, Pepper."
"Rhodes?!?!"
Hearing that voice coming from this painted monster, the pure terror on Pepper's face morphed into absolute, mind-numbing shock. She looked past the white pigment and the hideous scars. The eyes, the build, the jawline—it was James Rhodes.
"Why?" Pepper whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "Why have you become like this?"
"Become like this?" Rhodes muttered, tasting the words. He lowered his head and took a gliding step forward, completely closing the distance between them.
Suddenly, Rhodes snapped his head up, bringing his ferocious, scarred mouth mere inches from her face.
"Become like this?!" he snarled, a terrifying mix of Rhodes's military fury and the Joker's insanity. "You don't know why I've become like this?! It's because of you, of course!!"
Before Pepper could even process the accusation, Rhodes's arm shot up. A chemically soaked cloth clamped violently over her nose and mouth.
Pepper thrashed, her hands clawing desperately at his iron grip, but the chloroform acted instantly. Within seconds, her body went entirely limp. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed heavily into the arms of The Laughing Rhodes.
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