California — Los Angeles — Stark Industries Headquarters
Inside the towering Stark Industries building in Los Angeles, the atmosphere felt heavier than the concrete foundation beneath it.
Pepper Potts stood near the massive glass window of her office, staring at the skyline without truly seeing it. Dark circles framed her eyes. Her usually perfect composure showed cracks.
"JARVIS has already used every available Stark Industries satellite to monitor that desert area," Pepper said quietly. "There's still nothing."
Across from her stood Colonel James Rhodes — disciplined, composed, but visibly tense.
"We expanded the military search radius," Rhodes replied. "Air patrols, thermal scans, drone sweeps."
He hesitated.
"But there's still no confirmed trace of Tony."
The silence between them stretched painfully.
"So many days have passed," Rhodes continued carefully. "He could have been moved somewhere else."
He stopped before finishing the sentence.
Pepper lowered her head.
They both knew the unspoken possibility.
Death.
"I should've forced him into my vehicle that day," Rhodes muttered. "I should've insisted."
Pepper shook her head. "Tony never listens. You know that better than anyone."
"How was his location leaked?" Rhodes asked. "That weapons test was highly classified."
Pepper exhaled slowly.
"Only a handful of trusted executives at Stark Industries knew the details. It's almost impossible they would betray him."
She paused.
"Then again… this is Tony. He might have casually mentioned it to some model during an interview."
Rhodes gave a tired sigh.
The desert was vast. Endless. Unforgiving.
Tony Stark could be anywhere.
Or nowhere.
Behind them, Happy Hogan stood silently. For once, his name did not match his mood.
None of them noticed the tiny red light blinking beneath Pepper's desk.
A miniature recorder.
In another office within Stark Industries, someone quietly exhaled in relief.
---
Meanwhile — Deep in the Desert
The sun burned overhead like molten metal poured across the sky.
Inside the SUV buried in endless sand, Tony was hunched over wires, metal scraps, and components from the dismantled radio.
"How is it?" Deadpool asked. "Ready?"
"You'd better pray it is," Tony replied.
He carefully adjusted the frequency dial, narrowing the wavelength to amplify transmission distance. The miniature arc reactor embedded in his chest provided unlimited electricity — that wasn't the issue.
The problem was range.
The desert swallowed signals.
Even Tony couldn't guarantee whether their transmission would reach anyone outside the wasteland.
"If it's not ready," Deadpool said casually, "can we put it back? I still prefer listening to George Michael sing 'Careless Whisper.'"
Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I need you to be silent," he said firmly. "Like a rock buried in sand."
"Why not a mummy?" Deadpool replied. "I actually like that movie."
"Because mummies move and talk. Rocks don't."
"If Ben Grimm heard that," Deadpool muttered, "he'd smash you."
Tony finally finished adjusting the makeshift radio.
He grabbed the modified microphone.
He inhaled.
"This is Tony Stark. Can anyone hear me?"
Static crackled.
"If anyone receives this message, please contact the authorities or Stark Industries immediately. There will be a substantial reward."
He repeated the message.
Then again.
He looked at Deadpool. "What time is it?"
Deadpool pulled back his glove and revealed a bright, colorful children's watch.
"Twelve o'clock exactly."
Tony blinked.
"Of course you wear that."
"Bound item," Deadpool replied proudly.
"Fine," Tony said. "Transmit the message every ten minutes from now on."
The rest…
Was fate.
---
Hours Later
The sun finally began to sink.
The desert's heat faded from unbearable to merely cruel.
"Oh God," Tony muttered, slumping back into the seat. "I feel like I'm turning into jerky."
His lips were cracked. His throat burned.
The excitement of escape had long faded.
Now came reality.
No water.
Limited fuel.
Uncertain direction.
The makeshift transmitter now sat beside Ethan, who began broadcasting in the local dialect.
Desperation demanded creativity.
"Wade," Tony muttered weakly, "if I asked you to drive us back to the cave right now… could you?"
"I just want a bottle of water."
Deadpool remained annoyingly energetic, pressing the accelerator like this was a recreational off-road event.
"That might not be possible," Deadpool admitted.
Tony frowned.
"Why?"
Deadpool glanced at the fuel gauge.
"Because," he said calmly, "we might be out of gas."
Tony shot upright.
"What?"
As if on cue, the SUV coughed violently.
It shuddered.
Then stopped.
Silence.
Tony stared at the dashboard.
"Out of fuel?"
"Or stuck in sand," Deadpool offered.
He opened the door and stepped out into the cooling desert wind.
"Anyone here ever spent the night in a desert SUV? Are there wolves? Or just scorpions?"
Tony buried his face in his hands.
"Don't talk," he groaned. "My head hurts."
Deadpool leaned casually against the vehicle.
"Hey, look on the bright side. Have you seen The Martian? That guy survived alone on Mars. We're three people. On Earth. We're doing great."
Tony looked toward the darkening horizon.
"God," he whispered, "if you can hear me, please give me some of this guy's optimism."
Ethan, sitting in the back seat, held the microphone tightly.
He had already accepted death once.
Being stranded in the desert felt… manageable by comparison.
He transmitted again in the local language.
"We are stranded deep in the desert. If anyone hears this, please notify authorities."
Static.
Then silence.
The sky turned orange.
Then red.
Then purple.
Night began to fall over the desert.
And inside the stalled SUV, three men waited.
One was exhausted.
One was quietly resolved.
And one… was thinking.
Tony stared at the glowing arc reactor in his chest.
Unlimited energy.
Infinite potential.
Wasted on weapons.
He thought of Deadpool's words.
Four to five moments.
How many had he chosen wrong?
How many could he still choose right?
The desert was quiet.
But somewhere far away —
Satellites continued to sweep the sands.
And fate was slowly adjusting its course.
--------------------------------------------------
250+ chapters available in patreon🔥🔥🔥🔥
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .