BROKEN IRON"A million die in Sokovia. But courtesy The Avengers, a million lives were saved as well."The living room still displayed signs of life as the television buzzed with news and Tony Stark drowsily sat, all stretched on the sofa. His entire attention narrowed at the news, nothing else seemed significant until sudden developments brought the tv screen to a standstill and it minimized into a pitch black one, once again.
This revived him as his eyes moved, for the first time in the past hour to look at the wrongdoer with dangerous eyes, ready to swallow him, and there stood Colonel James Rhodes, his best pal of all times, fixing a vulnerable gaze at him.
"What the hell Tony? Still watching this utter bullshit? Huh, give me a break! "
"Wha.. what? You know Rhodey, i'll never get tired of listening to the world praising me like the grand Guardian of the Universe!" Tony's initial spellbound, clueless expressions were soon replaced by ones of self absorption as he shrugged his shoulders.
And now was Rhodey's turn to get surprised.
"I didn't know Rhodey that you are one of those good for nothing individuals who can't stand appreciations of the Great Ironman! Envious eh? " He stormed and ridiculed as if nothing had ever happened!
"Woah! What? Why should i be.. God, Tony you are impossible, what a dork you are! And here i was thinking you would be gui..Well i am the stupidest idiot here, well only if you aren't, to think that. Ah! Forget it man! I'm off and forever off you! " Rhodey gave him a hopelessly abject look, making Tony smirk.
"Colonel, you've known me like for decades now and it took you this long to decode this little a fact concerning me? I was born a jerk! And you are, without a single air of doubt, the latter! " He concluded with a sly grin.
"And you the son of a bi**h! I came here because Pepper was worried, after the recent turn of events. But there doesn't seem to be a stroke of any of that here. So, i better take your leave before i get some complexes myself! Good bye Tony! " And Rhodey walked off immediately just the way he had come, leaving Tony by himself once more.
He first wanted to turn on the tv again, even went as far as taking the remote into his hands,but then thought it wasn't worth it. So he cuddled up a bit more into the couch and settling himself on fancying some whisky he turned to his beloved AI.
"Jarvis! " He said "Jarvis, would you mind fetching me a glass of whisky? "
"Sure sir! " A soft female voice answered "And this is Friday sir, Jarvis is no more. He was reinstated into 'The Vision'"
And apparently the voice that reached Tony's ears wasn't the usual bulky male voice. In fact it was quite contradictory and this fact itself was a bit heavy on Tony, so much that he wanted to leap out of his lair in shock but he was too exhausted to go about that. But Friday's self introduction solved all the problems instantaneously and he felt a bit uneasy.
"Uh oh! Sorry, Friday please get me a glass of whisky dear." He stammered.
"Its coming sir, just give me a second. "
And then that instant got over like a million rest and his uneasiness increased. He had actually kind of gotten accustomed to Jarvis, perhaps. He wanted to listen to it again. Wait, was he missing him? Nah, not at all. That was just not a 'Tony thing'.
Getting into all those thoughts he never got to know when his order arrived. And the way he emptied the glass down his throat, all at once, it so seemed that much more than that could be consumed by him in a single gulp.
A lifeless reflection adorned his face as he graced his spot on the couch for the third time and he sat there like that, deep in thought.
Almost half an hour again passed by like that, until he heard her voice.
"Tony! " She said "Tony! "
It was Pepper.
"Pepper, you seem to be home early today! " He responded to her call, unaffected.
"And you Tony, seated like that you look like a corpse! " She said frustrated.
"Who cares? I'm soon going to be one! " He answered gravely but his last line definitely left her startled.
"What did you just say? Why would you...?" She was clearly astonished as well as signs of fear began to show.
"Oh, i was just kidding, Honey! " He laughed, still not moving from his place.
"Its not at all funny! Say another word like that and i'll... " Her nerves relaxed a little but her irritability didn't.
"Yes you will? " He asked sarcasm ,at its best.
"Goodness Tony, i am going! Not talking to you! "And this time her words provoked him to get up.
"Oh come on, Pepper. I was just playing around. Okay, fine i won't say anything like that again! Happy? "
"Very happy! " And she hugged him tight "I can't tell you how contented i feel to know that the happenings in the recent times haven't affected you, you are fine! "
"Fine? You should be thankful i am alive! " Don't know what came to Tony's mind that he went on to saying that and Pepper separated from the hug as if she had been waiting for him to say that.
"Please don't say these things! " She pleaded and then raised her brow in suspicion "Why do i feel that you are hiding something from me? "
"Nothing like that ,Love. And i promise i won't say that,anything again."
"Tony, look at me and tell me the truth! " She insisted and nudged him.
"What truth dear? Trust me, i am not holding back anything. And see i am fit as a fiddle. Lets have dinner now, dear! " He smiled, resting her anxiety for a while.
"Okay, if you say so, i trust you. " She tried to smile back although her worries were obvious to him.
When the clock struck 12 that night, Tony got up from his bed with a start. Not that it had been any difficult because he had never really fallen asleep, it was just that he had to make believe Pepper that he was, by pretending endlessly and make sure she wasn't awake before he woke up himself. He stared long at her,sleeping in peace. Probably, it was his last. He alighted off the bed, got dressed and donning a bland expression on his face, he sneaked out and started off in his car. His heart began to beat with a higher velocity with each passing second and his eyes were drenched wet in no time. But that bland expression on his face, remained static,it was likely he decided that he had to maintain that until it all was over.
Soon his car was running on a lonely road, probably not as lonely as Stark but yes. And finally, it went and halted a few metres away from another car that stood in the middle of the road. He got out of his and neither bothering to take along his belongings nor locking the door properly, walked slowly towards it. And with each step he took, his feet began to give way as they decelerated while the thumping heart rate increased at the same pace as before. When he got closer, the back door flung open and he entered in. Once in, the door closed itself.
Inside, it was dark, only darkness all around. The glass was tinted and peering in seemed unfeasible though it didn't make much of a difference, cause it was dark inside and so outside.
"Prepared, Mr Stark? " A question was hurled at him from what looked like unilluminated infinity.
"Absolutely!" He answered, putting all the strength that remained in his body into it.
"Great! " And as the word was uttered, the man took out his lighter to light his cigarette, making Stark feel the blindness that had befallen him a while ago had been temporarily cured. Stark looked closely once again at the man, and he looked exactly like last time, just the clothes had been changed. He had a large oval face, big round black eyes, a little black tuft of hair on the head and spotted a small moustache, though not a beard. He wore a black coat and Stark also noticed that he was wearing gloves. He also got a chance to roll his eyes around the car and the interiors.
"Hey, nice car! " He remarked "Though it maybe nowhere near even the steering of mine!" He said in a mocking tone making the man fire a look at him.
He lighted his cigarette with utmost care and began to smoke before it all became dark again.
The next thing Tony knew was something hardly hefty yet strongly metallic was handed to him. He felt it through and realized it was a gun!!
"You don't deserve to live Stark! " The man barked.
"Certainly!" Was Stark's answer. It was extremely difficult but he paused and continued "Certainly i don't!"
"Great! Now do as we had agreed upon! Come on!"
And as the man directed thus, Tony tightened his grip on the gun in his hand. He slowly pushed his fingers onto it and the index one tardily crawled, millimeter by millimeter towards the trigger. He lifted it up and aimed at his temple. For once it felt his heart would jump out of his chest so he closed his eyes, in order to control it. But that proved to be another bad decision on his part,damn he was all in all such a bad decision maker. His previous decision, the worst one of his entire life, a million harmless civilians had paid off for it with their lives! And this time as he closed his eyes, images of his life flipped before them and began to haunt him. There came the fallen visages of Pepper, Rhodey, Natasha, Happy, even Rogers. For a moment he grew weak but then, there came those pictures, photographs of the devastation, back in Sokovia and the former images proved inadequate and failed in their weakening mission.The trigger was expected to be pushed any moment now and Tony just waited for that moment.
5...4...3...
He counted in his brain when up and Snap!
"Stark! " A familiar sound distracted him and his tightened grip proved of no use as the gun fell.
"Brook, your time's up! Game over! You are surrounded! Better that you surrender! Come on now, out! Come on Stark! " It was Steve Rogers and he wasn't alone. Accompanied by a team of cops who had encompassed the automobile from all sides and armed with a gun, all he waited for was for Brook to strike a truce.
And Brook came out, like a mere mountain rat, with his hands up, calling it quits. Tony followed, sighing yet flabbergasted he looked. The cops handcuffed himand escorted him to the police station while Rogers stayed there to have a word with Tony. When all had left, and the two were left behind, Tony gave Rogers a meek smile.
"Hey, thanks Cap! " Tony said and Steve wondered at the way he never seemed to be impacted by anything under the sun.
"Now, Stark would you please be kind enough to tell me what exactly were you doing here? Certainly not on a picnic were you at this hour? Mind telling? " Steve asked straightaway.
"Yeah, sure! I'll tell you from the start, Cap! "Stark said, relaxed as ever.
FLASHBACK
The day before, Tony was trying to keep himself absorbed with his ironman suits when he received a call. A manly voice thundered from the other side.
"Mr Stark, This is Justin Brook, and this call is as per Mr President's order. I would like to speak to you in private. Would you mind making it to the Stark Tower for a while?"
"Sure sir, i'll be there to do the President's bidding." Stark answered respectfully.
Half an hour later, found Stark arriving at the Stark tower, all by himself only to find Brook already waiting for him.
Noticing that he didn't much of recognize him, Brook came forward.
"Hello, Mr Stark! " He shook hands with him "I'm Justin Brook, the one you had the conversation with? "
"Oh yes, great to meet you Mr Brook! " Tony plastered a smile upon his face."And he told me that after whatever happened in Sokovia, the government is somewhere holding me responsible and since they can't kill me, i should kill myself! "
"So you're telling me you were planning to kill yourself because some random guy introduced himself as the President's associate and insisted that this was the President's wish and he was just carrying out his wishes? Without even bothering to so much as ask for an identification? Good heavens Stark,you could have cross checked it with the President himself, you have such a wide web of connections and he even happens to be your close acquaintance! For once do you really thing being your friend he would have ordered a thing like that? Are you f**king kidding me? Please say that it is just one of your bad jokes,Stark! " Steve couldn't just digest it all, who could?
"Ermm i was just a bit Off..."
"Off? The great Tony Stark, the Da Vinci of our times and the greatest geniuses of all, off? And, you really expect me to believe any of that? For God's sake, if Pepper hadn't asked me to keep an eye an you, you would probably be lying dead by now! Thank heavens that i somehow deciphered all of this.That this man, Brook had set his mind on ensuring his revenge off you! He is none of a President's associate, and was just trying to trick you into getting yourself killed at your own hands! "
"What? Pepper..? Or.. you could say i had full faith on you all my friends." He said framing it all before lightening struck "Yes that's what, i kinda knew you would come Rogers. That's what. Else do you really think i would have gone on to sacrifice something as precious as my life? You know, i am the unmatched Ironman, the world looks up to for preservation, so i certainly wouldn't like to disappoint the billions of fans i have across the globe you know? "
"God! What did i just hear? And i was thinking, was i that, you would be regre.. " Cap cringed at the word he was about to utter. Surely that word didn't become of the man who stood before him, no not at all. And no one could see through that awkwardly satisfied look on his face, no one could read his face or peer through his words, nor understand. He,himself was the exclusive entrant to that zone, forlorn yet not feeble. Because he knew how to defend all that was broken within, well guarded under his grim words. Others attributed that to egoism, and the highest level of understanding ranged up to calling that wit. But the remorse that was shattering him every nanosecond, wouldn't let him live. Yes he had been a bit unmindful this time but could he have possibly given away that opportunity to grab and escape all of it?
"Chuck it man, i should have known that those kind of words couldn't have made it to your eccentric dictionary." Cap resolved.
"Okay, mind me taking your leave, Rogers? I wanna sleep a while" And without awaiting so much as a reply, he turned his steps towards his car.
"Goodness, what the heck of a material are you made of Stark? " Steve couldn't resist the temptation of a question that bothered him, seeing Tony leave like that.
And Tony rotated his head, slightly, approximately a 20 degrees backwards and said
"Iron! "And without any doubt he invariably had the last laugh.
Edited by ramya06 - 7 years ago
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