Battlefield ｡ Tony Stark

25 - RISE FROM THE ASHES

The news struck the following day, each and every media outlet having something to say about the small town of Gulmira which had been taken over by the Ten Rings, a group of warlord terrorists. Thousands of refugees were fleeing from their homes and lands, all because this group had gotten their hands on new weaponry, many were claiming they were Stark Industries weapons. The news was horrific to witness, the whole world watching how corrupt some people were and how power in the wrong hands could kill thousands. 

I was in the middle of a shift, my scrubs dotted with blood and my mood rather sour. After last night's turn of events at the charity function, my mind was numb. Thankfully, work was able to keep my mind from replaying the short lived night with Tony Stark. I was dropping off some patient charts to the nearest nurse's station when I caught the last snippets of the news being broadcasted in a waiting area for families. Footage of Gulmira was playing on the screen but instead of showing refugees fleeing from their home and pure terror, it showed something destroying the weapons the Ten Rings had gotten their hands on. Something or someone in a suit of red and gold armour. Suddenly, the news report cut to Colonel Rhodes, explaining how the country had no involvement in the mysterious outcome in Gulmira and how earlier today, there had been an unfortunate training exercise involving a F-22 Raptor, thankfully nobody was hurt. As the report came to an end, I stood there for a little longer, trying to link together pieces of a puzzle still clouding in my mind. 

***

It was late in the afternoon when I finally arrived in Malibu, Tony's mansion lit up with light against the dark ocean behind it. Stuffing my keys into my pocket, I headed up the driveway and waited in the light breeze for the door to be yanked open. This was the very last place I wanted to be today considering last night but since my shift had ended late, we had agreed Tony would pick up Samuel from school. I was hoping this pickup would be quick and that I wouldn't come face-to-face with Tony, despite the need to actually talk. 

"Mum, hey!" Samuel was standing in the open doorway, giving me a familiar grin. Even I had to admit, these past few weeks with him spending time with Tony were nice. He was generally always a happy kid, but lately there was a new lightness in his eyes. 

I glanced over his shoulder, seeing no Tony Stark hovering over his shoulder. "Ready to get going, kiddo?" I asked quickly, ready to grab his shoulders and flee from this house before anybody even saw my face. 

Samuel gave a brief nod. "Sure, let me just grab my bag." He hurried back inside and after a moment waiting outside for him, I decided to step inside and make sure he had everything he needed. He was in the living room piling up his books for school while the television played cartoons. Nobody was around, which was quite odd. 

"Did Tony pick you up from school on time?" I questioned quietly, bending down to retrieve some of his fallen pens from the floor. 

My son gave another nod, not particularly paying much attention. I noticed the scribble of pages he was stuffing into his bag and wondered what he actually did alone with Tony Stark for hours when I was not around. "Pepper picked me up, actually." He was already yanking his eyes upwards to meet my own, seeing the question already forming in my mind. "He was busy."

"And where is Pepper now?" I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest at his very vague response. I was his mother, I knew the lie in his eyes. I knew he was trying to hide something from me, no doubt having something to do with Tony naturally. "Or Tony, for that matter?" 

Samuel gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Pepper is on the phone in the office, I think she's trying to calm somebody down with company and Tony is downstairs but I wouldn't disturb him, mum. He's very busy with--"

I was already turning away, heading for the lower staircase which would take me to Tony's workshop. Samuel was already protesting and I shot him a look over my shoulder, silencing him. "Be ready to leave in a minute okay? I won't be long." 

The workshop was a mess once again. The glass windows were shattered, shards of glass lying on the ground in heaps. I stepped through the broken glass door, staring at the hunk of red and gold armour that was placed in the centre of the room. I knew Tony was working on a personal project, something he hadn't really shared details about with me, not that I would have cared too much. 

Tony was standing beside the suit of amour, tinkering with the arm piece. He was too focused on what he was going to have heard me come down the stairs. I stepped closer, the glass screaming under my shoes. "Tilly." He finally said out loud, not even turning to face me.

I stood right beside Tony, staring across at his new personal project. "When you mentioned working on a new project, I didn't think you were this stupid to build some sort of suit. I saw the news footage, that was you in Gulmira, wasn't it?" A lot of words poured from my mouth. 

Tony just smiled. "Pretty neat, huh?"

The gold and red suit was dinted with bullet holes, the paintwork scratched off in some parts too. Although it looked pretty beaten up, I knew Tony's handiwork would fix it. "You could have been killed, Tony." I whispered out, stepping closer and letting my palm run down the length of the suit's chest plate. The hole in the centre was a perfect circle and that's when my eyes spotted the glowing circle coming from Tony's chest. "What is that?" I pointed at his chest. 

"It's sort of complicated," He shrugged. "It's a miniature arc reactor. It powers the suit and is currently keeping metal shrapnel from entering my heart, a souvenir from the Ten Rings when I was held captive. Don't worry, I'm fine." I wasn't sure why I hadn't noticed the glowing circle in his chest before, he always had it covered up but it was pretty bright. His words slipped through my mind, some of it not making a lot of sense. I was not familiar with anything technical or mechanical but I got the main idea. 

I stared back up at the suit, realising my own son had known about this and hadn't uttered a single word to me. Although I was proud of him for helping in such a way, it hurt a little that he had some unspoken loyalty to the man he hadn't known about all his life. "Is any of this actually a good idea, Tony?" 

"Probably not, no." He started quietly. "But I am not going to sit around and let weapons I created, weapons that belong to my company, destroy lives. Obadiah is dealing under the table, he's selling weapons to the enemy and if I can't help as Tony Stark, I'll help in a different way."

Tony Stark was a man many thought was without a heart, but they were all mistaken. He had suffered through pain but had come through a better man, a changed man. He was willing to put his life in danger to stop something that had started with his name, with his great mind and his father's very own work too. He was rising from the ashes and in that moment, I realised that I had never fallen out of love with him, quite the opposite in fact.