[1] Taeyong Lee-Stark and the League of Superheroes

02 - The Merchant of Death, huh?

PREVIOUSLY ON: League of Superheroes

Taeyong Lee-Stark was six when his mother overdosed and he was forced to live with his biological father, Mr Tony Stark. Tony hasn't taken the slightly interest in knowing the boy, so Taeyong doesn't either. Both Stark's being stubborn will get them nowhere. But, it's fine, because Taeyong has Johnny and Mark and that's all he needs

And Tony? Well... at least he has his money.

***

Tony couldn't really remember what landed him in a small and leaky cave with lights blaring in his eyes and pipes leading into his skin. He had woke up panicking and looking around the dark but also insanely stark white lights that surrounded him. Making him squint and push at the air around him before he realised there was something in his nose. So he pulled whatever was in there, out. Almost two feet of tube coming out of his nose and it stung like hell and back but at least he can talk and breathe better now.

He looked over to find an old man, skinny and frail, a complete stranger. Who was humming to a song that Tony didn't recognise but he decided that he didn't care, especially when he saw a jug of water, right by his side. He pulled off an IV drip connected to his arm and was so very close to reaching the water jug before a tug at his chest stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man warned. His accent wasn't heavy but it's there and it's calming, in a weird way.

Tony looked down at the wire attached to him, his eyes following along the wire and to his horror, it's apart of a car battery. The genius looked back at where the wire connected to his own body, making him rip off the bandages that he just noticed were around his chest area. His eyes widened and he gulped when he saw an ugly device attached to his burnt and mangled skin in the centre of his chest. It's too much to take in such a short amount of time, so he fainted.

The next time Tony woke up he wished it were all a dream, but one look at his chest and he's back in his nightmare. "What have you done to me?" he croaked, feeling the effect of not drinking water.

"What did I do?" the man replied. "I removed what I could, but there was a lot left headed for your atrial septum." Tony has to think back to advanced biology back in class because he's doctor for one, but not for neurosurgery or whatever that was. "I've seen many wounds like this in my village," the man continued, "the walking dead we called them, because it took a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs. I anchored a magnetic suspension system to the plate. It's holding up the shrapnel in place... at least for now."

Tony decided he doesn't like lying down, and even when his body was screaming at him for moving, he managed to sit up. But it's better, he needed a second for the blood to rush down and away from his head. The mechanic blinked back black spots and then looked around, noticing a surveillance camera in the corner of the room. Someone's been watching him. "We met once," the man said, making Tony turn to look at him.

"I don't remember," he replied honestly.

"You wouldn't. If I'd been that drunk I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a talk on integrated circuits."

Tony doesn't want to listen to this man ramble on about nonsense. He wanted to know where he is— but the door to their cave is opened and the man dropped the spoon he was holding, straightened his back and placed his hands on his head. He warned for Tony to follow him but even when he stood up, he had trouble lifting his own hands to his head. So the man helped him, Tony really does need to get his name.

But now he's currently occupied, it seems like the people who are at the door may be the people who put him in here. Which also means that they're the people who have his weapons. A man walks in after the men who opened the door start to look around, he seems like the ringleader. But he's speaking in Arabic and Tony doesn't have a clue what he's saying. But the doctor does, so he translates for Tony. "He says welcome Tony Stark, the greatest mass murderer in the world. He's very honoured," and for once, Tony feels sick to be labelled 'the merchant of death.' "You will build for him Jericho missile you were demonstrating."