Chapter Text
His name was Tony Stark, and so far life hadn’t treated him very well.
It had only been six months since that fateful day that he lost his father to a mysterious plane crash, and the thought of his only real family being gone still sent him through waves. Just like the one he was going through right now.
He could feel the fake pulsation of the arc reactor in his chest, and the ache of his missing organ spread through his muscles. It was more agonizing than any physical pain he could remember. Even when he woke up from the accident.
Falling from the sky was a blur, locked away in flashes of intense anxiety and flustered hope that his new invention would somehow activate the fail-safe in time, shielding him from dying on impact.
Somehow, almost impossibly, he had survived. The armored glove on his hand slowly flickered as the shield systems, never tested and thankfully functioning, flickered away and left him on the hot ground.
Tony knew, despite the newfound zest of life washing through him, that he had only delayed the inevitable. There was a slow spreading pain creeping through his body, waiting for the shock and adrenaline to wear off.
He crawled and grasped at the hard ground until he reached the case for the rest of his suit, the invention that he had been eagerly awaiting the use of. He solemnly remembered how excited he’d been to show it to his dad, and how he’d never be able to.
The adrenaline was beginning to fade and Tony struggled to open the case through cries of pain. He couldn’t breathe right, each inhale a taxing effort, as though something were sitting on his chest and wouldn’t get off.
Tony carefully removed a strange helmet from the armored crate and winced as the metal suit consciously enveloped him within.
As he struggled to remain conscious, the suit came to life.
“ Welcome Operator, Tony Stark. Upon initial analysis of your condition, I’ve found several injuries that require medical attention. “
The suit quickly displayed an image detailing what damage it could detect and continued speaking,
“ Your chest and heart have been compromised beyond my capability to manage. Beginning route to the nearest hospital. “
Tony could barely stay awake now, everything closing in on him, but he had only one thought in mind.
“ No, take me to Rhodey’s house. “ Tony took a deep breath, his vision turning to pinpricks as the suit began to lift from the ground, “ James Rhodes.”
As everything faded to black, as Tony thought about whether he would survive this, or if his father had even survived, the suit spoke again.
“ Rerouting to James Rhodes. “
It definitely hadn’t been his best idea, but somehow everything had turned out alright and he was here now, alive, even if it meant sitting in pain every morning running on a glorified battery.
Tony slowly sat up in bed, running his hands over his chest, trying not to think about the past anymore, but it was hard. Especially when he was about to visit his father's company for the first time since the accident.
He slowly crawled out from beneath the blankets and dressed, quietly hoping that the day went smoothly. As he stepped into his shoes, the door opened slightly, revealing a well-dressed woman with kind eyes.
This was Roberta Rhodes. His best friend's mother and the woman who was ready to sacrifice everything for him when the accident happened. Before his father's death, she had been his lawyer and long-time friend.
There weren’t enough words in the English language to express his gratitude towards her, and no matter how he sang her praises, she wouldn’t understand how much she meant to him now.
“ Tony? How are you feeling today? “ she asked, stepping into the once-guest bedroom, her white heels snapping on the tile floor.
Tony ran his hand through his disheveled hair and sighed,
“ I’m fine, I just don’t know how everything’s going to work out. “
Roberta gestured for Tony to sit back down on the bed and sat down across from him. She gently touched his shoulder and Tony saw her resilience falter. This whole situation had been hard for her too.
“ I know how you feel, but the next step to healing from all of this is moving on. You need to find happiness with what you have left and start building from scratch. “ Tony looked up from the ground as she continued to speak,
“ When you first woke up, you thought you had lost everything, but you hadn’t. Behind your pain and anger, you found us and we will always be here to help you. Once friends, now family. We love you, Tony. We all want to see you get better, as slowly as you need. “
She always spoke so wisely, as so matter of fact. He supposed she must do a lot of convincing in her line of work.
“ Thank you Mrs. Rhodes. I’ll try. “
After seeing off Mrs. Rhodes, both Tony and Rhodey started the commute to school, an activity that Tony had never actually participated in.
Strange as it might seem, his entire childhood had been full of private tutors and mingling with academics and scientists with intelligence far beyond what a typical teenager could expect.
Tony didn’t understand why he had to go but Roberta had said the experience and socialization would help him heal, and he hoped she was right.
The pair of boys strolled along, tumultuous thoughts racing through their minds, both unsure of what to expect as they approached Stark Tower.
Before either of them could even try entering the building they were stopped by a guard, dull-looking and obviously under the impression that he had more authority than anyone around.
“ State your name and business. “ The man said, holding his hand dangerously close to Tony’s shoulder. Rhodey stood protectively in front of Tony, worried about how recovered he actually was.
None the wiser, Tony spoke exaggeratedly.
“ Anthony Stark? I’m the name on the building and your badge?”
The guard scoffed and spoke into his earpiece, not hiding his animosity for the two.
“ Mr. Stane, there’s an Anthony Stark requesting access to the building. “
They all stood quietly as the guard waited for a response. Tony tried to hide his irritation but Rhodey watched as his hands clenched around his bag strap, his eyes darting around, trying to find anything else to focus on.
“ Mr. Stane granted access to his office. Only there and back, do you understand? “
Rhodey and Tony pushed past the guard to the door, but not before Tony muttered under his breath,
“ Yes Sir “
The building wasn’t all that different, but the atmosphere was startling.
Once open windows were now shuttered, the only main sources of light being energy-saving bulbs dangling from above.
Any art or plants that had been there were gone and the receptionist's desk was now a clean and empty surface.
“ What did Obidiah do, suck the soul out of this place? “ Rhodey asked as they entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.
“ I bet that’s not the only thing he’s done. We never needed security to fully restrict access to the building. It makes me wonder what Stane is trying to hide in here. “
Rhodey sighed and leaned against the support rail.
“ Let’s just get this over with. The sooner we’re outta here and on our way to school, the better. “
The elevator dinged and the two stepped out. Usually, there would be several stops on the way to the office, but the building was a ghost town. It seemed haunted by the memory of what it used to be.
As they approached the receptionist's desk, Tony lit up as he saw that Trish still worked there.
“ Trish? I’m so happy to see you, I can’t believe he kept you here. “
Trish looked up and smiled, but her demeanor was stiff.
“ Mr Stane will see you now, Tony. Mr. Rhodes, you’ll have to wait out here. “
And that was it. Tony could almost feel the energy leave the room as Rhodey pulled him along, begging him not to bother or dwell on the interaction.
Rhodey grabbed Tony by the arms and held him firm.
“ I’ll be out here waiting. Don’t let anything Obidiah says get to you. He’s playing a game, and you don’t have to let him win. Got it? “
Tony nodded and walked away, heading towards the door that used to be his future.
Like the rest of the building, the room was stale. Long gray walls connected to steel frame windows, looking out towards the water.
Behind a plain desk sat Obidiah Stane, the man worst suited to gain authority over any business, not just Stark International.
He was bald, and as far as Tony was concerned he always had been. His eyes were lifeless, surrounded by frown lines, and calculating. Stane always thought the worst of people and prepared himself for opportunities that most people wouldn’t even think of.
“ Tony! “ Stane said, not bothering to rise from his chair. Tony sat down across from him, nervous and angry, “ It’s so good to see you again. You seem better than you did at Howard’s funeral, we were worried you wouldn’t get better. “
Tony silently thought that Stane would’ve loved for him to have never returned, let alone recover. There had always been that animosity from Obidiah. He had never been as smart or likable as Howard or even Tony, and the hatred that bubbled from that wasn’t lost on them.
“ I’ve recovered well enough, but I wanted to talk to you about something. I need access to all of my father's projects and our recent research. “
Stane stood from his chair and walked around the side to stare directly at Tony,
“ All of your and your father's research is property of Stark International. Rest assured Tony, we won’t touch anything that hasn’t yet seen the light of day, but unfortunately, until you're of age I have to protect all of our assets. You understand, don’t you? We are a company after all, not a playground for teenagers and mad scientists. “
Tony began to rise from his seat, his anger beginning to beat him. He had to be careful here or Obidiah would completely shut him out, regardless of the legal repercussions.
“ What’s going on here Obidiah? The company has heightened security and new protocols. All of my father's research has been blacklisted or repurposed and I can’t access anything that was on a secured server that I owned, not Stark International. What are you really up to? “
Stane lost his composure, but only for a brief second, recovering immediately and resuming his snarking superiority.
“ I wish I could help you, Tony. “ There was so much more he wanted to say, so much that they could argue in this office until the very next morning, but before Tony could rebuke, Tricia spoke over the intercom.
“ Mr.Stane, your next meeting is here. “
Obidiah walked up to Tony, hand outstretched and a strange ring gleaming on his finger.
“Until next time, Mr.Stark.”
Tony stormed out of the room, startling Rhodey into a sprint as he beelined for the elevator. Someone had to do something about Stane, and they had to do it soon.