[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][i][color=#ffffff]“Sources place a young hero at the scene today when a giant metal man attacked a construction site. Bystanders claim it was a man wielding what appeared to be a hammer that saved the d-”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“In breaking news, New York was lucky today after coming under siege by a band of, what locals have dubbed, fire trolls from the ocean. These creatures appeared to be searching for something or someone before a band of alleged heroes stopped them-”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“-if I’m allowed to speculate. If you have ‘superheroes’, you will soon have ‘supervillains’. It’s called escalation, and it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better if we do not get ahead of this and regulate-”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“Metropolis was saved today when an unknown hero easily intervened against the previously unstoppable alien, saving the city. Lionel Luthor started with a statement of gratitude before warning the citizens of Metropolis again of the rising threat these heroes pose-”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#ffffff]“The world is changing, Tony. You can either get on board and get ahead of it, or you can get out of my way. What’s the blood of one more Stark on my hands?”[/color][/i][/INDENT][/INDENT][CENTER][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019a79b9-88cc-76dc-b53c-f2a072816244.webp[/img][/CENTER][INDENT][INDENT]The crisp autumn air mixed with the fire burning in the heath. A fresh log was set upon the stove before the screen was pulled back across, directing the smoke towards the chimney and away from the interior of the quaint cabin. In front of the fireplace, the man rubbed his hands together, warming them on the new flames as they licked away at the fresh wood. He straightened the cuffs on his flannel shirt, rolling them back to his elbows before running a hand along the once finely trimmed goatee, now drowning in thick, unkempt stubble. 

Atop the stove sat a kettle, its contents beginning to boil as a whistle filled the small cabin. Humming as he walked across the creaking timber floors, Antonio Stark smiled at the birds singing outside the cabin window, removing the whistling kettle from the stove and allowing it to cool slightly before pouring the near-boiling water over the freshly hand-ground grinds. 

Something was soothing about watching the coffee slowly seep through the filter and into the basin of the glass hourglass. A sudden pang of pain radiated from his chest, prompting Tony to grab hold of the solid oak table with one hand, while the other hovered over his chest. The subtle vibrations and tingle of the electromagnetic field of his arc reactor tickled his hand while Tony braced his chest.

[i][color=#ffffff]“I’ve done everything I can, but given my current resources, there are still pieces of shrapnel embedded in your heart. If not removed, they will continue to travel further and eventually-”[/color][/i]

[i][color=#b94642]“Kill me, yeah, I got it, Doc.”[/color][/i]

The memory of Yinsen brought a bittersweet smile to Tony’s face. Were it not for the intervention of the good doctor, Tony would have died in the same cave that the Ten Rings buried him in. Instead, he was alive, mostly alive, today, while Yinsen’s good deed came at the sacrifice of his own life. 

The arc reactor in Tony’s chest was his own answer to keeping himself alive. Its primary purpose was to generate an electromagnetic field that kept the shrapnel from advancing any further. However, the original model had the unintended side effect of both merging the shrapnel with his body and making his heart nearly dependent on the device. 

Without it, he would die.
[center][i][color=#ffffff]♫ Finished with my woman 'cause[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]She couldn't help me with my mind[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]People think I'm insane because[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]I am frowning all the time ♫[/color][/i][/center]
Grabbing the fresh cup of coffee, Tony took a seat out on the porch, watching the wind blow the colour-changing leaves while the record player continued to play [i]Paranoid[/i]. Taking a sip, he savoured the hot, bitter liquid as it filled his mouth. His left hand was absently playing with a gold ring that he had slipped off. 

Tony didn’t consider himself the sentimental type, but for some reason, he hadn’t brought himself to stop wearing the ring yet. It had been two years since the divorce was finalized, but his hand felt empty without it, even if he hadn’t heard from her since the papers were signed. 

And he likely never would. 
[center][i][color=#ffffff]♫ I need someone to show me[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]The things in life that I can't find[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]I can't see the things that make[/color][/i]
[i][color=#ffffff]True happiness, I must be blind ♫[/color][/i][/center]
The world was peaceful off the grid, Tony revelled in the self-imposed exile, enjoying the solitude afforded to him deep into the woods of Oregon. Just over the nearby ridge, the ocean could be seen, and most nights the distant waves crashing against the shores lulled Tony into a deep state of slumber. 

But slumber brought nightmares.

[i][color=#ffffff]“What’s the matter, Tony? Oh, I’m sorry, you saw me as a father, didn’t you? Sorry, son, I was only ever in it for the money, and that suit of yours, that’s the cash cow I’ve been waiting on you to bring home.”[/color][/i]

Stane’s betrayal still stung, even after all this time. Tony saw him die almost every time he closed his eyes. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he leaned back on the porch chair. The glow of the Autumn sun was warming his skin in the crisp air before suddenly it was cut off.

[color=#b94642]“Honey, you’re blocking my sun.”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“Any more of that inside?”[/color] The man asked, as Stark motioned with his head.

[color=#b94642]“You can check, I’m not used to guests out here,”[/color] He responded, opening his eyes as Colonel James Rhodes entered the cabin.

[color=#9fc5e8]“Tony, you don’t even have a second mug.”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“Told you, I don’t get guests out here.”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“Not even Pepper?”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“Pepper doesn’t need me,”[/color] Tony scoffed, [color=#b94642]“She’s busy running the company, she’s got Happy, she’s good.”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“You do know that Luthorcorp is muscling in on Stark Industries, especially after AmerTek bought up what was left of your arms division,”[/color] Rhodes replied, exiting the cabin empty-handed.

[color=#9fc5e8]“No booze in there either, proud of you, Tony,”[/color] James smiled, slapping Tony on the shoulder, who recoiled at his physical contact. [color=#9fc5e8]“Though now I owe Happy fifty bucks, you couldn’t at least have built a still to make moonshine?”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“I came out here to get away from my demons, not drown them.”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“Figured they knew how to swim by now,”[/color] Rhodes smirked.

[color=#b94642]“One would imagine,”[/color] Tony replied dryly, sipping his coffee again. Rhodes leaned over, taking a whiff of it as Tony raised an eyebrow again. [color=#b94642]“It’s not Irish.”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“You can’t blame a man for not wanting to lose a bet, Tony.”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“I can when it’s at my detriment!”[/color] Stark replied, [color=#b94642]“Now, what brings you out here, Honey?”[/color]

[color=#9fc5e8]“The Mandarin has resurfaced.”[/color]
							[i][color=#9fc5e8]“The Mandarin has resurfaced.”[/color][/i]
															[sub][i][color=#9fc5e8]“The Mandarin has resurfaced.”[/color][/i][/sub]

[i]Rhodes’ next words were swallowed by the repeating echoes of the cold and damp cave that haunted Tony’s nightmares. Shooting pains raced through Tony’s chest as he anxiously tore away at the bandages covering the crude electromagnet embedded in his chest, attached to a car battery. His legs barely worked, crumpling beneath him due to atrophy as he scrambled upright. [/i]

[i]The explosion played over and over in his mind. His name, his father’s name, was the last thing he saw before the blast sent him flying. Blood ran from a cut in his forehead, blinding his right eye as he tried to crawl away. Two sets of firm hands took him by the arms, dragging him from a pool of his own blood into the back of some sort of vehicle. [/i]

[i]A bag over his head, leaving him in the dark. [/i]

[i]A helmet over his head brought him out of it. [/i]

[i]Flames erupted from his wrist while his other arm used the pneumatic enhancements to ragdoll members of the terrorist cell out of his way. The blinding sun reflected off the sand as Tony made his escape. Tears streaking the grease and blood that clung to his unwashed face, Yinsen’s screams still echoed in his ears[/i]. 

[center][sub][color=#ffffff]“Tony,”[/color][/sub]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________[/color][color=#FFFFFF]"[/color][color=#F1F6FB]T[/color][color=#E3EEF8]o[/color][color=#D5E6F5]n[/color][color=#C8DDF1]y[/color][color=#BAD5EE],[/color][color=#ACCDEB]"[/color]
[color=2e2c2c]________________________________________________[/color][color=#9fc5e8]“[b]Tony![/b]”[/color][/center]
Rhodes’s hands were on Tony’s shoulders, causing him to jump as he snapped back to the present. 

[color=#9fc5e8]“Tony, where’d you go? You alright, man?”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“I’m fine, Honey,”[/color] 

[color=#9fc5e8]“You have got to stop calling me that,”[/color] Rhodes replied, leaning back with a sigh of relief. [color=#9fc5e8]“Anyways, as I was saying, you’re our best lead on the Mandarin. You’re the only man who has ever met him and survived.”[/color] 

[i][color=#ffffff]“You will build me a weapon, Mr. Stark. One that will change the tide in the coming war.”[/color][/i]

[color=#b94642]“Nope, can’t help you, Rhodey. Thanks for visiting, but I barely remember what he looks like.”[/color] Tony protested; the Mandarin’s face seared into his mind’s eye. Those glowing golden eyes smiled while Tony was tortured into compliance. The taste of vinegar, sweat and blood filled Tony’s mouth, prompting him to spit out his coffee.

[color=#9fc5e8]“Tony, come on, you can’t hide out here forever.”[/color]

[color=#b94642]“It’s not hiding, Honey, it’s sabbath,”[/color] Tony replied, leaning back as he produced a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. 

[color=#9fc5e8]“Shame, I was also hoping to get your consult on a project, but I can probably get someone else,”[/color] Rhodes said, standing while straightening his uniform.[color=#9fc5e8] “I’m sure Lex would be available, or maybe Stagg. Though I think General Lane is hoping to bring in Pym.”[/color]

Tony slapped his ring down under his palm, turning his head to look at Rhodes before lowering his sunglasses.

[color=#b94642]“You’re a bastard, you know that.”[/color] Standing, Tony rubbed his stubble again before replying.
[color=#b94642]“I need to shave first.”[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]