Chapter 17: Tony
Fury kept looking at the images sent by his agents. "That son of a gun did it," he smiled as he leaned back, remembering Howard Stark's worry for his son. "Now you won't be mad at your boy," he said softly to himself, recalling Howard's countless concerns.
"Send the coordinates to the Army. Let them extract him; give him time to fine-tune his armor, before we invite him" Fury instructed, signaling to his men to mobilize.
They scrambled to action, and soon the Army was alerted to Tony's location through an anonymous tip-off.
Rhodes, seeing the coordinates, couldn't help but go himself. He suited up, determined to get Tony extracted safely. "Hang tight, Tony, I am Coming" he muttered, revving up to head out for the rescue.
Soon, Rhodes arrived in his helicopter, landing in the desert as he spotted Tony moving, shielding his eyes from the sun. He hopped out and made his way over.
"Still want to travel without me?" he said sarcastically, pulling Tony into a tight hug.
"Of course! I'd still prefer beauties over you," Tony laughed, brushing off the dust.
"Welcome back, Tony," Rhodes smiled, clapping him on the back as he led him to the helicopter. "Let's get you out of here."
Tony climbed into the helicopter, unscrewing a water bottle to quench his thirst. As he drank, he couldn't shake off Yinsen's words. They echoed in his mind, a reminder of the sacrifices made and the resolve he needed to carry forward.
He paused, staring out at the horizon, the weight of his responsibility settling heavily on his shoulders. Yinsen had believed in him, had fought to give him a chance at life and freedom.
"I won't waste it," he murmured to himself, determination igniting within him. As the helicopter soared higher, Tony felt a renewed sense of purpose—he would honor Yinsen's legacy and ensure that his sacrifice meant something.