Chapter 5

(Meanwhile in the lair of the 10 rings)

Toni Stark and Ho Yinsen's planned escape is underway, after taking down several guards dressed in some sort of reinforced armor, Toni encounters Yinsen who was shot by the terrorist forces holding them captive.

"Yinsen!"

"Watch out!" trying to warn him of Raza who tries to shoot at Tony but misses. Tony only shoots back, hitting the wall behind Raza, causing a mini explosion and knocking Raza out. "Stark."

"Come on." *Tony opens his helmet.* "We got to go. Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it."

"This was always the plan, Stark."

"Come on, you're gonna go see your family. Get up."

"My family is dead. I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay. I want this. I want this."

"Thank you for saving me." Toni says with an emotional face.

"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life." Yinsen says with his last sighs before he dies.

Tony turns angry and walks out of the cave. There are men waiting for him outside. They all shoot at Tony in the suit, but don't do any damage which makes them stop their fire.

"My turn." However, just before counterattacking, Tony hears something. "What is that helicopters?"

At that moment, a flock of helicopters come out of the mountain and quickly start firing at the 10-ringed men which causes them to start running.

The helicopters position themselves at a cautious altitude and begin to rapidly descend by wire military operatives, including James Rhoades.

"On the ground, everyone and put your hands where I can see them, anyone who does not comply with this order will be neutralized." Rhoady says as the other soldiers begin arresting the remaining members of the 10 rings, until he notices Tony in his armor who is just watching him from the cave entrance, so he approaches him.

"You in the armor identify yourself or we will open fir.." However, before he can finish the hull of it opens, revealing Tony.

"Hey, I'm no expert on military operations but as far as I know you're not trying to shoot the one you're supposed to rescue." He says in his trademark sarcastic tone, which formed a smile on Rhoades' face as he reached over to hug him.

"Sorry it took me so long buddy."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for that this place was practically untraceable which brings me to my next question, how did you manage to find me?"

"We had some help." Which only generates an imaginary question mark in your head.

(A few hours later, back in the United States.)

Tony and Rhoades land at the California Military Base. Happy, and Pepper are already waiting there. The ramp of the plane lowers and Rhodey helps Tony down. Once he is reunited with Pepper and Happy, they head to the car to leave, Happy is chauffeured.

"Where to, sir?"

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy." Pepper says.

"No."

"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer."

"The doctor has to look at you."

"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are three things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, know who saved me apart from Yinsen and the other...

"That's enough of that. And who is Yinsen?"

"...is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference?"

"Yeah."

"What on earth for?"

"Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first."

(Meanwhile at an apartment in Harlem)

"We're getting word that Tony Stark has just arrived in the country safe and sound..." Said the CNN anchor on TV while the only inhabitant of the small apartment, was at that moment distracted with something else.

"Okay maybe if I do this..." For further context, since his premonition, John Walker was trying to discover if he possessed any other ability besides the vision of the future and discovered apparently that he possessed the ability to accelerate time on himself, however, at that moment he was trying to see if in the process of accelerating he could accelerate aging in objects other than himself, for the test he was using a banana.

"Okay let's do it one more time." He said as he extended his hand in the direction of the fruit. "Time speed up." He said as his green eyes lit up.

To his surprise the banana that a few seconds ago possessed a greenish hue, now had a prominent yellowish color without any trace of greenish and with some slight black spots indicating ripening.

"Ok, that's good, stop." And so his skill stopped. "Perfect." He said as he opened the banana and ate it. 'Although shouting out my abilities still seems kind of weird to me, it helps me focus on activating them so until I get them more perfected I guess I'll just have to keep doing it." He thought.

As he continued eating, a thought came to his mind. 'The last thing the Ancient One said was that he would keep watching me in case I awakened more abilities but it's been 1 week since that and he hasn't contacted me again, would it have been lip service or would he just not see the need to intervene?'

However, before he could continue with that train of thought, someone knocked on his door.

'Strange, I don't expect anyone and why would I, I have no friends...I should get out more (Sigh), oh well, see who came to visit me.'

He looked through the peephole and caught a glimpse of a stout man, dressed in a suit and wearing glasses.

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Walker, I'm Happy Hogan, I work for Toni Stark, I need you to come with me right away."

"Yeah right, and I'm father time, get out of here buddy before I come out."

"Mr. Stark knows you provided the clue for them to find him." Which caused an expression of recognition to flash across his face.

(A few seconds later below)

John Walker was standing underneath his building at the entrance with Tony Stark's bodyguard? Tony Stark's, once down there, he asked him to get into the limo so he complied.

'At least if he kidnaps me, I'll be able to get out of the house, I was bored anyway.'

However, once he got in, the last thing he expected was to see Tony Stark himself eating a Burger King burger, next to him was a cute redhead he didn't recognize. 'Is she his girlfriend?'

"Oh finally, you are?" Said the eccentric millionaire as he held out his other hand that wasn't occupied by a burger.

"John Walker, sir."

"Pleasure, John, wow you are younger than I thought." He said to which John showed no reaction. "Well, you must know me by now and the pretty woman you see next to me, is my personal assistant, Pepper Potts." "Tony." I'm sorry for his attitude." She said as she offered him her hand as well and shook it.

"Come on Hogan, there's no time to waste." And as if on cue, Happy started up.

"You're probably wondering what you're doing here, I'd wonder too, potatoes?" He said as he pulled out a box of them and offered him.

"No thanks, I just ate." To which he just shrugged and kept eating until he finished the burger and licked his fingers.

"Tony" Pepper told him in a reprimanding tone.

"Right, sorry, it's just that after 3 months of eating rat food, I think I needed this. Well, let's cut to the chase, I was told by Rhoades that you were the one who passed on the tip to find me. Is that correct?"

"Yes Mr. Stark that is correct."

"Ok, no. Don't call me that, my father was called that, it makes me feel old, just call me Tony."

"Ok Tony. Yes, I was the one who passed the clue."

"Ok great. What I want to know is how a seeming nobody, no offense, knew where I was if even the best intelligence networks in the world couldn't pinpoint my exact position." He said putting on a slightly more serious tone than before.

John for a few moments said nothing, as if mentally debating between whether to trust his biggest secret to this man who no matter that he was the most known man in the world, could rat him out and make him end up as a lab rat locked up forever.

For a few minutes, no one said anything, only the noise of the car and the street could be heard. Tony watched him expectantly for his answer while Pepper, although she seemed busy organizing her boss's schedule, was also internally intrigued by his response.

Until finally...

"Ok, I'll tell but you have to promise me please that you won't tell anyone." John said looking at him and then shifting his gaze to Pepper. "That goes for you too." I said in the most serious tone I could communicate in, to which in response they both just nodded.

So John let out a sigh and proceeded to tell them everything from his visit to the Sanctum Sanctorum, his encounter with the Ancient One and how he discovered his powers.

Once he finished he remained silent to watch their reactions. Tony's expression didn't seem to have changed much, until he took off his glasses and John could glimpse a slight look of amazement, while Pepper looked like she had been completely shocked.

"Wow, that's Wow, being honest it's a very interesting story but do you have any way of proving your powers, not that I don't believe you, but my mind won't be at ease until I have some proof." Said Tony so John quickly came up with a way to prove it.

"In about 5 seconds from now, Happy will hit a sudden brake and we'll hear him scream asshole at another driver." And as if by automatic, instantly after I finished my speech just what I said would happen happened in the order it would happen.

"Hahaha, ok I must admit, that's pretty cool."

Tony Stark said as he laughed until he stopped and pulled out his checkbook. "Ok I believe you, so tell me whose name do I transfer the money to, your dad's, your mom's?...."

"To my name is fine." Said John quickly, to which Toni for a second looked over her checkbook to analyze me but quickly her gaze dropped again.

"Ok, tell me how to pronounce it."

"J-O-H-N-W-A-L-K-E-R" Spelled John as Tony finished writing me the check and cut it to give it to him, however before handing it to him, he asked John a question.

"Wait, John a question, do you have you know, family?" Which confused John, but he answered anyway.

"Not really, I'm an orphan, I never knew my parents." Which made him stare at me analyzing me for a few moments as if he had gone into a trance until Pepper tapped him on the shoulder to get him to react.

"Oh right, sorry, I must be sleepy, it's hard to sleep on an army plane, you know?" Tony said as he finally handed the money to John, which John received with a smile.

"Listen, I've got an offer for you, you want to hear it kid?" said Tony to which Pepper turned from looking at his notes to look at him, as if trying to see what his boss was thinking.

While John thought about it for a few seconds until he finally nodded.

"How would you like to work with me at Stark Industries. " Which made both John, and Pepper gawk and as if he had been listening, Happy suddenly slowed down again. For a few seconds no one said anything, until John was the first to open his mouth.

 "Wait, is this for real? Mr. Stark you want me to work for you? But I'm not even a scientist or an engineer, I don't know how I could be useful to you" John asked with a look of disbelief.

"I told you not to call me that, but yes, and don't worry about what you're going to do, when we get to that bridge we'll cross it, so how about it kid, are you up for the challenge Frodo?" Which raised an eyebrow as if asking who Frodo was.

"You know, Frodo, Lord of the Rings." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm afraid I never saw them Tony, being honest I never cared much for those movies." Which made him now he was surprised. "Ok, that certainly surprised me more than your seer powers." Which made John laugh. Meanwhile Pepper was still somewhat dumbfounded, wondering if her boss after his kidnapping experience had gone crazy, why would he want to hire someone he had just met?

"Well, back to the subject how about John, after I finish doing a press conference, I'll take you on as my employee, shall I?" Tony said as he extended his hand.

To which John only responded with a resounding....

"Yes."