Chapter 10 - Investigating Stane’s Activities

Marcus's hands hovered over the keyboard as he stared at the lines of encrypted code on his screen. It came from inside the company. The realization sent a chill down his spine. Whoever had tampered with the communication link during Tony's demonstration had access to Stark Industries' highest security levels.

The thought that someone at this level could have orchestrated Tony's attack made Marcus's stomach twist. This wasn't just a random data breach—it was deliberate, calculated.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Who had that kind of access? Who could benefit from Tony's disappearance?

Marcus began pulling up internal logs, digging deeper into the security framework, carefully tracing the breach to its origins. He knew he had to tread carefully—whoever was behind this was smart, and if they caught on to what Marcus was doing, it could put him in real danger. If it was someone powerful, they would have the resources to cover their tracks.

With his encryption-breaking tool running in the background, Marcus opened a separate window to monitor network traffic from the previous days. Every step forward made him feel more vulnerable, like he was stepping into uncharted territory. But he couldn't stop now. Too much was at stake.

As Marcus sifted through the data, a name started to surface in the logs, linked to the encrypted breaches. It wasn't obvious at first—the connections were subtle, buried beneath layers of mundane tasks and authorizations. But the more Marcus pieced it together, the clearer the picture became.

Obadiah Stane.

Marcus's heart pounded in his chest as the realization hit him. Stane had been in charge of Stark Industries while Tony was gone—he had direct access to everything. He was acting CEO, managing the company's biggest projects, handling the fallout from Tony's disappearance. If anyone had the motive to manipulate events behind the scenes, it was him.

But why?

Marcus felt his throat tighten as he thought about it. Stane had always seemed loyal to Tony, had been his father's friend and trusted business partner for years. But with Tony out of the picture, Stane stood to gain everything—control over Stark Industries, control over its future.

Could Stane really be behind Tony's kidnapping? Could he be the one selling out Stark Industries?

Marcus's hands moved quickly across the keyboard, pulling up Stane's digital footprint. He found access logs showing that Stane had recently authorized multiple encrypted communications to external parties. His encrypted messages were linked to the same timeframes as the data breach that had occurred right before the convoy attack. But what caught Marcus's attention most was that these communications had been deleted, buried deep in the system as if someone wanted to erase any trace of them.

But Marcus's encryption tool was good—good enough to retrieve bits of the data that had been wiped. He recovered fragments of the messages, but they were incomplete, full of broken characters and distorted text. It was hard to make sense of them, but one thing stood out: the Ten Rings were mentioned several times.

Marcus's blood ran cold. The Ten Rings. The terrorist organization responsible for Tony's kidnapping.

His mind spun as he leaned back in his chair, trying to process what he had just uncovered. Obadiah Stane was involved with the Ten Rings. He had been communicating with them, and those communications had taken place in the days leading up to Tony's demonstration in Afghanistan. It wasn't proof of guilt, not yet, but it was close—too close to be a coincidence.

Marcus rubbed his hands over his face, the weight of the discovery pressing down on him. He had found evidence that Stane was connected to the people who had kidnapped Tony, but it wasn't enough. If he took this to someone now, Stane could easily deny it—claim it was routine business, that he was simply negotiating deals. Stark Industries did have weapons contracts all over the world, after all. But Marcus knew this was different. It had to be.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized what he was up against. Stane wasn't just another executive. He was Stark Industries—a man with deep connections, power, and influence. If Marcus tried to go public with this information without solid proof, he would be putting his job—and possibly his life—on the line.

He stared at his screen, his mind racing. What do I do now?

For a long time, Marcus sat there in silence, torn between his fear and his growing sense of responsibility. If Stane was truly behind this, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Tony was still missing—he could be dead—and Marcus was the only one who had even an inkling of what might be going on behind the scenes.

His phone buzzed beside him, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was a text from Jen.

Jen:

Hey, how's everything going? You okay?

Marcus glanced at the phone, hesitating for a moment before typing back.

Marcus:

I think I've found something. Something big.

But I don't know what to do next.

The reply came almost instantly.

Jen:

Meet me at the cafeteria in 10 minutes. Don't do anything until we talk.

Marcus nodded to himself and stood up, grabbing his phone. As he made his way toward the cafeteria, his mind kept replaying the pieces he had uncovered—Stane's encrypted communications, the connection to the Ten Rings, the deleted messages. This was real. This was happening.

But now that he knew, he had to make a choice. He couldn't go to Stane directly—there was no telling how far Stane's influence spread, and if he was truly involved, confronting him could put Marcus in danger. But if he didn't do anything, if he let it go, Tony might never make it home.

When Marcus reached the cafeteria, Jen was already waiting for him at their usual spot, her face full of concern. She waved him over, and he slid into the chair across from her, his hands fidgeting as he tried to figure out where to start.

"You found something, didn't you?" Jen asked, her voice low but steady.

Marcus nodded, his throat tightening as he spoke. "Yeah. I don't know how to explain it, but... I think Stane's involved. I found encrypted communications linking him to the Ten Rings."

Jen's eyes widened. "Stane? You mean Obadiah Stane? That doesn't make any sense."

"I know," Marcus said quickly, shaking his head. "But the data's there. I found traces of deleted messages in the system. Stane's been sending information to the Ten Rings. I don't know what it's about, but I'm sure it's connected to Tony's kidnapping."

Jen leaned back, absorbing what he was saying. "Marcus, this is huge. If Stane's involved in something like this... You can't just sit on this. But you also can't just go running into his office with it either."

"I know," Marcus said, his voice tense. "That's the problem. I need more proof, something solid. If I don't, and I try to expose this, he'll bury me."

Jen frowned, her mind working through the possibilities. "We need to figure out how to get that proof. Stane's smart—he's not going to leave anything obvious behind. But if he's working with the Ten Rings, there has to be more evidence somewhere."

Marcus nodded. "There has to be. I just need to find it."

Jen looked him straight in the eye. "We'll find it, Marcus. But we have to be careful. Stane's powerful, and if he finds out you're onto him, it could get dangerous."

A sense of resolve settled in Marcus's chest as he met her gaze. He knew the risks, but he also knew that he couldn't back down now. Not with everything he had uncovered. Tony Stark's life might depend on it.