Chapter 9

A few days after Stane's arrest, I had gone home, after all Tony had not been in the mood and to be honest I think it would be best to leave him alone for a while. However, a few days later as I was sitting there training my time vision ability. Until suddenly, I get a call from Pepper on my phone.

"John, I need your help." She says in a serious tone.

"Pepper? What's wrong?"

She replies with a tone that mixes concern and frustration.

"It's Tony. He's been holed up in the workshop for days. He won't talk to anyone. He won't even answer my calls. It's...it's bad, John. Ever since Stane, he's been distant, but this is different. He's... disconnected."

At this John frowns, somewhat concerned but also doubtful getting up from the chair with the phone in hand.

"I understand, but I don't know him well enough to do this. We've only known each other a few weeks since I got involved in the project. Are you sure I'm the right person to talk to him? How about Rhoades?"

"He tried already, but there wasn't any kind of response. Look I know you don't know him well yet, but since you started working with him, Tony seems more open with you than he has been with most. I don't know why, but I think he respects you...somehow. And right now, I think you're the only person he'd let close. Please, John."

At this John pauses, thoughtfully.

"I don't know if it will be enough. But if you really think I can help, I'll go."

To which Pepper responds with relief:

"Thanks. Just... be careful, John. It's... broken. The Stane thing tore him apart, and I don't know how much longer he can go on like this without someone to help him out."

John takes a breath, processing the gravity of the situation.

"I'll do what I can. I'll try to get him out of that hole, but I can't promise it'll work."

"Just the fact that you're trying is enough. Take care of yourself, John. And thank you."

"You're welcome. Keep the phone close."

Once he gets back to Malibu thanks to the help of Pepper, who sent Happy to fetch him, he arrives at Tony's house and the door opens automatically.

'Pepper must have put in my biometrics so he'll recognize me when he comes in for sure.' He thinks as he enters the lonely mansion. Once inside, John goes straight to the stairs and down them to reach the basement where Tony is.

Tony's workshop is isolated, with dim lights from inside. John stops in front of the closed door. He knocks gently, knowing he is not someone Tony would easily allow in, but determined to try.

John speaks softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"Tony, it's John. Pepper tells me you've been kind of down these days, but I know something's eating you up. Will you let me in?"

There's no answer. John sighs and takes a step closer to the door.

In a more serious tone he says:

"Listen, I know you'd rather be alone, but nobody can handle everything. Pepper is worried, and if you won't do it for you, do it for her. If you let me in, I'll just talk, that's all. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

The silence persists. John stands there, not moving, waiting. After a few seconds, he pulls a small device from his pocket, reaches over to the door panel, and uses it to open the door. The door slowly slides open, and John enters the workshop.

Inside, the atmosphere is charged with tension. Tony Stark is hunched over his workbench, surrounded by metal parts and holograms, immersed in his own world. His face is serious, with deep circles under his eyes and a vacant expression.

John watches him from the doorway for a moment, not wanting to invade his space abruptly.

"Tony... I know we barely know each other, but... you can't do this alone." John says in a soft tone."

By this time Tony was working on the MARK 2 arm, with dark circles under his eyes and a tired expression. His movements, though meticulous, did not possess his usual enthusiasm. John is at his side, silently observing, aware of Tony's mental state.

Noting his pained expression and wanting to break the somewhat awkward silence, John spoke though somewhat cautiously not to say something that would upset him.

"That gasket... it's going to fail under pressure. You're going to need something more flexible there."

Tony barely looks up, without the spark of his usual comments. He just nods, but keeps working without changing anything.

"Everything seems to be failing lately." Replies the usually animated playboy in a muffled voice. John watches him for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"What happened with Stane...it's not your fault, Tony. No one could have foreseen it."

At this Tony just keeps working for a few seconds until he finally stops, pursing his lips, clearly stricken.

"He...he was like family. More than that, someone I trusted my whole life. And for what? For him to sell my weapons to the enemy and leave me to rot in a cave." After that he pauses and speaks again after a few seconds almost as if whispering "How did I not see that coming?"

John moves closer, looking at the MARK 2 blueprints on the hologram, but really concentrating on what Tony is saying. So in a more reassuring tone he replies to him.

"Stane betrayed you, yes, but that doesn't change who you are. What you're doing now..." He says pointing to the armor. "It's something bigger than that betrayal."

To this Tony just sighs, dropping into the chair. His eyes are fixed on the unfinished armor, but his mind is elsewhere.

"Maybe... but what if everything I do ends up causing more damage? I build these things, John, and in the end, the same hands I shook use them to destroy. What good is all this?"

John looks at him earnestly, but with unwavering calm.

"It serves because it's not what you build, but what you use it for." He says and pauses a little, so he can look Tony in the eye. "You can't control what others do with what you created before. But you can control what you do now. And now, Tony, you're building something that can save lives... even your own."

Tony is silent, absorbing John's words. He looks at MARK 2 again, and something in his expression changes. It's not the optimism of before, but it's a small spark of resolve that begins to ignite. So he mutters in a whisper as if saying it to himself.

"I won't let them use me again."

To which John just nods, and in a calmer tone tells him:

"Then let's start by upgrading that gasket. A flexible alloy. It's going to hold more than you think."

Tony looks at him, smiling a tired smile.

"Yeah, I think you're right." He pauses, and goes back to work. "Let's get it right this time."

So the two return to work with a bond that goes even further than partners or master and student, being now friends.