The Mechanic and The Clown (Robert Downey Jr/The Joker)

Chapter 6

My chest hurt and ached causing me to feel quite nauseous - it was like a bad hangover. The cold circular feel of the are reactor made itself known, every time I moved it's presence was quite clear. Not even my shirts could cover light it emitted. It had been away for so long now that it felt unusual to have this foreign yet familiar device as a part of me. The arc reactor was the source of my nightmares, a reminder of all my past sufferings and everything I had seen and was literally digging in my chest. It was a burden, no longer did I see it as a terrible privilege but the kindle of my vengeance. The Joker was not going to get away with this.
Sweating, I clasped my palm over the arc reactor, I was breathing heavily, panicking as I slid down to sit on my bed before my legs gave way. I had to resist the urge of pulling it out, it would kill me if I did. That jerk made sure that I was caught up in that accident because now I had more shrapnel leading to my heart. But the Joker kept me alive for a reason, and there was no way I was going to be blackmailed by a cheap comic. The way the arc reactor was installed gave a very high risk of death if I dared to remove it.

Even though I hated to admit it, I was not as strong mentally as I used to be. I was prone to panicking since New York. Nobody else has gone through what I have, I was the one who diverted the missile from its trajectory and disposed of it through the wormhole that transported me to reaches of outer space. I saw as it exploded destroying the alien army's ship while my suit shut down, cutting me off from the world, Pepper and Jarvis. I was alone, drifting in the dark, I had never felt so close to death or so vulnerable and scared as I was then. I had no plan and there was nothing I could do, but close my eyes.

I shuddered at the slightest memory of the events of New York. I was now a changed man, I couldn't do this alone, I needed at least one person by my side.

Pepper, the missus would have been first point of call, but not this time. She kept me sane. If she was never my assistant and if she never worked in my company I don't know where I would be right now. Whenever I spiralled out of control and let my eccentricities take over she would be the one who pulled me back into reality in a flash.

There was Rhodey. My right hand man, who was normally more then ready to help me. "Jarvis call Rhodey, I got a proposition for him."

"I'm sorry sir, his cell phone is unrecognised."

"Well call the other number!" I wondered why Rhodey changed his cell number without telling me? No bother, Though I'm not sure how he'd feel me ringing him on his military office phone. No worries, it had to be done, whether he liked it... Or not.

"Hello, military defence, Lt Colonel Jenkins speaking."

"Jenkins? This is Stark pass the phone over to Rhodes."

"I'm sorry Mr Stark but Lt Colonel Rhodes has been reinstated, the iron patriot was seen best useful in our combat in the Middle East."

"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Rhodey would have told me if he was leaving the country. I wiped my hand over my mouth and chin and without replying I hung up the call. "Jenkins? That's unoriginal. Jarvis locate Rhodey, confirm his location in the Middle East. We all know the military can't stand me."

"Sir. Lt Rhodes was last seen near the Shelfan Province."

"Great! Find the war machine suit and call him up." I began planing ahead until Jarvis hit me with alarming and equally unwelcoming news.

"The last known sighting of him was three days ago."

What? I found this hard to digest. Rhodey left and went missing two days after Peppers accident. And nobody told me anything? What were they hiding? Oh yeah, why would they tell me I'm like a 'threat to military protocols' but yet i single handedly managed to privatise world peace... Hmm.. Their view of me doesn't really make much sense then does it?

"So Rhodeys down too. Happy's on vacation, who else can I call?"

"Perhaps I can contact SHIELD for assistance?" Jarvis suggested.

"They are the last people I'll go for to ask for help." I didn't trust SHIELD at all. They fought for the greater good but developed tactics and resources that would be of no benefit to anything but act as an aid to destruction. Anyway, they were the same type of people The Joker could demolish in an instant. I had to be sly, get inside his head and understand his mindset. There was someone I could go to. Only one person. A certain individual in particular who i knew would never betray me.