Chapter 23

"Maybe this is not your only option here," a deep bass voice suddenly echoed down to them from the top of the stairs. "Perhaps you should let us help you…"

Tony and Pepper didn't have to turn their heads to recognize that voice… Pepper started panicking. They had found them! It was done! Their escape hadn't gone that far finally. At the same time, Tony was analyzing the entire scenario in his head. He knew he had to act fast for them to get out of this.

"Fury…" Tony said as he turned his head to face the dark skinned male standing at the top of his staircase. "JARVIS! The suit, now!" He yelled as he got to his feet so quickly, Pepper jumped with surprise.

"Stark wait!" Fury tried to stop him, but it was too late, the suit was already on, and Tony was flying to him. In less than a second, Fury found himself knocked down from the staircase and pressed against the wall of the living room. "Tony! Listen to me…" he tried again.

"Shut up!" Tony yelled "Don't even say a word if you don't want to die right now! Now, tell me, how many men are here? How do we escape?" Tony asked desperately.

"I'm alone… "Fury said, panting to regain his breath.

"Oh come on!" Tony said. "Spare me your bull shit! I don't have time to play hide and seek with you." The robotic voice of Ironman continued. "My son is in pain downstairs and I want to end this as soon as possible." He explained pressing down a bit more on Fury's throat.

"I swear…" Fury whispered "I'm alone… Please, let me help you Tony…"

"Help me?!" Tony repeated in disbelief. "Hiding the existence of my son, preventing Pepper from coming back to me and putting them both in a gilded cage? All that was to help me?!" Tony yelled, slowly losing his temper.

"Precisely…" Fury started as Iron Man's fist went down hard on his face. The force drove his head back and slammed it hard against the wall of the living room.

Tony held him pinned against the wall six or seven inches off the ground. "I repeat, how many men are in the mansion?" Tony asked slowly and threateningly in his suit's metallic voice.

Fury tried to speak but couldn't, on account of Iron Man holding him so tightly. So Tony let him down and loosened his grip just enough so he could breathe a little. Wheezing some, he said, "Stark, please listen to me…"

In the background, Dane moaned in pain, leading to a flow of anger flooding Tony's body. "You listen to me right now, Fury! Do you hear that?! Do you hear my son in pain?! I don't have time to lose hearing whatever excuses you want to make up! If you don't answer me quickly and get to the point, I will kill you on the spot! I won't hesitate, just like you didn't hesitate when you chose to ruin the past 5 years of my life!"

"I'm here alone, Tony…" Fury said, quickly continuing as he felt the eagerness of Tony behind his helmet "…I wanted to explain everything to you in person."

"There is nothing to explain!" Tony shouted as his fist crashed on the wall just a few millimeters away from Fury's head. "There is no valid reason to explain what you did!" On that last word, Tony slid up the helmet of his suit just to look at Fury in the eyes.

"I worked in the interest of everyone…" Fury started.

Tony cut him off. "No you work in the interest of no one but yourself, Fury!"

"I did what I did for the best interest of the SHIELD and therefore the world!" Fury interjected

"Come on, who do you want to fool?! Even with only one valid eye you can't be that blind to the situation!" Tony yelled. "Everything had fallen apart Fury! The Avengers project had been a huge joke since day 1, we were never a real team even when we thought we were working together! Everyone tried to believe you and follow you even with your craziness and nonsense, but it didnt work… The Avengers fell apart, badly and split into so many groups! My best friend can't walk anymore if it wasn't for the prosthesis I made for him, Rogers is nowhere to be found, the Sokovia Accords are antics and civilians keep dying every day… What does SHIELD do? Watch and enjoy the misery of the ordinary people?"

"SHIELD is your father's creation Stark" Fury responded simply.

"And where did it lead him? To the freaking grave!" Tony shouted. "I don't want what happened to my mum to happen to Pepper because I was as stupid as my father! And I don't want Dane to live the childhood I had to live through!" He was desperate now. Desperate to make Fury understand.

"Stark…"

"Your entire organization is as sick as you, you know that? You people don't know the reality of life!"

"Come on Tony, you know what the reality of life is as much as I know it! You went there with a nuke on your back, you saw the alien ship! You know what there is out there, you can't ignore it! You know that more powerful entities will come sooner or later! Just a few lives ruined is nothing compared to what could happen if we donothing." Fury responded angrily.

"That's not how see things…" Tony stated.

"You know I'm right Stark, deep down, even if you don't want to admit it, you know I'm right." Fury emphasized. "Now, let's stop being stupid and let me call the medical team to take care of Dane…" Tony stared at him. "We are not the bad guys Tony, we took advantage of a situation that you prompted!"

"I don't trust you Fury," Tony said almost resigned to the situation.

"I don't trust you either, Stark," Fury replied. "And this is exactly why we'd rather have Pepper and your son far away from you!"

The last words of Fury echoed in Tony's head. It was like a thousand blades had entered his heart at the same time and shattered it! He let go of his grip on Fury.

As soon as he felt himself free, Fury's hand went to his ear and pressed down on the device as he said. "Agent Hill, please let a medical team enter Stark's house. The young Potts is injured."

Tony blinked few times trying to get himself back together. "You're not taking Dane anywhere." Tony said firmly.

"We won't take him anywhere Stark, except to the medical facilities of SHIELD…"

Tony cut him off, "I don't want the SHIELD to 'capture' my son!"

"There is no such thing Tony," Fury said, frustrated now. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder "You and your ego always lead you to believe that there's plot and conspiracy all around you!" Tony started to open his mouth but Fury ignored him and continued without letting him speak. "Look Tony, I am not the director of the SHIELD anymore and I came here because I care very much about you."

Tony rolled his eyes up at this "I do Tony, and that's why I did what I did! We didn't make Pepper leave you Tony! We helped her to stay far from you and your idiocies!"

"But it was not on you to make the decision for both of us… That isn't fair to any of us!"

"Fair is not what matters Stark!" Fury said flatly while the medical team entered the house and started to go down the stairs. "You lost all self-confidence, and that's why you made Pepper leave! You were lost and becoming dangerous to the people surrounding you as well as to your own self. We tried to help you get through it…"

"You mean you used me," Tony corrected, getting sick of Fury's monologue.

"Everything is a matter of perspective." Fury said. "I may not be perfect Tony, but at least I always make decisions for the good of the majority, unlike you with your enormous ego!"

It was the third person in less than 72 hours that was calling him selfish… Tony stared at him in shock, unable to process the flow of information. He didn't even react when a voice rung out from the bottom of the staircase. "No!" Pepper shouted. "Don't touch him!" She continued. "Where are you taking him to?" She questioned, coming closer. All of a sudden she was in front of him, half hysterical "Tony! They are taking him! Do something… Don't let them take him!" Her hands beat down on the metal suit of Iron Man.

"Miss Potts, calm down," Fury said in the most reassuring tone he could. "Follow me, you will be able to go in the same car with Dane! We aren't taking him anywhere, just to the medical facilities of the SHIELD to make him better." Seeing the skeptical look on Pepper, he hastily added. "You won't leave him for even one second, I promise." He said, guiding her toward the exit of the living room.

Pepper looked back at Tony for just one more glance, seeing him still and gazing at the wall lost in thought. She sighed and turned around before joining her mum and following Nick Fury to join Dane.