….
This world was built on leverage, and Stark wasn't just an engineer - he was a human being, with unpredictable attachments.
Another plate of food, another bed of straw, not a big price for an extra bargaining chip.
The leader gave a final nod.
"Bring them both."
….
[Next Day]
The first thing Tony noticed upon waking up within flickering lamplight against rough cave walls was the rhythmic beeping.
Wires ran from his chest to a car battery sitting on a crude wooden table.
Apparently, that is an electromagnet, hooked up to a car battery, and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering into his atrial septum - his heart.
Additionally, he also only has about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs.
That is what he learned from one of the strangers in the same cave - who also seemed to be a foreigner from accented English - but he clearly possessed both medical knowledge and engineering skills.
A dangerous combination in an enemy he could have asked for.
Anyway, the whole realization struck him like cold water.
Tony Stark, the man who thought himself untouchable, was alive only because of a car battery in a cave.
"Do you know the kid?" - the stranger asked Tony, pointing towards another stranger.
It was Jin-Ho.
He still hadn't woken.
"...Yes…"
He lied, unsure why he was even shielding the kid anymore.
But unbeknownst to him, the fateful encounter is something he will remember forever - two lives dragged across worlds and fates… now sharing the same cave.
The cave that once bore witness to the birth of Iron Man -
Was now housing something else, too.
Something unplanned.
Something unpredicted.
And the world was about to change - again.
….
When Jin-Ho's eyes fluttered open, heavy and disoriented, catching glimpses of flickering lamplight against rough cave walls.
The air was damp, reeking of sweat, metal, and oil. He tried to move, feeling the numbness he felt earlier vanish.
And the second thing he noticed was the cave - dark, damp, and reeking of oil and metal.
The third thing?
Tony Stark staring at him from across the room - connected to a battery.
The cave.
This was the place where Tony Stark would build the first Iron Man suit.
And Jin-Ho was present in it.
"Alright." Tony rasped, his voice hoarse but edged with suspicion. "Who the hell are you supposed to be, kid? And don't give me some vague answer, because right now, I need something clear."
By now, Tony learned Yinsen is not part of the group that captured him - so he isn't wary of speaking the truth.
Jin-Ho swallowed, pushing himself up onto his elbows, his head spun. "My name is Jin-Ho. Yoo Jin-Ho."
"Yoo Jin-Ho." He repeated, rolling the syllables on his tongue as though testing them. "You are not from here? You sound like a foreigner. So tell me, what in God's name did a kid like you were doing in the middle of my convoy while it was being blown to pieces?"
Jin-Ho hesitated. What could he possibly say?
Oh, I accidentally fell into your movie world?
That sounded insane. But lying to Tony Stark was a bad idea. He had seen enough of the movies to know that.
"I… I don't know, I wish I could tell you. One moment I was at home, and the next thing I knew, I was lying in the dirt surrounded by fire and gunfire."
Tony raised an eyebrow, skepticism flickering across his face. "At home? And where exactly is 'home' supposed to be?"
Jin-Ho took a steadying breath. "Not here, not in this world."
He wasn't afraid how Tony would react - because in future he will know of outer space other beings and even had to fight with them.
Tony didn't react immediately, instead, he exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "Great.. Wonderful in fact. Just perfectly what I need right now. Here I am, kidnapped by terrorists, a car battery wired into my chest keeping me alive, and now I find out I am sharing this cave with a lunatic kid who thinks he fell out of another world."
"Yeah, well." Jin-Ho muttered with a grimace. "My day hasn't exactly been sunshine and roses either."
A chuckle echoed from the side. A third man, older and bearded, stepped forward. "You are already learning to hold on to humor. Believe me, you will both need it in the days ahead."
Jin-Ho recognized him.
Yinsen.
The man who would one day save Tony's life.
Knowing it in theory was one thing, but seeing him here, in the flesh, made Jin-Ho's stomach knot. He also knew, painfully well, how things ended for him.
And not to mention the mission he received from the system.
Tony, ignoring the sudden intervention, refocused on him with a curt nod. "Alright, self proclaimed alien. I don't care where you came from or how you got here. The fact is you are here now, with me, and that means we either make ourselves useful or we die in this hole. So let's stop with the riddles and start figuring out the real problem."
He tapped the arc reactor strapped crudely to his chest, his eyes glinting with determination. "Getting out of here."
Jin-Ho swallowed hard, then nodded once. "Yeah… I am with you on that part."
….
However, right then a door creaked open.
A group of armed men entered, led by a tall man with a cold.
"Come on, stand up. Stand up! Just do as I do. Come on, put your hands up."
Raza - the leader of this Ten Rings cell.
He stepped forward, looking between Tony and Jin-Ho.
Then, he clapped his hands together.
Raza's voice cut through the air in Pashto, a blend of mockery and begrudging respect.
"He says, 'Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America.'"
Yinsen translated his words.
"The great genius himself. And…" His gaze landed on Jin-Ho, sharp and unreadable. "…a boy, standing where no boy should be."
Oddly enough, Jin-Ho understood each syllable perfectly, though he forced his expression into calm neutrality.
Somewhere in the back of his vision, faint letters flickered like static-
◤-----------------------◥
「Titles:」
-> [The ☒☒☒ Keeper] (Unclassified)
◣-----------------------◢
So it was that again. Whatever this 'title' was, it seemed to bend the rules of reality in ways he still didn't understand.
Meanwhile, his thoughts churned. He had no idea what story they might spin about him. In the movies, only Tony was captured.
But now, with Jin-Ho here, the narrative has already changed.
"Who are you?" Raza asked, tilting his head slightly.
Jin-Ho stayed silent. He already explained his situation to Tony, and he was sure he would help him.
Just as he hoped, Tony coughed and spoke first. "He is my intern assistant."
Jin-Ho turned to him, nodded, as Tony didn't break eye contact with Raza.
"Your assistant?" Raza repeated.
Tony shrugged, the movement constrained by the ropes binding his arms. "Yeah, that's right, he is just a tech guy and a genius, though nowhere near me. Helps me with designs, takes notes, that sort of thing, nothing important actually."
Jin-Ho had to bite down on a smirk. Even in captivity, even half-dead, Tony Stark was still playing mind games.
Raza studied the two of them for a long, tense moment before finally giving a small nod. He turned to one of his men and rattled off a sharp command in Pashto. The soldier nodded once and left the room without a word.
Then Raza faced Tony again, his tone dropping lower, more deliberate. "You will build something for us, Tony Stark, a weapon, Jericho."
Yinsen stepped in again, translating the words.
Tony's jaw tightened, his tone clipped but defiant. "That's not going to happen."
Raza only smiled. "Oh, but it will, you see…" He gestured toward Yinsen. "…this man will ensure your cooperation. You will work with him, and together you will build our weapon." His eyes hardened, his voice sinking into something colder. "And if you do not, all of you will die, slowly at that."
Tony's glare didn't waver. "I said no."
Raza lifted his hand to command his men forward. But Jin-Ho, who knew exactly what was coming…
He imagined it clearly - Tony forced under water, gasping again and again, relentless, unyielding.
Then… being dragged around.
That's exactly what would happen if he didn't act.
"Wait…" Jin-Ho said.
Everyone froze. Surprise flickered across their faces at the sound of him speaking Pashto so fluently. But that astonishment vanished as his next words carried authority.
"I will convince him. Don't do anything."
Tony started to rise. "Hey, who the hell—"
[Telekinesis]
But before he could finish, his legs locked. His body stiffened unnaturally, and his mouth clamped shut.
The movement froze him in place, as if some invisible force had claimed him.
Tony's eyes darted toward Jin-Ho, searching for an explanation, but none came.
Jin-Ho looked at him with a pleading intensity. "See, he is already halfway convinced. My boss likes me."
Raza's eyes lingered on the pair, studying them as if weighing some hidden truth.
Finally, he gave a slow nod.
He said something to Yinsen, who translated: "…when you are done, he will let you free."
Raza stepped forward, his boots crunching softly against the ground, extending his hand first toward Tony, then toward Jin-Ho.
"No. He won't."
"No. He won't."
"No. He won't."
All three voices rang out in unison, sharp and final, sealing the moment in ironclad certainty.
….
The door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing sharply through the stone chamber before fading into a heavy silence.
Tony immediately turned toward Jin-Ho, eyes narrowing. "What did you do?"
"Me? Nothing… well, maybe a little something." He flashed a grin that was equal parts smug and infuriating. "Let's just say I saved your billionaire ass - for the second time."
Tony's glare sharpened. He wasn't amused. "You are not funny, kid."
"It wasn't a joke."
It wasn't that Jin-Ho didn't want to talk about his so‑called 'superpower.' Hell, he had already admitted he was from another world, so this wasn't exactly a shock.
But for him, the timing wasn't right.
Whether he explained it now or later wouldn't change anything.
Tony's jaw clenched.
"No… it's not that."
He had been ready to agree to their demands from the start, but he refused to give in without a fight.
So no - it wasn't about that.
He hesitated, then spoke again, softer this time. "For a second, I… couldn't talk. It was like something just shut me off."
Jin-Ho tilted his head, studying him with a mix of curiosity and mischief. "Maybe your wiring's just faulty, battery dying. Want me to check it for you?"
Tony shot him a suspicious look, definitely not convinced.
Yinsen turned to him, incredulous. "Anyway, that could have gone worse."
Tony asked. "Could it really have gone worse than that?"
Jin-Ho chuckled, half heartedly. "Plenty of ways. For starters, he could have skipped the introductions and put a bullet in our heads."
Yinsen nodded, dead serious. "He is not wrong. You should probably thank the kid - you were five seconds away from a round of torture before he stepped in."
"...." At that Tony turned silent.
And so did, Jin-Ho.
But soon his mind began to wonder–
He had watched this story unfold before and he knew what was coming.
Now, he was inside it, and that meant the story could change - any of it, or all of it.
Jin-Ho glanced at Tony. "So. 'Assistant,' huh?"
Tony said with a prideful tone. "That is the best title someone like you ever could have… actually you should be proud of it."
Jin-Ho suppressed his annoyance. "You are welcome."
Before Jin-Ho could reply, Yinsen glanced between the two of them, clearly entertained by the exchange. "Since it looks like we will be spending quite a bit of time together, I think proper introductions are in order. My name is Yinsen."
Jin-Ho gave him a respectful nod. "I am Jin-Ho. Yoo Jin-Ho, as I said earlier."
Tony gave a small mock bow despite the ropes binding him. "And as our friends with the guns so helpfully reminded you, I am Tony Stark. Billionaire, genius, and currently prisoner of war. Quite the résumé."
He exhaled through his nose, the humor fading into something harder. "Alright, gentlemen. It looks like we are going to be building something. Just… not the thing they think they are getting."
The three of them shared a look, an unspoken understanding passing between them in the dim cave light.
And just like that, the first steps toward Iron Man had begun.
….
.
[To be continued…]
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