(Please see comments for the author’s note.)

As the ending credits of the show popped up on the screen and they began to scroll, I tilted my head back and let out a long sigh before saying exasperatedly, “Why did I even bother getting my hopes up?”

I glanced at the time on my phone as I closed the app that I was watching the show on and then popped my air pods out of each ear and into my pocket. I then got up and headed to my room while avoiding the seventh and thirteenth steps on the staircase since they were guaranteed to wake my neighbour up.

I slid stealthily into my room and, with a gentle touch, pushed the door shut. I then flopped down on my bed and messed around with my phone by turning off the sound and setting my alarm for work tomorrow. Across my room, dark but illuminated by my phone, was a varied collection of random posters and other trinkets from different universes, from famous ones like Naruto, Warhammer, Star Wars, DC, and of course Marvel, along with a dozen odd ones from shows like Firefly, Galaxy Quest, and all 39 volumes of In Another World with my smartphone that had only ended after the author was struck by a very sudden bolt of lightning in 2041.

As I drifted off to sleep, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that this was the rest of my life, doomed to work the minimum wage in a country that had gone to sh*t after COVID and had only gotten worse in the years after. My only shelter from the dark and drab life was slowly being corrupted by the people who lacked any vision. I eventually went into a deep sleep, not knowing what awaited me.

…

“I’m sorry, but he was dead; for Allah knows how long before you brought him here. Yes, while he’s alive, he’s most likely brain dead.” I heard a voice that sounded desperate in accented Arabic, which I somehow understood. After a few seconds, there was a reply. “Well, if he doesn’t wake up, then there is no use left for you.” I heard the sound of a gun cocking and immediately opened my eyes, as it gave me a bit too much of a reminder of my time in the SAS. Wait, when was I in the Royal Army? I’m an American.

I shook those thoughts as I slowly opened my eyes while letting out a light sigh. Everything was blurry, and I felt a familiar ringing in my head, which meant I somehow had a concussion or the worst hangover yet. Surely, I’m not that old. But then, how did I get a concussion, though? I was in bed. Wait! Why were there gunfire and bombs in southern Kent? I flinched at the memory of a large bomb exploding right in front of me. Why are these people speaking over my bed?

“H-he’s awake.” Said the pleading man as I heard two people walking towards me. As my vision finally cleared, I noticed they were both bald and Arabian-looking, one with a short, messy grey beard and the other lacking any, with the exception of above their eyes. The prior of the two was in their sixties, while the later was probably in their thirties. I noticed two other men in the corner of my eyes who were obviously wielding guns.

“Where am I?” I said this while clutching my throbbing head. After a few seconds, I heard an answer from the younger one: “That matters not!” in a harsh tone. “Do you know who you are?”

I paused for a second before hesitating and saying, “And...” Both men leaned in. Andrew. That wasn’t right. I’m Tony. “Uh, Anthony. Tony Stark.” I said while adding a slight emphasis on the star and clutching my forehead. The bald one then turned to the old one and said, “Yinsen. See that he is fit enough to work, and then I will return.”

Yinsen? Where have I heard that before? Okay focus. You were trained on what to do if you were captured. Focus! I was interrupted in my ramblings by a man named Yinsen speaking, “Your voice is different in person; it sounds more British.”

I looked at the man strangely. Of course, why wouldn’t my voice sound British? When this random person had the chance to hear my voice anyway, it wasn’t like I was famous. I flinched again as memories of me being on talk shows and multiple interviews appeared in my mind. I felt an injection in my right arm, but before I could do anything, I passed out.

It took over a week for my concussion to fully subside, but by then I had figured out my situation. I was Iron Man. Well, I am going to be. If I survive this, that is. Raza then burst into the room and looked at me; he then said, “You are going to build me these.” He then showed me a picture of the Jericho missile.

…

The rhythmic hammering as I beat the metal into shape calms my mind as I continue to sort through the knotted mess of memories, which could rival a pair of earbuds that had been in a washing machine. I brushed some of the sand off of my clothes and cursed the horrid stuff. 

So far, I’ve managed to figure out that I am the one and only Tony Stark. I was showing off my new weapons system before I was attacked by these guys and taken captive. But somehow, I’ve also gained the memories of one Andrew Gardener. I don’t know how, but I now possess the memories and experiences of both men.

It was a bit unsettling to realise that this entire world could be fake and meaningless. But I remembered a movie I watched years ago that posed the question, ‘What if nothing's real?’ and the answer was the same as my current opinion: ‘So what?' This world, from my perspective, is as real as the other one. I’ve lived my whole life here, after all.

I have the same years of education and genius intellect as Tony, and I have the same knowledge of the future and optimistic nihilism as Andy, who, unlike Tony, is significantly more aware of how the world truly works. 

I can tell that Raza is getting suspicious. He now has guards posted right outside. I have already uploaded the code, so the suit will work immediately since I don’t want Yinsen to die this time around. He has saved my life, after all. As I finished the final preparations for the suit, I climbed inside as Yinsen bolted the door.

I heard banging on the door as they tried to bust in. The two eyes’ slots of the faceless mark one glowed to life, brimming with energy. As a rifle butt broke through the door, I walked towards the door. The butt was pulled out, and a soldier looked through the hole to see a massive man of metal taking a run up towards him, and he immediately turned to flee as I busted through, splintering it to pieces and crushing his companion. 

His prompt attempt to escape, however, didn’t save him, as the bulk of the suit soon crashed into him, the momentum breaking his spine. The suit tumbled and fell flat on the ground. It didn’t get back up. I tried to reboot it, as several shadows could be seen from the caves. Yinsen picked up one of the guns of the fallen men and said, “I will buy you time.” As he charged while firing, he managed to scare the advancing soldiers.

My heart sank as I realised what this meant. I desperately tried to get the metal giant moving again, and after a few seconds, I stood up. I then bolted in the direction of gunfire. As I rounded a corner, I saw Yinsen against the wall with several bullets in his chest, lying there completely lifeless.

“You didn’t have to die!” I screamed under my breath as several dozen rounds began to ricochet off of my armor. I looked at them as a blank expression appeared on my face. I just stood there looking at them as they emptied their entire magazines into me. One had snuck through and buried itself in my leg, but that was to be ignored for now. This was real life. There were no valiant sacrifices, and there was no predestination. Yet why did it feel that way?

Once they had emptied their magazines, they all tried to reload. I then shouted, “You done, you fucking cunts. My Turn!” I then lifted one of my arms and let out a burst of flame, which illuminated even the darkest corner of the cave. I didn’t even flinch as my stomach wretched from the sight as I watched the dozens of men burn and scream for help from the gel that coated them and slowly burned through their flesh. I made sure to target Raza specifically. I then picked up Yinsen’s body with one arm and walked out of the cave. As I did so, I got pelted with more bullets. While sheltering Yinsen’s body, I let out liberal amounts of flames and took off.

As I did, the entire camp exploded in an intense fireball. I shot off into the sky, and after a few kilometres, the suit failed and began to plummet. I deployed the parachute I had added, which only really slowed my descent negligibly. As I impacted the sand, the suit fell apart into several pieces around me.

As I landed, I activated the beacon I had made from the GPS guidance I found on one of my missiles. I then sat down next to the now deceased Yinsen as I waited for help to arrive. I couldn’t leave him behind.

Yinsen, he could have lived. I knew he was happy to die and see his family, and he hoped that I would become a better person because of it, but he could have lived. No, he’s dead. Move on. While I know what is generally going to happen, anything I do will greatly alter everything. I can’t let myself think that nothing has consequences. People are going to die at my hands, but then again, that's nothing new.

The U.S. military, which was already nearby and trying to figure out where the massive explosion came from, soon picked me up, and I gave Rhodey a big hug the first second I saw him. "You're riding with me next time," he said as he wrapped his arms around my back.

“The man's name is Ho Yinsen. He comes from a village called Gulmira. Can you make sure he’s buried with his family there?" I said, trying my best to keep my Californian accent stable, and Rhodey just nodded as we, along with Yinsen and the now disintegrated MK.I. Armour, loaded onto the helicopter.

"You, okay?" asked Rhodey as I stared out the window of the C-5 into the distance aimlessly. I scratched the stubbled hair on my cheek as I turned my head in his general direction and focused on speaking with Tony’s mannerisms since otherwise my voice came across as this weird mix of American and English accented and said, “Fine, I guess. Just…” There were a few seconds of silence before I decided to just tell the truth. “I guess a part of me will just never leave that cave.”

I almost died. It was indeed true that I had, in fact, died in that cave. I was no longer Tony or Andy, but a new person who had lived both lives and would do things differently from both. I mourned their deaths in the same way someone who lost a close friend would. In fact, I really knew them better than that, since whatever had caused me to be here had created a fusion of the two. I felt a hand clasping my arm and then heard Rhodey say, “You’re safe now.”

I just pulled him into a hug as I slowly broke down into tears. After a few seconds, I stopped crying and wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. Rhodey then said it in a concerned tone. “I knew you would be shaken up by this, but not to this degree. There’s something more digging at you, isn’t there?”

Tony looked around the cargo hold and frowned slightly, noticing they were in earshot of the pilot, and he didn’t exactly want Hydra or anyone for that matter to know what he wanted to say. He wanted to say it all. Despite the fact that he almost died in exactly the same way as his parents, the technology they made was slowly eating at him. Another was the reality check Andy had given him. Andy was by no means what most people would call a saint, but he was neither evil nor a narcist as Tony was, and the new perspective made him realise that for most of his life he had been what Andy would call a knobhead. And while some of the things Andy had done would have given the old Tony the shivers, he was inclined to agree with this part of himself. 

He turned to Rhodey and asked, “Why are we friends, Rhodey?”