A/N: I came up with this story when I was watching the first Iron Man movie over for the billionth time and that particular scene with Tony and Obadiah really stuck out with me so I decided to write this story. Something like this has probably been done before but I wanted to have my take at it. Hope it isn't too bad.

I don't own MARVEL or it's character Tony Stark. I also don't own Robert Downey Jr who brought Tony Stark to life. Major sadness there.


Fear. That is what I felt as Obadiah paralyzed me and started to go for my arc reactor. I should have realized things were not right when he was at the charity benefit. The pictures, Obadiah being very vague with his answers. What should have made me aware of the situation was when he had filed the injunction against me.

But here Obadiah was, in my home and I was completely defenseless. I couldn't do a damn thing about it either. He had deactivated Jarvis and all I could do was watch the person who helped guide me all these years trying to take the one thing that kept me from dying. Well, two if you include trying to take over my company.

I could still hear Pepper calling out my name as Obadiah took the phone away and hung it up. As much as I was scared about my well-being, I began to worry for Pepper's as well. I had sent her to my office to find out what Obadiah was doing, where my weapons were being sent off, even though I had that department shut down until further notice. I just hoped that he hadn't caught her and tried to do anything to her.

Obadiah had slowly pulled the reactor out by now and was staring at my life line. The device that kept the shrapnel out of my heart. He made sure that I was to get a good look at it and then he yanked it out. He pulled it out of its base and I could feel the immediate pain in my chest. I didn't have long without the reactor and I wouldn't be able to move for the next fifteen minutes.

He sat down next to me and held the reactor out so that the both of us could see it. He took it so he could use it to power a suit that he had built and he said it could also change the balance of power. No wonder he kept after me about trying to get some specs on it. After all I was trying to do to set things right, it all could be taken away just like that.

Then he mentioned Pepper before he left. That made me panic. I had to do something to stop Obadiah's power hungry quest. I had to hope that I could hold out that long. I watched Obadiah leave with my arc reactor and now started the race against the clock. I still had my first reactor. I would have to remember to thank Pepper for not getting rid of it. Getting to it would be the issue right now.

Time seemed to slowly go by before I could finally move. I used anything that I could to brace myself so I wouldn't fall. My chest hurt so badly and I just wanted to drop and give up. No, I couldn't do that. I still had a few people left that needed and supported me.

The quickest way to get into my workshop was to go down the stairs but given my current condition, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go that way. So, I headed towards the elevator and took it down to the shop.

It was getting harder to stand; even leaning against the wall of the elevator was getting harder. Hell, even breathing was becoming more difficult. Time to seem to go by so slowly before the elevator doors finally opened and I headed out and opened the doors to my shop. I scanned the area quickly to see where it was and it was still sitting where I left it.

As I went to move forward, I felt all the energy in my legs disappear and I collapsed to the ground. I came so far already and I couldn't just stop here. Mustering up all my strength, I started to crawl towards the table.

Finally making to the table, I pulled over a plastic tub container and propped myself up so I could reach for the glass enclosed arc reactor. I was so close to it. I made contact with it but it moved back slightly back out of my reach. It was then when I lost my balance and collapsed to the ground. This was it. I was going to die here. I didn't have any strength left to make another attempt for it. Then the next thing I knew, Dummy had grabbed the glass enclosed case and lowered it down to me. I grabbed it and looked to my ever faithful robot. Dummy chirped at me as if he was saying "Here you go."

"Good boy." I replied back to Dummy and smashed the case, the glass case shattering and glass going everywhere. I managed to connect the reactor back into the base and twisted it back into place. It was the last thing that I remembered doing before I passed out from exhaustion.

Not too long after that, Rhodey was calling my name and helped me roll over onto my back. There was one thing that I was concerned about the most.

"Where's Pepper?" I looked up at my best friend as I grabbed onto his jacket. I needed to know if she was safe.

"She's fine. She's with five agents. They're about to arrest Obadiah." Rhodey told me.

I thought for a second or two and looked back to Rhodey. "That's not going to be enough." I then got up with the help of my best friend.

I had to stop Obadiah. I couldn't let the guy I once trusted with his company, had helped advise me on many different occasions since I took over my father's company. I couldn't let him get away with his crimes anymore. I went over to the platform and the robots got to work to assemble the armor on me. I was going to use my creation, the thing that helped me get out of that cave, only a hell of a lot better version to the first one, to stop Obadiah's and make sure Pepper was safe.

Once the armor was on, I blasted away the wrecked Shelby Cobra and walked under the hole in the ceiling I made and turned to look at Rhodey.

"Need me to do anything else?" Rhodey asked me.

The helmet to my suit closed and he replied back. "Keep the skies clear." And then I shot up and went through the ceiling. I was going to set things right once and for all. But my priority was Pepper. I had to make sure she was safe before I dealt with Obadiah and he had to pay for all that he done.

After everything was said and done and I was addressing the people about the events that happened at Stark Industries, I looked at the cards I was given for a couple seconds before I looked at all the reporters. Then I dropped the biggest bomb that I ever let out.

"I am Iron Man."

Then the room erupted, everybody wanting to get an answer from me. I smirked ever so slightly. I had a very big role to fill now and knowing myself, I wouldn't have it any other way. But there was a new problem that I had to deal with. A raging Pepper. But, I don't seem to mind that so much.