AN: Phil Coulson is my favorite characters in MCU and his friendship (if they even call it that) with Tony is underrated.
He took the suit to Gulmira, where he landed in a circle of hostages. Shoulder missiles were a good idea after all, because he ended up taking down every single captor without even touching the hostages. The leader of that branch was left to the newly empowered village, and he hoped they got the closure they needed, however bloody that bastard ended up.
Those pilots got damn lucky. He definitely needed to get SI back into planes, because one shouldn't be able to take another out like that. And the parachute should have worked without his interference. He refused to have anymore blood on his hands.
Rhodey was more pissed that he'd gone off on his own than about the incident with the Raptors.
"Had I known your plan, I could have gotten the higher ups to adjust accordingly. You have to tell me things for a reason, Tony, people's lives hang into balance!"
He thinks back to the last time he'd been truly reckless, that uncaring and numb… He'd lost Peoria and his tribe was slaughtered.
"I need you to do something for me."
Tony approached Pepper nervously, which in turn made her nervous, because anything that he felt needed asking would be inherently dangerous, and not something worth pursuing. But if he actually needed her help and she could do something, who was she to deny him that?
Who indeed, Pepper scowled as she stalked into Stane's office and jammed the USB stick into the computer.
She swore that she wasn't going to get involved in whatever game Tony thought he was playing but- oh… oh hell no. Oh Hell No…. She needed to get this back now!
But Stane walked in and she was trapped. So she schooled her face and gave him the newspaper, tightening her grip on the flashdrive and digging her nails into his hand. She left nervously with a triumphant spring in her step. She has to get this back to Tony.
Pepper was sidetracked by one Phil Coulson, who showed up just in time to derail Stane.
"Absolutely, walk with me. Now, right now. Your office."
In reality, she took him back to the mansion and showed Tony what was on the flashdrive.
"That bastard traitor! That wretched fool thought he could truly get away with defaming Stark's name, like I wouldn't catch him while he dared! Like I wouldn't put him out of both a job and his own Norns-damned misery! Did that absolute son of a whore seriously think he could get away with this?"
Tony was incensed, but not surprised. Mostly he was cursing any and all of Stane's future progeny with words that Pepper wasn't even sure belonged in the English language, let alone Tony's vocabulary. Then again, his way with words was as extensive as his genius, so she guessed that was to be expected.
Agent Coulson paled with each word Tony spoke, and Pepper just stood there.
"Beta, you're with me for now. Stane's going to try something and I need you at my back for as long as you can spare. Pepper, I need you to go with Coulson to SI and find out what Stane's got planned. Do not go anywhere without this man, are we clear?"
Something about the way Tony spoke, combined with his enraged voice and his agitated movement, encouraged her to listen. So Pepper nodded. She'd probably be better off with Agent Coulson and whoever he had with him.
They left the Malibu premise and drove to SI as quickly as possible, Pepper too nervous to talk and Coulson too stunned. Fury hadn't said anything about reporting Wolves when he was sent to recruit Stark, but this was a new development that needed looking at. He'd have to keep an eye on Stark for future reference, but he wouldn't dare betray the confidence of another Wolf. If Stark kept his secrets then there had to be a reason why.