I went out to watch The A-Team after posting the chapter and when I came home I had a LONG list of reviews stocked up in my email! It made me happy! :) Thanks guys! I mean, over 200 reviews already? Holla! XD
And now for the next chapter:
Chapter 11
Day 7, 7:15 PM
Pepper literally thought her heart had fallen through the floor once she heard Tony had less than three hours to live. Over the past week, her heart had done backflips, somersaults and even cartwheels but to find out he was so close to Death's gates – she hadn't been prepared for the news. But she was filled with new determination – now they had a visible deadline. And the three of them were going to kick ass to meet it.
Unfortunately, Tony's kick ass stamina was diminishing. And fast. As time passed him by, he found it almost impossible to keep his eyes open and his endurance disappeared. Keeping his eyes open for more than ten minutes at a time was becoming difficult, and if he stayed on his feet for too long, he'd find himself on the brink of unconsciousness due to simple exhaustion. He felt as if he'd run a marathon across the entire country and was now forced to stay awake – it was pure torture.
Pepper and Rhodey did their best to keep him awake, but doing so was difficult even for them. They both knew he was in pain and to force him to endure it was excruciating on its own right. The hours passed and the accelerator in its completed form now snaked around the entire room. But they weren't finished yet – they still had last minute finishing touches and adjustments before the accelerator could officially begin its work.
By seven fifteen, Tony knew his time was up. His body was weak and he was breathing came in short gasps as if there wasn't enough air in the atmosphere. Beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face and his shirt clung to his back. All he wanted to do was sit down and close his eyes but he knew if he did there would be no waking up. He didn't need to calculate how much time had left to the second – it wasn't much longer anyway.
"Tony, you need to sit down," Rhodey finally told him, trying to hide his panic. "You can explain it from there or JARVIS can-"
Tony shook his head but when that proved to be more exhausting than he expected, he muttered, "No – can't sit down…just let me-"
"No, it's fine, come on, Tony-" Pepper tried to convince him taking him by the arm and leading him to the nearest seat. He obviously didn't want to follow but didn't have much choice, collapsing into the chair. JARVIS was trying to pick up from where Tony had left off, explaining how to finish he last minute details to Rhodey. But Pepper's attention was focused on her dying boss.
"It's going to be okay, Tony," she told him, taking his shoulder gently. "It's going to be okay…you're going to be fine."
He swayed back and forth as he took in each shaky breath and shook his head slightly. "How do you know?" he asked, shaking.
It hurt Pepper to see him like this. Not just weak and exhausted but broken. It was a side of him she had never seen even throughout the entire week. He had threatened to give up, had almost lost hope but now she felt as if she was talking to a shell of the man she once knew. She reached up and took his face in her hand. "I know," she told him firmly, looking into the dark eyes she knew so well. But this time, she sensed emptiness as well; and it scared her.
He took in a sharp breath and winced but just before Pepper could ask what was wrong, Rhodey called out, "I think it's done! JARVIS, am I done?"
The accelerator is complete. Should I commence charging?
"What?" Rhodey exclaimed, more than asked. What the hell did that mean?
As JARVIS tried to explain what to do next in layman's terms, Pepper turned to Tony, a glint of relief in her eyes now that this nightmare was over. But when she looked at him, the relief within her disappeared. Tony's breathing was coming in short bursts and yet it he looked like he was trying to hold his breath.
"What's wrong?" Pepper asked taking his hand.
He was running out of time and he knew it. He probably had just minutes left – his vision was fuzzy and now, now he felt like someone was literally squeezing the life out of his heart.
"What's wrong?" she repeated, her own heart racing.
"Chest…tight," he gasped, trying to point at Rhodey. "He needs to…switch on…JARVIS can do the rest…"
"Shh, stop, he'll get it-"
"Not enough time," he said closing his eyes and wincing while squeezing her hand.
"Pepper!" Rhodey called out as the accelerator came to life, whirring and humming. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to stay by his side. "Pepper!" he called out again a little more frantically, but she still didn't leave him. Instead, she looked Tony in the eye. Hold on for me, Tony. With hesitation plaguing her movements, Pepper finally stood up and left him.
"What?" she yelled over the noise at Rhodey who was struggling with turning the wheel.
"The lever – I think it's on his table…"
She ran to retrieve it and by the time she came back, the familiar beam of energy shot out of the opening – drilling a hole into the wall. Rhodey ignored it, attaching the lever and pulling it towards him, moving the beam towards the target that had been set up earlier.
For a moment, Pepper watched the beam move at an excruciating rate. Then realizing she couldn't handle just staring at it for God knew how long, she turned towards Tony and saw him standing up, his two hands gripping the table for support.
"I need to do it-" Tony tried to explain, his breathing sounding forced.
"He's got it it's okay-"
"I need to put it in…" He motioned towards the accelerator as if to say he wanted to go there.
She didn't understand why he needed to be there but she complied anyway, mostly out of fear and worry. She put one of his arms over his shoulder allowing him to lean on her slightly. Slowly, the two of them shuffled toward the machine and Tony tried to ignore the growing pain in his chest. It wasn't supposed to hurt – he wasn't supposed to die in pain, he knew. That was the point of the solution he had invented, but he also wasn't supposed to be awake right now either. At a blood toxicity level so high, he was supposed to be unconscious, but instead he had chosen to fight through the growing exhaustion that plagued him. He wasn't on the brink of consciousness anymore – he was on the brink of death.
Halfway toward the accelerator – he lost it. Whatever was keeping him grounded disappeared. The room started to spin, his legs felt like jell-o and his arms went limp. His legs gave way as his eyes rolled towards the back of his head. Pepper shrieked as the two of them came crashing towards the floor.
"Tony!" she screamed trying to stay upright with his head resting on her shoulders. "Tony, come on – we're almost there."
He groaned, his tongue feeling heavy as he gasped for air. Pepper, knowing they couldn't go any further, set him down on the floor. "Tony, come on…"
Everything happening around him seemed to fade. He couldn't hear Rhodey working on the new element, the sound of the machines and even JARVIS's voice had vanished. Pepper was looking at him, holding his face in her hands saying something, repeating something over and over again but he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even feel her hands on his face. The pain in his chest was numbing and even though his breathing was ragged, he couldn't tell. He was drifting, drifting…
So this was dying? He would have laughed had he had the strength. If this was dying then he had no idea why anyone feared it. It was so peaceful, so painless. He was leaving…
"Tony!"
He was forcefully brought back to the present by the sound of his name. He was still alive and he could hear the noise, feel the pain…
"Tony, look at me…" she pleaded, crying. "Look at me, please, look at me…"
The tightening in his chest returned, and he tried to suck in the little air he could. Air entered his lungs in quick shallow bursts, his chest rising and falling quickly and as he tried to breathe. His eyes finally found Pepper.
"Tony, it's going to be okay…"
No, it wasn't. It was too late for him now. He wasn't getting enough air and the edges of his vision were turning black. It was over. He felt her soft, perfect hands in his hair, trying to draw him back. This was why dying was hard – he'd have to leave her.
"Stay with me," she begged, but he knew he couldn't do that. His breath caught in his throat – literally, and he panicked, trying to take in some air. A nerve wracking moment passed and he closed his eyes, hating the discomfort. And just as quickly as the sensation had come, it left and his lungs seemed to work again.
"Tony?"
He opened his eyes, as another moment without air took over. He was dying, leaving her. With every ounce of remaining strength still inside him, he lifted his arm, reaching for the side of her face. His hand gently caressed her cheek, feeling her soft skin and his fingers brushed against some loose strands of hair. With his thumb, he lightly wiped a tear away. Don't cry for me, Pepper.
Tears still falling, she held his hand in place, her fingers wrapping around his. "Tony…Tony, don't leave me, please…please, don't leave me…"
He didn't want to leave her, God knows he didn't want to. But he could feel himself leaving, slowly disappearing. The dark edges surrounding his field of vision were closing in on him.
Pepper held on to his hand, calling his name. His eyes were open but they seemed distant and his hand was limp. Panic seized her as she grabbed his shoulder screaming for him. "Tony! Tony! Tony…oh, God, no, no, no…"
She didn't even notice Rhodey come up beside her, holding the arc reactor with the new element resting within. He held it up beside her, breathing heavily and staring at his best friend, lying on the ground unconscious.
With tears still streaming down her face, Pepper quickly lifted up his shirt and removed the arc reactor inside him. Quick as a flash, she put in the new one and as soon as she had, she looked at him, holding his face in one hand. He was still breathing faintly but she could tell he was losing him. This was it. This was goodbye.
"Tony!" she shrieked shaking his shoulders hoping something would work. "Tony, please, don't…"
A shaky, sharp breath. His eyes focused on her and for a moment, her heart stopped, thinking he was coming back to her. The remnant of a smile crossed his lips as if to tell her that it was going to be okay. His eyes fluttered shut, a final breath, and then – nothing.
"No!" Pepper screamed, but his eyes didn't open. It was too late now – but she had to tell him…she had to. "Tony, please…" she lowered her face so she was just above him, her right hand still on his cheek and tears pouring down her cheeks. "Tony, I wanted to tell you – I read the letter…I know you didn't want me to but I read it anyway. I read it and I realized…I love you, Tony. I love you so much, and you can't leave me now, please…I love you…" she blubbered endlessly not thinking about the words coming out of her mouth but meaning everything. She rested her head on his lifeless chest, sobbing. "I love you, Tony…" she whispered. Her hand continued to caress his cheek and she felt the warmth slowly leave him. She lifted her head to look at him. Eyes closed, color leaving his face. She remembered the dream she had just last week of his death and remembered that in her dream, he simply looked dead. For some reason, now he looked like he was finally at peace. She leaned down and gently kissed his cheek. "I love you."
Rhodey placed a hand on Pepper's shoulder, comforting her but silently mourning and grieving. He was looking at his best friend's lifeless body, had even watched him die. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. Pepper buried her face in Rhodey's shoulder and wept bitterly at the loss of a friend and the man she loved.
Tony had it all figured out. He was a billionaire that made weapons and slept around. Alright, so "heaven material" wasn't exactly plastered on his forehead but after he hit the jackpot in Afghanistan with the Ten Rings, things had changed. He became Iron Man. And as if that wasn't good enough, he was the reason the world had experienced its longest peace period. The six months of "Responsible Tony" had to count for something right? And he was genuinely a nice guy – isn't that a good thing?
So when he found himself back in the middle of an Afghan desert – well, he wanted to talk to whoever was in charge. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the worst sandstorm he had ever imagined or even heard of seemed to be happening in his current location.
Perfect. In my hell, I get to relive the worst three months of my life – plus a sandstorm.
He would've preferred the pit of fire. I think.
Wherever he was, Tony couldn't see anything. The sand whipped around as if it was forming a giant tornado with him in the center, and the blistering heat wasn't helping matters. What the hell was this place?
Tony!
He squinted, holding his hands to his face to keep sand from entering his eye. Someone was calling him.
Tony!
He knew that voice…her…she worked for him. What was her name? Ginger, freckles…
Tony, please!
Pepper! How could he forget? What was wrong with this place? He wanted to scream her name but he seemed to have no voice. Where was she? He turned in every direction but he could see nothing except for the whirling sand around him. And she sounded as if she was everywhere at once.
Tony, I wanted to tell you…I read the letter…
Where was she?
I know you didn't want me to, but I read it…and I realized—
Instinct told him to go against the blowing wind. The wind and surrounding air was the evil thing trying to keep him away. But trying to walk in the opposite direction was easier said than done. Within moments, he found himself on all fours trying to crawl against the wind.
You can't leave me now, please…
This was pointless, he knew, but he tried anyway, getting nowhere. He didn't even know where he was going – everything here looked the same? Was he stuck here – whatever "here" was?
Please…
His chest tightened and Tony gasped. He relaxed once the pain had subsided but it happened again – and again. It felt like someone had tied a rope around his heart and was trying to pull it out of him.
Tony collapsed as the sand and wind consumed him.
Update coming soon! Review please because that will make me type A LOT faster.
