I'm going to skip the part where Tony meets Rhodey and talks to the Mandarin and directly jumping to the boat scene and Tony has also saved the staff of air force 1.

Chapter 44

When Ray woke up she felt a striking pain on her stomach and neck. She found herself lying down in a far comfortable position on a floor, or maybe a deck. She got up and sat with her head against the wall wondering where she was when her eyes shifted to the small fridge. She pulled the door and found ice packs kept with a small note. 'Ice packs will make you feel better'. She recognised her brother's handwriting. She sighed in relief and down back where she was sitting applying the ice packs on the blisters on her neck and stomach. After sometime Ray got up to the deck and found Rhodes there. "Rhodey?" she said still a bit dizzy.

"Ray? You okay?" Rhodes asked. "How are your burns?"

"Better." She said looking around. "Where's Tony?"

"He is in the other room remote controlling his suit to save the staff of Air Force 1." He said getting up and asking her to follow him. "Tell me you have good news." Rhodes said opening the door.

"I think they all made it." He said as Rhodes sighed in relief. Tony noticed Ray standing behind. "Hey, Ray? Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said as he approached her and removed her hair to see the burn on her neck. It had blisters and a few had even opened up. "Damn, tie your hair!" he said lightly touching it. "Aaah!" she exclaimed removing his hand. "I didn't get the president though." He said turning back to Rhodes.

"You couldn't get the president with the suit, how'll you get Pepper without one?" Rhodes asked.

Tony sighed and turned around and gave Ray her earpiece. "Glad to have you back ma'am." She heard Voila as she out it on.

"Yeah, I missed you too V." Ray was delighted to hear obedient AI's voice again. It felt so homely.

"Are we ready?" Tony asked through his earpiece.

"The house party protocol, sir?" JARVIS sounded.

"Correct!" he said turning to Ray. She looked surprised and excited.

WITH PEPPER

Pepper was awakened by someone injecting her with something, perhaps adrenalin. "Hi!" she heard someone say. She looked up to see who it was. Aldrich Killian! "You think he's gonna help you? He wouldn't!" she told him.

He shyly looked at her. "Having you here isn't just to motivate Tony, you're here as my, umm..."

"Trophy" Pepper completed as he shyly nodded. Just then the Iron Patriot suit landed on the door and opened to reveal President Ellis.

"Good evening, sir. Welcome abord, Mr. President." Said Killian as Pepper looked at him in shock.

WITH TONY AND RAY

"Ray I really don't think you should..." Tony was about to say but Ray cut him short. "Oh no! Not that again, Tony!" she sounded irritated.

"No Ray, you're hurt and this is dangerous and..." he trailed.

"Tony listen," Ray said in a more serious tone. "I'm not letting you go in there alone. You are sick, you're having panic attacks. You need me in there." She said. It was true.

"Ray, please!" Tony exclaimed angrily. He hated it when Ray didn't listen to him. Then his tone softened. "I can't lose you both." He finally said.

"Neither can I." Ray replied placing a hand on his.

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"You're not going to freak out on me right?" Rhodes asked as they entered the Oil Drilling Platform.

"II hope not." Ray said as they looked up to see that the President was hanged with the Iron Patriot suit.

"Oh my God! He's stung up to the oil tank, they're gonna light him up man!" Rhodes said.

"Viking funeral." Ray said.

"Public execution." Tony added.

"Broadcast will come shortly. Take final positions." A voice over a speaker said.

They were walking on the rig behind a tank when suddenly Killian's men spotted them and started shooting. Ray shot someone on a distant platform before proudly looking back at her brother and Rhodes. "See that? Nailed it!" earning a smile fro Tony while Rhodes just stared at her. She rolled her eyes.

Tony got up and peeped on the other end. "What did you see?" Rhodes asked.

"Too early nothing yet." He said.

He got up again and spotted the extremis soldiers gathering. "Three guys, one girl, all armed." He said.

"God, I'll kill some armour now!" Rhodes exclaimed making both Ray and Tony smirk at each other.

"You know what?" Tony said as Ray gestures Rhodes to see ahead. He sees light flicker in the sky.

"Is that?"

"Yup!" Tony said.

The sky flickered with a few more lights. "Are those?"

"Yup!" Ray exclaimed.

Rhodey was left overjoyed as all the Iron Man and Valkyre suits arrived. "This looks like an early Christmas!" he said. He finally found some hope that they would be able to save both Pepper and the President.

The Iron Man and Valkyre suits latched on both their owners. "JARVIS, Voila target extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice." Tony said

"Yes sir." Said both the AIs.

"Oh yeah, that's awesome! Now give me a suit." Said Rhodes said raising his hand ready for a suit to latch on.

"I'm sorry. All my suits are coded to me." Tony said flying away.

Rhodes expectedly looked at Ray. "My suits are all feminine." She said.

"What does that mean?"

"I got you covered." She said flying away as a Valkyre suit came to him. "Can I give you a lift?" said Voila.

"Yeah, very funny." He said rolling his eyes.

"Sir, I have located Miss. Potts" JARVIS said.

"I'll cover you." Ray told Tony shooting two extremis soldiers.

"Stay away from the ground. Shoot from the sky." He instructed.

"Yeah." Ray said hopping on the platform latching the Valkyre suit on an extremis soldier, blew it and jumped off the rig as another Valkyre suit latched over her. Tony sighed looking at Ray. He flew to the place where he located Pepper and found her under rubble. He picked up the metal pole as she got squashed under it. "Stop!" she almost screamed. "Keep it down! Keep it down!" He obeyed and leaned below. "See what happens when you hand out with my ex-girlfriends."

"You're such a jerk!" she said and started crying. She was terrified.

"We'll talk about this later at the dinner table." He said reaching out for her. She tried to grab her hand. They were only inches apart when suddenly a red hot hand comes out the rubble and knocks out Tony.

"Is this guy bothering you?" Killian said looking at Pepper as he seated himself on Iron Man. "Don't get up." He turned to Tony. "Oh is it hot in there? Stuck? Felling a little stuck? Like a turtle cooking inside his own turtle suit?" he said placing the finger on his arc reactor and heating him red hot. He was almost out of breath when suddenly Ray came flying from somewhere and hit Killian with energy bullets. That distracted Killian and when he was about to hit Tony he quickly took out a knife and his hand was cut. As the hand melted the rubble it shifted and Pepper fell somewhere below. Tony quickly ejected out of the suit and ran to get to her.

"Tony, I've got the President secure." He heard Rhodes.

"Good job. Get him to safety!"

"You think this is enough Tony?" Killian screamed. "Let's see whom you give your priority. One for millions!" he took out a remote from somewhere.

"What's that?"

"It's a bomb that that will go off in 15 minutes and give out extremis radiation." He evilly smirked. "The timer is already started counting down."

"You can't do that." Tony said looking really worried.

"Oh no no no no Tony. I already have done it!" he said looking contended. "Think about it, Tony. So many people out there wouldn't be able to accept the radiation. The scene would be spectacular." He looked at Tony and smirk plastered on his face. "Lets see who you choose. Your dear girl or the millions out there." Tony hit him hard on his face as he fell somewhere below. He rushed down to the platform. "Ray!" he called through his intercom.

"You got Peppy?"She asked.

"Not yet. We have another problem. A bomb somewhere is going to give out extremis radiation in less than 15 minutes. We have to deactivate it."

"Where is it?" she asked shooting another extremis freak right on his face and tearing his body apart. "Fuck!" she exclaimed as her suit heated up and she ejected out of it. "Voila, blow peanut for me, will you?" she said as the suit blowed up. She quickly jumped into another suit.

"I don't know. But there's a remote that activated it. You might want to retrace that signal."

"Got it!" she said flying up. "Voila, can you locate the remote?"

"I'm on it." Said the AI. Ray looked down at the Oil Drilling platform. "Tony there are still too many. You sure you can handle them?" she asked.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have asked you to do it, but Rhodey can't deactivate a bomb."

"I know." She said.

"Ma'am, I seemed to have traced the signal. I have located the bomb." Said Voila.

"Well done!" she said flying right towards the location.

Tony cursed himself for the fifth time in two minutes for sending Ray to deactivate the bomb. It was dangerous and he knew that! But he also knew that if there was anyone who could deactivate a high-tech bomb in so less time, it was Ray. He had to take the chance. He couldn't let so many people die. It would be a massacre!

He jumped in the platform below on a rig to get close to Pepper who was hanging. "I got you. Relax. I got you!"He stretched his hand but Pepper was way higher. He couldn't reach her. "Look at me, honey. I can't I can't reach you any further and you can't stay there, alright? You have to let go. You have to let go. I'll grab you. I promise!" he said. Pepper seemed to believe him. But suddenly the rig moved. It happened in a fraction of second. Pepper lost her grip and she fell, into the fire. Tony couldn't grab her. "No!" he stared helplessly below.

"Shame." He heard Killian say as he climbed up on the rig on which Tony was. "I would have caught her." He said in a very teasing tone. They charged at each other. Killian jumped to land a punch on Tony but he skid below and got into his suit. Tony kicked him as Killian hit him on the Iron Man mask. He flinched as he hit the metal and his hand glowed orange. Killian pushed Tony on the edge of the rig and was about to rip him into half when he got out of the suit and fell below on the platform. Killian was about to come down and hit him. He had no suits around to help him. Just then the Mark 42 suit flies behind. "I'll be damned. The prodigal son returns." Tony said getting up and waiting for the suit to come on him butt it hit on a bar and shattered on the ground. "Whatever!" he shrugged.

"You really didn't deserve her Tony. It's a pity. I was so close to having her perfect!" Killian said as he jumped down near Tony.

"Wait wait wait!" Tony said taking a step back. "You're right. I didn't deserve her." He was distracting him. "Here's where you are wrong. She was already perfect!" he said as he directed the shattered Mark 42 suit on him. The suit got on Killian and pinned him on the wall. "JARVIS, do me a favour. Blow Mark 42 up!"

"Nooooo!" Killian screamed as the face mask got attached and Tony slid down with the whole platform along with the suit and Killian blasted. He fell on the floor and covered himself with his arms to avoid the debris fall on him. As the debris fell the Iron Man helmet fell below. The eyes burned before the mask opened. Tony sighed finding it empty.

Suddenly a horrific form of Killian came out from under the rubble, glowing red and orange like magma. It walked directly towards him. "You said you wanted the Mandarin, Tony. You are looking right at him!" he screamed. "It was always me Tony! It has always been me." He was about to hit him when suddenly he was knocked down. Tony stared wide eyed at Pepper as she glowed orange. "I got nothing." Suddenly another suit comes from flying, aiming at Pepper and Killian. "JARVIS, subject at my 12 o' clock is not a target. Disengage!" he said only to realise his earpiece had fallen off. JARVIS shot at Pepper as she backs off. She angrily stares at Tony. "What? Oh you mad at me?" he said as Pepper runs towards him, uses him as a lift off and smashes her arm into the suit. She wears the Iron Man arm and uses it to blast Killian. "Honey!" Tony called as she turned at him.

"Oh my god! I was...I was so violent!"she said.

"You scared the hell out of me I thought you were..."

"I was dead." She completed. "Why, because I fell 200 feet?" Tony opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. "Who's the hit mess now?"

"Still debatable."

WITH RAY

Ray flew to the place where she located the bomb. It was on top of a huge tower. (A/N: Somehow the Oscorp Tower came up in my mind.) "Voila, I need the scans." Ray said as she read the time no it. '6:59' it read as it counted back.

"Scanning device." the AI said.

"Hurry up!" she freaked out but knew it wasn't of any use.

"Scan complete." Said the AI as the scans popped up on her screen. The machinery was too intricate. Even if she managed to deactivate the bomb, it would still cause a leakage that could cause death of thousands. "Fuck!" she exclaimed before connecting to Tony. "Tony!" she said.

"Ray, give me updates."

"I found the bomb. I even if I defuse it, there will still be a leakage." She said as the scans popped up in Tony's screen. Tony broke his hug from Pepper before seeing the scans. "There is no way you can stop it!" he exclaimed. "Not in this less time! What's the time?"

"1 and a half minutes left."

"I don't think we can stop this..." Tony trailed.

Ray stared at the bomb and fidgeted with the wires before suddenly exclaiming, "I can stop this!"

"How?" Tony sounded excited too.

"If...if I create an energy shield around the bomb I...I can probably stop the radiation from leaking!" she said.

"What?" Tony almost jumped."No! Absolutely not! You have to stay inside the field for that. It's dangerous!" he exclaimed.

"If this goes off, it's dangerous anyways!" she exclaimed from the other end.

"NO!" he snapped. "Ray, get out of there."

"Tony I can stop this!" she shot back.

"That can kill you!"

"There's a 50% probability. My suit can block 75% of the radiation." She tried to assure.

"74.5!" Tony exclaimed. He had already been doing the math in his head.

"Same thing!" Ray said before continuing. "We have to take the chance."

"It's not we! It's you taking the chance. I am not letting you do it!"

The timer counted '20, 19, 18...' "I'm doing it, Tone." Ray said in a calm tone as she started building up the energy shield.

"No!" he snapped. "Please, you don't need to do this!" he almost begged. He couldn't afford to lose her.

Tony who now wasn't even aware of his surroundings now sat on the ground with a thud. "Tony! What happened?" Pepper asked but he didn't even hear her. "Please don't make me regret the decision of sending you there, Ray."

"You wouldn't." Ray said. the uncertainity was clear in her voice. The shield got thicker and thicker. '10, 9, 8...' the timer counted. "I'm sorry Tony." She said before the bomb went off.

OMGOMGOMGOMG! Did I just kill my OC? My favourite OC! Oh god! Did I? I still don't know. Because I'm debating whether Ray should live or die. It completely depends on my mood when I start to write the next chapter.

Anyways, I AM GOING TO WATCH AVENGERS : INFINTY TOMORROW! I really can't wait now. The clock seems to have slowed down! I have been through so many hardships just to avoid spoilers! I have not logged into Facebook and Instagram for two days!

Who do you think would die in Infinity War? OMG, I hope they don't kill Tony! But somewhere, my spidey sense says he's gonna die. But I'm soooooo not ready for it! Tell me your thoughts!

Did you watch the movie yet? If you did, you can share your thoughts below. But I'm not going to read them before tomorrow. SPOILERS! And if you haven't seen the movie I'd say, don't read the comments. But you're always free to leave one.

And at the end. REVIEW! IT MEANS A LOT. AND HELP ME DECIDE IF I SHOULD KILL RAY OR NOT. TELL ME IN YOUR COMMENTS.

Bye till then!

All the best to all you marvel geeks, for Infinity War. I'm sure it will take you through a whirlwind of emotions!

ImaginationsUnleashed