Hello all, so sorry for the lack of updates. I have a million and one excuses, but mainly life has been kicking my ass since June and doesn't seem to want to let up. Work, life, and now over the past few months my dad's been in and out of the hospital. I've tried getting this chapter up a few times and twice my edits haven't saved, and it goes back to the original rough draft. Also, I decided to split the initial super long chapter I had into smaller parts. Let me know any feedback you have. Always love interacting. Just know I love writing this sorry, and it may take me a while, but I hope to keep on coming back and I hope you will to. Answering some reviews at the bottom!
TRIGGER WARNING – Thought of death, suggestions towards sexual assault, and semi torture scenes are a head.
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Pain radiated throughout Tony's body as Obadiah ripped the arc reactor out of his chest cavity. A gasp escaped from his lips, his body began to go into cardiac arrest. Pain vibrated through him, the more his body registered the absence of its most vital source. The beating in his chest became overwhelming as his body began to plummet into a panic. With everything going on in his body, it was hard for Tony to concentrate on the words Obadiah was now droning to him as he held Tony's arc reactor. Despite the thrumming in his body and the man in front of him, all Tony could seem to concentrate on was the motionless body still lying helplessly on the floor. A puddle of blood had formed underneath her auburn curls. It's dark color glaring starkly against the brightness of the marbled floors. A plea shouted out in Tony's head for her to move or make a sound, anything that would let him know she was alive. That is until Obadiah recaptured Tony's attention when he mentioned having a suit of his own.
Despair and anger overcame him at that fact. Tony had failed to keep his project out of the hands of those who would seek to use it only for destruction. He had let everyone down. He had let Elena down, had failed in his duty as her protector.
The thought of his daughter, once again, had his eyes moving to glance over to where she had fallen. Each sickening crunch and thud of her body against the stairs replayed in his mind. A sense of nausea coursed through him. While his body was incapable of any movement at that moment, his mind began to replay everything from the last few minutes. The terror that had taken over him the moment he had heard Elena's voice echo from above, was now tattooed into his very being. He had tried everything in his power to let out some sort of warning.
Tony allowed his anger to overcome him as he became overwhelmed with the idea of how he would enact revenge on Obadiah for all of this. But then Stane began to spew even more vile words at Tony.
"You know those people that were supposed to kill you? They paid a hefty price for Elena. Well-" He paused to look greedily over at the Elena's still body, "They may be out of the picture, but I'm sure even in her current state, there is someone who would pay something for her. So long as she's a warm body." Obadiah grinned sickeningly at Tony, the intentions clear in his eyes
"NO!", Tony screamed out in his head. Unable to move, unable to speak, his body started to shut down. A cold sweat covered him, whether it was from the lack of his Arc Reactor or Obadiah's words, Tony wasn't sure. He watched as Stane took his briefcase that he had placed said arc reactor in and walked over to Elena's body.
As she lay in the spot she had landed, Elena's body struggled with every breath it took. If Tony could, he would kill the man he once considered his partner on the spot.
Obadiah took his spotless wing-tipped leather shoe and nudged Elena's body with it. After not seeing any signs of movement, Obadiah wiped some blood that now spotted his shoes on Elena's shirt. As if sensing Tony's attempt at a heated gaze, Obadiah turned to him with a menacing grin, "Hell they may even like her better with a broken leg. She won't be able to get away."
The malice and threat behind his words sickened Tony to his core. "She always was a pain in my ass. I will be so happy to be rid of her." Obadiah swiftly took her hands and began to drag Elena out of the house. Her blood now streaked down the hall as her body was so haplessly pulled away. Tony watched on helplessly as his daughter was painfully removed from her home.
His panic rose as Elena left his sight and the echo of the front door banged ominously around him. The pain in his body burned sharply. His chest felt as if it were inflamed in fire. Slowly, Tony felt something other than pain enter his body.
Determination coursed through his mind as he threw himself from the couch, as the paralysis began to wear away. His thoughts solely on Elena as he began to crawl towards the elevator to his lab.
Clint's frustration was in full force as he held his phone to his ear and his tech pad in his hand. In aggravation, he threw his phone down when he heard for what seemed like the millionth time, "Hey, you've reached Elena Stark. If you have this number, obviously I wanted you to call. So just be patient, and I will get back to you shortly, bye!"
Once more, Clint looked down at his hands to check the tracker. The bright green dot had remained blinking and steady in the same place for over an hour now. Letting him know that Elena had not left her home. For a brief moment, Clint worried that she had removed the tracer on her phone and had not worn the other tracker he had placed in the fitness band he given her the last time they had spoken.
Finally reaching the limits of his frustration, Clint figured it was time for him to head over to the Stark mansion to see what was going on. But as he was collecting his stuff, Elena's tracker signal suddenly was speeding away from her home at an alarming rate. Watching for a moment, a feeling of dread landed in Clint's gut as he watched the signal move in the opposite direction of the gym.
Clint swiftly picked up the phone he had slammed down moments ago and dialed Coulson. Without waiting for a greeting Clint barked out, "I think we have a problem."
"You as well?" Coulson scoffed out in disbelief.
"Elena is late for a session and is now booking it in the opposite direction. No answer from her phone, but her tracker signal is strong. Something is off here Coulson I know it."
Coulson hummed in understanding, "I think we may have the same issue. Tony Stark isn't answering his phone either. Miss Potts and I are headed to Stark Industries now to arrest Obadiah Stane. He is the one who paid to have Stark killed by the Ten Rings." Coulson spoke as he was in the car with Pepper, who was looking at him in concern as she still attempted to get a hold of one of the Starks.
"Shit!" Clint hissed out. How had they missed this?
"Also Clint... he sold Elena to them as well-"
Clint brashly interrupted, "Stane has her then," He looked down and saw the signal was headed right for Stark Industries. "Looks like you are both headed to Stark Industries," Clint was on the move the moment he put the pieces together.
"Notify agents on-site with you that Obadiah has Elena Stark. Permission to extract her while you secure Stane." Clint's tone was as cold as stone. The tires of his car squealed in exertion as he ripped out of the parking lot, keeping one eye on Elena's tracker. The signal was almost at Stark Industries. Hopefully, it stayed there long enough for Clint to get to Elena.
"Copy that. Barton, you have full permission to extract Elena Stark. My unit will handle Stane. Miss Potts is taking us there now." Clint heard a scramble on the other end. Then a female voice yelled out, "Permission to extract Elena? Is Elena in danger, does Obadiah have her?"
Clint gripped the steering wheel tighter at the panic in Pepper's voice. "I'm 15 out, Coulson."
"Copy that. We may need a different plan, I'm only 2 minutes out." Clint glanced at his tracker again, "Elena's tracker is reading that they are at the location. I'll be there in 10." Clint pressed his foot soundly against the gas pedal, urging the car to go faster.
Coulson sent a chuckle down the line before Clint hung up. Clint looked over and saw that the tracker now remained over Stark Industries. He looked down at his speed gauge, urging the car to go faster. The hum of it grew louder as he pushed the car to its limits. "I'm coming for you Trust Fund."
Elena wheezed heavily, as she awoke. Every intake of breath was a struggle. A gasp left her as she attempted to sit up. Her movements were slow, her head was heavy, as she tried to blink away the haze over her vision. She went to move her hands to touch her head but found her left hand was immovable as if something was holding her down.
She let out a cry while she attempted once again to move her body. The leg that had been slashed earlier now blazed with pain so terrible it almost made her sick. Sharp, razor-like pain radiated from her toes to her hip. It spread so rapidly that Elena could not even pinpoint where she was injured. Most likely, she had broken her leg in serval places from the way she felt. Another cry interrupted her gasp for air, as she attempted to look around. Everything around her blended into a blur. All she could focus on was the tearing hot ache that spread down the side of her. Tears involuntarily left her eyes, making tracks down her cheeks as Elena prayed. Hoping that her body would succumb to unconsciousness and relieve her of this torture.
She laid still for a moment, focusing on the ins and outs of each breath. Gathering herself once more, she went to lift her head. A gag left her throat as nausea consumed her. She tried to hold back, but her body ejected all of its contents. Painfully Elena turned her head away from the rest of her body to avoid soiling herself with bile. Even after there was nothing left to expel, Elena continued to dry heave. The stale taste in her mouth left her with a feeling as if she would be sick again.
A dry gulp slithered down her throat as, yet another bout of nausea hit her. However, this time she seemed to be able to control her gag reflex. Her skin felt clammy as she shook her head, hoping to be able to gather some thoughts into place. It was useless. Her body had had too much trauma to function properly at the moment.
In between her wheezy breaths, she let out a cry of help so pitiful that Elena herself has barely heard it.
When no answer came, thoughts swirled about Elena's head as to where she could be. Obviously, it was dark. At least Elena hoped that it was darkness surrounding her. A sense of panic flashed across her. As the thought that maybe her vision had been severely damaged by whatever had happened to her. She quickly banished the idea. Panic would not help her in any way. She needed to remain as calm as possible.
Moving her left hand down her right arm, Elea felt something cold and sleek, realizing that the thing holding down her right hand was a pair of handcuffs. When she moved her arm to gauge her range of movement, they made a clanging noise against some other type of metal. Maybe a pipe of some sort.
Hoping to gain someone's attention, she moved her arm back and forth. Elena tried to push past how the clanging of the metal so close to her ear, added to the blinding pain in her head.
She wheezed out another cry for help, only this time it was answered by a dark laugh.
"Sleeping Beauty awakens. For a minute there, I thought you were going to miss out on all the fun." It took Elena a moment for her to piece together who the voice belonged to. Her thoughts were sluggish with the concussion she obviously had, but she painfully spat out the word "Stane." While malice had been behind her speech, her body had only been able to let out a gasp like sound.
His laughter sent a dark chill down her spin that then seemed to settle in a heavy pit in her stomach. Before Elena could register any other emotions, a shrill scream was pulled from her as Stane applied aggravated pressure to her injured leg. Obadiah snickered in glee as he loomed over Elena, pressing down again on her crooked tibia with his right hand, and grasped her throat in his left. His grasp so tight her second cry of pain was cut to squeak.
Elena's vision was still too blurry to see the malicious glee in his smile as he felt how labored her breathing was. That her pain was bringing him a sense of sick satisfaction. He loomed closer to her, barely a breath away from her, "I'm going to enjoy ripping your world apart," He guttered, his breath fanned her face.
He leaned down and whispered harshly directly into her ear, "And when I'm done, I'm going to give you to some who will break you apart, body and soul. They will chip away at you, piece by piece, until there is nothing left but an empty shell. You have interfered with my plans for last time Elena."
He tightened his grip on her throat, choking out what little air she had. Elena attempted to claw at him with her left hand, but her feeble strength barely left a scratch. Obadiah let out more sounds of manic delight before releasing her. "Let's see you worm your way out of this one."
While trying to regain her breathing, Elena struggled to release the two words that bubbled up inside her. "Fuck," her gasp painful as she swallowed some more air to finish her thought, "You."
A cry of utter anguished exploded from her lips as Obadiah stomped his foot onto her injured thigh. A sickening crack could be heard by both of them. Her cry so loud it echoed around the chamber they were in before reverberating back into her own ears. Her pain so fiery she wondered if this is what it felt like to be burned.
Grabbing a fistful of Elena's hair, Obadiah sneered at her, "I hope the people I sell you to make every second of your life a living hell. I'll make sure to request that they draw it out nice and slow. Your body at their mercy - That they are not to stop even if you beg for death. See if you will be so mouthy then." He sneered in her face with pure malice. He had dug his fingers so deep into her hair, it felt as if he would pull her hair from her roots.
A cold dread sank into her body at his words.
She again attempted to claw him off of her; however, her body had no strength left. Her actions were only hurting her more. "And just to squash any hope you may have had-" He paused to savor in his satisfaction as he watched her struggle to release his grip on her throat. "I ripped out your father's arc reactor. There is no one coming for you."
Elena may have been in such a state that she could barely think, but she knew what those words meant. Again, she felt the bile rise from her stomach. Her father's arc reactor was what was keeping him alive if Stane had taken it, that could only mean one thing.
Tony was dead.
She had kept a tight lid on it till now but her panic began to overwhelm her as more tears roll down her face. Realizing she was alone in this world, Elena let out a gasp of a cry. Her hope dissipating faster than her strength.
Obadiah looked down at the broken girl in front of him. A gleam in his eye as his smile widened at the taste of victory. Her eyes may have been unfocused, but Obadiah was delighted to watch the fight in them slowly die. As Obadiah released her throat, Elena's body crashed down hard onto the metal floor below. A croaked intake of air came out as her body began to shiver with exhaustion.
Reaching to grab on to her hair once again, Obadiah was interrupted by an alarm baring behind him. Turning away, he stopped at as a thought crossed him. He swung his body back around, swiftly sending a kick into Elena's abdomen, effectively knocking all breath from her.
Elena gasped out as she clutched her stomach, a rib cracked as Obadiah's foot had made contact with her body. The blistering hot pain spread from her leg to her abdomen. It felt as if every nerve ending, from her stomach down, had been ripped open and left exposed. It was all she could feel, all she could think about.
All was silent around her as Elena heard Stane's footsteps walk away. Hopelessness settled into her, burying itself next to her pain. It too flowed a course through her that left her no more than a shell.
A shattering sound broke Elena from her spiral as she cringed at the loud echo from overhead. Somebody else was in the building. A spark of hope reignited in her, as she attempted to let out a yell for help. However, her lungs were struggling so hard to consume air that only a squeak left her lips. Realizing quickly that she wouldn't be able to yell out though whoever was in the lab, she began to rattle the cuff that was imprisoning her hand against the metal it was attached to. Her efforts, however, were in vain as she became aware that the loud humming and stuttering of the machines around her were drowning out any noise she had managed to make.
The whines and whirls of giant machinery caught Elena's attention. Her ears picking up that this sound did not blend with the noise of the average machine. Elena struggled to contemplate what the movement of Stane's machine sounded like. That familiar sound nagged at her. The pieces right in front of her but she is unable to connect them due to her injuries.
And then it clicked.
Pure terror consumed her as Elena realize what Obadiah had created down in that lab. It was a suite, just like Tony's. "No!" her scratch voice screamed out as nothing more than a wisp of a sound.
Her vision was starting to focus a little as she heard a door in the distance open. A flurry of movement reached her ears. It sounded as if more than one person had entered the chamber that she and Obadiah occupied.
Suddenly everything went still. No footsteps, no machinery, just empty silence. The quite overtook her as Elena fought for her breath. Struggling for a moment to listen, Elena finally heard voices in the distance. Desperate to make any sound Elena clanged her handcuffs once more fighting through the pain both her movement and the vibrations were giving her.
Turning her head over her shoulder, she struggled to make out the blurry moving figures in her line of vision. They all seemed to be the same sized back blobs. For a moment this was all trick of the eye. Then a total consuming dread overtook her as a soft feminine voice called out, "Elena! are you down here?"
Pepper was in this room.
That warm familiar voice spurred Elena's body into motion as Elena attempted to free herself from her cuffs in an effort to reach Pepper and warn her of the danger in the room with them. Trying to think of something quickly, she applied strong pressure to on her thumb to try to dislodge it from her hand. Letting out a cry of pain her attempt failed. She became distracted from her task as chains rattled and a soft whirring, that Elena recognized as Obadiah's suit powering once again, covered up any sound Elena was making in her effort to be noticed.
Struggling once again to maneuver her body around Elena gulped in as much air as her body would allow and let out the shrillest scream she could muster. The sound was pure fear laced with panic, "RUN!"
Her scream was answered with a terrified yell from Pepper as the room began to vibrate in chaos. The world around Elena shook with every stepped Stane's suit took as it crashed after Pepper. Attempting to curl fetally into herself to protect her body, the world began to spin once more for Elena. The clashing sounds of bullets hitting metal made her eardrums thrum. The room had erupted into utter terrifying chaos and Elena was unable to do anything but be consumed by it.
Boarding on hyperventilation, agony overtook Elena as she found herself wishing. A bleak, desperate wish that it would all just end. The pain in her body, in her heart, in her soul, it was all too much for her. Tears leaked from her eyes as more screams sounded around her.
To her dread, the smell of smoke began to loft in the air. Right away Elena knew, that if this room filled with smoke, her lungs would not stand a chance. She would suffocate.
The threat of burning to death spurred her body into action in a final effort of self-preservation. Horror flashed through Elena as she was once again met with the blinding pain blazing in her body. There was no movement she could make without that tearing pain. Her body would simply not allow it. She had no option but to lay there and wait to burn.
Unable to move, unable to scream, Elena simply wept. Death had always frightened her. The blackness of it as fearful to her as the dark abyss of space. The unknown of it all was a chilling fear she had hoped to never face, well at least for a long time.
Her father's face flashed before her eyes, and she hoped that maybe he would be there with her in the end. Maybe, they would do this together. But Elena wasn't one hundred percent sold on that idea that there was a place that they would be together. An afterlife to speak of. For all she knew, she could be met with only a darkness that consumed her until there was nothing. Until she was nothing.
As the smoke began to swirl around her, Elena's body stilled, ready to accept her fate.
She had no more fight, no more hope. She was alone. Her lungs were choked as the dark swirls of smoke constricted them. In this moment, she forgot what air felt like, the weightlessness to it. How refreshing it was. Everything around her was heavy. Her throat so raw it felt as if razor blades were scraping against her with every coughed she let out. Every breath was more labored than the next.
Her thoughts were sluggish, but she found herself hoping that her warning had allowed Pepper the time to make her escape.
The dark opaque smoke that tumbled around her now began to sting her eyes, as Elena's world once more seemed to go dark. This was slow and agonizing. Elena sent out a plea to whoever or whatever was out there that they would end her suffering quickly.
With her vision now gone, Elena felt the rest of her senses drifting off.
Crashes sounded around her, and the room temperature soared, yet Elena remained unmoved. A coldness settled into her that not even the licking flames around her could thaw. Yet she still feared the pain those flames would inflict upon her. She prayed that her lungs would give out before she felt them rip at her skin. That she would drift off into unconsciousness before flame and anguish consumed her.
A voice rang out, but Elena was beyond all sense. Maybe this was it. This was her end. She felt weightless as her body somehow began to ascend.
A final groan left her.
A voice whispered in her ear, and some deep part of her that was still holding on recognized it. Felt comfort in it. Felt comfort in the fact that at her end, she would not be alone. Relieved that in her final moments, her mind had tricked her into feeling a sense of comfort, everything went black.
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Hello all I hope you enjoyed reading. Let me tell you this part was a bitch to write and I hope I did it well. Any comments thoughts suggestions are always welcome! Since I already have the second half of the chapter written I'm hoping it won't take me long to edit! Hopefully sometime in the next two weeks, if life stays the same level as chaos as it as been. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!
SomebodyWhoCares - Thank you glad you enjoyed it
Famond – Hmm maybe or something similar! Honestly I have an idea for her, but I'm not 100% sold on her having her own suite yet. Glad the last chapter wasn't a total beast lol.
Pun Queen – Lol I hope you enjoy seeing your name again! No Tony did not deserve pup kisses! Not a lot of how Tony gets through it in this chapter and honestly I may not showcase how he manages through all this for a while.
Guest – I'm glad you are excited for more! Hope you come back again!