"If I retreat, words, wars and symphonies
Make room we're taking over here
You're the galantine, cold and alone, it suits you well
Won't find me perching here again"
- Panic! At the Disco
Danny woke up from a nightmare almost every night that week. It was always the same recurring one, being back there. She wasn't sure what brought it on; maybe it was talking with Tony about her old life. Maybe it was something worse.
She had gone looking for Pepper, finding her talking with Tony in the workshop in the late afternoon. The door was propped open, but she could tell whatever they were talking about was serious. Something about hacking into his own company mainframe, something about secret weapons dealings. Danny was smart enough to leave them alone, but she was deathly curious. She sat at the top of the steps near the bend in the stairs, close enough to hear the tail end of their conversation.
"Tony," she heard Pepper sigh, "you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again."
"There is nothing except this. There is no art opening, there's no benefit, there's nothing to sign. There's the next mission, and nothing else."
"Is that so? Well, then I quit." Pepper seemed to toss something onto the workbench, and then began to head out.
In a slight panic, Danny got up from her perch on the stairs, but Tony wasn't done talking. When she was sure that Pepper wasn't going to out her, she sat back down.
"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction," he all but spat. "And now that I want to protect the people I put in harm's way, you want to walk out?"
"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not gonna be a part of it."
What he said next came out in a rush: "I shouldn't be alive. Unless it was for a reason." A beat. Two. "I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know… what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."
A silence blanketed them momentarily.
"You and Danny are all I have too, you know."
The girl smiled at that sentiment, moving to get up and take the steps two at a time. She had barely situated herself on the couch and turned on the television when Pepper stepped onto the floor, a flash-drive in her hands. They locked eyes, and just as always, her foster mom could see right through her.
"How much did you hear?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.
Danny grew sheepish, smiling apologetically even though she had no regrets. "I'd be lying if I said none of it, but your voices carry."
Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Danny, what am I going to do with you?"
"Take me to Stark Industries with you, hopefully," she answered. Off of Pepper's pointed look, she added, "For moral support!"
"You're staying at reception." Pepper turned to leave.
Danny hopped up from the couch, shutting off the screen and following after her. "That works, too."
The drive to the Stark Industries office was longer than expected with the Los Angeles traffic, but Happy was a great conversationalist and Danny never ran out of things to say. Pepper kept her word when they got there, however, because she sat Danny down in one of the seats on the first-floor reception area and left her there to fulfill whatever errand or mission that Tony had asked her to do.
It was a quarter to seven when a familiar face walked past. Obadiah Stane glanced at her briefly, stopped short, and then turned back. Oh, boy. "Daniela, this is a surprise. What are you doing down here?"
She swallowed, plastering a respectful smile onto her lips. "Just, you know, waiting for Pepper to get back. Said she wouldn't be long."
"Ah, I see. Is Tony with her?" Stane was smiling, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that irked her.
"Nope, still at home." Leave, bald man. Go somewhere else. "Just needed Pepper to grab something right quick."
"Well, I'll go up to see if she needs help with anything." Oh, fuck, no, don't do that. "It was nice catching up. See you around, kid."
"You, too, Mr. Stane," she said, giving a half-hearted wave. Danny watched his back as he went up the staircase, hoping that he would just please trip right now. But he made it up without a hitch, making a beeline for the main office.
A few minutes passed in silence, with Danny biting at the edge of her fingernails. But then the Sharp One stirred. I did not like him.
"Join the club," Danny muttered.
Do you know how easily we could just go up there and decapitate him?
"No! God. You can't just kill people whenever you want to."
A voice jumped into her one-sided conversation, asking, "I'm sorry, who can't just kill people whenever they want to?"
Danny's face felt flush, her eyes widening. Her words were caught in her throat. She relaxed somewhat when she saw the form of Agent Coulson standing beside her. A Visitor's Pass was clipped to his lapel.
"I'm just kidding," he followed up, grinning slightly. "Although, I am curious to see who's gotten on the Other One's bad side."
"I can assure you, it was…" Danny trailed off when she heard footsteps. Pepper's footsteps, in particular. She was rushing down the stairs, her heels clicking loudly.
Something was wrong.
"Ms. Potts," Coulson started, "we had an appointment. Did you forget about our appointment?"
"Nope. Right now, come with me."
"Right now?" Coulson got to his feet just as Danny did. The look on his face showed that he was a little concerned.
"We're gonna have it right now. Yup. Walk with me." Pepper turned her head back before saying to the agent, "You're going to have the meeting of your life. Your office."
"Uh, what's going on, Speedy Gonzales?" Danny asked, following her gaze. She looked up at the second-floor railing, seeing Obadiah staring them down as they left. Oh. Oh.
"Is he following us?" Pepper asked her once they reached the parking lot. It took a moment before she realized that Happy had driven them earlier. To Coulson, she said, "We're taking your car."
Danny had only sat in silence as Pepper and Agent Coulson poured over the files retrieved from Stark Industries. It was all the proof they needed against Obadiah Stane, proof that he was dealing with the terrorist organization under the table. Even then, it came at such a surprise to see that he was the one who ordered the hit on Tony's life almost seven months ago.
How different could their lives have been? She had never felt so… What was the word? Insignificant? Out-of-place? Useless?
Wow, thanks. Like I needed those reminders.
You asked.
Over the last couple of hours, Danny and Pepper had informed Coulson about the events following Tony's return. Coulson had seemed more inclined than anything else to ask Danny questions regarding the new suit that they worked together to build.
"Why would he trust you to help build this thing?" Assessing the almost hurt expression on the young woman's face, he amended, "Sorry, no offense. I'm just… morbidly curious."
Danny pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, shrugging as she answered Coulson's inquiry. "To be perfectly honest, I ask myself that same question. I mean, I'm a twenty-year-old nobody that popped out of nowhere, who now has the ear of one of the greatest minds of our time."
"Oh, honey…" Pepper grasped one of Danny's hands and squeezed. "You're not a nobody –"
"Pep, I'm not – If my parents hadn't died and you hadn't fostered me, I would be," she insisted coolly.
There was a brief silence. Clearing his throat, Coulson asked then, "Does Stane know anything about the new suit?"
"I don't think so," Pepper answered, still holding Danny's hand. "Tony never really lets other people in his workshop."
"He kept it off the SI servers; that much I know." The corners of Danny's lips pulled down in a frown as she said, "Stane was interested in a power source, the miniature Arc Reactor that Tony had. And if he was building his own suit… I mean, shit, that's worth worrying over, right?"
Pepper said, "Should I call him? I haven't told him yet about Obie."
Coulson and Danny sat in anticipation as she dialed up the man on her cellphone, waiting for an answer. Pepper's face relaxed when it seemed that he picked up but worry replaced it just as quickly. A short chill went up her spine when Danny heard, very lightly, a high-pitched sound that seemed to be coming from Pepper's line.
Pepper frowned, almost like she couldn't hear it at all. "Tony? Are you there? Hello?"
The line disconnected.
"Where's Mr. Stark right now?" Coulson questioned, reaching for the landline on his desk. He called for some free agents to stay on-deck and meet them downstairs.
"Should still be at home," Danny said, before realizing. "Alone."
The three of them left Coulson's office immediately, making a plan to arrest Obadiah with the other agents in the lobby. Pepper had Rhodey on the line as they exited into the SHIELD parking garage. She explained everything to him, or at least tried to, and told him to go check on Tony. With her slightly enhanced hearing, Danny could hear Rhodey's surprise.
"What do you mean, he paid to have Tony killed?" he repeated incredulously over the phone. "Pepper, slow down. Why would Obadiah –?"
"Rhodey, you have to go to his house. I'm starting to get worried –"
"Okay, where's Tony now?"
"I don't know. He's not answering his phone. Please go over there and make sure everything's okay." Pepper ended the call with Rhodey and turned to Coulson and the other agents. "I know a shortcut, I'll drive."
Coulson nodded. When Danny reached for the back-passenger door, he pushed it closed. "Sorry, Danny. I'm not keen on letting you anywhere near Stane," he said firmly.
"Agent Coulson's right," Pepper agreed. "You shouldn't get involved with this."
Danny caught herself as her mouth dropped open. "I can help," she pleaded, looking them both in the eyes. "What if he's figured out the power problem? You've never even seen Tony's suit in action."
Coulson challenged, "I have. Footage from Gulmira, and the fighter jet accident –"
"Then you must know that five agents with measly guns isn't going to be enough."
He sighed, taking a moment to consider his options. "Is your condition in check?" Coulson asked her, which earned him a questioning look from Pepper.
Danny inhaled a deep breath, giving the agent a nod. He looked down at her once more before nodding to his fellow agents, telling them to stay close. Coulson got into the passenger seat, and Danny followed. As she buckled up, her eyes met Pepper's in the rearview mirror. She could tell that she would have a lot of explaining to do later on.
Pepper's shortcut to the Stark Industries production warehouse got them there within fifteen minutes. They left the cars running as they all jumped out, making headway to the front entrance. The redhead swiped them in, leading them around the corner and past the larger Arc Reactor.
Danny and the SHIELD agents waited as Pepper tried swiping her key card, which resulted in nothing after three tries. "My key's not working," she said. "It's not opening the door."
Coulson nonchalantly held out his right hand, and one of the agents placed a small device in his waiting palm. He placed it on the Section 16 door lock while Pepper marveled over it.
"Oh, wow! What's that? It's, like, a little device? It's, like, a thing that's going to pick the lock?"
He pressed a button on the puck-sized gadget and beeping began to sound. "You might want to take a few steps back," Coulson warned.
Pepper grabbed Danny and walked her a few paces, facing away from the door. They both braced themselves, covering their ears. A small explosion occurred, and the agents immediately turned on their heels and went through the door. After going down a short flight of stairs, Coulson led them into another door and into the darkened warehouse laboratory.
Danny was on-edge even with the SHIELD agents baring their guns. Perhaps it was the lack of light, or perhaps it was just in her head. Whatever it was, she didn't like the feeling.
They came upon a bulky suit of armor, held up by chains. It looked worn down, but Danny could see how this inspired the Mark II and III armors that Tony developed recently. "Looks like you were right," Coulson said dejectedly. "He was building a suit."
Pepper sounded unimpressed as she said, "I thought it'd be bigger."
The agents split up; some went to check the surrounding area while the others looked at the running computers. Moving chains sent the hairs on Danny's body standing. A chill rolled up her spine, and she noticed Pepper turn around in response to the sound.
Danny glanced at the blueprints and schematics displayed on one of the computer screens, noting the hulking design of the armor looked about three times the size of the one they had just seen. It took a moment to realize that it hadn't gone to its screensaver. Someone was just here.
Before she could say anything, Danny heard Pepper scream. She saw her running from around the corner, and then noticed the thirty-foot mecha that came barreling after her. The four remaining SHIELD agents started to shoot at the armor while Pepper continued running for the door. Danny's first instinct was to grab onto the railing and swing herself over, ducking under the platform before Obadiah crushed the components around them.
It was horribly quiet. There were no gunshots. No movements. But then the platform above her began to be ripped back, and Danny fell hard onto her ass, eyes wide as she looked up at the giant robot armor towering over her.
"There you are, little one," Obadiah said through the suit. He reached for her as she scrambled away, but Danny couldn't get in-between the standing servers in time. "You have been a thorn in my side ever since you showed up."
Danny tried squirming in his grip, gritting her teeth. She started to swing her legs down, hoping to slip away, but Obadiah made his way up to the top of the lab, forcefully shoveling his way out to the surface. She braced herself as asphalt and gravel came raining down, eventually greeted by the cool air of Los Angeles.
"Danny, oh my God!" Pepper shouted, hands over her mouth. "Let her go, Obie!"
"I don't think I will." His grip on Danny tightened as he pressed her against the front of the suit. Her enhanced strength did little to help her wriggle out of it, but at least she was able to keep his mechanical arms from crushing her. At one point, the Sharp One came to the forefront of her mind. Danny's feet found purchase against the mecha, and with a newfound strength she broke out of Obadiah's hold and fell to the ground beside Pepper. She took in shallow breaths, having had the wind knocked out of her.
Obadiah stood up straighter in his suit, looking down at them both. "Where do you think you're going?" He seemed to track Danny as she crawled back; her eyes were burning, and he could probably see the green coming from her irises. An arm raised and the artillery aimed at them. "Your services are no longer required."
Pepper pulled Danny to her feet just as a voice came from the sky: "STANE!"
A red and gold streak came down and collided with Obadiah's suit. He and Tony fell back down into the hole in the ground, and Danny heard them crash through the building and onto the busy street nearby. Crash after crash and honking horns sounded.
Thanks, Sharp One.
No need. If you die, I die. It was merely self-preservation.
Danny's brow furrowed. "Wow, rude," she whispered under her breath. Sharp aches began in her sides as she slowly caught her breath, wincing.
"Are you alright?" Pepper asked, brushing away her hair and looking at the scratches along Danny's palms. She looked over Danny like a worried mother would, seeing if she had sustained any injuries. Their eyes met, and her expression changed. "Your eyes… are green. Like, bright green."
Oh, fucking damn it.
"Okay. I'll explain later, Gigi, but I've got to –"
"You are not going out there! No!" Pepper's grip on Danny's arm was furious, and it took her aback. "My one and only job is to keep you safe, and tonight just sort of ruined that –"
"You just gotta get used to it." Danny pulled Pepper into a hug before shuffling out of her grip. "Now it's my turn to keep you and other people safe." She started running out to the street, ignoring the pain in her side.
"Daniela!" Pepper shouted, but she was too far away.
Civilians were scrambling every which direction, abandoning their vehicles in the middle of the road in order to escape the fight between Tony and Obadiah. Some cars were totaled, either by having crashed or probably being used as a frisbee. Danny stood for a moment, surveying the scene. Most of the cars nearby were empty, their owners long gone. She saw incoming cars slow down, and then promptly turn around.
Danny watched as Obadiah picked up a vehicle and threw it on Tony, who thankfully caught it and roughly placed the car and its passengers on the ground. The woman inside seemed to panic and hit the gas, dragging him along the road on the hood of her car until he was able to push off from under them.
A brightly lit bus across the road seemed empty, but upon closer inspection Danny saw a handful of passengers struggling to get the door open. She rushed over, seeing that some of the windows were propped. "Can one of you guys get the lever working?" she asked loudly.
"Something's wrong with it," a man responded. "We've been trying to pry the door open."
Obadiah and Tony were getting closer. She needed to get these people out fast. Danny exhaled, shaking her arms out. "Okay, I'm gonna need a couple of your guys to pull from the inside, alright?"
She watched as the two biggest men headed to the front, fingers gripping the rubber between the bus door. From the outside, she began pulling one way, eventually feeling the door give. She ushered the six towards safety, away from the suits fighting each other. Danny glanced over her shoulder as she followed them.
"For thirty years, I've been holding you up!" Obadiah pressed a heavy foot down onto Tony's chest. "I built this company from nothing! Now nothing is going to stand in my way." Across the median, she saw Obadiah kick Tony into the side of the now-empty bus. "Least of all, you." A missile protruded from Obadiah's shoulder, and a laser targeting system flashed inside the bus. It launched, blowing it up and sending debris flying everywhere.
Danny ducked behind a nearby car, feeling the heat of the explosion against her skin. Fear washed over her momentarily until she saw Tony's suit above them, flying.
"Impressive," Obadiah said. "You've upgraded your armor."
Danny took the chance to get to her feet, hoping to make it across the road and head back to safety. She had just made it around another totaled vehicle before it exploded behind her, probably from another missile sent by Obadiah.
He tsked at her, stomping in her direction. "You always go looking for trouble, don't you, kid?" he asked.
"Hey!" Tony shouted to get his attention. "I'm the one that you want, right? Then come and get me, asshat."
Obadiah turned back to Tony. "Well, then I'm glad I've made some upgrades of my own!" The feet of his iron monger suit shifted to reveal a rocket mechanism. He literally launched from the asphalt, beginning his ascent.
"Danny, go back to the lab!" Tony called to her before turning and flying into the night sky.
She didn't need to be told twice. Danny found Pepper still outside of the Stark Industries building and hustled beside her. "Pepper, where are the agents?"
"I don't know," she said. "No one's come out yet. Oh, God, are they dead?"
Danny shook her head. "No, no." At least, not all of them. "Look, we gotta go."
"What about –?" She raised a hand to her Bluetooth. "Tony! Oh my God, are you okay?"
They could hear noises coming from the roof. Danny could vaguely see the top of Obadiah's suit of armor from the ground. Whatever Tony'd tried to do in the atmosphere must have failed.
"Tony!" Pepper gasped then, running a hand through her hair. Danny watched on as Pepper listened intently to whatever he was telling her. "Well, how are you going to do that?"
"Do what?" Danny asked, looking at her. "What does he want us to do?"
"He wants us to overload the reactor," she said. Pepper looked as if she steeled herself and began walking back into the building, stepping through the shattered glass doors.
Danny followed her in, the glass crunching underneath their feet. There seemed to be a lot of that, broken glass. Manufacturers were getting a run for their money where Tony was concerned.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, watching Pepper's movements.
"Uh, the-the main console. Open the circuits, and then we wait to hit the button."
Danny ducked under the railing that encompassed the Arc Reactor and found the servers. She flipped the circuit levers down with ease before returning to Pepper's side. They began turning on the rest of the system, turning the switches open on all the channel feeds.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the entrance to Section 16. It was still propped open, the flashing red lights washing over the walls. Danny knew four bodies littered the ground down there, where Obadiah had gone after them. But Coulson and the other agent – where did they go? She voiced her concerns to Pepper.
Glass started coming from above. Obadiah had started to shoot bullets at Tony, who held onto one of the panes. Tony called down, "Pepper, time to push the button!"
Danny and Pepper stared up at him, unsure of what to do. The latter called out, "You told me not to!"
Explosions. Missiles were being deployed and hitting wide. Danny wondered if Tony had ruined Obadiah's targeting systems.
"Just do it!" Tony shouted.
Pepper reasoned, "You'll die!"
They were running out of time. A missile passed by Tony, and his grip faltered. He hung to the roof with his right arm. "Push it!"
Pepper hit the master bypass before grabbing Danny and rushing out of the building. The Arc Reactor started shooting sparks of electricity out, the air around them crackling. Its energy surged upwards, like a beam, and went off into the clouds in the sky. Danny watched as it disappeared, thunder being the only evidence of its wake.
Then, Danny heard what must have been Obadiah's suit falling down towards the reactor core, bringing down the gantry with it. She reacted in a split second, pushing Pepper away from the entrance just as the reactor exploded. The blast sent Danny flying a few feet, and she rolled onto the asphalt and glass. Battered and bruised, but not the worse for wear.
She was still pretty disoriented when someone came to her side, but Danny could recognize Coulson's cologne. Her ears were ringing, and Pepper was fussing over her, but she was going to be fine. She was always fine.
God, but she was tired. The adrenaline rush was long gone. She needed a nap.
The voices were coming muffled to her ears, like cotton balls were in them, but Danny understood well enough that Coulson told them both to stay put as he went looking for Tony. And because time was a construct, she didn't notice how much time had passed before an ambulance pulled around the corner with its loud siren and bright lights. Someone had wrapped a shock blanket around her shoulders, and the SHIELD agent – Danny noticed they weren't real EMTs – helped her get into the truck. An oxygen mask was held up to her face, and she was instructed to breathe.
Yeah, she could do that. Breathe. In and out. Just focus on –
"Tony," she gasped, seeing him being wheeled over on a stretcher that she didn't realize they had brought out in the first place. The only sense of relief she got was from the occasionally flickering Arc Reactor beneath his chest plate.