Hello everyone!

It has been a very stressful week for me, to the point I nearly had a breakdown. This chapter may not be up to my usual standards, and I may come back later on and edit it, but at the moment I cannot really find anything to add into this that isn't already there.

I hope this chapter isn't too disappointing! Please, do, enjoy!

Understanding The Real Hero: Iron Man 2

Three

The camera panned over an idyllic city by the sea. Monaco. Two police motorcycles escorted a black car to the Hotel De Paris where Tony left the car to the sound of cheering fans.

"What was the reason for you going to Monaco?" asked Sam. "Because we saw Vanko get tickets for the race. Did he know you would be there?"

Tony nodded. "He did. It was a tradition for me to go to the Grand Prix there. Every year, without fail, I made the trip. Stark Industries always fronted a driver."

"If you wanted to gain Iron Man's attention, do it when you know he is going to be there," revealed Rhodey. "Even if he isn't there, he'll probably come running."

"Flying," pointed out Tony. "Iron Man doesn't run."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Pedantic."

He held up his hand and gave them his trademark peace sign. Happy opened the passenger door and Pepper stepped out in a stunning black dress and high heels on, with sunglasses on her face. Happy carried a red suitcase with him as the three of them walked into the hotel.

"That doesn't look like a normal suitcase," observed Bucky.

Tony grinned. He liked the suitcase suits. They were very handy to have on hand. Though the new technology he was developing with the nanonites, showed a lot of promise, which would enable him to carry the entire suit around with him in an Arc Reactor. He'd be able to defend himself instantly if he was ever threatened or attacked. His suits had come far in the last few years. He'd learned so much about the technology that he had new advances with the tech often. He was stretching it as far as it could go. He had a lot of hope for his new suit, hopefully, it would enable him to counteract any attacks upon Earth and be the defender he knew he had to be.

Tony told Pepper that since it was Europe, to just go with it with whatever happens in the next twenty minutes.

"Oh no," Steve pulled a face. "What have you got planned?"

"It's not good if he is advising Pepper to just go with it," said Rhodey. He leaned into his friend. "You were already intending on joining the race, weren't you? It wasn't a spontaneous decision, was it?"

Tony had the decency to look ashamed. "If I was dying, it is better to go out with a bang rather than the decay I was going through," he replied quietly. "Palladium poisoning had a lot of effect on me. I wasn't just acting out because I could, I was acting out because of the effects of the poisoning as well."

"I wish you had told us the truth of what was happening to you," sighed Rhodey. "We could have helped you cope. Sometimes your reliance on doing things just by yourself hasn't exactly gone well for you in the past, has it?"

"No," Tony admitted, his shoulders drooping.

Rhodey leaned in close, his voice quiet. "Don't push us away when you need us most. You just isolate yourself more."

Tony nodded. "I know… but I want to protect you all. By doing so, when I die you won't miss me."

Rhodey shook his head. "Tones. We will miss you. You believe no one would, but plenty of people will."

Tony lowered his head. "I don't think anyone here would, other than you."

"Tony, that isn't true," interjected Steve. "We do care. You are still a vital part of the team even with what has happened between us. If anyone on this team died, they would be mourned and missed. Just because the Accords happened doesn't mean we would celebrate at your death."

"Clint would," Tony pointed out. "Despite the fact I made sure his family was safe, and he got into this situation of his own making, he still blames me. He still hates me. If anyone here would celebrate at my death, it would be him."

Clint's cheeks went red and he couldn't meet Steve's gaze.

Wanda wistfully spoke up. "Once upon a time, I'd have been happy. But now… the thought of you dying, Tony, is not something I wish to happen."

"Thanks." A warm smile crossed Tony's face as he looked at her.

Clint looked thoughtful but didn't say anything.

Pepper didn't understand what Tony meant. He didn't get a chance to explain as Natasha approached them, wearing a nice red dress, and asked them how their flight was. Tony revealed it was excellent and it was nice to see Natasha. She informed them there was one photographer from the ACM, and Pepper wanted to know when had that happened. Tony smiled and told her she had made him do it. Pepper didn't know what he was referring to. He inferred she had quit and told her to smile and stop acting constipated and flaring her nostrils. They both smiled for the cameraman, with Pepper quipping he was so predictable.

"Tony is actually very unpredictable," observed Bruce. "You never know what he is going to do before he does it. You think he's going to do one thing, when in fact he does something else instead."

"Like the missile in New York," reasoned Steve. "When we had a way to close the portal, we had the threat of the nuclear missile. Tony told us to leave the portal open just a bit longer. He knew where to put it." He glanced at Tony. "I wasn't expecting you to fly through the portal completely though."

"I had to. I had to make sure it was through. Plus, doing so, enabled me to destroy the command centre controlling the army. I didn't know that would happen at the time but…"

"It saved the day for us," acknowledged Natasha. "Just closing the portal wouldn't have stopped the army already on Earth. We would have still struggled to contain them all."

"I wonder if closing the portal would have closed off their connection to the command centre?" considered Bruce, tipping his head slightly to the side. "Thor?"

"The Chitauri were capable of long-distance. They didn't need a control centre near them. Even if the portal had closed… the army would still have been active. Destroying the control centre was the only way to end the threat of the army on Earth," said Thor. "Stark chose wisely in what he did then. Though…"

"What is it?" asked Tony. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"What did you see through the portal?" queried Thor. "You've never said."

Tony didn't need to say. They'd view it anyway. "You'll find out. I'm sure the next movie will show you all. It is called 'The Avengers' after all. Can only be how we all met and formed the team." He glanced down. "Besides, I don't like remembering what I saw."

Rhodey rubbed his back gently in support.

Tony complimented Natasha, telling her she looked fantastic but added it was unprofessional of him.

"Yes, it was," mused Natasha dryly. "But I was used to comments. It was all part of my job as a SHIELD operative when out on assignments."

He wanted to know what was on the docket. Natasha told him his itinerary included a dinner at 9:30, in which Tony said he'd be there at 11. Tony pointed to a table in the corner of the room, asking if it was reserved for them. Natasha said it could be and walked away.

"What if it was reserved by somebody else?" queried Steve. "Would their reservation be cancelled because of Stark wanting that specific table?"

"From what I remember there were a few tables free, Others can be reserved if they pick a specific table," explained Natasha. "Fortunately, the table Tony wanted was free."

Pepper greeted Elon Musk, and he congratulated her on her promotion, shaking hands. Tony asked Elon how it was going, noting the Merlin engines are fantastic. Elon pointed out he had an idea for an electric jet. Tony verified with him and said they will make it work. He walked away with Pepper.

"Did you collaborate with Musk at all?" Bruce wanted to know.

"We had a meeting…" shrugged Tony. "Didn't work out. His ideas were too extreme for my taste."

Bruce laughed. "I thought you two would be perfect for one another, collaborating together."

Tony pulled a face. "Err, no. We'd probably end up hating each other. We're too much alike to be able to feasibly work together. Plus, some of his ideas are out of this world."

"You want a massage?" he queried.

Pepper refused. "Oh, God. No. I don't want a massage."

Tony didn't seem to notice the refusal. "I'll have Natalie make an…"

Steve sighed. "You really need to start listening. Don't force things on people who clearly do not want it."

Tony fought the urge to bite back.

"I think he wants to make things easier for her," observed Wanda cautiously. "She's clearly stressed. I mean, working for, and with Tony Stark for years is enough to make anyone stress out."

Tony couldn't fault her logic. "She's right."

"I don't want Natalie to do…" Pepper interrupted him.

But Tony butted in. "Don't want you tense. By the way, I didn't mean to spring this on you." They arrived at a bar.

Pepper thanked him and Tony commented that green was not her best colour.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Rude."

Then Justin Hammer appeared, his head poking out from behind someone. "Anthony. Is that you?"

Tony sighed and said to Pepper: "My least favourite person on Earth."

"That title may have passed to someone else now," muttered Tony quietly, his eyes briefly going to Steve. He wasn't sure how he felt about Steve now, not after Siberia. If he had to spend the day with someone and his two options were Hammer or Rogers, he'd likely pick Hammer. Even if the day itself would be torture.

Rhodey watched him, concerned scattering across his features. "I know you are trying to convince yourself you would rather spend the day with Hammer than with Steve, but I think we all know you're better off with Rogers than with Hammer. I know you, Tones."

Tony sighed. Rhodey was right.

Justin patted Tony on the shoulder. "Hey, pal."

Tony muttered Justin's name to Pepper.

"How are you doing? You're not the only rich guy here with a fancy car. You know Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair. You guys know each other?"

Clint smirked. "Question is, do you remember her?"

Tony growled under his breath. Yes, he had a habit of forgetting the women he had slept with, and he had forgotten Christine's name… but he knew her well now.

"Clint…" Steve warned. Though he did pass a critical eye upon Tony, not sure if he should be warning Clint or not.

Tony sighed. He knew this specific timeframe this movie covered would be hard but the resulting snarky comments were becoming unbearable. The judgemental looks he could cope with, the comments not so much. "If you must know, Christine Everhart is the only journalist who I trust."

Sam whipped his head around. "Really? Why?"

"Simple really. We got off to a bad start as you saw… but after she draw my attention to the dealing under the table, I knew I could rely on her a bit. She recognised I never knew about it, and saw what I was trying to do to help. Once it was revealed I was Iron Man, Christine and I came to a deal with her editors and any future employers of hers. She got exclusive interviews with me regarding my activities as Iron Man. It was a deal that meant every year she got an exclusive. It still stands today."

"When is the next interview due?" asked Bucky.

"Soonish?" Tony wasn't sure. He always relied on Pepper to tell him. Even though she wasn't his P.A anymore, she still kept him informed of his media obligations. "Everhart is a good reporter."

Christine approached them, her blonde hair loose and wearing a nice blue fitted dress. "Hi. Yes."

Pepper replied they did know her, and Tony muttered his confirmation as well.

Justin pointed out Pepper's promotion as the big story of the moment and offered his congratulations.

Rhodey smirked. "I don't think he really meant it. He really doesn't like Pepper. Or you."

"Why doesn't he like the Lady Pepper?" Thor asked. "I can't imagine anyone disliking her!"

"You'd be surprised," revealed Tony. "You'll see why he doesn't like her later."

"My editor will kill me if I don't grab a quote for our Powerful Women issue," said Christine.

Pepper wasn't sure. "Oh."

"Can I?" the reporter asked.

Pepper nodded. "Sure."

"She's actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair. I thought I'd throw her a bone, you know. Right?" explained Justin.

"Which was never published…" grinned Tony. "He was very proud to be interviewed for Vanity Fair but the following events meant his big moment in the spotlight didn't really happen. These events scuppered his company too. Hammer Industries is no more."

"What did happen to his company?" asked Sam. "I know he's in jail now but the reasons why are very hazy…"

"That's the beauty of it. He hated Stark Industries so much that I bought out his company. It was either I did it or thousands of people would have lost their jobs. I kept his company going, folding it into Stark Industries, so the business wouldn't collapse. Hammer wasn't impressed I had done that, I might add, but if he gets out of jail, he won't be able to return to business. His reputation is tarnished from what he does in this movie."

"I'm glad you helped his employees to keep their jobs," praised Sam. "Rivals of businesses would let a lot of them fall. Not all of them would be saved."

Tony shrugged. "It was no big deal. Hammer's employees didn't deserve to lose their jobs. Besides, in the end, acquiring all the sites once owned by Hammer allowed S.I to increase our own production lines and bring in a range of experience from different areas of science. It really helped S.I grow larger than it already was, increasing profits at the same time. We could expand into a lot of other areas too with the added workforce. It was a very lucrative deal."

"Right. Well, she did quite a spread on Tony last year," understood Pepper.

"And she wrote a story as well," commented Tony.

Pepper agreed. "It was very impressive."

Tony nodded. "That was good."

Pepper seemed appreciative. "It was very well done."

"Thank you," said Christine.

"She doesn't seem so bitchy," observed Bruce. "Which is good. She seems like a reporter we could trust."

"I had considered bringing her into the Avengers Media Team, but I never got around to asking her," revealed Tony. "Considering the team is barely one now, we probably do not need a Media Reporter."

Steve looked thoughtful. Bucky caught his expression and minutely shook his head.

"Not a good idea, Steve. If you want to get your side of the story across, you need to be seen working with the people you are against. Only then they may listen to your concerns," advised Bucky.

Steve pursed his lips. "That's not true. The Accords are not working. We have to wait until they are disbanded and we are invited back. You'll see I'm right."

Bucky sighed. "I don't think you are right, Steve. We did everything wrong. I just hope you see why when we reach the Civil War movie."

Shock crossed Steve's face. "Buck? You can't be –"

"I'm tired of running, Steve, and so are you. Stark stays and doesn't run and accepts responsibility. Why can't you?"

Steve wasn't sure what to say.

Pepper told Tony she was going to wash. He didn't want her to leave but Justin prevented Tony from following, asking him how it was going. Tony placated him with an answer as Justin pulled Tony into a hug, acting all friendly. Tony wanted to escape, putting on his sunglasses. Christine wanted to know if this was the first time, they had seen each other since the Senate.

Tony managed to pull away. "Since he got his contract revoked…"

Justin tried to backtrack. "Actually, it's on hold."

"It was on hold but also partially cancelled," clarified Rhodey. "The Military was investigating the incidents with the suits. They decided to give Hammer a chance to prove to us he was worth it otherwise we would terminate the contract. In the end, it was."

Christine followed, holding out her recorder to capture both Tony and Justin's answers.

"That's not what I heard. What's the difference between "hold and "cancelled"? The truth?" Tony asked.

Christine agreed.

"No. The truth is… Why don't we put that away?" Justin tapped Christine's recorder. "The truth is, I'm actually hoping to present something at your Expo."

"That was the caveat that Hammer needed to prevent his contract with the Military from being completely written off. We were going to ask you to give him a slot," revealed Rhodey. "In the end, Pepper arranged it after you were uncontactable."

Tony frowned. "Must have been when SHIELD blocked all communications…"

"They did that?" Rhodey wasn't surprised.

"Yeah. But it was for good reason," shrugged Tony.

Tony found a table and the three sat down close to the window. "Well, if you invent something that works, I'll make sure I get you a slot."

"Nice burn," laughed Bucky. "I like the correlation there."

"You're referring to the suits he was trying to test in the video from the Senate Hearing?" verified Steve.

"Yeah," nodded Tony. "They didn't exactly go as planned, did they?"

Steve acceded the point.

Natasha arrived and informed him his corner table was ready. Justin continued to talk to Christine, informing her he already had a slot this year. Tony pointed out that Hammer still needed a slot as he walked off.

Rhodey elbowed his friend. "You had to get in one last dig, didn't you?"

In the bathroom, Tony did another reading for Blood toxicity. It read 53%. Tony sighed, leaning down and looking at himself in the mirror. "Got any other bad ideas?"

"Uh oh," muttered Bruce.

"That's when I made the decision to really enter the race," said Tony. "The progression of the poisoning was happening too fast. I would have been dead within a few weeks. In retrospect, if I'd know what was going to happen, I wouldn't have done it."

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing," noted Natasha. "It would help all of us if we did it more often." She looked pointedly at Steve.

Surrounded by fans, Tony is now dressed in a racing suit, adorned with his name, making his way through the crowd. There were the sounds of cars revving as Tony jumped over a barrier towards a car.

Back at the hotel, Hammer is still talking to Christine, explaining how he and Tony were not competitors, and with Tony out of the picture, it had created tremendous opportunities for Hammer Industries. Christine's eyes focused on the tv behind her showing Tony at the race track talking about what was the point of owning a race car if you didn't drive it. Hammer wondered if Tony was going to drive in the race.

Sam frowned. "Owning a race car is no reason to decide to drive it in a race. But… circumstances… the poisoning were all contributing factors here."

"It did cause problems for me," admitted Tony. "I wasn't myself. Normally, I wouldn't have done what I did if I hadn't had to contend with the poisoning."

Pepper sat at her table, noticed Tony on TV at the race track, and called Natalie to her. Natasha rushed to her side. Pepper questioned if she had known anything about Tony racing. She denied it. Pepper sighed. Tony couldn't drive in the race. Natasha asked her how she could help her. Pepper asked her where Happy was. He was outside. Pepper ordered Natasha to get Happy.

"This isn't going to go well, is it?" sighed Bruce. "Pepper cannot get involved in this."

"She does," pointed out Rhodey. "Though her actions were fuelled more by what happened on the race track than Tony actually driving."

Hammer's interview with Christine was not going well. She was too focused on the TV screen. She bailed, claiming she needed to make a quick phone call. Hammer turned to look back at Tony's face on the screen, sitting in the driver's seat of the Stark Racing Car.

Tony revs the racing car as the crowd cheers on in the stands. The lights go green and the race begins. The cars skid off around the first few corners of the track.

A man dressed in orange overalls walks beside the track, toothpick in his mouth. It's Ivan Vanko.

"Shit," Sam swore. "We knew he was going to be there but…"

"He's putting people's lives in danger," added Wanda. "Just to get to Stark. Exactly how I used to." She looked a little green. "Having vendetta against people isn't healthy. It fuels our reactions and we make terrible choices. Especially when we do not know the full story."

Pepper watches the race with a worried expression on her face.

Tony looked guilty. He really should have talked to Pepper.

Tony was quite good with the race car, succeeding in overtaking the driver in front on a bend.

"Have you driven race cars before?" wondered Clint.

"I drive my normal cars like a race car," said Tony.

"You seem to have some skill," shrugged Clint. "Not trying to insinuate anything, just curious if you'd driven a proper race car before now."

"No, this was the first time," said Tony, "and I was getting into it without any prior instruction. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it really wasn't…"

Vanko pushed the barrier open as race cars fly past, walking confidently out onto the track, pulling off his protective helmet, and opens his jumpsuit to reveal the Arc Reactor contraption on his chest. The jacket burns away as the device powers up and two whips appear in his hands.

"Not good," winced Steve.

A racing car storms around the corner. Vanko whips the front, sending the race car flying, crashing into the road and breaking apart. The audience gasp in horror, however, Hammer looks interested and doesn't react to the shocking footage.

"And, so begins Hammers nefarious plot…" sighed Tony. He'd known his rival had been watching the race as it went on.

"Did the drivers survive?" whispered Bruce, horrified.

"They did," said Tony. "But with severe burns. Their lives were not the same after it… Even if I hadn't been on the race track, this would still have happened to them. Vanko wanted my attention, I would have faced him. He was just fortunate I was stupid enough to get in a racing car myself without my suit accessible to me. It gave him the advantage."

Pepper sees Happy hold up the red briefcase and she rushed out to the car, getting into the back. Tires screech as Happy puts on the accelerator, sending the car through a barrier which led onto the track, driving the opposite way to the race cars.

"What are they doing?" shouted Steve. "Are they insane?"

"They're putting themselves in danger to get Tony the suit," defended Rhodey. "They knew what would happen if Tony didn't have it."

"But Pepper didn't need to put herself in danger…" repeated Steve. He glanced at Natasha.

"Oh, you're saying I should have gone in Pepper's place?" Natasha folded her arms across her chest. "They didn't trust me, Steve. They didn't know me. I was just an employee, an ordinary woman who didn't have any other skill sets that they were aware of."

"She has a point," Sam intoned.

"And my cover had to remain intact," added Natasha. "I had to stay within Stark's bubble."

"But you could have helped…" whispered Steve.

"Doesn't mean I should have," reasoned Natasha. "Sometimes you have to consider other factors in making decisions, not just your own selfish interests."

Steve frowned.

"I think you sometimes believe you are considering others in your decisions, Steve, but a lot of the time, you are thinking of just yourself." Natasha's words were harsh. "You may not see it now, but I think you will recognise it when you do."

Steve didn't look sure but remained quiet.

On the race track, Tony turned the corner and his race car was cut at the front by Vanko's whips before he was able to do anything to avoid it. The car spun in the air, landing hard on the ground with Tony upside down. Tony pulled off his helmet and looked to his right, seeing Vanko slowly approach him, whips by his side.

Behind Vanko, two other race cars steer around the corner, only to try and break at Vanko's presence on the track. The race cars collided, bursting into flames with the two flinging into the air, the drivers still trapped in their seats.

"They survived too?" clarified Bruce.

Tony nodded. "Alive, but with severe burns. Life-changing injuries. Stark Industries did what it could to help with their treatment. Vanko has a lot to answer for."

The crowd around Hammer gasp, shocked by the continuing attacks on the drivers.

Pepper called for Happy to give her the case, and he moves the suitcase back towards her. She wants to know where the key is to unlock it. Happy tells her it is in his pocket. She yelled at him as a car approaches them and Happy successfully dodged it.

Sam held his head in his hands. "They really should have thought this through before getting in the car and driving off."

Tony felt guilty. Two of the people he cared about most were putting their lives in danger just to help him.

"You really should have had thumbprint recognition on that case," observed Rhodey. "And made sure it reacts to all four of us."

Tony swallowed. "Duly noted for next time."

Vanko sliced more of Tony's car, right where his legs had been if Tony hadn't already managed to extract himself from the wreckage. Tony came up behind him and whacks him around the head with a sheet of metal. Vanko attacks back, knocking the sheet of metal out of Tony's hands with one of his whips. Tony falls back to the ground, scrambling backward as Vanko continues to swing the whips, hoping to hit Tony with the deadly energies. One of the whips land directly between Tony's legs.

Everyone cringed.

"Near miss!" winced Sam. "Your reflexes are good, especially without the suit!"

"Having the suit was useful as it helped train me to react quicker than I had ever done before," admitted Tony. "Now, without the suit, I am quite good at picking up on trouble and figuring out a way to help myself easily. Though it doesn't always work out…"

Rhodey shook his head. "It doesn't…"

Scrambling to his feet, Tony attempted to run for cover however the sparks from one of the whips caught Tony's legs and he flew into the overturned racing car, landing back on his side on the floor.

Tony groaned and shook his head gently to avoid going unconsciousness as Vanko approached him.

"He thinks he has you where he wants you…" muttered Steve, slight concern on his face.

Petrol dribbled out of the car where Tony lay by and he saw Vanko's reflection in the mirror. Swinging the whips as he moved closer, Vanko nearly succeeded in killing Tony. What saved him was a last-second move, jumping out the way as the whips hit the petrol and the car burst into flames. Tony brushed the small fire out on his arm.

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief. "Lucky."

"I'm just surviving by the skin of my teeth," said Tony. "I need my suit otherwise I will always be on the retreat."

Vanko continued his slow walk towards him.

Around the corner came Happy with Pepper in the back seat. Tony jumped up onto the fence as Happy sounded the horn. Vanko was too slow to stop himself being rammed by the hood of the car, and he was pushed into the fence and pinned there. Vanko didn't move.

"Quick thinking on Happy's part. Keep him pinned. He's not going to cause much trouble!" breathed out Sam.

"I wouldn't be so relieved if I were you," commented Vision.

Tony jumped down from the fence. "Are you okay?"

Happy nodded. "Yeah."

Pepper panted in the back, panic, and fear evident on her face.

Tony asked: "Were you heading for me or him?"

"I was trying to scare him," Happy defended himself.

"'Cause I can't tell!" retorted Tony.

Rhodey held his head in his hands. "This is not the time to be arguing."

"Just get in the suit, Tony. Or the car!" yelled Sam.

Pepper yelled at him through the window. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I think we can safely say there, yes he is," responded Clint.

For once, Tony didn't argue. Clint's observations were correct.

"Better security," commented Tony.

"Snarky comments were uncalled for Tony," glared Rhodey. "I know you were mad, but it is not reason to take it out on the people who came to help you."

"Sorry. I know I should have been better," admitted Tony.

"Get in the car right now!" ordered Pepper, not taking no for answer.

"I was attacked. We need better security!" Tony replied.

Happy yelled at him to get in the car.

Tony continued to mutter as he walked behind the car. "You're CEO. Better security measures. God, it's embarrassing."

"And you could have done better?" Steve raised his eyebrows.

Tony wilted under the glare.

"Pepper was the one who always organised security when she was Tony's PA," revealed Rhodey. "There wasn't much Tony did for himself, even after she became CEO."

Tony sighed. "I was angry. Frustrated. As I said earlier, no amount of security would have stopped this from happening."

Vanko's head moves.

Tony opened the door. "First vacation in two years." And then the door was sliced in half as Vanko regained consciousness and attacked Tony again.

Pepper screamed and Happy reversed the Rolls Royce and then rammed it into Vanko again. Tony yelled at him to continue ramming Vanko as Pepper tried to tell Tony to take the red case. However, Happy's continued use of reversing and forwarding the car made passing the suitcase problematic.

Sam was getting itchy feet. "Too much going on. Keep him rammed against the fence long enough for Tony to get the suit!"

"Unfortunately, he was trying to knock Vanko unconscious," explained Tony. "That would have given me time to get the suit on."

An airbag popped out as Happy rammed Vanko again, stopping him from attempting to trap the man further.

Vanko sliced the car in half, right down the middle.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Steve yelled.

White faces decorated the room as they continued to watch the scene unfold.

Pepper was freaking out, still clutching the suitcase. Yelling at her to give him the case, Pepper threw the case and it landed on the ground at Tony's feet.

Bucky breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. This has to be a good sign, hasn't it?"

Tony stepped on the case and it opened, becoming the beginnings of an Iron Man suit. Tony reached down with his hands and pulled the case up, extending it out into a fully-fledged suit as it worked its way around his body. An Arc Reactor settled to his chest piece, and the suit tightened its fastenings as the helmet covered Tony's face.

Sam marvelled at the spectacle. "That suit-up looks so cool."

"There were multiple videos of it on the internet," grinned Tony.

"But they were not good quality, Mr. Stark," added Vision. "No one was close enough to get a high-quality recording."

"Unlike this movie which is showing it in good quality," noted Clint. "It does show how far your technology has come in a short space of time."

The audience rushed towards the barriers as they watched Iron Man appear before them.

Planting a boot on the side of what remained of the car, Tony pushed it away from him sending it across the race track, away from Vanko. He aimed a repulsor at Vanko but the electrified whips stopped him and he was forced to step away as the whips cascaded across his chest piece leaving sparkling damage to it. Warnings flashed up on his interface and Tony acted quickly to raise both arms and fire two repulsor shots, one after the other at his attacker, causing Vanko to move out of the way.

"He's fast," muttered Wanda, her fingers curled tightly in strands of her hair.

Vanko twisted his whips in the air, the left-hand one wrapping itself around the right arm of the suit, holding it in place. With the right whip flashed, it caught the armour on the left shoulder, attaching to Tony's suit, giving Vanko the leverage he needed to physically pull Tony through the air, throwing him around as the crowd watched on.

Bucky cringed. "I retract my statement it was a good sign you finally had the suit!"

"Just watch…" Tony said patiently.

He landed on the hood of the car as Happy and Pepper watched on. Tony fell to the floor, got to his knees as the electricity crackled around his suit. He was on his knees, making no move. He had a plan. Then, with his right he wound the electrified whips around his arm and then his body, pulling himself closer to this attacker.

Bruce grinned. "Oh, that is smart. Using his own tech against him to get yourself in range of him. Best way to beat him."

Rhodey leaned in close to Tony, his voice lowered so the others couldn't hear. "A pity it didn't work later on when we were both caught in the whips."

"If I recall correctly, we were being strangled at the time," whispered Tony.

Rhodey conceded the point. "True."

Vanko swung the right whip again but it missed Tony by inches.

And then he was there. Punching the man in the stomach, doubling him over, and throwing him over his shoulder and onto the floor. The man was dazed and Tony bent down and tore the Arc Reactor out of the contraption.

They let out a sigh of relief.

"The whips were defensive and offensive. They stopped anyone from getting close," rationalised Natasha. "The only way to beat him was to get close, and to do that, you had to be entangled. Quick thinking, Tony."

"I knew if I didn't try something I'd lose. Vanko wanted to kill me. I wasn't going to give him the chance to succeed if I could help it."

The crowd cheered as security rushed onto the scene to haul Vanko up. Pepper and Happy watched with relief from the car, as Tony stared down at the Reactor in his hand. Hauled upwards, Vanko spat blood in Tony's direction, laughing manically, informing Tony that he had lost.

Steve looked confused. "But you won… How could you lose?"

Tony's face was stony as he answered. "You'll see."

Tony glanced at the Arc Reactor in his hand, analysing it with the interface before crushing it with his hand.

Back at the hotel, a small smile crossed Justin Hammer's face.

"Oh, his reaction does not bode well for the rest of this movie," swallowed Sam.

Tony didn't even need to make a comment. They'd find out soon enough.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

Tony still doesn't believe anyone would miss him if he died. It may take him a while to come to the realisation that he would be missed.

Christine Everhart and Tony friendship? I think that is a possibility. They seemed quite civil to one another in Iron Man 2 as opposed to Iron Man 1, and I like the idea of Tony and Christine having mutual respect for one another and have a media deal in place in which she gets exclusive interviews from him about various subjects and happenings in his life.

Bucky is beginning to doubt Steve, seeing that taking responsibility for your actions can sometimes be the better route rather than keep on running...

I'm not sure how I handled the reactions to Vanko's attack on Tony. I did find it pretty hard to do, but again, I didn't want to just have them wincing or crying out all the time. I hope it works and isn't too repetitive?

The next chapter... I may not post next week. The last few weeks have been so stressful for me that I need to relax a bit now. I cannot promise an update next week but if I can, I will, but please be aware you may be waiting 2 weeks for the next chapter. I hope it is next week, it just depends on how I am feeling.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope to post next week!

Until next time,

the-writer1988