Hello!
This chapter is over 10,000 words. I'm honestly surprised I am managing to get out a chapter a week. I'm currently writing the final chapter of this specific story which will be posted next Sunday.
After that, it will probably be a few weeks before I begin posting the second story in this series which will show Iron Man 2.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has commented and bookmarked so far!
Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man
Nine
Pepper swung open the door to Tony's workshop. He was busy working on the Mark III.
"Hey. You busy?" he asked. "You mind if I send you on an errand?"
"You didn't even say hello?" remarked Steve. He shook his head. "I'm not surprised."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Remember, Pepper and I had a rapport going. This is how we rolled."
"He did have a lot on his mind," pointed out Sam, defending the Inventor. "And, you've done it yourself too, Steve."
Steve frowned but didn't say anything more.
Pepper walked towards him, hands on her hips.
"She looks like she's got something important to say, something you may not like," observed Clint. "That look is the exact same one I get from Laura."
Tony approached her. "I need you to go to my office. You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests. This is a lock chip." He handed Pepper the small portable drive. "That'll get you in. It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading."
"That's a lot to ask of her," pointed out Bruce. "You could be putting her at harm by asking her to do that."
"I was aware of it. But I couldn't risk going myself. Stane would have been on me in a second if he'd seen me anywhere near my office. Pepper had been visiting S.I numerous times and using my computer. Stane wouldn't be as suspicious of her as he would be of me," explained Tony. "Though I do recognise asking Pepper wasn't the best thing to do. I could have gone at night myself and snuck in. But… Time was of essence."
"And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?" asked Pepper cautiously.
"Same drill," Tony verified. "They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them."
Wanda sighed, her voice light. "You wanted them gone so others would not be hurt." She knew that now.
Tony inclined his head. "Best way to do it efficiently. There was nothing else I could do. I couldn't wait for investigations to be carried out."
"Tony," she started, "you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again."
Tony bowed his head. Pepper had always had issues with his use of the suits and the mission he had given himself. His continued use of them had caused them to take a break from one another, especially after the Ultron incident. The Accords were supposed to be the middle-ground. He'd only use the suits when he really needed to, something which she had agreed to.
As a result, their relationship was now stronger than ever. They were engaged and planning a wedding.
But he'd nearly lost her at this point. She had nearly walked away from him.
Because she was afraid of losing him.
He knew that now. Her fear of losing him had driven her to walk away after Ultron.
Steve shifted in his seat. "She did walk away, didn't she?"
Tony knew he was talking about their 'break'. "She did. But she came back. She was afraid of losing me. And… the Suits? They consumed my time. I had to find a balance between the two. Sometimes we have to make compromises to things we do not agree with. We can't always have our own way."
Steve looked thoughtful.
Tony studied the schematics in front of him. "There is nothing except this." He faced her again. "There is no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else."
Sam frowned. "What were you going to do after you'd found all your weapons?"
"I hadn't thought that far ahead…" admitted Tony. On reflection, it was probably something he should have considered. He'd been so consumed with stopping his weapons falling into the wrong hands, he hadn't once considered what he would do next once he had succeeded in completing his mission. He would have dealt with Stane eventually, probably sooner rather than later. "Other than finding a way to boot Stane from his controlling interest in the company… I think I would have moved forward as I did, finding new areas to go into."
"I always believed Stark Industries just dealt in weapons," revealed Wanda. "I thought you still did."
Tony shook his head. "No. The only weapons I still deal in is for my team to use." His eyes flickered to Steve. "Preferably not against myself."
Steve winced, as did a few of the others.
"I will never make a profit from weapons again," declared Tony. "There is something out there… coming for us. I have to be prepared for it. Otherwise…" he swallowed. "We lose." He glanced briefly at Wanda. "You know what I mean, Wanda."
The Sokovian Witch shrunk back. She knew what he referred to.
"Wanda?" Steve asked cautiously. "What does he mean?"
She didn't want to say. She felt ashamed of her actions, of what she had forced Stark to see. Her actions had caused Ultron. "I think you'll find out…" she replied. She couldn't say, not to anyone else, not until she and Stark had talked and cleared the air between them.
"Is that so?" Pepper said coldly. "Then I quit." She placed the drive back on the table and turned to walk away.
"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction."
Sam nodded. "He has a point. Why, when he's trying to do some good, that she turns and walks away?"
"Because Pepper didn't understand why he was doing what he was," explained Rhodey. "None of us did. We expected our friend to come home to us. We didn't recognise what changes he may have gone through in Afghanistan or what effect it would have on him. If I'd been a better friend… I would have seen it."
A small smile crossed Tony's face. "You've more than made up for it. Stop beating yourself up."
Pepper stopped at the doorway and faced him.
"And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?"
"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it."
Tony sighed. "That's what Pepper is still afraid of. She was just one reason why I signed the Accords." He glanced at the others. "We disagree over the Accords – all of us do – there are things in them I disagree with. But… signing them, and trying to better myself by working with the Governments of the world… She came back. That was the compromise I mentioned earlier. In practice, the Accords work well. I've never been denied a request to go somewhere to help across the world."
"Wait… you can request to go to places?" asked Sam, surprised.
"Yes…" Tony had a sneaking suspicion none of them had ever really bothered to read the Accords. They hadn't really had the time to properly digest all the information for them to make an informed decision. Steve had just said 'no' and everyone had followed. "Did you think we couldn't?"
"I thought we could only go where they told us to…" admitted Clint. "That we didn't have a choice."
Tony fought the urge to roll his eyes in despair. "How many of you took the time to read the Accords before signing them?"
Rhodey, Vision and Natasha both raised their hands.
It made sense. Those who had signed had taken the time to go through the Accords. The ones that hadn't…
"I flicked through them," admitted Steve, "but then Peggy died and…"
Tony remembered. "And you had to leave."
"Yeah, she was important to me. I couldn't not be there for her."
Tony felt a bit of anger wallow up inside of him. "Did it cross your mind other people may have cared about her too but recognised that the Accords had to be dealt with before we ran out of time?"
Steve frowned. "It was only me who knew her…" But when he saw Tony's expression, he stopped. "You knew Peggy?"
"Of course, I did. Why did you think I didn't?" Tony raised an eyebrow, waiting for Steve's reaction. "She helped raise me."
Steve was stunned by the admission. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Was I under any obligation to?" queried Tony. "It's not a big secret. She and my father worked together for years. You could have found our relationship in public records. And they wouldn't have left it out of her funeral service either – not that I was able to attend."
"But…" Steve bit his lower lip. "They never mentioned you…"
"Erm, Steve…" Sam interrupted. "They did… Several times."
Steve whipped his head to face Sam. "Really?"
"Yeah, they did." Sam peered curiously at his friend. "I was surprised myself… How did you not notice?"
Steve hung his head in shame. "I think I was distracted… Thinking about Peggy and what I'd lost."
Tony sighed. "You weren't the only one who lost someone that day. Peggy was a big part of my childhood. We didn't see each other as much as we could have done after my parents died, but she still cared. She still kept an eye out for me."
"If she was close to you, why didn't you attend her funeral?" Steve couldn't believe someone close to Peggy wouldn't be able to go.
Tony sighed, his shoulders sloping. "Because Peggy would have put duty before her personal life, especially with something as important as the Accords. If you'd read them properly, if you'd stayed instead of going, none of what happened between the Avengers would have succeeded. Steve, I would have given anything to be able to say goodbye to her. I knew her my whole life, but I know what she would have wanted me to do. She may have been the love of your life, but she moved on. I knew her longer than you did. And yet, I stayed because I knew that is what Aunt Peggy would have expected of me."
Steve lowered his gaze. "I had to say goodbye… I do not regret it." He shook his head. "I'm not going to apologise for that."
Tony pursed his lips. He could have pressed this further but now wasn't the time. Maybe Steve would realise when they watched Civil War. So many things could have been avoided if Steve had just listened and talked instead of being self-righteous and believing only, he could make the right decisions.
Everything could have been different.
Tony sat down, not able to look at her. "I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do."
"Do you really believe you survived because there was a reason?" queried Natasha, curious over Tony's state of mind.
Tony hesitated for a moment. "I survived injuries many others wouldn't. I rescued myself from captivity. I could go on… I don't believe in destiny. But I know I lived my life recklessly. I didn't have a plan or a goal. I do now."
"And that goal has evolved?" suggested Bruce.
"Ever since New York," confirmed Tony. "I never told you what I saw through the portal, did I?"
The others shook their heads.
Tony's lips twitched. "I'm sure you'll see it."
As much as Natasha wanted to press further, she recognised Tony didn't want to talk about it unless he absolutely had to. Turning her attention back to the screen, she resumed watching, her mind contemplating her teammate.
His eyes found her, full of conviction, and knowing it was the right path to take. "And I know in my heart that it's right."
Pepper stared at him. She blew out a breath in a long sigh before coming back to the table and picking up the lock chip. "You're all I have too, you know."
Tony gazed at Pepper as she walked away.
"Pepper doesn't have a family?" asked Sam.
Tony shook his head, frowning gently. "Not really…" He wondered how best to explain this.
"Not really?" Steve wanted Tony to elaborate.
"She left home when she was young. Moved across the country. She still cares about them but she rarely sees them. I've met them… twice? Not entirely sure they approve of me though," he grinned. "I think I was the reason she stayed at S.I for so long without moving on. I was her life. She lived it around me. She was always on-call with me if I ever needed anything. Working as my P.A isn't conducive to having a family life. Any partners she may have had, never lasted long. She just couldn't commit." Tony placed his arms behind his head. "I know she's trying to see her parents more often now. When she said 'I was all she had too', at the time I was, since she was hardly in contact with them. It has improved over the years. What she said then reflected the circumstances at the time."
Steve's lips twitched. "Family should always stay together."
The Captain's words were clear. He was eluding to the Avengers. Tony didn't buy it.
"It's not always possible." Tony steeled his gaze. "Murders happen."
Steve paled.
"Accidents happen…" the Inventor continued. "Arguments happen… Do you see my point?"
Steve swallowed. Everyone was watching the exchange, and Tony was certain there would be questions, not that he would deign to answer them.
"You've made your point," agreed Steve, his voice slightly sullen.
The elevator doors opened onto the top floor of Stark Industries, and Pepper stepped out of them, looking cautiously around. All the other offices on the floor were empty.
Rhodey's face crinkled. "I do not visit Stark Industries a lot but isn't it a bit unusual to have those offices around you empty?"
Tony discreetly nodded, speaking quietly. "Obadiah was beginning to make changes, small ones which I wouldn't pick up on. That included redeploying a lot of my own office staff to other areas. He was very keen on being the sole operator of the company."
Pepper rushed to Tony's office, slipped inside, and shut the door behind her. A quick uneasy glance over her shoulder confirmed no one else was in the office as she made her way towards the desk, which was situated right in front of the office door, in front of the large panelled windows. Sitting down in front of the computer, Pepper brushed the mouse, and the screen saver disappeared to show the Stark Industries logo, followed by a login and password.
Out of her purse came the lock chip and she inserted it into the USB port. The screen flashed with security breach signs momentarily before a box with lines of code appeared on the side, and within a few seconds the red box turned green and the words "Access Granted" replaced the warning.
The Ghost Drive appeared straight away and with it, eight other files marked with different names. The Confidential file showed invoices for weapons to the Middle East. The next file was Confidential again, with more shipping manifests. A TOP SECRET file illustrated a design for a new Mark I suit with the words "Sector 16" on top of them.
"All these files were on your computer?" asked Sam.
Wanda looked a little worried.
Tony nodded. "Obadiah knew I had a secure server in my office. And he was frequently working until late after I left each day before Afghanistan. He had full access to my office. And, during my captivity, he used my office instead of his own."
Bruce's face paled. "He wanted to incriminate you."
"He did. But once I knew Stane was operating illegally, I knew how I could trap him. I hadn't been at the office all this time and he'd continued using my desktop, uploading files and manifests every single day. The server was secure so I couldn't access it at home," explained Tony.
Pepper had never heard of Sector 16 and wanted to know what Obadiah was up to.
She selected the Ultra_Secret file. A media player popped up and started to show a ransom video for Tony. Shocked, Pepper hastily asked for it to be translated and the Urdu language rapidly changed to English.
"You did not tell us that the target you paid us to kill was the great Tony Stark. As you can see, Obadiah Stane…"
"Oh my god," Pepper whispered shocked as she saw the condition Tony had been in during his captivity.
…your deception and lies will cost you dearly. The price to kill Tony Stark has just gone up."
Tony almost felt vindicated. "And, yet, they were supposed to kill me…"
"If they were paid to, why did they not do it?" queried Thor. "Even on Asgard, if we were paid to do things, even if they were not of value, we kept our promise to carry out any such task."
"Be glad they didn't kill him," pointed out Bucky. "We wouldn't have Iron Man now, would we?"
"Stane would be running Stark Industries, he'd continue weaponizing the Middle East…" Rhodey shook his head. "The ramifications of Tony's death would have been huge."
Sam puckered his lips. "I'm assuming he didn't pay them."
"He didn't," confirmed Tony. "I looked into it. He refused. I think he knew I wouldn't build the Jericho for them… I believe he hoped they'd kill me eventually."
"For someone who knew you since you were a kid," started Bruce, "he should have realised you'd build something to escape!"
Tony shrugged. "I don't think he'd expected me to agree to work for them. I realised the only way I had a chance of escaping was to get my hands on tools and materials that would enable me to build my way out. It paid off as you saw."
Rapidly, Pepper started to copy the files onto the lock chip. She gasped when Obadiah's voice interrupted her concentration.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" He stood in the doorway to the office, smiling at her. "Hmm?" He walked into the office, watched intently by Pepper.
"Shit," Steve whispered.
"Language," reminded Tony. He felt he deserved the chance to say something back to Steve after all the criticising he was going through.
Steve winced but didn't comment.
Whilst he poured himself a drink from Tony's alcohol store on a small side table, Pepper glanced at the screen and used the newspaper on the desk to discretely cover the lock chip plugged into the USB.
"Too obvious!" cried Sam.
"He must have noticed it, surely?" Clint protested.
Vision spoke up. "From my memories of Mr. Stane as JARVIS, he was not… exceptionally bright. He was intelligent, however, I see no reason for him to suspect Miss Potts for being in Mr. Stark's office."
"But Pepper hadn't visited Stark Industries for a while," Tony pointed out. "It would have been suspicious."
"And this was after Stane had revealed himself to you…" swallowed Natasha. "He may have suspected but couldn't make a move."
"He probably hoped you would be the one to go," reasoned Bucky.
"Would he have tried anything if you'd gone in Pepper's place?" Steve had the decency to look worried.
"I think if I'd given him a reason to, he would have done," confirmed Tony, "which is why I didn't want to put myself at risk by getting the information myself."
"Reasonable," nodded Sam, agreeing with Tony's assessment of the situation.
"I know what you are going through, Pepper," he said, watching her at the desk. He sniffed the bottle he had just poured his drink from. "Ah, Tony, always gets the good stuff."
"Which he could afford anyway with the amount I paid him," muttered Tony. "Plus, the bonuses he got and the added deals he made under the table too." He rolled his eyes.
A fake smile spread across Pepper's face and she politely nodded. Her hand was on the mouse. The last of the files had finished copying to the drive. She clicked on screensaver just as Stane came to stand behind her to see what was on the screen.
"That was lucky," breezed Sam. "But she needs to get out now before he digs any further."
"Not while she's still copying files though," worried Bruce.
"I was so happy when he came home. It was like we got him back from the dead." Stane sat on the desk. "Now, I realise, well, Tony never really did come home, did he? He left a part of himself in that cave. Breaks my heart."
Rhodey was angry. "How dare he! He didn't care! I swear, Tones, if he was still alive right now…!"
Tony patted him on the shoulder. "I know." He couldn't blame Rhodey. They'd all trusted Stane and he'd betrayed them all.
Sam glared at the screen. "He's a good actor."
"Pepper knew then not to trust him and be wary," said Tony. "Especially after the video she saw."
"Well, he's a complicated person," answered Pepper cautiously.
"You are," agreed Steve. He was beginning to see Tony in a new light. Perhaps he'd finally be able to understand the man when this was all over.
Stane sipped his drink.
"He's been through a lot. I think he'll be alright."
Tony shook his head. "Pepper… I'll never be alright. I think she realises that now."
Wanda looked sadly at him. Now she knew more about the man she had once hated, and that she could now sympathise with, a part of her could see how broken Tony Stark was. The guilt welled up inside her. She'd been responsible for some of that by influencing him with her powers when he'd taken the Sceptre from the Hydra base in Sokovia. I never thought I'd feel sympathy for him… It was a strange feeling.
Stane mused at her. "You are a very rare woman. Tony doesn't know how lucky he is."
"I do…" whispered Tony. He understood it now. A part of him couldn't understand how Pepper could still be with him after all these years. Yet her love for him was as strong as ever. And we're going to get married.
"You two are meant to be, Tones," replied Rhodey quietly.
Steve watched the exchange carefully but didn't say anything.
Blushing, she glanced down, but the smiled up at Stane. "Thank you. Thanks. I'd better get back there." As she got up from the chair, she picked up the paper and unplugged the lock chip at the same time, clutching it tightly in her right hand.
"She gambled there," noted Bruce. "She didn't know if it had finished copying before pulling it out. She could have corrupted the data she was collecting."
"Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice," reasoned Sam. "She's handling this well. Now if only she can get out of there…"
Sam stopped when Stane asked Pepper if she had that day's paper. She clarified it was and Obadiah asked her if she minded if he took it. She didn't, and Stane further elaborated that he wanted it for the puzzle. He told her to take care as she left.
Walking away from the office, Pepper glanced into her right hand, still holding the lock chip securely within it.
Back in the office, Stane threw the paper on the desk and brushed his hand over the mouse. The screen saver vanished and it showed a dialogue box with the words, "DOWNLOAD COMPLETE'.
Obadiah leapt to his feet, his hands running over his bald head in frustration.
"Shit. He knows." Sam didn't like where this was going. "He isn't going to try anything is he?"
"If he can get to Pepper before she leaves the premises, he might…" said Clint. As much as he disliked Tony, he didn't want anything to happen to Pepper. She didn't deserve anything bad to happen to her. "And if there is no one else around if he catches her…" He didn't want to consider the consequences. The repercussions for Pepper could be very bad if she was caught.
"I don't want to point out the obvious," said Bruce quietly, "but Pepper is still alive now. So, she's fine."
"But that doesn't mean she escaped unscathed though, does it?" Steve pointed out.
Tony watched the discussion carefully.
Bruce frowned, then acceded Steve's point.
Pepper hastily walked down the steps and saw Phil Coulson sitting on a chair in reception. He reminded her that they had an appointment and asked if she had forgotten. She was so relieved at that moment, she tugged him along, telling him they were going to have it right now. He looked alarmed at how frazzled she looked but followed. Pepper kept looking over her shoulder. She told Coulson she was going to give him the meeting of his life at this office.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief she'd made it to safety before Stane had arrived.
Behind them, Stane watched them from the staircase above.
"Oh, he's not happy," reasoned Sam.
"Wait until you see what he does…" Tony eluded, not wanting to give anything away, but wanting them to know Stane was not going to let this go unmarked.
A group of men in white coats hovered around the Arc Reactor, at a station that had been set up at the bottom of it. One of the men was on the phone but when he saw Stane approaching, he hastily ended the call. The other scientists fled as they saw Stane's stormy expression.
The man explained that they had explored what Stane had asked them to do and they had learned that the technology didn't exist.
Tony pulled a face. "It did and it didn't. Creating a miniature Arc Reactor took a lot of work on my part. But the theory behind the Arc Reactor was not published. No one could replicate it. Only I could because I knew what was needed to create a larger Arc Reactor in the first place."
Stane wasn't fazed and pointed out that the technology needed was the Arc Reactor right in front of them. He put an arm around the man. "I've asked you to simply make it smaller."
Sam frowned. "He makes it sound like it is supposed to be easy."
"It isn't," agreed Tony. "Something Stane could not understand." And why Stane had decided to go after Tony. He had known he hadn't had much time before the authorities would come calling.
The man trembled. "Okay, sir, and that's what we're trying to do, but honestly, it's impossible."
Steve observed the man's reaction to Stane. "He's terrified of him." He clenched his fists. "A bully should not be in a position of power."
Tony fought the urge to retort something back. Steve wouldn't believe he was a bully if he tried.
Stane turns away and back, shouting at the man. "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!" He forced the man back, his finger pointed at his chest.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not Tony Stark."
"Wasn't he one of your top scientific designers?" asked Rhodey. "I remember you said a few complaints had been filed against Stane after the incident…"
"He was," mused Tony. "His name was William Ginter Riva. He never returned to Stark Industries… He was a good scientist. He didn't file a complaint about Stane though." He frowned. "He was signed off sick from stress… and eventually, quit. He did cite me as a reason to quit when he returned his leaving questionnaire… I didn't have any direct involvement with him so I never understood what his problem was with me."
"Guess you know now," Bucky observed.
Tony felt guilt coil up in his chest. Even though he wasn't directly at fault, Stane's assumption that any scientist could replicate Tony's work could have big ramifications for someone's mental health.
"SHIELD detained all the scientists involved with Stane," added Natasha quietly. "They had to be questioned."
"Huh… I wasn't aware of that…" Tony hadn't been. But Phil Coulson had been involved that night.
"I could look up his file for you when we get back?" suggested Natasha. "It's not too late to offer support, even if it has been years since he left your company."
Tony nodded. "Please do." He hated being blamed for something that wasn't his fault. If Wanda could potentially see past it, surely other disgruntled employees on Stane's team could as well, if given the right support?
Tony's cell phone was ringing as he walked into the lounge. He found it underneath a cushion, picked it up, and flipped the cover open to see it was Pepper calling.
"Tony?"
Her voice came through at the same moment a high-pitched buzzing whine sounded in the room as a small device appeared at the side of his head.
They recognised the sound from before.
"NO!" Steve was the first to react.
Sam looked stunned. "No… No…!"
Bucky's face was pale.
"He came to you?" Bruce whispered, shock adorning his face.
For they all knew who was holding the small device at the side of Tony's head.
Tony stilled, unable to move, completely paralysed. Stane appeared, removing the phone from Tony's hand, ending the call before easing Tony's head onto the back of the couch.
Rhodey growled underneath his breath. "Not letting Tony answer was a big mistake. It made Pepper suspicious. She called me."
"Breathe…. Easy, easy…"
Tony recognised the device in Stane's hand as he held it up to his eyes.
"If Tony had answered, Pepper would have warned him about Stane," reasoned Steve.
Rhodey shook his head. "She wouldn't be suspicious if he'd answered her before being paralysed. Stane could have still got the drop on him after the call. Pepper wouldn't have had any reason to contact me, as she would assume he'd be careful."
"Which means he wanted to be caught?" Wanda said though she frowned. "Why would he want to be caught if he wanted to run Stark Industries?"
"It was over for him the moment Pepper downloaded all those files from the server," explained Sam. "He knew he wouldn't be able to run the company. He wouldn't be able to avoid the inevitable jail sentence either. If all your plans are in ruin, may as well take out the guy responsible."
"You remember this one, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve it. There are so many applications for causing short-term paralysis." Stane moved in front of Tony, moving his head to face him. "Ah, Tony…" He removed the protectors from his ears. "When I ordered the hit on you…"
Tony folded his arms across his chest. "And there is the proof he was responsible for everything. He tried to have me killed. I didn't know until he said those words. It was…" He wanted to describe the feeling he felt at how deep Obadiah's betrayal had stung but he couldn't find the words. "He'd seen me grow up… Been a big part of my life… And, yet he tried to have me killed." He lowered his chin onto his chest, breathing slowly. "I can't trust anyone."
"You can trust us, Tony," said Steve.
"No, I can't. Not after Siberia. That ship has long sailed, Steve," admitted Tony. "The only person I can trust is myself. And Pepper, and Happy and Rhodey. They have my back. You don't."
Steve didn't have the heart to argue with Tony's assessment of the situation. No matter how much Steve may deny it, he didn't really have Tony's back. And he did regret the loss of trust between them.
Tony's eyes widened ever so slightly, his face white and veiny. There was a bit of blood dribbling out of his ear.
Stane was removing a device from his suitcase. "…I was worried I was killing the golden goose." He put his fingers into the device, a little circular metal thing, and planted it on top of Tony's chest, over the Arc Reactor. Wisps of smoke appeared around the edges as it burned through the shirt. "But, you see, it was just…"
"Please tell me he isn't doing what I think he is?" yelled Sam, leaping from his seat and pointing at the screen. "Don't you dare take that from him!"
Steve paled. Oh god… He could see himself in his minds-eye, crushing the Arc Reactor in the suit with his shield. He exchanged a glanced with Bucky.
Even Clint was angered by what was about to happen, which surprised Tony when he saw the man's hands itching. Perhaps the revelation he'd tried to help Clint's family had forced bird-brain to rethink his dislike of his former team-mate.
Wanda's fingers twitched.
Thor was on his feet, his fingers crackling with little wisps of lightning. "I'll kill him!" he hissed.
"You don't need to," answered Tony.
"He deserves to die a thousand times for what's done to you!" Thor's anger was heartening, and it showed how much he cared about Tony.
Though the Inventor couldn't help but muse on the fact Thor had strangled him. He wondered how the god would react to that, or if he even remembered he'd done it.
Tony gasped as the device moved down, choking.
"…fate that you survived that." Stane twisted the device, extracting the Arc Reactor from Tony's chest. He held it up to Tony's eye line. "You had one last golden egg to give." He smiled evilly, leaning over Tony with the Arc Reactor still attached, wires showing. "Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?"
Wanda snarled. "Of course, an idea belongs to him! He doesn't have to share all his ideas with the world!"
Surprised by her reaction, Tony smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks," he whispered.
Stane studied him further. "Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"
Steve's teeth crunched together. "Despite his faults, Tony isn't as selfish as you believe him to be!"
"Why would he share an idea with the world that is keeping him alive?" stated Sam. "Anyone could find a weakness if he did, putting Stark in danger!"
Finally, someone understood his reasons for not wanting to share the Arc Reactor technology with the world.
Stane pulled and yanked the Arc Reactor free from the wiring.
"Fucking bastard!" Steve cursed, not bothering to apologise for his words.
Tony thought it was ironic considering what Steve had done to the Arc Reactor himself.
"I am so glad he's dead, otherwise I think we all would be going to kill him," said Rhodey.
There was mutual agreement around the room.
"Wait… where's JARVIS?" Wanda's voice was filled with concern. "Surely he'd raise the alarm?"
Tony sighed. "As much as it is hard to believe, Stane switched JARVIS off without me knowing."
"How did he manage it?" Bruce couldn't believe it. "You wouldn't have given him access to your systems…"
"I didn't," answered Tony.
"It was quite clever what Mr. Stane did," explained Vision. "He used the same method Mr. Stark used on him, only he installed a virus into JARVIS's mainframe, temporarily switching the A.I off until Mr. Stark could reboot the system."
Everyone knew Vision was referring to the method Pepper had used to download the data from Tony's office. Stane had simply used his own lock-chip, inserted it into a port in Tony's house which had instantly switched off Tony's A.I and his security system, enabling Stane to get the jump on the Inventor.
Tony gasps as his foe inspected the Reactor, his face marvelling in its beauty. "Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony." Stane sat next to Tony. "Ah, what a masterpiece. Look at that. This is your legacy. A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands."
Steve paled, recognising the familiar words. I said something similar about the Accords and myself…
"You alright?" Bucky had noticed Steve's distracted manner.
Steve swallowed, not wanting anyone to know how those simple words had hit him. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
Bucky didn't seem so sure but he relented on further questioning Steve.
Stane laughed and grabbed his suitcase. "I wish you could see my prototype." He placed the stolen Reactor in the case. "It's not as… Well, not as conservative as yours."
Tony's throat twitches.
"Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I would have preferred that she lived."
"Don't you dare touch her!" Both Steve and Bruce yelled at the same time.
Stane closed the case and walked away, leaving Tony to die on the sofa.
"Shit," whispered Sam. "He left you there to die."
Bucky shifted in his seat. "How long did you have? The Arc Reactor is gone… Nothing is holding back the shards of metal."
"The pieces were moving towards my heart," answered Tony. "I could feel them. It was getting harder to breathe with each passing minute. I didn't have long. If the paralysis wore off, I'd be able to move again, but the shards would move faster with each physical activity."
"You wouldn't have had any Arc Reactor spares," reasoned Steve, thinking carefully. "I know you keep them now in case of emergencies…"
They'd clearly forgotten the spare Arc Reactor Pepper had given to him as a present. The worry on each of their faces made Tony feel that they did care. That they still considered him a team member, though it wasn't something he could readily believe himself.
"Wait… Doesn't he-" Natasha stopped talking at Tony's nod as she remembered the spare Arc Reactor. "Oh."
"How did you survive?" Clint looked incredulous. "He took the one thing you needed!"
"Concerned for me?" quipped Tony, not wanting to hold back any longer at the Archer.
Clint couldn't hold Tony's gaze and dipped his head, his words barely perceptible. "You're still a part of this team."
Clint's admission surprised him but it showed even the most heartless of people could potentially see the error of their ways.
As he drove through the streets of Malibu, Rhodey was on the phone to Pepper, surprised by what she was telling him. He couldn't believe Obadiah had paid to have Tony killed. He asked where Tony was now.
Rhodey scratched the back of his neck. "I knew Obadiah well. I couldn't grasp the idea he'd tried to have Tony killed. It was a foreign idea to me." A part of him hadn't believed it.
They saw Pepper walking to a car with Coulson and a group of agents. Pepper told Rhodey she didn't know where Tony was as he wasn't answering his phone. She wanted him to go over there and make sure everything was okay. As she ended the call, she told Coulson she knew a shortcut back to the Stark Industries facilities.
Across town, Rhodey turned his truck around and sped off to Tony's mansion.
"Telling you now, I broke a ton of speeding laws just to get to Tony's mansion," said Rhodey. "Nearly lost my license until Tony stepped in." He cast his gaze over the group. "No one was injured or hurt. I knew from Pepper's panicked voice she wanted me to get there quickly."
"You're very good at circumventing the law, aren't you?" Sam raised an eyebrow at Tony.
Tony shrugged. "When you have a lot of contacts, it pays to use them. And these were exceptional circumstances. I'm not going to apologise for that."
No one could blame him, for they would have done the same, just as they had done with trying to work around the Accords because they had felt it was the right thing to do.
Clinging to life, Tony flung himself into the elevator. He slid down the wall of the elevator as it took him down to his workshop.
"How the hell are you moving?" burst out Clint, his eyes wide. "What the hell, man?"
"Tony…" Steve whispered. He didn't like the paleness of Tony's skin, nor the drench of sweat as he exerted himself to get down to his lab. "Why are you…"
"I'm trying to help myself," answered Tony quietly.
He stumbled out, his shirt drenched with sweat, and his face pale. His eyes saw the Arc Reactor Pepper had stored in the glass box on his desk and had given to him as a gift.
The others realised as soon as they saw the glass box.
"It still worked?" Sam asked.
Tony inclined his head. "It did. I never stopped it from working when I removed it."
"Pepper is a noble woman!" Thor decreed. "She saved your life!"
A slight smile tugged at Tony's lips. "She's been saving my life for years." He sighed, letting his shoulders droop. "I was lucky she decided to keep the Arc Reactor and present it to me as a present."
"You are so nostalgic," grinned Natasha.
"I used to think I wasn't… but Pepper knew me best. That's why we work well together. We complement each other in ways other people do not always see or recognise." A soft expression crossed his face. "One way or another… she's it for me. No one else can ever compare to her."
"You really do love her, don't you?" Wanda said, lowering her head.
"I do…"
"I'm glad you've got someone like Pepper, Tony," said Steve. "I really am."
The sides of Tony's lips twitched in gratitude.
Tony fell to the floor, attempting to pull himself along the floor, struggling to breathe. He moved past a car, pushing obstacles out of his way, before reaching his desk, hoisting himself up with a plastic bin, reaching for the Arc Reactor…
He collapsed, and rolled onto his back, panting for breath.
From above there was a familiar whine, and down came a robotic arm with the Arc Reactor in its claw. Tony reached up for it and looked at DUM-E.
"I knew there was a reason you never donated him to city college," joked Rhodey, slapping Tony on the back.
Tony winced. "When it comes to it, my bots pulled through for me."
"Good boy," he whispered. He rolled over and smashed the Arc Reactor casing.
Steve breathed out in relief. "Phew." Though he knew Tony had survived, he never wanted to see any of his teammates die. If someone had to die, Steve would always be the first one.
Bruce laughed, letting out the tension which had built up in his chest. "You, Tony, were very lucky there that DUM-E recognised you needed help."
"He may not have had the best programming, but DUM-E was able to recognise when I genuinely needed help, even though he may not have always performed his best."
"Still didn't stop you threatening him in later years though," pointed out Rhodey.
Tony smirked. "I didn't change that much."
Stane stood in front of his newly built suit holding the miniature Arc Reactor. He placed it in the middle of the chest piece, connecting it to the centre socket, pushing it inside and the suit powered up. He gazed up at the suit and smiled.
Sam shook his head. "Not good…"
Rhodey burst into Tony's lounge, calling for his friend. He ran down the steps into the workshop and saw Tony limp on the floor.
"When I saw you on the floor, I nearly had a heart attack," explained Rhodey. "I thought you were dead."
"Installing the Arc Reactor took a lot out of me," affirmed Tony. "It was pulling the shards of metal back into place as they'd dug in deeper. It hurt. I was still trying to regain my breath."
Wanda looked sympathetic at Tony.
He rolled his friend over, asking if he was okay.
Tony grabs Rhodey. "Where's Pepper?" he gasped.
"She's fine. She's with five Agents. They're about to arrest Obadiah."
The Arc Reactor shined in Tony's chest, the colour on his face already starting to return to normal. He pushed himself to his feet as he said: "That's not gonna be enough."
"You knew the capability of the suit," reasoned Sam. "Agents alone were not going to be enough to stop him."
"No," answered Tony. "It never would be. Stane could kill them in an instant. At this point, he was out to cause as much trouble as possible, even if he knew it was likely to be the end of the road for him. I had to be the one to stop him."
A silver car followed by a line of black cars pulled up into the No Parking Zone of Stark Industries Factory. Pepper and Coulson climbed out of the first car, followed by Agents from the other cars. Pepper used her access card and they moved inside into the Arc Reactor building.
They saw Section 16 through a door at the far end. Only Authorised Technologists were allowed entry. Pepper tried to use her card twice but it didn't work. Obadiah had locked her out.
"Taking no chances," Clint said, his voice dark. "Not going to stop SHIELD agents though."
"Why didn't SHIELD send a bigger team?" Bruce questioned. "There are not many agents there."
"I think they reasoned if Tony had his own suit, he'd be along at some point to help out," explained Natasha, "however they may have thought they'd reach Stane before his suit was completed. If they could arrest him before that…" She spread her hands out, palms up. "Easy to capture someone when they're not in a suit."
"But when they're in them, it makes them ten times more invincible to capture," finished Clint.
Coulson held out a small device. Pepper wanted to know what it was, theorising whether it would pick the lock, before Coulson placed it on the door handle. He advised her to take a few steps back and the Agents turned away as Pepper runs slightly further away and covered her ears. Coulson just folded his arms.
The little device beeps and then explodes, unlocking the door.
"If he's not in the suit yet, that'll warn him to get into it," winced Bucky.
Obadiah looks up, turns around, and hopped across an aisle to reach the suit.
Bucky sighed. He'd hoped he would have been wrong.
"I hope you get there quickly, Tony," said Steve.
"Haven't left the house yet," pointed out Tony, as the next scene showed Tony back at his workshop where the Iron Man suit was being put on as Rhodey watched on in wonder.
"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen."
"And I wanted my own," grinned Rhodey. "Took me a while to get one though."
"The Mark II was always there for you," revealed Tony. "I never intended for you to not have a suit."
"Not bad, huh? Let's do it." Tony stepped forward and blasted one of his cars out of the way. He turned to face Rhodey.
"For someone who adored their cars, you just blasted it out the way." Clint shook his head, surprised at how easy it was for Tony to wreck one of his prized cars in his collection.
"There are some things more important than cars," said Tony. "I recognised the risks. I couldn't be fussy at this point over immaterial objects."
"You need me to do anything else?"
Tony's helmet fell down. "Keep the skies clear." He engaged his thrusters and flew out of the hole in the roof leaving Rhodey behind, who looked over at the Silver Mark II suit.
"Next time, baby," he said, as he swung himself into one of Tony's cars and drove away.
"I wonder if the next movie will show that?" wondered Bucky.
"If it deals with Ivan Vanko, it probably will," sighed Tony. "It was when Rhodey got the suit."
Coulson stepped into the darkness of Sector 16. Pistols were drawn and they moved inside very quietly. Pepper looked around. They fanned out, looking for any sign of Stane.
They rounded a bend and found the reconstituted Mark I.
"He based his design on your first suit," Steve mused.
"It wasn't a perfect design. It got the job done that I wanted it to," said Tony. "And, his was bigger."
Coulson commented that Pepper had been right as Stane had been building a suit.
"I thought it would be bigger," said Pepper.
A noise echoed in the background. Sparking wires hung from the ceiling.
One of the Agents found a computer with the design of the Iron Monger suit on it.
Chains dangling caught Pepper's attention she moved towards them.
"Pepper… Don't go closer…" worried Sam.
There was a clang and two white lights appeared and started to rise up, towering over her and targeting her.
"Shit!" Bucky shouted.
"It's Stane," swallowed Clint. "In a very big suit."
Thor's fingers crackled with energy. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
Tony's lips twitched. He'd not seen what had happened before he'd arrived, and it angered him even more now how Stane had callously targeted her. He was glad the man was dead. He just wished he had been the one to push the button instead of Pepper.
Pepper screamed and ran as the Suit followed her. Bullets ricocheted against it. It was tall, sweeping aside anyone in its path. She ran through the sector, the suit charging after her, reaching out an enormous metal claw hand, barely missing her.
"Tony…. Please get there!" Sam yelled.
"Trying!" retorted Tony.
Tony flew through the sky. He asked JARVIS on how the Mark I chest piece would hold up. JARVIS commented the suit was at 48% power and was falling. The chest piece had never been designed for sustained flight. Tony wanted to be kept posted on power levels as he sped with all haste towards Stark Industries.
Steve paled. "The Arc Reactor couldn't support the suit?"
"No. It was never designed for it. I was running on fumes and failing energy. It was my only option," revealed Tony. "I had to take risks. I was willing to put my life on the line to stop Stane, something a lot of you fail to recognise."
Steve exchanged glances with the others, feeling guilty over how much he may have misjudged Tony ever since he had met him.
As Pepper ran out of the Arc Reactor building, her phone rang.
"Pepper?"
"Tony! Tony, are you okay?"
"She's just been attacked by a giant suit and she's asking you if you are okay?" Bruce shook his head in wonder. "It makes sense…"
"Remember, the last time Pepper tried to speak to Tony, he answered but he didn't speak," remembered Natasha. "She'd be relieved to hear his voice."
"I'm fine. How are…"
Pepper spoke over him. "Obadiah, he's gone insane!"
"Yeah, I think Tony knows that," reasoned Steve.
"I know. Listen, you'd better get out of there."
"He built a suit," she told him.
He wanted her to leave the area.
"She's not going to leave, is she?" swallowed Sam. "She needs to leave. Stane is after her. The longer she stays, the more trouble she'll be in."
But it was too late as the ground rumbled beneath her feet, cracking the pavement and opening up a hole. The gigantic Iron Monger rose up, towering over Pepper. "Where do you think you're going?"
Pepper screamed.
Thor roared again, leaping from his seat, but Bruce pulled him back.
"You cannot do anything, Thor!"
The God's arms crackled with lightning. "I know."
"We know Pepper survives!" reported Bruce. "She's fine!"
Thor sighed and sat down, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.
"Your services are no longer required." Stane pointed a machine gun at her. It started to whirl.
Pepper could not move.
"Run, Pepper…" whispered Sam.
"Sometimes when you are faced with death, you become too scared to move," whispered Wanda. "I remember it well…"
"Wanda…" Tony started. He knew what she was referring to. The days under the rubble, trapped with a fake Stark missile.
She shook her head at him. "It's not your fault. When you're faced with death, even at a young age, it can terrify you. Stop you from moving and saving yourself. I'm not sure if Pietro and I could have done anything to get out without help… I can see why Pepper wouldn't move. The terror simply stops you."
Clint rubbed her on the back in sympathy.
And then Tony was yelling Stane's name from above and he shot down as Stane looked up as Iron Man collided with the Iron Monger, knocking them back through the fence and out into a busy main road.
Everyone winced.
"Did anyone die?" asked Steve.
"Luckily, there were no casualties reported," confirmed Rhodey. "Just a few people were traumatised, and a few injuries, but none that were life-threatening."
Stane crashed through a lorry, rolling into oncoming traffic, cars twisting and swerving everywhere.
Cars crashed as they fought to avoid the monstrosity in the middle of the road. A minivan with a woman and her children inside it came to a screeching halt right in front of the Iron Monger.
Stane lifted the car up, intending to throw it at Tony, as the family screamed from inside the car.
"What the hell!" Sam shouted, "How can he be so callous?"
"He's a warmonger," stated Tony. "He didn't care. He didn't care who he put in danger as long as it got him profit."
"And he was prepared to do anything to kill Tony." Rhodey pointed out. "Even if it meant killing innocents."
Tony tried to stand.
Stane yelled that he loved this suit and Tony ordered him to put the family down.
"Collateral damage, Tony." Stane didn't care as he stamped toward Tony.
Steve growled underneath his breath. "Fucking bastard!" He didn't care that he had sworn. Stane deserved his anger. "I know you wouldn't put people intentionally in danger, Tony. Stane is on a whole other level to you."
"Divert power to chest RT," ordered Tony. A large white blast erupts from the centre of Tony's chest piece. Stane flew back into the bonnet of another car.
"Isn't it going to drain the Arc Reactor by using it?" queried Sam.
"It did," answered Vision. "The Arc Reactor was already failing. Each move Mr. Stark made, reduced the power even more. It couldn't maintain the suit."
Tony caught the minivan, struggling to get it back down to the ground safely as the mother and children screamed.
"One good thing with the suit, is that it enables me to lift a lot of heavy objects," explained Tony. "Otherwise that would have crushed me and killed me."
JARVIS informed him power had reduced to 19%.
"Come on…" whispered Bruce. "You've got this."
He forced himself down onto one knee as the car was too heavy for him to hold up.
"Unfortunately, with the suit failing it was getting harder to hold heavy objects." Tony sighed. "I did the best I could in a bad situation."
The mother put her foot on the accelerator, and the minivan came down with a thud. The minivan took off down the road as Tony clung to the bonnet. She accelerated faster and Tony fell back, scratching the bonnet of the car. He fell under the car, getting dragged along before he managed to lift the back wheels to slid himself out from underneath it and let go as the mother sped off down the road.
Everyone winced.
"Ouch," cringed Steve and Sam.
"I'm glad you saved them," whispered Wanda.
"I try my best," answered Tony, smiling gently.
The Iron Monger leaps and jumps for Tony, grabbing a passing motorcycle and hits Tony with it, sending him into another car and onto the ground. Around them, people were fleeing.
Stane grabbed Tony. "For thirty years, I've been holding you up!" He lifted Tony and threw him on the ground, stamping onto Tony's chest. "I built this company from nothing!"
Tony glared at the screen. "Actually, you didn't. My father was the driving factor. You were just a business partner."
Tony desperately tried to escape but Stane grabbed him again.
"Nothing is going to stand in my way!"
Sam looked at the screen incredulously. "Did he really think he'd be able to go back to running the company after this? SHIELD knew what his role was!"
Tony shrugged. "I don't think he cared. I did wonder if he had connections to HYDRA. I was never able to prove if he was or not. If he had connections, they would have cleared his name."
"Obadiah Stane wasn't HYDRA, but he did do business with them," said Natasha. "He was supported by them but he was not a full member of the organisation. His name was never on any of the records which got leaked when we dumped all the files."
"They would have supported him if he'd tried to take over the company if he'd succeeded to kill you here," said Clint. "They'd have quietly killed the Agents involved and Pepper too to avoid the truth getting out."
"They could have done it anyway, even with Stane's death…" said Natasha.
"What stopped them?" Sam wanted to know.
"I was more useful to them alive," sighed Tony. "SHIELD got me working for them on the technical side a while later. Everything I did ended up being to HYDRA's advantage."
"You didn't know," said Steve cautiously. "None of us knew."
"I know. Doesn't stop me feeling guilty though does it?" added Tony.
He threw Tony into a bus, stomps away from him, turns back, and brings out a short-range missile. "Least of all you!" He tracked and fires, exploding the bus into flames.
The force of the explosion sent Tony spiralling into the air, and as he fell, his flight repulsors came to life, keeping him stable in the air.
"Neat trick!" grinned Bucky. "Make him look like you're going to hit he ground but spring a surprise on him!"
"I realised I had to get him off the ground. And, if he'd based his design on my first one, it would have a lot of the same flaws, ones which I had fixed for the armour I was wearing," revealed Tony.
"You could turn his suit against him!" Sam grinned. "Smart plan!"
"I am a genius, Wilson," retorted Tony.
"Impressive! You've upgraded your armour! I've made some upgrades of my own!" Stane launched himself into air, filling the air with smoke as the rocket launchers in his feet fired.
"His thruster capacity needs improving. He's too slow-moving off the ground," noted Bruce.
"Sir, it appears that his suit can fly."
Clint snorted. "Stating the obvious yet again."
Vision turned his head to the archer. "It was JARVIS' duty to state the obvious. Mr. Stark had shown capacity to not recognise the obvious in the past."
Tony couldn't argue with the Vision's assessment of himself. He had been very narrow-minded before Afghanistan.
Tony noted that the suit could fly and wanted to be taken to maximum altitude. JARVIS tried to tell him the odds, but Tony reminded him he knew the maths, he just wanted JARVIS to do it.
Tony flew off, higher into the sky as Pepper watched from the ground, as Stane pursued him.
"She was very worried about you," cautioned Rhodey. "Pepper told me. When you went flying up into the air with Stane pursing you."
"I know." Tony sighed. "I put her through so much shit, it continuously surprises me she stays."
"She loves you," said Rhodey. "She won't ever leave you."
"She nearly did," Tony reasoned.
"But she came back," answered Rhodey.
"My one fear is that one day I'll leave her." Tony lowered his voice, so the others could not hear. "I'll leave her a widow, and she'll be young… and if we have a child… I'll leave her with them to raise by herself. I can't do that to her."
Rhodey steeled his face, rubbing Tony on the shoulder. "Listen to me, Tony. If I can help it, I'll take your place. I'm not going to let you die, not if I can do anything to stop it. If I can't stop you from dying… I'll do my best to protect your family until the day I die. That's a promise."
A slight smile crossed Tony's face. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"But you're not dying on my watch, Tones. I'm not letting that happen. Ever."
The gut feeling in Tony's stomach was telling him Rhodey was wrong and that an early grave awaited him, but he hoped he was wrong.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
When Tony says to Wanda he thinks she knows, he is referring to the vision he saw in AOU. I believe Wanda probably had a sense or saw what Tony did in that vision, which is why she let him take the Sceptre instead of killing him. Age of Ultron, when we get to it, is going to be very eye-opening for Wanda.
I also believe Team Cap didn't fully read the Accords before Steve left to go to Peggy's funeral. Steve was seen flicking through them but he disagreed with the idea of them from the outset, so the idea of any of Team Cap actually sitting down and reading them properly seems to have unlikely to have happened.
I subscribe to the idea that Tony knew Peggy growing up. She was a big part of SHIELD and Howard Stark's life. I see no reason to believe Tony wouldn't know her very well. I also think Steve was so lost in grief over Peggy, he probably didn't really listen to the funeral service. Tony's reasoning for not attending the funeral I think is an interesting take. He would have been there, if not for the Accords.
Pepper's family... the MCU doesn't make this too clear. In IM1 she says Tony is all she has, yet in Avengers, Tony makes a joke about asking her mum if Pepper can buck over, and then there is Pepper's Uncle Morgan. Tony has clearly met her eccentric Uncle. This makes me think that Pepper isn't too close to her family which is why in IM1 she considers Tony as all she has. I think its reasonable to assume that Pepper's relatives are still alive - she just does not have much of a relationship with them, however, maybe after getting together with Tony, she starts to repair the family bridges, if there is any, which is why I decided to address this issue here.
William Ginter Riva - he was Beck's right-hand man in Far From Home. I think Riva's hatred of Tony was odd since it was more Stane at fault, but somehow Tony got the blame? I wanted to address that here.
Steve recognises "the right hands" as something he believes. It's struck a chord with him. This will be followed up in later stories in this series.
The end of this chapter... Tony has a feeling he will end up seeing his own death whilst watching these movies. He hopes he is wrong.
The next chapter will be posted next Sunday and will be the last chapter in this story. Iron Man 2 will begin being posted September time as I need to write out the movie-script first.
Until next Sunday,
the-writer1988