Tony struggled as he tried to break free from their grasp. The suit!, he thought. Where the hell is the suit?! It seemed like he'd summoned it ages ago.
He watched as they brought out Pepper in front of him, her arms held tightly behind her back as they marched her out. She looked at him pleadingly, her face stained with tears and her eyes full of terror.
"NOOO!" Tony grunted angrily. "Killian! I swear to God! You lay a finger on her! I'll..." Tony threatened.
"You'll what?" Killian challenged. "I don't see your trusty Halloween costume anywhere, Stark! And, you're sorely outnumbered. So, tell me? What WILL you do?" he chided.
Tony gritted his teeth and fought again against the grip of Killian's thugs, but to no avail. He was forced to watch as they strapped Pepper into the metal rack in front of him. Killian marched over to her and sneered at Tony before laying a wet, forceful kiss on Pepper's lips. She screamed and tried to struggle against him, but he held her face in his hands. When he broke his grasp, Pepper spat angrily. Killian grabbed both sides of the front of her white buttoned-down shirt and ripped it open and off of her body savagely, exposing her beige-colored bra underneath. Pepper shrieked. She clenched her teeth, and began to sob, her eyes squeezing shut. Tony growled. "You son of a bitch! Don't touch her!" he demanded.
Killian just leered and walked to the table beside the rack Pepper was tied to. He picked up a long syringe attached to a long piece of clear medical tubing which was coming out of an IV bag. He slowly walked back over to Pepper, clearly enjoying prolonging her's and Tony's suffering.
Tony watched him, eyes wide, drawing the conclusion of what was coming next. He fixed his eyes on Pepper's. "Pepper?" he called. Her eyes opened and shifted over to look at him."Honey, just keep looking at me, okay? Everything will be alright, I promise!"
"Beginning Phase 1," Killian heard from the man seated at a computer screen that was on the table where the syringe was. He picked up her forearm and sadistically jabbed her with the syringe, taking great pleasure in the act, taping it roughly to her inner arm. Pepper yowled with pain, and Tony spluttered as it felt like someone punched him in the gut. He fell to his knees, and was breathless as he watched Pepper squirm and writhe, powerless as Killian's men held him back by his arms. With each second, Pepper's skin got redder, and it began to wriggle as steam rose out of the surface layer. Her chest heaved and her face was contorted in pain.
"Pepper! Just keep looking at me!" Tony screamed. "I'm right here! I won't leave you!"
"Oh, I wouldn't blame you if you DID want to leave," Killian quipped snidely. "This part might get a little hard to watch." He began slapping electrodes for monitoring vitals all over her chest, and he put two on her forehead.
Tony couldn't move. His eyes were fixed, in horror, on Pepper's face as she stared back at him, her eyes begging him to do something. But he was helpless as her skin began to smoke and burn.
"Beginning Phase 2," the man watching the computer screen said.
"Good," Killian purred. "Good news, Stark! Your girl has passed the initial phase! I knew she was a strong one."
"Let her go!" Tony barked. "Please! Take me! You can have me, Killian! Please! I beg you! Just let her go!"
Killian chuckled darkly. "Oh, what makes you think you're not NEXT?" he asked. "You two will be a pair to beat a full house, if you're girl here makes it through all three phases, that is." Killian chuckled again, but Tony watched in horror as Killian's face suddenly began to twist and contort, morphing into someone else. When the transformation was complete, Tony shuddered.
"Hammer?!" he cried with a guttural growl. "What the hell?! How is this happening?"
"Surprise!" Justin Hammer exclaimed. "Miss me?"
"No, this can't be!" Tony cried. "There's no way!"
"Well, believe it, Tony. I've got friends in low places, you know? You didn't actually think I'd disappear forever, did you? I mean, really," he reasoned. He grabbed Pepper's chin in his hand and roughly squeezed her face. "Not when little miss CEO still owes me SO much!" he cried.
Pepper writhed and moaned, clearly becoming fatigued from the stress on her body. Her head lolled back, and she seemed to be losing consciousness. "Pepper, no," Tony begged. "Stay awake, honey! Don't go to sleep! Please! Keep looking at me!"
"I can't," Pepper moaned. "I can't. I'm SO tired, Tony. So tired," she said, listlessly. She managed to somehow open her eyes to a squint, and she turned her head in Tony's direction. She moaned as her face twisted with pain for several more moments.
Suddenly, her head popped up. Something had changed, and she looked around with wide eyes.
"What's happening to me?" she begged Hammer. He just smiled darkly.
"Beginning Phase 3," the man at the computer screen said.
Pepper began to squirm frantically. "No, no, please! Please stop! Please!" she demanded. She continued to squirm in panic as she watched her body begin to pulse with red hot heat. She looked back at Tony and then at Hammer and then back to her body. She tried to pull away from her restraints but it was no use. She began to convulse as her flesh scalded and seared. It looked like lava was flowing under the surface of her skin.
Tony looked on in terror. "What the hell's happened to her?!" he demanded.
"The best part!" Hammer exclaimed, giddy at Pepper's progression. He hopped up and down excitedly. "I never dreamed I'd get to see this!"
"Pepper?!" Tony called frantically.
Pepper looked over at him pleadingly as her body shook uncontrollably. "Tony!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Please! Make it stop! Please! Oh God, this hurts!"
Tony's face contorted with rage. Angry tears poured down his cheeks. He tried again to summon the suit by flicking his wrists and activating the nodes in his forearms, but it wasn't working. In fact, suddenly he noticed the nodes were GONE. Tony realized this in horror. "Who took out the nodes?" he said aloud. He raised this eyes to Hammer. "Who took out the nodes?!" he demanded again.
Hammer just laughed at him. "Once again, Stark! I took your toys and now all you can do is pout about it!" he chided.
"Tony!" Pepper pleaded. "Help me! Please! Don't let them do this to me! It hurts so much!"
Tony shook his head, feeling the pit in his stomach fill with the feeling of helpless defeat. "I can't," he muttered. "I'm sorry!" A bitter sob choked out of his throat as he was forced to watch Pepper writhe in agony.
"Tony?" she said. "Help me! Please! Please, Tony. Please?!" she begged, sobbing.
"I'm sorry!" he yelled. "I can't, baby! I'm sorry! I love you!"
"I...love..." Pepper started. But suddenly she fell unconscious, and her body turned bright orange.
Hammer's eyes went wide. "Shut it down! She's rejecting it! Shut it down!" he shrieked. Frantically, they tried to stop the procedure but it was too late. Tony watched in horror in the last few seconds before Pepper's body combusted into red-hot flame, her eyes going freakishly wide as a white beam exploded out of her mouth, and her body blew apart .
XxXxXxXxXx
"NO!" Tony growled, jerking straight up in bed, awake suddenly, chest heaving, and pouring sweat. His eyes were wide as he tried to catch his breath. His stomach suddenly lurched, and he frantically threw off the covers and sprinted to the bathroom just in time to heave into the toilet.
Pepper was close behind him. "Tony?!" she asked, from the doorway. "Are you alright?"
Tony groaned and sat back against the wall heavily, after flushing the toilet. His head was spinning and he closed his eyes, still trying to catch his breath. He nodded slowly.
Pepper walked in and sat down on the floor beside him. "Another nightmare?" she asked, concerned.
Tony nodded again. "He had you," he said hoarsely, opening his eyes.
"Who? Killian, again?" she asked.
"Yes, and Hammer this time," Tony answered. "They were the same person. It was...terrifying."
She began stroking his upper arm, trying to comfort him. "Tony, it was only a dream. I'm fine, now. All of that is over with. You know this," she said, reassuringly.
Tony nodded in understanding. "I know, Pep," he agreed. He moved to sling an arm around her shoulder, and to pull her close. Pepper nestled into his side, and wrapped her arms around his middle.
"We have to move you past this," she advised. "What can we do to help you let go of the past?" she asked.
Tony shook his head. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, and then rested his head on the wall again. "I don't know," he said. "I wish I did. But no matter what I do, these dreams keep reoccurring." Tony scrubbed a hand over his face, and exhaled sharply. "Whew," he said. "That one was rough."
Pepper sat up and looked at him. She kissed his cheek and rubbed his knee. "Wanna talk about it?" she offered.
Tony swallowed hard. "He began injecting you with Extremis. Only this time, your body couldn't take it. And for some reason, I couldn't summon the suit to help you. The nodes were gone. Hammer stole them out of my arm. So all I could do was watch...was watch you..." he stammered, before his throat closed. Even now, angry tears leaked out of his eyes, and he swiped at them fiercely. He swallowed hard again, flicking his eyes over to Pepper's and back out in front of him again. Tony shook his head. More tears began to roll down his cheeks. After a moment, he spoke. "I couldn't do anything!" he whispered, swiping at the tears again. "You kept begging me to make it stop, but I was helpless!"
"Oh, Tony," she murmured, sympathetically. Pepper sat up on her knees and pulled his head to her chest. Tony wrapped his arms around her middle, and nuzzled his body into her's. He pressed his ear to her chest and closed his eyes, listening for her heart beat to comfort him. The soothing bump-bump, bump-bump, calmed his nerves and soon he felt more at ease.
"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, I promise," he murmured, after a few moments.
Pepper smiled and laid her cheek on the top of his. "I know you won't," she said.
After a few more moments, Tony raised his head to look at her. He brushed a section of her hair behind her ear, and smiled weakly. Pepper smiled back. "I'd kiss you, but..." she teased.
"Right, the whole...vomit thing," he replied sheepishly. Pepper nodded. They both chuckled and Pepper moved to stand up. She held out a hand to Tony, and he took it, pulling himself up. He walked to the vanity and grabbed the mouth wash off the counter top. He chugged a large mouthful, and swished it around as Pepper watched. He spat it into the sink and looked back at her in the mirror, smiling softly. She smiled softly back as he turned to face her, brushing a hand over his goatee. He bent to kiss her lips and she obliged, wrapping her arms around his neck. He moaned happily before her broke the kiss and pulled her into a bear hug. He rubbed circles around her back and squeezed her again, grunting happily as he squeezed.
Pepper pulled back to look at him. "Better?" she asked, smirking warmly.
Tony nodded. "Better," he said, smiling.
Pepper pecked his lips. "Good," she purred. She grabbed his hand and turned away to lead them both back to bed. She climbed in and Tony scooted in next to her, wrapping her in his arms against his chest. He laid a gentle kiss on her neck, just below her ear lobe, and whispered, "Thank you, baby."
Pepper snuggled further into his chest. "Any time," she said sweetly. She sighed softly and closed her eyes. Tony buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes, resting his hand on her lower stomach. Soon, the both of them drifted back to sleep.