It's been a while on this one, I know. Thank you so much for your patience and your continued support. It's my goal to make steady progress on ALL of my unfinished fics, finishing them off, one by one.

Happy reading. Let me know what you think. I hope this one still holds your interest. Looks like Tony and Bruce have an ace up their sleeves now, I have to say, just to tease you... ;)

:D

Tony and Bruce had been in the R&D lab at Stark HQ since they'd left the hospital, and their work had gone into the early hours of the morning before they'd even lifted their heads long enough to notice the time. They'd taken the mysterious plastic cap Bruce had found in Pepper's room for analysis, hoping there was enough residue from whatever the syringe had been full of to run every kind of pharmacological test on it they could. Tony enlisted the help of JARVIS, first instructing him to analyze each test, and then match the findings (if there were any) to any known substance in the world, based on the data they'd collected. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to work quickly, J," Tony instructed. "Pepper's life depends on it."

"Certainly, Sir," the AI responded. "I shall give it my level best."

Tony watched the computer screens as JARVIS went to work, opening and closing multiple tabs and pages in rapid succession as the data was filed and processed. He backed away, pulling his eyes off the screens and turning his attention to Bruce, who had pulled off his glasses and was rubbing his eyes wearily. Tony patted his friend's back in understanding. "How're you holding up?" he asked him.

Bruce scoffed, and looked at his friend as he put his glasses back on. "I should be asking you the same thing," he replied.

Tony sighed, shifting his eyes out the window to notice the first rays of the sunrise beginning to peak over the horizon. "What can I say? I've always known, even before I built the suit, that there would be those who would want what I had. And would come after me to get it. Through any means necessary. And Pepper knew the dangers of being with someone like me, too. I mean how could we not, right?"

Bruce nodded sadly in understanding.

Tony shrugged, and smiled wistfully. "I guess that's why I never wanted to be in a relationship before now, you know? Have that kind of attachment? I wanted to be able to walk away, without a second thought, if I had to. Adding another person into the mix put too much on the line. For them and for me. But then one day, one day, I just...I couldn't deny it anymore. I...needed her. I knew I couldn't keep going through life without her by my side, but as more than just my assistant or CEO. You know what I mean?"

"I get the aspect of risk. And the loneliness. Believe me, I do," Bruce replied sympathetically.

Tony smiled and nodded back in acknowledgement. "So who knew it would be nature that would be our biggest adversary? An enemy against which we can have no retribution. It's a helpless feeling, isn't it."

Bruce smiled and nodded. "Natural forces creating havoc, and you're left to pick up the pieces," he replied.

Tony nodded, smiling. "I figured you'd be the one to talk to about this," he said kindly. He glanced back to the computer screens, where JARVIS still appeared to be working, and narrowed his eyes. "But, rest assured, if we do find out somebody's been in that room? And tried to hurt my wife? I will unleash holy hell on them, and make up for whatever I couldn't dish out on nature myself."

Just then, JARVIS spoke. "Sir? I've found a likely match," he announced.

Tony clapped his hands sharply. "Nice, J. What've ya' got?" he said, marching briskly back to the computer screens. JARVIS posted his results for Tony to see.

"It's origin appears to be found in the venom of a snake found only in South Korea. Though, in recent years, it has become more widely available around the world as people have discovered its properties and have started farming the reptiles solely for the distribution of this toxin," the AI explained.

"A bio-toxin?" Bruce interjected. "Wouldn't this show up in Pepper's blood work? How has it gone undetected until now?"

"This particular toxin is only evident in the victim's bloodstream for a few hours after the initial exposure. Afterwards, it's deposited into the liver and kidneys like any waste product, and flushed out accordingly. Leaving behind no trace, but small, faint, white lines in the nail beds of each fingernail, and the lasting effects of the damage it's caused. Easily missed by the masses, but detected only by trained medical professionals, as is the common occurrence in poisoning victims," JARVIS replied.

"What kind of damage does this stuff cause? Temporarily and permanently?" Tony asked.

"Like most reptilian venom, this one is no different in its aim to paralyse and suffocate. It attacks the involuntary bodily functions first- the brain's firing of neurons, the ability for the heart to effectively pump blood, and the lungs to fill with air. It's a slow and painful death, Sir. One no one should have to endure."

Tony frowned. "So why didn't Pepper die, then?" he murmured.

"Maybe...whoever did it didn't want that kind of attention," Bruce offered. "Maybe they used a lessened dose because they're trying to just make things harder for her. You know. Stack the odds against her recovery, and if she ends up dying, then..."

Suddenly, Tony's eyes went wide. "Oh, son of a bitch!" he exclaimed. "Dammit! Why didn't I think of this before?!"

Bruce looked at his friend cluelessly. "Tony? You mind letting me in on..."

"Diana," Tony said, seething.

Bruce shook his head. "And she is?..."

"Diana Wardly. The largest shareholder in my company," Tony informed him. "Who also has been trying her damnedest to get rid of Pepper as CEO. Though I never thought she'd stoop this low. Never in a million years!"

"You think she'd actually kill to make that happen?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, you bet your PhD, she would!" Tony cried. "She wants my company worse than anything."

Tony turned back to the computer screens where JARVIS had displayed all of the data. "So what's this stuff called? I mean, does it have a common name?" he asked.

"I believe the common name for it is the black dragon," JARVIS replied.

Tony's eyes went wide. "I'll be damned," he gasped.

"What? What's wrong? Does it ring a bell?" Bruce asked.

Tony smoothed a hand over his goatee, and shifted his gaze to his friend. He smirked and shook his head in amazement at how acurate the name was considering what he'd seen when he'd entered Pepper's subconscious that day. "That's exactly what it is. A black dragon."

"Care to elaborate?" Bruce asked.

"Today, when I was under, everything was...different," Tony explained. "It was corroded and falling apart. And there was this...ooze. This black-as-pitch ooze that devoured everything in its path. It writhed, and twisted just like a...a..."

"Snake?" Bruce offered.

"Yes," Tony agreed, looking at Bruce intently. "Just like a snake. It even had the head of a some kind of serpent. Or a..." he said, turning to look at JARVIS's findings once more. "Dragon," he said simply.

"Jarvis? Is there any known anti-venom that can treat this? Surely, there are reported bite victims," Bruce requested.

"Unfortunately, I've found no results, Doctor, as this particular venom is an aggressive one, and no existing anti-venom is powerful enough to combat it. But I have found a Dr. Helen Cho, located in Seoul, South Korea, who specializes in a new procedure involving tissue reconstruction for the victims of these bites. By all accounts, she has had remarkable success," JARVIS replied.

Tony and Bruce both froze, as before and after pictures flashed before them on the screens. They slowly turned their heads to look at each other, the collective gears in their collective minds whirring visibly behind their eyes.

"Did...he just say tissue reconstruction?" Bruce softly asked, in slow, measured tones.

A smile slowly spread across Tony's lips, and he began to nod, a hopeful light flickering in his eyes. "Hell yeah, he did," he said.

XxXxXxXxXx

Dr. Helen Cho walked briskly out of the OR in the hospital where she held residency in Seoul that afternoon, immediately pulling off her mask and latex gloves and chucking them into a biohazard waste bin. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a moment. She'd been on her feet in surgery for 10 hours straight. Not an unusual or exorbitant amount of time in her line of work, but something she always felt the effects of directly after once the adrenaline rush of performing an extensive surgery passed, and her mind began to unwind.

The patient, a liver transplant recipient, was soon going to be transferred to recovery, and she'd finally be off the hook to go home and get some much needed rest until she had to be back in for rounds early the next morning. And frankly, she could hardly wait. She loved being in surgery, but the chance to unplug, and disconnect from work, at least for a few hours, was a delicious proposition she intended to take full advantage of. And then, what would come after her morning rounds excited her even still. They were so close to a breakthrough in the lab involving her experiments with organic tissue growth. The ability to grow body parts such as human ears, or the ends of noses, or skin graphs, had been around for years. However, after several years of research and experimentation, she was closer than ever to being able to reconstruct major organs, blood vessels, nerves, and most importantly- brain tissue.

Her work excited her to no end. The thought of being able to treat her patients in a way that could give them back their quality of life they had prior would mean a change in how medicine was practiced forever. The dependency on prescription drugs would virtually cease. Patients suffering with terminal conditions would have a chance to live long productive lives, as if their ailments had never existed.

Just then, the cell phone clipped to her waist band vibrated against her skin. And as worn as her senses were, it made her jump. She put a startled hand to her chest, and then yanked her phone off her hip.

"Hello?" she said curtly.

"Dr. Cho? Is this Dr. Helen Cho?" the man on the other end asked urgently.

She frowned. "Yes? Who is this? How did you get this number?" she demanded. Her staff knew she was in surgery. How on earth had this person been able to reach her?

"I'm Tony Stark," the man said.

There was an awkward silence.

"Okay, normally I allow space for you to say something along the lines of 'The Tony Stark?' By which I usually chuckle with much aplomb, and reply. 'Yes, the Tony Stark'..."

Dr. Cho closed her eyes and sighed with exasperation. "Mr. Stark, I'm aware of who you are, so I needn't bother asking. What I really want to know is how on Earth did you get this number and how did you make it past my staff?" she asked pointedly.

"Don't blame them. They only succumbed after I pestered them over and over to put me through," he explained matter-of-fact.

"You're not helping your case, Mr. Stark," she shot back impatiently.

"Okay, fine. But Dr. Cho, I need you to listen to me, if only for a second. Please. I beg you. My wife. She's...well, she's dying, doctor," he began, his voice growing softer. "And, from where I'm standing, you're the only one who can save her. I'll do anything to bring you here. Money is no object."

Cho frowned, but stayed silent, as the pain and desperation in his words struck her. She slowly sat down in a nearby chair. "I'm sorry," she offered. "About your wife, I mean."

"Thank you," Tony said.

"What happened?" she asked simply.

"She was in an accident, involving the mud-slides in San Francisco a few months ago? Had you heard anything about that?"

The doctor nodded. "I...had heard...something," she recalled vaguely.

"She sustained massive head trauma, several broken bones, bruised organs...and she, uh, she miscarried...as well," Tony explained. "She was 12 weeks along when it happened." She heard him clear his throat on the other end, in an attempt to try to keep his composure, no doubt.

"Again, I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," she offered. "What treatment are they prescribing? What is the prognosis?"

"Short term? It's a waiting game. Only a small amount of progress has been made. Long term? They're thinking permanent coma, worst case scenario. Best case, brain damage, and near total blindness."

Dr. Cho gasped at how bleak Pepper's prognosis sounded. A silent moment passed as she took it all in.

"Hello? You there? Dr. Cho?" she heard Tony say.

"Yes. I'm here, Mr. Stark," she replied soflty. "I have to say this all sounds...very grim."

"I know," he said. "But I have to try, you understand. And there's one more thing I should mention. Two words, actually. Black Dragon. You're familiar, correct?"

Dr. Cho froze. "Your wife was bitten?!" she asked in disbelief.

"Not bitten. But poisoned, yes," Tony answered.

"With how much?" she asked.

"Undetermined," she heard another male voice say.

"Dr. Cho? Meet my esteemed colleague, Dr. Bruce Banner. He's my partner who's along for this ride," Tony said.

"Dr. Banner," she said. "I'm aware of who you are, as well. I've read your studies on the effects of gamma radiation on the body, and I have to say, your research is fascinating."

"If only it were just research," Bruce replied. "But, thank you. I'm flattered."

"So, Mr. Stark. Your wife. How was she exposed to Black Dragon, exactly?" the doctor asked.

"We have reason to believe someone entered her hospital room, and administered it intravenously. She nearly died of cardiac arrest," he explained.

"Awful," Dr. Cho murmured. "But lucky on our part. Either they didn't know what they were doing, or..."

"They weren't actually trying to kill her?" Tony replied. "Those were our thoughts, too. There are people after my wife and myself, Doctor. I'm well aware of that now. And it's only a matter of time before they strike again. They don't want her to recover. It would benefit them greatly if she never did, actually."

"So why make the effort? According to you, the prognosis could solve their problem itself."

"Dr. Cho, up until now, we've been trying to come up with our own way to help Pepper, with not as many successes as we would like. However, these people- they know about our efforts. And clearly want to do what they can to stunt them. And now that we know we have this working against us as well, I'm sure we don't have to tell you the clock is ticking," Tony said. "That's why we've jumped at the chance to work with someone who could both aid in Pepper's full recovery, and reverse the effects of the venom. If you'll have us, that is."

"Mr. Stark, what you propose is a..."

"Tall order. I know," he interjected. "But Dr. Cho, I promise you. Whatever the outcome, whatever the result, I'll accept it, so long as I know we've done all we can. I need your help, Doctor. Whatever you need, name it, and it's yours. No holds barred."

The doctor fell silent for a moment. "My patients. The hospital. I can't just..."

"Doctor, my corporate jet is on its way to Seoul as we speak. Tell me you'll be on it the next time I see it," Tony replied, his voice tense with urgency.

Dr. Cho closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, her mind whirling with the enormous task set suddenly before her. She swallowed hard. "Mr. Stark," she began...