(A/N) Finals are hell that is all I have to say
"We should call Pepper." Clint said as they stared at the prone body of Tony Stark. Nothing, not aliens nor gods, seemed as wrong as the man who rarely even slept laying still as stone. Tubes connected to him from every angle including the one that went down his throat which breathed for him.
Dr. Ford explained to them how the electricity burned some of his internal organs. Though the arc reactor had pulled the bots close together they were modified to fight against the electromagnetic pull, and even without getting very far they caused significant damage to his internal organs making it hard to breath. Which made the rise and fall almost mechanical for Tony's chest bandaged chest, from a cracked rib he didn't tell them he had something he would get an earful about when he woke up.
"Tony told me he didn't want to endanger her." Natasha took her eyes off the pale man that laid in front of her. "But we should still tell her; she'll want to know."
"Pepper?" Steve thought out loud trying to remember where he heard the name before. As much as Tony talked very little of it was about his personal life. All that Steve knew about him was from his file which was mostly redacted leaving him with only the information that he created the Iron Man suit and parts of the events that led to his putting in the arc reactor. "That's his assistant right? The one he made CEO?"
Natasha nodded. "They're dating now, and have been for a while. I asked him if he wanted her here earlier and he was pretty clear that he didn't want her here, said she was safer where she was."
"But with Hammer in custody it should be fine to bring her to the helicarrier. Even with Hammer's third party out there she'll be safe here." Bruce took a chair in the corner of the room knowing that waiting was probably the only thing he could do at the moment.
"I'll make the call." Natasha pulled out her phone and started calling the number. "The news will come best from someone she knows." Briskly the assassin left the room.
Clint gave a curious look to Steve. "You seriously didn't know about Pepper and Tony?"
He shrugged. "We weren't the best of pals when we first met. The only thing that I knew about him was from his file, he's very different from Howard."
Bruce thought back to Tony telling him about his father's obsession with finding Steve. He didn't get all of the facts but growing up with the father he did Bruce sympathised easily. "That's a good thing."
Natasha leaned against the wall next to the door to Tony's room dreading as every ring went by. This was not a thing she could just leave for Pepper to find in a voicemail. So when she was greeted by Stark Industries CEO there was a definite moment of relief.
" , it's Agent Romanoff." A part of her realised that Pepper might not know her real name.
"Please we have been through to much for you to call me . It's Pepper." Her kind voice came out through Natasha's speakers. "Are you calling to tell me why I have a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent shadowing me?"
"Among other things." Natasha grimaced she wasn't the one to make these calls usually, that was a job something that she saved for others agents. "This isn't something I want to do over the phone, but it's also something I don't want you being worried about on your way here," she took a deep breath. "Justin Hammer escaped from prison and has been trying to kill Tony."
A startled gasp came from the other end. When Pepper spoke her voice was thick was fear. "Oh God, what are we going to do? Is Tony okay?"
"Hammer has been captured and won't be seeing the light of day for a long time." Natasha reassured her, a relieved sigh told her it worked. "But Tony's been hurt pretty bad. He was shot, but the arc reactor took the worst of it."
"Is he alright?" Her voice was almost hysterical over the line. It was startling to hear for Natasha she was used to Pepper being calm and collected not near tears with worry.
"The reactor was replaced, but the bullets had some of Hammers tech on them. It was electrifying him from the inside. He's under care of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best medics but he fell into a coma."
"When can I see him?"
"I'm sending a quinjet to pick you up. You should be here by the end of the day." Natasha was relieved that this conversation was going far smoother than she had expected. She and Pepper said goodbye to each other and Natasha hung up her phone. With a quick message transportation for her was arranged. After taking a moment to breath she joined the others again ready for the waiting that presented itself with Tony's condition.
Hammer sat on the cold metal slab that was passed off as a bed. He wasn't impatient he was relaxed as he could have been, as though he was laying in his bed. In fact he was whistling his time away watching the vent in the corner of the room. When a faint tapping was heard he smiled slightly.
A small spider like creature slipped through the vent and crawled over to where Hammer laid. The mechanics of it were inspiring and graceful it moved like it was real the sleek black design was only impeded by a rolled up piece of paper.
Sliding it off Hammer read the message and smiled to himself. He ripped the note into tiny pieces and tossed them in the air letting them fall like confetti as the spider crawled away. With a new exuberance he whistled the funeral march.