"Sir," One of the henchmen rushed to Khris' side. He lowered his head so that he was unable to see Khris' face. "It's complete."
"How much of it?" Khris asked him with his arms across his chest. He glanced over at the henchman as if his attention was already occupied.
"All of it."
Khris, feeling somewhat surprised, looked back at the henchman. "Did you install Leon's weapon on it?"
"Yes." He nodded in certainty. "Just as you requested."
"Excellent." Khris looked back at the television that was in front of him. "Is it prepped and ready to go?"
He nodded again. "Would you like to test it out first—to make sure it works?"
Khris grinned at his words. "I have full confidence in your work, and I trust that it will work beautifully. Besides, the only way to make sure it works is through Iron Man."
"Of course, Sir." The henchman nodded once more. "We'll begin the preparations."
"Call me when we're clear." Khris waved him off with a flick of his had. The henchman strode back to his post and told the other men of Khris' orders. Their warehouse was cleaner, and more spacious. The scraps that was scattered everywhere were built into parts, and those parts built something even bigger. His eyes were glued to the television screen that reported the day's top news.
"Rumor has it that Iron Man took a few weeks off for vocation. There's no word from Stark Industries where he went, or what he was doing. His personal assistant, Miss Virginia 'Pepper' Potts has decided not to say anything in his behalf. There is still no word from the superhero regarding the recent missile placing in Nevada. We'll be sure to update you regularly when, and if, we hear anything. Back to you, Tom." The news reporter announced, holding the pitch black microphone in her hand.
"Yes, well I guess every superhero needs a day off." Tom, the news anchor, humbly chuckled.
"I'd sure like a day off." Julie, another news anchor, joked behind a small laugh.
Khris rubbed his fingers together in curiosity and power. He felt like he could take on the world with his new weapon at his disposal. "Vocation is over, Tony Stark."
"Mr. Stark, I need your approval to continue with the S.H contract." The sound of Pepper's heels clicking against the concrete floor of the workshop boomed against the walls with each step.
Tony turned around from the suit, his hands half inside the interior of the chest casing. He grinned at the sight of her body in her famous pencil skirts, dress skirts, and high heeled shoes. But, when his last name escaped her lips, he knew she was in her professional mode.
"Sure thing." He responded, digging his hands back into the suit. "Let me just—" Suddenly, a pop sounded, which seemed good news to Tony because Pepper winced at the ear popping noise. "—There we go." He swiveled around in his chair to face her, wiping his hands along the sides of his jeans.
Pepper handed him the loose papers that were neatly piled on top of a manila folder. She looked down at him and saw his eyes quickly skim the papers.
"I looked over the documents." She quickly stated, taping her foot against the floor. He casually glanced up at her, grinned, and then looked back down at the papers.
Despite her absence in his bed last night, he felt somewhat happy this morning. When she walked through his front door in a pony tail carrying two cups of coffee from Starbucks, he wanted to immediately hug her, and tell her how much he missed her. Apparently she had stuff to do – he was guessing it was something important since she tried her best to tell him (gently) that she couldn't stay for the night.
"Anxious to get out of here, Miss Potts?" He quickly signed the front page and handed the pile of papers back to her.
She grabbed the files and rested them against her chest. Of course she didn't want to leave so early. She actually wanted to talk to him about last night. When she told him she couldn't stay over (for the third time in a row), he looked heartbroken. He looked like he just got smacked in the rear for being a bad puppy. But he casually played it off by nodding and kissing her goodnight.
"Um—no, I—" She bit her bottom lip and paused. "I'm sorry."
He looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowed. He knew what she was talking about, but he decided to play it cool since he didn't want to act like a clingy teenager.
"About last night." Pepper finished with a small frown.
"It's fine, Pep." He lied and waved it off.
"You…" She muttered. "You just seemed a little disappointed last night."
He solemnly looked down at the ground beneath his feet and frowned a bit. After a split second, he couldn't keep it from her. "Of course I want you to stay with me every night, but you have your own life and I can't force you to stay… because that would be wrong of me and-and-and horrible of me… as a boyfriend."
Pepper grinned at the sight of seeing Tony Stark babble. Sometimes, he could act like a complete and utter asshole, but Pepper occasionally saw the soft and adorable side of him. It always made her smile.
"How about we patch this up with ice cream?" She suggested.
"Right now?" He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the monitor near the suit that clearly read 10:42 AM.
She widened her smile and slightly shook her head. "I meant later tonight."
"Oh." He paused, looking in the distance. "Um, yeah." He nodded. "That sounds fun, except we'd have to publically purchase the ice cream—"
"—Or we can have Happy pick it up." She recommended with a tilt of her head.
"…Or that." He nodded to himself.
Pepper bent over and tilted her head sideways. When she leaned in for a kiss, Tony widened his eyes in slight shock. She gave him a soft kiss on the lips that lasted a split second. He honestly thought that he had died and gone to heaven when her lips grazed against his. It was like millions of balloons had burst in his mind. When she pulled back, she glanced down at his face and saw his lips still parted. She breathed a laugh at that moment, unsure of his facial expression.
"Um… Could we rewind that?" He breathed. "Cause' my brain is a little crazy right now, what with the suit and… your legs…" He swallowed.
This time, she giggled, and gathered up the papers that were messily in her arms. It was cute how easily she could mess with his brain. Sure, a lot of women could do that to him – busty, slim, sexy, fit-to-be-a-model, and gorgeous women – but this was different. Their relationship was different. He was different.
"I'm serious." He grinned back at her. "Can we just—"
"I'll see you later, Tony." Her lips made a small smile while her legs slowly escaped his workshop.
He sat there for a few seconds, unable to register what just happened. A part of him wanted to run after her, sweep her off her feet, and kiss her until they died, but that thought immediately escaped his brain when JARVIS interrupted his thoughts.
"Sir, if we are to finish the repairs on time, we will have to skip 'snack time'." JARVIS' voice boomed throughout the workshop.
"Huh?" Tony blinked and turned around to face the suspended upper half of the suit.
"You suggested that we finish the repairs before five o'clock tonight. If my calculations are correct, 'snack time' will have to be averted." The AI repeated.
"Oh." He looked at the suit while his brain began to register where he was and what he was doing before Pepper strolled in. "Well, we could always make Dummy feed me some munchies."
"Of course, Sir."
"Start projecting the interior of the left side of the casing. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to fit the H621 classified as 622KI through some careful wiring and drilling." He started out.
"Indeed. The 622KI will fit perfectly. The drill size that should serve a suitable proportion to the weapon would be the half inch bit." The AI responded.
"Already on it." Tony responded. He grabbed the drill off the table and began to look around for the preferred size bit. He ran his hands through the tools that were scattered in the metal cart under the monitor.
"Mr. Hogan has picked up Miss Potts and will drop her off at Stark Industries in approximately three minutes and fifty six seconds. Miss Potts also wanted me to inform you that you have an appointment with SHEILD's physical therapist in two days."
"Two days, huh?" He mindlessly asked his AI. "I don't know why she insists on making an appointment with that guy. My arm feels fine."
"Standard procedure." JARVIS immediately responded. "Miss Potts increasingly worries about your wellbeing every day."
"I know." Tony glanced up at the ceiling as if he were telling JARVIS to stop making him feel so guilty. He hates it when Pepper worries about him. It puts her through more stress – double the amount she shouldn't even be dealing with in the first place.
"Sir." The same henchman bowed before Khris. Khris' brown hair was matted down giving him a soft look. He wore a standard black cotton t-shirt and a pair of old denim jeans. His shoes were workers shoes; the worn out brown kind that lots of construction workers wore. Khris turned around with his lips pressed together, expecting something informative to come out of the henchman's mouth. "The parts are prepped and ready to be assembled."
"Great." Khris devilishly grinned. "I want the parts assembled and ready to be worn."
"Of course, Sir." The henchman nodded and hastily walked towards the back of the warehouse.
Khris grinned at the sight of his most ultimate creation. His face lit up in excitement and pure pleasure. He muttered with a small smile on his face, "Today is the day Tony Stark dies."
"Sir, the repairs are going swimmingly. ETA is at six minutes." JARVIS suddenly announced.
It was close to five o'clock and Tony was lying down on the couch with his hands behind his head. He didn't even need to open his eyes; just hearing JARVIS' voice tell him incredibly good news made him smile in appreciation.
"Thanks, JARVIS. Tell me when you're done. I'd like to test out the new weapon." He began to hum to himself.
"Of course, Sir." The AI responded.
It was only two minutes later when Pepper came fast walking down the stairs and into his workshop. Hearing her heels click against the concrete floor made Tony's ears perk up. He instantly got up from the couch and looked over at her, wondering why she was in such a rush.
He grinned in excitement but that quickly disappeared when he saw the horrible expression on her face. It was like the stock market completely died, or something. He couldn't think of the appropriate words to describe it. It wasn't so much as an expression caused by disappointment. It was more like an expression caused by horror or devastation.
"Pepper." He breathed, feeling worry take over his body. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen the news?" She quickly asked him, rushing past him and towards the couch. She immediately reached for the remote that was resting on the coffee table. She turned on the television that was placed above the workshop's kitchen cabinets and quickly switched to the world wide news channel.
"What's on the news?" Tony asked her, wondering if he did anything wrong in the past few days. He really didn't do anything but work on the suit for the past week, so there was nothing for the news to report on.
Pepper slowly sat down on the couch while Tony took the seat next to her. They both concentrated on the television in front of them.
"Breaking news: the Wyoming police department is trying to sustain the threats against the civilians. At this time, the fire department and the police department are ordering all neighboring cities to stay calm. Cheyenne, Wyoming, is under attack. The government doesn't know if this is an attack against the United States or something much smaller. All surrounding cities of Wyoming are being asked to quietly evacuate their homes while the military takes care of it." The female news anchor reported with a steady voice.
Tony widened his eyes in shock as a FOX news feed showcased a devastating scene. Men in ragged clothes (dirt splotched t-shirts and stained jeans) walked the streets carrying AK-47's and semi-automatic pistols. They were gathering people along the corners of the street. There were at least fifty of those men roaming the town. At least twenty more were guarding the dozens of people.
"Oh my god." Pepper breathed.
Tony clenched his jaw in anger and frustration. "JARVIS."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Get the suit ready." He grumbled loud enough for the AI to hear him.
"Tony, the military—" Pepper tried to tell him but he immediately shot her down.
"The military shouldn't risk their soldiers for something that Iron Man can easily handle." He abruptly got up from the couch and operated the small control panel that was in front of the assembly platform.
"And what about Director Fury—" She began to worry.
"Fury would've contacted me well before they broadcasted the attack on the news. I don't know what his plan is, but I'm not letting those men hurt those innocent people." Tony grounded out. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel and quickly took off his shirt and pants.
Pepper watched as he quickly slipped into one of his neoprene suits. The zipper was on his back. His arms bent every which way to zip it up but no avail. She didn't approve of his quick getaways nor did she like him flying around with bullets trying to puncture the suit, but she supported every heroic act he's been through. She walked towards him, scooping up his clothes along the way, and gently slid the zipper up along his spine. He turned around and saw a small frown on her face that instantly turned into a half smile.
"Be careful." She whispered, trying not to show how worried she was.
Tony placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He looked down at her with soft brown eyes and reassured his return with a Tony Stark charm smile.
He walked past her and walked onto the assembly platform where JARVIS prepped him for suit up. She watched the platform separate and unfold in front of Tony's feet. He stepped into the boots and grabbed onto the gauntlets of the suit. JARVIS activated the dozen of robot arms and efficiently added the rest of the suit onto Tony's body. The suit quickly took its shape, showcasing the lightweight look of the hot rod red and gold design that protected the genius engineer. As the robot arms let go of Tony's gauntlets, half of the skeleton of the helmet was snapped into place. The face of Iron Man was raised above his head, waiting to be put on so the world can once again put their faith in a hero.
Tony walked off the platform and quietly stood in front of his girlfriend, his personal assistant, his reason for waking up every morning. He noticed his clothes balled up in her arms that crossed her chest. With a slight smirk, he looked down at her.
"I knew you couldn't keep your hands off my clothes." He joked, trying to rid her of the stress and worry that was overwhelming her.
She smirked back; she made herself remember why she agreed to stand by his side all these years. He knew, in his heart it was the right thing to do, and looking back at all the years he spent wasting his life away through drinking, and screwing every girl he could score, she knew in her heart, that she wanted to stand beside him, more than ever, especially when he finally found his motivation. She truly loved what he has become, and what he has accomplished. She was so very proud of him.
"Try not to get yourself killed." She grinned, gripping his clothes that were in her arms.
He displayed a small smile before he bent over slightly and leaned in. His lips gently brushed hers, almost afraid that the edges of his hovering mask would bump into her head. Her lips were so soft against his. It felt like her lips were made out of cotton candy. Her lipstick attracted his lips that much more. When they slowly broke apart, he could feel her lipstick gradually peel itself from his lips, leaving a faint sticky and glossy residue on the surface of his lips.
He pulled away and looked down at her, wondering why they didn't start a romantic relationship sooner.
Her eyes fluttered open in yearning for more, but she couldn't keep him from the innocent people that needed his help – Iron Man's help. She gently pushed his chest plate with the tips of her fingers.
"They need you Iron Man." She muttered.
A small and endearing smile grazed across his lips just before the mask that protected his face, one that grew into his identity, and held his trusty artificial intelligence, slammed shut.
She gazed into the blue eyes of her hero, and immediately drew a smile.
"I'll be back." He said in a booming voice, trying to reassure her. The thrusters of his palms and underneath his boots shot out, allowing him to hover for a split second. He looked down at her figure once more – even though she couldn't see his face, his lips still grew a smile – and zoomed up into the sky, towards Wyoming.
Pepper stood there looking up at lingering smoke trail he left behind, and wondered why she couldn't keep her lips from forming a frown.
The streets were littered with scared civilians. Most of the men that were roaming the streets had bandanas that covered their noses and mouths. The buildings were empty, if not guarded. Street lights were still in operation, but all of the cars on the streets were not. When the terrorists struck the city, every man, woman, and child were forced to get out of the buildings and cars. They were corralled like animals.
"Please, please don't kill us." One of the women that was in the gathered crowd pleaded the men that were armed.
"Shut up." One of the armed men strictly shouted.
Iron Man arrived on the scene within twenty minutes. JARVIS previewed Tony a blown up view of the situation. Tony looked at the hologram against the interior of his helmet and pressed his lips together. Most of the hostages were already in one area, which could go either way. Upon his arrival, they could quickly kill everyone, or the hostages could just be a distraction for something bigger.
"I need options, JARVIS." Tony angrily grumbled.
"There's an open window—"
"JARVIS, they could either kill the hostages in two seconds, or they could be using them as a distraction. I need more options!" Tony shouted.
"Options considered, Sir. Repulsion ray the two guards, and use the multi-targeting missiles at the surrounding guards." JARVIS suggested.
Tony nodded in response. "Sounds viable. Thanks, JARVIS."
"Of course, Sir." JARVIS agreeably responded. "Arriving in Cheyenne. ETA fifty-three seconds."
"Highlight all armed men."
In an instant, all of the armed men were highlighted in a yellow glow in the suit's interface program. Next to their highlighted indicator, small thermal readings were glowing. Tony's heart started pounding in his chest. He could feel the arc reactor start to warm up. He was getting nervous. He could feel it growing and growing. It always happened when he went on missions that involved hostile situations. He worried about what could happen, and what he needed to avoid. He never talked to Pepper about it because he hated it when anyone saw him painfully vulnerable. His soft side was a different story. He loved Pepper. He absolutely adored her, but he could easily fortify his defenses and keep a low profile.
ETA was two seconds.
"JARVIS, target the bordering armed men." Tony ordered his AI, and within seconds, the targets were highlighted in a red glowing color.
When Iron Man made his signature landing, he quickly aimed his palms at the men that were guarding the hostages. When he fired his rays, he instantly took them out, and saw them flying into the wall that was positioned passed the hostages. A split second later, the small missile system on Iron Man's shoulders popped up and quickly took out the pre-targeted men.
"It's Iron Man." One of the people in the crowd whispered.
Tony looked over at the crowd of people and immediately pointed to the border. "Stick together and run towards the boarder. Military and EMTs should be there to assist you."
Without saying a word, and apparently containing their excitement, the crowd of people quickly scattered and ran towards the border. Tony slowly followed them by backing up. When an absence of highlighted targets didn't display on his interface, he began to point his palms in every direction.
"This doesn't look good JARVIS." Tony felt the pit of his stomach churn. "We only took out fifteen of the armed men. There seemed a lot more on the news."
"Analyzing the rest of the city for more armed guards." JARVIS announced. "There are twenty-one more southeast of your position, and fourteen more northwest of your position."
"Highlight them." Tony ordered.
"Done, Sir." The AI responded.
Tony aimed his palms straight down and shot straight up into the sky. He veered to the left as multiple bullets aimed for him from both directions. He felt the bullets shock all areas of the suit, sending tiny pulse waves throughout his body, making every nerve twitch. He aimed his palms at the highlighted areas while the thrusters in his boots allowed him to hover.
Pepper was upstairs in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching the television that was projected against the window. She pressed her lips together as some of the camera crews were forced out of the city and into a safer area. Their cameras were still running, but they could only make out a few blocks into the city. Some of their camera's caught faint sounds of gunfire and blue lights, and eventually caught the sight of Iron Man hovering in the sky.
A second later, Natalie (Natasha?)—Agent Romanoff ran in through the front door, making Pepper jump in surprise. She had her Black Widow outfit on that was complete with her boots and tight gloves. Pepper had almost thought one of the armed men crashed through the door, yearning for her presence as leverage against Iron Man.
"Natasha, what are you doing here?" Pepper gasped.
After a first glance, Agent Romanoff took out a flat device and pressed it against her ear. "Pepper is at the house and the perimeter is secured." She said.
"What—What is this about?"
The SHIELD agent took the device away from her face and snapped it into the pocket of her belt. "We have a situation."
"Tony left half an hour ago to Wyoming. The news—"
"No, I'm not talking about that." Natasha looked over at Pepper before looking up at the news. "Director Fury knows that Tony left with the suit. He tried to call Stark when the news cameras caught sight of him to tell him to stay close to the border. He wasn't supposed to go into the city until further orders were given."
"How—Why are you exactly here—and what do you mean by 'tried to call' him?" Pepper furrowed her eyebrows up at the agent.
Natasha looked away, almost instantly, as if she were afraid to tell her any negative news about the situation that Tony dove into head first. After a second, she looked up at Pepper, into her eyes, and pressed her lips together.
"According to Director Fury, there's some electrical interference that's keeping us from contacting his suit." The agent announced.
"But JARVIS is with him. If there's electrical interference, then JARVIS can simply transfer whatever you need to tell him from here, right?" Pepper quizzically looked at her.
"I'm afraid that's impossible at this point, Ms. Potts." JARVIS suddenly announced.
Both Pepper and Natasha looked up at the ceiling in death defying fear. Pepper could feel her heart pound in her chest when she replayed those words back in her mind. If JARVIS wasn't with Tony…
"What do you mean?" Pepper gasped, feeling an adrenaline rush.
"I have just lost contact with Mr. Stark. It seems like an electrical interference has stopped me from transmitting my services into the suit. There was a faint electrical signal coming from the area when we arrived but I failed to record it as high priority." The AI told them.
"What does this mean?" Pepper immediately looked over at Natasha. She could only look back at Tony's personal assistant.
"I'll call Director Fury. Maybe he has an answer to all of this." The agent quickly replied and stepped off to the side to make the call.
"JARVIS, do you think this electrical interference is a threat?" Pepper asked, wondering if she could find some relief.
After a pause, "I cannot state such conclusions at this moment, Miss Potts."
That didn't make the situation any better. Pepper bit her bottom lip and began to cover her mouth as she turned her attention to the projected television screen. She refused to hear Black Widow's conversation over the phone. She just wanted to know if Tony was alright. The thought of hearing about Iron Man being shocked to death made her want to burst into tears.
Pepper knew being Iron Man wasn't easy. She knew he risked his life everyday to protect innocent people from getting hurt, especially from his own weapons. It killed her to see him fly off for hours, or days, on end, waiting for him to get home, or waiting for him to call her to tell her that he was on his way back. She loved him so much. Just hearing his voice soothed her.
After Tony hit the last highlighted enemy with his repulsion ray, he sighed in content. He looked around for more and saw none. The town was quiet with multiple unconscious enemies littered along the streets.
"JARVIS, can you pinpoint anymore?" Tony asked, hovering lower into the city and landing direction on the sidewalk. When his AI didn't answer him, his concern increasingly grew, almost at the point of fear. "JARVIS?"
"Tony Stark." A voice came yards away from him.
Tony looked in the direction of the voice and saw a brown haired man wearing nothing but a black t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. He had a medium build and was a head shorter than Iron Man's suit. Encased around his body were tons of wires and metal parts that looked similar to Tony's Mark I. Through the interface, the man was flowing with glowing blue streams. It looked like he was encased in the energy that powered the arc reactor.
Tony narrowed his eyes at the man and breathed, "Who are you?"
"Khris Jorg." He simply said, walking towards Tony. Every step he took made the parts around his body clink against the concrete streets.
Immediately, Tony saw one key piece of equipment that couldn't be adverted. He stared directly at the chest piece that rested comfortably against Khris' chest. Out of it streamed tons of wires that were wrapped together in some kind of tape and ties.
Khris looked down at his chest piece and grinned. "You like it? It's similar to the one Vanko had, but I've modified it a bit."
"So, you're, what—Vanko's evil son out to get me?" Tony shifted his weight while a bunch of tactical options streamed through his mind.
"Vanko had no children." Khris grinned. "If you're asking our relation to each other, I'd say our goals. We both wanted you dead."
"Of course, who doesn't want me dead?" Tony placed his right leg back and revved up the repulsion energy in his right palm. "It's pretty ballsy of you to try and use my technology against me, and on top of all that, failing to use hostages to your advantage."
"I was never going to use them as hostages, Stark." Khris stopped a meters away from Tony. "They were simply an excuse to get you here."
"What?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows, confused by his motives.
"If anyone else arrived and took out my guards, I would've skipped this part of the plan." He breathed a short laugh. "In simple terms, I wanted this to happen. I want to fight you at your best—I want to kill you knowing that you couldn't stop me with all of your strength."
At that instant, Tony raised up his palm at him, letting the glowing blue light grow in anticipation. Khris stood there with a wide grin and raised his arms up. Tony's nostrils flared as the growing threat in front of him taunted his actions.
"Go ahead. Try and kill me."
"It was a mistake to conjure up all that technology with no defense." Tony grumbled. When all he got in response was a low smirk, he blasted a repulsion ray from his palm and again from his other palm.
He should've expected it. He should've known someone that duplicated his arc reactor technology wouldn't be easy to take down, because Vanko sure wasn't a walk in the park. Right before his eyes, his blue repulsion rays were soaked up, just a few feet away from Khris' body. Tony's eyes widen in horror as his attacks oddly disappeared.
"You like it?" Khris raised an eyebrow at the genius.
"Wha—" Tony's mouth gapped in fear and confusion.
"You actually think I'd take you on without any defense?" He evilly grinned. Khris' emotions ran wild when he saw the look on his rival's face; the look of hopelessness and fear. It practically drove him over the edge. The blood thirsty feeling soon overtook his body. "That stupid box that Greg Leon made that could store energy and power massive buildings, the one Hardman modified? I've given it a few modifications of my own."
"You—You turned it into a electrical field that can absorb my repulsion rays." Tony mindlessly backed away from him; it was the fear that prevented him from stopping. It was the fear that prevented him from defending himself.
"That's not all." He paused for dramatic effect, almost as if it were a game to him. "I can also use your repulsion rays against you." Khris' palm shot up and within seconds, a powerful repulsion ray blasted out of the contraption that rested against his palm. Tony didn't react in time, making the ray slam his body across the street into a nearby building.
Tony felt the back of the suit absorb most of the damage, but the contact also made pulses go through his spine. This was a huge set back. I can't use my basic attacks against this guy if he can just fire them right back at me… I'll have to resort to something else, Tony panicked.
"Let's see if you can absorb a missile." Tony raised his arm up, triggering a panel to open at the top of his wrist. A missile popped up and instantly shot at the target in front of it. The recoil made pulses go through his wrist.
He watched as the missile went past the electrical field and increasingly slowed down. It sent shivers through his spine knowing that his second to last resort also didn't work. Tony's eyes widened in horror as Khris picked up the missile, which was floating in front of him, with his finger tips. He quickly observed it before dropping it on the ground.
"Pathetic." Khris' lips parted. "I thought you were better than this."
Tony began to panic. None of his attacks worked, and his new weapon used a massive amount of energy. If his repulsion rays could be used against him, then that meant that any type of energy thrown at him could increase his attack. This was bad. Really bad.
He had no other choice. All other options that flowed through his mind were quickly denied. He had to use his new weapon as a last resort. With JARVIS missing in action in his suit, he couldn't do much. Sure, he could activate all of his weapons and flares, but he couldn't ask for viable options that only JARVIS could quickly come up with.
Hand to hand combat, Tony suddenly thought. But how am I going to be able to get close enough?
Tony's new weapon was a cannon of sorts. It stemmed from the back of his suit, much similar to the design on War Machine's rail gun. He called it the 'Photon Cannon'. It used twenty five percent of the arc reactor's power in order to deliver a wide, quick, and powerful repulsion ray blow.
When the cannon rose up from his back, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was hoping his plan would work. C'mon… if you can't defeat him, who can? He opened his eyes and in an instant a powerful ray from the cannon was shot, sending increasing pulse waves through his spine. Tony winced in pain from the recoil and knew bruises would soon form.
He chose to ignore it; he leaped forward and used his boots' thrusters to advance his speed. Before he could even touch Khris, the energy from his Photon Cannon was already absorbed and used against him. The powerful blast from Khris' palm sent Tony flying back at an unprecedented speed. Tony felt his back come in contact with layers and layers of brick wall. The energy from his arc reactor was slowly decreasing. It was starting to get to a critical point.
Tony shook off the attack and slowly peeled himself from the indent he made in the wall, but before he could actually get out, he felt a strong grip against the neck of the suit. Khris slammed him back into the wall with such a powerful force, one that produced spider cracks in the wall.
"You actually think close combat is my weakness?" Khris devilishly grinned. "You're certainly not much of a challenge—oh, but you were trying to recover from Hardman's stupidity."
Tony gripped his arm and began to struggle. He drew sharp breaths, trying to regain his composure. The force of his arm from the energy that he got from his cannon began to damage the suit. Electrical waves pulsed through Iron Man's suit, making the interior interface flash and frazzle.
In a last ditch resort, Tony thrust a crescent punch towards Khris' head, but Khris quickly released his grip and avoided his attack. Unfortunately for Tony, when Khris avoided the attack, he also countered with a hook to the side of the head.
Tony felt the crushing blow against his face plate and flinched to the side. When he couldn't react in time, he felt a powerful kick against his stomach. Tony grunted in pain. He felt his energy being used against him. He felt his knees hit the surface underneath him, and even had to use his arm to prop him up, while his other grasped the abdomen of his suit.
Just then, a second powerful kick to the stomach sent tremors through his suit. In a low gasp, he was knocked over and landed on his side; his eyes were closed in pain. The pain increased when he felt a ton of pressure press against his recently injured arm.
Khris bent over him with a low smirk while his foot came in contact with Iron Man's right arm. He rested his elbow on his knee, thus increasing the pressure even more.
"Ahh!" Tony screamed, breathing heavily. He couldn't move. The electrical field that surrounded Khris began to drain his arc reactor's energy. It's… sapping the energy. He couldn't even think of a way to escape. He was terrified.
"And here I thought you would defeat me. I'm kind of bummed." Khris began to frown. "Actually, I'm really surprised you defeated Vanko."
Tony tried to yank his arm out underneath Khris' metal boot, but it had no avail. Khris was bent over him, casually thinking about his next actions. He tilted his head to the side and looked down at the scrap beneath him.
"You know, I came here for a challenge. I came here because I thought you would actually do some damage." He silently nodded and blinked. "I'm giving you a few days—actually, you get a week. You get one week to do your repairs and whatnot. One week from today, same time, same place. If you don't come, I'll kill your personal assistant, okay?" He seemed a little to cheery for a threatening villain. He peered down at the CEO of Stark Industries and instantly, and lowly, smirked.
Tony angrily growled. "Don't you dare touch her!"
"I doubt you even have the energy to hit me." Khris challenged him with a smirk. He increased the pressure on Tony's arm once more before walking off him. He looked back at the damage he did, making his ego sky rocket. "One week, Stark. I suggest you work fast." The thrusters from his boots and palms launched him into the air at a faster speed than Tony's.
Tony laid there, unsure how to deal with what just happened. He was beaten. He could've died. Khris could've killed him. I couldn't do anything… He fought back the queasy feeling that stemmed from his stomach. What kind of superhero am I if I can't defeat something I created? He looked up at the sky that casted over him. He grunted in pain and rolled over on his stomach. He moved his knees underneath him and used his good left arm to prop him up. When he finally stood up, he held his right arm against his body.
"Tony—Tony!" It was Pepper's voice. Her worried tone boomed throughout the suit.
"Pepper…" He lowly breathed, feeling uneasy from the recent barrage of attacks against him. He can't… he won't... he won't take her away from me.
"Tony! Director Fury said he tried to contact you. Some electrical interference was blocking all communications." She told him in one breath. She saw the cuts on his face that oozed dried up blood. "…Are you okay?"
He didn't even have the strength to answer her question. "I'm on my way back." He breathed.
Hearing him say those words was supposed to sooth her – it was supposed to suppress the built up worry, but the low defeated tone in his voice shocked her. She tried to talk to him, she tried to ask him what happened, but he wouldn't tell her; at least not over the communications system. He wanted to see her in person. He wanted to hold her and never let go. He wanted to kiss her until her knees buckled. He wanted to make sure that she was unharmed. His efforts as Iron Man rushed through him, as did the feeling of deep disappointment. Everything could've ended that day. He could've died along with the rest of the city. He got another chance only because the man that tried to kill him was looking for a challenge.
Tony couldn't even conjure up any ideas that could match Khris' ultimate defense and offense. The ones that went through his head were quickly scrapped because of the useless feeling in the back of his head. He didn't have much time, but he couldn't give up; not when Pepper's life as also at stake.
A/N: This story is actually going to be closed in two more chapters (no more than five). Included in that statement is an epilogue, and I will not be writing a sequel. I like imagination ;).
I'm sorry for anyone who lives in Wyoming, Cheyenne. I don't know how big the city is (and I don't know if there are actually layers and layers of brick wall lying around). I actually asked my friends on Facebook what state I should attack since New York is too obvious. They voted on Wyoming, and that's when I wiki'd the cities. I think Cheyenne was the first on the list. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter.
I'm also going to the Western Nationals Junior Olympics for my cousin in a few days, so I have no idea how much time (if any time) I'll get to work on it.
Please review! They keep me going!