Thank you to everyone for all the support and you need to thoroughly enjoy this for the sake of my sanity, maybe yours.
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Marvel respectively. Some dialogue/scenarios are taken from IM2.
7:50 A.M
Monaco Grand Prix
Monte-Carlo,
Monaco
Christine Everhart sat with Justin Hammer at an otherwise empty table, surrounded by the bustle and chatter of Monte-Carlo's finest, pretending to be fascinated with the endless drone of words emitting from his mouth. She sat the way a professional should sit, slim legs crossed and a recording device held out in front of an even slimmer torso, occasionally raising her eyebrows and smiling when it seemed as though Justin was reaching a theme in the conversation that he intended to be humorous.
But at a certain point, his words fizzled out of focus and the television behind him seemed to spur with life. She felt her eyes gravitate toward it, mindful that Justin was still speaking, and when she glanced at it she nearly froze in surprise.
Tony Stark was on the screen.
And a camera was following him as he was making his way through a thick swarm of people for the race track, donned in a racing suit.
"Listen. Tony and I...I love Tony Stark. Tony loves me. We're not competitors. Him being out of the picture created a tremendous opportunity for Hammer Industries, you know?" Justin Hammer looked up from his gesticulations. "Everything that Tony and I..." he trailed off upon noticing the slightly widened eyes of the reporter wandering discreetly, sliding from him to the screen behind him. He turned around, still trying to form a sentence, and then he was met with the supercilious image of Tony Stark.
The billionaire was standing in the middle of the race track amidst numerous cars and people, saying something in response to a question asked behind the camera. "Well, what's the use of having and owning a race car if you don't drive it?" After the translator behind him finished speaking, applause and hoots of agreement were drawn from the massive crowd gathering around the area and Tony nodded at himself like he fully agreed with their admiration.
Hammer turned back to Christine. "Is he driving?"
It had been at least twenty-five minutes since she had last seen Tony, and based on what she knew about him, Pepper could safely assume that this wasn't good. She sat alone for the better part of that time, only seriously considering getting up to find him when Natasha Romanoff approached the table. Pepper acknowledged her presence by offering a slight nod as the woman seated herself.
"Where's the big man?" Natasha smiled.
Pepper inwardly clenched her teeth at the blatant insincerity of this woman's facial expressions. "I'm not entirely sure. He said that he was going to the bathroom."
Natasha plucked the folded napkin in front of her and placed it on her lap. "Well, how long has he been gone?"
Pepper opened her mouth, ready to respond, when she caught sight of the television screen above their table. She thought nothing of it at first, taking a quick look and then glancing back at Natasha, but soon she comprehended what she had seen.
She slowly turned her head back to the television screen, where Tony Stark was jumping into a Stark Industries race car.
She hid her surprise well, but Natasha must have noticed her brief look of astonishment. She followed Pepper's line of vision suspiciously, and nearly jumped out of chair at the sight of her former boss preparing to take part in the race.
She swiveled her head back to Pepper, her eyes becoming hard. "Pepper. Did you know about this?"
"This is the first that I've known of it," Pepper replied, her eyes still glued to the screen. Not good. Fury will murder me if this gets bad. Not good.
"This-this cannot happen." Natasha growled, pointing a finger at the window next to them overlooking the track.
"Absolutely, I understand. I'm going to find Happy, no need to worry." Pepper stood quickly from her chair and began running in search for an isolated place to use the phone.
"You know what, can you excuse me?" Christine impatiently began gathering her things and countering Hammer's protests with promises of the continuation of the interview, all the while continuously glancing at the screen to see if this was truly happening. "I'll be right back!" She called, hustling away with a phone tucked under her ear.
After watching her leave, Hammer turned back to the television. Tony Stark was seated in a car, his gloved hands clenching and unclenching the wheel. His gaze wandered to the camera filming him, fixing it with a narrowed stare for the sake of dramatic presentation. He raised a finger and pointed it right at the screen, right at Justin Hammer.
Justin narrowed his eyes. His hands clenched the seat.
Pepper was now hustling out of the bathroom, snapping her phone shut. She hurried back to the table where Natasha still sat, and stopped in front of her chair.
"I called Happy, he'll be here any minute."
Natalie was sitting absolutely still, silently fuming. While Pepper was away she had fixed her hair into a high bun, and Pepper induced that this was something she did when she was flustered. "God dammit. This is going to be ugly later, Miss Potts."
Pepper fitted her hands together. "I'm well aware, Miss Romanoff."
The two women ceased talking as the sounds of engines revving emanated from behind the television. They turned in unison, and Pepper watched as cars that were facing the start line purred restlessly, her eyes fixated on Tony's blue racer. The race was about to begin.
Audible sighs of frustration could be heard from both women as a button flashed red, signaling go.
The cars sprang to life, speeding away from the camera and around the first corner, accompanied by the cheers of the massive crowd gathered on bleachers along the way. Pepper felt uneasy, and it only accumulated as the seconds ticked by. She felt it throughout the first five minutes of the race, sitting there alongside Natasha uncomfortably, waiting for Happy to show. She didn't know exactly what she would do once he arrived, but there was a plan. That was all that mattered.
She was about to call the bodyguard again, straightening to leave, when the surprised voice of the commentator brought her back to the screen.
"What is this!?" The voice exclaimed in French. "There seems to be a man walking onto the track while the race is still happening! A security guard! Pierre, do you see this?"
Pepper narrowed her eyes in confusion as the screen switched from one camera angle to another, and then she saw it.
There was a man, opening the gate and stepping onto the track. He had a strong build and an orange uniform, signaling that he was indeed part of the security staff. Pepper widened her eyes as he made his way to the center of the track, throwing his helmet to the ground and walking nonchalantly as if there weren't powerful vehicles speeding by at one hundred miles an hour.
This was bad.
"What the hell," Natasha whispered, her hands clenching her seat. By now crowds were gathering around all of the televisions in the restaurant, collectively astonished.
Pepper nearly sprinted out of the room when the man ripped open the front of his uniform, exposing his chest.
There was an arc reactor strapped to it.
His clothing began to peel away as he strode, and with every inch fallen to the ground, a unique circuiting of wires that clung to his arms and chest were revealed. The wires were burning the fabric and causing it to fall from his torso and onto the pavement. When his wrists were uncovered, thick wires unfolded from somewhere along his arm and fell to the floor, and soon they were snapping and sparking with long white coils of electricity.
The camera zoomed out frantically as a race car emerged from around the corner, headed towards the man at an unstoppable furious pace.
Pepper had seen many strange and frightening things in her lifetime, but she couldn't comprehend what happened then. It happened within seconds. The psychotic man braced himself at the approaching car, pulled his arm back, and flung it over his head, taking the wires along. They sliced through the air and onto the car that was now only feet away.
Immediately the front half of the vehicle split in two and the sound of shredded and torn metal filtered through the screen. The captivated audience gasped as the car flipped onto its nose, skidding across the pavement with a horrendous screeching. It flipped into the air, flying for an impossible amount of time. Finally, it slammed onto the pavement and began to tumble helplessly over itself, only stopping when it collided with the portable walls that closed off the track.
The crowd outside was in a complete panic. The people inside the restaurant let out shrieks of surprise, unsure as to what to do. Pepper's eyebrows were knitted as she turned to scan the place, desperately trying to see if Happy had come. Right at that moment he emerged from around the corner, carrying a portable red suitcase with a solemn expression. She didn't hesitate to stand from her seat and rush towards him.
"This is bad, this is really bad. We need to hurry." Happy murmured, turning and striding with her to the elevators. Pepper nodded wordlessly, halting to a stop and stabbing the button impatiently in order for the doors to open.
Once they were inside and descending to the lobby, Pepper turned to him. "Is the car ready?"
Happy nodded. "It's parked outside."
Tony Stark knew this was a bad idea from the get-go.
But honestly, it had started out well. He felt charged with an energy that he hadn't had in a long time, pumped with a new kind of adrenaline as the red light signaled go. He felt very calm and focused as he dodged between them all, swerving at a speed that he knew no one else in his circle of friends would approve of besides him. He liked racing, he decided.
About five minutes in, as he rounded another bend and passed another racer, he paid no attention to the security guards that were waving frantically at him behind the netted walls. He assumed they were cheering, and the other drivers did too.
It happened quickly.
He narrowed his eyes in surprise when he rounded another corner and saw a man standing in the middle of the race track. He blanched at what the stranger was wearing, because it couldn't be what he thought it was. It couldn't be.
That was all he could observe before the man was bringing what looked like sparking wires down on his car. Tony's eyes widened and then he was in the air, thrown against his seat as he soared and flipped completely.
Vaguely he could hear the screams and frantic shouts as the car landed on its belly some feet away, catching some strewn metal debris under its tires and flipping over again, screeching across the pavement and slamming into what must have been another car while still on its back. Tony's body jerked and his head hit the back of the seat at the car's violent movements, but he kept his eyes closed. Strangely, for an instant, he thought of his parents.
When everything stilled, he opened his eyes slowly, struggling to move against the seatbelt, one arm supporting him as it pressed onto the pavement. He was upside down.
Shit, what happened. His brain was spinning with pain, and he hung there, completely stunned. The crowd's screams were now deafening, as were the ringing in his ears and the thrum of his heart beat. Christ. What the hell. He grabbed his helmet and pried it off, beginning to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable.
After his head was freed, he looked around in a daze, a warm trickle of blood dripping down the side of his face. Despite the screams and sirens and his slightly blurred vision, there was an eery quiet above the pavement surrounding him. Tony had a near perfect memory, he knew what he had seen was real, and so he could bet that there was in fact a man somewhere on the other side of the car.
Tony became very afraid. He didn't like that feeling.
It intensified when he heard another race car round the bend, the growl of its engine causing the pavement to vibrate. The driver must have seen the man standing there, because Tony could heard the sudden screech of tires as he attempted to slow down. Immediately there was a blast of hot air that even he could feel, an explosion, and he guessed that it was because of the friction against the pavement. The racer was blown into the air, flames coiling up around its body as it soared. Tony watched helplessly as it flipped through the air, landing a few feet from where he was pinned.
He had to get out of the damned seat. Now.
"Car!" Happy screeched, clenching his seat in fright. "Car, Miss Potts!"
Pepper gripped the wheel tighter, turning it slightly and allowing them to avoid a head-on collision with a passing race car. They were going against the traffic, something she somewhat regretted now, but it was the fastest way.
Another car zoomed towards them, beeping frantically, and Pepper evaded it with ease. The man next to her didn't seem to think so. He griped the leather of the passenger seat and shouted, "Jesus! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Happy." Pepper snapped over the rev of the engine below them, eyes never leaving the track. "Let me focus on driving, okay?"
The body guard fell into a reluctant silence, and Pepper continued to increase the speed. They were going as fast as sanely possible, but it still wasn't enough. Something was happening, and they both could tell.
Happy didn't like the fact that she was driving, that was for sure, but Pepper appreciated the fact that he let her. Let her she supposed was one way of putting it.
"Are we almost there?" Happy asked breathlessly, wiping sweat off his forehead as they sped through scarce traffic.
"Almost," Pepper replied.
Tony managed to get out of the seat. It took lots of squirming, but he did it.
From a hidden spot behind a mangled part of the race car, he could see the man did have an arc reactor. An unstable one, but one all the same. He seemed to have had transmitted it to another outside power source, because there were sparking wires running down his arms and puddling on the ground, transferring deadly amounts of electricity. As the man approached his car steadily, Tony crouched lower behind the scattered debris and slowly, strategically put distance between the two of them. The man couldn't see that he wasn't in the vehicle, and Tony was grateful. It gave him time.
He kept out of sight, positioning himself so that he was behind the lunatic, and he began to search for something he could use as a weapon. Immediately he spotted a piece of metal that must have been part of the other car's door, and he picked it up off the ground soundlessly.
The guy was now standing right at his car, and without hesitation he pinwheeled his muscular arm and sliced the wires through the spot where Tony would be had he not escaped. When the car split in half with a shriek and the man saw the seat was empty, he craned his neck forward in confusion. Tony used the opportunity to step forward and land a solid blow to the back of his head.
In an instant the man recovered, turning around and slicing his wires through the air blindly. One caught the piece of door Tony held and he was thrown backwards onto the ground. He landed on the pavement, air escaping his lungs, and the weapon flew out of his hands. Now he was defenseless.
He didn't have time to think of another plan. The man had a pissed expression on his face, and with a powerful swing he brought the wires down again. Tony rolled to the side; the wires barely missed him. The man brought the other set of wires down, and Tony rolled again, sitting up and poised to run.
The man bared his teeth, and Tony frantically attempted to get out of the line of fire. He scrambled backwards, and the sparking tentacles landed between his spread legs.
He sprung from the ground and began to run for the shelter of the other car, but the man had other plans. Just as soon as Tony covered a few feet he felt a searing hot pain in his leg, and with a cry he was thrown off his feet for the second time. He landed on his side, several feet away from his pursuer and facing what was left of one of the race cars. But he didn't try to get up and run. He waited, despite the immediate pain spreading throughout the arm he had landed on, searching for something that would help him escape while remaining motionless.
He found it. His eyes traveled down a trail of dripping gasoline to a crumpled but intact car mirror. In it he saw the man, slowly walking towards his limp body with a scowl. His arms began to rotate, taking the wires along, and Tony felt a wave of fear as the wires sliced through the air. The sound, the sharp crack of lightening, was just as frightening. He kept very still, resisting the instinct to flee.
Finally, the man snarled in impatience. With one powerful swing he whipped his wires through the air and onto Tony's still form, but Tony had the advantage. He sprang from the ground just before the man brought down his weapon, narrowly missing the onslaught, and began to run for coverage. He didn't get far before he was blown forwards by the force of the explosion of the car as the electricity ignited the gasoline.
He recovered somewhat quickly and was on his feet, knees bent so that he was ready to run if he had to. He suddenly felt a warmth spreading on his arm and looked down distractedly.
Oh, I'm on fire.
He batted at the small flame on his sleeve, trying to douse it and at the same time keep tabs on the man walking towards him.
He was approaching him with a unfeigned smirk, casually stepping through a bout of flames and slowly entering the area where Tony stood warily, as if trying to savor the moment-a predator teasing its prey. Tony was running out of ideas, and with a burst of panic he realized he didn't have anything to do but run.
Suddenly a car horn honked frantically, and Tony almost sagged his shoulders in relief at the sight of Happy's Jaguar flying around the corner and towards them at an alarming speed. The relief quickly faded when he deducted where it was headed: straight for where the man stood, meaning straight for where he stood, and without hesitation he flung himself onto the fence next to him just as the car smashed into the man and pinned him against the railing straight below.
Silence. It took a few moments for Tony to do anything but stare, his chest heaving in shock, before dropping to the ground shakily and staggering towards the car.
"Are you okay?" Happy called anxiously, and Tony stumbled toward the drivers window, seriously considering punching him. He ducked his head, but widened his eyes when he saw Pepper instead, glaring at him from behind the wheel. Happy was seated next to her.
He recovered from the surprise quickly and gritted his teeth, placing a shaking hand on the car door frame and addressing the two of them casually. "Oh, hey. I've got a question. A couple, actually."
Pepper's glare didn't soften. She opened her mouth hesitantly, as if not trusting herself to say a word, but finally she clenched her teeth. "What, Tony, is your question?"
Tony was too dazed and tired to analyze her sarcastic tone. Instead he pointed at the limp figure pinned against the chain link fence in front of them, never letting his eyes leave hers. "One, were you trying to hit him or me?"
Pepper blanched. "I was trying to scare him-"
"Because I can't tell."
"Happy and I were-"
Tony jabbed a finger in her face. "No no no no no, this wasn't Happy, this was you-"
Pepper's grip on the wheel tightened. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that not good enough? Next time would you like me to call you on your phone and give you the warning that I'll be running over the man whose attacking you-"
"It was bad security! I was attacked-!"
"Yes! You were attacked! I am perfectly justified-!"
"Justified! That's hilarious-"
"You-you just-"
"Wait, I have to ask you my second question, Miss Potts. Ready? Why are you driving?"
"Get in the car, sir!" Happy yelled restlessly from beside Pepper, leaning over and gesturing to the seat behind them.
Pepper's chest was heaving in anger as her and Tony continued to stare at each other. "Listen to him, Mr. Stark. Get in the car."
Tony reared back on his heels and laughed humorously. "Really. You're telling me to get in the car? You're ordering me around? That's fucking terrific! For a new PA you sure are-"
And then a low moaning sounded from the front of the car.
Tony backed away from the driver's window, turning his head in surprise when the man's body began to move from where he was slumped against Happy's hood. Pepper and Happy were equally shocked, staring silently through the windshield.
"Mr. Stark," Happy called hurriedly, keeping his eyes on the man. "Get in the car."
"Yep." Tony replied, stepping towards the back seat door and opening it quickly.
There was a brief slash of light, a familiar searing noise, and Tony found himself holding half of the door in his hand, the other half lying on the ground.
Happy let out a yell and started patting Pepper's arm, shouting, "hit him again, hit him again!" Pepper was already there, putting the gear in reverse, backing up just enough and ramming the car into the man's body again. The man looked up lividly, his arms continuing to flail the wires around, even as Pepper drove the car into him multiple times afterwards.
Finally, his aim proved true, and his wires flew onto the vehicle and sliced it almost completely in half.
Tony's eyes widened in fright and he clapped his hands together impatiently, yelling over the noise, "give me the case! The case!"
"Give him the case, Happy!" Pepper shouted.
Happy struggled to sit up in his seat and grabbed it off the car floor, turning and throwing it out the window as far as he could in Tony's general direction.
It landed at Tony's feet, and Pepper and Happy were simultaneously frightened and relieved as they observed a testament out of many to Tony Stark's capability. With practiced ease, Tony shoved his arms inside the mass of metal in the case, straightening and heaving it against his chest. The portable suit enveloped his body, the face plate closed; now he was Iron Man, and Iron Man alone.
Tony turned to the smoking car and put his foot against the frame, pushing his powerful legs so that it skidded away to a safe distance. Then he turned to face the man who was now standing menacingly upright, and he wasn't afraid. This would be over quickly.
The man's face turned sour, and he stomped forward with the full intent of slicing the metal suit in half. Tony swiftly put up a hand, with the full intent of blasting him off his feet, but his repulsers didn't fire quick enough and the sparking wires knocked his arm to the side. He grunted and threw up his other hand, but the man anticipated this and soon his other arm was knocked away.
Tony began to rethink his strategy. That was a mistake. The man took advantage of his pause and flicked both wires toward him swiftly, and they wrapped around his neck. Tony fell onto his knees as the light brightened his vision, his titanium hands grabbing and trying to pry the wires off as they attempted to collapse the metal around his neck, and the man smiled in anticipation. With a spectacular amount of strength, he rotated his arms over his head and Tony was flung through the air, where he landed with a crash on the hood of Happy's car.
He was yanked down onto the pavement, his knees landing with a clank on the ground. He needed to get out of this situation before something ugly happened. Before he could think up something clever, he acted on instinct. He rose up on steady feet and one arm twined around one of the wires, and then he was twisting and turning around them, getting tangled and getting closer to the man. The man wasn't sure what to do, only trying to knock Tony off his feet by yanking his hands around.
They were now inches from each other, Tony's suit tangled in sparking cables. The man looked surprised when Tony drew closer, clenching his titanium fist and driving it directly into his jaw. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and soon after Tony flung him over his head in the same fashion he was flung a few moments ago.
The man's back slammed against the pavement. With a gasp, his eyes closed and he became motionless. He wasn't dead, Tony could see his chest moving, and that brought his attention to the circle of light strapped to his body. Tony surged forward on heavy legs, reached down, and yanked it off. The wires surrounding the man's body ceased to snap with electricity.
As people in orange suits rushed forward from the sidelines and cheers from the remaining crowd sounded in the distance, Tony studied the glowing object in his hand darkly. He crushed it in his palm, feeling no relief when it crumpled and died in his grasp. He looked to see security guards carrying the limp form of his attacker away, and it seemed the man had awoken. He studied Tony as he was being dragged along the pavement, spitting blood in his direction with a sneer.
"You lose."
Russian accent, Tony observed.
He turned away sharply, not wanting to acknowledge the chills running down his spine. He looked up to see Pepper watching him, standing some feet away near Happy's destroyed car, a small frown on her lips. Her dress was smudged with black grit and her light red hair was disheveled. Tony looked at her gravely, and a mutual understanding and respect blossomed between the two of them right then. It was subtle, but it happened.
He clanked towards her, Pepper began walking forward so they could meet halfway. Her worried expression disappeared and she sighed when she approached him.
"Mr. Stark, I think that it would be best for you not to race for a while. That's just my professional opinion." She smiled tentatively. A real one.
Tony looked upwards and blew air through his lips dramatically. "You know what, Miss Potts, I think that you're right."
Her smile faded and she leaned her head around the hulk of his body, studying the scene behind him.
"Who was he?" She asked in a low voice.
Tony shook his head and responded, "I don't know,"
Pepper nodded. "Alright. Let's go before Happy passes out."
"Right behind you."