Finally, it's here! Mother of pearl, it's been a while. How're you guys doing? I think we've past the "I'm so sorry" point and now we're at the "give them the chapter and be quiet" point. Thank you so much for your support in what is now known as the Writing Drought.

Now that the basics are covered, Collision should start to deter from the original story. Strap yourselves in, this could get bumpy.

Here's chapter 5. Enjoy, muthaficas.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Marvel respectively. Some dialogue/scenarios are taken from IM2

11:50 p.m

Stark Industries jet

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

His name was Ivan Vanko. And from what Tony could tell, the man was smart. At least smart enough to recreate an extraordinarily simple but effective version of the arc reactor. And hijack an exclusive sporting event televised worldwide. And almost kill him, which, pardon Tony Stark's ever-present ego, is a tough feat.

He recalled in the uneasy quiet that had settled over the main cabin, bumping his fists together absentmindedly, their first verbal interaction from a few hours ago.

You come from a family of thieves...and butchers.

He knew that. He'd known that for a while. But the thing that unsettled him the most out of this twisted situation was how the hell this guy knew that.

Speaking of thieves, where did you get this design?

My father. Antione Vanko.

How was Ivan affected by this? By the Stark family? He wasn't just some foreign schmuck who got his pants pissed on by the industry. This was a man who knew things, things that Tony was sure could prove potentially fatal. He tried not to over think it, but their conversation in the harsh coldness of the cell hit him where it hurt. And that didn't happen too often.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, the mother fucker knew about the palladium poisoning-

But he was locked up now. Rotting in a prison. A French prison. Was there a significant difference?

His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of carpeted footsteps approached the main cabin and Pepper Potts stepped into view, having been off in some other section of the plane for the majority of the flight. Tony studied her as she moved to take the cushioned seat across from him, thankful for a distraction from his thoughts.

"Well. That was...interesting." Pepper's voice filled the silence of the cabin. Even though he gathered that she was just talking because she felt she had to, he didn't mind.

He smirked. "Nice first day on the job."

"If that's your definition of 'nice' then we have bigger problems to address."

"Could've been worse."

"Really."

"Yeah. You could've had to change this thing." He wiggled his fingers against the metal embedded in his chest and tried at a smile.

Pepper uncharacteristically widened her eyes. "You...you change it?"

Tony blanched. "Well-yeah. Have to."

"How?"

"It's complicated, but essentially it's like any other electronic device. There's wires and cables. You have to know which ones to yank and which ones to...not yank."

"Oh. I see." She looked down at her Blackberry and wiped the screen with her thumb. She looked mildly troubled.

"Storing that information for later, Potts?"

She nodded. "Of course. Have to keep up with the bossman."

"Right."

They remained in debatably comfortable silence for a while, Pepper thumbing away at her phone, until Happy lumbered in from the hallway. He had a limp, and his forehead sported an impressive gash. Tony guessed it was from when the car split in half.

"Hey," he said.

Happy grunted and gave a short nod. He sank into the chair across the aisle and sighed deeply, his nostrils flaring. "Remind me not to let Pepper drive. Ever."

"Don't let Pepper drive. Ever."

"Thanks, boss."

"Is it hurting more, Happy?" Pepper asked, studying him worriedly.

"Oh, it's about the same."

"I patched you up well though, right?" She asked.

Happy seemed pleased with her concern. "Of course, Pepper. I was just pulling your leg."

Pepper grimaced. "Of course, sorry. I just seem to keep causing you physical pain."

Tony gave a high laugh, one that caused the other two to turn and study him with raised brows, but he ignored them and continued to giggle. After a few seconds, Happy joined in his laughter, the irony being how much it hurt when the vibrations shook his freshly aching shoulder. Pepper studied the two of them, and found it useless to hold back a smile. She let her lips curl pleasantly, and once the laughter died her expression turned blank again.

While Ivan Vanko may have been detained for the moment, he was no fool. This was how the events were to play out, this was how things were set to unfold, and he was confident, in fact he expected that he would find a way of out this prison.

And once he did, he would act on the promise he whispered to his weakening father moments before his death. He was going to burn the Stark Legacy to the ground, and revel in the destruction it created. Now, he reveled in their conversation from just yesterday. He had gotten under the skin, buried himself deep; he had sensed that as soon as Tony Stark heard him speak. He had a gift with sensing those things.

Despite this gift, what he did not anticipate was how he would escape from this prison. Things did not come so easy to him, they never have. He was suspicious when the guard delivered his meal and he found the bomb hidden within the potatoes.

Things happened very quickly after that. He easily defeated the man who was shoved into his cell, carrying the same ID number on his uniform. He used the key the guard had snuck into the tray slot and it allowed him to open the bar door. The hallway was empty. He defeated the guard, whose yelling annoyed him, and after the alarm sounded he found himself being herded with a bag over his head into the back of a truck.

He did not like being handled this way.

Then he met Justin Hammer, a very annoying man who proceeded to give him a dinner that he enjoyed. Of course, he knew what the strange American was doing. He was attempting bribery. The man's ignorance was palpable and Ivan was not stupid. And he asked for a bird, which he was given.

Essentially, what Justin Hammer wanted was to bring down Tony Stark, in every sense of the word, at the demonstration set to take place in a few months. After watching what happened in Monaco, Justin concluded that was one thing the two of them shared in common.

Soon he was led to a place where Hammer kept his pathetic, amusing exoskeletons that were no better than the robot figures his father let him play with as a child.

He easily broke through the industry software and within it he began to see a foundation to something; the key. He could use the bad security and from it build something greater within the software. Something destructive.

Within his brain, a plan began to form.

He would use what he could to his advantage.

"While I see your point Mr. Avery, I really don't think Mr. Stark can afford that specific transaction at this point in time. Perhaps when the company is not in complete disarray we can manage an appointment for you and Tiffany. Yes, of course, I will notify him of that. Thank you very much, sir, goodbye."

Pepper dropped the phone onto the cushion beside her and sighed, bringing a wrist to her forehead and attempting to wipe the condensation from her skin. The afternoon sun was settling over the mansion and the humidity it brought was, least to say, uncomfortable. Pepper nearly laughed at herself as she made the observation. She'd been in far worse weather conditions before, she should be able to take this effortlessly.

She lowered her wrist.

In the quiet of the large living area, a quiet that calmed her in a strange and unfamiliar way, she recalled the day's previous events. She could allow herself one thought break.

Well, to start.

She was made aware that Tony Stark harbored an Artificial Intelligence named JARVIS, a computer program he created five years after graduating MIT. That didn't stop her from swiveling around comically when his cultured accent filled the air upon her first step inside the mansion, welcoming her home.

"That's Jarvis," Tony said lightly behind her. "He runs the joint."

Tony then proceeded, after the two of them said goodbye to Happy, to show her around, take her to every room, and even though Pepper had seen pictures and floor layouts, she was impressed and awed with the smooth and modern architecture. His accommodation was a work of art in itself, something she appreciated and admired.

She also noticed that Tony enjoyed giving her the tour, and his modest gesticulations and face movements made it clear that he had a quiet passion for talking about innovation; how what came to be or why he chose to design something a certain way. It interested her. He was very nice to observe.

After an hour and twenty-three minutes, Tony announced he was going to head to the workshop.

"It's my very own candy land downstairs. I spend most of my time there. So...you can head down in a few hours. Check on me. That's what the last one did." He turned and sauntered away from her, trotting down the spiral staircase.

She stared after him, and then sat down on the white couch in front of an enormous wall to wall window that offered a great view of the coast. She studied outside for a minute, and then hesitantly called, "JARVIS?"

"I am at your service, ma'am."

"You can call me Miss Potts," she said carefully.

"Very well, Miss Potts."

When he did not reply further, she went on, "Is the lap top provided for me here right now? Or is it waiting for me at work?"

"A Stark Industries employee delivered it here at approximately nine a.m yesterday. I had Dummy transport it to the kitchen."

She smiled. "Dummy. Another robot."

"I'm afraid he has been around longer than I have."

"I see." The AI did not respond, and even though it was not necessary per say, it felt wrong not to end the conversation politely.

"Thank you very much, JARVIS."

"You're welcome, Miss Potts."

And after she became acquainted with a faceless robot whom she could tell she was going to like, she sat herself down on the couch and worked. It was tiring, to say the least, but there was something...satisfying about it. Something triumphant in having a productive conversation and vigorous (that would be the optimist's way of viewing it) in dragging through a nonproductive one.

She was pulled from her self-appointed thought period on Tony's couch when another ring sounded from her phone. She exhaled and reached for it.

It was another half an hour before she heard it. Well, she sensed rather than heard it; a car pulling near the entrance to the mansion. She immediately tensed, politely asking the woman on the other end to hold one moment, and when a car door slammed and footsteps rapidly approached the entrance, she apologized to the woman and assured her she would be called again in the morning. Click.

She stood from the couch hesitantly, unsure how she should approach the guest. Ultimately, she decided to stay put. It would look normal.

She heard a man's voice, muffled behind the door, and was surprisingly spooked hearing JARVIS's equally muffled voice respond. It really wasn't something found odd unless heard in person.

Then the door opened and a man walked in wearing what looked like professional military clothing (straight, non wrinkled pants and a shirt decorated with military laurels). He began to storm his way towards the stairs leading to the workshop, looking absolutely ticked off, until he spotted Pepper.

He stopped abruptly and blinked. "Excuse me."

Pepper stood from the couch, her hands smoothing the crinkles from her pencil skirt, and walked around the coffee table. She presented a small smile as she approached the stranger.

"Hello, I'm Pepper Potts." She offered a hand to shake.

The man took it. "You're the new secretary."

Pepper linked her fingers behind her back and shrugged. "I prefer personal assistant."

The man smirked. "Yeah, so do I. Sounds less uptight. Listen, this is kind of urgent. Is Tony around?"

"He's downstairs. Working, I think."

The man nodded. He started towards that direction, hesitated, and swiveled around. "Jim Rhodes, by the way. I'm a friend of Tony's."

Pepper smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Rhodes."

He nodded and resumed hurrying to the workshop. Pepper looked after him curiously. She wondered what sort of relationship the two of them shared. She wondered if it was her place to wonder.

And then she shook her head in exasperation. At this point she knew too many things about Tony Stark that were not her place to know at all. She'd passed that boundary a long time ago.

Next chapter=Pepper and Tony scenes to the max.