There are so many thanks to give! Thank you for your reviews, your little notes of encouragement…and thank you to this great new (and growing) fandom!
Ya'll should check out on Live Journal: TonyPepper. It is a great site that is up and coming…but there are a lot of fans out there we can all connect with.
Chapter 5: Enemies
AN: For reasons all my own, I don't own anything here except a few original characters. And by my own admission, they are not that original! (Rim-shot)Hoo-ah! Ahem…'The Dealer'—your typical Boss bad guy is who we are introducing here….On with it!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tony Stark had many enemies. Some he knew of, others, he didn't. Those that made themselves known were usually from competing companies, anti-weapons activists, jealous husbands or boyfriends, and weapons developers in several foreign countries. Threats and competition were not uncommon at Stark Industries.
However, as a precaution, James Rhodes felt it was necessary to look into the recent activities of a private weapons dealer—who had been quite displeased with Tony Starks' 'no more weapons development' press conference the day he returned from Afghanistan. Dealing under the table for almost fifteen years, the Dealer had managed to evade capture, obtain a substantial amount of illegal weapons, and had some very loyal customers. Upon questioning some of the captured men who had been working with him, Rhodes had discovered that the Dealer had actually been selling some of Starks' weapons in addition to other military contraband.
That self-righteous son of a bitch…thought Rhodes, he better appreciate the fact that I am always watching his ass! Despite what a pain in the neck Tony could be, James Rhodes still loved the guy. After several years of working together, and experiencing all of the craziness that is Tony Stark—Rhodes was sure he could trust the man with his life—after all, Stark sure trusts him with his. That's why Rhodes had taken it upon himself to stay informed of all things weapons and threat related when it came to protecting Starks' interests—and quite frankly, Starks' life.
Most recently, Rhodes discovered that the Dealers' henchmen had been seen moving a very large and expensive shipment two nights ago near the waterfront dock owned by Stark Industries. This was not good news.
Even worse, the latest word on the street, according to his informants, was that the Dealer now had his eyes on a new prize: A suit of iron—and all of the weapons, power, and destruction that came with it.
Tony Stark had a new enemy. And he couldn't have come at a worse time.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It had been almost thirty-six hours since Tony Stark had blazed off to the Middle East intending to find and destroy the weapons that had been discovered there. Thirty-six hours and still no word, no message, not even a single news broadcast of any kind declaring Iron Man had been spotted cruising over skyscrapers or had blown something up in the desert.
Nothing.
Frustrated and exhausted from not having slept so well in the past three days, Pepper Potts switched off her TV and promptly threw the remote across the room. She sighed audibly and squeezed her eyes shut. I can't be doing this; she thought to herself, I can't put any more stress on myself for something my boss is doing. She sighed and sagged into her couch. I just can't help it.
Making up her mind that she must get some sleep tonight, she decided to forego dinner and take a nice hot, relaxing bubble bath instead. Shaking the worry from her mind, Pepper stood up, shed her stilettos and her suit jacket and made her way towards the master bath. As an afterthought, she backtracked and snatched up her blackberry, taking it with her into the bathroom.
Gathering all things necessary to complete a haven of relaxation and comfort, she proceeded to fill her Jacuzzi bath with water and scented bath oil. Once the tub was filled, she lit a few scented candles and dimmed the lights, placed her cotton robe on the hook of the bathroom door, shed her clothes and slipped into the velvety embrace of the hot soothing water. Pepper let out in involuntary moan as she felt the tense muscles in her back and neck begin to unwind and relax. As her eyes fell closed, she felt the worries and the stress of the last few days melt away into the water. Time stood still as Pepper cleared her head and gradually became more and more relaxed. There was nothing in the world that could disturb this moment of pure bliss and relaxation.
Bzzzzz.Bzzzzz.Bzzzzzz.
Nothing, that is, except the insistent buzzing of her cell phone. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Nope. Not gonna answer it.
Bzzz.bzzz.bzzz. She opened one eye to check the caller ID on the annoying phone.
Caller Unknown.
There was no way in hell she was gonna answer the phone for an unknown caller. The last time she did, she was assaulted by someone on the other end trying to wrangle her into buying life insurance. Moments later, the decision to answer came to an end as soon as the buzzing did.
Pepper sighed in relief and sank back into the now warm water.
Bzzzz.bzzzz.bzzzzz. The maddening buzz of the tiny cell phone began again.
Pepper slapped the water in frustration and as a result, caused a substantial amount of water to hit her bathroom floor. She peered over the edge of the tub, Dammit! That is gonna take forever to clean up! She shook her head in the negative. Despite the recent interruptions, she was still
determined to have a relaxing evening. Settling herself back into the now lukewarm water, Pepper closed her eyes again and forced herself to think relaxing thoughts as the buzzing finally came to an end.
Soothing, relaxing, peaceful thoughts soon swam through her mind…the sound of a waterfall and babbling brook filled her thoughts. Birds, singing sweet songs—chirp, chirp--Bzzzzz.
Bzzzzz.Bzzzz.Bzzzz.
Why in the world did I bring that damn thing in here? Giving up, Pepper sat up in the tub and glanced at her blackberry—Unknown Caller. Then she glanced at her bathroom clock—12:53am.
That's strange, she thought, who in the world would be calling me at this late—she mentally kicked herself—the only person that ever does—
Tony Stark.
Quickly punching the answer key, she frantically shouts into the small device, "Hello! Tony?!"
In spite of being immediately confronted by the sound of wind and static, she clearly hears a familiar voice on the other end answer back, "What the hell?! It's about time you answered your phone!"
"Oh my God Tony! I'm...I'm so sorry; I didn't know it was you! I was taking a bath and I was trying to relax, and you know, it didn't say it was you and—" Pepper hadn't realized she had begun to ramble until the line went dead. "Hello? Tony?...Oh no…" She stared blankly at the small device in her hands; willing it to ring again.
Seconds ticked by…and then…Bzzzz. She answered on the first bzzzz. "Tony?!" She gasped.
"Pepper, listen to me. I don't know how long this connection will last," Tony sounded calm, but there was a slight waver in his voice that made Pepper think there was something wrong.
He continued, "I am running low on jet capacities…I have taken…static...damage…Meet me...static …20 minutes…at house…static...bandages…activate protocol 911—Jarvis will know what…" And then there was no more.
"Tony?!...Tony?!"A knot formed in her throat and panic seized her. Damage? What kind of damage? All coherent thought left Pepper's mind as adrenaline pumped through her body and she leapt from the now cold water in her tub; splashing water everywhere and leaving a much larger puddle on the floor in her wake.
Faster than she ever thought possible, Pepper had dried off—sort of—thrown on a pair jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of tennis shoes, and had made it to her Audi in a record time of 3 minutes. Slamming her foot onto the accelerator, she made her way onto the freeway and in the direction of Tony Starks' mansion.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In her rush to leave, she never noticed the mysterious black SUV parked across the street from her apartment.
"Sir?" The large muscular man spoke into his radio, "Should I follow her?" The radio made a noise of compliance.
"No. We know where she's going. Let's just keep the surveillance when she's home." The voice on the other end of the radio directed. "When the time is right, we will hit the mansion."
"Yes sir." The radio crackled, and the black SUV started its engine and drove away.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Continued soon…
Ok, so here we go with some plot…hope it wasn't too rushed. I'm still trying to grasp the story as it comes to mind…Thanks in advance for reviews and comments on the chapter…I take what you say into great consideration…