Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, their lives, the actors, their lives, the movies, the comics. Zilch.

Author's Note: I am soamazed by your responses to this story. You guys have made my…week…my month! Thank you to those of you who have been taking the time to chat with me about the story and all things Iron Man. I like sharing opinions and discussing this great thing we all affectionately call Pepperony. Please continue to enjoy the story and I will keep writing it! Sorry for any mistakes and typos.

Whoever had him in the death grip suddenly let loose and chose instead to stand on Tony's chest piece near the arc reactor. He felt their weight as it push him down faster. And then his world went dark.

Sounds of pavement breaking and dirt and rock hurling into the air signaled their landing. The man who crash-landed Iron Man back to the facility now stood off to the side. He glowered at the armor clad figure that lay unconscious in the crater. A number of his disciples circled the crater with guns and weapons drawn as the dust settled.

"Are you still there? Tony!" Fury's voice was the first thing he heard as he slowly emerged from the darkness. The volume at which he yelled was thunderous to Tony, and he winced as he felt his head pound as a result. "Tony! The man from China…we know who he is!"

Tony groaned as he attempted to move. Every muscle in his body stiffened and denied him the ability to shift more than a centimeter at a time. Though he didn't really want to, he opened his eyes slowly to assess the situation he had been plunged into. The lights in his helmet turned on and he grunted one more time. What he saw when everything adjusted was not what he wanted to see.

"Pleased to finally meet you Iron Man. The great Tony Stark." A man loomed over him as guards stood ready for another round of attack.

"And you are?" Tony slowly let out and felt his ribs protest.

"What? Tony!" He heard Nick in his ear, but was currently more painfully aware of the tall long-haired man that was focused on him. So he ignored Nick.

"Gene. Gene Kahn."

Tony nodded slowly. "Right." He inhaled deeply to ready himself. "I assume you run this joint." He moved to sit up slowly. His actions elicited a quick reaction from the men and their guns. They all hardened their stance and clicked their weapons into position. Tony looked around the huddle and back to the man.

Kahn clasped his hands behind his back and motioned for his men to stand down. He looked back down to Tony. "You have been snooping around. That's bad manners, ."

An angry chuckle escaped Tony's throat as he began to stand. The men raised their weapons once again. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mr. Kahn. I believe experimenting with human lives is also bad manners. Not to mention…outdated." Tony was never one to play nice with his adversaries, and the fact that he was pushing the man's buttons was evidence of that.

"Tony!" Nick came through in his ear once again. "You have to get out of there. Kahn is there."

"Yeah, we've met." Tony finally responded as he rolled his eyes and Kahn looked at him curiously.

"What? Kahn is dangerous!"

"I've gathered that." This time Kahn stepped closer to the edge of the crater to look at Tony more closely.

"You have to leave. You're no match for this guy. We have reason to believe this man is someone who calls himself The Mandarin. Kind of likes to destroy things in his spare time."

Nick's words had Tony's full attention. As he finished processing what he had just heard, he stepped forward to look up directly at Kahn. The man grinned at Tony and nodded. "He's right. I do like to destroy things."

"That's funny because I'm pretty good at destroying things without meaning to." Standing down was not an option, so Tony stood his ground and challenged Kahn.

He straightened his back and with a slow sweep of his hand, Kahn commanded his men to leave them. He looked up with the same grin on his face and then looked down at Tony. "A match made in hell."

Both men stood rooted to the ground as they analyzed the other's posture. After a long and tension-filled silence, Tony turned to exit the crater to the left of the man. His body hurt, but he showed no weakness in front of him.

His steps clanked on the unbroken concrete below him as he turned around to face Kahn. An evil smirk resided on the man's face. Everything about him screamed danger, but Tony never back-pedaled. Instead, he walked forward to come closer to him. Kahn stood still and simply smiled as he took Tony's actions to mean war.

"I wouldn't get much closer if I were you." He unclasped his hands and rubbed his knuckles.

Tony's metallic voice came through full of courage. "Good thing you aren't me."

"Your life. Your death." Soon, a strange glow engulfed his body. Tony squinted and shielded his eyes with his armored hand from the blinding light. "I warned you, Mr. Stark." Kahn's voice sounded distant as the flash continued in his place.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kind of hard-headed. I don't follow orders very well." Tony wanted to move back as the intensity of the light grew, but he didn't have to take any action. As the glow faded, his hand came down from his eyes and he stared bewildered at the man before him.

What was once a man in a tailored suit, was now a gray armored figure with a horned-helmet that stood at least two feet taller than Tony. Each armor clad finger donned a gleaming ring, and each digit curled and uncurled in an attempt to adjust to the material that encased it. Tony could hear a faint chuckle as he continued to stare at the image before him.

"Ok. See that suit…it has to go. What's with you people and antlers? Seriously, the first thing I think of is Bullwinkle. Not exactly threatening." He tried some humor to lighten his own frame of mind, because he was sure that Mr. Mandarin did not particularly care for good moods. When he noticed that his foe had begun to move towards him, Tony positioned himself for take-off and hung in the air.

Tony grinned from above his opponent. "Well this party is a downer." He spoke down to Kahn.

"You think you're the only one with fancy suits and advanced technology, Mr. Stark?" His voice sounded malevolent and aggressive.

As the jets to his boots kept him in the air, Tony shrugged with his shoulders and activated his palms to blast Kahn as soon as he made his move. "Several have tried to duplicate it, most have not mastered it. Too much power-not enough control."

Kahn waited for Tony to finish his comment before he let out a loud laugh. Almost as if to mock the words that had left Tony's mouth. "You don't know power, Iron Man. I'll show you power."

His muscles tensed; even in the air he adjusted his posture to ready himself for battle. A cocky grin escaped his lips within his helmet and he hoped that he could end the encounter soon. Because though Tony did not like to admit defeat, his body ached from the many pieces of shrapnel that were still embedded in his suit and skin. Just as he finished his last thought, he detected Kahn's right metallic arm come up and point to him. A faint yellow glow began to shine from one of Kahn fingers. Tony found that odd, since the night was dark and the moon was nowhere near for the ring to catch a glimmer of light.

"Tony are you still there? Talk to me Stark!"

"Not now, Cyclops. I'm a little preoccupied."

"He has multiple rings! They're very powerful. Get out!"

As the glow became brighter and more ominous, Tony lifted both palms and aimed them down toward Kahn. Time seemed to slow as Tony fired both repulsors at the same time and found himself being flung back towards the ground. He couldn't escape the yellow envelope that carried his body through the air. All he could do was hope for a soft landing. Kahn granted him no such luck as he smashed him through the pavement, several layers of rock, and a thick deposit of mud.

A frustrated and guttural groan escaped Tony as he found himself twenty feet underground. His back protested every movement he made, but he soon stood, half-hunched to catch his breath. "Jar…" he coughed. "Jarvis, damage report." He placed an armored hand on the dirt wall before him to steady his balance.

"You have a hairline fracture on the seventh rib, but it will not need medical attention. The suit is fully functional though there are multiple dents and punctures. Might I suggest ending this battle, sir?"

"That's the plan." Tony straightened sluggishly and felt a number of cracks make their way down his back. He shook it off and slowly ascended the hole towards the surface. As soon as he spotted the so called Mandarin, he diverted power to the chest piece and fired it at him. The Mandarin was thrown back into a concrete building. Loud crashes resounded from where he broke through walls and structural beams, but soon reappeared in his previous spot. Tony shook his head at the realization that the man could teleport himself from place to place.

"Show off." Tony sighed in some pain.

Sensing that perhaps the battle was far from over, Tony killed the power to his boots and landed with a metallic clack on the ground. "Is that all you have for me, Mr. Stark?" The Mandarin smiled and looked down at his rings to choose his next demonstration on the Iron Man that stood a few feet from him.

"I have a few tricks left. I noticed we are remodeling your facility." A smirking Tony gestured to the damage with his hand. "I hope you don't mind." He never waited for what the man had to say before he readied himself for the shoulder missiles he had added to the suit before the events in New York. Each missile exited its port on his shoulders and headed towards Kahn at full speed. Tony stood in place and waited for the damage that was sure to follow. The first few missiles hit their target and sent a stunned Kahn flying into the air, but the victory was short lived. Not four hits later did Tony witness Kahn teleport, causing all remaining missiles to miss as they exploded on impact with a vacant warehouse wall.

Kahn forcefully landed a few feet from Tony, breaking the ground beneath him, and once again lifted his right fist and aimed it at him. This time it was not a yellow glow, but a soft blue one that emanated from one of the rings. He had no idea what could come of the ring that was aimed at him, but he readied himself as he stood solidly with his palms poised at Kahn. "I hope our little disagreement leaves you satisfied enough to never return. Be warned that if you do, I will be waiting." One last grin escaped his lips before the wind picked up and headed in Tony's direction.

A spinning maelstrom of wind, dirt, and rubble made its way towards him as he switched on his thrusters in an attempt to jet away from it. Not much help came from that when the vortex engulfed Tony and kept him in place. Kahn looked one last time at him before he spoke. "Goodbye, Mr. Stark." With a final sweep of his arm, the vortex spun Tony in the opposite direction of the facility.

To be continued…

Yes, to those of you who said the villain was The Mandarin, congrats!