All right!! Chapter five is much, much longer...so have fun reading!
Oh! And...this chapter is totally dedicated to The Mulberry (a.k.a. Cookiesnmilk123), I am very sorry I kept you waiting longer than you thought you would have to. Hope you like it :)
Chapter Five
Pepper watched as things seemed to slow down, she could see every inch of Tony's face very clearly as he ran toward her, his eyes pleading just before he was hit by a blast of power from the Mandarin. She could feel the pressure and heaviness of Gene's armor as he placed his hands on her shoulders. And in that instant, she was gone. She felt just like she had when this had happened before. Pepper felt as though she was going only 20 mph, but at the same time, she felt her body being pulled like she was going 400 mph.
Just as fast as they had disappeared, they reappeared. Pepper fell to a hard and cold stone floor. She sat for a moment, taking everything in that had just happened.
Gene removed the last ring and the Makluan armor disappeared, "Welcome, Pepper, to the last Temple." He smiled nicely.
Pepper slowly got to her feet and looked around, she saw a ring suspended in blue light at the center of the room. "Where are we?"
Gene frowned, "I just told you."
Pepper snorted, "Okay, I heard you. I mean, where on the earth, are we?" She said more specifically.
"Oh. We're in Afghanistan. In the mountains." He tried to clarify.
Pepper looked Gene over, he was wearing dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt, his hair was messy, but still seemed to look nice. It almost reminded her of Tony, but she knew that they were complete opposites. "So, you've brought me here because...?" Pepper asked, waving her hands around at the room.
"Because only a woman can take the ring." Gene supplied.
"Oh, so you grabbed me, all the way from New York. That makes perfect sense." She huffed, her eyes narrowing.
"Pepper, you're the only person I could think of that would actually make it out of here after you got the ring." Gene said.
"Excuse me? Once I get it, can't you just 'light-shift' me out of here?" Pepper asked incredulously.
"Well, yes, I guess I could, but I'm not sure I really want to be in this room when you touch that ring..." Gene said cautiously.
"YOU brought me here, YOU are staying with me." Pepper stated firmly, "Or I won't get that ring for you. OR I'll just keep it for myself, maybe give it to Tony." Pepper smiled smartly.
Gene advanced on her, closing the distance easily, "If you try to do that, I'll leave you in here," he faltered for a moment, "all by yourself." He ended lamely.
"Well, have fun getting your ring then." Pepper said, she sat down promptly onto the floor of the chamber.
Gene frowned, "You know what, FINE, I'll stay in the room when you get the ring."
"AND you'll do that weird thing and get me out of here, right?" Pepper said, folding her arms and sitting straight up.
"Yes. That too." Gene said quickly. "Just get my ring."
"It's not really yours, you know." Pepper said matter-of-factly.
Gene rolled his eyes and tried to calm himself down. She was still the same Pepper he knew from all those years ago.
On the other side of the world in New York, Tony was suiting up. Not for a business meeting, mind you, but a rescue mission. His red and gold armor fit like a glove, he turned to Rhodey, "You ready?"
Rhodey was in the War Machine armor, ready to follow Tony all the way to Afghanistan. Rhodey nodded, ready to kick some Khan Butt.
"This could be difficult, Afghanistan is paranoid right now, if they see us coming in, they won't hesitate to fire at us. Be careful." Tony warned.
They took off into the sky, blasting through the air and heading east.
Back in the Temple, Pepper slowly walked toward the vertical beam of blue light, watching the ring carefully. She stood next to it for a moment, then turned to Gene, "Put your other rings on, so we can shift out of here quickly."
"I can shift without wearing the rings." Gene stated.
"I don't want to take any chances." Pepper said, fear in her eyes.
Gene nodded and slipped on the nine rings of power, anxiously waiting for Pepper to grab the last one. His body became encased in ancient silver armor, he nodded for Pepper to grab the ring.
Tony and Rhodey were flying over Iran, almost reaching the border of Afghanistan when he heard a low boom below them. He looked down, his computer system picking up an incoming missile. "Rhodey, move!" He called into the com system.
Rhodey flew out of the way as fast as he could, Tony following suit. The missile flew past them and Tony breathed a sigh of relief. They passed over the border, Tony locked on to Pepper's signal, lowering his altitude to get the exact coordinates while Rhodey followed right behind. Another low boom echoed around them, but Tony couldn't lock on to it, "Where is that coming from?" He asked. And then all of a sudden, Rhodey was blown back about fifty feet, smoke and fire cascading around him. Then, he started to free fall.
"Rhodey!!" Tony called, barreling through the air after him. Tony called through the com system a couple of times, hoping to hear his friend's voice, but there was no response.
Tony finally reached Rhodey and grabbed his suit and reverted the power to his boots. They slowly descended to the ground where Tony set him down. He lifted his face plate and looked Rhodey over. He had only been knocked unconscious.
"Oh thank heavens. Rhodey! Can you hear me?!" Tony yelled.
"Hmmm?..." Rhodey grumbled, "Oh man...I feel like I was hit with a ton of bricks just now. What happened?"
Tony chuckled, "You were blasted right out of the sky."
"Well, I guess that would explain why, then." Rhodey said, getting up from the sandy ground.
"We're only a few miles away from where Pepper's signal is." Tony said, reading the screen within his helmet. "Let's get going."
Pepper reached through the light, her fingers tingling as they penetrated the line of blue light. She kept going until her palm was right over the ring, everything up to her forearm tingled.
"Here goes nothing..." Pepper said to herself, her hands sweaty and legs shaking.
Her hand closed into a fist around the small ring of power, and everything stopped. Time stood still. Her breathing quickened and her eyes widened. Pain laced over her fingers and wrist, crawling up her arm, encasing her chest and moving down her abdomen and to her legs. She could barely make a sound, it hurt so badly. She tried to let go of the ring, but couldn't. Something held her there. Then, out of nothing, she heard a voice. It whispered, but echoed loudly through her ears. "The soul that bears the last is noble, for the one that bears the rest will meet their end. Death traps and steals the one that wreaths their fingers in the rings of power...the last ring will bring the final torment, which only ends with the destruction of the bearer of power..."
The pain intensified greatly for only a moment before disappearing, the words still echoing and bumping around in her brain. Time resumed it's regular path and the blue beam of light quickly contracted to a small beam then flashed brilliantly around Pepper's fist, blowing the air around them.
"Wow..." Gene said quietly from somewhere behind Pepper.
No sooner than that utterance, came the slow rumbling of the Temple.
Tony and Rhodey were flying somewhere above Pepper's signal when they saw a slight rumble, coupled with some dust spouting into the air ahead of them.
"There! Did you see that? That must be it!" Tony said through the com system. Rhodey and Tony descended to that spot, seeing a huge Temple looming over them within a cavern of the mountainside.
The ground below them pulsed and moved, the sand lurched, making hissing noises.
"We need to get in there!" Tony called.
Pepper stood staring at the ring in her palm. Or at least, trying to. As soon as the blue light had disappeared, the chamber had gone pitch black. The Temple rumbled on around her, falling pieces of ceiling barely missed her, but she didn't seem to notice.
Gene frantically made his way forward, feeling his way through the dark. "Pepper! Pepper? Where are you?!" He called.
Pepper finally seemed to notice what was going on. She could literally see absolutely nothing. She put her hand out in front of her and couldn't see it. "Gene?!" She yelled, turning and hitting something hard. "Oh. Is that you?" She asked dumbly.
"Yes." Gene answered, just as stupidly. Who else would be in the dark chamber with them?
"Shift us out of here!" Pepper yelled, fear and anxiety lacing her voice.
"All right!" He yelled back, frustrated. The Temple was crumbling around them.
Pepper waited to feel it, the weird pulling sensation that usually comes with moving through light. Nothing happened.
"Gene...why aren't we going anywhere?" Pepper asked timidly over the rumbling of the Temple.
"I don't know." Gene said, "I don't know!" He said again, realizing how dangerous the situation really was. Suddenly, a light went on in Gene's brain. "I can't go anywhere because there's no light." He stated.
"Oh great." Pepper said, frowning, but Gene couldn't see it.
Gene and Pepper felt their way through the chamber.
"Okay, there's a chasm coming up soon." Gene stated matter-of-factly.
"A WHAT?!" Pepper yelled, hearing the whistle as a rock flew past her ear and smashed into the ground next to her. She got down on her hands and knees, feeling for the drop off. They finally came upon it, finding the narrow bridge that stretched across.
"If we get out of this alive, you owe me, Gene." Pepper said, anger boiling into her voice.
"You could be the Queen of the world! And I'll be the King!" Gene shouted over the loud crumble of rocks. (By this time, Gene had taken the rings off so that he could maneuver easier without the bulky armor).
"HA! Ya right." Pepper laughed it off, but knowing that Gene was being completely serious.
Pepper looked around her, still seeing nothing. There was still no light.
Tony told Rhodey to wait outside the Temple and watch, or to be an emergency back up if needed. Tony blasted through the the stone wall door and flew into the Temple.
He came across a room filled with melting treasure, along with a body burning in the corner. "Oh man...I hope Pepper's all right."
"She will be man, it's okay." Rhodey said through the com system.
Pepper and Gene still crawled through the Temple, still pitch black. Pepper finally looked up from the ground, noticing a round flickering light coming from the top of the large staircase. Now she could see just how big it was. They weren't even half way.
What was that? Pepper squinted slightly, not even remembering the fact that all they needed was a little light to shift out of the Temple.
The light was moving. "How could that be moving?" She asked out loud.
Gene looked up from behind her, "Light!" He exclaimed happily, reaching down his shirt and grabbing the necklace strung with rings. Just as he did that, he remembered the fact that Pepper still had the last ring. "Pepper. Give me the ring!" He yelled.
Pepper's eyes widened, realizing she was in a tight spot. What if he took it and left without her? But he could do that already.
Gene put all nine rings on, fumbling slightly. The light at the top of the stairs grew stronger.
While Gene was still fumbling with the rings, she made a break for it. She dashed up the stairs as fast as her Cinderella-shoed feet would allow her. "PEPPER!" She heard an angry Gene call from behind her.
Pepper could see the light more clearly. Or, lights...there were more than one. What on earth? Then she could make out a slight form. "Tony?" She asked herself, clumsily moving up the stairs, which were now rocking beneath her. She had to get out of here. Now.
She could see the faint object moving toward her, "Pepper!" She could hear someone call.
"Tony!!" She yelled, trying to run toward him, but falling back a bit. It was like being in a 10.0 earthquake or something, she could barely move anymore.
Rocks were falling all around her. She heard a cracking sound above her and dared to glance up. A huge piece of rock came barreling down through the air straight toward her. She could see the powerful light of Tony's suit come straight for her.
Just as she thought she might be pulverized into oblivion by a terrible rock, something hit her from behind, and in that same instant, she felt the odd pulling sensation. She was moving through light. Gene must have gotten to her before Tony could.
Tony saw the massive rock hurtling through the air, gravity pulling it down, and it would kill Pepper. And he knew that with all the power his suit had, he wouldn't make it in time. But he used up a good part of his energy trying his hardest. He could make out every detail of Pepper, the fear in her eyes, trying to move out of the way, but to no avail. And then...Gene got to her first.
For once in his life, Tony was actually grateful that Gene was the Mandarin. He had been able to save Pepper when Tony couldn't.
Pepper landed forcefully onto the clay packed ground outside the Temple. Immediately tears formed in her eyes, it was so bright. Had a whole day passed? It felt like it, that was for sure. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she realized it must have been the early evening at least. It must have been extremely dark in the Temple for her eyes to have been that sensitive.
Pepper stood, looking around her wildly. She could feel the shaking of the Temple through the ground at her feet. "TONY!" She screamed, running back toward the Temple. She felt a hand grab her arm.
"Ow! Let go! I need to find Tony!" She yelled, trying to wrench her arm from Gene's grasp.
"Pepper. It's Tony Stark. You know he'll find a way out without your help." Gene stated.
Pepper turned to look at him, "He needs his friends. Unlike some people I know." Pepper said coldly, prying her arm from his tight grip.
"I brought you here, didn't I?" Gene asked.
"Forcefully! Against my will! That is NOT being a friend, Gene."
Gene looked down for a moment, thinking about something, "Be my Queen. Rule the world with me. That'll make up for it." Gene said. Completely genuine.
Pepper stood, slightly shocked, she knew he hadn't been totally joking back in the Temple, but...it was strange and frightening to hear him say it in a way that was entirely serious.
"No, Gene." Pepper said sadly. She wasn't upset that she knew she shouldn't be Queen, she was upset that Gene had become such a twisted person, a foolish person.
Gene's face contorted first into anger, then into hurt, then, with a determined look on his face, he grabbed Pepper's wrist, pulled her to him, and kissed her full on the lips.
Tony shot through the opening of the Temple, looking around wildly for a sign of Pepper.
There. He spotted her. She was talking to Gene, backing up from him, shaking her head no. And then out of nowhere, Gene planted his lips right on hers.
Tony's brain seemed to melt. He blinked his eyes a couple of times. Did that really just happen?
Anger and...what was that? Jealousy? Different emotions boiled inside Tony, he could barely stand it. He flew toward them, watching as Pepper pushed Gene away and ran toward Tony.
Pepper's brain was moving in slow motion. Did he just kiss her? She shoved Gene away from her, but in the process, dropped the ring. Gene bent down, smiling. "Thanks Pepper."
Pepper heard the familiar noise of Tony's super-human suit coming straight for them.
"Pepper!" Tony called.
Pepper stopped in her tracks. She had almost forgotten the words that were whispered to her in the chamber. They thundered through her mind. She turned around to look at Gene, watching him put on all the other rings first and transforming into the Mandarin armor.
It seemed as if she were running in slow motion, "Gene!" She shouted. She finally made it to him, just before he put the last one on. A hopeful look in his face told her he thought that she was rethinking the whole "be my Queen" thing.
"Gene, you have to listen to me, when I grabbed the ring, I heard a voice. It said something about death coming to the person that wears the ring. You can't take it, Gene. You'll die." She whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
Gene's eyes narrowed, "You just don't want me to have it. You want it for yourself!" He yelled, grabbing her wrist and pulling it toward him.
"AH!" Pepper yelled out in pain, "No! Gene! I promise you, that's what it said!" Tears were now streaming down her cheeks.
He shoved Pepper away from him, her knees and hands hitting the ground. "Please, Gene..." She pleaded.
"At last...finally!" He was consumed by his greed, and just before he slipped the last ring on, Tony hit him square in the chest, sending them both flying, not giving Gene the chance to put the ring on.
He clutched the ring tightly while battling Tony at the same time. Pepper was on her feet, watching them fight. Rhodey flew in from his look-out and joined the battle.
"Stop!" She yelled, like that would help.
The Mandarin knocked Rhodey out with a major pummel to the chest and head. He lay there on the hot ground unconscious. Pepper ran over to him, lifting the face plate. "Rhodey, can you hear me?" Pepper said, desperate. She had to get somebody's attention.
Tony was hit by a beam of light and thrown back, giving Pepper her chance. "Gene! You have to believe me! Don't put that ring on, you'll die!" She screamed, running toward him.
Gene completely ignored her. He slipped the last ring on to his finger, power running through him, lighting him up like a miniature sun.
Tony had gotten up, watching Pepper running toward Gene, telling him not to put the ring on, or...he'll die? Was she serious? He started toward Gene, trying to get to him before slipping the ring on his finger.
Too late. Gene put the ring on and became engulfed in light and pulsing with power. Out of the corner of Tony's eye, he saw Pepper collapse to the ground. Confusion raked his brain. What on earth was happening?
The Mandarin advanced on Tony, shifting like the speed of light, slamming his fist up and under Tony's ribs and into his abdomen. Tony flew twenty feet through the air before he could even register the pain. He hit the ground, skidding for awhile before coming to a stop. Tony finally regained enough strength before sitting up and looking for Gene.
Tony spotted him about thirty feet away, standing over Pepper, who was still on the ground. He shot through the air, hitting his side and sending him into an outcropping of rocks. When he hit, it felt as though a sonic boom resonated through the air. Tony looked down at Pepper. She was writhing in pain, her jaw was clenched, her hands were balled into fists clutching at the ground, she cried out, sweat drenching her forehead.
Tony knelt down beside her, lifting her into his arms, "Pepper! Pepper, what's going on?!" Tony said, completely confused, only wanting to end her suffering.
"The last....ring..." she gulped down some air, "brings the final...torment...it ends...in Gene's death..." she choked out. Tears were making tracks down her cheeks.
Tony's eyes widened, "I have to kill Gene?"
Pepper shook her head, "The rings...will kill him..."
Tony shook his head, "Maybe I can make him take them off."
Pepper's lip quivered, "It may be too late." She coughed, wrapping her arms around her stomach, her teeth clenching together even tighter. She felt as though she would explode, it was like the pain back in the Temple, only ten times more intense.
Tony turned toward Gene with Pepper in his arms, "Gene, I'm sorry you didn't listen." Tony almost started to choke up. "Take off the rings!"
Gene was burning even brighter with power, he laughed, bringing his hands up to look at the rings. "This feels incredible! You think I would give this up?!" He yelled in triumph.
Tony could only look at him with despair, knowing his end was near.
Further up, at a high point on the mountain, sat Gene's "Band of Brothers". They watched with amazement, the power that their leader had, not even noticing Iron Man.
Their leader's form was so great and bright, it felt as though the regular day were night. They would finally have the power they wanted. They would rule the world together. Too bad they didn't realize the build up of energy would only destroy their "brother".
"Gene! You can turn away from this!" Tony yelled, gripping Pepper in his arms, she still convulsed every minute or so with the intense pain that the weight of the last ring had on her.
"Never, Tony. All my life I've waited for this!" Gene's voice seemed to be amplified.
Rhodey had woken from his unconsciousness, not even second guessing a straight shot at Gene. He blasted straight for him, hitting him in the back. It did nothing to Gene, but blasted Rhodey into the air, sending him flying more than two hundred yards.
"Rhodey!" Tony yelled, panic going through him. If Gene had power like that, who knows what he could do? And when the power could no longer be sustained within his body, what would happen? Would he explode? Tony used his armor to calculate the amount of energy build-up that Gene had.
"989% build-up of power. Extremely dangerous. Only 1,000% attainable." The computer read aloud. Tony didn't know exactly how much time they had left, maybe a minute, maybe seconds, but he had to get himself and Pepper out of there.
Gene laughed madly when Rhodey was thrown through the air, "No one can defeat me!" He yelled. The power intensified, and Gene started to feel pain.
Pepper's suffering dulled slightly, and she knew it would be over soon. "Tony...Tony, you have to get out of here..." She wheezed.
Tony nodded, shooting into the air with Pepper in his arms, and going in the direction that Rhodey had been thrown.
Tony met Rhodey half way, motioning to him to turn around and follow him. Pepper was trying desperately to hang on to consciousness, the speed Tony was going was not helping much either. Once they were a safe distance away, they stopped by a small abandoned village.
Gene stood in all his glory, feeling the power, but also an overwhelming amount of pain. He crouched, trying to use his power in some way to compensate it, to balance it out, somehow.
"What's...happening...to me?!" He groaned, collapsing to one knee.
Pepper could feel the pain slowly leave her. "It's happening, he'll be gone soon..." Pepper whimpered.
Tony could only hug her to him, careful not to crush her with the extra strength his suit had.
Gene was on his hands and knees, he couldn't even talk, the pain and power were overwhelming him. "Pepper...she was right..." He moaned.
The brotherhood of men stood at the top of the mount, watching the scene unfold before them. Their master crouched on the ground, writhing in pain. "What is he doing?" One asked.
"Yes, what is he doing? He should be showing the world his power! And command them to bow before him!" As much as that sounded like a good plan to them, it was not in Gene's schedule.
Gene stood, screaming in pain.
And Pepper felt no more pain.
Gene's screams echoed throughout the area, bouncing off of the mountain sides and reverberating through the valley. The immense energy built up in Gene's body could no longer hold. The silver armor began to disintegrate, along with Gene. In a flash of light and power with the force of three atomic bombs, it lit the darkening sky like noon day. A wave of force moved across the valley.
Pepper now stood next to Tony, her mouth agape, "He's gone..." She whispered, even more tears cascading down her light skin. Pepper walked ahead, toward where she had seen the huge eruption, "Goodbye, Gene..." She whimpered, starting to sob. She had never truly let go of her feelings for Gene. She had thought he could change.
Tony noticed a giant wave of energy heading their way. "Pepper!" Tony called, hoping she would notice. Pepper only stood in shock, not being able to completely take in what had just happened. Tony stepped in front of Pepper, facing her.
Tony opened his face plate, "We need to go, Pepper. We have to leave." Tony anxiously looked behind him. The wave was getting closer. "Pepper..." Tony whispered, touching her cheek gently.
She finally made eye contact with him and nodded. Tony whisked her up into his arms and took off into the air, Rhodey behind him in a heartbeat. Pepper glanced behind her, "Goodbye, Gene..." she whispered for the second time.
The men of the brotherhood standing upon the mount watched in shock as their leader literally exploded in a great blast of light and energy. After waiting out the initial aftershocks of the blast, they climbed down to the bottom of the valley where there was now a huge crater.
"We will never forget you, brother. We will seek power in your memory, you will never be forgotten. Not by us." One of them said, he turned to the group of more than one hundred men, "Let us seek what our leader gained! Although he died for it, we will seek the next greatest power in his memory!" He shouted. The group of men all raised their fists, shouting, "The Ten Rings! Power will be ours!"
Ta da!!! Whew! That was a much longer chapter right there. Hope you enjoyed it! InTeNsE! That's what I call it. Reviews would be splendid! Thanks :) I don't really like flames though...
