"This is the Mandarin?"
Bella couldn't believe her eyes. This man was the Mandarin? He certainly looked like the Mandarin – except for that he was surrounded by costumes.
"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Barton behind her.
She didn't turn around to acknowledge him, instead walking forward toward the Mandarin. "You're the Mandarin?"
He smiled at her, completely clueless. "Yes, I am. Aren't you Isabel Stark? I didn't know you were British."
"That's unimportant. Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you have a single clue?"
"I didn't know people were getting hurt. It was a part, a role, that's all. I'm an actor."
She lunged at him.
Tony grabbed her arms, pulling her back. "I'm as mad as you are, but you can't attack him."
"You. Didn't. Know." She spat the words out. "You didn't know that people were dying, being killed, by the Mandarin? Don't you ever watch TV?"
His gaze directed toward the screen on the opposite wall, where a football game was being shown, fixing on the screen.
She opened her mouth to start yelling at him – and fire poured from her mouth.
There was a very long silence.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the way," said Barton. "Should be here in a few minutes."
At last, S.H.I.E.L.D was making an appearance. Where had they been all this time?
Tony released Bella's arm.
"All this… it was an act?" Bella's voice shook.
Tony nodded. "Aldrich Killian is behind everything. The Mandarin was just a cover for what he was doing – for Extremis soldiers exploding because Extremis is unstable."
"Wait, what?" said Barton. "It's unstable. But… Bella…."
"I'm fine."
"You just started breathing fire!"
"Yes, but for now it's fine!" Bella glared at him. And then more flames shot out of her mouth. Barton ducked.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Maybe we should get you out of here – you seem to do that when you're angry," said Tony.
"No, no. I'm fine," said Bella. "I just… I won't do it again."
A moment later, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents burst through the door.
Bella jumped slightly in surprise.
"Agent Barton," said one of the men.
"This is the Mandarin."
The agents' gazes went to the actor.
"You're kidding me," said one.
"Tony Stark?" said another.
"The one and only," said Tony. "Come on, Izzy, we've got places to places to go, people to see, maniacs with crazy plans to stop."
"Hey, we have to take you in with us," said one.
"What?" said Tony.
Bella turned toward them. "Why?"
"You're witnesses."
"As if I'm going to disappear," said Tony.
"One, we don't know you're Tony Stark."
"Yeah, and the suit wouldn't be a dead giveaway or anything like that. Not to mention that both Izzy and Barton are here and not contradicting me."
On one hand, S.H.I.E.L.D. might help them find Aldrich Killian. On the other, it could delay things until it was too late. Bella didn't want to take that chance, and she doubted the men would take no for an answer.
000000000
Tony knew something was very wrong when Izzy's skin started to glow orange.
"Izzy?"
Izzy hyperventilated, breathing far too fast. Fire poured from her mouth, narrowly missing the agents.
"What's wrong with her?" demanded the leader.
"She was on the wrong end of a dose of Extremis, that's what!" snapped Tony.
"What's Extremis?"
"It was behind the explosions that the Mandarin was responsible for."
The leader's eyes widened in horror. "Everyone out!" he ordered. They grabbed the Mandarin and dragged him out with them.
Izzy was breathing faster than Tony had ever thought was humanly possible, eyes and skin glowing orange.
"Come on. Barton, any ideas?"
Barton shook his head. "Bella, just breathe. Slowly."
She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing more slowly.
And then they opened, blue grey and eerily calm.
"Barton, how far away from the house are they?"
In a moment, Tony figured out what she'd been doing. She made herself do that, in order to clear the area.
"Don't do that, Izzy."
"I had to do something." She shrugged.
"You could have killed all of us!"
"It looked a lot worse than it actually was. If I'd come anywhere close to exploding, I would have stopped."
Tony was still trying to calm down. "You… you're okay, right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Tony, but I couldn't warn either of you."
"Let's get out of here."
"You know I'm supposed to stop you, right?" said Barton.
"Are you going to?" asked Bella.
"I left as soon as I thought you were beyond help." And with that, he took off, racing out the door.
"Let's go," said Tony. "Better not waste any time here. Killian will have your suit, I'll bet. Like I said. We've got a maniac with crazy plans to stop."
I'm back!
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