Pepper pulls into the driveway and sees a giant stuffed bunny.
"What the hell?" Rhodey asked, looking at his friend.
She walks inside and apologizes for being late. She sees Tony sitting on the couch in the suit.
"Really?" Pepper asked. Ton shrugged.
She asks if he's wearing it in the house how then asks if its mark 15.
"No, its 42 because apparently you found time to make 36 more, the question is how." Pepper said.
Tony looks to his arm that reads 'MK 42.' He says that everyone needs a hobby.
"I think this is becoming a bit more than a hobby, Tony." Rhodey said.
Pepper asks if he needs to wear his hobby in the living room.
He walks over to her and says that he's breaking it in because its always pinchy in the gooey bag at first.
"I don't think we needed to know that." Natasha said.
He asks Pepper if she saw her Christmas present.
"I don't know how she could've missed it." Strange said.
"That was her Christmas present. Dude... you have to do better than that." Clint said.
"I think it was kind of sweet." Scott said.
"It's a giant rabbit." Hope said.
"I know that." Scott said.
Pepper says she doesn't know how she could've missed it and asks if it's going to fit through the door.
"That's a... that's a good question." Tony said.
Tony says that he has a team of people coming to blow out the wall.
"You hired a team of people to blow a wall just so you can get a giant bunny inside of the house." Sam said slowly, making sure he heard that right. "Yeah, that makes perfect sense."
"Well, rich people are weird." Clint said.
Tony asks if she had a good day and starts rubbing her shoulders and makes a comment about her being naughty. He asks if she liked the custom rabbit.
Pepper repeats the question.
Tony says that he nailed it.
"No.. No I really don't think so." Rhodey said.
Pepper says that she appreciates the thought.
"Oof." Shuri said.
"Well, hey its the thought that counts." Tony defended.
Pepper stands up to face him and asks if he can lift the face plate so he can give her a kiss.
Tony knocks on his head and says he can't.
"Why aren't you opening the suit?" Steve asked.
"Maybe he's not in it." Sam said. Steve looked confused, why wouldn't he be in it?
He asks her if she wants to kiss it on the facial slit.
"You aren't in the suit, are you?" Pepper sighed.
"It would appear that I'm not." Tony said.
Pepper says she's going to go to the garage to see if she can find a crowbar to open it.
She starts walking toward the basement Tony tries to stop her by saying that there's been a radiation leak.
"A radiation leak?" Bruce asked, skeptically. "That's a terrible excuse."
"Why don't you want me down there?" Pepper asked.
They walk downstairs. Pepper says she'll take her chances.
Tony says that it's risky and asks Pepper to let him get her a hazmat suit or a geiger counter. Pepper gets to the lab, Tony's doing pull-ups.
Pepper sighed. "That's why you didn't want me down there. What's going on with you, Tony?" She asked.
A robot offers her food. She says that that is a new level of lame.
"She's right, it is." Natasha said.
Tony apologizes.
She notices that he ate without her on date night.
"Dude..." Clint said.
"Save the lecture." Tony said.
Tony tries to defend himself by saying the suit was just-
Pepper cuts him off by telling Tony that he means himself.
Tony says that they were just hosting her while he finished some work.
"No just you." Pepper said.
"You're the one who controls the suits, man. Sorry to burst your bubble." Rhodey added.
Tony says that he did have a quick bite because he didn't know if she was coming home or if she was having drinks with Killian.
Pepper glared at him.
"Wrong thing to say, man." Sam said.
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't have said that." Clint said.
Mark 42 looks at her. She asks Tony if he was checking up on her.
"Yes." Pepper answered.
"No." Tony denied.
Tony tells her that Happy was concerned.
"To be completely fair, Happy was concerned." Scott said.
"That's not the point, Scott." Hope said.
Pepper says that he was spying on her.
Tony says that he wasn't.
"You kind of were." Peggy said.
"Happy was the one who-" Tony started.
"Yes, but you asked him to tell you what was happening." Pepper cut him off.
Pepper says that she's going to bed and starts walking back upstairs.
Tony tries to get her to stay. She ignores him and continues walking. Tony admits that it was his fault he says that he's a hot mess and its been going on for a while and he hasn't said anything.
Pepper walks back down the stairs. Tony says that nothing has been the same since New York.
"Nothing's been the same since New York."
"That much was obvious." Rhodey said. Tony glared at him.
"Why didn't you tell anyone sooner?" Pepper asked. "We could've helped you."
Peper sarcastically says that she never noticed that.
Tony says that they experience things and when there over they still can't explain them. He talks about gods, aliens and other dimensions and says that he's just a man in a cen. He says that the only reason he hasn't cracked is because she moved in. He tells her that he loves her and that he's lucky before saying that he can't sleep.
'Why can't he sleep' The avengers asked themselves.
He tells her that when she goes to bed he goes downstairs and tinkers.
"I guess that's where you found the time to make 36 suits." Bruce said.
He says that threat is imminent.
"What threat?" Steve asked.
Strange looked back at Tony. He really wasn't lying when he said that Thanos had been is his head for six years.
He tells Pepper that he needs to protect her because she's the one thing he can't live without.
"That was actually really sweet." Hope said.
Pepper leaned over to hug him.
He starts to talk about his suits.
Pepper says that they're machines.
Tony says that they're a part of him.
Pepper says that they're distractions.
Tony agrees that maybe they are.
"They definitely are a distraction." Rhodey said.
Pepper walks up to him, takes the headset off and hugs his head. She tells him that she's going to take a shower.
Tony says okay.
Pepper tells him to join her.
Tony says that that's better.
"I could have gone without hearing that." Wanda commented.
Tony and Pepper are now in bed, asleep. Tony is having a nightmare.
Tony winced and looked away from his on-screen self.
"You should really get help." Bruce said.
"You should." Rhodey said. Tony ignored them both.
'I guess this is why he hasn't slept.' Steve thought.
Flashes of New York appear on screen. Tony flinches and gasps.
Tony flinched in time with his on-screen self. Pepper put her hand on his arm to comfort him.
Flashes of him falling appear. He whimpers.
Tony stiffened, and closed his eyes.
Pepper wakes up and tries to wake Tony up. Mark 42 leans over her. She gasps.
Everyone gasped and flinched back. "Why the hell did that happen!?" Clint yelled.
Tony wakes up and powers the suit down. He hits it making the pieces fall to the ground. The lights turn on. Tony realizes that he must have called the suit in his sleep and says that that isn't supposed to happen.
"You should probably fix that." Shuri said.
Tony says that he'll re-calibrate the sensors and asks Pepper to let him catch his breath. Pepper gets up to leave. Tony asks her not to.
Pepper says that she's going to sleep downstairs and she leaves.
Once again everyone saw both sides of the argument. On one hand Pepper was almost attacked and needed to be alone, but on the other Tony was distressed and needed someone to stay with him.
Taggart is messing with his dog-tags, outside of a Chinese theater in Los Angeles. Savin walks up to him and asks if he can regulate.
Taggart says that he can.
"Regulate what?" Quill asked.
Savin asks if he's sure.
Taggart says he is.
"Something tells me he can't." Peggy said.
Happy is shown watching them.
"You followed them." Tony said.
Savin sets his briefcase down on the bench. He says that its a decent batch and tells Taggart not to say that he never did anything for him.
"Batch of what?" Bruce asked.
Taggart thanks him for understanding. Savin walks away. Taggart opens the briefcase. Just as Happy approaches, he closes it and goes to leave. Happy bumps into him, the contents of the case spill out.
Happy helps him pick it up and then apologizes.
Natasha laughed a little. "No you're not."
Happy looks up and sees Taggart's face glowing orange.
"What!?" Everyone asked.
"The color of his face... does that look familiar to any of you?" Bruce asked.
A few people realized it was the familiar orange glow that Maya's plant had.
"Maya's plant... Extremis." Tony realized.
"If this is the case the only question is how did he get it." Bruce said.
"That guy that gave him the case was also the guy that, I think he worked for Killian." Happy said.
"So you think Killian is selling Extremis to people." Tony said.
Happy stands up, shocked and walks away, he has one of the things from the briefcase in his hand.
"Smart." Natasha said. "Taking that with you."
Savin walks into him and asks if Happy's by himself, on a date or if he's watching his favorite chick flick.
"Taunting really?" Pepper asked.
Happy says that he's seeing a movie called 'The Party's Over.' starring Saving and his junkie girlfriend. He hold out the object he took from the briefcase and says that its the ticket.
"That was a dumb move." Clint said.
Saving tells Happy that that doesn't belong to him and he goes to take the item back. Happy goes to punch him in the face. Savin dodges. He waits a moment then punches him in the jaw. Savin starts glowing orange, the cut on his nose heals. Happy's eyes widen.
"He has it too!?"
Happy goes to punch him again. Savin picks him up and throws him. he crashes into a glass case. Taggart starts glowing again. Savin walks up to Happy. Taggart is still glowing.
"That doesn't look good." T'Challa said, worriedly.
"He can't regulate it." Bruce said quietly.
Savin turns around. Taggart calls for help. He starts choking then explodes.
"Holy shit!" Everyone yelled.
"The glitch." Tony realized.
"She never solved it." Shuri finished.
"This is bad. We don't know how many other are injected with it." Rhodey said.
Happy is lying on the ground, covered in blood, passed out.
"Happy!" Pepper, Rhodey and Tony yelled.
"Please don't be dead." Tony whispered.
He stretches his arm out to Taggart's discarded dog tags. Savin stands up, glowing orange. He started walking away.
"How is he just able to walk away from that?" Quill asked.
"Presumably because of Extremis." Tony said.
The mandarin smashes a cookie on a table. He says that fortune cookies may look and sound Chinese but they were invented by American's.
"Wait really?" Ned asked.
"Focus, Ned." Peter said.
Mandarin says that that's why they're hollow, full of lies and leave a bad taste in your mouth.
A few people laughed. Hey' its true.
He says that his disciples just destroyed the Chinese Theater and calls it a heap American knock-off.
"Wait so that was him?" Scott asked.
He tells President Ellis that he knows it's frustrating but the season of terror is drawing to a close. He says that the big one is coming and he calls it a graduation.
"Okay so he is definitely planning to kill the president." Bruce said.
A nurse walks into Happy's hospital room. Tony greets her from where he's sitting in a dark corner of the room.
"Why do you gotta be so ominous, dude?" Sam asked.
The nurse startles. Tony asks if she minds leaving the TV on.
The nurse says she can.
He says that Happy's show is Downtown Abbey because he thinks its elegant.
"You watch Downtown Abbey?" Scott asked.
"I do." Happy said.
"Huh. You don't seem like the type." Hope said.
Tony tells her to make sure everyone wears their badges because he's a stickler and won't let people in without them. Then he leaves.
Happy smiled. "You do care." He said, sarcastically.
"Of course I care." Tony said.
A group of reporters are waiting for Tony outside of the hospital. A reporter says that they're waiting for Tony's arrival because they're hoping to get his reaction to the latest attack.
"That's rude, them waiting for you outside of a hospital. Isn't that like an invasion of privacy or something?" Steve asked.
"Its, the press. They're vultures." Tony said.
Tony walks outside, the reporters start crowding him. A reporter says that their sources are saying that this was a Mandarin attack and asks if Tony can tell them anything.
Another reporter asks Tony when someone is going to kill the Mandarin.
Everyone went still, waiting to hear what Tony is going to say to that.
"That's insensitive." Clint said.
Tony turns around. He says that he has a Holiday greeting for the Mandarin that he didn't know how to phrase before.
"Here we go." Rhodey muttered.
"Please tell me you're not about to do what I think you're about to do." Fury said.
Tony says that his name is Tony Stark and he's not afraid of the Mandarin. He says he knows the Mandarin is a coward and he's decides that its time he dies and he's going to collect the body.
"You threatened a terrorist." Natasha said.
He says that there aren't any politics just revenge and that there's no Pentagon its just the two of them. He gives out his address and says that he'll keep the door unlocked.
"You gave a terrorist our home address!?" Pepper shouted. "What were you thinking!?"
"Yeah, Tony what the hell?" Rhodey said.
He asks if that's what the reporter wanted then he takes the phone and throws it into a wall then gets into his car and leaves.
"Did you really have to do that?" Vision asked.
Tony is in his workshop, looking through data on the Mandarin. JARVIS says that he's taken data from SHIELD, FBI and CIA intercepts to compile a Mandarin database.
"Just casually hacks government agencies." Peter said.
Tony takes a hologram and shoves it toward the middle of the room. JARVIS initializes the virtual crime scene reconstruction. A hologram of the Chinese theater appears. Images of similar occurrences float above.
"That's impressive, that you can do that with your holograms." Steve said.
Tony notes that the Mandarin's name is an ancient Chinese war mantle that means 'adviser to the king.' He says that he has South American insurgency tactics and he talks like a baptist preacher.
"Probably just for the imagery." Natasha said.
He says that there's a lot of pageantry and theater going on. He pronounces theater with a long A.
"Why did you pronounce it like that?" Shuri asked.
"I don't know... fun." Tony said.
JARVIS says that the heat from the blast was 3000 degrees celsius and that anyone within 12.5 yards was vaporized immediately.
"My, god." Clint said.
Tony says that there weren't any bomb parts found in a 3 mile radius of the Chinese theater.
"Because it wasn't a bomb." Strange said.
He looks over at Happy on the projection. Two lines follow Happy's sight-line and where he was pointing to. Tony picks up the image of what Happy was looking at. Tony asks when a bomb isn't a bomb.
"When it's a person." Nebula said.
He looks closer at the dog-tags and asks if there were military victims.
"Now you're on the right track." Peggy commented.
JARVIS says that there weren't any according to public records.
Tony says to bring up the thermogenic signatures and to factor in 3000 degrees. He climbs onto a tool chest to get a better look at the projection. A map of the united states is now being projected, showing the heat signatures.
"That many?" Bruce asked.
JARVIS says that the oracle cloud has completed the analysis and he's accessing satellites and plotting thermogenic occurrences over the last year.
Tony asks him to remove everywhere there's been a Mandarin attack.
"That's a lot of attacks." Steve said.
He looks at one that says 'San Jose, California'. He looks at another one that says 'Rosehill, Tennessee.' He asks JARVIS if he's sure that its not one of the Mandarin's.
JARVIS says that it predates any attack and that the incident was the use of a bomb for suicide.
"Damn." Quill said.
JARVIS says that the heat signatures are similar.
Tony notes that there's been 2 military guys and asks JARVIS if he's ever been to Tennessee.
JARVIS creates a flight plan for Tennessee.
"You think it was one of his."Quill said.
"I think it's associated with his." Tony corrected.
Tony waves his arms and the projections go away. The doorbell rings.
"Uh-oh." Scott said.
"I wonder who that could be, its not like you gave out address to the entire country. Oh wait." Pepper said.
Tony asks why they're still at 'ding-dong' when they're supposed to be on total security lockdown. He bangs on the table and says that he threatened a terrorist and asks who's at the door.
"You're not going to answer the door to a stranger, are you?" Rhodey asked.
JARVIS says that there's only so much he can do when he gave the world's press his address.
"Don't forget terrorist." Pepper said.
Helicopters are hovering outside of the house.
"Oh, son of a bitch." Tony said.
"That's not good." Quill said.
Maya Hanson is standing outside, she knocks.
"Oh, its her." Bruce said.
The door opens and Maya steps in. Something scans her.
"You weren't kidding about total security." Scott muttered.
"I don't play around." Tony said.
"Maybe we wouldn't need to be in that situation if you hadn't gave the world our address!" Pepper said, loudly.
Tony says that she can stop there. He's wearing the suit. Maya stops walking. Tony asks if she's not the Mandarin.
"Does she look like the mandarin to you?" Rhodey asked.
Maya realizes that he doesn't remember her and asks why she's not surprised.
"Of course you don't remember her." Pepper sighed.
Tony tells her not to take it personally because he can't even remember what he had for breakfast.
"I relate." Peter said.
JARVIS reminds him that he ate gluten-free waffles.
"Since when are you gluten free?" Rhodey asked.
Maya says that she needs to be alone with him in a place that's not there because its urgent.
"Why does she suddenly need to speak with you?" Pepper asked.
"Maybe it has something to do with the Extremis glitch." Tony supplied. That seemed like the most logical reason.
"Or maybe you have a secret child." Clint said.
Tony says that he'd normally go for it but he's in a committed relationship now.
"Really?" Pepper asked.
Two bags get thrown down from the balcony. The suit opens and Tony steps out. Pepper asks if someone's there.
Tony tells her that Maya's there.
"So you do remember her." Natasha said.
Maya smiles when she realizes he says that she was an old botanist that he used to barely know.
"Botanist?" Bruce asked. "I think she was more than a botanist."
Tony asks her not to tell him that there's a 12 year old kid that he's never met waiting outside.
"So you thought the same thing." Clint said.
Maya tells him that the kid's 13. Tony gasps and flinches.
"You have a kid?" Rhodey asked.
Maya says that there is no kid and that she needs Tony's help.
"Damn. I was hoping we'd see a secret son." Rhodey said.
Tony sighs in relief, that he didn't have a child, he wasn't ready for that responsibility.
Tony asks her why and what she needs his help for.
She tells him that she's read the papers and she doesn't think he'll last a week.
"That doesn't explain why she needs my help." Tony said.
Tiny says he'll be fine.
"No, I don't think you will." Coulson said.
Pepper walks up to them and says that they weren't expecting guests and old girlfriends with Happy in the hospital.
"She wasn't-" Tony said.
"The two of you get jealous very easily." Rhodey points out.
Tony starts to say that Maya isn't his ex.
Maya says that it was just 1 night.
Pepper says that that's how Tony did it.
"I- I didn't need to, nor did I want to know that." Valkyrie said.
Tony says that it was a great night.
"This is awkward." Sam said.
Pepper tells Maya that she saved herself a world of pain.
Maya agrees.
Tony made a face.
Pepper turns to Tony and tells him that they're going out of town.
"That's a good idea." Bruce said.
Tony tells her no and says that they've been over this.
"Why the hell not?" Rhodey asked.
Pepper says that they are.
Tony says no.
"If you didn't want to leave maybe you shouldn't have given away our address!" Pepper yelled.
"Keeping yourselves there is doing you zero favors." Steve said.
Pepper says that they're leaving immediately and indefinitely.
"Good idea." Happy said.
Maya says that that's a great idea.
"Listen to them, dude." Clint said
Tony says that that's a terrible idea.
"No it isn't." Thor said.
Tony asks Maya not to touch Pepper's bags.
Pepper tells Tony that this is how normal people behave.
"Yeah, but you're not very normal, are you?" Scott asked.
Tony tells her that he can't protect her out there.
"You should have thought of that before you gave a terrorist out address because bringing the danger to me is not protecting me." Pepper said.
Maya looks at the stuffed rabbit and asks if its normal.
"Sadly, yes." Pepper said.
Tony and Pepper tell her that it is very normal.
Tony says that its a big bunny and tells her to relax about it.
"Why are you getting so angry?" Quill asked.
Pepper tells him to calm down.
Tony says that he got it for her.
Pepper says that she's aware.
Tony says that she still hasn't told him she liked it.
"Probably because she doesn't." Clint said.
Pepper says she doesn't like it.
"Called it!" Clint yelled. Tony glared at him.
"This is going so well." Rocket said.
Tony says that he's asked her three times then repeats what Pepper just said to him.
Maya looks at the TV which shows the helicopters surrounding the house and tries to get Pepper and Tony's attention.
Pepper says that they are leaving and it's not up for discussion.
Tony tells her that he said no.
"Just leave the house!" Everybody yelled.
Maya points to the bomb headed for the house and asks if they need to worry about it.
"Yeah, you probably do." Bruce said.
The bomb hits the house, everyone is thrown back. Tony calls the suit so that it catches Pepper.
"Protective boyfriend mode." Rhodey said, quietly so nobody could hear him.
They hit the ground. Two more helicopters head for the house. Savin is in one of them.
"That guy." Happy growled.
"Well, you were right not to trust him." Natasha said.
Tony sits up, he sees Maya unconscious on the floor. the ceiling starts to fall.
Pepper leans over him to protect him and says that she's got him.
Tony says that he got her first.
"Not a competition." Gamora said.
Tony says that he said they can't stay there.
Pepper opened her mouth in shock, he did not just say that. "You were the one who wanted to stay." She said.
The helicopters open fire on the house. Tony is thrown behind the couch. He tells Pepper to move and says he's right behind her and he jumps over the couch. A crack appears in the middle of the floor.
"Oh no."
"You're not gonna get across that safely." Peggy commented.
Tony tells Pepper to get Maya and he'll find a way out. Pepper hesitates. Tony tells her to stop stopping and get outside.
"She's panicking dude, give her a break not everyone can remain calm in stressful situations." Clint said.
Pepper picks up Maya, and attempts to use the repulsors but ends up throwing the two of them through the glass door.
"At least they got out safely." Hope said
Another bomb hits the house. Another bomb hits the house and it starts to fall off the cliff.
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering if Tony would make it out of this, because at the moment the odds were not in his favor.
Tony starts sliding down, he grabs a pole to keep himself from falling further. JARVIS says that Pepper is clear of the structure.
"Okay, now how are you gonna get out?" Scott asked.
Tony calls the suit to him. Savin starts firing a machine gun, Tony army crawls to avoid the blasts. The suit finally reaches him. The house starts sliding further down the cliff. Tony asks where his flight power is.
JARVIS says that he's working on it and that the suit is a prototype.
"Oh my god." Strange said, this just keeps getting worse.
Tony uses his repulsors to fire the piano at one of the helicopters.
"Clever." Thor said.
JARVIS says that the suit isn't combat ready.
"Of course it isn't." Tony sighed.
Tony starts running through the house, another helicopter targets him. He tears something from his suit, throws it at the helicopter then shoots it, making it explode.
"Its going to hit the house." Bucky observed.
The helicopter starts hurtling toward the house. It hits the house, Tony gets thrown into the basement. The cars start falling. Two more rockets are fired at the house. The display cases start blowing up. The house falls into the ocean, taking Tony with it.
"Tony I swear to god if you're dead I will kill you myself." Pepper said, tears in her eyes.
Pepper runs over to the cliff.
Tony paled. Pepper grabbed his arm tightly, he returned the gesture.
Tony is caught of some debris, water starts to fill the suit. Another piece of the house crashes on top of him. Savin's helicopter leaves. JARVIS tells Tony to take a deep breath. One of his gauntlets flies off and frees him.
"that's... thank god for JARVIS." Bruce said.
Tony nodded in agreement.
JARVIS says that the flight power is restored. Tony flies out of the ocean.
Sighs of relief were heard, at least he wasn't dead.