Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 17 of Iron Maiden. I want to thank those who have left reviews for this story. It truly does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I hope that this story continues to have a soft spot in your heart. I'm going to try my best to keep up with updates weekly. But I do have other things going on in my life with working on items currently for a convention and items for a festival in my hometown. Without further ado Chapter 17. ENJOY!

Chapter 17

Abigail drove down the road gripping the wheel tightly in her hands. "Try calling Tony." She said as she looked over at Pepper out of the corner of her eyes.

Pepper nodded her head dialing Tony's number. Her lips pursed together as it went to voicemail. "Voicemail."

"Keep trying to call him… we need to let him know what Obadiah is doing. I just hope."

"Hope what?"

"That Obadiah isn't over there." She said softly gripping the wheel tightly in her hands.

Pepper kept trying going to voicemail 5 more times. She called one more time, pursing her lips together hoping that Tony would answer. She looked out of the corner of her eyes seeing how Abigail was nervous of what was going on. Suddenly it went to voicemail. Pepper put her phone down and looked at Abigail. "He's not answering."

Abigail gripped the wheel even tighter. "Obadiah can't be there…" She said softly to herself. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Tony. "Pepper call Rhodey to have him check on Tony."

Pepper nodded her head. "I'm on it." She said, dialing Rhodey's number. She finally got through to Rhodey. "Oh Rhodey thank god."

"Pepper what's wrong?"

"Obadiah, he's insane. He paid to have Tony killed."

"What do you mean, he paid to have Tony killed? Slow down. Why would Obadiah…"

"He's insane, that's what." Abigail said coming in over the phone since it was now on speaker. "He wants Tony out of the picture so he could take over the company. He filed an injunction against Tony to push him out of the company… I wouldn't doubt that he did it to me too." Abigail shook her head thinking. "He's lost his damn mind. He has been sending Stark tech to the enemy. That's why Tony wanted to change the path of the company so Stark tech doesn't get into the enemies hands again. Rhodey I know you're upset with him for taking this path…"

"Where is Tony now?"

"I don't know, he's not answering his phone. Will you just go over there and check on him? Thanks Rhodey." She hung up her cell phone taking a shaking breath. "I know a shortcut."

Abigail nodded her head. "Alright. Let's hope that we aren't too late." She said as she drove with the two Crown Vics following them. Her speed limit going a bit over what the speed limit was supposed to be.

IMIMIM

Pepper, Abigail and the other agents stood outside of the locked door to the sub-basement pipe-room.

An agent finished laying a detonator cord around the door hinges. "Clear."

They quickly take cover and the agent hits the clacker. The door is blown off its hinges.

Pepper and the agents quickly infiltrate and move towards the pipe room stairway.

Abigail's hand kept on her gun not pulling it from its holster. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around nervously wondering where Obadiah was.

They drifted through the metal jungle of vats, machines, armored limbs and guts hanging from tethers. Utility pipes ran along the walls. They came across the Mark I armor and stopped looking rather spooked.

Pepper slowly began to move with Abigail by her side as Coulson and the other agents fanned out.

Abigail turned her head as she heard something and her eyes went wide seeing one of the agents being dragged away. Abigail looked at Pepper. "Try not to stray away Pepper."

Pepper nodded her head as she walked through the fringes with Abigail with her. She pulled her phone out and tried to make a call on her cell phone and there was no signal.

Abigail looked around, pursing her lips together.

Pepper looked through the pipes and girders, she spotted what may have been a pair of glowing eyes.

Abigail whipped her gun out looking around concerned.

Suddenly wild gunfire broke out. Bullets ricochet, hitting pipes, spewing steam and coolants.

Abigail grabbed Pepper's arm and led her away from the pandemonium.

Pepper whirled around squinting through the machine gears and steam.

Agents began to run for cover firing their guns at some giant flitting shadow.

Another agent was grabbed through the darkness causing loud screams.

Pepper began to panic trying to find a way out.

"Pepper, you need to stay calm." Abigail said as she covered Pepper, pursing her lips together. She could only hope that she would be able to protect Pepper.

A piece of metal zipped at her head, cutting pipes before it embeds itself in the cement above her.

An agent staggered out of the murk on his radio. "Agents down, agents down!" He saw Pepper at Abigail. "Agent Stark GET HER OUT OF HERE…" He throttled the two of them towards the exit before running off firing his gun.

Pepper and Abigail made it halfway up the stairs, turning around hearing a three-ton thump and the legs of War Monger charging from the mist. The armor was too big for the stairwell and crashed into it in a shower of debris.

"Come on Pepper." Abigail said, pulling her up the stairs trying to escape from Obadiah's machine.

Pepper and Abigail got out and slammed the door behind them.

Pepper caught her breath with her hand on her chest.

Abigail panted softly next to Pepper.

Pepper dialed Tony's phone number gripping onto it tightly and had it on speaker phone. "Tony! Obadiah's got a whole assembly line under the Ark. He's inside one of them-!"

"Where are you?"

A thump was heard down below them. The asphalt began to crack and another thump.

Abigail grabbed Pepper as they suddenly were both knocked over as the asphalt bulges open to reveal War Monger's fist.

Pepper's phone skittered away from the two of them.

"Oh you got to be fucking kidding me." Abigail said with a groan trying to get the phone.

WarMonger peeled the asphalt away, pulling himself out of the ground and finally raised to his full height. He turned face to face with Pepper and Abigail.

Pepper and Abigail tried to pull themselves away from Obadiah.

"Obadiah…" Pepper said as she kept trying to pull back.

Obadiah kept coming in the suit.

Pepper's foot hit her cell phone and she grabbed it. Now she and Abigail were almost backed up against the plexiglass of the arc reactor. "Tony-"

"Pepper, I have one thing I need to say to you and Abby. DUCK!"

Pepper and Abigail dived as WarMonger stopped jerking his head up to see Iron Man diving out of the sky at him feet first. He landed right on WarMonger's shoulders and crashed back into the huge hole that Obadiah created.

Abigail panted softly. "Holy fuck… let's never do this again." She said looking at the ghastly white Pepper Potts.

Pepper looked over at Abigail. "We have to get out of here."

"I know that. We can't escape easily with that thing here."

The atrium glass ruptured outward from the underground impact.

Pepper and Abigail dived to shield themselves. The two of them looked up and saw the reactor-housing had been cracked.

"Oh fuck." Abigail said with a soft groan knowing that this wasn't a good sign. They needed to get out of there but Tony and Obadiah were somewhere still in the building.

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This is the end of Chapter 17. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter of this story. I tried my best to add extra things in but it was a bit hard to add it in. But I did try. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me keep going when it comes to updating. I hope to remain to my schedule that I have set up. If I miss a day I do apologize. I have a lot of things going on and I try my best with trying to write them out. Until next time.