Glass Heart

Tony and Scarlett stared at the phone, neither one of them sure if what they’d heard had been real. Was Pepper playing some sort of rotten joke on them? It had taken Tony a solid thirty seconds to shake the sex oriented frame of mind he’d been lost in just so he could comprehend what was happening on the other end of the phone.

“Excuse me.” Tony reached around Scarlett and pulled the phone from her hands so he could have control over the situation. Folding her arms over her chest, Scarlett wasn’t going to argue any further. She’d expected to screw with one of his investors or one of his friends, not answer to a panic ridden Pepper Potts.

“Weren’t they supposed to join us for dinner at some point?” Scarlett had nearly completely forgotten that the fiery assistant was supposed to join them as a buffer to make her feel less awkward. Perhaps if she’d been there the Tony wouldn’t have managed to get as close to Scarlett as he’d gotten to be.

“Pepper, will you stop screaming for a second?” Tony cleared his throat and spoke clearly into the phone.

“You stop screaming!” Pepper snapped at him in a panic.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Fear and adrenaline had gripped Tony at the sound of chaos on the other end of the line. What kind of trouble had his friends managed to get into now?

“Happy drove me to meet you two at that club you mentioned!” Pepper was out of breath, like she’d been running for a great deal of time. “You weren’t anywhere to be found when we got there and the only trace of you we could find was the massive bill you left for us! How did you even manage to drink that much alcohol without being there, Tony?”

“First of all drinks were on me… does… is that really important right now, Pepper? What’s going on?” Tony shook his head. “Besides, when was the last time I didn’t spend a ridiculous amount of money on alcohol?”

“Focus, damnit!” Scarlett swatted Tony’s arm with the back of her hand and turned her attention back to the phone. “Pepper, what happened at the club?”

“We were searching for you when these men in black suits came into the club. I had a really bad feeling about them so we tried to hide so we could spy on them to see if they knew where you were. I was hoping that you hadn’t gotten into trouble right after leaving the house. They tried to stop anyone from leaving the club but then the power went out! The club was in chaos!”

“What?” Tony and Scarlett looked mutually confused at this turn of events. When Scarlett had heard Pepper screaming, the worst she thought could be happening was some sort of car accident or something, not mystery men in black suits coming after them in the middle of Malibu.

“They grabbed me, Tony! It was like they were looking for me! I couldn’t see where I was going or run from them, it was too dark.” Pepper’s voice was trembling with fear, emotion thick in her voice. Clearly she’d been upset and crying and from the sound of it, she couldn’t be blamed for it.

Scarlett couldn’t help but wonder why anyone in their right mind would go after Pepper. Of course, it would be an obvious way for an enemy of Iron Man to get to Tony but most people didn’t seem to be concerned with her enough to make her a target. It seemed that most of Tony’s enemies were all egotists and went after the man himself instead of his companions. Had one of his enemies gotten smart and finally started using the few people Tony cared about against him? On top of that, why did Scarlett feel guilty about it having happened? It must have been the alcohol.

“If they grabbed you in the club then how’d you get to a phone, Pepper? What’s happening now?” Tony put a hand on Scarlett’s shoulder, clearly thinking she was far more upset than she actually was. Scarlett wondered if she looked scared but made no attempt to clear up the confusion. Any positive assumptions he made about her would only work to her ultimate goal.

“Happy.” There was something like a smile in her voice. “He followed after the men who had taken me, had grabbed a fire extinguisher and was able to get me away from the men in the suits with some quick thinking.”

“Good, damn good job Hogan!” Tony smirked, knowing there was more to the story, but proud of his driver and friend for having saved Pepper.

“We hid in the darkness of the club while they searched for us. They kept asking cryptic questions that we didn’t understand! Tony, they weren’t sure if they should keep chasing after us since they were looking for someone else.” Tony didn’t seem surprised by this when Pepper spoke.

“They were probably looking for me, and when I wasn’t there went after you in hopes of getting to me. I was afraid something like this would happen someday. Pepper, did you happen catch any of what they said? Anything that would let on to what they wanted from me?”

“Tony, I really don’t think they were after you!” Pepper interrupted his train of thought, sounding irritated.

“Of course, they’re looking for me Pepper. I’m Iron Man. Who else would they be looking for? We’ve been through this nearly a thousand times, some things you just have to let my ego win, Potts.”

“No you’re not listening to me! I think they were looking for Scarlett not you.” Pepper sounded annoyed with Tony’s assumptions.

“What?” Scarlett’s mouth hung open in surprise. How could this be? Who would know she was there in Malibu? Was someone looking for her? Scarlett had made many enemies over the years but the only one she could think of that would be mad enough to pursue her to this extent was MedCo. Besides, they were likely the only ones who had any idea she’d been taken away by Iron Man. Scarlett then remembered that Tony was in charge of MedCo. Had he staged this so she would trust him?

“They kept talking about a ‘her’, and unless that’s some new persona you’re spreading around Tony, I don’t think you’re very feminine at all!”

“You’re right, I look terrible in drag.” Tony’s grip tightened on Scarlett’s shoulder causing her to finally push it off of her. Scarlett wasn’t sure if he was holding onto her to make sure she didn’t run away or if he was trying to protect her. Either reason didn’t sit well enough with her to let it continue. He didn’t seem to argue with her much over it. “What happened? Where are you now?”

“We crept out of the club as quickly as we could manage after more men in black came into the building, searching for this mystery woman. I didn’t think it was safe for us to stay there and I knew we should get back to the mansion then try to contact you. We couldn’t get out the front door to where our car was still parked by the curb because they had it blocked, so we decided to go out through the kitchen doors. After that we found the valet parking lot. The car that you must have abandoned there before you went wherever you are now was still hanging around there.”

“Smart move Pepper. Are you still there in the parking lot? What was all that screaming about when I picked up?” Tony started to pace the room, every so often glancing at Scarlett to make sure she wasn’t making a move toward the door. Scarlett had no intentions of running away. She wanted to find out what had happened to Pepper and Happy and help them out if she could. If someone was coming after her in particular, she had no reason to run away. She wasn’t the type to hide from her aggressors.

“No, we couldn’t stay there, Tony! It wasn’t worth the risk of being caught. They were starting to spread out and search the area for any signs of us. Since they couldn’t find the woman they were looking for they were searching for me instead. Tony, they must have known to look for you in order to find this girl. It has to be Scarlett! I told you that she was too much trouble. I told you she was dangerous!” Tony held up his hand in objection, not that Pepper could see that he was doing it.

“Just… we’ll talk about that later, okay. Where are you now if not in the valet parking lot with my car?” Tony continued on, but could see the guilt written all over Scarlett’s face when he looked toward her. Scarlett didn’t want Pepper and Happy to get hurt in the midst of all the chaos she was the center of. She wanted Tony to get what was coming to him, no one else needed to be involved. Someone had just changed the game entirely.

“Happy has the master keys to your cars so we got into your Audi and drove out of there as quickly as we could! I called you once we were in the car and I thought we were safe. They crashed right into the car on our way out of the lot, Tony. They knew which car to look for, how is that possible? Who has been following you?”

“Someone did their homework, apparently Pepper. My car collection can be publically accessed online thanks to that car show we attended last spring.” Tony grimaced, pushing his hand through his hair, which bounced back into place thanks to the hair gel he’d used earlier to style it.

“I called and then dropped the phone when they hit us! I hadn’t gotten the chance to put my seatbelt on before it happened. We’re being chased right now on the highway. We’re not sure where to go, we can’t lead them back to your house.” Pepper pulled the phone away to say something to Happy. It sounded to them like he was trying to tell her that he’d lost their pursuers. “Tony, what do we do? I need you to tell me what to do next because I’m scared! Where are you? Maybe we can come to you.”

“Pepper, can you tell me what the people pursuing you looked like? What did these men in black suits look like? When they spoke did they have any accents? It’s important. I need to know.” Scarlett interrupted, trying to narrow down who it could be in her mind. Had the Russian man come back for her?

Before Pepper could respond there was a terrible crunching sound on the other side of the phone. Scarlett covered her ears. Pepper screamed, loudly at first and then the sound became distant, like she’d dropped the phone again.

“Pepper! Pepper what’s happening? Pepper! Answer me!” Tony shouted into the phone in a panic. The connection to Pepper’s phone died and the cell phone returned to the home screen. “God damnit!” Glancing over at Scarlett, Tony looked worried for a second, but then turned instantly back to his phone. He dialed Pepper’s number repeatedly in hopes that she would pick up and tell him that they had just hit an unexpected speed bump but no one answered the many times that he tried.

Scarlett had expected to see blame in Tony’s eyes for what had happened to his friends, but was truly surprised to find nothing more than concern and worry. Why wasn’t he angry with her for having put them in harm’s way? If these men were searching for her and knew she was with Tony then her continued presence there would put them all at risk. The people who ran MedCo weren’t garden variety criminals, they were organized gangsters and willing to do anything for the things they desired.

“She’s not answering.” Tony furrowed his brow and pocketed his phone. Tapping his fingers against his leg he contemplated what to do next. Hurrying toward the door he grabbed Scarlett’s wrist and urged her to go with him. Picking up his phone again nervously, he didn’t dial anything but rather simply spoke into it. “Jarvis, get the garage ready. I’ll be there in five.”

“Yes, sir.” Jarvis spoke from the handset.

“Stark, I’m helping you.” Scarlett twisted her hand from his grip. Tony stopped very suddenly and looked at her with panic stricken eyes.

“No way.” Tony shook his head, walking out through the restaurant, handing a bundle of cash to the waiter on the way through. “Keep the change.” The waiter was stunned by the amount of money he’d been handed without question.

“If they’re after me then I might be able to recognize them and know how to put a stop to whatever they’re trying to do!” Scarlett argued, walking closely behind him out of the restaurant. Tony hailed a cab on the side of the road and opened the back door for her once it’d come to a stop.

“Get in.” Tony nodded to her. Scarlett sighed in irritation then got into the car. Tony got in after her. “I will pay you triple what the meter runs if you break every speed limit and get me home as quickly as possible. It’s an emergency. I’ll take care of any tickets you might get if we’re pulled over.” Tony flashed cash at the driver who nodded his head eagerly and slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. It was hard to say no to Tony Stark when he was waving a huge wad of cash around.

Scarlett slid on the seat in surprise when the cab took off like a bullet and braced herself against the door. Tony grabbed her arm to steady her and keep her from flying around.

“You’re going to stay at the house and wait for me. I’m going after Pepper and Happy on my own.”

“I can help you Stark, if you just let me. I might be able to identify them and I’m pretty handy in these situations!” Frustrated, Scarlett pushed him off of her arm but then slid over to the opposite door of the cab a second time. Grabbing onto the handle on the ceiling she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yeah either that or you can be used against me if they grab you so you are going to stay at the house where I know you’ll be safe!” Tony was fiddling with his phone. Scarlett tried to peek over so she could see what he was doing but he was hiding the screen from her for whatever reason. He didn’t want her to get into unnecessary trouble. That was why he worked solo. Partners were just people he would have to look after like a babysitter.

“I can take care of myself and you know that very well. Or at least I thought you would after tonight.”

“I know you can take care of yourself Scarlett, but you are incapacitated in case you forgot!” Tony purposely reached across her lap and grabbed at her leg. She covered her mouth to prevent howling in pain from the sudden contact with her wound, seeing stars in her vision. Having nearly forgotten about how she’d been burned so severely thanks to the alcohol she’d consumed in the restaurant with Tony, she was truly surprised to feel that sort of pain. Shoving his hand away she grabbed her leg and hunched over it, trying to catch her breath which suddenly felt impossible.

“See? That’s what I mean. One wrong move from you or one touch from one of these guys chasing you and you’re down for the count. Scarlett, if they’re after you then the last thing I’m going to do is hand you over to them. I don’t care how much you dislike me or how annoying you are, I’m not turning you over to a bunch of thugs.” Tony spoke clearly in an authoritative manner. Sitting up, but feeling incredibly fatigued from the sudden rush of pain, Scarlett went to speak but the cab turned again sharply, forcing her to slide straight into Tony who grabbed her to secure her as he was pushed into the door of the cab.

“I can handle myself even when I’m injured.” Scarlett looked up at him without moving away from him. “I know my weaknesses, Stark and I can stay out of the line of fire if you just give me the chance to help. You can distract them while I get Pepper and Happy out of there safely. If they’re after me then this is my fault and I’m responsible for it, not you. I need to help you with this Stark, please.” Scarlett was hoping to plead to the same man who had tried to kiss her in the restaurant. It was manipulative, definitely, but Tony didn’t have to know that it was all a manipulation to satisfy her curiosity. At least that’s what Scarlett was telling herself.

Glancing down at her, Tony seemed to struggle internally with the idea of letting her help him. On one hand he wanted to see what she was capable of and what kind of strength she possessed but in the same breath he was terrified that they’d take her away from him and he wouldn’t be there to save her. Not that he wanted her to stay for any reasons other than to find out what had happened in Africa. At least that’s what he was telling himself at the current moment. After what had happened between them in the restaurant, he wasn’t sure what his reasons were for keeping her around anymore.

“Fine,” he relented with a deep exhale of the breath he’d been holding. “But you’re going to listen to my directions and do what I ask you to do. If you step one toe out of line I’ll subdue you just like I’d do with Pepper and Happy, got it?”

“Fine, but that only works until my leg heals, Stark. I’m good at what I do and I don’t need a babysitter.” Scarlett hadn’t meant to phrase it quite like that, but it left Tony wondering just how extreme her skill set was. He knew after the story she’d told in the restaurant that she’d been some kind of assassin for hire, for lack of a better word, but he was still having a hard time seeing it in her. Then again, he knew he was blinded by the fact that she was a good-looking woman. It had been the same way when he’d first met Natasha Romanoff. He’d had a hard time believing that she was capable of doing any harm until he’d witnessed it firsthand.

“That’s fine, Scarlett I’m just trying to keep everyone safe.” Tony grimaced, the weight of what was happening making his shoulders sink. He wrapped an arm around her to brace her when the cab stopped very abruptly in front of his mansion. Tony paid the driver what he’d promised, thanked him for his services then hurried out of the backseat with Scarlett in tow.

The two entered the mansion, greeted by Jarvis overhead.

“Sir, the Mark VII is ready for deployment downstairs.”

“Thanks Jarvis.” Tony started toward the garage, pulling off his bowtie and tossing it onto the floor. “Scarlett, you need to get into something else. Pepper was getting your clothes before we left so there should be something better for you to wear upstairs.”

“Not the first time I’d be fighting in a short skirt, Stark.” Scarlett rolled her eyes but hurried up the stairs, doing her best not to limp but by the time she got ten steps up it was unavoidable. Tony had made her incredibly aware of the pain she’d been suffering in the cab and now that she’d felt it, it was hard to ignore. Cursing under her breath she hurried to get changed in the guest room, which was one of the only things she was able to easily locate in the mansion since she’d never been given an official tour of the place.

Tony hurried downstairs to his garage that doubled as his laboratory, tossing his sport coat onto his desk and walking onto the panel on the floor that had already been separated, prepared for him to get into his suit. The yellow robotic arms of the suit up gantry emerged from the floor, accompanied by the mechanical whirs they created. The pieces of the Mark VII easily snapped together onto Tony’s body, leaving only the mask on his face left to seal shut before he would be ready to fly into action. Tony had engineered the suit to come on and off at ease and at remarkable speeds. Turning back toward his desk, he kept the helmet of his suit open.

“Jarvis, lockdown the guest room for me,” Tony spoke. “Show me security footage of the room and let me communicate with Scarlett.” In the video of the room that had popped up on Jarvis’ holographic screen he didn’t see Scarlett in view of the camera and assumed that she’d gone into the bathroom to get changed. He still thought that was incredibly smart on her part, but also disappointing. “Scarlett, come here for a second.”

“Stark?” Scarlett had barely started to get undressed and walked back into the guest bedroom from the bathroom, the only thing undone being zipper on the side of her dress.

“Bring me up on a screen for her to see.” Tony ordered Jarvis around. Scarlett was surprised when a holographic screen of Tony in front of his computer in the Mark VII had popped up near the ceiling for her to communicate with. Before he could explain what his intentions were, Scarlett seemed to figure it out.

“Oh no you don’t Stark!” Scarlett hurried to the door of the guest room and tugged on the knob only to find it steadfastly shut. Shoving her weight against it she did her best to try and knock it off of the frame.

“Don’t bother bashing into it, it’s reinforced. The entire house is so don’t think about breaking the windows either, got it? You’re just wasting your strength,” Tony said in frustration.

“You ass hat! You told me I could help you with this! You’re a goddamned liar! I should’ve known better than to take your word for anything.” Scarlett continued to shove at the door, wanting nothing more than to get her hands on Tony that moment and knock him in the head or maybe strangle him until he turned purple.

“It’s for your own protection, Scarlett. I can’t have you out there in harm’s way. I already have two hostages I need to save from those men and the last thing I need is for you to make it three.”

“Oh, you arrogant prick. I’m not some damsel in distress who needs saving.” Scarlett practically snarled, walking back to the hologram of Tony so she could let him see just how angry she was.

“Call me whatever you want, I’m doing this to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe? I have spent my entire life keeping myself safe and I don’t need some big strong man in hot rod colored armor with an ego the size of California to come and save me now! You are so goddamn presumptuous about every little thing! Not everyone needs you to guide them and I certainly don’t! Let me the hell out of here right now Stark or you are going to regret leaving me alone in your house.” Scarlett clenched her fists, seeing nothing but red in front of her.

“I won’t be long.” Tony looked away from the computer screen and signaled the helmet of his suit to close. “Jarvis, turn off the cameras. Don’t let her go anywhere. She can have food, water, healing supplies but you do not let her have access to anything else. Leave security at the highest level and keep the cameras focused on the entrances and her. That’s it. Got it?”

“Yes, sir. She is hitting the door rather hard. When she breaks her wrist on the door, should I call for medical assistance?” Tony could never tell when his robot was being sarcastic and half wondered why he programmed the home’s glorified butler to be just like him.

“Just talk her out of smashing her wrist against the door okay? Don’t let her trick you. She’s sneaky.” Tony smirked then adjusted the settings of the Iron Man suit. “Open the garage, make it ready for flight. I’m out of here.”

“Yes, sir.” Jarvis prepared the house for Tony’s exit and then turned his focus on the guest room where Scarlett was still screaming and cursing Tony’s name while trying to get out of the bedroom. “Miss Damien I do suggest you try your best to calm down before you cause yourself any harm.”

“Calm down? Calm down!” Scarlett shouted in frustration then paced the floor, stopping pulling on the doorknob. Jarvis was right. She was wasting the little energy she had trying to break down a door that wasn’t going to go anywhere without a blowtorch or a good hacking job. Even then, Scarlett didn’t see controls of any sort that would allow her to hack into Tony’s computer system.

“Yes, madam. Can I offer you a nice warm brandy to calm your nerves?” Jarvis spoke politely still. Scarlett doubted that he was programmed to have a temper of any kind. “Upon reading your blood alcohol content I’m going to have to advise against the brandy offer and perhaps offer you some warm bread and a nice glass of sparkling water instead.”

“Jarvis, I don’t want anything to eat or drink! I want to go help Pepper and Happy and save them from whatever mess I may have gotten them into.”

“I’m sorry but Mr. Stark has advised against this.”

“You can’t let me out?” Scarlett pleaded with the computer, resting her hand against the wall, which much to her surprise warmed up with her touch.

“I’m sorry but Mr. Stark has advised against this.” Jarvis repeated after a quiet moment. Scarlett pulled her hand away from the wall and sat down on the comfortable bed. She had no phone, she had no computer and little to no personal belongings to keep her occupied. It would’ve been the perfect time to hack Tony’s computer system but there was no way for her to access Jarvis other than with her voice and she was sure Tony’s security was far too tight for her to sneak in by vocal command alone.

“I am truly sorry, Miss Damien. I’m having the chef prepare you some fresh bread regardless.”

“It’s okay, Jarvis. I appreciate it. I could use it to sober up anyway.”

Closing her eyes she touched her hand to her forehead. Scott had already died because of her foolish behavior. If Pepper and Happy were killed for the same reason she wasn’t sure she could continue living with herself without losing her mind.

She thought about the moment she’d shared with Tony in the restaurant and how close they’d come to kissing. Had she actually wanted to kiss him? Was it the alcohol? Had it been the illusion of safety he’d managed to create for her? Whatever it was, now that he wasn’t in the room with her it didn’t feel toxic and her level head had returned. She’d betrayed everything she’d stood for in the restaurant and would do her best to keep it from happening again.

The last thing she wanted was to kiss Tony Stark. She wanted to kick him in the balls for trapping her in his guest room when she could help him save the friends she’d gotten into trouble in the first place. She wanted, more than that, to find out if he’d been behind what happened to her with MedCo.

Somehow, she’d started to doubt that he was. Too much didn’t make sense. Tony’s own men wouldn’t attack his friends. Then again, it could be why he didn’t want her to come.

---

“Jarvis, how’s Scarlett handling being trapped in that room?” Tony spoke into his helmet as he flew out of the garage. He didn’t feel guilty for keeping her locked up. It was for her protection.

“She’s stopped pounding on the door now, sir. But I do think you hurt her feelings by not including her in your little plan.”

“Hurt her feelings? By keeping her safe? Don’t worry Jarvis, she doesn’t have enough feelings to hurt. She’ll get over it.”

“Of course she will, sir.” Jarvis agreed with his owner, but once again Tony couldn’t tell if he was being sardonic or serious.

“When did I program you to be an ass?” Tony spoke after a moment.

“The moment you built me, sir,” Jarvis answered simply.

“Right. Okay, I need you to do something for me, Jarvis.” Tony scanned the ground in front of him in search of his car on the highway. The night sky was overcast, which he was hoping would provide him with some cover.

“Ready when you are, sir.”

“I need you to pick up the GPS signal from the chip I installed in Pepper’s phone a few weeks back and triangulate her location if you can. If not, then try to locate my car if it’s still functioning. I need you to find out what the police reports from the club I went to earlier are saying about the incident Pepper described. After you’re done with that I need you to get one of the drivers to come and get the car that Happy left in front of the club, if the coast is clear of course. Just make sure the damn thing isn’t impounded.” Tony spoke easily. Jarvis didn’t respond.

“Set the local police scanners to play in the background please.” With that command a buzzing radio sound started up in the background quietly, reporting several things he was uninterested in. If there had been any reports, Tony had either missed them or was on the wrong channel. “Damnit.”

“Hoping to find news of the accident Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan were in, sir?” Jarvis guessed. Maps appeared inside of the Mark VII helmet’s visor and focused inward continually until a small blip on the map appeared in front of him.

“How’d you guess? Nothing on the radio waves yet. It means the cops aren’t on sight or haven’t been called. Set my coordinates to the signal on screen, please.” Tony focused on the area below him, watching as his targeting system brought up potential threats and things he needed to avoid. So far, Tony couldn’t clearly see anything suspect even though the spot on the radar was getting closer and closer to him.

“It appears that the car rolled off the highway and down a hill into a dry drainage ditch, sir.” Jarvis spoke as they got closer to the sight of the car crash. Tony could see the dust settling from the crash and felt the worry growing in his stomach. What if they hadn’t survived the crash? Happy was a skilled driver, but there were some things that were beyond even his control.

“Lower the thrusters, set sound on stealth mode. I don’t want to be heard before I’m seen if those men in suits are nearby.” Tony instructed, spotting the smoking wreckage of his Audi lying upside down on the grass far off the highway.

A black SUV was parked on the shoulder of the highway near the wreckage. He spotted on his radar several people walking around on the ground below near the sport utility vehicle. “Focus in on those heat signatures, check to see if their armed and keep an eye on them.” Tony closed in on the scene of the crash.

“Bring up the backup camera on the Audi.”

Footage appeared in a box to his left from Tony’s Audi. While the camera in the back of the car was cracked it still showed an image of what was happening behind the car through the smoke and kicked up dust.

“I don’t see Pepper or Hogan down there. Are they still in the car? Can you tell?”

“No, they are no longer in the vehicle, sir. I am unsure of what the locations of Mr. Hogan and Ms. Potts are at the current moment. Perhaps they’re hiding.”

“Damn, keep an eye out for them. Jarvis, those men in black suits…” Tony narrowed his eyes at the blurry picture in front of him hoping he could recognize a symbol on their suits or on their car; anything that would give them away. “Zoom in from the Audi and give me a headcount.”

“There are four men in black suits within range, both armed but with what I cannot tell with the current data available. It appears to be small caliber weapons.” Jarvis responded after a moment was given for him to process the footage.

“Fine, small caliber rounds I can handle. I’m going in. Charge the repulsors on low, don’t go for a kill but merely a knock out. If we can find out who sent these guys then we’ll be one step ahead. They look like a cleanup crew.” Tony instructed, targeting one of the men closest to the wreckage. Flying low he signaled the Mark VII to slow down drastically so he wouldn’t destroy the man in black when he grabbed him off the ground.

Coming out of the sky like a shot he grabbed onto the man who screamed in surprise. By the time he’d heard him coming it had been too late. Tony felt the impact from some kind of weapon from behind that knocked him and the man he held straight to the ground. Whatever had shot him was nothing like a regular bullet, or at least any kind Tony had experience with. And if anyone knew weapons, it was Tony Stark. It had caused some sort of electronic blast that sent shocks throughout his suit and over his body. For a moment the Mark VII had malfunctioned but just as quickly as it’d stopped, it’d started back up again.

“What the hell was that?” Tony cursed, but kept his grip on the man in front of him once he’d gained control of his suit. The captured man was trying to push the heavy suit off of him to no avail. “Target weaponry, Jarvis.” Circular targets appeared inside the man’s coat within Tony’s. In a second, small rounds fired from the shoulders of Tony’s suit and destroyed the weapons the man he had tackled had been carrying.

Standing up and holding his hostage by the back of his suit jacket, Tony held his other hand behind him using the suits holographic mapping system for guidance.

“Target.” Without the need to look, he blasted the repulsor ray of his right hand toward the weapons that the man who had shot him on his way down was holding. He heard the small explosion behind him and a cry in pain.

“Nice shot sir.”

“Thanks Jarvis. Microphone on.” Tony didn’t have to wait for Jarvis to respond before he spoke. “Where are Pepper and Happy? What have you done with them?” The man in his arms merely struggled to get away and cursed at him in what Tony recognized as Russian.

“I said: where are Pepper and Happy?” Tony took both hands of the suit and wrapped them around the man’s neck menacingly. “Tell me now!”

“I do not… do not know!” The man spoke in broken English, trying to get his point across. “We have not captured anyone!”

“Looks like he’s willing to talk under the right circumstances.” Tony smirked underneath his mask. Faintly in the background he could hear the police scanner picking up reports of an accident on the highway and for an available unit to respond. “Jarvis try and stall law enforcement until I’m done here.”

“Yes sir.” Jarvis responded. “Sir, I suggest you turn around.” Tony did so just in time when a second jolt of electricity hit him smack in the chest. He coughed and stumbled as the blindingly painful sensation coursed through his every limb. Without realizing he’d done so, he’d tightened his grip on the man in his arms and fallen to one knee.

The blow had forced the suit to fly back several feet, leaving deep grooves in the dirt. Surprised by the sheer force of the blow, Tony tried to shake off the feeling of being electrocuted but his fingers were tingling and he tasted blood in the back of his throat.

“What the hell is that thing, Jarvis?” Tony coughed, realizing that something was caught in his throat as he spoke. He had the urge to spit, but nowhere for it to go.

“I do not know, sir. It’s like no weapon I’ve ever seen. It looks like a mere handgun from what I can tell but it is firing some sort of electronic pulse.”

“Don’t let me forget to take one of those home with us.” Tony stood back up and signaled his suit to follow commands again. “Charge netting, buy me a few moments with this guy alone. I have a few questions to ask.” From his forearm several small red beads flew out to hit their target on the ground in front of the men firing at him. After they hit the ground red lasers emerged high into the sky and connected, creating an electronic net between him and the men taking shots with the weapon that seemed to devastate the Mark VII. “Why are my shields crashing?” Tony muttered.

“The electronic weapon damaged your shield systems. I’m attempting a repair sir but it may take several moments.” Jarvis spoke calmly. “In the meantime, do try not to get shot if you can.”

“Thanks for that, Jarvis.” Tony was out of breath from the attacks, but turned back to the man who was pale and looked terrified. “What are you doing here? Why are you attacking my friends? What do you want?” Tony put on his best threatening voice, which wasn’t that hard in his current mood.

“We are not here for you, Tony Stark.” The man choked on his words. Tony felt lucky that he’d grabbed someone who seemed so skittish and terrified.

“Then who or what are you here for? What are you doing? Tell me! If you’re not after me then why are you chasing my people?” When the Russian man opened his mouth to speak, a shot rang out behind him. The bullet tore through Tony’s hostage’s head, blood splashing all over Tony’s helmet and the remnants of the bullet pounding into the suit. Tony immediately dropped the dead man and stumbled back in surprise from the force of the blow.

“Wipe mask.” The Mark VII cleaned itself off and Tony scanned the area for threats and found that one of the men on top of the hill near the SUV had fired a shot with a rifle at one of his own men, presumably to keep him from talking.

“I don’t like this, sir,” Jarvis warned.

“Me neither, Jarvis. Thrusters.” The Mark VII took off into the air again at his command. Tony flew up to the SUV and landed on the highway after doing a flip in the air to turn around. Feeling the bullet shells immediately hit his suit, Tony merely absorbed the blows as they came. The suit could withstand most gunfire to a certain extent.

Crouching down he grabbed onto the bottom of the SUV near the driver’s side door and lifted it easily. He then shoved the vehicle over and down the side of the hill, forcing those hiding behind it to either dive to the side or take cover in the tumbling SUV. It landed at the bottom of the hill in a heap of crunched up metal and started steaming immediately.

“Fasten your seatbelts, assholes!” Tony shouted, looking around for the men who had been shooting at him. Stomping toward them in the heavy suit he watched them trying to back down the hill away from him in fear. There were four left now that he could see, not including if there had been any men left in the SUV that he’d sent tumbling down the hill. Jarvis’ count hadn’t been able to include any remaining men hiding in the vehicle initially so the total was unknown to him.

Deciding that stomping toward his enemies would take too long, Tony flew headfirst into the nearest man, grabbed the gun he carried and crushed it easily. The man screamed in fear, so Tony threw him on the ground. Without his weapon he wasn’t much of a threat to him at all. In fact, he looked terrified of Tony.

“Time to put him to sleep, Jarvis.” Tony held his hand near the face of the man he’d thrown to the ground. Without a response, gas came out of the fingertips of the Mark VII and the man Tony had unarmed fell unconscious with a single inhale.

Tony got back to his feet and assessed the situation at hand. Rising into the air, he held out both hands and aimed at the remaining men. “Non lethal attacks, come on Jarvis. Let’s end this. I’m tired of dicking around with these idiots.”

“Yes, sir…” Jarvis’ voice mutated and suddenly faded and before Tony could understand what was happening the Iron Man suit shut down completely and crashed to the ground like an anchor. It slid into the dirt from the momentum and flipped over and over much like the SUV Tony had just thrown down the hill.

“What is happening?” Tony yelled but got no response from Jarvis. The arc reactor was still functioning why wasn’t his suit? He couldn’t see without any power, he couldn’t hear what was going on outside of him or move to try and get to cover.

Tony Stark was a sitting duck, weighed down beneath a suit he had no hope in lifting without the hydraulics he’d built into it.