Iron man 3 [MCU x OC] [Book 3 of the Stephanie Stark Series]

Chapter 9

Tony had just blasted two of Killian's men with his repulsers when Jarvis spoke "I've located Ms Pott's"

"'Bout time" he continued to blast away the henchman as Jarvis led him to Pepper, "JARVIS, scan for Stephanie." His voice was taut with tension.

"Miss Stark's vital signs were detected moving away from this location approximately three minutes ago, sir. She appears to be heading toward the upper deck."

Tony allowed himself a fraction of a second of relief as he landed in a destroyed room. He focused on a figure pinned beneath the twisted metal. He went to lift the metal before Pepper's voice cut out through the air.

"Wait, stop! Put it down. Put it down!"

He lay the rubble back down, his armor's joints whirring as he carefully knelt down towards Pepper. Pepper's face was streaked with dirt and sweat but other than that she seemed okay. His face plate lifted up, "You see what happens when you hang out with my ex-girlfriends."

"You're such a jerk." She let out a huff of air before meeting his eyes. "She got out," Pepper said immediately, knowing what Tony's first question would be. Her voice was strained but steady.

"That's good." He tried to keep the voice light.

"She's hurt-"

"I saw her," Tony said, calculating the safest way to move the debris. "JARVIS, structural analysis."

"The rebar appears to be supporting approximately 2,000 pounds of overhead debris, sir. Recommend extreme caution in removal sequence."

"Where's our girl heading?" Tony asked as he carefully began lifting the first piece of metal.

Pepper winced but managed a weak smile. "I made her promise... to run if she got the chance. To get somewhere safe." Her eyes filled with tears. "Tony, I couldn't let her stay. If something happened-"

"Hey, hey," Tony soothed, though his own voice shook. "You did good, Pep. She's smart, she'll find a way out." He paused, letting out a shaky breath. "Did they hurt her?"

"Some cuts and bruises. Her leg..." Pepper's face contorted in pain as Tony lifted another piece of debris. "She was so brave, Tony. So brave."

"That's my girl." Tony cursed, realizing that manually removing the metal would not work, "Okay I need you to grab my hand." She reached out her hand as best she could with the restricted movement, their fingertips barely touching. "Come on baby, a little further."

Right as they were about to clasp hands Killian's hand, bright with Extremis, burst through the floor grabbing onto Tony's chest piece. Tony gasped as the hand tore through his armor and shoved him away from Pepper.

The rest of Killian followed his hand, jumping to kneel next to the rubble. He motioned to Pepper and mocked their reunion, "This guy bothering you?" Killian moved ontop of Tony and placed a bright, lit-up finger onto his suit. "Is it hot in there? Feeling stuck, you feeling a little stuck?"

Tony looked around helplessly.

"Like a turtle, cooking in his little turtle shell."

"Oh, Tony." Pepper was stuck watching the scene go down in front of her as she lay still underneath the metal.

"She's watching," Killian taunted, his finger burning deeper into Tony's armor. "Both of them are. Your girls, seeing you fail them. Again."

Tony's mind raced to Stephanie, praying she'd gotten far enough away. The thought of her witnessing this, of her being anywhere near this monster, made his blood boil. But the heat from Killian's Extremis-enhanced body was overwhelming, turning his suit into a furnace.