Unexpected

Christmas Morning

Another explosion rocked the Roxon oil rig high above me as I clung onto the railings for support as I watched flames and hunks of metal tumble down like rain. My eyes grew wide as I struggled to breathe in the smoky air before earnestly turning back to the wreckage of an Iron Man suit that was floating in front of me.

"What is going on? Are they up there?" My hand clamped over my mouth as I stood there helplessly watching as the structure crumbled, huge hunks of metal and flame collapsing in an obscene display of destruction. Who could survive a fall from that? Did Tony have a suit? Could a suit even protect him? "J.A.R.V.I.S.! Take me there now! We have to get them!"

I spread my arms out for the suit to embrace me, lifting me up and flying me down to the wreckage. I heard the suit sparking and hissing as we descended. It was in worse shape than I thought. It could hardly hold me up as it started going a-wire, so I pushed myself away, balling up as I fell the rest of the way down, rolling to a stop in the debris. Coughing again and gripping my side again, then my head as I felt it throbbing, trying to ignore the pain I searched for signs of life. Tony, where are you?

There!

I tried pushing myself up, but that final drop must have given me a concussion, for as soon as I perked up, getting up on my knees I felt a wave of nausea burst over me. My stomach melted away into acid in a second and the world swayed as I watched Tony stare at one of his decapitated helmets. He was fine though. He was alive! Where was Pepper? Had he gotten her to safety? My stomach churned as I tried to move towards him, trying to rock at the same tempo as the rest of the world as I lifted one leg into a proposal kneel. I rested my head in my arms on that one knee as soon as I did, though. I was going to be sick!

The flaming wreckage started moving, catching my blurry attention, the metal creaking plaintively as something beneath it broke through. It looked like... a burning zombie, like some sort of charred devil rising and limping out of the flames towards Tony. No, I must have passed out or something after my fall. I must be having a nightmare.

"No more false faces." It grunted, "You said you wanted the Mandarin? Well, you're looking right at him. It was always me, Tony, right from the start!" Wait was that, Killian? I recognized the man who had kidnapped Pepper from that hotel! He was one of those Extremis people too, glowing a cruel red from beneath the ashy grey remains of his skin, and he was the actual Mandarin no less! I gasped, struggling to force myself up! I had to protect Tony! I couldn't move though, slumping over onto my uninjured side, moaning as acid rose up my throat. Another body, glowing red, slunked towards the two from the corner of my eye as I held back my vomit. It leaned down and picked up a long, thick pole. Another Extremis henchman? It was going after Tony!

"Stark!" I managed to mumble in warning before the last thing I had eaten made reappearance.

Killian raised his arms into the air, shouting, "I am the Mandarin!"

The person with the pole swung out, her movement quick and powerful, but... she hit Killian! Whacked him right to the ground!

Now that my stomach was empty the world seemed to waver less. I squinted at the red tinged body and recognized strawberry blonde hair, long with bangs. Pepper?

Stark seemed just as astounded, fear and awe intermingled on his face as he sat there for a second, staring until a suit suddenly came into view, shooting towards us, or more like it, straight at Pepper! "J.A.R.V.I.S. Subject on my twelve o'clock is not a target. Disengage!" his hand shot to his ear where his earpiece should be, but it was clear that it wasn't there from how he looked around on the ground around him, his one hand held up to his ear.