The Devil With The Face of an Angel | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 84

Peter was awakened by a loud tapping on the keyboard. It wasn't so loud, but for him, it was as if stones were falling. He moaned softly, utterly confused and disoriented, and when he opened his eyes, too bright a white light struck him. He almost cried out in pain, jerked, and his eyes began to water.

"Good morning, it's enough that you woke up. I was starting to worry, darling," a female voice muttered. Peter's blood froze in his veins. He knew very well who it belonged to.

"You," he said in a weak voice. He felt incredibly weak, his head shaking, his muscles aching, and he would have preferred to lie down in bed and fall asleep. But when he tried to move, something solid and icy cut into his wrist. He hissed, opened his eyes, and raised his head, and he saw Mary standing over his body, looking more than satisfied. "What did you do to me?"

"Oh, but Peter! Perhaps you aren't suspicious of your mother?" She looked seemingly hurt, and Peter clenched his fists. "I'm so sorry, darling. When your father and I lived a happy life without Pepper Potts, I admit that I started working on such research. But once I left, I planned to try it on different people. But then you reappeared. Congratulations, Peter, you're the only one who survived. It was probably fate, and we can't stop that."

"What are you talking about? What research? Let me out of here!" Peter shouted at her, breaking the handcuffs helplessly. They didn't even move.

"Well, well, step by step. I won't let you out of here, honey. No, I'm afraid it can't be done. I'm sorry you couldn't say goodbye to your parents, but believe me, it's better this way. You know, I have quite a lot of influence and also a lot of good contacts, so I just call and my wish is fulfilled. It's a good thing, don't you think?" Mary said in a tone like she was debating the weather, pacing around. Peter listened intently to her every word, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. But he couldn't concentrate on anything. "I'm sure you remember me telling you that thanks to me, Natasha Romanov is free. It was thanks to those good contacts-"

"They didn't do it for free. They wanted something for you in return," Peter interrupted, and when he saw Mary's smile widen, his neck froze. "The question is, what."

"Look at you how smart you are. Yes, you're right, it wasn't for free. Surely you know what problems the Avengers have had to face in the last year. The Secretary  is very security-conscious and wants to make sure the people are safe." Peter was sick and dizzy. "And I have something he really wants. Can you guess what it is?"

"Another of the stupid researches?"

"Such stupid research has made you strong and famous, Peter. You have a mission. The world is counting on you. The world needs people like you. It all started with you, my dear. Thanks to you, I'm making a dream come true," Mary explained, taking some of his blood again. Peter barely noticed. "Yes, that is right. If you work with me, everything will go better and it will be easier. But if you're going to resist me, your parents may have a small accident. You're a smart boy, Peter. I'm sure you'll choose the right option."

"You monster! You're a crazy, psychopathic bitch!" Peter shouted at her, trying to free himself again in defiance. Mary just chuckled. "If you just touch Dad or Mom—"

"Then there's nothing you can do about it," Mary interrupted calmly. "No, Peter, it's going to be played by my rules now. You and your family have sabotaged my plans more than once. It may have been unknowingly, but it happened. You got involved in things you didn't have anything to do. You had to ruin it for me all the time! But it's over, honey. Yes, Peter, I created a genetically engineered spider that bit you when you visited Oscorp. This is the research that managed to free Agent Romanov, which gave me your trust. It was that simple. The Secretary will now grant me whatever I want because I will give him exactly what he wants: people like you. Finally, a team that will listen and will not have its own head like those of the world's Avengers. And let's see how they ended."

"I hate you. It's all your fault. You kept making our lives hell!"

"Technically, it's your father's fault," Mary smirked. "I just have you and gave birth to you. So, honey, I'm leaving you here alone now. But don't do anything stupid. All this space is being captured by cameras. Take a good rest and compare it in your head. I have to go get something else, but I'll be back soon and we'll discuss it all. I'm looking forward to your questions."

•••

"I can't believe you were really so naive and thought you could get in here without any problems and destroy us all. What a pity you're not a superhero, Potts. Shouldn't Stark design a nice iron suit for you too? The Stark Iron Family," Quentin grinned, standing with his back to the table, speaking to Pepper. She was firmly strapped to a chair with a gag in her mouth. Her head was throbbing, but she tried to think rationally and listen to Beck.

"What's so funny here? What did you do - OH! Let's see who honored us with their visit! Great job, Quentin. You've finally done something good, too," Mary said happily, and with a fanatical gleam in her eyes, she began to approach Pepper, like a spider crawling on its web where prey is trapped. "The famous Pepper Potts, what an honor. Quentin, go recruit others to keep an eye out and secure the building, I don't want uninvited guests here, and I'm sure Stark is on his way with others. And the two of us could talk, what do you think, Virginia? It's time to have some fun, too."

Mary waited for Beck to leave, then drank cold tea. "I still have a lot of work to do, dear, so I won't be here too long, and you'll have to wait at least a few more hours before I can devote myself fully to you. While you're here, you've probably figured it all out, haven't you, you annoying snout?" she smiled icily. "Oh, Pepper. If you didn't poke your nose into things you didn't have anything to do with, none of this would have happened. But you just couldn't help yourself, could you? You had to prove to everyone how strong you are. That you will not give up. I'm sorry about what has to happen, Pepper, but you're to blame. You always pay dearly for such mistakes." And then she pulled her gag roughly. Pepper cleared her throat and breathed hard.

"You can't do this. I am so sick of you! How — how can you?" Pepper was frightened but stared rebelliously in Mary's face. She leaned over her with a smirk and grabbed her jaw tightly. She ran her fingernail over her cheek, leaving a long, deep scar behind her. "I will not allow you to harm my son."

"But dear," she smiled sweetly at her, "I've been doing this already. You're late this time. Peter is mine and I can do whatever I want with him."