Chapter 4: Trust MeSummary:Skye plays on the old saying "There are two reasons why we don't trust people. First - we don't know them. Second - we know them."
Now she's betting all her odds that Tony trust her despite those reasons.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextSkye watched Killian burn Rhodes alive in his suit. The metal sizzled and smoked and although she can't see Rhodes's face from within the suit, it's never a good experience to be burned alive. She wanted to intervene but she still had no idea where Miss Potts was so breaking her cover would be risky at this point in time. Yet, she was still thinking of a way to get him out without gaining suspicious.
Suddenly, the suit opened and out came Rhodes who jumped out to punched Savin in the face. She smirked but stayed a good distance away as Rhode made a commotion.
Unfortunately, he didn't get far as Killian breathes fire from his mouth like a dragon.
It wasn't just Rhodes that was surprised, Skye was as well. She didn't particularly research all Extremist abilities. Although Savin can melt a lot of things breathing fire was not one of them.
"You breathe fire?!"
Because of the distraction, Rhodes' was pushed to the walls, banged his head and was knocked unconscious, all courtesy of Savin with an evil smirked.
Skye was on edge about what they'll do with Rhode but quickly calm down as their main objective has always been the suit. Savin puts on the Iron Patriot and no one would know it was him. Clever.
"It's a glorious day, Savin. This time tomorrow. I'll have the West's most powerful leader in one hand, and the world's feared terrorist in the other." The blonde man offered his brightest grin to Savin.
"I'll own the war on terror... Create supply and demand. For you. For your brothers and sisters."
Savin mocked a salute at Killian, who did not take offense and only smirked as he did so. Seconds later, he flew off, heading for the skies.
Her eyes were carefully observing them until a waking Rhodes caught her attention. Because most of the people inside the room was looking at Savin, no one noticed Rhodes getting up, grabbing a pipe, and heading for Killian.
Skye thought he was going to kill himself as a pipe wouldn't be enough for a man like Killian and would probably just cement his death. Rhodes had already raised his weapon. She can't let that happen, Skye intercepted the attack and braced her arm to take the brunt of it before kicking Rhodes in the stomach and pushing him away. The pipe clanking on the floor.
"Oh, a fighter as always Mr. Rhodes." They finally realized what had happened. Skye inspected Killian's face to see if he had a tantrum, when he didn't she internally sighed.
Killian ignored Rhodes for the person who shielded him. His eyes scans Skye, in a deep gaze.
"Can't say I've met you before." He circled Skye, looking at her up and down and she didn't like it at all. Pure superiority complex masked from his incredible insecurity. She wanted to shiver in disgust.
"She's a transfer, Sir. From building F," One of the people she was talking to before had answered in her place, which did save her more time and credibility than it would have from her.
"Skye Abeline, sir" She was respectful but didn't meet his eye.
He reached for the sling on her neck, inspected it, and grinned. "Since Savin is busy how about you take his place for now, Abeline? You're almost his clearance anyway."
"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Aldrich" She forced a smile she hated his face, it looked so much like himthat she gritted her teeth to keep a curse from bursting out of her.
"Come now, my peach." He wore his bright white coat and signaled the others to handle Rhodes.
'Don't call me that.' she mentally scowled.
Skye remembered Rhodes. She wasn't sure what they'd do to him, but she needed to make it seem like he would cause no problem or they'd kill him point blank.
Skye spared the man a look, a complicated expression marring her face but she went through with it. Instead of them, Skye trudged up to him, shoulders high, and punched him in the face knocking him out, and cuffed him. Yet no one knew she didn't lock it all the way through. Just one pull and it would break.
She signaled at the others that they can handled it before following Killian.
Maya Hansen wakes up to find a lot of shooting. Tony saw her sprawled on the floor and looked horribly shaken.
She was too, if she saw someone who was shot in the chest and survived but...
Maya's hands went for the area where she was shot and saw the bullet didn't go through the vest Skye made her wear. The cold tiny metal that should've pierce her heart was at her fingers, she felt her hand tremble before throwing it away as if it were something disgusting
"Maya, you're okay?" Tony approached her with a calm and gentle manner, helping her sit up until he, too, noticed what she was wearing. "A bulletproof vest. You know he was going to shoot you or was cheese cake face too creepy in the work room?" He joked.
It flew above her head and only shook her head. Against all odds, Maya had believed Killian wouldn't do it. He'd been there when Tony left her and he promised he could make her research a reality. Now all she saw was a mistake she didn't know how to fix.
"No... I didn't know. Someone made me wear this... She was so stubborn about it but I didn't know... Killian would shoot me." Still reeling over the fact that she almost died. Would have, had she insisted against the AIM agent's wishes.
Her chest hurt. The bullet didn't go through but the impact made it still unbearably sore and numbing.
"Well let's dwell on it later. We need to move." Tony's voice snapped Maya from her knowing thoughts, also realizing more people was running into the room.
Now that Maya was thrown away by Killian, she understood that she wasn't a priority for them anymore. She saw Tony shoot a beam at AIM agents but he didn't have all parts of his suit yet making the fight a bloody wrestling match.
Maya yelled in panicked at the richocheting bullets but managed to dodge and duck whenever they started shooting at each other.
When all of them had either been killed or knocked unconscious, Tony quickly led her outside. Maya was still shaken up, yet seeing Tony now wearing his full set armor, she kind of started breathing again.
They got out of the base eventually but Tony was preoccupied by something he saw in the sky.
Tony's suit started chiming as if he was calling someone. When the dial went through, another voice spoke through the other line.
"Rhodes please tell me it's you in that suit."
"Wish it was, Tony."
Maya bites her lip realizing that he must be talking to James Rhodes. The owner of the Iron Patriot suit. Killian had been stalking him since he planned the Mandarin, she didn't particularly know what he needed with it but impersonating the Iron Patriot was a big red plan for hijacking the US white house. She thinks.
"Meet me in the frat house. I want you to meet someone."
Tony forcefully took Maya with him til they were in the Mandarin's room and in came James Rhodes seeming haggard yet still standing strong.
Tony paced in the room but took off his mask to glare at Maya. "Okay tell us what Killian plans to do."
Maya bites her lip and nods slowly. She already felt the guilt forming in her chest so she didn't need other convincing. "I can only tell you what I know. He doesn't really tell me anything but I think it has something to do with the president. Since he got the Iron Patriot armor he might try kidnapping the president. He said before that he wanted to use the Mandarin to enact fear and support for his Extremis project. He wanted it on a global scale. That's all I know."
Tony looks at Rhodes. "Where's the president now?"
"He was going to make a speech in the Whitehouse tomorrow. He's planning to come home now after the hearing in St. Louis, Missouri"
"Okay. We stop the President from getting kidnapped. Easy enough plan." Tony shrugged and faced Maya again. "What about Pepper? Where is she?"
Maya tried to remember but Killian was pretty tight lip about it. More so than his plan for the president. "I think he has her in one of his facilities. I don't know which one. There about five just here in Miami"
Tony cursed but took several deep breaths and was thinking it through.
"I'm going to go get Skye. She has the AIM access on her. I think we can brainstorm which one Pepper is in."
"Skye?" Maya asked. "Skye Abeline?"
Tony looked at her suspiciously. "Yes. It's odd that you knew her name. Did you also kidnap Skye like you did with Pepper? I mean I wouldn't put it past you. You hate my guts."
"No! It's—" She blew air through her nose to stop getting irritated by him. "She works for AIM."
A beat of silence between Tony snorted.
Tony laughed as if she just told him a very funny joke. He even started pointing at her, showing Rhodes how much of a comedian she is. It didn't lessen Maya's growing glare.
"I am not joking, Tony. She works for AIM. Who do you think gave me the bulletproof vest?"
"No that can't be. She's a housekeeper." And snorted at himself. "Okay, slash hacker— but she's not with Killian," he stated with finality.
"Wait. Did she have short wavy hair, Asian descent chick, and a slight scar on her cheek?" Rhodes listed off and the smile disappeared from Tony's face.
"Yes," Maya nodded for him.
Rhodes snickered, "Yeah, I saw the girl. I saw her leave with that asshole Killian and she not only kicked me in the stomach, she punched my face! Hard."
But Tony wasn't having it. He raised his hands and backed away. "She's not working for AIM," he said easily.
There was silence from the three. Rhodes and Maya watched him warily. "She's not working for AIM," he gritted out.
The second time he said it, Maya could feel like he wasn't sure, as he kept on looking at the floor. "Shes not! Stop telling me that she is,"
"Tony listen to me. Aim has a lot of people working for them. Some go undercover to get information or to lure people in." Maya inserted as Tony was losing it.
He didn't look too good, even he stepped away from Maya the moment she tried reasoning with him. "No. Skye isn't like that. She... she'd been nothing but helpful. Maybe too forward at times but she hasn't shown me anything to show prove me otherwise. I trust her."
His voice was leaving no room for argument. He wasn't listening to her at all.
"What do you know about her, Tony? Like personally—what do you know about her?" Rhodes asked instead.
Tony waved his hand. "She came to my house as a housekeeper. I got her dragged in Tennessee and I still couldn't figure out how she survived but we managed to talk. She's very casual at first—really quiet, doesn't want to elaborate on herself and apparently doesn't watch the news. Then people like Savin and the crazy woman Brant tried tailing me to town. Skye handled Savin, she must have killed him or something because he disappeared right after. She didn't say it but it was obvious she might had done something. She also said she served but didn't say where and she... She's..."
Rhodes clasped a firm hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"Tony. I saw Savin. He's still alive. He's the one who donned the suit. She lead you on, man. She pretended not to know you but might have been tracking where you've been and telling Killian about it. I mean you said they tailed you in Rose Hill. She might have told them where you were and also informed them that you were going for the Mandarin. Also, she fits the description like those other missing soldiers. She served meaning she might have been a veteran soldier before, Tony. She was a doubling crossing bitch,"
"Stop it!" Maya glared at Rhodes. Skye might be working for Killian but she can't deny that Skye saved her. Not to mention not a second ago, Maya was a head researcher for AIM.
She could understand their animosity but she still didn't want to hear it.
Tony closed his eyes as if he didn't want to face the truth.
After a minute, he opened his eyes and the fog in it was gone. "Forget about it. Let's first find the president and pepper. You..." Tony looked at Maya.
"I want you to leak all of Killian's experiments. All of it."
Maya could see the obvious pain in his eyes but it wasn't because of her. From what she gathered Skye must have befriended Tony to get him to trust her only to find out she worked for the same man trying to kill his girlfriend.
"Tony." Maya didn't want to leave on such a sour note, so she tried to talk to him one last time. "I'm sorry for what I did... for dragging Pepper on this mess. I hope you can forgive me someday. Although, I think we still don't know the whole picture of this game Killian has. If Skye really has a hand in it. Please don't kill her."
"I can't keep that, Maya. Not if it means Pepper gets killed instead."
Skye saw in the news how Mr. Stark saved the people on the plane. A heroic save and people cheered toward the hero in metal.
She let a small smile at the tip of her lip but quickly wiped it off, remembering where she was. Her eyes now trained to something else.
Skye turned towards the president who was kneeling on the ground, afraid and vigilant at all the people surrounding him. Skye thought to herself that their problems hadn't been reduced at all.
Skye followed Killian to a huge transport ship where she also found where Miss Potts was taken hostage. She was out of it though and might not have even realized that Skye was there as well. Although, there's a big chance she wouldn't remember her at all. That's was she hoped for.
Her fellow henchmen kept on uttering that Miss Potts was still in phase 2 and was trying their best to speed up the process. That could mean a lot of things but could also mean it's going to end up a bloody mess if she was unable to adapt to it.
She need to get Pepper out of here. That was the plan, she was going to get her out when the president came along and now... she doesn't know how to save both of them and keep her identity a secret.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. President." Aldrich looked exponentially pleased to be looking down at the president. Maybe getting high from all the power dynamics.
Two of his men had the president stand up as Killian patted the presidents' clothes from dirt. "Please follow me."
Killian politely led the president to the comms room as he went to rage about his evil monologue but Skye was busy counting how many people were on standby. She also observed the restraints on Miss Potts and planned how to get her out of it first. She'd never thought the president is a second priority.
But he was to her.
"String him up" She heard Killian say as they proceeded to drag the president back to the Iron Patriot suit and planned to kill him by ducking him on the vast tub of oil.
But then his phone rang and Killian accepted it. "What do you mean Rhodes got away?! Tony too! You useless fools!" Killian's hand grew red and punched the walls and dented it through immense heat. Skye rolled her eyes at his petulant nature.
"Change of plans have the president stays with me." He ended the call and ordered the people around him.
"Frustrated you didn't get what you want?"
Aldrich stalked the president who did not waver under his intimidating presence. Skye was impressed with him a bit.
"Don't worry, Mr. President you're still gonna die and the people of America are still going to see it all happen."
He grabbed a helmet from one of his men's heads and looked at it.
"Skye, come here." He snapped his finger.
Skye wanted to protest but conceded. She walked towards him and was now out of the shadows. Her entrance garnered Miss Potts's attention as she had to bite her tongue and walk towards Killian's side. "Transport Pepper to the platform. Also, have the broadcast team change their camera angle. We're going live in 20 minutes."
"Yes, Sir."
Skye walked passed Pepper while the woman gasped slightly and the betrayal in her eyes was so loud, that Skye had to avoid her eyes. She really wished Miss Potts couldn't recognized Skye's face.
"You..."
Skye ignored the blonde woman, her eyes cold as she walked to the broadcasting team first to tell them what to do before coming back to start pushing Pepper's metal restraints.
She knew the implications of her being ordered by Killian would be for Pepper. She hardly knew Skye but it was enough that she didn't expect something like this.
Stay focused. Don't be distracted." she repeated in her head.
While she was keeping her eyes straight on the pathways towards the platform, she took the gun she stole from back at AIM's base and prepared to take off the safety. Behind them was the president being pushed by three other men. Killian in the front leading the way wearing the full-head helmet to conceal his face.
For a person who secretly has a thing for the theatrical, he clearly has this anonymous thing going for him. Unfortunately for him, Skye wants to rip that face off.
...
The platform was basically just two containers being heaved by the metal chains suspended in the air by the ship's Crane. Once they were on it, Killian whistled and Skye spoked in the walkie-talkie to bring them up.
The things shook as all seven of them braced themselves as they slowly ascended. "Stop."
The container trembled and shook for some time before it was steadied itself. Killian smiled at his two hostages and waved his hand. "Smile you two, the whole world is watching!"
Skye looked up to see the camera angled towards them. Four drones surrounded the platform, twirling and sliding to capture the face of the president.
"I'm going to make sure, Tony sees all of this. Especially you, Pepper. He's going to see you blow up." He grinned.
He sauntered to the blonde woman, face close but his helmet kept a space between them. His slimy hand touched Miss Potts's face to brush off her hair. "You'd look so good in red."
If glares could kill, Killian would have rot along with his legacy. Pepper shook off his hand in an attempt for defy him. "I thought you kidnapped me to get Tony to fix your little fucked up drug?"
He laughed. "I admit he is brilliant but he isn't the only one. I just need to get him off the picture and then I'll have no one standing in my way from perfecting Extremist. I've hired almost 30 people abroad. Brilliant people who are going to make my drug a revolutionary miracle for all.
"And come on Pepper" he sings along.
"Pepper. Pepper. Pepper." He pinched her chin so that it started to bruise. "We both know he's not going to help me. He would try but I know he won't actually do it. He'll do his little thing and when he thinks I'm not looking, he'll cut my head off. So before that happens. I'm going to make sure he sees you dead before I send him to heaven as well,"
Skye clenched her fist as the container started shaking. She got her bearings when the shooting started.
He's here.
"Tony's finally here!" Killian lets go of Pepper and looks at Skye to start the cameras.
The burnette backs away to signal the people on the bridge to start the cameras rolling.
"Shit Tony, they're up there." Rhodes cursed as the strings of bullets all rained down on them.
"Is Pepper on it?" Tony asked as he tried shooting one of them in the face but hit a light bulb instead.
He went back for cover but found it deeply confused at the notion of accuracy. It seems his aiming using a gun was ghastly different from his blaster. Not that he would admit that to Rhodes.
"Yes, along with the President. We need to rescue them!"
He agreed. They need to stop Killian from killing the president and Pepper, they were out of ammo and surrounded. It's a good thing, he's prepared.
"Don't worry." He patted his back before going back to his comms. "Jarvis?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Are they here yet?"
"Pulling up right at this moment, Sir," Tony smirked. Just in time.
Along the vast night, several glimmer twinkled periodically. As they got closer it was apparent that they weren't lost meteor. Somehow there more dangerous.
"Is that?"
"yep"
"Are those..."
"Yeah."
Just as he liked it, more than two dozen of his suits joined in the fray, posing in the sky like an armored unit. All the suit's he designed special from each other. Some big and packs a punch and some for one purpose. Yet staring at them like this, it made him a bit proud of himself.
Tony spared Rhodes a tap on the back. "Merry Christmas, Buddy."
"Jarvis, target Extremist heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice." He said to the AI.
"Yes, sir." Jarvis sounded like he highly relished the command.
One by one his suit started blasting, and attacking Extremist people. All sorts of chaos happened in the background but Tony peered over the platform to see Pepper being tethered and looking pained. One person with them had on a helmet yet he faced Tony with a fixed obsessive state.
Bastard.
He walked up to one of the suits, he opened his arms for the command prompt to activate and it quickly opened to swallow him up.
"Nice timing."
Rhodes slowly nodded and started smiling at him.
"Yeah, that's awesome. Give me a suit, okay?" and opened his arms like Tony but nothing happened.
"Oh, I'm sorry, they're only coded to me. But don't worry, I got you covered."
Tony left Rhodes to fend for himself— okay he did give me one suit to protect him— But his objective rested on the container above ground. Once he got there, he saw three Extremis fighters pulling up their guns, the president held at gunpoint by one of the men, Pepper groaning and their leader clapping at his entrance.
"Tony. So good to see you join us." Tony heard that voice before and surmised Killian still wanted to hide away from his crimes.
"You liked my set-up. Pepper helped." Killian started rubbing Pepper's face as she pulled away from his touch. "She's shy."
It was a hard situation for him to leisurely act upon base on the fact that if he saved one they quickly kill the other. It was one against five people.
He can't be rash.
"What do you want, Killian?" Knowing he's the one running shots, he's the one he need to take out first.
"First get out of the suit." Tony clenched his fist his blaster running but with one signal from his man, the gun pointed at the president's neck clicked.
Tony huffed but complied and stepped out bare to Killian. He took a couple of steps and glared at him. "Now what?"
"Oh, I don't want much, just that.." He snapped his fingers and the man pushed the president until he was kneeling in front of Tony. "I want you to blow the president's head off."
Henchmen the II, throws him a gun which he caught.
He scoffed at the gun then at the psychotic man, his voice gruff. "You're crazy if you think I'll do that."
"As a matter of fact, I do." Killian turned her head. "Abeline."
"Yes."
Tony's eyes widened as he finally noticed the brunette was actually with them. She had cold eyes, a detached expression, and a rigid stance. As if she wasn't the same person he had come to know.
The brunette spared him a glance but there was nothing in them, she pulled out her gun and directed it at Pepper's head.
"Do it, or my associate will blow her head off." Killian threatened,
He knew how dire the situation has become but another part of him felt like he couldn't focus on what was asked of him because in his head, this wasn't his friend. This wasn't Skye. Yet there was no denying she has her face, her eyes, even her fricking purple shirt that he didn't think fitted her jacket.
So when his emotion went overboard he couldn't stop pointing his gun at her. "How could you, Skye! I trusted you!"
"I asked you! I asked you if you were working for the Mandarin. You remember what you said. You said no! And I believed you! Fuck!" He shouted at his outburst and had two more guns pointed at him.
"Oh, drama!" Killian laughed. "This is unexpected. Care to elaborate, Skye."
Skye didn't want to speak, her eyes still leaving no room for an excuse.
Like the asshole he is, Killian gloated. "I guess not much of a talker but given your face, Tony. This must be a revelation! Regrettably, we don't have time." Killian must have noticed that even if his suits were preoccupied with his Extremist legion, if they managed to get all of his men then Aldrich would be next.
"Pick, Stark. Pepper or the president? If you choose one, I'll let the other one live."
Tony peeked at Pepper and at the president kneeling on the ground. He didn't know what to do now. His suits were still busy, Rhodes was below, he couldn't use his suit and two people's lives were in his hands.
He was hyperventilating, his own anxiety coming back to attack him, his eyes blurred and he didn't know what to do. He clenched the gun in his hand not knowing what to do.
His world was sinking.
Everything was merging into a blob of anxiety.
Tony's fingers tensed and he couldn't breathe all of a sudden.
Tony. Listen to me. You're scared. You are terrified... and that's fine.
Tony's ears rang and everything around him seemed nonexistent.
You're afraid that you can't protect Pepper. That you can't protect Happy... That your best might not be enough. But the thing is... you are. You're not alone.
Come on, breathe.
Tony took one deep breath. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the Hawkeye watch that he didn't get to throw away because everything was so hectic.
It was still there. Annoying cold and warm at the same time. Whatever forced pushed his body to look up at Skye, he didn't know, he just felt it. He kept looking at her and realized that under all her coldness he could see the same girl who helped push his mark 42 in the den of night without question. The same girl who reprimanded him to being nice to a small kid with daddy issues. The same girl who held his hand because she was worried he'd die from lack of air.
The same girl he now considered a friend.
Suddenly, Skye's mouth moved but there was no sound. He couldn't read it.
Don't worry. I'm lazy but I don't double-cross.
...So please trust me, Mr. Stark
Tony was hit by clarity, his breathing turning steady and turned to Killian. "I choose Pepper."
Killian looked beyond surprised at his final decision before full-blown laughing. "Hahahaha. You see that Pepper! Even at your last moment, Tony will never love anyone but himself."
Tony stared at Pepper but they two communicated and his heart swelled that she understood in some small sense that he had something up his sleeve.
"But a promise is a promise. Skye, please take the honor"
"Yes sir,"
Skye cocked her gun and raised it up Pepper's head but before she pulled the trigger, she faced Tony. "Do you remember the goal I told you, Tony?"
"Get me home back to Pepper"
"Get you home to Miss Potts" she confirmed with a smile as she quickly changed her aim and shot Killian in the face several times.
After that all hell broke loose, Tony started shooting at the Extremis men to push them back, making sure to grab the president closer to him.
After all of the bullets were spent he went back to his suit, to grab the president. "Skye, cover Pepper. I'll be back!"
"I got it, Mr. Stark."
"I trust you so please don't let her die!"
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Tony disappeared in a flash of smoke.
Skye threw the gun at the ground after all rounds were already gone but Killian was still standing albeit his helmet didn't survive.
He bellows in anger and takes off what was left of the helmet, his nose smoking. "You traitor!"
Skye laughed in mockery. "As if I'd work your such a showboat like you!" Before she pointed above."Smile motherfucker! The camera loves you."
Killian's eyes widen, forgetting all about his broadcast. The drones all flew above them taking all his best and worst angles. "Shut it down!"
"In your dreams, wannabe David Bowe," Skye punched him in the gut and sneakily used her powers to push him several feet away. He coughed and slammed on the ground.
She heard shuffling behind her as two of the men who survived the bullets quickly ran up to her.
Skye easily trades blows with the men. It got tricky though as they started turning supernova. It was even more dangerous for one of their punches to land. It'd mean a lot more agonizing if it did.
Skye could only step back down.
She needed to use her powers which meant...
I need less eyes on me.
Skye garnered all the things around her that she needed to destroy using a low invasive frequency yet making sure it wouldn't affect Miss Potts.
Next was disguising her powers with a distraction, she tackled one of the men and let her vibration run through his body before it fizzled in the air. It worked successfully because the lights, cameras, and drones started to malfunction. And even took out the controls in the bridge room turning off the whole power of the ship.
Ending the broadcasting and setting the whole cargo in darkness.
Once that was done, using the commotion. Skye used strong vibrations to push the two men so far that they actually fell off the edge of the platform. Of course, one of them was already dead before the fall.
"Now to get Miss Pepper— ahhhh!" Skye bellowed, as her back felt hot coals on her spine.
She didn't expect a fire to burst behind her, sending her flying away and her clothes ablaze. "Dammit."
She rolls on her back and sees a furious Killian.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" He mocked.
"In the offset that you're the pussy?" Skye teased back.
She didn't let his red deranged eyes scare her. She'd faced worse kinds and this was not enough to push her running from a man like Killian. Skye stood up to take off her jacket, threw it on the ground in contempt, and was left with a half-burnt shirt.
Thank god for her slightly heat-resistant skin but she couldn't say the same for her hair. Her hair was definitely uneven and smelt much worse than when Savin did her hairstyle.
"I'm going to make you wish, you didn't meet Tony at all." His whole body flared up.
She scoffs. "I think you got it all wrong, asshole. You're the one who's going to wish you had stayed in their mother's basement." Skye breaks her knuckles before running towards Killian.
The man braced himself for a strike, but his fist met a swift counter, redirecting the force to land a clean punch on his own face. Unwilling to let up, Skye threw a hook that connected sharply with his jaw.
Killian absorbed two punches, throwing off his balance, and found himself sprawling as Skye executed a skillful leg sweep, bringing him down to the ground.
Winded and half-conscious from the takedown, he lay there, vulnerable to her impending attack.
Skye sneered at his pathetic state And he acts like he's something. Her arm veins bulged as she prepared to deliver a forceful fist to his chest. However, her momentum was interrupted when she was unexpectedly shot in the shoulder. Though the bullet didn't go through, the impact still stung like a bitch.
Stumbling back from Killian, she spun around to identify her assailant. The lack of light made it challenging to discern their location, and being suspended in the air added an extra layer of difficulty in pinpointing them through her vibrations.
Another shot was fired and she had to ducked.
She had a hunch it might be an Extremis sniper toying with her, but then again, he missed her head more than once. Either he was a terrible shot, or she wasn't the only one struggling with the blackout.
It doesn't lessen the possibility of hitting Pepper, though even if it's by luck.
Forgetting about Killian, Skye went for Miss Potts, still tightly held by her steel-enforced body brace.
"Hi, Miss Potts," Skye greeted as kindly as she could, flinching when the sniper almost hit her left foot. She positioned herself in front of the blonde, shielding her in case a stray bullet found its way to Pepper.
"I can't imagine meeting again in such a situation," she said lightly.
"You and me both," Miss Potts replied, sounding understandably exhausted.
"Miss Potts, unfortunately, your restraints are steel, and the releases are actually button triggers in the bridge, so there's one way to get you out." Both flinched as another bullet struck the side metal of Pepper's holder.
"What?!"
"I know, but we can still get you out. Or, to be more precise, you need to get yourself out."
"How?"
"You need to get mad. Like Hulk mad." Skye interrupted before she could protest. "You've been injected by Extremis, and I know the drug is really unstable, but I know you've somehow bonded to it—not sure how much, maybe 60%. I'm eyeballing it, but the gist is—" Skye hissed as a bullet collided with her thigh. She pushed Pepper away from the area as the sniper beginning to be more accurate.
"...you need to get angry to heat up the restraints and get out."
"I'll try."
Skye could hear shuffling, and she knew Killian was waking up, and Pepper was not in the state where Skye wanted her to be.
So, against her better judgment, Skye slapped Pepper's face, surprising both of them.
Skye was about to apologize when Killian stood up. She slapped her again. "Come on, Pepper. Get mad! Get angry!" and slapped her other cheeks.
The brunette could feel the heat rising as Pepper's eyes turned unnaturally red. Skye wanted to yelp, but it was working. Unfortunately, they needed distance first while Pepper melted the restraints.
"You'll regret that!" Killian finally regained consciousness and attacked them with his fire breath.
Skye pushed Pepper's holder away from the fray of bullets and fire as the asshole let out his dragon breath as if he was Smaug while all she could do at the moment was run away from it all.
Skye saw a glint in the air and stopped just in time to evade a bullet that should have hit Pepper on the head. She exhaled loudly when she realized that as well.
"This is bad,"
She was tempted to use her powers now as they were getting cornered, her hands shaking the platform in agitation.
"Hey, kid!" Thankfully, Tony came back. He blasted the sniper, solving one of their problems.
The trembling stopped, and Skye let out a great exhale from her chest.
The sound of clacking echoed behind Skye, and she slowly turned to see Pepper had gotten out of her restraint, her eyes still red. It was only then she remembered what happened before and started sweating. "Okay, Miss Potts, calm down. I did it because it was necessary!"
Skye ran away as Pepper was running towards her.
"Let me punch you once!"
"Tony, help me!"
Tony swooped down, cradling Pepper in his arms as they soared away from the platform. "Skye, I'll come back for you. Hold on as much as you can." She nodded, picturing his fretful expression.
She grinned. "Just take her down, Mr. Stark. I'll be fine."
"Don't die on me, kid!"
Skye felt relief. Both because Miss Potts was safe now and that Miss Potts didn't managed to punch her face.
And that only leaves her with one glaring problem. Skye faced Killian who directed all his hate on her.
"It was supposed to go according to plan! Tony was going to kill the President in front of all the american people and stain his legacy forever. I kill Tony and Pepper is collateral damage and then everything will be blamed on the Mandarin, inciting fear to the masses. Wanting assurance. A way to prevent Mandarin from dominating the world. This will push the government to use my drug! I could've gotten control from the inside of the freaking Whitehouse, my every whim obeyed! I'll have my project funded. It was supposed to be perfect!"
His teeth snarling. "Until you showed up!"
...
Skye had long ago tuned out his evil monologue, more interested in observing if anyone was watching them. Her body slanted in a calm demeanor as if he wasn't important. This irked Killian even more, prompting him to charge at her.
Killian sensed a change in the air; his body was scorching at 3000 degrees, yet a chilling feeling intensified as he approached her boundary. Inadvertently locking eyes with her, he found a cold, dark void, quickly sinking into it as her voice vibrated.
"You know something, Killian," she said in a low tone.
Killian was supposed to be the one on the offense but when he went to attack her, she only needed to make one step back and she was out of his reach. A lost attempt that she effortlessly evaded, frustrating him.
With his composure loosening, he tried his damnest to assert himself with another strike but she caught it so easily, that there was no sign of her struggling— Her grip unnaturally strong. But he noticed how her skin burned at the contact. Thinking this was now his time to counter, he ramped up his febricity itching to see her writhe.
He ignored all of the signs that he should have stopped right then and there. Because at the next moment, a guttural scream broke out of his own mouth that he hadn't heard himself make before. His arm, the same one that Skye was clenching, had broken in twenty different places all at the same time.
"AHHH!! Ah!"
He stepped back, panting as his right arm uselessly flailing around in excruciating pain. He couldn't move it anymore. Not without stinging his nerve endings.
Killian worriedly heard her snort. "You're not as intimidating as you look."
This time she smacked him, creeping vibrations running out her fist when it collided with his shoulder blades and it also shattered apart, poking out of his skin. "FUCK! AH! Help!"
"See. You're pathetic."
As fear took hold of him, so did the intensifying tide of anger within. He still can't give up. Not to someone like her. No matter! My bones will heal!
Empowered by wrath, he found himself continuously launching attacks at her, driven by a rage that Skye appeared untouched by as if it posed no threat to her.
The woman snickered in delight. "By now, it should be clear that your survival hinged solely on the fact that everyone's eyes were on you."
Killian's eyes jolted open as Skye materialized before him, unleashing a barrage of skull-shattering blows. Each strike felt like a sledgehammer to his face, leaving him battered and helpless. The supposed healing factor did nothing to alleviate the gruesome torment.
He kneels on the ground in shock, feeling his chest break when Skye jabs it. His breath stuck in his throat.
All his rage was spent and now both of his arms were noncommissioned, his lungs punctured, and he felt like passing out.
His descent was halted abruptly as a hand clutched his hair, preventing him from collapsing. Skye's lip, though petite, formed an unsettling smile as she knelt to meet his eye level. "I appreciate your healing factor. It ensures you from dying so soon."
And he felt that smile chill his soul.
...
Skye enjoyed hearing him scream as her vibrations wreaked havoc inside his body. His bones break into thousands of pieces but gently so as not to destroy his organs and blood vessels to keep him alive. She slumped him down on the ground, patting his cheeks contemptuously. Returning to its usual hue, his complexion normalized.
He looked like a dead man in Skye's eyes.
"Don't worry, you're regenerative abilities will heal you as if you're good as new, and when that happens. I'm doing to do it again and again and again." Skye whispered in his ears in a slow demented way. "I'm going to let you feel this pain for eternity, Killian."
Killian's expression shifted to one of horror, his entire attitude doing a complete 180. In an instant, a man cowered beneath the weight of fear. "Stay away from me! Monster!"
Monsters! She's here!
The brunette noticed her eyebrow twitching in response to the words—a sensitive topic. However, she made an effort not to let it bother her too much.
Skye laughed at the spectacle. A man restricted to moving only his mouth and eyes, the only parts she hadn't broken. Quite amusing, actually. "Don't I know it, buddy."
Before putting her hand on his face and quaked his head to oblivion. Blood, flesh, and bones were everywhere.
"Let's see if you can heal from that." she whistled in the air.
She had already given him a warning. If he managed to survive that, she intended to make sure she followed through on her promise.
The brunette spat at the ground before grabbing his lifeless body and chucking him out into the ocean. Her gaze never left the body which was sinking under the water.
Even after it vanished from her sight, Skye kept her gaze fixed on the rippling water, a mindless habit she had grown used to. However, not long after, the sound of blasters reached her from behind. "Skye, are you okay?"
Skye's somber look turned placid and turned to look Tony in the eyes.
"I'm fine, Mr. Stark." Letting off a simple smile.
"Where's Killian?"
She shrugged, her lip tight. "Disappeared with the fishes, I think."
The two were communicating with their eyes, a hard stance on where to go from now. "Is he going to be trouble in the future?"
"I don't know what going to happen in the future but I at least tried to make sure of it. If he comes back, I'm sure you'll be there, Mr. Stark" She didn't have to say how she made sure of it but Tony kind of had an idea already.
It was nice of him though not to push it. "When you said you were sturdy you really meant it. I didn't even get to have my fun with him."
To see a natural smile on Tony's face, one that isn't hindered by thoughts of Pepper dying or looking like the world was out to get him, makes it all the more worth all the unnecessary things she has done. He made a grown man happy.
"That's cuz you're a slowpoke, Mr. Stark."
He laughed, "I guess I am. It's a good thing most of my suit already got the other Extremist terrorist handled. We captured about three of them. Everyone's on the forecastle already."
...
With Tony's assistance, Skye managed to descend from the platform and rendezvous with Pepper, Rhodes, and the president. The first thing Skye said upon landing was directed towards Pepper.
"Miss Potts—" but she didn't get a word in as Pepper punched Skye directly on her right cheek, and she hissed.
Skye straightened up little by little until she could see the blonde woman still frowning and nodded with a guilty look. "Okay, I deserved that."
The moment she admitted her fault, Pepper let down her frown and smiled warmly, hugging her. "Thank you."
Skye didn't know what to do but let Pepper hug her. She let her go eventually when Rhodes approached her next with a smile. "Hi, James Rhodes. Tony explained it to me already about everything."
"Hello—" and she got slapped on the left cheek out of nowhere. She didn't even register it until it was done.
"But you must know, My face hurt twice as much, but I think this will do."
Skye didn't complain. It hardly stung anyway. "It's fair. Miss Potts gets a punch, and you get a slap," she rolled her eyes and rubbed her cheeks, feeling them still red.
"So, where's Killian?" Rhodes asked.
Tony answered before Skye, making sure she wasn't mentioned at all. "He's dead. He's not coming back again, and knowing Maya leaking everything, I think AIM is also done."
"On behalf of America, I thank you for saving me, Tony."
"She helped as well," he pointed to her. To which Skye backed away, uncomfortable with the attention. "Oh, I didn't help much, I swear."
"Oh, come on, Skye. Shake the President's hand."
After some persuading, Skye slowly walked up to the president when something caught Skye's eye. One of the Extremis they captured was starting to short-circuit, his eyes turning red, and his skin cracking.
Moving before any of them could notice, Skye grabbed the guy from his chains, his body already starting to burn up.
"Aahhh! I don't want to die! Save me!" Skye pulled him over her shoulder and jumped out of the ship, hearing her name from Tony's lips.
She hit the water, quickly swimming deeper and deeper. Her grip never faltered as she was practically dragging a man to the depth of darkness.
Long after, she felt the impending blast and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth she long thought had disappeared.
"Tony, they're here."
Tony paused in typing on his laptop as Pepper entered. "Is she here? Do you want to talk to her?"
He took a moment before nodding to her. "Yeah, I'll be there."
It was two months after the whole Extremis incident. The president was safe, Pepper was rid of the drug from her body, and he'd taken a friend's advice and started taking care of himself more. He'd taken out both arc reactor and the shrapnel in his chest.
Now that the Mandarin was gone. Happy was awake— still busted up but awake— and the vice president arrest for treason, it seems everything had fitted in place.
He has slept more comfortably than days before, that's for sure.
Closing his laptop, Tony went to his dresser to grab the Hawkeye watch he wouldn't admit he got used to. He put it on, rubbing the glass to better accentuate the archer in his purple get-up. He chuckled at it before shaking his head and went outside to greet his somewhat unexpected guests.
Although, they were still in the process of rebuilding everything. His house, the media, and the integral structure of his suits, there are some things that needed to be rebuild social-wise.
Hard as it may to handle, he would be more of an asshole if he didn't try to face one of the things he'd dreaded to do since coming home to his house with Pepper.
Tony arrived at his doorstep and encountered three women in matching green uniforms, their cleaning tools neatly arranged nearby. Positioned in the center was a young Latina with brown hair, brown eyes, and distinct sharp features. When their eyes locked, he found himself unable to reciprocate her smile with the same enthusiasm.
"Hello, Mr. Stark. So good to see you again. We're here to finish our three-day appointment, and the girls are ready to start," she said formally, her own decorum never lacking.
"Yes, please. There's also refreshment if you need it. Just ask for Jarvis, and he'll guide you to the kitchen."
"That's most kind of you, Mr. Stark," the woman, Bella, said, her eyes turning to her girls before pushing them in.
"Can we talk?" Tony asked before Bella could leave. She watched him for a moment before stiffly nodding.
Pepper gave Tony a brief squeeze on his hand while leaving the two. Tony took a practiced breath and offered his hand to lead her to the garden. "Please, follow me, Miss Maxine."
The two ended up walking to the garden area, small but quietly packed with flowers. Over it was a cliff that would descend down to the sea, the very same one he almost died in. Some would change residence when they had the money to relocate, but Tony didn't want to because he felt a bit sentimental about the place. Remembering the woman who broke the chain that would have likewise ended him there.
"What do you want to talk about, Mr. Stark?" Bella asked first since Tony had not uttered a word since they got there.
"I've taken the liberty of paying off your mother's surgery, any other remedial cost, or any other payments in the future as well. She will be taken care of by one of my company's insurance agents and you won't have to worry about paying me back."
The look on Bella's face was pure shock. She needed time to process his words before she started crying, although she tried not to. "Thank you, Mr. Stark, but I..."
"Don't worry. I didn't do it because I pity you, and I know this wouldn't make up for what happened," he cut her off, knowing nothing he'd do would make him even remotely close to the damage he'd caused. "I just wanted to repay her any way that I can, and since I can't do that for her, will you please let me do it for you instead?"
Bella smiled, her eyes still crying. "You know, Mr. Stark, I hated you when the news got to me." Tony flinched and turned away from her.
"But the more days I got to accept it, the more I remember what kind of person Skye was. I know that girl is foolishly reckless beyond fault, but she will never be forced to do anything she doesn't want to. She's stupid like that," she said, melancholy laced in her words.
"She saved you and three other people. That's something I cannot take away from her. She's a hero, and I will never fault you for something Skye did was right." Bella stood beside Tony and handed him a small pendant with a burger art in the middle.
"What's this?"
"Skye called me the morning of the incident. I was so mad at her, but she just kept on babbling that she needed to help you. Even when though I told her we'd find another client, that I'd get the money somehow, she was so adamant to help you that she herself might not admit that she wanted to do it not for me but because she genuinely wanted to help you. She said you were so lonely and thought a small pendant would be a great gift for you... Open it."
Tony did and saw nothing inside, but Bella continued. "She said you need to put pictures of people that matter to you. To remind you always that you're not alone."
He looked at Bella to see her smile bitterly at him and offered a handkerchief. Tony didn't even know he was crying and took the small handkerchief from her.
"She's really stupid," Tony muttered while hiding his face from the Latina woman.
"I know, but she has a good heart. Too broken just like any of us, but she's never without a cause. Her own cause," Bella said with a sad smile.
The Latina went back to the house to help the girls clean, and Tony went to the edge of the cliff while inspecting the pendant.
"For the brief time that I've know you. You happened to spike me most as the wildcard. " He spoke to no one. At the edge of a cliff, he looks at the waves bouncing off the rocks, wishing to hear a low monotone of Mr. Stark or Sir Tony, even if neither one fitted Tony at all. "Wherever you are kid, Hope there's vodka there. I got your van. It seemed to be a favorite but don't worry. I ain't touching anything of yours. That's your privacy. You've never been the sharing type anyway."
Another half minute of silence, Tony moved.
"Don't worry, kid. I won't lose it." He wore the pendant on his neck, thinking of the picture he wanted to put on it.
"But you really have an awful fashion sense, Skye."
Somewhere in the middle of the sea, floating in a small wooden raft, a woman lay while enjoying her sunbathing for five and a half days.
Her hair had become tangled and unruly, but that was the least of her concerns. She sniffled, having caught a cold from nights spent at sea. It wasn't until the sixth day that she spotted a passing fisherman boat, providing her with a welcome return to land. But even then she'd have to wait another couple days before they go back to shore.
At least there's food now.
"I am not ship diving, again."
Notes:Sorry if it's a long chapter, my next chapters would be less... you know haha. Anyway, enjoy your weekend. :)