Under Tony Stark's heartfelt comfort, the atmosphere in the office became increasingly intimate. However, before Tony could take things further with Pepper, Jarvis's voice interrupted: "Sir, Johnny Storm will arrive in about two minutes..."
"Johnny Storm? What's he coming here for?" Tony's eyes flashed with irritation as he looked at Pepper in his arms, mumbling hesitantly, "If we're quick..."
"What are you thinking? Save it for tonight!" Pepper playfully rolled her eyes at Tony before standing up. "I need to handle some company business. Remember to come home tonight."
"I got it!" Tony nodded, glancing toward the sky just as a fiery figure appeared on the horizon. Unable to suppress his frustration, he muttered, "Talk about bad timing!"
Tony understood why Johnny Storm was coming. When Pepper had been in danger, Tony had rushed out without informing the Avengers. Johnny must have heard about the situation and was now coming to check in.
It wasn't that the other Avengers didn't care about Tony and Pepper's safety, but Johnny couldn't sit still once he heard about a fire-wielding enemy. Previously, while they had known there was more than one fire-user, those individuals hadn't caused too much trouble. But now that they had targeted Pepper, it seemed they were going after the Avengers as well. Johnny was probably hoping to learn more about the fight with the fire-user and what Tony had discovered.
Johnny flew straight to the window of Stark Tower, and without waiting for Tony's command, Jarvis opened the window to let him in.
"Your flames are nothing compared to that fire-user's. From what we know, all of them seem to be equally strong," Tony teased Johnny as he entered, seeking a bit of payback for Johnny's poorly timed arrival.
"That strong?" Johnny's expression grew serious as he extinguished his flames. "Did you notice any differences in our abilities?"
"I did," Tony replied, turning serious as he began explaining his observations. He also displayed the footage of his fight with Matthews.
Although Tony's battle with Matthews hadn't lasted long, Jarvis's database on extraordinary beings had grown extensive. It was now capable of analyzing the specifics of their powers.
"Your flames and his are fundamentally different. Before you enter your flame form, it's more like you're using internal energy to create flames that burn. Your essence is combustion, while his is heating. He's more like a constantly heating mass of molten lava," Tony explained, pointing at the screen as he laid out his theory.
"Combustion… heating…" Johnny stared at the footage, his eyes slowly lighting up as he seemed to understand why his flames couldn't burn in a vacuum. If he could master the ability to control temperature as freely as Matthews, combining that with his own fire powers would undoubtedly push his strength to new heights!
"We should reach out to the Saiyans or Superman. See if we can contact the members of Kamar-Taj and ask if any dimensional forces have recently appeared on Earth," Johnny suggested, snapping back to reality as his brain kicked into gear. He recalled Tony mentioning the possibility of a Fire Dimension and decided to propose the idea.
"Huh? You actually came up with that?" Tony was surprised, raising his eyebrows. Johnny, who usually hated thinking, was suddenly so sharp when it came to improving his power. It was enough to leave Tony momentarily speechless.
"No need to contact the Saiyans or Superman. Superman's still in Africa. If it weren't for his occasional interventions, saving soldiers and showcasing some of his power, the entire continent might have been engulfed in war by now," Tony explained, shaking his head. "As for the Saiyans, who knows where that guy is? He could be off training or spending time with Supergirl, given that neither of them has been seen lately. But if you want to contact Kamar-Taj, Martian Manhunter can help. I'll ask him."
"Sounds good," Johnny agreed, not objecting to Tony's suggestion.
"According to Kamar-Taj, while Earth is still unsafe with some smaller entities sneaking in, they've dealt with any issues that arise. They haven't detected any large-scale dimensional invasions, and there's been no sign of a Fire Dimension," Martian Manhunter soon reported back after contacting Kamar-Taj.
"If there were as many fire-users as we think, the invading force would have to be significant. Yet, there's been no detection of any fire-related dimensions," Tony mused aloud, furrowing his brow. "So, could this be some kind of mutation experiment?"
"Jarvis, compile a list of all recent large purchases of experimental materials. We'll go through them one by one," Tony ordered.
"Yes, sir," Jarvis responded. While the task would have overwhelmed any human, Jarvis was a powerful AI capable of handling the massive workload without issue.
However, it would still take time to narrow down the exact culprit, given how many people purchase experimental materials, from universities to government institutions, and any one of them could be behind the fire-users.
"We should head back to the base. This place isn't equipped for extensive analysis," Tony suggested to Johnny as he glanced around his office. After saying goodbye to Pepper with a quick kiss and promising to return that evening, Tony and Johnny flew back to the Avengers base to continue analyzing the experimental data and monitor the locations where the fire-users had been spotted.
Meanwhile, Killian received word that Tony Stark had personally dealt with and defeated one of the fire-users. When he learned that Matthews had nearly succeeded in capturing Pepper, Killian was momentarily stunned.
He had been so uncertain of Matthews' abilities that he had prepared a series of contingency plans. If he had known that Matthews had been so close to success, he would have sent a few more of his subordinates to assist him. They could have captured Pepper with ease!
However, regret was pointless now. The upside was that although Matthews had failed, Pepper had experienced a traumatic event, and Killian had received word that Tony had left Stark Tower. He quickly contacted Shane's group, instructing them to prepare for Pepper's return and see where she would go.
Pepper, unaware that her ordeal wasn't over, was already thinking about how to enjoy a romantic evening with Tony to wash away the day's unpleasantness. She didn't realize that even her home was no longer safe.
In fact, Pepper didn't even make it home. As she drove through an empty stretch of road, a fireball suddenly struck the ground in front of her car.
Shane wasn't aiming to kill Pepper immediately. He was just trying to block the road and force her to stop.
"Shit!" Pepper cursed as the fireball exploded in front of her. She didn't even consider swerving the car, instead reaching for her watch.
With a buzz, the watch activated, instantly covering her in a suit of armor. This suit was an extension of Tony's own armor—a protective measure he had prepared for her in case of emergencies.
"Boom!"
Tony hadn't expected his precaution to pay off so soon. Pepper, now encased in the armor, flew out of the car just as the vehicle crashed and exploded. She didn't care about the wreckage. The car wasn't important—her safety was.
"Good thing I refused Happy's offer to drive me home," Pepper thought as she flew through the air, feeling relieved. After the earlier attack, Happy had rushed over, wanting to escort her home. But Pepper had reassured him that Tony's protective measures were enough, declining his help.
Now, she was glad she had. If Happy had been driving, he would've been caught in the explosion. Her armor could save her, but it wouldn't have been able to save Happy.
"Motherfu—!" Back at the Avengers base, Tony Stark cursed angrily, his entire being ignited with fury, as if he had injected Extremis himself. He couldn't believe that the fire-users were relentlessly targeting Pepper.
When Doctor Octopus revealed his identity, Tony had thought that revealing his own wouldn't have much impact. After all, who would dare go after Stark Industries or Pepper?
But now, Tony realized that no matter your identity, once you unmasked yourself as a superhero, your loved ones would inevitably be affected. Some people didn't play by the rules and would go after your family and friends to get to you.
"I'll go with you. We need to find some useful intel. This piecemeal investigation is too slow," Martian Manhunter offered, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Alright," Tony agreed without a second thought. He didn't even care that Martian Manhunter had probably been reading his mind. All he wanted now was to catch these fire-users and make sure no one could threaten Pepper again.
"What the hell? How does she have a personal suit of armor?" On the other side, Shane was dumbfounded as he watched Pepper fly out of the car. He hadn't expected this and was momentarily stunned, causing him to hesitate instead of following up with another attack.
Neither Shane nor Killian knew the full details of what had happened between Matthews, Tony, and Pepper. They had no way of keeping up with the Avengers' latest developments.
As Pepper flew, Shane found himself unsure of what to do next. Although the fire-users could increase their body temperature and transform into beings of fire and lava, the Extremis virus hadn't granted them the ability to fly. Watching Pepper soar through the sky, Shane felt at a loss.
"I can't just back down now!" Shane gritted his teeth, realizing that retreating wasn't an option. He conjured another ball of fire and hurled it toward Pepper.
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!"
The fireball missed its mark, exploding harmlessly in the distance without causing any damage.
"Such a hassle… Maybe
we should just retreat," Shane muttered to himself as he realized he wouldn't be able to catch Pepper. He began to consider leaving before he met the same fate as Matthews.
Based on the information Killian had shared, Matthews had died after his failed attempt. Shane figured that if he also failed, it was best to escape while he could.
"Where are you going? Care to explain why you're targeting me? Is this all about Tony?" Pepper called out, chasing after Shane instead of flying away. She continued to question him, trying to buy time.
Pepper knew Tony was probably on his way. While her armor wasn't built for combat, she needed to stall Shane long enough for Tony to arrive and uncover their true intentions.
After all, Pepper couldn't live with the constant threat of attack hanging over her head. If this continued, she wouldn't be able to lead a normal life.
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