18 Chapter 18

It's not until they're halfway to the Mansion that Tony chooses to turn the small TV inside the car. "JARVIS search for any news about Gulmira."

Instead of answering, JARVIS changes the channel. "—The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern-day Heart of Darkness. Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power. Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant. Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings. As you can see, these men are heavily armed and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way. With no political will or international pressure, there's very little hope for these refugees. Around me, a woman begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents, either forced to join their militia. Desperate refugees clutch yellowed photographs, holding them up to anyone who will stop. A child's simple question, 'Where are my mother and father?' There's very little hope for these refugees, refugees who can only wonder who, if anyone, will help."

When it's over, she turns it off. "It's not your fault, you know."

"It does feel like it."

She frowns as she feels his scent turn sour, though it's different from Obadiah's. She wants to turn into a Mew to identify better his feelings but doesn't think it's good to do so at this moment.

Sighing, she squares her shoulders as she looks him in the eye. "Stop this pity party. You can't do anything for what just happened. What you can change is the present with the hand you were dealt with. Just remember you will never be able to cover the sun with a hand. You knew there was something fishy going on since the start, didn't you?"

He's slow to nod, but he still does so.

"Well, you could have policed your company better, true. There's nothing you can do about that, though. What you can do instead is look for the people going against your orders. Also, you made an armor. What were you planning to do with it?"

He startles and glances at her. The mansion is already in sight, but she ignores it. She can see the fierce determination lighting Tony's eyes.

She smiles, even though she's a little worried. Even more so when they reach the lab and Tony starts to put the armor on. He's halfway done when JARVIS says, "Sir, Mis Potts is in the garage."

They both look at each other before Tony slowly nods. "Let her in."

She tilts her head and transforms into a Mew.

"I'll need your help, Eva," he says when she's now a Linoone. "I'm sorry I'm asking you this, but I need you to protect Pepper."

'What do you mean?'

"I need someone to hack Obadiah's files, and she's the only one who can safely go inside. Now, going out is going to be the problem because I'm sure dear Obie will notice. I'm asking you to protect her. Please."

She frowns. Didn't this scene happen after Tony returned from Gulmira? She's not sure anymore. It's been a while since she's watched the film.

It doesn't matter. He looks up at him and nods, just in time, too. The door opens and in comes a still beautifully dressed Pepper. She stops as soon as she sees Tony, who now only needs the headpiece and he will be done.

"What's going on here?" she asks with a hint of panic in her tone.

Tony smiles dryly before the mask is in place. "Let's face it. This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."

She breathes in, ready to give Tony a piece of her mind. However, Tony interrupts her. "Hey. You mind if I send you on an errand?"

Pepper loses her tense posture and shifts into something more familiar and professional. "Yes?"

"I need you to go to my office. You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests."

Tony walks forward, which is an intimidating sight with all the armor on. To her credit, while Pepper slightly leans back, she doesn't back down. Not even when Tony walks closer to the desk with a device in it. "This is a lock chip. This'll get you in. It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it on a ghost drive, in which case you need to look for the lowest numeric heading."

"... And what do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?"

"Same drill." Tony shrugs. "They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them."

Pepper hesitates. Eva can see and sense how conflicted she's about this. She blinks twice before looking earnestly at Tony. "Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to get hurt."

Her words are strong, but Tony is determined. He shakes his head. "There is nothing except this. There's no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else."

"Is that so?" she mutters, before she raises her voice, this time firm. "Well, then, I quit."

There's a long silence before Tony takes the mask covering his face and looks at her, his eyes sad. "You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?"

She shakes her head. "You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it."

"That's why you don't get, I shouldn't be alive. Unless it was for a reason." Pepper gives him a look, but Tony's gaze hardens. "I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."

Eva has been looking at them like a tennis match, nervous. She already changed the timeline and didn't know if Pepper will accept or not.

Luckily, Pepper doesn't let her down. She grabs the drive back up.

"You're all I have, too, you know."

Tony glances at Eva, before giving Pepper a 'Thank you'.

He puts the mask on and turns around. However, he stops and glances over his armored shoulder. "By the way, would you take Eva with you?"

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Btw, who do you want Eva to end with? Tony, Steve, Bucky or Strange?