A Vision and a Prayer

[lasergrenades]

1. Quietus
2. After

Quietus

They've been chasing him for years and years, and have been chased in return - he lives up to his name, appearing and disappearing at will, vanishing into thin air only to return and bring death with him. He's the one who got away, who keeps getting away, who keeps killing, and he's developed a personal vendetta against Tony.

More than just Tony. All of them. Their families, their friends. The people they love who lack armor to protect them. Not again, Pepper thinks, racing after the Ghost. They have him on the ropes, but both the Ghost and Team Iron Man have taken heavy hits. Her HUD is blinking red and an alarm is blaring loud enough to almost cover the sound of Tony and Rhodey on the radio; she silences the alert and dismisses the warnings on screen. They don't have time to stop and make repairs, they can't let him get away again.

"Armor integrity at 14%," the computer warns her. "Power levels below 20%. Recommend deactivate stealth mode."

Pepper ignores it; Tony's advanced her suit, the Ghost can't see her like this, and she's not going to waste it. Another few seconds and Pepper is on top of her prey, knocking the hovercraft out of the air. He drops, hundreds of feet up, plunging towards the pavement, and Pepper dives after him - his death will serve no purpose, and they've been trying to avoid it. Maybe he won't allow himself to be taken alive, but she has to try. Reaching out, Pepper tries to snatch her wrist and goes right through him.

"I'm trying to help you!" she yells over the speakers, deactivating stealth mode. "Turn off your phase shifter!"

The Ghost laughs harshly, still falling, and points his pistol up at her. Time slows.

Three. If she evades, the Ghost dies. There's a chance she could avoid the first shot or two and still grab hold of him. If she allows him to fall, he won't have to pay for what he's done - it'll be retribution, and not justice.

Two. Rescue presses closer again, her HUD lighting up a warning that there's an energy buildup in the pulse pistol. Getting behind him would let her tear apart his suit's power supply, but she knows he won't become tangible from that position, not when he has her in his sights.

She's going to get shot. The armor is so damaged that it probably won't withstand the attack.

One. His wrist feels solid under her grip, and Rescue pulls up, yanking his arm out of the socket. She rolls, barely avoiding the first shot, arcing towards a rooftop. The second shot breaches the armor, launching titanium shrapnel off her shoulder. They tumble towards the roof, Pepper's sparking gauntlet outstretched towards the power cell.

She's not sure what she feels first: the impact, or the pulse pistol firing into her abdomen. The power supply is crushed under her fingers, and new alarms shriek at her about catastrophic injury and burns and spinal cord damage. There's screaming, too - Tony, it sounds like. Rhodey. The Ghost is laughing again, harsh and wet like there's fluid in his lungs. It should hurt more, Pepper thinks distantly. She can't feel her legs as she collapses, trapping the Ghost beneath her. Did the shot go through her?

There's flashes of red and gold and silver in her vision, dim and blurred, the heart-wrenching sound of begging. Fresh air on her face when the plate opens, staring up into blue and brown eyes, and then there's nothing.

After

Pepper blinked slowly at the people around her, taking in their faces. Most of them were smiling through tears. It was good to see all those smiles. She was surprised that the hospital staff had let them all in here; her family and friends filled the room. That had to be against fire code.

Two hands were clasped around each of hers, warm in contrast to the chill emanating from deep within her bones. The end was approaching, swift and gentle.

"It's okay, mom. You can let go," a woman with strawberry-blonde hair choked out.

Pepper tried to nod and found she couldn't, so she only smiled softly at her, and at her other two children. Her eyes dimmed, the room fading in and out, seeing and not seeing. In the small crowd, figures moved through space where there wasn't any: a tall man with brown hair, hand in hand with a redhead who could have been mistaken for Pepper's sister - her mother and father; a man with short cropped hair and a stupid, endearing beard, next to the man who was the Mandarin - Tony and Gene; her best friend, dark skin and warm eyes, who had left not so long ago - Rhodey.

And as her breathing slowed and slowed, each inhale a struggle, her eyes caught silver hair and a grin like a knife.

She took her last breath in this world, and her first in another.