Marvel: Iron God

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Pepper's heart raced as she stood frozen in shock, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Tony Stark—her devilishly handsome boss had his former business partner, Obadiah Stane, suspended in the air, gripping him by the neck with terrifying strength.

Stane's face was twisted in a mix of shock, fear, and pain, his mouth agape as though he wanted to scream but couldn't find the air.

Pepper's breaths came in short, panicked gasps, her chest tightening as her vision blurred with tears. She had witnessed the entire horrific ordeal unfold.

It started with a shift in Tony's demeanor—subtle at first but impossible to ignore. The tension in his jaw, the coldness in his gaze, the eerie stillness of his movements.

Obadiah noticed it too. Out of desperation, Stane reached for the pistol strapped to his ankle, but Tony moved faster. With lightning speed, he grabbed the gun, twisted it out of Obadiah's grasp, and slapped him hard across the face.

The force of the slap sent Stane stumbling, a few teeth flying from his mouth as blood and saliva dripped onto the floor. Before the older man could react, Tony latched onto his throat with both hands and began to squeeze.

Obadiah thrashed violently, clawing at Tony's arms and throwing desperate punches, but it was futile. Tony's grip was unyielding. The veins in Stane's neck bulged as his face turned red, then purple, his eyes rolling back as his oxygen ran out.

For a moment, Tony loosened his grip, letting the man gasp for air. Obadiah wheezed, his chest heaving with relief. But the reprieve was short-lived.

With a sadistic grin, Tony slammed his hands against Stane's temples, his fingers digging into the older man's skull. Obadiah's screams filled the room, high-pitched and filled with agony.

Then Tony did the unthinkable. His fingers curled inward and gouged into Stane's eyes.

Pepper recoiled, her stomach churning at the sight. This wasn't the Tony she knew. The man who had once been the epitome of charm and humor. The billionaire genius who could light up a room with his smile. This man was a monster.

'This is not the Tony I knew.' Rhodes' words flashed in her mind for a moment.

With one final, gruesome twist, Stane's body went limp. Tony released him, letting the corpse slump to the floor like a discarded doll. Adjusting the black gloves on his hands, Tony turned to look out the shattered window.

"Now *this* is peaceful," he murmured to himself, though his tone was far from calm. He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto Pepper's. A playful, unsettling smile spread across his face. "But not for long."

"T-Tony?" Pepper stammered, her voice trembling as she took a shaky step backward.

Behind her, Happy groaned weakly, regaining consciousness. His eyes fluttered open, and for a brief moment, hope sparked in Pepper's chest. She wasn't alone anymore.

"Hey, man!" Tony called out cheerfully, waving at Happy as if they were old friends catching up.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Pepper's voice cracked, her fear escalating as she watched Tony grab Happy by the legs and drag him to the center of the room.

"I'm settling a few things with Hogan," Tony replied nonchalantly, as though discussing a mundane task.

Pepper's eyes darted around the room, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. Meanwhile, Tony picked up a jagged piece of wood from the remnants of the broken door. It resembled a crude stake, with one end sharp and splintered.

"Happy, this breaks my heart," Tony said with mock sorrow, holding the stake up for dramatic effect. "Because this is really gonna hurt."

"Wha—" Happy's response was cut short as Tony plunged the stake into his knee.

Happy screamed in agony, his voice echoing off the walls as he writhed on the floor. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the pristine floor red.

Tony pulled the stake out, letting Happy gasp for air, only to drive it into his other knee.

"Argh!" This time, Happy's scream was shorter, his strength fading as the pain overwhelmed him. He slumped against the ground, barely conscious.

"Tony, stop this!" Pepper snapped, her fear morphing into desperate anger.

Tony paused, tossing the bloodied stake aside. He stood up, blood splattered across his face, and turned to face her. His expression was a chilling mixture of amusement and indifference.

"Nope," he said simply, striding toward her.

Pepper tried to back away, but Tony grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her. Their faces were mere inches apart, his breath hot and steady, hers shaky and filled with panic.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Oh, nothing," Tony replied, his tone almost playful. "Not yet, anyway."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "The truth is, I'm doing this out of spite. I can't hurt the people who actually betrayed me, so… you'll do."

"I-I don't understand," she stammered, her voice breaking.

"You don't have to," he said with a smirk. "Because you won't live long enough for it to matter."

With that, he slammed her head against the ground, then threw her across the room. She hit the wall with a sickening thud, crumpling to the floor in a motionless heap.

"No! Pepper!" Happy shouted, his voice filled with rage and despair, though his body was too broken to move.

Tony ignored him. He stood up, brushing the dust off his suit. The faint glow of his arc reactor illuminated his face as he gazed out at the stormy skies beyond the shattered window.

"The only woman I ever loved," he muttered, his voice tinged with bitterness. "And the only friend I ever trusted."

Turning back to Happy, he knelt down to meet his eyes. Happy glared at him, his expression a mixture of fury and pain.

"I would have done anything for you two," Tony said softly, a sad smile curving his lips. "I would have died for you."

"Tony, please—"

*Bang!*

Happy's body slumped lifelessly to the floor, a thin trail of smoke curling from the barrel of Tony's pistol.

"And yet, the moment I choose to be myself…" Tony murmured, walking toward Pepper's unconscious form. "You turn against me."

He knelt beside her, pressing the warm barrel of the gun against her neck. The heat made her stir, her eyes fluttering open.

"Tony…" she rasped weakly.

*Bang!*

Pepper's body convulsed as blood poured from her neck. Tony stood, staring down at her as the light slowly faded from her eyes.

"It makes me sad, Pepper," he said quietly, watching her final moments with a hollow expression.

"The things you make me do."