Infinity

Chapter 63

Tony's POV

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The loud alarm slowly wakes me up. "Sir!" Jarvis is shouting at me to. Gosh can't a guy sleep in peace.

"All right, kill the alarm. I got it." I open my eyes and get disoriented. I'm not in bed like I thought. I'm in one of my suits.

"That's the emergency alert triggered by the power dropping below 5%." Jarvis in forms me.

"Oh." I sigh before comprehending what he just said and remembering everything that just happened with the attack. I suddenly realize that I am currently falling from the sky with the ground approaching fast. "AHHHH!" I shout out as I crash into the ground, ramming into several what I think are trees before landing hard face first in the snow.

I turn over on my back and try and catch my breath. That is no way to wake up. I rip off the face mask and try to get my bearings. "It's snowing, right? Where are we, upstate?" It's the only place I can think of since I'm obviously not in Malibu anymore.

"We are five miles outside of Rose Hill, Tennessee." Jarvis states.

"Why? Jarvis. Not my idea. This is thousands of miles away! I gotta get to Marlie. I gotta..." I'm very frustrated and worried right now and Jarvis is being the opposite of helpful right now. Right now I need to make sure Marlie's okay and then deal with the Mandarin. I don't even know if Marlie is okay. I know she got out, but that's it.

"I prepared a flight plan. This was the location." Jarvis states, unfazed by my out burst.

"Who asked you?" I say sarcastically. "Open the suit."

"I... I think I may be malfunctioning, sir." Jarvis starts to break up.

"Open it, J." I tell him again and the suit opens up for me. I sit up and suddenly feel the full effects of the cold winter air. "Ah, that's brisk." I rub my hands together creating friction and blow into them. I grab some snow and use it to clean the still raw injection points of my left arm. "Maybe I'll just cozy back up for a..." I go to lay back down in the suit, but Jarvis begins to shut down.

"I actually think I need to sleep now, sir." Jarvis says before completely shutting down.

"Jarvis." I try but I don't get any response. "Jarvis?" I try again and still don't get any response. The realization that I'm completely alone sets in and I realize it has been a long time since I've felt this alone. "Don't leave me, buddy."

I sit there for a minute trying to figure out my options. First things first. I need to get to civilization. Jarvis said I'm five miles from Rose Hill. That's a do able walking distance. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to contact Marlie. Oh god! She probably thinks I'm dead right now. I'm gonna have a lot to make up for once I see her again.

I'm also gonna have to find a way to fix my suit. Right now it is my only available until the rubble is cleared at the house. I get up from the ground and look around. I need to figure out a way to move my suit. After some searching I find an old frozen rope, that will do the trick. I wrap it under the arms of my suit and put it over my shoulders, so I can drag it behind me. I then begin the long walk towards the town of Rose Hill.

Marlie's POV

It's been hours and there is still no sign of Tony. A part of me is still holding out hope that he is alive. That he made it out, but the odds aren't great. He wouldn't just leave me behind like that, unless he had a good reason and right now I can't come up with any.

After the helicopters left the emergency responders arrived. I didn't even realize they were there until after Pepper showed up. Apparently, the paramedics were trying to get me away from the edge so they could assess my injuries. They tried for about twenty minutes before Pepper showed up and was able to bring me out of my stupor.

Considering everything that just happened, I came out almost unscathed. It's all thank to Tony. If he hadn't sent that suit to me, who knows how injured I could be, instead I came out with just a small head laceration, which the paramedics were able to fix at the scene.

I'm now just standing alone in the rubble of my life. Pepper is handling the press and Blake is working his shift at the hospital. I walk over to where the entrance for our living room used to be. Now it is just a pile of rubble, while the rest is at the bottom of the Ocean. I kick a small piece of concrete and hear it land on something metallic. I go over and see one of the iron man helmets.

A choked sob escapes my lips as I pick it up and rest my forehead against it. A few tears spill over as I'm reminded of Tony. A flashing light inside the helmet eventually catches my eye. It's strange because that light only flashes, when there is an alert or recorded message.

Curious I place the helmet on my head and a female synthesized voice comes through. "Stark secure server retinal scan verified."

I don't even have time to think of how Tony managed to add my retinal scan into the system, because his voice is suddenly playing through the helmet. "Marlie, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So... First off, I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid, and it won't happen again. Also, it's Christmastime and you definitely won the worst gift. Thank you. And sorry in advance because I can't come home yet. I need to find this guy. You gotta stay safe, that's all I know. I know you want to try help, but please be careful. I can't loose you. I just stole a poncho from a wooden Indian."

Throughout Tony's long monologue the sense of relief has completely flooded my system. Knowing that Tony is okay and fighting has allowed my brain to do the same. I know he asked me to stay out of this whole Mandarin thing, but I can't. He has targeted me just as much as Tony and I need to help stop this guy. The question is how. I look around and spot Maya sitting by an ambulance wrapped in a blanket and decide to start my investigation with her.