Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

38.

Johnny planted his feet on the floor and jumped into the air, pulling the Extremis-riddled man up with him. Aldrich yelled in fury as he tried to keep hold of Johnny's arm, but his own weight was too much. He let go and fell to a suspended path below, leaving Johnny to head back to Pepper.

Aldrich landed in a crouch on the catwalk and looked up to see Tony waiting for him. He stood in his suit with his mask up and Aldrich straightened from his crouch with a sickly smirk on his face. The hologram of Pepper screaming and crying from the effects of the Extremis was burnt into Tony's mind, and the man responsible dared to smirk at him. The Extremis swirled under Killian's skin, his teeth glowing when he opened his mouth to speak.

'You know, you don't deserve Pepper,' Aldrich teased. 'You push her aside and let the flaming turd try and save her.'

'Flaming turd's good. I like that,' Tony's mask closed, and he raised his repulsors. Aldrich took this as a showdown and ran forward, leaping into the air to dodge the repulsors' shots. Tony looked up and put his arms up to block his attack, only to have the force throw off his balance.

While the two fought, Rhodey made it up to President Ellis. He cut one of the restraints and swung the both of them to a container where they landed safely. The president was spluttering in panic from the situation, and Rhodey tried to joke that he looked good in the Iron Patriot suit. But he would need to help with the battle, so he would need the suit back.

Sue jumped down from a container and went to leap onto another to help Johnny, when a woman dropped into her path. Extremis swam under her eyes, making them glow, and her abdomen's muscles radiated a bright amber. Her shoulders were broad, and her fists clenched, alerting Sue that it would be a combat fight. Unfortunately, that wasn't her strong point.

The woman launched into a sprint at her and Sue flickered into invisibility. She stepped to the side as the woman landed and went to run to the edge of the container, but her footsteps thudded against the metal. The woman whipped around and tackled where she heard Sue, the two tumbling down and rolling off the container.

Sue let out a grunt as her back dented the container below. The Extremis woman was quick to stand up from the fall and stood over Sue, her fist orange and heated. Sue's eyes widened as it impended for her face and she sent a surge of invisible force towards her. The woman was winded onto her back and the metal made a creak from her fall.

'Good evening, ma'am,' JARVIS's voice came from Sue's right. A suit in complete silver tackled the Extremis woman before she could attack once more. The suit took her aggravated punches and kicks, before throwing her into the ocean.

'Thanks, JARVIS!' Sue called out, the suit flying past to intercept another fight.

Sue continued her pursuit. She looked above her and saw Johnny reaching out for Pepper, who hung off a metal beam that was suspended in the air. Below them were roaring flames that were ignited by the oil tanker President Ellis was originally suspended over. Johnny reached from the catwalk, his torso hanging off the edge. He couldn't risk burning Pepper by pulling her from the beam while in flight. He had to try the normal way, but it was proving to be difficult.

'I got you, Pep! I can't reach any further and you can't stay there!' Johnny cried, his arm in pain as he forced it to stretch beyond its length. 'You have to let go and I'll catch you!'

'Are you crazy?!' she gasped. Her fingers brushed against his before the beam underneath her gave way.

'No!'

Pepper fell towards the fires and Johnny slipped off the catwalk. He free fell without his inferno and wrapped his arms around her. She cried as he caught her, clinging to him as the two drew closer to the oil tanker's inferno. Johnny turned them both around so that he would face the flames. Without thinking, he centralised his heat to his back as they were engulfed.