Disclaimer: Iron Man is the property of Marvel and Disney

A/n: I want to give a big thank you to all of my reviewers you guys are what keeps me writing even when I think about giving up :)

Pain

Her whole body screams in agony. Her skin littered in an array of yellow, purple and black; angry welts and bleeding wounds fill in the spaces. Virtually blind, all she can now make out are vague shapes, as her vision swirls with inky black dots and her left eye has swollen shut. Her tongue swims in a pool of blood, while her chest heaves painfully with several broken and fractured ribs; left all but defenseless now, with hands and feet bound after trying to put up a fight.

"Give us the passwords!" the man snarls in her ear, wrenching her head forward by her hair. The ringing in her ears effectively drowns him out, but she knows what he says; it's all he's asked for, for the last hour.

"Go to hell," she rasps out, with as much strength as she can, fighting to stay conscious. He snarls something in response, releasing his grip on her hair as she teeters unsteadily, then smacks her across the face. The force of the blow sends her crumbling to the ground and for a moment she entertains the idea of passing out on the floor. It's all short-lived as he harshly yanks back to her feet by her arm, while she instinctively cries out when he dislocates her shoulder in the process.

"I've had—" he starts to shouts in her ear again, only to stop suddenly. Dazed and confused Pepper spares a glance at her captor over her shoulder, unable to process how an arrow has neatly planted itself in the man's eye socket. Gasping in pain, he sways slightly, pulling her along with him, as really he's the only thing keeping her upright. In her delirious state of mind she doesn't really register another arrow as it darts past her shoulder, driving into the man's heart. He gurgles choking on his own blood before dropping to the ground, pulling her battered body with him as she collapses in a heap of bruises, blood and broken bones.

She's finally able to pull the pieces together when chaos erupts, while the men scramble to protect themselves from those who call The Avengers Tower home. Fighting to stay cautious for a few minutes more, darkness creeps in against her will, pulling her under just as she catches sight of red and gold.

A/N: So I'll probably continue…Review!