Miranda leaned her hip on one of Tony's work benches as she watched him make adjustments to his suit. She folded her arms over her chest as she watched him at work. He was so focused that she could have sworn he forgot that she was there. At length she broke the silence, "I think it's time we finish that conversation we started last night."

"Which one?" Tony asked. "We have so many riveting conversations. I can't keep track of them all."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb. I'm talking about the conversation we started at the benefit."

"Is now really the time for this?"

"I just think if we're going to work together that I should know what I'm up against. The people who took you, the Ten Rings, are they in bed with Stane?"

"He sold them my weapons. God only knows how long this has been going on."

"Do you think he had anything to do with your captivity? Maybe it was a setup."

"The thought crossed my mind, but I don't want to believe it. For what reason would he hand me over to the Ten Rings just to make them weapons?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "Whatever the reason, his plan failed, you didn't make the weapons. Instead you fashioned a means of escape."

"You're really putting all the pieces together, Sherlock."

She ignored his sarcastic tone. "Though, it's hard to imagine you building that suit all by yourself in the span of just three months."

Tony stopped what he was doing, his whole body stiffened. He was silent for a moment before he finally spoke up. "I had help actually."

Miranda stood up straight at this. "Really? Who?"

Tony sighed. He knew there would have come a point in which he had to talk about it. If not to the people closest to him then to a shrink. Then he reconsidered that thought. He would never go to a shrink. "His name was Yinsen. He was a captive like me."

"Did he escape with you?"

"No, actually, he died. He was the only friend I had in that God forsaken place, and I couldn't save him."

Miranda's hands fell to her sides as she solemnly shook her head. "I'm so sorry."

Tony stood from where he knelt in front of the armor. He kept his back to her, though. He didn't dare look her in the eye, not yet. "He said something to me that really stuck. He said that I have everything and nothing."

Miranda understood the meaning. "Well, Pepper's out there risking her ass. I'd say that counts for something."

He looked at her then. "Yeah, that counts." He looked back at his suit and appraised his work. "Now you understand why I have to make things right."

"I understand more than you know."

He detected something in her voice that he couldn't quite place. Sadness perhaps. It led him to believe that she knew more than she was letting on. He turned back to her, a look of curiosity etched onto his face. "Do tell."

Her mouth opened, but she couldn't find the words. She promised him that once he told her everything, she would tell her own story, but now that the time had come, she didn't know what to say. She felt her stomach tie up in knots. When she finally found her voice, it died off just as quickly. "I…"

Tony waited patiently. He looked at her, not with a scrutinizing gaze, but with an inquisitive one. When it became clear that she wasn't going to say anything any time soon he took mercy on her. "Tell you what, go upstairs and pour yourself some liquid courage. I'll meet you up there and we can finish this conversation."

All she could do was nod. Her heart started beating faster as she made her way up the stairs. She uncapped a bottle of whiskey once she found herself at Tony's bar, but stopped short of pouring. She put the glass bottle back and placed both hands on the edge of the counter. Hanging her head, she said just above a whisper, "God, what am I doing?" Then, all at once, her body stopped responding to her. At first her muscles stiffened, and then she went limp. Her arms gave out underneath her, and she hit her head on the countertop on her way down. She wanted to cry out in pain, but her lungs wouldn't allow her to make a sound. The only sound she was acutely aware of was a high pitch frequency ringing in her ear.

She heard him before she saw him. "I was wondering the same thing." Her face was turned to one side. From her peripheral she could make out a vague silhouette of a person. Even if she hadn't recognized him, she heard that voice enough by now to know who it was. Obadiah Stane knelt down and looked her in the eye. He held a finger up to his lips as if he were hushing her to sleep. Then he stood back up and lurked in the shadows, waiting for Tony.

She wanted to scream, to warn Tony in some way, but her body wouldn't cooperate. All she could do was lay limp on the cold, hard floor and wait. A moment later the phone started to ring. Tony must have heard it, because he came up out of his workshop to investigate. She watched in horror as he picked up the phone and sat down on the couch. He held the phone up to his ear, but before he was able to speak Obadiah crept out of the shadows and held some strange device up to Tony's ear. She watched as Tony went limp. Obadiah took the phone out of Tony's hand and hung it up. Obadiah was speaking now, but she couldn't make out the words. Her ears were ringing, whether due to the device used on her or the hit to the head, she wasn't sure. She tried to focus her eyes, but she wasn't sure what she was seeing. Obadiah had his back to her, obstructing her view of Tony. Then she thought she saw a faint glow. Obadiah sat beside Tony, and what she saw in his hand was the Arc Reactor he had taken from Tony's chest.

He put the Arc Reactor into a briefcase then stood up. And when he next spoke, he said loudly so she could hear, "And as for your friend, I can't allow any witnesses." He stepped over to her with long strides took the hand gun out of her holster. He looked back at Tony to make sure that he was watching and fired two shots into her back.

Tony watched in horror as Obadiah strode over to Miranda's side. He hadn't noticed her there when he came in. If he had been more perceptive, he could have done something to help her. No, he thought, this would have happened regardless. All he could do now was watch helplessly as Obadiah removed the gun from her holster and fired two shots into her back. He couldn't see her face from where he was sitting, but he was able to make out her body as it jerked. The bullets penetrated right between her shoulder blades, no doubt puncturing her lungs. She only had mere minutes until she drowned in her own blood. His eyes roamed upward to meet Obadiah's. He put the gun in the waistband of his slacks then said, "It was nice knowing you, Tony." And with that, he left, taking his arc reactor as a souvenir.

He was all alone now, and he had little time left before the shrapnel in his blood reached his heart. He took deep breaths, preparing himself for what would come next. It took a few minutes until he regained any kind of feeling in his limbs. He was painfully aware of the passage of time as he forced himself to his feet. He hobbled past the spot where Miranda lay dying. He didn't dare look at her. He wished he had the time to go to her and comfort her, but he only had so much time left before he lost his own life. All he could do was struggle forward and swallow the guilt of yet another soldier dead because of him.

He made it to the elevator. He somehow managed to hold himself up as he repeatedly pushed the call button. Once inside he swore that the ride down took far longer than it usually did. Once the doors slid open, he flung open the door to his workshop. He tripped on his own unsteady feet and fell hard on the ground. He looked up, his eyes landing on his prototype reactor Pepper had saved for him. He knew his goal, now he just had to reach it. He dragged himself across the floor on his hands and knees. He was nearly there. He reached up towards the reactor. His hand touched the glass case, but he was too weak and couldn't hold himself up long enough to drag it down. His hand slipped off the edge of the table, and he fumbled back onto the ground. He stared up at the fluorescent lights and wondered to himself, not for the first time, if this was the end of him. Then as if by some miracle the reactor, glass case and all, was lowered down to his level. He looked up to find Dum-E with the reactor in its claws. "Good boy." He took the glass case and preceded to smash it into the ground.

Move. Move. Move. This was her mantra as she watched Tony get up and trudge over to the elevator. She couldn't fathom what he was doing as he walked past her. Move. Move. Move. "Move!" With as much strength as she could muster, she forced herself off the ground as if she were doing pushups. When her torso was high enough off the ground, she reached an arm up and grabbed the edge of the bar. She didn't know how she managed it, but she pulled herself up and back onto her feet. She stumbled over to the stairs, and before she could decide whether she was going up or down, her knees went out causing her to tumble down the stairs. She didn't have much time left. If she was going to look for Tony, the workshop would be a good place to start. She got back on her feet and stumbled through the open door. "Mr. Stark?!"

"Randy?" She turned in the direction of the voice. There Tony lay hunched against one of his workbenches, his old reactor in hand. He held it up for her. "Help."

She ran to him and snatched the reactor out of his hand. "I thought Pepper got rid of this," she gasped.

"That woman saves everything. Do you remember how to do it?"

"Yeah, I remember." She reinstalled Tony's old reactor and remembered the time when she had installed the newer model. She didn't flinch this time as she reached her hand in the socket to attach the wires. When the reactor was safe within his chest and the threat of death had subsided, the two took a moment to really look at each other.

It was silent for a moment as the two stopped to catch their breath, then Tony said, "I thought you were dead." She unbuttoned her jacket to reveal the Kevlar vest underneath. "Clever girl."

She reached her hands up and cupped his face, then immediately let go and put her hands on his shoulders. "I almost failed you."

"You didn't." He realized how lame he sounded, but he didn't know what else to say.

"I almost lost you." Her voiced cracked.

He shook his head. "You didn't."

"What now?" she asked.

He made and attempt to stand. Miranda helped him up. "I have to go after him. He knows about Pepper."

"He just tried to kill you," she reminded him.

He limped over to his suit. "Yeah, and it wasn't his first attempt. He put a hit on me. He made a deal with the Ten Rings."

She followed after him. "At least let me call for backup. Colonel Rhodes is going to want in on this."

"Okay but make it quick. We don't have much time."

She removed her phone from her pocket and flipped it open. She had the colonel's number on speed dial. He picked up after only one ring. "I've been trying to get a hold of you," he said upon answering the phone. "Where are you?"

"We're at the mansion. I need you here right now."

"I'm already on my way. Listen, tell Tony to stay inside. Don't answer the door for anyone. I just heard from Pepper that Obadiah put a hit out on him."

"We know, we just had a run in with him."

"Jesus Christ," Rhodey muttered. "What happened?"

"He took the Arc Reactor right out of his chest. Luckily, we had a backup."

"I'm pulling into the driveway now. Hang tight. I'm coming for you." The line went dead after that.

She pocketed her phone then turned back to Tony. "He's on his way."

"Has he heard from Pepper?"

"Yes, I'm assuming she's somewhere safe."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Tony?!" Rhodey's voice echoed from upstairs. A moment later he came rushing down the stairs. He went straight to Tony and put his hands on his shoulders. "Ridley told me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Where's Pepper?" Tony demanded.

"She's fine. She's with five agents, and they're about to arrest Obadiah."

"That's not going to be enough."

"What else did you have planned?"

"I'll show you. Jarvis, suit up."

Like earlier that morning arms came out of the ceiling and floor, but instead of disassembling the armor they built the armor around Tony's body. Miranda looked on as the colonel watched in awe at the display before him. She would never admit it to Tony, but she was impressed too. Once the armor was assembled Rhodey said, "That is the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Not bad, huh? Let's do it." Tony aimed his gauntlet at the car he not-so-gracefully landed on the night before and sent a pulse that pushed the vehicle out of the way. Then he stood under the hole in the ceiling and prepared for liftoff.

"You need me to do anything else?" Rhodey called after him.

Tony closed the helmet over his face and said, "Keep the skies clear." Then without another word he took off into the sky.

"Hey, wait!" Miranda called after him. She threw her hands up in frustration. "What am I supposed to do?" She looked back at her superior for her next orders only to find him staring longingly at another suit of armor Tony had been working on. "Really?"

Rhodey turned back to her. His face held the expression of someone who was caught doing something they weren't supposed to. "A guy can dream, can't he?" He grabbed a ring of keys off a rack and made for one of Tony's cars.

"Colonel, wait! My orders," Miranda called after him.

He turned and threw a set of car keys at her. "Take my car. Go to Stark Industries and retrieve Pepper."

"And what about Mr. Stark?"

"As of right now you're relieved of guard duty. Your job right now as a soldier is to protect any civilians caught in the crossfire."

She inhaled sharply. This was the moment she was waiting for. She saluted her colonel then without hesitation ran upstairs and out to the driveway where Rhodey's car sat parked. She hopped in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. Before speeding off immediately, however, she took a chance and opened the glove compartment. A hand gun came spilling out onto the floor. She snatched it up and stuffed it in her holster. Then, without another thought, she slammed her foot on the accelerator and took off.

She made it to the Stark Industries compound in one piece. How she managed it, she wasn't sure. She had forgotten how much she hated traffic in LA. She had to weave around car accidents, traffic jams, and when the traffic was moving she had sped in and out of traffic. At one point she reached a traffic jam, for what must have been a mile long. She took a chance by driving over the median and into oncoming traffic, weaving in between cars as the drivers inside blared their horns and just barely slammed on their breaks in time to avoid an accident.

When Miranda pulled into the compound she saw Pepper standing in front of the building her hand to her ear, no doubt talking on the phone. When the headlights of her car fell on Pepper's back, she turned around and held her hand up to her eyes to shield them from the light. Miranda put the car in park and got out, leaving the keys in the ignition for a quick getaway. "Pepper, it's me! Get in the car!"

But her voice was drowned out by the sound of rumbling. The ground shook under her feet. The pavement began to crumble and out of the ground came a metal giant. It had its back turned to her and had its sight on Pepper as it pulled itself out of the earth. "Where do you think you're going?" The voice belonged to Obadiah Stane.

Without hesitation she pulled out her gun and fired it at the monster's back. Her bullets ricocheted off the metal plating, barely even making a dent. He must have felt the shots against his back because he turned around to face her. Upon recognizing her he said, "You? I thought you were dead." She stood firm with her gun aimed at his chest and her finger on the trigger. "No matter," he continued. "You won't be coming back from this." He raised his fist in her direction, a giant Gatling gun attached to the suit's gauntlet.

She watched in horror, and she swore her life flashed before her eyes. If these are my final moments, she thought, then I'm not going down without a fight. Her eyes landed on the Arc Reactor in the chest plate. She recalled Tony saying something about it being used as an explosive. She didn't know precisely how to set it off, but she hoped a bullet would do the trick. She aimed her gun at the center of his chest and fired. She fired, hitting her mark, but all it did was crack the glass casing. Obadiah took it as no concern as the Gatling gun on his arm started to warm up.

She thought she was done for until a voice called overhead. A red streak blazed across the sky, and before she could make out the outline of Tony's suit, he rammed into Obadiah sending them toppling into the hole and down to the basement of the complex. She let out a large breath, then rushed to Pepper's side. Taking her hand, she tried pulling her to the car. "Come on. We have to go."

Pepper resisted, pulling her hand out of Miranda's grasp. "What about Tony?"

"He can take care of himself. Let's go." She tried to grab Pepper's hand again, but she stepped away.

"Your job is to protect him," she said defiantly.

"Right now my job is to protect the public, including you. There is so much more at stake right now than just one life."

Pepper shook her head. "I can't leave him."

They both heard an explosion, the likes of which could be seen blooming up behind the compound. Miranda didn't want to admit it, but she was worried about Tony too. Maybe this was how she came to her decision. Or maybe she was just moved by Pepper's loyalty. At length she said, "Fine, have it your way. But I want you to stay behind me at all times."

Pepper nodded at her resolutely, a look of determination burning in her eyes. Then out of the corner of her eye Miranda saw Tony take off into the sky. The two women turned and watched as Obadiah's ascended after him as the thrusters on his feet spewed hot fire. They both watched as the two figures climbed into the sky. Higher and higher they went, until suddenly one of them came falling back to earth. Then what they recognized as Tony's red suit came streaking down in jolts until he landed on the compound roof.

Suddenly Pepper's hand went up to her ear. "Tony?!" The distress in her voice was palpable. "Oh my God! Are you okay?!"

There was a pause, and Miranda assumed that Tony was speaking now. She was about to ask Pepper what he was saying until she saw Obadiah landing on the same roof Tony was perched on. "Look out!" she screamed into the air. They could hear a struggle on the roof, then flares were sent shooting into the air in every direction. Smoke billowed out over the edge of the roof into the night, then there was silence.

Pepper's hand went up to her ear again. "Tony!" A pause. "Well, how are you going to do that?" Another pause. Once Tony was done speaking, she grabbed Miranda by the hand and said, "Come with me." She dragged Miranda behind her and led her into the building.

"I thought I told you to stay behind me."

"There's no time for that." Pepper explained Tony's plan to her.

"He wants to blow the roof while he's still up there?"

"He said to wait until he's clear."

"And what if you're caught in the explosion? Did he ever stop to consider that?"

"I'm the only one here who knows how to overload the reactor."

Pepper set to work pulling levers and flipping switches. Meanwhile the fight could be heard just overhead. Miranda heard something hard hit the glass roof up above. She looked up to find Tony sprawled out on the skylight. "Shit," she said under her breath.

Pepper finished making preparations and flipped up the glass casing to reveal the button that would ignite the blast. "I'm ready, Tony! Get off the roof!"

The two women looked up and watched in horror as Tony stood, taking a barrage of bullets. The glass ceiling fell out under his feet. He caught the metal frame and was then dangling just above the reactor now. Miranda's hand shot out and grabbed Pepper's shoulder. "Go!"

"I can't," cried Pepper.

"There's no other way. I'll do it, so you don't have to. You shouldn't have to live with the guilt that I do."

"Miranda, please," begged Pepper.

"Go!" Tears welled in her eyes, and at that moment Pepper thought they had a pleading look to them. "This is the only thing I know how to do. Just let me have this." Pepper hesitated for a moment. Then with a nod of her head she took off.

"Pepper!" Miranda looked up at the sound of Tony's voice.

"It's just you and me now!" she called up to him.

"Where is she?" he yelled back.

"She's outside the blast radius."

Tony looked down, and their eyes met for a split second. "Do it!"

Her heart rate accelerated, and her breathing came in quick shallow gasps. A single tear slid down her cheek. She screamed, as if the sound of her own voice was enough to call upon her courage. Then with as little apprehension as she could muster, she slammed her fist down on the glowing red button. She managed to tear her eyes off Tony long enough to turn and run. She reached Pepper outside and pushed her to the ground, covering her body with her own. She didn't look back at the explosion but judging by the bright blue light that washed over them, she guessed it to be unlike any she'd ever seen.

Once the light dimmed there was a moment where everything got quiet. Miranda looked over her shoulder, and what she originally expected to happen, happened. A cloud of fire and smoke burst into the air. Glass and debris scattered across the concrete as the remaining facade of the building went up in flames. Miranda stayed like that for a moment stunned until at last the smoke dispersed and the noise died down into the soft roaring of flames. She was brought back to reality by the feeling of a hand on her back.

"Tony!" Pepper was screaming from beneath her. Miranda got off her and helped her up. "You have to find him," she begged.

Miranda nodded resolutely. "I will. You stay here and call for help."

Miranda knew the likelihood of Tony surviving were slim. Despite this she found herself hoping to find him alive as she ran up flights of metal steps up to the roof. Once she got to the roof, she was hit with the pungent smell of smoke. She also smelled something that might have resembled burning flesh, which wasn't a good sign. In the distance she could make out what looked like blackened metal with bits of red and gold peeking through. "Tony!" She rushed to his side and dropped to her knees. She put two fingers up to his neck. "We've got a pulse," she noted. She leaned down over his face and listened. She could make out the sound of him breathing but just barely. Her hands began working at his chest plate, but she couldn't figure out how to remove it. "Damn it," she cursed. "How am I supposed to perform CPR with this stupid suit in the way?"

"Oh, is that why you want to take the suit off?" Tony said in a raspy voice. "It couldn't possibly be because you want to ravish my body." She looked up to find his eyes half open, watching her.

"Asshole, I'm trying to save your life here." Her voice sounded angry, but the smile on her face betrayed her.

"Is that why you're crying?"

Her face fell. She felt warmth rise to her cheeks as she furiously wiped her tears away. "I'm not crying," she insisted.

"I didn't know this job meant so much to you," he said sarcastically.

Miranda scoffed as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "Of course you did. That's why you make my life so difficult."

"What are you doing?"

Miranda dialed a number and put the phone up to her ear. "I'm calling the Colonel. We need to make an extraction."

"An extraction of what?"

"You from this place. Once the word gets out about your involvement here everyone is going to go nuts."

"Define everyone."

"The government, the public, everyone."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "You're crazy."

The colonel answered the phone, and before she could give him her report Tony took one of her hands in his. His hand was free of its gauntlet, and she took note of the warmth of his skin. "You did good today." She wasn't used to receiving his praise, so she didn't know how to respond. All she could manage was a nod of her head.