TS IX

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Pepper frowned, confused. "His suit? What are you talking about? That thing looks nothing like the suits Tony had designed!" She pointed at the armor, which had transformed into something more monstrous and otherworldly, with sharp, glowing lines etched into it.

Dave gave her a half-smile. "It's still his armor, just... enhanced. It's now got some extra features you wouldn't find in any tech Tony's made before."

"You're lying! Tony's in pain, and you're sitting here like it's nothing!" Pepper shouted, the frustration and fear spilling out in her voice.

Dave sighed, shaking his head slightly. "The path to power isn't easy, Pepper. What's happening to him now is part of the process. Once it's done, he'll be better than ever. But this? This is necessary."

Pepper stared at Tony, her heart aching at the sight of him suffering. She didn't understand what was happening, but she couldn't just stand by. "If you've done anything to him—anything permanent—I swear…"

"Relax," Dave said, cutting her off. "Tony's tough. He'll come out of this stronger. You just have to wait"

Pepper's eyes flickered between Dave and Tony, struggling to process everything. She kept her gun trained on Dave, even though part of her knew it was a desperate move. She wanted to believe Tony would come out of this stronger, but watching him in pain made it difficult to stay calm.

Dave glanced at her, noticing her tension. "Good girl," he muttered under his breath, almost amused. For a brief moment, she reminded him of Diana, though Diana had her own quirks—more of a clumsy determination than Pepper's fierce resolve. The thought made him chuckle quietly.

"Holding up well, I see," Dave thought to himself as he looked at Tony. It had been over 15 minutes since the enhancement began, and Tony was still enduring the process, his grip on his sanity holding firm against the immense pain.

"Never knew he had it in him," Dave mused, impressed. This side of Tony was unexpected. The man might be a genius, but now he was proving to have a remarkable level of willpower, something Dave hadn't fully expected.

Breaking the silence, Dave looked at Pepper, who was still visibly tense. "My drink's empty," he said casually, glancing at the glass in his hand. "Got any more?"

Pepper's face twisted in disbelief and anger, her grip tightening on the gun. "Are you serious right now?" she snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Dave simply smiled, unbothered. "Hey, just passing the time. Tony's almost through. No need to get worked up."

Shatter!

As the sound of breaking glass echoed through the basement, a group of armed soldiers stormed in, catching Dave off guard. His eyes flicked to Pepper, who now wore a smug expression on her face, as if saying, "Now what are you going to do?"

Rhodes entered with his squad, guns trained on Dave. He stepped forward, addressing him with a cold and authoritative tone. "Mr. Garcia, I don't know if you understand, but Tony Stark is a highly valuable asset to the state. We have orders to neutralize any threat to him—including you. We will take you out if necessary."

Dave sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as frustration built up inside him. "For crying out loud, I haven't done anything to hurt him. Ask Jarvis," he said, gesturing towards the AI. "I can lie, sure—but the AI can't, right? It'll tell you if I did any harm."

His words were calm, but internally, Dave was teetering on the edge. He had the power to take them all out—he knew that much—but something held him back. He could feel the demonic energy simmering just beneath the surface, but he resisted the urge to unleash it. No need to escalate this any further.

Anyone could really misunderstood the situation here.

"Look, Rhodes," Dave continued, more composed, "Tony's in pain, yeah, but he's not in danger. He's undergoing an enhancement process—something that'll make him even stronger. I didn't force him into this, and if you'd bothered to check, you'd know I haven't laid a finger on him. Let him finish, and you'll see."

Rhodes frowned, glancing between Dave and Tony, who was still writhing in pain on the ground. "Tony, are you alright?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"You can just raise your hand to tell us you're okay," Rhodes added, trying to maintain authority despite the situation.

Tony, barely aware of his surroundings, raised his hand weakly but quickly dropped it again. Rhodes nodded, signaling his men to keep their weapons trained on Dave, even as he assessed Tony's state. "No, can I get a drink?" Dave asked Pepper, who rolled her eyes but eventually complied, heading off to grab a carton of drinks.

"Thanks," Dave said as he calmly took one and popped it open, taking a refreshing sip. He glanced at Tony, who was still struggling, and said "It will be ending soon"

After an excruciating 45 minutes, the process finally came to an end. Tony, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, leaned on the wall, his enhanced Mark II suit shimmering faintly with the demonic energy now fused within it.

Dave glanced at Tony, a hint of approval in his eyes. "Hm, over 45 minutes... you've got some good willpower," he said, nodding slightly.

Tony, still out of breath, glared at Dave. "You... bastard," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Why didn't you tell me... it would hurt this much?"

Dave shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I did mention the process wasn't easy. You wanted the power, right? Comes with a price," he said, tapping his Rebellion sword lightly against the ground. "But hey, now you've got something stronger. It'll hurt a bit more before you fully adapt, but that's just part of the package."

Tony shot him a look that could've melted steel. "You could've at least given me a heads-up... I've been through some painful stuff, but this... this was next level."

"Deconstruction and reconstruction, what did you expect out of it?" Dave shrugged as he looked at Tony, as if it wasn't his fault but his for not understanding the meaning.

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Don't forget to check out my new and original novel, while you wait for next chapter

'My Charity System Made me Too OP'

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