Winter came exceptionally early to Tennessee this year; it was only early December, but after a heavy snowfall, a thick layer of ice had already formed on the lake.
Cold, trembling.
Tony had a long nightmare, in which he seemed to return to the Afghan wilderness where he was first attacked.
This time, he couldn't dodge the terrorists' Jericho missile and was blown into a pile of minced meat.
Then came the terrorists' sinister laughter.
… …
"No…"
Tony woke up from the nightmare, sat up abruptly, and felt all over his body.
He found that he was perfectly intact and still wearing the latest generation of his Iron Man suit.
Everything just now was merely a dream.
"What in the world is going on?"
Tony, with a confused mind, sat on the ice for a long time before he finally remembered.
Earlier, some inexplicable woman had shown up at his private villa on Malibu Beach, claiming they had a one-night stand thirteen years ago.
Having been with many women, Tony couldn't clearly recall an affair from thirteen years ago, so he just considered her a gold-digger looking for benefits.
Just as he was about to use money to resolve the entanglement, Pepper arrived after hearing the news.
After once again realizing the depravity of Tony's relationships, Pepper finally lost her patience and had a big argument with Tony.
It was also then that Tony's private villa was attacked by international terrorists, and several Jericho missiles breached the villa's defenses.
Of course, it was also thanks to Tony having set up a defense system outside the villa in advance, which allowed him enough time to put on his Iron Man suit when the attack came.
He rescued Pepper from the explosion.
After that, he also fell unconscious due to severe injuries, and his last memory was falling into the cold sea water.
"It seems Jarvis saved me…"
Tony quickly realized, after a moment's thought, that he hadn't drowned in the sea after losing consciousness; Jarvis must have taken over the suit and pulled him out of the water.
"Jarvis, activate the suit. It's not time to rest yet."
[Suit energy is low, unable to activate. Please recharge promptly…]
"Damn it, then help me contact Pepper. I don't know how she's doing."
As the suit's communication system was activated, Tony saw a haggard Pepper on the virtual screen of his faceplate.
Her cheeks had some scrapes, and she looked shaken, but overall, she was not seriously hurt.
"Tony, are you alright? Where are you now? …"
As soon as the suit's communication system connected, Pepper's series of concerned voices came through.
"Miss Pepper, it seems you've forgiven me. So, what have you considered about my previous confession?"
Seeing Pepper's concerned look, Tony couldn't help but flirt again.
Yes, to appease Pepper's suspicions, Tony had chosen to confess to her.
And after everything that had happened, Tony also realized he couldn't quite do without his Miss Secretary.
This was an extremely rare occurrence for a playboy.
"What time is it, and you're still in the mood for jokes? There are many things at Stark Industries waiting for you to come back and handle…" Although Pepper was complaining, her tone was unexpectedly gentle, and she then said, "We need you!"
"Does that include you?"
"Yes, yes, it includes me too. Never mind all that for now, where are you? I'll send people to pick you up immediately…"
Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise.
A disaster, unexpectedly, led to Tony and Pepper reaching a reconciliation.
"Where am I now? Let me see…"
After some flirting, Tony, in a good mood, looked around.
He then realized that he was sitting on the ice of a lake, surrounded by vast white snow.
Further in the distance, through the mist and twilight, a few scattered lights twinkled.
He could faintly hear the sound of dogs barking…
What a pastoral scene.
However, none of that was the point; the point was that without landmarks, Tony had no idea where he was at the moment.
"Let me think, where would the strait flow through…" Fortunately, Tony still had a brilliant mind, and after some thought, he said, "I'm most likely in a small town outside the suburbs of Virginia or Tennessee… For the exact location, I might need to ask a local…"
"Hello, can you hear me???"
"Damn it!!!"
Tony, who was still communicating his location, suddenly realized that the suit's communication system had shut down at some point due to lack of energy.
Which meant his previous words might not have been conveyed.
This terrible discovery couldn't help but make Tony's mood turn irritable.
Then, the cold and hunger set in, making him realize the predicament he was currently facing.
Besides finding a way to get back to New York, the most important thing to consider was to find a place to warm up, and ideally, find something to eat.
Otherwise, in this cold weather, he might not last through the night.
"I hope my luck isn't too bad—"
Tony, having regrouped, dragged his powerless Iron Man suit through the cold night wind, painstakingly walking step by step towards the nearby town.
… …
"Miss Pepper, what did Mr. Stark say? Do you know where he is now?" Matt the lawyer asked Pepper, who had been silent after hanging up the phone.
In the half-day since Tony suffered the terrorist attack, the street heroes he sponsored had gone to Malibu upon hearing the news to do some cleanup work for him.
At least they escorted the distraught secretary from Malibu back to the safe Stark Tower.
Afterward, the resourceful street heroes, using the weapons employed by the terrorists, tracked down the mastermind behind the attack—the Ten Rings gang.
An underground gang hidden throughout New York.
Now, with the exception of Daredevil and Spider-Man guarding Pepper, all the other street heroes had taken advantage of the night to go after the Ten Rings gang.
It was their way of avenging their patron.
It must be said that Tony's previous generous sponsorship was finally paying off.
"Tony is fine, but he seems to have run into trouble. The call was cut off just now, and I'm not entirely sure of the specific situation…" Facing the inquiry, Pepper snapped out of her daze, "Wait, I'll ask Jarvis."
"Jarvis, can you pinpoint Tony's last call location?"
[Searching for you. Mr. Stark's call location was in the vicinity of Scenic Lake in the eastern suburbs of Tennessee.]
"Matt the lawyer, Tony is in Tennessee. Can you help me bring him back?" Pepper said, "As long as you can find Tony, you can have whatever reward you want."
"Calm down, Miss Pepper. Leave Mr. Stark's matter to us. You need to rest now." Daredevil also heard the intelligent butler's reply.
However, it was already dark, and Tony's exact location had not yet been determined.
The only method Daredevil could think of was to wait until tomorrow morning, take the street heroes to Tennessee, and conduct a blanket search.
Hopefully, they would find Tony.
"Then I'll leave it to you—" Pepper, having experienced a terrorist attack and been on the run all day, was indeed very tired.
After placing her hopes in the street heroes, she walked towards the bedroom.
Beside her, the woman who had come to find Tony earlier also silently followed Pepper to the bedroom.
"Your relationship seems good. It's my first time seeing Tony care so much about a woman." Entering the room, with only the two of them left, Maya's face showed a hint of jealousy.
Maya Hansen, an excellent geneticist and botanist, had been attracted by Tony's extraordinary talent thirteen years ago.
She even gave herself to Tony, hoping to gain more of his attention.
But the result was not ideal.
Even after they had a relationship, she was still nothing in Tony's eyes.
Now seeing Tony so devoted to another woman, she naturally felt unwell.
"I know you're a fan of Tony, and I know Tony isn't the best person. Therefore, please allow me to apologize to you on his behalf," Pepper had already somewhat accepted Tony's imperfections, and with the tone of someone who had been through it, she advised Maya, "You're still young, and the future holds many possibilities. One day, you'll meet a partner who isn't so much of a playboy and who loves you…"
"Thank you for your guidance, I feel much better." Maya moved to Pepper's side, slowly took out a syringe, and said, "At the same time, I also want to say, I'm sorry."
As the anesthetic took effect, Pepper covered her neck in surprise, turned to look at Maya, "You, it was you all along…"
At that moment, Pepper completely understood.
Why the terrorists were able to accurately locate Tony in his private villa in Malibu.
"I forgot to tell you, I stopped caring about what happened thirteen years ago a long time ago." Maya watched Pepper slowly fall, smiling as she said, "Now, I only care about my research. And, making that man regret it."
The more she spoke, the more sinister Maya's smile became.
Clearly, she wasn't as nonchalant about what happened thirteen years ago as she claimed.
Women understand women.
In this silent war, Pepper, who had achieved the final victory, really wanted to laugh, but the anesthetic in her body made her vision go black, and she ultimately fell into a deep sleep.