Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

35.

Sue listened to his ramble as she dared to take steps to the elevator. The white tiles were cold as her bare feet lifted and landed against them. She was sure she was being equally as careful as she was when Bruce nearly ripped a part the SHIELD helicarrier. Every thud from her heel made her heart jump and her breaths were shaky. She made it around the edge of the sofa, being nearly inches from Aldrich who turned back to the table to look over her knickknacks.

'You and Pepper are such magnificent women,' he spoke again. 'Yet, you dedicate your lives to Tony Stark. Even Johnny Storm is in debt to the man who would use the love of his life as a human shield. I know that if my sister was the sidekick to someone as selfish as Tony, I'd keep her well away from him.'

The disgust in his voice made Sue clench her fists. It took every part of her strength to not form a forcefield inside Aldrich's chest and slowly expand it. His ribcage would widen, and his heart would be nothing but a pile of mush after the sphere broke free from his insides. It would be a satisfying end to the man who not only destroyed Tony's house, but to the man who took the company that Reed built for the sake of discovery and for good.

'But I guess-' Aldrich turned around and stared directly at Sue's invisible form. '-I'm not Iron Man.'

Sue let out a yelp as his fingers enclosed around her throat. Aldrich smirked at the sound and watched gloriously as The Invisible Woman appeared in his hold. Her gasps for air filled his ears and he closed his eyes to relish in the noise. Sue gripped Aldrich's wrist and tried to pull it away, but the heat from his skin was too hot to touch. Her fingertips were singed, and she caught a glow of an orange vein run through his cheek.

'You could be so good to me. You could advance Extremis to be something even more powerful' he opened his eyes and what usually would be white, was the same bright orange that coursed through his skin. 'But I can see that you're so devoted to Tony, that you're blinded by him.'

Sue forced whatever she could out of her. A rush of the invisible force with the signature blue sheen protruded off Sue and collided with Aldrich. The power threw him back and he crashed into the wall behind, knocking over the table that held the framed photo of Sue and Johnny. Sue took the time to cough and splutter, doubling over to hold her neck. Her throat felt raw and she was still weak from getting out of the hospital only nine hours prior. Her fingertips stung from whatever coarsed through Aldrich Killian, and the man himself created a hole in her wall.

'Where's Pepper? Where's Johnny?' Sue found herself asking. The two left three hours ago and it was only logical to think that Aldrich had dealt with them already.

Aldrich heaved out of the hole, making plaster and wood framing crumble to the floor. His veins glowed a bright orange as his shoulder, that was dislocated from the impact, fixed itself back into place. Sue's eyes widened at the way Aldrich's body healed before her, the culprit being the orange blood that glowed beneath his skin. He rolled his shoulders back and let out a sigh, looking at Sue with a disappointed look.

'Pepper is safe. I'm making her better. She'll be so powerful that she'll never need someone like you or Tony to save-'

Sue didn't let him finish. She thought she could stand and listen if Aldrich were to explain. If Pepper or Johnny were in trouble, she would need some leads in order to find them. But Aldrich's face was so confident and cocky, that she couldn't control herself. The words of making Pepper 'better' didn't sit right with Sue, and she gave into the chill that enased her hands.

Spheres of blue collided with Aldrich. He held up his arms and swatted at each blast, chunks of his flesh being taken out each time. The indents healed in between each force she threw and Sue knew there was no way she could win if the orange glow could heal all his wounds. Her confidence was faltering with each sphere, disk and spike, and Aldrich could tell.