3 Stages Of Development (February-March 1987)

Isabella was in the car with Phil. He was asking her some questions but he would be able to tell she was very distracted. She kept asking the driver to go faster. They finally reached Stark Labs and she was about to get out of the car when the car phone began to ring. She picked it up, thinking it must be Tony. When she realized it was James she became extremely worried.

“Is everything alright? Is Tony hurt?”

“I’m here with Tony...he’s in really bad shape, Obediah took his arc reactor. I just happened to bring his old one with me to talk to him about it when I found him. He’s insisting that he’s alright. I don’t know what your doing right now but be careful Isabella. Obediah is extremely dangerous,” James said.

Isabella’s eyes widened in fear when James told her what Obediah had done to Tony. Tony was only alive right then because James happened to come by with the old arc reactor.

“I’m at Stark Labs. I think Obediah is doing something in Section 16.”

“We’re coming just be careful Isabella,” James said then hung up the phone. Tony insisted that he would be well enough to get into the suit but James was skeptical. He helped him anyway but it took a few minutes for Tony to be able to focus. “Power at 43%’ Jarvis said. “Sir, this reactor core is not suitable for this armor, may I suggest a more powerful powersource?” He said but TOny told him that they’d have to make do with this one. Once he had his feet under him he took off into the air.

The labs here were huge and each Section had its own complete environment. Some were just for storage while others were various projects that Stark Industries were working on. Paul had several SHIELD agents with him and they drew out their pistols as they began to search for Obediah.

Obediah got into his suit and put it in stealth mode. He preferred to avoid a fight but he did need to kill Isabella so he wasn’t certain if it could be avoided. As Isabella searched with the agents she finally found the door to Section 16. When she tried her keycard though it wouldn't open. Coulson moved and placed a small explosive charge on the door lock. “Better move back,” He said and when they did the charge exploded and the door opened.

Inside it was very dark and their were chains that swung against one another as they hung down from the ceiling. The agents fanned out but so far they hadn’t seen anything much at all. But then she saw something just behind several chains. It was hard to make out because of how dark it was but whatever it was it certainly looked big. And then it came to life...

Isabella moved quickly, but cautiously through Stark Labs. She hadn't visited the labs yet and so she didn't quite know where she was going. Stark Labs was huge, but eventually she located Section 16. She tried using her key card several times to open the door, but each time she was denied entrance. Tony had given her unlimited access and so she knew Obediah had restricted her access to this area. Thankfully, Phil had a small explosive charge that he was able to use on the door to open it.

She took an extra gun from one of the agents and took the safety off and readied it to fire. She kept it pointed down at the ground as she looked around. At first, she didn't see anything. However, she noticed several chains hanging down from the ceiling. The odd thing was was that they were moving. Then, she spotted something large behind the chains. It was dark in the lab and therefore she couldn't easily see what it was...until it came to life. It was a suit, in many ways like Tony's, but black and very large. She knew Obediah was inside it. Isabella quickly took aim and fired several shots.

“Hah, hah, hah, Isabella you’re going to need something bigger than that to hurt me!” He said in a deep, mechanical voice. He moved and swung his massive arm and hit two agents hard and knocked them several meters away. He stomped on another and no matter how many times they shot him it didn’t do anything.

“I think it’s time you realized who really ran Stark industries!” Obediah said as he began to move toward her. As she ran he chased her and she barely made it out of the door before the large suit crashed into it and nearly caught her. The suit had massive hands and she knew he could have easily crushed her. When she finally made it outside she felt that maybe she was safe but then the ground began to rumble and she saw Obediah in the massive suit break through the concrete. Before long he was before her and he shifted and pointed a large machine gun at her. “Isabella Corsetti, your services are no longer required!” He said and in that moment Isabella knew she was going to die.

During her entire time working for the CIA she had never been as frightened as she was right then. She had nowhere to go and nothing to shield or protect herself with. That machine gun would kill her in a matter of seconds. She would never see her parents again. She would never see Luca again or attend his wedding. She would never see Tony again. She would never be able to hear him tell her that he loved her or see what their lives would truly be like together.

She wouldn't beg for mercy or cry. She refused. She wouldn't give Obediah the pleasure. She would face death head on. However, before Obediah could kill her, she heard a sound up in the sky coming towards them...

Tony pushed it as far as he could and he saw what was happening. Obediah was in a massive suit and he was about to gun Isabella down. He urged for more speed and as Obediah’s suit shifted to look up at him Tony in his suit rammed into him. The impact drew them up into the air and into and through a nearby warehouse that exploded. They rolled and ended up on the freeway and cars had to brake and back up to avoid running into them.

“You think I care about these people!? Caring for them is your weakness Tony,” He said as he picked up a car that had a family in it. He threw it but Tony caught it and set it down. Tony knew that he needed to get away from all these people and so he began to fly up. Obediah followed him. Up, and up and up they went but eventually Obediah’s suit had gained so much ice that it froze and he began to plummet back down to the ground. Tony flew over to the Lab. “Isabella I need you to go to the large arc reactor and set it to overload,’ He said. “I’ll tell you when to switch it on,” He said. He knew Obediah would come for him but he wasn’t going to flee or allow him to use his company to make weapons of death.

Isabella watched as Tony in his suit suddenly flew down and rammed into Obediah. Both of them went flying through a nearby warehouse which then exploded. All she could do was stand there and watch. She felt rather helpless and wanted to do more to help him. She watched as Tony flew straight up into the sky and Obediah followed him then, Obediah suddenly began to plummet back towards the earth. Isabella had an earpiece that connected her to Tony's suit and she heard his instructions. She quickly went back into the lab and went over to the large arc reactor. She began to flip switches to overload the reactor. She then put her hand on the switch to power it on and waited for Tony's signal.

"It's ready Tony."

Tony landed on the roof. He knew Obediah was coming but he had done alot of damage to his suit. Not enough apparently as Obediah landed with a crash not far from him. “After I kill you Tony I’m going to kill Isabella. Everything you have i’m going to take away from you,” he said and Tony attacked him. He jumped onto his back and began ripping out cables. “Oh this looks important,” he said and tore loose several cables. However Obediah got a hold of him and threw him off. He had Tony’s face guard in his hand. Obediah wanted Tony to see his face so he opened up his suit.

“I’m really liking the suit. You decided to stop making weapons and yet you made the best weapon of all,” he said as he crushed Tony’s mask like an egg. “And now I’m gunna kill you with it,” he said. Tony backed up as Jarvis told him he had 1% power left. Obediah fired a rocket and it exploded to the right of him and Tony half fell through the glass in the ceiling. Down below Isabella was showered with glass. Obediah fired another missile and it went left. “You’ve damaged my targeting computer. So I guess I’ll just have to pound you into dust,” he threatened and stepped toward Tony. “Push it!” Tony yelled as he hung from the skylight frame supports. Obediah moved toward him and Tony struggled to get purchase. “Do it, do it, do it!” He yelled and he flung himself up and rolled. The bloom of dispersion energy shot up into the sky from the reactor. Obediah got caught up in that blast of energy. Once it was done he wavered and then fell into the skylight. Isabella ran from the building as he crashed down into the reactor. The core exploded in a huge fireball that Tony narrowly escaped. He landed hard on the pavement and fell onto his back as his suit’s energy reserves died then all went black.

When he opened his eyes he saw Isabella knelt above him looking at him worriedly. “What, is my hair a mess?” He joked though he ached everywhere and he knew he was likely dirty and bleeding.

Isabella was visibly relieved when Tony opened his eyes. Seeing him on the pavement with his eyes closed she had though Obediah had killed him. She leaned down and kissed him and then rested her forehead against his for a moment as the sound of sirens began to head towards them. Tony didn't want to be there when the police and fire rescue arrived so they took a car and left the scene. Isabella wanted Tony to go to the hospital, but he insisted that he was alright so she took him back home. She tended to him herself. She lightly dabbed at some of his cuts to clean off the blood and clean the wounds.

"You really scared me tonight Tony," she admitted. "I thought you were dead and that thought terrified me. I...I didn't want to lose you."

Tony had managed to salvage the new Arc Reactor and Isabella helped put it in. Tony was looking at Isabella as if he was trying to figure out who and what she was. He was more than the woman he had met a couple years ago. More than a CIA agent, more than just someone he felt he could trust. He had lived his life not able to put trust into anyone except for Happy and Pepper. He had trusted Obediah with everything and he had betrayed him. Even now pangs of pain that he had tried to kill him fluttered through him. His father trusted Obediah and he trusted him...with everything.

He looked at Isabella and his eyes began to glaze as he held back unshed tears. The two father figures in his life had been disappointing to Tony. Terribly so in fact and he wished that he had known his mother. He had memories of her but they were hazy, distant memories. “I can trust you, can’t I isabella?” Tony asked. “If there’s anything you want...anything you need...just tell me what it is. I want you to be happy,” he said though she’d probably not like the reason he said it. If she had everything she needed or wanted, the less likely she’d be predisposed to betray him but then Obediah had gotten a taste of power and it corrupted him. And then he felt terrible for even thinking that. He had a good idea what Isabella was about when she gave up everything just to see that he was rescued and he hadn’t offered her a thing. That was the difference. Isabella was selfless, passionate and caring. Stubborn certainly, difficult sometimes but she was unique. Isabella was special and she was his and he knew it.

Isabella stopped what she was doing and looked at Tony. She lifted up his chin so he was looking into her eyes. He would know then that he could trust her...he could trust her more than anyone else in the world. She was always going to have his back.

“Tony, the only thing I need in this world to make me happy is you. You make me happier than I have ever been. I need you in my life. I love you...so much.”