Chapter 54:
"What is all this stuff on the floor?" Tony exclaimed, shocked and scared. Pepper held him back so he wouldn't fall out of bed.
"Those are your organs," Mark replied casually, completely unfazed. He had cut them out himself, so he wasn't scared of them.
"I can't even tell if I'm alive or dead anymore..." Tony felt deeply disturbed. Memories of Mark's surgery were flooding back, making him sweat and struggle to breathe. "Am I... in hell?"
"I'm here, Tony," Pepper reassured him, holding his face. "You're not dead. They saved you, even though it was scary. You're still alive."
"That's right, Tony," Dr. Ho Yinsen added, coming closer. "Mark saved you again, and I got to see the... um, magic."
"I'm... still alive?" Tony started to calm down after their reassurances.
He remembered now. He had been testing an upgraded reactor and accidentally poisoned himself. After failed attempts to treat him, Mark showed up and used a huge blade to operate on him.
The surgery had been incredibly painful, like a trip to hell.
Even now, just thinking about it made Tony tremble. He was sweating and felt cold all over.
When he saw the pile of organs on the floor, Tony tried to push the memory away. But his brilliant mind couldn't stop thinking about it, making him even more terrified.
Lost in thought, Tony looked at Mark.
Mark was looking back at him with a smile.
"How do you feel, Tony?" Mark asked with a grin. "Will you dare to try being a 'Palladium Man' again?"
"Why do you always say such weird things..." Tony weakly replied. "Okay, I admit I don't want to go through that again..."
"Tony, you have to get rid of that reactor," Pepper said firmly. She looked into his eyes. "This is not up for discussion. You need to be Tony Stark first, not just Iron Man. Do you understand?"
"I understand what you mean, Pepper," Stark replied, feeling conflicted. "But the palladium poisoning has nothing to do with the reactor. After eating that golden apple, I won't be poisoned anymore. My body gets rid of heavy metals much faster than normal..."
"Then how do you explain what happened this time?" Pepper looked at him, helpless but caring. "Your bones were practically glowing with palladium..."
"Maybe this time the power was too high," Stark explained. "It was an accident during the experiment. The chip controlling the coil had a flaw. When I tested the power, it burst out and almost vaporized the palladium ring. Do you understand?"
"Tony, can you guarantee that nothing will go wrong next time?" Pepper stared at him, disappointment in her eyes.
"Or are you willing to risk your life instead of giving up your iron suit?"
"My suit is made of titanium alloy, not iron," Stark replied, getting annoyed.
"Fine, I get it," Pepper's expression hardened, and she laughed sadly. She got up from the bed. "It seems all you need, Iron Man, is your reactor and attention. Nothing else."
"Pepper..." Tony realized how serious the situation was, but before he could say anything, Pepper left.
"Tony, you shouldn't talk to Miss Potts like that," Agent Coulson said, feeling helpless. "Do you know how worried she is about you? She even thought about giving you her own organs. You shouldn't speak to her that way."
"It seems our playboy doesn't handle emotions well," Nick Fury commented.
"I have a girlfriend on Earth too, and I know sometimes we have to be firm and persistent," Thor said, joining the conversation. "But hurting a woman is not what a man should do. We should consider the bigger picture..."
"Oh, Earth is really interesting," Tony, now provoked, replied. "Even the gods of Asgard fall for Earth girls. Are you planning to get married under the World Tree? Will Odin officiate?"
"Well..." Thor was surprised by Tony's response and hesitated.
Thor had a short temper too, so he didn't appreciate the comment. But before he could reply, Mark stepped in and put a hand on Thor's shoulder.
"Mark, your friend isn't very friendly," Thor said to Mark, suggesting, "He's just like I used to be. Maybe he should face a trial too. What if we send him to Jotunheim, where he can't tinker with his suit? What do you think?"
"...That's a dangerous idea," Mark frowned, not expecting even Thor to stoop so low.
"Jotunheim? Sounds interesting," Tony, unaware of the seriousness, continued joking. "But if I'm going there, I'll need more clothes and better cold resistance in my suit..."
"Yes, your suit's cold resistance needs improvement," Mark smoothly took over, seeing that Tony was persistent. "Otherwise, you might freeze your arms and legs off in Jotunheim, and I'll have to amputate them."
""
Tony
finally shut up when he heard this.