Chapter 336: Despair

[Sensing Tony's hostility, Maya stood up and walked toward him.]

[As she approached, she explained, "We've been through a lot, Tony! But I'm almost there! Extremis is practically stable now!"]

[Tony strained against his restraints and sighed helplessly. Hearing Maya's claim, he retorted angrily, "I saw it wasn't! I was on the street when people exploded! There was blood everywhere! Maya, you're deceiving yourself!"]

[Maya pulled out the business card Tony had given her years ago. "Then help me fix it!"]

[Tony examined the card closely. On the front was written: "Bern, 2000, you know who I am!" On the back was a complex formula Tony had scribbled for Maya that night.]

[It was precisely this formula that had allowed Maya to advance the Extremis virus to its current state, but she couldn't progress further without Tony's help.]

[Tony stared at the formula in surprise. "I wrote this?" He had no recollection of it.]

[Maya noted his expression and nodded. "Yes!"]

[Tony tilted his head thoughtfully. "I remember that night, but not the morning after. Have you been working on this all this time?"]

[Maya frowned, looking at him with disappointment. "You really don't remember?"]

[Tony rejected her plea without hesitation. "I can't help you! You used to have morals! You were an idealist who wanted to help people! Look at yourself now!"]

["The person I wake up next to every morning still has a soul!"]

[Maya regarded Tony with a perplexed expression. She remembered selling the Extremis virus to Killian to fund her research, but she'd been avoiding confronting the ethical implications of that decision.]

["Help me, Tony! Please!"]

[Maya swallowed hard and hesitated when she noticed Killian approaching. She turned away and stepped back.]

[Killian's voice echoed as he descended the stairs carrying a laptop. "You know what my father used to say? His favorite expression was: 'The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!'"]

[Tony looked at Killian with recognition. "Still upset about Switzerland?"]

[Killian spread his hands and approached. "How could I be angry with you, Tony? I'm here to thank you! You gave me the greatest gift anyone has ever given me—despair!"]

["Remember Switzerland? You said we'd meet on the roof. For the first twenty minutes, I actually believed you'd show up!"]

["For the next hour, I... I considered taking a shortcut to the lobby, if you understand my meaning."]

[Tony didn't react to Killian's implied suicide attempt. Instead, he quipped, "Honestly, I'm still wondering what happened to the first mouse."]

[Killian ignored Tony's deflection and continued, "But as I looked out at the city below, I realized something—no one could see me. No one was even looking. I was invisible."]

[The scene flashed back to that moment. Killian hobbled to the rooftop railing with his crutches, gazing down at the oblivious crowd below and the celebratory fireworks illuminating the night sky.]

"It must have been devastating to be stood up like that," the first-generation Spider-Man observed. "Alone on a freezing rooftop on New Year's Eve, watching everyone below celebrating the new millennium while being completely forgotten. No wonder he harbors such hatred for Tony Stark."

Uncle Ben nodded thoughtfully. "Killian dedicated himself to never being overlooked again. That's why he threatened the president and orchestrated everything from behind the scenes—to make everyone fear him. The unknown is always the most terrifying."

"The Extremis virus does have incredible potential if it could be stabilized," the first-generation Spider-Man mused, thinking of Dr. Connors' missing arm. He hoped that someday the technology might allow his mentor to regenerate his lost limb.

Although he wasn't as fixated on this possibility as the second-generation Connors, he understood the desire to be whole again. Who would choose to remain disabled if given the option?

Dr. Connors had helped him tremendously, sharing knowledge unavailable in textbooks and assisting with his spider-suit research. Spider-Man genuinely wanted to repay that kindness someday.

[Back in the present, Killian pointed at Tony dramatically.]

["That night gave me the idea that guided me for years afterward! To remain anonymous! Thanks to you, Tony, I discovered my greatest weapon!"]

[Tony raised his eyebrows skeptically.]

["You see, the real power lies in working from the shadows! When you give evil a face—Bin Laden, Gaddafi, the Mandarin—you give people a target!"]

[Tony turned his head away, remarking coolly, "You've certainly come a long way from the man you were."]

[Killian returned to the table and prepared to open his laptop when he suddenly asked, "I assume you've met my actor?"]

["Yeah, your theatrical majesty," Tony said sarcastically.]

["I know his performance gets a bit... theatrical sometimes, but that's not my fault! He's a stage actor!" Killian explained to Maya with a shrug.]

["They say his King Lear was the toast of Croydon! Who cares? The point is, ever since that big guy with the hammer fell from the sky, subtlety has gone out of style!"]

[Tony recognized the reference to Thor and asked calmly, "What's your endgame here?"]

["Simple—I want to repay you in kind for what you so generously gave me all those years ago." He opened his palm and tossed three small spherical projectors onto the floor.]

[Pressing a remote, Killian activated a holographic image of Pepper strapped to a medical bed. Her body glowed with the same orange-red energy that emanated from Killian and his soldiers, clearly showing she had been injected with the Extremis virus.]

["Despair! This is happening live. I'm not sure if you fully grasp the situation, but her body is currently deciding whether to accept Extremis or reject it!"]

[Witnessing Pepper's agonizing struggle, Tony's fury exploded. He strained violently against his restraints to no avail. Maya watched the scene unfold and closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight.]

["If she rejects it... well, I can only say the resulting scene will be quite unforgettable. But before that decision is made, she must endure extraordinary pain!"]

"That monster!" Aunt May gasped, her hand covering her mouth in horror as she watched Pepper writhing in pain.

"Using an innocent woman to get revenge... there's no justification for that," Steve Rogers said grimly, his jaw tightening with anger.

"This is why I despise people who experiment on others without their consent," Bruce Banner added, his voice strained as he controlled his own emotions. "Science should heal, not harm."

The second-generation Harry watched with growing discomfort. "My father... did he ever consider using Oscorp research like this? To hurt people deliberately?"

"Extremis could save lives if developed properly," Wanda observed quietly. "But in Killian's hands, it's just another weapon to inflict suffering."

Rhodes shook his head. "And all because Tony forgot a meeting. The disproportionate revenge some people seek is beyond comprehension."

"Tony looks absolutely devastated," Natasha noted. "Pepper has always been his anchor, the one person he couldn't bear to lose."

Tony himself remained silent as he watched, his expression unreadable but his eyes never leaving the projection of Pepper. The weight of responsibility—that Pepper was suffering because of him—was clearly crushing him.

"In his twisted way, Killian actually thinks this is justice," Captain Marvel observed. "He's convinced himself that inflicting the same pain he felt is somehow righteous."

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