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You've reached Tony Stark. If you have this number, you've done something brilliant. Congratulations. Now please don't waste my time.

[ooc: Please indicate if this is voice/video/text!]

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[Yeah, so he'd been waiting for this chance, and since he knows Roy will have delivered the envelope by now, and that Pepper is in the hospital, sick with a worse version of that virus he made from Steve's blood. And he has Tony's number thanks to having taken it out of Steve's dreamberry back when Steve was his prisoner all those months ago.

So he calls, setting it to video so he can see if Stark manages to hide his emotions as well as he normally does, assuming Tony even answers him with video.]

So, how is she?

[Tony finds that his hands are physically shaking when he realises who is calling. He should have known, should have been ready and now Pepper was the one who was paying the price. He's angrier than he's ever remembered being. Not the explosive rage the Hulk was famous for, but the one Bruce Banner had, a low, constant level that hinted of something more.

He doesn't pick up immediately, letting Schmidt leave his message first. It's only after he's played it once that he calls back. He keeps it on video also, if he could attend a press conference the day his parents died and keep a straight face, he could do this as well.]

I think you already know the answer to that.

[The absence of any snark is lovely, and refreshing, but he's still searching Tony's expression for any more distress.] You admitted her to the hospital 24 hours ago, yes? [He already knew the answer to that, too.] Which means she has only another 24 hours to live, and those last hours will be even more painful.

I doubt that even you can find a cure in such a short time. [He could present his ultimatum now, but he doesn't. Not quite yet.]

[His pokerface is immaculate even though he really wants to rage and completely destroy Schmidt.]

You seem to know a lot about her condition.

[What do you want.]

Of course; I have contacts at the hospital. And you no doubt recognized the virus.

But I will give you the cure, if you deliver the dream gate to me, and tell no one about it. [He pauses for a second before continuing.] Though I should let her die, just to repay you for the antiserum.

[Although he also ought to thank you for that, Tony, because those nanobot things are pretty cool.]

You let her die and you've got nothing to hold over me. Besides, people seem to come back often enough, why shouldn't I just wait it out?

[It's a bluff of course. He doesn't want to prolong her suffering even if it was 100% guaranteed she'd return from the dead.]

Ah, but maybe she will just die and not return, just as Ariadne did not. Are you willing to take that chance, Stark, simply to deny me something I want? Are you willing to watch her die slowly? It will only get worse, I assure you.

[He could try and bluff all he wanted, but it was easy to out wait him. When it came down to it, Tony would do anything for her and it was for that reason he would later do what he did, believing him to be sacrificing his happiness for her safety.

He could keep this up for a little longer, but that was another moment that she was in agony.]

Where do you want me to take it?

[Co-operation, that's much better :)] The desert. My old base, where I held Captain America a few months ago. You must remember the location, since you found it.

And you will tell no one about this. You should know what will happen if you do. [Of course, he doesn't mention that he'll be moving the gate after it's been checked and re-checked for tracking devices and the like.]

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video; backdated to the day after Pepper gets sick

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