[ This is such a goddamned embarrassing cliche Pepper can't quite believe it, viciously glowering at these fools as she stews in the ignominy of it all. Glowering is all she can do, since they'd seen fit to gag her with a cloth on top of tying her into a chair. Well, she can believe it, intellectually -- ever since Tony spilled the beans on live TV about being Iron Man, she's been prepared for the possibility of an abduction. Hers, specifically. She became a tool then for all the bad guys out to get to Tony to come after. Then she became the CEO and valuable in her own right. Now it's a double-whammy of CEO-slash-Iron Man's fiancee, a damn jackpot probably. It's possibly luck that this hasn't happened before. Still, all Pepper wishes right now (except bodily harm on these idiots) is to start this day over so she could not be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
If ever there was a time to actually have an unstable biological agent in your system that makes you a natural force of fire and fury...
Her nostrils flare a little as she darts an unimpressed look at this other man sharing her captivity, built like a brick house, taunting the mobsters. That doesn't seem like a wise move, though she can't blame the impulse. His face looks familiar, like she's seen him somewhere before, but she can't put her finger on it right now.
And then he's freed himself somehow. Pepper's blue eyes widen in astonishment as he glances briefly back over to her before throwing himself into the fray against the mobsters who outnumber him. An involuntary sound of distress leaves her, muffled by the gag, as the man makes mince meat out of the first henchman, followed by another and another-- Pepper draws her shoulders up to her ears and squeezes her eyes shut as shots are fired, her heart hammering as she hopes like hell no stray bullet hits her. She struggles against her bonds in effort to slip loose as the fight rages on, but to no avail. She's stuck in the middle of this murder mayhem that ends as soon as it had begun. It's unnervingly quiet now; the baddies laying dead on the ground, every single one of them.
Pepper's pretty sure the stranger doesn't mean to murder her as well, but she can't help the primal welling of cold fear that crawls over her all the same at his approach. Ripping the cloth off her mouth with a gasp as soon as her hands are free, she breathes a pitchy, high-strung, ] What the hell?
[ Regarding what, exactly? Who's to say. The whole thing, probably. ]
[ oh, is she going to be one of those? frank just shrugs, keeping his distance since she seems fearful. he supposes that's a normal reaction to watching one guy take out a dozen men, but this is just tuesday for frank. he has confidence his friends in homeland security will have incentive to cover this up, too. he can't find it in himself to be remorseful and he isn't about to try now, especially not for some posh lady that was absolutely worth her ransom of her suit is any indication. they couldn't look more mismatched now, especially with blood soaking through his dark gray henley.
he lifts up his shirt to tuck his knife back into its slot around his middle, starting to gather the guns they had taken off of him and putting them back to their rightful places too. this place is probably getting torched later, so he'd like to be out of here five minutes ago. he can still hear bossman gurgling for his life in the distance. ]
Pretty self-explanatory, lady. [ he indicates his head towards the exit, motioning that she should stay behind him in case there are guards at the door. though frank suspects if there were, they've now abandoned their post. can never be too careful, even if the woman he'd saved looks about ready to deck him. she can wait until they get outside, surely? ]
Oh, is it really? [ Her voice is slightly shaky but feisty, trying to steady her breathing and stop her hands from tremoring in the wake of the adrenaline rush. Her once-meticulous hairdo is coming apart some and her crisp power suit is rumpled, but she stands at full height, uncowed. The sickening gurgle from the man still left (barely) alive draws her glance over, uncertainty prickling across her skin even as she hangs back behind the man now intent on the exit. ]
You're just going to leave him there...? [ Not that he doesn't deserve it, but... well, it seems a little mercenary, still. ]
[ he hands her her phone he had also swiped off the table as if to say do whatever the fuck you want. there will be ambulances here in minutes anyway, and one of them might survive. only to get a lethal injection by an agent posing as a nurse later -- so really, does it matter? she can call the authorities to her heart's content. even if she recognizes him, which he doesn't think she has, at least not yet; any call of 'frank castle just shot up a warehouse in queens' will blend in with the riotous cries of his fanclub, still desperately hoping for him to announce that he's back in business.
he's not, this was just a one-off. save the girl, get back to his pathetic life. sounds delightful, doesn't it? ]
Talkative, aren't you. [ It's more flat than the usual, wry tone she'd use in any other situation, and not really even a question. She fiddles with her phone and thinks about calling Tony, but something holds her back. She also abandons ideas of calling the police, as much as it goes against her better judgment at the moment. His face keeps niggling at her; she's certain now that she's seen him before somewhere. It bothers her, it bothers her something fierce. ]
Do you think there are more of them? [ she asks instead, nodding toward the closest exit. ]
[ he shrugs, frank saves talking for when he needs to for the most part. save for a close few, and of course, the veteran's group. she doesn't call 9-1-1 which is surprising, but then she's asking a question he actually can answer. ] If there are, won't be for long. [ he's heading that way now, so she should probably get behind him in case there are. ]
[ Pepper pinches her lips together in a stern line, but the sigh still escapes through her nose. ] Somehow I figured you'd say that. [ But she hangs back and lets him go first, following as cautiously as she can a few paces behind him. ]
[ frank nods, drawing a gun and shoving the door open. he waves the pistol around but there's no one there. to be expected. what's not expected is the pit bull who knashes her teeth and barks fiercely at the pair. frank actually resists the urge to roll his eyes, holstering his weapon and holding out the flat of his palm for the scared dog. ] Fuckwits. [ kidnap a lady and you're already on his shitlist. abandon a dog and you're actually scum of the earth as far as frank castle is concerned. ]
It's alright, little lady, no one's gonna hurt you. [ he crouches down, averting his gaze so the pup doesn't take it as a threat. her growl slowly tapers off as curiosity gets the better of her and she takes a few shuffling steps forward to sniff at frank's hand. then tentatively, she licks him. real scary, assholes. ] Attagirl. We'll get you outta here.
[ he unties her from the post they'd anchored her to, clutching the rope by his side so the dog falls into step with him. he almost forgot pepper was there because dog but he does turn around to make sure she's still with him. ] Wanna ride home? [ his truck isn't far from here, almost like he planned it that way, heading in that direction. ]
[ Pepper waits for him to shove the door open and forge on ahead, gun drawn. She follows when the coast is, apparently, clear -- only to jump at the ferocious barking, biting back a startled little noise of her own. Should he try to approach it? Pepper hardly has anything against dogs, just not much experience with them; and this one looks a tad upset. But of course he works some magic on the scared dog and has the animal eating out of the palm of his hand, so to say.
The question surprises her, but she only hesitates for a moment. She certainly doesn't want to stick around here, and she now remembers where she'd seen him before: on TV, on the pages of newspapers. Frank Castle, the Punisher. Could this day get any stranger? Following the man and the dog, she remarks, ] Beats trying to hail a cab around here.
[ Of course she could finally call Tony. He'll be pissed she hasn't already, she's sure. But now that she knows she's dealing with Kamala's new friend, she feels obligated to try to... take stock of him, or something like that. ]
[ frank nods at her agreement, pointing out his giant black truck in the distance. predictable, maybe, but practical too. he crosses the street without checking to see if pepper will follow now, helping their new friend into the generous gap behind his seat. he finds a water bottle and helps her drink her fill before finishing it himself. dog germs don't bother this guy no way no how.
clambering up into the driver's seat, he buckles in and starts it up with a satisfying purr. he waits for pepper to get situated before weaving his way out of the alley and into the traffic at large. ]
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If ever there was a time to actually have an unstable biological agent in your system that makes you a natural force of fire and fury...
Her nostrils flare a little as she darts an unimpressed look at this other man sharing her captivity, built like a brick house, taunting the mobsters. That doesn't seem like a wise move, though she can't blame the impulse. His face looks familiar, like she's seen him somewhere before, but she can't put her finger on it right now.
And then he's freed himself somehow. Pepper's blue eyes widen in astonishment as he glances briefly back over to her before throwing himself into the fray against the mobsters who outnumber him. An involuntary sound of distress leaves her, muffled by the gag, as the man makes mince meat out of the first henchman, followed by another and another-- Pepper draws her shoulders up to her ears and squeezes her eyes shut as shots are fired, her heart hammering as she hopes like hell no stray bullet hits her. She struggles against her bonds in effort to slip loose as the fight rages on, but to no avail. She's stuck in the middle of this murder mayhem that ends as soon as it had begun. It's unnervingly quiet now; the baddies laying dead on the ground, every single one of them.
Pepper's pretty sure the stranger doesn't mean to murder her as well, but she can't help the primal welling of cold fear that crawls over her all the same at his approach. Ripping the cloth off her mouth with a gasp as soon as her hands are free, she breathes a pitchy, high-strung, ] What the hell?
[ Regarding what, exactly? Who's to say. The whole thing, probably. ]
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he lifts up his shirt to tuck his knife back into its slot around his middle, starting to gather the guns they had taken off of him and putting them back to their rightful places too. this place is probably getting torched later, so he'd like to be out of here five minutes ago. he can still hear bossman gurgling for his life in the distance. ]
Pretty self-explanatory, lady. [ he indicates his head towards the exit, motioning that she should stay behind him in case there are guards at the door. though frank suspects if there were, they've now abandoned their post. can never be too careful, even if the woman he'd saved looks about ready to deck him. she can wait until they get outside, surely? ]
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You're just going to leave him there...? [ Not that he doesn't deserve it, but... well, it seems a little mercenary, still. ]
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he's not, this was just a one-off. save the girl, get back to his pathetic life. sounds delightful, doesn't it? ]
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Do you think there are more of them? [ she asks instead, nodding toward the closest exit. ]
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It's alright, little lady, no one's gonna hurt you. [ he crouches down, averting his gaze so the pup doesn't take it as a threat. her growl slowly tapers off as curiosity gets the better of her and she takes a few shuffling steps forward to sniff at frank's hand. then tentatively, she licks him. real scary, assholes. ] Attagirl. We'll get you outta here.
[ he unties her from the post they'd anchored her to, clutching the rope by his side so the dog falls into step with him. he almost forgot pepper was there because dog but he does turn around to make sure she's still with him. ] Wanna ride home? [ his truck isn't far from here, almost like he planned it that way, heading in that direction. ]
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The question surprises her, but she only hesitates for a moment. She certainly doesn't want to stick around here, and she now remembers where she'd seen him before: on TV, on the pages of newspapers. Frank Castle, the Punisher. Could this day get any stranger? Following the man and the dog, she remarks, ] Beats trying to hail a cab around here.
[ Of course she could finally call Tony. He'll be pissed she hasn't already, she's sure. But now that she knows she's dealing with Kamala's new friend, she feels obligated to try to... take stock of him, or something like that. ]
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clambering up into the driver's seat, he buckles in and starts it up with a satisfying purr. he waits for pepper to get situated before weaving his way out of the alley and into the traffic at large. ]