CHAPTER 36

       Pepper seems angelic in her sleep; her lips are prominent, she sleeps soundly and I finally see the acclaimed 'baby glow' in her flushed cheeks. Her stomach has swollen to the size of a rugby ball. It takes a slight shift of focus to see the lack of death clouding the child. The perfect baby.

       I almost want to spit in disgust and I immediately emphasise with Cleo. Younger siblings can suck.

       I take a deep breath and sigh, I'm on a diplomatic mission. I just want to talk. Pepper wakes, her eyes swinging wildly around the room until they come to rest on me.

       "I just want to talk." I say carefully. "I would come under a white flag but as you can see, all I wear is black these days." I gesture to my getup; black, black, and oh, is that red? No, it's just more black. "It makes me feel like Kylo Ren, sometimes it's a bit exhausting."

       Pepper manages a small laugh. "After all this, you still retain your humour. But Lana, what are you really here for?"

       "I don't go by that name anymore. But, I am here to warn you. On Christmas Eve, you'll give birth to a perfect child."

       "How do you know this?" Pepper whispers.

       "Because someone else will die on that day. The mother, in childbirth. I've tried seeing every different outcome but you're marked, for that date."

       "Why would you tell me this?" Pepper asks quietly, for someone whose just been told that she's going to die in a couple of months, she's surprisingly calm about it.

       "You need to say goodbye, treasure these time with your husband and friends. Especially Tony." Because he'll also die on that day do, just in a different way.

       An alarm sounds outside and I turn to Pepper, we lock eyes one more time as Tony bursts in and I shadow-travel away.

...

       I return to Oscorp, feeling lighter, Pepper will still die and the news may haunt her, but she'll treasure these last times with her family and friends. She'll be ready to say goodbye, can make arrangements. Then again, I shouldn't have done that, Pepper will fear her death, fear her coming of time. I sigh, clenching my hands and eyes shut.

       My thoughts float to Becky who, ironically, is being preserved in a cryofreeze state. It's easier for all of us. It's usually best not to have an extremely powerful telepathic running around in circles in a cage. Perhaps if Iridium was easier to come by then we would've fashion a cell for her but it's not.

       A runner comes up to me, breathing heavily that there's been an intrusion.

       "By whom?" I snap at him, grabbing him by the throat and holding him up. "By who?"

       "By me." A voice says rather calmly from behind me, I drop the guy and spin around, sighing as I do so.

       "Wonderful." I grimace at the red-suited, slightly insane, bloodthirsty and rather sassy, Merc. "Just what I needed. Why are you here? Are the rest of your Avenger buddies going to turn up and arrest me?" I frown slightly.

       "No, its just me, and I need to speak with you, alone." Deadpool looks to the guy whose struggling for air, choking on the ground at the last word. "I uh, come from the neutral side, only working for the author and my girlfriend."

       "So which one sent you here?" I growl, softening. We begin to walk in sync, through these cold walls, devoid of emotion or colour. White halls, lit by fluorescent lighting, the walls embedded with doors that led to other places, most of them being terrible places.

      "A combination of both." He spoke mildly. "The author made my girlfriend force me to come over here and watch over you."

       "What am I doing wrong?" I feign a pout, folding my arms defensively.

       He turns to me, whatever features visible, softening. "Maybe she just doesn't want you overfilling your quota of unaliving people."

       "Unaliving." I scoff and turn on him scathingly. "Maybe I don't have one."