“He hits the ground, tries to get up, can’t. He lies face down on the ground, his mouth filled with blood and dirt. His ears are ringing, making it impossible for him to hear anything. He thinks he can hear distant voices shouting, and somewhere far away is the chatter of small-arms fire.
The world begins to fade out around him. He waits to see if his life is about to pass before his eyes. It doesn’t. He’s not certain if that’s a good thing or not.
A word floats across his consciousness. Not a word: a name.
Pepper.
He has no idea why in the world that name would creep into his mind during what might well be the very last moments of his life, and before he can give it further consideration, the world fuzzes out around him.”
-Iron Man Movie Novelization
