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Tony groaned, his hand moving up to gingerly touch his forehead, his eyes still closed as he coughed in dust and dirt and smoke. He didn’t feel any blood, but the flesh was warm and tender to the touch. He was pretty sure that he had a mild concussion. “What the hell just happened?” he mumbled. “I feel like a building fell on me.”
“That’s because a building did fall on you, Tony,” Bruce’s voice startled the genius, and he opened his eyes into darkness. There was a brief moment of panic, and then Bruce was there, touching him carefully on the shoulder. “Your leg is pinned. I think I can move it, but I’m afraid that I might do more harm than good given that I can’t see well,” he said, his tone soothing and matter-of-fact at the same time.
That, more than anything else, helped Tony stave off the growing panic of dark-cold-too close and actually think. “I think I can solve at least one problem,” he mumbled, his hands reaching up to fumble at his chest piece. He couldn’t feel his left leg, but he was very carefully not thinking about that, focused only on getting some light so they could evaluate their situation. He was still wearing the Iron Man suit, so chances were that his leg was mostly okay. And if it wasn’t, he’d figure it out later. Because that’s what he did; ignored things until he couldn’t ignore them anymore.
“Here, let me help,” Bruce offered softly, probably sensing Tony’s slowly losing battle against the panic. “Since the suit powered down, I guess there’s no JARVIS?” he asked quietly.
Tony shook his head. “No,” he agreed, allowing his hands to drop into his lap and giving Bruce room to work, to twist and tug at the manual releases until the chest piece came off with a pneumatic hiss. Bruce pulled the suit away from him and set it carefully down on a semi-clear patch of ground nearby. Tony reached down and grabbed the hem on his shirts – all three of them – and slipped them over his head, blinking as the light from the arc reactor flooded the area. “Ow,” he said after a moment, because that seemed more appropriate than laughing.
Bruce snorted. “A little warning would have been appreciated,” he agreed, though he was already looking Tony over, probing gently at the lump on his head as he tried to determine whether Tony needed any emergency medical attention prior to the removal of the stones that Tony could now see were pinning his left leg. His right leg wasn’t trapped, but it did appear to be holding some of the stones from collapsing further onto his left leg, so he kept that one still as well.
“I think if we can find one that’s in a good position, we can pull this one here,” he suggested, pointing to one of the larger stones, “and give another one a shove, and the rocks should fall away from my leg, rather than onto it. In theory,” he added, because he couldn’t what was on the far side of the debris. He paused. “Why did a building fall on me?” he asked at last. Then he took a second glance at Bruce, who had apparently decided that he was mostly okay and was now gauging the fallen debris that had Tony pinned. “Did you Hulk out?” Tony asked, disappointed that he’d missed it; Bruce was only wearing the special Hulk pants Tony had made for him, his chest and feet bare and covered in streaks of dirt and who knew what else. Pebbles coated his hair.
Dark eyes flicked up to look at him before going back to examining the rocks. Bruce poked at a few, shifting a couple more, but didn’t do anything more than that. “We got an alert that somebody put a price on your head. Yours, not Iron Man’s,” he clarified, and it was a sad state of affairs that they had to specify which group of Tony’s enemies wanted him dead this time around.
“You got an alert?” Tony asked. “How come I didn’t get an alert?” He very carefully didn’t watch as Bruce tested another rock, then turned around to hunt in the gloom for something. “What do you need?” he asked next.
Bruce answered him over his shoulder. “You were told,” he informed him. “Pepper thought that it would be best if somebody else was made aware of death threats made against you. Since you obviously didn’t heed the warning, I’m inclined to agree.”
Tony huffed, his quick mind thinking back over the past few days. That might explain the increased security detail, and the fact that Pepper had insisted that Happy be his driver for the week, if he had to leave at all. She also hadn’t argued when he’d wanted to take the armor on vacation. A vacation which had come up very suddenly, he now realized. “Oh,” he muttered, watching as Bruce came back with some sort of thin pipe. “So maybe I wasn’t as careful as I should have been,” he admitted reluctantly. “Of course, usually the people trying to kill me actually try to kill me,” he pointed out in his defense. “I’m not used to them dropping buildings on me.”
Bruce just stared at him in disbelief. “Malibu? Killian? The Mandarin? Does this mean nothing to you?” he huffed before going to work, wedging the pipe under a couple of rocks. Tony could feel the shifting pressure on his leg, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He’d probably be bruised from thigh to ankle, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. Now, if they could just keep it that way when they moved the rocks, they’d be in good shape.
“Well, yeah, but that was my place of residence,” he pointed out, adjusting his torso to give Bruce more light without blinding him, and tactfully not pointing out that he knew Bruce had listening to his story, regardless of his pretending otherwise. He could almost see what he was doing, and Tony reached down to grip his leg just above where it was pinned. He’d have to move fast once the rocks started tumbling, and the suit was nothing but dead weight right now. Dead weight that had kept his leg from being crushed, sure, but otherwise useless. “And I sort of invited him in.”
Bruce shrugged. “An abandoned factory that you’re evaluating for demolition is as good a place as any,” he replied, not really answering Tony’s questions. “It’s unlikely that anybody would have thought anything about the building falling, since it’s well-known that you plan to build an ARC generator here.” The Tower and Stark Industries buildings ran entirely on arc reactor energy. Tony – or rather, Stark Industries – was currently in negotiations to build generators with arc reactor technology that would be used to provide clean, safe energy to a large swathe of New York. The first site would be here. If it worked, then more would be built in other cities, possibly in other countries. Japan had already proven receptive to the idea, if they could make it work on a larger scale.
Tony grunted as Bruce bore down on the pipe, lifting the largest of the stones off of his leg and sending a multitude of smaller ones clattering to the floor, throwing up dirt and dust. Wrenching his leg out of the way, Tony tried not to breathe as Bruce let the rocks fall, the floor stable enough to take the weight.
“I had an excavator for the demolition,” Tony muttered, not complaining as Bruce removed the armor from around his legs, checking for broken bones, his head bent at a slightly awkward angle so he didn’t block the light from the reactor in Tony’s chest. “That…should not have done this much damage.”
Bruce looked up, the reactor illuminating brown eyes with an eerie glow. “They hired the Wrecking Crew,” he explained simply, apparently satisfied that Tony wasn’t going to die from blood loss or be unable to walk in the near future. “The Other Guy managed to stop the wrecking ball from taking out the whole floor, but the force of the attack sort of…threw him – us – into the building instead,” he grimaced. “So….partially destroyed building, no easy way out, and a battle going on outside.” He shrugged. “Happy Friday,” he added wryly.
Tony snorted, allowing Bruce to help him to his feet, removing the remainder of his armor with Bruce supporting most of his weight. He staggered as the last of the armor fell away, keeping the gauntlet on his right hand, as it appeared mostly undamaged. With a quiet huff, he connected the gauntlet directly to the reactor in his chest. Chances were that they wouldn’t need it, but better safe than dead.
That done, he took a look around, realizing that they were really rather thoroughly trapped. He couldn’t see daylight through the debris, and the building had still been furnished when Stark Industries had purchased it. There were shattered, broken desks and chairs, wires and pipes broken loose or hanging down dangerously from the ceiling. Tony supposed he should be glad that the electricity and plumbing in this place had been cut off a while ago. The area where he stood was mostly cleared in all directions, two giant panels of roofing providing a small shelter of sorts. It looked sturdy enough for now, but that didn’t mean that it would hold if the building was hit by the Wrecking Crew a second time.
He couldn’t hear any sounds beyond their immediate area, so he had no idea if the fight was still going on, or if rescue was on its way to them. Looking down, he nudged a few scattered parts of his armor with his foot. “So….rescue?” he asked hopefully.
Bruce shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like the Other Guy wears an earpiece,” he pointed out wryly. Tony chuckled, leaning subtly harder against Bruce’s side. The other man didn’t say a word, and Tony was grateful for that. He was trying very hard not to think about the fact that they were buried underneath a building and had no way of knowing if rescue would arrive before the whole thing collapsed on their heads.
“Let’s see if we can dig ourselves out of here, yeah?” he asked instead, pulling away and heading in the direction that seemed most likely to lead out, if he hadn’t gotten completely turned around in here. His head still hurt, but he was pretty sure his memory was intact.
Bruce looked around, frowning, but didn’t argue when Tony moved carefully forward, using the illumination from the arc reactor to look for hidden dangers. In the distance, there was the sharp clatter of stone tumbling down an incline, and Tony’s mouth thinned. “You know, if you’ve got a better plan, feel free to speak up before we’re crushed by falling rocks,” he told Bruce.
Bruce glanced up at him, then shook his head. “No, not a better idea,” he admitted.
Tony stopped. “But you do have an idea,” he pressed. He looked around, wincing as the building shifted dangerously under his feet. “It can’t be worse than wandering around on unstable rubble and hoping we don’t get buried alive,” he pointed out when Bruce continued to hesitate.
The other man sighed. “The Other Guy doesn’t exactly care about falling rubble. He’s usually the one causing it. In theory, he might be able to dig us out of here.” He grimaced at the thought of transforming again. The Hulk might have accepted his teammates, but he still exhibited complete disregard for collateral damage.
Tony considered that for a moment. “Let’s hold off on that,” he decided, politely ignoring the sigh of relief from behind him. He scrambled clumsily over an overturned desk and a couple of chunks of ceiling, cursing as his foot slipped, his ankle banging into a sharp edge, creating a nice contrast to the dull throbbing in his head. “I’m sure the big guy would do just fine, but I’d rather not, you know, explode the building on top of our would-be rescuers,” he joked, staggering as his feet hit the floor. Bruce snorted, making his own careful way over the debris, dropping down next to Tony on light feet, watching him but not moving to help support him. Tony’s pride appreciated the effort.
Another rumble, more falling plaster, and Tony doubled over, coughing on the cloud of dirt and dust. “Friend Anthony!” came a friendly voice, echoing oddly over the rubble. “Friend Hulk! Is all well?” Thor called.
Tony rolled his eyes. “We’re just fine, Point Break!” he called, then winced when his own shouting sent a sharp spike of pain through his head. He whimpered, and Bruce rubbed at the back of his neck soothingly. Tony turned a pitiful gaze onto him. “I don’t suppose you’ve got painkillers hidden somewhere, do you?” he mumbled, part of his mind already planning to make another pair of Hulk pants, but with pockets.
Bruce shook his head, smiling at him sympathetically. “Sorry, but I’m afraid not,” he confirmed.
“The battle has been won, and I have been informed that rescue is on the way!” Thor called down to them, and Tony covered his ears with his hands, crouching down on the floor. He lost his balance and with a soft grunt of complaint, ended up on his ass instead.
“Fantastic,” he mumbled, closing his eyes against the light from his reactor. He felt, more than saw, Bruce crouch down next to him, settling on the floor and pressing their shoulders together.
“Tony?” he asked worriedly, his voice blessedly gentle and quiet. Tony glanced over at him, and Bruce frowned, his expression growing more concerned. “Concussion?” he asked, trusting Tony to be honest with him.
“Maybe,” Tony admitted reluctantly. “Head hurts. Ankle hurts.” He paused to consider. “Everything hurts.” The light from the arc reactor created a steady glow through the gloom around them, not flickering or threatening to fizzle out on him, and he pressed his hand against it carefully, watching as the space around them grew darker before shifting his hand back down to his lap and tipping slightly to the side, his head coming to rest on Bruce’s shoulder.
The other man made no move to push him away, examining the area around them, but judging from the deliberate sounds of shifting rock, their rescue was already in progress, and they only had to wait. Tony let his eyes slip shut, only to open them a moment later with a rough complaint as Bruce twitched his shoulder, sending pain streaking across Tony’s head. “What was that for?” he bit out.
“You can’t go to sleep yet, Tony,” Bruce chastised. “You might have a concussion. You need to be seen by medical.” Tony grumbled unhappily at that, but kept his eyes open, even as his head dropped back down. He could feel Bruce watching him, and he just stared out into the gloom, taking comfort in the warm body next to him.
Gradually, the low murmur of voices grew louder than the clatter of bricks and plaster, and Tony could make out individual voices. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to walk towards the light,” Clint’s cheerful voice rang out. He sounded far too amused for their current predicament.
“But that light is provided by the Man of Iron!” Thor protested. Tony whimpered.
“Yeah, well, the ‘Man of Iron’ keeps getting himself into trouble. And you thought I had a death wish,” Clint shot back, though that last was probably directed at Natasha. There was a pained yelp a moment later, and Tony didn’t bother to fight back the grin. Natasha hit hard.
“It is a sign of great honor for a warrior to be targeted by his enemies,” Thor pointed out cheerfully, undeterred in the least. Next to Tony, Bruce gave a rusty chuckle, pushing himself to his feet and helping Tony to do the same as the rest of their team shoved a handful of ceiling pipes to the side, ignoring the ominous creak that the ceiling gave as they did so. “It is a sign of respect, that they fear his prowess and strength in battle!”
Tony hid another wince. “Yes, yes, great, my enemies want me dead because I’m awesome,” he agreed. “Did you all bother to keep an eye on the structural integrity of the building? Or did you just smash your way in?” he asked, trying – and failing – to glare at them.
Steve looked back at him mildly. “I’m not sure there’s any structural integrity to keep an eye on,” he replied steadily. Tony rolled his eyes.
“Fantastic.” He looked at Thor. “All right, Sparky. How about you get us out of here, huh?” he asked. “Preferably before the – “
He was cut off by the ceiling collapsing right in front of him, the building slowly giving way. He choked on the cloud of dust, swearing even as he covered mouth and nose with the remnants of his shirt. Not that it did much good, since the shirt was just as dirty as he was, and he grimaced as he breathed in dust and dirt and who knew what else.
It was only after things settled down that he realized that Bruce was no longer standing next to him. “Bruce?!” he called, trying to see through the filtered light.
“Tony,” Bruce said, his voice deepening into a snarl. “Get away!”
Tony looked around, taking a few careful steps back, but then he ran into what remained of an interior wall and couldn’t go any further. “Sorry, pal, no can do,” he muttered. He could hear the others calling his and Bruce’s name, shifting rubble to get at them, and he lifted his head. “Get out of here, guys! The building’s coming down!”
“Then we need to get you both out of here! Now!” Steve called back. “No, Thor, don’t. You’ll bring the whole building down on us.” The sounds of a swinging hammer slowed and then stopped altogether.
“Please don’t do that,” Clint agreed. “Tony? Are you okay?” he called next.
There was a loud roar, and Tony yelled, “I’m good. Go! Now!” His ears were ringing, his eyes watering, his head and ankle throbbing in counterpoint to each other, and the Hulk was reaching for him, gamma green eyes glaring. Before Tony could protest, the Hulk grabbed him, tucking him up against his massive chest before crouching. Grimacing, Tony tucked his face against that broad expanse of green skin, his fingers tightening on the Hulk’s shoulders just as the green giant leapt, tearing through the rubble like it didn’t exist.
A moment later, they were leaping out into sunlight, the building collapsing behind them, leaving a pile of rubble like spilled Legos across the lot. Sharp objects pelted Tony, but he was mostly protected as the Hulk took the brunt of the falling debris. Tony really, really wished that he had a connection to JARVIS and to the rest of his team as he stared down at the destruction. Then he realized that they weren’t stopping, and were instead moving further away.
“Hey, wait, what are you doing?” Tony asked, struggling. “We have to go back, to make sure they’re okay!” Hulk’s grip on him just tightened, and Tony gasped as his ribs creaked. “Ow, ow, ow!” he yelped. Hulk’s gripped loosened, and he came to rest on top of a crane, far above the damage.
“Hulk sorry. Hulk hurt Tony,” he apologized.
Tony patted the skin in front of him. “It’s all right, big guy,” he reassured Hulk. “But we do need to go back to see if they’re okay. Please?”
Hulk shook his head, but jumped down from the crane, using the latticework to help slow their descent. Tony appreciated it, since he was a lot more fragile without the suit. A jump from that height would probably leave a crater – and break every bone in his body. As it was, the landing was bone-jarring, and Tony bit back a whimper, rather unsuccessfully if the look Hulk gave him was any indication. If he hadn’t had a concussion before, he was almost positive he had one now.
Hulk set him down gently, and Tony wobbled on his feet while the Hulk turned back into Bruce. The now-human scientist stumbled, his exhaustion obvious. “Did they get out?” he asked.
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Let’s go find out.” Bruce nodded, wrapping Tony’s arm around his shoulder and supporting him as the two of them stumbled towards the rubble, trying to see through the settling dust and smoke as they drew closer. Tony was somewhat surprised that the place wasn’t crawling with SHIELD agents, but they had likely been there not long ago, since the members of the Wrecking Crew weren’t there, either.
A short, slender figure in a black suit and tie made his way down to them, and Tony grinned weakly. “Hey, Agent,” he greeted. “Everybody okay?”
Phil eyed them both clinically before deigning to answer Tony’s question. “Minor injuries, nothing serious,” he reassured them, handing the two men SHIELD-issued sweatshirts with the agency’s logo embroidered on the left breast. “You need to be seen by medical, Mr. Stark.” Tony grimaced, but a stern look from Bruce let him know that he wouldn’t be able to get out of at least stopping by. “You as well, Doctor Banner,” Phil answered, and Tony didn’t bother to suppress his triumphant grin at Bruce’s obvious dismay as they pulled on their shirts. Tony relaxed a bit now that the arc reactor was once again hidden from casual view.
“Fine,” he grumbled “Thanks for saving us and all.” He paused. “Oh, wait. You didn’t. He did,” he pointed out, gesturing towards Bruce with a sharp jerk of his thumb.
Phil gave them a bland smile. “You’re quite welcome,” he replied easily, ignoring Tony’s huff. There was a brief pause as he listened to someone on the other side of his com. “SHIELD will handle the recovery of the Iron Man armor,” he promised. “Go to medical, then go home.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away. Tony huffed, making a mental note to have JARVIS initiate self-destruct on the armor as soon as he had a connection again. Fury would like nothing better than to get hold of his tech.
“Come on,” Bruce murmured, tugging Tony in the direction of the SHIELD vehicles, and their teammates. Tony scowled; he’d prefer to fly back to the Tower under his own power, but a SHIELD van would have to do this time.
Tony staggered, leaning more heavily on Bruce, who grunted, but accepted his weight with a low chuckle. “So,” Tony said after a moment, “how likely do you think it is that they only found us because I had a handy light for them to follow?”
Bruce shrugged. “I’m sure they had flashlights,” he protested. “Barring that, I’m positive they would have heard you long before a light became necessary.”
Tony gave a squawk of indignation, pulling away from Bruce – and promptly stumbled, his banged up ankle giving out from under him. Bruce caught his elbow and helped him back upright. “Okay, bad idea,” Tony admitted. “Maybe I should swing by medical.”
“You think?” Bruce muttered sarcastically. “Come on.”
Slowly, the two men made their way to where their team was waiting. Steve scolded them, Natasha was indifferent, and Clint cracked jokes. Bruce apologized, Phil threatened them with a debriefing, and Tony chased away the medical personnel that tried to check on him. All in all, it was pretty standard.
As he settled in next to Bruce in the van that would no doubt take them back to SHIELD headquarters, Tony looked back at the pile of rubble, the possibilities spinning out in front of him.
Settling back in his seat and closing his eyes, Tony grinned when Bruce poked him.
Maybe, just maybe, having a team who would come to his rescue wasn’t so bad after all.