Gunfire.
Explosions.
Angry voices were screaming at him in languages he didn't know as they hit up until his was black and blue. How could he answer when he couldn't understand? They didn't give him time to answer. Everything was hurting. Everything.
He couldn't breathe and it hurt. Ithurtithurtithurt. Didn't they understand that?
What were they doing to him? His chest felt like it was being ripped to pieces and everything was in pain. It was burning, like being stabbed repeatedly with a hot poker and every time he tried to breathe, he could only feel water filling his lungs.
He tried to get out, but they held him down and he couldn't move. He couldn't move at all, no matter how hard he kicked and thrashed because it wasn't hands holding him down, it was hot, burning metal. Twisted beyond recognition. It held him down and it was dragging him down, down into the dirty water as he tried to hold his breath but the longer he held his breath, the more his chest hurt.
He sank towards the bottom, into the all-encompassing darkness by hands and metal and he shuddered as he felt his chest grow numb and suddenly the water was filled with a blue light, illuminating everything with an ethereal glow as he tried to hold his breath just that little bit longer because someone would save him soon, right? He couldn't help the sob that came from him as he glanced down and saw the light was coming from him. Was he not human like they said? Was he just as much a machine like his inventions?
His eyes grew wide with fear and pain as he saw people around him dying. Civilians. Dying from bombs in wars they had no part in as they were blown to pieces in front of their families. The water filled with blood as their screaming faces flowed through the water. Hundreds, thousands, more.
He felt hands grabbing him, dragging him back upwards and he took a breath, gasping in much needed air to his abused lungs but there was more gunfire and he could only scream as he forced his eyes open.
Yinsen, his bloodied face and sightlessly eyes slumped against the rocky walls of the cave, his mouth moving like some sick ventriloquist's puppet as he repeated robotically, 'You have everything, yet nothing…'
He turned and tried to run, but his chest-light was attached to something and he froze as he saw the car battery. It had been gone, he'd been better, right? But he couldn't have been, because it was right there, so he grabbed it and stumbled out into the harsh lights of paparazzi as they hounded him about how he'd killed all those people. But he hadn't, he'd been trying to help American soldiers, hadn't he? He swore that's what he'd been doing. But he saw even Pepper and Rhodey turn their faces away in disappointment and he felt another part of his fragile soul break.
He turned and ran again, tripping over dead bodies and pushing past reporters and photographers trying to get shots of his tear-streaked face because the fact he actually was human would be the scoop of the century.
He made it down to his workshop and the sight that greeted him brought sobbing anew as he saw his robotically family ripped apart and scattered, parts whirring. He curled up on the couch and the last thing he saw was his metal heart in the hands of the only family he thought he'd had as Obadiah laughed cruelly, leaving him to die.
Tony woke up with a desperate yell and to Jarvis locking the door to his room as the other Avengers raced down the corridor towards him.
'Sir, it is currently 3:47am on September 14th, 2012. The desert occurred over 5years ago, the events that led to your breakthrough in the creation of a new element over 2. The invasion occurred several months ago and the members of your team came to live in the tower not long after at your invitation. Myself and the others are functioning correctly with no errors as per usual. My system in her phone tells me that Miss Potts is currently in her own apartment and Mister Rhodes is currently on leave in New York.' Jarvis recited dutifully as he and Tony had agreed when the nightmares had continued.
He could hear Steve banging on the door and what sounded like Clint climbing through the air vents above him trying to reach his room. He had Jarvis ensure all entries were impenetrable before curling into a ball on his side.
'…Is there anything I can do for you, sir?' Jarvis asked, sounding worried for his creator.
'…Not really, buddy. Just…talk to me ok? And tell the others to mind their own business.'
Jarvis hesitated at the second order but complied eventually, sending off the other Avengers with a short explanation of sir falling out of bed. He knew sir wasn't paying attention to what he was saying, and he knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep. Eventually, as always, sir would make his way down to his workshop but until then, he knew Jarvis would keep the dreams at bay.