Characters belong to Marvel & DC Comics. Fragil & Gustav belong to me.

Stark stayed still. His heart felt heavier and his need for air seemed more urgent than before. The reaction in his body felt strange. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Car-crashes and the "rock star" lifestyle were more of an everyday happening to Stark. In all of its confusion, the car-door fell to the desert floor. A man filled its place and started to unsecure the tightly locked seatbelt.

"Can you give me the metallic bottle under my seat? My arms don't seem to do the work," Stark said with his irony to the fragility of life.

The man took out the bottle, opened it. A devise with a glowing light, like the chest of Stark, was placed inside.

"That's the one. Give it to me now so I can get out of this humiliating situation."

The man's safety mask disguised his face, giving Stark no facial expressions to react on. Suddenly the man threw the devise to the ground, destroying it with a gun. The situation had changed. Stark started grabbing after his suit with his right arm. A hard, blunt object flew through the air, hitting him in the back of his head. "I see the great Ironman is no more than flesh and blood." were the last words his brain recorded before passing out.

An unknown time later, muttering words started filling Tony's head again.

"He's awake," a loud voice rang through a microphone. "Close the second box."

Tony opened his eyes, and was immediately blinded by a bright light. Blinking, his eyes began to slowly adjust to the bright conditions. The environment felt clinical. A man in a costume was placed in chains before him. More people he didn't recognize in costumes were hinged to the walls, strained by steel bars across their chests. Some even strained at their wrists. Others were in whole steal or glass chambers, resembling erect sarcophaguses with the exception of their faces.

"Were you all going to a costume party…? What is this, some kind of Halloween gathering?" Stark tried to move, but found his legs mounted to the steel floor. "Fuck me," he muttered dejectedly to himself.

A man and a woman then entered the room, dressed all in white. The man wore a suit, two buttons for a more modest approach; the woman, a slim skirt with a matching jacket.

"Welcome, Mr. Stark," The woman said politely. "I am Fragil, and this is Gustav."

"We are… the collectors," Gustav said. "We are here to preserve what this world never seems to appreciate, everyday heroes like you and me."

Stark looked confused. "May I then ask why I am attached to the floor and you're not?"

"That's one too many questions for today, but to make it maybe easier for you to understand," Gustav countered. "Think of us like Noah. We are saving you all from a rainy day."

"A rainy day? Oh you, seems like we got a little joker here. Release me or you going to hear from my attorneys."

The man and woman left the room, ignoring Tony. As the door shut behind them, the lights went out, leaving only a green light penetrating the darkness.

"Anyone else willing to tell me what's going on in here?" Tony burst out. "Anyone?"

Silence.

And then a few moments later, a female voice spoke. "So, what magic tricks do you possess, or are you just one of them homebuilding heroes?"

The darkness made it impossible to pinpoint from where the voice came from.

"As you might have noticed, before this light issue, I wasn't wearing any costume. So…"

"So I noticed, but your chest says different," the female said referring to the arcreactor placed on his upper torso.

"I see, you got a little eye for details."

She ignored the comment. "So, what do you do?"

"An eye of yours surely should recognize me. Ever watched TV? Tony Stark…Stark Industries…billionaire…?" The non-reaction affected his ego. Tony continued, "Well this one needs an update. I am Ironman."

The female responded, "Excuse me if I was too straight forward with you, but this has just been going on for too long. We have been held captive here for several weeks, some of us for months. All because of our abilities and originality."

"And you are?"

"Me, I'm Wonder Woman."

"And the green light?"

"That's Superman. That green light is a kryptonite fence immobilizing him from causing any threat to this organization. That's how they operate. They block our abilities in one way or another, making it impossible to fight back."

"Great. I just quit this Ironman-thing right now. Considering we already have Super Wonders, contributing would seem superfluous. In fact, I don't see myself contributing to this masquerade at all. Where do I sign out?"

A brute voice broke in, laughing. "The jokes are on you, my friend. You're not signing out from here any day soon, unless you have an ace up your sleeves."

"Ah, you noticed I'm wearing a jacket. How thoughtful," Stark said evenly. "And you might be? Because I can't see how we can be friends, unless it was your wife I met the other day."

After their light bickering, the mood suddenly turned serious. The conversation continued regarding the chances at escaping, which seemed near impossible, and the possibility of surviving this hellhole. Blood tests had been taken on most of the prisoners for a cause unknown.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a metal door opening and closing. And in an instant, the room was filled with the same bright light as before. A man, fully dressed in black with a mask hiding parts of his face, was dragged by two clones of well-built men - clearly made of steroids - and was safely placed in one of the more innocent-looking attachments on the wall. With reference to the safety of his restrictive prison, he was certainly no more danger than Stark himself.

This is my first shot at fanfiction, so please leave a review.