"Kid, what's going on at your end?"
"All clear, Mr. Stark! I'm coming ba-"
The connection was drowned out by a sudden bang and Peter's heart skittered. This wasn't supposed to happen, right? His first test run mission with the Avengers should have been routine. No one had mentioned any banging sound. But maybe this was the test?
"Karen? What was that?" Peter tried not to sound panicked, in case anyone on the other end was still listening, but his voice wavered against his will.
"It appears to have been caused by a gunshot in the vicinity of Avengers Tower. If you choose to investigate, proceed with caution."
But he was already on his way. Test or not, Mr. Stark could be in trouble.
Peter swung into a scene from his nightmares. Tony Stark was lying unmoving on the ground and something that looked very much like blood was leaking through his shirt. There was no one else around.
"No no no no no this is bad. Okay. What do I do? Karen, what-"
"Deep breaths, Peter," she advised him. "You can't help anyone if you're having a panic attack."
Peter did his best to inhale. It had to be enough. He knelt next to Tony.
He checked for a pulse, silently thanking the stupid Rapping With Cap first aid video. Mr. Stark was breathing, but shallowly. Peter had to work fast.
"First you'll need to remove the bullet," Karen told him, and the calm in her voice reassured him a little. His hands wouldn't stop shaking, though, and he was petrified at the idea of remedial surgery with unsteady fingers. Not to mention how terrified he was at the idea of performing any kind of emergency care. What if he messed up? His heart was going too fast. He ripped the mask off to get some air, but it didn't help.
He looked around for some kind of tool but there was nothing useful; he'd have to put his hands inside Tony's chest to get to the bullet. Peter shuddered, but he couldn't afford to wait. He pulled the gloves off- clinging to buildings was hardly sanitary, his bare hands had to be better- and leaned in.
"Find the bullet," Karen said, detached and professional, robotic, and this time her perfect composure set Peter off.
"I can't see it! I can't!" he cried, and he was so close to tears he could feel his face getting red, and Mr. Stark was going to die because only he was around to help and he was useless, he couldn't do this, "I can't..."
The tears were filling his eyes now and with his vision blurred suddenly it wasn't Tony he was next to. "Not again," he said, unaware of the words leaving his mouth, "no, no, no…"
Peter shut his eyes but that wasn't helping Mr. Stark, so he opened them again and before he could lose his nerve, he stuck his hand into the wound. "I'm sorry," he whispered.