Tony woke; uncomfortably tied to a metal chair, he felt disorientated and his head pounded. His suit was gone, legs and hands were bound and his head was held tightly in place by a thick leather strap.
Facing him was a large pane of one-way glass, allowing him to see into two small, brightly lit rooms; plain white walls and flooring; both containing nothing but one occupant.
In the left room Natasha paced back and forth, clearly searching for a way out, a weak point. Blood ran down Natasha's face from a gash on her forehead and she held her left arm close to her stomach; it was clearly broken.
In the room on the right Steve sat slumped in the corner, he seemed to have an injured ankle, explaining why he was sat on the floor, he looked exhausted.
Both had been stripped of all their weapons, and neither of them could see each other, nor Tony and the dank room he was sat in
If only Tony could recall what had happened before he woke up and how they'd ended up here, but his memory was clouded. There was obviously some sort of fight, and he imagined whoever had them here had used a gas of some sort to knock them out; there was no other way Tony could think of that they'd be able capture Black Widow, Captain America and Iron Man in one go.
Tony began to wonder where the other three members of the team were when his thoughts were interrupted by someone appearing behind him.
"Welcome Mr. Stark", his voice was dripping with smugness, tainted with a faint German accent.
"Thanks for having me" Tony replied, allowing his voice to show sarcasm instead of the anxiety he was feeling.
"Let's get right to business; you are free to go..."
"Okay, well great..."
"Once you have decided"
Tony had a sinking feeling he knew where this conversation was heading, he tried to shake his head, but the leather strap held him in place.
"I won't" he answered through gritted teeth.
"You see the pipe in the roof of each cell Mr. Stark?" the man asked, gesturing to the small tube of metal protruding through the ceiling of each room. Tony didn't answer.
"Well, at the moment they are providing your friends with oxygen. In a few minutes the oxygen will be turned off, and be replaced with carbon monoxide; causing your teammates to painfully suffocate to death. You can choose Mr. Stark, to keep the oxygen on in one of the cells, but only one. If you do not decide; both will die."
Tony looked at him for the first time properly since his arrival. He was an elderly man, but by no means frail. He definitely looked ex-military; standing proud and tall. He wore an expensive suit and held a fob watch in one hand, his glasses sat just below the bridge of his nose. His eyes were cold and his smile unkind.
"You're crazy" Tony muttered
"Yes, I do not deny it. But your time is running out; I need your decision now Mr. Stark; who will live and who will die? The girl you never thought you could trust; who has become one of your closest friends, or your Captain; the man you'd follow to the end of the earth? I picked well, no?"
"That's why you picked them? Instead of the others, because I care about them?"
"Well it would not be as much fun if I made it easy would it?"
Tony weighed up his options; he was bound too tightly to even attempt to escape. He had to make a choice, praying and hoping the other three were on their way , and weren't currently in a similar predicament.
"So Mr. Stark; who do you wish to save?"
"Natasha" Tony whispered. "Save Natasha"