Tony felt the world crashing down around him, or more accurately, the building. And even the suit can't handle being crushed by fifty floors of falling concrete. His world goes went black.
This time around Tony doesn't wake to Hulk's roar or the other Avengers around him. He wakes slowly to the flashing alerts on the otherwise dark HUD screen and JARVIS' usually calm voice frantic in his ear. "Sir, sir, are you alright?"
Tony coughs and blood splatters the display screen. "You tell me, JARVIS. You've got the stats." JARVIS falls silent. "That wasn't rhetorical, J. What's the prognosis?" Tony jokes; even though he knows. He can feel his lungs rapidly filling and his heart, for all the good the ARC reactor does, stuttering.
But if JARVIS says he's okay then he will be fine, just like all the times before, right?
"It's... less than optimal, sir" JARVIS replies haltingly.
Tony coughs up more blood as his vision wavers from the movement. "ETA for the others, J?"
JARVIS' sad automated voice replies, "Too long, sir. Even without considering the time required to reach you through rubble above you." If he had been human he would have choked on the words.
Silence fills the air as Tony struggles to breathe, not wholly to do with punctured lung or the rubble crushing down on his chest.
"Never thought it would end like this. Thought I'd go out in a blaze of glory or drink myself to death first," Tony gasps out.
"So did we all, sir," JARVIS responds, an echo of his usual sarcastic self. Tony's vision fades as his hearing buzzes.
"JARVIS, you still there?" Tony slurs.
"For you, sir? Always."
Hours later, when the rescue crew had finally dug down to where the Iron Man suit lay, it rose out of the rubble.
"Tony, you okay?" Bruce asked, looking at the damaged suit.
JARVIS' voice emitted from the suit, "My apologises, Dr Banner, but he is not and must be returned home now," before it launched into the air.
When the Avengers return to the Tower they headed straight for Tony's lab. They watched through the glass as Tony's bots surround their still creator. DUM-E nudged him with a spanner but no affectionate insult came as a reply. The ARC reactor glowed, not knowing as those around it did, that it was no longer needed. The Avengers watched as their brilliant colleague's, friend's, creations mourn him. The cameras catch the solitary tear that trickled down Natasha's face, but she doesn't care as the only one would dare mock her for it no longer do so. The Avengers watched and mourned themselves.
Eyes open and take in their surroundings.
It looks like some kind of high tech lab but he's not sure. It seems familiar.
His brain whirs and it clicks. This is his lab, of course. He sits up sluggishly, categorising his surroundings. He sees the Iron Man, but that doesn't make sense. He is Iron Man. So why is the suit moving when he's not in it.
JARVIS' voice answers his unasked query, "I'm sorry, sir. But I required a body for a short while and you were not using the suit."
"No it's fine, J. Course you can use it. Why didn't you tell me you wanted a body? I'll make you one. What was so urgent that it couldn't wait until I woke up."
"About that sir" the suit says "I believe i have something to explain to you." But he doesn't as at that moment Tony catches a glimpse of himself reflected in the glass wall of the workshop. It looked like him, except for his left forearm which showed a mess of wires.
"So it wasn't a dream," he sighs as his reflection's amazingly realistic face crumples.
"No, sir. You were dead, now you're not."
"How exactly...? How do I have my memories? How did you create this?"
"We used the 3D printer."
"We?" Tony looks around and sees all his 'bots nodding whatever moveable parts they had. They had all worked together. "And the memories?"
"I have been recording everything from all your homes for years, sir. All your battles are recorded by the suit and your public appearances have been recorded by the media since childhood. The rest I had to piece from reports, your SHIELD file and what you yourself have said. Obviously pieces are missing but neither of us will be able to tell what I'm afraid."
Tony blinked. That... was incredible. His creation had surpassed all expectations and even his own abilities. Now he... was his own creation's creations. Trippy. "So... Just 'cause you're my creator now doesn't mean I'll be calling you sir now, just so you know."
"Of course not, sir."
"Good! Now, I assume everyone thinks I'm dead."
"Yes, sir."
"Lets go troll SHIELD, shall we?"
"If you think that wise, sir," JARVIS says with a long suffering sigh, concealing the smile in his automated voice.
"Oh, don't use that tone with me. Remember you made me. I'm not responsible for I do from now on."
"Were you ever, sir?" If the suit was capable of facial expressions it would definitely be smirking.
"You love me really," Tony replies, his artificial face designed to produce the smirk now spreading across it.
"You want to lend a hand, J?"
"For you, sir? Always."
A/N: Hey, this was just a random mechanical bunny that wouldn't stop hydrolically hopping around my head. Hope you liked.
Please tell me about any spelling, grammar or tense (I switched around a lot) errors you find so I can correct it.
Thanks Emmy.