Tony wakes up in stages. His first thought is a string of angry curses, lamenting his own stupidity and bad luck. The second is a sharp stab of worry for Bruce, who he thinks is still beneath him, but he's not quite lucid enough to check.

"B… Bruce?" He coughs, and the motion sends pain racing down his body. "SHIT – ah, fuck!" He's going to have some nasty bruises, not to mention burns on his back, no doubt. More coughs. "Bruce, where are –"

The ground beneath him is moving and Tony wonders if his accident was worse than he thought. Did he start an earthquake, a landslide? But then he realizes that what's beneath his hands doesn't feel like ground… it's very hard, yes, but it rises and falls… confused, Tony forces his eyes to open.

Green. He is on a green chest, which he totally should've figured out is what would happen. Tony's eyes lift and meet a pair of burning green irises, which stare him down. Tony tries cracking a smile. "Damn, I should've hidden behind you," He murmurs, before more coughs hit him. Again he curses his idiocy and even feels a little embarrassed that his worry, his feelings, had so clouded him that the logical conclusion didn't occur to him.

He tries lifting his head to see the damage, but that hurts his back worse; a sharp cry of pain escapes him and he falls back down onto the Hulk. He thinks he hears the guy grunt or something, but his ears are ringing and he can't tell. Through narrowed eyes, he looks to his left and sees fire, debris, and a whole lot of mess.

"JARVIS… how bad is it?" He mumbles. "… JARVIS?" That's odd; he should reply right away. Surely the damage wasn't so bad that…

CREAK, RUMBLE, RUMBLE. Tony's breath catches, and he turns onto his back despite the pain just in time to see the ceiling tumbling down towards them.

Hulk and Bruce agree on very little, but on one thing, there is no argument: they both like Tony Stark.

Hulk likes Tony, because Tony looks at Bruce and sees both sides. He doesn't want Bruce to control Hulk, and he doesn't want Hulk around as a weapon to be locked away when he's not useful. But most of all, Hulk looks at Tony and there is no fear. Tony trusts Bruce, and he trusts Hulk.

There is only one other who trusts Hulk. Everyone else calls him monster. Hulk doesn't care. But Tony is different, and Tony makes Bruce happy, and he gives him a place to stay, and doesn't try to lock them away or experiment on them. He isn't afraid and he isn't trying to use them.

Tony is good, but he's still puny. Even when he wears the metal, he's weak. Easy to kill.

Good thing Hulk not so easy to kill.

Pepper had been on her way to Tony's house to prepare for a meeting later that day; when she sees smoke rising in the distance she slams the pedal down and floors it. Her heart is hammering in her chest and a thousand different explanations race through her head and she weighs the probabilities and necessary responses.

She's getting closer and that's a lot of smoke. Pepper reaches into her pocket on auto-pilot, wishing she had a number for SHIELD or Fury or someone, and she knows Rhodey's still out of the country, and she'd really rather not call outside help before she knows what's going on. But she needs somebody, anybody, just to feel like she's not tackling this alone because she knows it's very possible that some super-baddy has invaded Tony's house and is currently trying to kill him, and for all her many talents, fighting bad guys is not one.

Suddenly, she remembers: one number tucked away in her contacts for emergencies. She is fairly certain this counts as one.

Steve is learning quite a lot about the future. In fact, he has just learned that people really hate it when cell phones go off in the movie theater. He feels really bad, and he knows he was supposed to turn it off, but he didn't know how and he didn't think anyone would actually call him. Unless, you know, it was a dire situation.

So he stands and hurries out of the room, as popcorn is thrown at him and people sneer, and he apologizes at least ten times before he's out of the darkness and in the hall.

He doesn't recognize the number; he puts it to his ear anyway. "Uh… hello?"

"Steve! It's Pepper Potts, Tony's – um, friend!" She sounds out of breath and that puts Steve on edge.

"Is something wrong? Is Mr. Stark okay?" He can't bring himself to say Tony, as if he's close to the man, but Mr. Stark sounds wrong, too.

"I don't know, I'm driving towards his house and it's on fire! I don't know what happened and he isn't answering my texts and he never misses a text!" Steve's not sure what a text is, but he takes Pepper's word for it.

"I'm on my way." The conversation ends and Steve shoves the phone in his pocket as he barrels towards the parking lot. He's a little bummed that he won't find out if Sam saves Carly and stops Sentinel Prime, but he knows this is more important. And it's not as if he'd really been able to follow the movie, since he'd realized a few minutes into it that it was a sequel to something he hadn't seen. On top of that, the movie had thrown him more than a few history curveballs: like the fact that human kind had been on the moon; and that they had also meddled with forces beyond their control and caused total ruination in Chernobyl. His stomach was still twisted from the sight of that barren wasteland, so much life destroyed.

He's in his car and he's switching from Steve, the movie going ordinary person, to Steve the soldier. Though his uniform is at home, he has his shield, tied down to the back of the bike. In an instant he's on the road, darting through traffic, feeling very rude but realizing that Tony Stark's life – and Pepper's – could be at risk.

A gasp escape's Pepper's mouth as she pulls up in front of the mansion. The entire east wing is crumbling downward, not completely falling, but drooping. There's smoke, but she can't see fire, so she assumes it must be further down. It becomes immediately apparently that the most likely reason why this happened is Tony – the fire is coming from the lower levels, where his workshop is, and the only side of the house affected is the east, also where his workshop is.

Pepper storms into the house, driven by crippling fear and blistering anger. In her head, she repeats a mantra of insults to stay calm. Idiot. Moron. Self-destructive imbecile. Overworking, narcissistic – Her heels click against the floor as she heads down the stairs, coughing as she smells smoke rising.

"Tony!" She cries, holding a hand over her eyes. "Tony, where are you!" Even the hall to the lower level is decimated. "JARVIS, is Tony okay?" If she were worried before, the lack of response from the AI puts her in overdrive. Only something huge could hurt JARVIS.

She storms down the steps towards Tony's workshop, and the smoke is so thick behind the glass that she can't see what's happened. She attempts entering the code and finds the door isn't working, just like JARVIS; the glass is strong, too, designed to withstand Tony's mishaps. She's not going to be able to get through the glass, but she knows who can.

Rushing back up, Pepper heads for the front door and, though it pains her to wait, she stays and keeps her eyes on the road. There is nothing more she can do until Steve arrives, and so she keeps herself calm by running the numbers in her head, the amount of damage done, what will be needed to fix it, who she'll have to call, what it will cost…

Pain is what Tony wakes to when he finally regains consciousness; he remembers the explosion, the debris, lying on top of the Hulk… but what came after? He sits up a little and realizes he's on the floor, his back burning with pain and there's blood where his head had been laying.

Tentatively, he moves onto his back, which hurts like hell but he does it anyway. Then he comes face to face with the Hulk.

The big guy is kneeling over him, arms pressed against the floor above Tony, knees bent, and on his back he holds up what's left of the ceiling. Tony calculates his surroundings and what this means, realizes just how surrounded by debris they are, and in all of ten seconds he comes to the most logical conclusion.

"You have to go." Hulk doesn't reply or react in any way; Tony says it again, louder. "Hulk, you've got to leave."

The beast grunts, his green eyes falling on Tony, which signals hearing but not understanding. Tony tries explaining anyway. "You're strong, but we're pretty deep underground and there's a lot of concrete above us. It's not all fallen yet, but it's giving – it's only a matter of time. Right now, you've got a chance to dig your way out. Much more falls, we're both dead. Now, I know you're strong, but I don't know if you're that strong, and I'd rather not risk your life to find out." Hulk's eyes stay on him, but Tony can't tell if he's getting through. The big guy doesn't move. "Come on, big guy, listen to me! You're gonna get both you and Bruce killed if you don't go now!"

A rumbling, irritated noise rises from the Hulk, and Tony can feel it reverberating from the huge chest above him. "Hulk stay."

"Nooo, Hulk go, or else Hulk die." Tony insists. "Come on, you're supposed to be Bruce's big, green guardian!" Frustrated, the man reaches up and pushes the Hulk's chest, for all the good it does. "Get moving!" Then an idea occurs to him. "Can you even understand me? I know they said you were dense but this is pushing it… you really are just a big, dumb, bumbling gorilla huh?" There's a flash of anger in the Hulk's eyes and Tony feels triumphant. "Get outta here, you overgrown, useless, destructive piece of –"

The ceiling explodes.

Steve arrives to see Pepper standing in front of the house, and as soon as he pulls up she's rushing over, clearly distraught and yet giving him orders with calm clarity like any soldier. "Tony's still not answering but given what's happened to the house I'm pretty sure he's in the workshop, but I can't break through the door – here, it's this way –"

And they're running into the house, bent over to avoid the cloud of smoke rising to the ceiling, and Pepper's leading him to a stairwell but when they approach it, it becomes clear it's been blocked.

"Dammit! It was clear a minute ago!" Still, Steve is approaching the wall of debris, waving Pepper away so that she'll be safe, and then he's throwing his weight behind the shield, trying to see if he can unsettle it, but it's not working.

"Is there any other way to the workshop?"

"There's a tunnel Tony uses to leave in the suit, but it's on the roof, and that's caved in!" Pepper's voice is panicky and her breathing frantic but she's not falling over fainting. She's clearheaded, and the look in her eyes tells Steve she's trying to think of something, anything, that will help. Steve realizes that his old fashioned ideas of women being emotional creatures that fall apart under stress are severely outdated. In fact, that idea has needed revising ever since he first met Peggy; but he'd always thought she was an anomaly, one of a kind. This new century is teaching him otherwise.

They rush back outside, looking up to the roof to see if he could climb up and go down the shaft – "But then, you'd be trapped too. If he's still in there, I doubt Tony has access to the armor, so he can't fly you out."

He turns to her. "Is there a chance I could reach the armor and get it to him?"

She frowns. "Maybe, but I can't be certain. It could be that the armor's okay and he simply can't reach it, or it could be destroyed, or… I don't know!" She threads a hand through her hair. "That's a big maybe to risk your life on, but dammit I don't know what else to do!"

Steve's already nodding and heading for the roof, but someone beats him to it.

A flash of red and gold zooms over his head, straight for Stark's roof; for a moment it hovers, then dives downward, into the debris. In that pause Steve is able to make out who it is.

A big smile comes over Steve's face, and the heavy weight of fear and anxiety begins lifting from his chest. He turns to Pepper, who looks decidedly more confused than relieved. "I think Tony's going to be okay." He says.

The ceiling explosion was, in fact, the arrival of a familiar demi-god, and the first thing which comes to Tony's mind is – just like a lightning strike, oh my god, I'm punny. He can see Thor through the debris, but the god has to fight to get to them, shoving debris away and hoping it won't have the whole place falling. In fact, Tony's pretty sure Thor isn't thinking about that possibility.

"Tony Stark!" He calls, and Tony lifts his hand and waves.

"We're over here!" It's only then that Thor seems to notice Tony's not alone, and he does a double take. Tony takes comfort in the fact that 'gods' can be surprised. "Though we'd really like to not be here. You know, whenever you're done staring. Any day now." The ceiling creaks. "No rush."

Thor moves to approach, and suddenly the Hulk hunkers down and growls, glaring at Thor like nobody's business. Tony scoffs. "Come on, buddy, now's not the time to play jealous, I was just throwing insults at you, you should be squashing me, not defending me –" He's moving onto his elbows and knees, hoping to crawl towards Thor.

"I swear to you, no harm will come to Tony Stark while he is in my care." Thor begins, a fist over his heart, completely ignoring Tony just like the Hulk is. "He will be awaiting you outside, once you have freed yourself."

Hulk seems to ponder this, then grunts, leaning up again so that Tony can crawl forward. Thor meets him halfway, being surprisingly gentle as he pulls Tony to his feet.

"Hold tight, friend," and that's the only warning Tony gets before they're flying.

Steve watches Thor fly over to them with Tony, and as soon as he lands, Pepper is all over them. Steve can hardly follow what she's saying, but he can tell the tone is a mixture of reprimand and worry, and that Tony's replies are flippant at best. Suddenly, the ground shakes, and a familiar roar fills the air. Steve's guard rises, and he approaches Tony.

"The Hulk is here? Did he do this?" It isn't an accusation, so much as it is a soldier asking the hard questions, but Tony is no soldier and he misunderstands Steve's intent.

"The Hulk saved my life – again! And why are you here? Are you trying to be team cheerleader or did you just want to bully Bruce?" That word sends a chill down Steve's spine, but before he can say a word, the Hulk flies out of the crumbling mansion, landing twenty feet away. All eyes are on him.

Pepper gives a gasp, hand flying to her mouth. "He's – he's big." But he doesn't hear fear in her voice, just shock, though she does stand close to Tony. Tony puts a hand on her shoulder, looks to the Hulk, and then steps forward, and she reluctantly follows.

"Hey, buddy, I have a friend I want you to meet." The Hulk grunts, turns away. "Aw, come on, you know I didn't mean what I said before! I was trying to rile you up so you'd leave."

"Hulk know that." He mumbles, and Steve watches Tony's eyebrows raise. "Tony must think Hulk stupid if he think Hulk fall for that."

"Well, I was kinda desperate and wasn't feeling very smart myself…" Steve has no idea what they're talking about; he's just in awe that they're actually talking. He's never heard the Hulk talk to anyone before. "Anyway, this is Pepper." He gestures to the woman; Steve feels a stab of fear in his heart. What is Tony doing? Pepper's a civilian! And he's not even in armor! He doesn't want to be overly protective, but he's almost ready to charge over there when Pepper steps forward.

She's looking at the beast with awe and trepidation, but Steve doesn't think she's afraid. She gives a little wave. "Um, hi," The Hulk grunts, and then turns to Tony. Steve's mouth drops open as one of the Hulk's meaty fingers taps the side of Tony's head, like a light reprimand.

"Hulk not leave Tony behind," He mutters, and in the next instant, he's shrinking down to Bruce again, and both Tony and Pepper are lunging to catch him. Thor approaches as he changes, ready to help, but keeping his distance. Steve doesn't move.

What did he just see?

Bruce is unconscious, obviously exhausted, and Tony and Pepper are hauling him towards Pepper's car. The woman is shouting now, ranting about Tony's stupidity, and Tony is only paying enough attention to give witty remarks every so often. Thor is listening and chuckling at their banter, opening the car door so Bruce can be lifted in.

Steve wakes from his stupor, realizing they could need help, and makes to move forward. But then Tony's head lifts and his eyes land on Steve for just one moment, and his gaze hardens, darkens. Steve stops. Tony looks away and slams the door closed, moving to the other side to get in. Pepper's jumping into the driver's seat, and Thor is assisting a weakened Tony into the car. Having had enough, Steve turns and walks away.

His eyes fall upon the house, fire rising from it, and for a moment he gets a look at the vague shape of it. The thought hits him suddenly – this was Howard Stark's house. He was only there once or twice, but he recognizes the familiar layout. He gets a second shock when he realizes that the house – Howard's house – is burning to the ground.

For a brief second his knees go weak and his eyes water, and he grits his teeth. How typical, another connection to the past, his past, is going up in smoke, and how ironic that Tony Stark is at fault. Clenching his fists, Steve forces his eyes open, and a dark, heavy blanket of sorrow suffocates him. Howard's house is burning, Howard is gone, they're all gone and all he can do is watch the flames engulf it all.

Thor is very pleased to be back in Midgard.

The situation which drew him here gives him no pleasure, of course, but it all ended well. He admits to himself he is glad that its occurrence allowed him to return here. He should really thank Heimdall when he returns, without whom he would not have known the danger, and Tony Stark and Bruce Banner would have been in grave peril indeed; and perhaps, as well, Steve Rogers, who would never have let them perish without an attempt at rescue.

Remembering Steve, Thor realizes the man is not around, and turns to find him standing a few feet away, facing Tony Stark's ruined home. The others have already driven off, after having offered him a ride, which he turned down. He is not so fond of these Midgardian metal carriages, which are often small and cramped and upset his stomach, though he'll never admit that part aloud.

Thor approaches Steve with a smile on his face. "Friend Steve! How fare thee?" He puts a hand down on Steve's shoulder, and the man jumps and turns to him suddenly.

"T – Thor! Oh… sorry…" His head lowers. "I thought you left with the others."

"Not so, my friend," He smiles, and his hand falls. The genial look on his face softens as he examines Steve. "Are you well?"

Steve seems to snap out of a daze, looking up with a smile which doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll be fine, Thor, thanks," Then he turns and moves towards his bike. Thor watches him go for a moment, eyes narrowed, and then follows.

"Where do you go from here, my friend?" He asks, smiling again. Steve looks up and shrugs as he sits upon the bike.

"Uh… home, I suppose." He doesn't turn the bike on, just looks up at Thor. "What about you?"

"I have returned to stay in Midgard for a time." Thor announces, glancing around. "I shall remain to act as her guardian, for as long as Asgard has no need of me."

"Oh, well… do you have a place to stay?" The thought occurs to Thor suddenly that no, he does not. It must show on his face, because Steve is chuckling. "You can come to my place, if you'd like." The stunned look becomes a bright grin.

"I would be honored, friend Steve!" He claps the man shoulder, and both the soldier and the bike shudder. "Shall I follow your lead?" He gestures to the sky, and Steve looks up and frowns.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea…" He glances back down. Thor nods, deciding that Steve obviously knows more about Midgard than he, and is qualified to make the decision for him. But now that he's spoken, Steve looks decidedly uncomfortable.

"Then how shall we do this?" Thor asks.

Steve wonders how in the world his life came to this – trying and failing to put out fires, serving as Tony's punching bag, and riding with a demi-god on the back of his motorcycle. This is not quite as strange as punching Hitler 200 times, but its close.

They can't arrive at his apartment fast enough, and Steve lets out a quiet sigh of relief when he parks and Thor steps off the bike. He's not use to being in anyone's personal space, or anyone being in his, especially not someone like Thor. Steve's not sure what he means by that thought but he lets it go.

Thor follows him to his apartment, and for a moment, Steve feels a little embarrassed. His humble abode is not exactly the finest place, and certainly not comparable to anything Thor is used to, being god-like and royalty. But when he opens the door and turns around, Thor is glancing about his room as if it is made of gold. Steve sets his bike helmet and shield aside, and gestures around.

"Make yourself at home," and he thinks a moment later, I probably shouldn't have said that because, knowing Thor, being at home means walking around naked and drinking plenty of mead. Neither is bad, of course, but Steve would rather not be present for either.

Thor approaches the couch and sits upon it, still glancing around the room, and Steve rushes to the kitchen. He hasn't been a host in decades – literally. "Would you like something to eat, or drink?" He opens the fridge and peers over the top of the door.

"Do you have any ale?" Thor asks, of course, and Steve feels slightly irritated at himself for not thinking of it.

"Uh, sorry, I don't drink." He gives a lopsided smile, and Thor's mouth drops open.

"Truly? You never drink?"

"Er, well, it's not so much I don't want to, so much as I can't." He glances back into the fridge for something he thinks Thor might like, and picks up a carton of strawberries. Anything is better than nothing. "I, uh… I can't get drunk."

"There is more to enjoying a good mead than drinking to drunkenness, my friend," Thor smiles as Steve sits on the couch near him, placing the strawberries on the table. Thor dives for one, eager to try anything new, as usual.

"I guess…" Steve realizes that it probably isn't healthy that the only reason he doesn't drink is because he can't get drunk, but he hopes Thor doesn't notice how bad that line of reasoning is.

But they've moved on, it seems, as Thor is devouring a strawberry, and suddenly Steve realizes he's about to swallow the whole thing. "Wait!" It's too late; he's eaten it, top and all. Thor looks at him with wide eyes, and he can't help but chuckle. "You're not supposed to eat the leaves."

"Ah," He mumbles. "That did taste rather unsavory." Steve gives another laugh as Thor picks up another berry, biting off the bottom this time.

"And how about now?" Steve asks, picking up one for himself.

Thor nods, placing the leafy top on the coffee table. "Sweet, juicy. I like it!" He says it with such fervor Steve has to laugh.

They end up eating the whole box, talking about nothing, and Thor is still hungry. "I could order something, if you like, maybe pizza?" Thor stares at him, his eyes wandering, as if he is trying to decide what he should say, and Steve realizes he has no idea what pizza is. The man laughs again. "I'll order one and you can try it." He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket as Thor chuckles.

"I apologize, I still know so little about your world."

Steve shrugs. "I'm not one to talk. I'm seventy years behind and still trying to catch up…" A little exhaustion colors his tone, and he gives a soft sigh as he puts the phone to his ear. He jumps when a hand lands on his shoulder.

"There is no shame in being overwhelmed; nor should you feel ashamed for not knowing all there is to know." Thor smiles at him, gripping his shoulder, and Steve is really not sure what to say. "I too, know what it is to be lost in a new world. Though I think you will find adjusting much easier than I, for you are a much better man now than I was then." Steve's mouth drops open.

"New York Pizza, how may I take your order?" The voice in the phone snaps them out of… something, and Steve speaks into the phone as Thor's hand drops. The place where it had been burns for a while after.

Two hours later, they have devoured the pizza and drank half the coke bottle, and laughter is echoing through Steve's little apartment. Thor's face is flushed as if he's been drinking, and Steve just finished retelling an old war story about Bucky and his team, one that is pleasant and good to remember. The conversation lulls as Steve takes Thor's empty glass to the sink and the god stretches.

"Well, my friend, it is late, and who knows what the morrow may bring," Thor says.

"Yeah, we should probably go to bed," Steve murmurs, feeling tired but much happier than he had all day. "You can take the bedroom, it's the last door down the hall," Steve points it out as Thor stands.

"And where will you sleep?" He asks.

"I can take the couch," He says, then chuckles a little. "I don't think you'd fit."

"Is your bed not large?" Thor asks an eyebrow quirked. Steve shrugs.

"I suppose." He finishes the dishes, taking out a water bottle, opening it, and taking a sip.

"Then surely we may share?"

The water sputters out of his mouth and he coughs, setting the bottle aside. "Um – well – uh," He scurries to the sink to get a rag, and begins cleaning the mess he'd made, his face crimson red. "its fine, Thor, you can have it."

"Nonsense my friend! I will not have my host inconvenienced for my sake!" Thor wraps an arm around his shoulder, pulls him along, and Steve's stomach plummets to his feet. He continues to try and insist the couch is just fine all the way to the bedroom.

Steve is still blushing all the way to his ears, holding his pajamas tight in his arms as if they comfort him. He's waiting outside the bathroom for his turn to change. He can't believe the situations he gets himself into, but as long as nobody else (note: Tony) finds out, he thinks he'll be fine. Taking a deep breath, the man closes his eyes.

The door opens, and he hears Thor step out. Steve opens his eyes and turns –

"O – OH DEAR –" He cuts himself off, hands flying to his eyes and pajamas falling to the floor. Hands are on his shoulders immediately.

"Steve? Are you well? What has happened!"

"I'm – I'm fine, just – something in my eye – fine…"

"Are you sure? No one is attacking?"

He risks lifting a hand to wave Thor off. "It's fine, just took me by – by surprise…" He sighs heavily, slumping against the wall. "I'm fine."

Thor doesn't seem to believe him, but a moment later his hands rise. "Very well, friend. I shall enter the bed chambers then." Only when Steve hears Thor enter the bedroom does he let out a gasp of air and drop his hands, eyes wide. He runs into the bathroom and slams the door shut.

When he's finished preparing for bed, he nervously opens the door and steps towards the bedroom. He lets out a quiet sigh of relief when he sees Thor is already under the blankets, eyes closed. He tip toes around the bed, slipping onto it from the other side.

"Steve?" Thor sounds groggy. "Will you not sleep under the coverings?"

Blushing, Steve shakes his head. "I'm uh, fine, I'm more – comfortable this way. Y'know… the weather… it's pretty hot around here…" But Thor's already falling asleep again. Steve gives a soft sigh, lies down on top of the blankets, stiff and as far away from Thor as he can possibly get. How in the world did his life turn out this way?

He remains still and staring at the ceiling, hardly in a restful state, for at least an hour. He tries sleeping, tries closing his eyes, but he finds it is almost impossible to drift off when there is a naked demi god sleeping next to him. How do these things happen to him?

Eventually, he sighs, sits up, and decides to go sleep out on the couch, but as he passes by his desk, his eyes fall on his sketch pad. He glances over to Thor again. Slowly, quietly, he sits at the desk, turns on the desk lamp and tilts it low, and picks up a pencil. He flips to a new page, and puts pencil to paper. Every so often, he glances up, and then back down, back to work.

By two in the morning, he has a rough sketch down, and he's too tired to keep his eyes open anymore. He'll shade it later, when he's awake. Pad in hand, he walks out to the couch and collapses onto it, and is asleep almost immediately. It is the most peaceful, restful sleep he's had in a long time.

Tony Stark's mansion has burned to the ground, but the mission has failed. This knowledge burns her up inside, but she remains calm, her exterior icy cool. She puts her phone to her ear, and speaks clearly. "The mission has failed." For a moment she is quiet, listening. "Understood. Shall I begin stage two, then?"

Whatever answer she receives makes the woman smirk. She hangs up the phone, turns and saunters back to her vehicle. As she steps into it, she spares one last glance at the Stark Mansion, and feels a surge of satisfaction. Her quarry may have escaped this time; she may have underestimated the loyalty of the team, but next time she will be ready. And next time, no one will escape.