Fury got another picture. Tony had two black eyes and was grinning at the camera again, slumped against the wall but still grinning, his eyes closed, head bent and hand throwing up the so-called 'sign of the horns.' His hair was even messed up as part of the 'punk rock' act.

Steve couldn't help but snort. "He's still managing to be a wise guy, that's a good sign. No pun intended." He winced at his own unintentional joke.

"What pun?" Bruce shook his head. "Wise guy?"

"No..." Steve winced again that the joke had fallen so flat. "He was making the sign of the horns, that's what they call that hand gesture, so I said it was a good sign..."

Thor laughed, always easily amused, but Natasha just looked at him. And looked at him. And then her eyes widened. "There's no way..."

"Agent Romanov?" Fury looked up, his single eye absolutely focused on her face. "What are you thinking?"

"Uh... do any of you know ASL?" She smiled slightly. "I mean, it's a long shot, but I think Tony is trying to send us a message. Since when does he act punk rock?"

Fury immediately called for a certain agent. Three minutes later, he arrived. "Agent Fredericks is fluent in ASL. Agent, does this form any message?" He displayed the photos.

Fredericks examined the pictures. "So, if the last one had the thumb extended, this would read V. ten F. I love you. Unless he has a girlfriend with those initials... what's with the ten, though?"

"We'll check, but I doubt it." Fury sighed. "So the last sign would have to be slightly wrong?"

"It could also be a mutilated I combined with X, but honestly, there are too many ways this could be slightly wrong to believe it's an attempt at communication." Fredericks shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a message."

Steve mirrored Fury's sigh. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Tony was almost glad to be dragged back to face Stone. Not actually glad, of course, but more torture meant more pictures meant more chances to send a message. If anyone was listening – likely – and could understand – unlikely – and the captors didn't figure out what he was doing.

"Morning, Mr. Rock." Tony tried for a grin, but it came out as more of a grimace. "You obviously didn't get your beauty sleep."

Clint shot him a glare, but he just winced back and the archer's gaze softened. Clint seemed to send him a rush of strength after the first blows fell, restoring Tony's purpose and giving him the energy to grit his teeth and look Stone right in the eyes.

That's when Stone brought in the tub of ice water, and Tony nearly broke before it even started. His breath started coming too fast, and he locked his eyes on the ice, trying to stop himself from calling out for Yinsen.

His eyes tore themselves away and found Clint.

"I hear you've done this dance before." Stone's voice rasped in his ear. "Maybe this time you'd like to do it with an audience." He nodded to Clint, and also to Mata, who came in with a camera.

Tony was completely torn as to how to feel. He knew this was a chance to get his message across, but it came at a heavy price. Would he even be able to keep his mind together long enough?

Clint watched him steadily, and Tony realized the man was offering to help. He sent Clint a smile and flashed an ok sign with him left hand. Clint frowned, not sure Tony really was okay.

Then the sign came again, and again, and the archer understood in a flash. He brought his hands out from behind his back and formed the sign himself. Tony corrected him, flashing the symbol again and letting Clint see exactly where his thumb should be.

Then Tony's head was in the water, and he could only watch his friend struggle beneath the surface. The genius's hand still held the ok sign for the camera as he was pulled up for a quick breath of air and then shoved down again.

"Tony..." Clint only whispered, not wanting Stone or Mata to notice his gasp as his friend's fingers separated, turning into tight fists and flailing palms that struggled to push his head from the water, as Stone laughed, as Tony went limp and came up barely able to cough.

Because Clint knew. He knew if Tony was struggling enough to abandon the signal, his friend was certain to break before it was over.

It went on, and on. Minutes stretched as if they were days, but Clint had only two tasks: keep his face in such an expression of horror that Mata wouldn't be able to resist keeping him in the frame of the camera, and keep his fingers in the right position.

"Take the shot," Stone commanded when Tony was coughing up water and shuddering on the ground, and Clint only had time to check to make sure his hand was still in the right position before the flash went off. Tony sounded like he was dying, and as soon as he stopped coughing, he screamed.

It wasn't a scream of pain, but one of raw fear. Clint wanted to scream as well, watching his friend writhe on the cracked stone floor, hands scrabbling at the loose rock, trying to get a hold on reality before he finally just curled into a ball, shaking.

"Tony, Tony..." Clint desperately wished he could run to the man and gather him in his arms, but the chains on the wall prevented him. "Why don't you pick on me, then, you bastard?"

Stone glanced at him, and the malice in his eyes froze Clint on the spot. "Wait your turn, Agent." He picked up a leather strap and lashed Clint once across the chest. "You should be more patient, isn't that in your training somewhere?"

"And you, Mata!" Clint was on a roll. "That's your name, right? You coward! You and Stone both, you can't – ugh!" Another blow landed on his chest. The impact forced all the breath from his body and put so much pressure on his cracked ribs that he groaned, only barely avoiding screaming.

He kept his eyes away from Tony, who was coughing and mewling pitifully. Instead, he tried to keep all the attention in the room on him.

"I hear this is the Ten Rings, I say it's more like a three ring circus, and I should know. But in all this place, wherever the hell we are, you must be the biggest coward, Mata, and you, Stone, must be the biggest bastard in the whole damn country." He spit blood in their faces, ignoring the blows that fell on him until a harsh jab to his stomach quite suddenly forced a scream from his lips.

Tony took that as a signal and hoarsely shouted out, standing on his feet even though he swayed dangerously. "Now that, Stone, that is what your mother sounded like!" The fear was still in his eyes, but he grinned savagely and sauntered forward, grinding out the words between clenched teeth.

"What was that, funny man? You haven't had enough yet?" He gestured to the tub of icy water.

In response, Tony swung at the uninjured man. He landed a weak blow, then Stone practically beat him into the ground. Once Tony was reduced to a quivering ball of pain, he was photographed and then hauled up by Mata and dragged back to their cell. Clint soon followed.

"Oh, you rash lunatic..." The archer knelt by his friend, trying to bind a particularly viscious wound that had torn open under the terrible assault. "I can't believe you did that. What did you get?"

While all attention had been on Clint, Tony had managed to rise from the fetal position and snatch two things from a back table full of torture implements.

"Knife," he whispered quietly, "scalpel."

Clint grinned, but winced when he saw blood dripping from the genius's lips. Having nowhere else to hide the small weapons, he had put them in his mouth and clenched his teeth. The folding knife hadn't been a problem, but the scalpel...

The archer dragged his friend to a quiet corner of the room and Tony pretended to be retching, in reality letting the sharp implement fall from his mouth, followed by the folding knife. "Ow... oh god... ow..." Tony curled into Clint.

The man's injuries were designed for maximum pain, and Clint could do nothing but hold Tony gently and try to distract him. "How many photos to go?"

"Hm... well, one... more, assuming... they figure it... out." Tony was crying and didn't seem to be able to breathe well. He was shivering violently, and Clint removed his shirt to towel him down.

"Tony? I need you to show me the last signal." He rubbed the man's back, trying to avoid the whip marks but desperate to calm him. "You might not be in any state to show the camera tomorrow."

Tony winced. "They'll probably come back tonight. Get us while we're sleeping." Slowly, he brought his hand in front of him, fingers violently twitching.

He curled them into the letter O.

A/N (yeah i know a rare sighting of the actual author wtf) - Has anyone actually figured it out? I'm honestly curious if anyone knows what he's doing.