"I wonder why they aren't coming back." Natasha asked after almost an hour of waiting.

The fire department had come and finished the job, but the boys still were missing. Bruce had run out of Kleenexes, but Pepper didn't need anymore. After a while, Bruce noticed something else that was interesting.

"Where's Thor?"

The two women looked around the car to find that the Norse god had gone missing as well. Natasha and Bruce got out of the car and looked around. Pepper followed close behind, making sure that the car was locked before leaving it.

"What is up with these guys? Do they think they can just leave while we're looking for Tony?"

"That gas station explosion was pretty convenient, don't you think? Kind of like it was planned for it to happen when we got here?" Bruce interjected.

"Excuse me," Pepper said to a fireman. "Why did the station explode?"

"We don't know for sure. Only four people survived and they were badly burned. They all said they were saved by either Captain America or some guy with a bow hanging around his back. I figured Hawkeye, so thank you for sending them out."

"And did they say where they went?"

"One person said that they went back into the fire and never came out."

Natasha was frightened for a moment that Clint had died in the fire and it was all her fault for telling him to go. She ran into the remains of the gas station. Bruce and Pepper ran after her. She dug through the ashes and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"He wouldn't be dead. He's smart enough to know not to die." She said as she threw debris.

Bruce sat down beside her and began shifting through the debris with her. Pepper did too. The three of them dug and dug until Bruce hit something. His foot stubbed a bit of the floor. Bruce hulked out from the sudden pain and shouted angrily.

"Bruce! Bruce, it's okay! You just stubbed your foot!"

"HULK HURT! STUPID FLOOR!"

"My friend, I have found you! When I returned to the transport, you were gone and I assumed the worst. Where are the blond fighter and the archer?"

"They-"

"This is a trap door!" Natasha said suddenly.

"HULK SMASH!"

Hulk smashed through the floor and grabbed his three companions. They all fell into a tunnel. Natasha turned on a flashlight and checked that Pepper and Thor were okay.

"HULK SQUISHED!"

"If you let Bruce come back, you can come with us."

"HULK HUNGRY! SMALL MAN SAY HULK GET FOOD!"

"We're looking for Tony. We need you to help us find him."

"SMALL MAN! SMALL MAN! SMALL MAN!" Hulk shouted down the tunnel.

"They're here!" A voice said.

"I believe, Man of green, that we were meant to be secretive."

"HULK-"

Suddenly a dart hit Hulk. Hulk yelled, but began shrinking. Bruce fell to the ground. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving.

"Bruce?" Natasha said, hoping he was unconscious.

"The Hulk is down, proceed to Thor!"

"How dare you harm my friend and threaten me! How dare you take the Man of iron! And how dare you make Woman of Stark cry! I will smite thee and ensure the safety and joy of my friends!"

Thor twirled his hammer around and around. He threw it with all his might at the group of guards. They all fell to the ground. Behind them were even more guards. Thor's hammer returned to him as Natasha pulled out her guns.

"Try and wake Bruce up. We need the Hulk. Put your jacket over him for now." Natasha said as she turned to the guards.

The guards descended upon them. Thor fought them off valiantly while Natasha gunned any that got past them. They seemed like they were actually going to make it. That is, until Thor was hit by the same dart as Bruce was.

"Thor!"

"This will not harm me, fair maiden. I am Asgardian! And I will not be-"

Thor immediately fell to the ground. Natasha tried to fight them off, but they quickly overwhelmed her. She felt a guard hit her in the face. She fell down and held her face. They hit her again and again until she was enveloped by darkness.