"Oh god." Tony Stark's car had pulled up beside, what had been, Stark tower. Police and curious citizens surrounded the site. Stark jumped out his car, like the seat was on fire, and sprinted to the crowd. He pushed his way through the throng, shouting and cursing until he arrived at the barrier, where a young policewoman met him.
"Please, Mr Stark, will you come with me." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I... what... what the hell happened?" He stammered, too shocked to shrug her hand off, or to make a snappy remark.
"There was an attack on the tower and an explosion. But sir, Miss Potts, she's been taken." Tony snapped back to reality then and looked the nervous woman straight in the eye.
"What?! Pepper?!"
"Yes. Now I need you to come with me to answer some questions."
Stark spent the next four ours watching his tower explode, Pepper being taken and then Loki's grinning face. He answered question after question.
Yes, he was in a relationship with Miss Potts. Yes, he had been away on business. No he didn't know how the attackers had rigged the explosion (though he did). The questions never ended, one after the other, and on the screen behind the two officers, her watched Pepper being taken and hundreds of people dying over and over.
Eventually he was set free and walked, stunned, out of the police station, not really seeing anything. His mind was running at the speed of a snail and the street in front of him swayed and rippled, like it was being reflected in a pool of water. He was only brought crashing back to earth when his phone began to ring. The spark of hope ignited within him.
"Pepper!" Stark grabbed his phone, but his heart sank when he registered Fury's name.
"Stark. We need you to come in." Fury's voice was urgent.
"Fury, this really isn't the time." Stark answered, voice slurred with exhaustion.
"We know what's happened, that's why we need you, so we can find Loki and stop him." Stark's eye's narrowed, his muscles tensed and he straightened his posture.
"Alright, I'm on my way."
