Peter's experience after Berlin had been vastly different from Evan's. He found a mentor in Mr. Stark, and Tony, although he would never admit it, was finding a son in Peter. After the incident with the Vulture, Tony realized that he couldn't take this kid for granted. He also realized that there was much more he could offer this kid, who was too smart for his own good. Peter began to spend many days after school in Tony's workshop trying to find ways to improve his suit, or just working on projects he found interesting. Tony saw himself in the kid and although he was hesitant at first because of his own upbringing, he started to see himself as Peter's father figure.

Peter knew that Evan wasn't receiving the same attention he had been, especially after Tony had asked him to be an official Avenger. He knew what it was doing to her, being ignored by Mr. Stark, but he loved the attention. He had never had someone in his life like Mr. Stark before. Someone who could relate to and support Peter in ways his Aunt couldn't. He loved May and he was more than grateful to have someone like her in his life, especially after the death of his parents and Uncle, but she could never understand what it was like to have his powers or his intellect. Mr. Stark did. He wanted that connection for himself. He didn't want to share it with Evan, even though he knew she probably needed it more than him. This realization ate away at Peter. The idea that his deep desire for a father figure had made him blind to everything else in his life was a scary notion. It controlled him in ways he didn't want to explore or understand. So every time Evan texted him, asking where he was, asking him why he wasn't on patrol with her anymore, while he was standing in Mr. Stark's state-of-the-art lab, he lied to her. At some point, he stopped going on patrol with her altogether. It was too hard to look at her face, to see the bruises and the pain, and not be completely overwhelmed by guilt. So when he felt his phone buzz while he was modifying his suit and joking with Mr. Stark, he looked at the caller ID and although alarms were going off in his head, telling him to pick up, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and ignored it.

Eleanor, unknown to Evan, had already tried to call Tony, multiple times, who had also not picked up. She was designed by Stark to have a mind of her own and to protect her user in any way possible. She didn't depend on commands, she was constantly working and planning and perceiving, taking in as much data as possible to help keep Evan safe. So when both Peter and Tony didn't pick up, she took Evan's vitals and the video feed from the robbery and placed them in a file that she sent directly to Tony's personal A.I. FRIDAY. She was as direct as possible in her message that Tony needed to be alerted of this immediately and there was a life at stake. Then Eleanor waited, watching her subject die, understanding that there was nothing more she could do to help.

Tony had invited Peter to the lab that night. He had been investigating new technology for the suit, specifically, the hologram panels used on the old Helicarrier, an idea he had gotten from Harley, and he knew that Peter would love it. Although he would never admit it, he also just liked spending time with the kid.

They had been working for a couple of hours now and despite barely saying a word to each other, they were both grateful for each other's presence. Every so often, Peter would hold up whatever he was working on, silently seeking Tony's approval. He would give a thumbs up or offer a way to build upon Peter's design. Every time Peter got that stamp of approval, his heart soared.

Peter was hunched over his work desk, his face a picture of careful concentration, and Tony leaned back in his chair, casually fiddling with a laser device he wanted to attach to one of his suits when FRIDAY's voice filled the room.

"Sir, I have an urgent message. It's about the Wasp." With those words, it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. Peter instantly remembered the call from Evan only a few minutes earlier and his blood ran cold. Tony's appearance quickly changed from lazy to anxious. He knew he hadn't been paying any attention to her… if something had happened and he had ignored it… He looked at his phone and saw multiple missed calls from her. Shit.

"What is it? Where is she?" His voice was tight and constrained. Suddenly, his screens filled with the security footage from the robbery taken off of street cameras and Evan's bodycam. The pair watched as Evan was shot and then managed to fight off multiple assailants. They watched as she fell onto the roof of a building and rolled onto her back in pain. They listened as she begged for help. Peter thought he might throw up when he saw her dial his number.

"FRIDAY, load the location into my suit now. Give me her vitals and alert a medical team of her location. Send a message to Dr. Banner and Dr. Cho that they need to have an OR prepared. Also, connect me to her A.I., I need to talk to her." In what seemed like an instant, Tony had transformed into Iron Man and was preparing to take off.

"Wait, I'm coming with you… I'm not staying here!" Peter's voice was overrun with panic. He didn't have his suit, didn't have anything. But he couldn't just leave Evan there alone. He needed to see her, to be with her, to apologize.

"No, kid. Trust me, I'll make sure she's okay. Just stay here and wait for me. Maybe call her old man and tell him she won't be making it home for dinner tonight." And with that, the ceiling of the lab unfolded exposing the dark sky above them and Tony took off into the night.

Tony shot off through the sky, frantically asking FRIDAY to go faster, to make him go faster. He kept the med team's ETA and Evan's vitals up on his screen and was monitoring them during his flight. By the looks of it, he was going to make it to Evan before the med team, but even with the new technology he had installed since Evan's crash in Berlin, he wasn't sure if he would make it to her in time. He felt sick with panic and guilt. If she died it was on him. It was all on him.

Although he had never met Evan's father and knew next to nothing about what her life outside of the suit consisted of, based on what he had picked up from a little research and Peter, it wasn't ideal. He knew her father had a criminal record of domestic abuse and drug possession charges. He could also tell by the way Peter squirmed whenever he asked about Evan's dad that there was something sketchy going on. He knew he hadn't been as involved in Evan's life as he had Peter's but it was so much easier with Peter. Peter was more communicative; he had fewer walls built up. And he idolized him in a way that Evan didn't. Saying no to Peter was like kicking a puppy. He didn't have a choice. He had always been under the impression that Evan could handle herself. That she didn't need someone like Tony guiding her the way Peter did. Still… he could have at least checked in from time to time, especially after what she had done for him in Berlin. In truth, he hadn't stopped seeing her body crash to Earth since Berlin. He hadn't stopped feeling the panic and the fear. He couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of guilt whenever he thought of it. He didn't know how to talk to her anymore. He was ashamed of what he had asked both her and Peter to do. He was ashamed that he had asked her to die for his petty feud with Cap.

He was ten minutes away now and Evan's vitals were not looking good. She was still alive, but it didn't look like she was going to have much more time. God, what had she been thinking: getting herself shot like that? The security footage her AI had sent continued to play over and over again in his mind. The way her body stiffened up and she stumbled as the bullet made contact with her body. The way she began frantically moving, sprinting through the building like a caged animal. Tony could feel her fear through the screen. Not only that but based on the things he had watched her do with her suit, she had disabled the baby monitor protocol he had set up in her suit just like Peter. Certainly, that had set off alarms somewhere… there was no way he was unaware of that… had he just ignored it? Guilt grew in his chest and his stomach, making him feel sick.

Two minutes away. He could see the building she was on.

One minute away. Her body came into view, and he heard FRIDAY say something about her vitals but he wasn't listening. He wasn't aware of anything other than the body that lay unmoving on the roof of the building.

He landed next to her and quickly opened his mask.

"Evan." Her name came out like a breath he had been holding. There was no response.

"Evan, goddamnit, please respond." He kneeled down next to her and started to assess the damage. There was a weapon Tony didn't recognize laying next to her, emitting a dim purple glow. She was covered in blood and her mask was still on. He gingerly raised her head and started to pull the mask off when Evan sat up suddenly, groaning, fear in her eyes.

"Wait, no, no, wait. Let go of me…" Her mask was half off, still covering her left eye, and her dark brown hair started to peek out from the bottom of the mask. Tony was instantly transported back to Berlin. Her expression looked wild and Tony knew that this sudden burst of energy was pure adrenaline and nothing else.

"Calm down, calm down. It's just me, kid, okay? It's just me." Tony placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to ground her and make her more aware of her surroundings. He saw the recognition flash in her eyes and knowing she was safe, she laid back down with a soft groan and pulled her mask the rest of the way off.

"I got shot." Her words were slurred and quick. She was staring at the sky and her eyes were becoming glassy. He needed to get her out of here, now. She was struggling to breathe but was strangely calm. Tony didn't know what to say.

"You're going to be fine." He paused for a beat when she still didn't meet his gaze. She seemed so much older than he remembered, sitting here. She looked pensive; as if she knew some monumental thing that made this whole situation okay. It was like she had already come to terms with what could be her untimely death. It scared him. She was a child, barely a teenager, and she looked as though she had lived a hundred lives already. Tony swallowed hard and checked the ETA on the med team: 5 minutes. That wasn't going to be fast enough. He would have to fly her back himself.

"I thought I told you not to play the hero again." Tony gave a dry chuckle and began to tap a few buttons on his suit, prepping FRIDAY for his flight, especially with the extra weight.

Evan turned her head slowly so that she was looking at him.

"I know. But I wasn't sure what else to do." It was clear that each word was painful and Tony felt his chest tighten as he watched her struggle. He needed to pull himself together. Evan was going to be fine. He placed an iron-clad hand over Evan's wound as FRIDAY emitted a substance that would work as a bandage for now. It would apply some pressure and hopefully, work to clot the blood. Evan barely reacted except for some soft coughs and groans.

"Alright kiddo, we gotta get you back to the compound so Banner can take a look at you." Tony tried to speak as though this was all normal; as though watching a fifteen-year-old bleed out for the second time was normal.

Evan gave a short nod and closed her eyes. It was too hard to keep them open anymore. She could tell that Tony was terrified. He never hid it well. She knew there was a chance she wasn't coming back from this. At least she would get to fly one last time. At least she would get to see the stars.

If her injuries hadn't incapacitated her, she would have been furious even seeing Mr. Stark's face. He had barely even paid attention to her. Even now. Even as she was dying. But now, she was unable to think about anything. She could barely even feel anything. Her whole body felt numb. It felt like her body was humming. Like there was an energy surrounding her.

"I'm going to pick you up." Even in her state, Evan could hear the tremble in his voice. She must be going to die. This must be it for her. She tried to nod, but she wasn't sure if she was able to get her body to move anymore. She felt his metal arms wrap underneath her body. She tried to make it easier for him; tried to tense her muscles or at least add some structure to her body, but she couldn't. She was limp.

She was up against his chest. She didn't worry about holding on, she knew that he wouldn't drop her. Tony was terrified. He wasn't sure if she was even going to make it to the compound with how much blood she had lost. He grabbed the weapon that had been on the ground and had FRIDAY make a flight plan. He sent a message to Banner and hoped for the best. He wasn't sure he could survive having a child's blood on his hands. He had never wanted this to happen. Fuck, he should have paid more attention to her.

Tony spent most of the flight trying to keep Evan awake and keep his anxiety under control. His chest felt like it was being wound tighter and tighter with every breath. He knew he couldn't think of himself, he needed to think of the kids.

After taking away Peter's suit, it had become clear to Tony that no matter what, these kids were going to be out on the streets acting as vigilantes. In Tony's mind, that meant that all he could do was supply them with technology that would ensure their protection. Now, his instincts were saying to lock both of these kids up in the compound and not let them anywhere near danger. It was true both of them were stronger than even some of the Avengers, but they were still children. No one on the Avengers had been operating that young except Natasha, and look what sort of damage that did. As much as Tony loved Nat, he didn't want that life for these kids.

His mind raced as he made his way back to the compound. He hoped that Banner had gotten his message. FRIDAY continued to feed him updates, none of which were promising. It was becoming more and more clear that unless Banner could make a miracle happen, Evan was going to die.