Steve woke coughing, having breathed in dust and dirt. He continued his coughing fit unwillingly, lifting his chest up with one hand and brushing his other hand over the side of his face, the side which had been pressed to the floor. He had been dumped on his chest; a single oil lit lamp hung from the iron door in front of him.
"Nice to see you're still alive, was starting to get a bit lonely."
Steve turned in the direction of the voice. Tony lay on his back beside him, clearly exhausted, face pale and clammy.
"Tony." Steve sighed, pleased to see his friend.
Coughing up the last of the vial dirt he had sucked into his lungs, Steve sat himself up. Tony made no attempt to do the same. Staying on his back, one hand resting over his reactor. The light being immitted nothing more than a soft, glim, blue shadow.
"Know less than you Cap…" Tony tilted his head in his direction. "No clue where the others are." He took a visibly painful breath. "…Or where we are."
"It's ok Tony." Steve reassured him, not prepared to ask anything of the dying man at this time.
"What happened?" Tony asked, with a hidden concern for his lack of memory.
"You've been out for a while." Steve tried to ease his troubled thoughts. "Ended up a village, patched you up there." Tony's fingers glided over his bandaged side. "A.I.M then found us."
"Natasha was right." Tony chuckled. Steve was looking at him for an explanation. "Shouldn't have underestimated them."
Steve looked around, trying to find some words of wisdom. Looking back, he found Tony's eyes closed.
"Don't give up on me now Stark!" Steve hooked a hand under the man's armpit, pulling his torso up, supporting his back as he pulled him against one of the small cell's close walls.
"Can't you let a man pass out in peace?" Tony grimaced.
"Not that easy." Steve seated himself alongside him.
"Never is." Tony winced, the pain in his chest constant.
"Tony, the arc reactor…" Steve couldn't meet the man's eyeline, Tony just staring ahead at the door that barred their escape.
"I'm sure Nat will be able to wiggle her way out of this one, with or without Barton's help." Tony deflected.
"Stark." Steve insisted, not letting him get out of this one. Tony looked over at the Captain with a brief saddened smirk.
"Contrary to belief Cap, sometimes I don't have an answer." He turned his head back towards the door, tired eyes finding the ground.
"There must be something?" Steve demanded in disbelief.
"Not this time." Tony on the outside appeared he was at peace with his current situation, calm and collected, even while knocking at deaths door.
"Talk to me Stark!" The Captain ordered, voice bouncing around like an echo in a tunnel. Tony opened his eyes, not remembering closing them. His mind quickly relayed his most recent memories, catching him up to speed again after his brief unconsciousness.
"You could probably force the door, these A.I.M guys really aren't that smart." Tony mumbled his words unwillingly, his body cold and numb, the pain now gone. "Find the others."
"I'm not leaving you behind." Steve insisted, voice a bit clearer now.
"It's quite poetic actually." Tony said, ignoring Steve's declaration that he would not be leaving without him. "I built the first miniature arc reactor in a cave just like this, fitting that this is where it will die." Tony's bleak outlook was more than motivating, it was infuriating.
"Not today." Steve wrenched the man to his feet even though he protested. Hooking Tony's arm around his shoulder he forced him to stay standing. He went to approach the door dragging Tony along on his hip when it swung open. There was a rumble under his feet, the ever-loud roar of the Hulk bellowed somewhere within the cave. Natasha stood at the door, Steve's shield in hand.
"Ready to get out of here?" Natasha smiled.
"Told you." Tony whispered, referring to his earlier comment, his head leaning on Steve heavily.
Natasha went to help with Tony, but Steve accepted his shield from her and gave her other orders
"Clear the path ahead, we're walking straight out of here."
"Try to keep up." She replied, running ahead. The ground continued to rock, pieces of the ceiling threatening to cave in on them.
"The Hulk is going to bring this place down." Steve cursed, Tony growing heavier in his hold. Rounding a corner, he found Natasha pinning someone to the rough wall of the tunnel, elbow striking his face, knee meeting his groin. She released the man, the A.I.M agent dropping like a sack of stones.
"A.I.M wanted us alive, for what reason I'm not sure." Natasha explained as she walked ahead.
"I've got a feeling they aren't going to let us leave alive."
There was another corner up ahead, Natasha taking lead. A fist flung at her from around the bend, she whirled round dropping out of the way, leg swooping under the legs of her assailant. Clint's head made a thud against the floor, he blinked rapidly having been dazed temporarily.
"Sorry." Natasha offered him a helping hand. The archer had no weapons other than his two fists.
"Likewise." Clint apologised, rubbing the back of his head. The cave shook more vigorously breaking up the reunion, ceiling crumbling in places.
"Let's move." Steve ordered.
"This way." Clint took the lead, guiding the others through the winding tunnels. The growls from the deep were menacing, even though produced by the Hulk. Steve chose to push aside the fact that Tony had been awfully quiet, as well as the fact he was barely helping himself to walk. Steve and Tony began to full behind because of this, forcing the Captain to lift the man over his shoulder. The lack of protest was like a kick to the stomach.
Steve could smell the fresh air, the others out of sight having gone ahead. He rounded the final twist of the maze, the dark sky greeting him. He stopped. Natasha and Clint where just ahead of him, hands in the air as a troop of armed A.I.M agents pointed their weaponry their way.
"Hands up!" One yelled, the flood lights being pointed there way threatening to make them blind. Steve dropped his shield, raising just the one hand, the other holding Tony's arm keeping him on his back.
"Both hands!" Someone else yelled. Steve did not comply. The troops moved up. "We will shoot!" The yelling continued. Natasha and Clint lowered their hands, looking back at their leader, ready to stand by him no matter what hell they were to face.
There was another low grumble. However, it was not originating from the ground, not this time. This time the sky snarled back, forks of lightning starting to strike in the twisting clouds above. The lightning then struck the earth behind those who sought the Avengers harm, Thor standing in its wake. His eyes were blazing blue with power, lightning crackling and snapping along mjolmers surface. His arms were firm with the strength of a god, and with a mighty swing the hammer leaped into action, leaving the god of thunders hands and colliding and shattering a man's ribcage. It found two more victims in its path before finding Thor's hand again. The troops turned, firing at the god. He launched into the air, slamming the hammer down between them all. The lightning was beautiful, the pure power cracking the ground, static in the air. Those targeted where sent flying.
"Bit late?" Clint joked as Thor approached them, the lightning in his eyes subsiding and clouds above settling.
"Better late than never." Thor jested back.
The imminent threat having been dealt with; Steve lowered Tony down. He was motionless, the arc reactor showing no signs of life. The light of his mechanical heart was dead.
"Tony." Steve struggled to ignore the emotion in his voice.
"Stark?" Thor questioned noticing his friends' peril. Clint ran his hands through his hair, having to look away.
"Natasha… something… anything?" He asked his grief-stricken teammate. She shook her head from left to right, fighting tears as she brought a hand over her mouth.
"Is it his heart machine?" Thor asked kneeling at Tony's side.
"It was damaged, it's not being powered." Steve didn't know what to do, he was in a situation with no optimal solution, no clear path he could walk his team that would end with them all leaving alive.
"I have no clue if this is going to work." Thor suddenly said. He lifted his hammer, resting one side of it on Tony's arc reactor and tapping the other side lightly. Small sparks spat from the hammer, reactor abruptly flickering before maintaining a steady glow.
Tony gasped; his lungs unacquainted with the sensation of air.
"Yes!" Thor exclaimed. "I had no clue that would work." He cheered in disbelief.
Tony was in and out of it, the pain had returned, that he was fully aware of. It was the one thing that kept making him come back round. He only witnessed flashes of what was transpiring. At one point he could have sworn he had heard the gruff voice of the god of thunder. His next view was prompted by a discomforting strain of his side as he was lifted. The black sky was looking back at him. The next thing he knew he was laying on his uninjured side. His head resting on something soft. Deciding to investigate he willed himself awake.
Looking down at him Natasha ran her fingers through his hair, in a comforting motion. A rocking from side to side leading him to understand that he was again in a vehicle.
"We've got you Stark." Natasha assured. "We're getting out of here." She pleasantly added.
"Shame." He whispered, not attempting to move in fear of aggravating any more pain. "Was just starting to enjoy myself." He was able to joke. Natasha's smile was a much better sight than the grizzly abyss he was expecting to face.
Authors Notes
Thanks for reading! Special thanks to the amazing person that helped edit this work, I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing people. Working on another Tony whump story already, set in the Marvels Avengers game, which I finished in a 20 hour sitting as soon as it came out. If your interested in that keep a look out for me posting it next. See you again soon!