The Monday really hadn't been so bad… For a Monday, but the week was just beginning at that point. Tuesday was pretty average, if your definition of normal was doing science experiments, and fighting gangsters shooting at you with bazookas, which was Tony's definition of normal, so it was fine with him… but Wednesday… Wednesday was a bitch. And not just a bitch like, some annoying chick who you dump in high school who goes around after the fact telling everyone who will listen that she dumped you instead, because you have a tiny dick.

No. This was more like that one you see hanging out with the big jocks, who complain about people being fake, but the only real thing about them is their innards, because they've been tanning and bleaching and injecting so much that they look like Barbie dolls, and act like everyone who doesn't look like they're made of plastic is beneath them and should be worshipping the very ground that they walk on. That kind of bitch.

Tony woke up that morning to an empty bed again, and a note from Pepper, telling him that he could eat cereal that morning as she was in a hurry to get her work done early that day, in preparation for the early dinner and evening out he'd promised her the night before, after once again missing a lunch date to fight the gang.

Now that he thought about it, Tony mused, he seemed to be missing a lot of dates with Pepper… Good thing she was always so understanding, he told himself with a smile, then got out of bed and stretched before heading into the washroom and showering. The billionaire trimmed his beard when he got out of the shower, then combed his hair a little, grinning at himself in the mirror. Damn he was good looking. He wandered back into the bedroom, looking through his dresser and closet a bit before picking something out. He wasn't going anywhere special until what he had planned with Pepper, so casual would do just fine….

Tony got dressed in jeans, one of his vintage rock band shirts and a pair of jeans, then made his way down to the kitchen, eating the cereal and drinking his coffee, happily watching himself on the television. He always enjoyed seeing himself on the news before he was Iron Man, and now it was even cooler, because he got to see himself being bad-ass and blowing shit up, as well as being able to see if there were any flaws in the design of the suit from a different perspective than he had whilst wearing it.

After he was finished his breakfast, Tony made his way down to the garage, tinkering with a few of his cars, adding a turbo boost to one, and fixing the transmission on another. He did routine check ups on all of his cars, murmuring to the older ones and making side notes on which parts would need replacement soon. He finished up with the auto mechanics, then got to his feet, covered head to toe in grease and oil.

The brunette washed up a little, then made his way once more to the R&D department, sneaking up on Bruce and grabbing his sides this time to startle him with a grin. "Hey Bruce! What are we working on today?"

"Wasn't sure what to do for today's experiment actually…. Was just looking over a few different theories on the internet… Seeing if there was anything we could prove or disprove, or improve on… Whatever was needed.. But there really doesn't seem to be much here to work with…" the doctor rubbed his face, then put his glasses back on, giving Tony a soft smile. "I bet you're just brimming with ideas, aren't you though?"

"Ha ha…. Yeah, you got me…" Tony laughed, grinning and gesturing to himself in a jokingly guilty manner. "I was hoping to work with some radiation today, if that's okay with you… I mean, if that makes you uncomfortable-"

"No… No it's fine Tony… We just have to be careful…" Bruce gave another soft smile, moving a little closer to him, "Radiation can be really unstable sometimes… If you bring different types to close together, there's not really any precise way of predicting what will happen if that exact situation hasn't occurred before."

"I hear ya man… And don't worry… We'll be careful… Green really isn't my colour." he patted the other scientist's back, then got to work, setting up the different reactive chambers in the room to hold different types of radiation, telling Jarvis to fill them up with the correct types.

Tony had just finished up working on a particularly complicated biology experiment with Bruce, trying to see how human DNA reacted when exposed directly to bits of different radiation. They had used microwave, gamma and simulated solar radiation, when Steve came in. The blonde cleared his throat, glancing again in annoyance to how the scientist was standing very close to the billionaire, before looking back and clearing his throat again. "Hey, if you're not too busy with the science experiments, we've got them. We were able to trace the small amounts of radiation in the larger weapons, and followed the signal to their headquarters… Thought you might want to come and deal with them yourself."

"Hell yeah." Was Tony's response, followed by running out of the room to go get his suit. Steve gave Bruce a little smug smile, to which the doctor replied with a little nod and a slightly confused expression. Steve met Tony outside again, giving him the co-ordinates for the headquarters, which they drove- and flew- off to quickly.

The destination was a warehouse, located just off the edge of town, near the docking bay for the larger cargo ships. The gang was importing the Stark weapons from somewhere overseas it appeared, as they were often seen driving trucks with the large metal containers on the back in the direction of the warehouse, coming from the docks.

Tony had a few ideas as to who was behind the whole thing, but for now, he would wait… See what they found at the headquarters before pointing any fingers in the corporate world…. He knew just how dangerous that could be.

As they neared the warehouse, Tony flew down near the ground, alongside the captain, who was riding a motorcycle with his shield in front. The man in the red and gold shot the doors open and they entered shooting, Tony blasting things apart with his repulsors as Steve assessed the situation.

Minutes after arriving, they discovered very quickly that it was indeed a trap laid out for Tony, the gangsters stepping out from behind storage crates after ducking there when the two men entered the building. Tony noticed he was at a disadvantage for once, the gang members having bazookas that were powerful enough to blast off bits of Tony's suit if they hit him. He was kept busy dodging those, as the captain attempted to make his way to the back of the place, trying to find the light switch to throw the gang into the darkness and disorient them so that they could escape and call for backup to take out the group.

Tony managed to spot the ringleader of the group, and shoot a blast into the pile of boxes beside him, trapping him under a shipment of guns. While he was distracted by that, the gang members used that opportunity to commit to a full assault on the man's suit, while one of them ran into the back to get the most powerful bazooka they had.

By the time Steve managed to get the light off, Tony had been hit in the side by the rocket launcher, and was barely managing to hold them off. He had passed out just as Steve reached him, the soldier scooping him up in his arms and carrying him, suit and all, running as fast as he could towards the nearest hospital.

His heart was pounding in his ears, and he could see sparks leaping across the hole in Tony's suit. The arc reactor was still glowing steadily, which provided a base amount of reassurance, but not much. The blonde man ran and ran and ran, breathing ragged and painful in his lungs as he was yelling to Tony that everything would be okay, and that he needed to hold on.. Just hold on…