Pepper didn't know how long it took her to gather her wits after William pushed her into the wall. Once she did, though, the first thing she saw was Clint on his back with Mac's menacing figure towering over him. She only had moments to act before the gunman would shoot Barton. Grabbing one of the discarded guns, she moved in behind Mac, then swung it like a baseball bat at the same time the other man started pulling the trigger. Mac's bullet slammed into the wall as the man himself crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll.

In a flash, Clint reached over and pulled out the pocket knife from Josh's neck(the man had since faded from this world). He jabbed two quick stabs to the man's chest, then one more to lodge it in the artery in his neck. A pool of blood began to expand across the floor, circling around Pepper's feet.

Carefully, Potts put the gun down, its weight bearing far too much responsibility for her hands, and moved towards Barton, who was fumbling against the wall to stand up. She watched as he moved his hand in front of him like he was reaching for something only he could see.

"Y-you ok, P-pepper," came the concerned slur.

She grabbed his hand and held it tight. She could hear the sounds of people coming down the tunnel. It sounded like Tony; help was almost there. "I'm fine, Clint. Don't worry about me. We have to worry about you. I hear Tony coming; we'll get you out of here and to a hospital in a minute."

"T-tony?"

"Yes, Tony." She looked down the tunnel and saw the faint glow of Stark's arc reactor getting closer with the sound of his thrusters.

The archer's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he sank to the floor. A red streak covered the wall in his wake from the cuts on his back. The makeshift bandages that had bought Clint more time were soaked through.

"Clint! Don't do this, Clint. Come on, open your eyes!" demanded Pepper. She turned to check on Tony's progress. "Tony, hurry!"

Iron Man placed his feet of the ground and slid his face plate up. He wanted to jump for joy at the sight of Pepper still alive, but the moment was short lived as he saw her clinging to an unconscious Hawkeye. His stomach clinched at the fear that all their efforts had been in vain;, that they were too late to save yet another person that mattered to them.

Steve came running up behind Stark and stopped to take in the horrifying scene. One look from Tony and he knew the plan that was forming. He nodded his consent and Stark scooped up the fallen archer and flew him back to the tunnel entrance, leaving Pepper in Roger's' capable hands.

Captain America surveyed the results of the fight. He felt a certain amount of pride in his friend that, even injured, he'd managed to take down the bad guys and protect Pepper from harm. Steve really hoped his act of bravery wouldn't cost him his life.

Steve extended his hand to Pepper who was still kneeling in the same spot. The tears were starting now that Barton was gone. She took the hand and got shakily to her feet. Rogers immediately wrapped his arms around her in a reassuring hug that also helped steady her. She wasn't sure how long they stood there. She just knew that he let her cry her frustration and fears out. It wasn't only for Barton; the weight of the whole situation hit her all at once.

"Shhh, he's going to be alright Pepper. It's all going to be ok now," reassured Steve.

She took a moment to catch her breath and wipe her tears.

"We should get back and out of this tunnel," he suggested. They started to walk back the way they had come when something caught his eye. He stopped and bent down near the two vials that were resting against the wall. "What's that?"

"It's what they came for. That's what they took out of the vault. One of them had it in the briefcase, but they fell out when Clint jumped him."

"This is what Fury was after?" Rogers picked up the two vials and put them back in the case. He had SHIELD's prize possession in one hand and Stark's leaning on his other shoulder. The pair slowly made their journey back to the bank and the world outside.

Tony held the archer in his arms as he flew back towards the door. JARVIS used the connection to the suit to perform a quick scan of the unconscious man.

"Sir, I've completed a vitals scan of Agent Barton."

"And?"

"It appears that Agent Barton is crashing, sir. I recommend immediate medical attention. His pulse and blood volume are dangerously low and his respiration is extremely laboured."

"As if there wasn't enough pressure," muttered Tony.

Iron Man burst through the open door into the bank. A few seconds later, he was outside standing in front of the ambulance that had been stationed nearby in case something went wrong during the siege. He placed Barton on one of the stretchers and backed up to allow the EMTs room. Sliding his face plate up, he watched as they worked to try and stabilize his friend. Fury stood next to him, face grim.

The portable heart monitor the paramedics attached to Clint's chest started to beep; the beeps merged into a constant high-pitched whine. Stark and Fury could do nothing but watch as a flat blue line ran across the screen. A flurry of activity danced around the fallen man pausing only when someone yelled "Clear!"

A jolt of electricity ran through the archer's body, but the blue line didn't change. Someone placed an oxygen mask over his face and began squeezing valuable oxygen into his starved lungs. Another person slid a needle in his arm, pumping chemicals into his veins. The paddles were placed against his chest a second time. Again, the line remained obstinately flat.

Tony could feel the urge to move build in him; he needed to do something, anything, other than standing there watching his friend die. He didn't realize he had been mumbling "come on," over and over again until he finally shouted it after the third attempt to start Barton's heart produced the same results as before. "Come on, you bastard! You don't get out that easy!"