Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or the Avengers, but I did buy a kickass Loki t-shirt.
Chapter 6
Pepper arrived early at the shelter. She always arrived early or perfectly on time. She had a spotless reputation that was only soiled by Tony's childish outbursts. Luckily for her, they had lessened after the Avengers defeat of Loki and the Chitauri - at least the runaway God of Chaos had done some good.
The shelter organisation had been very helpful and given her a tour before its doors opened. It was an old, renovated house that was built for sturdiness rather than beauty. The structure was divided into sections. The first floor housed the kitchen, toilets, and a dining room that sometimes had other functions. Pepper recalled seeing a small article in one of the local newspapers. An area doctor had transformed the shelter's dining room into a small emergency room during Loki's attack on the city. It gave the area's habitants their first shot at receiving basic first-aid. The first floor also held showers, a communal area for washing, and there were three bedrooms, each occupied by four bunk beds. The second and third floors only held bedrooms and toilets. You could donate clothing or other useful items in the entrance hall. Absolutely no space was wasted here, a thing Pepper greatly appreciated.
Pepper checked her watch. Tony should've been here already. She sighed inwardly. There were some things that Tony would never learn, like punctuality or being subtle…or keeping his promises to her. She was increasingly glad that she scheduled an exclusive interview but had given Tony a start time that was fifteen minutes early. If he had any sense left, he'd be here on time or regret it deeply.
She decided to walk outside and wait there. People started passing by her at the entrance and she could smell that the kitchens had opened for service. A young woman with dark circles around her eyes walked past, accompanied by a young man who squeezed her shoulder in comfort. The last few weeks were hard on anyone who tried to pick up their normal lives, much less the people that had almost nothing before the invasion.
A short, bald man started crossing the road. His coat was clearly too big for him and his shoes looked overused. By all means, he looked like a homeless person, yet under his dark moustache, the man had a broad, warm smile on his face. It reminded her of the smile her grandfather used to give her when she was little - a caring smile.
He looked at her with a grin. "A good evening to you, Miss!" Then he turned around, looking at the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. "Come on, Locke. Your royal bath is waiting."
The person he shouted to gave no noticeable reaction. The young man called Locke kept on walking, a tough look on his face. Locke's shirt was a faded blue and much too large for him. It also failed to hide his bandaged arm. Pepper noticed that Locke's injury. She gave the bald man a concerned look.
"Yeah, he's not much of a talker, but I can't blame him," the moustached man said. "I'm Bob, by the way. Pleased to meet ya!" Bob held out his hand in greeting and Pepper took it, giving it a firm shake.
"Pepper Potts. Nice to meet you."
"Potts, huh. The name sounds familiar."
Pepper smiled politely, but with concern, and cut the man off, something she normally wouldn't do to anyone aside from Tony. "What happened to him, Bob, if I may ask?"
Bob's smile faded a bit and his eyes saddened. "I don't know, but I would guess too much. I found him wounded and looking for food. Back at our camp, he caught a high fever. But his Highness is doing a lot better now." The man had his smile back. "He sounds like a spoiled kid sometimes, but I can see he has a good head."
Bob's sentence was cut short by Locke's slightly raised voice calling out to him. "Bob?" It wasn't arrogant or demanding, but it had a certain resolve to it, like a man who had just made a very important decision.
Suddenly, Pepper's face paled to an ashen-white as she recognised a red blur heading their way. "Oh God, no, Tony!" She cursed inwardly. How was it that things always got screwed up with him? She'd hoped for a steadier life after Loki's capture. Looking at the fast red blur, she thought to herself, 'Whatever happens, please let him be safe.' She feared for the worst but always hoped for the best. The area filled with the sound of screeching tires and the smell of burning rubber.
Several things happened in that instant. Bob and Pepper, who were both standing in front of the shelter, realized that there was nothing they could do in time. Their faces paled and their eyes widened in fear and worry. Bob stretched out his arm in vain, reaching towards Locke. He yelled out, but the other man didn't seem to hear him. His eyes only focused on the car careening his way.
Loki felt like he was glued to the ground. His mind told him to move and run, to magic himself away. He almost moved his hand to do so, forgetting momentarily that he was human, but he could not avoid the inevitable.
Tony sat in his car, a frozen expression on his face. In his mind, he blamed the medication, his cold, and the alcohol, but mostly he blamed himself. He should have listened to Pepper, the one person he could always count on and the one person who cared for him even if he did screw things up royally. In a moment of clarity, he called out for Jarvis and told his A.I., "Do something!"
Jarvis, of course, reacted with a polite, "Yes, sir." He was fast, and not the kind of fast that broke racing track records, no, Jarvis was much faster. If the A.I. could feel pride, he would feel it for this aspect of himself, well, that and his intelligence. He calculated the distance and speed of their travel, taking into account the environment and potential trajectory of the vehicle. He checked the stability of the car and the durability of the brakes.
Before Tony could say anything else, the brakes were pushed in and the steering wheel turned. Tony Stark was no longer in any control of the vehicle. Rubber tires left skid marks on the street, leaving behind the smell of burning rubber. The car took a sharp turn with so much force that it flipped to the side and rolled against a lamppost, which only slowed it down a bit and gave it a spin. The Lamborghini finally crashed into the butcher store across the street. It came to a heavy halt half inside the store.
It looked like chaos. The cars wheels were still spinning, but the Lamborghini itself was dreadfully silent. Pepper had already reacted, her smartphone still in her hand after dialing for an ambulance and further assistance. A black car stopped at the shelter and a man with a camera came hurrying out. Great, the press is already here, flitted across her mind, but she could hardly care to worry about them. There were more pressing matters, and lives, at stake.
Bob ran to the wreck of the store and Pepper followed suit. The media were going to have a field day. Pepper could already predict the headlines for tomorrow. It had all been so positive for Tony these last several weeks with only stories and articles about Iron Man's heroic acts. The city sure loved its gold and red savior.
Pepper held her heart, hoping that both men were still alive and well. But mostly she worried about Tony's safety as she called out for him. "Tony!" She stood in front of the store trying to get a good view. The car had gone straight through the window, tearing the door off in its wake. The back of the car was sticking out into the road and looked like a truck ran over it. She heard sirens wailing in the distance as the ambulance quickly rushed to their aid.
Bob had already entered the store, which was, according to him, the most logical place for Locke to be. He desperately hoped he would not find a bloody pulp of a body. Meanwhile, the first ambulance arrived outside, accompanied by a police car.
Pepper watched Bob go into the store as he undertook action instead of just standing around. He searched the place for any sign of movement. Glass lay scattered on the ground and the store's torn-off front door was half hidden under it. Pepper made a fist. She was so angry. That fool of a man! He'd better live so she could take it out on him later! From the corner of her eye, Pepper suddenly spotted movement underneath the torn-off door. It was the shape of a moving foot, kicking it from underneath. Without regard for her own well-being, she quickly rushed toward it, but before she could try to lift it, a hand was laid on her shoulder.
"Ma'am, you need to let the paramedics do their job. Please." That was when she noticed that her whole body was shaking. The man who had spoken lent her his arm. Another paramedic rushed to the scene with two others carrying a stretcher following him, readying it for transport. A camera's flash illuminated her face and she told herself repeatedly that she had to be strong.
She heard movements and the sound of glass crunching and breaking behind her. A loud groan followed as somebody was lifted onto the stretcher. Pepper turned her head to look, but the police man was blocking her view. She gave him her best don't-you-dare-cross-me look. The cop moved immediately. The man on the stretcher was breathing and she saw his hand move.
That man, however, wasn't Tony.
…Bleep
…Bleep
"Sir?" a soft sounding voice said.
Eyes fluttered open, signaling that he was awake.
…Bleep
God, that sound was annoying! He groaned.
"Sir!"
"That was one hell of a party." Wait a second. Why was he upside down? Slowly, his memory came back to him. He was stuck inside his car, still in the seatbelt, with the airbag pressing against his face. "Jarvis, vitals please."
"Sir, I cannot do a full body scan, but everything seems to be in place. I do, however, recommend that you seek medical attention."
Tony felt very glad for the fact that he had reinforced most of his cars by adjusting their structural base and skeleton. It made them more resistant, just in case situations such as this arose.
"I also recommend that you get out of the vehicle, sir."
"Jarvis, sound the car alarm if it is available." He needed to let them, or rather Pepper, know that he was alive and well. The high pitched car alarm went off. Pepper recognized it and felt relief wash over her immediately.
Bob also heard the noise and made his way to the driver's side door. He looked in to see Tony hanging upside down in an uncomfortable position. "I take it ya need some help here?" Bob reached into his pocket to grab his pocketknife. He cut the seatbelt that was trapping Tony in the vehicle.
"Thanks, man. I appreciate the help, Jarvis, deplete the airbags." But Bob had already ripped a hole in them and the air came out in a loud hiss. Bob offered his hand, helping Tony crawl out of the wreckage.
"Anthony Stark!" Tony recognized Pepper's angry and authoritative voice and boy was he happy to hear it.
"Right in here, Pep." He got up from his knees, the elder man still supporting him. "Thanks again."
Bob took a good look at the man he was helping. He could smell the alcohol on his breath...and driving a sports car! What was this guy thinking? As he scrutinized the man's facial features, he suddenly recognized him. Knowing who he was made Bob's blood boil. This man – this hero – was supposedly a genius. He had brains. He should learn how to use them.
Bob could only ask him one thing as he seethed at this revelation. "Are ya alright now? Everything in one piece?"
Tony nodded in response. "Yep, good to go again."
That's when Ironman Tony Stark got punched in the face by a very angry Bob.
And once again, thank you lovely people for reading. Thank you followers, and big thank you to the reviewers! I love you guys. And I know it took ages for them to meet face to face, but that is coming next.
To my revieuwer Closet: Thank you for pointing out the bare/bear mistake. Since i am not from an English speaking country i know i make mistakes like these but often i can't pick them out myself. I have also edited the author notes., i am hoping they are more clear now. If you notice anything else feel free to speak your mind, one can only learn ^^.
A big thank you goes out to my beta Sinister Banana and swordmisstress