A/N: The 'lows' in the title have to do with people who died in the earthquake. There's nothing graphic, but it is sad. (I swear, I didn't intend to make the earthquake stuff so depressing!)
Over the next several days, their efforts extended from one edge of the city to the other. Jordan and Toni in the quinjet were almost continually scanning or re-scanning a section of the city and relaying the information to the Avengers or the local rescue workers.
Tony had to pay a visit to the jet around noon on their second day. The building collapse the afternoon before had jarred something loose in the helmet's communication system that he'd ignored until it finally quit, so he left Steve helping set up some makeshift shelters and retreated to make use of his tools on board. He listened as Toni painstakingly described the scan output to someone on the ground, raising an eyebrow at how long it was taking and how frequently the other person seemed to misunderstand what she was saying. When he'd finished the repair, he had Friday run a diagnostic to double check while he made his way over to Toni.
"Why aren't we just giving them the data to display down there?" he asked when her conversation seemed to pause for a moment.
She shook her head. "Believe me, I've asked. They said they don't have the power to run that much equipment and, even if they did, their lines were disrupted by the quake."
"Find out what they need, equipment, personnel, or both, to evaluate what's going on and get back to full capacity. I know a company that specializes in energy, so there are some strings I can pull," he said with a wink.
It took a moment for her expression to shift from perplexed to amused as she realized what he meant. "Of course, Mr. Stark," she said with a smirk. A beep from her console and a chirp from Friday came almost simultaneously. Toni cocked her head to the side as she listened to someone at the other end of the line, and Tony turned away to look out the cockpit windows as he tapped his watch for Friday to go ahead.
"Diagnostic check is clear. All systems go, boss," she said.
"Excellent. Jordan, get ready to release the hounds. I'm going back out there," he said.
"You're plural now, sir?" Jordan asked.
"I wish. I'd get a whole lot more accomplished if there was more than one of me." Like with the suit. He sighed at all of the dust and dings, then stepped in. It looked every inch the tin can that it was. He already had ideas for the next round of improvements, provided he ever had time to invest in the development. A sleeker profile was a must, with less bulk in the shoulders so he could fit into tighter places; he'd been progressively shaving it down, but it wasn't good enough yet or he'd have been able to rescue Maria himself.
Self-repairing functionality would be ideal, as would being able to modify the suit's profile and functions to fit the current need, which pointed to nanotech as the solution. Possibly with modifications inspired by Extremis. He'd have to tinker with it a while, but the SI R&D guys were doing some cool stuff with nanotech and it had him inspired.
"Friday, how are we looking?" he asked as the HUD scrolled through the usual startup frames before switching back to the now-familiar map.
"Local personnel require assistance, boss," she said, a marker blinking the location, then displaying the building scan over the map.
"Where'd I leave Rogers?"
A tiny image of Cap's shield appeared southwest of the target marker.
"Remind me to change that icon." He switched to the pilot's line. "All right, Jordan, cut me loose."
"Releasing the Kraken, sir," Jordan said dryly as the hatch began to open.
Once he was outside the jet, he contacted Steve. "Rogers, prepare for airlift."
"I'm ready when you are," Steve said readily.
"Brace yourself, I'm coming in hot," he said, already almost in range of Steve's motionless figure. Steve must have seen him out of the corner of his eye, because he turned his head slightly and nodded. Tony took that as consent and grabbed him by the harness, bolting into the sky.
They helped clear at least a square mile before moving on to another section of the city. Sam and Vision also roamed wherever needed, and one hour melted almost seamlessly into the next.
Tony knew they should stop to rest, should have stopped hours before, but the rapidly-decreasing number of markers for people trapped was more than enough motivation to do just one more building until the one had become ten. It seemed entirely possible they'd finish before the daylight ran out, even with a minor aftershock in the early afternoon that encouraged a few more structures to give up the ghost. Finishing was a heady possibility and they all seemed to feel it, so no one suggested that they stop for a while.
The two pairs regrouped at a partially collapsed apartment building where several people had become trapped in the aftershock. The aftershock had also proved the final straw for a gas main right in front of the building, so the locals were tending to the erupting flames before the whole block was set ablaze.
Vision had already done reconnaissance by the time Tony and Steve arrived, so they quickly established a plan. Vision would go into the building and coax the residents toward the nearest windows, then Tony or Sam would pluck them from danger and set them down a short distance away where their neighbors were congregated. Steve focused on the ground floor, where a few people could not leave due to rubble blocking the exits.
They worked efficiently, everything going exactly to plan until Steve didn't reappear after going in for the last person. "Rogers, report," Tony demanded when no word was forthcoming. Nothing had collapsed that he could see with his sensors, but there were a lot of things that could happen and not show up. Noxious fumes, for starters.
"I'm right here," Steve said, finally emerging from a cracked doorway, escorting an elderly woman and gingerly dragging a small dog that had latched itself to his boot. "The dog wouldn't let go, and she insisted on walking out herself," he said sheepishly.
It was a little generous to call her stride 'walking', but Tony was more interested in the dog. "Couldn't you taze it or something?"
"With what?" Steve demanded with exasperation as he guided the woman's shuffling steps over the uneven ground.
"Is there anyone else?" Sam asked.
"Friday?" Tony said when he didn't see any more markers on his screen.
"All residents have been retrieved, boss."
"Where to next?"
His map adjusted as she processed the data, eventually zooming out so he could see the whole city and the absence of any markers. "All buildings previously identified with occupants at risk are clear, boss."
"All of them?"
"Yes, boss."
"Guys, that was it. Congrats Rogers, you and the woman were the last ones out."
"The very last would have been the dog," Vision said helpfully.
"The last? Of everyone everywhere in town?" Sam asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, we're done, at least until more buildings bite the dust," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "All right everyone, time to crash. Figuratively. No need for actual crashing. Jet, come get us. Vision, are you going to stay out here again?"
"Yes, there remain things I can do," he said solemnly.
"Sounds good. Just . . . let us know if anything goes wrong."
"What might go wrong?" Vision asked curiously.
"I don't know, you get hurt or something."
"I do not think that possible, but if it does, I will certainly notify you."
"Unless you're going to come to the jet, you're going to have to move down the road," Jordan said as the roar of the jet approached. "That fire is too close for comfort."
"You're going to let a little bit of fire stop you?" Tony scoffed. "Falcon, go ahead. I'll retrieve Rogers."
Sam nodded and took to the air. Tony followed suit, headed in the direction Steve had gone. When he found him, Steve was missing a glove but had shed the dog from his boot.
"Did you have to make a trade?" Tony asked.
"I have more gloves, but I really like these boots," Steve explained.
When they got to the jet, Tony wanted to step out of the suit and straight into bed, but everyone else was eating, so he probably should too. He slouched into a seat, where he got as far as unwrapping his protein bar before he decided to send Pepper a message to say hello and also to ask unofficially if SI was considering sending any generators and also maybe volunteers, because he just happened to have a list of things needed that he knew the company could fill.
His phone rang moments later. "Hey," he said wearily, leaning back into his seat and tucking the phone between shoulder and ear.
"Hey you," Pepper said warmly. "You sound exhausted."
"Yeah, it's been a long couple of days."
"Then I won't keep you. Generators and people to run them are already on their way to both San Diego and Tijuana."
"You're the best," he said gratefully.
"I know," she teased. "Now go get some sleep."
"Believe me, I intend to. I love you."
"I love you too, Tony."
He sighed and let his head drop back against the bulkhead, only half paying attention as the phone slid into his lap. "God, I'm tired."
"You'll sleep better in your bunk," Sam commented. "But if you want to stay there, that's cool too."
"Need a hand up?" Steve asked, already rising from his seat, a hand outstretched.
"Nah, I'm good," Tony said, waving him away without making any effort to get up. He heaved a sigh and disinterestedly finished eating his protein bar, then finally forced himself onto his feet. He didn't groan aloud, at least, but there were definitely bruises he'd forgotten about.
"Be up and ready to go again at, um, eight a.m. sharp," he said after squinting at his watch to check the time. Eight o'clock would give him just over twelve hours to sleep, and he might even use all of them.
After eleven hours in bed and a shower that could only have been more satisfying with a Pepper involved, he felt almost prepared to go back out and face whatever they needed to do next.
Vision had busily collected information while they rested and appeared promptly at eight to report on what he'd learned. In the almost three full days that had elapsed since the earthquake, various aid organizations had mobilized their personnel and were addressing the survivors' needs for food, shelter, and medical care. Teams of local workers and volunteers from a range of sources, including from Stark Industries, were beginning the daunting task of assessing the damage to the city's infrastructure and restoring what utilities they could so the hospitals and temporary shelters could more easily do their work.
"The largest task that remains unaddressed is recovering the deceased so the wreckage can be cleared away and repairs made," Vision concluded. "Since we have the log of locations and are less vulnerable to injury should the debris shift during our efforts, I have informed the authorities we are willing to serve in this capacity."
"Dead bodies," Tony said bleakly. "They want us to dig up the dead bodies."
"There will be others doing the same where they are able," Vision hastened to add. "There will also be personnel clearing away the debris we displace."
"Somebody's gotta do it," Sam said soberly. "Do we have any idea how many we're talking?"
All eyes turned to Tony. He didn't want to think about it, so he said, "Friday?"
"Preliminary estimates place the death toll well in excess of three thousand, boss," Friday said. "Nearly one thousand coordinates of deceased persons were logged during the rescue efforts." A map of the city with the white crosses they'd plotted came up for their examination.
"Jesus," Jordan muttered under his breath.
"How are we doing this?" Steve asked.
Tony frowned at the map. "Friday, check the scans and include any other building that seems likely to have bodies, then sort out what the ground crews can handle. Plot possible routes that hit all of the places we'll need to do. Are we better off splitting up or staying together?"
"We should stay together," Sam suggested before Friday answered. "We don't know what we'll have to move to get at these people."
Tony looked at Steve, who nodded slightly. "All right, we'll stick together. Friday, plot a route that minimizes retracing our steps, keep count of what we find, and share the info with the jet. Jordan, Toni, we may need new scans of some areas, so pitch in elsewhere as you can, but stay close. Toni, share the other list with the local folks in whatever way is most convenient. Friday, feed our first coordinates to the pilot, and Jordan, take us away."
"Yes, sir," Jordan said, scrambling into the cockpit.
Tony started to head over to the suit, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Steve, who quickly removed his hand and asked, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Are you?"
Steve's jaw clenched for a brief second. "Yes."
Tony nodded shortly. "Good talk," he said, stepping into the suit.
They started along the coast and worked inland, shadowed by a trio of Tijuanan sanitation workers with a large flatbed truck. The workers put up a construction barricade at the end of the road where the Avengers were working, and one of them stood guard to deter anyone from getting in the way. The other two would take charge of each body as it was recovered, wrap it in a length of fabric, and attach a tag to the toe with the address where it was found, then carefully place it on the truck.
In some neighborhoods, they retrieved people faster than the workers could tag them, and the guard helped wrap them so the sight wouldn't further upset the small crowd of onlookers that wept at a safe distance. Sometimes Sam also stepped in to help, which the workers protested at first but eventually accepted as necessary.
Other neighborhoods didn't need their attention at all, the houses having been built more recently and out of better materials. There was one such neighborhood at the top of the hill overlooking the area where they had first worked on rescues. The contrast between the intact houses above and the wreckage just down the slope was discouraging, and Tony found himself contemplating building codes and sustainable housing and how these people could afford to rebuild when they had so few resources before the quake.
It was far easier to consider rebuilding than to dwell on the rapidly-increasing tally he finally had to tell Friday to remove from his display, easier than counting the number of times the truck left full and returned empty only to be filled again. He'd have to find out what charitable group would spearhead reconstruction and funnel resources in that direction, once he had his money back. Surely he'd regain access soon, now that Ross was gone and the investigation would be revealed as a sham.
They worked for nearly ten hours with a break for a half-hearted lunch, then returned to the helicarrier for the night. With no need for haste, Tony bowed to Sam's suggestion to limit their time in the field. They were tired, in body and in spirit, and Friday's estimate that it would take at least three more days to complete their task was, at minimum, disheartening. Their stash of food-rations notwithstanding-was running low, so they joined the helicarrier crew for dinner in the mess.
The second day went much like the first: long, dusty hours spent extracting the lost from their unexpected resting places. Once or twice Sam tried to make a joke that Tony ordinarily would have either run with or mocked him for, but he didn't have the heart to participate, not when they were surrounded by death and destruction. He'd seen plenty of both in his life, of course, but this was different. This wasn't warfare, it was normal people living their lives, taken by surprise and utterly devastated.
Late in the afternoon, their route brought them to a primary school where the concrete roof had collapsed and crushed an unknown number of children and adults. Tony distracted himself from the horror of the scenario by closely watching Sam and Steve, observing the grimness in Sam's expression and Steve's clenched jaw.
It took them the better part of two hours to clear the building; by the time they finished, a much larger crowd of onlookers had gathered. A priest from the church down the road had also come, and he was leading the gathering in some sort of recitation, at the end of which they all crossed themselves. The priest continued speaking after that, while many in his audience wailed or fell to their knees.
"He is asking God to welcome these little ones to heaven, as he promised," Vision informed them over the comm as they stood and watched at a respectful distance.
"We'll stay until he finishes, and then we're done for the day," Tony said quietly.
"There are still several hours of sunlight-" Vision started.
"We're done," Tony interrupted firmly. "You can stay and do more if you like, but we need the break."
Tony wouldn't have been sure when the priest concluded except that the sanitation workers who had been motionless beside the truck during the proceedings put their hats back on and climbed inside it, the engine roaring to life. "Let's go," he said to the others, and they quietly left the scene, in wordless agreement that having the jet pick them up there would be disruptive.
The atmosphere on the jet was solemn, and at first no one broke the heavy silence. They were nearly to the helicarrier when Steve said, "How many were there? I lost count."
"Twenty-six," Tony said grimly as he stepped out of his suit. "Twenty-six kids between five and eight years old. And the three adults."
A long silence followed his response. Steve pulled his gloves off, then ran a hand through his hair, not looking at either Tony or Sam. Sam's eyes looked sad, but he seemed to be holding up okay. Tony decided he needed some air. As soon as the jet settled into its spot on the carrier, he was opening the hatch. "I'll be outside," he said, not bothering to look back for a reaction.
Tony lingered in the shade of the jet to stare over the water, his hands in his pockets. They didn't disturb him for a while, but eventually Steve came out to ask, "You coming to dinner?"
"No," he said shortly. "I'm not hungry."
"We'll bring you something," Steve said, already walking away so there was no point in protesting.
Tony shrugged and returned to his study of the water, feeling very small and insignificant against the expanse of the ocean, the fathomless depths of space, the number of dead from this and other disasters. How could anyone believe there was a god when something this wrong happened?
"Mind if I join you?" a familiar and unexpected voice asked, startling him from his reverie.
"Not at all, doc," he said, stepping aside so she could join him in the shade. The sun had nearly set, and bright colors streaked the sky in its retreat.
Dr. Tanya stood silently beside him, within arm's reach but not close enough to touch.
"I didn't know you speak Spanish," he remarked finally, still looking ahead.
"I don't," she said with a smile in her voice. "I'm here for the volunteers."
There wasn't anything he could say to that, so he didn't.
"How is it going?" she asked after a long pause.
"There are so many. Too many. We found a bunch of kids today. They shouldn't be gone but they are and . . ." he couldn't figure out what he'd meant to say, so he shrugged instead.
"It frustrates you," Doc T offered.
"Damn right it does," he said fiercely. "There's nothing I can do to fix this, yet here I am and they're gone. No one will know what they might have been capable of. And yet I'm responsible for the deaths of many kids like them, so what business do I have being upset about them?"
"Your past has nothing to do with this earthquake," she said gently. "It is very human to grieve the deaths of children. Your teammates feel the same way."
"Hmm," was his only response.
"How well are you sleeping?"
He had to think about it. "I haven't had nightmares since the migraine, if that's what you're asking."
"And you've slept every night?"
"Not exactly. We worked through the night when we first arrived. More might have died if we hadn't," he said, feeling like he had to defend himself even though her manner was far from accusatory. Realizing he was probably overreacting, he stopped talking and took a deep breath instead.
"I understand," she said simply.
They lapsed into silence again, then Tony heard footsteps approaching and he finally turned his gaze from the water.
"We got you some carry-out," Steve said, displaying a white paper bag before setting it down on the deck near Tony's feet. "Sam said he'll eat it later if you don't."
His curiosity piqued, he bent and picked up the bag. Peering inside wasn't helpful in the dim light, so he pulled out a foil-wrapped sandwich of some sort and partially unwrapped it. The smell was unmistakable. "You brought me a cheeseburger?" he asked, more than a little surprised.
Steve shrugged self-consciously. "We weren't sure what you'd want and I remembered there was something in your file about cheeseburgers, so . . ."
Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Cheeseburgers were the first thing I wanted when I came back after Afghanistan," he said, mostly for Dr. Tanya's benefit. Apparently Steve not only already knew that, he'd remembered it in the midst of all the other details he'd probably seen and forgotten. The smell was making him hungry, so he took a bite rather than putting it back. "Thanks," he said honestly.
"You're welcome," Steve said, seeming genuine. He lingered awkwardly for a moment, then headed back the way he came.
"I don't suppose it comes with a beverage?" Tony teased.
"You'll have to come inside for that," Steve retorted as he glanced back with a grin.
"What terrible service," Tony called in Steve's direction, not expecting a response. He didn't get one, and Steve vanished around the curve of the jet, the sound of his firm footsteps echoing faintly as he ascended the ramp.
"You seem easier around him than before," Dr. Tanya commented.
"We weren't exactly on our best behavior the last time you saw us together," Tony said dryly, contemplating the cheeseburger and whether he wanted to finish it or save the other half for later. He wrapped it back up and returned it to the bag.
"What makes the current situation different?"
He shrugged. "We have a job to do. And he's not pushing back on what I say all the time. Apparently you're to thank for that."
"Would you be willing to have another conversation with him?"
She'd asked that before, and his response had more or less been to dismiss it by claiming he'd think about it. He hadn't then, but he did now.
Part of him still scoffed at the idea that more talk would budge Steve's strongly-held opinions. At the same time, there had been small signs that maybe, just maybe, Steve was thawing toward him a little bit. And if it went poorly, well, that could be the final reason to cut ties completely and move on to whatever post-Avengers life might look like for him. "Yeah, sure. Couldn't hurt, right?"
"I don't think you'll regret it," she said. "How long do you plan to stay?"
"As long as they have things we can do better than whoever else has shown up."
"What will you do when you're done here?"
"I haven't exactly made plans, but I'd like to see Pepper while I'm this close."
"That's a start. Anything else?"
"I need to talk to my R&D people. They're doing some stuff I want to borrow for my suit. And I need to improve my bot and make more of them." As he spoke, ideas and thoughts that had been lurking in the back of his mind began to slot into a more coherent plan, though it wasn't developed enough yet for him to explain to anyone, even Doc T.
"Yes. I'll go and see Pepper, stay in Malibu for a week at least," he decided aloud. "I can spend some time at headquarters, do some work, and see what Pepper thinks about a few things I'm considering for when I get my money back."
"Good," Dr. Tanya said approvingly. "Let me know when you're planning to leave and we can have that conversation before you two go your separate ways."
"Yeah, okay. It's a date," he said with a nod. "Thanks, doc."
"Anytime," she said, shaking his proffered hand.
"Do you have a place to sleep?" he asked as they took a few steps toward the jet's hatch. "We've got room, if you need it."
"I'm all set here on the ship, but I appreciate the thought. Good night, Tony," she said, heading back across the deck.
"Good night," he called, then glanced into the jet as he considered his options. The others were sprawled on the floor, playing a card game. Toni was unsuccessfully hiding a grin behind her hand of cards, then Sam said something Tony couldn't hear and both Jordan and Toni laughed while Steve blushed.
Tony nodded in satisfaction and sat on the edge of the ramp to finish his cheeseburger and tell Pepper he'd be seeing her soon, probably within a week. He was already looking forward to it.