Hi everyone :) I'm continuing this one-shot as this idea was nagging me for weeks.

Disclaimer: Marvel has the privilege of owning these characters.

A few hours after that arc reactor fiasco, Pepper arrived at the Tower. The team and Pepper got acquainted with each other. Pepper asked about Tony but they had no clue. As a result, Pepper (still in her business suit) went to check Tony's labs but Tony had locked everyone out. She tried various codes but none of them unlocked the door.

"Jarvis what happened today? Why is he so upset and angry?"

"I'm afraid that sir has not allowed me to inform anyone else or drop hints about the happenings of today. I too am concerned for his well-being. I promise you that I will do my best to help him return to his normal state and stop isolating himself from others."

"Thank you Jarvis."

Pepper left the vicinity of the lab with her heels clicking in tow. She hoped that Tony would at least come up to eat or see her.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Tony was trying to come up with a method that would enable him to synthesize the element he had rediscovered without having to blow his whole house again.

By the time he had come up with a suitable yet really complicated way, he had damaged a few areas of his lab. Soon after he started to lift many heavy machinery parts from place to place and was drenched in sweat.

"This is harder than I thought!" Tony grumbled. He didn't make that many spare reactor cores using the new element. The ones that were made had been installed into the suits. Some of them had been damaged between the time after the palladium incident to the birth of the Avengers. Some of the cores that he had tried to make were not successful and had to be disposed of carefully. If only he had anticipated this and come up with more spare cores in Malibu.

The process of synthesizing the new element was going to take 10 hours, according to Tony's calculations. He decided that he should be awake during the whole process in case anything goes wrong and he miscalculated. More than half that duration was spent running tests on the elements. Tony needed help from Jarvis for many steps in the process as he wasn't too healthy and he'd been exhausted after the invasion.

Throughout the said time frame, Tony began to design a new improved version of the now trashed Mark VII.

(assume DUM-E and U were already moved to the new Tower.)

First hour: Jarvis opened a new project for Tony to develop.

Third hour: Tony literally collapsed out of exhaustion. Dummy and You started clicking madly at him for his recklessness.

Fourth hour: DUM-E brought coffee from the coffee machine Tony had installed.

Fifth hour: Tony fell asleep, head on the table.

Seventh hour: DUM-E and U finished cleaning up a small portion of the damaged area of the lab and looked up if their 'Dad' would praise them. They beeped at him and nudged him. Realizing it was early morning and he was sound asleep, the two mechanical wonders gently dragged Tony on his chair towards the couch at a far corner in his lab and placed him there so that he would sleep peacefully.

Ninth hour: Tony moves around and suddenly gasps for air as his eyes fly open. He had been dreaming about the wormhole and the pitch darkness. As he carefully takes in his new surroundings, he remembers that that wasn't the place were he had fallen asleep. Dummy and You are seen. He thanks them for dragging him to the sofa.

Tenth hour: Tony almost sneaks out for his morning flight routines. Almost goes to fly his suit. Luckily Jarvis reminds him that his current reactor is not stable and will further worsen his pain. At the end of the hour, Jarvis informs Tony that the core has adapted to the reactor and can be used safely.

Eleventh hour onwards...

There was a blinding light in the lab as soon as Tony installed the reactor. He felt more alive and rejuvenated. Of course the fact that he needed sleep didn't change a bit but he felt healthier and more protected when he installed the reactor. His knees suddenly give away but good thing Dummy catches him before his face hits the floor.

"Thanks bud," he says but he hears some voices out the door.

"Anthony Stark open the door now!" Bruce and Pepper are at the door frantically trying to get in. They have no idea what was happening inside but they were planning on retrieving Stark by brute force if required.

"TONY! What's going on!"

"Jarvis, no matter what you do, do NOT open the door, show or tell them anything about what happened her for the past half day, nor do you talk to them voluntarily."

"But sir-" Jarvis protests.

"Code Alpha 2108 Shut down all AIs. Now."

"May I ask why you are doing this sir?" Jarvis resorts to stalling his master.

"No you may not." I just want to be left alone, he tells himself quietly, a big break from all this mega destructive life-ruining events!

A minute later, Jarvis has shut down all AIs completely, including himself.

Unfortunately, Jarvis had tried to warn Tony of something bad and Tony had ignored the warning.

The mechanic dropped the wrench in his hand and dropped to his knees, shaking violently. Tony's vision blurred and his head 'spun', he had a moment before he passed out.

Thirty minutes later...

"TONY STARK! I GIVE YOU FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN THE DOOR BEFORE WE BREAK IT DOWN!" Natasha yells.

"5-4-3-2-1!" Clint counts down. "Time's up Tony. Thor?"

Thor smashed the door using his hammer. The Avengers and Pepper rush into the lab which now looked like a battle zone.

"Bruce? What's that?" Natasha asks the doctor, staring at a machine that was glowing blue in the centre of the lab.

"Jarvis?" Pepper asks, filled with hope. Oh no Jarvis was shut down what are we gonna do...?

"No, that cannot be, this, its- a erm... a particulate accelerator."

Clint and Steve find Tony and calls them over. Bruce examines the machine while Pepper looks after Tony. 'Why was he wearing a shirt that could allow the light of the arc reactor to pass through when there were guests in the house? Something's not right. Something happened yesterday and they aren't telling me what it is. Something that broke Tony.'

"No no what was he trying to create at a time like this?" Bruce mumbles as he studies the accelerator. What has Tony done?

Something clicks in Natasha.

"Pepper can you restart Jarvis? Bruce, its that new element for the reactor he made a while ago. He must've worked himself to death to be passed out like that. Steve, Clint, how's he doing?"

"I think he passed out due to lack of sleep and food over the last 12 hours." Clint said. "He's fine though. Some bruises on his hand due to the attack but nothing serious."

"Systems online. Dum-E and You restarting." Jarvis informed Pepper and the others.

"Thor, Steve let's get him to his own bed. Natasha, Bruce, the machine can be taken care of later. Jarvis I want a full recount of what happened between the time since the Avengers came here. You guys have a lot of explaining to do." Pepper said in her business like, but threatening voice. Bruce and Clint looked at each other and gulped.

After Thor and Steve put Tony in his bed, they all went to one of Tony's living rooms. Pepper was pacing around while the others were seated in sofas. They were whispering to each other about their current predicament.

"So what are Tony's injuries up to this point?" She asked.

"A dried gash on his head, taken care of by himself, his ankle could've been sprained and he looks really weak. We can only tell if he has sprained his limbs when he wakes up. We think he most probably fainted because he had been awake for the past day during the fight and the 12 hours he went MIA."

"You think? He was awake for four days straight! Jarvis told me he fell asleep for four hours this morning and one just before he went on a field trip Germany! He barely ate except for a total of four coffees! You didn't even approach him after the battle! He was working non-stop even before the whole tesseract fiasco started! You guys didn't even ask for updates till I arrived."

"Sorry Ms Potts."

"Sorry won't help now. I need to know what happened to break him like that. I know you guys did or said something."

"Featherbrain here told Jarvis to play the clip of Obadiah and Tony's fight scenes and Jarvis agreed with a hidden agenda." Bruce put it out in simple terms and as short as possible.

"YOU SAW WHAT?! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN APOLOGIZE TO HIM!" Pepper shrieked. The team sans Natasha cowered under her wrath. They were going to pay. Really pay for this soon.

Another cliff hanger! Don't worry I won't leave it there. I just hoped to continue this Tony-centric fic for my readers :) I'll update the next chapter faster this time. I hope you guys like the fact that I continued this fic!

-thewriterstory
12 November