Summary: An earthquake levels half of Manhattan a month after the events of 'Age of Ultron.' The tower is decimated, and Tony Stark is missing. When Clint, Steve, Natasha, and the new Avengers rush to help with search and rescue, they discover that the earthquake was an artificial trap to kill them all. Whump, hurt / comfort, drama, family, friendship. Written before 'Civil War.'

Safety Coffin

PenPatronus

Chapter 1 of 4

Obstacle Course

NEW AVENGERS FACILITY

UPSTATE NEW YORK

"I should probably warn you that I had the fastest time in my unit," James Rhodes said as he stepped out of the War Machine armor. "I broke the record. Twice."

Sam Wilson shrugged off the Falcon wings and tossed his goggles onto the grass. "And that was how many years ago?" he asked with a grin. "Was I in high school back then or still in diapers?"

"You're gonna piss yourself when you see how fast I am, kid." Rhodes hiked up his sweatpants and started stretching his legs. "You're gonna wish you were still wearing diapers."

Beside the two Avengers, Wanda Maximoff was trying to explain the row of parallel bars to the Vision. "Like a monkey climbing across tree limbs," she said, miming the motion. "One hand after the other."

The mind gem sparkled in the noonday sun when the Vision cocked his head to the side. "Don't children play on monkey bars?" he recalled. "Is this a playground?"

"It's an obstacle course." The four Avengers turned to see Steve Rogers emerge from the facility with Natasha Romanoff at his side. Like them, Steve and Nat wore dark, standard-issue S.H.I.E.L.D. sweatpants with gray t-shirts and sneakers.

"You call this an obstacle course?" Natasha shook her head when she saw the field. "We have all the Stark tech we want," she reminded Steve, "and you went with tires, a climbing wall, and barbed wire?"

Rogers gave her an exaggerated that-hurts-my-feelings look. "What? It's basic training."

"It's BASIC basic training," Natasha teased. "They've gone up against killer robots and RPGs and you have them climbing ropes? You could at least set up a laser grid."

Wilson elbowed Rhodey in the ribs. "Twenty. Twenty bucks says I cross finish line first."

Rhodey stood up straight. "Fifty, and you're on."

"Fifty, huh? Isn't that your age?"

"A lot has changed in seventy years, Romanoff, but the Army still trains its troops with ropes and vaults." Steve crossed his arms tight against his chest. "It's harder than it looks."

"When would I crawl through mud?" Vision asked Wanda. "WHY would I crawl through mud when I can do this?" The Vision jumped slightly and floated, hovering a foot in the air.

Wanda offered a patient smile. "I do not think that the Captain intends for us to use our powers for this."

Nat suddenly pivoted to face Steve. She squinted at the captain and said, "Oh, I get it. I'm onto you, Rogers."

He held his hands up in surrender. "What?"

"You had to do this sort of thing when you joined up. I bet it was torture for pre-serum Steve. And now…" Natasha tapped a manicured forefinger against Cap's chest. "Now, you're in charge, and part of you wants to watch other people crawl through the mud like you did."

Steve uncrossed his arms, braced his hands against his hips, and then slid his fists into his pockets. "No-oh," he said, stretching one syllable into two.

Natasha chuckled. "When are you going to let me teach you how to lie?"

"Teach me?"

"Yes, Steve. I know you think that lying is a moral defect, but it's actually a skill. A skill far more valuable than climbing monkey bars."

Rogers rolled his eyes. "You might be a good liar, Romanoff, but you're not very perceptive."

Natasha recoiled like he'd punched her. "Oh, really?"

"I did hate those obstacle courses," Steve admitted, "but you know what the difference is between me and the men who ran those drills?" Steve tugged on his shirt sleeve when Natasha shrugged. "I'll be going through the course, too."

Sam deflated at the news. "Fifty bucks says I cross the finish line…second," he said to Rhodes.

Natasha looked down at her own outfit. "I just took a shower," she sighed.

All six Avengers turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle. A rusty old pickup truck kicked up dust and gravel as it traveled towards them down the road. "So, you were saying that the obstacle course should be harder?" Steve asked Romanoff.

Natasha stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at the truck. "A holographic soldier or two would sure make it interesting."

"Would it be harder if someone was shooting arrows at us?"

The truck swerved into the grass and drove right up to their feet. Natasha didn't even try to contain her excitement when she saw who it was. She had Clint Barton in a hug before he even got one foot out the door. "Missed you, too," Clint coughed, pretending to be choked by her grip.

"Thanks for coming," Cap greeted, shaking Hawkeye's hand.

Barton shrugged. "I was getting a little bored on that tractor, anyway. Hey, you!" Clint opened his arms wide for Wanda's embrace. "I saw the news footage of that bank robbery you guys handled," Barton said. He fist-bumped Wilson. "You're a badass, man."

Sam lifted his chin high and whispered to Rhodes, "You hear that? Hawkeye called me a badass."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Hawkeye is gonna shoot your ass in a minute, kid."

"What did you bring?" Steve asked.

Clint opened the bed, revealing an entire arsenal of bows and arrows. "Wasn't sure if you wanted me to trip them or kill them, Cap, so I brought everything." Clint used his hand to block the sun as he examined the field. "This is your obstacle course? Are the monkey bars at least electrified?"

Natasha snickered.

"You know what, Romanoff—" Steve began.

"Whoa." Clint suddenly grabbed onto the truck for dear life. "WHOA. You feel that?"

The Vision looked at the grass. "Indeed."

Steve, Nat, Sam, Wanda, and Rhodey exchanged confused looks. "Feel what?" The ground answered Natasha's question before she finished asking it. Vibrations rippled up from the earth. Every blade of grass rippled. A brief rumbling sound preceded a crack in the building's foundation that ricocheted halfway up the outer wall. Sam crouched like a baseball catcher and braced his fingers against the ground. Wanda squealed.

The quake stopped as suddenly as it started. "Everyone all right?" Rogers asked. He studied each member of his team, checking for anything worse than wobbly knees.

Wanda paled. "That felt like when Sokovia started to fly," she whispered. Vision put a hand on her shoulder.

"I bet it was at least a 7," Rhodes commented.

Natasha scanned the obstacle course. "Some of your vaults fell apart, Steve—"

Chimes shrilled from seven pockets. Before any of them could answer their phones, a window on the top floor of the facility flew open and Maria Hill stuck her head out. "You'll want to see this!" she called. "Welcome back, Barton."

Clint and Steve exchanged worried looks. "Uh oh," the archer groaned.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites are moving into position," Hill reported when the Avengers joined her in the facility's situation room. A dozen techs typed and clicked away at computer terminals. "We should have a live feed in three, two, one…"

Images materialized on the overhead screen. Every pair of eyes in the room looked up and watched as the final pixels came into focus. And then, every pair of eyes immediately looked away.

The Chitauri invasion burned Manhattan, but the earthquake flattened it.

Flattened AND burned it.

Black smoke soared out of vaguely building-shaped piles of rubble. Skyscrapers tilted at precarious angles in one direction while billboards, bridges, and street signs leaned the opposite way. Roads looked like crumpled carpets. Cars, trucks, and buses had turned over onto their sides. At the epicenter, the exact spot where the earthquake originated, squatted a wide pyramid of debris that used to be the Tower.

Steve's jaw hung open for so long that when he finally swallowed, the air felt rough against his throat. "Stark's last known location…?" Hill had already checked. Steve could tell by the look on her face. He took his phone out fast, as though unsheathing a gun. "C-Call S-Stark," he stuttered. After a calming breath he ordered, "CALL TONY!"

The phone complied. Steve paced the floor as it rang. Clint gently took Wanda by the elbow and led her to the wall, out of Rogers' way.

A familiar voice said, "You know who I am…"

"Tony!" Steve gasped.

"…so you know I won't return your call unless it's really important," the recording continued. "Make it count!"

Steve's arm fell to his side. "Voicemail."

Natasha turned to Hill. "The Quinjet?"

"Already prepped. I'll be right behind you with reinforcements." Maria faced the techs and put her hands on her hips. "I want search and rescue teams ready in fifteen. Go!"

"Suit up," Cap ordered his team. Rhodes and Wilson sprinted down one staircase while Wanda and the Vision ascended another. Steve turned to Barton. "Clint…"

"You know you don't have to ask." Barton gestured for Natasha to follow him. "Help me with my gear."

Steve hit the re-dial button on his phone as he sprinted to his bedroom. He told himself to expect the voicemail, but still felt disappointed.

"You know who I am…"

Steve stopped in the middle of the hall, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed.

"Tony…" Dread caused Steve's entire body to feel heavier, like the gravity had somehow doubled. "Tony, I…" Cap rubbed his palm down his face, his neck, and chest. He had no clue what to say, so he just said, "Call me," and hung up.

To Be Continued