Tony exited the elevator without looking up from the lines of code scrolling across his StarkPad. His eyes fixated on the tablet, his feet blindly made their way towards where they knew (hoped) the bar was.

He let out a short cry of pain as his shin slammed hard against a coffee table in the darkness. The tablet fell from his hands, landing with a muffled thud on the carpet as he bent to rub his throbbing leg.

He straightened up, shooting one last glare at the coffee table, and scanned the room for more obstacles standing between him and the whiskey that was calling his name. His eyes swept quickly across the living area, and he froze. Silhouetted against the recently repaired picture window was a man.

"Hey, if you're one of Fury's, I just want to let you know that the Tower DOES have a doorbell AND a knocker. I mean, this is getting kind of old, you guys: breaking into one of the most secure buildings in New York without so much as a memo."

The figure turned to face him, but the only thing he could make out in the darkness was a glint of gold where the right shoulder would be.

"JARVIS, lights."

The lights flickered on, and Tony's blood ran cold.

"Oh, I'm not one of Fury's."