Tony's Sixth Sense

A Change

New York
2005
Helacarrier

Tony flies into one of Loki's goons and lands inside the helacarrier with a thud. He and Steve just saved the whole aircraft from plummeting out of the sky.

After rolling himself off the bad guy, he sighs in exhaustion. Tony takes a moment to breath before rolling onto his stomach and getting up in his banged up, clonky metal suit. Once the suit is standing, he opens it up to get out. Not that his suit doesn't supply him with fresh oxygen, but he just needs actual fresh air right now.

Instead of walking out like he had planned, the moment the suit opens up, he falls to his knees and then his hands. Now on all fours, he takes a few deep breaths trying to take control of his breathing.

"You need help there, Stark?" Tony hears a friendly and familiar voice ring out. He glances up and sees Agent Coulson, smiling down at him and lending out his hand. Tony nods his head, and accepts the hand. Coulson helps him up, before they separate by a couple feet.

Tony leans up against the wall to rest a little. "Thanks." He says before looking out towards the now fixed engine and then back to Coulson. "It's no problem. You saved us." Tony shrugs like it's no big deal, being very modest. Something red on coils one suit catches his eye. Blood.

"Coulson. You're bleeding." Tony informs the agent, worriedly and pushes off the wall to stand on his own, ready to help Coulson if he has to. Coulson just continues to smile and looks to Stark.

"Just remember something for me, will you Tony?" Tony looks to Coulson's eyes from staring at the blood, noticing Coulson said 'Tony' and not 'Stark'. "Yeah, okay." He replies with a confused look. "It wasn't your fault." Coulson says, matter of factly and kindly, before turning around and walking away.

"Wait. You're injured. . . . And what wasn't my fault?" Coulson turns around. "You'll know soon enough." Is all the agent say before turning a corner in the hall and is out of sight. Tony just stands the very perplexed and worried.

He makes his way back inside me to the rest of the team, after securing his suit back in its place.

When he finds Fury, Agent Hill and the other Avengers, he doesn't notice the somber face they're all wearing. "Hey guys. Coulson's hurt. Have you seen him?" They all look at him, some with shocked looks, some with 'Are you serious?' Looks and the rest are emotionless.

"Tony. Did you not hear?" Steve ask his teammate from where he stood beside the group table. "Hear what?" Tony asks, having no idea what's going on. "Coulson's dead. . . Loki killed him and escaped." Fury informs tony, his voice raw with emotion. Tony freezes before shaking his head.

"Thats impossible. I just saw him." they all furrow their eyebrows at him. "Well that's impossible because he's been dead for 20 minutes." Fury counters, firmly, looking Tony straight in the eye.

It finally dawns on tony. He just spoke with Coulson's ghost. After that realization, it dawns on him that Coulson is dead. Tony goes through a rollercoaster of emotions in front of everybody. His confusion turns into shock which turns into grief which then turns to guilt.

"Tony? You okay?" Steve asks as they all stare at tony with concern and confusion. Tony snaps out of his shock and looks to Steve. "Yeah, just umm . . . . I'm sorry to hear that." He says with earnest before hastily exiting the room and heading the his and Bruce's lab.

"What the Hell." Clint mumbles to no one. Fury glances over the team of Avengers before heading towards the lab himself. After a moment Steve fallows suit. Clint looks to Natasha for an answer of some sort. She just shrugs her shoulders as Thor stands off to the side with a contemplating look.

"What was that?" Fury enters the lab and stands at the entrance with his hands on his hips. He looks to Tony who is standing at one of the hologram

monitors doing some work.

"What was what?" Tony keeps his eyes on the screen. "You know what." Fury makes his way over to tony on the other side of the monitor before tapping on it to put aside his work so they can see each other. Tony lets out a sigh and gives Fury a 'Do we have to do this?' Look.

"What do you mean you just saw him? That's impossible." Fury exclaims just as Steve gets to the doorway of the lab. Tony puts a hand to the back of his head in thought and frustration, when he notices Steve. Steve stands less 'Captain America' 'Authoritative' way and more 'what's going on? How can I help?'

Tony averts his gaze and turns his back to both Fury and Steve, throwing his arms up in the air in irritation. "Look! It's not a big deal. I must have spoken with another agent who looked like Phil. That all!" Tony exclaims before taking a seat on the edge of the work table. Steve notices Tony said 'Phil' and not Coulson, realizing they were probably friends as well as coworkers.

Fury eyes him, skeptically. "Bullshit. You've known Coulson over three years now. You wouldn't mix him up." Tony sighs heavily, not wanting to be forced into telling his deepest darkest secret. Steve sees Tony's distress and steps in. "Sir. We should probably deal with this later. Loki is -" "I know." Fury cuts him off. "I know, but if there's something going on, Tony knows and I don't, I'd like to know." Fury argues, firmly.

  The Director and super soldier look back to Tony, expectantly. "What's with the gang up, huh?" Tony questions and shrugs his shoulders. Steve bows his head just a bit in guilt, at making tony feel this way. Fury sighs and looks back at tony with softer eyes. "What's going on?" Fury repeats. Tony stares at fury in the eyes before swallowing and looking down to his lap.

  "I can go -" Steve states, beginning to step away when tony speaks up. "No." Steve stops and looks at tony in surprise. "No, that's. . . . that's okay." Tony's silent for a moment, in thought before asking, "Can I speak with Steve, for a moment?" He looks to Fury. "Fine." Fury makes his way out of the room. "But I want answers." He calls over his shoulder before exiting the room.

  Steve looks to Tony, questioningly before stepping closer. "Look I -" Tony begins, reluctantly. "I know you and I may not . . . I don't know, see eye to eye I guess  I just. . ." Steve waits, patiently for tony to finish as tony fiddles with his hands. "I'd rather tell you . . . . right now, anyways." Tony admits with a sigh. "Okay."