47

You’re listening in on the comms as Thor and Sitwell fight their way to the tower; as soon as they arrive, they’re met by Steve and Natasha, and at that point you think there’s a chance this might go smoothly after all. (You curse the thought as soon as it solidifies in your head - it’s as bad as asking aloud, what could go wrong?, but it’s too late.)

The remote control release at the tower appears to take no time at all, and then Steve says something about Tony, but Sitwell cuts him off. “Extraction point,” he instructs, as per protocol, and Coulson backs him up over the radio in a tone that brooks no objection.

You can’t help but wonder, as you follow Sitwell’s simple instructions for the manual release, about what’s going to happen to Tony. The prisoners burst out of their cells in a riot of noise and you can faintly hear Bruce shouting something in the distance. Protocol (as enforced by Coulson) dictates that  you head directly to the extraction point... but it kind of sounds like Bruce could use a little help.

To follow protocol, turn to page 52.