110   

Natasha’s right, you decide. You have no idea how accurate Coulson’s schematics are or when Tony’s tracker stopped working, so you make a snap decision and turn right, following Natasha down the corridor she’s already taking. There are two or three doors along the hallway, with open stairs to a roof exit at the end, and you break through each door in turn expecting to see Tony somewhere, stashed away safely in his non-functional armour and awaiting rescue.

You never do, though; each time you check a room you find it empty, and each time you exit back into the hallway there are more Hydra guards to be neutralized before you can safely proceed. Finally, there are no more doors, and you’re standing at the open staircase over a pile of unconscious German agents, looking helplessly at one another. Coulson must have been right; Tony must have been in the other direction.

“It’s too late,” Coulson says, as though he can hear your thoughts. “The Hydra threat is overwhelming. You need to be on the roof for evacuation, now.”

           Coulson is asking you to leave Tony behind. You swallow, but Natasha grasps your wrist and both of you head up the stairs, because you know this isn’t an order Coulson would have issued if he weren’t dead serious about it.