Part 2

It was one of the biggest quakes of the year.

Tony didn't care if it was the biggest of the century; he felt it, all the way in his gut, and he hated it.

Also, he was starting to have a problem with staying in California.

Pepper was in her office when the power went out, which was a precaution to prevent extensive damage should the tremors wreak any actual havoc. Tony, on the other hand, was in the workshop, working on Mark 45, when the lights went out. That never would have happened back in Malibu, with his extensive back-up generators.

So, Tony wasn't expecting the pitch black silence – especially when he was still getting used to the absence of light that came with the removal of the arc reactor.

The bots whined and moved frantically across the room, colliding with objects in the dark. The shaking continued for several more seconds and Tony found himself desperately clutching Mark 45's arm until it ended.

The darkness remained, only broken by self-powered machines – including two suits of armor.

"J," Tony called out carefully. When no response came, he felt his heart rate pick up painfully. His chest felt tighter, too, and it wasn't unlike the beginning phases of a panic attack he had learned to recognize by now.

"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice finally replied through Mark 43's speakers where the armor stood by the far wall. "It would seem the power is down throughout the entire facility. If there are no further tremors, the power should be restored within half an hour."

"Half an hour? Seriously?" Tony frowned.

"The power restoration will happen in phases, to avoid placing too much stress on the generators. You personally designed that measure of precaution."

"I must have been drunk," Tony muttered, but most likely he had been as sober as the day he was born.

He looked around, his eyes landing on the glowing circle on Mark 43's chest. Somewhere further off, the bots were huddled in the dark, tiny sounds of distress reaching Tony's ears.

It had to be his lizard brain that forced Tony through the darkness towards the bots. He couldn't find his way, though, and that put an unrealistic fear in his mind; they were in his temporary workshop, where he could hardly get lost.

"J, switch on the armor's external lights," Tony ordered, and the darkness was shoved back as Mark 43's various lights turned on. It created a wide area of well-lit room around the armor, exposing the bots in their corner as well, but Tony still got uneasy looking at the pitch-black edges that waited just outside the lit up area.

His lizard brain was still acting up, obviously, because Tony moved to the bots, grabbed a tarp from a shelf above them and shook it open, then looked at Mark 43. "J.A.R.V.I.S., can you access Mark 45?"

A moment of silence met his request. "Yes, sir," the AI finally replied and Mark 45 sat up on the table where Tony had been working on it.

"Bring them both over," Tony ordered and watched the two suits approach.

The darkness moved with Mark 43. Tony tried telling himself it was the lights, not the darkness, but he wasn't finding the optimistic thoughts he wanted.

"Sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked as the armors had reached him.

Tony offered the tarp to the suits. "Hold it up. You know, like a tent," he explained when Mark 45 grabbed onto the tarp and held it like a curtain. It took some navigating and arranging, but eventually Tony, the bots and two suits of armor were all under the tarp which was now draped around them, blocking out the rest of the room.

"Dim Mark 43's lights," Tony requested, squinting at the brightness. J.A.R.V.I.S. did as he was told, leaving the underside of the tarp in a pleasant lighting.

The bots looked around cautiously, then chirped happily, leaning their hands a bit closer to Tony's body.

"See? All better," Tony teased softly, patting their arms. "It's like camping – or hiding under a blanket in your bed during a thunderstorm."

"The bots have never been camping, sir, and I do not think they are afraid of lightning."

"Way to ruin this for everyone else, J," Tony complained.

"My heartfelt apologies, sir. Shall I make nature sounds to further the illusion of camping?"

"Now you're just being an ass on purpose." Tony debated telling the AI to leave, but that would take their only source of light. Of course, he could just tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to be silent, but that wasn't the same.

"Are you feeling better, sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked before Tony could make up his mind.

"Me?" Tony frowned.

"Yes: the armor bio-scanners suggested distress at the time of the earthquake and the beginning of the power outage."

"That is a normal human response," Tony claimed.

"As is seeking refuge in numbers, in an easily defendable, enclosed location."

Tony had a feeling J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't buying into his camping excuse; the AI knew the tricks a human mind played on itself, inside and out. Plus, J.A.R.V.I.S. knew Tony better than most people ever would – inside and out.

"'Tis good," Tony murmured, because it was: under the tarp, with the two armors and the bots, any outside threat was rendered innocuous. It was an illusion, mostly, but Tony was too content within it to break the fourth wall just yet.

"Very good, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. hummed, as if satisfied to accept this for the time being.

Time passed in the strange comfort of the tarp-tent. A few tremors came and went – aftershocks – and eventually Tony folded himself into a sitting position on the floor beside the bots, leaning against Mark 45's leg. J.A.R.V.I.S. had softened the lights to a soft glow, the arc reactors mounted on the armors' chests becoming the brightest lights once more.

Tony debated taking a nap.

He must have actually dozed off because he jerked painfully at Pepper's voice. "Tony?!"

Tony blinked, looking around. The bots were looking towards the sound of Pepper's voice; the two armors remained as they were, holding up the tarp.

"Tony… are you in there?" Pepper's voice had come closer, and then a hand cautiously pushed up the edge of the tarp.

The illusion of safety shattered around Tony, but it was soon replaced by mild shame.

"Hi," he greeted Pepper's perplexed expression.

"What are you –?"

"Camping," Tony said quickly. "The bots have never been camping, so…"

"You took them camping in your workshop, during a blackout?"

"Sure," Tony shrugged, as if it were no big deal or nothing to be amazed by.

Pepper's expression wavered for a bit. "Tony…" It was her 'I know you're not okay' voice, and Tony had a deep dislike for it – mostly because he always put it there, and he wished he didn't.

"You should join us," Tony suggested.

"The power's back on in most of the factory and R&D areas," Pepper countered.

"So?" Tony asked, desperate to throw her off the scent of his momentary fear during the quake.

She took a tentative look at the armors and bots, as if considering what would be the lesser of many evils she was no doubt imagining.

"We'll make room," Tony promised, scooting over.

"I have a meeting that's already been delayed because of the power outage."

"Then why are you here?"

"To check on you; I was worried." Why exactly she had been worried when Tony was in the presence of two Iron Man armors, he didn't know. Perhaps she knew… After all, she read most of Tony's uneasiness like an open book these days. He didn't like that, but knew he had to let her close or she would take it the wrong way – like during all those times Tony had kept her at arm's length in the past.

"We're fine," Tony reassured her and patted Dummy to indicate he wasn't actually the only one with problems.

"Will you come out?" Pepper asked next.

"I was in the middle of fine-tuning Mark 45," Tony replied.

"Out from under the tarp, I meant," Pepper clarified.

"Oh." Tony considered it, knowing he couldn't huddle there forever. Finally he motioned at the armors, and J.A.R.V.I.S. interpreted the message and folded the tarp, leaving them exposed in their corner.

Pepper straightened carefully, her long legs towering over Tony. He looked up, giving her a soft smile, and she tugged her hair behind her ear. "I'll come find you after the meeting," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Okay," Tony agreed. His eyes followed her out of the room; the emergency lights were on in the hallways outside, but the workshop itself was still dark, lit only by the armors.

"Sir, the power has now been completely restored," J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him through Mark 43's speakers a moment later.

"Turn everything back on. Get Mark 45 back on the operating table."

"Very well, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. responded and complied.

"You two: come over and help," Tony told the bots as Mark 45 returned to the table and settled down on it, powering down.

Dummy and You followed on his heels and started by stacking all the fallen, scattered tools back in their places.

It was a return to normalcy, more or less, but Tony knew it was too easily rattled by just a little shaking…

The End