2013-01-13 Escaping the Bank

"The shield. It was messed up by acid. Captain America's shield doesn't do that. I've seen worse than acid hit it."

Pepper Potts opens her mouth as if to protest, but then stops as she realizes she doesn't have any way to actually argue with the man. Her quick eyes take in his attire, the lack of one arm, and most notably the way he's standing. She's seen Tony try to hide bruised ribs before. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'll live," is offered even as he wraps his one arm about his torso. It's not going to be fun, but, "I've been hurt worse." He glances briefly at the woman and does a double-take...possibly of some sort of recognition, before he looks away, "Thanks for your concern."

More than just a publicly recognizable face, Pepper is also more than used to dealing with stubborn individuals. "Well, it just so happens that I'm used to dealing with people who've been hurt worse." She steps around James to hook both hands around his arm. He wants her to move away, he'll have to risk injuring her. "Now come on. I can hear the ambulances outside. You want to avoid a hospital... oh, hell." Just as abruptly as she snagged the man's arm, she lets go again and hurries toward one of the bank's side offices, skirting deftly around the puddles of yuck, the piles of rubble and furniture, and all of the other chaos.

"I'd rather not..." James starts but then Pepper lets go and rushes off towards one of the offices. He glances towards the front where all of the ambulances and police are arriving before he stumbles after yer...maybe she knows another way out?

Pepper Potts makes it into the office of the exec she'd been meeting with, and after a moment locates her shoulder bag. It's almost a relief having its familiar weight in hand again, like a piece of armor she'd almost left behind. She turns to head back out to the lobby and stops in surprise when it looks like the injured man has actually followed her. And then she's back to business mode. "All right. Over to a medic."

James Barnes pauses as Pepper was...going for her purse. "Really?" he asks aloud before she starts to lead him over to a medic. "No. I don't want to go to the hospital. I'll be all right...just need to be taped up or something." He then levels an intense look at the woman, "Don't make me fight you about it."

Pepper Potts just looks at James for a lonng moment, then pulls her phone from her bag. Tapping at it in a quick way that speaks of long familiarity, she speaks into it after a moment. "I'm ready to leave now... no, the helicopter, please... No, I'll explain later." she taps at the phone again, then holding it on her palm more like a computer she addresses the phone again. "JARVIS, could you please help me find a way to the roof of this building?"

James Barnes starts to turn to leave and make his own way out. With all the chaos, surely he can figure out a way to not be noticed by the paramedics and police. Even hurt, he hasn't forgotten those skills. He pauses though as Pepper just talks into her phone. "What...what are you doing?" He understands speaking into it like a telephone, but the other thing? That seems odd.

"Certainly, Miss Potts. However, may I ask the purpose of this request? According to my sensors, Sir is still in Malibu."

Sighing and starting to follow James toward the door of the office, she replies to the cultured-sounding but slightly sarcastic British voice coming from her phone with more clarity than a normal phone call. "Not now, JARVIS. Just... please."

"Very well, Miss Potts."

Pepper looks up at James at that point, pointing as the voice from her phone starts to explain how to discreetly reach the roof of the building.

Well, a voice coming from a phone...not too strange. Speakerphone though...he's a little skeptical of that. "The roof?" Well, it would avoid the cops. He probably has a little more fight left in him if needed...or leaping across buildings. At least it's in New York and the rooftops aren't too far apart. Barnes looks between the crowded exit and Pepper, not entirely sure what he should be doing.

You say, "Yes. A roof with helicopter access." She starts down the hallway away from the lobby and all of the chaos there, then pauses to look back at James. "Well? Who would you rather take your chances with?"

James Barnes's lips twitch before he starts off after Pepper. After all, if something goes wrong, he can handle one woman, right?

Pepper Potts gives James no reason to doubt her, though, as the voice from her phone directs them quickly and efficiently toward the building's roof access, ending with "The helicopter should be arriving in four minutes and twenty seven seconds, Miss Potts." For her part, she simply thanks the voice and tucks her phone back into her shoulder bag. "I'm Virginia Potts, by the way. Call me Pepper."

James Barnes tries not to think too much about the voice from the phone...must be someone on the other end. That's it, of course. He looks about once they're on the rooftop as if marking potential escape routes. It's habit. Sort of. At the introduction he turns his attention back to the woman, "Pepper?" That almost gets a quirk of his lips. "Barnes. B...James."

Pepper Potts quirks an eyebrow at the momentary hitch in the man's introduction, but otherwise doesn't comment on it. "Well then, Mr. Barnes. Once we're clear of here, where can we drop you?" She'd greatly prefer that he say a hospital, but she already knows better. Although... "Perhaps the county medical clinic in Hell's Kitchen?"

James Barnes doesn't answer immediately as he seems to consider the question. "Central Park will be just fine, thank you." Not a hospital nor a clinic. "I'll be all right, as I said. Only one kick got through." Besides, he'd have to give up his firearms if he went to a hospital.

Pepper Potts crosses her arms. "You know, I just don't find myself believing you." She glances up as a helicopter begins an approach. "If you're worried about paying for the medical bills, somehow I think I can help with that. Besides, the clinic I mentioned is a non-profit organization there specifically to help people who'd otherwise have to go without medical attention." She looks at James steadily. "Mr. Barnes, I'm no medical expert, but I can tell that that one kick you took is still bothering you."

James Barnes takes a step back as the helicopter begins to approach. He should probably leave...but there's no reason that this woman has leave to harm him, especially after they saved her from being taken hostage or worse. Finally, he states, "Miss Potts...I don't need to be leaving a trail of how to find me. Do you understand?"

Pepper Potts looks at James for another of those long and considering moments, the mental deliberations almost visible behind her eyes. Finally, she nods in acquiescence. "All right. We can't drop you off in Central Park directly though, it's kind of a no-fly zone."

Oh, right. "Damn." His hand lifts to scrub at his face, "Then....anywhere. Just anywhere. It doesn't really matter. I don't need to be spotted by them there...just...anywhere is fine."

Pepper Potts nods and gestures toward the helicopter. "I think we can handle 'anywhere'." If James will let her, she'll lead him toward the now-waiting little copter. The faster they get going, the faster the police WON'T be able to tell them to stop.

James Barnes is familiar with helicopters...even the more modern ones and when Pepper agrees to drop him 'anywhere', he climbs on. He still does have his guns, just in case, but seems to be willing to at least accept the ride. "Thanks."

Pepper Potts climbs in first so James is closer to the door if that's important to him, and they zoom... well, no, they don't zoom off, this helicopter is apparently from the Yugo line of helicopters. But it gets them going, at least. They fly for only ten minutes or so before the little copter moves to settle down again on the top floor of a parking garage structure, a black Rolls Royce waiting a safe distance away. When Pepper's phone chirps inside her bag, she pulls it to look at the screen before smiling and putting it away again. "JARVIS says you're welcome, Mr. Barnes."

James Barnes goes to hop out of the helicopter as soon as it lands but then doubles over as that movement was probably a bit too much. Ow. He turns back at the message from JARVIS and blinks at Pepper, "Tell this Jarvis that it would best that he forget that he ever heard my name."

Pepper Potts scrambles out of the helicopter after James. "You're hurt even worse than you let on. Come on, really. The car over there can take us to the clinic." She puts a reassuring hand on his arm. "And I can try to tell JARVIS that, but he's an AI. He's kind of hardwired to remember everything."

"He's a what? And I told you, no trails. I can't be found. If I go to a clinic, they have my name and all sorts of information." Name, address...even though he doesn't have one...blood samples and other medical records. "Have you ever had your ribs bruised? It hurts. I'll live. I can breathe, so nothing is punctured."

Pepper Potts wouldn't have heard that the place is a safe haven for costumed types, or she'd offer that reassurance to James. Instead, she says something she might well regret later. "Look, we'll give them a fake name. They run on donations, and I can probably get them to not look too closely by giving them a big enough donation." One month's salary should do. It's not like she burns through it very fast.

James Barnes shakes his head, "I can't let you do that. Please don't make me threaten you." He looks at the car and the helicopter...and the building they're on before he looks back to Pepper, "Just be glad I don't recognize this place." He never had a target here. Yet. "If it gets worse, I'll find somewhere to go. But you got me out of there, so thank you. You shouldn't be around me too much either."

Pepper Potts hates to do this, but she feels it's finally necessary. She pulls the hated 'Do you know who I am?' card. "You can't possibly be any more dangerous than being around Tony Stark all day." And yes, every connotation of that, that Tony is personally dangerous as well as that being around him is dangerous and more besides.

James Barnes didn't want to do this either. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the gun that he had used back at the bank and aims it right at Pepper. The gun is cocked as if he is completely prepared to fire. The movement, however, seemed to have actually done something internally and he sort of topples over, the gun firing at the ground, the bullet skittering away. There will probably be a mark there, but other than that, it took a harmless path.

Pepper Potts flinches when James brandishes the gun, but she manages to NOT otherwise react, even if she does hear running footsteps from the direction of the Rolls. And then, of course, James collapses, the gun fires harmessly, and she rushes forward to check on the man. Luckily, the helicopter left again already. "Bring the car closer then help me get him inside," she tells the driver. Happy stayed in Malibu with Tony, and right now Pepper's kind of missing his always reliable presence. She pulls the pistol from the man's hand delicately, activates the safety, then pulls a silk scarf from her bag to wrap it in before hiding it alongside her tablet computer. "JARVIS," she addresses seeminigly thin air, knowing the AI has been monitoring her phone the whole time and will respond. "Please contact the clinic in Hell's Kitchen and tell them I'm bringing someone in need of help. And do not give them Mr. Barnes' name."