Iron Beta 3: What to do When your World Explodes

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

I was standing, frozen, unable to anything but watch as Loki made my past-self bleed. I could still feel the pain, though. I could still feel the blood running down my back, I could still feel my ribs scream.

Being hurt.

Watching myself get hurt.

Completely helpless to stop any of it.

Then everything flashed and I was standing beside myself in the ring of energy, when my dad and Clint came. More pain — this time emotional — flooded me.

I was forced to watch the entire exchange — the reactor sparking, Loki's sinister joy, my dad trapped —

"Loki, please!" I scream, but it's like I am a ghost in my own memories. Nobody acknowledges me.

Now Clint is talking, and I get a firsthand view of the pain, anguish, concern, and unadulterated love on his face. It makes my heart skip a beat.

He begins to kneel.

"Clint, NO!" I reach out but my hands go right through him.

Loki's staff pulses blue and everything goes dark as the memories assault my head.

Green eyes.

Pain.

Blood.

Water.

"NO!"

Chest...hurts...

Dad.

Clint.

"Loki, please!"

Blue light.

Pain.

Screaming.

More blood.

"Taylor."

Clint? No, no, no. Clint is hurt.

Because of Loki.

Hurt.

Pain.

"Taylor!"

No, he is hurt, why can I hear him?

Water.

Cold.

Blood,

"Taylor!"

Stop, Clint...

Green eyes.

Hurt.

"Wake up, Taylor!"

I scream and instinctively kick out as my eyes shoot open, green eyes being replaced by grey ones.

"You were screaming my name and something about Loki." Clint's voice is soft as he brushes my sweaty hair out of my face. Soft, real, and not hurt.

I choke on a sob as I lean my head into Clint's hand, letting him brush his thumb over my tears. Clint just helps me sit up, having me lean back against his chest.

"It's okay. You are not there, I'm not dead, there's no more blood or pain. Loki has been dead for over a year. Come back to me, sparrow."

I match my breathing to his as I let his words sink in. Loki was dead, Clint was not. I wasn't in any pain at the moment.

"That's it. Good job."

I blink a few times and use the heel of my left hand to scrub at the dried tears.

Once I get my bearings back into reality, I realize that yes, I am in a cell, but Loki is not my captor. My dad is crouched about two feet away from Clint and I, his hazel eyes flashing and his face the essence of worry and frustration.

I send a small, wavering smile his way to assure him I was as fine as I could get at the moment. His hazel eyes flood with relief and he settles back a little.

I ease myself off of Clint after brushing a quick kiss of thank onto his lips. He just smiles as I sit next to him against the wall, keeping our fingers linked.

Steve looks incredibly tense over by Thor, who is also staring at me with his arms crossed.

I just exhale and assume a mask of Stark indifference. "So," I chirp, "what did I miss?"

They see my mask go up, obviously. My dad accepts it with a frown — he can't fault me for it without being a hypocrite. Clint just frowns but he knows he will not be able to get me to soften. Natasha, Steve, and Thor just sigh lightly.

"Not much." My dad speaks up. "No food, water, visitors, or chances of escape."

I nod. "So what do we do from here?"

"From here?" Steve sighs. "Not much. What we need to do is get to the Hellicarrier and at least warn Director Fury that he has moles. He may have a gun aimed at his head as we speak."

"I will be the first to say I do not like or trust Fury." My dad admits. "His secret still have secrets. But...he does not deserve to die. So we need to get out of here as soon as we can and get our gear and go save him and, in the process, the remainder of the true S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"How are we going to get our gear?" Natasha asks. "The tower is swarming with agents and I'm pretty sure they bombed the safe house. Even if they didn't, we cannot go back."

I nod. "Pierce and Steel took our weapons, so maybe they have them saved here somewhere. Plus, how easy will escaping be? We'll be dragging a drugged Bruce and we have no idea how to get out. We're fighting HYDRA on their own territory."

Natasha looks pensive as she nods slowly. "What did you have on you during the battle?"

"My suit, my collapsed bow, all my knives and guns....dang it! I gave my quiver to Darcy before the fight. I really need to find a way to carry that."

Natasha clenches her jaw. "Well, at least you have something. The rest of you?"

"My bow and quiver along with knives and pistols."

"My shield and two pistols."

"My suit."

"My hammer!"

Natasha winces at my dad and Thor but nods anyways. "So we need to find a way out of this cell, find our weapons, and get the Hellicarrier."

"And find the girls." I add.

"And find the girls." Natasha agrees with a nod.

"So how do we get out of here?"

"We could always wait for the right guard to come and check on us and then knock him out and steal the keys." Steve suggests.

"But it's so simple." My dad whines.

I roll my eyes as Steve reprimands him. "Sometimes simple is best, Tony. You will get your fireworks later."

This makes him perk up. "Fireworks? Really?"

"Focus!" I snap. "Steve that could work, I guess. But where do we go once we get out?"

Clint walks over to the bars, leaning against them and tipping his head back to looks at the ceiling outside the cell. He smiles and points at something. "Well, I know where at least two of us can go."

I walk over to stand next to him. I follow his finger out to a grate it the ceiling. "Vents! Brilliant, Clint!"

I give my boyfriend a quick hug before rejoining the conversation, suggesting escape plans and inputting ideas.

Clint suddenly bursts into laughter, causing everybody to stare and wonder what the hell he finds funny.

"The Avengers are engineering their own jailbreak so they can go and rescue Fury, of all people."

"Thor, did you accidentally trap us in an alternate dimension again?"