Taken

Chapter 11

Natasha POV

"Natasha duck!" Clint yelled as he dived behind a large metal rack stacked high with strange colored chemicals. As she hit the ground in front of him he fired three shots over her head, effectively taking out three of the four guards pursuing them. Natasha leaned out from behind the table she was using for cover to fire off a shot that hit the last man squarely in the chest. Clint, believing the current danger had passed, stood up from behind his protective barrier. Natasha stood as well, turning to her partner. Realization spread across her face as her eyes landed on the man approaching Clint.

"Down!" she shouted franticly as she raised her gun to shoot the man. She managed to fire off two rounds, but not before he had already put one of his own into Clint's unprotected back. She watched helplessly as her friend crumpled to the ground. "Clint!"

24 hours earlier, (Day one of mission)

Natasha walked swiftly through the halls of the hellicarrier, determined to know why Fury had pulled her away from Tony's side. She continued marching through the halls until she reached her mark. Without knocking she shoved the door open, and quickly found herself a seated next to Clint. Fury turned away from the window as he heard the door slam shut.

"Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton," he started, "I understand that now is a delicate time, but you are needed for a vital mission, essential to our security." He slid a thick packet across the table. Natasha grabbed it first and began flipping through.

"Hammer." She stated, traces of resentment clearly evident in her voice, and for good reason.

Fury nodded, "We've been tracking him for months before this. We have knowledge he has been trying to replicate the super serum, and that he is putting together a team. Whether he has completed these tasks, or why he is doing this is unknown, but his hatred for S.H.I.E.L.D cannot go unnoted. In light of recent events, it is now necessary to bring him in, and I felt the two of you were the best choice for this mission."

Clint snatched the envelope from off the table and stalked out of the room. "Thank you sir." Natasha said hastily as she rushed after her partner. "Clint!?" she called to him as soon as the door slammed shut behind her. "Where the hell did the idiot go?" she mentally questioned, angry with her partners highly unprofessional, not to mention emotional, outburst. She continued walking the same direction she came in, hoping she would spot Clint on the way, and thankfully, she did. "Clint!" she called, somewhat relieved.

He glanced up at her, "What?" he asked, annoyed.

"What the hell was that?" Natasha questioned forcefully, "You just stalked out of there like an overgrown child throwing a tantrum! I thought you'd be happy we are being given a chance to chase down the SOB that kidnapped us!"

"As much as I'd like to nail his head to a wall, what about Tony?" he asked, his tone had an almost worried element to it.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Seriously!? That's what you're worried about? He hasn't woken up the last few days, there's no way he's going to wake up now." She reassured.

Clint shook his head, as if clearing away thoughts of worry, before changing the topic. "Whatever, when do we leave?"

Natasha looked at the slip of paper Fury had put on top of the packet, it read; 3:30, top deck, don't be late. She glanced down at her watch, 3:32, "Two minutes ago." She stated.

"Let's go." Clint uttered, turning away from Natasha, and intentionally blocking her out.

She sighed quietly behind him, "This is going to be a fun ride."

Bruce POV

He was sitting in the hard plastic chair next to Tony's still form. It would have been completely silent if not for the steady beeping of the machines, constantly reminding Bruce that his friend was alive, contrary to his appearance. He sighed, "Why won't he wake up?" he wondered. He missed their playful banter while working in their, Tony's really, lab. It had only been a few days but Bruce could already see a drastic change in everyone's behavior. A vail of quiet had settled over the Avengers, effectively silencing them from discussing what had happened. Whether this was from the newfound facts, or the absence of the playful entity that was Tony, Bruce was unsure. All he knew for certain was that the second Tony woke up, there was going to be a lot of talking. He was worried, for Tony, and for what this was going to mean for the rest of the team. Bruce just didn't see how they could possibly go back to the way they were before. It was all he wanted really, to have things go back to normal. To a time when Tony wasn't half dead and Steve talked, or to a time when Clint and Natasha didn't just leave when things where getting bad. He knew this was going to mess things up for Thor too. Still having no idea when the demigod would return, Bruce had left the reunion up to his imagination. Unfortunately, that gave him room to think about what it would be like when Tony did wake up. Would they push him too much, cause him to dive back in his shell and keep any answers they wanted away from them? Or would he offer them up willingly, quite possibly he could desire to talk about the things that had destroyed his past and haunted his future.

"What if he doesn't remember?" Bruce realized with a startled thought. "We don't know how they got those memories, maybe he'll have no idea it even happened! What do we do then? Maybe we could-"

He was broken out of his thoughts by a strong hand being placed on his shoulder. Bruce gasped, startled, as he turned around.

"Shush, it's me." Steve assured quietly, "I just wanted to stay with him for a while, you know, so you can go home."

Bruce shook his head, "I don't want to leave just yet."

Steve rolled his eyes slightly, "You've been here since Natasha and Clint left, as in two days ago."

Bruce just shook his head again, "He shouldn't be alone, what if something happens? And what if he wakes up?"

"That's why I'm going to be here Bruce. Now go home, you can come back tomorrow." Steve said gently.

He sighed, looking reluctantly back at his sleeping friend, then at the determined look on Steve's face. "Fine." He groaned, finally cracking under the look the Steve was giving him. "I'm going."

Steve smiled, somewhat triumphantly, as he watched Bruce leave, and sat down in the little plastic chair. "Looks like it's you and me again Tony."