Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Fifty-Two

"Dr. Scaffer and I were over here getting vials for Dr. Banner when these men came in. They were demanding for some kind of Stone. Dr. Banner wouldn't give it to them and they started hitting him and doing all kinds of awful things. I wanted to help him but the professor wouldn't let me. She told me that I was being reckless but I couldn't just do nothing. I went to try and help him cause they shot him somewhere but they got a hold of me and threw me across the room. That's all I remember," he said.

"Who were they, did you see them?" I asked.

"I don't know. They were German, I think," he responded.

"What about Lucy. What happened to her? Where did she go? What did they do to her?" I asked.

"I-I don't know. She-she was still h-here when I went out to f-fight," he stuttered.

"Stark," Steve called out. I helped Peter up and helped him limp toward where the others still stood.

"Good God! Peter!" Nat gasped. Steve pulled up a chair and Peter collapsed into it. Nat shifted over and turned his face in her hands, checking it.

"Banner, tell Stark what you told us," Steve urged. I looked over at Banner, who was cleaning his face with a rag. Clint was unbinding his leg.

"They took Lucy," he choked out. My blood ran cold. His mouth kept moving but I couldn't hear him. It felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. I hadn't let myself think about it, but my worst fear just came true. Lucy was gone. I'd failed to protect her, again.

"Who?" I croaked, drawing myself back to reality. There was a moment of silence.

"Hydra," Banner said, breaking the silence finally.

"Tell me what happened," I demanded.

"We were working when they came in. Peter and Lucy were hiding and they couldn't see them. They demanded that they be given the Stone-"

"How'd they get Lucy," I hissed.

"After they threw Peter, they threatened to shoot me. She offered to take them to the Stone to save my life," he said. I felt sick. Of course she did. Why wouldn't I think it was her saving someone. before anyone could say anything else, JARVIS piped up.

"I have gotten back into the system, sir," he said.

"JARVIS, log into the security camera database," I instructed

"Tony, I don't know that that is a good idea," Banner started but I ignored him. I stalked over to the wall and pulled the screen down from the ceiling.

"Show me what happened," I said, ignoring the protests from the others. The screen popped up with color and a small time stamp that showed that this was an hour and a half earlier. It was running a video from the camera that was in the back left corner that showed ever corner of this lab. Banner was standing by the counter and Peter was sitting on the counter next to him. Where was Happy? He was supposed to be here looking over her while I was away.

"Lucy," Banner called. She looked up, over at him, "Can you go get more vials from the cabinet over there?" Banner asked, pointing to the far cabinets which were closer to the cabinets where I'd found Peter.

"Sure thing, how many do you need?" she asked, pushing herself off the counter.

"Uh, like 30?" Banner said with a slight question on the end.