A/Ns:
So, I was trying to finish writing Devastated, but there were too many things that you guys wouldn't understand because I hadn't written how they got together. Now hopefully everyone will get it. There will be a third part of this series coming soon-ish.
Beta'd by Viralguardian.
The last thing Tony remembers, when he wakes up on the dirt ground, is Clint Barton's face, relaxing with sleep as he slumped over in his seat, before everything went hazy. The light from his chest has never been more of a relief, because there is no other light in the...room? Tony can barely make out a little of his surroundings. There's earth and gravel under his hands, when he gets up on his knees. His clothes and arms are covered in a fine layer of dust and sand when he tries to brush himself off. From what he can make out of his surroundings, the walls are jagged rocks, and he's glad he didn't wake up against them.
Great, Tony thinks, I'm in a fucking cave again. He sits before he can fully stand, an ache in his head making everything feel off.
From the other side of the cave comes a groan to match his feeling.
"Barton?" he asks, tentative to make move until he knows for sure.
"Stark?" the archer asks, then makes a spitting sound. "Ugh, what died in my mouth? God it feels like I licked a beach...oh."
Tony can see him move around as a vague dark outline, but smiles to hear the archer joking around. He lets out a sigh of relief, and winces when pain throbs suddenly in his head.
"Where are we?" Tony asks, feeling his head, and not at all surprised to find blood.
"Cave," Clint supplies, "most likely." He moves close to Tony, and the genius can see the dirt coating the younger man's face.
"I know that, smartass," Tony huffs, as he wipes at his forehead.
"Here, don't do that," Clint says. He moves closer and removes his outer shirt to press it to Tony's head wound.
"Do you remember how we got here?" Stark asks, flinching at a sharp twinge from the pressure.
"Your airplane, remember?" Clint asks, smiling.
"Can you answer a question seriously?" Tension eats the base of his skull and he knows the headache coming on will probably hurt like a bitch.
"Relax, Stark. Nothing good happens if you lose your focus, okay? So just breathe," Clint says. "And yes I can but no I don't know okay? Last thing I remember is getting in the back of that stupid limo they were driving us around in."
"Yeah, the conference, I was going to present, right?"
"We were on our way. I'm guessing some kind of sedation gas. I didn't even smell anything in the car air system so it must have been high-quality."
Tony looked up at him, incredulously. "Really?"
"What? The lower quality stuff smells bad."
"Ninja," Tony mutters, though a bit fondly.
"Be grateful you're here with me. Natasha would just leave your ass behind," Clint says, leaning up on his knees to check the wound again.
"No, she wouldn't, she likes me," Tony protests and relaxes when Clint chuckles.
"Good to know. Here keep pressure on this while I have a look around," Clint brings up one of Tony's hands to the shirt and presses it hard to his forehead. He doesn't make a sound at the sting of pain but Clint hisses.
"Shit, sorry. I know it hurts, but it'll heal, promise. I've seen a lot worst head wounds," he pauses, "I've had some worst ones too."
"That's not a comfort," Tony replies.
"Yeah, I didn't think that through," Clint shrugs and stand moving carefully around.
"Are we going to be able to escape?" Tony asks.
"Probably. We're not tied up, which lends to our favor. It doesn't look like they're planning on keeping us long term, which means whatever they want will be quick. A day or two tops. More than likely they just wanted you out of the way. What was your speech about again?"
"The arc reactor technology in the Tower," Tony simplifies. "It's about expanding the project to other places."
"Yeah, that'd do it. My bet is someone else is capable of giving the speech?" Clint asks, somewhere in a darker corner.
"Yeah, Rhodey or Pepper. You don't think-"
"Nat's with them, Stark. I'm sure once we don't show up she'll get them somewhere safe then call in the back up. Should lock onto your GPS locator and storm in with SHIELD agents in maybe twenty minutes." There was a distinct click and thud like a door lock being disengaged.
"Wanna meet her at the door?" Clint asks, and even thought Tony can barely make him out in the low light, he can still tell there's a smirk on his face.
"Why do I have a feeling that this is some kind of sick contest between the two of you lunatics?" Tony asks.
"I stand four to five, but this could give us a tie. Come on, help me get even with her," Clint whines, and Tony can't help but chuckle at him.
"Fine, help me up. When we get back to the Tower, I'm declaring myself Switzerland," he says.
"Aw, are you scared of the tiny Russian assassin?" Clint asks.
"Yes," Tony states.
"Good, because she'll kill us both if we aren't careful," Clint says, and helps Tony to his feet. They slowly make their way out into the hall. It looks like a dug out cavern, with wooden support beams every few feet.
"This doesn't look like it's near the city," Tony says, looking around.
"Could be a dug out basement, it feels like we're heading up toward something."
"Where is everybody?" the genius asks.
"I really don't know," Clint says, and tosses a worried glance over his shoulder.
They walk for close to fifteen minutes before they find another door. It's also unguarded, which makes Clint's stomach tighten.
"Okay, when we get through the door I want you to get down under something in case they get a couple shots off, okay?"
"Got it. Fine. Just don't get yourself killed, okay?" Tony huffs, all ready knowing this was going to be featured in his nightmares for weeks to come.
"You got it." Clint pulls on the latch lock, happy and slightly worried to find it unlocked. He shoves hard with his foot and the metal door swings open.
The first thing they both notice is the dark night sky stretched out before them, tiny stars visible around a large crescent moon.
The next thing they notice is the wide open desert that expands on toward the horizon, not a human-made light trace anywhere.
They both stand there, slightly stunned, until Tony turns and looks at Clint.
"Somehow I think Natasha is going to be late with our ride home," he says, as they both look back over the terrain and wonder where the hell are we?
~
"They've been gone for over fourteen hours, sir, what am I suppose to be telling Ms. Potts?" Coulson demands into the phone.
Natasha watches him from the couch across from him, fingers nimbly twirling a blade in a manner that might suggest to someone else that she was bored. For her handler, it was a sign of impending anger.
"No, sir," Coulson says, rubbing the space between his eyes with his index finger.
"Yes, sir. I'll speak to you soon," Coulson says, before hanging up the phone.
"What's the other option?" Natasha asks, eyes focused on her handler.
"Right now, we don't have many options. They've been gone for too long, all chances of finding them have dropped and we're still sitting on two civilians who need to be returned to the States." Coulson gestures to the door that leads to Pepper's bedroom. The door further back in the suite held Happy. Thankfully Colonel Rhodes had all ready gone back to D.C. to work any angle he could.
"When are the other agents coming in?" she asks, the twirling the blade faster.
"Fury won't grant us any extra agents until Potts and Happy are in the jet going home," he says, unhappily.
Natasha swears under her breath and slides the knife abruptly into a sheath in her boot.
"I don't like it either, but he's trying to keep us on priority. We'll get them on the plane in the morning and back-up will arrive tomorrow afternoon. You know he all ready has men moving."
Standing, she lets out a low hiss. "He's going to get them killed. Tomorrow afternoon?" she sneers. "By then who knows where they could have been moved to. For all we know they're all ready back in the U.S!" she lets out a frustrated sigh.
"It's going to be okay, Natasha. It'll take a lot more than some thugs kidnapping them to slow down Barton and Stark," Coulson reminds her. "They'll probably give them back once they realize what they've gotten themselves into."
She smiles and shakes her head. "You'd better be right, Coulson, and Fury better have those men here before the twenty-four hour mark or, civilians or no civilians, I will be hunting the men who took my partner down."
"I know. They'll be here. We will find them."
The 'even if they are dead' isn't said out loud, but Pepper Potts hears it anyway as she gets up from behind her door and crawls back into bed.
Sleep, she isn't surprised to find, is the last thing on her mind.