Back at the hotel the television had been turned on. It seems the news reporters have yet to catch up to their latest crime of blowing up a building. Dom had already ditched torn dress for a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. She had lost her shoes during the climb and her hair was wild from the wind. Dom made an effort to claim the shower first before the rest of her teammates arrived. She was towel-drying her short hair when a very tried Clint and a very pissed off Nat walked in.
"Where have you two been?" she asked with a clear attempt to lighten the mood.
"He got away" Natasha responded flatly
"Oh hell no."
"Barney was too fast." Natasha continued, "We were a second too late"
For the most part Clint was not injured, which added to his surprise when he found blood dripping down his nose. He muttered something along the lines of "Aw hell, not again" before walking to the bathroom.
"You are so lucky I got us cash tonight then." Dom gave a little head tilt towards the envelope. The contents have been scattered in piles over the bed.
"How'd you get us cash?"
"Just cause I work with you doesn't mean I stopped being a mercenary." She replied matter-of-factly.
Natasha tossed her heels to the side along with any remaining jewelry she had on. Then she made a beeline to her laptop and plugs the drive in.
"So, what's our next move?" Dom asked. She was flipping through a wad of cash.
"I thought it was still kill the big guy?" Came Clint's voice from the bathroom
"He's keeping Barney alive" Natasha replied, "He's ensured his loyalty to him"
"I'm guessing with the cure." The bathroom door opened to reveal Clint holding a tissue against his nose. His voice sounded nasally, "That must be what he's paying Barney with. So what's our move then?"
"I'll have to go buy more weapons..." Dom finished counting the money shoving a wad of bills in her pocket and the rest in her bag.
Clint removed the tissue from his nose to check if the bleeding has stopped. It had, but moments later it starts again.
"Well this is getting ridiculous" he muttered returning to the bathroom
"Do you need more tissues?"
"Yes"
The bathroom door opened again, just as Dom tossed a roll of toilet paper. For a man with perfect aim, he still managed to miss the catch. Dom snickered
"Blood poisoning" Natasha whispered, loud enough for them to hear
"What about it?"
"The metal they used for the wires. It's poisonous" she continued, reading off the screen.
"What are side effects?" Clint asked, "It wouldn't happen to be nosebleeds would it?"
She scrolled down, "It's one of them..."
"Oh well that's cool." Clint muttered sarcastically
"Well I'm not selling my other kidney for you two to get fancy tech again." Dom said rolling her eyes, "Whatever we have now we have to use. I can get ammo but that's about it."
Both Clint and Natasha froze and turned towards her
"You sold your kidney?" Natasha asked hiding the shock from her voice
"When did that happen?!" Clint asked not hiding the shock from his voice
"Organs are rare on the black market. It's fine." Dom replied waving it off, "Some people sell their livers, die out in a few days. Idiots."
"You shouldn't have done that" Natasha said turning her attention back to the screen
"You really shouldn't have." Clint replied reaching for more tissues
"You two are dying. Can you please save your precious few words to say something more productive?"
"I don't think we can. They aren't paying Barney with the cure. Why?" Natasha turned the screen towards the others, "Because there is no cure"
"Maybe their keeping it hush hush." Dom reasoned, "You know not giving it out until there's a high demand higher demand means it's worth more money."
She moved the laptop to scroll through the documents herself.
"I don't think so. Vibranium is still a new element. It hasn't been tested enough yet." Natasha ran her fingers through her hair "Nothing so far has been able to neutralize it. It reacts to the acid from the serum. Expanding it."
"Then what are they giving Barney" Clint asked, he pulled the last tissue from the box "Umm... guys, are there any tissues out there?"
"They are giving him the same drug used to treat palladium blood poisoning. It keeps the symptoms down and slows down the expansion process but doesn't stop it."
"So he'll last longer? That's perfect." Clint muttered, "About this tissues I really need them. Is they're any out there?"
"I'll check the maids' cart outside" Natasha stood up and slipped out the door, she came back moments later with a handful of rolls, "Here"
"Thanks" was the only thing he said before disappearing back into the bathroom
"No period jokes, I'm guessing..." Dom snickered
"Shut up Dom." Clint yelled from inside
"What are we going to do about the dictator?" Natasha asked, interrupting their bickering
"Well he knows we're after him." Dom shrugged, "He'll probably be going to safe place, far away. If he gets there we might be screwed, but if we catch him on the way..."
"What if he's not the one pulling the strings? What if he's just the image?" Natasha's brows furrowed with thought, "Adolf Hitler was the one to blame in World War 2 but he wasn't the one making the decisions, he was merely the spokesperson of the Nazis. What if that's all he is? What if there is someone else pulling the strings?"
"So you're saying we wasted perfectly good C4?" Dom frowned
"I'm saying we're after the wrong guy. You cut the strings and a puppet can't move."