"We have to get her back." Bruce argued.

"We will. But we can't go in blind and try to take down Qaseem." Steve rationalized.

"Nat can take care of herself. She can keep herself alive until we get to her." Clint added.

Bruce looked unconvinced. "I know she can, but Qaseem will do anything to hurt me. Nothing is off-limits to him." Bruce protested.

"I understand-" Steve began.

"No, you don't! It's my fault he took her. If she dies," Bruce took a breath, "I couldn't live with myself."

"Bruce," Steve placed a hand on his shoulder, "we will get her back."

Bruce looked into the eyes of the Captain and saw determination underlined with uncertainty. Knowing he needed to calm down, Bruce started for his room. The hallway was empty except for the figure coming up behind him.

"Banner." Bruce turned to see Clint. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Bruce narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Or as okay as you can be. Look, I'm not very good at small talk, but Nat would kill me if I didn't check on you." Clint summarized.

"I get it," nodded Bruce with a slight smile on his face.

"She's my best friend. I want to get her back as much as you do."

"I know." Bruce replied, honestly. Both men stared at each other for a moment before Clint went back to talk to Steve. Bruce continued his walk to his room.

After taking a long, hot shower, Bruce stepped out of the bathroom, ready to go to bed. He was physically exhausted and mentally needed a break from thinking too much. He could hear Natasha scolding him for over thinking. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Bruce looked at the one picture he had of Natasha. He had taken it when she wasn't looking, but that's what made the picture so beautiful. Bruce opened the drawer to his nightstand to put away the picture, then stopped when he saw something that didn't belong.

In the drawer, sat a silver box Bruce had never seen. He picked it up carefully. The box was cold, metallic, and smooth to the touch. Lifting the lid to the box, Bruce heard a click and a projection began to play.

"Hello, Bruce. I hope you had a wonderful nap. The dart I shot you with held a cocktail of my own invention." The projection of Qaseem grinned at Bruce. "Your little girlfriend had a higher dose than you, and I know she enjoyed it." The projection faded then reappeared with a different image.

Natasha.

Her forehead was shiny with sweat and her red hair was stuck to her cheeks and neck. Natasha's lips were set in a thin line and her steely eyes glared Qaseem. "She put up quite a fight when I tried to tie her to the chair, but we remedied that. Didn't we, sweetheart?"

Qaseem turned a dial on a machine to the left of Natasha. She began to blink rapidly until her eyelids closed and her head dropped to her chest. "You see I want you to find me, Bruce. That is why this box will lead you straight to me. I want to finish this. Just you and me. Come alone," Qaseem grabbed Natasha's face between his fingers and thumb, "or she dies." The projection quit, leaving Bruce as quickly as it appeared.

As Bruce continued to stare at the box, a new image popped up. It outlined a path from the Avengers tower to a location in Asia. Bruce realized the location was Kolkata, India; Qaseem was taking him back.

Standing from the bed, Bruce began to pack a bag to take with him. "Where are you going, Dr. Banner?" JARVIS interrupted.

"I'm going to get Natasha back." Bruce answered without stopping.

"I would not recommend going alone."

"If I don't, he will kill Natasha."

"I believe Mr. Davar will kill Ms. Romanoff even if you do go alone." JARVIS returned.

"I have to save her." Bruce walked to the door.

"I will alert Mr. Stark if you leave on your own." JARVIS declared. "Rationally, it is not advantageous for you to go alone."

Bruce thought over the situation that JARVIS had laid out for him. "Stupid artificial intelligence." He grumbled as he threw down his bag.

"That is a fallacy, sir. My intelligence level is that of a genius." JARVIS insisted.
Bruce huffed in defeat and annoyance. "Sorry, JARVIS."

"I accept your apology." JARVIS replied. "I will notify Mr. Stark of your findings." The A.I. disappeared into thin air as per usual, and Bruce walked back to the lab to inform the others of Qaseem's message.

The pain was sharp and felt like a white-hot poker, but it was manageable. If she didn't focus on it, Natasha could make the pain in her arm disappear. The only reminder was the needle still embedded in the vein in her arm. Every time Qaseem came in the room, he would give her another dose of whatever he was using to keep her sedated. About the time her head would clear, Qaseem would return and the cycle started again.

Now, with her vision clearing up, Natasha knew she only had a few more minutes until the mind hazing cloud would descend. The room she was being held in was dark except for the light that leaked through the boards covering the window. The floor was made from planks of wood and covered in sand at the entrance. She knew where she was, but she couldn't find the name with the sedative making he brain a foggy mess. It was humid, the people outside spoke a different language - one she recognized but couldn't speak now if she wanted to - and the building she was in screamed basic architecture. The fog was clearing, yet no name came to mind.

Then, it was too late. Qaseem walked into the room through the door in front of her. "Good. You are awake." He closed the door behind him.

"Not for long I presume?" Natasha stared at Qaseem.

"Now, now. I do enjoy talking with you, so maybe we can extend your consciousness." Qaseem moved a chair to the spot in front of Natasha and sat down facing her.

"You'll never get to Bruce. They won't let you." She retorted.

"I've already taken care of that." Qaseem grinned. Natasha raised her chin in curiosity. "I will spare you the details, but I gave your boyfriend a little device to help him find you. Once he shows up, without your little friends, I will let you go, and then my fun will really begin." Qaseem stood from his chair to put it back against the wall; Natasha's time was running out. He stepped toward the machine, hand ready, but didn't turn the dial.

"What are you waiting for?" Natasha sneered.

"For that look in your eyes, when I know you are forming an escape, because that tells me my drug is wearing off, but also, it fills me with pleasure knowing that I can control the amount of time you have to plan." Qaseem drew closer to Natasha to whisper in her ear. "Time's up."
The dial was turned and more vermillion liquid was pumped into Natasha's bloodstream. Her moment of clarity was gone. The liquid made her limbs go numb until she was dead weight in the chair, and finally, her eyelids grew heavy.

The silver box was perched on the table in front of the male members of the Avengers. Bruce, with the help of JARVIS, had filled in the crew on what Qaseem wanted from him.

"I do not understand. He left you a jewelery box?" Thor asked, crossing his arms in confusion.

"It's not a jewelery box. It's a...tracking...box." Clint remarked. "Right, Tony?"

"Close, my bow wielding friend. It has a tracking system in it, but it also has a computer chip to enhance its functionality and increase the visibility of the projection without draining the power cell." Tony looked up to blank stares. "It's a fancy computer with a GPS, perfect picture, and a battery that could outlast the Energizer Bunny."

"Moving on," Bruce cut in, "Qaseem said it would lead me to him and Natasha. I checked the map and I think he's back in Kolkata."

"He wants you back where it all began." Steve read Bruce's mind.

"I'm afraid this is a trap." Bruce confessed.

"Of course it's a trap," Clint protested, "but what does that mean for Natasha?"

"Qaseem wants Banner. That's his number one play, but I don't know how he will handle Romanoff." Steve said.

"I killed his wife and you don't think he will kill Natasha? He's leading me to Kolkata to do the same thing I did to him." Bruce argued. "He can't kill me. He doesn't want to kill me. He wants to cause me the same pain that I caused him. Qaseem will kill her."

"We won't let that happen." Steve countered.

"Nat would haunt me for the rest of my days if I let her die by the hands of a madman." Clint joked.

The other men laughed, including Bruce, because they knew it was probably true.

"Okay then. Let's save an assassin." Tony clapped his hands together.

The others shared an eye roll until Steve began to plan the entry, the extraction, and the multiple escape routes. Bruce listened intently and added his input when he disagreed with an idea. The men had the rescue mission planned to a T; they literally had a plan T made just incase. Bruce hoped it would work. He couldn't lose Natasha because of his mistakes; even the Hulk couldn't save him from that pain.

A/N: Thank you for keeping up with this story. I'm having a lot of fun writing it!