Black Widow ch 12
Carter parried the lunge, rapping Underwood smartly on the wrist with the chair leg held by her injured left arm. The blow should have been strong enough to break Dottie's wrist, but it only produced a deep-throated growl from the assassin. Spinning around like a bull passing a matador, Dottie squared back up on Peggy.
She began a series of high kicks, aiming at Carter's face and torso. Peggy blocked a few but her left side was still slower and several blows landed painfully. Carter backed up quickly to the table where Dottie had her tools given to her by Karl. Scrambling behind it, she considered her options. "Just give in. They won't find you. Well, they may find pieces of you." Dottie panted like a hungry wolf as she approached.
"I don't sell my friends short." Carter replied, picking up several sharp implements and hurling them at Underwood. Dottie dodged most of them but a heavy handled cleaver spun irregularly and nicked her left thigh deeply. With a howl of rage, Dottie channeled her fury into a cartwheeling leap over the table. Peggy turned to sprint away but Underwood caught her by the shoulder, a vise-like grip pulling her off balance into a spin and slamming her face into the table.
Carter's cheek was pressed to the cold metal as the taller woman pinned her down. Dottie shoved Peggy's legs apart to keep her off balance and unable to kick out. "How about now?" Dottie hissed into her ear.
"Stop being such a bloody prick and finish it." Peggy ground out between clenched teeth, the weight of Underwood above her squeezing the breath from her chest.
"But I was having so much fun. Don't you want to stay a bit longer? Steve can wait." Dottie replied sweetly.
"At least I will see him. He doesn't even know your name." Carter spat, the taste of blood in her mouth.
White-hot rage coursed through Dottie's veins as she flipped Peggy over and began to punch her in the face repeatedly.
Peggy could barely breathe through the rapid assault and just prayed that it would end soon.
Suddenly, like a freight train bursting through a gate, a car smashed through the steel roller door of the warehouse. Harsh headlights shined upon the two women, making Dottie stop mid strike and look up with annoyance at the intrusion.
Carter, not caring who it was rapidly kneed Underwood in the stomach, knocking the breath from her. Dottie dropped to her knees, sucking air, as Peggy lined up a swift kick to the head. With her blurred vision and unstable balance, it didn't go as she planned as Dottie swept Carter's legs out from under her with her arm. Crashing to the floor, Carter and Dottie stared at each other with venom, both temporarily incapacitated.
"STOP! SSR!" Sousa yelled from the window as Jarvis halted the car with a screech of tires. The cellular antenna was destroyed from the abrupt entrance. Edwin warned Daniel to pull himself back inside just before they crashed through the door. Now the hunk of metal he had built prevented him from getting out of the car fast enough.
"Jarvis! Help her!" Howard commanded as he tried to extricate himself from the large cellular receiver sharing the back seat with him. Cables seemed to ensnare his feet like a robotic octopus as he tried to pull the wires free.
Jarvis vaulted from the drivers seat and ran towards the two women. Underwood was scurrying rapidly away from Carter, who was on the floor, bloodied and disoriented.
"Stop! SSR!" Daniel said again as he emerged finally from the car. Aiming his pistol at the retreating Black Widow, he squeezed off a few shots. Dottie avoided being hit until the last one got her shoulder. With a cry she tumbled forward into the darker corners of the warehouse.
Sousa continued his pursuit, glancing briefly at Jarvis holding Carter on the floor, talking softly to her.
Howard finally exited the car and bolted after Sousa. He was unarmed but didn't care. You did not kidnap a friend of Howard Stark's and expect to get away with it. That lady was going to learn a pretty tough lesson.
Huffing and puffing, he pulled up to Sousa's side in the gloom of pre-dawn, "Where is she? You shot her."
"Yeah. But this cat has nine lives." Daniel responded, his words hot with anger. A blood trail appeared on the floor then abruptly stopped. A window at the top of a stack of crates was ajar. "I can't climb up that and by now, she's gone."
"She'll have to go to a hospital." Howard reasoned.
"Didn't the first time and she fell from a story and a half high office window." Sousa informed while holstering his weapon.
Stark's mouth opened slightly in surprise, "I missed that, didn't I?"
Sousa nodded and turned to see Peggy, "Let's check on her."
"There, there, Ms. Carter. We're here." Jarvis soothed, dabbing at Carter's bloodied face with his silk pocket square as they sat on the floor.
"Jarvis, I'm an SSR agent, not some nattering school girl. Give me that." She snatched the kerchief from his fingers and pressed it to her cut lip. She could barely see from her right eye, the socket more swollen and bruised than before. Her other cheekbone was tender and her lip felt like the size of an inner tube.
"As I recall, I was the one who stitched up your leg not long ago?" Jarvis sniffed, his ego feeling hurt.
"And I am very grateful." Carter mumbled contritely, trying to smile at him but it hurt too much.
"Peggy! My God are you ok?" Sousa exclaimed going down to his good knee, touching her right shoulder tenderly, his eyes swimming with emotion, "You're bleeding!"
"She got in a lucky knife shot." Peggy admitted with a noncommittal shrug. It was nice to have someone else worrying about her for a change, she decided.
"Let's get you to the hospital. You can have my private wing. All to yourself." Stark announced.
"I'll try not to bleed too much on your car." Carter observed dryly from the floor.
"Don't worry. Jarvis can clean it." Howard replied and moved towards the car. Edwin cut him a look when his back was turned. Peggy almost laughed out loud, but her face hurt too much. "Let me get this garbage out of the back seat." He began to pull armloads of electronics from the back of the sedan, discarding it. Jarvis helped Carter stand; putting her arm over his shoulder, they walked slowly towards the car. Daniel followed behind with his crutch, the worry still engraved on his face.
"What is all this?" Peggy asked suddenly feeling faint.
"How we found you, m'dear." Stark said with a flourish as he chucked the last component out and watched it smash on the floor, "It's not much but it did the trick. I can always rebuild it. Didn't think that pin would be so handy, did you?"
"Pin?" Carter said sounding exhausted and looking pale.
"He can explain later. Just get her to the doctor." Daniel nagged watching Jarvis help Peggy ease down onto the seat. He let Howard sit next to her. Inwardly, he wanted to hold her hand, make sure she was ok. The realization of how close he had come to losing her began to seep in. Visions of lost friends from the front who 'almost' came home echoed in his mind making this rescue more bitter than sweet. Swallowing the emotions, he limped to the passenger side and hopped in.
Jarvis started the car and set off for the hospital, as the weary team lapsed into silence. Peggy was safe. For now, that was enough.
A/N HEY JULIAAURELIA! I can't read your PMs. Did you switch something off? Just checking. Missing your feedback. 8belles
