Author's Note: Almost there! Wow, this one story turned out a lot longer than the first! Okay, next hint. Loki lovers? Yeah, he's coming back to cause some mischief.
32 – Violation – June 28th, 2012
"Hey, Mom," Aspen said as she held the phone between her and Steve. She'd set it on speaker, and they'd found an empty meeting room to sit in.
"Aspen, it's been a long time since I've heard your voice. I know you've been busy-"
"I have, and I have a question that I need to ask you. It's important," Aspen cut her off feeling terrible about it. Right now she needed answers though.
"Oh, alright. What's your question?" Aspen could tell Ava was pushing away her disappointment that this wasn't a social call.
"The Superhero Serum. If I were to use my abilities to interrogate someone, how could I extract information if they're unwilling to give it?"
There was a long pause and then, "If someone is forcing you to do this-"
"No one is forcing me, Mom. It's my decision. People are getting hurt, and I need to get to the bottom of this. It's the only way. I just need to know if it's going to work."
"With the serum you should be able to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth. Your brain picks up on signals. If there's something specific you want to know, well, there is a way. It's untested, and I'm not even entirely sure how it works. It verges more on supernatural than scientific."
"Just tell me."
"You can go into his mind. Extract the information by searching his mind for it. I don't know how it works. It's more like a psychic ability, so there's nothing concrete on how it works."
"How does one do that?" Aspen asked. She hated the idea of going inside Wagner's mind, but she knew the only way she was going to get the information she needed was if she took it by force.
"The subject's mind must be in a state of stasis – asleep or drugged. There's a device that supposedly allows for the transfer of thoughts. We never got the chance to test it, but an associate of ours who studied the brain as well as psychic abilities swore that it worked. I can get a prototype. There's one on display at the university."
"How soon can you get it?"
"Give me an hour? I can meet you at SHIELD headquarters."
"Thank you, Mom. This is really important."
"You know I'd do anything to help you, Penny."
"I know. I'll see you soon." She hung up and turned to Steve. "This had better work," she said, "because after this I want this curse gone."
…
Wagner hadn't held still to be drugged, but with Steve's help, they'd held him down long enough to inject him with a drug that would keep him down for a while. Aspen's mom had brought the equipment as promised and had even insisted on staying to set it up and monitor the process. Aspen sat down in the chair next to Wagner's cot feeling nervous butterflies twist her stomach. Her mom put two pads attached to cords on either side of Wagner's head. The cords ran into the machine and another set ran out the other side.
"Put these on either side of your head," her mom instructed her. Aspen did so. "Now you'll have to take the cuff off."
Aspen felt loathed to do it. She had sworn to herself that she never would as long as she was still infected with the serum. She took a deep breath and pressed her finger against the small screen that read her fingerprint. It snapped open and fell into her lap. She felt instantly exposed without it. The press of her powers threatened to overwhelm her. "Ready?" her mom asked.
Aspen nodded, unable to speak. Steve stood near the door, brow furrowed. She gave him a tight smile to let him know she was alright. Her mother flipped a switch on the machine. "Try to concentrate on what you're doing," she told Aspen. "Focus on pulling that information out of his mind."
Aspen shut her eyes and concentrated on finding any information on who Wagner worked for. At first nothing happened. She was very much aware of sitting in the cell with her mom and Steve watching her in anticipation. Wagner lay unconscious next to her, unable to have an opinion on the matter. Then she forced herself to forget where she was. There was only the information to be discovered. Lives were at stake. Everyone was relying on her. She dug deeper and concentrated on getting inside his mind.
When she finally did it was like passing through a layer of the sun. It burned somehow though she knew the sensation was only in her mind. She trudged on, deeper into Wagner's mind looking for the information she needed. She couldn't describe how his thoughts came to her. It was like she was seeing everything all at once. She knew that he had inherited his castle from his father who had been a collector much like him. His father had caught the attention of several high up enemy organizations, and he'd made shifty deals with them, promised them things he never fulfilled. But he held a power over them, an object, something Aspen couldn't quite see. It had been stolen though by a criminal. Marko. Without the item, Wagner's father had lost his leverage. He hadn't lasted long. His son had inherited the castle along with some precarious allies. In an attempt to gain power, Wagner had sent out his employee to steal the item back and take care of Marko. This had been Trickshot, the rogue archer working in a circus to avoid detection. He and his partner the Swordsman had both been Wagner's conmen.
Aspen dug deeper. This was all fascinating, but what did it have to do with Zemo?
Zemo had approached Wagner with a proposition. He would give Wagner his protection – Zemo was well respected by the criminal world at least from those who knew he was still alive. With Zemo as an ally, Wagner would never have to worry about the people his father had angered. In return Wagner would help him acquire certain things that would help him retain his immortality. Not just immortality but invincibility. In a world with people grappling for power, Zemo wanted to ensure that he would endure.
When April of 2012 came, and Captain America's body was recovered, that was the turning point for Zemo. With the help of some rogue scientists including an Elihas Starr he was able to find a way to become truly immortal.
Aspen grasped at the idea. It was blurry because Wagner did not quite understand how it worked. He was a coward and a businessman who hid behind his artifacts and musclemen. He was no scientist, no genius. But he understood the basics. Zemo's mind would be transferred to another vessel, would lay dormant until the time was right. His body might fail, but he would receive a new one, a stronger one. At first Wagner had feared Zemo would want him, but Zemo had made it clear Wagner's body was not strong enough for him.
The artifact Wagner had stolen back from Marko all those years ago was what made the transfer possible. The Soul Stone. Two pieces from the same crystal. Wagner had one and Zemo had been in possession of the other. When Zemo had died, he had been holding half of the Stone. And the vessel had been holding the other half. When the time was right, Zemo would awaken and claim his vessel. Experiments had made him stronger and faster. Perhaps not as strong or as fast as Captain America, but still a contender.
But who was the vessel? Aspen struggled to dig deeper. She was beginning to feel a strain on her mind like someone was driving a sledgehammer between her mind and Wagner's. Right now she couldn't see the dividing line. She needed to go deeper.
Choosing the right vessel had been a long process. Zemo had needed someone utterly loyal to the cause. Someone strong physically and docile mentally. Once he took over, his own mind would be in control. He knew that as soon as he drew Captain America to his castle that it would be the time for his death. So what if he used someone who could get close to the Captain? The Baron understood the value of a sleeper agent.
Who was the Baron? Not Zemo. She knew he didn't mean Zemo, but she couldn't see a face.
So who would be the perfect sleeper agent? Someone who would go with the Captain and Hawkeye when they left. Someone they would trust to some extent. Someone they would never suspect. The idea had occurred to Wagner. How pleased Zemo had been. How pleased the Baron had been.
Aspen dug deeper but she could see nothing about the Baron. It was as if someone had taken those bits of images and had simply erased them from Wagner's mind. Or hidden them. Whoever the Baron was, he couldn't be tracked. Not this way. She felt another strain, this time stronger. She realized that Wagner was fighting back. He was trying to push her out of his mind. It was a violation. She felt suddenly sick. She didn't want to be here, didn't want to raid his mind for information any longer. She nearly pulled out but she needed to know who Zemo had used as a vessel.
It was clear to Wagner who the choice should be. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? He had a faithful employee who did his bidding without question who was both skilled and strong and had connections in SHIELD. The very same man who had once guarded half of the Soul Stone without realizing it.
Aspen felt a sickening jolt as she realized who it was.
Barney Barton was the reason Clint Barton had come all this way. He was the reason Captain America was here. Barney Barton would make the perfect vessel. They wouldn't suspect a thing. It would be easier if he didn't get his memories back. He'd arranged to have them tracked. If they got too close to cracking him they'd threaten them. Especially the girl. Captain America and Hawkeye would do anything for her even forbid her from interrogating Barney if it meant she was in danger. If that didn't work then they'd use more forceful means. Clearly that hadn't worked because the girl was still here. Zemo wanted the Captain for himself. It wouldn't be long until he emerged, and then there would be no hope for any of them.
Aspen felt a sharp stabbing pain in her brain. She realized it was time to pull out but she still hadn't learned who was behind all this. Clearly there was someone other than Zemo out there. Who was the Baron, and what did he want?
Wagner was really fighting now, but it made Aspen fight back all the harder. Her head felt like it was splitting open one and the fire was beginning to burn once more but she kept digging. Part of her was aware of how sick it was digging through someone else's mind. She wanted to pull out but at the same time she couldn't stop.
She saw a flicker of an image. Something guarded. Something she could break through if she tried hard enough. She knew the truth was hidden back there. If she could only reach it. She could see an underground laboratory. She could see workers and a tall man with his back to her. If only he would turn around then she could get a look at him. Something tugged at her, and she felt herself drifting away from the image. No! she screamed in frustration. The man began to turn as if he heard her, but she had already lost it. Blackness consumed the images, and she was being pulled out of Wagner's thoughts.
She felt sick as she left the cramped confines of his mind. She became aware of someone shaking her shoulders and saying her name. Her vision blurred. She felt something rip off of the side of her head and realized that she was no longer connected to the machine. Something warm dripped from her nose, and she realized she was bleeding. The room swam into focus, and she saw that Steve was the one shaking her and calling out her name. Her mom stood pale-faced next to the machine which was now turned off. A loud alarm was going off somewhere outside of the cell.
"Aspen, come on!" Steve said.
"I'm here," she said wearily. "You stopped me! I was about to find out who Zemo was working with!"
"You're bleeding, Aspen," he pointed out. She wiped the blood from her nose, leaving a bloody streak across the back of her hand.
"I'm fine," she said forcefully even though she knew it was far from the truth.
"Aspen, that's not all. The alarm started going off a minute ago. Apparently Barney has forgotten himself again. He's armed and on the loose."
"That's not Barney," Aspen said, trying to collect her thoughts. "That's Zemo. Zemo has taken over his mind."
…
Steve watched anxiously as Aspen sat still in the chair next to Wagner's cot. Wagner was out cold thanks to the injection Ava had given him. He didn't like that Aspen was doing this at all. The second she'd let the cuff drop from her wrist, he'd seen the discomfort and fear pass through her eyes. Now as he watched, her brow furrowed. It had been at least five minutes since she'd been under. He resisted the urge to wake her up. A moment later she winced as if in pain. Steve turned to look at her mom for guidance. Ava's eyes were glued to her daughter, however. Steve turned back to Aspen. Something red dripped from her nose, and he realized she was bleeding.
"This has gone long enough," he told Ava. "We need to bring her back. She's bleeding."
"Aspen!" Ava called out. Aspen didn't respond. Her face was screwed up in pain and the blood dripped down to her lip. Ava turned off the machine and pulled the cords from her head.
"Aspen, wake up!" Steve said, touching her shoulder.
Somewhere outside an alarm started to blare. Steve looked around. What was happening? "Steve? Steve, are you there?" a voice called out on his earpiece he'd forgotten he was wearing.
"Clint? What's happening?"
"Barney. He just changed. Went crazy. He didn't recognize me anymore."
"Did he revert back to how he was before?" Steve asked.
"I don't think so. He was different. Not himself anymore. Not just his memories but him. He's armed."
"We need to pull Aspen out. This isn't going well," Steve said. "We'll get up there as fast as we can." He turned to Aspen and took both her shoulders, shaking her gently. "Aspen, come on!"
She opened her eyes suddenly. "I'm here," she said wearily. "You stopped me! I was about to find out who is at the top of all this!" She looked up at him, the frustration written clearly on her face.
"You're bleeding, Aspen," he pointed out. She wiped the back of her hand across her face, smearing the blood.
"I'm fine," she said insistently.
"Aspen, that's not all," he told her. "The alarm started going off a minute ago. Apparently Barney has forgotten himself again. He's armed and on the loose."
"That's not Barney," Aspen said, shaking her head. "That's Zemo. Zemo has taken over his mind."
"What?" Steve stared at her.
"Zemo was in possession of a Soul Stone. It was broken into two pieces, and he kept one and gave the other to Barney. When his body died, his soul reverted to the other Stone. He's still alive but in Barney's body. That was his plan all along. He knew you'd try to kill him. He lured us all there. Wanted Clint dead, wanted you dead. He still wants his revenge."
"Did you see who Zemo was working with?" Ava asked.
Aspen shook her head again. "I was about to when you pulled me out."
"Sorry, but I wasn't going to watch you get hurt," Steve told her, not at all sorry. Right now they had other problems to worry about without knowing the identity of the Baron.
"We need to get to Barney," Aspen said. "Fury isn't going to risk agents just to keep him alive. We need to get Zemo out somehow without killing Barney."
"How do we do that?"
"No idea." Aspen stood and nearly fell back down again.
"You're in no shape to fight," Steve told her firmly, grabbing her waist to keep her steady.
"I'm not sitting this one out, so don't even try to argue," she said, glaring up at him. He sighed.
Ava had released Wagner from the machine and stood looking frightened. "You need to get to safety," Steve told her.
"I'm not leaving Aspen," she said.
"Fine, then we all go together," he said, tired of arguing. Clearly he wasn't going to win this one. Aspen checked her belt for her dart guns and Steve retrieved his shield from the where it was leaned up against the wall. He pushed his left arm into the strap and motioned for Aspen and her mother to go ahead of him. The cell locked behind them, and Steve led the way to the elevator. He heard Aspen click the cuff back onto her wrist as they walked.
"Clint, what's your position?" he asked into his headset.
There was static on the other line and then "North hall….sixth floor…down….hurry…"
"Sixth floor." Steve slapped his hand into the button and the elevator started moving. "I knew Zemo had survived somehow." He turned his eyes on Aspen who was leaning wearily against the elevator wall. "The question is, how did you know?"
"Me?" her eyes widened. "I didn't. Not until I read Wagner's thoughts."
"But your dream."
"You had a premonition?" Ava asked.
"No! I don't know. Maybe… I dreamed that Wagner transformed into Zemo or something. It was weird."
"Is it a possible ability with the serum?" Steve asked Ava.
"It is possible… That's the thing. Almost anything is possible when she had full use of her brain. But she had the cuff on. Unless you took it off?" She turned to her daughter.
"No. I haven't taken it off more than just the once," Aspen said.
"Then I don't know," Ava confessed.
"I'm tired of being a science experiment," Aspen snapped. She turned her back on them, facing the doors as the elevator stopped at the sixth floor. Steve exchanged a worried glance with Ava before following Aspen out onto the sixth floor.
…
It was immediately obvious that something was wrong. The glass was broken in the windows of the offices along the hall. Desk chairs were overturned, and Aspen saw several SHIELD employees huddled under desks. This wasn't a floor for agents, she realized but the workers that oversaw the more white-collar jobs for SHIELD. They looked frightened, and she realized that not everyone at SHIELD was trained to fight. They weren't expecting an attack. Aspen followed the trail of destruction until she heard breaking glass. Steve tensed beside her, shield held out and ready.
"He didn't respond to my darts in Austria," Aspen said. "Starr must have done something to him that made him resistant."
"How do we do this?" Steve asked.
"I have no idea how to get Zemo out," Aspen said. "But if we could knock Barney out and get him locked up, we can find a way. Didn't Natasha break Loki's influence on Clint by hitting him pretty hard in the head?"
"Yeah, but that was just the influence of the Tesseract. It sounds like Zemo has completely taken over his body and mind. It's more like possession."
"Do you think Barney is still in there?" Aspen asked fearfully.
"I'm not sure," Steve replied.
Ava shook her head. "This goes beyond the science I worked with."
"I thought you delved into the supernatural," Aspen said. "There's nothing normal about the serum I was injected with."
"The brain is full of surprises but that doesn't make it paranormal."
Aspen didn't reply, turning away. The hall ended in a large meeting room, and inside the chairs were scattered. As they approached, Aspen saw Clint with his bow using it as a buffer as Barney attacked him. Half a dozen SHIELD agents lay unconscious around the perimeter. Cool air wafted in from the broken window, and Aspen could hear traffic down below.
"Zemo," Steve said. Barney turned his eyes on Steve, and Aspen sucked in a breath. They were no longer the steely greyish blue eyes he shared with his brother but the cold, clear blue of Zemo's eyes.
"You really thought you'd killed me?" Barney – Zemo – asked. His voice was still Barney's but the coldness it held was not his. He thrust Clint's bow back at him, sending him backwards. Zemo turned to face Steve. "I have learned the ways of immortality. You cannot kill me."
"Immortal and invincible are two different things," Steve told him, pacing to the left. Zemo turned to face him, slowly turning his back on Clint. Aspen realized Steve was doing this on purpose. "You can still kill something that's immortal."
"Yes, like you."
"I'm not immortal."
"You and I are alike though," Zemo insisted. "We have both lived through different ages, both found ways of surviving."
"I'm nothing like you. I didn't ask to be frozen and woken up in this century." Steve stopped pacing now that Zemo's back was fully to Clint. The archer seemed to understand what he was doing and got to his feet. He paced slowly toward Zemo, avoiding the broken glass that lay strewn across the floor. Zemo was intent on Steve.
"Maybe we have different ambitions, but it doesn't have to be that way. We could rule the world, Captain, you and I."
"I would never join you. I have no desire to rule the world, only protect it."
"Why protect what will always fall? Haven't you noticed the patterns? This world is always at war with one enemy or another. They've even managed to make enemies of another universe. Eventually this world will fall to one power or another. Why not simply eliminate the wars and take power now? What better way to protect it?"
"That's not protecting it, that's defeating it."
"When will you realize that you're different, Captain? You aren't like them." He nodded his head in Aspen's direction. "You aren't ordinary. It's time you embraced that."
"I don't need to embrace anything," Steve said. "Just because I'm stronger and faster doesn't make me better than anyone. Doesn't make me anything other than human."
"Herr Skull always said you needed to leave humanity behind, but you never could." Zemo cocked his head, studying Steve like he was a specimen.
"That's not going to change."
Clint had reached Zemo by now and in a quick movement had his bow around his neck, pulling back to cut off his windpipes. Zemo struggled, choking for breath. Then he grabbed the front of the bow and flung it and Clint across the room with strength that surprised Aspen. Clint hit the wall and slumped to the floor, his bow loosely held in his grip. He didn't get up again.
Steve struck out at Zemo, but Zemo managed to block it with inhuman speed. Whatever processes Barney had gone through when he was healing, it was clear that his abilities had been enhanced similarly to Steve's own abilities. She watched helpless as they fought. Steve's hand-to-hand combat skills had improved greatly during their training, and now he used both his fist and his shield to fend off Zemo. Zemo was relentless though. He laughed in joy.
"Ah to be in a young and strong body again. I did not realize it could be so great. I feel like I have no limits."
"Everyone has limits," Steve said managing to kick Zemo squarely in the chest, sending him sailing across the room.
Zemo landed hard but was up a moment later. "Yes, Captain. Even you." He ran at Steve then, flipping himself up over his head and striking out before Steve had fully turned around. Steve took a heavy blow to the side, grunting with the force of the hit. He swung his shield around but Zemo grabbed it, twisting it out of Steve's grip, though Aspen could tell it took a great amount of effort. He tossed the shield across the room where it clattered to the floor next to an unconscious agent. It was incredible watching Steve fight and under any other circumstances Aspen might have enjoyed it, but right now she could tell that Zemo was more than capable whether fueled by Barney's strength or his decades long spite for Steve. Steve sent him reeling back several times, but Zemo was always back on his feet ready to deliver another blow. Finally, when Steve managed to kick Zemo back again, Zemo paused.
"Much as I'm enjoying this, I do have somewhere to be, someone to meet. This has gone on long enough." He pulled out a gun and fired. Steve tried to dodge it, but the bullet grazed his side. Blood blossomed over his shirt.
"No!" Aspen screamed. She hurled herself at Zemo. Zemo swung an arm at Aspen, catching her as she leapt at him. The blow sent her across the room where she landed hard next to Clint. The next moment someone crashed into Zemo. Steve was back on his feet, though he was bleeding.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Zemo asked, landing a blow to the bleeding wound. Steve fell to his knees, face screwed up in pain. Then he managed to kick Zemo's feet out from under him, rising to his feet.
"No, I don't," he said, pulling Zemo to his feet by his collar. He punched him hard, sending him back down to the ground.
Aspen knew they needed to end this soon, but she had no idea how. Steve and Zemo could keep fighting and eventually one would win but either way she had no idea how to get Zemo out of Barney's mind and body. Her thoughts flitted to what she had learned in Wagner's mind. Surely there had to be something of value there. Something that would help her get rid of Zemo for good.
Her thoughts flitted to the Soul Stone. She'd learned that the Stone had two pieces. One Zemo had held when he died. The other he had given to Barney so that his soul would pass into the second Stone and awaken in Barney. So it followed that Barney still had the Stone. If Barney died then would Zemo's soul be trapped in the Stone or would Zemo simply fade out of existence? Killing Barney was not an option though. If he almost died though…could she force Zemo out? If the vessel was dying, would the soul flee to the next closest thing which in this case would be the Soul Stone? What would happen if the Stone was in one piece? She didn't have the other half though unless SHIELD had recovered it with the body. The morgue was on the second floor where Zemo's body would have been transported. Would it still be there? Aspen wanted to scream. She had more questions than answers and no one else in this room could help her.
Then she realized there was one person who could help. One person who, by touching an object, could learn everything there was to know about it.
Aspen needed to take off the cuff again. She needed to use her powers. As Zemo sent Steve reeling across the room again, Aspen slipped the cuff from her wrist, stowing it in her pocket. Her mind flooded with abilities she'd been suppressing all this time. It was suddenly taking in every detail of the room. She pushed this aside. She couldn't let herself get distracted. Zemo was striding over to Steve whose shirt was soaked in blood by now. Aspen got to her feet and stumbled over to Zemo. The Stone was in Barney's jacket pocket. She could feel the power radiating off of it. She could sense the other one two floors above with the other artifacts. If she could get her hands on the Stone she could see what it could really do. But she couldn't let Zemo know she had it. As he kicked Steve, Aspen raced forward, grabbing him around the back in an attempt to pull him away from Steve. Her hand slipped into his pocket, and she grasped the Stone as Zemo spun and sent her back across the room again.
Stars danced in front of her eyes as she landed, but clamped firmly in her fist was the Stone. "You are too weak to even consider joining this fight," Zemo told Aspen. "You're so human and breakable. How do you manage?"
Aspen glared at him. "I'm stronger than you think," she said.
"I'm sure that's what your Super Soldier tells you," he taunted her.
Aspen got to her feet, spitting out blood. She'd bitten her tongue when she'd fallen. She shut out the pain, and focused on the Stone in her hand. She could read its power. It was empty now but it had held a soul. She could feel the lingering bits of energy. She focused harder. It was almost as if the power was incomplete though. If it could be united with its other half, it could trap a soul again. She needed that other half.
Zemo had Steve by the throat now. Aspen watched in horror as he pulled a knife out and stuck it into Steve's other side. He tossed him to the floor. Steve pulled the knife out, and it came away bloody. Aspen knew Zemo wouldn't stop until Steve was dead. Steve had been thrown next to his shield though, and he grabbed it now and flung it at Zemo with all his might. It struck him on the head, and Zemo stumbled back looking dazed. Steve caught the shield and forced his way to his feet. His mouth was bleeding and his sides. He held the knife in his right hand. Aspen could tell he was being careful not to hurt Barney, but Zemo was making this difficult.
Aspen knew they needed to take him down and fast. She jumped as felt someone touch her arm and turned to see her mom. "Take this," she said pressing something into Aspen's hand. Aspen looked down to see a small metal object. A taser. "It will knock him out," she assured her, "without hurting Barney."
"Are you sure? He's strong. My darts wouldn't do it."
"It's something designed for people like him. We developed it when…well, when we were doing some experiments. Just in case. It might not last long, but it will give you a chance. He's going to kill Steve if you don't stop him."
"I know." Aspen took the taser in her hand and circled toward Zemo. Steve and Zemo were currently trapped in a struggle, Steve wielding the knife, but Aspen knew he wouldn't use the knife on Barney. Just as Zemo knocked the knife from Steve's grasp, she lunged at him, catching him off guard. She grabbed onto his neck from behind and held the taser to his chest. With a jolt, he went down. Aspen landed hard, rolling off of him. A shard of glass cut into her arm, but she hardly felt it. He would be out for ten minutes, so they needed to act fast.
"Steve." She got to her feet and stumbled over to him. His sides were still bleeding, and they needed to be bandaged.
"I'm alright," he said. "Clint?"
Aspen went over to where Clint was, checking his pulse. He was still out cold, but his pulse was strong. "He needs to be taken to the med-bay. So do you. We need to stop the bleeding."
"I'm fine," Steve brushed her concern off. "We need to take care of Zemo first."
"I have a plan for that."
"What do you need?"
She calculated. "Five minutes to get into the artifact room and back." She explained the concept of the Soul Stone. "Mom, I need you to get Steve and Clint to the med-bay." Steve started to protest, but she cut him off. "At least to get bandaged," she said. "Then you meet me in the artifact room on the eight floor. Mom, you stay and make sure Clint is okay. We need to somehow touch the Stone to Zemo. The Stone should trap him, but we might need to persuade him to leave."
"How so?"
"Can you get your hands on something to slow Barney's pulse, make it seem like his body is shutting down?" Aspen asked her mom. Ava nodded.
"Leave it to me," she said.
"We have nine minutes until he wakes up. He'll find Steve, and we'll be ready for him."
Steve looked worried, but he nodded. "I'll be there."
"Let's go," Ava said, touching Steve's arm. "Can you carry Clint?" She glanced down at his wounds.
"I'll be fine. I heal quickly," Steve said, walking over and hoisting Clint over his shoulder. "I'll see you in a few minutes," he told Aspen. "Be careful." Aspen nodded, watching as Steve and her mom left the meeting room. She glanced down at Barney one last time and then ran for the elevator. They had limited time to pull this off, and Aspen knew that if she failed Zemo wouldn't stop hunting Steve until he was dead.