A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a harrowing few chapters and I realize we left Natasha thinking over her choices some chapters back so here's a little refresher.

RECAP: If her reading was correct then SHIELD was already aware of their situation and most likely making a plan of rescue. If that was true then perhaps her mission had changed. With help on the way it may be better for her to try and help her comrades here, or create a distraction.

Uncertainty warred within her mind, but there was no time for hesitation. She needed to make a choice...

Chapter 13 - Tag Team

And your ship may be coming in.

You're weak, but not giving in.

And you'll fight it, you'll go out fighting all of them.

- Son or Daughter by Rilo Kiley

Natasha chances a faster pace as she turns the first corner. Though the tracks indicated that help was on the way she didn't know how long off that would be. She needed to regroup and get back-up if they stood any chance of rescuing the others. Using the glow of her bites to keep from running into walls she made her way towards the entrance.

Another two turns and she pushed her luck further by upping it to a light jog. Her body shivered at the used energy, pores opening to release water that wasn't there, but she pushed past the fatigue just as she'd been trained to do since she was a little girl. The map of the place was still firmly in her mind and she had a sinking feeling that she'd have to contend with a cave-in as there was no hint of the light that should have been visible by now.

She was nearly to her goal when a distant scream stopped her cold. It went on continuously and the sheer terror of it made her stomach twist in knots and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She'd been made to practice torture on animals before graduating to human victims. She would never be able to forget the screams of something dying in agony.

It was Tony. She knew it was Tony. She knew that she should use his screams as a cover and push herself into an outright sprint. The quicker she got help, the quicker she could return to get him out, to get them all out.

She'd pivoted before she could convince herself of the more rational options. She did end up sprinting, just not towards safety and help. Instead, she headed straight back into the arms of the enemy. Her breath came faster and faster the closer she got until his scream was deafening as she rounded the last hallway.

There was a brief pause in the doorway as she looked upon the sight of the glowing alien that now took up a sizable portion of the room, still entangled over Tony, whose eyes were squeezed shut and face scrunched into the sort of anguish she rarely witnessed. His mouth was stretched wide, the screams growing higher in pitch as the sheer strength and length of his cries began to snap chords.

Taking a deep breath she made straight for the pair. She very much did not want to get trapped in her mind in a series of never ending flashbacks of the most painful moments of her life, but if she didn't do something now she knew she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

Besides, she was trained to handle really fucked up shit, whereas Tony had had to stumble around in the dark to keep hold of his sanity. She too had a large pool of trauma for the creature to draw from. If she could distract it with her despair, if she could offer Tony even a moment of respite, then any distress she would experience would be worth it.

With her resolve firmly in place she forced herself not to think more about it and threw herself on top of Tony, putting her entire body firmly between the creature and him. The feeling was extremely unpleasant and she shivered as a viscous, slimy material settled around her. She braced herself, taking a breath that was equal parts panic and relief as his screams faltered.

He had had enough.

Her turn now.

Iilk faltered in his last quick drain on the delicious morsel that could have held out far longer if he hadn't been pushed into a rush job. The little creature's sorrow had been so provocative that he could admit he'd been suitably distracted. The proof of his error now lay braced atop his most precious find.

An attempt to distract him? He grabbed her mind quickly, trapping it in itself before glancing about at his other entrees. They were still securely inside the highlight of his week, though that would need to change and soon. The screams always began when the host was on the edge of death.

Fingering the remaining three minds he takes a moment to debate his next move. He knows he will have to move soon, even though he has the advantage of knowing this structure intimately. While he didn't miss the hunger of his formerly emaciated form he can appreciate that the ability to dissipate had been fairly useful so far.

As it is he's quite powerful now. Strong enough to push himself to the front of the line had he still needed to engage in such desperate acts. Plenty strong enough to lift the four bodies that he'd need to take with him. While he could hold a mind at a certain distance from its body, even he wasn't powerful enough to accomplish such a feat over the distance he was planning to put between him and this place.

However, high on the tail-end of his last meal he isn't quite ready to move-on. The screams, a most impressive display, have begun to die down into hoarse whimpers and Iilk relishes the delightful feedback of despair his feeding has created. It won't be long now.

A light probe of the mind below hints at exquisite sorrow and he remembers the cave-in he'd caused at the entrance. He knows that it won't hinder them for long and he sets his senses to listen for the inevitable ruckus that will come with unblocking the entryway.

Then, with the ease of forced practice he tightens the reins on his self control so as not to gorge himself. There'll be plenty of time for that later. For now, he'll just indulge a quick sample before the long journey.

"I'm going with you," Coulson reiterates for the last time as FitzSimmons attaches the not quite finished containment chamber onto a large waist belt and secures the collection device into his hand.

He'd told the doctor his exact location, which the man had then relayed to someone in the background, and a minute later there was a portal forming in his office with the good doctor stepping through it.

Dr. Strange had demanded Coulson tell him exactly where the entity was, but Coulson had insisted on accompanying him into the structure. Did it waste time? Maybe. But he figured that if this thing had taken out the Avengers in one blow that even the Sorcerer Supreme might need a little assistance.

He saw the taller man open his mouth, no doubt with another sharp quip or firm demand, but Coulson was about finished with those.

"Look. I'm not going to repeat myself," he began, assuring FitzSimmons with a nod that he'd heard their instructions on the use of the device regardless of his argument with the doctor, and holding up the deterrent they had rigged for Yo-Yo as proof he'd heard the last bit as well.

"We called you in for back-up, and while we're extremely appreciative of your speedy assistance those are our people down there. Now, are you going to waste more time arguing or are you going to follow us in?"

He thought maybe that was going a little too far with a man who could supposedly deposit him into a wormhole with a few quick hand movements, but he didn't back down from the statement. He watched the doctor click his mouth shut on the railing he no doubt had planned and would no doubt deliver at a more opportune time.

"Lead the way."

Coulson didn't need more than that. He never turned to see the monitor for himself but he was aware that Tony's vitals indicated the man was in acute distress. May and Daisy met him at the hanger bay and he tossed the more seasoned agent the deterrent device as instructed. The large doors opened just as they settled above the entrance to the underground base. Or rather, what had been the entrance.

"That wasn't like that before," he informed grimly, pausing with the repeller he'd been strapping on. "May- "

"On it."

"Wait," Strange snapped. "You said it wasn't like this before. You didn't cause this cave in?"

"No."

"That means it knows your coming. It'll be looking for us if it hasn't already fled. It's best tracking is done by the feel of minds, though it can hear and understand a variety of vibrations if it focuses."

As he talked he did some move that silently cleared the debris, turning it into a light sand that blew away from the Bus. With the entrance now visible Coulson's fingers tightened on the collector in his hand. He was very aware of just how fast this thing was.

"So. It's going to see us coming. We should utilize speed over stealth then."

"No." Strange sighed in exasperation. "We should do both. I can shield your minds from detection. We go in a single file line with me at the lead. Touching increases the probability that you're all securely shielded and reduces the effort needed on my part to do so. Effort that will be needed if we make contact."

Coulson didn't argue as he began lining them up with him on point and May at his six, just the way he liked it.

"If that happens you let me do the fighting. Get your people out if you can, but do not engage the entity if you can help it. The more he feeds, the more powerful he becomes."

The team ready, Strange came to stand in front of Coulson.

"Tap left for left, right for right," he gestured, waiting for Coulson to grip the strangely moving cape draped over his shoulders. "Any questions?"

"Yea," he heard Daisy pipe up from behind him. "Worst case scenario what do we do if it manages to get one of us?"

Two gasps and one curse was heard as the four of them began to float down to the opening without the assistance of rope. Coulson was so unnerved at the feeling of nothing but air beneath his feet that he almost missed Strange's snarky reply.

"Think happy thoughts."

They'd only just cleared the opening when the doctor set them down in near silence on the ground at the mouth of the cave. He started forward immediately and Coulson called up the map he'd memorized, giving a quick, but quiet tap to his left shoulder.

After the first turn they could just make out the screaming. Coulson tensed and could feel the slim fingers on his own shoulder flex in response. In unspoken agreement, they all began to move faster, slipping into a light jog, wanting the screams to stop and afraid of what it may mean if they did.

Strange moved them faster as he expanded his senses. He could hear the distant thud of shoes against metal in the brief quiet between each scream. This creature, even when well fed, couldn't mimic human form, so he could only assume that such noise was made by a fellow human. He was momentarily baffled as to why they seemed to be sprinting in the wrong direction until he realized that the screams were answer enough.

The tenor of them raised his own, normally steady heart rate, and when he could no longer hear the pounding of feet he thought about easing them into a light sprint. He had just taken the breath needed to implement a small burst of speed when the screams faltered. They broke and started and broke again, as if in brief moments of relief. Reluctantly he slowed their pace down to a brisk walk, expending a little energy to muffle their footsteps as the screams continued to dwindle into whimpers, ones he knew only he could hear.

He didn't know who they belonged to, but he knew the person was very quickly running out of time, if they hadn't already started fading. So, it was a relief when he rounded a corner and saw faint green light reflected in the metal at the end of the stretch. He remained careful though, moving them at a steady pace, slowing slightly at the bend as he rounded them into a hallway, revealing the open door with proof of occupancy shining out of it.

When he finally reached the doorway, he snapped his head back in surprise at how large the creature had grown in such a short time. Comparatively, the creature had been emaciated when it first slithered through the opening, passing through his body. Now it stood writhing above what he could now tell was the victim of the dying screams, as evidenced by the whimper still trilling from a red-tinged mouth. On top of the metal shell the rest of his body was encased in, lay a woman with red hair, clearly the new victim.

This wouldn't be a simple fight. He wouldn't be able to quickly make a gate and expel the creature through it. It had gotten too big, and in such tight quarters he risked catching an innocent, or an essential body part in the crosshairs. Perhaps the agent had been right. He would need to hold the creature while they rescued the occupants inside. Once out of the chamber he could make the gate as large as necessary without collateral damage. If he couldn't get everyone out of this alive, Won would never let him live it down.

Taking a deep breath Strange centered himself.

Time to correct his mistake.

Coulson nearly took a step back as the unit stopped in the doorway. He'd seen the entity on monitors, but somehow he hadn't gotten a feel for just how massive it was, or had become? Had it always been this huge? His eyes couldn't help but track the green tendrils, snaking in random patterns around a large central mass which hung above a large slab of rock.

The sight of Iron Man, of Tony, looking so battered and broken with Romanov laying prone atop him drew his focus and resolve back to the moment. This was the thing that was attacking one of their agents and had nearly killed a former trainee who had become an unlikely friend. And so this was the thing he was going to take out, no matter the risk to himself.

Strange half turned. "Get your people out as quickly as you can. I'll hold it off."

That was the only warning before the doctor stepped away and did something to the creature that made it jolt up and away from Agent Romanov. It slammed against the back wall of the chambers and emitted a strange warbling sound that startled the rest of the team into action.

Coulson slipped around to the left side of the doctor, flipping on the device attached to his waist. He was just in time too, as the creature seemed to hurl itself off of the wall and straight towards them.

"Get back!" he yelled, watching in relief as May pulled Daisy back around the edge of the door just as the machine kicked in. He raised the collector, what looked to him like a long tube connected to a sizable funnel with a significant amount of tech at the end, and did what he always did. He trusted in FitzSimmons to come through.

He was not disappointed. While the doctor had seemed to get a hold of the creature before it hit them, several tendrils had slipped through. Coulson watched as they slid up the device before seeming to realize the danger and attempting to pull away.

Whatever field the duo had created, however, worked well and several tendrils were sucked into the funnel, down through the tube and into the makeshift container module before a larger tendril rose to amputate the compromised ones.

He could see Romanov moving in his peripheral, but Coulson didn't dare take his eyes off the writhing enemy still slamming into the walls and ceiling above them. Maneuvering himself into a better position he took aim once more.

One way or another, this thing was going down.

Natasha's consciousness seemed to follow the creature's as it was ripped from her mind and back into the real world. She was on her knees and trying to stop herself from falling on Tony before she could shake away the tendrils of a very unpleasant Thursday as a four year old.

Stable once more she caught sight of the blood on Tony's lips before taking in the painful, strained wheeze slipping through them. That was not a good sign. She flinched as someone yelled to "get back" and snapped her eyes over in surprise to see Coulson and Dr. Strange attacking the creature above her. She glanced up to see their former captor flailing in a chaotic mass, causing a rain of debris.

Whipping her head back down, Natasha turned her focus back to Stark, and nearly jammed her fingers scrambling for the release button on his armor. She needed to move him, and that wasn't going to happen in the suit. When she found the release she pressed at it harshly, huffing out a breath, and scurried off of him and out of the way as the armor opened to reveal the bruised body within. She could see the discoloration on his arms where he'd attempted to escape the confines of the suit, beating his limbs again and again against an unyielding metal barrier.

As careful as she could be, considering the speed with which she needed to move, Natasha peeled the cold, tacky body of Tony Stark out of his suit. On a normal day she was fit enough to lift something of Tony's mass without too much difficulty. It was always awkward when that mass came in the form of a body but she was nothing if not adaptable.

Today, however, she was running on fumes. The former sprint, in her condition, hadn't been the best move for her health. She'd made it exactly four steps when his body began to flail wildly. The unexpected effort of keeping him still stole the rest of her energy, and she collapsed to her knees. They struck hard with the added weight she was carrying and she bit her tongue at the blossoming pain.

Working through the hurt she struggled to control the slide of his body off of her shoulder. The new knowledge she gained during their stay here was enough explanation for why his body was suddenly trembling. She didn't worry about keeping him still, but instead focused on making sure he didn't choke on his own tongue until the quakes tapered off.

At some point rocks began to rain down on them from the ceiling, and Natasha forced herself to maneuver Tony's limp form onto her back, dragging both of them to the wall furthest from the action, near where Clint still lay passed out in the corner. After flipping back onto her rear she carefully cushioned Tony's head on her lap, before wrapping a bruised arm around his torso and palming her gun with her free hand.

She wasn't sure a bullet would even make a difference, but if that thing came for Tony again they were going to find out. He was never going to relive that experience if she could help it.

Over her dead body.