Bruce wasn't sure how long he stared at the blood drying on his hands. There were no windows or clocks in this bare room, so the only thing he had to go on was his own internal clock and the progression of the blood from liquid, to tacky, to dry. By now it was flaking off, which really solidified that it had been too long.
He tried banging on the door and yelling for someone to let him out, even though that was an unrealistic expectation. But no one had even bothered telling him to shut up. Bruce spent a lot of time trying to work up the anger to change into the Hulk, but it wasn't working. The anger was there, but it wasn't doing anything productive.
In another circumstance, Bruce would be thrilled that there was something he could use to keep the monster at bay. He'd never found a way to do it and he was very interested in what was in the drug he was given. But all he wanted to do now was let the Hulk out to tear through this place.
Bruce was pacing in the center of the room, trying to keep his blood flowing and his body ready for anything when the door to the room finally slid open. He braced himself, waiting for the guns that were most likely to be pointed his way, but that wasn't what he got. Bruce's breath caught when Celia walked into the room. And if he thought she looked bad the last time he saw her, it was nothing compared to now.
Celia's top half was wet with what seemed to be water, but the rest of her was bloody. Her clothes were practically in tatters, but not from shredding or tearing. What looked like multiple punctures were scattered across the fabric. But what caught his attention the most was the completely broken look on her face.
"Celia?" Bruce whispered, wincing as her face crumpled at the sound of his voice. There was a man behind her with a gun and he poked it into her back, forcing her to walk in further. The gunman stayed in the open doorway, watching them with a bland expression.
"Bruce," Celia choked out, shaking her head as her tears started to fall in earnest. Bruce rushed forward, wrapping her up in a tight hug. He could feel her trembling against his body. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Bruce asked in confusion. None of this had been her fault.
"I can't do it anymore. I- I had to," Celia gasped, raising her arms to latch around his neck. "Please forgive me."
"Forgive you for what? What happened?" There were a few thoughts whirling around in his head, but he was hesitant to voice them. Celia didn't seem like the kind of person to sell someone out to save her own skin, but everyone had a breaking point. Had they found hers?
"I'm sorry," Celia whispered again, but before Bruce could press her for further explanation, he felt a sharp prick in his neck. He barely had time to lean back and look at her in confusion before the world around him started getting fuzzy. The last thing he heard was Celia's repeated apologies.
Jabbing that needle into Bruce's neck made Celia feel sick to her stomach, but it was the best plan for escape that she could see at the time. She and Bruce could be languishing there forever, hoping for rescue, or they could do it themselves. Or rather, the Hulk could do it for them.
Celia held Bruce up as he faltered from the drugs flowing through his body. She had to believe that Vince was telling the truth about what it did, because the alternative was unacceptable. He seemed like the type to be so sure of his plans that he would brag without hesitation.
The gunman blocking the door stepped forward when Bruce staggered back with a low growl and Celia let Natasha's training control her body. She spun, grabbing the end of the gun and pointing it to the floor. Celia used her other hand to thrust her palm into the man's nose, shattering it easily. As he bent forward in pain, she brought her knee up, connecting solidly with his forehead.
There wasn't much time to be impressed by her takedown before a loud roar came from behind her. Celia could hardly breathe when she turned back around, finding Bruce gone and the monster in his place. At least the plan had worked so far.
She knew there was a chance that the Hulk would attack her again, but that had been an acceptable risk. Even if she was crushed again, she'd probably survive. And as long as Bruce made it out and back to the others, she would call it a win. They could come back for her later, if necessary.
Celia closed her eyes and braced for impact, but none came. It seemed as though escape was more important to Hulk than carnage, which worked in her favor. Hulk barreled out of the room, roaring the whole way. A sneaky exit was out of the question, but that hadn't been her goal. There was something she needed to take care of first.
Celia stooped down next to the downed guard, patting him down for anything that could be useful. The assault rifle was out of the question, since she had no idea how to use it. But there was a handgun tucked in an ankle holster. Guns weren't her favorite, but she couldn't really afford to be picky at the moment. The real prize was the key card. She didn't know if it would open all the doors she needed, but she wouldn't stop until she got back to the room she was held in.
Steve could hardly contain his built up energy as they finally approached their landing area. The flight hadn't been very long, but it felt like it dragged on forever, just like the past day. He was ready to get their people home and go back to how things were. And Steve really needed it to be that simple.
"What's our move, Cap?" Natasha asked as soon as they were on the ground. They were going in pretty much blind, which wasn't ideal, but they would make it work. There were no other options.
"We'll go in through the front as quietly as possible. I want Widow and Hawkeye to stick together and take out any unfriendlies you come across. Iron Man and I will look for a control room to see if there is a surveillance system that can help us navigate," Steve commanded, taking a deep breath. "And if you find them, get them back to the jet." Steve didn't have to explain what he meant by that.
"Got it," they all replied, checking their equipment one last time. Steve secured his shield on his arm, ready for battle. He took the lead as they ran toward the building, pushing all of his emotions to the side.
"Wait a second," Tony called out, hovering above them in his suit. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Natasha asked, squinting in concentration. Steve tipped his head to the side, prepared to ask Tony what it was he heard, when the front door slammed open and panicked men ran out. The team quickly moved to subdue them, relieving them of their weapons and zip tying them securely.
"What the hell?" Clint muttered, looking back toward the building. Now that the doors were open, they could hear the unmistakable sound of roaring coming from inside.
"Bruce," Steve breathed out, feeling a glimmer of hope in the pit of his stomach.
"Not Bruce, Hulk," Tony pointed out.
"Okay, new plan," Steve announced, turning toward Clint and Natasha. "Find Bruce and provide backup."
"More like cleanup," Tony scoffed.
"Keep an eye on him so he doesn't lose control. And if Celia is with him, let us know. Tony and I are still going for the control room."
"Keep an eye on Hulk. He says it like it's so easy," Clint mumbled.
"Come on. I'll protect you," Natasha smirked, leading him into the building. Steve and Tony followed, heading in the opposite direction. They only ran into a few people as they went, but none of them put up too much of a fight. They were more focused on getting away from the big, green threat.
Would Celia be with Hulk? Would that even be safe? The team had learned to coexist with him on missions for the most part, but this was a completely different circumstance. Would Hulk know not to hurt her? They were about to find out.
Celia made her way down the halls, appreciating the fact that she hadn't been blindfolded while being taken from room to room. It made getting to where she needed to go much easier. And Hulk blowing through this part of the building helped too. She passed a few crumpled bodies and had to sympathize. They were the bad guys, but she knew how much being taken out by the Hulk hurt.
She hesitated when she got to the right door, trying to listen for any signs of people inside the room. The distant sounds of screaming were kind of obscuring anything she might've heard though. If there were a bunch of people hunkered down in there, would they shoot her? Would she shoot them? Celia really didn't like either one of those options.
She scanned the key card, letting out a sigh of relief when the lock disengaged. Maybe her luck was finally turning around. Celia walked in with her gun at the ready, letting the door slide closed behind her. The room looked abandoned, which was exactly what she wanted. Now she just had to figure out the right move.
Shooting the computers is what always seemed to work in the movies, but it was more complicated than that in real life. There were digital backups and hard drives. The shit could've been sent in an email or posted to Youtube by this point. But she had to do something to make sure the information they had was scrubbed forever. Celia was going to need help.
"I've got to hand it to you."
Celia spun around quickly, pointing her gun in the face of the man who had tortured her for hours. He was leaning against a nearby table with a smirk on his face.
"I didn't see this coming."
"Put your hands up," Celia demanded.
"That's cute. You think you have any power here?" Vince teased, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"I have a gun, so yeah," Celia shot back.
"And it looks so natural in your hands. I bet you've never shot a gun in your life," Vince laughed, flicking his eyes between her face and the gun.
"Are you willing to bet your life on that? I think I owe you a few bullets."
"But that's hardly fair. I didn't do anything to you that you haven't already recovered from. At least physically. I have a feeling that you won't get rid of the memory anytime soon," Vince taunted. "You won't be able to go a day without thinking of what I did to you. Or an hour. Maybe not even a minute." Celia hated to admit that he was probably right. Her adrenaline and the chaos of these moments were keeping her from feeling it at this point, but she knew it was coming. But Vince wasn't going to get the chance to see it.
"I'll be thinking of you in prison and smiling."
"Prison? Do you think any prison could hold me? I'll be out before they even lock the door."
"I know some people who have handled worse. You're nothing."
"I'm nothing?" Vince scoffed, widening his eyes in mock offense. "I'm the one who knows your secret."
"You won't get a chance to tell it."
"And who is going to stop me? Even if you happen to lock me up, I'll tell everyone. My fellow inmates, the guards, I'll even etch it into stone. As long as I'm still breathing, you will never be safe."
"I guess we'll find out."
"Oh, you will. You'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, just waiting for the other shoe to drop." As if that was new for her. "And if you thought what I did to you today was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. That was me with no plan. You can't even imagine what I can come up with. The walls will be dripping with your blood and you will never take another breath that isn't agony."
The gun was shaking in her hand as every bone in her body was telling her to take the shot. She would be able to get away with it. After the things he'd done, his death would be completely justified. But she'd have to live with knowing she'd taken a life. And not in a slightly detached way like before. This one would be by her own hand. Was a threat against her really worth it?
"I guess we'll find out," Celia repeated.
"Yes. Along with Dr. Banner," Vince smirked. Something flipped inside Celia and she knew. She knew at that moment what her only option was. Vince saw the change in her too and the confidence in his eyes dimmed just a little. He'd made a mistake and it was the last one he'd ever make.
"Celia?"
