Chapter Sixty Seven

"Break me down replace this fear inside, Take this nothingness from me I want to find, I want to shine I want to rise, Break me down..." - Break Me Down, Red

Everyone watched the scene unfold with a mixture of disbelief and realization. The world suddenly felt as if it had stopped on its tracks when Tony finally registered what had happened. He'd heard the gunshot ring through the air, but he didn't want to believe that Romanoff was the one who fired said gun.

He could only watch helplessly when the bullet finally reached its intended target. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion when the spear that Nadia had created disintegrated. The man cowering before her let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the bullet had hit her rather than himself.

Tony wasted no time in firing a repulser blast at the man when he started scurrying away. Even if they had laws regarding killing someone, the asshole deserved to suffer for what he had done. And Tony was in no mood to debate with everyone when he reached Ada's body. She had finally collapsed to the floor with a sickening thud from a loss of blood.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded once he reached her side.

His heart sank with dread when he tried searching for a pulse. Whatever they had done had compromised her healing abilities. He knew that after watching her get injured before this, she would have healed by now.

"It was the only way," Romanoff replied while keeping a trained eye for more guards. Tony felt sick in the pit of his stomach at the thought. There had to be another way to prevent this from happening. Though, when he glared in her direction, her face betrayed guilt. "She would have killed all of us."

"No she wouldn't!" Tony snapped without missing a beat. He was furious – mostly with himself for letting this happen in the first place. He hated to admit it, but Nadia had been right when she said that they weren't there for Ada when she had been captured. "She hesitated the moment Steve tried reaching out to her!"

The last thing he wanted to believe was that Romanoff had killed her. His heart was beginning to race with panic when he realized that he felt no pulse. She was already beginning to lose too much blood as he gingerly scooped her into his arms. She had already suffered enough as it was. He hated seeing her like this, especially when he knew that something could have been done to prevent it.

"Doctor Banner, we're gonna need an emergency extraction team here," Steve called through the com while watching the scene unfold before him.

Since they didn't want to take the risks of unleashing the Hulk upon the compound, Banner had stayed behind with the quinjet to keep an eye on it. Tony was suddenly grateful that the doctor was there. They started moving without another word once it became clear that she needed medical treatment. He wasn't planning on leaving her behind if there was something that could be done to help her recover.

"Nat made the right call," Barton stated with a gruff nod as he, Romanoff and Steve arrived with Tony at the quinjet.

"Was it?" he demanded when he rounded on the archer. Barton wasn't the least bit put off by his sudden fury. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked back with equal defiance. And Tony cursed under his breath when he realized that Ada would often act the same way when he tried imposing rules on her. Of course, she would have taken some of the tactics that Barton used against him. "She didn't want to hurt anyone. She—"

"Tony," Steve suddenly cut him off with a warning look, "She was asking me to shoot her… I think it was the only way to stop Nadia from taking full control over her."

Tony could only stare at Ada's frail form as realization dawned on him. The fact that she wanted someone to shoot her hurt the most. If she was willing to take that length to keep them protected… she certainly wasn't the monster the asshole nearby panned her out to be. He swallowed hard as those thoughts and more kept churning in the back of his mind. If only he had been more careful. This could have all been avoided.

"She will always be seen as a monster," the man sneered with contempt.

"You better watch yourself from now on, asshole," Tony snapped as he struggled back to his feet.

Despite the repulser blast that had knocked the asshole off his feet, the man who had triggered whatever control Nadia held over Ada looked well and alive. What made it worse was seeing the smug look written across his face when he assessed the damage that was caused.

"SHIELD's already on their way to clean up the mess these idiots left behind," Clint rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"And do you really think this will be the end of her mother's wrath?" the man chuckled in grim amusement, shaking his head as if he'd cracked a joke, "Nadia will be back. And she won't hesitate to kill anyone who stands in her way. Not after what you have done."

All of them exchanged wary looks at that. Tony's brows furrowed together in concern and confusion as he wondered what the asshole meant by that. He'd known that there was a connection between her mother and the necklace that Ada had always worn since she turned sixteen. But if that necklace was the reason her mother was able to control her, it was best to keep them separated. It also gave Tony a small surge of hope that maybe, just maybe Ada had survived the gunshot wound.

…

Sure enough, Bruce had worked throughout most of the night and the following day to make sure that Ada received proper treatment for her injuries. The gunshot wound was his main priority, though he could tell that she had suffered from various injuries. By the time they reached the ICU at the Tower – Tony refused to take her to an actual hospital where the doctors would question whether it was safe to have her around – he managed to get a pulse.

Some of the scientists at the facility had been using a drug that nullified the effects of her powers. More specifically, her ability to heal her injuries. That was why it had taken longer for her to respond when Bruce managed to clean her system of most of the drugs. Some of the other drugs that were used had been meant to enhance some of her abilities, much like the Super Soldier Serum. That was also why her powers hadn't been as effective.

"She's lucky that she survived all of this treatment," he shook his head in disbelief after making sure that she was no longer in need of strict round-the-clock care. "Most people wouldn't have survived the kind of treatment they were putting her through."

"The only reason they kept her alive for as long as they did was to get a reaction out of her mother," Tony muttered under his breath. He was still furious over the fact that they had taken advantage of both Ada and her mother. "God only knows how she's going to react when she wakes up again."

He didn't bother including 'if'. After everything they had been through, Tony tried to maintain his optimism. Ada had suffered the most out of everyone there. Seeing the scars along her back was what pissed him off the most. He had been planning to confront the asshole they'd taken into custody after SHIELD swarmed into the compound. He'd planned on taking his frustration out on the man they now knew as Nathanial. But he'd restrained himself knowing that Ada would need all the help she could get.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he suspected that SHIELD would deal with Nathaniel the same way they dealt with every criminal picked off the street. And of course, he'd likely get away with what had happened to her. He was secretly hoping that Romanoff or Barton would find some way of being there for the interrogation, that way they would have more knowledge on the Black Knights and if they planned on striking back.

"There's a possibility she may never fully recover from all of this," Bruce warned him. Tony crossed his arms as the doctor finished cleaning up. "Look, I'm not a therapist, but it's painfully obvious that she blames herself for anything that goes wrong when she's involved. You of all people know how she acts and behaves."

Tony lowered his gaze at that. He didn't want to admit that she would blame herself for whatever happened back there. He was admittedly terrified of what would happen when she did wake up. They had removed the necklace that connected Ada to her mother, but there was no telling what she would say to that.

"I do know," he admitted out loud. "And that's what scares me the most… she went through all of that. She didn't deserve what those assholes did to her."

"She has a good father, one who won't abandon her during a time of need," Bruce reminded him with a pointed look.

Despite the way he felt about the whole situation, Tony couldn't help but crack a small smile. Though, it didn't last long when Steve arrived. The Super Soldier looked frazzled, and after having to explain the situation to SHIELD, he wasn't entirely surprised.

He'd left explaining what happened to Natasha and Clint, knowing that the two agents could easily handle the situation at hand. While he didn't entirely trust either of them, especially Natasha after what she did to Ada, he trusted them enough not to give away too much information. Besides, Ada had always trusted them. He had to at least have some faith in her judgement.

"How is she?" Steve asked after reaching the room.

"Her vitals are beginning to show signs of stabilizing," Bruce quickly explained. "It's a good thing she isn't from this world… No human would've been able to survive what they did to her."

That was enough for Steve to look at both men in alarm. Tony just shook his head in frustration. The only thing he could do was hope that Nathanial and the others involved with the Black Knights paid the price for what they did.

"What'd SHIELD say?" he asked in the hopes of cutting through the tension.

"Not much," the Super Soldier admitted. "Nat and Clint are talking to Director Fury as we speak. But they did say those involved with the Black Knights are facing numerous charges, along with some serious jail-time."

Tony nearly rolled his eyes at their lack of proper punishment. Though prison did sound satisfying, he knew that they deserved a worse punishment. The assholes had been responsible for all of this chaos, and to make matters worse, they nearly lost Ada in the process. He shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if the worst-case scenario played out. He realized with a start how much losing Ada would have meant to him.

"Well, at least they faced some kind of justice for their actions," he sighed irritably. "Still doesn't make what the bastards did to her any better."

"No, it doesn't," Steve nodded in agreement. He let out a heavy sigh of his own and looked at nothing in particular. Tony knew that he had been just as anxious as he was about whether or not Ada would make it. And judging from the look he kept giving Bruce, he desperately wanted to be updated on her status. "I wish there was more I could do… I'm not used to sitting still and doing nothing."

That, Tony agreed fullheartedly with. He too hated not being able to do anything while she was out cold like this. Though, it was probably better for everyone's sake that she was out cold. Tony could already imagine the sorts of chaos that would follow when she finally did wake up.

He had been trying to brace himself for the worst possible outcome. When he explained the situation to Pepper – she had been furious enough and worried enough when she found out the truth of where Ada had been – she made him promise that he would be there for her when she woke up. That he would be the father that she needed while she recovered from the mess those assholes put her through. And Tony planned on sticking with said promise.

"You better damn well make sure that you treat her well, Rogers," he snapped at the Super Soldier, aware that this was more than just about what had happened at the compound. Steve hadn't been able to follow through when she begged him to shoot her. Despite his training in the military, he just hadn't had the heart to fire the gun. "I'd sooner kick your ass than let you hurt her."

"Believe me, I don't plan on hurting her in any way," Steve reassured him in a tone that suggested he wasn't in any hurry to cross that line. "She's proven to me more than once just how strong she is, despite what she's going to believe after this."

In that moment, Tony realized with a start that despite his lack of trust towards the Super Soldier, he really did seem to care about Ada.

"So… I take it she means more to you than you realize?" he finally asked after deciding to jump the gun.

He was probably going to regret asking that question. His gut kept churning with anxiety at the thought of Ada ever dating anyone, especially Captain America. Hell, he was not prepared for what would happen when she met someone who actually gave a damn about her.

"Yeah, she does," Steve admitted with a heavy sigh. He glanced at Tony warily when the Super Soldier let out a small cough. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, which only gave Tony the incentive to carry on with it. "When we first met, I thought she was just like you… no offense."

"Non taken," Tony brushed it off with a shrug. It wasn't the first time he'd heard someone regard him with utter disgust, and it probably wouldn't be the last time. "But if that's your way of telling her you have feelings for her, you'd better damn well find a better way."

If it wasn't for the fact that they were in the ICU and currently waiting for Ada to wake up, Tony would have laughed at the look written across Steve's face when he said that. He was suddenly thankful that Jarvis was there to record the whole thing, especially when Steve's face turned a faint shade of red.

"I plan to," he quickly replied. "What I meant to say was, I still regret saying the things I said on the Hellicarrier. She's a heck of a lot more than just another SHIELD agent… or a Stark, for that matter."

For once, Tony couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Despite the situation they were in, Steve still managed to add a little dry humor to it. And he knew that Steve was right about Ada. She was so much more than a Stark. And he wouldn't want her any differently. He just hoped that she saw it that way when she woke up.

…

Coulson let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the temple of his forehead in frustration when he was relayed the information on what had happened in Winchester. When reports were filed about a ship flying over London, he thought that Thor might have returned along with the Asgardians. But to his surprise, the reports had been about a quinjet led by the Avengers searching the area for signs of the Black Knights.

It didn't take him long to figure out why they were looking for the Black Knights. As realization and dread began to sink in, he immediately sent out calls and messages to Romanoff and Barton, hoping for answers. The two top agents had been keeping him posted on Ada's progress since they last saw one another. And he was pleased with the progress she made, despite his earlier doubt. This, however, was going to be a major setback if things went the way he expected them to.

"It's not clear whether or not she's going to fully recover from this incident," Romanoff reported through the face-cam.

Her expression was impossible to make out, but it was obvious that she took the full blame for what had happened to Ada. And Coulson suddenly understood why that was. She was the one who pulled the trigger. She hadn't had much of a choice in the matter. It was that or allow Ada's mother to destroy the compound and anyone within its radius.

"Don't go blaming yourself for something you had no control over," he reassured the master assassin, knowing that it would take time for everyone to recover from what had happened. "You made the right call, like Barton said. You did your job – you kept everyone safe from harm, and that's what matters the most."

Though she didn't convey her emotions often, Coulson could tell that this had clearly affected her. Hopefully everyone would recover from what had happened. They managed to capture one of the Black Knights, and they could extract whatever information they needed from him.

"Carhall's been keeping his mouth shut during the interrogation process," Barton put in after shooting Romanoff an uneasy look. "The bastard isn't gonna talk unless we give him his rights… whatever the hell they are."

Coulson bit back another sigh of frustration when he realized what that meant. Because she technically wasn't even human, Carhall and the rest of his followers had the right to deny that they had been testing on human subjects. It was another loophole in the justice system, and one that he truly hated more than anything. The world knew that aliens existed; it was only a matter of time before the justice system caught up with that realization.

"He's not going to get away with this," he deadpanned with a look of determination.

After reading through all of the countless stories Ada had written throughout the years, and hearing some of the stories himself, he knew that these people deserved justice of some kind. It was the least SHIELD could do for them.