Laynie shouted when a water bottle hit her in the chest. She had been dozing off against the wall, but Hammer couldn't even let her have that.

She glared up at him as she unscrewed the cap from the water bottle. In all the days she had been there, this was the second water bottle she had been given, and there had been no food. She was beyond hungry.

"Laynie, what did I tell you?"

At length, she answered, "You've told me a lot of useless things Hammer. Be specific."

He began pacing slowly. "One of the first things I told you."

"To shut up or you'll shoot me?"

"Precisely. What should be done to you now that you've physically assaulted me?"

Laynie laughed. "I'm not going to play your games."

"What should be done?" he shouted.

She screamed back, "Don't you think we're even?!"

Hammer must have had it with her. He kicked her once in the side, and pulled her up by her hair. "You're already playing it sweetheart, own up to the fact that you're losing."

Laynie stared at him for the longest time, wishing she could kill him. If she was given the opportunity to kill him again like she had earlier, she wouldn't have hesitated any more.

Hammer released her and resumed his pacing route. "There are less than twelve hours until I can return to your miserable father. I did consider killing you... But that's just not as fun." He flashed Laynie a grin, then left.

She took a ragged breath and put a hand over her ribs where he had kicked her. "I'll be home soon," she whispered under her breath. Yanking half heartedly at the chain around her wrist, she let out a shaky sigh and thought of home.

Laynie slept restlessly that night, unable to lay on the side Hammer had kicked without a stabbing pain.

When she woke up, it was to a rough hand jerking her to stand and a bag being slipped over her head.

Her hands were tied and she was shoved into Hammer's smelly car. They peeled away from the warehouse.

When Hammer swiped the bag off of her head and yanked her out of the car, she realized something was wrong.

"Where's Carter?" Natasha demanded.

Hammer shook her by the arm. The movement made her side throb with pain. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, but when her dad caught her glance, she knew everything would be okay.

"Is this one not enough for you?" Hammer taunted. "List everything that's there." He gestured toward the boxes of electronics and chemicals.

Natasha pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Hammer's hired mercenary.

"It's all here."

Hammer smiled. "Good. My scientist thanks you. You can have your heathen back."

Tony took a few tentative steps forward, then jogged to meet his daughter. Hammer handed her over, and he fell to his knees in front of her, holding her in his lap.

"I thought you didn't like being handed things," she teased weakly.

He laughed even as his eyes welled up with tears. "There's a first time for everything."

He placed her carefully in the back of the car and wrapped his jacket around her.

"Laynie, don't-don't go anywhere. Do you know where Carter is?"

She gulped. "No. No I haven't seen her for a while and dad- if I had known she wasn't in the car-"

"Hey." He patted her shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

"Hammer you promised us both girls!" Natasha screamed.

Laynie craned her neck and saw Hammer draw his gun. She dug into the pocket of her filthy jeans and pulled out a handful of bullets, showing them to Tony.

He smirked. "Smart kid. I'll be right back- stay low."

Laynie stood on her knees in the backseat of the car. She recognized it as Clint's the second Tony opened the door.

Tony returned to stand by Natasha.

"The smug brat has been so useful to Parks' work, so I just thought, "Why get another test subject, when we already have one right here?" There's so much more we have planned for her. But don't worry, after we're finished you'll get her back. What's left of her that is." Hammer smirked.

Natasha growled and was about to charge at him when Tony held an arm out in front of her.

"What do we have to do to get her back? What do you want?" Tony pleaded with him.

"I want an armor."

There was a thick silence. Tony... Looked like he was considering it.

"Tony," Natasha said evenly. "You can't."

He rubbed a hand over his face and turned around, catching Laynie's eye peeking over the back seat.

"Kill him."

Natasha shot forward and landed a kick in just the right place on the bodyguard. She stuck his heel in his chest and slid her foot out of the shoe. Hammer was too stunned to think about his gun. Natasha kicked it out of his hand with her bare foot and removed the other heel. She shook the heel and most of the shoe fell away, leaving a short knife and the heel as the handle. She had Hammer on his back and the knife on his throat, just enough to draw blood, in the blink of an eye.

"Beg for your life," she growled.

He grinned, albeit a little nervously. "Not today Natalia."

She shook her head and said, "You did your homework. Impressive. Still, wrong answer." She had Hammer done away with and stood up fast enough to throw the knife and land it in the chest of another man sneaking up behind Tony.

He stumbled a step back. The knife had whizzed right past his ear.

"You take Laynie to the hospital. I'm getting Carter."

Tony opened the trunk and threw her a spare pair of flats. Natasha came over herself to strap on her holsters, pistols included.

She knocked on the glass of the back door and gave Laynie a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Laynie smiled back.

Turning and taking the keys off the dead bodyguard, Natasha slid into Hammer's dingy car and drove away.

Tony slammed the door as he got into the front seat. "I guess that's the end of him."