Bruce grunted as he began losing his grip on Carter. She pulled at his shirt and tried to keep from falling but her legs... They weren't solid. He couldn't grab them.
"Carter!"
She let out a terrified sob as she let go of Bruce, sinking to the ground. She couldn't process anything that was happening.
Bruce knelt down beside her and rubbed her arm. "Carter, we're going to get you out of here safe. I promise you that." He shook her gently to get her attention. "I swear on my life, Carter."
"Bruce," Natasha said.
Bruce stood and watched as Parks screamed in anguish, then flew toward Clint. Clint barely managed to get out of the way, but Steve took a blunt hit to the chest.
Both Parks and Steve tumbled and skidded a few feet. Steve swung his shield but it was no use. Parks was too fast.
"We have to help them," Bruce mumbled.
Suddenly, Parks caught Bruce's eye, and was running toward them.
Bruce took a step forward, defending his daughter. Parks went right through him, grabbing Carter's wrist instead.
She screamed and pulled away, effectively phasing through his hand.
That scream triggered something inside of Bruce.
Carter didn't just scream like that. She screamed pretty often, sure, but never like that. That scream was pure terror. Parks truly rocked her to her very bones.
And Bruce just wasn't okay with that.
It didn't take long for the other guy to respond to the opportunity Bruce opened for him. The Hulk turned and grabbed the back of Parks's labcoat and threw him a couple of yards.
Though it didn't do much as Parks phased through the ground once more.
Hulk took several heavy steps and joined Steve and Hawkeye on the battlefield.
Parks was quick. After he crashed into the ground, he started to phase through the asphalt. He just barely managed to disappear into the ground before Hulk brought his fist down, creating a large crater.
"I'm over here." Parks said with a mocking smile.
Hulk turned and saw Parks standing behind him. With a harsh roar, he charged at Parks, only to pass straight through him.
"Hulk!" Steve shouted, "That's not going to work!"
Clint rolled away from a piece of scrap metal Arthur hurled. "What did Tony say?"
"We need something that will disrupt his molecules? Something like that! He's unstable!"
Parks rose from the asphalt in front of Steve, ducking the shield. "I've never felt so incredible, I wouldn't count on Stark's theories. He just can't admit how much of a breakthrough this is!" He fell back through the asphalt before Cap could get the shield on him again.
"So, what do we do?" Clint asked, searching anxiously for Parks.
"Don't you have anything in your magic quiver?" Steve asked quieter.
"I only had one sonic arrow!"
Parks came up behind Hulk and tapped his back, smiling smugly when Hulk swung right through his body.
Steve threw his shield, but Parks was too fast. He sank into the ground and the shield bounced off Hulk, skidding uselessly across the pavement.
"Wait! Hulk, remember Thailand? Where you did that thing?"
The Hulk shook his head, looking clueless.
"With the dragon!" Clint said exasperatedly.
Hulk grinned. "Hulk remember."
"Do that. Next time Parks comes near, do that!"
Calming slightly, Hulk waited for Parks to appear again.
A few moments later Parks rose from the ground just a couple of yards from Steve and Clint. "Given up already?"
Steve smirked, "Not quite."
"What are you smiling about?" Parks snarled.
Little did he know, Hulk stood behind him.
"This is for Carter," he growled, before slamming his hands together in a thunderous clap.
Steve and Clint both took cover behind Cap's shield, but it only took part of the blow. They flew back into the side of Steve's car, leaving quite a dent in the side.
Steve slowly lowered his shield and looked around for any signs of Parks.
The front of the warehouse quivered in the wake of the shockwave, but that was just about the only thing that was moving.
Hulk stood uncharacteristically still, staring down at a pile of clothes.
"Hulk, where did Parks go?"
Hulk put all of his large fingers together at one point and then opened them, fluttering them around a little. "Poof," he said.
Both men sighed in relief.
"You did it," Clint said, getting up and clapping Hulk on the arm. "You got him buddy."
The Hulk looked very proud of himself. "We find Carter now," he said firmly.
"I agree." Cap lead the way, shield held in front of him defensively, as they stalked through the warehouse.
When they passed a dead thug, they all knew they had to be getting close to Natasha.
Hearing Natasha call from outside, they all ran to the back of the building. Carter looked up and laughed as she saw Hulk trying to squeeze through the tiny warehouse door.
"Where's Parks?"
Hulk did the same thing he had earlier, saying, "Poof."
Carter smiled. "Thanks."
Hulk nodded before shrinking down into Bruce. Per usual, he was a little dazed and mostly naked. "What did I miss?"
Carter jumped up and hugged him, and managed to not go through him this time.
Trying to keep himself, Carter, and his pants up, Bruce laughed.
Carter looked up at him, "So, what exactly did happen to Parks?" She looked back at Clint and Steve.
"He's gone, and that's all that matters." Steve said.
"Are you sure?" She asked nervously.
"Even if he did come back, we would never let him get you again." Clint reassured her.
Carter nodded reluctantly. "Okay."
"Why don't we head back home and we can talk about it there?" Bruce suggested.
They all agreed and headed back to the car.
Halfway there, Carter suddenly said, "Wait, where's Laynie?"
Steve slapped a gloved hand to his head. "We need to call Tony back."
Bruce rummaged around the car and pulled his cell phone out.
"Oh my god, it's about time. Carter? Parks?"
"Carter is safe," Steve answered. "We took care of Parks."
There was a little bit of conversation in the background.
"How's Laynie?"
"Laynie... She's hanging in there."
"Yeah, I'm okay," she called out in the background. "Can you put Carter on?"
Steve smiled and handed the phone to Carter.
"Hello?" Carter asked.
There was a great sigh of relief. "Carter. I'm-I'm so glad you're okay." Laynie's voice sounded tense and weak, but happy.
"I'm glad you're okay too." Carter smiled.
"Yeah, don't let her fool you," Tony grumbled.
"What's the damage?" Natasha asked. She had seen how beat up Laynie had been, she was surprised the girl was up and talking.
Carter relayed the question.
"Ten stitches, a cast, bruised ribs, umm..."
"And a second grade concussion," Tony finished.
"Oh my gosh, Laynie." Carter breathed.
"What?" Bruce asked.
"Stitches, a cast, bruised ribs, and a concussion." She replied.
She laughed weakly. "I'm still breathing. I mean, it hurts to breathe but I'm doing it."
"Carter," Tony began evenly, "are you alright? Laynie told me about Parks."
"I'm fine. A little freaked out about what he did to me, but I'm fine." Carter answered.
"Alright. I'm glad to hear that. Can you hand the phone to Bruce for me?"
"Yep!" Carter chirped and handed the phone to Bruce.
"Bruce, I know she sounds fine but she isn't. The only thing that made Parks's serum even partially stable were those nanobots. If Carter missed out on that bit then she's likely much more unstable and incapable of controlling it at all. I want her sitting on Steve's shield in the car. We can talk about treatment stuff later, just don't let go of her. She could... She could get seriously hurt."
Bruce nodded solemnly. "We're heading over to the hospital right now."
Clint and Natasha slid into the back seat beside her and Clint put a steadying hand on the shield. "We're not that far from anything, actually. We originally thought you were in Rhode Island but Parks is smart, he was throwing the signal. We're only forty five minutes from the tower and about thirty or twenty five minutes from the hospital."
"I never would have thought we were that close to home." Carter said.
Clint shrugged. "Doesn't really matter anymore."
"Yeah, I guess so." Carter smiled. "I'm just glad Laynie's gonna be alright."
The car ride really didn't feel like it lasted more than a few minutes. Carter was glad that she was sitting on Steve's shield, it made her feel much more secure.
When they entered the hospital, there was a quiet argument amongst her parental figures, and it was finally decided that Carter had to stand on Cap's shield in the elevator and sit in it when they got to Laynie's room. It was annoying, but the thought of falling through a few floors of the building was a little scary.
When they walked into Laynie's room, Pepper was sitting on the other side of Tony, and Thor was loitering in the corner of the room, trying to plug Laynie's phone in. The patient herself was asleep.
Tony put a finger on his lips, then gestured to the chairs around the room. He had obviously asked for more to be brought in.
Laynie shifted, making a face, and then her eyes fluttered open.
"Oh, hey guys."
Carter immediately perked up when she heard her friend speak.
Laynie turned to look around the room, and her eyes landed on Carter. "Carter!" She tried to get up, but was quickly pushed back down into laying position again.
"Laynie, IV, remember?" Tony rearranged the IV tubes that had shifted when Laynie had tried to jump up.
Steve tossed the shield on the edge of the bed and went to help Thor with Laynie's phone.
Carter clambered into the shield and smiled at her friend, who gave her a big grin back.
Tony leaned forward and mumbled in Carter's ear, "She's high as a friggin kite. I'm glad you're still breathing, kid." He patted her on the arm, then patted his daughter on the leg before going to stand with Steve, Bruce and Thor. Clint decided he took too much entertainment in Laynie's drugged state to talk with the adults... Like an adult.
"We're going to need to get some vibranium, Bruce," Tony stated.
Bruce nodded, "Yeah, I guess we will. She can't exactly sit on Steve's shield for ever." He sighed, "Anyway, that can wait for now, how's Laynie?"
Tony nodded slowly. "She's on a lot of pain meds."
They watched as Laynie made a wide arm motion and accidentally clocked Clint in the face with her fresh cast, causing both girls to erupt in laughter.
"It's nice to see them laugh," Steve said quietly. "We had Hulk do his sonic clapping thing, and Parks combusted. I don't think he'll be coming back around."
Tony shook his head. "Don't count on it. He was a smart man. I'm going to need to run some tests on Carter, but I'm sure she'll be fine as long as we can keep her from falling through the floor."
Bruce nodded. "We'll figure that out later. For now, they're with us and they're safe and that's good enough for me."
"Yeah," Tony looked back at the girls.
Clint was holding a hand against his face and was glaring at the girls, who were still giggling.
He couldn't help but crack a grin. They'd all been through a lot in the last few days, but they would come out the other side. Carter could learn how to control her new power while Tony and her dad developed a suppressant. Laynie's wrist, ribs and concussion would heal without a hitch. Hammer was dead and Parks was too. There was nothing left for them to do but continue on with their lives.
"Excuse me," Steve said as he walked to where Natasha stood. He gingerly, if a little hesitantly, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear. He said something, she laughed.
Tony raised an eyebrow and pointed, but Bruce looked just as confused as he felt.
A doctor came in a few minutes later and fussed around, telling them all to be quiet and let Laynie and the patients across the hall get some rest.
Laynie scooted over in the bed and made room for her friend, who laid down and fell asleep just as fast as she.
All but Tony, Bruce and Pepper left the hospital room, making claims for sandwiches and showers.
"Ey Bruce," Tony whispered. He was leaned forward in his chair, rubbing a rough thumb over Laynie's bruised knuckles.
"Yeah?"
"The adoptions are supposed to be final in a few days. I just remembered."
The doctor smiled. "I forgot about that. We should celebrate."
"I think a trip to Disney is in order." He turned to Pepper. "Disney? Mm, there's always that villa in Italy I bought three summers ago."
Pepper only shook her head, even though she was smiling. "At least wait until they let Laynie out of the hospital before you make vacation plans. They'll need some time at home."
"That's true," he said with a nod. Tony glanced over to the small table underneath the television, where Laynie's phone sat and buzzed away. Ever since Steve turned it on, it had been buzzing frantically. Tony respected his daughter's privacy too much to see why, but he had a feeling there was another friend behind the screen that was very worried. At the very least, she was running behind on her blog.
He sighed and smiled at his sleeping daughter. Now that he had the two of them back, he didn't think he could be happier.
"Should I put a bid on this lot of vibranium?"
Tony took the tablet from Bruce and scrunched his face up. "Do you know where this stuff comes from?"
Bruce frowned. "I probably did a long time ago."
"A small settlement called Wacanda. They don't like outsiders, but I know a guy. We'll be visiting personally."
"Oh!" Pepper cried. "T'Challa, right? That man who came to that charity event last year?"
Tony waggled his eyebrows. "That man exactly."