Chapter Six – Blossoming
When Bruce left the infirmary, he was livid. How dare she. He couldn't believe that Romanoff could go that far or overstepped the line by that much. He left the infirmary, doing one final check on Gen who was asleep on the small cot, before noting to check on her in close to an hour; the pain relief was bound to keep her under for at least that long.
He rounded the corner, into the gym to find Romanoff pacing. She jumped at the sight of Bruce, before tensing.
"Do you even know how much damage you caused?" he said, in a deadly low voice. Romanoff shivered before shaking her head.
"I didn't mean to hurt her. She just made me angry".
"Angry! ANGRY! What the hell do you know about angry!" The veins that framed Bruce's temples were pulsing, and his skin was tinged green.
"Bruce please, I didn't mean it." Her voice had trailed off into a mere whisper, causing Bruce to spin around, facing away from her. He knew he had to control his temper; they couldn't afford to have the other guy running around.
"You broke her nose and fractured two ribs". Romanoff sharply inhaled, before staring at her feet bashfully.
"I didn't mean to –"
"Cut the shit, Romanoff! You had it out for the girl since the moment you met her, and now your saying it was all a big mistake? Really?", Bruce yelled, whirling back around to face her. "I need to leave before I do something I regret".
"Can I see her Bruce?"
"No, but you can explain yourself to Fury".
Those were his parting words before he silently strode out of the gym, taking a long walk through the corridors, and breathing deeply. The only thing that was keeping the other guy subdued was Gen; the last thing he wanted to do was turn and hurt her. When he felt in control of his temper, Banner made his way to the control room. He stopped in front of Agent Hill.
"Excuse me agent, do you know where Fury is?" Hill nodded, smiling pointing down the corridor.
"He's just in his office. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No".
He brushed past her, guilt spiking through him. He didn't mean to be that rude, yet he couldn't help it; he was just so agitated. As he reached Fury's room he stormed right in, not bothering to knock. Fury glanced up from his papers, hurriedly organizing them, before leaning back in his seat to observer Banner.
"Can I help you?" he asked, apprehensively.
"Romanoff attacked Gen during training. Broke her nose and two ribs". Fury's mouth flew open with shock.
"Attacked?"
"She beat the shit out of the poor girl!"
As much as he loved the Avengers initiative, they truly were the most dysfunctional group of individuals sometimes. He picked up the phone that was placed on the top, right corner of his desk, before barking into it.
"Yes. Find Agent Romanoff and detain her. Of course. Yes. Put her in isolation!" He slammed the phone down before returning his eyes to Banner. "Keep an eye on Grey. Once the others get back, we'll be having an emergency meeting and from there we can decide how to proceed. I'll meet with her now". Banner nodded curtly before rushing straight back to the small hospital wing. He had to be there for Gen, to look after her and protect her, but more importantly, he wanted to.
Clint piloted the small speed jet, whilst Steve had opted to sitting in the seat next to him. Stark was flying by himself, next to the plane.
"It's a bit quiet in there", Stark radioed to them. Before Steve could even process what he meant by that, Deep Purple's 'Woman from Tokyo' blasted from the speaker system, the screen in the middle flashing the words, 'Speaker Override', in deep red.
"Stark what the hell!" Steve exclaimed. He rarely cursed, and hated taking God's name in vain, but he was irritated; he wasn't in the mood to deal with Stark. Clint on the other hand laughed carelessly, before steering the jet over the clearing, landing on the flat roof.
The flight had been short, and Steve had been left alone with his thoughts, as had Clint. Tony however, was hyped up, and the lack reaction he was getting from the other guys bored him. He landed by their side, removing his mask. He hovered in the air, smirking at the other two.
"Need a lift down, boys?" he asked, puckering his lips suggestively. Both men rolled their eyes, before Stark flew into their air, unleashing a few bolts of energy from his suit.
"What are you doing?" Steve hissed as Stark landed back on the roof. Stark shrugged.
"Get the stick out of your ass; I was just getting rid of any security cameras. Wouldn't want Hammer to see us", he explained in a patronizing tone. Steve swallowed his pride as he and Clint, gripped onto Stark. Stark smirked – he definitely liked having the upper hand – as he flew the other men to the ground.
"Call it Captain", he said, as they approached the doors. That was when Steve disappeared and the Captain took over.
"Ok, keep close together, and move silently and carefully. The place could be loaded it traps. Stark, if you see another cameras, blast them. Barton, if you see anyone, fire to wound, not kill. We need answers". Both men nodded, before the Stark used his laser to cut through the chains that kept the doors securely shut. The Captain took a deep breath before slowing opening one of the doors and stepping in, the two men behind him following suit.
Everything was quiet, and appeared empty. Clint and Steve jumped at a bang as Stark destroyed a camera up ahead. They both glared at Stark before continuing forward. It wasn't until they reached what looked like a research center, that they found everything in disarray. Computers were trashed whilst numerous papers littered the room. The Captain took note of it, leading Stark and Barton around the room as the three fumbled through all the paperwork trying to find anything useful.
"Jarvis", Tony said from inside the suit, "scan all these computers, download anything relevant".
"Of course sir", Jarvis replied.
Steve nodded at Stark in approval; computers were far from his expertise, before signaling to the men, to leave the room and investigate further.
If they thought the mess was bad, the next section was worse. Throughout the corridor there were large dents in the wall, whilst a few doors were ripped clean off its hinges. Stark noticed another camera, blasting it just before they fell into its field of vision. The three men swept through the corridor, taking note of the extensive damage before they came across a closed door. The Captain turned the knob, and slowly opened the door, finding in front of him, a well-equipped laboratory. Broken glass from flasks and test tubes littered the floors and benches, whilst the room smelt old and rotten; Steve was willing to bet it was due to the contents of the fridges that had long since lost power. It was the sound of crunching glass that caught their attention though.
Within the split of a second, Clint had loaded and aimed his bow in the direction of the sound, keeping it trained on the man. He was small, and mousy in features, his hair stringy and skin caked with layers of dust and grime. His hands were thrown up in surrender, causing the Captain to raise his hand, halting Clint's attack. The weapon remained trained on the man, although it was not fired.
"Please, don't shoot me; I only want to talk", the man reasoned, taking an uncomfortable step back.
"Who sent you", the Captain asked in a bold voice. The man slowly lowered his hands. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" Steve snapped, causing the man to hastily raise his arms again.
"Hammer sent me. He knew you were coming".
This time, it was Stark who piped up.
"Did he now? And what did he want to say?"
"He doesn't want to fight; he just wants the formula. If you give him what he wants, he won't unleash his secret weapon".
"And what might that be?" Steve asked dryly. The team had been threatened with weapons and forces that would be out of their power before, but they'd still managed to rise up against the challenge.
"He has an army. All mutants really, and he will unleash them unless you provide him with the formula".
"Why does he want it?" Stark questioned. The man shrugged in response.
"He didn't say. All he said was that you guys had two weeks to get him the serum and the girl".
"Gen?" all three men asked in unison. The man nodded.
"He has unfinished business with her".
"Tell him to forget it", the Captain yelled, enraged.
"Tell him yourself". Steve nodded at Clint who released the arrow straight into the man's chest. It was the most direct way to send a didactic message.
All three men were more than willing to fight, than to give present the villain with what he desired. Inside, Steve was terrified by what the man had said. He was scared by what the man had meant by, 'unfinished business', and it was in that moment that he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep Gen safe. The men retreated from the warehouse, before making their way outside. Clint and Steve held onto Tony as they made their way into the jet; this time, Tony opted to fly in the jet with them.
As Clint fired up the jet, Steve was pondering the man's words, whilst Tony was stripping out of his suit. The air was quiet and tense for almost fifteen minutes, before Tony couldn't take it anymore.
"What does Hammer want with the serum?"
Steve and Clint both granted him a glance, before Steve sighed, leaning back.
"Other than make an army of his own? I have no idea".
"Yeah, I thought of that", Tony reasoned, "but if he was planning on making an army with it, why threaten with violence in the first place, why not just invade as is?"
Clint broke his heavy held silence. "Perhaps it's for business. He is a business man, and what better to sell than 'superpowers'?"
"That could be catastrophic", Steve said thoughtfully. "I mean, imagine if all the felons we fought had our skills, or worse, Gen's skills".
All three men nodded in agreement, and it was decided. They would report back with the news, and whether or not they had the support of the others – and they were quite certain they'd have Banner's support at least – they would fight Hammer and his army, tooth and nail.
As the intense conversation passed, Tony was itching to ask one more question.
"So", he said casually looking at Clint, "what's with you and Spidey".
Clint stayed silent, hands clenching around the wheel, whilst Steve turned to glare at Stark.
"Nothing", Clint choked out.
"Come on Barton, you expect me to believe that?"
"Believe what you want".
"Leave him alone, Stark", Steve interrupted.
"No. We have to get it out of the way", he replied to Steve.
"If he wanted to confide in you, he would have already!"
"What do you know, Capsicle?"
"I know that you're insufferable! Give it up, leave him alone".
"Make me."
"Oh, this again? Really?'
"What, too scared of –"
"She left me!" Clint exclaimed, causing both men to abruptly seize their argument before turning to face him. "Last year, after we finished Loki off, we got together, and a month later, I came out of my apartment to see her packing her things. I asked her where she was going, and all she said was that, we were just friends, and there would never be anything serious between us. Then she moved in with another man".
Tony and Steve were in complete astonishment. They had all been so certain that Natasha and Clint were perfect for one another; that he liked her and visa versa. It was Tony who came out of silence first.
"She was cheating on you?"
"She left me, and moved in with another guy that day, what else could she be doing?"
"Hmm, touché", Tony replied nodding.
"Come on, we have to get it together!" Steve said.
"Was anyone talking to you?" Stark fired back.
"No, he has a point. We can't afford to be picked apart like last time", Clint pondered before sighing. "It's weird though. She keeps talking to me, like it never happened, and avoids the topic whenever I bring it up".
"Well whatever it is, you two have to figure it out". Clint nodded at Steve's statement before Tony rolled his eyes.
"Pipe down, Cap. We all know you have a stick up your ass, but can you remove it for a second to at least help a friend?"
"It's not our business, Stark".
"So what then, you're not even going to make him feel better?"
"And get involved? No! Gen needs us, and I refuse to compromise her safety!"
"Ah, so that's what it is", Tony said grinning, "you have a thing for the new girl". Steve blushed lightly.
"No, and even if I did, it wouldn't be your business, just as Barton's and Romanoff's affairs, aren't ours".
"Well you might have some competition. Her and Banner seem pretty close", Stark smirked, as Steve's jaw tightened.
"I'm still here you know", Clint interrupted, before continuing. "But if it's any consolation, I think you", he said pointing at Steve, "and Gen would look good together". Steve's rosy blush had spread, beginning to tinge the tips of his ears.
"Let's just get back", he replied, turning back around in his seat to face out the front window.
Tony's phone beeped, breaking the blanket of silence before Jarvis made his announcement.
"Sir, I found something, and you're not going to like this".
Every hour, Banner would come into Gen's room, waking her to take two breaths (as deep as possible), to prevent her lungs from collapsing. Each time she was incredibly groggy, only properly waking once to pick at the tray of food Bruce had brought. As the sky darkened, Gen decided she would watch the sunset. Slipping out of the cot – and ignoring the protests of her ribs – Gen made her way to the window that she and Steve had sat before earlier. She stood there, observing the streaks of pink, orange and yellow, and the playful way they contrasted with dark indigo and violet hues.
"Gen?" She turned her head to see Bruce standing behind her.
"Bruce, hey". She faced the window again, observing the sights of everything that was outside. Everything looked so beautiful, that it just felt surreal.
"How are you feeling?" Bruce had moved to stand next to her, similarly watching the sky outside.
"I hurt", she said chuckling, before cringing from the pain in his ribs. "I'm ok though". Bruce nodded.
"Let me know if it gets worse, or you want any medication. Natasha's detained right now". Gen nodded in relief. A part of her was terrified that Romanoff was going to come back to finish the job. "We're meeting when the others get back to decide what to do with her".
"Don't be too harsh, Doc. She was just protecting you guys", Gen said softly.
"Are you kidding, Gen?" Banner growled, "she could have killed you!"
"She didn't though, and I don't think she's going to do anything like this again. You guys need her too".
Bruce shook his head, trying to swallow his anger. "Go back to the infirmary and try to get some sleep. I'm sure Tony, Steve and Clint will want to see you after the meeting and their debrief". With that, Bruce swiftly walked away, and Gen sighed. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason that everyone stopped talking to Natasha. She wandered back to the infirmary and saw two white pills, and a cup of water had been left on the small table that was just to the right of the bed, so Gen quickly downed them before slipping into her cot, and drifting off to sleep.
It was at that moment that the helicarrier landed, and the three men headed to the door, only to be met my Fury. There was no big welcoming smile, or even the slightest of grins, rather, Fury ushered the men in.
"You won't be debriefing quite yet, we have an emergency meeting in Isolation Room C. Get out of your suits and meet us there".
The men looked at each other curiously. They hadn't heard that edge of desperation in his voice since Loki went nuts on New York.
Four minutes after sauntering through the entrance, the men swiftly made their way to the isolation room.
"Why Iso?" Stark asked.
"Perhaps they've cause Hammer", Clint offered.
"That man's slippery. I honestly doubt it".
As they reached the door, Steve opened it, all the men's eyes widening in response. There in the middle of the room chained to a desk was Romanoff. Her eyes were dark and hollow, as she looked at the floor; she didn't have it in her to face them.
"What's this", Tony asked.
"Agent Romanoff attacked Gen whilst sparring with her".
"It was an accident!" she exclaimed.
"Bullshit! You don't break someone's nose, and two of their ribs on accident!" Bruce yelled.
"Calm down, Bruce! Stark, Rodgers, Barton; take a seat", Fury directed. Everyone followed his orders, whilst the three newcomers were incredibly confused. Fury took a deep breath before proceeding. "Romanoff was sparring with Grey just after you three left, and Banner walked in on her attacking the girl".
"She'd put up some sort of shield, and Romanoff kept hitting it, trying to get through. It's no secret she's despised Gen from the beginning", Banner interrupted.
"What's wrong with you?" Clint yelled, slamming his hands against the table.
"I didn't mean to hurt her!"
"Yeah, we all break noses by accident all the time", Stark remarked.
"I just got angry –"
"Wanna see me get angry?" Bruce asked in a low tone.
"Banner, remove yourself", Fury barked.
"No!"
"Then control yourself!"
Throughout the whole meeting, Steve had been quiet.
"Is Gen ok?" he whispered. Everyone's eyes snapped up to him. Bruce nodded reluctantly.
"I've treated her, but she's in quite a bit of pain. You can't do much for broken ribs. You can visit her in the morning if you want". Steve nodded before turning his gaze to Natasha.
"And what's happening to her?" If Natasha thought that everyone's outraged expressions were bad, then Steve's blank, face was the worst. He was void of any expression, he looked at Natasha as if she was nothing more than a speck of dust on a windshield; barely noticeable.
"She'll be remaining on the ship, but her involvement with the Avengers initiative relies solely on you four", Fury stated.
"It was nice having you on the team", Clint hissed, but Steve raised his hand, silencing anyone.
"No. When she gets her act together and learns to deal with people, then she can come back".
"Uh, I don't agree with that", Tony said, waving his hand in Steve's face. "She's a total bitch".
"Well once learns to control her bitch urges, then she can come back". Everyone looked bewildered; they'd never heard the Captain cuss, let alone say bitch.
Steve stood before nodding at Clint and Tony.
"I believe you two are capable of reporting what we saw and Jarvis's findings?" They both nodded at Steve's question. "Good. I have somewhere I have to be", and with that, Steve stepped out of the room, and made his way down the corridors, finding himself in the infirmary.
He walked in to find Gen fast asleep. Reaching out, the tucked a lock of hair that had fallen onto her cheek. Her nose was bruised, as were the corners of both eyes, and her breathing was raspy, but Steve still thought she looked pretty; nothing could draw away from her sharp bone structure, tan skin and deep pink lips.
Steve grabbed the chair from the end of the room, and situated it next to Gen's cot.
And there he sat, watching over her, until morning.
Chapter 6! Sorry I didn't upload yesterday, but I hope this makes up for it! Enjoy Peeps!
Review and let me know what you think :) x