Chapter Fourteen:

Extremis Pt. 1

Red Skull and Modok watched with amusement as their experimental gas had the desired effect. They had been keeping a close eye on the Avengers since their escape and they were waiting for them to choose a path before they chose a specific plan to use against them. Turning their green friend against them was by far Modok's favorite. He loved seeing friends turn against one another. Especially if said friends were the Avengers.

"Time for the second part of my plan", Red Skull said with a grin, "Come Soldier", he replied to his companion who had remained in the shadows of the room, "let's give them a frosty greeting."

The soldier gave a sharp nod and turned to follow his boss, but Modok stopped them.

"What about Stark?! I want her. You promised me I could have her."

Red Skull turned, frowning.

"So I did", he replied with a nod, "and so you shall, but first…I plan to use her a bit. She is after all, the love of the dear Captain."

"Just don't kill her", Modok stated angrily, "she needs to be moderately well to survive extremis."

"Yes, yes", he replied with a wave as he stepped out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, his frown went to a grim smile. "Soldier…kill her."

The man nodded and vanished down the hall.

"No one tells me what to do", he stated with a laugh, "no one."

AVNGRS

Steve pulled Toni with him, trying to be careful of her arm as the Hulk rushed after them. Clint and Natasha had gone one way, while Thor had seemingly vanished with Hammer and the Baron. Steve wasn't about to let Toni out of his sight anytime soon though, not when she was already injured and not in the best of health.

Toni on her part was keeping up rather well with the good Captain's speed, but she could her arm aching and her mind and chest throbbing with each step. She would have to stop soon. Still, with the hulk right behind them, it was rather a good initiative to keep her moving at a moderate pace.

Steve knew Toni needed a break. He could hear it in the growing wheezes that seemed to follow her every movement. He also could see the lines of pain in her young face.

"Hide here", he said tugging her down beside him behind a cabinet.

The hulk rushed by them and through another wall, attempting to find his prey. Steve listened as the heavy footsteps quieted the further away Bruce got before he finally let out a sigh of relief when the sound vanished altogether. He was surprised out of his thoughts when Toni's head fell onto his shoulder.

"Toni?" he whispered, concerned.

"Shut up and let me rest for a second", she said back, her eyes closed as she turned into his shirt.

Steve didn't say anything else, but he did smile as he looked down at her, taking in the sight. She was so beautiful.

"Toni", he whispered.

Toni looked up, her eyes tired, but curious.

"I…" he hesitated, staring into her gorgeous chocolate colored eyes. What if she was mad at him still for how he had treated her before? What if she no longer liked him like she did? What if…

Toni could see the gears turning in the Captain's head as he looked into her eyes. She didn't even notice when their faces had gotten so close to one another, but all it took was another second, another mere moment to look into his dazzling ocean blue eyes for her to feel that same attraction she had when she was twenty four, before she had literally, de-aged into a kid again.

"Steve…" she whispered.

His breath caught at the tone of voice she used when saying his name. It was like his name alone was enough to cause her shivers and for Toni, it truly was. She could remember kissing his warm, moist lips and she desired to do so again, but she was scared. What if he rejected her? What if he didn't want her now that she had changed?

The two drew closer, each watching the other for a sign to stop. Just when Toni's lips ghosted across his, a sudden movement caught their attention, pulling them apart. A man with a black ninja like outfit stood there in the doorway, watching them. Steve tensed, seeing the weapons he carried on him and how he watched them, like a beast hunting its kill. Toni however noticed his mechanical left arm before anything else and more so, she noticed the red star at the very top of it. A star that strangely reminded her of something, though she could remember what.

Steve slowly stood up, assisting Toni to do the same, though his eyes never left the strangers.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

Toni noticed how his eyes furrowed when Steve spoke, like he was trying to figure something out. However when she moved to step up beside Steve, he tensed until she nearly tripped, her arm causing a weakness to overcome her. Exhaustion was slowly becoming more and more obvious in her every action. When the strangers eyes locked on Toni, Steve stepped protectively in front of her. He had the strange notion that the stranger had frowned at his action, though he didn't know why it mattered.

"Give me the girl", the voice ordered.

"I don't think so", Steve stated evenly.

"The girl"

"No."

The man narrowed his eyes, but before either one could make a move, the hulk burst through the wall. Debris flew across the room, raining down on the three. He sniffed in anger, his eyes taking in the scene. The ninja turned and raised his weapons, eyes wide as the hulk swung at him. Toni and Steve moved back, but the Hulk noticed as the stranger was sent flying into the wall.

"Run Toni", Steve whispered.

"No, I …"

Toni didn't get a chance to say anything else when the hulk roared again and rushed at them. Steve pushed to the side as the hulk smashed into him. Toni gasped in pain as she stood, trying to get up to see to Bruce and Steve, but a hand suddenly covering hers only gave her a second warning before a needle pricked her neck and she collapsed backwards. Last thing she noticed was the soldier from before standing up from where he had been knocked back and yelling something at the man who stood above her. Said man turned to her and smile before blackness took over.

AVNGRS

Toni groaned as she blinked, trying to wake herself up enough to be more aware of her surroundings. The first that became apparent however, was that she couldn't move. As in not even a single twitch. She was paralyzed.

"Welcome back to the living my dear" a voice purred.

She looked for the source of the voice, but she couldn't even move her head. The voice continued speaking from wherever it was located.

"You are quite the fighter. Most would still be unconscious after the dose of sedatives you were given. I am willing to guess this is partially because of the reactor."

Toni couldn't exactly answer, so she didn't even try to respond, just listened and waited. Sure enough, a moment later the voice stepped into view. He was an ugly looking man, more machine than anything, but in a mutated way.

"My name is Modok. I am sure you have heard of me, Ms. Stark. Mind if I call you Toni? I know you don't", he answered for her as she gave him the best glare she could muster in her paralyzed and drugged state.

He merely smiled down at her.

"You truly are a work of art my dear", he responded as he looked over her body, gently rubbing his hands down her arms and legs. She stiffened at the touch, but refused to look away. She wanted him to know she wasn't afraid.

"You have no doubt heard of my pet project, extremis. Have you not?

Toni glared at him. He nodded, taking it as though she had answered him.

"Then you know that Extremis is literally an increased form of the super soldier serum, made specifically to bring humanity to the peak of perfection. However, our fatality rate has been rather high."

Toni snorted. High was an understatement. 98% of all of their experiments died, while according to what she remembered reading and what Hammer told her, only one had lived and fell into a coma not long after, having yet to awake.

Modok ignored her snort of amusement as he pulled a needle from his back pocket. A needle filled with a gold colored liquid.

"Extremis", he stated allowing her to see the injection, "a masterpiece for certain and you my dear, you have been chosen to test it out."

Toni stiffened at his words and began trying hard to move, to do anything to escape him, but her body refused as he grinned and took her limp arm into his free hand. He slid the needle into her arm and pushed until the gold color vanished, leaving nothing behind but the small red dot where she had been injected. At first, nothing happened, but then a sharp pain shot through her head and darkness overtook her as a burning fire seemed to spread through every fiber of her being.

Her last conscious thought was, "I should have kissed Steve…" and then she screamed.

AVNGRS

Steve grunted as he kicked himself free of the rubble. Lying off to the side was Bruce, back in his human form and looking more ragged than ever with his parents barely staying together and his shirt once again completely missing. He also noted that no one else was around, not even…

"Toni!" he shouted as he sprung to his feet, only to wince a second later.

He looked down, surprised to see a large puddle of blood forming beneath him. Grimacing, he glared down at his right leg where a metal spike poked through. That would be hell pulling out, he thought to himself as he took a deep breath and clutched the end of it.

"Three…two…one…" he yanked and gasped as the metal slid out and clattered onto the hard floor below.

Taking a deep and shaky breath, he staggered past the broken wall and towards his companion who was out like a light.

"Maybe…maybe we could rest, just for a minute", he whispered as he collapsed to the ground in a heap next to Bruce, his eyes closing as he repeated his words in a desperate and weary tone. "Just for a minute…"

He didn't even realize when his head sank to the floor and he lost himself to blood loss and lack of sleep. In the shadows however, Red Skull grinned in triumph; his companion, the soldier, stood beside him gazing at the two unconscious avengers with passive interest.

"Time for our plans to truly begin", Skull declared and laughed with villainous glee, "Captain America, for too long have you kept me from achieving my ultimate goal of world domination. No longer! Now it is my time to stop you and what joy we will have, when I look you in the eye and rip your heart out."

Skull grinned devilishly as he watched his minions drag the avengers away. The fun was only just beginning and now it was time for stage two of his diabolical scheme.

"Soldier, you know what to do. Find the girl, kill her, and then find Modok and the Baron and give them my…best wishes."

The soldier gave a nod, turned and left, his eyes cold as he set out on his mission. Red Skull watched him until he vanished from sight and then turned to once again lay eyes on his greatest enemy.

"Soon Captain, soon I will have my revenge!"

AUTHORS NOTE*

If you haven't noticed, I have started another Avengers story called "Until Death Do We Part" (I have no idea what I was thinking!), but anyways, like I said at the end of the second chapter of that story, I had planned to write more for this chapter (and that one), but time hasn't worked out, so here is what I have so far. Enjoy and let me know what you think!