Hi so I was supposed to upload this like two days ago... Sorry. Also, April didn't have a chapter because writer's block and it was my birthday. I thibk this chapter is a little bit choppy so it's not my best but I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel stuff.
Chapter 28 - Hell at the Helicarrier
Paige was restless whenever she slept, and cried whenever she woke. Once awake, the woman would barely speak, especially if not directly spoken to, and ate the minimum amount that Alexia would force her to.
But she listened to what the Avengers spoke about. When they planned strategies and mentioned training, her ears would prick and her eyes would dart up. When Paige spoke up without verbal incentive, it was always to ask how Bruce was doing. The answer of which was not well.
Bruce constantly alternated between an unconscious, limp, unreactive state, in which the doctors that managed him always became anxious as to whether or not he was even alive, and wide awake, writhing and panting heavily in a desperate attempt to keep the Hulk within him. He couldn't speak, but he saw the Avengers when they entered. The doctors had been certain that the only thing they could do was keep him in a secure, confined environment and wait it out. The chemicals pumped into his bloodstream had mostly been cleared, but only Bruce could fight off whatever they had been doing to him.
Dylan had been interrogated. Alexia had offered to do it, but it had ended with Steve and a SHIELD agent doing it. He explained voluntarily what they had been doing and why, but left out details such as where his parents were. There had been no news on Maria, or the Familia, since Paige's awakening.
It was night. Alexia was laying beside Paige, above the blanket. Clint was asleep, muttering something about a farm. Tony was almost sleeping, but his hand was tapping against the side of his chair and his eyelids occasionally opened. Steve was out of the room, probably in the nearest training centre or gym. Natasha was awake, sitting on Clint's bed. Paige was quiet, but Lexy didn't make the mistake of thinking she was dormant. Thor was probably with Cap, wherever he was.
"Lexy," Paige breathed sleepily, "What are we going to do?"
The question had been asked by plenty of agents and team members over the last few days, but Alexia wished she knew the answer more than ever.
"I don't know, Paige," she sighed softly.
"I'm glad I'm on your side," the woman continued, nestling further into her bed.
Lexy didn't have a reply for that. Her friend would wake up again in a few hours, crying and screaming, but she didn't have the heart to keep the exhausted brunette awake.
The next afternoon, Fury marched in, followed by a familiar face and a girl of the same age. They both looked sombre.
"Stark, Brookes, I think you know this kid," he announced, "For the rest of you, this is Elliot Javier, member of the Familia."
"Former member," Elliot corrected in a small voice, "This is my sister, Elise."
The girl looked like she'd be beautiful if it weren't for the greasy hair, sunken skin and shocking violet irises. She examined each of them with a defensive glower. There was something in her dark blonde hair, but nobody commented on it.
"We came back to help… And… In return for help for Elise," he declared weakly.
"What happened?" Alexia questioned.
"The plant saved her," he hesitated, "But it had some bad side effects."
As if to prove his point, the girl snarled slightly under her breath. The Avengers watched silently.
"We know the coordinates of the Familia's base. We know every member and their masks."
"Masks?" Steve repeated uncertainly.
Paige and Lexy shared a look.
"Every member chooses an animal when they turn 15. A mask is made of their animal and they must wear it to every meeting. It is a symbol of what they offer the Familia, and used to keep the meetings anonymous, in case anyone was watching."
"What was the animal of your choice?" Thor queried.
Elliot looked slightly embarrassed, but cracked a small smile.
"The rat. It is a symbol of resourcefulness, preparation and shrewdness," he defended the animal carefully, "They get themselves out of situations. I hoped to do the same for the Familia. Unfortunately, it seems I have done the opposite."
There was a moment of quiet.
"Elise chose the mouse, for determination and conservation, though most of the Familia see it more as connoting her cleanliness and innocence."
Clint snorted.
"Cleanliness and innocence? A mouse?"
"It is a common misconception that mice are filthy," Elliot was protectively holding Elise's arm now. Though she looked ready to pounce.
"Enough with the chitchat," Fury interrupted, "What's wrong with your sister and how can we help you?"
"She… Um…"
"Elliot, what's wrong with her?" Alexia repeated gently.
"You have to promise not to hurt her, first," he decided, "She hasn't done anything wrong on purpose, it wasn't her fault!"
"We promise," Steve agreed steadily, "Now, tell us what happened."
Elliot took a deep breath, eyes flitting to Elise at every possible moment.
"We were - I was given the plant by a Stark Industries employee," he began, "So, immediately, I returned to the Familia."
"How did you get in and out of America undetected?" Natasha asked curiously.
"The Familia has allies everywhere," Elise muttered hoarsely, inspecting a vase of flowers beside her.
"Anyway, I gave Dr San- our doctor the plant and he was able to give it to her safely. For a moment, my Elise was dead. The doctor told me to refresh the wet cloth on her forehead and… When I returned, Elise had… The doctor was dead, i-in pieces, even. Elise was in the corner. She looked dead, except for eyes."
"Her eyes?" Tony pressed.
"She used to have brown eyes," he explained.
"Ultraviolent mutant created from a mysterious plant? You came to the right place," Clint snorted.
"She's not a mutant," Elliot argued weakly, eyeing the girl.
"We'll help," Tony decided, "Although, technically, you already agreed to tell us everything."
"I said I'd help you when you cured my sister. She is not yet cured," he replied.
Alexia could've argued that she had been cured of her original ailment, but the two looked defensive enough as it was.
"I have a friend - she's a scientist. She might be able to help," Tony continued.
"In the meantime, why don't you tell one of my agents what you know?" Fury suggested, motioning to the door with one hand.
Elliot was hesitant, but reached for Elise's hand and coaxed her into following him. They left.
"That's a lead," Natasha commented, "We know where the Familia are. Maybe we can get them to give up Maria and the two Enhanced."
"SHIELD will take care of this," Lexy said, "The Familia can't be too dangerous with their strongest weapons in the field. We should focus on finding Albertelli and Dylan's parents. Fury will tell us if they get anything."
"How do we find them? If the satellite surveillance hasn't found them yet, then I don't expect that we can catch them until they want us to," Steve sighed.
"We know Maria and her team are in the city. The Brookes probably fled the country-" Clint began.
"No," Natasha interrupted, "They have their 'mission' or whatever they call it. If Dylan is any indication, they won't stop just because we found Bruce and Paige. If they're not still in the city, they'll be in the state at least."
Paige was silent.
"I'll work on it," Tony offered, "I'm sure SHIELD doctors can fix the French girl."
Apparently, it was easier than Tony had expected to make a way to find them. He was planning to use the chemicals that Anthuria released to track their location. He had built several of the devices easily, sent a few SHIELD rookies to drive around the city with them and visited the scientists working on Bruce's recovery. He was surprised to find Paige up and about, already leaning against the window and watching the struggling, green-tinted scientist, strapped to a metal slab in a small, round room.
"I didn't know the doc was planning to let you out of bed anytime soon," he commented, hands in pockets.
She flinched and turned, hazel eyes softening when they met his form.
"I whined to Alexia to let me see him. She agreed as long as she could come along as well," she smiled weakly.
"Where's Lexy, then?"
"Hey Tony," the brunette greeted from behind him.
He smirked and turned, slipping a hand to the small of her back as his girlfriend reached his side and grabbed his shoulder. Alexia reached and kissed his cheek swiftly, before turning to Paige again.
"Have you asked the scientist yet?" she asked.
The assistant shook her head.
"He's checking on Bruce now. I'll ask him when he comes back."
"You want to talk to Banner?" Stark raised an eyebrow.
"I just want to help him," Paige said.
"Good luck with that. Anyway, I solved the whole Maria and Dynamic Duo problem. Or I will have, in a few hours."
"How?"
"Got some SHIELD lackeys to track Anthuria's poison. At least they're finally getting something done."
"Bravo," Paige congratulated and would've continued, had a lab-coat-ed man not chosen that moment to enter the room, "Oh, Dr Byrnes! I had a question."
The man glanced up at the three and smiled sadly.
"I'm sorry, Miss Seath, but there haven't been any changes since-"
"Um, that's not it, Doctor. I wanted to ask if I could… Talk to Bruce?"
Byrnes was slightly taken aback, and blinked over wide eyes before recovering.
"Miss Seath, you know that he won't be able to listen, or speak back?"
She nodded, eyes glassy. He sighed.
"Be my guest," he agreed finally, "Just don't get too close. I'll assign an agent to stay by the door, in case anything happens."
"Do you want me to stay?" Lexy asked tentatively.
"It's fine. I want to talk to him alone," Paige smiled.
"We'll go back to the hospital room, then," Tony tugged at Alexia's arm, guiding her away gently.
As soon as they were out of sight, Paige turned to the doctor again.
"Can I go in, now?"
"I went to the market and I bought a pen, a repulser, a battery, a pear, a shield, a bow, a pistol, the Avengers Tower, a spider, a bird, a banner, a helmet and… a catsuit," Natasha recited flawlessly.
"I went to the market and I bought a…" Clint struggled, "Yeah, ok, Nat wins."
"C'mon Barton! I could've easily beaten that!" Tony whined with a playful smirk.
"We don't like playing memory games with geniuses and superspies," Steve defended with a grin.
Tony's phone beeped loudly before anyone could retort. He glanced at it and smirked.
"Well, you won't have to anymore. We've found Toxic and Sparky."
The Avengers immediately sprang into action, including Clint, who had finally been given permission to be out in the field, though at a distance from the obvious threats. They were off of the Helicarrier and into the jet before the agents around them knew what was happening.
"Where exactly are we heading, Tony?" Steve asked.
"Bunch of abandoned warehouses. Perfect meeting place, right?" he chuckled, "And I can't wait to wreck the place."
"Have you had a bad day, Anthony?" Thor guessed.
"No, but the buildings are under Justin Hammer's name," Tony explained. The group murmured in understanding.
"So, have we got a plan of action?" Natasha questioned.
"Keep Lexy and Tony away from Techno, Steve and you away from Anthuria and me away from everyone," Clint remembered from the strategies everyone had devised around his bed. Despite his teasing tone, the team could tell that he was excited to be out of the stuffy ward room.
"I've been trying to improve the armour, you know, so he can't pull it off. Best I've found is a predominant form of cyanoacrylate-"
"It's like scientific superglue," Alexia translated helpfully.
"Man, I miss Bruce," the engineer rolled his eyes.
There was a moment of silence.
"Let us win victory in honour of our struggling shield brother," Thor exclaimed.
Lexy nodded, itching to drown something.
So there ya go. Finally met up again with Elliot and ready to kick some crazy-foster-parent butt! Please review and follow/favourite if you enjoyed.