AN: I am so sorry. I actually have a legitimate excuse this time! My computer decided to start freaking out so I had to turn it in to Best Buy to get it fixed. And then I went on a week long vacation. And then I got distracted.
Anyway, here's the chapter.
"WRITING."
"SIGNING."
"M-O-R-S-E-C-O-D-E."
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Steve scrambled up and took off with Bucky, Sam, and Thor following closely behind him.
"What's going on, man? Why was the Hulk let loose before we got out?" Sam shouted over the destruction the Hulk was reaping on the building we were currently still in.
"HYDRA apparently developed a formula that can make the Hulk go crazy. That's what Angel was trying to warn us about. We need to get out of here. Natasha, where's the nearest exit?" Steve spoke the last part into the coms, listening to whatever Tasha said on the other end before making a sharp left. "Thor, you've fought him before. Can you go back and help stall him so we can have a little extra time to get out of here? If we stay here much longer, the building's going to collapse on us."
"I will do what I can. Take care." The Thunder God announced before he disappeared down a different hallway towards the Hulk. Plaster and debris rained down from the ceiling as we ran. Well, as they ran and Steve carried me. My body was still in agony, but I continued to fight to keep my eyes open. I wanted to make sure Bucky, Steve, and the rest of the Avengers got out of this alive. I wouldn't be able to handle it if one of them lost their lives on a mission to save me.
We finally managed to make it out of the crumbling facility and into the open air. I tried to shield my eyes from the onslaught of sun but just ended up pulling my stitches AGAIN and adding to my plight. Steve looked down briefly in sympathy as he felt me jerk from the pain. Our little group made it to the tree line, hiding amongst the tall trunks and greenery. I turned my head slightly and I could see the Hulk smashing the place to smithereens, with Thor and Tony buzzing around his head like flies, trying to stop him.
"We're out. So are Natasha and Clint. Let the Hulk take care of the building. We can think of how to get him back to normal after we regroup." Steve ordered and in response Iron Man and Thor retreated from the Hulk's massive form and towards us. They touched down and Tony immediately put up his face mask.
"What the fucking hell?! Some guy comes up and manages to stick the Hulk with a needle and he goes berserk! He even tried attacking me, and his eyes are red now! What the hell is going on?!" He shouted, his eyes revealing his intense agitation and worry even though his voice only conveyed anger.
"Angel said HYDRA made some sort of serum that can drive the Hulk crazy. Looks like it works." Bucky said grimly.
"Well is there any way to reverse this? I like my mate big and green, not red and mean!" Tony snapped. Bucky looked towards me.
"Doll, did they say anything else about it?" I shook my head in the negative, giving Tony a small, apologetic smile. He sighed, but gave me a weak smile back.
"Glad to see you alive and well, kid. We thought Cap and the Tin Man were going to lose it when you were taken. Try not to let it happen again, okay?" With that his features hardened and he turned back to the group as a whole. "I think we can wear it out of his system. The Hulk has a fast metabolism, so if we can get him to burn through whatever serum this is, he should go back to normal. Natasha, Clint, glad you could finally join us." The two spies came through the trees, beelining towards where I was still cradled in Steve's massive arms. Clint was about to hug me, but Natasha held him back, giving him a stern look. I was confused and she must have seen it because she tried to gently explain the situation to me.
"Angel, you're severely burned from the electrocution." I was? I mean, I felt the heat on my skin but I didn't feel it was bad enough to be a burn. "I think adrenaline and shock might be making it so you can't feel it, but Clint doesn't need to aggravate your condition. Besides, we have a bigger problem to deal with before we can get you out of here completely. So the plan is to wear him down?"
"Unless something else comes up. Steve, will you stay behind and look over Angel while the rest of us try to get the Hulk?" Steve nodded and Bucky seemed about to stay behind too but, with a glare from Tony, stayed quiet. "Alright, try not to hurt him too bad. Remember, he's under the influence and we are just trying to burn out the serum. So no kill shots. I don't care if Bruce thinks he's indestructible, I'm not going to test it. Let's go." With that, all the Avengers save Steve went out onto the battlefield against one of their own. I looked worriedly at Bucky, remembering how the man had wanted him to be reprogrammed. I knew that since they were planning on the Hulk going crazy, most of the HYDRA agents would not have been inside the building; they would be elsewhere and waiting to strike. Sure enough, Bucky was soon surrounded by HYDRA goons. Panicked, I turned to Steve to see him watching the battle with worry as well. I waved my hand in front of his face to get his attention before I began tapping on his shield.
"G-O." Steve frowned down at me.
"No. I have to stay here and keep you safe." I wanted to growl with irritation. Didn't he see Bucky struggling with the sheer number of HYDRA agents?! The others were too busy with the Hulk to help him!
"G-O-H-E-L-P-B-U-C-K-Y." Steve looked about to deny me again, but I kept going. "H-Y-D-R-A-W-I-L-L-R-E-P-R-O-G-R-A-M. G-O-H-E-L-P. I-L-L-N-E-V-E-R-F-O-R-G-I-V-E-M-Y-S-E-L-F-I-F-H-E-G-E-T-S-T-A-K-E-N. I-L-L-B-E-F-I-N-E. P-L-E-A-S-E." Steve hesitated, but I knew he was on the fence. On one hand, he wanted to make sure nothing happened to me, but on the other he could see Bucky needed assistance.
"If you're sure you'll be fine. I'll help him and then be right back. Okay?"
"B-E-S-A-F-E." I tapped and he gave me a gentle smile before leaving a lingering kiss on my forehead.
"I will as long as you will." He took off towards the swarm of HYDRA agents that I could tell were shooting Bucky with a lot of tranquilizer darts. He was faltering as more and more of them hit their mark and made their way into his system. Steve came just in time, flinging his shield and knocking out two men at once before getting into the thick of them to help Bucky, who was in the center.
As I watched the two battles going on, one around Bucky and one around the Hulk I felt a niggling in the back of my mind. Something important, a detail I had forgotten. I frowned as I sifted through my memories trying to figure out what was so important that it could draw my attention from making sure my family and soulmates were safe. Finally, my brain landed on my memory of the man in black outlining his plan to me. What had he said? 'We just need to make sure the serum stays in.'? What did he mean by that? Once it was in his blood stream, how would it leave? Unless…
Unless the serum was so fast acting that a constant supply would need to be injected into the Hulk. Maybe just a small amount each time, but if the stream was constant, then the Hulk wouldn't burn off the serum like Tony was hoping and would keep going insane with rage. Tony had mentioned a needle. That meant the needle was still lodged in the Hulk somewhere, probably somewhere on his leg or arm. I squinted, trying to see if the Hulk had anything sticking out of him and, just as I predicted, I saw a glint of something metal attached to his right hand. Without a com and without a voice, I had no way of telling everyone what I had discovered. I had to do something. I looked down at myself and winced. The parts of me that were showing were a disgusting array of red and black where charred skin met muscle tissue. My hospital gown was covered in blood and I was surprised that I hadn't passed out from the loss. So. One side of me was swollen and infected with a gunshot wound while the other was constantly weeping fluids from my destroyed skin, as I had fallen onto my good side in the electrocution room. But I could barely feel either one I was so numb. Sure, pain shot through me when I moved, but I could grin and bear it, right? This was important.
I gritted my teeth and began trying to pull myself up off the ground letting out silent groans, moans, and whimpers as I moved. I just kept telling myself 'I need to do this for Bruce. For Bucky. For Steve. For my family'. I finally managed to drag myself up off the ground, my entire body screaming in protest. I leaned against a tree, ignoring the feeling of the rough bark tearing into my already destroyed skin. I stood there, swaying slightly and panting as the battles raged on. Doubts began to creep into my mind as I took in the situation. I was supposed to enter the battles as wounded as I was to try to tell someone, anyone, of my theory without being captured again and without passing out or dying. I watched as Iron Man was tossed into the tree line by his own mate and I hardened my resolve. If Tony could face his own mate in battle, a mate that just so happened to be the Hulk, I could do this. It was just one step after another, right?
I slowly made my way away from my resting place, remembering as I walked about the glass that was lodged in my feet. Each step I took seemed to force them deeper into my soles and heels but I grit my teeth and kept hobbling along. After what seemed like an eternity I finally made it to the edge of the forest. In front of me was the big clearing, on the left, the battle with the Hulk, or the right, the battle for Bucky. Knowing my best chance was to find Natasha or Clint on the ground instead of trying to get through the mass of HYDRA agents that still swarmed my soulmates, I headed towards the left. I felt awkward and exposed stumbling out into the clearing alone as the battles raged on, but I didn't really have a choice. As I got closer and closer to the Hulk my fear ratcheted up a notch at seeing his huge form. This wasn't Bruce. This wasn't even the Hulk. This was something HYDRA had created.
"Angel!" I heard and turned slightly to see Steve's eyes wide with horror at seeing me out of my hiding spot. I gave him apologetic grimace before continuing on my trek, determined to complete my self-given mission. I knew he couldn't get to me with the amount of HYDRA agents attacking him. After a couple more minutes I finally made it to the outskirts of the destroyed building. I collapsed on a piece of rubble in exhaustion, my sweat making my wounds sting harshly. I heard the Hulk roar and I shuddered; it was so much scarier when it was up close and personal.
"Angel, what the FUCK do you think you're DOING?!" I looked over to find Clint glaring at me from his strategic place behind what was left of a wall, bow notched and ready to shoot at the Hulk again. I raised my hands, ready to sign when he interrupted me. "It doesn't matter. You're marching your ass right back into the woods, you hear me?! This is no place for you when you're so injured! Come on. I'll provide you back up. Then you're staying put." He grabbed my wrist gently albeit firmly and began dragging me back the way I had so laboriously came. I shook myself free and glared at him before managing to get my fingers to sign. Tapping was much easier than signing it seemed.
"No! I came out here to tell you that I know how to stop the Hulk!"
"What?! How?!"
"The needle in his hand is constantly injecting him with the serum. You need to remove it before he can come back to himself." Clint looked at me thoughtfully.
"How did you figure it out?"
"Does it really matter, Clint? Just get the needle out of his hand!" Clint looked ready to retort when his eyes widened and a huge shadow blocked out the sun. Hot air wafted past my hair and I slowly turned to see the Hulk right there in front of us. Drool trailed down his mouth and his eyes were indeed red, rolling and with an insane haze to them. He looked like a demented, green demon.
"HULK KILL!" He bellowed before he reached down with both meaty hands and picked Clint and I up with a crushing grip. Clint had tried to shoot him, but that had just made him angrier, squeezing both of us so much that we both cried out as ribs cracked. He grinned maliciously as he felt the bones snap under his fingers. I tugged at his fingers desperately, trying to get him to loosen and to give me oxygen.
"No!" Thor and Tony shouted at him, trying to distract him from squeezing us to death, but it seemed he was determined to crush us. My vision darkened with the lack of air, I barely noticed the glint of metal for what it was: the needle. I stared at the needle filled with a vicious red fluid almost in disbelief before I sluggishly reached out and yanked it out of his hand. Immediately, the Hulk, howling in pain, dropped us onto the hard ground, my head slamming into it unforgivingly. My body finally giving out under the stress and pain, the last thing I heard was a big, yet innocent voice whimper.
"TINY ANGEL GIRL?..."
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AN: Are these all terrible? I really can't tell anymore. It feels like everything is moving too fast, but the battle was, like, three chapters. R & R and tell me what you think!
Also, I seriously want to warn you guys. The ending? It's terrible. I'm not kidding. If you're hoping for some great resolution you're gonna be sorely disappointed. I've tried to rewrite the ending and I just can't seem to do it. So I apologize in advance to those that stick around for the rest of this story.