Chapter 16- togetherness
The plane was only a means of transport and would depart as soon as it was over the island. Inside Thor was frowning at the small sack that was being placed upon his back. He did not think it possessed the power the others claimed, to fly him safely to the ground. There was not much time to think about it though because the signal came and the others were jumping. Oh well, he was not going to die if this thing did not work properly. So he hurled himself out.
"Parachuting, it is indeed a unique experience", Thor remarked as he landed a few minutes later. "You've never done it before", Jane asked him as he disconnected her own parachute. Thor's answering smile made her feel week at the knees again, "I don't need to", he replied, "but since I am trying to be ordinary I had to do the same thing as you".
Soon they were moving through the undergrowth steadily with Thor simply breaking off pieces of trees that were in his path. Since one of them was quite sizeable Jane guessed his powers gave him a type of super strength. He looked out of place holding a gun though, like he could simply use his fists and cause significant damage. Jane coloured when she realized she had been staring at his muscled body for too long. Luckily Thor did not notice as he seemed to be listening intently. When Jane caught the sound of gun fire drifting their way she understood his distraction. "It may be some of the others in trouble", she told him. "Indeed, we should render aid", he replied. Moving rapidly toward the gunfire they soon sighted several armed men firing at something within the undergrowth. "This is roughly where Bruce , Benji and Natasha are located", Jane remarked. Thor did not need to know more than that. He simply aimed the weapon in his hand and fired at the nearest man. When the bullet screamed passed without hitting its target, he looked surprised. 'This is harder than it seems", he whispered to Jane. Jane was also feeling surprised that a superhero was not a good shot. Still he had at last drawn the hostile's fire away from its intended target. "You have to anticipate movement and all sorts of factors when you fire", Jane told him. She had already managed to hit one of the hostiles in the leg. When a bullet scream passed and totally flattened a small tree she felt a moment of fear rise up. These guys were not playing fair. Not that they had too of course.
Now that the bullets were no longer continually screaming his way Bruce felt calmer, they could contain this without him hulking out. Natasha was still firing and he mirrored her actions. He found that his anger was contained just below the surface and shooting did not really help to suppress his feelings totally. It just seemed a little unsatisfying.
Thor felt the same ."This is getting tiresome", he complained as the shooting went on without the enemy numbers being reduced significantly. "Just keep firing", Jane told him firmly. "We are supposed to be rescuing our friends not being stuck in a fire fight",Thor reminded her. "Well what do you usually do", Jane asked. For an answer Thor smiled."I use my abilities and a very big hammer", he told her. "But it is in a secured location and will not respond to my call". "So your powers are limited to using a weapon only", Jane hinted.
Thor thought that was a very good question. Did his powers really start and finish with his weapon. Maybe this was the opportunity to show that he could do many things without the hammer. He closed his fist on the puny weapon he held and crushed it into dust. "My actions will affect our friends as well so I will warn them using our pre arranged signal", Thor told her. Then he whistled, a high pitched note that sounded exactly like one of the birds native to Hawaii. Now that was clever Jane thought. All the other birds were quiet because of the gunfire but it would still not seem out of place for one to sing now, especially when the mimic sounded exactly like the real thing.
"Now hold tightly to the tree", Thor instructed Jane. Jane wrapped her arms around the tree and clasped her hands together. Thor leapt up and then down rapidly hitting the ground with his fist . It would not be as effective as using the hammer but would have to do.
A shock wave from his punch rolled along the ground like a mini earthquake. It made the enemy feel unsteady on their feet , reeling about they stopped firing and dropped their weapons as they fought to regain their balance. The effect would only last seconds but it was all the time Natasha, Benji and Bruce needed. They raced out to claim the dropped weapons and aimed them at the enemy group.
The 8 mercenaries decided the odds were now against them and held their hands up over their heads. Thor and Jane raced in to support the trio. Thor broke off pieces of jungle vines and used them to secure the men's arms and legs. Jane observed the way he tied the knots and thought that the men would take years to try and free themselves. He also stuffed a lot of leaves in their mouths and tied them firmly so they could not shout out to any of their colleagues. Then he hit each of them once solidly, just in case. The punch looked like it hurt and would most likely render them all unconscious for hours.
Benji and Jane were glad Thor was a friendly alien. "If we hide them in the undergrowth they will not be easily spotted. We will have to recall the plane to transport them at a later stage", the god told them. "Good, well that is at least some of them dealt with. Now we just have to worry about how many more there are and where they are", Natasha reminded them.
Not too far away Mr Fields had called for the rest of the mercenaries to rendezvous at his location. He had basically sacrificed a portion of his team to try and get the Avengers all in one location. Once he had known Hawkeye was here it seemed likely the others would follow. He knew that even his enhanced bullets would not contain them forever and had planned accordingly. His plan was delay and not necessarily defeat, all he wanted was long enough to get Brandt back to the ship. Maybe as a bonus he could eliminate Hawkeye as well. He was sure the archer would still be near Will Brandt's location. His sentimentality would be his downfall. Alone he would not be able to withstand what he was going to use against him. Of course if he was not alone, well, maybe the Avengers were going to find they were not as invincible as they thought. Smiling Field's gave his final orders.
Clint had climbed up a tree, instinctively choosing to find higher ground to give him a better line of sight. Of course there was a lot of ground cover for any approaching enemies to use, but he could still detect the tiny movements the tree made as the men made their approach. He was lucky in that the there was no wind at the moment, making it easier to determine the cause of the movement. Below him was the small area of bush where in a crevice in the ground he had left Will. He would defend his brother until his last breath if necessary.
As he watched he noticed a small clump of bushes moving just a few miles away, of course the movement could be caused by Ethan trying to find him. But as he watched he noted the movement was spread out indicating more than one person. Getting out one of the stick arrows from his make shift quill he loaded his handmade bow. Drawing back the arrow made him gasp with pain. He had forgotten about the injuries he had received when he had crashed the motorbike. The pain was a sharp reminder that perhaps he had hurt himself more seriously than he had realised. Of course the injuries would have been compounded when he had jumped off the cliff. Without medical attention his condition had worsened. There was now a strong probably that he was going to pass out some time in the not to distant future. That would compromise everything. So he pushed away the pain determined to keep himself focused and on his feet for as long as possible.
He found himself panting a little as he kept his gaze firmly focused upon the movement. Judging in his head how far away the enemy were he pulled back the vine made string on his bow and let the arrow fly.
Ethan , Luther and Steve were making their way steadily toward Clint's last location when suddenly Steve raised his shield in front of them. A dull thud followed soon after and Ethan caught a brief glimpse of the sharpened arrow that the shield had just deflected. "Shit Clint", Steve muttered. Indeed, Ethan agreed because he was the one who would now have had an arrow sticking into him. Steve pursed his lips and gave out a bird call. "Hawkeye should recognise that and stop firing", he told them.
Clint stopped in the act of loosing another arrow, that call sounded familiar. He started to smile as a small group of three people became visible. Quickly returning to ground level, he whistled a tune to let them know his location.
Steve Rogers smiled warmly as a moved in to greet Clint. His colleague looked battered and unnaturally pale but there was a familiar look of determination. Ethan and Luther hung back a little to give time for Rogers to greet his friend. They were feeling a little disappointed that Will was not with the archer. Ethan noted that Clint looked paler than when he had left him. He supposed though that he too was not in the best condition. His entire body ached , the lingering effects of jumping into the sea, then being out in the elements for an extended period.
Clint moved over to greet him, shaking his hand firmly. Ethan own welcoming smile came easily, Clint had become a friend as well as a colleague. There was something in the depths of those blue eyes that made Ethan's smile broaden. Clint's smile matched his own. Luther could not really understand why these two were just standing there grinning at each other. It was like there was some hidden message there that they both understood. Clint decided to make that message understood, "I found Will , come and we'll go and help him". Now Luther was smiling as well.
Moving forward Clint found a groan escaping from his lips. Steve immediately put his arms around him and supported his weight. He thought Clint looked like he was injured. Of course the stubborn archer would never admit anything pushing him off with an almost angry, 'get off, I am fine". Steve looked him over skeptically silently evaluating how serious his condition was, "you don't look fine", he told Clint firmly. Surprisingly Clint nodded and told him , "okay I am not fine, but I am not going to ruin my moment with Will by falling on my face now". The anger was back in his voice, a sign that he was disgusted at himself for being weak at this vital time. That anger would keep him on his feet Steve decided. So he backed off but kept Clint in his line of sight .
They walked a short distance then stopped. Clint found himself panting again, "Will is there in that undergrowth", he hissed out. "I had to drag him there to get him away from this man who was trying to hurt him. He is not conscious."
Ethan and Luther left Steve to assess Clint while they moved to the undergrowth.
Luther searched one area while he did another. He walked carefully ,testing each area with his foot, not wanting to step on Will. He noted that Steve Rogers had made Clint sit down and was now keeping watch. Nobody wanted the enemy to come up upon them now. His momentary distraction had an effect he did not anticipate. Ethan found himself suddenly falling forward into the bushes as his foot was grabbed . He landed right beside someone very familiar who looked at him out of pain filled blue eyes.
"Ethan", Wills voice was weak but his smile was genuine.
Will had become conscious a short while ago. He found he still could not move alot, certainly not enough to move from the undergrowth. Obviously his rescuer had dragged him here to protect him from that other man. It was probable that his rescuer was most likely IMF and was part of a new team sent to rescue him. Seeing Ethan here just cemented that fact into his mind.
Looking over his colleague Ethan made the assessment that he would not be walking out of here, they would have to carry him. "Ethan where is the rest of your team", Will whispered. His voice was not able to go too loud as his throat was dry. "Right here, in fact one of them is anxious to see you", Ethan told him. This reunion was not his moment ,belonging to Clint. He beckoned the archer over, telling him, "he's conscious". As Clint approached Ethan moved away.
Clint found himself feeling apprehensive now that the moment was here. Will was not in the best shape and did not need to have his body put under the stress the shock of seeing him would create. But he was desperately afraid that Will was not going to make it off this island alive so had to have this moment with him. Crouching down Clint took Ethan's place at Will's side. His brother's eyes were closed again, but fluttered as he slipped his hands into Will's. "Who's that", Will asked groggily. "Open your eyes and see", Clint told him . He kept hold of Will's hand firmly and watched his face as the eyes opened and looked at him.
Will was just staring like he could not quite believe what he was seeing. "I know it is probably strange to see someone who looks like you bending over you. You are not seeing things I am real", Clint assured him gently. Will's hand was still in his own . His lips opened and Clint bent down to hear what he had to say.
Steve, Luther and Ethan were trying not to intrude on the moment as well as wanting to be nosy and see Will's reaction. Clint had leaned closer they noted as he tried to hear what Will was saying. They however could not hear anything."Well I suppose we cannot expect him to jump up and embrace his brother", Steve remarked. He could not see what had happened because Clint's back was in his line of sight. Still it appeared that Will was too ill to register much about the reunion. Ethan too thought the moment was rather an anticlimax and responded, " Will looks in serious shape, the sooner we get him medical help the better". 'The three of you need medical attention", Steve remarked with a speculative look at Ethan.
Ethan was going to reply when he saw Steve was no longer focused upon him. He was looking over at Hawkeye who was giving him an all too familiar signal. "It looks like we have company coming", Steve remarked. "We need something a lot solider than those trees to protect ourselves". "There is some rocky outcroppings nearby", Clint remarked. "You can use that while I scale that tree again. They cannot get a clear line of sight upon me through the undergrowth, but I will be able to see them well enough." He stood up to face them. Below him he could feel Will's hand upon his ankle.
Steve looked him over solemnly. Clint could see the concern in his eyes. "Yeah I know I look like I am going to pass out, but we need to do this together. We can't have more than one of us in a vulnerable position". He nodded toward Will. They would have to protect Will during the firefight which might inadvertently put one of them in danger.
"Leave him all covered up in that crevice, he's well protected down there". You have done a good job of covering up the drag marks, the enemy won't find him easily", Ethan suggested. "Yeah and I'll watch out for him", Clint told them firmly.
He bent down over Will again and gently removed his fingers from his ankle, "I am going to leave you now Will and go up there", he indicated the tree. Will reached up to clasp his hand tighter than he had believed he was capable of. He was Clint noted only using his left hand, with no movement from his right. " Taking note of his gaze at his other hand Will admitted, " I can't move my right arm at all ". His voice held a type of fear that struck straight to Clint's heart. It told him Will had thought he was going to die. He found a deeper resolve settling upon him that gave him feelings of powerfulness. He told Will firmly, "I will watch out for you just like I did when we were boys". Will nodded and closed his eyes again. He looked like he barely knew what was going on around them. Clint had to hope he could hold on a little bit longer.
Ignoring the ache that was settling around his chest, Clint scaled the tree and waited. He used some of the vines around him to tie himself loosly into the tree. It would give him more security in case those piercing rounds eliminated a couple of the branches.
Below him Steve used his walkie talkie to send the others a prearranged signal. This would not be in words, in case their frequency was monitored by the enemy. He settled his finger on the button and pushed it down.
Natasha, Bruce ,Benji and even Thor almost jumped when a scratching sound came out of the walkie talkie at Natasha's side. She braced herself to receive the information that would follow. There would be a certain number of blips that indicated the situation. In the worst case scenario there would be only three, indicating that Steve had not found the others alive. "One, two, three", Benji counted them out loud his voice wavering slightly. This also concerned Ethan's survival and he was now feeling an acute anxiety. "Four", he continued and he smiled as anxiety faded away. Four meant, Ethan and Clint were alive. "Five", Bruce added as one more blip sounded. 'They found Will", Benji felt like laughing he was so relieved. "It's not over yet", Natasha reminded them. We do not know how many more mercenaries they have".
"Or what else", Bruce stated solemnly. He had a good point Natasha thought. "Let's just be prepared for the unexpected", she remarked.
They fanned out slightly and with weapons at the ready moved toward the others location.
Fields had already found out that not only was Clint Barton not alone, he and the others had already found William Brandt. That meant changing to plan B.
"Fan out and hit them with your enhanced weapons", he told his mercenaries," try to maneuver them there in a small clump, then I'll do the rest".
An arrow flew down from up high and interrupted his speech by spearing one of his team right through the middle of his body. "You two, make it your priority to take care of Barton, he'll be up in the trees somewhere", he added sourly.
Spreading themselves out the mercenaries moved forward encircling the small group while firing their piercing rounds. Field hung back, out of the firing line waiting.
Pieces of rock were shooting up around team Avengers as the projectiles hit into it and broke pieces off. Cap's shield was used a protection from the rock missiles.
All of them kept up the firing onslaught knowing that they would not run out of ammunition for a long time. It felt though that no one was really getting the upper hand. The mercenaries were taking cover when they fired and were adept enough not to let any parts of their body become targets. Steve determined that they might be stalling for time, hoping more troops would join them. Well they were not alone in that tactic.
When he saw firing come at the enemy from another direction he smiled knowing that their numbers had just been boosted. "Thor and the others are here", he told Ethan.
Mr Fields has also noted that fact. He had lost contact with his other team which did not bode well. Even though he had confidence in his men's abilities he knew that if Banner transformed they would most likely decide that his money was not worth their lives. So he had to act. Slipping his hand into his pocket he pushed the button on a small remote control.
Out a sea a missile came firing out of the fishing boats cargo hold.
It was detected by the helicarrier which was idling on the far side of the island. 'Sir another missile has just been fired. It is however not directed at us", the crewman stated.
Captain Grey sighed, "these guys will never learn that they face the might of the Avengers. I am sure the Hulk can deal with that missile." He was not really worried about that outcome.
Hawkeye saw the missile approaching when it was about 5 minutes from impact and broke radio silence to warn the others.
"Does this man not care for his own soldiers" ,Steve growled," they too will get caught in the blast".
"Yeah well he did not strike me as the type who cared. He had a very big knife held against Will's throat not that long ago.",Clint replied over the radio. He really wanted a minute alone with the guy so he could settle things once and for all.
"I think this qualifies as a hulk moment", Steve told Bruce. He really did not care if the mercenaries overheard that order, it might give them something to think about.
"Yeah Fury is not here to see what happens", Thor added. Bruce felt puzzled when he felt relief fill him. It was like transforming would dissipate all the tension he felt building up inside him. Trying to constantly push that tension down was always a strain. Nobody really knew how difficult it was at times to not hulk out. It had become part of who he was he realized and if he denied it then he was denying himself. Being normal may be nothing more than a dream unless a permanent cure was found.
Thinking no more about it, he swiftly transformed watching as the others back away.
The missile flew in to their location and he caught it between his giant green hands. Then he crushed it solidly between them hoping to grind it to dust. The force made the missile explode, though it was a more muted detonation that buffeted him around like a small wind . Around him no one was shooting, even the enemy were transfixed by his actions. Perhaps some part of them realised that he had just saved their lives. The terror would follow soon after though. The hulk saw smoke wafting up from what was left of the missile and grinned, that was one puny little weapon. Seconds later he felt the smoke constrict his throat painfully. It had now filled his lungs and why that would not usually be a problem this was not normal smoke. He felt sleepiness pull at him in increasing intensity. His feet wobbled and wavered and he came dangerously close to stepping on his colleagues. Then the ground rushed up to meet him.
Hulk fell right next to the rest of the team ,who could do nothing to escape the rumble as his bulk hit the ground, the smoke had rendered the majority of them unconscious in seconds. Thor had sucked in only a small portion of the smoke. It made him feel strange, like he had consumed too much of the strongest alcoholic substance on the planet. He found himself running through the trees with no idea of what he was actually doing or why. His fast pace quickly moved him away from the others.
Mr Fields smiled within his gas mask. 'Take that", he laughed. Now that was the easiest take down he had for a long time. Now all he had to do was find Will Brandt. He had kept one mercenary with him to help carry the agent. Soon he would have the information he needed and his mission could finally end.