It didn't take long for Clint to give into exhaustion, he'd been awake for over 50 hours, waiting and praying for Natasha to make an improvement
The doctors kept a watchful eye on her, Dr. Hart appeared every so often; administering drugs or taking reading from the monitors.
Clint could read his expression; he wasn't hopeful... But Clint forced himself to keep calm, if anyone could get through this is was Natasha. She'd fooled them all before; a mission in Peru which remains the most disastrous mission of his career had left her in a coma for over a week, doctors told him there was no hope, she wouldn't wake up and if she did there'd been irreversible brain damage... But she'd walked out of that medical bay two weeks later and was back on assignment in less than a month.
After two days, when the others finally left to get some rest, Clint eventually lay his head on the bed beside her; still gripping her hand in his, and he went to sleep.
The next morning Coulson went to check on the pair, taking a coffee and a sandwich for Clint because he knew the archer wouldn't have left Natasha's side in order to eat
"Clint... Clint?" Coulson tried to rouse him, but he always was a deep sleeper, especially when he was sleep deprived
He shook his shoulder, but nothing... So Coulson pulled him into a seated position; still nothing.
"Clint! Agent Barton!" Coulson shouted, shaking him fiercely
Fury, Hill and Dr Hart walked in at that moment
"Phil, we have a problem" Fury informed him
"You're telling me! I can't wake Clint"
"It's not just him, Pepper just rang; It's all of them"
"Is this a complication because of Decoy?" Phil asked angrily
"Possibly, we're working on fixing it" Hart answered
"Well you better work fast! The Fantastic Four are deployed in England and our super team is currently unconscious, New York is defenseless" Hill informed the doctor, who cowered away from her gaze before nodding and scurrying off
"What do we do sir?" Phil asked
"A team has been sent to bring in the other four, all we can do for now is monitor them and wait for Hart to figure this whole thing out... The council are waiting for an update, so I get to go deliver the news. Coulson, Hill; keep your eye on them" and with that, he turned and left
"Well, this went downhill fast" Maria commented, watching as a group of doctors set up another five hospital beds
"Yeah, maybe Natasha was right"
Soon all six Avengers were in the same room, monitors beeping in synchronisation
Other than Natasha they were all stable; they were just out cold... Pepper was furious, Maria was angry (she'd agreed with Natasha all along and fought with Fury relentlessly to squash project Decoy before it was implemented) and Phil was concerned
"Give me some good news" Fury asked, returning from a meeting with the council that went less than well
"Erm..." Dr. Hart stuttered, he had a solution, but it wasn't an option he thought anyone would like
"Spit it out Hart, we're desperate here"
"The only way I can see to wake them up is to wake Natasha"
"Is that an option?"
"It's doable, but I wouldn't advise it"
"What are you saying Hart?"
"We wake Natasha, she probably won't survive. We don't wake her, the others remain unconscious"
Fury growled, he actually growled and several doctors and scientists subtly left the room
"That information does not leave this room. The council won't hesitate to sacrifice one of them to get the other five back and that's a price i'm not willing to pay"
Several nods of agreement came from the staff around the medical bay, before Fury left to lie to the council and inform them that they currently had no ideas
"Keep working, find us a solution" Hill instructed, before following the director from the room
Phil glared at the doctor until he went back to work, then he seated himself between the two assassins... Well, Natasha was right; it had all turned drastically wrong...