A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I was so inspired by your comments that this chapter is extra long!.
Chapter 5
"All of you?" The Jinn eyed Pepper. Not that it mattered to Ava, who went and who stayed but given the cast of characters Pepper appeared to be the only sane one in the group.
"No, just them." Pepper reached down and picked up Tony's suitcase. "You might need this."
"Don't know what I'd do without you," Tony grinned pecking her cheek. "Just don't eat all of the donuts while we're gone."
Satisfied with the pink flush tinting her face, Tony stepped up even with his friends. "Are we sure we just want to drop in unannounced?"
"Do you have any better ideas?" Natasha clipped taking her place between Tony and Bruce. "We're ready. Now take us to Agent Barton."
"As you wish," Ava nodded and the room began to change. In seconds, Pepper's face became nothing but a blur as they were suddenly thrust into a dark, dank cave beneath the city. The walls of the cave were illuminated by burning torches and the air smelled of wet dirt and mud.
"Any guesses to where we are?" Bruce asked as the trio broke apart and began to explore their new surroundings.
"Hell?" Tony returned, earning an eye roll from Natasha. She didn't believe in the biblical underworld known as Hades. To Tasha, Hell was already a place on Earth. Lord knew she'd seen enough evil to last her a lifetime.
"My experience tells me this is a HYDRA safe house. Clint and I once infiltrated a safe house in the Ukraine. It was very similar to this one."
"That would explain why the homing device didn't pick up Clint's signal. We're too far underground to pick it up," Bruce added as Natasha drew her weapon. Cautiously, they began to make their way through a series of caves, each one leading them further beneath the ground.
It was quite. Too quiet for Tony's sake. If this was HYDRA where were their green costumed goons? And if they were holding Clint, where were the armed guards? Surely, they would not leave an Avenger alone? Even though Clint didn't possess superpowers, he was still a captive not to be taken lightly.
"Is it just me or does this feel like a trap?" The words had just tumbled from Tony's lips when they were met by one of HYDRA's pets, an enormous lizard creature with a thirst for blood. Reaching for her utility belt, Natasha pulled out a second gun and began simultaneously firing at the beast.
The creature grunted, as the bullets bounced off it's amor coated skin, like small pebbles.
"This might be a good time for you to open that suitcase!" Bruce shouted as the creature started to advance, pouncing at them.
"Natasha, get out the way!"
The super assassin dove head first into a somersault and then sprang back to her feet as the creature began to lunge toward Bruce.
"Bruce, try to stay calm!" She didn't want him to become the Hulk. If and when they found Clint he was going need Bruce Banner's medical's skills not some oversized green monster with an attitude.
"Yeah that might be kind of hard…" Bruce quipped diving in the opposite direction.
"What do you wanna bet this thing breaths fire?" Kneeling, Tony quickly worked the combination lock on the suitcase and flung it open. Within seconds the suit began to encase him in the iron armor that he had come to know and love.
"All right everyone step aside." Thrusting out his arm, Tony shot a beam of white heat at the beast hitting it square between the eyes. The beast screamed, only to retaliate with an inferno of flames shooting out from his mouth and nose.
"Was I wrong?"
"Just hold him, off!" Natasha ordered as she and Bruce started to crouch down the path. "Bruce and I are going to see if we can find Clint!" She needed to get Bruce out of there before the Hulk took over. Together they ran blindly though a maze of tunnels shooting at anything that stood in their way. HYDRA agents dressed in green jumpsuits appeared from nowhere but proved to be no match for Natasha as she took them out one by one, guns blazing.
"Stay behind me!" She told Bruce.
Bruce shook his head. "Yeah…Hulk doesn't really like that."
"Well, tell him he has to be patient!" Natasha spat as she checked the last HYDRA agent for a pulse. As luck would have it, he was still alive. Carefully she waited for his eyes to become small slivers. "Tell me where Agent Barton is or I will hunt down your family one by one and slaughter them like pigs!"
"They're already dead!" The agent spat, kneeing the Avenger and tossing her over his body.
That did it. Against his will, Bruce's eyes flashed green, clothing begin to tear and his body began to morph into the Hulk. Hulk then let out a menacing growl and tossed the HYDRA agent into the wall where the man crumpled to his death like a rag doll.
"Damn it, Bruce! I told you not to do that!" Natasha scolded as she picked herself up and dusted off her uniform.
Hulk merely hissed at her disapproval and started down the path in search of his fallen colleague.
Dream World
Clint wasn't sure how long the hail storm last or when the rumbling had stopped. All he was concerned with was Natasha. The burns on back were back. Third degree. And to make matters worse she was bleeding out. He had taken some of the bed sheets and torn them into strips for bandages. It wasn't enough but under the circumstance it was the best he could do.
"You…should go…" she whimpered as he turned her on side and started to clean the wounds.
"I already told you I'm not going anywhere." Gingerly, he patted the injured area and began to apply pressure."
"You.. have.. too…" She choked.
"Why? Are you afraid, I'll get squeamish?"
A sob escaped her lips. "I'm dying!"
One by one, unshed tears started to fill her eyes making him realize that she was serious.
"No one is going to die here today." He said, taking her hand. "Besides, you promised me in Budapest that you'd never leave me, remember?"
Pursing her lips, Natasha managed a nod through the pain. "That might not be a promise I can keep."
"You aren't leaving me, Nat and that's final."
And then it started again, a flaming hail stone, the size of a grapefruit crashed through window setting, the bunkhouse on fire. Doing the only thing he could Clint grabbed one of the bed sheets and started pummeling the flames to no avail.
Once he had the flames under control he looked back at Natasha to find that she had succumbed to unconsciousness. "Nat?"
Sliding back to the bed, Clint cradled his unconscious partner in her arms. "Please, don't leave me…Nat….please…don't…die."
Berman's Lair
Berman was monitoring the amount of blood in Clint's IV bag when he felt the ground begin to vibrate. He looked up just in time to see the Hulk enter his chamber, bearing his teeth.
"Who…who…are…you?" he shuddered right before the Hulk lunged, grabbing the hapless doctor by the collar. Berman's feet began to dangle as the Hulk lifted him from the ground and pinned him into the wall, roaring with anger.
"Do not kill him," Natasha ordered as she rounded the corner and set eyes on her captive partner.