It wasn't long before Gavrok reappeared, bringing someone else with him to the cells...
This time though, it wasn't Natasha he had with him; it was Pepper.
All three men's heads snapped up as she was forced down the hallway infront of the cells, her hands bound.
Tony's eyes went wide; he'd been desperately hoping Gavrok had been bluffing when he'd mentioned her... She was thrown in the cell with Tony, before Gavrok retreated from the room silently.
She was covered in blood; her hands, her clothes, her face.
"Pepper, what did he do to you?" Tony pleaded; desperate to have her in his arms, but too scared to touch her in case she was badly injured. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any pain
"I'm fine Tony, I'm not hurt" her eyes were red and puffy; she'd been crying, which explained the blood smeared on her face; she'd been frantically wiping away the tears
"Then what-"
"It's not my blood" she answered gravely
"Then who?"
"Tasha" Clint answered for her. He'd sensed Pepper didn't want to have this conversation in front of him and Steve, and that was the only explanation he could think of which explained why
Pepper slowly nodded, confirming his suspicions, as she broke back down into tears, burying herself in Tony's embrace
"Is she- Pepper, I need to know... Is she-" he stumbled over his words; couldn't say it, he couldn't even think it...
"She's still alive. But I don't know how much longer she can last; she's in a bad way"
Clint nodded, Natasha would hold out; she had to
"She slipped me this, she told me you could use it" Pepper told him, reaching her hand over to Clint through the bars of the cell after she glanced cautiously over her shoulder at the door Gavrok had exited out of
Clint reached out his hand to accept whatever it was Natasha had sent with Pepper
"What is it?" Tony asked, as he and Steve tried to see the object held in Clint's hand, their full attention now focused on whatever Natasha had deemed so important, she'd probably risked her life to get it to them
"It's a key" Clint said, Natasha never failed to amaze him
"Nat must have lifted it from somewhere while she was-" Steve let the sentence die, not wanting to finish...
Clint reached awkwardly round the door and was shocked when his cell door actually swung open.
She'd done it, Natasha had given then a way out.