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Chapter 16

Jade woke up shivering. She was on a cold stone floor, and the air was cold too. She sat up, and looked round, and saw she was in what looked to be a stone cell. There was a wooden door, with bars at the top. The only light was coming from the torches outside the door, and the pale sunlight that filtered through a small grate on the wall opposite the door. She felt something around her ankle and looked down at her foot. She saw a heavy manacle there, attached to a short chain.

The sound of footfalls reached Jade's ears and her eyes fastened on the door. Through the door, she saw a masked and cloaked figure. She heard locks sliding, alerting her to bolts, and not just a key, and the door swung open. The cloaked figure threw a tray down in front of her and she saw the food on it. Then, he drew a knife, and her eyes went wide.

She tried to move away, but he drew his wand and hit her with a wordless spell. She was immobilised. He drew a glass vial and cut her arm. It was painful, but Jade had felt worse. He gathered some blood into the vial, sealed it, and pocketed it. He conjured a bandage and wrapped it round Jade's arm.

"Can't have you dying on us quite yet." He said. He released the spell, and stepped back, and went to leave the cell.

"What do you want from me?" Jade asked.

He turned to face her. "You're going to bring back the Dark Lord. You have less than twenty hours left before we begin the ritual to bring him back. Once the ritual begins, it will drain your life and magic into him, resurrecting him, at the expense of your life. The blood is merely a contingency plan. Eat. You don't have to be at full strength, but it is preferable." With that, he left.

Jade began searching her pockets when she could no longer hear footsteps. Her wand was gone, but she had her communicator. She turned it on, and placed the ear piece in her ear. They must have thought it was some sort of muggle toy and of no use. Thank the gods they didn't know the truth.

"I've got an incoming call!" A S.H.I.E.L.D agent in the communication's room said. "It's from Jade Stark."

"Put her on speakerphone." Steve ordered. The message had been sent out, so far the others were gathering. Thor was in the communications room with him as well, the others were waiting in the debriefing room, except Tony, who wasn't there yet, due to not having been told yet.

"On speakerphone." The agent said.

"Jade can you hear me?" Steve asked.

"Uncle Steve!" Jade said, a hint of relief in her voice. "Uncle Steve, I think I'm in big trouble."

"Your friend Hermione called ahead, saying you were missing. Fury's gone to tell your parents. What do you know about your situation? Who is it that's taken you?"

"Death Eaters. They pan on bringing Voldemort back."

"How, Jade?" Thor asked.

"Some sort of ritual." Jade said. "The Death Eater who brought me food said it would kill me and use my magic and life force to bring him back. He also took some of my blood, citing a contingency plan."

"Jade, stay as calm as you can for me, alright?" Steve urged. "One of your bracelets have a tracker in it. We have people trying to lock onto it now. There's just some interference. Did you get a time frame?"

"Less than twenty hours."

"We'll be there, Jade. I promise." Steve assured. "We won't let them kill you."

"Keep the line open. Please?" Jade asked.

"We will." Steve said.

Fury walked into the office, and saw Pepper on the phone to someone. She held up a hand. He didn't have time for this.

"Jade is missing. I just got a call from one of my people, she used her communicator. It's Voldemorts doing."

"I'll call you back." Pepper said, hanging up. She stood, and headed for Tony's office, and opened the door. Tony was at his computer.

"What's up Pep?"

"Jade's been kidnapped!"

Tony rocketed to his feet, anger clouding his face. "By who?"

"Voldemort. Her friend Hermione tried to contact the both of you on Jade's phone and failed. She got lucky when she dialled Roger's number. She said Jade was missing. Jade just managed to contact us on her communicator, and told us what was happening. Grab your things, because we've narrowed the signal to South England, and the Avengers are flying out. We'll be informed when my agents have a precise location, but we can't afford to loose time. We have less than twenty hours."

"Until what?" Pepper asked.

Fury looked at them both. He knew it was best to tell them straight. "Until they sacrifice her."

Pepper gasped, and burst into tears.

"Like hell they will." Tony growled. "They'll die before my daughter will."

Jade pulled her robes tighter round herself. It was freezing. She could even see her breath. She sneezed. Great. Just what she needed. She was getting a cold on top of everything else. At least it meant she was still alive.

She was curled into a ball, and examining the lock on the manacle. She wished she had something to pick it with. But she had nothing. Not even cutlery. Or a hair pin, which would have been desirable.

"Remind me to always wear a hair pin from now on so I can pick locks if I ever end up chained to a wall again."

"We will Jade." Her dad said. She knew they were all on the Quinjet now. She had first heard her dad over the comm. when he'd stormed into the room, yelling angrily about how the agents had better have a good idea of where she was by now. He was disappointed. They were still working through interference. It was most likely a heavily warded area that the Death Eaters were keeping Jade in.

A few hours had passed and the Avengers were now flying towards Britain. Apparently, Bruce was on sedatives right now, so he wouldn't Hulk out too soon and go on a rampage of no use- or destroy the Quinjet. The rescue team consisted of Tony, Rhodey, Steve, Thor, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, Logan, Hank, Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben, Fury and several S.H.I.E.L.D agents and even Stephen Strange, who Fury had called in. She just hoped they'd get there in time. Not that she voiced her doubt.

"We're just flying over England now. We're almost at the airstrip, and the signal's being located quicker now." Tony said.

Jade let out a sigh of relief. It sounded like she would be fine. She was told when the jet touched down, and regularly informed on progress. But she was aware of the decreasing time limit. She knew her mum was on the jet too. But she wouldn't be coming further. Pepper had had a mild panic attack earlier when Fury had instructed Jade not to eat anything, just in case, and then she'd had to be sedated, because she'd lunged for the Director. Jade kicked the fod tray further away from her, so it slid out of her reach, and she couldn't be tempted.

Several more hours ticked by, without much happening, until;

"We have your location, Jade, hold on, we're coming." Tony said.

"Hurry dad. I don't think I have much time left."

"We'll be there Jade." He replied.

It felt like an age or just seconds had passed at the same time, when Jade once again heard footsteps.

"Someone's coming." She said.

The cell door opened, and she saw a Death Eater, wand drawn. "Time's up." He said. He banished the chain, and walked in and grabbed her.

"That's it? That's the final words I'll here? Time's up? Can't you come up with something better for when people hear my Eulogy? She was a great kid, but her time was up? Oh yeah I can really hear that one going down well." Jade remarked sarcastically. Before she elbowed him in the nuts and took off running when his grip loosened on her. "Ok, we're dealing with idiots." She muttered.

"He fell for that innocent but snarky attitude?" Tony asked over the comm.

"Yeah." Jade said. Suddenly there was an explosion and the ground shook. "What the hell?"

"We're here." Tony said.

"Oh good." Jade said. Suddenly pain ripped through her, and she crumpled to the ground, writhing in agony and screaming. She could hear multiple voices over the communicator, but they were drowned out in the pain. When the pain lifted, she was pulled up roughly by her arms and shaken.

"Little bitch." The death eater she'd elbowed growled. "I'll enjoy watching you die. The moment you're in the circle with the Dark Lord, you're as good as dead. Only an act of God would be able to stop that ritual." He dragged her down a stone corridor. As Jade came back to herself, she noticed the ear piece was gone from her ear, and so was the rest of the communicator.

Her mind sped up, thinking of possible ways out, until she settled on one. If the best way to fight fire was with fire, then you fight magic, with magic.

"LOKI!" She cried out, hoping he would hear.

A/N: Please review!