Emily woke up with a splitting headache. She was back in her cell. Wincing at the pain that shot through her body, she sat up. She had to stop because she was so dizzy. After a while, she managed to get herself up onto her cot. She slowly used her fingers to investigate her body, flinching every time she found a new bruise. She found a few rather deep cuts that were still bleeding, including one on her face. She definitely had some broken ribs. They must have beaten her while she was unconscious to keep her from fighting again. How could a simple taze cause her to black out like that? They must have had a very high voltage. If it caused her to faint, it most likely would kill the average person.
As her eyes quickly adjusted to the surrounding pitch black, she saw that her crack had been filled in. There was only one way she could see out of her cell now. She hated doing it, but she needed to know. She closed her eyes and concentrated once again. She slowly reached out with her mind, searching for other minds to connect to. There! It was a dog. Was that really the closest? She mentally embraced the warmth of the canine's mind and entered in. The dog flinched at feeling the strange presence. She forgot how animals always were more aware of her. It's ok. I'm a friend. I need your help. May I use your body please? I'll be kind. She asked. Being a more primitive creature, it couldn't reply with words, but Emily could feel the sense of consent that was there. I'll call you Pacho she told him.
She stood up. At first she was wobbly. She had forgotten how awkward canine bodies felt. They looked around and she saw that they were in the courtyard where she had been earlier. There was nothing but robots. As they walked around, they didn't see a single human. They had learned their lesson. It would be harder to get past all of the androids versus the same number of humans, since she couldn't get into their minds, nor could they feel pain. Harder indeed. There was no way she could do it on her own in her present condition. She would have to wait for Bruce.
Dr. Banner and his friends were hiking through the jungle, heading towards the village with Victor as their guide. Steve was obviously uncomfortable with the humidity, but he suffered in silence, unlike Tony.
"Are we almost there?" He complained. "When we get there, there better be a lot of these robot things, because I feel like opening a big ol' can of Whoop-ass. Hey, Spangles, wanna give me a hand with this? This case is getting heavy." Steve accepted the case/suit from him wordlessly.
"Why don't you just wear it and scout from up there?" Clint suggested, pointing up. "You can keep us updated if you see anything." Tony shrugged and took the case back. He punched in a code on the keypad on the top of the case. It opened up, revealing two spots for him to place his feet. He stepped on these pads, and the suit sprung into action. The other Avengers never ceased to be amazed by the whirring parts and clicks as the plates settled into place. In no time, Tony was fully suited up and in the air, stating simply, "Legolas, keep them safe. In this jungle, even I might miss something."
As he soared through the air, JARVIS updated him. "Miss Potts tried to call last night, but I informed her that you were indisposed. She took it quite well. I told her you would be home in a few days. My scanners aren't indicating any human life surrounding your friends, but it's difficult to tell, considering how much life there is down there. The compound appears to be 1.7 miles ahead. Perhaps you would care to do a flyover before you officially arrive?"
"Let's fly" was all Stark said in reply. They covered the territory in no time, keeping an eye out for guerilla scouts on the way. The compound was small and plain, but Tony suspected that there might be more to it underground. Flashes quickly caught his eye. He dropped his altitude a bit to see what was going on. The sunlight was reflecting off of metallic humanoid robots. These must be the androids Victor warned us about Tony thought. He called it in to the others, who were listening to their earpieces. Clint pulled an arrow out of his quiver and kept his bow at the ready.
Bruce was obviously anxious, which wasn't helping his asthma. The last thing that the team needed was a premature hulking out. Natasha reached for her belt and pulled his inhaler out of a pouch and handed to him. He accepted it gratefully. He stopped for a second and used it and relaxed his shoulders. He returned it to the assassin with a small smile. She nodded with a small smile of her own.
Suddenly, Victor pulled up and they almost crashed into him. They look over his shoulder and saw the compound. Tony landed behind them. "Yeah. What's the plan, Cap?" He asked. He had come to respect the captain's judgement after the New York affair. They were more effective as a strategic team.
Steve turned to Bruce. "Now would be a good to get upset." He then stepped back at the sight of Dr. Banner's eyes. They were a bright, dangerous green, and the expression on his face struck fear, even in the hearts of his friends.
"With a great deal of pleasure." he replied, even as his body began to swell.