Any time Now
Chapter 3
Wow! All in under 24 hours I got a gazillion favorites, follows, and 1 review!... Yeah... Nvr mind! (but please remember to review) Reviews make my day! (as do Oreo thins 3) I am going to split this chapter in half, the first half focusing on Tony, and the second half on the Avengers and SHIELD. This is a really angsty chapter because I'm an evil person! (Sorry about the length of the first half I wanted to make it a big reveal) Enjoy! (Also sorry about the big wait I know I promised two chapters by today, but maybe I can find time to fit in another chapter today.)
Tony blinked open his eyes to a dark room. He was curled up on the ground in the middle of a circular room with a door about ten feet away. He tried to stand, but his knees automatically collapsed. He heard a jangle of what sounded like chains. He felt his wrists and found shackles connected to chains on the ceiling. Another chain connected him to the ceiling by his neck. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing on the quinjet; jeans and a black t-shirt, but only his shoes were missing.
Oh... It all came back to him in a flash. The quinjet doors opening behind him, nearly falling out, Steve grabbing his hand. Shortly after, being grabbed from behind, one hand grabbing his wrists, one covering his mouth. He remembered the sharp tingle as the needle entered his neck and then... nothing. Just waking up in the dark room, aching and tired.
He tried standing again, but collapsed once more, shaking more than ever. He tried crawling to the door on the far end of the room, only to find that the chains holding him back were not long enough. He curled up on the floor again and went back into a restless sleep.
...
When Tony woke up again, the room was slightly lighter. Light was shining through under the door. As Tony used this time to look more carefully around the room, he saw that the ceiling did have light fixtures, but they were not lit. A few spider webs were drifting on the ceiling, unused.
Tony tried to stand again, only to find he still did not have the strength. He tried peering under the door, about to call for help. Then he saw feet approaching the door.
The door swung open, emitting light that momentarily blinded Tony. When he blinked open his eyes to see who had opened the door, the lights on the ceiling flipped on, again blinding him.
Tony's eyes finally adjusting to the light, he glanced up to be backhanded across his face. He yelped and looked up again. Again, he was hit over and over again, kicked, punched, and bruised until he just gave up trying to look at his attacker, curling up on the ground, trembling. He shuddered and glanced at the man's leather boots.
A cold, clear voice rang through the cell, making Tony shiver with fear. "Tony Stark. You caused me much trouble in New York. My turn."
Tony knew that voice. The voice that haunted him nightly.
Loki.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHO DID IT?! YOU MEAN YOU DID NOTHING BUT WATCH WHEN TONY STARK WAS THROWN OUT THE DOOR OF AN OPEN QUINJET?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THIS, CAPTAIN RODGERS!"
Steve thought he had been prepared for the "debriefing" on the helicarrier but he was obviously mistaken. Thinking Fury would spend the entire hour screaming at the Avengers for losing a member of their team, but instead they had been there for three hours already.
"I... I told you already, Director. We tried. But we didn't act fast enough and now we have to pay the consequences. I'm afraid Tony will, too," Steve's voice cracked under the thought his friend may pay for something that was his fault.
"What else do we know?" came a hesitant inquiry from Hill.
"Loki has something out for Tony," Bruce hesitantly added. "I think he has for a while."
"Where where they going?"
Steve took a deep breath and replied with a shaky breath. "The quinjet they were in headed north. They were dressed for cold weather, but they didn't have any heavy jackets or any fur coats."
"What about Loki? Is it possible that he escaped earlier that we found out?" came another question from Hill.
"It would not be clear to anyone on Asgard. It is possible that Loki can plant ideas in men's minds, promising them fame and wealth, but he has been under daily watch in an unbreakable cell," Thor promised.
Fury nodded, still angry, but taking note on the Avenger's (minus one) current state. With a short nod they were dismissed.
Steve went back to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. Shortly, the door opened and Bruce, Clint, Tasha, and Thor walked in. Tasha sat on the edge of the bed next to Steve and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He smiled at her, but it was forced and it didn't reach his eyes. The others pulled up armchairs and sat around the bed in a circle.
"What do we do now?" Tasha asked.
"We find him," Steve replied.
"We don't know where he is, though. It could take ages and he may be..." Clint paused in the middle of his sentence, not wanting to continue.
"He may be, yes, but we shouldn't base our searches on the possibility Tony could be dead," Steve countered.
Bruce wanted to curl up in a little ball and stay there. He wanted nothing other than his friend back, but he knew he would have to work for that. He felt responsible for what happened on the jet. He could have helped, but instead he had just stood there, staring in shock, even though if he had lost control everyone would have died.
Clint was upset. It had been his fault. If he had found a way to close the door fast enough, they wouldn't have lost Tony.
Thor hadn't been the closest with Tony. They had never been the closest of friends, and he knew that bringing out Mjolnir would have ripped the jet apart, causing them all to fall to their deaths.
Tasha had dealt with worse, but this time it was one of her friends. Also she had been his assistant for a short time, including beating up his friend. She almost smiled, until she remembered that it had also been in front of Pepper, who had no clue anything had happened. She had been in Miami for a conference when everything had happened. Tasha put a mental note in her head to tell Pepper.
Steve also felt responsible. He should have told Tony to put on the suit and check out the jet from the outside, but in all the chaos, he wasn't sure that would have been a very good idea.
When the other Avengers had gone back to their rooms, Steve lay in bed, wondering what Tony could be going through. He suddenly sat upright, one question buzzing around in his brain.
How did Loki's followers get onto the quinjet?
Just a note, that last question is going to be a major plot development. Keep an eye out for new chapters!
By the way, my name is Teresa.