"Natasha?" Matt murmured. He could hear someone sitting on the armchair, the beat of their heart, the slight creak the chair made as they moved, but his head throbbed and the effort to try and get an exact read on the person wasn't worth it. Matt recognised their smell. It was either Natasha, or,

"It's Foggy," Foggy said, and turned off his phone, and placed it on the coffee table.

"Foggy," Matt breathed. So Foggy would know everything, then. At least Matt didn't have to explain it to him

"Natasha'a gone for a run."

"Call her," Matt breathed. He tried to adjust how he was lying, but everywhere hurt and his limbs felt as though they were made of lead.

"What?"

"You - you have to call Natasha."

"I can't."

"Please Fog," Matt said, his voice cracking. Foggy wasn't impressed. Matt wondered what the time was. "Don't be a dick."

"What? I'm not being a dick, Matt. Her phone's over there on the charger on the kitchen bench."

"Where is she?" Matt asked.

"She's gone for a run," Foggy said. He sighed heavily.

"I need to tell…"

"Yeah, well it'll have to wait, won't it."

"Please don't be cross."

"Ah, Matt," Foggy groaned, "I got here at like, four am or some stupid hour after Natasha Romanov called me in the middle of the night."

"…Sorry…"

Foggy sighed. "I sent Natasha to bed when I got here. Your alarm went off at seven, and she appeared about twenty minutes later. She had a cup of tea, put up her hair, put on her shoes and said she was going for a run."

"How long…?"

"About a hour ago?" Foggy said, "Or there about. I don't think she'll be much longer."

"I need to… tell her…" Matt said. It hurt to breath and to talk and to think, but he had to tell Natasha what he knew, even if it was too late.

"Yeah, well she'll be coming back. I mean she left her phone here. And her Black Widow costume is hanging over the towel rack in the bathroom. That thing is some serious tech, Matt. I mean, I went in for a leak, and it's there all black leather and weird electronics and guns. Seriously Matt, there's about four guns in your bathroom."

"Huh," Matt said. "I need…" Matt gritted his teeth, "Do you know what happened?"

"To you? Yes, Natasha explained when she woke up this morning. What the hell were you doing, Matt? She said you had it, then next moment you were on the ground!"

"Barnes…" Matt swallowed.

"What?"

"Winter Soldier. I need Nat…"

"Matt, you're shaking and sweaty and feverish,"

"Everywhere hurts…"

"You need painkillers."

"I need… to tell…"

Foggy groaned and pushed himself out of the armchair. "You can have two of these now, I guess," he said, popping two tablets out of the wrapping. He grabbed a glass and half-filled it. "Natasha said Claire left them for you." Foggy knelt down beside Matt, and put one of the tablets in Matt's mouth, before putting the water to Matt's lips. Matt swallowed and felt the tablet drop down his throat. He opened his mouth and Foggy repeated the process. "They should kick in in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks," Matt muttered.

"You're a mess, Murdock," Foggy said, standing up. He went and put the glass in the sink, then came and sat back down.

"Sorry,"

"Yeah, well,"

"I've got breakfast," Natasha said, opening the door. "Bagels all round. I would have got coffee, but I don't know what anyone drinks, and I Matt has quite a good collection of teas in the cupboard. And," Natasha stopped, and noticed Foggy starring at her. "What?"

"Nat?" Matt breathed.

"You're awake," Natasha said.

"You took a while," Foggy said.

"We - we have to call Steve," Matt said.

Natasha put the bag of food on the kitchen bench, grabbed her phone and came and sat down. "What's happened?"

"Answers," Matt said.

Natasha looked at Matt, then at Foggy who gave her a shrug, then back to Matt. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Matt swallowed. "I think there's something wrong with Barnes," he said, every word a struggle, but he had to tell her. He couldn't let it be in vain. "The guy I had, he - he said the tech was old. I think that's why they had to hunt Barnes down. You - you said every time they caught up with Barnes, after he escaped, back in the sixties, they - they fiddled with his arm. I think they added a kill-switch. Some - something, likely poison. But that was fifty years ago, and Barnes is strong. He fights. And he fights so hard…"

"He's being poisoned," Natasha said. She felt her stomach drop.

"It wasn't working," Matt said, glad Natasha had caught on so quickly. "The poison. It was too old. The kill switch. They caught him, and manually set it off."

"It's meant to kill him," Natasha said.

Matt nodded and closed his eyes.

"But Matt, they had him around lunchtime yesterday. That's like, sixteen hours ago."

"I know…"

"Shit," Natasha unlocked her phone and dialled for Steve. "I'm putting this on speaker," she said, "You both might as well hear."

"Nat," Matt said.

"Yeah?"

"If - if Barnes dies now," Matt swallowed, "It'll…"

"Yeah," Natasha said as the phone rang, "I know."

"Know what?" Foggy asked.

"Hello?" Steve said before Foggy could get an answer.

"Steve, it's Nat, Matt and Foggy," Natasha said, "You're on loud-speaker. We've got a problem."

"Yeah," Steve said. He sounded stressed and anxious. "We've got a bit of a problem here too. Bucky's not real well, and Maria can't,"

"Bucky's being poisoned. Hydra inserted a kill-switch, and set it off," Natasha said.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Steve asked.

"Long story," Natasha said.

"Shit,"

"Language," Natasha said, unable to help herself.

"Natasha, it's not funny."

"It's always funny, Steve."

"Natasha, if he's dying…"

"I know. Sorry."

"How do you know about a kill-switch? What did you and Matt find?"

Natasha looked at Matt. She wanted him to give her some kind of acknowledgement that what she had done was right, but Matt just lay with his eyes closed, a pained look on his face. "There was another part to Bucky's file," Natasha confessed. Matt's eyes opened and he tipped his head faintly in her direction. "I'm sorry Steve. I had it destroyed. I didn't think it could ever be - anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Steve, please, right now we just,"

"What happened, Natasha?" Steve yelled. "What have you kept from me?"

"Steve, right now,"

"Right now it's clearly very important, Natasha. What happened?"

"Right now all you need to know is that Barnes is being poisoned and will die if we don't stop it," Matt said quietly.

"Great, now we're taking medical advise from a blind lawyer. And why does Murdock sound so sick?" Steve growled.

"He got shot," Natasha said, "Part of the long story. Look, Steve,"

"He got shot? What the hell were you two doing, Natasha?"

"Hey, lay off, man," Foggy said.

"Foggy,"

"Natasha, I swear, if he dies,"

"Hey man, she was just trying to protect you,"

"Steve, I wish I'd never read it,"

"How can I trust you Natasha, when,"

"Look, buddy,"

"Steve,"

"Everyone just shut-up, ok?" Matt cried. The yelling made the pounding in his head even worse. He just wanted silence. Cool, calm silence. "Steve, they hurt him really bad, but he fought back. Bucky fought back. Against the drugs and the brainwashing. Against everything. How do we help? You can all fight later, just save him now."

"I - I don't," Steve stammered. "How are we supposed to know what we're up against?"

"Steve, tell me what to do," Natasha said.

"Tell you what to do?" Steve said, "Don't take things out of the fricken files, Natasha! Don't mess with the evidence! Because now Bucky is dying and,"

The room went silent.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"I just hung up," Natasha said.

"Why?"

"Because we were getting nowhere," she said. "Shit, I just hung up on Steve." Natasha put her hands up over her face. "Shit, shit."

They sat in silence for a moment. "What do we do now?" Foggy asked. "We have a duty to Barnes. We have to save him."

"I don't know," Natasha said, and shook her head, unable to look at Matt or Foggy. "I don't know what to do."

"Maria," Matt said quietly.

"Yeah, awesome, Matt," Foggy said, "Let's all say a prayer."

"Hill."

"What?"

"Nat?"

Natasha slowly looked up at Matt. "They'll all hate me. Steve's right, I shouldn't have…"

"Call Maria, Natasha."

"She won't,"

"She will. Do it."

Reluctantly, Natasha picked up her phone and called Maria, who answered almost immediately. "Nat, what's going on? This place has just descended into madness. Steve's yelling and Sam's yelling and Wanda just went running past looking horrified and Scott's yelling - that's Sam's guy, he and his girlfriend took a red-eye last night, and he doesn't even work here and he's yelling."

"We think Bucky's been poisoned, and I took things out of the file, and Matt couldn't even tell me what he knew because was concussed and asleep and it's all just a mess and I don't know what we're supposed to do, because if Bucky dies now…"

"Natasha, slow down," Maria said. "I am going to text you the address of a guy I know. I tried to get hold of him last night, but he wouldn't answer. I will try again once I get off the phone to you, and whether he answers or not, I don't care. You bring him here."

"Steve and Sam took the car," Natasha said.

"You're in New York City, Natasha," Maria exclaimed. "Hire a car."

"There's a place on just around the corner on 44th," Foggy said, "I know the guy. I'll call them now."

"Excellent," Maria said, "I like that guy."

"I need the fastest car they have," Natasha said.

"Ok," Foggy said, standing up and disappearing to Matt's room to make the call.

"Maria, what's your guy's name?"

"Stephen. Don't call him Steve. He's a surgeon, and he's good Natasha. He's very good, but he doesn't like to get involved. He does, however, like a whole lot of seriously weird science stuff."

"Selvig-style?"

"Weirder. Which is why he came under my radar. But as far a surgeons go, he's the guy for the job. Between him and Mr Lang,"

"Sam's guy?"

"Yes," Maria said, "Between them two of them, if they can work together, we might be alright."

"Oh god, Maria, everything's such a mess."

"Romanov, right now, I do not need you to implode on me as well, understand? We can still save Barnes."

"And if we're too late?"

"Not an option, Romanov," Maria said.

"Car's booked," Foggy said, reappearing from Matt's room.

"Sounds like you're good to go. I'll text you Stephen's address now."

"Thank-you, Maria," Natasha said.

"See you soon, Nat," Maria hung up.

"She seems cool," Foggy said, sitting back down.

"I gotta go," Natasha said, and stood up. "You'll stay?" she asked Foggy.

"Do I have a choice?"

"I'm fine," Matt whispered, feeling anything but. He just wanted quiet. He wanted to go back to sleep. The drugs were beginning to kick in, numbing the pain. Sleep felt like the best option.

"Shut-up, Matt," Foggy said. "Get outta here, Natasha. Go save the Winter Soldier. Don't let Matt have been shot for nothing."

Natasha's phone beeped, and the address appeared on the screen. "I'll keep in contact."

"Drive safe," Foggy said.

Natasha nodded.