Chapter 16:
Branded
A cool breeze was running through the air, betraying the heat pouring out from the sun. The city below glowed golden in the light of day. Even the trees seemed tainted away from their usual green color. Towers stretched to the sky and the pathways through the city were overflowing with people. It seemed ancient and ominous, yet so modern and beautiful.
Tyler had never seen this place, or even anything like it. Yet she felt as though she had been there before. She was on a balcony that overlooked the city, and she stared down into the masses with an emotion she did not understand. It was something akin to envy, but it was so much more than that. This feeling could not have come from her, not in this place. There was only one person she had any bitterness toward, and wherever this was, it did not remind her of him at all.
Troubled, she tried to turn away from the balcony to better see where she was. Her body did not even flinch according to her command. She tried to turn her head, but it stayed where it was: angled to the ground below. She tried to open her mouth and speak, but not a word came out. Finally, she stopped altogether and worked on simply learning all she could from the eyes she was looking through. She could see farther than she thought possible, and she could hear whispers of what had to have been the citizens, so many feet below where she stood. She was unsure of the emotion still roiling in her stomach, and wondered if it was actually hers.
Then, she heard footsteps; almost as light as feathers. She knew instinctually who it was, and an image appeared in her mind of a woman she did not know. Relief flowed through her for a moment, but was pulled back and bottled away. She wondered why. The woman's warm smile had been so comforting in her mind's eye. Why did her emotions suddenly cease to flow? Before she could even hope to figure it out, she heard a voice as sweet as honey behind her.
"Is there reason my son is standing here alone?"
Son? Did she look like a male? She certainly hoped not. Yet, when her head turned slightly toward the voice, she realized that it felt foreign. She was not used to the way the muscles moved – never mind the fact that they did not move where or when she wanted them to. And then, words formed in her mouth that she had not thought of saying.
"I merely needed some time to think."
She suddenly wanted to talk a whole lot more than she had previously. The voice she felt was deep and rough in such a way that it was most alluring. Her own voice was smoother and higher when she spoke, but this… Apparently she did look like a male, because she was one. There was no other possible explanation. For whatever reason, she was seeing through this man's eyes. Hearing what he heard, feeling what he felt. He felt… hollow.
"Ever the careful planner. Tell me, what stratagem might you have prepared for us this night?"
That brought a slight smile to the man's lips, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
"I am not scheming."
There was a pause in which she could imagine the woman looking at her son with disbelief. The woman moved so that she was leaning on the balcony beside him, her long hair stirring faintly in the breeze.
"You have been avoiding eyes this past week. But surely you will attend this night's feast? It is being held in your name."
A sudden spike of anger rose up from somewhere Tyler could not fathom. The man said sharply, but not too harshly, "No, not in my name."
The mother was silent. She placed a hand on her son's arm, and he turned to look into her loving eyes. Tyler could tell he felt guilt at his retort, but for some reason she knew he would not admit it. She thought the mother knew as well, for she chuckled.
"Envy does not suit you."
The man turned his eyes toward the ground, and then out at the city again. He did not speak for some time, but his hand found its way to his mother's. After a while, he straightened and turned to her with a small smile on his lips.
"Forgive me, mother. Of course I will come tonight."
She took his hands in both of hers and her smile grew.
"I am glad."
They stood in silence for a moment, then his mother pulled him into her arms. He embraced her and the love that he had tried to push away burst through his restraints. Whatever jealousy he had felt before was now gone.
"I am proud of you, my son," the mother whispered.
The man was going to respond, but something stopped him: some piece of knowledge the mother had no grasp on. So he just nodded and held her. He did not want to let go.
Tyler opened her eyes slowly. She stared at the ceiling in wait for a long while before it registered that she was back in her own body. She felt as though she traveled to hell, crossed the river Styx, and then dragged herself back across a sea of nails. She almost didn't want to try to move, but she needed to know where she was. The last thing she remembered was ducking for cover behind some rocks as one of the Cerberus helicopters fired bullets at her and the others. She was on the ground for a while before she passed out. And then… then pain, and cold, and that strange dream.
She tilted her head to the side first, not wanting to strain any injuries if she had them. With how stiff she felt, she wouldn't be surprised if she was covered in bandages. The room she was in seemed the same as the one she woke up in before. White everywhere. The difference was that to the right of her was a second bed that was pulled as close as possible without the two touching. Jackie was laying there, asleep. For a moment Tyler thought that she was hurt, but she saw no injuries nor wires hooked up to her friend. Satisfied of her safety, she looked past Jackie to where a guest chair was occupied by a quietly snoring man. She smirked a little and thought of one of the arguments she and Tony had about his sleeping habits. He always denied the fact that every once in a while he snored (rather loudly), but she never stopped telling him that he did. Eventually they both called it truce, although "truce" never really meant "truce" with them. It was more of, "I'll let you believe what you want for the time being and then I'll prove that you're wrong later." She had ended up recording him the next time he snored and then showed him when he woke up.
But the man sleeping in the chair wasn't Tony; it was Clint. He had quite a few bandages, scrapes, and bruises, but he was alive and safe within SHIELD HQ. Or, that's what Tyler assumed it to be, since Jackie was there. After more surveillance of the room, she decided that she was alone aside from the two sleeping bodies next to her. She wondered what exactly happened, and if she was well enough to get up and move around.
She didn't feel any obvious wounds, but still her body seemed to be yelling at her. She braced herself for wrenching pain as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, but she actually felt better when she moved. She was still wearing the suit Jackie had designed for her, and she didn't seem to have any more bandages than the ones still on her arm. At the least, then, she hadn't been hit by a bullet. She figured she was just sore from traipsing across the desert for three days and then the next infiltrating a secret headquarters and nearly dying several times.
She was held back by wires and just like last time, she carelessly ripped them off. Her next movement was swift – she swung her legs to the side so they were hanging off the bed opposite where Jackie was. She sat there a moment as the world spun around her.
"Too fast," she grumbled under her breath. When the spiraling images calmed down she stood, slowly. She let out the breath she had been holding, and then tentatively tried out her muscles and joints. She shifted on her legs and rolled her ankles, swung her arms in front of her and bent her head in a circle. She felt as though she'd been stuck in the fetal position for a week or two – every single one of her muscles were tight and cramped.
After stretching for a bit, she sat back down on the bed and tried to remember everything of the past day's events. She hadn't had much time to do that when she and the others were fighting off all of the Cerberus agents. She remembered that she had blacked out just before she, Clint, Natasha, and Steve tried to escape. Along with her passing out when she found the Algerian SHIELD HQ and then again when they were outside of the Cerberus base, she had been unnaturally unconscious three times in the past two days. How was that even possible? She was not doing anything to help get rid of her title of "Sleeping Beauty."
But that wasn't the issue. She tried to recall what happened when she had first found Clint. She remembered entering the base with Natasha and Steve, and then separating from them in the middle of a skirmish. She remembered wandering through darkened halls for what seemed like miles, and she remembered finding the room Clint was being held in. She remembered that she had been just about to save him when… something… happened. Clint had seemed almost frantic when he had seen her, and he tried to tell her something although his mouth was gagged. She remembered that there was a loud noise… the door slamming. She had turned around to see who was there… with her gun. Of course.
She held her gun up to the shadows, and then a figure walked forward. Was it sad that she couldn't remember what the figure looked like? She knew she probably should. But the only thing she could recall about him was that he had emerald eyes that seemed to see straight into her very being. She also remembered that he had a wicked smirk. And now that she really thought about it, she was pretty sure he had black hair and looked as though he had just walked out of a comic convention.
"Shit," she hissed and slapped a hand over her eyes, suddenly remembering everything that had transpired from that point on. She had encountered Loki: the single catalyst to an alien invasion of New York. How the hell had she not remembered that? And more importantly: how was her heart still beating? She should be dead. Or at least in a coma. That was a very real possibility – how long had she been asleep?
She let her hand slowly drag down her face and she realized something that she terribly needed.
Caffeine.
Caffeine and chocolate. Perhaps some ice cream would go nicely as well, since she was in a desert… Except now that she remembered everything that happened, she doubted she could ever think of ice cream without thinking of fighting for her life against an other-worldly demi-god. Why did he have to make a comment about ice cream? He could have at least chosen Brussel sprouts, or some other manner of food that she didn't like to eat pints of in front of TV screens. She actually hadn't watched TV for a while. Of course she'd been watching movies with the others every once in a while, but she hadn't had any Netflix marathons…
Yes, she definitely needed caffeine. Her mind was all over the place, and not in a hyper way. She stood and again stretched, though not as thoroughly. She knew that she'd probably get lost if she just left and wandered around the base, but the only people she knew to ask were either asleep or not there. She looked over her shoulder at the two sleeping. A smile formed on her lips at the thought of them waiting for her to wake up. It would probably be best to let them know she was okay before she left them there, since they had obviously been worried for her. But that gave her a choice. Should she wake her best friend first or the man that had taught her the skills she needed to survive at the Cerberus base? She could wake them both at the same time, but then it might be a little awkward. Somehow.
"Why am I even debating about this?" she asked herself.
She strode over to where Clint lay sprawled across the chair, and she reached out to wake him. Before her hand was a foot away from him, his eyes snapped open. Without really thinking he grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her forward with the intention of knocking the wind out of her. Tyler gasped and tried quickly to defend herself, but Clint realized who she was just in time and let go before he made contact.
"Shit, Tyler. What the hell?" he asked as he fell back onto his chair and let his head rest against the back of it.
Tyler had hardly kept her balance, but she did stay on her feet. She stood straight when she could and looked down at Clint with her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean, "What the hell?" I should ask you the same thing. What in the devil's name sort of reaction was-?"
Her next words were lost as Clint suddenly stood and placed his hands on her shoulders forcefully.
"You're awake," he said. Tyler paused before she nodded slowly.
"Yes…"
"How do you feel?"
"Like hell, but not any worse than after the second day of training."
"Do you feel cold, or out of breath, or light-headed?"
"No, I don't. Clint, what is this about?"
Clint didn't answer, but rather he reached up to feel Tyler's forehead, and then her neck to check her pulse. Tyler would have resisted, but in truth Clint's behavior was freaking her out. So she just waited until he was satisfied.
"Am I alive, doc?" she asked. Clint just looked at her and dropped his arms.
"For now, maybe."
Before Tyler could ask just what happened to make him so worried, she heard her name from a sleepy teenager behind her. She turned around to see Jackie sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She smiled.
"Hey, Jack-"
Again, her words were lost as this time Jackie jumped up and embraced her as though she hadn't seen her for years. Tyler stood there limply a moment before she moved her arms to return the hug. They remained in a suspended silence until Jackie found the words to speak.
"You are the stupidest, most provoking and nerve-wracking friend that I have ever had. And I am going to lock you away in a dark room thousands of miles from civilization until you learn how not to scare the living daylights out of me."
"Um… thanks?"
Tyler was utterly clueless as to why these two were acting like she had been on the death bed only a few minutes ago. Obviously it had something to do with why she was unconscious, which meant that it had something to do with whatever spell Loki had uttered when she encountered him.
When Jackie finally released her friend, Tyler looked between her and Clint.
"Okay, why is everybody greeting me like I returned from the dead?"
Jackie wasn't sure what she should say, so she looked to Clint who said nothing for a few irritating moments.
"I think it would be better if Banner explained," he said finally.
Tyler just looked back and forth between them, her eyes the only part of her moving. When it became clear that neither of them were going to say anything she nodded slowly.
"Right, well… I think I need food and a shower. Some clean clothes would also be nice."
Jackie lurched into motion right away. She walked swiftly to a cabinet and opened it to reveal Tyler's duffel bag. She wasn't entirely sure what Tyler wanted to wear, so she just picked up the whole thing and put it just inside the door to the bathroom. They had moved Tyler to an upgraded room, so this bathroom included a shower. Once that was done, Jackie turned to face Clint.
"Food," she said simply. Clint frowned and was about to protest, but something in Jackie's eyes made him stop. Tyler couldn't figure out what it was before it disappeared. Clint nodded and said he would return in a few minutes, then exited the room in a bit of a rush. Tyler stared at the door before she looked at Jackie.
"What was that?"
Jackie looked at her, confused. "What was what?"
Tyler paused a moment before she simply shook her head. "Never mind."
She didn't have the energy to deal with the two of them, and she felt as though she had rolled around in a pigsty. She needed a steaming hot shower, and then maybe a long soak in a bath before she could feel even remotely clean again. So she just walked around Jackie and went into the bathroom.
"Tell me when Clint gets back so the food doesn't go cold," she said before she shut the door and proceeded to turn on the water. As she waited for the stream to heat up, she peeled away her dirt and sweat encrusted clothing with a disgusted scowl. She had no idea how Clint and Jackie could stand to be within a few feet from her, not to mention in direct contact with her. If she were in their position she would have stayed completely on the other side of the room.
Once the water was heated, Tyler stepped in and let it run over her body, carrying all of the grime with it as it disappeared down the drain. She closed her eyes and dunked her head back slowly, savoring every moment she had in the sanctity and peace of the shower. She knew that as soon as she was finished, her life would return to being the crazy hassle it was. She wanted to know what happened to her; what Loki did to her. She wanted the others to explain everything, but she also wanted to keep her own experiences secret. She supposed that wasn't fair, but for some reason she wasn't inclined to divulge exactly what she had went through when she was unconscious. That world of ice that she saw in her mind back at Cerberus… where was that? And why did Loki show her it? Or, even better question, why didn't he just kill her and Clint? She knew little about him, save that he was a tyrannical monster who would stop at nothing to take over the Earth. Was there a chance that he thought she could help him with his world domination? That would explain why he left her alive. But still, why her of all people? She had to be about the least qualified, surely he could have chosen someone better suited for the job.
Well, she figured, whatever the reason I don't think it will matter too much, now that we know Loki isn't imprisoned on his own planet anymore. He won't stay here much longer. The Avengers, or someone else will capture him just like last time.
Tyler didn't know why, but she didn't believe herself in the slightest. Something told her that whatever Loki had planned, it would be significantly more difficult to get him under control. She was yet unsure of whether she was excited to be a part of something so dangerous, or horrified. What surprised her was that she wasn't frightened or nervous. She just couldn't decide whether or not she would enjoy taking Loki down. If she would be a part of it at all, that is. She didn't have much experience. Perhaps, if she trained hard enough and Loki remained in hiding long enough, she might be allowed to help. That might take a while though, considering Clint and Natasha were the only two SHIELD agents allowed to fight in the battle for the Tesseract and New York City.
Tyler sighed and ran her fingers through her hair to free it of tangles. Though aside from that she was finished, she stood under the stream of water and simply soaked up the heat. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason she felt a chill throughout her body. She didn't take notice of it earlier, but it was there pretty much since she had awakened. She didn't think it strange, due to what she had gone through, however now that she was under steaming water it did seem odd that she still felt cold. The water was hot, and she could tell, yet only on the outside. It was as though she was warming her shell, and that shell was protecting her from the heat. Then again, she had never before gone through what she had in these past two days. She did remember that when she thought Tony was dead she never felt warm even sitting next to a heater.
A loud knock on the door jolted Tyler from her daze. She heard Jackie on the other side say that Clint was back with some food. She thought she heard her friend say something else, but she couldn't distinguish her words. She figured Jackie was just talking to Clint.
With another deep breath, Tyler shut the water off and reached for one of the towels provided by the HQ. She dried herself off with haste and then wrapped her hair in the towel to soak up the water. She then stepped out of the shower and grabbed a T-shirt and skinny jeans from her bag. She pulled them on carelessly and then rummaged through her bag for her toothbrush and toothpaste. When she found them she brushed her teeth thoroughly, but also quickly. Her stomach was growling in anticipation for her meal.
After she washed her mouth out, she unwrapped the towel from her hair and let it drop to the floor. She again searched through her bag, and grabbed her hairbrush. She hadn't paid much attention to herself in the mirror before, but as she separated her hair into two parts, her eyes were drawn to her left arm. She froze in place and her vision narrowed in on the black marks that she could see on her wrist. They looked almost like a tattoo, although she had never gotten one. There were two solid black rings that circled her wrist, and above those on the outside of her forearm was a diamond about the size of her thumbnail, also solid and black. She hoped this was some sick joke someone pulled with a sharpie.
She dropped her brush onto the counter beside her and turned on the faucet. She plunged her wrist under the water and began to mercilessly scrub at it, all the while cursing at whatever smart ass did that to her as she was incapacitated in the hospital. After a few minutes of rubbing her wrist without result, Tyler decided that the mark was indeed not sharpie. She didn't know why it was there, or how it got there, but it did register in her mind that her left arm was the one that seemed to freeze when Loki had grabbed her and muttered that spell-or-whatever. She also got bit by the snake on that arm, and shot herself on that arm (not her proudest moment). Still, aside from the black marks there was nothing. She had no scabs nor even scars.
Another knock on the door jolted her out of her seething hatred for the god who put that mark there. It was one thing to capture and torture her trainer, it was another to utter an incantation and put a stamp on her. It was almost as if he labeled her as his own. At least, that is what she figured he did. Why else would she wake up with such a mark?
Jackie knocked again when Tyler didn't answer. "Hey, Ty, are you alright?" she asked through the door. Tyler stopped muttering to herself – she actually forgot that she had been doing that in the first place. She scowled and then wrenched the handle of the faucet to shut off the water.
"I'm fine," she said in as lilting a tone as she could manage. She grabbed the closest hand towel and wiped off her arm. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that she didn't want anyone to see the mark. She didn't want to see it either, but her opinion wasn't the issue. If anyone knew about it they would automatically suspect Loki and try to figure out what was going on. She didn't know herself why it was there, but for the time being she didn't want to ask anyone for help. She still needed to figure out why Clint and Jackie were acting so strange. Perhaps, that would lead her to some answers about why Loki cast that spell on her. Why he kept her alive when he could have ended her life so easily. Why he branded her with that detestable mark.
She growled low under her breath with hatred and then searched through her bag until she found a long-sleeved shirt. She pulled off her T-shirt and replaced it with the other one. She held her arm up and scowled when the sleeve didn't cover her wrist as she extended her arm. She let her arm fall to her side and pulled the sleeve down so it covered the mark again. It was a meager shield, but it would do for the time being. She would just have to be careful until she could find something better to hide it.
She picked up her brush and quickly ran it through her hair, then threw it along with the rest of her things back in her bag. She grabbed the bag and then opened the door to the bathroom. She was met with an unwelcome, but unsurprising sight. The room was full of her trainers, Bruce, Jackie, and of course her father. Before anyone could say anything, she held her right hand up.
"Food first, pester me later," she said and dropped her bag on the side of the room. She was grateful when the others actually listened to her request. Clint gave her food, which was a meager sloppy joe with some half-baked fries, but considering she hadn't eaten in such a while, she didn't care. It was delicious all the same. Though it was nice that no one was talking, it was a bit of an awkward silence. Tyler did her best not to make any eye contact with anyone, but she could tell the others were staring at her in anticipation. She was content to make them wait.
She ate slowly and deliberately, not only to frustrate the others but because she hadn't eaten in so long. If she stuffed her food in her face too quickly then she would have to deal with heavy consequences.
When she finished, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and sipped at the bottled water Clint had also brought. Then, she looked at the others.
"Okay," she said with a deep breath. "Let the pestering commence."
She really shouldn't have been surprised when Tony stood from his seat and suddenly pulled her into his arms. That didn't stop the fact that she was surprised. The embrace was so firm, so desperate. She was speechless, and could do little more than stand there.
"I am never letting you leave my sight again," he whispered into her hair. Tyler wanted to tell him that was a lie, that it should be a lie. But for some reason she just couldn't, so she settled with silence. After just a short moment, Tony stood back enough to take in her appearance. She was no longer pale and her eyes didn't seemed so drained. He cupped his hand over her cheek, and as he did so he asked in rapid succession, "Are you okay? You aren't dying, are you? What year is it, and how many fingers do I have altogether? Do you hear any voices in your head? God, don't tell me you're going crazy."
Tyler abruptly pushed out of his arms with a scowl. "No, I'm not-"
"You're not okay?!"
"Tony!"
He stopped and stared. She just shook her head. She never thought she could be so annoyed by anyone after only seconds of interaction, but Tony never did cease to amaze her. She wanted already to be back on the helicarrier where it was at least a little more difficult for Tony to bother her. She turned to Bruce and Clint to end the conversation with a new one.
"I believe you promised me an explanation."
The two Avengers glanced at one another before Clint spoke.
"That is, uh…" he paused, not entirely sure how Tyler would take what he was about to say. Natasha rolled her eyes and said it for him.
"It's classified."
Tyler and Jackie turned to stare at her in shock, and Tony just grimaced. Of course Fury was probably the one that made the decision. It would explain the way Steve was acting at lunch – how he pulled Natasha aside and whispered into her ear so that no one else heard.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Tyler questioned darkly.
"It means what it means. The proceedings during the past few days are strictly classified. Only Fury, Steve, myself, Bruce, and Clint are to know what happened."
"And I suppose it was One-Eye's order in the first place?"
Natasha nodded.
"And you're going to listen to him?"
No one answered. Tyler looked from each agent to the next, until finally her eyes rested on Clint. He had a mask on, she could tell. That only confirmed the fact that there was something they were hiding. Perhaps there was more to the situation than it seemed.
"I need to talk to Fury."
Banner immediately shook his head. "That's, uh, I need to examine you first for any possible signs of injury."
"I am unharmed. Now let me talk to him."
"I don't think-"
"No," Natasha said with the harshness Bruce seemed to be lacking. "You were bitten by a snake, shot yourself in the arm, blacked out several times on the journey through a secret organization's base, and encountered someone that you shouldn't have come within a hundred miles of. You will let Banner do his job."
Tony looked at Natasha with astonishment, then at Tyler. "Wait, you shot yourself in the arm?"
Tyler ignored him and said to Natasha, "You make it sound as though it was my fault."
"You shot yourself?"
"Well, it kind of was your fault," Natasha replied around Tony's commentary.
"Yeah, uh, why did you shoot yourself? Am I missing something?"
Tyler opened her mouth to say something else to Natasha, but Steve cut in.
"Fury said he wants us back in New York by tomorrow unless Tyler's medical condition otherwise prevents us from doing so. Standing around bickering won't get us there. Tyler, you can speak to Fury when we get back to the base. Everyone else, I suggest we give the doctor some space."
The others were silent, some looked as though they wanted to argue, but when Natasha stalked out of the room followed by Steve, Clint and Jackie followed. Tony stayed behind and Bruce glanced between him and his daughter.
"I actually need to grab something from another room real quick," he said and left the two alone. Tyler had wanted him to stay there so that Tony would leave, but it was obvious luck was not on her side. Actually, luck was rarely on her side nowadays. Tony waited until Bruce closed the door behind him before he spoke.
"You shot yourself in the arm?"
"I'm really not in the mood," Tyler said sharply and sat down on one of the beds. Tony glared at her.
"And when are you ever in the mood anymore?"
Tyler didn't answer him, and continued to stare ahead blankly at the white wall. Tony stepped into her line of vision.
"Just answer me one question."
She looked up at him. "I highly doubt that you'll take no for an answer."
"And you'd be right."
Tyler sighed, but motioned for him to ask.
"How are you?"
Tyler hesitated with a bit of shock. Of all the things he could have asked, that was not one she figured he would. Still, she was not exactly forthcoming.
"Fine."
Tony gave her a pointed look. She returned it with a simple deadpan.
"Despite what you think, you are not good at lying. Let me try again. After being stranded in the desert for three days and then being shot at as well as killing evil henchmen, and apparently you shot yourself, what emotions are you trying to hide?"
Tyler didn't really see the point in answering. She folded her arms and looked away. Quite honestly, she didn't really feel like anything. She knew she should be exhausted. She knew she should be horrified. She knew she should be scared. She knew she should be confused or inquisitive. Hell, she knew she should be traumatized by what she just went through. She was utterly unprepared for all of the events that took place. But she didn't actually feel any of that. She just… she was angry. And full of hate. And a bit hollow. Yet she was none of that. It was as though those were the emotions running through someone else's head, and she was just receiving them somehow.
"Tyler," Tony said. She ignored him. "Damn it, Tyler, answer me!"
Tyler looked up at him. "I told you; I am fine."
"Elizabeth Tyler Stark, do not lie to me!"
That got her attention. Tyler surged to her feet and clenched her fists at her sides with the most deadly glare Tony had ever seen on her. He hadn't ever called her by her full name; always respected her past enough not to. But apparently, that understanding between them vanished. He was ready to violate the boundaries she had asked him not to cross. Before she could say anything, Bruce opened the door.
"Alright, I've got what I need, I'm ready when-"
He stopped when he looked up and saw Tyler's bristling, angry stature and the fire in Tony's eyes. He stared at them for a moment before he started backing up toward the door.
"Uh, sorry, I'll, uh, leave you two alone."
"There's no need," Tyler said quickly. "Tony was just leaving."
Tony raised his chin a little and then simply turned and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Tyler let out the breath that she had been holding and sank back down onto the bed. Bruce considered asking her about what just happened, but knowing how much she was like her father he kept his mouth shut.
Instead, he launched right away into Tyler's examination. She was cooperative, but it seemed to Bruce that it was only half-hearted. She remained silent throughout the process, and didn't complain in the slightest… until the very end when he told her to pull up her sleeve so he could check the snake bite. Though it was true most of the poison was out of her bloodstream, there was still the chance that some had survived. It was just a routine checkup, really. Still, Tyler didn't move.
She looked rather suspicious when she asked, "Why?"
Bruce sort of looked at her like she was a bit out of her senses.
"So… I can… look at it?"
Tyler seemed to consider this for a moment before she said, "There isn't anything wrong; the wounds are healing nicely and there aren't any traces of the poison."
Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked up as though he was trying to recall something. "That is funny, I didn't know you were a doctor. Where did you graduate from?"
Tyler ignored his sarcasm and said, "I think I would know if there was some deadly poison running through my veins. That kinda thing is hard not to notice."
"Are you sure nothing is wrong?"
"Yes."
"Good, then you wouldn't mind if I took a look to confirm?"
He held his hand out and Tyler knew that it wasn't really a question. She looked away with a slight scowl, but lifted her left arm so he could look at it. When he pulled back her sleeve, he remained utterly calm and didn't let anything show on his face. He turned her arm over to see the underside, then simply pulled her sleeve back into its position.
"It looks like you are good to go," he said. Tyler just looked at him, trying to decide whether she should ask him about the mark or not. Did he even see it? And even if he couldn't see the black circles on her skin, wouldn't he have thought it weird that her wounds were fully healed when she only received them a day or two prior?
Bruce appeared to read the thoughts going through her head, because he said somewhat shyly, "You didn't have that when you first came back from Cerberus."
That, Tyler did not know. This was good, though. If he knew that, then maybe she could play it off as something she did out of boredom. Maybe she could hide the fact that it wasn't sharpie, and it was probably Loki who gave it to her.
"I know," she said. "I was bored. Sharpies are fun."
Bruce nodded slowly, and for a moment Tyler had the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to believe her, but he gave her a small smile and dropped the subject entirely.
"Alright, well, since you appear to be in fine shape, we will probably leave the base within an hour or two. Fury is impatient as always."
Tyler huffed. Wasn't that the truth?
Bruce smiled again, then turned and packed up all of his things. "I'll leave you to yourself for a while, I imagine some peace and quiet would be a blessing right now."
Tyler returned his smile, though it felt entirely fake to her, and she nodded as well. Bruce bid her farewell and stepped out of the room. He closed the door behind him and looked up at all of the faces staring at him for confirmation that Tyler was okay. He noticed that Tony was not one of them.
"She appears to be in perfect shape," he said. There was collective relief around the group, but Bruce said quickly, "That doesn't mean she can see anyone. She needs rest. I told her we would leave soon; when we are ready to do so I will go and get her."
The others nodded affirmative, and Bruce excused himself. He went straight to the room he was given for the time of their stay, and locked the door behind him. He treaded lightly for what reason he wasn't sure. He came up to the table where he had laid the few things he brought with him – a small bag with an extra change of clothes, a candy bar, and the files of the murders that were yet unsolved. He hadn't been sure why he brought them, considering it had been a good long while since any bodies were found, but now he was rather glad that he did.
He sat down in the arm chair next to the table, and tentatively slid the files out of his bag. He looked at the front cover of each one until he found the one that he wanted. He opened that one, and out of habit skimmed the facts outlined in the text.
There was embarrassingly few things about the case that seemed reasonable. There were seven bodies of young girls and women found, each with a different cause of death. They had nothing in common physically, geographically, or really even psychologically. Each one had come from a different background and had different jobs, and there wasn't any factors that connected them together, except one. Each of the girls had a mark on their left wrists: two solid black lines, and above that a small diamond on the outside of their forearm.
Bruce had been uncertain at first, or he just didn't want it to be true, but now he was sure of it. The marks Tyler had on her arm were exactly the same as the ones on these girls. He highly doubted Tyler had been able to conjure an exact replica of the marks without first having seen them, but she was never shown the files despite the interest she apparently had in the case. After Steve told her a little about it, she didn't stop asking questions until she was told personally by Fury to stop. She could have somehow hacked into the SHIELD mainframe with her father's help, but considering how fragile their relationship seemed to be, it was highly unlikely. It also didn't make sense that she would write the mark on her arm unless she wanted to be found out. She knew full well that Bruce and her three trainers were heavily involved in the case. So why did she bother to lie when he asked her about it?
That left only one other option: she was given the mark by the one who murdered all of the other women. He would assume it was Loki, but the mark didn't actually show up until after she had awakened… Then again, if it was Loki, it would explain a lot about the strange circumstances of the women's deaths. And magic, as far as he had observed, could easily do something like hide a mark until a certain time. If that was true, then Tyler was in grave danger. Even though she seemed fine physically, Bruce noticed a change in her since the last time he saw her. That was just two days ago. She should not have changed so drastically.
Those couple of days ago, she had so much life and curiosity in her eyes. Yet now, when he looked at her he only saw a shadow of her normal self. It was almost as though she was hiding away from the rest of the world. Almost as though her mind was taken captive… just as Clint had been trapped before by Loki's spell.
Bruce was on his feet in moments. He closed the file and shoved all of his things in his bag; he didn't anticipate returning. He needed to tell the others… excluding Tony. Definitely excluding Tony. But Natasha, Steve, and especially Clint needed to see this. He only hoped he wasn't too late.
(A/N): Finally chapter sixteen! I'm already working on the next one. ^^ Don't be afraid to leave a comment, I love any and all feedback~ Thanks for reading!
-Koury