Taylor's POV

"No, put your hand- no, twist that way…there! Now throw you weight back."

I do as Steve instructed, twisting up and out of a crouch, throwing my weight back onto my hands as my legs sweep forward; a perfect move for knocking someone's feet out from under them.

I was in the gym with Steve, going over some new combat techniques.

Then the alarms started flashing.

"Jarvis!" I scream over the noise. "What is the situation?"

"There seems to be a fire starting in the third floor kitchen and spreading quickly. May I suggest that you and Captain Rogers exit the building as soon as possible?"

"Right." I share a glace with Steve. "Is everyone else okay?"

"The rest of the Tower's inhabitants are making their way out. Miss Stark-"

"Yeah, Jarvis, I got it." I cut him off sharply, already heading for the door. "Come on, Steve!"

We both sprint out of the room and down the stairs, taking them three or four at a time until we get down to the dark, empty lobby. We make it out in seconds, making a beeline towards where our team huddled on one side of the parking lot.

I'm immediately grabbed by my dad as he checks for burns, smoke marks, or anything else that suggests I have been hurt.

"Dad, I am okay."

"Are you sure? Because-"

"Don't you think I would know if I was seriously hurt anywhere?"

"Yes, but would you tell me?"

"…Touché." I concede as I turn back to Steve for guidance.

"Head count!" he calls.

"Tony?"

"Capsicle."

"Taylor?"

"Right here."

"Bruce?"

"Here."

"Clint?"

"Over here."

"Thor?"

"I am standing to your left!"

I nod and begin calling out names of my own. "Jane?"

"Right over here, Taylor."

"Darcy?"

"Hola!"

"Natasha?" I call out, just as Steve does the same.

More alarms go off, this time in my head, when nobody replies.

"Natasha?!" I call out again with renewed energy. I send a worried glance to Steve.

"Black Widow!" he shouts in his 'captain' voice, one he usually only uses in the field.

"She must still be in there." I mutter, glancing at the smoldering tower. "Captain?" I ask, turning back to Steve. "Permission to take charge?"

"If you have a plan, then permission granted Iron Beta."

I nod sharply, stiffening my spine. "Listen up, everyone!"

Everyone turns to stare at me with confused eyes and bewildered faces.

"I am in charge until we get Widow out." I tell them calmly. "Iron Man, what's the status on the tower itself?"

"The fire has spread from floor three to floors four through seven, but then the containment systems switched on and that is as far as it's gotten." he reports. "Jarvis' main server banks have gone offline solely to protect him, but there are localized copies in the suits, phones, tablets, and things like that."

I nod silently, letting a plan piece itself together in my head. "Okay, here is the plan. Banner, I need you to stay calm and out here with the rest of the team, plus these three." I gesture towards Jane, Betty, and Darcy. "Do not Hulk out if you can help it. Captain, you are acting as backup for me as I go get Widow. Thor, on my signal, I need you to summon rains and as much wind as possible to put the fires out. Only on my signal, got it?"

"Understood, Lady of Iron."

"Good. Iron Man, I need you to go check the lockdown centers and make sure all the tech, suits, and memory servers are okay."

"You are not going in there alone, right?"

"Of course not. Hawkeye?"

He raises an eyebrow at me, already anticipating my words.

"With me. Questions?"

My dad raises a hand. "One thing."

"What?"

"Take this." he says as he tosses me a sleek black case. Beta III, one of my older – and most reliable - suits, and one of the only ones to survive the S.H.I.E.L.D. repossession. I nod gratefully at my dad as I join Hawkeye off to the side.

"Do you mind me asking why you chose me?" he asks as I suit up.

"A few reasons. One, my dad is one of two people that can access lockdown. Two, you are Widow's best friend. Three, I'm afraid that the fire may have…"

"Triggered her?" he offers as we make our way towards the lobby doors.

"Put her into a Code Black." I agree. "Please tell me you have some sort of gas or oxygen mask on you."

He nods and pulls mask and small oxygen canister out of…somewhere. The canister straps to where his quiver would normally go, connecting via tubs to the mask that dangles around his neck.

"Good. Do you know where she was?"

"Fifth floor gym, I think. The little one. Not sure why."

"So she's in the middle of the smoke cloud. Amazing." I mutter as I snap on my helmet. "Jarvis, full oxygen levels, please. Engage smoke vision." I command as we take our first steps into the lobby. "Stay low." I warn Clint.

He nods and ducks into a crouch and we slowly make our way over to the stairs. Floors one and two are clear, if not just really dark.

As soon as we get close to floor three, however, Jarvis informs me that smoke levels have significantly increased, and I can see gray plumes clouding the air and slipping under the stairwell door.

I just suck in a breath of clean oxygen and Clint and I continue up. Floor four is just as bad, if not worse.

And then we reach five. I pause at the stairwell door and motion for Clint to brace himself as I raise a glowing palm towards the door. The door blasts open, and I'm blinded for a moment while my holoscreen adjusts to the sudden darkness. I charge in, Clint on my tail, and start sprinting down the hall towards the gym.

We never quite get there, though. Because in the hallway, about five feet away from the gym, my holoscreen beeps. In the bottom left corner of my vision, I can see a green outline, an outline that looks a little like a foot.

"Hawkeye! Found her!"

He's by my side in an instant, helping me check an unconscious Natasha for a pulse and breathing pattern, which she has, and injuries, which it does not look like she has.

"Widow. Widow!" I call, gently shaking her shoulder. "Hawkeye, does she have an oxygen mask too?"

"She should have it on her, yes. Check the pockets on the back of her calves and her shoulders."

I pat the back of her legs and find an oxygen canister, and the pockets on her shoulder reveals an oxygen mask. I quickly snap the two together and slip them over Natasha's head, then resuming to shake her shoulder.

"Widow, come on, we need to get out – whoa!" I shriek, falling backwards slightly as she suddenly springs fully conscious.

And screaming in Russian, so it looks like I was right about the trigger factor here.

"Natasha!" I shout. "Calm down. You are safe." I promise. "Your name is Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow. You're currently in Manhattan, New York, in America, and we're in Stark Tower, home of the Avengers. You are an Avenger, and you are a hero. My name is Taylor Stark, I am Iron Beta, and this is Clint Barton, Hawkeye. You are currently in a Code Black. You are safe." I repeat, watching as she gradually calms down throughout my speech.

She blinks at me. "Taylor?"

"Natasha. Where are you?"

"Stark Tower, Manhattan, USA."

"Good." I nod. "Now hurry, we need – Hawkeye, roll left!"

Clint ducks in a commando roll just before a huge piece of ceiling collapses right where he would have been. Natasha and I glance at each other before I grab her and drag her to the nearest window. "Captain!" I call. "Get ready to catch a spider."

"In position, Beta."

"Ready Natasha?"

"Ready."

I watch as she jumps out and into Steve's waiting arms and shield. "Go!" I call down. "Get Banner to look at her. Don't argue, Nat, please." I tell Steve, placating the deadly look Natasha gives me. "Hawkeye is with me."

Steve drags her off, and I turn back to Clint. He clambers onto my back awkwardly. "Jarvis," I groan "full power to the thrusters. Get us out and down."

My vision switches back to normal, as does the air in my helmet, as we rocket out the window and steadily towards the ground.

"Thanks, Taylor." Clint gasps as we both relish in the fresh air.

"No problem, Clint." I reply. "Thor, now!"

Wind and rain suddenly pick up around us, quickly banishing the heat and flames, leaving the three floors smoking and charred.

I smile at Thor just as Bruce jogs over to us, quickly checking Clint and I over.

"Minor burns," he diagnoses, "but nothing burn cream can't fix. Probably from sparks and such. You both have a mild case of smoke inhalation, so expect a bad cough for a few days. Come see me if you don't recover in a few days."

"How's Natasha?" I ask as my suit folds back into case form.

"Same thing, except more inhalation and worse burns. No hospitals needed."

"Mentally?" Clint interjects.

"Ah, I was going to ask you what happened."

"Code Black." I sigh. "The fire brought back memories, some red from her ledger. I don't know the full story. Clint?"

He just shrugs. "I don't know, actually. All I know is that it was bad, right after the Red Room, and fire is a trigger."

I just shrug, figuring that's all anyone needs to know. Bruce nods. "She's okay. Just really tired." he gestures towards a familiar head of scarlet curls sitting on the curb a few yards away.

I wave, watching as she waves back and gives Clint and me a weary smile.

I survey the scene around me and sigh.

Three floors of the tower are smoking and well done, Clint and I have soot and smoke covering our faces and ash in our hair, Natasha is recovering from a rare panic attack, and everybody within a half-mile radius is soaked to the bone and shivering.

Not exactly how I pictured my day ending, to be honest.

But it could have so much worse.