Aiden got home, gave his butlers and caretaker a meager greeting before going down to his lab, snapping his fingers. One of the lab techs came over quickly. "Yes sir?" " How is the formula doing? Stabilized?" The tech sighed before speaking. He seemed flustered. "Not any closer then this morning. Some people can just..accept it, others they just.." "Explode?" Aiden finished the sentence. The tech nodded. " Yes. we can't keep sending them out there, one blast from them it's the equivalent to the heat of a Nuclear bomb. One malfunction can take down an entire city block." Aiden gave him an eyebrow. "Then keep working."
He walked into the office of his lab, throwing his messenger bag on the floor. Then a voice startled him, "Quite the nice set up? How many people have died during your tests?" He looked up, seeing a kid no older then him, with black hair and an all black suit. He swallowed. "Why? Who are you? Are you with the government, because if you are I have all the paper work proving they volunteered and knew what may happen." Damion got up from the chair, smirking. I'm not from the government. I'm from something much worse. Names Damion and I' here to make a deal."
Loki had rushed to his and TJ's room, breathing heavy. Quinn and Gage had been fighting since she came home from school. They may have sound proofed but he can still feel the anger, the hurt, the fear. The fear was overwhelming, more then anything he felt. He curled up on the bed, gripping his hair tightly, willing the anxiety to go away. He nearly jumped when the door came open and hands touched his back. He jumped then. TJ held his hands up. "Just me baby." Loki swallowed down his nerves, trying to gain composure. His eyes welled up. "I'm sorry." He said, almost a whisper. TJ crawled to him, gently holding his face, wiping away tears. "Hey, what are you sorry about?" Loki shook his head. "We were having such a good time and I tried not to let there fighting get to me, I really tried but theres just so much fear."
TJ frowned. "They always fight, why is this so different?" Loki shook his head. "I don't know but I can feel fear rolling off of Gage in waves and Quinn...there is so much hurt." Loki's lip trembled. TJ held him close, letting him rest his head on his shoulder, petting his dark hair gently. "Shh it's ok." He made a mental note to talk to Quinn or Gage...or one of them. He had to know what was going on.
After an hour and a half of arguing, yelling and snide comments, Quinn finally kicked Gage out of the lab, locking him out. Locking everyone out. She went to the coffee machine, making the strongest cup of coffee she could. While waiting for the coffee a few tears escaped. She wiped them away quickly, not wanting to wallow in anxiety and hurt. She blocked it. Once the coffee was done she got to wok on her suit.
Clint was in there bedroom with his own issues. Fury called him. He had a mission for him and he couldn't decline. Couldn't send anyone else. There was unfinished business in Budapest. This is the first mission in...god knows how long...16 years? At least since Quinn was one. Since he was forced to kill Natasha, he really wished she was here. He tried not to think of her, hating to remember her with brain cancer and threatening the family. He hated admitting, he missed her. Terribly. e felt his eyes water over, wiping them away.
He went back downstairs for dinner. When he walked in the kitchen he could smell the strong scent of garlic and basil. Tony was doing something Sciency on his Stark Pad while Kim was stirring some sauce. He walked to over to Kim, wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her head. She giggled. "Someone is affectionate tonight." "And yet I'm not feeling any love over here." He looked over to see Tony smirking in his chair. He chuckled, memorizing that smirk, that attitude to memory. He walked over to him. "Oh well if I have to." He wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders, kissing his head, smelling the scent of his shampoo. Kim frowned, seeing them. "Everything ok? Your not normally like this." Clint sighed, standing straightener but still holding Tony's hand. "Fury called me. He has a mission for me. Seems theres some unfinished business in Budapest." He felt Tony tense. Other then Coulson, Natasha (who was dead now) and Fury, no one knew what happened there. He told Tony and Kim after a particularly bad flashback that involved it. They knew what happened and he could tell they wern't happy with him going back.
Kim turned the stove on low before turning, wiping her hands on her apron nervously. "You...you can't say no?" Clint shrugged. "I can but I won't be apart of shield anymore if I do. There few reasons to call off a mission. PTSD or being sick is one of them. Just not wanting to go, isn't." Tony was quiet a moment before he spoke. "You do what you have to." Kim stepped forward a moment before speaking, in a mixture of fear and horror. "Tony...he can't..what they did.." Clint walked over to her, holding her arms. "Hey, I know what they did, I was there but I have a mission and I promise I'l come back to you." Kim swallowed. "For how long?" "Until the mission is over, there really isn't a time stamp." Tony was the next to speak. "When do you leave?" Clint turned to him, still having an arm wrapped around Kim. "I still have to pack so...tomorrow maybe." Kim sucked in a breath.
Tony couldn't take it anymore. He got up, going to Clint, grabbing his hair and kissing him breathless. Clint melted a little into it before Tony let go, looking so serious. "During dinner we'l tell everyone the news then when we go to sleep, we'l have the time of our lives, make some memories." Clint felt so small, undeserving of all this love. "I don't want to sleep." Tony smirked softly. "Then we won't/ we'l do whatever you feel like." "So if I were to ask to go get ice cream at 3AM-" "We'l do it." Kim chuckled before wiping away a tear. She spoke. "It sounds like fun."
Once dinner was done Kim had JARVIS call everyone down down dinner. TJ, Loki and Gage all walked in. Kim frowned, holding two full plates of chicken and potatoes and veggies. "Wheres Quinn?" Gage gave a look before sitting down. "Her highness is in her lab. Locked down." Tony spoke next. "If it's a total lock down we won't be able to get in until tomorrow." TJ spoke next, pulling a chair out for Loki. "Don't we have override codes?" "Give her time." Tony said, continuing. "If shes on lock down shes either making a break thru or in the middle of an emotional break down. Or both." Kim frowned. "But tony, this is important." Gage saw the looks on there faces. "Whats going on?" He became worried within seconds. Clint sighed. TJ and Loki both looked worried as well.
Clint spoke. "Fury called me. He has a mission for me and I can't decline it. Theres unfinished business in Budapest." Gage spoke next, looking at the table. "For how long?" Clint shrugged. "For as long as the mission takes. Could be days, could be months. I...I leave tomorrow." TJ spoke, looking sad. "We should use the override code, Quinn should be here for this." Tony got up from the table. "I'l go use the override, let her know whats going on."
Once tony was gone it was silent. Gage was glaring at the table. He then looked at Kim. "Do you know what your daughter is making in that lab?" Kim frowned. "What is she doing?" He sat up straighter. Clint stood straighter, sensing the anger from Gage, wanting to step in if he has to. Gage continued. "Shes injecting nanobots into her blood stream so she can have a more portable suit. Once she can call at will." Kim looked away, troubled by the information. "Injecting it into herself? Won't that cause damage? What about side effects? What if they malfunction?" Gage shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't tell me, doubt she knows. Just...jumped into it."
Tony came back into the room, looking frustrated and worried. "She changed the code. JARVIS isn't even able to talk to her." He turned to Gage. "What happened? Why is she on lock down? Why did she changed the code?" Gage stood up, glaring. "Ok. Shes injecting nanobots into her blood stream to create a suit she can call at will." Tony gave a look. "Thats...thats fairly dangerous. If just one of hem malfunctions-" Gage sat back down. "I know. I tried to tell her. Then she locked down the lab." Tony cursed, running his hands thru his hair. "dammit. We can't get in. I can't even force her to stop. We can't even break the glass. After the Christmas incident between me and Clint when Steve broke the lab door I made it nearly indestructible." Gage gave an eyebrow. "Nearly?" Tony sighed. "About the only thing that could break it is the iron Man suit which is locked in there. When the lab is on lock down you can't access it in any way except for the override code. Which she changed." Gage let out a breath. "I can still keep an eye on her from the outside. You guys enjoy your night. I can patrol." He walked down toward the lab to keep a watch from the outside.
AN sorry it;s taken so long but here it is and another should be up sometime next week. Hopefully. :)