Chapter 12
“Things are worse than we thought, Cas.”
Tony murmured as he stared at the ceiling of the waiting room in the hospital, looking to be rethinking his life decisions all over again.
Sadly, Fury came bringing way too much bad news with him and he dumped them all on their heads.
The reason why they couldn’t contact the others? Simple. They got attacked by Fireballs even before them. They were all down.
The first to go down was Clint. He got hit by the Fireball during his mission with SHIELD. He was kept in SHIELD’s headquarters in whatever country he was in currently, deep in a coma. At first, they thought it was just an attack from the people Clint was after, so they didn’t mention anything to the Avengers until they figured it out.
Then Bucky and Sam Wilson got attacked together by Fireballs. They were also in a coma in Bulgaria at the moment.
Still, SHIELD didn’t see it fit to tell them anything. Because SHIELD were assholes and no matter what Fury’s excuses were, this was still not okay and Tony will never forget this.
They had no idea what happened to Sam and Natasha since they were off the grid for their second honeymoon, so SHIELD didn’t know what their fates were. Tony couldn’t get in touch with them, he didn’t know whether it was because they shut off their phones to focus on each other or because they were both in deep coma as well in their second honeymoon.
They couldn’t get in touch with Bruce either. As far as they know, he was cooped up in his lab in the Tower. The lab was heavily protected and even JARVIS had no authority there, it was completely Bruce’s place. So, they didn’t know if he was even still in there.
In conclusion, Castiel and Tony were truly and completely on their own. They were the last-standing Avengers. And they are in deep shit.
Tony looked over at Castiel, who was sitting on an armchair silently, managing to look like he aged ten years and a lost little kid at the same time.
Tony understood how he felt. They both got used to not being alone anymore. Every problem that came their way all that time, they dealt with it because they were not alone.
But now? They had no one. Just the two of them against what could be a new invasion on their planet.
And they didn’t know where to even start.
Dr. Alexandra had already started her tests on their comatose friends, her cheery excited demeanor was refreshing, but they couldn’t appreciate it enough in their current situation.
Tony was more concerned about whether it was a good decision or not to drag that young, cheerful doctor into their mess, but they couldn’t go back now.
“Do you think Charles is safe?” Castiel murmured absentmindedly, wondering how the telepath was doing right now, and if he was also dragged into all of this in London. “I miss him. things would be better if he is here.”
“I am honestly scared to call him,” Tony admitted with a tired sigh, returning his eyes to the ceiling, feeling his eyes stinging at the thought of his childhood friend in a coma as well. “I am tired of hearing nothing every time I try to reach out to one of our family members. I won’t handle it if I tried calling him and have no answer or find Logan or Hank telling me he was attacked as well.”
“I can’t believe only a day ago, we were all fine and together,” Castiel murmured, closing his eyes bitterly, his fingers playing with his wedding ring absentmindedly. “How fast things change overnight.”
They heard a knock at the door and Tony hated it already. He didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. He didn’t want to see any more doctors, SHIELD agents, or even Fury. He just wanted his family to be awake and well again. He misses Steve. He misses Dean. Hell, he even misses Erik. He wants the others to come back, so they can all just go home already. He didn’t want to be bothered by anything else except this.
So, he hated whoever was knocking on the door already, but still was forced to tell them to come in, a little more harshly than necessary, but he couldn’t help it.
“Someone is a little cranky.” The newcomer announced their presence in a teasing, but gentle voice as they entered the room.
Tony and Castiel turned sharply towards the door, only to find Charlie standing there, wearing a sweatshirt and a baseball cap, smiling at them gently, as she removed her cap to let her hair fall around her shoulders.
“Charlie?” Castiel’s eyes widened as he saw her, thrilled to see her more than ever.
“Sorry I am late to come, guys, but I got here as fast as possible.” She smiled at them, but her eyes were worried and concerned since the moment she heard about what happened to their family members. “But I am here to help.”
***
Charles was already having a rotten day before he heard the news.
Since the moment they landed in London, he tried to call Erik. Each time he got nothing.
That never happened. Erik always answered whenever Charles called him, even if he was busy with something. That didn’t make any sense. He figured maybe he was busy with the students, but for the entire day, he got nothing.
At first, he was just cranky and upset. What was Erik doing that could possibly be more important than him? Was he glad that Charles was away for a while to take a break from him? Was he that glad he had left?
That managed to make his mood go sour and unpleasant, so he was a nightmare to poor Logan and Hank, who took the brunt of his frustration while eyeing him warily, knowing he was being unreasonable in his concerns, but not daring to voice it out loud.
That crankiness and grumpiness changed into downright worry and concern when he tried to reach Raven instead and got nothing as well.
Now he was certain something had happened back there in New York. Something bad.
He was unable to focus on anything. Not on the conference that he came all this way for, nor on the scientists he came to meet. His only thoughts were what was happening back home? Why didn’t he know anything?
That went on for the entire day of the conference. At some point, he was in a corner trying to call Steve since he was always fast to answer any call and was getting nothing as well. He was about to smash his phone against the wall in pure frustration when Hank and Logan ran up to him, faces pale.
“What? What is it?” Charles eyed them both carefully, keeping himself from getting to their brains and getting the answer himself, giving them time to answer the question first. “What do you know?”
“I managed to get in touch with one of our students.” Hank started, swallowing hard and averting his eyes away from Charles’. He wasn’t sure whether he was terrified to tell him or not to tell him more. “They-uh-they said that-that Erik is-“
“Don’t make me get the answer from your head, Hank! What happened to my husband?!” Charles practically growled. When it comes to his husband, Charles could become vicious and relentless.
“Your Daddy Shark got smacked by a nifty Fireball and dropped in a coma. Didn’t wake up since.” Logan was the one to answer in his very eloquent way, making matters much worse, as Hank turned to him in utter panic.
Charles stopped and stared at their faces, not saying anything for a few minutes. They weren’t sure if he was even breathing at this point.
“Did you just say my husband is in a coma right now?” Charles asked slowly, eyeing them both like he was giving them a chance to retake what they just said if it was a joke. But they didn’t. They both just nodded at him, looking grim and serious. “Where were the others when that happened?! They couldn’t possibly have just left him on his own! Where were they?!”
Hank and Logan exchanged a look. Logan gestured to him pointedly, as if saying ‘Your turn, pal’. Hank sighed in defeat and looked back at Charles with worried eyes.
“Steve and Dean are currently in the same state,” Hank murmured carefully, heart banging at the thought of their family being hurt like that back home. “They are all in deep comas. No one knows if they will wake up.”
In the next second, Charles shoved his bag in Hank’s arms, and before Hank even could comprehend what was happening, he heard Charles telling him “You two stay here.”
With that Charles marched away from them with purpose, already removing his tie as he walked. Hank and Logan rushed behind them, looking frantic.
“Where the hell are you going?!” Logan exclaimed indignantly.
“I am going home,” Charles answered firmly, never slowing down as he marched toward the door. Ignoring the looks he was getting from the important people around them.
“Charles, you can’t!” Hank tried to reason with him, as he rushed to catch up with him. Charles was getting back to being fast on his feet, it was great to see but not right now. “Things are dangerous back home as you can see! It’s safer for you to be here for now until-“
“I am going home, Hank!” Charles whirled towards him, giving him a firm, serious look. The look he got when he wasn’t planning to back down. “My husband and my family are in danger. I am going home to them right now. You stay here.”
With that he marched out of the large double doors, leaving a frozen Logan and Hank behind.
***
A surprised look showed on Dr. Adrian Jackson, one of the oldest scientists of SHIELD, as he stared at the man standing at his front door in the middle of the night.
“Are you saying you are a SHIELD agent?” Adrian asked shakingly, as he stared at the cold, unnerving man in front of him. “But why? I didn’t do anything wrong, I-“
“You have a permit to enter the high-security levels of SHIELD’s research building, correct?” the agent cut him off coldly.
“Yes?” cautiousness and worry crept inside Adrain as he took a step back, hand reaching over towards the alarm. “But it is a very special and private permit. Only I can use it. It is not enough to enter any classified places in the main building or the other buildings. They have biological security procedures. They check the fingerprints. The eyeprint, the sweat pores in the skin, and many others!”
“I am well aware of that.” The agent said in a cold harshness, taking a step forward, eyeing every move Adrain was making.
“You are not a SHIELD agent!” Adrain yelled in anger, looking nervous and panicked. “Show me your ID! You are fake!”
“Adrain? What’s happening? Why are you yelling-“ Adrain’s wife came running to check on her husband, only to stop and stare at the cold face of the agent, who pushed his hand inside his pocket.
“This is my ID.” The Fake Agent said coldly as he pulled his hand out of his pocket.
Adrain and his wife stared with wide eyes at the strange-looking gun that the man was pointing at them now.
Adrian’s wife screamed in terror.
But not from the gun.
But from the sight of the hand that was holding the gun.
A green scaly hand, the fingers connected by membranes like in frogs’ hands.
As the wife screams the hand pulls the trigger.
Two small fireballs came out from the strange gun.
And two small explosions happened.
Adrian and his wife’s bodies flew until they dropped dead in the middle of their living room.
In a strange calmness, the creature walked towards Adrain’s dead body and leaned down to pierce his fingernails into the flesh of his arm, pulling out a small chunk of flesh. He looked at it for a second, before he inserted it into a device in his belt.
Slowly, his form and features started to change.
His tall figure started to shrink and his slim body started to widen, then from his head came curly, short white hair.
In seven minutes, he became a completely different person.
A person who held the features and form of that scientist who was dead on the floor right now.
The form of Dr. Adrian Jackson.