Symptom of Your Touch

Symptom of Your Touch

-

When Tony had decided to have Wanda moved to the medical wing of the Avengers compound it had been a fight from Dr. Miller. He wasn’t comfortable with moving a patient that he couldn’t say was stable. He didn’t know what this was, or what could happen to her in the next few hours. A point Tony drove home adding in explicit detail that he would have the best and brightest working on his young friend.

Nat had pointed out that making the poor doctor feel inferior probably had been the moment he went wrong. In any case, Stark had won and had Wanda moved to the compound. He was worried and may have been acting out a little, but Nat saw no reason to stop him. The compound was secure – they’d be safer there.

Though a few had tried, Natasha couldn’t be convinced to leave the medical wing once they had arrived – and the medical team on staff were slightly more understanding to her presence – or at least knew better than to push her. They’d tried that once after a particularly rough mission where clint had gotten hit hard.

3 hours in the sun had risen, and the events of the past 48 hours weighed on her heavily. Wanda had received the all-clear – she would be okay even if they were not able to save her powers. It wasn’t enough to calm her mind.

Pepper had always risen with the sun, she suspected looking after Tony Stark was a full-time job, so the spy wasn’t at all surprised to see Pepper approaching the doorway to Wanda’s room.

“I’m going to sit with you, and not tell you how much you love her.” Pepper says pointedly. Making her point and leaving it alone all at once. She strides into the room, sitting in an armchair next to Nat.

“Should I have a bed wheeled in for you?”

“Chairs fine.” Nat shrugs.

“Why won’t you let yourself?”

Nat huffs, “Get a bed?” She knew that wasn’t the question.

“Love her.” the look she gives Nat is pointed. 

So much for her leaving the questions alone. She scratches at the bandage on her head, having relented and let the nurses clean up her head wound when they’d arrived.

“She’s young,” Nat says, focusing on the floor as she leans forward, arms resting on her knees. “She’s got a chance to leave a good mark on this world – I’ve already marred it. What kind of life can I offer her?”

Pepper’s lips pull back in a tight smile, measuring her response. “The one you’ve already been living. You’ve done so much good for the world – for this whacky family, we have here. You can give her a happy one.”

“Maybe in another life.”

If being with Tony had taught her anything it was when to stop pushing, and when to push harder. So, she lets the conversation die on the slight hope in Natasha’s voice.

“Do we know anymore?”

Nat nods. “They got the device out, but whatever was in that serum can’t be extracted so far.”

She watches the rise and fall of Wanda’s chest. “She doesn’t deserve this.”

“Have Tony or Maria said anything else about stopping the process?”

She shakes her head. “They’re running on fumes.”

Hours later she’s alone again, starring at the monitors glaring at them with each beep they offered, disturbing the quietness in the room. Clint had spent most of the day with her, and she apricated the fact that he’d stayed mostly quiet only offering his company.

“Please be okay, I don’t want to lose you.” She may be selfish in not wanting the serum to work, would Wanda need to stay there without them?

By the time she’s convinced to get some rest – by a worried pepper with a nurse in tow carrying a sedative – she wonders to her room in a daze. She stopped in on Tony long enough for him to shoo her away. He knew keeping her from the rest Pepper had finally convinced her to get was a fight he wouldn’t win. He did tell her Dr. Cho was weighing in on their problem and they’d find a solution.

With a promise by the nurses watching over Wanda to call on her if there was any change, she felt a little more secure leaving her. Not that her being there had done much good.

Sleep comes so quickly that as she slips from consciousness, she’s not convinced Pepper didn’t dose her with a sedative somehow.

It’s in the early hours of the next morning before someone is shaking her awake, she knew it was Vision, otherwise, she’d have heard the door to the room opening.

“Natasha?”

She sits up quickly. “Is she awake?”

He smiles gently. “No, I’ve spent the night watching over her all is well, considering. Mr. Stark has made some progress I thought you’d like to hear.” He doesn’t miss the look in her eyes when he’d said he’d spent the night with her.

She knew better than to open her mouth, vision was being a good friend.

“Natasha, your jealousy is misplaced. I’ve no intent on wooing Wanda.”

Wooing? All she can do is blink at him.

“Truth be told I do hold an affection for her – but she won’t ever look at anyone the way she looks at you.”

“I’d like to not be having this conversation.”

Vision nods. “Right.”

“You said Tony had news?” She says sliding from the bed with stiff muscles.

“Yes, I’ll tell him to expect you momentarily.” He turns to leave.

“Vision?” He stops his movements forward. “Maybe use the door?”

He thinks for a moment then nods, leaving through the door this time.

Once dressed, still looking exhausted, Nat walks into the conference room. Tony’s there, coffee cup in hand, staring at what she recognizes as some sort of compound. His head is angled to the side, brows pinched together.

“Nat, morning.” He says as he looks to her. “You look awful.”

“Jeeze, you sure know how to make a woman feel good.” She replies dryly as her eyes scan the other screens.

“Pepper is a lucky woman.” He grins before taking a drink of his coffee.

“Vision said you had something I’d like to see?”

“Yes. I’ve isolated the parts of the serum that would make our little friend powerless. What I need to stop it entirely has already been sent for.” She smiles a genuinely happy smile. “She’s going to be just fine.”

Relief washes over her at his words. There was still a wave of anger, with almost matching concern over how this had happened and what that meant for others like Wanda. Like half her friends.

“Anything I can do to help?” Now that the worry was lifted she needed something else to do.

“Here? No.” She sighs at his answer, so he continues. “If you’re looking for a face to hit I’m sure Hill will let you tag along.”

Her brows furrow. “She’s found something new?”

He’s already pulling up a video on the screen closest to them. Nat leans back on the table behind them, arms crossing over her chest. It starts and a masked figure appears on screen, a stark white background behind them. No way to track that.

“We’re calling all forces, local and around the world. The end to our super-powered, soon-to-be oppressors has come. They will not control us! we’ll show them how strong human forces can be.”

Nat balks, eyes-rolling.

Tony nods, “My sentiment exactly.”

The video continues. “Contact your local leaders. 24 hours from now we strike!”

The video cuts out leaving only the words; “From below, we shall rise!” on the screen for a few seconds before cutting out entirely.

She can’t form words for a second. Sometimes the stupidity of this world astounded her. “They do realize that without the help of super-powered oppressors, they would be living in a world filled with aliens and ruled by Loki, right?”

She shrugs. “Guess they missed the memo.”

“Hill as a track on the video then?”

“Mobilizing as we speak.”

She pushes off the table. “Good, I need to hit something.”

“Happy hitting.” She hears him call after her, clear amusement in his voice. At least he wasn’t trying to stop her.

She swings into Wanda's room as she passes the medical wing on the way out. "Vision, I'm leaving for a mission, keep her safe?" She purposefully keeps her eyes on him, not on the little witch sleeping away. 

"Always." He nods. "If she wakes I'll tell her you'll be by later?" She nods at his question then offers him a smile she doesn't feel and continues on.

She finds Maria outside of the compound, a team already standing at the ready around her.

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” She doesn’t bother hiding the annoyance in her voice, or on her face as she walks up to her friend.

Maria points to her face. “That’s why. You’ll go in there and tear them apart.”

“You’re damned right I am.” She returns, more annoyed now.

“This is bigger than we thought – there are thousands we’ve linked to this video alone.”

“So, what I can’t help? That’s bullshit, Maria.”

There’s a sign of defeat on her friend’s face. “Not unless you can assure me, you’ll keep a level head.”

Now she was just insulted. “You know me better than that.”

Knowing she’s not going to win this – Nat would get where they were going one way or another, she admits defeat silently. “Alright, but you’re with me.”

She’d interrupted the game plan when she’d come up but Maria continued on as if nothing had happened, instructing them of her expectations, what they could be facing, a layout of what they’d be walking into. Sometimes Nat was surprised at just how quickly this woman could get something done. The video had come through four hours ago, came to their attention an hour after that. That left them twenty hours to stop whatever was going to happen.

Clint and Sam were already en route to help other locations. Steve who’d been out, was set to join Hill's team at the location.

Vision would stay on sight in case something happened while Tony and Banner finished creating the cure for Wanda.

Instructions went out, teams set out and Natasha was glad to have something to do. She rode with Maria, wanting to know everything else the woman knew about their new friends.

“They call themselves Project Purify.” She started before Nat even had a chance to ask.

“Gross.” Her face scrunches up. Maria pulls a file from the dash, handing it to her.

“Yeah.” She agrees. “From what we’ve traced back, they started forming after Loki attacked New York.” When Nat doesn’t interject, she continues. “until a few months ago they were mainly keyboard warriors, conspiracy nuts ranting in chat rooms and anti-superhero forms.”

“What changed?” She asks already flipping through the file – looking for any familiar names.

“Someone took control. Someone with access to trained soldiers and access to that damned serum.”

“Any idea who?” It was unlikely, but she asked anyway.

“We will,” Maria says.

The Drive from the compound to the location they were assigned to took 45 minutes, though she would have preferred the jet, even with the stealth there was a chance incoming from the sky would be tracked. Cars were less conspicuous. The area was rural. Had Natasha not known that there was a bunker in the tree line she’d have thought they were in the wrong place.

They move in as a unit quietly. There are 8 of them in total, Nat and Maria heading the formation. When they reach the entrance, they aren’t surprised to find a six-inch steel door, no outside access other than a keypad to the right of the door.

Warner, one of the agent's sets to work on it, cracking the code in under two minutes. He smiles triumphantly.

Nat arches a brow “Kid’s almost too good at that.”

“Not my fault they made it easy.”

They enter a moment later, staying silent again. One of the men with them takes out the cameras as they go. Steve comes over the coms announcing his arrival.

“Bout time Rogers,” Nat says.

“Had some incoming, had to lay low till they passed.” He continues. “They carried on past the bast, but I’m going to stay out here in case they double back.”

By the time they exit the second hallway, on their way to the center of the base, they’ve been made. Shots flare just as the lights are cut to their location. Nat flies into action as Hill barks orders at the others behind her.

These men were not trained soldiers, and that fact worried Nat for what they were about to face when they broke through the feeble defenses they’d laid witness to so far. She takes out nearly all their attackers herself, leaving a pile of wounded behind her as she hits the end of the corridor. They may be misguided, but they weren’t soldiers, they shouldn’t die for that.

“More will be coming,” Hill warns. The light Maria pointed down the hall illuminating Nat and the look on her face. Maria isn’t entirely comfortable with the anger on display. She’d seen Nat fight harder and longer, against tougher opponents and not crack so much as a line on her face.

“Move out.” She heads the agents, falling in step with her friend.

“You okay?”

“All good here.” She deadpans, hiding all emotion again.

“Okay.” Now wasn’t the time to push. “Let's get the rest of them and see if we can’t get one of them to give up their boss.”

She receives a nod and lets Nat lead the way.

They ended up in what she’d call a command center – a well-funded and organized one by the looks of it. How big was this thing? What’s concerning to them all is that there isn’t a soul in sight.

They clear the room quickly, confirming that there is no one inside. Nat moves to the computers, tapping away on the first keys that she sees.

“Encrypted, give me a minute.”

Maria nods, she’d be worried if they could get right into the systems. What’s more worrisome to her is that the only defense this very new and shiny command center had was the few men fallen in the halls.

“This isn’t right.” She says looking around, scanning for exits.

Nat looks up as she finishes sliding a drive into their system, cloning it. “Maybe we caught them while they weren’t home.”

“Not so fortunate, Agent Romanoff.” A voice comes booming through the room.

Fuck.

“Should have protected your system better.” She says, still tapping away at the keys, eyes on the screen.

He laughs. “I’d be concerned if you were getting out of this room.” The door they’d entered slams shit.

It’s like the air in the room gets sucked out, as they all realize that was the only exit. Keeping a level head may be easy for her, possibly more so for Maria, but the youngest two on the team visibly paled.

“Since we’re dying anyway, how about a name?” Maria seems unbothered,

“I’m not stupid.” The voice says, almost insulted.

“I beg to differ.” Nat fires back.

“someone sounds angry.” The voice taunts.

She smiles at the screen she’s still working on as she talks. “How about you come in here and find out?”

“I think I’d rather watch Miss Maximoff turn her back on you when she loses her powers. Has the serum taken full effect yet?” She falters a fraction and Maria’s eyes screw shut at his words, this wouldn’t end well.

“she’s just fine,” Hill interjects, not answering his question one way or another.

“They’ll all fall.” The voice says.

“So will you.” Natasha straightens, staring directly into a camera aimed at them. she assumes he’s watching them. “We will get out of here, and you will die by my hand.”

“Goodbye, Black Widow.”

The second he stops speaking, Warner joins her in trying to bypass the system to override the locking mechanisms in the building.

“Coms are down,” Maris announces in frustration.

“They’ve locked us in to let us die.”

Connor had been moving about the room the entire time but had not come up with any other exit, hidden or otherwise. “They let us starve to death and they can say they didn’t kill a human. Or their definition of one.”

“Unless we find another way out, or the two of you can get that door open, we’re screwed.” Arison looked rightly worried.

“The others know where we went. Steve is right outside.” Nat tries to calm them – but she knows there’s something else at play here.

“They know that, but they were so sure!” Jacobs says but remains calm.

As if no cue a countdown appeared on every screen in the room. Nat shares a look with Maria, worry in her eyes.

“Gonna guess that’s why.” Hayes, the oldest of the group says in a thick Scottish accent that does nothing to hide his sarcasm. Nat laughs, earning bewildered looks from everyone in the room.

59:45

Without contact Steve should come looking, he wasn’t the type to assume everything was going to plan, and that offered them hope.

57:55

There’s a banging at the door, that Nat recognizes as vibranium against metal, that causes her to let out a long breath. Thank god.

“Nat?!” they hear him call from the other side of the door.

“Steve, we’re locked in. Doomsday clock counting down.”

“What happens at zero.”

It’s Maria that answers him this time. “I’d like very much not to find out! Get word back to Stark, get a team here, and if all else fails. Let hulk tear this place apart!”

“Yes, mam.”

Nat can almost see the curt nod he does. She also doesn’t need to see his face to know that he’s wearing a mask of worry.

“How long.”

“Fifty-seven minutes, old man, get out of here.”

“See you soon.” It’s a promise.