Relief
Enjoy!!
Tony fiddled once more with the settings on the electrical magnet making sure that the polarity was set right. The nano capsules were technically neutral in charge but with the varying magnetic field that this electric magnet produced they would hopefully be able to force an electrical charge on the 'latching' mechanism of the nano capsules enabling them to filter the capsules from Matt's blood. The procedure wouldn't eliminate any of the toxin that had already been released into Matt's system but hopefully it would stop anymore from being released.
The only flaw in their plan was that they were worried by shifting the charge on the capsules they might cause them to release their contents hence why they were using the blood filtration system. Small amounts of Matt's blood could be filtered of the capsules at a time and they could ensure that the toxin was not being released by regular testing but everything depended on the settings being exactly right.
Tony started to reach for the controls once more but stopped himself as he saw that his hand was shaking slightly. Without conscious thought he glanced over to Matt's hospital bed and marveled once more at the seeming frailty of the child lying within it.
Tony had not dealt with many children since he himself was a child, children weren't really a fixture of the jet setting lifestyle he had lived. Those children that he had had contact with were show children like he had been when he was a child; children that were meant to take over companies or meant to impress investors but not to play or be coddled and only given the most distant of affection. Honestly, he had never seen any of the parents he had known gaze at their children with half the love and caring that Clint showed to Matt. Those parents eyes had been pleased, as anyone would be when a performing animal did a trick but nothing else unless a mistake had been made. Howard's eyes had been pleased until Tony screwed up and then they had just held anger, shame, and disappointment. Tony wondered how Matt could stand a father who loved him so much, didn't he worry every day that he would screw up and lose that love. If Howard had actually looked at him like that Tony would have been a nervous wreck as he tried to be perfect in order to keep that look directed at him.
Tony clenched his fist in order to distract himself from his thoughts and moved away from the electrical magnet at last. With a nod at Bruce he signaled that everything was ready and felt his heart clench as Bruce turned on the dialysis machine and started the slow process of filtering Matt's blood.
'I should have performed one more check,' Tony thought nervously as the red blood ran from Matt's arm through the current of the electrical magnet several times before flowing into the dialysis machine. The machine hummed to life as it tested the blood using x-ray defraction and uploaded the results to Jarvis for analysis. A moment later a green light on the machine flashed and the red of Matt's blood flowed back into a vein in Matt's leg.
The group in the room held their breathes for the space of a second before Clint leaned his head down over where he was clutching Matt's hand and they could all see the man's shoulder's shaking. Tony glanced up in a panic to meet Bruce's eyes and urge him to do something but Bruce seemed as bewildered as him. Phil simply blinked a moment and Tony was a bit shocked that Agent Agent didn't have a plan but his own panic took away his momentary desire to gloat. Everyone seemed stymied by the turn of events and uncertain how to help the man in front of them and Tony cursed the fact that Steve had needed to stay with Bucky so that he didn't freak upon seeing all the medical equipment. Steve or even Bucky would have been better at this than any of them.
'Yeah, for our shitty and emotional stunting childhoods,' Tony thought sarcastically as he saw that even Natasha was stumped as to what to do. Thankfully Sam naturally stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on Clint's shoulder until the other man was able to sit back and rub vigorously at his face.
"Sorry, just it has been a lot," Clint said as he continued to gently hold Matt's hand.
"No worries, man," Sam said easily only honest understanding in his voice.
"Umm," Bruce started uncertainly before pausing as Clint looked up at him his face still tear streaked and Tony literally saw the way Bruce melted at the look in the archer's eyes.
"It will take several hours for the machine to get all of the nano capsules out of Matt's system but within the first hour we should see the nano levels dccrease by seventy-five percent or more which should put him out of the danger zone of the toxin causing any lasting adverse affects," Bruce told the other man earnestly before smiling in answer to Clint's relieved smile.
'O' Bruce, you have a crush on a bad boy,' Tony thought with a pang. Bruce just had to be crushing on a guy that was likely straight (see Matt as exhibit a) and who probably would be bored to death with any science talk (Bruce's passion).
Tony was just opening his mouth to say something that would likly get him shot or flattened by the Hulk when Agent Agent's phone went off.
The frown Phil directed at his phone upon seeing the caller ID had everyone on edge and the tension only ratcheted up when Phil answered and before he could speak another voice was speaking over the phone. Tony was unable to make out the words but from the grim set of Phil's face whatever was being said could not have been good.
"Understood. Delay it as long as you can," Phil said simply then hung up before sweeping his eyes over the group.
"All Avengers barring Dr. Banner are to suit up and meet on the landing pad where we parked the quinjet. I will brief you on the way."
"Move now," Phil barked when Tony and Bruce continued to blink blankly at the Agent even after Natasha had already taken off at a sprint.
Without a moments more hesitation Tony was moving to suit up but not before he heard Phil order Bruce to move Matt and everyone else down to the secret nuclear fallout shelter under the mansion. Tony felt his heart sink through his stomach as he realized exactly how bad things must have been if Phil were giving that order.
Sam stared at the retreating backs of the Avengers and their handler before he looked over to Clint who gave him a quick serious of hand signs while Dr. Banner was turned away preparing to move Matt.
'Contact the underground. Find out what is going on,' Clint signed and Sam nodded as he discretely shot off a text message. Moments later his phone pinged and he nearly dropped it in shock before numbly handing it to Clint. Clint's eyebrows went up as he read the brief message.
"Something big going down at SHIELD. Going to ground. You should, too. GL."
There underground contact in the states wasn't known for backing down from anything and usually made himself known when shit hit the fan if only so that he could make a profit, Sam had never known him to hide from a conflict.
"What do you think," Sam signed.
Clint looked at him then looked long and hard at Matt before seeming to come to a hard decision.
"I think they will need help," Clint flicked through the signs quickly his jaw set "We get Matt undercover then I split off and head to SHIELD to see if I can help the Avengers with whatever this is."
"WE head to SHIELD," Sam signed back.
"No, I need someone to distract Bruce," Clint signed back scowling.
"I think you should have thought about that before spelling out your plan," Dr. Banner said mildly as he stared between the two of them.
In any other situation Sam would have howled with laughter when Clint fell out of his chair in shock at the good doctor's words but as it was he filed the memory away for blackmail as Bruce stared down at the archer and said calmly "You realize I was a doctor in a lot of poor areas where some of my patients could only speak using ASL, right."
Yep, the sight of Clint Barton staring gape mouthed at a bemused Bruce Banner was so being used as blackmail later. Maybe he could get Jarvis to let him have the video if they all managed to survive.
:D