Hubris Calls For Nemesis

Isilarma

Chapter Two

Apologies for the delay everyone; the past few weeks have been a bit hectic. Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts and favourites, and a special thank you to everyone over at the Beta Branch for their help. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"And you were unable to assist them?"

Coulson had to draw on all his years of experience to continue to meet his boss' eye. "They were waiting for us. We weren't able to pass before they showed us the transmission." Shame rushed through him, and he had to fight to keep his voice even. "We were disarmed and escorted from the premises." He grimaced at the wording, even as he clung to the familiarity of the reports. Missions had gone wrong before, but nothing quite like this. Coulson drew himself up, waiting the reprimand he was sure was coming, but Fury just turned to stare out of the window.

"What do you think they want with the Avengers?"

Memories of Stark on the operating table flashed through his mind. "Experimentation, sir. I suspect Barton and Romanoff are being used as leverage."

Fury grunted. "They're not idiots." He turned back and leaned on his desk. "We made a mistake."

Coulson didn't reply. There was no point in denying it. They had known it was trap, had known their enemies were waiting, and they had still been taken by surprise. Coulson scowled. He hadn't expected them to really be willing to sacrifice Stark to achieve their aims; most people valued the man more highly alive. That these people would think differently had not occurred to him, and he did not appreciate being caught off guard. Fury glanced at him.

"We can discuss it later."

Coulson straightened at the unspoken reprimand. This was not the time to be worrying about what they could have done. "Yes, sir."

Fury took his seat and folded his arms. "Good. Now why don't you tell me the rest of it?"

Coulson didn't ask how he had known there was more. Fury was the one person he couldn't hide anything from. "They told me to give you a message, sir."

Fury's eye narrowed. "Let's hear it then."

Coulson closed his eyes for a moment. He had been the bearer of bad news more times than he could count, but he had never had to deliver a message like this. For the first time in his career, Coulson seriously considered lying to his superior.

"Coulson."

Coulson flinched at the warning in that one word. "Sir."

"Tell me."

There was no disobeying that order. Coulson took a deep breath and told him.

Fury listened in silence, his eye locked on Coulson's. He showed no emotion, not even when Coulson himself faltered. Only once Coulson finished did he stir. "I'm assuming this is non-negotiable."

Coulson glared at the floor. "They were very clear." If only he had been even a little better prepared...

"Coulson."

Coulson blinked and looked up. "Sir?"

Only someone who had worked with Fury as long as Coulson would have been able to detect the almost infinitesimal softening of Fury's expression. "You aren't the one who kidnapped them."

"I should have-"

"You did everything I told you to. Same as always. Understood?"

Coulson just nodded. He didn't trust his voice just yet. Fury rose from his seat and strode to the window. "I don't know about you," he said quietly. "But I have had quite enough of being on the losing side."

"Sir?"

Fury turned back, and Coulson recognised the glint in his eye. "Has anyone informed Ms Potts of Stark's absence?"

Coulson grimaced. "We didn't have to." Extricating Stark's AI from their systems had proved all but impossible. He expected the news to worsen his boss' mood, and so was startled to see a slow smile spread across his face.

"Ask her to join us, would you?"

Coulson frowned. "All due respect sir, but is that wise?" Pepper Potts was a remarkable woman, but even for her this situation would be difficult.

"Just do it, Coulson."

Coulson swallowed another protest and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He made it to the door before Fury stirred. "Coulson?"

Coulson glanced back. "Sir?"

Fury's grin turned predatory. "Tell her to bring JARVIS."

"What the hell made you think this was a good idea? Did your brain get frozen in that ice?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Stark, it's the only reason you're still alive."

Clint ignored the discussion. He was rather more interested in breathing.

"Yeah, and I feel so much better knowing you're all locked up too."

"At least we're all alive. Now we can start thinking of a way out of this mess."

Clint quite liked the sound of that. Broken ribs got old very quickly.

"Is that what you call this? It's a bloody fiasco!"

"Then why don't you stop complaining and start doing something useful?"

Clint heard Tony draw in breath for a reply, but at that point, a new voice spoke up. "If the two of you don't shut up, it won't be that lot outside that you have to worry about."

Not even Captain America and Iron Man were foolish enough to upset the Black Widow. The atmosphere, already uncomfortable, became positively oppressive. Clint sighed and cracked open one eye. "Nat, I think they've got the message."

Natasha's glare switched from their teammates to him. "You're not supposed to be talking."

Clint shrugged as best he could. "I felt left out."

Tony folded his arms. "Lucky you."

Clint ignored the tone. Tony's shirt had been returned and the reactor covered, but it was impossible to hide the ashen pallor of his skin, or the way he kept his arms folded over his chest. Steve's jaw tightened but he kept his temper, choosing instead to change the subject. "I wonder if they'll let Banner and Thor join us."

Natasha shrugged. "They don't seem too concerned about keeping us separated. They're probably trying to find a way to neutralise their powers."

"Is that even possible?"

Clint grimaced. "No idea...but I wouldn't put it past them."

"If they don't just kill them to simplify matters," Tony muttered.

Steve frowned at him. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done it earlier. Whatever they want, they clearly need us alive."

Tony looked away. "Not all of us."

Steve looked stricken, but the door slid open before anyone could try to break the suddenly awkward silence. Clint felt Natasha tense, but their captors had dropped the incompetent act, and two guns were trained on them before anyone could even think to react. Steve rose to his feet, his expression very grim.

"What do you want?"

None of the men replied. Instead one of them stepped aside, and Bruce was pushed roughly into the cell. Steve steadied him, but in the moment's distraction, the door hissed shut. Steve scowled and turned to their teammate. "Are you all right?"

Bruce grimaced. "I've been better, but nothing major."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Then mind telling us what that is?"

None of them needed clarification. Bruce had been provided with a plain grey jumpsuit to replace his rags, but their other gift was rather less pleasant. Bruce's expression darkened as he touched the complicated looking collar around his neck. "They decided they needed to take precautions."

Tony glared at it. "Let me see." He tried to push himself upright, only to fall back with a muffled curse. Bruce's anger was immediately replaced by concern, and he hurried to his friend's side.

"You shouldn't be moving."

Tony waved him away. "Pease, I can handle it. Now gimme."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. They warned against tampering with it."

"Of course they did," said Tony impatiently. "But if we listen to everything they say we'll never get out of here."

Bruce sighed but sat next to him, angling his neck so that Tony could study the mechanism more closely. Clint, ignoring Natasha's warning look, pushed himself to one elbow for a better look. Tony's brow was furrowed in concentration, and, despite the precariousness of their situation, he seemed more at peace than he had all day. "Clever," he muttered. "Very clever."

"What is it?" Steve asked.

It was Bruce who answered. "It monitors my blood pressure and breathing rate. Once they get to a certain level, it reacts."

"Reacts how?"

At that moment, Tony tapped one of the exposed panels, and there was no need for Bruce to reply. Bruce let out a yelp as his entire body jerked, his face contorting into a mask of agony, while Tony pulled his fingers back with a curse.

"Damn them."

"Are you all right?" Steve demanded.

Tony nodded, but his expression as one of mortification as he turned to Bruce. "Bruce-"

"I'm fine," Bruce mumbled. His hands shook slightly, and his face was very pale, but he forced a smile. "They don't want to do any permanent damage yet."

Tony's fists clenched. "I'm sorry," he began again, but Bruce shook his head.

"It was worth a try." He leaned back against the wall with a sigh, then caught Clint's eye. "You should really be resting."

"I am resting," Clint protested. He did lie back though, the burn in his chest was quickly becoming unbearable. Natasha nodded approvingly, but Tony was still glaring at the collar.

"I really don't like these people," he growled.

"You're not the only one," Clint muttered.

Tony sat back, a dark scowl on his face. "If I had even some basic tools..."

"Well, we don't," said Steve quietly.

Their captors were certainly being clever now, Clint reflected grimly. Not even Tony Stark could make something out of nothing. Their cell was completely bare, and although they had been allowed to keep their uniforms, the look of pure murder on Natasha's face when she had entered had been enough to tell him that the search beforehand had been a thorough one. Clint would have admired their common sense, and their pure nerve, if he hadn't been so frustrated.

"So, what do we do?" asked Bruce after a moment.

Clint and Natasha exchanged a long look before Natasha shrugged.

"We wait."

"Wait," Tony repeated. His tone and face conveyed exactly what he thought of that plan, but Natasha just raised an eyebrow.

"Unless you have any better ideas?" she asked. Tony's scowl darkened, but he folded his arms and sat back without replying.

"You think Fury's working on it?" said Steve quietly.

Natasha shook her head. "No."

"What?"

It was Clint who answered. "We know he is."

Hill leaned forwards, a frown creasing her face.

"Please tell me he isn't really going to go through with this."

Coulson didn't move his gaze from where his boss was talking to Pepper. "He isn't."

"You're a terrible liar."

Coulson sighed. "They refused to even discuss it. I could have offered them the Council and they would have refused."

"Pity," Hill muttered. "That would have been one way of getting them off our backs."

Coulson grunted his agreement, but their discussion was interrupted when Fury looked up and gestured for the two of them to join him. Coulson nodded to Pepper as he approached.

"Are you all right?"

She gave him a tired smile. "Well enough. It's hardly as if it's the first time." Her voice was quite calm, but Coulson didn't miss the pallor of her skin, or the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We will get them back," he assured her.

Pepper nodded. "Director Fury was telling me." She held out a tiny metal disc. "Everything you need is there. All you need to do is attach it to a console."

"I remember," said Fury dryly. "Thank you, Ms Potts."

"Don't thank me. Just get Tony out of there before he does anything stupid."

Fury grimaced. "Tall order."

Hill coughed loudly. "Sir, with all due respect, I really don't think this is a good idea."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You've got a better one?"

"Let Coulson or me go."

Fury looked pointedly at Coulson, who sighed. "Any deviation from their instructions will result in the immediate execution of two of the hostages."

"And they've made it pretty clear that they won't hesitate to carry out that threat."

Hill tried again. "But it's against regulations to negotiate-"

"I know what the regulations say," Fury interrupted. "I wrote most of them. And so far as I know, we don't have anything covering the abduction of a demigod who just so happens to be royalty, and two of the world's leading scientists. Remind me to fix that when I get back," he said to Coulson.

"Yes, sir, but I have to remind you that the Council will not agree."

"Right now I don't give a damn what the Council thinks. They haven't been able to make a single decision so I'm making it for them."

Coulson fell silent. Hill stared at the floor, her lips pressed tightly together. They were out of ideas. No matter how much they might hate the situation, there was no other option. And there was too much at stake to take chances. Fury looked at the two of them and sighed. "Coulson, with me. Hill, you're in charge until I get back."

Hill's face was like stone as she dipped her head. "Yes, sir."

Fury glanced at Pepper. "We'll get him back."

Pepper met his gaze without a flicker of hesitation. "I know."

Fury nodded, before striding from the room. Coulson made to follow, but paused when Pepper laid a hand on his arm. "Take care of him, Phil."

Coulson covered her hand with his own. "That's my job, isn't it?" He squeezed her fingers briefly before releasing them. "We'll be back soon." He shot one final glance at Hill before following Fury. There was work to be done.

He refused to think about what the result of that work would be.

Clint had lost track of time. From the rumbling of his stomach, and the gradually worsening ache in the general vicinity of his chest he guessed it had been several hours, but he had been distracted too many times to be sure.

"Three and a half," said Natasha quietly.

Clint nodded. "Thanks."

Tony shook his head. "I don't care what you say, that's still creepy."

"Shut it, Stark," Clint muttered.

Tony smirked, but for once did as he was asked. Bruce glanced up at Steve who was pacing back and forth. "Do you find that helpful?"

Steve grimaced. "Not particularly. I wish we knew what was happening to Thor."

"They're taking a long time," Natasha agreed. "But if any of us can handle it..."

Tony leaned forwards. "I want to know how they're planning to hold him. Bruce I can understand, but Thor's powers are part of who he is."

"I've been wondering the same thing," Bruce admitted. His hand rose unconsciously to the collar and his expression darkened. "But I'm sure they'll come up with something."

Clint glanced at him. "No luck with the Other Guy then?"

Bruce's eyes gleamed. "Not yet."

Tony shot him a sharp look, but before he could question it the door opened once again and they discovered exactly what had happened to their missing teammate.

"Thor!"

As startling as Bruce's collar had been, the sight of the Asgardian was a hundred times worse. Thor's blond hair was damp with sweat, his eyes were closed, and his legs seemed unable to bear his weight. Steve caught him before he hit the floor, his eyes widening in alarm.

"He's burning up."

Bruce was immediately by his side. "Let me see."

"What's going on?" Tony demanded. "I thought Asgardians couldn't get sick. No one ever said anything about Asgardians getting sick."

"No," said Bruce quietly. "But they can be poisoned."

Tony paled sharply at his words, and he wasn't the only one. Clint suddenly felt sick; he had seen Thor injured before, they all had, but the demigod was always back on his feet looking none the worse for wear in a matter of hours. None of them had ever seen him like this. He heard a short ugly burst of Russian, and felt absurdly glad that not even Natasha had expected this. Bruce ignored the commotion, his eyes narrowed as he took Thor's pulse.

"Too fast, and his breathing..." He looked up. "He needs a doctor."

Steve frowned. "At the moment, you're the best he's got."

"That isn't going to be enough," Bruce insisted. "He needs proper help, and soon."

Clint stared at him. "But he's practically immortal. How can a puny mortal poison be enough to kill him?"

"I don't know, but do you really want to take the chance?" He ran a hand through his hair. "He's stable for now, but there's no telling if his condition might worsen. And with his physiology, there's nothing I can do."

There was a long silence. Clint looked round at them all, from Tony's drawn face to the collar around Bruce's neck, and back to Thor's shuddering body, and for the first time since this mess had begun he felt a flicker of fear. Natasha's hand brushed his shoulder, and he drew strength from the contact.

"Fury and Coulson are on it," he said quietly. "We won't be here long."

Tony snorted. "You sure?"

Natasha glared at him. "You might not like him-"

"Really? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"-but he never leaves us behind," Natasha continued, as if he hadn't spoken. "Or at least doesn't protest when Coulson goes back."

Tony's fists clenched. "I still don't trust him."

"You don't have to," said Steve. "But he won't leave us here."

Bruce glanced up at Tony. "I don't trust him either," he said quietly. "At least not completely. But they will come." He turned back to his patient. "Besides, would Pepper let them do any less?"

That brought a ghost of a smile to Tony's face. "Not if they know what's good for them."

Clint caught Natasha's eye and grimaced. They were both aware of their teammates' distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D., and of Fury in general, but although they understood it, they didn't share it. They had been through too much, and owed Fury too much for that. Convincing their friends of that however, was going to take a little longer. Natasha gave a slight shrug of agreement, but just then their attention was diverted by a rasping cough.

"Thor."

Clint shuffled over, mindful of ribs, in time to see Thor's eyes flicker open. "W-what-"

"Take it easy," said Bruce gently. "It looks like you've been poisoned."

Bleary blue eyes locked on his. "Poisoned?"

"It looks like it. Did they say anything about what they were doing?"

Thor frowned. "I do not remember. Everything seems hazy, unclear..."

Bruce sighed. "Never mind."

Thor's brow furrowed. "They – they dared to bind you-"

Bruce's hand drifted almost unconsciously to the collar. "Don't worry about it."

"The others-"

"We're all fine," Steve assured him.

"Tony, Clint-"

"Nothing to worry about, Big Guy," Tony put in. "I'll be fine in a bit. Clint'll have to spend some time in his favourite infirmary though."

Clint pulled a face. "Something to look forward to."

Thor attempted a smile. "It is necessary, my-" He broke off abruptly as a shudder wracked his body, his face going a somewhat alarming shade of green. Bruce laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Lie back."

Thor did as he asked. "It appears I will be joining you in captivity," he murmured to Clint.

Clint managed to grin back. "Let's see if we can beat the previous record."

"Which one?" asked Natasha dryly. "Fastest escape time, or most doctors resigning in the space of your stay?"

"Why not both?"

"Not the second," said Tony. "That one's mine."

"You sound far too pleased with that," Steve muttered.

"What? It's an accomplishment."

Steve and Bruce exchanged an exasperated look, but Clint saw some of the tension leave Thor's body at the banter. He closed his eyes and tried to find a comfortable position for his own injuries.

He needn't have bothered. Barely two minutes later, the door opened again.

"Get up."

Steve and Natasha were the only ones who did so.

"What is going on?"

Guns were levelled. "On your feet."

Tony muttered something inaudible under his breath, but used the wall to push himself up. It took both Steve and Bruce to help Tor up, and even then the demigod had to lean heavily on Steve. Natasha offered Clint a hand, all the while not taking her eyes from the guards.

"Are we going to get an explanation?"

The man who had spoken pointed with his gun at Clint, Natasha, Thor and Tony. "You four will come with me."

Steve eased Thor over to Bruce and stepped in front of them. "What do you want with them?"

"Cap," Natasha hissed, but the man just looked at him.

"They are unnecessary. They will be released."

Clint stared at him. Released? That couldn't be right. Steve looked equally taken aback, but now Tony stepped forwards to join him.

"And what about them?" he asked, jerking his head at Steve and Bruce.

"They will not."

"If you think-"

"You will come, or you will be shot."

"Go," said Bruce quietly.

"But-"

"That's an order," Steve snapped. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

Tony's jaw clenched, but Clint caught his eye and shook his head, and he pulled himself together with a visible effort. "Fine." He glanced at Bruce. "See you soon, yeah?"

Bruce managed a slight smile. "Yeah."

Thor gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. "We will return," he said softly.

Steve just nodded. "We know."

"Enough. Move."

None of them dared protest this time. Tony and Natasha moved to support Thor, Clint following more slowly. He didn't understand what was going on, but he suspected there was more to it than the fact that they weren't needed. Even if they weren't as important as Bruce or Steve, they were still valuable hostages. Why were people who had proved so competent so far giving up such an advantage?

That question was answered the moment they stepped out of the main door.

"Director Fury."

Everything snapped into place, and Clint had to bite back a curse. Four hostages for one might not seem like a good deal, but when that one was the executive director of the world's leading espionage force... Tony's eyes widened.

"Fancy seeing you here, Nick."

Fury shrugged. "Well, I've heard a bit about the place. Thought it might be time to take a look around."

"Might I suggest that this isn't one of your better ideas, sir?" said Natasha. There was the slightest trace of tension in her voice, but for Natasha that was the equivalent of a full blown tantrum, and Clint found himself leaning away unconsciously. Fury, however, just raised an eyebrow.

"Only if you don't mind me not paying attention." His eye narrowed as he looked at Thor. "What happened?"

"That is not your concern," the man interrupted.

Both Fury and Natasha ignored him. "Banner thinks poison. We'll sort it."

"See that you do. I doubt the Allfather will be particularly impressed otherwise."

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He turned his attention to Clint. "Try to at least stay in bed long enough for them to get the wrappings on this time."

Clint offered a lopsided smile. "Do my best, sir."

"Stark, if you give Hill any trouble, I will make you pay for it."

Tony swallowed. "Got it." His eyes looked a little wild, but he didn't get a chance to continue before the man stepped between them.

"Enough. You will leave."

Clint was sorely tempted to argue, but one look at Fury's face was enough to disabuse him of that notion. Natasha hesitated a moment longer before nodding.

"All right."

"But," Tony began, but he broke off abruptly when Natasha grabbed his arm.

"We don't have a choice," she hissed. "We'll come back later."

Tony's expression hardened. "I'll hold you to that." He glanced at Fury, and jerked his head. "Try not to get killed before we get back."

Fury rolled his eye. "At least it would be peaceful."

"So not funny." But his grin didn't reach his eyes, and Clint knew he was about as happy with the situation as the rest of them.

"Get out of here, Stark."

Tony offered a surprisingly crisp salute. "Sir, yes sir."

"One minute."

Clint tensed, even as Fury glared round. "What? We've done everything you said."

The man responsible for this mess walked forward until he was standing beside Tony. "You have. But we are not quite finished."

"What do you mean?" Tony demanded.

"You have something that we need."

Tony's eyes widened, but before he could move, he found his arms seized by two guards. Natasha began to move forward, only to find four guns surrounding her. Fury was in the same state. Clint was faced with three, and felt a brief surge of resentment that he wasn't considered as dangerous, but all frustration fled as the man drew a knife and began to cut away Tony's shirt. Tony swallowed visibly.

"I thought you said we weren't necessary."

"You are not," said the man. "What you carry might be."

"Might be?"

"We do not know. But it is better to be prepared. Don't you agree?"

Thor straightened, heedless of the guards around him. "Do not do this," he growled. "It will not end well."

"For you, maybe." He gestured, and Thor doubled over as the butt of a gun was slammed into his stomach.

"Stand down," Fury snapped.

Thor glared at him, but the man took advantage of the distraction to reach out and take hold out the arc reactor. Tony thrashed violently, a stream of curses flying from his tongue, but there he was nothing he could do to keep the man from taking the one thing that kept him alive.

"No," Thor snarled, but the man was already drawing back, his eyes on the glowing mechanism. He paid no attention to Tony's desperate struggles for breath, or to the tirade of Russian that Natasha sent his way. For his part, Clint could only keep his eyes on Tony, as he writhed in the grip of the guards. How had everything gone so wrong so fast?

Fury whirled on their captor, and his expression was more dangerous than Clint had ever seen it. "That was not the agreement."

The man just looked at him. "We said we would release them once we had everything we needed. Now we do."

Fury's fists clenched and Natasha tensed, but there was nothing either of them could do. There were too many guards with too many guns, and Clint knew that even if they hadn't been injured, they could not take this many. Tony fell to the floor, his breath a harsh rattle, and his face bone grey. Thor glared daggers at the man, but it was clear it was all he could to stay on his feet.

Not once did the man's expression change.

"There is a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft waiting for you outside. Whether you make it to safety or not is not my concern."

For a long second, Clint could only stare at him. Then he saw Tony's ashen face as he clutched at the gaping hole in his chest, and saw Thor stagger, and knew that they had no choice.

"You get Stark," he growled. "I'll take Thor."

Natasha looked about as happy as Clint felt, but she reached down and looped one of Tony's arms around her shoulders. Clint did the same for Thor, clenching his teeth against the pain that lanced through his chest. Thor seemed to sense his discomfort for he forced himself upright, relieving the pressure a little.

"We will make it," he said quietly.

Clint nodded. "I know."

But he couldn't help looking back at Fury. His boss met his gaze steadily.

"Go, Agent," he said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Clint closed his eyes. "Yes, sir."

He wouldn't do anything stupid. They had learned that lesson well. But as Clint turned to make his way to his waiting colleagues, and heard Tony's pained moans, he was certain of one thing.

This was not the end. The people stupid enough to capture them, and torture them, and almost kill them were going to pay. And if Tony, or Thor, or any of them did die, then Clint would show them exactly who he had been before S.H.I.E.L.D. And Natasha would be right there alongside him. They would avenge their friends.

Whatever the cost.

Any feedback would be very much appreciated.