Phoenixfire

Return to the past, Córdoba

A few weeks later Phoenix is getting more and more settled. Nat and her are a thing now, and it feels awesome. The eight hours of sleep do repeat; wrapped up in Nat's scent, Phoenix feels safe enough. But every so often she wakes in the wee hours of the morning and just has to head down to the training area, fighting against memories and herself, further blooding the wooden training dummy. It is one of those mornings, when the call comes, to assemble in the meeting room. She has enough thought to go by the kitchen sink and clean off her hands and arms, before entering the meeting room. Nat gives her a quick once over and when Phoenix sits down next to her, she pushes a cup of coffee over and pulls the free hand into hers, her thumb running circles on the back of the hand. Maybe her mind is too preoccupied with that, but the first few minutes of talk pass by unnoticed. Only when Tony pulls up a picture of a balding, middle aged man in a white suit with a nice-next-neighbour-smile she freezes for a second. "We believe he has forged new connections outside the drug-imperium he as established. We believe, he is now working with Hydra, trying to create super-drug. Knowing Hydra, it will not be a benign trip inducing substance. There is a big event plant in a few days. We must get there and get for one the plans, recipe, whatever for the drug and whatever has been produced so far." Pulling her hand out of Nat's hold, Phoenix sits up straighter as she hears herself say "I can get you what you need." Her voice is quiet and void of feeling as she goes on "I know him. I.... have a past with him." All fall silent and turn to her, their attention zeroing in on Tony alone. "I can get to him, get you the info you need. He will not produce the stuff where he lives – too dangerous. You stand by and when I give you the info where, you go there." "O-K" Tony says. "Nat will go with y" "No" Phoenix interrupts. "No, I have to go alone. I.... ran from him in the past and might have to make amends. Let me not present him with someone I like, for him to use against me." Nat starts to protest. Wanda and Steve chime in, too. Phoenix just looks at Tony. He nods. "What will you need?" "500k, a trip to Córdoba and the knowledge you pick me up at the party." He nods. "Go pack, you'll fly out in an hour." Phoenix nods and without looking back to Nat or the others she heads to her room. Hastily she pulls out a black duffle and stuffs it with the necessities. She is all done in about five minutes and is standing in front of the window with her back to the door, waiting. Not seeing the glorious outside. Already being sucked into her past.

Nat quietly enters and leans with her back to the door, watching the slender silhouette of Phoenix. "I am good undercover, you know. One of the best. I danced with drug lords before" she says quietly. Phoenix's shoulders sag. "I know." "You could use me, you know. For keeping watch, for keeping you safe." "I know." Nat strides quickly through the room and pulls Phoenix around so they are eye to eye. "Then why not?" Phoenix eyes are glassy with tears. A single tear flows over. "Because I have to stay sane. And to do that, my heart has to be protected. Kaha (*my strength*), you are my heart. You are what will keep me alive. I have to be what I was before. I will have to do things I don't want to, but I will do them, because in the end – you will be there to pick me up." "Kaha, I made it you and I meant it" she adds after a moment's hesitation. The tears flow over and run down her face. Nat looks at her a little while longer, holding her face up by the chin, so Phoenix has to look into her eyes and not look away. "I will be there to pick you up" she says, pulling Phoenix in for a kiss, finally letting her hand fall from the others chin to pull her into a hug. Phoenix presses her face into the crook of Nat's neck and breathes in deeply, committing the scent to memory. "I have to shower and dress" she murmurs. "I'll come with" Nat smiles and pulls her toward the bathroom.

At exactly an hour later Phoenix is in front of the Quinjet, dressed in a black leather combo, sad having to leave Tony's suit behind. Leather would have to do for now. The others are there, too, packed for two weeks Argentina. While Nat powers up the Jet, Tony sits down next to Phoenix, holding a silver case the size of a shoe box. "I thought about the problem of how to communicate and plastic not being.... Ideal for you in a coms." He smiles and opens the box. Inside is an injector. She raises an eyebrow and looks at him inquisitively. "This is the uhm... I don't have a fancy name yet. You'd be.... The test subject..... Uhm. Yeah." He smiles sheepishly. "This contains a small device that will pick up your voice and send the sounds through your cranial bone to your ear. You can tap it once for turning it off and twice for on. I have planned to connect it with more devices, but haven't gotten around to that yet." Phoenix looks a bit sceptically at the huge needle. "And... that thing is able to withstand my fire? And what happens, when... say... someone hits me right where that sits." He hesitates a heartbeat. "It should withstand your fire. I think it might be protected by you yourself – you do not burn when you are on fire... right?" She slowly shakes her head. "If someone hits you, I hope it survives?! Best guess is it does – I tried to destroy it with a hammer.... Didn't work. Oh, and it will not show up on bug scanners and metal detectors and such things." With another of his mischievous smiles he raises the device, turns her head to the side. "Think happy thoughts" he says jovially then pulls the trigger. Phoenix's head feels like it exploded. Only with some effort she can persuade her Phoenix to not lash out at Tony who has swiftly moved a few steps away. Slowly her head stops to throb, and she glares at him. "Son of a..." "Loving mother who raised a brilliant child. Me" he finishes for her. "Try it. Tap the place where I injected, twice." She does so and hears a faint staticky sound. "Stark is a bastard." Her voice rings clear through the Quinjet's speakers. "He is not" Stark replies, his voice quietly reverberating in her ear. "My parents were married after all." He smiles happily, as she taps the device once and the static turns off. "And if we need to reach you, you will hear a quiet knock twice. You have to pick up if you can." He tries it and she confirms. "It works. Let's hope batteries don't run out or something." "Ah, they wouldn't. They run on the electric current running through your body. So as long as you are alive it will work." "If it is not fried by my Phoenix...." "Yeah" he concedes. "Or that."