Playing With Fire (EDITING)

Betrayed

The silence that followed Fury's reply was deafening. I could hear the ragged breathing of Cap beside me and the deep, slow breaths of Agent Barton across the table. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. There was no way.

My disbelief must have been written all over my face because Fury heaved a sigh and nodded slowly. "They're members of the X-Men. The only reason I could think of for their attack is to claim you as one of their own. You fit after all. I would assume they'd also like to reclaim Logan."

I met the glance of the healer across the room. Her hard green eyes gave me no help in interpreting Fury's weak explanation. Not only was I now labeled as a wanted criminal and freak show highlight, but apparently I was an object to be fought over and 'claimed' against whatever say I might have had.

"And I'll assume you want to give me over and wash your hands of me?" I spat.

He narrowed his good eye and leaned across the table toward me. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you off this ship. One."

I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to claw his good eye. Speaking up would do nothing to help me even if I could find a single good reason to stay. I had no choice. It was obvious already from his tone and posture that the Director would hand me to the mutants without a question or argument.

I had resigned myself to a future of gawking, probing, and experimenting when Agent Romanoff spoke out, "You said it yourself, Fury, she out-interrogated the professionals and puts up a vicious fight. She's an asset we'd do better to have on our side."

"What's to say she's not biding her time to make sure we trust her before she turns on us?" he retorted.

"Excuse me," I snapped. "Sitting right here, thank you."

Neither of them spared me a glance before taking up their argument again. I rolled my eyes and pushed out of my chair before storming out and slipping down to the interrogation cells. I stood in the surveillance room in front of the monitor screen and let my eyes drift over the nine blocks of interest.

The mutants sat patiently in their cells to await interrogation with no signs of any suspicious activity. I swallowed and knew in the same second that I wasn't alone. "Come to...persuade me, Stark?" I purred.

"Dang, you're good," Tony said, stepping up behind me so that his breaths tickled the back of my neck. "Considering a daring turncoat move, Chickadee?" he teased, tugging the end of my braid a little.

In a single, lightning quick twist, I backhanded him across the face, jabbed a couple pressure points and watched him slide to his knees. "I thought I told you not to touch me," I growled.

He groaned in pain and slowly pushed himself back to his feet, leaning heavily on the nearest wall. "Fine. I've been aptly warned."

"You were warned before but that didn't stop you, did it?" I hissed.

"Touché," he replied.

"Why are you here?" I snapped.

"Could ask you the same thing," he said, pushing off the wall and intercepting me as I paced around the room. I stopped before I could bump into him and pivoted to change my course around the surveillance room. I stayed a step ahead of him as he followed me until I couldn't stand it anymore.

I whipped around and poked him in the eye before punching him in the gut as hard as I could. He doubled over coughing and I took my chance to sprint out of the room and down a hallway. Before I could get very far, I was cut off by the Captain and ran into him so hard I was knocked backwards onto my rear.

I scrambled to my feet and tried to run the other direction but was grabbed roughly from behind and lifted off my feet. "Put me down!!" I shouted at him, kicking and fighting his iron grip.

"Not until you cool off," he snarled in return. I felt him shift his grip so that one toughened arm could wrap across my chest and pin my arms to my sides and the other could prevent me from kicking him too badly. When I stretched my neck around and bit him in the shoulder, he dropped me roughly to the ground.

I took my chance and tried to get back to my feet but he snatched me up again, flailing to be released. He tipped me upside down so that my legs were held in a steel grip and rested on his shoulder and my head and torso swayed above the floor. I tried to claw him but no effect; I couldn't get any power behind a punch from my position. He hefted me higher and wrapped an arm around my torso again to pin my arms. I wriggled and fought but couldn't make a move to get free.

With my breathing constricted by his tight embrace and all the blood rushing to my head, I felt faint and dizzy. I lost all sense of what was up and what was down and stopped fighting. Abruptly, everything went black.

I briefly regained consciousness enough to realize I was being carried and that I felt wretched. My head pounded on all sides and the pain caused me to feel nauseous. I was too weak to stop myself from convulsing as the pain took control. I felt myself being lowered quickly to the ground but the sudden change in position made everything worse. I heaved and the burn of hydrochloric acid filled my throat. A reassuring voice behind me was saying something I couldn't understand and soon the blackness engulfed me again.

The next time I came to, I was lying on something soft and warm. My head still pounded but not as badly as the last time. My ribs felt bruised all over and every breath was a painful struggle. I moaned and tried to roll over but something was preventing me. I let my eyes flicker open and was blinded by the bright lights above me. Soon, voices I hadn't heard earlier could be distinguished from a background hum and the blurry shapes before me came into focus.

I recognized the gaudy red and white stripes on Cap's suit and squeezed my eyes shut again. When I opened them, the familiar sound of Doc's voice reached my ears and I turned my face to see his purple shirt leaning over my bedside. "Doc," Barton's voice said somewhere above a whisper.

Banner's head snapped up and he glanced at Barton before looking over at me. His worried expression broke into a relieved smile and he rested a calloused hand on my shoulder. "Relax, Lyrica. You just passed out and need to rest."

He slowly lifted his hand and I tried to sit up. "Oh no you don't," Banner said, pushing me back down. "None of that."

"I wouldn't be here if Cap hadn't tried to kill me," I spat bitterly.

With a smirk, Doc looked across the bed to where I knew Rogers sat. "He, uh, wasn't aware of the effects of his actions until it was too late."

"Then tell him next time to keep his hands off me and let me run," I rushed out, gasping in pain at the effort.

"Run where?" Agent Barton asked quietly from behind Cap.

"Anywhere that's not here!!" I replied viciously, preparing to throw off my blanket before I realized my tank top had been removed. I swore heavily in French and flopped back onto the pillow. In a room surrounded by men, there was no way I'd get up until they left me alone which they never would.

I huffed through my nose and grabbed two fistfuls of thick white sheet. With an almighty yank, I wrenched the blanket from under the mattress and sat up, wrapping the blanket around my torso and leaping off the mattress. Banner made a grab for me but I twisted away and latched my fingers around his broad wrist.

"Touch me again and I swear I will break every bone in your hand," I threatened in a tone of dangerous calm.

He stepped back and I made the mistake of hesitating. "Lyrica, Fury's decided," Banner said. "As soon as you're well enough to be active, he's sending you back to the mainland with the X-Men and Logan."