Into the Mist. (Avengers FanFiction) Sequel to Away We Go

Chapter 12

Hawkeye's a.k.a. Clint Barton's P.O.V.

"I don't like this." I nodded in response to Tony, clutching my bow tighter. The compound loomed before us, casting us in a shadow, with not one guard patrolling the perimeter. Our trek through the dense forest that surrounded it had been the hardest part of this rescue mission so far. Well, that, and the waiting. The uncertainty.

It had been two days since Natasha had called and anything could have happened in that span of time. Steve and Nat could be dead- or worse. Shaking off the grim thoughts, I followed up behind Fury as we rushed towards a hardly noticeable entrance on the side of the compound. The glare from the metal walls was harsh and blinding, the metal itself scorching as I rested a hand against it.

For a moment, we stood in silence, staring at the door, steeling ourselves for what possibly lay on the other side. Without a word, Tony shot a beam across the lock and down the side of the door, melting it for easy entry.

"Ready?" Fury asked, reaching out and gripping the handle. I didn't fail to notice the slight shake in his hand.

"No," Tony said, voice unmistakably gruff even through the filtration of his mask. Fury shoved open the door and we piled inside. My heart beat painfully against my ribs as I took in the empty office-like room. It didn't look much different than a regular office of S.H.E.I.L.D, though it was...messier, as if the workers had left in a haste. Coffee mugs and files littered the ground, computers were still humming, and a printer in the far corner was still spitting out pages onto an ever growing pile. With all the stealth we possessed, we slinked towards the door closest to us, searching for any cameras that could alert someone to our presence. Upon finding none, we thought it safe to venture out into the hallway.

It was dark, almost pitch black save for the single red, flashing light that was rooted to the ceiling. The door clicked shut behind us and I scanned the area, seeing only one other door at the end of the corridor. Something was making a hell of a lot of noise behind that door. It sounded almost like a piece of machinery that had jammed and began releasing a shrill, grating...shriek. It faded in and out, accompanied by rapid thuds.

Tony and I exchanged a perplexed glance, looking at Fury who was just as puzzled. Something was definitely not right here. A deserted compound, strange noises, no cameras, or, none that were functioning...?

A swell of panic rose, gripping my heart, and pushing me past Tony and Fury and toward the door. The closer I got the more the sounds unsettled me. My pulse thundered in my ears as I pushed myself into a sprint, no longer acknowledging the duo behind me.

I needed to find Natasha. With a grunt I rammed my shoulder against the door, surprised to find that it swung open with no resistance. The moment of relief was short lived though, once the screams hit me, followed by the rapid explosion of bullets. The room was in chaos.

Agents were everywhere, swarming something. They paid no attention to me as I crept forward, too busy unloading round after round onto the target that was just out of my line of sight.

"What the hell?" Fury spat, inching out after me, followed by Tony who was trying his hardest to be light on his feet to avoid noisily clinking across the metal flooring. I allowed myself a brief glance around, taking in the hangar we were currently in. It was huge, SUVs and all types of guns lining the walls. It looked like it could possibly be the main entry point of their compound. 

When the screams increased in volume, my head whipped back toward the mess that was the middle of the hangar. Bodies littered the floor, blood streaming in small rivulets from the corpses. I strained my eyes, squinting into the mass of writhing bodies. My heart stopped as a glimpse of bright red locks peeked out from the mass. I stared, frozen, until a pair of emerald eyes met my own. They were wide with terror, that alone shocking me to the bone. I was completely numb before I caught a glimpse of Loki who sneered in my direction, before latching onto Natashas arm. "CLINT!" Natasha shrieked, before vanishing from sight. That was all it took for me to take off and plunge head long into the swarm, the yells of Tony and Fury fading as I was lost in the fight.

Captain America's a.k.a Steve Roger's P.O.V.

I pounded on the walls, kicking the cot with all the force I possessed. It snapped in half, falling into a heap on the floor. I was going to burst if I didn't find a way out of this room. The screams taunted me like a demented ballad, the gun shots fraying my nerves. I let out a howl of frustration, hands pulling at my hair. I was about to take my anger out on the cot once again, when Natasha's shriek formed a coherent word.

"CLINT!"

Clint? Barton? He was here? Did he bring reinforcements?

My anger ebbed slightly as I was relieved there was someone out there to help Natasha. Now I could put the entirety of my focus on escaping.

I ran my fingers across the walls for what felt like the millionth time, trying to find a seam of a door. I knocked, trying to find any hollow places but there was nothing.

"Tony, Clint, and Fury are in the hangar bay. Roland is in the room next to yours," a voice spoke, the sound crackling through a line of static. I couldn't make out who had spoken or from where, the static dying out as spontaneously as it had began. A door...materialized to my right, swinging open and slamming against the wall outside.

Could I trust this mysterious source? After a minute I decided that, reliable or not, this source gave me the only information I could go on.

I ran from the room, spotting the door a little ways down the brightly lit hall.

Roland.

I was reaching for the handle when the door rattled in its frame before opening. A hulking man stepped out, his attention focused down the other side of the hall. Without hesitation, my fist flew out, clocking him hard against the side of the face. He grunted, flying backwards. I was on him in an instant, sending a flurries of kicks into his side as he hit the ground, then delivering a final punch to his temple, rendering him unconscious. I wasn't taking any chances.

I glared hard at the man on the ground, before backtracking and entering the room.

"St-steve?" Even the dim lighting couldn't hide the gruesomeness of his injuries. Roland sagged forward against the pole he was bound to, crimson trickling down from the multiple lacerations zig zagging his back. There was so much blood. 

I lunged forward, hastily undoing the ties that had began to chafe his wrists raw. He tried to smile in my direction but his face soon fell into an agonized grimace, his mouth releasing a choked sob.

"It's okay, I've got you," I said, helping him stand. His legs buckled beneath him, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Roland? Roland?"

He had passed out.

I swore as I took another look at his back- He needed medical treatment and he needed it now.

I needed to get Roland to Tony, Clint, or Fury to find out if they had brought backup or medical supplies. I didn't trust anything I might find around this compound.

I slung Roland's arm around my shoulder and one around his waist, being as gentle as possible as I carried (or more or less dragged) him from the room.

The static ridden voice had said my fellow Avengers and Fury were in the hangar bay. I didn't have to think twice about how to get there. I'd follow the screams.

As I slowly made my way toward the clamor, I resolved to get Roland to safety, before going to search for Calypso. This opportunity of breaching enemy lines would never arise again, I was sure, and I was going to take full advantage of it. If she wasn't here, I'd start my search from square one. To find her, I'd start over as many times as were necessary.

But, after glancing once more at the bloody and brutalized Roland, I started to hope I didn't find her here. Because in this compound it was obvious that things worse than death were a very, very real possibility.