Grey. | marvel [2]

n i n e

Smoke, a sign of fire.
Heat, a warning of pain.
Coughing, Tony is alive.
Blood, he's hurt.

Elana stumbles through the wreckage, reaching for him blindly. "Tony?"
"Here." He's wheezing, weak. She pulls him away from the twisted metal skeleton of the Quinjet, watching as the silhouette burns. She looks around through half-bleary eyes, but if there's something she could recognise in a heartbeat, it's the forest around Belesork.

"We just need coordinates for them to find us," he says, fishing a communicator from his pocket. Elana snatches it out of his hands with a sigh and plugs in some coordinates she knows well.
"Follow me."

They run together, Elana leading slightly. She swerves to the right, pulling him with her. Despite their feet being the only ones heard, they still run as quickly as they can, trying to put as much space between them and the scene behind them. Steve follows Elana through bushes and trees until a clearing comes into view- mostly taken up by a jet. A woman with red hair and a black outfit not dissimilar to Elana's is stood at the top of the ramp, looking out for the man and the girl.

Elana can picture the fully functional Quinjet, the sight of a ever so slightly out of practice Steve Rogers, the first time she ever saw Natasha Romanoff. Now, she remembers Tony and checks him over for injuries. A wound, about the size of a sword, in his abdomen. She checks for an exit wound, but can't find one. She nods slightly. He coughs again, a shallow and wheezing cough that makes Elana's worry spike.

"Where are we?" he rasp. She knows he won't like the answer so she doesn't say a word. She has to get him somewhere. He won't survive much longer with the amount of blood he's losing. She suspects he might have grazed a lung, too. He needs medical attention and she would give her life to ensure he got it. She knows it's a dumb idea. She knows that so many people would be angry at her for doing it. She is also well aware that she might not come out of this unscathed or even alive. She picks up her phone and rings Natasha. She doesn't pick up. She sighs and tries calling Steve instead.
"Elana?" His voice is crackly.
"The Quinjet is down, I repeat the Quinjet is down," she says quickly, knowing that signal is sparse. "Tony is hurt, I need to get help. I know where we are, I know where we can go... but it's risky."
"Elana, don't take any unnecessary risks."
"This isn't unnecessary! Tony might not make it if we just sit here, Steve! I'm going, I've made up my mind. Tony will be in touch," she says before hanging up. He looks dazed, as if he can't really place himself. Elana sighs slightly and pulls him up, pulling his arm over her shoulder and starting the trek. He limps beside her, unsure of what's happening but a dreadful feeling telling him that she's sacrificing something for him and he hates it. There's nothing he can do, though, because she won't stop. Not now, not with his life in the balance.

She starts through the forest, repressing the shivers- a result of her previous experiences in the forest surrounding Belesork. The escape wasn't the only time she'd been out here in this Boreal forest- how could it be? How, when during the long winter months so much snow covers the ground that you can barely walk? How, when the low temperatures could cause frostbite and even death in mere hours if left with little enough protection? How, when leaving girls out here almost bare is a better method of 'discipline' than anything they could dream of achieving inside?

It wasn't as cold as it usually is at this time of year, and the light of day make it less so than at night. Underneath the thick, dense trees, however, it didn't make much of a difference. Cold is cold is cold underneath the trees. Still, Elana tries to trick her brain into thinking it isn't that bad and that she's had worse. Tony's weight is further numbing her already feeling-less arm as she trawls through the snow- although it is only light compared to other years. At first, she'd attempted to walk normally through the snow but soon conservation of energy kicked in and now she finds herself dragging her feet and struggling to keep the barely conscious Tony upright. He kept mumbling about wanting to know where they are and what's happening and where they're going, but that ceased and fizzled without answer, leaving Elana to listen to the sounds around her.

As she approaches Belesork, the snow begins to lessen until she can walk normally along the path. She pauses to hoist Tony's arm over her further, setting off with a new fire ignited in her. "We're almost there," she assures him, casting a dark glance around the buildings and streets she knows so well. The residents stop to stare: the prodigal student returns bearing 'gifts' from the Western world. They stop in the middle of their daily shopping, peering out of their windows or those of shops or buildings. Elana leaves whispering in her wake- 'why is she back?', 'is that Tony Stark?', 'is she insane?'.

She finally approached the large, desperate looking building and she slows down ever so slightly, mentally preparing herself for the waves of memory and most likely pain. Some guards meet her halfway, guns raised and ready to shoot.
"Я хочу увидеть ее," she demands, holding her head high. [I wish to see her.]
They know who she means and they send a soldier back to ask permission. Nobody moves in that time, the wind blowing around them ominously. Elana's hair whips around her face as she stands stationary, barely even blinking. The soldiers dare not attack, not wanting to damage the protégée or feel her wrath. The soldier runs back and begins escorting Elana and Tony inside the walls of Elana's nightmares.

She can feel the wounds of time splitting open and bleeding out.