Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 26

Edit (02/02)

Alex hurt.

Her whole body shuddered as it fought against the convulsive pull of that damned machine. She was weak, she knew. Five days of torture had worn her muscles to their breaking point and she struggled to remain upright. Peter was tucked beneath Stark's arm on the bed next to her, but he kept a comforting grip on her hand.

At the Captain's orders, the pilot had turned the jet around and headed towards Washington D.C. The air was tense as they drew closer and she guessed it had to do with the rift Peter mentioned the day before she was taken.

"So, this is awkward..." She slurred, still trying to clear her mind from the fog of pain that enveloped it.

Stark gave her a look while the Captain and his friend shot an appraising glance in her direction. The man with the shield studied her for a moment longer before walking up slowly, trying not to spook her. "Hi Alex, I'm Steve Rogers." He gestured behind him, "This is my friend Sam Wilson, and the man flying the jet is Clint Barton."

She made no move to respond, so he gave her a small smile and continued. "You're looking pretty beat up over here, kiddo. Is there anywhere in particular that hurts that we can take care of now? We have a great first aid kit on board."

Alex blinked, trying to assess her wounds. Everything hurt, but she couldn't think of anything eternal that they could quickly bandage up. Stark on the other hand... "He's lost a lot of blood, and he's got at least three cracked ribs and a broken nose."

Steve's face tightened and his eyes fluttered closed before he opened them again. "I know, but Tony won't let me help him."

Peter made a distressed sound, but Stark just narrowed his eyes at all of them. "I'm fine. I just need my armor."

"Tony, please." Steve asked, barely short of begging. "We brought your suitcase armor. But just let me help you before we get there. I can't have you falling out of the sky while we're fighting Hydra."

Peter pulled away a few inches to meet Stark's gaze. "Tony, listen to him. Please."

Alex watched a flurry of emotions dance across the billionaire's face before he huffed. "Fine."

Steve smiled and gave Alex a quick wink. She decided that she liked Captain America very much. He was nice and took care of his team.

Sam handed him the first aid kit and Steve rifled through it before bringing out some gauze and alcohol pads. "I'm going to clean up the blood first, then I'll wrap everything. It will hold you over until we can get you both to medbay."

Stark grunted and winced as the Captain provided medical attention while Alex's eyes wandered over the jet's occupants before resting on the first aid kit. When she spotted it, she seized forward, surprising everyone around her.

Steve was quicker than she expected, catching her wrist before she could grab what she wanted. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked. She had been expecting him to be angry, or frustrated, but he only seemed curious.

"That's an adrenaline shot. I need it if I'm going to be fighting with you."

His eyebrows disappeared behind his hairline. "Excuse me? Alex, you're not fighting anybody. You need to stay here and rest. We can handle things down there."

Alex clenched her teeth together and fought to keep from falling over. "No, what I need is for you to get these damn cuffs off of me and give me the fucking shot!"

"Alex..." Peter started, but she raised a hand to cut him off, already exhausted from the small movement.

"No!" She growled, narrowing her eyes at the Avengers surrounding her. "You don't understand, I have to fight. I have to." Alex turned to face Stark, who was having trouble meeting her eyes. "You heard what happened in there. You know what happened to me."