chrysalism. n.
the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm, listening to waves of rain pattering against the roof like an argument upstairs, whose muffled words are unintelligible but whose crackling release of built-up tension...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
New York, New York. June 30th, 2017. Medical Ward. 5:48 AM.
"One sniper, the shot was fired from the north side of the building, no rifling, completely untraceable," Banner explained to Tony, standing next to the hospital bed where Tony sat with gauze tightly wrapped around his left shoulder. "Just like the one that Bucky fired when he tried to kill Fury."
"So it's Rumlow. Had to have been Cole," Tony concluded.
"Unless it was Rumlow himself," Natasha butted in.
"No, he's not going to get that sloppy. Cole is his muscle, a dog chasing his tail."
"Seems like we're the ones chasing our tails. We have no information on where they could be," Bruce complained.
"Now you do," Fury called as he walked into the room with a file folder in his hand. "We got a hit on facial recognition software in China. They're on the run, but we've got plain clothes stalking their every move. We wait for a moment of weakness, then we pounce."
"Buck, I promise I can help him. I finally learned a useful spell, and I'm going to prove it to you right now," Malone's laugh echoed through the halls of the medical ward. The couple's heavy footsteps preceded them, but they soon bounded into the room all smiles and laughs, confused and concerned eyes of the team falling on them as they entered, quickly dropping each other's hands. "Oh - hey, everyone," she said awkwardly.
"Learned a useful spell, huh?" Bruce knitted his eyebrows. "Show us."
"Okay, you're going to think I'm crazy, but just let me try this." She carefully raised her hands to Tony's shoulder, scrunching her face in concentration. Tony hissed as a freezing sensation ran through his body, making his fingertips feel frostbitten. Malone grunted softly as she pushed all of her energy into stabilizing the new cells she had just created in his wound. Her arms dropped as they grew weak and she stumbled backward into Steve. He caught her by the shoulders and held her up as she caught her breath, and Tony glanced down at his shoulder, still wrapped in gauze but feeling absolutely fine. He carefully unwrapped the gauze, shock growing as the wound was completely healed.
"See? Useful," Malone smiled at him.
"I would have to agree," Fury said lowly, staring at Tony's shoulder. "Your brother's a pretty good shot, Georgia," he flipped through the file folder in his hands, scanning over Malone's profile.
"I actually go by Malone, Mr. Fury," she smiled awkwardly.
"Okay, Malone," he looked up at her. "What's your brother's biggest weakness?"
___
New York, New York. July 30th, 2017. Conference Room. 8:28 AM.
Fury stood in the empty conference room, staring straight through Steve who sat in front of him, sweating bullets. Fury had asked to speak privately to him after they left Tony to pour over the file Fury brought.
