Work Text:
The cold of the concrete floor seeping into the thin trousers they had been forced into doing nothing to help settle the nerves of the assembled avengers as they sat in a row of high tech cells, the sound of chains clicking across the floor whenever they would shift their cuffed arms the only sound in the dark hallway,
It had started with Nat and Clint as they did a routine surveillance mission, the quick efficient deployment of a thick knockout gas dropping them like flies before they even knew what was happening had started the dominoes and within the next 24 hours all the avengers had been neutralized and brought in,
Tony was pulled from his disrupted mark 85 after it was hijacked by jamming signals cutting off the power until he was trapped inside an iron coffin,
Steve and Bucky had been hit with highly modified tranquillizers specifically designed for their enhancements while on their morning run,
Sam`s wings were clipped by a localized distress signal leading him to a Chitauri wind modifier snatching him out the air
Bruce had been blasted by a synchronized cosmic blast instantly knocking him out as he left a collage lecture
Which led to now, where they were sat bruised and confused, Steve, Bucky and Bruce were sporting matching power dampening collars, Sam was sat against the far wall of his cell nursing a likely sprained wrist, surprisingly they were all generally unharmed all things considered
“ where do you guys think we are” Clints drowsy voice called out from his cell as he shook the residue of the gas off him,
Bucky`s dark eyes glittered in a mix of pure rage and fear as he replied in one short bitten out word “ Hydra” his gruff tone deepening as his eyes flickered to Nat who was inspecting her cell as best she could while chained down,
“ these cells are pretty advanced stuff, looks like they found themselves a new funder” her tone deceptively light as her gaze swept over her family, her eyes snapped towards the door at the end of the hallway as it slid open to reveal a unit of guards surrounding a struggling figure clad in red and blue spandex that had been ripped at the shoulder and hip as they threw him into the end cell like a ragdoll
“ Pete!” Tonys desperate voice void of his usual boyish swagger “ kid are you okay? Tell me your not hurt” the pile of limbs groaned as he untangled himself groggily
“ where the hell are we” rubbing his eyes he noticed the other avengers who were by now staring at him in desperation, they didn’t want him to be there, not at hydra “ oof this cant be good, am I late for a party or are we all just here for a nap?” his youthful voice bouncing of the walls, his words only making them wish the joyful excitable kid from queens wasn’t involved in whatever this was
They didn’t have time to reply however before the door once again slid open to reveal the unit of guards now surrounding a tall middle aged man with artificially coloured silver hair and piercing blue eyes, pale skin giving him the appearance of a ghost as he swept into the room looking up from his tablet as he examined each of them with cold calculating eyes,
“ the targets are secured, the operation was a success” one of the guards dressed in black tactical gear stated as they stopped a pace behind him, their heavy guns resting beside them,
“ I should hope so” his tone neutral as he glanced back to his tablet “ the results taken from their blood were disappointing as best, the enhancements shown by the super solders seem to have melded completely to their DNA over the years, it seems to have diluted since it was administered, very outdated” looking up his gaze caught on Peter, a slow smile splitting across his face as he approached his cell “ the spider however… very interesting, bring him to me” he snaped, spurring the guards into action as they manhandled a protesting Peter out,
“ leave him alone! You want tech? you want money, I can give it to you but I swear to god you leave him alone” the cry of the heroes surrounding them filling the air with their protests
“ you`d better kill us now” Nat spat glaring at him her voice dangerously low “ because if you touch him there wont be a deep enough hole for you to hide in for me not to kill you”
“ oh no, you`ll have your time my dear, we will just have to wait for our special guest to come down from another facility before then” flashing his teeth in a shark like manor he continued sounding almost amused “ I`m sure your dear friend Mr. Barnes will know all about him, luckily for this one he doesn’t have to wait” cackled he lead a still drowsy Peter away, placing his hand in the middle of his back pushing the teen away from what little safety he had, leaving behind the now silent heroes.
He didn’t know how long he had been there.
Poked.
Prodded.
Tested on. he knew they were taking his blood and cells but the starvation was getting to him, weakening him.
He didn’t know how many times he had been strapped to the cold metal table, the blinding white lights giving him headaches that would pound against his skull like a toddler on a brass drum while the people in white coats who he were sure weren’t doctors would work.
As always he was eventually dumped back into the cell away from the others, he hoped they were doing better than he was, he hadn’t been given a proper meal since he got there who knows how long ago, his fast metabolism eating him from the inside so you could now count each rib under his thin shirt, his face hollowed out looking years older than he was, the worst part was the ache. The never ending stabbing sensation in his abdomen pleading for just a little more, a little more food a little more water a little more time, he knew he wouldn’t last.
He didn’t know what they had done to him, he knew they injected him with multiple liquids a day, he knew they weren’t good, he knew he looked dead, his skin had gone sickly white, translucent so you could see the blue veins running up his arms and neck, eyes sunken teeth chattering as he was wracked by a fit of shivers, his bones rattling.
But he was okay
He had heard the guards talk about how they had to wait for someone before touching the others, so they had to be better off than he was. So he was okay. he would live. Probably.
The sound of the latch opening gained his attention as the single “meal” he would get each day was pushed through, the lumpy grey substance in the bowl could never be described as a meal he thought sourly forcing it down his dry throat,
“ I`m telling you they`re bringing their own guards, think were gunna get demoted to perimeter patrol again, bet this`ll be our last inside job if Aleksey said they entered the furthest perimeter” the thick Russian accent spoke softly to another guard as he waited for Peter to finish, stepping away from the hatch to better talk, Peters hearing picked it up nether the less as he froze between gulps paralyzed by the realization his family wouldn’t be left alone. Wouldn’t be okay.
His eyes snapped to the open 6 by 8 inch food hatch, he couldn’t let them die, not this time. Not like his parents, not like Ben the spider thought engulfed by a primal urge to protect.
He jammed his left shoulder against the hatch driving his weight forward with a sudden, violent twist. A sharp sickening crack echoed in the quite cell as his collarbone snapped, followed by the wet popping sound of his shoulder dislocating. He didn’t allow himself to scream, biting into his lip until it bleed as the white hot agony washed over him before pushing past it.
Using his remaining functional hand he began systematically fracturing his own ribcage, pressing hard against the floor until they gave way, collapsing inwards to flatten his chest. The pain was blinding threatening to knock him out but he didn’t let himself stop, if he stopped they would die.
He dragged his ruined body towards the opening, sliding his head in first, tilting his chin upward. The cold steel scrapping violently against his ears coating the edges in blood as his head cleared the hatch. Now came the rest of his body, his starved body collapsing into itself as he dragged himself inch after agonizing inch forward, his collapsed shoulders folding completely forward over his face, his broken ribs shifting and overlapping like disturbing plates of armour.
Every breath was a suffocating struggle, his lungs burning not able to fully expand, kicking his legs forward he snapped his hip against the metal frame collapsing his lower body to trail behind him like a ribbon.
With a final heaving push the pressure disappeared, finally clear of the hellish rectangle cut into the wall
Broken wet pants filled the air as he lay in a shivering mess of broken limbs and silent tears. The guards finally glancing towards his cell expecting to see him sitting placidly finishing his food let out startled cries at the empty room
heaving himself up on unsteady legs he threw himself at the first guard using what little weight he had to bring him down, the sickening crack of his scull hitting the stone floor ringing out as Peter rolled to the side just in time to avoid the second guards kick aimed for his head, grabbing the man by the arm pulling them down to the ground biting at his throat, blood rushing to fill his mouth as the man fell limp. Shit, nope it was okay still a heartbeat, sighing in relief more out of principle than anything Peter began dragging himself down the brightly lit hallway, he just had to find the control room. He`ll be fine.
Each hallway looked identical casting the illusion of never moving anywhere, his shuffling stumbling gait carrying him down each new identical hallway leaving a bloody path in his wake, he knew it wouldn’t take long to find someone he had just hoped it would take longer, the sound of tactical boots marching just behind the door causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end in anticipation, a cold sweat breaking out as the noise approached.
The broken bloody figure casting a distorted shadow across the concrete floor making the guards pause for a critical moment allowing Peter to leap, his functioning arm coming up to the pressure points Nat had taught him, the guard sinking to the floor as Peter was already dodging an attack from the side, hobbling towards one of the two remaining guards he positioned himself between the two ducking as they shot at him, the bullets tearing through both guards in cinematic synchronization pools of blood already forming beneath them, their chests were still moving though so he classed it as a win.
Finally after what felt like days of dragging himself through each hallway on broken bones he finally saw what appeared to be the control room, CCTV screens lining the walls showing guards walking through the halls, the avengers sitting silently in cells and Peter himself in the corner of one, the trail of red visible in a cluster of screens, a woman sat in the chair completely focused on tracking what must be the guest approaching the base on a computer, silently he crept up behind her, his gasping breaths of pain stuttering out of collapsed lungs, shuffling feet dragging across the floor limping heavily on his left leg courtesy of his broken hip,
Wrapping his dislocated arm around her throat securing it with the other efficiently cutting off the air as she fought for air movements becoming increasingly weak until finally, the fight drained from her, body going limp as he pushed her away from the table instantly focusing on the computer Infront of him, he had to find the release code for the cells,
Lines of code flew past his heavy eyes as he scanned them looking for a way in until. . . there! An opening, years of coding with Ned or more recently Tony coming in clutch as a resounding “ click” filled the air as each lock in the compound released in tandem.
Tony
The click of the locks startled him out his dark thoughts as the cuffs around his wrists fell away, “ Locks are off! Everyone move move move” he yelled throwing the cell door open at the others flooded into the hallway ripping collars and cuffs off before hurrying down the hall in the direction Peter had been taken days ago “ god Peter, who knew what they did to him” Tony thought desperately praying to any entity out there for him to be okay
“ do you think it`s an extraction team?” Steve asked glancing at Nat as they jogged down the hall, they were all weakened from lack of food but non as bad as Peter, their metabolism not needing nearly as much as the teenage hero meant they were only slightly slower than usual,
“ no, there`s been no explosions or shouting, my guess is either a guilty guard or… Peter got out” suddenly, she stopped, causing Sam to bump into her as she stared slack jawed at a cell, following her gaze Tony gasped in horror, two guards lay unconscious outside an empty cell, dried blood coating ones throat while blood pooled below the others head, but that wasn’t the horrifying bit, blood coated the food hatch, dried rust coloured blood splattering the lower half of the steel door, a single bloody handprint on the floor marking the horror story laid out below them, a trail of blood leading away from the scene
“ no” he didn’t relies the broken, ragged voice belonged to him until Steve`s hand found his shoulder as he attempted to smile reassuringly at him, it looked more like a grimace but the thought was what counted a small detached voice supposed in his mind “ we`ll find him Tony, we`ll find him”
And they were moving, faster now as the ran down the hallways following the trail of Peters life blood, god there was so much.
He wasn’t ready.
He wasn’t ready to see the broken figure before them as they pushed open another set of identical doors adorned with a smudge of blood, he wasn’t ready to see Peter Parker hunched over as he stumbled down the hall,
His left shoulder four inches lower than his right as it swung horrifically with each lurching step on shaking legs, his right leg two inches shorter than his left, his knee and foot rotated 90 degrees outward in an obvious sign of a broken hip, the sight that met them when he turned around at the sound of their gasps would haunt their nightmares for years to come as they were met with the usually bright brown doe eyes dulled and sunken, damp almost translucent skin revealing blue veins giving the appearance of a ghost dressed in a bloody shirt plastered to his front showing just how flat it was, you could make out the jagged edges of broken ribs just under the surface.
An animalistic cry tore itself from his throat, lurching forward towards this shivering, broken boy, his boy. Tears ran fast and hot down his cheeks as Peters mind clouded by blood loss and starvation reacted to the blurred figure instinctively, the hiss revealed his bloody teeth, dried blood decorating his chin and throat, the sound sent a chill down his spine jerking back in shock he stared as Peter crouched low in a defensive stance prepared to fight even as his body failed him, “ Pete?” his voice scraping his suddenly dry throat as he reached out one trembling hand “ kiddo, it`s me, it`s Tony we`re going to get you out of here okay? We`re going to get you some help”
Slowly Peter lowered his functioning arm, recognition flitting across his face as he gazed at him, “ guest- coming- have to go” his broken slurred voice sending a fresh wave of tears down his face
“ okay, okay kiddo lets get out of here then yeah?
Stepping forward Steve hesitantly approached, raising his hands in the universal sign of peace when Peter tensed, gently picking him up bridal style, he once again began jogging towards the exit as the sound of guards approaching rang through the room,
The fresh air hit them in a frigid wall of snow and frost as Bucky threw open the door slamming it behind them, Nat pulled out a comm she had retrieved from a guard quickly trying to find signal to contact for help
“ Friday if you can hear me send a rescue team to out location, Peter is in critical condition so bring medics” her tone hard as she glanced at the bundle of skin and bone cradles in Steve`s arms
“ I`m not Friday but I`m receiving you’re message” the sound of director Fury`s stern voice crackled through the comm “ we`ve been tracking you since you`re line went dead we can pick you up when you reach safer grounds”
“ no time, pick us up now Fury, NOW” the perfectly created façade splitting apart as the unfiltered desperation leaked into her voice silencing the director immediately
“ landing now, stand clear”
The jet seemingly materialized out of thin air as it landed gracefully on the snow, the sound or the guards still far enough away not to worry, hastily boarding Steve lay Peter in a medical cot as he was instantly surrounded by doctors shouting orders and instructions to one another over the sound of the engine taking off once more.
Fury`s chilly gaze tracked them in curiosity and surprise “ who got you out? We didn’t have an exact location so it couldn’t be a rescue team”
Bruce was the one to answer as he began helping the doctors secure Peter for flight, “ Peter did director, did this to himself to get us out” his tone completely void of emotion as he had long ago pushed them down to avoid the Hulk making an appearance.
The directors face broke into one of shock and horror as he gazed at the broken figure before him.
A silent promise was made that day, a promise to hunt down every bastard who ever made Peter feel his only option was to break himself.