As The World Caves In

ch. 31

After the Avengers team received another threatening video of Wanda getting tortured, they all grew impatient and angry with themselves because they couldn't do anything to protect and or get her back.

"Please, Fury, tell me you have something for us." Tony begged the man as they all waited for his answer.

"We are still empty handed as far as their whereabouts." Fury began with a heavy heart. "My team and I tried to track them down according to a lead we got but it was another dead end."

Nat exhaled exasperatedly, "how is this even possible? We got two video feeds and none of them showed any sign of their location?"

"My theory is that when—"

Fury's call was interrupted by a frequency breaking through their wall. His face from the screen starts to glitch like it was possessed. Soon, his face was replaced by a familiar one on the screen.

"Hello avengers!" Tao greeted everyone with a smirk on his face. "It's nice to see you all today. Well, at least some of you considering I have two of your people."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Tony rolled his eyes, almost tempted to give him the finger.

"We're not here to play games. I suggest you tell us where they are before things get ugly." Steve warned the man on screen sternly.

"Very well." Tao cleared his throat before explaining his intentions. "I'm a simple man. I want nothing more than the equation."

"Equation to what?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"However you created Ultron, I want it."

Tony and Steve exchange looks, questioning his intentions.

"What makes you think I'll give it to you easily?" Tony spoke with some ground in his voice, letting the man know that he's in control of this conversation.

"You see this serum right here?" Tao pointed at a syringe that sits atop of his right hand. "If I don't administer this into her system right about now, she could die. You really want that blood on your hands?"

Tao moves out of frame, showing an unconscious brunette on top of a hospital bed. She looks so worn out and beaten up that you could barely make out her face with all the patches that rested on her face.

"Oh my god, what did you do to her?" Nat stood up from her seat with her hand on her mouth.

"I assure you she's going to be fine the second I put this in her. As of right now though, she's on the verge of dying as we speak." Tao quickly averted his attention to the sleeping woman. "Now, off to the equation. If you give it to me, I'll let her live."

"Okay, you can have it. Consider it done." Tony said without stuttering. "But, I want her and Maximoff safe and sound before I give you the equation."

"Sounds like a plan." Tao chuckled to himself as he injected the brunette with the serum. "I'll send you the coordinates for the exchange tomorrow. Oh, and Stark, don't think of playing me the way you did Salvage because it won't work on me."

Tao turned off his video feed, leaving the avengers team shell shocked.

"Stark, don't tell me you're actually considering giving the guy the equation. He could kill a lot of people with it." Bruce cleared the silence that invaded the room.

"We have no other choice, Banner." Tony raised his voice. "Two of our people are captured and we can't waste any more time trying to look for new leads."

"Stark is right. We have to do everything in our power to get them back." Steve added.

"Listen, I know this is dangerous but with the right plan, we can get them back without having to give the equation." Tony informed his team.