Foggy the Miracle Worker
Part 2
It was Tony’s brilliant idea that saved them; utilizing the hose from the recently arrived fire truck and hooking it up to the nearby hydrant. Once soaked, the bumblebees could no longer fly, and Hulk took massive pleasure in stomping on them until they stopped twitching, minding the stingers even before Clint and Steve could warn him. Tony had also managed to keep the bodyguards busy with well-aimed bursts of water until Hulk was free to deal with them. While Hulk was smashing, Clint helped Natasha secure the sorcerer, who was cowering in his jeep with his hands over his ears. When Clint discovered that the loss of his aim meant he couldn’t even land a punch even when the man was right in front of him, Natasha used her Widow’s Bite to tase him, then graciously allowed Clint to put the handcuffs on. At least he was able to manage that.
“Little hand here, guys?” Steve called out. He was still lying on the ground where Clint and Daredevil had dropped him, and Clint jogged over to give a hand.
“He didn’t just take my superstrength,” Steve panted as he tried to stand upright and collapsed again. “He took it all.”
“Aww, muscles,” Clint said, and practically dragged his friend over to the Quinjet. His back stung like fire where the bumblebee had got him, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and slung Steve into one of the seats. Seeing Steve slump, fearing he no longer had what it took to sit up on his own, Clint used the shoulder belts to hold him in place, then went back to where the sorcerer was starting to stir. Yup, the scrawny little man had barely opened his eyes before his flexing hands broke the handcuffs.
“Hulk!” Clint yelled, pointing down. “Knock him out!”
Hulk did exactly that, and Tony came swooping in to gather up the unconscious form. “I’ll take him from here, get him into the Hulk-Holder on the helicarrier.”
Seeing other motions out of the corner of his eye, Clint turned. Natasha had just rolled away from Daredevil; now she got to her feet in a defensive position.
“Nat?” he called out, approaching cautiously. Had Hulk missed one of the bodyguards? No, it was just Daredevil, staggering around as though he didn’t know which way was up.
“Daredevil?” Natasha called out, louder. “You okay?”
She approached him head on. “Look at me. You okay?”
Daredevil didn’t even seem to notice. Clint moved forward when it seemed Daredevil would trip over his own feet, and caught him by the arm. Immediately, the man in the mask lashed out with his free hand, hitting Clint in the face and giving him a shaky, but still painful kick in the shin as well.
“Whoa, bro,” Clint called out, not letting go. “I’m not the enemy! They’re down. It’s over!”
Daredevil didn’t seem to hear him, simply lashed out again, this time hitting Clint’s wrist so that he was forced to break his hold.
“Hulk smash?”
“No, Hulk!” Natasha called back. “Daredevil is our friend. One of the good guys.”
Clint had taken one step back and simply watched as Daredevil struggled to retain his balance. He didn’t react at all to Hulk’s question, or to Natasha’s reply. Instead, he turned his head back and forth, back and forth, and Clint thought randomly that if it could have gone all the way acound, he would have looked like a rotating radar antenna. But when the Hulk ambled over, the ground shaking slightly beneath his feet, Daredevil stopped moving his head and began to scramble away from where the Hulk was approaching.
“Devil hurt Hawkeye,” Hulk announced ominously.
“Hulk, stop!” Clint cried, and Hulk obeyed so quickly that he froze with one foot in the air. Daredevil stopped as well.
“Softly, Hulk,” Clint said, motioning for Hulk to complete his step. The Hulk put his foot down with as much gentleness as he could manage, but Daredevil must have still heard something, because he resumed his efforts to crawl away backwards.
“Daredevil is scared,” Natasha told the Hulk. Daredevil didn’t respond to that, and Clint realized he’d only responded to Hulk’s movements because they shook the ground.
“He can’t hear,” Clint cried. “That sorcerer took his hearing!”
Natasha tried again to approach Daredevil, coming slowly towards him with her hands up to show no ill intent. Daredevil had backed himself up against the jeep, and crouched there, obviously not knowing which way to turn next. Natasha squatted down in front of him, but although she made calming motions with her hands, Daredevil wasn’t watching. He’d started doing his radar thing again, and Clint heard him sniff a time or two as well. When Natasha placed a hand on his knee, however, he exploded into action, grabbing her arm and twisting. She managed to break away, but held her wrist in a the careful position that Clint knew meant she’d been hurt.
“Devil hurt Widow,” Hulk said. “Hulk hurt Devil!”
He stomped forward, making Daredevil scrabble away to one side, but Natasha ran forward to put her good hand on the Hulk’s thigh. “Daredevil can’t hear. I think Daredevil can’t see, either. He doesn’t know who we are. We need to help him, not hurt him. Hulk, can you help? Carry him to the Quinjet?”
“Devil need help?” Hulk leaned closer, and Daredevil stopped crawling, tensing to defend himself if attacked again. “Hulk carry!”
Then Hulk grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. Daredevil thrashed, but couldn’t get away, and a moment later, Hulk used both arms to pin him to his chest in a crushing version of the bridal carry.
“You okay, Barton?” Natasha asked, and Clint nodded. “It stings like hell, but I think I can fly, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Any trouble breathing? Dizziness? Nausea?”
“Nope,” he insisted.
“Shield will do the cleanup,” Natasha said, motioning the agents to come forward and deal with the remains of the bumblebees and the bodyguards. Then she turned back to Clint. “Come on, then. Let’s get everybody back to the helicarrier and into medical.”
The Hulk was already sitting in the bay of the Quinjet, taking up most of the room as he hugged Daredevil to his chest. Daredevil was still fighting, Clint saw as he squeezed by to the cockpit, or at least wriggling. He’d also started making panicked sounds as he tried again and again to free himself, and Clint wondered if he knew he was doing anything audible. Hulk began to make sounds, too, and after a moment, Clint recognized them as Hulk’s version of “Sshhh, sshhh.” As Clint settled into the pilot’s seat, the Quinjet began to creak rhythmically, and he glanced back in horror only to see that the Hulk was now rocking Daredevil back and forth like a baby.
Halfway through the flight, however, Hulk stopped rocking and shushing, and stood up abruptly with an umistakeable cry of “Yuck!”
“What happened?” Clint asked, trying to get the Quinjet level again.
“Daredevil threw up, so Hulk dropped him,” Natasha called back.
“Hulk go. Banner wash!” Hulk announced.
“No, Hulk, please stay,” Natasha pleaded. “We need Hulk’s help. It’s all right. We can wash it off later. Please. Hold Devil.”
Hulk sat down again with another turbulent thump. “No. Devil yuck!”
“Don’t rock the plane, Hulk, or we will all be throwing up in a minute,” Steve said. A moment later, he called out. “He’s wandering around … he’s coming towards me! Help! Hulk, get him off!”
“Devil yuck!” Hulk replied, sounding petulant, and didn’t move.
“What’s going on?” Clint asked, wishing he had a rearview mirror. “If I have to stop this plane and come back there …”
“Got him!” Natasha yelled, and Clint heard the familiar sound of punches being exchanged.
“Hulk, please!” Steve cried. “Now he’s hurting Natasha! Please, just … hold him down? On the deck?”
There were a few more thumps, and Steve squawked, “No, don’t sit on him! Not on his stomach, anyway. Sit on his legs! Hold his hands!”
“Devil yuck again!” Hulk said.
“But not on you,” Natasha replied. She sounded breathless enough that Clint began to worry.
Go to Part 3
“Little hand here, guys?” Steve called out. He was still lying on the ground where Clint and Daredevil had dropped him, and Clint jogged over to give a hand.
“He didn’t just take my superstrength,” Steve panted as he tried to stand upright and collapsed again. “He took it all.”
“Aww, muscles,” Clint said, and practically dragged his friend over to the Quinjet. His back stung like fire where the bumblebee had got him, but he gritted his teeth against the pain and slung Steve into one of the seats. Seeing Steve slump, fearing he no longer had what it took to sit up on his own, Clint used the shoulder belts to hold him in place, then went back to where the sorcerer was starting to stir. Yup, the scrawny little man had barely opened his eyes before his flexing hands broke the handcuffs.
“Hulk!” Clint yelled, pointing down. “Knock him out!”
Hulk did exactly that, and Tony came swooping in to gather up the unconscious form. “I’ll take him from here, get him into the Hulk-Holder on the helicarrier.”
Seeing other motions out of the corner of his eye, Clint turned. Natasha had just rolled away from Daredevil; now she got to her feet in a defensive position.
“Nat?” he called out, approaching cautiously. Had Hulk missed one of the bodyguards? No, it was just Daredevil, staggering around as though he didn’t know which way was up.
“Daredevil?” Natasha called out, louder. “You okay?”
She approached him head on. “Look at me. You okay?”
Daredevil didn’t even seem to notice. Clint moved forward when it seemed Daredevil would trip over his own feet, and caught him by the arm. Immediately, the man in the mask lashed out with his free hand, hitting Clint in the face and giving him a shaky, but still painful kick in the shin as well.
“Whoa, bro,” Clint called out, not letting go. “I’m not the enemy! They’re down. It’s over!”
Daredevil didn’t seem to hear him, simply lashed out again, this time hitting Clint’s wrist so that he was forced to break his hold.
“Hulk smash?”
“No, Hulk!” Natasha called back. “Daredevil is our friend. One of the good guys.”
Clint had taken one step back and simply watched as Daredevil struggled to retain his balance. He didn’t react at all to Hulk’s question, or to Natasha’s reply. Instead, he turned his head back and forth, back and forth, and Clint thought randomly that if it could have gone all the way acound, he would have looked like a rotating radar antenna. But when the Hulk ambled over, the ground shaking slightly beneath his feet, Daredevil stopped moving his head and began to scramble away from where the Hulk was approaching.
“Devil hurt Hawkeye,” Hulk announced ominously.
“Hulk, stop!” Clint cried, and Hulk obeyed so quickly that he froze with one foot in the air. Daredevil stopped as well.
“Softly, Hulk,” Clint said, motioning for Hulk to complete his step. The Hulk put his foot down with as much gentleness as he could manage, but Daredevil must have still heard something, because he resumed his efforts to crawl away backwards.
“Daredevil is scared,” Natasha told the Hulk. Daredevil didn’t respond to that, and Clint realized he’d only responded to Hulk’s movements because they shook the ground.
“He can’t hear,” Clint cried. “That sorcerer took his hearing!”
Natasha tried again to approach Daredevil, coming slowly towards him with her hands up to show no ill intent. Daredevil had backed himself up against the jeep, and crouched there, obviously not knowing which way to turn next. Natasha squatted down in front of him, but although she made calming motions with her hands, Daredevil wasn’t watching. He’d started doing his radar thing again, and Clint heard him sniff a time or two as well. When Natasha placed a hand on his knee, however, he exploded into action, grabbing her arm and twisting. She managed to break away, but held her wrist in a the careful position that Clint knew meant she’d been hurt.
“Devil hurt Widow,” Hulk said. “Hulk hurt Devil!”
He stomped forward, making Daredevil scrabble away to one side, but Natasha ran forward to put her good hand on the Hulk’s thigh. “Daredevil can’t hear. I think Daredevil can’t see, either. He doesn’t know who we are. We need to help him, not hurt him. Hulk, can you help? Carry him to the Quinjet?”
“Devil need help?” Hulk leaned closer, and Daredevil stopped crawling, tensing to defend himself if attacked again. “Hulk carry!”
Then Hulk grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. Daredevil thrashed, but couldn’t get away, and a moment later, Hulk used both arms to pin him to his chest in a crushing version of the bridal carry.
“You okay, Barton?” Natasha asked, and Clint nodded. “It stings like hell, but I think I can fly, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Any trouble breathing? Dizziness? Nausea?”
“Nope,” he insisted.
“Shield will do the cleanup,” Natasha said, motioning the agents to come forward and deal with the remains of the bumblebees and the bodyguards. Then she turned back to Clint. “Come on, then. Let’s get everybody back to the helicarrier and into medical.”
The Hulk was already sitting in the bay of the Quinjet, taking up most of the room as he hugged Daredevil to his chest. Daredevil was still fighting, Clint saw as he squeezed by to the cockpit, or at least wriggling. He’d also started making panicked sounds as he tried again and again to free himself, and Clint wondered if he knew he was doing anything audible. Hulk began to make sounds, too, and after a moment, Clint recognized them as Hulk’s version of “Sshhh, sshhh.” As Clint settled into the pilot’s seat, the Quinjet began to creak rhythmically, and he glanced back in horror only to see that the Hulk was now rocking Daredevil back and forth like a baby.
Halfway through the flight, however, Hulk stopped rocking and shushing, and stood up abruptly with an umistakeable cry of “Yuck!”
“What happened?” Clint asked, trying to get the Quinjet level again.
“Daredevil threw up, so Hulk dropped him,” Natasha called back.
“Hulk go. Banner wash!” Hulk announced.
“No, Hulk, please stay,” Natasha pleaded. “We need Hulk’s help. It’s all right. We can wash it off later. Please. Hold Devil.”
Hulk sat down again with another turbulent thump. “No. Devil yuck!”
“Don’t rock the plane, Hulk, or we will all be throwing up in a minute,” Steve said. A moment later, he called out. “He’s wandering around … he’s coming towards me! Help! Hulk, get him off!”
“Devil yuck!” Hulk replied, sounding petulant, and didn’t move.
“What’s going on?” Clint asked, wishing he had a rearview mirror. “If I have to stop this plane and come back there …”
“Got him!” Natasha yelled, and Clint heard the familiar sound of punches being exchanged.
“Hulk, please!” Steve cried. “Now he’s hurting Natasha! Please, just … hold him down? On the deck?”
There were a few more thumps, and Steve squawked, “No, don’t sit on him! Not on his stomach, anyway. Sit on his legs! Hold his hands!”
“Devil yuck again!” Hulk said.
“But not on you,” Natasha replied. She sounded breathless enough that Clint began to worry.
Go to Part 3