Echo [11] (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 21

"Stark! Have you located them yet?" Fury boomed, staring down the young billionaire. 

"You asked me that five minutes ago. Cool it," Tony snapped, typing away as Coulson came into the room. He quickly took in the scene. 

Stark was typing away quickly, Loki was pacing, Carol's fists were clenched and Becca's face radiated anxiety.

 "I was just contacted. The kidnappers want to video call to negotiate prices," he said, sounding level-headed but was privately as anxious as Becca looked.

"When?" Fury asked, whirling around.

 "Now," Coulson said, starting the call. 

Tanya, Ian, and Tessa appeared on screen, Tanya in the middle of a panic attack with Ian trying to calm her down as Tessa watched on.

 "Good evening, gentlemen," one of the kidnappers, a dark-haired man with sickly yellow teeth, sneered with a nasty grin. 

"You put a single hand on any one of them, motherfucker, and you'll regret ever having hands," Fury snarled, bypassing any sort of civility.

"Straight to the point, Fury. That's one of the reasons I liked you, you never could stand idle talk," the man, John Garrett, snapped.  "You'll get the nigger and love-struck puppy for fifty grand each," he said.

 "What about Teresa Panzer? How much for her?" Fury asked.

 "Miss Panzer's been promised to another buyer already," Garrett shrugged.

 "Whatever they offered, we can double it," Fury claimed.

"Really? Can you pay more than one-hundred million?" Fury's eye narrowed, signaling they couldn't. Teresa's jaw dropped in the background. 

She knew she was worth a lot, but that much?

 She was curious about who wanted her and was also terrified someone wanted her so much that they would pay that much. 

Loki, Carol, and Becca had all paused, hyperfocused on the call.

"Thought so. Lincoln Memorial at 16:00 sharp for the nigger and the love-struck puppy with the money. If not, they'll have a long meeting with a pair of bullets," he said, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Ian. 

Becca's hands, both flesh and metal, curled into fists and she looked like she was ready to rip Garrett's throat out by her teeth. 

"Give us all three," Fury growled.

 "You are in no position to negotiate. I've laid out my terms, follow them or they're dead," Garrett snapped. Tessa positioned herself in front of Ian, guarding her against the bullet.

"Go ahead, try and shoot her. If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me too. That goes for both of them," she snarled. Coulson and Fury exchanged a glance. 

Even with Tanya's enhancements, she couldn't take a bullet to the head.

 "Move, or I'll--" Garrett started. 

"Or you'll what? Shoot? You and I both know that's not gonna happen, I'm worth too much to you," she said, him letting out a few curses knowing she was right.  Quickly, he ran out of patience and slammed the gun against the side of her head, making her cry out in pain. Blood started seeping down the side of her head, but her face was hardened in determination. 

"Just because I can't kill you doesn't mean I can't hurt you, so you better watch it," he snarled.

 "I'd better watch it? I'm not the idiot in the room, you are. Who the hell brings their captives to Modesto, California? What are you, simpletons?" Fury Coulson exchanged a look. 

She was giving them information, and Garrett seemed to catch on quickly. 

"You little bitch! Cut the feed!" he shouted to his goons. 

The feed went black, but they could hear someone being beaten and a gunshot go off before everything went silent. Everyone in the room was stunned, but Fury was the first to break the silence. 

"Did you track their location, Stark?" his voice was like a knife wound, snapping the others back to reality.

 "Yes," Stark said quietly, still stunned by the sound of the gunshot.

"Then someone tell Barnes, Nokwisi, and Rogers to prep for a mission. They depart in ten minutes," Fury ordered. 

"Sir, I want to go too," Becca said, stepping forward. 

"So do I," Carol said. 

"You will be staying here," Fury said firmly. 

"But, sir, I can--" Becca started, distressed. 

"Miss Barnes, you and Miss Danvers will be staying here. You are emotionally compromised, and, because of that, I can't risk sending you in the field. This is not a discussion," he said, staring her down and she backed up, leaving the room with Loki, Carol, and Tony. 

"Let's go save our agents,"