Scarlett Johansson | One-Shots (1)

⚠️ NR - Ransom Pt. 3

Warning: angst

You guys have no idea how happy it made me to see all the support on this mini-series. Your anticipation for the next part is why I keep writing. Your love of my work means the world to me. Although, this part may not be the best but I tried.

Also, what's all this stuff about face reveals on Wattpad? Do readers actually care and want to know what authors look like?
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Natasha:
The whole team is fighting against Hydra. It's impressive that they were able to build a base with a bunch of shipping containers they put together. We fight off soldier after soldier. Although my body grows tired, the adrenalin and knowledge that Callie is here keep me going.

I get one of the last soldiers up against the wall with my charged fist ready to slam into his neck. "Where is she? I know she's here," I hiss. The soldier just smirks, making my blood boil. Without another thought, I slam my fist into his neck and he crumbles.

"We'll find her," Clint starts. "Callie's not an idiot, she doesn't do anything by accident. If she gave you coordinates, that's where we go."

"So what's the plan?" I ask sadly.

"There's nowhere to split up so Tony leads the way with infrared and we go from there. Let instincts take over at this point," Steve explains.

"She better be alive," I mumble angrily as we begin our rushed journey through the makeshift base.

The only wall we had to blow was the first one. After that, it's smooth sailing. Tony uses his infrared to see into each room before we enter. This base is the most simple yet intricate base I've ever been in. Finally, Tony pulls the group to a halt.

"What are we stopping for?" I whisper.

"There's only one heat signature," Tony tells me.

"Great. Only one to take out. Let's go-"

"Only one heat signature and freezing up."

"What do you mean?"

"They're cold. Like really cold. And not moving."

"Let's go then," I urge.

"Okay, in three... two... one." Steve kicks down the door and we all rush in, guns blazing.

It takes us a moment to realize there is no one here. We all expect the worst. We split up to explore the room. We check every corner of the area, anywhere Callie could be. Some of us check for Callie, the rest of us search cabinets and shelves for anything worth knowing about. I'm looking at a shelf with Steve when my search is interrupted.

"Guys!" Clint calls.

We find him in a closed-off area of the room. Laying seemingly lifeless in front of him: Callie. She's tied up and on her side. There isn't a spot on her body that doesn't have some sort of injury. I instantly drop next to him.

"Is she alive?" I nervously ask Clint as he gently takes the tape off of her mouth.

"I-I don't know. I think."

I do a pulse check of my own on her frigid skin and find the weakest pulse. I scan her body and find a crappy-patched wound on the side of her stomach. Her face is beaten badly and there's blood... everywhere.

"We need to get her home. She won't make it if she stays here," Tony says from behind us.

Steve shows up after Clint leaves to make room for him. With careful hands, he lifts Callie in his arms. I'm too in shock to do so myself. We all rush back to the jet we took to get here as fast as we could. Not long after boarding, we're home. Steve carries her once again and I follow him straight to Bruce's medical lab.

When he sees us, Bruce drops everything he's doing. "Oh God, what happened?"

Steve places her limp body on an exam table. Her slightly discolored skin becomes more apparent under the white LED lights.

"That doesn't look good," Steve comments on Callie's now exposed stab wound.

Bruce connects her to a bunch of tubes, an IV, oxygen, and other important medical things I don't understand. The heart monitor he hooked up to her beeps slowly. "She got lucky. It doesn't seem to have punctured anything vital. She's suffering from hypothermia but she's alive. I'm going to-"

Bruce is cut off by the heart monitor suddenly flatlining. My nerves peak and my own heart feels like it's stopping. Bruce curses to himself as he instantly starts CPR. The longer Callie's heart monitor flatlines, the worse I feel. I can't lose Callie. She's my rock.

"Callie please," I beg through my tears. "Don't do this. Wake up."

Like she was listening, her monitor starts beeping slowly. Bruce ceases his CPR now that she has a pulse. Callie stays unconscious and Bruce sighs out of relief.

"I-I'm going to start preparing for further warming," he breathes, walking away. When he returns, he has his hands full. "Her wound needs to be treated."

I watch closely as Bruce cleans, stitches, and covers Callie's stab wound. When done, he leaves the room. I do nothing but stare at my girlfriend. Seeing her like this, lifeless and cold, breaks my heart.

-

After almost an hour of waiting in the medical lab, I start losing hope that she'll wake up anytime soon. I'm about to leave to get some sleep (if I'm even able to) when there's a small groan. I whip up to Callie's eyes open.

"Oh my god, you're awake. How are you feeling?" I try to sound less panicky than I am.

She weakly pushes off her non-rebreather mask and turns to look at me. "Tired. Cold," she whispers.

"I'm so glad you're alive. When we found you, you didn't look like it."

"I think I'm indestructible."

I crack a smile. "You're making jokes. That's a good sign."

"If you want to call that a joke. I've almost died so many times, it might not be a joke anymore."

"Maybe not."

"Oh good, you're up." We turn to Bruce coming in. "I'm going to start you with a few blankets. It's best not to rush into warming your body."

"Thanks." Callie barely smiles as Bruce places a couple of blankets on her. They aren't heavy blankets but they're warm enough.

"Can I..." I ask Bruce, gesturing at Callie's chair.

He nods so I carefully climb onto Callie's chair. It's big and strong enough for both of us. I lay on my side with an arm around her neck and the other in her hand on her lap. Cal snuggles into me the best she can. She feels so cold, it makes me want to hold her against my body heat forever.

"I lost it when you didn't come home after your mission," I say softly when we're alone. "I knew it was a bad idea."

"But I'm here. Somehow, I always come home."

"What if one day you don't? Next time, listen to me when I tell you I don't think a solo mission is good."

"Okay. But I can't make the promise I'll follow through when that time comes."

"I seriously can't lose you, Callie. Love doesn't come easy for me so if I lost you, I might not have another chance at love."

"You would. I know it."

"I wouldn't let myself love anyone else."

"You'd never get over me," Cal chuckles.

"How do you make everything into a joke?" I do my best to hide my smile but my lips curl.

"When you're on the edge of death, everything's a joke."

"Don't talk like that."

"Sorry." She weakly rubs my hand with her thumb but it doesn't last long.

Cal rests her head on my shoulder so I rest mine lightly on top of hers. A silence overcomes us. I stare at our interlocked hands. I know Callie's close to falling asleep by her slow and even breaths.