The Sound of Silence

Chapter 18

 It was weeks and multiple angry phone calls between Cap and your mom before things quieted down. Sammi came to your defense at school when the more stupid of the students tried to demand prophecies. They finally knocked it off when they realized you weren't going to do it no matter how nice they pretended to be, or how much they threatened you.

You actually got back to a fairly normal life much more quickly than you had been expecting. Cap pulled you back on missions and only let you come help once the danger had been completely secured. You didn't mind and knew he'd ease up once you got through a few missions without being injured again. Loki was extra overprotective until the wound had healed and even after that you had to threaten to stab him before he would believe that you were ok.

One December Saturday you went on a mission with the team. Everyone was shivering and miserable on the jet except Loki who was laughing at their misfortune while he wrapped a blanket around you. Stark hadn't gotten the heat working properly on the jet when he had 'fixed' it last time. Loki's frost giant heritage left him immune to the cold. The team was going even further North too for this mission; it was going to be a miserable battle. Loki used a little magic to put a warming spell on the blanket around you. You looked up at him confused, you hadn't known he could do that. He held a finger to his lips in reply, keeping the secret of this skill from the others. You snuggled further in your blanket, finally starting to feel warm thanks to his warming spell.

The jet landed and everyone else got out. This was supposed to be a straightforward mission. They weren't even sure it would become a code green. You were only here for emotional support unless the code green actually got called. Loki kissed you goodbye before he left the jet with the others and you curled more comfortably with your blanket at the reading assignment you needed to do over the weekend. Bruce was staying behind unless the code green was called, so you invited him over to share your blanket.

"How is this heated?" he asked you as he settled under it with you.

[Loki] you signed. He nodded, accepting that explanation and you went back to your homework. Loki's clone didn't stay with you tonight since Bruce was here. You were the Hulk's favorite person, so he was plenty guard enough.

The code green was called and Bruce left you too to go deal with it. A clone of Loki appeared to keep you company when Bruce left. The team wasn't taking chances with your safety.

The battle didn't take long once Bruce got into the fight. "Siren, you're up!" Cap's voice called over the comm.

You sighed when you had to remove your heated blanket, but left the jet and went to go find the Hulk. You saw the enhanced the team had been fighting were being loaded into a prison van of some variety, all hooded with their hands cuffed behind them.

You found the Hulk waiting patiently for you surrounded by the team. You laughed at the absurd sight, but the Hulk loved you and your singing, and you got to it faster if he was waiting patiently for you. So you stepped up to him and began to sing. It took longer this time, Hulk apparently liked your song choice and didn't want to change back. You finally had to put more force and effort into your intention before he'd change back. When he did, you wrapped the heated blanket around him and helped him back to his feet. He was more out of it than usual this time and you had to support him on the way back to the jet.

You were so focused on getting Bruce to stumble his way back to the jet that you didn't notice you weren't alone until the SHIELD agents were standing around you all in uniform and masks from the battle. You waved at them, sure they'd recognize you and Bruce and moved to walk past them into the jet.

You didn't know what was happening until after they'd moved. One of them opened a can of some kind of gas and threw it at your feet. You opened your mouth to scream, but just breathed in a lungful of gas instead. You fought to stay standing as you coughed your lungs out, dropping Bruce as you fought to breathe. He was coughing too and the Hulk was nowhere to be seen.

The agents grabbed you while you were fighting for air and shoved a gag in your mouth before throwing a hood over your head. Your arms were bound behind you, just like the other enhanced's had been. You fought to breathe through your nose while struggling against the agents. It was no use. They frog marched you back toward the battle site. "Last one," one of the agents said as you were forced into the van with the others. "Collar this one quickly. It'll cause trouble otherwise." You tried to scream behind your gag, but you couldn't get your airway clear enough from the gas. You felt the familiar hated shock collar snap shut around your neck despite your shrieks, struggles, and protests. "Shut it!" one of the agents snapped at you.

You shrieked and sobbed at the first shock you'd had to suffer in six months. The shocks didn't stop until your shrieks did. Until you fell back into the silent hopeless haze you'd lived in during your time in the prison in self defense.

"Go!" the agent ordered the driver. The van started and drove away carefully, obviously not wanting to draw the team's attention.

"Where is she?!" you heard Loki's roar from outside the van. You lifted your head, but the shocks started again before you could figure out how to get his attention. All you could do was sob helplessly at the pain.

This had been a very well thought out trap.