Not Until We Are Lost

Natasha would never admit that she truly enjoyed holiday lights, and that she'd even started enjoying Christmas once Clint and Laura started insisting that she spend them at the farm with their family. It didn't always work out, but the two of them were usually able to finagle some leave at some point in December so the Bartons could have their Christmas and Natasha could take a break from being a spy and just be Auntie Nat for a bit.

When she woke up in the cabin, she almost thought that she was on the farm for a minute. At least, the Christmas decorations and general homey feeling seemed awfully familiar. It only took her a few minutes of looking around to get past the disorientation and realize that this was just another stop in the alien abduction tour. (tm)

She found her way out into the neighborhood and noticed the rest of the cabins. She figured it would be one cabin for each of them. It would make it easier to find than the 'wildlife preserve' that she'd found herself on first.

She had to find Bruce. With every location change, there was always a chance that he could lose it. And a part of her just felt better having him around. So she started to knock on doors. She had stories ready if those behind the doors weren't members of their group, but she figured taht this was the quickest way to find him.

Natasha had long since lost the two teens she'd found upon arrival. She found herself worrying just a little about them, but they'd chosen to wander off. Their fate was in their own hands at this point. Or so she told herself. She'd spent her time exploring and gathering supplies. She found a cave to hole up in. She'd even taken down one of the idiots prowling around with guns. From what she could tell, they were trying to 'poach' some of the superpowered people running around here. A little interrogation turned up information that this was some sort of reserve. She'd left the poacher alive, but too banged up to hurt anyone else. And she'd taken his weapon and bullets. Hunting was a lot easier after that. Natasha Romanoff was many things to many people, but survivor would always be first on the list.

She'd kept an eye out for any hint of green. If this place was a reserve for people with abilities, there was a good possibility that Bruce was in here somewhere. Or more likely, the Hulk. She just hoped that if he had Hulked out, she'd be able to talk him down when she found him.

She was currently making her rounds to see if she could find Bruce or any of the others, and looking for supplies. She'd eaten recently, but her eyes were peeled for any animals or edible vegetation as well. She'd transitioned fairly easily to the life of hunting, gathering, and taking in whatever information she could. It wasn't the first time that she'd had to live like this, and it likely wouldn't be the last. Perhaps the aliens had taken her specifically because she could adapt to just about any environment they might throw her in.

Bruce wasn't particularly fond of the latest place they had been moved to. He didn't know if many of the other abductees were involved, if some rather than others were brought here or really what the situation was with the area. From the assessment he had done, Bruce had discovered that the area was vast, much like a game preserve, and it had many sections to it. His was the jungle, an area that was widespread and had its own unique foliage and animals within it. He doubted there was fencing, it seemed unrealistic to not allow the natural habitats to blend as they would normally, but then again the captives had surprised him before.

Was it still worth having shock value when so many things changed and shifted constantly? When you woke up one place one minute and somewhere else the next time you opened your eyes.

With all of that added stress, Bruce could be thankful that no outbreaks had occurred. Once, at the Hotel, but on the outside where the people hadn't been. And it was his fortune that Natasha had been there to lullaby. Bruce wasn't sure the red-head was even here, which was worrisome. There was a campsite here, a place he knew people to be but he didn't venture too close to it for fear of letting the monster loose.

That particular day, Bruce lingered on the cusp of the tree line where the flora met the security of the camp. Some came and went, he squinted as he watched them go from the shadows beyond the canopy, and every once in a while he would catch sight of a predator or two stalking easy prey drawn by the humans.

Staying back seemed best. Not that he could get too close to them anyway. He had a funny feeling that if he did try to settle in to the camp then something would happen. He had been put out here for a reason, separated for a reason. But he longed to be there with the others. He wanted to help, he wanted to know what was going on in the group. Being outcast wasn't new to him by any means but usually it was self-inflicted, not because someone else decided for him.

And there was still the matter of the girl that he and Destiny were supposed to be tracking down. The wrong one, the one that felt like complete darkness.

A step backward and Bruce ducked behind a tree, pressing a shoulder against the bark. He adjusted his makeshift leaf bottoms, securing the vine, and looked down at the ground to think.

Bruce had forgotten all about Destiny since he had arrived.

His heart raced as he walked through the jungle. It wasn't the first time in his life that he had been in a jungle setting, he had concealed himself deep within an area similar to this a few times. Running. Always running. Though SHIELD never did let him get too far out of sight. Perhaps there was comfort in living off of the grid, to him it brought some consolation. At least here he couldn't hurt anything except for a few trees. But even though it was familiar to him, that didn't mean it wasn't unsettling.

He could survive out here. He knew the plants and the animals. Bruce was a survivor, he had to be to exist in a world that would never understand him. His intellect far surpassed most that he knew which offered him insight to things others might miss, but what he had in brains he lacked in other places. Social skills, mostly. They were alright, he supposed. They could be better.

And they never would excel being stuck here with nothing to talk to other than the trees, a few predators, some monkies...

The sign etched in Latin had been curious. Bruce felt like he was on display like a glass figurine in a Curio cabinet rather than a human being. Or, part of a human being. At his core he knew what he was, what he had become. But this? This felt like a bad joke even though he knew it wasn't.

A while back amidst the wandering, Bruce had managed to fasten together a wrap consisting of large fronds of a fern and some vine. Interweaving the mechanism together, he was able to use it to encircle his waist. That was embarrassing enough being awkward, but being naked too? There was no way.

All the moving he was doing, the searching to find someone, anyone (particularly Natasha), was making him exhausted. He was beginning to get hungry, and his body ached from the constant motion. He felt like it had been hours since he had seen anyone.

"Hello?" He called, knowing it was probably futile. Did he want to be found? Natasha was better of without him, both of them knew it. Maybe it was better to not find her. Maybe.

Waking up initially wasn't so bad. The bed was actually quite comfortable though it was a little colder than he remembered when he had fallen asleep. There was no hint of motion, no steady rocking that unnerved and comforted him both at the same time. Another thing to be grateful for. Ship and gigantic green monsters were not a suitable mixture in any dosage and he was glad he no longer could endanger the lives of those in close proximity. However, Bruce did recall saving a life and there not being any danger. It was a curious thought, something to dwell upon more later.

For now his attention was drawn else ware. It seemed he was in a smal room, something similar to what his own quarters had looked like in college. The bed was smaller but comfortable, there were fitted sheets in a neutral color. Further examination of the room Bruce noticed a desk with a briefcase on it, a laminated ID badge and a small stack of papers. Curious. A collegiate sports pennant clung to one of the walls. A small television was settled in a nook on a not-very-sturdy looking entertainment type center. A small kitchen boardered the living space divided only by a small countertop lined with linoleum. He guessed the kitchen would have a microwave but probably nothing else. Maybe a dishwasher. It wasn't really an apartment per say, but it was. It was on campus near the student dorms, but reserved strictly for faculty.

Sliding out of his bed, Bruce noticed the simple closet on the opposite side of the room. Had he a uniform it would have greeted him with its presence amidst his clothes. Lucky he didn't. Instead he found both professional and casual attire, things he would have chosen for himself had he been given the option. After a shower, he was dressed casual in a long sleeved, buttoned down pastel blue shirt that he left open at the throat. Foregoing the tie, Bruce opted for a cardigan with a deep V-neck, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows. The slacks were the same color as the cardigan, and the shoes on his feet were comfortable and meant for a lot of walking and standing.

Perusing the desk, Bruce found himself Dean of the Science Department, teaching a few classes of Advanced Physics. His forte. His heart was racing. Staring dumbly at the lanyard and ID badge, Bruce couldn't believe what he was seeing. They wanted him to teach physicis? To who? Aliens?

A glance out of the window proved his theory about being on a campus. The quad and corridors crawled with eager students, some moving in couples, some in flocks and some on their own. Teens and twenty-something's of all types could be seen. This was some kind of a joke. Right?

And where was Natasha?

Further inspection of the desk rendered him a cell phone, and a few other things. At least this wasn't a ship. It was better, more normal. He just hoped that it would stay that way. For the sake of the campus.

He needed to find Nat and quick. So on the turn of a heel Bruce left the apartment and went to search for the red-head, hoping she was close by. Hoping she was still there at all.

[OOC: The ship is hitting some rocky waters so other characters are welcome to fall overboard as well as Natasha]

Life on the ship was an exercise in patience. Natasha hadn't seen Bruce since their... well, disagreement wasn't quite the right word, but it wasn't the wrong one either. They had certainly both walked away unhappy. She knew that she wasn't managing things with him as well as she could have. She just hoped that it didn't blow up in everyone's face. She was determined to try again soon, but she needed time to get her mind straight. And she needed to find that Doctor he'd talked about and try to get some answers.

Currently, she was swabbing the deck. Someone had to do it and she'd certainly done worse jobs as part of a team. For better or for worse, those on the ship were a team. Natasha knew that being stuck in such close quarters could get dicey very quickly, so she didn't mind doing some of the less popular jobs in an attempt to cut off any resentment. Then again, there were many jobs on the ship that weren't ideal and she couldn't very well do them all. Even she had limits.

She was near the railing when it happened. In hindsight, she would think that she should have known better. She should have seen the waves coming. She knew better. She knew to keep an eye on the waters ahead, both metaphorically and now literally. And yet, she hadn't this time.

So when the waves slammed against the boat in a particularly violent movement, Natasha found herself falling overboard. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, all of her Red Room training working in that moment. And then she slammed into the water and something wrapped around her waist and pulled her beneath the surface. She struggled, attempting to extract herself, but whatever it was just squeezed tighter.

The newest change of scenery was a gigantic pirate ship. It was different, just like everything else she'd seen since she'd landed on the Centurus and then at that resort. Since she hadn't returned to the Centurus in between the resort and here, Natasha thought that it was likely that she had left one screwed up situation for another. She would adapt and roll with the punches like always, but that didn't make this any less off-putting. Even super-spies needed time to catch their breath now and again.

And catch her breath she did. She'd gone from the midst of battle with monsters in all forms to the relative peace of this vessel. She knew better than to expect the peace to last for long, but she would take the breather when she could get it. She just had to hope that she was able to locate Bruce quickly. It was very important that the Hulk not make an appearance on this ship if she could help it.

She would go searching for him soon. For now, she took a moment to look over the side of the ship and just take in the view. There were creatures swarming beneath the surface that made her uneasy, but the view itself was breathtaking. Ocean sprawled in every direction for as far as the eye could see. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, splashing pinks and oranges on the waves and across the sky. It was beautiful. Though she knew full well that beauty could conceal a much darker nature. She supposed that time would reveal what was in store for all of them on this ship and in this sea.

She knew the rocking of the water before she even opened her eyes. The sounds of the ship as it moved slowly, listlessly. She knew that they weren't going anywhere by the way the waves rocked it.

In a flash, Sympathy was up and out of the big comfortable bed. She looked around and realized that she was in the captain's quarters, just where she should be. She dressed quickly and burst through the door onto the deck, a great smile on her face.

This, this was where she should be.

This was what she should be doing.

Her eyes scanned and found no sign of the crew, which meant there wasn't one. She was going to have to motivate her fellow travelers. Well, it was a good thing that she could motivate with the best of them. Her crew was always loyal. Unfortunately, the pirate imagined she was going to have to begin with fear.

With her heavy boots, Sympathy tromped to the middle of the deck, making as much noise as possible. She then slammed her foot three times down as hard as she could.

"Get up! Get up! All hands on deck!" Her voice rang clear and strong in the sea air. She felt more alive than she had since she'd started this ridiculous journey.

A few days in, and Ray still wasn't sure what to make of the pirate ship. He'd peeked over the rails of the ship and seen some pretty terrifying things moving just under the surface. Or perhaps that was little more than his imagination acting up. Somehow, he thought the former was more likely. He was imaginative, sure, but he didn't expect this group to land anywhere safe. Not while they were currently at the mercy of aliens who seemed to thrive on putting them in dangerous situations. Just like the resort, he anticipated that it was only a matter of time before they were forced to face off with the things lurking below the surface.

In the meantime, he'd taken to scouring the ship for anything that he could tinker with. It was slow going because there wasn't much in the way of electronics or any sort of tech at all. This was even worse than what he'd had access to at the resort. At this point, he would give his left arm for the outdated desktops they'd had in the business center at the resort. He needed something to work on, some way to keep his mind active.

He finally settled for taking apart one of the rifles available on board to see if he could modify it. After he'd done his chores for the day, he grabbed a seat on the deck and focused on taking apart the gun to see what could be done with it. There were plenty of guns on board, so he figured that it wouldn't matter if he borrowed one to try to improve it. He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings as he worked, though every so often he muttered an equation or some other insight to himself.

The sound that had awoken him had not been a pleasant one. At first Bruce figured it was just part of a dream considering how uneasily he slept in this strange world, in this strange bed. Not that this was the first time he had been swept up into a world not meant for him, but this one was far worse. At least the dinosaur-ridden atmosphere was predictable. Predictability lowered the chance for risk, which also lowered the chance that the Other Guy would sprout out unnecessarily. It was easier to fight something one was familiar with when the fortune pushed the tide that direction. But in this case it was like fighting in the darkness against something you could never truly see. He had fought aliens before, but still...that was not by choice. He had not gotten there until much later after the fighting had started and Bruce had never been one to intentionally throw himself into the line of fire with the first strike. No, he was willing to let a scene play out as far as it could, usually, before he got involved.

But that sound...

At first it sounded like a low humming, some noise that reminded him of a swarm of wasps defending their nest. A constant buzzing sound. Once he was awake and knew for sure he wasn't dreaming, Bruce pushed himself out of bed slowly with his head cocked toward the sound. What was that? The unknown was nagging at him because it was a familiar sound...something he could place, and as refreshing as that was it was far too close. It was inside the resort. Right outside the door.

Bruce tensed instantly. Slipping very quietly out of his bed, he pulled on what shoes he could find and grabbed hold of the tire iron he kept next to the bed on the night stand. It offered him little comfort but it was a better tool than what lay beneath the surface of his skin. And it was a much safer alternative. Not that it would fair against a swarm of insects but it was better than nothing at all.

The door to his room opened slowly and when he stepped out into the hallway he saw nothing. The noise had gone as quickly as it had come. That was funny. And unsettling. Not bothering to close the door as he was too caught up in the moment, Bruce tightened his grip on the metal bar in his hand and crept slowly down the hallway. A turn into the next corridor and there was the source of the noise. Giant bees. Almost as large as a basketball and they hovered in a swarm mid-way down the hallway. His eyes widened and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Suddenly a tire iron seemed not so bad a weapon of he could avoid a stinger or two. But it was risky changing in the resort. Too risky. There were too many people that could be sleeping and he had the potential to tear down the entire building in a matter of carefree moments. No, he couldn't change here. He had to find a place to lay low.

A careful step backward, Bruce tried not to make a sound. But then his foot stepped on shards of a broken urn that lay on the floor and instantly the swarm was turning and heading straight for him. Bruce winced and lifted the metal bar, batting at one of the giant insects as it flew straight at him stinger first. This was not a good day to be a man or a bee. One went to the floor, twitching lifelessly. But that seemed to irritate the swarm even more.

Dropping his weapon, Bruce turned and fled back the way he had come. He bypassed the open door to his own room and raced around fallen debris and through corridors. His heart raced as he ran, and he could already feel he energy surging through him that couldn't be mistaken for adrenaline. He only wished it was that tame. The buzzing was growing closer, he could tell, but he didn't look back. Nor could he stop despite the burn in his lungs.

Just as he turned the corner he saw it. The big, beautiful blue police call box. The TARDIS. It was hanging out there as if it were waiting for him and without a moment to spare Bruce rushed the doors, kicked them open and slammed them shut behind himself. His brown eyes burned with neon green and he pressed himself hard against the door in efforts to keep the bees out as well as to catch his breath.

What a hell of a way to wake up.

Natasha didn't have enough to do with herself around the hotel. She'd snooped in just about every square inch of the place, but had yet to venture outside the wall. It would happen eventually, but she wanted to be sure that she knew what they were dealing with. Unfortunately, she hadn't learned anything new just yet. She was also keeping an eye on a certain scientist with a tendency to turn into a green rage monster. She did this both from a distance and up close. It was easier when the 'target,' so to speak, wanted someone to watch out for him. No one wanted to avoid a Hulk-sized outbreak more than Bruce. Though Natasha thought that it would be more useful for him to learn to control his other half than it would be to try to avoid him ever turning into the Hulk. She knew more than a little bit about embracing one's darker side to get things done.

On this particular night, she decided to seek Bruce out around dinner time. She figured that it might be easier to have a private meal rather than risking the lines at the buffet and whatever other chaos might be out there. If she were being honest with herself, maybe she needed the privacy as much as Bruce might. She had many public personas that she used, depending on the situation. It was rare that she had the chance to simply be. And while she was still getting to the point with Bruce that he got to see some of her hidden self, it was the closest she got to that level of comfort.

She walked the well-trod path to his room, two doggie bags worth of food in hand. The scent of pasta and cheesecake mingled together as she shifted both bags into one hand to knock. She waited for some form of answer. She didn't question much whether or not he would be in there. She'd started to learn his patterns and where he might be found at any given time. It was survival for herself as much as for everyone else to do so, but perhaps it was seeking comfort in the form of the known when so much else was unknown. Perhaps.

Bruce shuffled back toward his room.

He had things to tell Natasha when he found her. Lately the spy had been on his mind, he didn't really know why. A friendship with the spy was risky, anything more? Dangerous. Bruce was the kind to be destined alone forever, Hulk was too much of a risk to anyone he was close to. Natasha was a trigger, she knew what she was getting herself into and once she had mentioned a Red Room, but Bruce knew she couldn't stand up to a squishing from the Hulk. And he couldn't live with himself if he hurt Natasha. Or anyone. But mostly Natasha.

Shuffling down the hallway, Bruce looked at his feet. He couldn't imagine being at any kind of a formal dinner with anyone else, but he supposed that if the moment came then...no. No. He couldn't.

Finally he approached the room where he had worken up and he saw that flash of red hair coming toward him. There she was. Natasha.

He was glad to see her. He breathed out and stopped partway to the door.

"Hey. That guy Roy we met wants to get together for dinner...he found his blonde friend," Bruce explained.

"And there's a gym..." She might want to use it.

He was terrible when it came to talking to women. What would Tony do....

Not something very nice. That was for sure.

Clearing his throat, Bruce nodded, "...so, did you find anything else that might be interesting?"

They'd been here for about a week now and still hadn't found a way back home. It wasn't all bad, but that didn't mean she was completely at ease. She was, however, enjoying things as much as she could. She and Roy had combed just about every inch of the resort looking for answers, and they'd come up with nothing helpful. They had yet to wander outside the wall, but she didn't feel up to doing that until they found weapons to use. They would need to check it out eventually, because there was a very big chance that 'stay away, it's dangerous' was meant to dissuade them from finding the one way out of here.

For now, they found other ways to expend energy. One of those ways just happened to be sparring in the gym. Roy kept her on her toes. He'd learned a lot in his time with Team Arrow and he made a good trainer. She just hoped that she'd learned enough to keep him on his toes as well.

They were both dressed in the closest to workout clothes they could find in this place. They had plans to check out one of the fancier restaurants afterward. If she squinted, she could almost convince herself that this really was just a vacation. Almost. She put a hand on Roy's and gave it a squeeze.

"When we get home, we should think about doing this for real. Or at least we could take a weekend to head somewhere a little sunnier? What do you think?"

She tried to suppress the slight flush as she realized that it might be seen as a big step in the relationship. Going away for a weekend was kind of a big deal. She tried not to be conscious of such things, but there was a part of her that might always be a little gunshy about taking relationship steps. After all, her first serious boyfriend had run off with her sister once they'd started discussing moving in together. Not to mention that both had been thought to have died for years. So there was that. But she tried not to let that scare her away too much when it came to moving forward with someone else. Then again, all of this might be a moot point if they didn't find a way home. But she wasn't ready to quit hoping. That wasn't her style.

Logan opened one eye, sunlight from the window making him squint immediately. He grumbled and rolled over, taking a moment to process that the window was different than the last window he'd seen.

The one with the jungle outside and the rumbling ground. The one with the packs of dinosaurs.

His jaw muscles jumped slightly under his skin as he sat up. His expression was surprisingly calm, considering what he'd just pieced together. Then again, disemboweling a down pillow was not going to help anything for anyone.

There was a digital alarm clock next to the bed, with a lamp and a note on fancy hotel paper. Logan opened it and read.

Apologies.
Companions may be gone...

He immediately thought of Mary, after registering that he'd been unconscious for a very, very long time, and things could have been done to him--no matter what that note said. "I'm not a fucking Transport," he muttered.

It didn't take Logan long to get out of his room and explore. He had a permanent scowl on his face when he realized that the attire in his closet was more than just a suggestion. At least they'd left him his dogtags, and his trademark white undershirt. Once he was outside, his scowl was partially hidden behind sunglasses. He asked a waitress with a cocktail tray where they were and she was dismissive. He asked a lifeguard on the beach and he was even less help, and then he said something very interesting.

Enjoy your swim. Remember the wall is for your protection! Do you have sunblock?

Logan turned away from the kid almost immediately and continued on his quest for more information about the wall.

If he knew Mary, she'd be on the other side of it. He had to find her. And if not her, then Eleni. He'd take any Stark he could find.

Anyone he knew.

When Natasha first woke up, she figured that this was the work of the crew of the Centurus. She'd been stuck on that godforsaken ship that was little more than some sort of interstellar reality show, and she'd been at their mercy as they beamed her down to whatever planet they desired. She figured this was just another one of those planets. If so, it might have seemed better than the last few. Then again, looks could be deceiving. She was certainly evidence of that, was she not?

She looked around for her mobile device and didn't find it. That didn't bother her all that much, since posting on the network had gotten her into trouble in the last place. She did have to wonder how that had turned out. Those people caught in that revolution couldn't have fared well. She'd tried, but she was a little afraid that their group had made things worse for everyone. The only thing that bothered her was being out of touch and having no easy way to find out who was here or not. She wondered if Steve, Sam, or Clint were anywhere around. The only way to figure that out was to explore.

She didn't worry too much about her clothes. She was dressed to blend into the setting, which appeared to be a posh beachside resort. Clothes simply served as camouflage for any given environment, though she was a little more put out that her weapons seemed to be missing. She didn't need her guns or her widow bite bracelets, but they would have made things easier if there was trouble.

She set off to explore the hotel and eventually found herself out on the beach. The waves crashing against the shore was almost peaceful, if she could ignore that she hadn't come here by choice. All the same, she was capable of stopping and admiring beauty where it could be found.