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marysuevirusTitle: The Mary Sue Virus: Lights, Camera, Avengers!
Chapter Twenty: Retribution
Fandom: something like the Marvel Universe, leaning mostly toward the Movie!Avengers branch
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: lots of sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in. probably some drinking.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel and whoever the hell else owns them.. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dazzledfirestar, mistress_o_muse, ginevrasm, rylan_m, and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.
The Mary Sue Virus: Lights, Camera, Avengers! - The Index
Elsa stared at the long faces in her room and wondered how it had been designated the meeting place. True, the doctors weren't going to release her just yet because they wanted to observe her for a few days before letting her leave. And then, she had no doubts that they wouldn't let her go unless she had someone to look after her. She didn't relish the idea of spending any time at her family's home but she had no one else to take care of her. It would have to be her mom and dad.
The drugs had pulled back some. While the pain was still mostly masked by them, she was a little more coherent. The fuzziness was gone. She only had the occasional swirl of wooziness to deal with. Which wasn't as bad as never knowing what was going to come out of her mouth. Every time she'd popped off with a swear word, she'd gotten an odd look from Steve.
Her eyes drifted to the chair he'd occupied. It was empty now, only the sling remaining to remind her that he'd been there at all. He'd gotten a phone call about half an hour ago. It had brought a frown to his face. After hanging up, he'd pressed a kiss upon her and told her he had to go. He hadn't said what that call had been about or why he'd had to leave. But he'd promised her he'd be back. Not long after Steve had left, Astrid had shown up looking a little wild eyed and anxious. She'd more or less demanded that Elsa call the others and get them there right away. Which Elsa had done. Now they were just waiting on Phoebe.
Astrid was pacing back and forth on the other side of Elsa's bed, hands clasped together tightly in front of her. Whatever was bothering her was deeply bothering her. Miri and Alex were in two different corners, staring at absolutely nothing. By the look on their faces, something heavy was troubling them. More surprising was the fact that they had yet to actually acknowledge one another's presence or speak to one another or actually do anything that suggested they were friends. What had happened between the two of them?
The oppressive silence of the room was weighing on her. She wanted to break the growing tension, but she didn't know what to do or say. With the pain meds still riding her, she wasn't sure she could actually gather her thoughts well enough to be coherent. So she remained silent and wondered what the hell had happened to her friends to see them acting this way.
There was a knock on the door. "Enter," Elsa called out, voice a little softer than she liked. But her visitor must have heard because the door opened and Phoebe came through. She looked absolutely wrecked, as if she hadn't seen a bed in months. Even her clothes, normally pristine and neat, were sloppy and wrinkled.
"Sorry I'm late. I was almost asleep when you called, Elsa. And Tony wouldn't let me drive, so he had to wake Happy up to bring us here. They're both outside waiting for me." Phoebe stopped and blinked, as if just realizing she was over-sharing. "And I apologize for that. I'm exhausted and I don't know how much longer I can stay on my feet."
"Then I'll make this quick," Astrid said, turning to face all four of them. "I had to make sure you were all okay. I saw the news and... It was bad."
Miri lifted a brow at that. "Bad? That's the only word you have for what happened? Bad? We were all in the middle of that hell. Where were you? When I was up to my neck in blood and dead agents and rubble, where the hell were you?"
Astrid faltered under the acid in Miri's voice. Only for a moment. "I'd have been there if I could have been but--"
"But what? What's your excuse, Astrid?" Miri cut her off.
Elsa might have said something, but Alex beat her to it. "Miri." That was all she said. It was the first she'd spoken since entering the room. There was a terseness to her voice, a barely contained rage that boiled under the surface. Was that emotion directed solely at HYDRA? Or was some of it directed elsewhere?
Whatever Miri heard in Alex's use of her name, it worked. The redhead leaned up against the wall again and stared at Astrid with intense purple eyes. Elsa swore she could see murder swimming in them. Astrid's gaze slipped between Alex and Miri, the frown on her face suggesting she didn't like this anymore than anyone else. "I think I was in Asgard. I don't know. All I know is I was a guest of Loki's for a while."
Asgard? That was news. Elsa blinked. Phoebe, even in her less than fully alert state, blinked. Alex and Miri didn't blink once.
When no one spoke, Astrid shifted her gaze around the room before making an attempt to break the silence. "Loki was... He showed me things. Told me things. I saw everything happening, but I couldn't do anything about it. I don't know if he was lying or not."
"What kinds of things?" Elsa asked, hoping that if she got Astrid talking about her captivity, it would give Miri a chance to bring herself under control.
"You guys, mostly. He made sure to remind me at every moment that no one was looking for me." There was something in her voice that said there was more to it than just that.
"How did he do that? We'd have looked for you if we'd known you were missing," Elsa assured her. It looked as if no one else was going to do any talking, so she took it upon herself to keep the conversation flowing.
"He had this basin. He showed me images of you guys doing things," Astrid said. She heaved a sigh and let a confused gaze slide around the room. "Is it true? What he showed me? Is it all true?"
"That depends on what he showed you, Astrid," Phoebe replied before slipping into a yawn. "I don't think any of us are mind readers. You're going to have to tell us what you saw."
Astrid went silent, as if debating actually answering her. Then she frowned. "You and Tony, Phoebe. And Elsa with Steve." She turned and faced the side of the room where Alex and Miri were. Elsa noticed for the first time that both women had a clear line to the door, as if they expected someone to come storming through with the intent to do harm. "Alex and Clint in the shower. Miri and Phil in a hotel room. Is it true?"
No one spoke immediately. As if surprised by this news. Elsa saw Miri close her eyes, just for a moment, and draw a deep breath into her lungs. As if she was trying to control her reactions. Surprisingly, it was Alex who answered first. "Loki is the God of Mischief. The Trickster God. You can't believe a fucking thing that he says."
The tone of her voice named it as much an admission to the truth as if she had actually come out and said that yes, she and Clint were fucking like mad bunnies in the shower. Which meant that Miri and Agent Coulson were... Elsa gaped at the woman in surprise. She really hadn't seen that one coming. Neither, apparently, had Astrid or Phoebe. The three of them turned curious gazes Miri's way. The woman said nothing, simply glared at them in reply.
"If you were being held captive by Loki, how did you get back here?" Miri asked, a very obvious attempt to draw attention away from her sex life. If Elsa had been more with it, she wouldn't have let the other woman steer the conversation away from such important information so quickly. Damn the fucking drugs!
"Remember I told you he showed me things? One of the things he showed me was a meeting on the helicarrier. Agent Coulson was talking to Clint, Steve, and Thor." A glance at Miri showed that her hands were fisted at her sides. "I somehow attracted Thor's attention and he came and got me."
That brought Alex's head up and the woman pinned Astrid with a look. It made Astrid shift nervously. Maybe Alex meant to merely intimidate her. Or maybe planned on asking Astrid a question. Whatever it was she had planned, she never got to do it. Miri closed the distance between herself and Astrid, glared at the other woman. "Thor came and got you?"
"Yes," Astrid replied.
Tension crawled across Miri's shoulders, slipped down her spine. "While HYDRA was attacking the helicarrier and the base and our friends and colleagues were being slaughtered, Thor was off rescuing you?"
"I... I don't know. I think so. I--" Astrid's words were choked off when Miri lunged forward and shoved the other woman into the wall. One arm was pressed tight against her throat and Elsa could see that Miri fully intended to hold her there for as long as it took.
"You do know that Thor could have saved everyone on the helicarrier, right? He could have keep it from crashing to the ground! He could have saved hundreds of people's lives. Because he's a fucking God!" Miri snarled. Astrid's eyes were wide with fear, her face starting to go red from lack of air. "But because he had to go save your sorry ass, a lot of good people are dead! He left his position and--"
Astrid found the strength to push Miri off of her. "I'm sorry, Miri! I would have told Director Fury about all of it if I'd had a chance but Loki grabbed me before I could." She reached into her coat and pulled a sheet of folded paper out of it. Miri took it when Astrid handed it to her and opened it, her eyes skimming whatever information the paper held. "HYDRA contacted Loki and summoned him. He helped them. I tried to call Alex and tell her but Loki showed up and--"
Miri had Astrid pinned to the wall again in the blink of an eye. The burn of anger and hatred in her eyes was more frightening than the blank look she'd worn before. Her face was only centimeters from Astrid's. "You knew about this? You knew that this was going to happen and you didn't do anything? You knew?"
Astrid was struggling, trying to push Miri away again. The woman wasn't moving, proof that she'd only been using a small portion of her strength the last time. Elsa wasn't sure that Miri would let go this time, because the way Astrid's face went from red to purple so quickly suggested that the redhead was applying a lot of pressure. Dear God. Miri was going to kill Astrid if someone didn't do something.
"Miri!" Alex barked, one hand dragging the woman away. Astrid bent over, hands at her throat as she coughed and dragged air into her lungs. Miri swung a fist toward Alex, only to have it blocked by the other woman's arm. "Save it for HYDRA. She isn't worth it."
The two women stared at one another for a few moments, tension crackling between them. Miri finally shook her head and walked away, snorting a sound of disgust. She headed for the door, stopped, turned back to look at Alex. "I've heard all I need to. Let's go. We have a mission."
Alex shot a dark look toward Astrid, then followed Miri out of the room wordlessly. When the door had swished closed, Phoebe made her way to Astrid's side and helped the still coughing woman to the nearest chair. Astrid's gaze, filled with utter confusion, slid back and forth between Elsa and Phoebe. "What the hell was that all about?" she gasped.
"Coulson and Clint were injured in the crash," Phoebe explained. Elsa turned to look at her. Apparently Tony had more information than Steve did. Of course, knowing Tony, he wasn't afraid to hack the hospital's computer system to get the information he wanted.
"That doesn't give her the right to try and kill me!" Astrid snapped.
"Clint is in stable but guarded condition. He lost a lot of blood between the time he got shot and the time they found him. Coulson's listed in critical condition. Head injury," Phoebe replied softly. "They don't know if he's even going to wake up at this point."
The color drained from Astrid's face at that. It was all news to Elsa, too. "Oh, God. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Elsa let her gaze drift to the door that Miri and Alex had just gone through. They were going after HYDRA. For payback. No doubt that was where Steve was going. She wasn't worried for any of them. She knew they'd all come back. No one was going to get hurt. No one but HYDRA agents.
Elsa wasn't normally a violent person. She didn't live by the eye for an eye code that some of her friends obviously did. But just this once, she felt she had reason to get away with such unkind thoughts. She hoped that they gave any HYDRA agent they came across hell.
~*~*~*~*~
Miri sat against the wall, carefully inspecting the twin Glocks she had chosen for the mission. Not that she didn't have more weapons with her. But these were the two she was going to start with. These were the two that she planned on doing the most damage with. There was little chatter going on between herself and her team. The constant churning thump of the rotors prohibited much speech without the use of a headset. There were a few agents talking, brief bursts of chatter that seemed more like whispering than actual talking. But for the most part, it was silent. Too many thoughts of fallen and injured comrades to allow much talk.
She returned the guns to their holsters and let her gaze sweep around the interior of the Chinook. Like her, every member of her team was running almost solely on adrenalin. No one had slept in probably twenty four hours. It should have been a recipe for disaster. She knew it wouldn't. Some instinct inside of her told her that this mission would succeed. They'd wipe out the HYDRA nest without losing a soul. And, like her, every member of her team was looking for payback for what HYDRA had done to them. To their friends.
Fury had given her command of a small but deadly team. Other than herself, Alex, and the two Avengers, she had twenty men who had come to S.H.I.E.L.D. from various groups. Soldiers who had worked black ops for their respective branches of the military. She knew a couple had SEAL training. Some were even rumored to have been mercenaries, working for the highest bidder before being recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. They were hardened agents that she wouldn't have to worry about in the field. They'd move like the wind. Strike fast and hard. Take down anything in their way. Despite the impending slaughter, she couldn't sense the anticipation she was sure they were feeling. These were men who knew how to shelve their emotions and do what had to be done.
Her gaze drifted toward the other end of the chopper. Rogers and Thor sat together, silent and pensive. Steve looked resigned more than anything, as if he understood what was to come, the importance of it. There was an air to him, one of reluctant acceptance. He knew that death was inevitable. He didn't like it, but he understood it and he respected it. He would do his duty even if he personally found it repugnant. Thor looked grim and determined. She didn't know if she was imagining the guilt that saw his broad shoulders slumping. She didn't think so. But she didn't know the man well enough to say one way or the other. Guilt or not, he'd better do what he'd been sent here to do. Or she'd find out just how indestructible the man was.
Lastly, her eyes sought out Alex. Other than the few words she'd uttered in the hospital, Alex hadn't said anything to her since their fight in the gym. Miri might have worried about it more if her mind wasn't partially occupied with Phil. She'd spoken to the nurses before they'd left, asked about his condition. There'd been no change.
She didn't understand how Alex could deny her feelings for Clint. It was plain to see, even now when Alex was intent on twirling a throwing knife between her fingers, that the woman was in love with the archer. Maybe if they'd had more time, she could have made Alex understand what was going on. But they hadn't had the time. And Alex hadn't wanted to know. Miri had called her a coward and she was sure it was an accurate assessment. She just couldn't figure out why she thought that.
Alex looked up, green eyes lasering in on Miri's purple ones. They stared across the chopper at one another for several tense seconds. Then Alex made a show of tucking the blade away and turning her attention to her own firearms. Miri felt a touch of pain twist through her. She'd just been dismissed. Permanently. She might have given it consideration, but the pilot's voice filled her ear, loud and noisy. "Agent Grant, we'll be landing in a few minutes. You should get your team ready."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Miri replied. "Okay, everyone. That's the two minute warning. When we hit the ground, we're transferring directly to ground transport. There are two entrances into the nest so we'll split into two teams. Alex, you'll lead a secondary assault from the rear exit. Thor and half of the men here will go with you. I'll take Cap and the other half. We'll hit them from the front." She watched as Alex nodded and said nothing. Turning her attention to their assault team, she addressed them directly. "Gentlemen, Director Fury has put this op in my hands. He has told me that if we are discovered and questioned, he will deny ever giving us these orders. We are to do whatever we can to make HYDRA pay for their attacks. If you can take prisoners, that's all fine and good. If not..." she trailed off and shrugged just like Fury had when he'd told her and Alex about the mission.
Her team offered up small, cold smiles at that knowledge. They understood her loud and clear. A glance toward Rogers and Thor showed her two different expressions. Rogers didn't look at all happy with the news that they basically had carte blanche to do whatever they liked. She wondered if he was going to have a problem with his morals. If he balked on following orders, she wouldn't hesitate to remove his ass from the fight. He might not like the situation, but she was in charge and he would do as she said. End of story.
Her gaze landed on the God of Thunder and she felt her entire being go cold. Knowing now what she did, she didn't want him here. And she sure as hell didn't want him anywhere near her. It was his fault that Phil was laying in that hospital bed, fighting for his life. She wasn't so stupid that she hadn't discerned that from what the nurses at the hospital hadn't told her. What he'd suffered... They'd be lucky if he woke up. So Alex was saddled with the big blonde. If that bothered her, the other woman didn't show it. But Miri trusted Alex not to try and kill him. She couldn't trust herself to do the same.
She tore her eyes away from the man and sank into herself. For a moment, she let her thoughts linger on Phil. On that last night they'd been together. The feel of his hands on her body and the tender smile he'd worn. His lips as they'd kissed up and down her torso. The tickle of his tongue against the bend of her knee. He'd been so soft and approachable. So... hers. He'd told her he cared, but he hadn't used words. Or she'd thought that before he'd left without so much as an explanation. Now she had to wonder. And now, all she could see was his face covered in blood and the way he had lain so very still in the ruined helicarrier's ruined bridge.
A faint jolt let her know that they'd touched ground. Soon enough, they'd be piling out of the chopper to climb into vehicles for the remaining two mile trip to the HYDRA nest. She needed to be on her game. So she carefully folded away the memories of Phil, from those tender caresses to his battered body. She folded them up and stowed them away in a heavy trunk. Stowed the trunk in the deep corners of her mind, away from light. She didn't need them distracting her while she was on her mission. She locked it all away with a whispered promise. She would make them all pay for what they'd done. All of them. She'd do it because they deserved to die. She'd do it because she loved him.
~*~*~*~*~
The transport was a military issue cargo truck. Alex climbed into the back with the rest of her team and looked them over. She knew a few of them, had seen them around the base a couple times. Some of them she knew by reputation only. This was Fury's secret team, his black ops specialists. They would do what she ordered them to do without question. They weren't her worry. The man who sat across from her was her worry.
Miri had stuck her with Thor for a reason. Probably because Miri would try to kill him herself. The thought had run through Alex's mind a time or two. But such attempts could wait. Her main concern at the moment was getting the opportunity to kill every last HYDRA agent she could get in her sights. It was payback. Not just for Clint, though he was foremost in her mind. No. There was another person who lingered at the back of her brain. Stevenson. She hadn't been able to do anything about his death. So she was going to do it here. Now.
The truck lurched to a roll, letting her know they didn't have much time before they were at the nest. She and Miri had studied plans provided by the director so she had a pretty damned good idea what they'd be up against structurally. "You heard Agent Grant," she told them quietly. Even though the truck rattled loudly as it rolled over the road, they heard her just fine because of the comm units they all wore. "Take prisoners if you can. If not, take them down. This mission is for our fallen comrades. The injured and the dead get payback. And we're getting it for them."
No one said anything, but she saw nods go around the interior of the truck. Her glance strayed to Thor. "You have problems following Director Fury's orders? Or mine?" She wanted to ask him if he was going to leave in the middle of this mission, too, but that wasn't something she was going to mention before going into a fire fight. There was no need to distract her team's attention.
"No, Agent Quinn. No problems at all." She heard the seriousness in his voice. The guilt. He knew what he'd done, had no doubt gotten an earful from Fury about it already. Good. Maybe he'd keep his Asgardian ass where it belonged.
"Good. You give me any problems, I'll shoot you myself," she warned, then gave her attention to the whole group. "Radio silence, gentleman. Only use the comm units in the case of an emergency. We're stopping half a mile from the target and hiking in on foot so that the enemy won't see us coming. We've got enough weapons with us to bring down the Kremlin. Carry what you can. Extra ammo, grenades, whatever. Don't overload yourselves, though. We'll be able to pick up weapons from our enemies."
"Yes, ma'am," the men agreed as one.
Nodding at them to let them know she was done, Alex slipped back into her own mind and gave her team time to do whatever they needed to before they arrived at their destination. The hum of the wheels lulled her into a relaxed state, allowing her mind to go where it had wanted to go constantly for hours. Clint.
She saw it all again, as if it were happening right that minute. The bow hanging from the catwalk. Arrows sticking out of fallen enemies, the feathers attached to the end of the shafts all black and so distinctive. The sight of blood, a wide smear that shone wet and bright against the floor as it led her to a closet. Blood on the door knob, on the wall beside the door. Swinging that panel open to allow his body to fall out literally at her feet. Her heart had squeezed in her chest.
She'd thought he was dead at first and her hand had shook when she'd knelt to check for his pulse. The relief had been short lived when she'd realized he was alive because there was so much blood on his thigh that she... Hell, she'd panicked. And she was sure that everyone knew she'd panicked.
The rage had blossomed then, sharp and stabbing as it had rolled through her chest. Filled her hands and feet, fingers and toes. Consumed her brain until she'd been in a fog. As soon as she'd been assured that he would be well taken care of, she'd gone after the HYDRA agent they'd found alive. She might have shot him more than once had Thor not physically dragged her away from the body. That had been on Fury's command and she was sure she'd face disciplinary action for it at some point. Maybe. Not that she really cared. She had felt far too damned good putting an end to that man.
After a quick debrief with Fury, who had given her that look with his one eye, she'd gone to the hospital to check up on people. Elsa had been sleeping a drug induced sleep with Rogers at her side. She'd made a point of looking in on every single agent she and Miri had pulled out of the wreckage of the helicarrier before she'd gone to the hospital's prayer hall. It had been a long time since she'd stepped foot in a church, but if ever there was a time to do so... This was it.
Having grown up Catholic, there had been something comforting about stepping into that chapel with its familiar scents and dim lights. Even though there'd been no image of Christ, habit had seen her heading to the front of the room and kneeling in front of the spot where Christ on the cross would have been hung. Rituals and actions long ignored had come to mind in the blink of an eye and she'd found herself making the sign of the cross. She'd remained kneeling there for a second, whispering a quick prayer, before she'd risen up and gone over to the small alcove on the side. There, she'd lit a pair of candles and said a prayer over each of them. One for Coulson because Miri loved him. Because Agent Phil Coulson, though tough and stern, had been more than a superior officer. And one for Clint. Because Alex would never be the same if he died. Because she loved him more than anything and if she couldn't have him in her life, she could at least live with the knowledge that he'd survived.
She'd been lost in her thoughts when Miri had come in and had forced herself to remain still, to wait until the other woman had been consumed by her own thoughts and feelings. Then she'd fled and gone to the gym. Alex's personal sanctuary. And there, she'd prayed to the gods of pain and loss and hatred and every other little thing she'd been feeling. She'd worked hard to punish herself. She'd asked to be punished for her stupidity. And she had been.
Miri had so thoroughly kicked her ass. Had reminded her of everything so completely that Alex had been left wondering if this was where she really belonged anymore.
The transport truck came to a halt without a noise. Alex put her thoughts aside, found that place she'd discovered inside of her that let her think and act without feeling. Miri's voice flooded her ear, filled the ear of every man on the mission. "We're here, gentlemen. Load up and get moving. Dawn is on the horizon and we only have a short window of opportunity here and we need to go in unseen."
The comm unit went silent. Alex rose to her feet and absently checked her Glocks. "You heard her, guys. Let's get this show on the road."
~*~*~*~*~
It didn't take them long to reach HYDRA's nest on foot. She was trained for the kind of abuse they were taking, this and more. Besides, Miri didn't feel anything but a burning need to put an end to everyone. Before they broke cover, having approached the nest through a snarl of old growth trees, bushes, and undergrowth, she'd conveyed a last set of orders through a group of hand signals. Alex, for all her silence and aloofness since their fight, had nodded in understanding and delivered with her eyes a promise to Miri that every enemy agent she came across would pay for what they'd done to Phil. Miri had nodded her thanks, then motioned her team to follow her.
Alex's team had left them without a sound, disappearing into the night. With exception of Thor, who wore his Asgardian armor and had Mjolnir at his side, and Rogers, who wore his Captain America uniform and carried his shield, they were all in black in order to blend. Miri had then started forward with her team in tow, creeping toward the front entrance.
HYDRA had made a nest in the depths of an old mental institution in upstate New York. It had been standing for more than a century and sported half a dozen floors, not including the basement, and hundreds of rooms. It covered a large area of land and had been empty for a few decades. It wasn't surprising that HYDRA had set up shop there. The building was out of the way and hidden by a small forest. No one would likely notice lights and people that weren't supposed to be there. By all accounts, it was a perfect place to hide.
Now it would be a perfect place to die.
Two of her men, trained snipers, picked off the guards that patrolled the grounds at the front of the building. Miri was pretty sure Alex's men were doing the same at that moment. In less than five minutes, the chaos would begin. Field glasses showed her the two guards going down almost simultaneously, leaving the front open. Miri held up a hand, then again motioned everyone forward. They moved with slow, sure steps, weapons up and ready to go.
Even as they poured through the front door, Miri could hear the sounds of gunshots echoing up the halls and of men screaming in pain. Alex's team had already made it in and the party had begun. Miri gave the signal for the men to split and watched as they streamed past her, her weapon held up and ready before her. She noticed that Rogers stayed close by and wondered if Fury had given him extra orders. Shrugging, she moved forward with slow, careful steps that wouldn't make a sound.
Rounding a corner brought her up against her first HYDRA agent. A single shot brought him down, leaving a gaping hole in the man's forehead. The whole place was alive with the sounds of discharging weapons, men screaming and shouting, pounding feet, the distant and dull sound of flesh hitting flesh. "I can take care of myself, Captain," she hissed softly at Rogers.
"My orders are to watch your back, ma'am," he replied without emotion. She might have gotten upset at those orders, but Rogers turned just then and rammed the rolled edge of his shield into a HYDRA agent's gut. The man went down with a grunt, landed in a graceless heap and didn't twitch again. Miri nodded at him, then kept going.
She moved fast, kept her feet light. Most HYDRA agents were startled from their sleep and slow, giving her team an advantage. Rogers shadowed her every move, watched her back and dealt with any threat she personally couldn't handle. As if there were any such threats here.
They were deep inside enemy territory, methodically going through each and every room, when Rogers were blind sided by half a dozen enemy agents at once. Miri paused long enough to ensure that he would be okay on his own, then slipped around a corner. Right into a mess of her own. She found herself face to face with four agents, each of them holding a gun on her. Smiling, she let her gaze slide over each of them, then she ducked down and swung her leg out. Her sweep saw them all going down, their guns firing in their surprise.
It would have been easy for her to pick them off in rapid succession, easy to put a bullet in their heads. But that wouldn't have been as satisfactory as feeling their bones crack and break under the driving force of her fists. She made short work of knocking their guns away, sending all four of them skittering across the floor into a darkened corner. Before her opponents could do more than register her actions, she threw herself on the first one and landed a blow to his face that broke his nose and brought forth a gush of blood. Another blow to his gut kept him on the floor while she turned her attention to the other three.
Everything but the fight slid away from her. Where only moments ago there had been all kinds of thoughts revolving around what she would do to these men, now there was nothing. Only an empty space that was comforting with its numbing ability. She didn't think, didn't feel, didn't know anything beyond the fight at hand when she found herself in that spot in her head.
She swung her arms and legs, fists and feet making connections that drew forth grunts and groans of pain. They fought back, fists landing blows that she barely felt. She knew in an abstract way that they would hurt later, that there would be bruises and muscle aches. But for now, there was nothing but blissful emptiness. No pain. No fear. No right or wrong. Absolutely nothing.
One of the men grabbed her from behind, arms closing around hers to pin them at her side. As if such a move would keep her from beating the ever loving shit out of him. A second agent was coming after her, a grin on his bloodied face. Miri only grinned in return, turned them, backed up into the wall as hard as she could. The move knocked the breath from her captor, loosening his hold on her. She drove an elbow back into his belly, turned and slammed the heel of her hand into his nose. There was a sickening crack before he slipped to the ground.
A foot saw one of the two remaining men dropping with a cry, her boot's sole connecting sharply with his knee. The cracking noise was loud, even over the screams and gunshots. He tipped sideways, hands clutching at his shattered knee. She swung into another kick, brought her heavy boot in against his face. There was more cracking as his cheekbone gave under the pressure of her kick. The man toppled over sideways, landed on the ground and lay there unmoving. Miri turned her attention to the last man.
She wasn't surprised to see that he had a weapon in his hand and it was pointed at her. He, on the other hand, was surprised to see that she'd drawn her own firearm as she'd turned and had it leveled on his forehead. There were only inches separating the end of the gun from his skull. Miri smiled at him, inched forward and put the muzzle against his skull. "You're not fast enough. You lose."
The gun firing was loud in the small area, the explosion echoing around them and bouncing off the walls again and again. Before it had even started fading away, she turned and fired three more times, one right after the other. Each shot was dead center of the three men's foreheads. She turned to find Rogers behind her, staring at her with wide blue eyes. At the back of his stare, she could see a hint of judgement.
Miri said nothing, simply walked past him with her weapon out before her.
~*~*~*~*~
Alex stood with her back to the wall, waiting to take a glance around the corner. She was sure there were enemy agents up ahead, but she wasn't about to go into the situation blind. As soon as they'd entered the building, she and her team had split up into smaller groups. Threes and fours. She'd tried to slip away from them, but Thor had so far stuck to her like glue. She might have been more aggravated by his presence if not for the fact that he'd stopped a pair of men from sneaking up behind her. One punch from the big blonde had seen both men going through walls. She decided that perhaps having him at her back wasn't such a bad thing after all.
She cast a quick glance at her giant shadow, then slid down the wall into a crouch. If Thor wondered at what she was doing, he said nothing. He simply watched her, kept watch for possible enemy trying to sneak up behind them. Alex put the man out of her mind and slowly eased to the side so she could look around the corner. She could see five men down at the other end of the hall. Waiting. Guns drawn and pointed her way. If she stepped around that corner, she was dead.
Good thing she didn't plan on stepping around the corner.
Alex put her ass on the floor and looked up at Thor. "I'm going to lay flat on my stomach. I need you to push me forward far enough that I can shoot down the hall. Only a couple of inches. Can you handle that?" She whispered the instructions even as she was getting into position. She was careful to keep her weapons from hitting the old tile and making noise. Though Thor never answered her, she felt his hands on her feet. She had no doubt that the man could do what she'd asked of him. She shot a glance at him over her shoulder, nodding her head once to let him know she was ready. Big strong hands pushed and sent her out into the middle of the corridor.
The enemy wasn't expecting a frontal attack from the ground. By the time they realized that someone was there and where she was, Alex had pulled the trigger three times. And dropped three of them. Before she could fire again, Thor had pulled her back behind the safety of the wall. She heard the distinctive sound of bullets lodging themselves in the floor, saw chips of the tile rise into the air like the shrapnel thrown off of bomb explosions. There was no time to thank him for keeping her from getting shot because the sounds of boots rang out on the floor, letting her know that the men were coming toward them.
It was easy for Thor to pick her up and set her on her feet. Sadly, he set her behind him, then turned to face the two remaining HYDRA agents head on. She muttered a curse about stupid, pig headed, chivalrous men, then turned and took down the two agents trying to sneak up behind them. Certain that Thor had the two men well in hand, she darted past him and headed up the hall in the direction they'd been heading in the first place.
One room yielded a stockpile of weapons and a set of blueprints that left Alex feeling a little ill. Based on what she saw, she was willing to bet that HYDRA had plans on taking on all of the major governmental agencies. Not just in the United States, but all across the world. Did they really think that they could manage such a feat? Even if they had been working with Loki, she knew enough about the Trickster God to know that he didn't work that way. He'd agreed to their plans where S.H.I.E.L.D. was concerned because that involved making life hell for his brother. He wouldn't care about the rest of the world. And if he did, he certainly wouldn't need any help from HYDRA to achieve his goals.
She muttered a curse and took the few minutes required to shove the blue prints into a small metal garbage can, then she set them on fire and watched them burn. She'd have loved to have hauled the weapons out, but that wasn't mission one. She had to stay on point and trust that Fury would send a team in to clean this mess up once she and Miri and the others were done here. Chances were good that he already knew what he'd find here anyway. He was good at making people talk to him. That's why he was the boss.
After a quick check of the hall, which showed her that Thor was nowhere to be seen, she slipped out of the room and continued up the hall. There was a room up on the right, the door to it standing ajar. Alex checked her weapon and pressed up against the wall to the side of the entrance before pushing the door open with the toe of her boot. When no gunfire was immediate, she stepped into the room with her gun in her hands.
There was a hand on her wrist, twisting hard enough to force her to drop her weapon. Then she found herself face first against the wall with a heavy body pressed up against her back. She felt no weapon. That meant if he was holding one, it wasn't anywhere near her person. Smiling, Alex threw her head back toward him. Her skull impacted with his nose, a loud crunch sounding just seconds before he let go a yelp of pain. His weight shifted and she lifted a foot, brought her heel down on his toes. That sent him staggering back, freeing her of his hold.
Alex followed him, arms and legs flying as she punched and kicked. It was hard for the man to fend her off while holding his nose, so she landed quite a few blows. She drove him back, watched as he tripped over an overturned lamp and went down on his ass. She unholstered her second weapon and pointed it at him. Watched his face as it processed that he was about to die. Waited until she saw the knowledge in them. When he knew that there was no hope, when she knew that he saw his death in her smile.... That's when she pulled the trigger.
She was just recovering the weapon he'd knocked out of her grip when Thor came bursting through the door. For a second or two, he seemed confused to find her holstering her weapon almost lazily. Then his gaze took in the corpse on the floor. When he lifted his gaze to hers, Alex gave him a tight smile and headed for the door. She felt more than heard Thor follow after her.
Out in the hallway, she saw evidence that Thor had been busy. There was a small pile of bodies just outside the door she'd come out of only moments ago. It looked as if they'd been planning to surprise Alex when she was indisposed. One of the men groaned and shifted his position, head lifting just an inch or two before dropping back down.
They couldn't live. Not a one of them could live. Not after everything they'd done. Unconcerned with Thor and his reactions, she made her way to the pile of men. It was almost far too easy to ensure that none of them ever hurt another person again. The click of the trigger as it pulled under her finger was a comforting sound. So was the sound of the bullet tearing through flesh and bone. When she was done, there was a red blossom opening in each man's forehead.
When she was done, she turned on her heel and continued on up the hall.
~*~*~*~*~
The entire building was a mass tomb. That idea grew, took firm root with each and every room they cleared. Following after Agent Grant as she'd so casually and callously put a round through the head of every man they'd encountered had been difficult for him. He hadn't wanted anything to do with this after seeing what she intended to do. But Director Fury had ordered him to maintain visual contact with either Agent Grant or Agent Quinn throughout the entire mission. He'd done what he'd been told. But he was honestly starting to wonder if Fury had really given them a free ride on this or if the woman had made that up to justify what she had planned.
Justified. This wasn't justified. This wasn't justice. This was revenge. Steve stared down at the corpses that surrounded them and frowned. No matter what these men had done, it hadn't merited this. Shot in cold blood, unarmed and defenseless. He stared at Agent Grant as she made contact with Fury on a sat phone. She was filling the man in on the success of their mission. Success. Slaughter was more like it. Already the rest of the team that had come with them had started radioing in, letting them know that they'd finished their sweeps and were on their way to the large room on the first floor that had to have been a cafeteria at one point.
Since they'd arrived at this place, he'd watched Grant and her team systematically end the lives of every HYDRA agent they came across. It didn't matter if they were armed or not. They'd all died. There were places where the bodies had been so thick, the floor was nothing but a pool of red. It wasn't right. No matter the reasons, it wasn't right.
He understood the anger that pumped in their veins. He'd lost friends before. At the hands of HYDRA. And he'd been involved in the attacks. He understood the desire for revenge. Hadn't he felt it a time or two himself? It had definitely been there after Bucky... But he'd never considered death the answer. There were ways to make people pay without killing them.
Grant hung up the sat phone, tucking it back into a pocket in her black cargo pants. She turned to look at him a moment, then contacted her people. "One last sweep. Every bathroom, closet, and any other room these people can hide in. Check the basement. Search for attic access. Sweep the entire building."
The men who had come with them returned her orders with agreement, then the comm in his ear went silent. She strolled to the window and glanced out at the trees surrounding the place. The sun was just starting to come up, spearing the sky with fingers of gold and orange and red. It painted the room with its warm light, turning the blood bath into a grotesque and unsettling sight. "Alex. Report."
"I'm on my way down. I've just finished a sweep of the top floor. Sanchez and Gerald are going to do the final sweep and ensure that I haven't missed anyone." Agent Quinn's voice was cold and empty even over the comm link. And she sounded exhausted, as if this had taken more out of her than she was willing to admit. There might have been more in it, but a noise caught his attention. Agent Grant apparently heard it, too, because her gun cleared the holster even as she was walking toward door that, until now, had been hidden behind a large stack of boxes.
Despite the fact that he didn't think he'd get to use it, Steve had his shield ready. He'd put it through its paces quite a few times tonight, using it to take HYDRA agents off their feet. Unless a platoon of men came through that door, the shield would be somewhat useless. Grant took hold of the door and whipped it open, gun pointing into the darkened interior beyond it. "Oh, God. Please don't shoot! I give up! Just don't shoot me!"
The voice belonged to a kid. There was fear in it. Real, genuine fear. Grant reached in and obviously took hold of the speaker. A jerk of her hand saw the young man tumbling into the light. He couldn't have been more than nineteen, scrawny and scared enough that his knees knocked together. Steve was pretty sure that if Grant stuck her gun further in the boy's face, he'd wet himself out of fear.
She didn't, though. She shoved him out into the center of the room, then pushed him to his knees. The kid went easily enough, hands on his head. The gun remained trained on him, never moved once. "I give up, lady. Please don't shoot me!"
Steve felt tension slide through him, tighten up every inch of his body. The look on her face said she was going to do it, that his plea for mercy would fall on deaf ears. "You're just as guilty as the rest of them," Grant told him.
"I swear to God, lady. I didn't do anything. I... God, please don't kill me. I surrender. I give up. Please." The boy's voice held desperation. Grant's hand tightened on her gun, her thumb pulling the hammer back. The boy jumped when it clicked into place.
"Don't shoot him, Grant," Steve ordered. "He surrendered. Just put the gun away and put cuffs on him."
"This is my operation, Captain!" Grant snarled, turning to glare at him.
Steve opened his mouth to argue with her. But two voices spoke over him. The boy's voice came, lacking fear and filled with loathing, as he screamed, "Die, bitch!" At the same time, Alex's voice echoed loudly. "Miri!"
Grant spun and fired. A second shot echoed with hers. The boy's body dropped to the floor and a knife clattered out of his hand. Twin holes leaked the boy's life blood out onto the tiles beneath him. Steve opened his mouth to say something, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Agent Grant's gun.
~*~*~*~*~
"If you question my actions one more time, Captain Rogers," Agent Grant said, her voice a hiss of sound in the near silence. Captain Rogers remained still, shield clasped loosely in his hand and eyes filled with surprise. "I will have you up for court martial so fast that it will make your head spin. I am in charge of this mission. Either follow my orders or I'll cuff you here and now."
Thor stared at the two of them, eyes wide. There was more going on here than a simple case of not following orders. There was disgust and disbelief on the Captain's face. And Agent Grant wore an expression of emptiness. The same expression he'd seen on Agent Quinn's face. Except when there'd been a deep sense of satisfaction. That had come, briefly, after she'd put a bullet in the head of one of her victims.
"These people deserve a fair trial, Agent Grant," Steve replied, not an ounce of worry in his voice.
"Deserve?" the woman asked, eyes going wide in surprise. "They deserve? What about what our people deserved? Or have you conveniently forgotten that they destroyed the helicarrier and nearly destroyed the base? Have you forgotten that they killed hundreds? Wounded more? Have you forgotten that you and Elsa could have died in the crash?"
"I haven't forgotten, Agent Grant," Rogers told her.
"They deserved more than they got," she snarled. "Death was too kind for them. Too fast and too easy."
"And what gives you the right to decide such things?"
Agent Grant didn't answer him. Instead, she stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of her gun against his head. The woman was shorter than the captain, so there was some awkwardness in the position, but she managed it just fine. And Rogers simply stared down at her, as if certain she'd never pull the trigger.
Thor wasn't so sure about that. He'd seen Agent Quinn go after downed men ruthlessly, fire burning in her eyes as she pulled the trigger and brought them death. It wasn't exactly a grand, noble action to slaughter a fallen man begging for mercy, but he was coming to believe that mercy had no place in this building. That these women had forsaken the idea of mercy for this mission.
"Do you really think shooting me will make you feel better?" Rogers asked, voice soft and low. As if he understood what it was that drove the woman before him. She gave him a mirthless smile and shook her head.
"Nothing will make me feel better. Not shooting you. Not shooting them. Nothing."
"Then why did you kill him? He begged for mercy." With this question, Rogers motioned to the fallen boy behind Agent Grant.
"He pulled a knife," Agent Quinn said quietly. "That sweet, scared little boy you were trying to protect pulled a knife from his boot and would have killed Miri if he'd been given a chance. We took the chance from him."
"You couldn't have wounded him?" Rogers glanced at her, entirely unconcerned with the gun at his temple.
"Sure. We could have shot the knife from his hand. Maybe even without taking off some fingers. But what would have happened to him after?" Quinn asked, voice bland. Bored. As if this all meant nothing to her. "What would Fury have done with him? And if he'd gone free, how long before he and his HYDRA buddies came knocking again? HYDRA is planning world domination. I saw blueprints. Plans. There's a room that is nothing but a stockpile of weapons. And I've seen the kitchen. This isn't a temporary nest. This a permanent nest. We exterminated the problem before it could spill over into other people's lives."
"You slaughtered innocent people!" Rogers exclaimed.
"Innocent?" Grant snorted. "There weren't any innocents here."
"That guy you just shot was a kid," Steve pointed at the body.
"A kid who would have happily gutted all of us." Agent Grant made a show of cocking the hammer back on her weapon. The clicking sound was loud in the sudden silence. "Do not ever question my authority again, Captain. If you do, we'll find out if that serum of yours makes you impervious to lead and nine millimeter slugs."
"You wouldn't shoot me," he commented quietly.
"You want to try me?"
Tension filled the room. It looked as if Steve wasn't as sure of his statement as he appeared. He didn't show it, but Thor was sure his uncertainty was there. The man stared at Agent Grant, not at the gun she held to his head. As if it was of no consequence. Agent Grant wore a blank face, her hand steady as she continued to press her weapon against Rogers' forehead. But it was plain to see that there was something driving her. It was in her voice, in her words, in her very actions. He didn't know what it was, but something internal pushed her to do this. Some emotion she held hidden deep inside of her was driving her actions.
Turning to look at Agent Quinn, Thor's brow wrinkled at her lack of concern by this latest series of events. "Are you going to do nothing to stop your friend?" he asked her.
One of the woman's shoulders went up in a very casual shrug. "Miri does what she wants. It isn't my place to tell her what she can and can't do. This is her mission."
Despite the easy way she delivered the words, Thor thought he detected a hint of bitterness in them. A sharp look showed him nothing. Sighing, he realized that resolving this situation would be up to him. He took a step forward, hands up in a placating gesture. "My friends, surely there is a better way to deal with this situation. Hand over the gun, Agent Grant, and we will talk this through."
"Another step, blondie, and we'll see if Gods can die from lack of brain cells." The comment was accompanied by the hollow, metallic click of a gun. Thor saw that Agent Grant and Captain Rogers both turned to look at him. He was sure that they saw Agent Quinn standing behind him with her weapon pressed to the back of his skull.
"There is no need for threats, fair lady," Thor told her, making sure to keep his hands loose and at his sides. He wanted to give her no reason to pull that trigger. He'd died once in this realm. He didn't wish to do so again.
"No need for threats? Really? You're going to tell me that after you left your post?" Agent Quinn snorted. He heard fear and something else in her words this time. "You could have kept the helicarrier from crashing. You could have kept all of those people from getting hurt and killed. You could have saved them all. But you left your post to go chasing after Astrid. Was she ever in any real danger from Loki? Or was it nothing more than a ploy on his part?"
Silence filled the room after her comments. Thor felt the guilt rise up to choke him. If he lived until the end of time, he would never forgive himself for abandoning his friends. It had been a hard choice to make and it would eat at him until he drew his last breath.
"As entertaining as this is, I think its time for you ladies to put your weapons down. And that's an order."
~*~*~*~*~
Miri's gaze swung around to the doorway. Director Fury stood there, watching the scene before him with a faint frown on his face. His one eye scanned the room, took in everything. Then he strode forward and he filled the room with his presence. "Weapons down and holstered, ladies." His voice was filled with command. Miri pulled her weapon back, uncocked it and flipped the safety on. She saw Alex doing the same. Both guns were holstered without further protest. "As much as I would love to know just what the hell brought all of this on, I think that explanation can wait until we aren't all running on anger and adrenaline. For now, I'd like a situation report."
Miri let her gaze skim the faces of the other three people in the room. It didn't look like anyone wanted to talk. "The entire nest has been cleared out. The team is making a last sweep now, ensuring that we've found everyone."
Fury nodded but said nothing.
"There's a room on the fourth floor that appears to be their weapons cache, sir," Alex told him. Fury turned his gaze her way. "I saw hand grenades, RPGs, Uzis, AK-47s, various handguns, sniper rifles, cases of ammunition. Enough to storm Fort Knox, if they wanted."
"Team three. Fourth floor," the director said for the benefit of the men he'd brought with. "Look for a room loaded with weapons. Get it all loaded into the truck for transport back to base."
"Yes, sir." The answer was given in a man's voice.
"Anything else?"
"I burned blueprints, sir," Alex informed him. Fury raised his brow at that, silently encouraging her to continue. No doubt he wanted to know why she felt the need to burn the blueprints. "They were of the White House, sir. The capital building. The pentagon. There was nothing more, but it seemed odd that they had those specific buildings plans. It feels like they have plans to try and take down all of the world's major government powers."
"You deduced this from seeing those blueprints?"
"Yes, sir. I think they believe they've got Loki's help for everything they want to do."
"Agent Grant, you'll look into this as soon as I have a new computer room set up."
"Yes, sir," Miri nodded.
Fury let his gaze wander between them, allowed it to settle and pin each of them in place for a few minutes. When he was done, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I have to say that I find the scene I walked into here very disconcerting. I hope there's a damned good reason why you were holding guns on my Avengers."
"Captain Rogers had a dispute with my way of handling things, sir," Miri told him without a hint of regret in her voice. She knew that if she had it all to do over again, she'd do everything exactly the same way.
"Thor was being a dick, sir," Alex added. Miri shot a look at the other woman. She thought she saw the corner of Fury's mouth quirk, but she couldn't be sure.
"Is this true, Cap? Were you and Agent Grant having a dispute about her managerial skills?"
"She shot a man in cold blood after he surrendered," Rogers told the director.
"Did he surrender, Agent Grant?"
"Yes, sir. He did. But he pulled a knife. That doesn't sound like a surrender to me." Miri motioned to the discarded knife with one hand. Fury's gaze took in the blade, only a scant few inches from the dead HYDRA agent's limp hand.
"That seems more like a case of self defense to me, Cap."
"Sir," Rogers began. Fury held up a hand. It brought the blonde to silence.
"There is far too much to do here today to get into this now. Why don't the four of you return to the city, then go home and get some rest? I know its been a long day and you all want some sleep. You'll have time enough tomorrow to make a full report." The look he gave them suggested that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Not that Miri had even considered it. She wanted nothing more than to sink into her bed and sleep. Her body was bone weary and she was exhausted.
"Yes, sir." Rogers didn't sound happy about the delay. Not that Miri cared.
"There's a chopper outside that will fly you all back to the city. Get some sleep. I want your reports on my desk by tomorrow morning. In triplicate." No one said anything to that, so the director motioned to the door behind him. "Go on. Go. I don't want to see anyone's faces until tomorrow morning. And make sure to stop in at the infirmary and see a doctor if you need one. I won't take sudden hospitalization due to blood loss as an excuse to miss a debriefing."
"Yes, sir," Alex nodded and turned, making her way out of the room without saying another word. Miri followed after the other woman. Thor and Captain Rogers were slow to follow, their treads heavy next to her light one.
The sun was up far enough over the horizon that it topped the trees surrounding them. The sudden light left Miri a little blind and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. By the time she could see again, it was to find that there was a small contingent of vehicles parked on the overrun grounds. Trucks and cars numbering nearly two dozen. People were moving all over the place, talking and looking and doing god only knew what. A chopper waited in the yard, the main rotor not even turning yet. She could see that Alex had already climbed in.
Miri headed for the bird, eager to be going home. She wanted nothing more than a shower and her bed. Not even food was all that important. Just sleep. Sleep was a luxury at the moment, given the state of everything. But Fury was a smart man and he knew when his people needed sleep and when he could push them further. She'd already been through more shit in the past twenty four hours than she'd ever been through in her entire career with S.H.I.E.L.D. If she didn't get to sleep soon, she'd drop where she stood.
Climbing into the back of the chopper, Miri took the seat next to Alex. Rogers and Thor joined them, claiming the bench seat across from them. The pilot turned and made a circular motion with his hand, letting them know that he was going to fire up the engine. The four of them put on the headsets that were standard on helicopters and then pulled on their seatbelts. In only a few minutes, the chopper was slowly lifting into the air.
Rogers and Thor sat looking out the window. They obviously wanted nothing to do with either her or Alex. Too fucking sad. A glance to her left showed her that Alex was sitting with her head resting against the wall behind her, eyes closed. There was no chance to talk to her here. And even if there was, what would Miri say to her?
She sighed and closed her eyes. She could sleep now. Maybe she would even do so without dreams.
Chapter Twenty: Retribution
Fandom: something like the Marvel Universe, leaning mostly toward the Movie!Avengers branch
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: lots of sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in. probably some drinking.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel and whoever the hell else owns them.. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators,
dazzledfirestar, mistress_o_muse, ginevrasm, rylan_m, and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.The Mary Sue Virus: Lights, Camera, Avengers! - The Index
Elsa stared at the long faces in her room and wondered how it had been designated the meeting place. True, the doctors weren't going to release her just yet because they wanted to observe her for a few days before letting her leave. And then, she had no doubts that they wouldn't let her go unless she had someone to look after her. She didn't relish the idea of spending any time at her family's home but she had no one else to take care of her. It would have to be her mom and dad.
The drugs had pulled back some. While the pain was still mostly masked by them, she was a little more coherent. The fuzziness was gone. She only had the occasional swirl of wooziness to deal with. Which wasn't as bad as never knowing what was going to come out of her mouth. Every time she'd popped off with a swear word, she'd gotten an odd look from Steve.
Her eyes drifted to the chair he'd occupied. It was empty now, only the sling remaining to remind her that he'd been there at all. He'd gotten a phone call about half an hour ago. It had brought a frown to his face. After hanging up, he'd pressed a kiss upon her and told her he had to go. He hadn't said what that call had been about or why he'd had to leave. But he'd promised her he'd be back. Not long after Steve had left, Astrid had shown up looking a little wild eyed and anxious. She'd more or less demanded that Elsa call the others and get them there right away. Which Elsa had done. Now they were just waiting on Phoebe.
Astrid was pacing back and forth on the other side of Elsa's bed, hands clasped together tightly in front of her. Whatever was bothering her was deeply bothering her. Miri and Alex were in two different corners, staring at absolutely nothing. By the look on their faces, something heavy was troubling them. More surprising was the fact that they had yet to actually acknowledge one another's presence or speak to one another or actually do anything that suggested they were friends. What had happened between the two of them?
The oppressive silence of the room was weighing on her. She wanted to break the growing tension, but she didn't know what to do or say. With the pain meds still riding her, she wasn't sure she could actually gather her thoughts well enough to be coherent. So she remained silent and wondered what the hell had happened to her friends to see them acting this way.
There was a knock on the door. "Enter," Elsa called out, voice a little softer than she liked. But her visitor must have heard because the door opened and Phoebe came through. She looked absolutely wrecked, as if she hadn't seen a bed in months. Even her clothes, normally pristine and neat, were sloppy and wrinkled.
"Sorry I'm late. I was almost asleep when you called, Elsa. And Tony wouldn't let me drive, so he had to wake Happy up to bring us here. They're both outside waiting for me." Phoebe stopped and blinked, as if just realizing she was over-sharing. "And I apologize for that. I'm exhausted and I don't know how much longer I can stay on my feet."
"Then I'll make this quick," Astrid said, turning to face all four of them. "I had to make sure you were all okay. I saw the news and... It was bad."
Miri lifted a brow at that. "Bad? That's the only word you have for what happened? Bad? We were all in the middle of that hell. Where were you? When I was up to my neck in blood and dead agents and rubble, where the hell were you?"
Astrid faltered under the acid in Miri's voice. Only for a moment. "I'd have been there if I could have been but--"
"But what? What's your excuse, Astrid?" Miri cut her off.
Elsa might have said something, but Alex beat her to it. "Miri." That was all she said. It was the first she'd spoken since entering the room. There was a terseness to her voice, a barely contained rage that boiled under the surface. Was that emotion directed solely at HYDRA? Or was some of it directed elsewhere?
Whatever Miri heard in Alex's use of her name, it worked. The redhead leaned up against the wall again and stared at Astrid with intense purple eyes. Elsa swore she could see murder swimming in them. Astrid's gaze slipped between Alex and Miri, the frown on her face suggesting she didn't like this anymore than anyone else. "I think I was in Asgard. I don't know. All I know is I was a guest of Loki's for a while."
Asgard? That was news. Elsa blinked. Phoebe, even in her less than fully alert state, blinked. Alex and Miri didn't blink once.
When no one spoke, Astrid shifted her gaze around the room before making an attempt to break the silence. "Loki was... He showed me things. Told me things. I saw everything happening, but I couldn't do anything about it. I don't know if he was lying or not."
"What kinds of things?" Elsa asked, hoping that if she got Astrid talking about her captivity, it would give Miri a chance to bring herself under control.
"You guys, mostly. He made sure to remind me at every moment that no one was looking for me." There was something in her voice that said there was more to it than just that.
"How did he do that? We'd have looked for you if we'd known you were missing," Elsa assured her. It looked as if no one else was going to do any talking, so she took it upon herself to keep the conversation flowing.
"He had this basin. He showed me images of you guys doing things," Astrid said. She heaved a sigh and let a confused gaze slide around the room. "Is it true? What he showed me? Is it all true?"
"That depends on what he showed you, Astrid," Phoebe replied before slipping into a yawn. "I don't think any of us are mind readers. You're going to have to tell us what you saw."
Astrid went silent, as if debating actually answering her. Then she frowned. "You and Tony, Phoebe. And Elsa with Steve." She turned and faced the side of the room where Alex and Miri were. Elsa noticed for the first time that both women had a clear line to the door, as if they expected someone to come storming through with the intent to do harm. "Alex and Clint in the shower. Miri and Phil in a hotel room. Is it true?"
No one spoke immediately. As if surprised by this news. Elsa saw Miri close her eyes, just for a moment, and draw a deep breath into her lungs. As if she was trying to control her reactions. Surprisingly, it was Alex who answered first. "Loki is the God of Mischief. The Trickster God. You can't believe a fucking thing that he says."
The tone of her voice named it as much an admission to the truth as if she had actually come out and said that yes, she and Clint were fucking like mad bunnies in the shower. Which meant that Miri and Agent Coulson were... Elsa gaped at the woman in surprise. She really hadn't seen that one coming. Neither, apparently, had Astrid or Phoebe. The three of them turned curious gazes Miri's way. The woman said nothing, simply glared at them in reply.
"If you were being held captive by Loki, how did you get back here?" Miri asked, a very obvious attempt to draw attention away from her sex life. If Elsa had been more with it, she wouldn't have let the other woman steer the conversation away from such important information so quickly. Damn the fucking drugs!
"Remember I told you he showed me things? One of the things he showed me was a meeting on the helicarrier. Agent Coulson was talking to Clint, Steve, and Thor." A glance at Miri showed that her hands were fisted at her sides. "I somehow attracted Thor's attention and he came and got me."
That brought Alex's head up and the woman pinned Astrid with a look. It made Astrid shift nervously. Maybe Alex meant to merely intimidate her. Or maybe planned on asking Astrid a question. Whatever it was she had planned, she never got to do it. Miri closed the distance between herself and Astrid, glared at the other woman. "Thor came and got you?"
"Yes," Astrid replied.
Tension crawled across Miri's shoulders, slipped down her spine. "While HYDRA was attacking the helicarrier and the base and our friends and colleagues were being slaughtered, Thor was off rescuing you?"
"I... I don't know. I think so. I--" Astrid's words were choked off when Miri lunged forward and shoved the other woman into the wall. One arm was pressed tight against her throat and Elsa could see that Miri fully intended to hold her there for as long as it took.
"You do know that Thor could have saved everyone on the helicarrier, right? He could have keep it from crashing to the ground! He could have saved hundreds of people's lives. Because he's a fucking God!" Miri snarled. Astrid's eyes were wide with fear, her face starting to go red from lack of air. "But because he had to go save your sorry ass, a lot of good people are dead! He left his position and--"
Astrid found the strength to push Miri off of her. "I'm sorry, Miri! I would have told Director Fury about all of it if I'd had a chance but Loki grabbed me before I could." She reached into her coat and pulled a sheet of folded paper out of it. Miri took it when Astrid handed it to her and opened it, her eyes skimming whatever information the paper held. "HYDRA contacted Loki and summoned him. He helped them. I tried to call Alex and tell her but Loki showed up and--"
Miri had Astrid pinned to the wall again in the blink of an eye. The burn of anger and hatred in her eyes was more frightening than the blank look she'd worn before. Her face was only centimeters from Astrid's. "You knew about this? You knew that this was going to happen and you didn't do anything? You knew?"
Astrid was struggling, trying to push Miri away again. The woman wasn't moving, proof that she'd only been using a small portion of her strength the last time. Elsa wasn't sure that Miri would let go this time, because the way Astrid's face went from red to purple so quickly suggested that the redhead was applying a lot of pressure. Dear God. Miri was going to kill Astrid if someone didn't do something.
"Miri!" Alex barked, one hand dragging the woman away. Astrid bent over, hands at her throat as she coughed and dragged air into her lungs. Miri swung a fist toward Alex, only to have it blocked by the other woman's arm. "Save it for HYDRA. She isn't worth it."
The two women stared at one another for a few moments, tension crackling between them. Miri finally shook her head and walked away, snorting a sound of disgust. She headed for the door, stopped, turned back to look at Alex. "I've heard all I need to. Let's go. We have a mission."
Alex shot a dark look toward Astrid, then followed Miri out of the room wordlessly. When the door had swished closed, Phoebe made her way to Astrid's side and helped the still coughing woman to the nearest chair. Astrid's gaze, filled with utter confusion, slid back and forth between Elsa and Phoebe. "What the hell was that all about?" she gasped.
"Coulson and Clint were injured in the crash," Phoebe explained. Elsa turned to look at her. Apparently Tony had more information than Steve did. Of course, knowing Tony, he wasn't afraid to hack the hospital's computer system to get the information he wanted.
"That doesn't give her the right to try and kill me!" Astrid snapped.
"Clint is in stable but guarded condition. He lost a lot of blood between the time he got shot and the time they found him. Coulson's listed in critical condition. Head injury," Phoebe replied softly. "They don't know if he's even going to wake up at this point."
The color drained from Astrid's face at that. It was all news to Elsa, too. "Oh, God. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Elsa let her gaze drift to the door that Miri and Alex had just gone through. They were going after HYDRA. For payback. No doubt that was where Steve was going. She wasn't worried for any of them. She knew they'd all come back. No one was going to get hurt. No one but HYDRA agents.
Elsa wasn't normally a violent person. She didn't live by the eye for an eye code that some of her friends obviously did. But just this once, she felt she had reason to get away with such unkind thoughts. She hoped that they gave any HYDRA agent they came across hell.
~*~*~*~*~
Miri sat against the wall, carefully inspecting the twin Glocks she had chosen for the mission. Not that she didn't have more weapons with her. But these were the two she was going to start with. These were the two that she planned on doing the most damage with. There was little chatter going on between herself and her team. The constant churning thump of the rotors prohibited much speech without the use of a headset. There were a few agents talking, brief bursts of chatter that seemed more like whispering than actual talking. But for the most part, it was silent. Too many thoughts of fallen and injured comrades to allow much talk.
She returned the guns to their holsters and let her gaze sweep around the interior of the Chinook. Like her, every member of her team was running almost solely on adrenalin. No one had slept in probably twenty four hours. It should have been a recipe for disaster. She knew it wouldn't. Some instinct inside of her told her that this mission would succeed. They'd wipe out the HYDRA nest without losing a soul. And, like her, every member of her team was looking for payback for what HYDRA had done to them. To their friends.
Fury had given her command of a small but deadly team. Other than herself, Alex, and the two Avengers, she had twenty men who had come to S.H.I.E.L.D. from various groups. Soldiers who had worked black ops for their respective branches of the military. She knew a couple had SEAL training. Some were even rumored to have been mercenaries, working for the highest bidder before being recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. They were hardened agents that she wouldn't have to worry about in the field. They'd move like the wind. Strike fast and hard. Take down anything in their way. Despite the impending slaughter, she couldn't sense the anticipation she was sure they were feeling. These were men who knew how to shelve their emotions and do what had to be done.
Her gaze drifted toward the other end of the chopper. Rogers and Thor sat together, silent and pensive. Steve looked resigned more than anything, as if he understood what was to come, the importance of it. There was an air to him, one of reluctant acceptance. He knew that death was inevitable. He didn't like it, but he understood it and he respected it. He would do his duty even if he personally found it repugnant. Thor looked grim and determined. She didn't know if she was imagining the guilt that saw his broad shoulders slumping. She didn't think so. But she didn't know the man well enough to say one way or the other. Guilt or not, he'd better do what he'd been sent here to do. Or she'd find out just how indestructible the man was.
Lastly, her eyes sought out Alex. Other than the few words she'd uttered in the hospital, Alex hadn't said anything to her since their fight in the gym. Miri might have worried about it more if her mind wasn't partially occupied with Phil. She'd spoken to the nurses before they'd left, asked about his condition. There'd been no change.
She didn't understand how Alex could deny her feelings for Clint. It was plain to see, even now when Alex was intent on twirling a throwing knife between her fingers, that the woman was in love with the archer. Maybe if they'd had more time, she could have made Alex understand what was going on. But they hadn't had the time. And Alex hadn't wanted to know. Miri had called her a coward and she was sure it was an accurate assessment. She just couldn't figure out why she thought that.
Alex looked up, green eyes lasering in on Miri's purple ones. They stared across the chopper at one another for several tense seconds. Then Alex made a show of tucking the blade away and turning her attention to her own firearms. Miri felt a touch of pain twist through her. She'd just been dismissed. Permanently. She might have given it consideration, but the pilot's voice filled her ear, loud and noisy. "Agent Grant, we'll be landing in a few minutes. You should get your team ready."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Miri replied. "Okay, everyone. That's the two minute warning. When we hit the ground, we're transferring directly to ground transport. There are two entrances into the nest so we'll split into two teams. Alex, you'll lead a secondary assault from the rear exit. Thor and half of the men here will go with you. I'll take Cap and the other half. We'll hit them from the front." She watched as Alex nodded and said nothing. Turning her attention to their assault team, she addressed them directly. "Gentlemen, Director Fury has put this op in my hands. He has told me that if we are discovered and questioned, he will deny ever giving us these orders. We are to do whatever we can to make HYDRA pay for their attacks. If you can take prisoners, that's all fine and good. If not..." she trailed off and shrugged just like Fury had when he'd told her and Alex about the mission.
Her team offered up small, cold smiles at that knowledge. They understood her loud and clear. A glance toward Rogers and Thor showed her two different expressions. Rogers didn't look at all happy with the news that they basically had carte blanche to do whatever they liked. She wondered if he was going to have a problem with his morals. If he balked on following orders, she wouldn't hesitate to remove his ass from the fight. He might not like the situation, but she was in charge and he would do as she said. End of story.
Her gaze landed on the God of Thunder and she felt her entire being go cold. Knowing now what she did, she didn't want him here. And she sure as hell didn't want him anywhere near her. It was his fault that Phil was laying in that hospital bed, fighting for his life. She wasn't so stupid that she hadn't discerned that from what the nurses at the hospital hadn't told her. What he'd suffered... They'd be lucky if he woke up. So Alex was saddled with the big blonde. If that bothered her, the other woman didn't show it. But Miri trusted Alex not to try and kill him. She couldn't trust herself to do the same.
She tore her eyes away from the man and sank into herself. For a moment, she let her thoughts linger on Phil. On that last night they'd been together. The feel of his hands on her body and the tender smile he'd worn. His lips as they'd kissed up and down her torso. The tickle of his tongue against the bend of her knee. He'd been so soft and approachable. So... hers. He'd told her he cared, but he hadn't used words. Or she'd thought that before he'd left without so much as an explanation. Now she had to wonder. And now, all she could see was his face covered in blood and the way he had lain so very still in the ruined helicarrier's ruined bridge.
A faint jolt let her know that they'd touched ground. Soon enough, they'd be piling out of the chopper to climb into vehicles for the remaining two mile trip to the HYDRA nest. She needed to be on her game. So she carefully folded away the memories of Phil, from those tender caresses to his battered body. She folded them up and stowed them away in a heavy trunk. Stowed the trunk in the deep corners of her mind, away from light. She didn't need them distracting her while she was on her mission. She locked it all away with a whispered promise. She would make them all pay for what they'd done. All of them. She'd do it because they deserved to die. She'd do it because she loved him.
~*~*~*~*~
The transport was a military issue cargo truck. Alex climbed into the back with the rest of her team and looked them over. She knew a few of them, had seen them around the base a couple times. Some of them she knew by reputation only. This was Fury's secret team, his black ops specialists. They would do what she ordered them to do without question. They weren't her worry. The man who sat across from her was her worry.
Miri had stuck her with Thor for a reason. Probably because Miri would try to kill him herself. The thought had run through Alex's mind a time or two. But such attempts could wait. Her main concern at the moment was getting the opportunity to kill every last HYDRA agent she could get in her sights. It was payback. Not just for Clint, though he was foremost in her mind. No. There was another person who lingered at the back of her brain. Stevenson. She hadn't been able to do anything about his death. So she was going to do it here. Now.
The truck lurched to a roll, letting her know they didn't have much time before they were at the nest. She and Miri had studied plans provided by the director so she had a pretty damned good idea what they'd be up against structurally. "You heard Agent Grant," she told them quietly. Even though the truck rattled loudly as it rolled over the road, they heard her just fine because of the comm units they all wore. "Take prisoners if you can. If not, take them down. This mission is for our fallen comrades. The injured and the dead get payback. And we're getting it for them."
No one said anything, but she saw nods go around the interior of the truck. Her glance strayed to Thor. "You have problems following Director Fury's orders? Or mine?" She wanted to ask him if he was going to leave in the middle of this mission, too, but that wasn't something she was going to mention before going into a fire fight. There was no need to distract her team's attention.
"No, Agent Quinn. No problems at all." She heard the seriousness in his voice. The guilt. He knew what he'd done, had no doubt gotten an earful from Fury about it already. Good. Maybe he'd keep his Asgardian ass where it belonged.
"Good. You give me any problems, I'll shoot you myself," she warned, then gave her attention to the whole group. "Radio silence, gentleman. Only use the comm units in the case of an emergency. We're stopping half a mile from the target and hiking in on foot so that the enemy won't see us coming. We've got enough weapons with us to bring down the Kremlin. Carry what you can. Extra ammo, grenades, whatever. Don't overload yourselves, though. We'll be able to pick up weapons from our enemies."
"Yes, ma'am," the men agreed as one.
Nodding at them to let them know she was done, Alex slipped back into her own mind and gave her team time to do whatever they needed to before they arrived at their destination. The hum of the wheels lulled her into a relaxed state, allowing her mind to go where it had wanted to go constantly for hours. Clint.
She saw it all again, as if it were happening right that minute. The bow hanging from the catwalk. Arrows sticking out of fallen enemies, the feathers attached to the end of the shafts all black and so distinctive. The sight of blood, a wide smear that shone wet and bright against the floor as it led her to a closet. Blood on the door knob, on the wall beside the door. Swinging that panel open to allow his body to fall out literally at her feet. Her heart had squeezed in her chest.
She'd thought he was dead at first and her hand had shook when she'd knelt to check for his pulse. The relief had been short lived when she'd realized he was alive because there was so much blood on his thigh that she... Hell, she'd panicked. And she was sure that everyone knew she'd panicked.
The rage had blossomed then, sharp and stabbing as it had rolled through her chest. Filled her hands and feet, fingers and toes. Consumed her brain until she'd been in a fog. As soon as she'd been assured that he would be well taken care of, she'd gone after the HYDRA agent they'd found alive. She might have shot him more than once had Thor not physically dragged her away from the body. That had been on Fury's command and she was sure she'd face disciplinary action for it at some point. Maybe. Not that she really cared. She had felt far too damned good putting an end to that man.
After a quick debrief with Fury, who had given her that look with his one eye, she'd gone to the hospital to check up on people. Elsa had been sleeping a drug induced sleep with Rogers at her side. She'd made a point of looking in on every single agent she and Miri had pulled out of the wreckage of the helicarrier before she'd gone to the hospital's prayer hall. It had been a long time since she'd stepped foot in a church, but if ever there was a time to do so... This was it.
Having grown up Catholic, there had been something comforting about stepping into that chapel with its familiar scents and dim lights. Even though there'd been no image of Christ, habit had seen her heading to the front of the room and kneeling in front of the spot where Christ on the cross would have been hung. Rituals and actions long ignored had come to mind in the blink of an eye and she'd found herself making the sign of the cross. She'd remained kneeling there for a second, whispering a quick prayer, before she'd risen up and gone over to the small alcove on the side. There, she'd lit a pair of candles and said a prayer over each of them. One for Coulson because Miri loved him. Because Agent Phil Coulson, though tough and stern, had been more than a superior officer. And one for Clint. Because Alex would never be the same if he died. Because she loved him more than anything and if she couldn't have him in her life, she could at least live with the knowledge that he'd survived.
She'd been lost in her thoughts when Miri had come in and had forced herself to remain still, to wait until the other woman had been consumed by her own thoughts and feelings. Then she'd fled and gone to the gym. Alex's personal sanctuary. And there, she'd prayed to the gods of pain and loss and hatred and every other little thing she'd been feeling. She'd worked hard to punish herself. She'd asked to be punished for her stupidity. And she had been.
Miri had so thoroughly kicked her ass. Had reminded her of everything so completely that Alex had been left wondering if this was where she really belonged anymore.
The transport truck came to a halt without a noise. Alex put her thoughts aside, found that place she'd discovered inside of her that let her think and act without feeling. Miri's voice flooded her ear, filled the ear of every man on the mission. "We're here, gentlemen. Load up and get moving. Dawn is on the horizon and we only have a short window of opportunity here and we need to go in unseen."
The comm unit went silent. Alex rose to her feet and absently checked her Glocks. "You heard her, guys. Let's get this show on the road."
~*~*~*~*~
It didn't take them long to reach HYDRA's nest on foot. She was trained for the kind of abuse they were taking, this and more. Besides, Miri didn't feel anything but a burning need to put an end to everyone. Before they broke cover, having approached the nest through a snarl of old growth trees, bushes, and undergrowth, she'd conveyed a last set of orders through a group of hand signals. Alex, for all her silence and aloofness since their fight, had nodded in understanding and delivered with her eyes a promise to Miri that every enemy agent she came across would pay for what they'd done to Phil. Miri had nodded her thanks, then motioned her team to follow her.
Alex's team had left them without a sound, disappearing into the night. With exception of Thor, who wore his Asgardian armor and had Mjolnir at his side, and Rogers, who wore his Captain America uniform and carried his shield, they were all in black in order to blend. Miri had then started forward with her team in tow, creeping toward the front entrance.
HYDRA had made a nest in the depths of an old mental institution in upstate New York. It had been standing for more than a century and sported half a dozen floors, not including the basement, and hundreds of rooms. It covered a large area of land and had been empty for a few decades. It wasn't surprising that HYDRA had set up shop there. The building was out of the way and hidden by a small forest. No one would likely notice lights and people that weren't supposed to be there. By all accounts, it was a perfect place to hide.
Now it would be a perfect place to die.
Two of her men, trained snipers, picked off the guards that patrolled the grounds at the front of the building. Miri was pretty sure Alex's men were doing the same at that moment. In less than five minutes, the chaos would begin. Field glasses showed her the two guards going down almost simultaneously, leaving the front open. Miri held up a hand, then again motioned everyone forward. They moved with slow, sure steps, weapons up and ready to go.
Even as they poured through the front door, Miri could hear the sounds of gunshots echoing up the halls and of men screaming in pain. Alex's team had already made it in and the party had begun. Miri gave the signal for the men to split and watched as they streamed past her, her weapon held up and ready before her. She noticed that Rogers stayed close by and wondered if Fury had given him extra orders. Shrugging, she moved forward with slow, careful steps that wouldn't make a sound.
Rounding a corner brought her up against her first HYDRA agent. A single shot brought him down, leaving a gaping hole in the man's forehead. The whole place was alive with the sounds of discharging weapons, men screaming and shouting, pounding feet, the distant and dull sound of flesh hitting flesh. "I can take care of myself, Captain," she hissed softly at Rogers.
"My orders are to watch your back, ma'am," he replied without emotion. She might have gotten upset at those orders, but Rogers turned just then and rammed the rolled edge of his shield into a HYDRA agent's gut. The man went down with a grunt, landed in a graceless heap and didn't twitch again. Miri nodded at him, then kept going.
She moved fast, kept her feet light. Most HYDRA agents were startled from their sleep and slow, giving her team an advantage. Rogers shadowed her every move, watched her back and dealt with any threat she personally couldn't handle. As if there were any such threats here.
They were deep inside enemy territory, methodically going through each and every room, when Rogers were blind sided by half a dozen enemy agents at once. Miri paused long enough to ensure that he would be okay on his own, then slipped around a corner. Right into a mess of her own. She found herself face to face with four agents, each of them holding a gun on her. Smiling, she let her gaze slide over each of them, then she ducked down and swung her leg out. Her sweep saw them all going down, their guns firing in their surprise.
It would have been easy for her to pick them off in rapid succession, easy to put a bullet in their heads. But that wouldn't have been as satisfactory as feeling their bones crack and break under the driving force of her fists. She made short work of knocking their guns away, sending all four of them skittering across the floor into a darkened corner. Before her opponents could do more than register her actions, she threw herself on the first one and landed a blow to his face that broke his nose and brought forth a gush of blood. Another blow to his gut kept him on the floor while she turned her attention to the other three.
Everything but the fight slid away from her. Where only moments ago there had been all kinds of thoughts revolving around what she would do to these men, now there was nothing. Only an empty space that was comforting with its numbing ability. She didn't think, didn't feel, didn't know anything beyond the fight at hand when she found herself in that spot in her head.
She swung her arms and legs, fists and feet making connections that drew forth grunts and groans of pain. They fought back, fists landing blows that she barely felt. She knew in an abstract way that they would hurt later, that there would be bruises and muscle aches. But for now, there was nothing but blissful emptiness. No pain. No fear. No right or wrong. Absolutely nothing.
One of the men grabbed her from behind, arms closing around hers to pin them at her side. As if such a move would keep her from beating the ever loving shit out of him. A second agent was coming after her, a grin on his bloodied face. Miri only grinned in return, turned them, backed up into the wall as hard as she could. The move knocked the breath from her captor, loosening his hold on her. She drove an elbow back into his belly, turned and slammed the heel of her hand into his nose. There was a sickening crack before he slipped to the ground.
A foot saw one of the two remaining men dropping with a cry, her boot's sole connecting sharply with his knee. The cracking noise was loud, even over the screams and gunshots. He tipped sideways, hands clutching at his shattered knee. She swung into another kick, brought her heavy boot in against his face. There was more cracking as his cheekbone gave under the pressure of her kick. The man toppled over sideways, landed on the ground and lay there unmoving. Miri turned her attention to the last man.
She wasn't surprised to see that he had a weapon in his hand and it was pointed at her. He, on the other hand, was surprised to see that she'd drawn her own firearm as she'd turned and had it leveled on his forehead. There were only inches separating the end of the gun from his skull. Miri smiled at him, inched forward and put the muzzle against his skull. "You're not fast enough. You lose."
The gun firing was loud in the small area, the explosion echoing around them and bouncing off the walls again and again. Before it had even started fading away, she turned and fired three more times, one right after the other. Each shot was dead center of the three men's foreheads. She turned to find Rogers behind her, staring at her with wide blue eyes. At the back of his stare, she could see a hint of judgement.
Miri said nothing, simply walked past him with her weapon out before her.
~*~*~*~*~
Alex stood with her back to the wall, waiting to take a glance around the corner. She was sure there were enemy agents up ahead, but she wasn't about to go into the situation blind. As soon as they'd entered the building, she and her team had split up into smaller groups. Threes and fours. She'd tried to slip away from them, but Thor had so far stuck to her like glue. She might have been more aggravated by his presence if not for the fact that he'd stopped a pair of men from sneaking up behind her. One punch from the big blonde had seen both men going through walls. She decided that perhaps having him at her back wasn't such a bad thing after all.
She cast a quick glance at her giant shadow, then slid down the wall into a crouch. If Thor wondered at what she was doing, he said nothing. He simply watched her, kept watch for possible enemy trying to sneak up behind them. Alex put the man out of her mind and slowly eased to the side so she could look around the corner. She could see five men down at the other end of the hall. Waiting. Guns drawn and pointed her way. If she stepped around that corner, she was dead.
Good thing she didn't plan on stepping around the corner.
Alex put her ass on the floor and looked up at Thor. "I'm going to lay flat on my stomach. I need you to push me forward far enough that I can shoot down the hall. Only a couple of inches. Can you handle that?" She whispered the instructions even as she was getting into position. She was careful to keep her weapons from hitting the old tile and making noise. Though Thor never answered her, she felt his hands on her feet. She had no doubt that the man could do what she'd asked of him. She shot a glance at him over her shoulder, nodding her head once to let him know she was ready. Big strong hands pushed and sent her out into the middle of the corridor.
The enemy wasn't expecting a frontal attack from the ground. By the time they realized that someone was there and where she was, Alex had pulled the trigger three times. And dropped three of them. Before she could fire again, Thor had pulled her back behind the safety of the wall. She heard the distinctive sound of bullets lodging themselves in the floor, saw chips of the tile rise into the air like the shrapnel thrown off of bomb explosions. There was no time to thank him for keeping her from getting shot because the sounds of boots rang out on the floor, letting her know that the men were coming toward them.
It was easy for Thor to pick her up and set her on her feet. Sadly, he set her behind him, then turned to face the two remaining HYDRA agents head on. She muttered a curse about stupid, pig headed, chivalrous men, then turned and took down the two agents trying to sneak up behind them. Certain that Thor had the two men well in hand, she darted past him and headed up the hall in the direction they'd been heading in the first place.
One room yielded a stockpile of weapons and a set of blueprints that left Alex feeling a little ill. Based on what she saw, she was willing to bet that HYDRA had plans on taking on all of the major governmental agencies. Not just in the United States, but all across the world. Did they really think that they could manage such a feat? Even if they had been working with Loki, she knew enough about the Trickster God to know that he didn't work that way. He'd agreed to their plans where S.H.I.E.L.D. was concerned because that involved making life hell for his brother. He wouldn't care about the rest of the world. And if he did, he certainly wouldn't need any help from HYDRA to achieve his goals.
She muttered a curse and took the few minutes required to shove the blue prints into a small metal garbage can, then she set them on fire and watched them burn. She'd have loved to have hauled the weapons out, but that wasn't mission one. She had to stay on point and trust that Fury would send a team in to clean this mess up once she and Miri and the others were done here. Chances were good that he already knew what he'd find here anyway. He was good at making people talk to him. That's why he was the boss.
After a quick check of the hall, which showed her that Thor was nowhere to be seen, she slipped out of the room and continued up the hall. There was a room up on the right, the door to it standing ajar. Alex checked her weapon and pressed up against the wall to the side of the entrance before pushing the door open with the toe of her boot. When no gunfire was immediate, she stepped into the room with her gun in her hands.
There was a hand on her wrist, twisting hard enough to force her to drop her weapon. Then she found herself face first against the wall with a heavy body pressed up against her back. She felt no weapon. That meant if he was holding one, it wasn't anywhere near her person. Smiling, Alex threw her head back toward him. Her skull impacted with his nose, a loud crunch sounding just seconds before he let go a yelp of pain. His weight shifted and she lifted a foot, brought her heel down on his toes. That sent him staggering back, freeing her of his hold.
Alex followed him, arms and legs flying as she punched and kicked. It was hard for the man to fend her off while holding his nose, so she landed quite a few blows. She drove him back, watched as he tripped over an overturned lamp and went down on his ass. She unholstered her second weapon and pointed it at him. Watched his face as it processed that he was about to die. Waited until she saw the knowledge in them. When he knew that there was no hope, when she knew that he saw his death in her smile.... That's when she pulled the trigger.
She was just recovering the weapon he'd knocked out of her grip when Thor came bursting through the door. For a second or two, he seemed confused to find her holstering her weapon almost lazily. Then his gaze took in the corpse on the floor. When he lifted his gaze to hers, Alex gave him a tight smile and headed for the door. She felt more than heard Thor follow after her.
Out in the hallway, she saw evidence that Thor had been busy. There was a small pile of bodies just outside the door she'd come out of only moments ago. It looked as if they'd been planning to surprise Alex when she was indisposed. One of the men groaned and shifted his position, head lifting just an inch or two before dropping back down.
They couldn't live. Not a one of them could live. Not after everything they'd done. Unconcerned with Thor and his reactions, she made her way to the pile of men. It was almost far too easy to ensure that none of them ever hurt another person again. The click of the trigger as it pulled under her finger was a comforting sound. So was the sound of the bullet tearing through flesh and bone. When she was done, there was a red blossom opening in each man's forehead.
When she was done, she turned on her heel and continued on up the hall.
~*~*~*~*~
The entire building was a mass tomb. That idea grew, took firm root with each and every room they cleared. Following after Agent Grant as she'd so casually and callously put a round through the head of every man they'd encountered had been difficult for him. He hadn't wanted anything to do with this after seeing what she intended to do. But Director Fury had ordered him to maintain visual contact with either Agent Grant or Agent Quinn throughout the entire mission. He'd done what he'd been told. But he was honestly starting to wonder if Fury had really given them a free ride on this or if the woman had made that up to justify what she had planned.
Justified. This wasn't justified. This wasn't justice. This was revenge. Steve stared down at the corpses that surrounded them and frowned. No matter what these men had done, it hadn't merited this. Shot in cold blood, unarmed and defenseless. He stared at Agent Grant as she made contact with Fury on a sat phone. She was filling the man in on the success of their mission. Success. Slaughter was more like it. Already the rest of the team that had come with them had started radioing in, letting them know that they'd finished their sweeps and were on their way to the large room on the first floor that had to have been a cafeteria at one point.
Since they'd arrived at this place, he'd watched Grant and her team systematically end the lives of every HYDRA agent they came across. It didn't matter if they were armed or not. They'd all died. There were places where the bodies had been so thick, the floor was nothing but a pool of red. It wasn't right. No matter the reasons, it wasn't right.
He understood the anger that pumped in their veins. He'd lost friends before. At the hands of HYDRA. And he'd been involved in the attacks. He understood the desire for revenge. Hadn't he felt it a time or two himself? It had definitely been there after Bucky... But he'd never considered death the answer. There were ways to make people pay without killing them.
Grant hung up the sat phone, tucking it back into a pocket in her black cargo pants. She turned to look at him a moment, then contacted her people. "One last sweep. Every bathroom, closet, and any other room these people can hide in. Check the basement. Search for attic access. Sweep the entire building."
The men who had come with them returned her orders with agreement, then the comm in his ear went silent. She strolled to the window and glanced out at the trees surrounding the place. The sun was just starting to come up, spearing the sky with fingers of gold and orange and red. It painted the room with its warm light, turning the blood bath into a grotesque and unsettling sight. "Alex. Report."
"I'm on my way down. I've just finished a sweep of the top floor. Sanchez and Gerald are going to do the final sweep and ensure that I haven't missed anyone." Agent Quinn's voice was cold and empty even over the comm link. And she sounded exhausted, as if this had taken more out of her than she was willing to admit. There might have been more in it, but a noise caught his attention. Agent Grant apparently heard it, too, because her gun cleared the holster even as she was walking toward door that, until now, had been hidden behind a large stack of boxes.
Despite the fact that he didn't think he'd get to use it, Steve had his shield ready. He'd put it through its paces quite a few times tonight, using it to take HYDRA agents off their feet. Unless a platoon of men came through that door, the shield would be somewhat useless. Grant took hold of the door and whipped it open, gun pointing into the darkened interior beyond it. "Oh, God. Please don't shoot! I give up! Just don't shoot me!"
The voice belonged to a kid. There was fear in it. Real, genuine fear. Grant reached in and obviously took hold of the speaker. A jerk of her hand saw the young man tumbling into the light. He couldn't have been more than nineteen, scrawny and scared enough that his knees knocked together. Steve was pretty sure that if Grant stuck her gun further in the boy's face, he'd wet himself out of fear.
She didn't, though. She shoved him out into the center of the room, then pushed him to his knees. The kid went easily enough, hands on his head. The gun remained trained on him, never moved once. "I give up, lady. Please don't shoot me!"
Steve felt tension slide through him, tighten up every inch of his body. The look on her face said she was going to do it, that his plea for mercy would fall on deaf ears. "You're just as guilty as the rest of them," Grant told him.
"I swear to God, lady. I didn't do anything. I... God, please don't kill me. I surrender. I give up. Please." The boy's voice held desperation. Grant's hand tightened on her gun, her thumb pulling the hammer back. The boy jumped when it clicked into place.
"Don't shoot him, Grant," Steve ordered. "He surrendered. Just put the gun away and put cuffs on him."
"This is my operation, Captain!" Grant snarled, turning to glare at him.
Steve opened his mouth to argue with her. But two voices spoke over him. The boy's voice came, lacking fear and filled with loathing, as he screamed, "Die, bitch!" At the same time, Alex's voice echoed loudly. "Miri!"
Grant spun and fired. A second shot echoed with hers. The boy's body dropped to the floor and a knife clattered out of his hand. Twin holes leaked the boy's life blood out onto the tiles beneath him. Steve opened his mouth to say something, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Agent Grant's gun.
~*~*~*~*~
"If you question my actions one more time, Captain Rogers," Agent Grant said, her voice a hiss of sound in the near silence. Captain Rogers remained still, shield clasped loosely in his hand and eyes filled with surprise. "I will have you up for court martial so fast that it will make your head spin. I am in charge of this mission. Either follow my orders or I'll cuff you here and now."
Thor stared at the two of them, eyes wide. There was more going on here than a simple case of not following orders. There was disgust and disbelief on the Captain's face. And Agent Grant wore an expression of emptiness. The same expression he'd seen on Agent Quinn's face. Except when there'd been a deep sense of satisfaction. That had come, briefly, after she'd put a bullet in the head of one of her victims.
"These people deserve a fair trial, Agent Grant," Steve replied, not an ounce of worry in his voice.
"Deserve?" the woman asked, eyes going wide in surprise. "They deserve? What about what our people deserved? Or have you conveniently forgotten that they destroyed the helicarrier and nearly destroyed the base? Have you forgotten that they killed hundreds? Wounded more? Have you forgotten that you and Elsa could have died in the crash?"
"I haven't forgotten, Agent Grant," Rogers told her.
"They deserved more than they got," she snarled. "Death was too kind for them. Too fast and too easy."
"And what gives you the right to decide such things?"
Agent Grant didn't answer him. Instead, she stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of her gun against his head. The woman was shorter than the captain, so there was some awkwardness in the position, but she managed it just fine. And Rogers simply stared down at her, as if certain she'd never pull the trigger.
Thor wasn't so sure about that. He'd seen Agent Quinn go after downed men ruthlessly, fire burning in her eyes as she pulled the trigger and brought them death. It wasn't exactly a grand, noble action to slaughter a fallen man begging for mercy, but he was coming to believe that mercy had no place in this building. That these women had forsaken the idea of mercy for this mission.
"Do you really think shooting me will make you feel better?" Rogers asked, voice soft and low. As if he understood what it was that drove the woman before him. She gave him a mirthless smile and shook her head.
"Nothing will make me feel better. Not shooting you. Not shooting them. Nothing."
"Then why did you kill him? He begged for mercy." With this question, Rogers motioned to the fallen boy behind Agent Grant.
"He pulled a knife," Agent Quinn said quietly. "That sweet, scared little boy you were trying to protect pulled a knife from his boot and would have killed Miri if he'd been given a chance. We took the chance from him."
"You couldn't have wounded him?" Rogers glanced at her, entirely unconcerned with the gun at his temple.
"Sure. We could have shot the knife from his hand. Maybe even without taking off some fingers. But what would have happened to him after?" Quinn asked, voice bland. Bored. As if this all meant nothing to her. "What would Fury have done with him? And if he'd gone free, how long before he and his HYDRA buddies came knocking again? HYDRA is planning world domination. I saw blueprints. Plans. There's a room that is nothing but a stockpile of weapons. And I've seen the kitchen. This isn't a temporary nest. This a permanent nest. We exterminated the problem before it could spill over into other people's lives."
"You slaughtered innocent people!" Rogers exclaimed.
"Innocent?" Grant snorted. "There weren't any innocents here."
"That guy you just shot was a kid," Steve pointed at the body.
"A kid who would have happily gutted all of us." Agent Grant made a show of cocking the hammer back on her weapon. The clicking sound was loud in the sudden silence. "Do not ever question my authority again, Captain. If you do, we'll find out if that serum of yours makes you impervious to lead and nine millimeter slugs."
"You wouldn't shoot me," he commented quietly.
"You want to try me?"
Tension filled the room. It looked as if Steve wasn't as sure of his statement as he appeared. He didn't show it, but Thor was sure his uncertainty was there. The man stared at Agent Grant, not at the gun she held to his head. As if it was of no consequence. Agent Grant wore a blank face, her hand steady as she continued to press her weapon against Rogers' forehead. But it was plain to see that there was something driving her. It was in her voice, in her words, in her very actions. He didn't know what it was, but something internal pushed her to do this. Some emotion she held hidden deep inside of her was driving her actions.
Turning to look at Agent Quinn, Thor's brow wrinkled at her lack of concern by this latest series of events. "Are you going to do nothing to stop your friend?" he asked her.
One of the woman's shoulders went up in a very casual shrug. "Miri does what she wants. It isn't my place to tell her what she can and can't do. This is her mission."
Despite the easy way she delivered the words, Thor thought he detected a hint of bitterness in them. A sharp look showed him nothing. Sighing, he realized that resolving this situation would be up to him. He took a step forward, hands up in a placating gesture. "My friends, surely there is a better way to deal with this situation. Hand over the gun, Agent Grant, and we will talk this through."
"Another step, blondie, and we'll see if Gods can die from lack of brain cells." The comment was accompanied by the hollow, metallic click of a gun. Thor saw that Agent Grant and Captain Rogers both turned to look at him. He was sure that they saw Agent Quinn standing behind him with her weapon pressed to the back of his skull.
"There is no need for threats, fair lady," Thor told her, making sure to keep his hands loose and at his sides. He wanted to give her no reason to pull that trigger. He'd died once in this realm. He didn't wish to do so again.
"No need for threats? Really? You're going to tell me that after you left your post?" Agent Quinn snorted. He heard fear and something else in her words this time. "You could have kept the helicarrier from crashing. You could have kept all of those people from getting hurt and killed. You could have saved them all. But you left your post to go chasing after Astrid. Was she ever in any real danger from Loki? Or was it nothing more than a ploy on his part?"
Silence filled the room after her comments. Thor felt the guilt rise up to choke him. If he lived until the end of time, he would never forgive himself for abandoning his friends. It had been a hard choice to make and it would eat at him until he drew his last breath.
"As entertaining as this is, I think its time for you ladies to put your weapons down. And that's an order."
~*~*~*~*~
Miri's gaze swung around to the doorway. Director Fury stood there, watching the scene before him with a faint frown on his face. His one eye scanned the room, took in everything. Then he strode forward and he filled the room with his presence. "Weapons down and holstered, ladies." His voice was filled with command. Miri pulled her weapon back, uncocked it and flipped the safety on. She saw Alex doing the same. Both guns were holstered without further protest. "As much as I would love to know just what the hell brought all of this on, I think that explanation can wait until we aren't all running on anger and adrenaline. For now, I'd like a situation report."
Miri let her gaze skim the faces of the other three people in the room. It didn't look like anyone wanted to talk. "The entire nest has been cleared out. The team is making a last sweep now, ensuring that we've found everyone."
Fury nodded but said nothing.
"There's a room on the fourth floor that appears to be their weapons cache, sir," Alex told him. Fury turned his gaze her way. "I saw hand grenades, RPGs, Uzis, AK-47s, various handguns, sniper rifles, cases of ammunition. Enough to storm Fort Knox, if they wanted."
"Team three. Fourth floor," the director said for the benefit of the men he'd brought with. "Look for a room loaded with weapons. Get it all loaded into the truck for transport back to base."
"Yes, sir." The answer was given in a man's voice.
"Anything else?"
"I burned blueprints, sir," Alex informed him. Fury raised his brow at that, silently encouraging her to continue. No doubt he wanted to know why she felt the need to burn the blueprints. "They were of the White House, sir. The capital building. The pentagon. There was nothing more, but it seemed odd that they had those specific buildings plans. It feels like they have plans to try and take down all of the world's major government powers."
"You deduced this from seeing those blueprints?"
"Yes, sir. I think they believe they've got Loki's help for everything they want to do."
"Agent Grant, you'll look into this as soon as I have a new computer room set up."
"Yes, sir," Miri nodded.
Fury let his gaze wander between them, allowed it to settle and pin each of them in place for a few minutes. When he was done, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I have to say that I find the scene I walked into here very disconcerting. I hope there's a damned good reason why you were holding guns on my Avengers."
"Captain Rogers had a dispute with my way of handling things, sir," Miri told him without a hint of regret in her voice. She knew that if she had it all to do over again, she'd do everything exactly the same way.
"Thor was being a dick, sir," Alex added. Miri shot a look at the other woman. She thought she saw the corner of Fury's mouth quirk, but she couldn't be sure.
"Is this true, Cap? Were you and Agent Grant having a dispute about her managerial skills?"
"She shot a man in cold blood after he surrendered," Rogers told the director.
"Did he surrender, Agent Grant?"
"Yes, sir. He did. But he pulled a knife. That doesn't sound like a surrender to me." Miri motioned to the discarded knife with one hand. Fury's gaze took in the blade, only a scant few inches from the dead HYDRA agent's limp hand.
"That seems more like a case of self defense to me, Cap."
"Sir," Rogers began. Fury held up a hand. It brought the blonde to silence.
"There is far too much to do here today to get into this now. Why don't the four of you return to the city, then go home and get some rest? I know its been a long day and you all want some sleep. You'll have time enough tomorrow to make a full report." The look he gave them suggested that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Not that Miri had even considered it. She wanted nothing more than to sink into her bed and sleep. Her body was bone weary and she was exhausted.
"Yes, sir." Rogers didn't sound happy about the delay. Not that Miri cared.
"There's a chopper outside that will fly you all back to the city. Get some sleep. I want your reports on my desk by tomorrow morning. In triplicate." No one said anything to that, so the director motioned to the door behind him. "Go on. Go. I don't want to see anyone's faces until tomorrow morning. And make sure to stop in at the infirmary and see a doctor if you need one. I won't take sudden hospitalization due to blood loss as an excuse to miss a debriefing."
"Yes, sir," Alex nodded and turned, making her way out of the room without saying another word. Miri followed after the other woman. Thor and Captain Rogers were slow to follow, their treads heavy next to her light one.
The sun was up far enough over the horizon that it topped the trees surrounding them. The sudden light left Miri a little blind and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. By the time she could see again, it was to find that there was a small contingent of vehicles parked on the overrun grounds. Trucks and cars numbering nearly two dozen. People were moving all over the place, talking and looking and doing god only knew what. A chopper waited in the yard, the main rotor not even turning yet. She could see that Alex had already climbed in.
Miri headed for the bird, eager to be going home. She wanted nothing more than a shower and her bed. Not even food was all that important. Just sleep. Sleep was a luxury at the moment, given the state of everything. But Fury was a smart man and he knew when his people needed sleep and when he could push them further. She'd already been through more shit in the past twenty four hours than she'd ever been through in her entire career with S.H.I.E.L.D. If she didn't get to sleep soon, she'd drop where she stood.
Climbing into the back of the chopper, Miri took the seat next to Alex. Rogers and Thor joined them, claiming the bench seat across from them. The pilot turned and made a circular motion with his hand, letting them know that he was going to fire up the engine. The four of them put on the headsets that were standard on helicopters and then pulled on their seatbelts. In only a few minutes, the chopper was slowly lifting into the air.
Rogers and Thor sat looking out the window. They obviously wanted nothing to do with either her or Alex. Too fucking sad. A glance to her left showed her that Alex was sitting with her head resting against the wall behind her, eyes closed. There was no chance to talk to her here. And even if there was, what would Miri say to her?
She sighed and closed her eyes. She could sleep now. Maybe she would even do so without dreams.
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 07:01 am (UTC)*two great big thumbs waaaaay up*
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 07:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 07:15 am (UTC)I love how you have Elsa awake enough to take in everything but not quite as quick as normal. Made for some lovely tension even before things went to hell. Also... Miri went lighter on Astrid than I would have. I think even without the Clint and Coulson factor on this, Miri and Alex would have every reason to hate Astrid for this. Don't know how you're going to fix that rift, hun. I don't think a couple "I'm sorry"s are going to repair that one.
The mission was perfect. Cold, calculated perfection! Steve being horrified but still following orders up til the last was perfect. Miri not having a fuck to give about was ever better. Alex's hesitation on working with Thor and wanting to ask if he was going to bugger off again was fantastic. And Nick... oh Nick. :D
Papa Fury knows his kids. LOL Can't wait to see what's next and how you're going to play with all the lovely set up you've got for all the lovely angry/loving/etc emotions that need dealing with! Great work, hun!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 07:29 am (UTC)good. i'm glad the mission came off well. i was kind of worried about it. i wasn't sure how much i could show and all that. trying to get the point across was my main concern so... yeah. i'm glad that the coldness came through. poor Steve... he's never going to look at either of them the same again. then again, Thor might not, either.
yes. i think Papa Fury knows exactly what his kids are like and he knows exactly how to handle them. you know, i can't wait to see what's next, either. there is so much to work with. so so much.
glad you enjoyed, bb. seriously.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 03:51 pm (UTC)Great work. Can't wait to see how you're going to work through it all.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 05:22 pm (UTC)glad you enjoyed, hon.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 06:20 pm (UTC)The confrontations with Alex, Miri, Thor, and Steve...totally can see that in my head! Yikes! I might've lost nails on that alone...LOL.
The emotional fallout is just so intense for everyone and I'm loving being along for the ride! (And damn if Fury doesn't have awesome timing...LOL!)
*applauds heartily*
Love it, babe...love it, love it, LOVE it!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-01-08 07:14 pm (UTC)the confrontations i think made this chapter more than the action stuff did. those boys found out what its like to wake up on the wrong side of a woman's temper, let me tell you.
the emotions are... up there. seriously. i'm glad that all came across. and i'm glad you're enjoying this. (yes, Papa Fury has impeccable timing.*grins*)
thanks for reading, bb.