DESTRUCTION.
( chapter eight. )
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Edited 12/27/2015 @3:14 AM
Edited 04/28/2025 @2:32 AM
ANDREA HALTED MIDAIR, WATCHING as Tony rammed uselessly against the energy field surrounding the base's main building.
"Shit," he cursed, rebounding towards Andy.
She ignored his irritation, too busy studying the ricochet of colour that had become visible upon Tony's impact with the energy shield. The blue was similar to Andrea's own energy signature. Given that the sceptre had given life to both her powers and these defences, Andy figured the idea brewing in her head was worth a shot.
"Language." Steve's reprimand was sharp in response to Tony.
Andrea felt a smile twitch at the corner of her lips, but her attention was still on the invisible barrier between her and her goal. With curiosity overtaking instinct, she drew closer, pressing her hand against the force field. There was a loud buzzing where energy met energy; fire fighting fire.
It was a useless effort. Andrea knew it would be. But, she'd held onto hope that she might've been able to do something about the barrier. The Jones woman sighed.
"J.A.R.V.I.S, what's the view from upstairs?" Steve asked their resident AI. Andrea glanced below, trying to ignore the way her palms went clammy as she realized how high up she was.
She could see the fight still occurring down below. She knew that she should've been down there, helping her team. But, they were holding up just fine on their own.
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy field. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken." J.A.R.V.I.S reported to the group.
The Jones woman withdrew her hand from the force field. "I'm heading down to you, Barton." Andrea said, giving a nod to Tony before she descended back towards the ground. She was no use to anyone up here, not when she could barely fight without the risk of falling.
Andy sped up, only slowing when she was a few feet from the ground. Her landing was soft as she concentrated on remaining upright. When her feet met solid ground again, she was quick to take cover, out of sight from the bunker searching the woods.
Barton stood across from her, hidden as well. He glanced over at the Jones woman, raising an eyebrow. Andrea knew he was asking about her newfound ability but, with no time to properly explain, she only shrugged.
"Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it," Thor's voice cut through the comms, his words catching Andrea's attention.
"At long last," the God muttered. She couldn't help but share the sentiment.
Andrea could still recall the battle with Loki, if not with a little trouble. It had been so long since then. It was hard to imagine that trickster God had once been the biggest threat they'd ever faced. With the fights that followed, the battle of New York seemed almost easy in comparison. At least then she'd known who she was.
Now, she couldn't be so sure.
The brunette cast her eyes to the snow-covered ground. She could vividly remember the first time she saw Loki. The way she'd been completely struck by the look in his eyes. There was so much anger then, but also pain. She couldn't help but wonder what he was like now; if he'd ever healed from that.
She doubted it. If anything, being kept prisoner on the planet that had once been his home probably made things worse. Andrea couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
In the days leading up to the Battle of New York, Thor had told her all about the God of Mischief. Andy was the only one who bothered to listen when Thor told her of their childhood— and how Loki hadn't always been so destructive. Andy had no trouble believing him. After all, she knew firsthand how much anger and pain could change a person.
But, it was hard at first; to imagine that the same person who had hurt so many of her loved ones had been a young boy once, too. A brother to Thor— and a good kid, albeit with his own, unusual quirks. Thor and Loki had grown up together and if Thor still believed there was something good in him, Andrea wasn't going to argue against that. He knew Loki better than she ever could.
Yet, Andy couldn't help but feel as though she were the only person who'd ever understand the bitter anger he clung to.
It was right after the battle. Thor had been preparing to leave their world with Loki in tow and they had little time to act before government authorities intervened. Thor refused to see his brother punished on Earth, for he had crimes to answer to on Asgard first. But, before they could make their escape, Andrea had stepped forward to speak to the God of Mischief.
Loki was suspicious at first— and why wouldn't he be? He'd nearly taken over the city and injured her friends, killing one in the process. Yet, he'd avoided fighting her directly, despite the ease with which he could've done so. It was something Andrea still couldn't understand.
Nonetheless, Andy had stepped towards him and clapped him hard on the back. As if they were close friends. Afterwards, she leaned in close and whispered, "I forgive you... for what you did in grief and anger."
When she was finished, she stepped back. The bewildered look in Loki's eyes faded quickly, giving over to a brief glimpse of remorse before that faded too. Thor, having overheard, gave her a solemn smile before they both disappeared in a blast of rainbow-coloured light.
Barton himself had tried to pester her into telling him what she'd said. But, she never gave in. She knew they'd all disapprove. But, forgiveness was something so much bigger than herself. Or, so she'd believed. It was powerful enough to change a person.
That seemed like such a long time ago— before Andrea realized that she could never be forgiven herself.
Andy's mood seemed to drop then. The soft smile on her lips vanished as she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to get distracted. Not with everything that was at stake.
"At long last is lasting a little long," Natasha reminded them. From where she stood, Andy could see the Romanoff woman single-handedly taking down a bunker.
"Yeah, I think we've lost the element of surprise," Clint agreed, moving out from behind his cover to take aim. His shots were swift, hitting each mark and signalling another bunker down.
Andy peered out between the trees. Her gaze caught on a well-trodden path, where a group of soldiers marched their way into the battle. She glanced over at Clint and nodded, letting him know that this one was all hers.
Andrea stepped out from behind the knoll. The group of soldiers and other nearby bunkers took aim, though, not before most of them exploded. A result of Clint's precisely-timed arrows. Andy grinned, conjuring the energy in her hands as she sprinted to face the soldiers head-on. They didn't falter, but Andrea knew they were afraid.
She didn't care.
The brunette dove to the ground, army-rolling over her shoulder to avoid the bullets launched her way. The bunker was quickly eradicated, exploding as soon as Clint's arrow hit home. Andrea got up, throwing her hands in front of her to cast a protective barrier of energy between her and the shots.
There was a pause in the gunfire and Andy knew her only chance to act would be now. She threw down the barrier, focusing her energy into a telekinetic blast. Her powers rushed to meet her command. Andy made sure to aim at the ground just below their feet. The blast went off seamlessly and the men went flying back, colliding hard with the ground.
The ones that were quick to stand again were flung like ragdolls by Andrea's telekinesis, effeciently knocking out the last few men. Once she was done, she followed in Clint's general direction. Most of the surrounding bunkers were gone now, leaving a clear path for Andy to make her way to him.
Once she was back in the trees, Andrea followed the trail Clint had left. He'd moved on from where she'd last seen him, but Andy knew he couldn't have gone far. She moved quickly, easily adjusting between blind spots until she was back by the Barton man's side.
Clint glanced at her and Andrea could tell by his pursed lip that he was concerned. "I'm fine," she insisted. It wasn't unlike him to be worried about the newfound abilities she was showing, but it still irritated her to be coddled.
Usually, Andrea would have been just as wary— if it weren't for the fact that everything came so easily.
Building her own energy barrier was an instant reaction. But, looking back on it, Andy was surprised how natural it felt. As if these abilities had always been there for her to discover. She'd just never had enough power until now.
"Woah, wait a second. Is no one else going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" Tony's voice interrupted them.
It was a much needed distraction. Andy laughed despite herself. She could hear Steve's heavy sigh through the comms unit, which only served to further her delight.
Andy pulled out the gun from her holster, peering out to quickly shoot down any of the remaining bots. She channeled her energy into each round, enhancing the damage upon impact. It didn't take long for the metal androids to fall like flies after that.
"I know," Steve said and there was a pause before he spoke, his words a bit breathless. "Just slipped out."
Andrea holstered her weapon, returning to her cover behind the tree as she reloaded. She looked towards Clint, who motioned that they were moving on. Andy nodded before following after him. Natasha and the Hulk could pick off the stragglers.
The pair ventured deeper into the trees, making slow progress as they got closer to the base. There were still bunkers and soldiers milling about. If they were going to avoid capturing too much attention, Andy would have to rely on other means of fighting.
It didn't take long for her to settle on her throwing knives. She held one in each hand, clutching them tightly as they continued on. Any time they came across a bunker or HYDRA agent, Clint and Andy made quick work of them.
The two paused at the sight of another bunker and Andy glanced over at her teammate. She watched as he drew back his arrow, taking a moment before releasing it. Andy peered out from her position behind the tree, furrowing her brow when no explosion came.
The two Avenger's shared a glance, Clint's own confusion was enough to make her immediately suspicious of their surroundings. It was inconceivable for him to have crafted a faulty arrow— and even less believable for him to have missed. Something had either gone very wrong, or their expert marksmen was no longer an expert.
Before she could warn him against it, the Barton man quickly stepped out to shoot again. Andrea saw the blur of something darting toward them before Clint did. But, by the time she'd opened her mouth to cry out, it was too late.
Clint went down, hard enough to send snow and dirt flying with the impact. Andrea tensed, rushing forwards to move Clint out of range before the bunker caught sight of him. He wasn't like them. His wounds took much longer to heal— too long.
However, just before she could grip his sleeve, Andy found herself being thrown back. The same blur crossed her vision before Andrea collided with the ground. She cried out as her knife slipped from her hands, slashing open her catsuit along the sleeve and leaving a cut deep enough to bleed. Andrea winced against the snow, hissing in pain as she tried to sit up.
Though, Andrea quickly froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked up, furious as she met the taunting gaze of an unfamiliar and boyish face. "You didn't see that coming?" He asked, his Sokovian accent thick.
Andy was unable to help the low sound of anger that left her lips. No longer concerned about her wounds, she shot up from the ground like a bullet. But, the boy was fast— and quick to move out of the way. Quick enough that it disoriented Andrea.
He tsked. "I'm not the one you should be worried about, beautiful." He gave another taunting smile as he gestured towards where Clint had gotten up, his drawstring pulled taut.
In the midst of his eagerness to take a shot at the Sokovian boy, the Barton man completely forgot about the bunker. But, Andrea hadn't.
"No!"
She was too late. The shot of the energy blast rang out and Barton collapsed to the ground, crying out and clutching his side. Andrea glanced towards where the boy had once stood, but he was already gone. She dove towards her friend, throwing up her barrier before anymore damage could be done.
Andrea's hands shook as she focused on keeping the barrier up between her and the bunker. "We have enhanced on the field," Steve spoke, just as Natasha appeared at Andy's side.
"Clint's hurt," Andy rasped, struggling to move the fabric of Clint's suit to get a better look at the wound. It was bleeding steadily— but the flow wasn't heavy. Mostly surface-level.
She could staunch it. Use her power to slow the bleeding and maybe use the energy to seal the areas where the bleeding was heaviest. It would buy him enough time to get back to the jet and a Med-Pod.
Andy felt her shield falter as the bunker refused to cease fire. "Take care of that damn bunker!" She shouted, feeling the energy sparking like a frayed wire. A result of her own nerves as she debated her options.
"We can't do anything here," Natasha spoke quickly, getting her arms up under the Barton man. "We're too out in the open, even with that bunker down."
Clint, despite his wounds, nodded as he tried his best to heave himself up. "They need you on the field with the enhanced. I'll make it to the jet just fine with Nat." His stark cry of pain as he hoisted himself to his feet said otherwise.
Andrea's heart twisted inside her. "Please, let me help."
Because this was her fault.
She had to make it right. If Andy had just been quicker... Clint wouldn't be struggling to stand with blood dripping down his side. Flowing faster now with every move he made.
Natasha nudged him forward to hurry them along, but Clint hesitated as he reached out to weakly grasp Andrea's arm. "You wanna help? Then do what you came here to do— and spare nothing."
That overwhelming sense of failure faltered, just for a second. The power quieting to a hum in her ears. Andrea nodded, her jaw tight. Natasha secured her grip on Clint and together they began making their way back towards the quin-jet. Andrea watched them go, the barrier falling behind her as her hand clenched into a fist.
She rose slowly from the ground, turning towards the bunker and watching as men ran from where they knew her aim would be. Andy unclenched her fist, focusing her power and shooting quickly. The explosion was loud and large; showering everything nearby in debris. Some men stumbled and fell, but continued to run. Andrea pulled out her gun.
One by one, the men fell. Screaming their pain to a world that would not stop to help them. Not anymore. Andy couldn't bring herself to feel remorse. With the soldiers down and without weapons, she wandered deeper into the heart of the base.
It was easier to notice the movement to her right now that she'd seen it once before. Andy froze, glancing over as the blur moved towards her. She trained her eyes to the shape and time seemed to slow as her focus stayed with it. It didn't take long for the blur of grey and blue to take the shape of the Sokovian boy.
However, Andrea didn't falter, even as he drew closer. A direct line to her. Their eyes met and Andy sidestepped him. A look of visible surprise came over the boy's face and, before he could react, he was sent flying back at the simple flick of Andy's hand.
Time went back to normal and Andrea dove towards him, the last of her throwing knives in hand.
She wouldn't fail again.
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