Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or anything affiliated with them. All of what you recognize as belonging to Marvel, most likely does. The O/C and any words that are not English nor any other language (feel free to check) belong to me. I do not own the quote, either.
Chapter One - The Chase
"Action is the real measure of intelligence" {Napoleon Hill}
I ran through the busting streets of New York, weaving my way through the crowds on every corner. Rain pelted down, my breath tore in and out of my hitching chest as I sprinted away from my pursuers, attracting unwanted glances and aggressive complaints. I growled deep in my chest as I looked over my shoulder, the rain saturating me, dripping off my hair and down my face. The blonde man and red-head woman were both closing in on me. The man was on the rooftop, holding steady to a bow. I internally screamed as he strung an arrow and aimed at me. I looked ahead to see an old warehouse in a nearby alleyway. Yes! Victory!
I increased my pace, not looking back at the people chasing me, splashing through the puddles. I knew one had a weapon trained on me, but I had no idea what the other was going to do. My feet skidded on the wet pavement as I tore into the alleyway. Shaking the water out of my hair, I leapt onto a nearby brick wall and scuttled up the side, ignoring the frequent pangs of pain coursing through my hands as I grabbed onto any available hand or foothold and climbed for dear life.
When I reached the rooftop, I looked around, steadying myself as the inevitable feeling of dizziness approached. The archer jumped onto the ledge on the side of the warehouse roof and raised his bow, chest heaving, eyes glittering with malice. My breathing ceased and my insides quivered. I didn't want to do it. But he made me. I had to.
I had to.
I reached to my chest, not removing my eyes from the archer. My fingers scrabbled around my neck and unclipped the chain. The Amulet fell into my other hand; I carefully wrapped it around it, still watching the blonde man, who was watching the artifact I now held, forgetting his.
"Herashta Ghaerdia, La vitae." I murmured, and the Amulet began warming in my hand. There was a sound of rushing wind and his bow soared out of his hands, clattering to the rooftop some ten meters away, he uncovered a dagger from his belt. I had only then realised it was no longer raining.
The woman burst through the door to my left, startling me. I started to back up as the red-head began stalking me. The archer ran to retrieve his bow; my retreat was halted when the back of my calves hit the ledge on the side of the building. My gaze didn't waver from the woman as I heard the sound of string being pulled tight. I closed my eyes as the woman pulled out her guns, one in each hand.
Spreading my arms wide, the Amulet still enclosed in my left hand, the muscles in my legs coiled like springs, I didn't waste any time for theatrics.
I jumped backwards, flipping so that I could land facing the direction I had to go. The wind roared in my ears as I fell. I huffed as I landed in a crouch on the hard, damp pavement, feeling it crumble beneath my ungiving hands and feet. I heard two loud bangs from behind me as I sprinted away down another empty alleyway, re-tying the chain round my neck, tucking the Amulet away beneath my shirt.
I held my breath as one of the bullets whistled past my left ear. Two shots, yet I only felt one pass me. Either she is a really bad shot or...I brushed myself over, looking for a wound.
I groaned as I noticed the dark red stain spreading along the dirty white fabric of my right pant leg. A searing fire began in my calf as I kept running, ignoring the sickening sensation as the blood ran down my lower leg, over my ankle and my foot. I had begun to leave a red footprint behind as they continued the chase, I wouldn't give up.
Why did they want me anyway? What had I done to attract their attention? All I was doing was walking along the New York streets then there they were, the red-head shooting at me and the archer running along the rooftops like some parkour expert.
The pain had begun to spread through the right half of my body. I yelled in anguish as my stamina began depleting, my heart racing. I heard the high pitched twang of a bow, looking over my shoulder, I saw a small arrow with an extremely fine point flying towards me, menacing despite its minuscule size. I inhaled sharply, causing sharp, tearing pains in my chest. I heard the archer mutter under his breath. "Stop running, goddamit!"
I dodged to the left, hitting the ground and skidding along the uneven surface as my wounded leg gave out under me. The arrow landed some five feet away, embedding itself in the gravel. The world above me seemed to spin in dizzying circles as my cries echoed off the walls that began to close in on me.
Tears of agony streamed down my face as I clutched my leg, rocking back and forth with the waves of pain the washed over me. The man and woman were above me suddenly, kneeling down and checking me over. An ocean of enticing, inviting blackness swelled before me, the waves reaching out like fingers, getting closer but never quite reaching. I watched through the sheen of tears as the woman uncovered a small sticky dot. Placing it on my arm, she touched a small contraption to her ear and said:
"Yes, Stark. We have him"
I gasped, my muscles went stiff. Immobilized. Then the swirling pools of cool blackness pulled me under the surface into the comforting emptiness of unconsciousness.
A/N: An incredibly short One-shot. I am thinking of continuing it, but am unsure. Let me know whether you hated/loved it/want me to continue/will shoot me if I do.
TTFN, H.M.B