Chapter Two

Steve told no lie; I am indeed the first person to exit the plane. I jump right out off of the bottom ramp. As I soar through the air down to my target, I have never felt more alive-bypassing wind and stars and sky like it's nothing compared to me. Just to give the rest of the team a little time to land and set up, I flap my wings to accelerate my speed and altitude, and then dive-bomb through the endless night. This is exactly what it was like when I snuck out of the mansion for the first time; I was alone, I was free, and the weight of the world on my shoulders was replaced by every single star in the sky.

The team does land, though, and after that, it's time for business. This is my first real mission with the Avengers-no fucking up. The ground team assembles (pun intended), and I circle the base a few times to find the perfect vantage point. As my bow and arrow unfolds itself form its neat little holster, I hover in the air, preparing to strike. I draw back, aim for his knee, and fire. The arrow soars, remarkably resembling me. The man drops as if he had never existed. I take to searching the trees around the base. Surely, Stryker has got to be smarter than that… doesn't he?

"Alex, have you found anyone else?" A voice in my ear asks. It's Cap.

"Not yet, but give me a little more time. I've only searched one corner. I need a few more minutes."

I take his lack of reply as a guarantee of my request. I move to the next corner. I hear something rustle behind me, but it's just a pair of squirrels doing…oh dear God, ew! I slip my gun from its place on my hip and cock it. There is a woman ten feet from me. She might have heard me rustling; this has got to be quick. I fire the weapon at her knee-all nonfatal injuries for intel missions: Alex Watson policy; you're welcome, bad guys. The bullet doesn't miss. She's down for the count.

The other two corners are empty, so I give Steve and Clint the go-ahead. I begin to circle overhead to search for any more villainous associates of Stryker's outside the facility. Even though none are visible, anyone could call for backup at any time. It suddenly doesn't seem like such a great idea to leave that woman unattended.

"Clint?" I call over comms.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have anything that knocks people unconscious? Like gas or something?"

"Nope. Sorry bro. Stark should." Well that is helpful. Thank you Mr. Barton. I'll just ask the easily accessible person you just mentioned while he is inside a highly dangerous facility equivalent to a villain's lair.

"Stark does! Actually, there should be spare capsules of it on the jet if anyone needs some. Bruce, you there buddy?" Stark suddenly chimes in.

"Yeah. I got it. I know where you store all of your extra Iron Man stuff. I'll bring it out, and if Alex can land briefly, I'll give it to her," Bruce replies.

"Awesome! Thank you. Meet me at the very edge of the forest on the Northwest side."

"Will do."

That's the side opposite the female sniper. At least if she sees Bruce coming, she'll have difficulty shooting him up. I can just barely make out her silhouette in the small portion of lighting her nest receives. She is still reeling from the shot. I almost feel bad, but casualties are casualties, and she could be dead right now. And working for Stryker on the front lines as she is, she might as well be.

It doesn't take Bruce long to find what I need. He explains to me how it works as he leaves the jet. Evidently I just have to inject her with it-anywhere, but the side of the arm is where the effect will take most quickly-and she's out for at least a day. I land momentarily, and Bruce is soon at the forest's edge.

"Throw it to me?" I joke. He smiles.

"Not a chance." I meet him in the middle, and he hands me the serum. He has a second syringe of it.

"What's that for?" I inquire, cocking a brow.

"Clint. If you didn't kill the sentries-which I greatly admire-he'll need it." Smart. I wish I had thought of that.

"Oh, okay. Good idea. It's just an ethics thing. Value of human life versus value of the mission." We are interrupted by Stark-shocker.

"That's fantastic honeybuns, but we got work to do. You can discuss ethics and taking the moral high road over coffee later. Or, you know, naked breakfast in bed. Whichever you prefer." As rude as he was, he has a point. Stealth and speed. I take the second syringe, put a hand on Bruce's shoulder and, without warning, use him to jet myself off into the night.

Per usual, ladies first. It's only polite. She is in a little too much pain to be focused on me. I jab her in the arm just like Bruce said, and her body tenses for a moment. Her eyes bounce straight to mine. She almost looks afraid. Her pupils seem steely, but the soft green that surrounds them tells a different story. She can't be older than I am, maybe even younger. I get the feeling that she may not want to be here any more than I do.

Putting the girl out of my mind for a moment, I reach Clint with the second syringe.

"Took you long enough," he comments.

"Well, you know what they say. A hot girl is always worth the wait," I come back snappily. Clint flicks the vial to dispel any air bubbles.

"You're right; she's gorgeous," he replies, staring at the light blue liquid through the glass. He capitalizes on his remark by stabbing the man's arm and injecting the serum. Judging by the bruises forming on Sniper Bro's face, it would seem that Clint has already done its job, but I'm no expert. I take off of the second nest like a bat into the sky. I intend to continue circling, but those plans are destroyed when I hear a shot ring from nowhere. It whizzes by a foot or two past my toe. I turn around to yell at Clint, but there's no time. A second shot is fired, and it makes contact with my calf. I curse loudly and fall fifteen feet to the grass below, which does nothing for my pain.

"Clint! CLINT! I'm hit. One of them must have called or something. I don't know what happened or where the person is. Just watch out. Guys, we need to move out ASAP. We're busted." I taper off into a stream of inventive curses. Fuck this really hurts! Who the hell shot me? I try to get up, but an arrow flies by me, grazing my arm, and but was likely aimed for my chest. It misses, luckily, but at least now Clint knows which direction the attacker is coming from. Wait…MINE! Fuck! I draw my weapon as I fall to the ground, the pain too much for my screaming leg to bear. Suddenly, the shooters come out from the woods. One just falls-probably due to Clint-and I shoot one in the stomach. That's why you don't shoot people, asshole. I have no mercy on people who fire at me. I accidentally roll over on the side of my throbbing arm and howl in pain. It's not as bad as the bullet, but damn, does it still hurt. The rest of the team crashes through the front doors, aware that an attack is in process.

"Alex? Are you okay? What's going on? Our comms went out. Everyone's but Stark," Cap says, kneeling beside me.

"I've been hit. We need to go. There's more where they came from. I can't walk," I summarize. Without another word, Tony picks me up in the suit, careful of my wings, and flies me back to the jet.