"The unseen enemy is always the most fearsome."
― George R.R. Martin
The Avengers had been alerted to a mass hostage situation, one on a scale that no one had ever thought possible especially in the setting it had occurred in. As the majority of the Avengers bar Natasha, Thor and Bruce equipped themselves in the back of the jet, Hill updated them on the situation,
"The whole of Westfield Garden State Plaza is being held under siege, all civilians inside are deemed hostages, all CCTV and security communications have been shut off. No doubt it's been an inside job..." As she spoke she utilised the touch screen display before her, showing a thorough plan of the building and the vast information relating to the current situation that it could provide. With nimble and deft touches she spun the image pointing out the exits of the building as she continued,
"... All exits are flanked by heavily armed men, all masked. None have responded favourably to any attempts at communication, an officer that approached one of these men was shot dead. No hesitation, whoever these people are they're not here to play." Within an exhale Steve answered gravely,
"They never are." His eyes continued to be fixated upon the information on the screen before him, his mind already formulating a number of approaches to the situation and selecting the most appropriate response. Hill continued to debrief her steady and concise voice permeating the concentrated silence of the contained space they occupied,
"The main issue: none of these men have been identified by our systems as members of HYDRA or any other terrorist organisation... these guys are whole new game changers." Tearing himself away from his entrancement of concentration, he broke his gaze from the screen and bestowed it upon Hill herself before asking,
"Have they asked for ransom, anything in exchange for the safety of these people?" Despite her short and succinct response, and her ability to keep her features indifferent to any emotions he could plainly read in her eyes unspoken bewilderment and concern,
"Nothing." It was disconcerting when any criminal activity seemed to have no definite cause, however it was even more so when their identification was completely unknown, it seemed that these people didn't even exist. No records showed any traces of them, despite their system being able to delve into the archives of the world these people were... nothing. They had seemingly never existed, walking anomalies who had decided for no apparent reason to hold civilian lives within their fingertips. Amidst the misty beginnings of tension within the jet, Tony's blithe tone rang out,
"Well talk about causing trouble for nothing." A small exhale of disbelief came from Clint's lips, as he sat reclined in one of the seats adorning the edges of the space they occupied. His ankle lazily rested on his knee in a show of inadequate relaxation, as he remarked,
"Can anyone else see the irony in him saying that?" At that Tony turned his body towards the archer, before pointing at the screen and replying,
"This bird brain is power play of the highest order, no one commits this much effort into a heist of such scale for nothing." His features betrayed him far more than Hill's, as his brow furrowed slightly in confusion his gaze looking lost and distant within a yearning to know the truth of the matter. His arms were crossed tightly across his chest however one hand had made its way to his chin, allowing his fingertips to stroke and play with the hair that grew there in a show of uncharacteristic unease. An observation that certainly was not lost on Steve as he too mirrored a similar stance. Sam who was also seated nearby, had seemingly also been lost within a whirlwind of thoughts and questions and was now ready to address them, as he asked,
"Have they contacted congress or the federal government?" Hill looked towards him as she answered in the precise manner that was always so her,
"No, and any contact attempted by congress or the government has been promptly cut off." With that Steve turned to address everyone, as he took a deep breath in and out cementing the beginnings of what he knew was going to be a tough day, he declared,
"Whatever they want it's our job to find out what it is, and we have to remember they have a whole load of innocent civilians in there... we can't just blast our way through." As the team started to disperse and ready themselves for the task ahead, Steve could not help but think of the missing member whose forte of discretion would have been a valuable asset at this current moment. Her absence from the field was permeating into his thoughts more often than not recently, disrupting his concentration and plaguing him with distraction, but now was not the time and with a curt shake of his head he moved on.
Natasha had been given her mandatory check up by Dr Banner, a routine that she now knew so well that in all honesty she probably could have done it herself. As Bruce gazed down at the tablet he held in his hand, clearly displaying all of her current vitals and test results, he stated in the gentle and tentative tone that was so him,
"Okay everything seems good, you just need to..." Before the poor doctor could finish his sentence, Natasha took it upon herself to finish it for him her teasing quip paired with the playful quirk of her raised eyebrow,
"Rest?" A barely audible sigh slipped from the Doctors lips as he removed his glasses, casting a concerned gaze upon his fellow team mate in a manner that was wholly apologetic, before decidedly answering her,
"Yes." As she replaced the jumper she had removed courtesy of her medical, her arms shimmying through the sleeves before she tugged it over her head and down her torso she remarked,
"That seems to be a popular word these days." Her lips curl ever so slightly into a smile that she supposes is to ease any ill feeling the Doctor may feel she has towards him, for it certainly wasn't his doing what happened to her. No that was all her... and him. Her comforting smile seems to do the trick, as Bruce's features visibly relax slightly allowing his brow to lift from its somewhat concerned and apprehensive position. His voice too seems to have lightened, bringing with it the correct amount of optimism and instruction,
"You're healing well Nat, but with the amount of damage that was done we can't rush anything. I'm sure you don't want to be out of the field any longer than necessary." Her fingers threaded delicately under the tendrils of hair that had caught underneath the collar of her jumper, as with a deft flick of her wrists the crimson curls were finally freed from their confinement. Addressing the Doctor once again she replied,
"I know Doc." A simple smile of gratitude gently curved her lips, before the silence that had fallen between them was interrupted by a ting that resounded within the room, telling her she had received a message on her phone. As Doctor Banner started to put away his medical equipment, Natasha glanced at her phone to read the message, it was from Clint:
Approaching our location could you hack into their radio communications and report any info. Hawk out.
Immediately she felt warmth radiate within her chest and her fingers tingled in a show of enthused anticipation, whilst she could no longer physically play her part in battle she sure as hell had other ways. With a new wild sparkle of vigour within her olive orbs she glanced at the Doctor, her familiar smirk proving that right now she was back doing what she should be; helping the team, before she quipped,
" Well at least I'm useful for something." With an expression of triumph and vehement determination adorning her features she headed towards the communications room. Purpose emanated from her every stride, her gaze simultaneously skimmed her phone screen as she analysed the debrief she had received. All at once despite her enthusiasm at being involved, she felt the disappointment at not being there and the frustration at being prevented from fulfilling her role as an Avenger. She had a lot to make up for in her life, and she had paid the price for not being more inquisitive or aware, the compliance of her youth had allowed her to stand by and allow everything around her to occur. She had been selfish. Her teachings and upbringing had made her incredibly focused, crafted by those who had monitored her throughout her early life she had never questioned their activities... and she had paid for it. So dedicated to what she thought was the cause, so limited by exposure to anything other than what she knew she never questioned the goings on of the agency that made her, that created her. She knew that his being had been all them, they had hidden the truth from her and despite her new allegiance and the knowledge she now had of all that had been, deep down she felt the badly healed scars of her past throb with betrayal. With a slight shake of her head she dispelled her soured thoughts as she sat down before the communications panel, her fingers moving in a familiar and knowing manner across the keyboard. Back to business.