A/N: Hello back again I hope you like the chapter, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the marvel characters, the only characters I own are my OC's.
Chapter 11:
Darcy and Isra's feet pounding the floor and their laboured breaths were the only things to be heard in the building. She wished that she was wearing flat shoes like Isra it would have made it easier for her to sprint for her life. Isra's steps slowed slightly, Darcy's steps fell out of sync with hers. She spun her head round to look at her, her eyebrows raised in question.
"Which way is it?" Isra remarked her feet slapping the floor in a jog. Darcy closed her eyes momentarily, her own map of the compound flashing behind her eyes. She pulled Isra's hand hard and picked up the pace dragging her in the right direction, slamming a stair well open. Isra's longer legs pumped, Darcy could tell they were running on pure adrenaline alone she didn't have a hyped up metabolism like Darcy.
Darcy pulled Isra up the stairs her ribs screaming in protest but she carried on wanting to get them out of their before they would be blown to pieces. Isra overtook Darcy her longer legs making up the distance and speed. Isra kicked open the door and pushed Darcy through first, her hands gripping the thin layer of leather she was wearing. Isra let go of Darcy's jacket and grab her hand gripping tightly as she bolted for the tree line, where their getaway vehicle was waiting for them.
The sight of the van in the darkness made Darcy release an unexpected breath, she kept up her pace matching Isra's over the uneven ground. The bitter winds stung her cuts, luckily her arms were protected. 'Kind of glad I wore my leather skin now' She mused, Isra placed her hand over her ear pulled Darcy's hand tighter.
"We're here open the doors now!" she shouted, the van started up and the side door was thrown open, it started moving along as Darcy and Isra aligned themselves with the open door. Darcy reached the door first and launched herself in pulling Isra with her. They landed in a pile in the empty back of the van.
"GO, GO, GO!" Darcy shouted hitting the floor with each word.
Boom!
The devastatingly loud noise reverberated throughout the van through the open door. Isra flattened her body over Darcy's shielding her from the blast. The acrid smell of smoke mixed with dust from the rubble filled up her nose, stinging her eyes and cuts.
"You couldn't possibly have made that a little more explosive could you?" She shouted at Isra sarcastically, who was still on top of her. Isra grinned lifting her head up so her manic eyes looked straight into Darcy's, her eyebrows raised. Darcy laughed, her face scrunched up in pain at the pain in her ribs which was not helped by the added weight of Isra.
Noticing this Isra quickly held herself above Darcy on her fore arms which braced Darcy on each side of her arms, she rolled to the side from this position. Darcy slid herself into a sitting position so she was leant against the walls of the van as Isra pulled the door shut. Her eyes slid shut as she felt around her ribs to see if any were broken. She was extremely lucky.
"Are you okay? What injuries do you have?" Isra asked as she knelt in front of Darcy, it always amazed her at how much Darcy could endure. Darcy's eyes and mouth stayed shut. "Talk to me Shay." She asked in a quieter voice her hand cupping Darcy's right cheek, the one without the cut.
Darcy's eyes snapped open as if she were not really paying attention to what was previously said. One side of her lips quirked upwards. "It's not that bad; bloodied knees, split lip, black eye, bloody nose, a cut from my eyebrow to chin and finally 3 cracked ribs possibly a broken bottom rib but I'm not sure." She said a slight lilt to her voice as if she was still contemplating it.
Isra's eyes widened but before she could open her mouth Darcy leant forward and pressed her hand over Isra's soft lips. "I'll be fine. I promise, no lasting damage, we can sort out my injuries later. After we reach the rest of the women." Isra slid next to Darcy leaning her back against the van wall as it made its way to the temporary base.
"It's not as if it's the worst I've been through." Darcy muttered dryly, her head leant against the van wall. Isra snorted trying to conceal her slight amusement. Darcy turned her head and lifted her eyebrow up. Isra knocked her shoulder against Darcy's and she huffed out a laugh.
"Now I know there was a reason I missed you I just can't quite think of it at the moment. I don't think it was that you laughed at my pain" Darcy said in fake annoyance.
Isra just smiled in defiance "It's my undeniable charm, wit and obsession with Katana's." She grinned leaning forward to remove said weapons from her back. She placed the four foot blades over hers and Darcy's legs. The sticky blood coated her already ruined skirt.
"Of course, that's it." She replied clicking her fingers her lips turning up in a small smirk, Isra grinned in reply before pulling out a cloth from one of the pockets on her navy blue utility belt.
She pulled out another and gave it to Darcy. She sighed happily and lifted the end of one blade carefully in her slim pale fingers. "I remember when we came back from our first mission together and you just sat in the weapons room for three hours straight, just cleaning down your weapons a satisfied smirk on your face, it was the first time I'd seen you show some emotion that was positive since I'd found you." Isra recounted as she began wiping the cloth down her blood covered sword. Darcy's eyes glimmered with wonder at the weapons; she had always admired the magnificent blades that Isra had hand crafted.
Darcy hummed and joined Isra in the action, waiting till they got to the meeting point. Cleaning weapons had always given Darcy peace of mind – a trait instilled by the red room - and when she came back from her first mission with Isra she spent her time cleaning the various weapons she had been allowed to use, the weapons armoury soon became one of Darcy's favourite rooms after that night.
The ride ended an hour later and Isra lithely got up from her spot on the floor before offering her hand to the more injured Darcy. She muttered her thanks before following Isra out of the van. She landed on the even ground of the concrete parking lot that they had pulled up in. The cold wind buffeted her skin.
She scanned her surroundings, they were in a parking lot next to an abandoned building of some sorts with the mountains looming over them from the west. There were a variety of trucks and vans in the parking lot along with a black sedan. 'This must be the meeting point'.
Darcy followed Isra over to the closest truck where she pulled open the passenger side door. The driver slid out of his side of the van at the same time as the passenger. They were both part of Isra's group, Darcy recognised the passenger's face immediately. Scorpion. Isra's back straightened up.
"What's your team's status? Does anyone need any immediate medical attention?" Isra commanded in one breath, her body language that of a leader. Darcy stood with her arms crossed loosely over her injured ribs next to Isra.
"We all got out of there intact, some of the women need medical attention but it is mainly dehydration, malnutrition and starvation that we've come across so far, but I don't doubt there will be worse." Scorpion replied whilst walking to the back of the van. Isra followed intently, Darcy kept one step behind Isra. She wanted to talk to Scorpion but the time for reunions would be later. Isra pulled open the back of the van slowly so as not to scare the women inside more than necessary.
The women cowered away but when they recognised who they were they visibly relaxed. "Get them out of the van and into the building out of the wind, tend to the injuries you can, get them food and drink, let them have a rest before we move them again. Tell the rest of your team to do the same Shadow and I will get the rest of the medical supplies and meet you in there." Isra told Scorpion as she turned to leave.
Scorpion nodded her head sharply before turning to the women in the van, she caught Darcy's eye and stopped slightly as if she hadn't noticed her being there until now before she tipped her head at Darcy and started helping the women out of the van. Darcy's lips quirked slightly in acknowledgement before she followed after Isra.
Darcy jogged slightly after Isra who had managed to get halfway towards the black sedan. She could hear Scorpion shouting her orders to her team. "I see Scorpion has her own team now." Darcy asked the strangely quiet Isra. "that's new." She added as they made it to the car. Isra went to open one of her pockets on her belt, seemingly ignoring Darcy.
"Are you okay Isra?" Darcy asked from her spot a foot behind Isra. She didn't answer Darcy's question. 'She's acting like Jane in her science mood' she mused. Perplexed Darcy quickly slid between Isra and the car. "Are you okay?" She asked again, slightly quieter, catching Isra's eyes.
"Yes of course I am why did you ask?" She replied too loudly, Darcy's eyes widened in slight surprise before she half smirked knowing where Isra's eye line was. Isra frowned slightly her eyes quickly flicking up to Darcy's eyes. Knowing she was right Darcy leant forward and pulled down Isra's thick hood.
"You can't hear me that well can you?" Darcy asked now leaning her back against the sedan, the smirk still on her face. She still had a slight ringing in her ears but she could still hear what people were saying clearly, that was another perk of her enhanced metabolism.
Isra raised her eyebrows up in shock which Darcy could clearly tell was faked; she pulled her eyebrow up in retaliation. Isra's eyebrows fell before she rolled her eyes. "Fine I can't hear that well but I'll be able to within the hour." She conceded her eyes looking into Darcy's. "Which will mean that I will be able to hear the important thing that you wanted to tell me." Isra said a small smile on her face before she turned around and walked to the back of the black sedan, leaving her where she stood.
Darcy clenched her teeth momentarily before following after Isra. She waited as Isra pulled the boot of the car open. Darcy pulled out the black duffel that she knew contained the first aid kit, she noticed that all her things were also in the boot of the car waiting for when they left later.
"I've got some food and water in the backseats which I'll grab, meet me in the building." Isra said as she walked round the car to the doors as Darcy slung the duffel over her aching shoulders. She jogged over the parking lot to get to the building and out of the biting wind, she swung open the door to the building and she was washed over with the warmth coming from the middle of the room where one of the mercenaries had set up a controlled fire to keep everybody warm.
She walked over to a free corner of the room and placed the duffel down. She sat cross legged on the dusty floor next to the tucking the rip in her dress into the waistband of her underwear. She released a breath as the tension in her legs eased away. She pulled up her sleeves on her leather jacket absentmindedly scratching at the surgically neat two inch scar running up from her wrist.
She pulled out a plastic sheet from the duffel bag and laid it out on the dusty concrete floor; she quickly unloaded everything from within the duffel bag ready for use. She reached in the back to check if there was anything else, she pulled out a packet of energy gels. Quickly she got to her feet and walked over to one of the nearest mercenaries.
"Here, give these to anyone who looks as if they haven't eaten and drunk anything in a couple of days." She commanded handing the packet over before going back to her corner. Isra walked in just as Darcy sat back down followed by what looked to be the last lot of women and Scorpion.
She stopped by the mercenary who was guarding the door and told him something, Darcy focused her eyes and read her lips. "Find anyone with injuries, if they are severe send them over to Shadow if they are just cuts and bruises grab some supplies from Shadow and treat them. Tell the women to find Scorpion for food." Isra made her way over to Darcy, she was favouring her right leg which would have been missed by most people but Darcy had seen and caused enough injuries to recognise someone in pain. Darcy scowled before shaking her head. 'She probably just has more bruises on that side'
Isra stopped next to Darcy's space on the floor. "I told them to-"
"I know what you said I read your lips." Darcy interrupted saving Isra from repeating herself. "are you ok?" she asked her voice full of sympathy which mirrored her pulled together eyebrows and slight pout, she knew that with Isra's caring nature she wouldn't want to lie to her if she thought she was worried. She just hoped that would overcome her need to make sure everyone else was okay. 'Hah I doubt that!' She thought.
"I'll be ok and you can tend my wounds later Shay, when we get to the safe house, if it pleases you." She replied trying to put Darcy at ease which she easily saw through, dismissing her stubbornness she stood up as she saw a small group of women being led toward her.
"I'll think about it." She smiled wryly "Go help the rest of the women." She said as she pulled on some latex gloves. Isra nodded touching her upper shoulder before she turned around and left Darcy as a small queue of women formed in front of her.
Darcy tended the wounds of the women ranging from bullet grazes to stab wounds to concussions. She kept her comforting face in place to sooth the women's' frayed nerves so they knew they were no longer in danger.
"Keep the dressing on for two days, make sure to wrap it up before you wash and change it every two days, this cream should stop it from becoming infected." Darcy spoke softly as he wrapped the bandage around the bullet graze she just sewed up. The young woman thanked her, a thankful smile pulling at her lips her eyes were glassy. Darcy placed the tube of cream into her hand before she quickly scurried off to the group of women she was brought in with.
Darcy wiped her hand across her brow and released a breath, her cheek still stung from the cut but the blood had stopped running now, it just left a path of dried blood down her chin and neck. Isra walked over to Darcy carrying a bowl of some type of food, Darcy could see the warmth rising from it. She packed away the first aid equipment quickly into the duffel bag it came in. Isra slid down the wall she ended up sat next to Darcy. She passed over the bowl to Darcy who took it happily, the last time she had eaten was well over eighteen hours ago and her body was in need of some energy.
Darcy was about to dig in when she realised she had nothing to eat it with. She turned a glare towards Isra who was smiling ruefully as she held out a spoon for the polenta. Darcy took it probably using more force than necessary. "Were you never told it's rude to withhold food from an assassin?" She muttered as she shovelled the food into her mouth, which she finished in record time.
Isra smiled as she bumped her shoulder with Darcy's before slowly standing up, "You said you wanted to talk to Scorpion before you left." Isra said as she stretched her hands out in front of her. Darcy nodded and stood up herself. "I'll leave you to that then; I need to talk to some of my team as well before we leave." Isra replied before walking away.
Darcy spotted Scorpion sat by the fire in the centre of the room. She made her way over there carrying the duffel bag with her and slowly sat down next to Scorpion where she was clearing away the cooking pots she used. Scorpion looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "Can I help you?" she questioned.
Darcy sighed and helped Scorpion clean the pots. "I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion. I never liked your predecessor." She said, Scorpion stopped in her tracks.
"Yes, it was only a matter of time before he gave me a reason to end him." Scorpion replied in a nonchalant tone. There was always something off-putting about him, he never cared about collateral damage. She was glad that Scorpion had taken him out, she smiled.
"Well I know that you will be a better leader than him." She agreed, putting the pot down. "It was good to see you again." She stood up as did Scorpion.
"Likewise." She replied patting Darcy's shoulder. 'Same old Scorpion, never one to really use her words.' She mused with a wry smile.
She wandered over to where Isra was stood but before she could make it there she was ambushed by Bo. She stopped as Bo intercepted her path, the younger woman was smiling warmly even through her bruises. The warmth from her face seeping into her own without her knowledge.
"Are you leaving?" She asked quickly her eyes bright and almost sparkling. Darcy's lips tilted up.
"Yes, I have to get back to my normal life. I can make sure that someone helps you get back to your family or your home." She said assuming that she would still be living with her family or at least near them. Bo's face fell slightly.
"My… uh…I don't have a family, my parents died when I was younger and I have nowhere to go. I was living on the streets when they picked me up." She spoke a slight quiver in her voice, a haunted look in her eyes. Darcy's smile fell as well. 'No this is totally a bad idea; it's going to end horribly'. Darcy thought to herself at the idea that sprouted in her head.
"You know, you remind me of this woman who saved my family when I was younger. She stopped us from being robbed. I don't really remember it that well I was about three but the thought that there are people out there in the world who help people when they have no reason to… well it stuck with me. I can tell that you are one of those people." She stated, 'aw hell, this really is a bad idea!' She thought knowing that she was still going to do it anyway.
"I can talk to my friend about finding a place for you as part of her team or finding you somewhere safe to stay, but I'm warning you know if you decide to stay with her you may have to do some things that you won't want to do." She stated keeping eye contact with Bo. She smiled lightly.
"Thank you!" She smiled as she darted into Darcy's personal space and wrapped her lithe arms around Darcy. She froze, but strange warmth travelled through her body at the touch and she melted into the embrace, her muscles relaxing. "You're a good person Shay, I can tell. You might not think so but deep down in your soul you are I can sense it." Bo spoke her breath warming Darcy's ear.
She repressed a scoff, 'Yeah right, a good person would never do the things I've done.' Bo loosened her arms from Darcy, the warmth still in her body. Bo's eyes were almost glowing but as soon as Darcy blinked they were back to normal. "Thank you, again, I hope one day you can see what I do." Bo said a smile on her lips, she grabbed Darcy's fingers and a strange tingling sensation shot through her body.
Darcy smiled; she could tell that Bo was kind-hearted even though she had only met the girl in the past twenty-four hours. Isra sidled up next to Darcy, "this is my friend I was talking about earlier Bo, her name's Isra." Darcy introduced her. Isra smiled politely and extended her hand which Bo took happily.
"We should be going Shay." Isra said turning her attention to Darcy as she dropped Bo's hand.
"Right. I'll meet you in the car, I'll be a minute." Darcy said as she placed her hand on Isra's arm, Isra nodded before she left the building.
She grabbed a pen from the first aid duffel bag and fished out one of the empty dressing wrappings, she scrawled her secure number onto the back of it. "Here, if you ever need help don't hesitate to phone me. I ask that you use this in emergencies only though and that you don't give it to anyone or tell them that you have it apart from Isra." She passed it to a wide eyed Bo, it was a big act of trust for someone she had only just met but Darcy felt as if Bo was trustworthy. 'This is so going to blow up in my face!' She mused sardonically. "Keep the jacket." She said before picking up the duffel bag and leaving the building.
She hurried over to the black sedan and chucked the bag into the boot of the car before climbing into the passenger side of the car. Isra smirked and pulled out of the car park. She waited until they were ten minutes into the drive before speaking. If Darcy didn't know Isra she might have been worried.
"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" She questioned the smirk evident in her voice. Darcy's body tensed slightly. 'Not here, the exits aren't desirable, it's too dangerous.' A sense of foreboding crept unwelcomely into Darcy's system.
"Not here, I'll tell you when we get to the safe house." She replied hollowly. Isra sensed her hostility and backed away from the subject she knew that if Darcy wanted to tell her when they were stationary that the subject may be heavier than she originally thought. Isra kept driving; her eyes back onto the road, her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.